Visions of the Blade Cover
Star Wars: Visions of the Blade is a sixteen-page Infinities on-line comic with art by Tom Hodges. The comic serves as a prequel to the Star Wars guest characters' involvement in Soulcalibur IV.
Opening Crawl[]
The Jedi of old knew the universe to be boundless, and that the Force itself twists and winds through innumerable corridors. Through the Force, a skilled Jedi could see visions of other worlds, other futures, and infinite possibilities. It was a talent available to the Sith as well.
A formerly forbidden area of space, deep within the Cowl Crucible has drawn the attention of smugglers and thieves who discovered trace deposits of rare and valuable cortosis within. A world full of such riches must lie somewhere inside the nebula, waiting to be exploited, but none seem to have the navigational skills required to penetrate the luminous veil. Only through the Force could such a hazard be braved…
Plot Summary[]
A space battle brews between Darth Vader and cortosis miners as Vader's Devastator nears the Cowl Crucible. As Vader orders Captain Mulchive Wermis to guide the Star Destroyer deeper into the Cowl, he sees an illusional image of a sparkling silver-blue sword and reaches out to grab it, coming back to his senses after Wermis calls out to him. Vader then leaves to his private chamber to call out to Starkiller through the Force.
Starkiller, deep within the Cowl himself in the Rogue Shadow and alongside Juno Eclipse, hears his Master's voice calling out to him. As the Rouge Shadow hits a storm, Starkiller has a vision of the same blade as Vader. In his vision, he also encounters Taki, whom grabs the blade from him. Meanwhile, Juno manages to get them out of the storm to land on a nearby planet for repairs.
Elsewhere in the galaxy, Yoda experiences a similar vision, though this time of Astaroth approaching a red sword on a volcanic planet. As he comes to and heads out his hut on Dagobah, he talks about the coming battles with the spirit of the late Qui-Gon Jinn. Back in the Cowl, Vader is seen again experiencing visions, this time of Mitsurugi slaying Stormtroopers and Tusken Raiders. After leaving his chamber, he heads out into the heart of the Cowl in his Eta-2 light interceptor.
Back on the Rogue Shadow, Starkiller sees himself battling Taki over the sword, eventually striking her with Force lightning and knocking her out, claiming the sword as his own. Just after Starkiller emerges victorious, he departs to the north of the landing site, leaving Juno to finish tinkering with the ship. Vader lands and approaches Juno in search of Starkiller; when he hears of his taking off, Vader heads out himself into the woods, only to encounter Mitsurugi once again, though this time in person. Without a word, the two draw their weapons and enter combat as Yoda watches from the sides, stalked by Astaroth and eventually engaging in combat himself.
Note: Cortosis is a mineral in the Star Wars universe that can resist lightsaber blades. This used to explain why lightsabers don't cut through other weapons in Soulcalibur IV.