X-Wing Rogue Squadron 8

X-Wing Rogue Squadron 8, also labeled as "The Phantom Affair, Chapter 4", is the eighth issue in the Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron series of comics. It was released on May 1, 1996 by Dark Horse Comics.
==Publisher's summary==
The residents of Mrlsst should have learned their lesson long ago, when a noble Jedi sacrificed himself that the Empire might leave the Academy unharmed—nobody wins when you play in politics. But old lessons are easily forgotten in the heat of war. Over the years, the Academy has become a snake pit of secrets and plotting, and students and professors fight each other and one another. And now they're about to get a refresher course, the kind that's taught with blood and fire. Unfortunately for Wedge and the Rogue Squadron crew, the lesson comes just as they arrive on Mrlsst.
== Plot Summary ==
Noss Prisht reflects on the unfolding conflict on Mrlsst and that though the damage to the world was catastrophic, it also brought out the best in its people. President Gyr Keela offered his personal transport for medics to use; smugglers, students and professors alike worked side by side and Rogue Squadron fought Imperial forces head-on. 
The Rogues speculate that although Rorax Falken's lab appeared to have been destroyed, its mass readings remained the same. At the base, Dllr Nep, Mirax Terrik safe but captive, discuss the Phantom Project with Falken. Falken reveals that he was deceived into creating technology that contributed to the Death Star, which convinced him of the Empire's unscrupulousness. Keela, Falken's successor as president at the Mrlsst Trade and Science Academy, believed he could make a good deal with the Empire, but was unaware that the Phantom Project was fake and continued its development. Tirrek and Nep begin to plan their escape and one of Falken's students reveals that the ghostly Jedi is in fact a hologram controlled by Falken. Stormtroopers led by Loka Hask raid the lab, shooting indiscriminately; Falken is hit, affecting the hologram. Groznik (believing the holographic Jedi to be Throm Loro, to whom Groznik owed a life debt) flies into a rage, attacking the troopers. 
Terrik and Nep reclaim the Pulsar Skate from the Imperials with the aid of Falken's students. Terrik reveals that she stole a datacard containing what she believes to be Falken's last unpublished musical work, but only plays unintelligible screeching. As TIE Fighters approach the ship, they are saved by Rogue Squadron's X-Wings. Those aboard the Pulsar Skate successfully decode Falken's stolen datacard to discover a new project: the gravitic polarization beam, a real and functional "planet-slicing" weapon. Wedge Antilles orders the remote activation of the weapon to destroy an Imperial Interdictor cruiser threatening their escape. Hask and Gade Yedan discover the weapon's existence as well and Hask kills Yedan to escape, but Groznik grabs Hask's foot as the weapon activates. A wormhole is opened, consuming the base and the Star Destroyer. 
On Mrlsst's surface, Keela explains to Antilles that the recent affair may save the academy from its corruption and infighting by giving its students and professors a common purpose - to rebuild. Loro grieves the loss of Groznik and Antilles confirms that the gravitic polarization beam is in the hands of the Alliance, but asserts that it would be best if it is never used. The Mrlssi ruminate on how they can no longer stay out of politics, yet still choose the path that feels right. 
==Cover gallery==
File:Xwing8.jpg|Cover
File:XWRS8-FC.png|Cover art
==Appearances==
==Collections==
*Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron: The Phantom Affair (TPB)
*Star Wars Omnibus: X-Wing Rogue Squadron Volume 1
*Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The New Republic Vol. 2
*Star Wars Legends: The New Republic Omnibus Vol. 1
==Notes and references==
==External links==
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