The Clone Wars: The Wind Raiders of Taloraan is the third in a series of digest-sized Clone Wars graphic novellas.
Publisher's summary[]
Jedi Knights Anakin and Obi-Wan, with Padawan Ahsoka, travel to the planet Taloraan in hopes of gaining some useful allies for the Galactic Republic. But the two ruling groups on the planet are not particularly interested in making a treaty - the Denfrandi are already more sympathetic toward the Separatists, and the Wind Raiders are simply unfriendly to everyone! It may be a merely impossible mission for the Jedi, or one that might end in disaster!
Plot summary[]
In orbit above the Bothan colony world Kothlis, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are engaged in a fierce dogfight with Separatist droid starfighters. Obi-Wan is being tailed by two fighters at once, and can’t seem to shake them until Anakin curves down and blows them out of the sky. Meanwhile, Ahsoka uses proton torpedoes to blow up the enemy command ship’s bridge, which causes a chain reaction of explosions that destroys the entire ship. The remaining Separatist forces turn around and jump to hyperspace, escaping Jedi retribution. Later, the three Jedi, along with Yoda, meet with the inhabitants of Kothlis, and discuss the battle. Senator Fey’lya thanks them for chasing away the invaders, but Ahsoka senses that he is attempting to deceive them, and accuses him of lying.
In response, he promises not to aid the Republic any further, and storms off. The older Jedi both acknowledge that what she sensed was accurate, but told her not to be so brazen in the future, as reactions such as the one she had just caused could lose them the war. Later, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka head out to the planet Taloraan in order to secure a weapons shipment for the Republic. On their way down, their ship is attacked by a group of soldiers riding flying creatures. Before their blaster bolts can do serious damage, the avians are shot out of the sky by Taloraan starfighters, who escort them to a floating city ship above the planet.
On the floating city, they are met by an emissary who tells them that their leader is unavailable, and that he will be responsible for negotiating in his place. After the initial discussion, Ahsoka explores the city while Obi-Wan and Anakin stay inside to continue the negotiations. Ahsoka comes across a group of armed guards defending a warehouse filled with Separatist droids, and she is forced to dodge a barrage of bolts fired at her. Flipping over and ducking under bolts, she ignites her lightsaber and deflects several more shots with sharp slashes and cuts, before kicking off a wall and slamming into the guards, knocking them out. She is then attacked by two droidekas, forcing her to turn and flee as they open fire. She barely manages to get away, using a burst of speed to get around the corner before the bolts can hit her.
The droidekas give chase, rolling through the streets after her. She manages to stay ahead, but not by much, and if she stops to catch her breath, she will be gunned down. She contacts Anakin, who tells her to get to higher ground. He and Obi-Wan then leave the negotiations to go and find her, but they too are attacked by droidekas. They ignite their lightsabers, slashing away bolts, but there is too much firepower, and they are forced to retreat, running away while deflecting several more shots. Meanwhile, Ahsoka reaches a dead end, and is forced to jump off the city ship and onto a nearby flying craft. She manages to dodge the incoming barrage of bolts and leap from that craft to another one, but she is then charged at by one of the avians belonging to the raiders that had attacked them earlier. She manages to calm it with the Force, and rides it away from her pursuers.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Anakin succeed in losing the droidekas, but before they can reach their ship, it is blown up by a missile, and they are captured at gunpoint by the royal guards. Simultaneously, Ahsoka’s transportation is shot at by droid starfighters, and the creature is shot down while attempting a doomed attack run on one of the incoming ships. Ahsoka falls, seemingly to her death, but one of the raiders catches her with his own flying creature, and takes her away. Back at the warehouse, Obi-Wan and Anakin are tied to the wall and left alone for a moment, but the emissary from earlier, who had been deceived by his leader, brings them their lightsabers allowing them to cut themselves loose.
Afterward he leads them to the city's central communication tower, where the Jedi deflect blaster bolts from droids and cut them down, then Obi-Wan is able to send a message to their Star Destroyer, Resolute while Anakin fends off more droids, slashing and hacking his way through them while deflecting blasterfire. Without the element of surprise, the Separatists’ Munificent-class star frigate is unable to overpower the Venator on its own. With its shield weakening from sustained laserfire, the Separatist ship takes several direct hits to its engines and, unable to maintain altitude, is sucked into the gas giant's core. Ahsoka manages to win her freedom from the raiders in a trial by combat, kicking her opponent into a wall with the Force. She then convinces them to assist her in taking back the city from the Separatists, in exchange for payment from the Republic.
She and several raiders arrive to reinforce Anakin and Obi-Wan, and she leaps from her transport and takes out three droids with a flying swing. She rolls to her feet, and she and Anakin stand side by side, slashing and hacking and stabbing their way through droids while the raiders gun down the rest, until none are left standing. Obi-Wan kicks the last droid off the edge of the city, sending it straight into the core. Meanwhile, a group of clones touches down and engages the royal guards in a firefight outside the warehouse, shooting down several of them from behind barricades as the guards take cover and return fire, gunning down three clones before they also are shot down.
With the Separatists all but defeated, the city’s magister commits suicide, plunging into the depths of the core.
Appearances[]
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
|
Organisms
|
Droid models
Events
|
Locations
Organizations and titles
|
Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
Weapons and technology
Miscellanea
Notes and references[]
- ↑
Star Wars: The Clone Wars--The Wind Raiders of Taloraan on Dark Horse Comics' official website (backup link)
- ↑ The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 29 GRI 5-8: General Grievous states that General Grievous attempted to capture the planet Kothlis between the battle of JanFathal (from The Clone Wars: No Prisoners) and the battle of Nexus Ortai (from The Clone Wars: Shipyards of Doom). Although Grievous was involved in the later battle on Kothlis as depicted in Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth, The Essential Reader's Companion and The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 23 PLO 1-6: Plo Koon date No Prisoners and Shipyards of Doom to 22 BBY respectively, and The Essential Reader's Companion instead dates Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth to 21 BBY. Thus, The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 29 must instead be referring to the battle from The Clone Wars: The Wind Raiders of Taloraan, and the battle must occur in 22 BBY as well.
External links[]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars--The Wind Raiders of Taloraan on Dark Horse Comics' official website (backup link)