| Star Wars: Republic #69 October 2004 "Dreadnaughts of Rendili" part 1, 22ppg, $2.99 
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Script: John Ostrander
Penciller, Cover Artist: Jan Duursema
Inker: Dan Parsons
Colorist, Cover Colors: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Michael David Thomas
Book Design: Dave Nestelle
Associate Editor: Jeremy Barlow
Assistant Editor: Dave Marshall
Editor: Randy Stradley
Publisher: Mike Richardson
CHARACTER
Featured
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Quinlan Vos
Supporting
Saesee Tiin, Plo Koon, Anakin Skywalker, General Jan Dodonna (as Captain), Jace Dallin, Mellor Yago, Gallan
Villain
Tol Skorr, Asajj Ventress
Cameo
Qui-Gon Jinn (in flashback)
CREATURE
rancor, rays, tee, daggerts, laa, faas, otta, Dagobah python (potentially), opee sea killer, dianoga
DROID
spherical attack droid, morp droid
LOCATION
Rendili
ORGANIZATION
Clone troopers
STARSHIP
Sundiver, Mersel Kebir, Dreadnaught heavy cruiser, Jedi Starfighter [Delta-7], Skorp-Ion, Titavian IV
SYNOPSIS
Arriving at Rendili too late to stop the planet from joining the Separatists, the Republic fleet finds the Rendili Home Defense fleet Dreadnaughts ready to engage them. Saesee Tiin is briefing Obi-Wan Kenobi, who is away on a salvage mission, to the events when Anakin Skywalker enters the bridge. Anakin wishes to join his Master but Kenobi tells him he will do more good there at Rendili.
Kenobi, elsewhile, has discovered the derelict Titavian IV out of Mycroft, which has been attacked by the Confederacy. He also discovers a Jedi distress code emanating from the vessel, so he pilots his Jedi Starfighter into the hangar to investigate. Inside he discovers dead bodies of the crew and someone with a red lightsaber fighting off some spherical attack droids. He is surprised to see on closer inspection that it is Jedi renegade, Quinlan Vos.
He hesitates, recalling all the wrongs he knows Quinlan has committed recently. But he also recalls their friendship and decides to leap into the fray. Quin is surprised to see him and together they ward off the blasts from the droids, while making their way into a smaller corridor in escape.
Back aboard the Rendili flagship Mersel Kebir, Plo Koon and Captain Jan Dodonna are in talks with Captain Jace Dallin , commander of the Rendili forces. Their negotiations may have been working, but Lieutenant Yago along with a security force arrives to take command and put the traitorous Dallin under arrest. Master Koon decides to put down his lightsaber deciding to choose life at this point. When one of Yago's men questions why the traitors are not killed, he points out they will be better served as pawns. That the Republic would not sacrifice such valued individuals. Master Koon reminds Yago that Master Tiin will do whatever is necessary to complete the mission, even if it means their death.
Back on the Titavian IV Kenobi and Vos are evading the blasts of the droids arguing good-naturedly with each other over their lack of planning. The jump into a large pool to avoid an explosion but Vos is caught in the shockwave and knocked unconscious. Underwater, Kenobi drags him to the safety of another entrance to the pool, in another room. Vos recovers telling Kenobi they can rest for a minute, but their pursuers will not give up. Elsewhere in the ship Tol Skorr and Asajj Ventress send a morp droid after the two. Asajj chuckles softly that the assignment has just gotten more interesting.
Repairing their wounds and the stamina with some old supplies, Vos tries to explain to Kenobi that he has been deep undercover, but he is distracted by a memory from their past that has sprung to mind. Long ago, after the Stark Hyperspace War young Obi-Wan and young Quinlan were goofing around near a waterfall on Ragoon VI when Quin slipped, bumped his head on a rock and fell into water. Obi-Wan jumped in to save him, but was caught in the current as well. The voice of his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn spoke to him, and he managed to relax, while Master Jinn, using the Force pulled the two of them free.
Kenobi wonders why this memory would resurrect itself and Vos explains that sometimes, such as then, it has seemed easier to surrender to darkness. He is saddened by what he has done, but Kenobi offer Vos his hand in friendship, giving him the benefit of the doubt on all these matters.
Vos mentions that he had failed Dooku on his mission to Honoghr and ran away but was pursued by Skorr and Ventress. They found him and spaced his ship so he couldn't reach it and have been hunting him down. Suddenly a cadre of morp droids, all yielding significant electrical shocks, herds the two Jedi into an air shaft which leads them directly to Ventress and Skorr.
Skorr quickly gets the upper hand (or foot in this case) on Vos, so Kenobi disengages from his battle with Ventress, ignoring her taunts that he is only running away. Sometimes, he states, a fight is simply a distraction. He then opens a nearby cage and releases a rancor which allows Kenobi to grab Quin and drag him into the safety of the hangar bay.
Obi-Wan rewires the previously disabled starfighter and decides that he should remain on board, while Vos takes the starfighter and tows the Skorp-Ion back on board so they can both leave. Kenobi watches him go, hoping he has made the right decision when a giant hand knocks him for a loop. It is the rancor and Ventress has used her dark side powers to bend it to her will. She then feeds on his fear, telling him that Vos has crossed over to the Dark Side, whether he was working for Dooku or not. And now the Jedi has been abandoned and will soon be dead.
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