Everything she’s ever cared about or loved is gone, as well as most of her body. Add in the fact that the one place she thought was safe is corrupt, she’s in full panic mode. And since she cared for Cort and seen him as her only hope left, she’s thinking he going to betray her now. I agree, Nyrah IS over-reacting, and has been for a VERY long time, but I suffer with PTSD myself, so I understand her over-reaction. All three need to have a heart-to-heart with the Lance Major, it might help…
A desperate one, born from fear that everyone else is corrupt and will do worse with it. Hope that they can get away while the Federation fights off the Dranglaex without them. And afterwards, hope that whoever wins won’t find it and use it for their own evil. Her only goal in life is not letting the Starcaster be abused for evil. That mission was about the only thing that kept her going for a century of torture and imprisonment. Abandoning that by joining the Feds is likely unthinkable for her. While we’ve seen the Feds be reasonable too, Nyrah’s… Read more »
On the flipside, If Cort doesn’t join the federation that last Odrossian colony will be on the Dranglaexian “todo” list just like every other sentient species Maybe, in a sense, Cort is doing the right thing by all those former Odrossian guardians of the legacy of this starcaster too by signing up with a faction that’s powerful enough to protect him from being murdered and the starcaster stolen by the Dranglaex P.S. Am I right in assuming the Dranglaexian force is a expeditionary force? It looks pretty much like their homeworld is in a different galaxy and they’re cut off… Read more »
Do you mean ‘galaxies without a starcaster’ or ‘wiped them out without using a starcaster’? Either way, the combined facts that they have wiped out galaxies and still only have one themselves mean they have definitely wiped out at least some Starcaster-free galaxies. There should still be more on there to do list, they haven’t cleansed the entire universe yet. Full universal genocide takes time. As for not using a Starcaster, that’s unclear. From how Overlord Dranglaex spoke about the campaign it seems to imply they’re fighting elsewhere too, so they may have some other non-Starcaster war (against non-Starcaster galaxy,… Read more »
What I mean is are all the Starcaster’s in the Milky Way, or were they scattered? Because if all 6 are in the Milky Way that means they wiped out several galaxies of all life without using a Starcaster and only got one after arriving in the Milky Way.
The reason I ask is the Dranglaex claim to be the true successors of the Aug, yet they came from another galaxy. Does that imply intergalactic travel is a normal thing in this universe or did they do some long sleep/generation ship thing?
They called this the “Adastrian Campaign” though so are we sure it’s actually the Milky Way — or just a galaxy humans eventually found their way to? For all we know, the Milky Way was wiped out by the Dranglaex in the Starcasterverse and humans had to flee (we actually don’t see THAT many humans in the comic) … or then again maybe Adastria is what the Draglaex call the Milky Way.
The Starcasters are scattered across the entire known universe, not just this galaxy. So no, they’re (probably) not all 6 in this galaxy. The Dranglaex already had their Starcaster before coming to this galaxy. Unknown when exactly they got theirs, they likely found it within their galaxy at some point. It’s also unknown how much they’ve relied on it during their galactic conquests. I’d assume they’ waged wars and exterminated galaxies without it. There does seem to be an unprecedented number of Starcasters converging on this galaxy at the moment. As far as I can tell there’s usually only one,… Read more »
There’s definitely more Starcasters than the Federation knows. They know of 6 in this galaxy, which they reveal at one point. However, we see that the father of the Drangealex princes also wears one. In the way they talk it seems the father is in a different galaxy, making it pretty hard for the Federation to know of it. Doesn’t matter much until more Drangaelex arrive though. As it is mentioned the Drangaelex have wiped out multiple galaxies, they might have many more Starcasters spread out over many galaxies in their genocidal campaign.
Where did we confirm the Father’s Starcaster? He had some things on his hands, but that wasn’t a clear view and could easily be ceremonial armor or some such. I personally doubt it actually was a second Starcaster, as that’d mean the rest of the story so far makes little sense. Too much of the plot relies on the Dranglaex currently only having one. If they did have other Starcasters they could bring over there’s no valid reason why they should wait for a century to attack, and even less reason for them to attack now while outgunned. The six… Read more »
We don’t get a clear view, but from their power structure it seems a likely choice. The only way his right arm wouldn’t be a starcaster is that it partially covers his hands. Otherwise it seems a dead on match to how Starcasters are created. From the elbow to the hand, with slight differences. In addition, his father likely isn’t in this galaxy. They are only communicating, mentioning ‘this galaxy’, as if his father isn’t present. Only part of the Drangealex have gone to this galaxy to cleanse it and recover the Odrossian Starcaster. It seems safe to assume that… Read more »
In that conversation with his father, there is heavy implication that dad passed his Starcaster on to the current bearer, so unless we are expected to believe dad had 2 at hand (hyuk!), I’d say dad’s arm is a replacement not a Starcaster.
I wouldn’t say she is overreacting in the slightest all things considered. As someone who suffers with PTSD you understand better than most how little control someone has once that switch gets flipped hard.
I remember back in the 80’s we had some employees from Cambodia, and literally every time they heard a plane fly overhead they would run for cover, knocking people out of their way, crawling under their trucks or rushing into the nearest building in a blind panic. Didn’t matter if they were in their 20’s or 40’s they reacted more or less the same.
Even if it makes perfect sense for her as a person it’s just dull. Her character is boring. Something needs to change because I as a reader am so tired of her that I am actively rooting for her to die.
You might want to be focusing on the words “Your quarters” right now Nyrah and the fact that’s probably a three bunk cabin judging by the ladder last page
I have the popcorn ready for when Nyrah finds out that “technically” Cort has probably signed her and Speck up too
Unless he’s managed to have them classed as dependents
Keep in mind that for a period of time longer than most beings in this universe live she has been kept frozen, thawed out to torture, then frozen again, over and over again to the point of being several organs in a jar and a face stapled to a robot head. Literally, she’s spent more time over the course of her life being dismembered piece by piece than she has spent just being normal. Nobody gets over that kind of thing for as long as they live. Hell my hats off to the woman for having her shit as together… Read more »
On the other hand, if he made decisions for the other two without any say or discussion, he’s stripped them of any agency. That’s a pretty hard thing to swallow from a friend.
Oh hell yeah. If he’s signed them up without asking them his ass is acid goop.
VibrantEvolution
1 year ago
technically he hasn’t signed any papers yet XD
Jedi
1 year ago
Well the question simple was quarters or airlock, what you prefer.
Taylan Ertan
1 year ago
Lady…running is NEVER an option. They found you once BEFORE they knew you existed. And now both sides know you are out there even if you were to escape. And what is it that you want? Just hide while the galaxy dies? What is even your goal at this point? Protect the stupid Starcaster… for what reason if the said action means everything going to shit anyways? For the ‘pride’ of your old dead race? Give me a break.
havok
1 year ago
Just noticed this now…But Nyrah has no nostrils…..Does that mean she’s a mouth breather or does she have gills or something?
She can finally get an upgrade, or maybe get grown a new body even.
Crestlinger
1 year ago
Walk her to the airlock and say ‘Okay this is where the negotiation Actually took place after the meet and greet. Does the visual aid help you understand my point of view? Because I Guarantee the view will take your breath away.’
That leaves running or merc. However, as a merc he’ll have just as much agency. Who will hire him? The Federation. What if he refuses a job? The galaxy is in the balance. He’ll be killed or disarned and the Starcaster given to someone else. Pragmatism before one guys freedom of choice. Running? He was found by both Quel and La’ni without a massive manhunt on him. If he does run he’s now known by 3 dangerous parties. The Syndicate, which several times nearly overwhelmed him. The Federation, who already found him 4 times before (temple, outpost, twice on mudball),… Read more »
Dunkmaster
1 year ago
What’s with the background in the first two panels? Feels kinda rushed.
Bulkhead walls in an empty cabin and the artist’s desire to emphasis the characters in the situation over any distractions?
Happens often enough in printed graphic art books for it to be a recognized artistic option
Gonfrask
1 year ago
I hope part of the deal is that Quell is a member of the team, and those in dutty of scort and bodyguard are not chosen by the Fed, but by them.
Briggs
1 year ago
I keep waiting for Cort to snap. Having people constantly question and criticize your decisions is incredibly stressful, on top of an already stressful situation.
Sayer
1 year ago
Someone help me out. It was my understanding that Nyrah’s head was basically untouched, and it’s the rest of her body that’s just organs because torture – but some of the comments below are offering different interpretations.
Lord Hideous
1 year ago
It really was the only option. Running would be suicidal, with a chance that the Dranglies found him first,, and ‘independent contractor’ wasn’t happening, since there’s no way the Feds would ever let the Starcaster out of their direct control.
I do hope Cort at least haggled a bit before accepting, things like getting his ship repaired and a new body for Nyra.
kaladorn
1 year ago
He’s taken the Devil’s Bargain. So shall he reap.
Kaitensatsuma
1 year ago
Well.
To be fair to Nyrah, the “Or Else” is still there, with the added benefit of you now being in the Federation’s clutches and easily disposable now that you’re living in their quarters.
Merida
1 year ago
I wonder if part of the deal is a good body for her and being sent to live with the Oddressian colony. And how she’d react to that part of the deal.
BakaGrappler
1 year ago
In case anyone is interested, there is a post with a written up description of the conversations that had happened between the Patrons concerning the decision Cort made here on the previous page. A loooong post, but descriptive.
While I approve of the direction of things, I gotta ask:
Why not just cut Cort’s arm off? The Starcaster would just spit it out, and Nyrah’s artificial body is proof the procedure to reattach an arm is trivial.
I’d agree with this except we don’t know what the actual learning curve/recovery time is (someone else can math it out) So strategically, it’s a better idea to have your Starcaster bearer already able to throw cutting beams at enemies, rather than just shiver, be ill and pass out.
Let me ask a counter question: Why the need to cut his arm off? I get that it’s possible and has some benefits, but involuntary amputation is still a rather monstrous thing to do. Even if you are offering a functional prosthesis as a replacement. (and given the issues they’ve had with Nyrah’s body it’s likely not that trivial either. It might work, but still worse than a normal body.) Ethics alone should be more than sufficient reason to not ‘just do’ it. There’s also the other issues of it likely requiring specialized equipment (which they wouldn’t have reached yet),… Read more »
BBkat
1 year ago
What did she expect? That he would say no and they would, accept that?? Jfc woman, he didn’t exactly have a choice, they didn’t ask for his help so much as they told him he would help.
Lily
1 year ago
There was definitely an implied or else. What are they going to do? Take out the Federation’s Starcaster, destroy half the fleet and flee? I suppose at that point they might as well join the other side.
Thraxas
1 year ago
Anyone else got llamas with hats vibes „coooort what have you done?“
Pyre
1 year ago
Honestly, Nyrah should be looking on the upside to this. Ignoring the benefits to the crew of restock and repair, that Odrossian colony just got upgraded to the same level of protectiion that it is implied that La’ni’s people are getting. At the very least, this is a chance for those three to catch their breath and get both Nyrah AND The Aphelion up to tiptop shape. This way, if they do have to bail out later, they will have the resources to do so rather than continually flying on the constant hope/prayer that something critical doesn’t break. Really, this… Read more »
24
Shut up Nyrah. The paranoia act was old three chapters ago
Everything she’s ever cared about or loved is gone, as well as most of her body. Add in the fact that the one place she thought was safe is corrupt, she’s in full panic mode. And since she cared for Cort and seen him as her only hope left, she’s thinking he going to betray her now. I agree, Nyrah IS over-reacting, and has been for a VERY long time, but I suffer with PTSD myself, so I understand her over-reaction. All three need to have a heart-to-heart with the Lance Major, it might help…
Last hope for what? Hide a Starcaster while the rest of the galaxy dies? What hope is that?
A desperate one, born from fear that everyone else is corrupt and will do worse with it. Hope that they can get away while the Federation fights off the Dranglaex without them. And afterwards, hope that whoever wins won’t find it and use it for their own evil. Her only goal in life is not letting the Starcaster be abused for evil. That mission was about the only thing that kept her going for a century of torture and imprisonment. Abandoning that by joining the Feds is likely unthinkable for her. While we’ve seen the Feds be reasonable too, Nyrah’s… Read more »
On the flipside, If Cort doesn’t join the federation that last Odrossian colony will be on the Dranglaexian “todo” list just like every other sentient species Maybe, in a sense, Cort is doing the right thing by all those former Odrossian guardians of the legacy of this starcaster too by signing up with a faction that’s powerful enough to protect him from being murdered and the starcaster stolen by the Dranglaex P.S. Am I right in assuming the Dranglaexian force is a expeditionary force? It looks pretty much like their homeworld is in a different galaxy and they’re cut off… Read more »
https://cad-comic.com/comic/the-starcaster-chronicles-10-24/
https://cad-comic.com/comic/the-starcaster-chronicles-10-06/
Yes, the Dranglaex are from another galaxy, and wipe out entire galaxies.
Doesn’t that imply they wiped out all life in other galaxies WITHOUT a Starcaster? Or are the Starcasters across multiple galaxies?
Do you mean ‘galaxies without a starcaster’ or ‘wiped them out without using a starcaster’? Either way, the combined facts that they have wiped out galaxies and still only have one themselves mean they have definitely wiped out at least some Starcaster-free galaxies. There should still be more on there to do list, they haven’t cleansed the entire universe yet. Full universal genocide takes time. As for not using a Starcaster, that’s unclear. From how Overlord Dranglaex spoke about the campaign it seems to imply they’re fighting elsewhere too, so they may have some other non-Starcaster war (against non-Starcaster galaxy,… Read more »
What I mean is are all the Starcaster’s in the Milky Way, or were they scattered? Because if all 6 are in the Milky Way that means they wiped out several galaxies of all life without using a Starcaster and only got one after arriving in the Milky Way.
The reason I ask is the Dranglaex claim to be the true successors of the Aug, yet they came from another galaxy. Does that imply intergalactic travel is a normal thing in this universe or did they do some long sleep/generation ship thing?
They called this the “Adastrian Campaign” though so are we sure it’s actually the Milky Way — or just a galaxy humans eventually found their way to? For all we know, the Milky Way was wiped out by the Dranglaex in the Starcasterverse and humans had to flee (we actually don’t see THAT many humans in the comic) … or then again maybe Adastria is what the Draglaex call the Milky Way.
The Starcasters are scattered across the entire known universe, not just this galaxy. So no, they’re (probably) not all 6 in this galaxy. The Dranglaex already had their Starcaster before coming to this galaxy. Unknown when exactly they got theirs, they likely found it within their galaxy at some point. It’s also unknown how much they’ve relied on it during their galactic conquests. I’d assume they’ waged wars and exterminated galaxies without it. There does seem to be an unprecedented number of Starcasters converging on this galaxy at the moment. As far as I can tell there’s usually only one,… Read more »
There’s definitely more Starcasters than the Federation knows. They know of 6 in this galaxy, which they reveal at one point. However, we see that the father of the Drangealex princes also wears one. In the way they talk it seems the father is in a different galaxy, making it pretty hard for the Federation to know of it. Doesn’t matter much until more Drangaelex arrive though. As it is mentioned the Drangaelex have wiped out multiple galaxies, they might have many more Starcasters spread out over many galaxies in their genocidal campaign.
Where did we confirm the Father’s Starcaster? He had some things on his hands, but that wasn’t a clear view and could easily be ceremonial armor or some such. I personally doubt it actually was a second Starcaster, as that’d mean the rest of the story so far makes little sense. Too much of the plot relies on the Dranglaex currently only having one. If they did have other Starcasters they could bring over there’s no valid reason why they should wait for a century to attack, and even less reason for them to attack now while outgunned. The six… Read more »
We don’t get a clear view, but from their power structure it seems a likely choice. The only way his right arm wouldn’t be a starcaster is that it partially covers his hands. Otherwise it seems a dead on match to how Starcasters are created. From the elbow to the hand, with slight differences. In addition, his father likely isn’t in this galaxy. They are only communicating, mentioning ‘this galaxy’, as if his father isn’t present. Only part of the Drangealex have gone to this galaxy to cleanse it and recover the Odrossian Starcaster. It seems safe to assume that… Read more »
In that conversation with his father, there is heavy implication that dad passed his Starcaster on to the current bearer, so unless we are expected to believe dad had 2 at hand (hyuk!), I’d say dad’s arm is a replacement not a Starcaster.
Not in the conversation, but he mentions it’s bestowed by dad here
https://cad-comic.com/comic/the-starcaster-chronicles-10-12/
I wouldn’t say she is overreacting in the slightest all things considered. As someone who suffers with PTSD you understand better than most how little control someone has once that switch gets flipped hard.
I remember back in the 80’s we had some employees from Cambodia, and literally every time they heard a plane fly overhead they would run for cover, knocking people out of their way, crawling under their trucks or rushing into the nearest building in a blind panic. Didn’t matter if they were in their 20’s or 40’s they reacted more or less the same.
Even if it makes perfect sense for her as a person it’s just dull. Her character is boring. Something needs to change because I as a reader am so tired of her that I am actively rooting for her to die.
You might want to be focusing on the words “Your quarters” right now Nyrah and the fact that’s probably a three bunk cabin judging by the ladder last page
I have the popcorn ready for when Nyrah finds out that “technically” Cort has probably signed her and Speck up too
Unless he’s managed to have them classed as dependents
He updated his NFAAS and Page 2… IYKYK.
Keep in mind that for a period of time longer than most beings in this universe live she has been kept frozen, thawed out to torture, then frozen again, over and over again to the point of being several organs in a jar and a face stapled to a robot head. Literally, she’s spent more time over the course of her life being dismembered piece by piece than she has spent just being normal. Nobody gets over that kind of thing for as long as they live. Hell my hats off to the woman for having her shit as together… Read more »
On the other hand, if he made decisions for the other two without any say or discussion, he’s stripped them of any agency. That’s a pretty hard thing to swallow from a friend.
Oh hell yeah. If he’s signed them up without asking them his ass is acid goop.
technically he hasn’t signed any papers yet XD
Well the question simple was quarters or airlock, what you prefer.
Lady…running is NEVER an option. They found you once BEFORE they knew you existed. And now both sides know you are out there even if you were to escape. And what is it that you want? Just hide while the galaxy dies? What is even your goal at this point? Protect the stupid Starcaster… for what reason if the said action means everything going to shit anyways? For the ‘pride’ of your old dead race? Give me a break.
Just noticed this now…But Nyrah has no nostrils…..Does that mean she’s a mouth breather or does she have gills or something?
She’s wearing what amounts to a syndicate skin-suit. It’s body horror of the highest order…
She can finally get an upgrade, or maybe get grown a new body even.
Walk her to the airlock and say ‘Okay this is where the negotiation Actually took place after the meet and greet. Does the visual aid help you understand my point of view? Because I Guarantee the view will take your breath away.’
Which would more or less prove the issue of corruption in the values of the Federation.
I totally think they could do what you say. That’s exactly why getting into bed with the Federation is going to end badly.
That leaves running or merc. However, as a merc he’ll have just as much agency. Who will hire him? The Federation. What if he refuses a job? The galaxy is in the balance. He’ll be killed or disarned and the Starcaster given to someone else. Pragmatism before one guys freedom of choice. Running? He was found by both Quel and La’ni without a massive manhunt on him. If he does run he’s now known by 3 dangerous parties. The Syndicate, which several times nearly overwhelmed him. The Federation, who already found him 4 times before (temple, outpost, twice on mudball),… Read more »
What’s with the background in the first two panels? Feels kinda rushed.
It’s a common comic resource to force the focus on the characters. It’s not rushed, its premeditated.
Bulkhead walls in an empty cabin and the artist’s desire to emphasis the characters in the situation over any distractions?
Happens often enough in printed graphic art books for it to be a recognized artistic option
I hope part of the deal is that Quell is a member of the team, and those in dutty of scort and bodyguard are not chosen by the Fed, but by them.
I keep waiting for Cort to snap. Having people constantly question and criticize your decisions is incredibly stressful, on top of an already stressful situation.
Someone help me out. It was my understanding that Nyrah’s head was basically untouched, and it’s the rest of her body that’s just organs because torture – but some of the comments below are offering different interpretations.
It really was the only option. Running would be suicidal, with a chance that the Dranglies found him first,, and ‘independent contractor’ wasn’t happening, since there’s no way the Feds would ever let the Starcaster out of their direct control.
I do hope Cort at least haggled a bit before accepting, things like getting his ship repaired and a new body for Nyra.
He’s taken the Devil’s Bargain. So shall he reap.
Well.
To be fair to Nyrah, the “Or Else” is still there, with the added benefit of you now being in the Federation’s clutches and easily disposable now that you’re living in their quarters.
I wonder if part of the deal is a good body for her and being sent to live with the Oddressian colony. And how she’d react to that part of the deal.
In case anyone is interested, there is a post with a written up description of the conversations that had happened between the Patrons concerning the decision Cort made here on the previous page. A loooong post, but descriptive.
Direct link to the post:
https://cad-comic.com/comic/the-starcaster-chronicles-12-19/#comment-65479
We’re looking for the One Piece now? I’m in.
The one piece is real!
I’m really enjoying this storyline. Thank you.
While I approve of the direction of things, I gotta ask:
Why not just cut Cort’s arm off? The Starcaster would just spit it out, and Nyrah’s artificial body is proof the procedure to reattach an arm is trivial.
I’d agree with this except we don’t know what the actual learning curve/recovery time is (someone else can math it out) So strategically, it’s a better idea to have your Starcaster bearer already able to throw cutting beams at enemies, rather than just shiver, be ill and pass out.
Let me ask a counter question: Why the need to cut his arm off? I get that it’s possible and has some benefits, but involuntary amputation is still a rather monstrous thing to do. Even if you are offering a functional prosthesis as a replacement. (and given the issues they’ve had with Nyrah’s body it’s likely not that trivial either. It might work, but still worse than a normal body.) Ethics alone should be more than sufficient reason to not ‘just do’ it. There’s also the other issues of it likely requiring specialized equipment (which they wouldn’t have reached yet),… Read more »
What did she expect? That he would say no and they would, accept that?? Jfc woman, he didn’t exactly have a choice, they didn’t ask for his help so much as they told him he would help.
There was definitely an implied or else. What are they going to do? Take out the Federation’s Starcaster, destroy half the fleet and flee? I suppose at that point they might as well join the other side.
Anyone else got llamas with hats vibes „coooort what have you done?“
Honestly, Nyrah should be looking on the upside to this. Ignoring the benefits to the crew of restock and repair, that Odrossian colony just got upgraded to the same level of protectiion that it is implied that La’ni’s people are getting. At the very least, this is a chance for those three to catch their breath and get both Nyrah AND The Aphelion up to tiptop shape. This way, if they do have to bail out later, they will have the resources to do so rather than continually flying on the constant hope/prayer that something critical doesn’t break. Really, this… Read more »
I didn’t quite remember if there was a mention about some other surviving Odrossians.
When/where in the comic did it happen?
https://cad-comic.com/comic/the-starcaster-chronicles-11-04/
https://cad-comic.com/comic/the-starcaster-chronicles-11-07/
This is getting spicy
One piece is real!