Vader - Dark Visions 5

Vader - Dark Visions 5 is the fifth and final issue of the canon comic book miniseries Star Wars: Vader - Dark Visions. It was written by Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum, illustrated by Geraldo Borges, and published on June 12, 2019 by Marvel Comics.

Publisher's summary[]

NIGHTMARE ON THE OUTER RIM! A backwater jungle planet teeming with poisonous plants. The search for a device that can track the REBELS. A psychedelic nightmare triggered by the local flora — with a terror known as DARTH VADER!

Plot summary[]

"YOU CAN RUN…"

Darth Vader is the Empire's most powerful warrior, mercilessly enforcing
peace and order throughout the galaxy. Killer, monster, savior—what is
the true legacy that the Dark Lord has left behind for those unfortunate
enough to cross his deadly and destructive path?

On Lokud 7, Darth Vader is hunting down a number of spies who hold intel that could cripple the local fleet. A trooper informs Vader that they found some empty ships but the engines were still warm. The trooper is left to guard the ships whilst the Dark Lord of the Sith goes on to hunt the spies.

Black Squadron-Lokud 7-DV 5 — Members of Black Squadron hand in their weapons

Meanwhile, in a local cantina, Tuki and the rest of his Black Squadron friends hand in their blasters to Lundi, the bartender at the cantina. The Black Squadron calls for celebrations after the score they secured from the Empire. Lundi takes the blasters and secures them in a some kind of vault. As he finishes up, Lundi hears blaster fire from the main area of the cantina.

Back in the main area, Vader has arrived with a number of troopers as they fire upon the patrons. Lord Vader calls out to capture the rebels as he approaches one of the Black Squadron members. After interrogation, the Dark Lord finds out the intel was locked up with the members' weapons in the vault. Vader kills the member as Tuki reveals himself from behind cover and is instantly taken out by the Sith Lord.

Lundi panics whilst opening the vault to grab a weapon. Vader appears as the vault opens and, in his panic, Lundi grabs the first things he can see and runs out of the cantina. Vader soon follows the bartender and Lundi trips over a branch before falling into flowering anxynth. Remebering what his aunt told him, Lundi braces for a nightmarish, hallucinogenic experience.

Vader appears and Lundi attempts to overcome the hallucinations whilst firing towards the Dark Lord. Vader dodges with ease, but is bitten by the plant himself and is caught in some of its vines. Lundi takes the opportunity and runs away before coming to his uncle's lodge. Though, because of the anxynth, the lodge appears as Vader's head, the bartender continues on into the family property.

Inside, Lundi prepares to hide somewhere and wait out the poison. Its effects, however, are still affecting him and Lundi sees some of the hunting trophies as their original creatures. A wampa, feline creature, and rancor all leap out at Lundi and he opens fire with his blasters in response. The blaster fire signals Vader to where the bartender is as Lundi continues firing whilst backing up the stairs. One step gives way and Lundi falls through, dropping his blasters.

Lundi reaches for one of his blasters, which landed near to him. Before he can grab it, a hand reaches out and Lundi recoils. The hand belongs to one of the dead cantina bar patrons and a number of other dead patrons crawl along the floor beside them, including Tuki. In response, Lundi grabs a thermal detonator from the bag he grabbed from the vault and throws it. The blast soothes Lundi's hallucinations but soon another figure appears and Lundi grabs another detonator, threatening to use it.

Vader-DarkVisions-5-Horror — Lundi cowers from the sight of Vader

A monstrous figure of Vader appears demanding the intel. Lundi gives in and throws the intel towards the Dark Lord and it turns itself on, confirming it to be the intel Vader wanted. Vader calls in to to the commander to inform him of his success and demands his ship to be ready for his arrival. Lundi is left in the lodge, alone to deal with the remainder of his hallucinations.