Book Review: Republic Commando: Hard Contact
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11 Oct 2008 11:24 #19460
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Book Review: Republic Commando: Hard Contact was created by
Four clone commandos; Niner, Darman, Fi and Atin; are united for the first time to form Omega Squad after the rest of their old squads were killed early in the Clone Wars. Meanwhile on Qiilura, Jedi Padawan Etain Tur-Mukan hides from the local warlord Ghez Hokan's militia after her master Kast Fulier was killed.
Omega learns their mission is to destroy a clone-killing nanovirus being developed by the Separatists on Qiilura and abduct the project's head scientist, Ovolot Qail Uthan. Darman is injured and separated from the squad on insertion after attempting to salvage extra equipment from the crashing vehicle, and slowly moves toward the rendezvous point, killing several of Hokan's men on the way. Re-grouping is hindered as the ruling Neimoidians control all the planet's communications, leaving Omega only a 10-meter comm-range. Concerned by the Republic infiltration, Dr. Uthan commissions Hokan as a Separatist officer and reinforces the area with 100 battle droids and extra officers including the very adept Lieutenant Hurati.
With the assistance of a Gurlanin named Jinart, Darman meets up with Etain and the two move on to a safehouse. After being sold out by the locals, they move on to rendezvous with the rest of Omega. Darman teaches Etain much about combat and leadership and the two begin to develop a bond. The rest of Omega Squad steal a large quantity of charges from a nearby gem mine and Niner commandeers an excavation droid to transport the charges to the ground station supporting the Neimoidians' communications and destroy it. Also, Etain and Omega Squad capture a Weequay named Guta-Nay who happens to work for Hokan and they learn much about the facility. Free to communicate, Omega Squad, Etain and Jinart meet and prepare their attack on the facility.
Jinart places a detonator in the cellar of Lik Ankkit's mansion where most of the droids are garrisoned, leaving the nanovirus facility with little defense. The squad moves to the facility, where Niner, Fi and Etain set up an E-Web heavy repeating blaster for covering fire. Jinart helps Darman and Atin infiltrate the heavily armoured facility through the surrounding gdan burrows. The two commandos blow their way into the facility initiating a lockdown and trapping Hokan and his officers, place implosion devices to destroy the virus and capture Uthan, leaving through the burrows. Hurati manages to override the lockdown and he escapes with Hokan. As Darman, Atin and Etain head towards the LAAT/i for extraction, Hurati shoots Atin with a Verpine shatter gun seriously wounding him and Uthan, but Darman kills Hurati by shooting him in the head. Niner and Fi meet Hokan, and Niner lures him by pretending to be injured. Etain sees Hokan and kills him whilst searching for the two commandos by decapitating him with her lightsaber; and with that, she collects her dead master's lightsaber from Hokan's headless corpse, who happened to have the lightsaber. Omega Squad are extracted, and Etain decides to stay on Qiilura with Master Arligan Zey, primarily to prevent the attachment she is developing toward Darman.
Great start for this series. I like the fact that we see the world from other eyes besides the Jedi. The attachment that these soldiers make with each other is great, and it shows that even though they are clones they are still human.
Omega learns their mission is to destroy a clone-killing nanovirus being developed by the Separatists on Qiilura and abduct the project's head scientist, Ovolot Qail Uthan. Darman is injured and separated from the squad on insertion after attempting to salvage extra equipment from the crashing vehicle, and slowly moves toward the rendezvous point, killing several of Hokan's men on the way. Re-grouping is hindered as the ruling Neimoidians control all the planet's communications, leaving Omega only a 10-meter comm-range. Concerned by the Republic infiltration, Dr. Uthan commissions Hokan as a Separatist officer and reinforces the area with 100 battle droids and extra officers including the very adept Lieutenant Hurati.
With the assistance of a Gurlanin named Jinart, Darman meets up with Etain and the two move on to a safehouse. After being sold out by the locals, they move on to rendezvous with the rest of Omega. Darman teaches Etain much about combat and leadership and the two begin to develop a bond. The rest of Omega Squad steal a large quantity of charges from a nearby gem mine and Niner commandeers an excavation droid to transport the charges to the ground station supporting the Neimoidians' communications and destroy it. Also, Etain and Omega Squad capture a Weequay named Guta-Nay who happens to work for Hokan and they learn much about the facility. Free to communicate, Omega Squad, Etain and Jinart meet and prepare their attack on the facility.
Jinart places a detonator in the cellar of Lik Ankkit's mansion where most of the droids are garrisoned, leaving the nanovirus facility with little defense. The squad moves to the facility, where Niner, Fi and Etain set up an E-Web heavy repeating blaster for covering fire. Jinart helps Darman and Atin infiltrate the heavily armoured facility through the surrounding gdan burrows. The two commandos blow their way into the facility initiating a lockdown and trapping Hokan and his officers, place implosion devices to destroy the virus and capture Uthan, leaving through the burrows. Hurati manages to override the lockdown and he escapes with Hokan. As Darman, Atin and Etain head towards the LAAT/i for extraction, Hurati shoots Atin with a Verpine shatter gun seriously wounding him and Uthan, but Darman kills Hurati by shooting him in the head. Niner and Fi meet Hokan, and Niner lures him by pretending to be injured. Etain sees Hokan and kills him whilst searching for the two commandos by decapitating him with her lightsaber; and with that, she collects her dead master's lightsaber from Hokan's headless corpse, who happened to have the lightsaber. Omega Squad are extracted, and Etain decides to stay on Qiilura with Master Arligan Zey, primarily to prevent the attachment she is developing toward Darman.
Great start for this series. I like the fact that we see the world from other eyes besides the Jedi. The attachment that these soldiers make with each other is great, and it shows that even though they are clones they are still human.
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