Star Wars: Knight Errant: Aflame represents the initial story arc within the Star Wars: Knight Errant comic book series. Distinct from subsequent arcs, its publication was not structured as a miniseries, and the individual issues lacked the "Aflame" subtitle. Set in 1032 BBY during the Republic Dark Age, specifically within the final century of the New Sith Wars, the narrative primarily unfolds through the perspective of Kerra Holt, a Jedi Knight and knight errant Jedi operating within Sith-controlled territories. In the Aflame storyline, Kerra survives a disastrous Jedi operation on Chelloa, where she forges an alliance with Gorlan Palladane, the leader of the Chelloan resistance and a former Jedi himself. She confronts Daiman and Odion, two competing Sith Lords, while simultaneously disrupting their plans concerning Chelloa. Kerra ultimately realizes that her true purpose lies in safeguarding the civilian population from Sith oppression, rather than directly engaging the Sith forces. Following a climatic apocalypse, Kerra and Gorlan successfully evacuate the inhabitants of Chelloa to the safety of Republic controlled space.
Aflame was originally launched on October 13, 2010 and concluded on February 16, 2011. Comprising five individual issues, the script was penned by John Jackson Miller. Aflame was later compiled and released as a trade paperback comic by Dark Horse Comics on July 13, 2011.
In this era, the galaxy is consumed by profound darkness. The Republic has suffered repeated defeats at the hands of various Sith factions, who are currently engaged in internal conflicts within the Outer Rim.
Amidst this turmoil, a group of Jedi Knights emerges, dedicated to providing aid to the innocent individuals caught in the crossfire to the best of their abilities. Among them is Kerra Holt, a newly appointed knight, who is now returning to her home territory for the first time since her childhood. As she encounters the Sith Lord responsible for robbing her of everything through his insatiable desire for war, she will face trials that surpass her wildest imagination!
The comic's narrative unfolds eight years after the downfall of the Chagras Hegemony, one of the splinter Sith states that arose from the remnants of the New Sith Empire. By the year 1032 BBY, Daiman, a Sith Lord, governs a principality known as the Daimanate situated within the Grumani sector. Vannar Treece, a Jedi Master, initiates Operation Influx, a swift raid aimed at disrupting the export of baradium from Chelloa. The Jedi infiltrate Jenith Spaceport aboard a cargo liner, swiftly neutralizing the Daimanate Sith troopers guarding the port's facilities. During the ensuing conflict, Kerra Holt, the central Jedi Knight protagonist, rescues Gorlan Palladane, a leader of the Chelloan resistance, from being killed by two of Daiman's subordinates. Subsequently, the Jedi task force is hailed as liberators by the local populace.
However, disagreements soon arise between Vannar and Gorlan. Vannar's intention was to execute a quick raid to disrupt the baradium distribution, a highly unstable compound utilized in munitions. Conversely, Gorlan envisioned a full-scale invasion to expel the Sith. As a compromise, the Jedi consent to evacuate a portion of the civilians. Nevertheless, this triumph is cut short by the arrival of another invasion force commanded by Odion, Daiman's rival and estranged older brother, also a Sith Lord. Odion's forces engage the Jedi while Gorlan oversees the evacuation of civilians onto a cargo liner. During the subsequent battle, all the Jedi, except for Kerra, are killed when Odion employs his kinetic corruptor to ignite the underground baradium deposits, triggering volcanic activity. Kerra is rescued and sheltered by Gorlan.
In a flashback sequence, Kerra reflects on her childhood experiences during the Sith invasion of her home planet, Aquilaris Minor, and her subsequent encounter with Vannar, which led her to embrace the Jedi path. Significant portions of Jenith are devastated by the fighting, resulting in substantial civilian casualties. Lord Daiman himself arrives, determined to uncover how his adversaries, Odion and the Jedi, discovered the baradium mining operation. He confronts Gorlan and then touches Kerra, unaware that she is a Jedi. Displaying little concern for his people, Daiman leaves them to their own fate. Kerra learns that Gorlan is a former Jedi who abandoned the Order because he prioritized the well-being of ordinary people. He also introduces her to his family. Meanwhile, several Mobile munitions complexes and a fleet of passenger transports arrive at Jenith and Arboth as Daiman seemingly intends to expand large-scale baradium operations on Chelloa.
Unable to persuade Gorlan to join her in combating the Sith occupiers, Kerra embarks on a mission to assassinate Lord Daiman. She infiltrates his alpine compound and discovers him torturing Skodo, a Rodian mechanic, to death for acquiring a transmitter. During the duel, Kerra defeats her Sith opponent by trapping him in a suspension field. However, before she can deliver the final blow, Daiman reveals that Odion plans to obliterate Chelloa using several kinetic corruptors, massive vehicles capable of igniting volatile baradium deposits. He also informs her that Odion commands a mobile space station known as The Spike in the outer reaches of the Chelloa system.
After hijacking a Daimanate starfighter, Kerra arrives at The Spike amidst a fierce space battle. Daiman had launched a starfighter assault on The Spike, but Odion's defenses had decimated much of the attacking force. Odion discusses with Jelcho, his Givin advisor, his bewilderment that his younger brother would dispatch such a feeble force to attack him, knowing the destructive potential of the kinetic corruptors. Meanwhile, Kerra infiltrates the mobile station and enters the expansive factory sector where several kinetic corruptors are being assembled. She also ambushes and reprograms GAD-3, a labor droid. Odion appears on the factory floor with Jelcho and discusses their secret informant on Chelloa who had divulged intelligence regarding the baradium operations.
He also receives another transmission from the same source, claiming that all mining operations on Chelloa are offline, rendering the planet insignificant to Odion. Odion dismisses this report and orders his minions to load the kinetic corruptors onto landing ships. Odion suddenly senses Kerra's presence and engages her in a lightsabers duel, causing extensive damage to the assembly area. During their duel, Kerra reveals that Daiman is relocating his munitions factories to Chelloa. Odion refuses to abandon Chelloa because it possesses an abundance of baradium, disrupting the balance of the Force. Before Odion can kill her, Kerra escapes by commanding Gad-Three to deactivate the containment fields, exposing the interior to the vacuum of space. Amidst the chaos, Kerra escapes on a construction shuttle. Odion's gunship attempts to destroy Kerra's shuttle, but she escapes by executing a single jump into hyperspace to Chelloa.
Meanwhile, Daiman captures Gorlan and tortures him, sending a transmission to Odion, claiming to have captured one of Odion's agents. Daiman also intended to provoke Odion into attacking as part of a trap. Kerra intercepts this transmission and returns to Chelloa to rescue her friend. Convinced that Daiman is indeed expanding baradium mining operations on Chelloa, Odion abandons his original plan to destroy Chelloa with kinetic corruptors and prepares for a ground invasion of the planet to seize the munitions factories and baradium operations for himself.
An enraged Daiman tortures Gorlan, while expounding on his narcissistic beliefs. He also orders the complete annihilation of the town of Jenith in retaliation for harboring a Jedi Knight and the arrest of the village leaders from the ten mining towns on Chelloa. During the ensuing massacre, Kerra rescues Gorlan's family from Sith troopers. The survivors flee to the nearby town of Arboth, where the mobile complexes are located. Kerra infiltrates Daiman's compound once more and rescues Gorlan and the town leaders. Gorlan reveals that he and the deceased Rodian Skodo had utilized a transmitter to communicate with the Jedi regarding Daiman's operations. However, Odion had also intercepted the transmissions and learned about the baradium operations. He also admitted contacting Odion to mislead him, with the futile intention of keeping him away from Chelloa.
Following a conversation with Gorlan, Kerra realizes that her true mission was not to confront the Sith Lords, but rather to save the civilians on Chelloa by evacuating them to Republic Space. Before departing the compound, Kerra leaves a personal message for Daiman by decapitating his prized statues to challenge his omnipresence. Meanwhile, Odion prepares to launch his landing ships for a planetary invasion of Chelloa. Kerra, Gorlan, and the town leaders flee to Arboth. At the nearby spaceport, Kerra investigates the fleet of cargo freighters and transports purportedly carrying the workers intended to operate the mobile factories. She discovers that they are all empty and proposes evacuating the entire population of Chelloa: 60,000 sentient beings scattered across ten mining towns. Gorlan agrees to assist Kerra and ignites his lightsaber, symbolizing his renewed commitment to the Jedi Order.
Odion and his elite Thunder Guard invade Chelloa, overwhelming the weak Daimanate garrison near Arboth. They approach the mobile factories only to discover that they are actually disguised kinetic corruptors. They activate and trigger the underground baradium deposits, creating a series of large explosions that trigger a massive magma eruption that devastates the planet's surface. Daiman revels in his success in luring his hated brother into a trap on Chelloa. In reality, Daiman was not expanding baradium operations but rather planned to deny the planet to his Sith rivals. Daiman then orders his shuttle and "decoy transports" at Arboth spaceport to evacuate.
Meanwhile, Kerra, Gorlan, and the refugees seize control of the decoy transports, creating a makeshift fleet known as the Freedom Fleet. They proceed to evacuate the 60,000 residents of Chelloa while fending off Odion's Thunder Guard who also attempt to escape on the transports. Odion's entire invasion force, with the exception of himself, is killed in the ensuing magma eruption. Daiman and his entourage flee Chelloa on a shuttle. Meanwhile, Odion engages Kerra in a climactic lightsaber duel, leading to a pursuit across the Freedom Fleet as it exits Chelloa's atmosphere. Ultimately, Odion is attacked by Gorlan, who pushes him into the thrusters. Both men sustain severe burns, and Gorlan succumbs to his wounds. The Freedom Fleet escapes with Chelloa's entire population into the safety of hyperspace.
Odion survives but suffers severe burns requiring medical attention. He vows revenge on Kerra whenever they meet again in the future. En route to the Galactic Republic, the Freedom Fleet docks at Nilash III, a Daimanate world, where Kerra raids Daiman's factory, liberating the enslaved Nilash natives. As a final act, Kerra decapitates his statues. Following the raid, Daiman and his aide Uleeta visit the planet. Daiman discovers his desecrated statues and is forced to acknowledge that Kerra indeed "exists and is not going away."
-
Related categories: