The Perfect Weapon by Delilah S. Dawson
This e-book was published as part of the "Journey to The Force Awakens" publishing program and so takes place during the New Republic...yes, it has taken me 5 years to get around to reading it and I am so glad that I finally took the time!! It clocks in at 59 pages and is billed as a short story although it reads more like a novella. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for an adventure story featuring a lesser known character (of course she now has novels and a comic that cover her hunt for the Millennium Falcon in the "Flight of the Falcon" publishing series--see below) that is a quick, fun read.
This was a bizarre, yet satisfying look into Bazine Netal's early days as a spy/...well...I don't know what exactly you'd call someone who takes jobs from strangers for pay that involve all sorts of different dastardly hijinks...maybe she was a type of bounty hunter?? mercenary?? The newly introduced alien species was CRAZY and I loved it! And the big twist during the climax of the book was perfection--I did not see it coming one bit, in fact I thought a completely different thing was bound to happen, but it turns out that would have been too easy and obvious an out. Dawson definitely outdid herself with creativity and outside-the-box thinking on this one!
The thrust of the book is a hunt for an old stormtrooper, TK-1472 or Jor Tribulus. He's on the planet Vashka at an unknown location. We start off on the planet Chaaktil at Suli's Cantina where Bazine is awaiting a contact and information on a new job. She gets it in the form of a protocol droid with a self-destruct mechanism. Unsure and uneasy about this new job, she nevertheless sets out to get it done. To acquire a ship (the Sparrowhawk) she returns to the below-board training establishment of her "adoptive father" Delphi Kloda (a man who used to be Tasu Leech of Kanjiklub's number two) and in addition to a ship, also gains a first mate, Orri Tenro of Pantora--the poor guy is super unprepared for working for such a well-trained and deadly woman, but he's a great slicer and comes in handy.
The main antagonist in the book is a new species of non-sentients: Vashkan apidactyls, "one of the original megafauna inhabitants of the warm planet. […] They were the size of a small humanoid, coated in armorlike chitin, and blessed with two sets of wings and venomous stingers." An old trooper, TK-1403 or Aric Nightdrifter, comes to her aid in both avoiding the "dacs" and finding her "prey."
As the story progresses, things get morbid and creepy as all get out, but it's such a fascinating read that you can't help but plow through unabated. And the twist!!! Oh my goodness, the twist--it is so good!
This book had some great descriptions in it including:
-A drunk man's words to Bazine, "slurring something about the heat of the desert sands and the curves of her bountiful dunes."
-Bazine's "spy" attire, "High-heeled wedge boots, black leather leggings clinging to shapely legs, tight-fitting jacket that concealed armor and weapons."
-The medical facility where she must find TK-1472, "Most of the building had been coated with heavy golden wax that glowed, almost translucent, in the sun. Hexagonal cells cloaked the corners and roof, piling upward to partially melted points."
-The result of her touching one of these hexagonal cells, "When it pulsated against her palm, she jumped back, just as a hideous white grub pushed up against it, the wax bellying out under its bulk and its alien black eyes roving as if seeking her out."
Trivia:
-Bazine's fingertips are black because she paints them daily with black rishi eel ink to cloak her prints.
-Chaako City is Chaaktil's biggest metropolitan area.
-Bazine wears the black skull cap because on her first mission, her head was torched by a flamethrower and her scalp has been left with "twisted pink burn marks" and tufts of black hair.
-She discovers "sensor-jamming baffleweave fabric" for the first time in this book with the help of Orri.
-Vashka: "a boring but lovely planet, a temperate place of lush green valleys, misty purple mountains, quiet, seaside towns, and this one big, disturbingly tidy city. It was where people both rich and poor went to retire in relative ease--and where folks were sent to convalesce so their employers or family could feel they were recovering or dying in peace and comfort, out of sight and out of mind. The New Republic offered privatized care for their old or injured troopers in the Outer Rim."
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I've decided to add a little something extra to this review! If you liked the sound of this e-book, I've given you links below to reviews on Dawson's other Star Wars literary works. If you want to know more about Bazine Netal, I've given you links below to reviews on other Star Wars literary works where she appears. Hopefully this lagniappe will provide that little bit of guidance needed to help someone along their Star Wars print media journey!!
More from Delilah S. Dawson:
"Scorched" - a short story published in "The Star Wars Insider" magazine
Phasma - an adult novel published as part of the "Journey to The Last Jedi" publishing program
"Rose and Paige" - "Forces of Destiny" Comic Collection
"Raiders of the Lost Gundark" - a comic in "Star Wars Adventures TPB #8: Defend the Republic!"
"Tales from Wild Space - The Best Pet" - a comic in "Star Wars Adventures TPB #2: Unexpected Detour"
"The Secrets of Long Snoot" - a short story in the From A Certain Point of View anthology
More on Bazine Netal:
"Star Wars Adventures: Flight of the Falcon" by Michael Moreci - an extended comic
Pirate's Price by Lou Anders - a middle grade novel (and one of my ABSOLUTE FAVES!!!)
Lando's Luck by Justina Ireland - a middle grade novel
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So there you have it! A book that I went far too long not having read and highly recommend for its imaginative and engaging story and characters!!
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