Doctor Aphra Annual 2

Doctor Aphra Annual 2

Publisher's summary[]

One's a cyborg with a bad attitude, the other's a cold-blooded reptile. They're happily married. They've been hired by a mysterious contact to bag an ultra-deadly monster from the heart of an ancient temple. N.B.: For "mysterious contact" read DOCTOR APHRA, who — and this will shock you — is definitely up to something. N.B.: For "happily married" read THIS IS GOING TO GET MESSY.^[1]

Opening crawl[]

The evil Empire rules the galaxy with an iron fist.But the more Imperial forces tighten their grip,the more star systems slip through their fingers.Criminals and fringe factions thrive!Rogue archaeologist Doctor Aphra is no strangerto risk in the pursuit of credits and thrills, everon the hunt for for the rarest and most valuableartifacts in the galaxy.Others, like monster-hunting team Winlossand Nokk, make their living even moredangerously....

Plot summary[]

A monster hunt[]

On the far-flung world ofX3-299-11, the monster huntersWinloss andNokk, who are a married couple, embark on a job for the rogue archaeologist DrChelli Lona Aphra. While bickering, the couple descend into a crater in the middle of the forest. The couple make a living as professional beast trappers. They reach the rendezvous point at the edge of the crater where Aphra contacts them viahologram. She tells them to descend down a flight of stairs into anunderground temple. While Nokk doesn't trust Aphra, Winloss says that they need the money she is offering and hopes they can boost their reputation.

Aphra tells the hunters that she represents acrime lord who wants to capture an enormous deadly monster to compete with the pet monsters of other crime lords includingKingGrevoth Prana IX'sTerrorvores, "Lazy"Sully'sGiganism Palace andJabba's rancor. Aphra is vague about the monster they are hunting, describing it as big, mythical, immortal and deadly. Aphra claims that her employer is impatient. Addressing theTrandoshan Nokk, Aphra tells her that their mission is to subdue the beast without shooting it with a blaster. Nokk reassures Aphra that they are animal trappers rather than killers. When herhuman husband Winloss suggests killing the creature for the right price, Nokk counters that they do not kill "innocent" monsters. Aphra warns the hunters that her boss wouldtorture them todeath if they kill the creature. Nokk suggests using aVr'gedian tranquilizer harpoon to subdue the creature while Winloss argues thatelectro cudgels are more appropriate.

Dodging booby traps[]

Aphra interrupts their argument to warn them about an impending booby trap. The two doge a volley of needle missiles and discover the impaled remains of several hunters including theGranRo Thran, who had caught the bullkrykna for theTyn Syndicate. When Nokk confronts Aphra about withholding the trap from them, Aphra belatedly tells the hunters that this job is the typical "basic ancient-tomb invasion." She explains that this mystical temple dates back to the dawn of galactic history. She explains that the monster guardian is at the center of the temple.

The two hunters dodge the deadlyVortex of Fiery Dematerialization. Nokk grumbles that Aphra should have warned them sooner. When Winloss seeks clarification that they are after the "Guardian" rather than the treasure, Aphra claims to be knowledgeable of the temple, citing her profession as an archaeologist. When Winloss asks why she is not interested in the priceless totems, Aphra replies that she has "complicated priorities." As they proceed deeper into the temple, Aphra warns them not to touch anything yellow.

Winloss notices what appears to be a valuable object at the center of a pyramidical structure. Winloss suggests that is the "priceless totem idol" but Nokk reminds her husband they are primarily beast hunters. When Winloss reassures Nokk that she is already one of the best trappers, she says she doesn't take pride in that status, explaining thather clan exiled her and drowned her sisters for refusing to skin a newbornWookiee. She says that her "honor" is what let her sleeps at night. Nokk says that they should uphold their moral standards. Winloss agrees with his wife and the two embrace.

The Shadowfang Beast[]

Aphra interrupts their embrace to warn them not to touch a decoy idol nearby, explaining that it activates a ceilingtractor beam trap. Winloss sees the trapperPehk, who is stuck on the tractor beam trap. Pehk warns the hunters not to trust Aphra. Speaking via hologram, Aphra reassures Nokk and Winloss that they are doing great but warns that they are in one of the guardian's "feeding sites." Nokk asks Winloss to hand her thetranquilizer spear but Winloss suggests thatelectro cudgels are better suited for the situation. Before the couple can argue, they are attacked by agiant reptilian monster with rows of sharp teeth and a long tongue. Nokk attacks the creature with her tranquilizer spear but is unable to pierce its hide. Winloss fires hisblaster despite Aphra's warnings.

The monster grabs and devours Pekh while Nokk and Winloss flee into a different chamber. Winloss says that they should have used electro-cudgels and confronts Aphra for withholding information about their mission. When pressed by Nokk, Aphra admits that they were not the first hunters she had hired to subdue the monster. After the hunters dodge another booby trap, Aphra reassures them that they will be at the top of the league if they succeed. As the two ascend a cliff, Winloss asks Aphra why they are not allowed to used blasters against the monster.

Aphra explains that the monster is theShadowfang Beast, abioconstruct that was created during theHundred-Year Darkness. She explains that Shadowfang Beast generates a resonance-absorptive shield that absorbs blaster bolts. She cites "ancient texts." Aphra guides them to the lair of the Shadowfang Beast, which guards an intricate circulate gate. As the creature stirs, Aphra warns them to flee. A mortally woundedTwi'lek hunter namedSquoxx, who servedKingPrana. Squoxx'slekku have been bitten off by the creature, causing him to bleed to death. The dying Squoxx tells the trappers that he had taken the job in order to kill the Shadowfang Beast, prompting Aphra to swear at him in anger.

Following a discussions, Nokk convinces Winloss to use the dying Squoxx as bait in order to ambush the beast. They leave a bound Squoxx for the Shadowfang Beast. The beast grabs Squaoxx with his teeth but drops the Twi'lek bounty hunter after sensing the presence of the other two trappers through its resonance absorptive field. Nokk deduces that the monster is blind that navigates through the maze using sonar. Putting her plan into action, Nokk gets Winloss to run towards the arch while making a lot of noise. While the Shadowfang Beast is preoccupied, Nokk pierces through a broken scale near its mouth with a laser whip, temporarily incapacitating the creature.

When Nokk and Winloss asks Aphra via hologram about payment, Aphra declines to pay them based on their lackluster performance. In response, Nokk threatens to kill the Shadowfang Beast by puncturing its brain and blaming Aphra for causing its death. Nokk gives her husband the honor of killing the monster. Despite his contempt at Aphra's breach of contract, he refuses to euthanize the Shadowfang Beast, saying that it reminds him of a newborn Wookiee. Winloss tosses his crossbow towards Squoxx, who delivers the killing blow before dying.

Aphra's con[]

Shortly later, an armored figure bursts out of the Shadowfang Beast's stomach. The figure removes her helmet, revealing herself as Dr Aphra. She apologizes to Nokk and Winloss for misleading them. As she takes off her armored suit, Aphra explains that she was stealing aholy treasure when she was swallowed by the Shadowfang Beast. Sincebounty hunters armed withblasters would have ignited the beast's field discharge and killed her, she had hired several trappers with the goal of manipulating them into killing the Shadowfang Beast.

When an incensed Winloss suggests shooting Aphra, the rogue archaeologist responds that the two hunters can treat their recent adventure as a learning experience. She then escapes on ajetpack. When Nokk asks Winloss if she should dedicate her vocation to hunting down and killing Aphra, Winloss expresses sympathy for her sentiments. As a consolation, Nokk reveals that he stole the idol from Aphra, explaining that he believes it could be useful of dealing with scum. Nokk agrees and the couple leave the Shadowfang Beast's lair, leaving the fallen monster and Squoxx behind.

Media[]

Editions[]

• UPC 759606087037;September 5,2018;Marvel Comics^[1]
  • 00211; Cover A;Caspar Wijngaard
  • 00221; Cover B;Ashley Witter

Cover gallery[]

Cover A

Cover A, unlettered

Cover B

Collected in[]

• Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 5 — Worst Among Equals
• Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Omnibus Vol. 1

Appearances[]

Sources[]

• The Galaxy in Comics: Monster Hunting inDoctor Aphra Annual #2 onStarWars.com(backup link)

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Annual (2017) #2 onMarvel Comics'official website(backup link)

Aphra: 1 ·2 ·3 ·4 ·5 ·6 The Screaming Citadel: 7 ·8 The Enormous Profit: 9 ·10 ·11 ·12 ·13 Remastered: 14 ·15 ·16 ·17 ·18 ·19 The Catastrophe Con: 20 ·21 ·22 ·23 ·24 ·25 Worst Among Equals: 26 ·27 ·28 ·29 ·30 ·31 Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon: 32 ·33 ·34 ·35 ·36 A Rogue's End: 37 ·38 ·39 ·40 Trade paperbacks 1 ·2 ·3 ·4 ·5 ·6 ·7 ·The Screaming Citadel Other Annual 1 ·Annual 2 ·Annual 3 ·Hardcover 1 ·Omnibus Related media Doctor Aphra (2020) ·Doctor Aphra – Chaos Agent Audiobook Original(script) ·Epilogue
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