Many different strings of Alana and Marko’s story are becoming interwoven now, and their notoriety just became more wide-spread as we open this month’s issue. The fugitive couple is going to have many more coming after them before their journey is over, I fear.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
Up until this point in the story, Alana and Marko’s betrayal to their respective alliances had been kept mostly a secret. Hired guns were sent after them, in hopes that the “little problem” would be taken care of before it became known. Now, with the confession of a hand-less sergeant about what’s really going on, and how the two former enemies have produced a child together, the tabloid market is going to be lit up with stories of their forbidden love affair. So much for keeping this situation under wraps!
Meanwhile, the family-on-the-run’s story is continued to be narrated by Hazel. She tells us how they went from the spaceship to hiding upstairs at Heist’s place, which is where we last saw them in the previous issue. Poor Marko is not taking his father’s death very well. He’s been in mourning the whole time, separating himself from reality and not taking care of his personal hygiene. His mother, Klara, isn’t doing much better. Instead of taking the stoic, non-talking route, she is instead taking out her aggression on Alana. She’s convinced that they’re on a fool’s errand, racing across the universe in search of Heist for answers when it’s clear that they’re just chasing a fantasy. With so many people out to get them, it’s clear that the danger is closing in and that answers, or maybe a miracle, is what’s needed.
Both Prince Robot IV and The Will are tracking Alana and her family. While we don’t touch base with Prince much in this issue, we do get a whole lot from The Will’s crew. Gwendolyn is still pushing Slave Girl to find Marko, but she’s not able to hear the rings and is messed up since the accident. The Will’s not doing much better, as he’s beginning to lose himself in hallucinations about The Stalk. He keeps remembering the olden days, when they were together, and even goes so far as to think he sees her again. She’s come to warn him, or perhaps put him on a different path, to save his life. She wants him to abandon his current mission, get together with Gwendolyn, adopt Slave Girl, and have a nice life. Anything else will surely cause him pain and torment. But, he’s a determined man, one that lost what he wanted a long time ago. He will push on, because he has to, with Gwendolyn and Slave Girl along for the ride. One major thing we got out of this issue, though, was a naming. No longer will Slave Girl be known by that moniker. From now on, they will call her Sophie.
As we catch up with the family, they emerge from their ship on Quietus in the midst of a bone-littered field. They aren’t just sedentary skulls, though, but skeletons full of bone bugs, which reanimates the marrow and causes them to be able to attack. Heist comes to their rescue, though he is half-drunk and only wearing underwear. This is their savior, this is the man they traveled across the universe for. Not quite a good impression, but it is their first day on a planet that Hazel hints was the first place she and her family laid down roots. I wonder how long they can stay, grabbing just the briefest glimmer of hope at a life not spent on the run. Though, as we know, danger lurks around every corner and they will soon be fighting for their lives yet again. This is not a story that will end in happiness, but I still have hope.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
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