Doctor Aphra (2016) 2

Doctor Aphra 2: Aphra, Part II is the second issue of the Marvel comic book series Star Wars: Doctor Aphra. Written by Kieron Gillen, with art by Kev Walker, it was released on December 21, 2016.

Publisher's summary
''Aphra's got debts to pay. But can she can stay one step ahead of the Empire, some Bounty Hunters and just about everyone else in the galaxy!?''

Plot summary
The second issue opens with a flashback to Aphra's childhood. Aphra's father has returned to find his home engulfed in flames, and his wife dead. A young Aphra berates her father for his neglect at being absent most of her and her mother's lives.

In the present, the second issue picks up where the previous issue left off — on Archaeo-Prime, a marketplace for the sale and purchase of archaeological relics maintained by the Archaeological Association. Aphra's father has made his re-appearance in Aphra's life to reveal that he is the one who had her doctorate suspended, once he uncovered that she lied about her discovery of Abersyn symbiotes on Boothi XII. To Aphra's dismay, her father needs her help in his latest attempt in his lifelong pursuit of the Ordu Aspectu. She takes him back to the Ark Angel II to talk it over.

Back at the Ark Angel's hanger, Aphra pulls out her blaster and points it at her father. She demands that he clear her name. Aphra's father calls her bluff, and Aphra orders Triple Zero to do the job for her. At the last moment, however, her conscience gets the better of her. She invites her father aboard to discuss things further. Inside her ship, Aphra's father begins to tell the story of the Ordu Aspectu.

Ancient, Ancient History
A squadron of Jedi starfighters converge on a space-station called The Fortress of Garn. Rur, leader of the Ordu Aspectu, begs the Jedi to cease hostilities. Rur's lieutenant, a man named Amon, informs his leader that the Jedi have already breached the fortress. Reluctantly, they head into battle, but Rur orders Amon not to take life if he can avoid it.

The "Jedi," garbed in black, and wielding red lightsabers, have penetrated the fortress. The Ordu Aspectu, wielding blue lightsabers, meet them in combat. The "Jedi" have come to end the Ordu Aspectu's "heresy," that their single-minded pursuit of immortality has made them enemies of one another. One of the "Jedi," a Togruta, strikes down Amon in the heat of the melee. Rur, desperate to avoid "another lost eternity," reaches out with the Force and the Fortress of Garn, including both the "Jedi" and Ordu warriors, are suddenly swallowed up by the void.

Back in the present, Aphra's father explains his reasoning for his urge to find the lost fortress of the Ordu Aspectu. He believes that Rur was successful in his quest for immortality, and that discovery of the lost fortress might precipitate a "spiritual renaissance, a [re]awakening of the Force." Aphra has a different interpretation of history...

Flashback to the Fortress of Garn, again. A squadron of Jedi starfighters converge on the space-station. Rur stands alongside his lieutenant Amon, both garbed in black armour, and issues the approaching Jedi an ultimatum: retreat or they will slay the Padawans they have captured. Followed by a massive explosion, the Jedi, dressed in white and wielding blue lightsabers, breach the fortress. The red of the Ordu Aspectu's blades flash as they and the Jedi engage in combat; lightning torments the captive Padawans. Amon activates a computer terminal, killing himself in the process, and the Fortress of Garn, as well as both Jedi and Ordu Aspectu, are swallowed up by the void.

Back in the present once more, Aphra and her father continue their debate. Aphra believes the Ordu Aspectu's "heresy" had nothing to do with eternal life but the "possessive infinite," an age-old argument between Jedi grammarians. She claims her father is "chasing mist" — a metaphor — but reluctantly agrees to help him, if only to prove him wrong.

Yavin IV
The Ark Angel hangs in orbit above the gas giant Yavin. Aphra's father directs Aphra and her crew to the fourth moon of the system. On the surface of the forest moon, Aphra, her father, and Black Krrsantan overlook a complex of ancient temple structures from atop a rocky plateau. Using a pair of binocs, Aphra locates a legion of stormtroopers, accompanied by a troop of AT-AT's and AT-ST's, occupying the temple complex.