"High Republic Adventures #13: For Light and Life" by Daniel Jose Older
"High Republic Adventures #13: For Light and Life" written by Daniel Jose Older, illustrated by Harvey Tolibao and Rebecca Nalty
In the previous issue, a bunch of Jedi (including the main Padawans of this series) attacked Dol'har Hyde where Krix's base camp was located. Lula had been given co-responsibility to lead the mission and was anxious but excited about her new opportunity. We also saw Lula realizing that balance is key in all things even when it comes to romantic relationships and being Force-sensitive. It seems in this issue though that Lula's feelings for Zeen are starting to outweigh her need to be the greatest Jedi Knight ever...
We start off with Buckets of Blood and Lula sharing a Vector cockpit while discussing with Farzala over comms about the Jedi having captured Krix. Because of the success of the mission, Buckets tells Lula that Kantam told him that she...should be knighted!! This just seems WAY off to me. I'm pretty darn sure Lula is much younger than Vernestra (one of if not the youngest Knight ever) and people are always super surprised that Vernestra is a Jedi Knight already at such a young age. Lula does not come off as a prodigy like Vernestra so I have no idea why they would make her a Knight so young... And it doesn't stop there because at the end of this issue, Qort and Farzala get knighted, like, what the heck?!? I am seriously confused at the moment over these really young people being knighted.
Then we're on the Star Hopper where we meet the new batch of younglings. The group includes another Aloxian, just like Qort, and the two begin to bond. The little youngling Aloxian is named Zint. *heart* See an adorable image of them below.
We've talked a lot about Lula, but what about Zeen?? Poor Zeen is really struggling with a lot of different things: her burgeoning Force powers, her losing Krix as a friend, her now wanting to kill Krix, and of course, her attraction to Lula. The poor girl even says as part of a metaphor, "all your plans and hopes and dreams are, well...trash. See her defiance below. When interrogating Krix, Zeen says about the Jedi: "I found people who love me for who I am and not for some version of myself that had to be lesser to make them comfortable." But will she turn her back on her newfound, mostly-accepting (they still won't let her become a Jedi despite her powers and goodness) family to run off with Lula?? Goodness, I hope we find out!!
Now for a little more on Zela (totally just made that up, but I really like it as a ship name for these two fabulous women). In pondering what her response will be to Kantam/Buckets's offer for her to become a Jedi Knight, Lula does a lot of thinking on Zeen and what the other girl means to her, "That day on Trymant, when you saved my life...I already knew everything was about to change forever. The attack on the Republic Fair was the first time we were separated since we met. I was [...] terrified I'd lose you. We met [...] Ty Yorrick, who had walked away from the Jedi Order. It seemed inconceivable to me. But all that--losing you, finding you, meeting Ty...it planted a seed in me. It's been growing ever since. One thing I've learned this year--from the Masters, from Farzala and Qort, from you--we can't hide from our feelings or pretend they don't exist." Another great lesson courtesy of Lula--if you want to be mentally healthy, you absolutely cannot tamp down and ignore your feelings or else you will eventually crack...
Zeen manages to get a location out of Krix and Zeen decides to go after the lead since she can't raise anybody on comms who is already at the location. See below--Zeen's needing a hug and thus falling into Lula's arms after proclaiming to Krix that he's just some kid she used to know. Lula says, "Be careful. I know I'm not supposed to, but...I need you." To which Zeen replies, "I need you, too." See below--their immediate intimate moment after revealing their feelings for each other. Lula goes on to think, "'I need you' is a strange thing to say to someone. I'm not sure it's right, but it was a start. What I really should've said was, 'I love you.'" D'awww!!!! My heart!!! She even admits she has feelings for Zeen to Farzala and Qort!! Needless to say, she turns down the offer to be knighted and says she needs to figure some things out first. Again, I REALLY hope that Zeen and Lula run off with each other and away from the Jedi Order. I want them to be able to have their love and not have it squashed due to dogmatic doctrine!! I cannot wait to gab about these girls on my next Aphra's Artifacts!!
NO!!!!! It said "The End" on the last panel instead of "To be continued!" *tears* Just when the story was ramping up to 11, they end it?!? Goodness I hope Older is able to carry over Lula, Zeen, Qort, and Farzala to his new endeavors within the High Republic... I have been so in love with this series and am heartbroken that it's currently coming to an end, hopefully just in this particular format, but we'll have to wait and see...
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