Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales 3

Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales 3, also credited as Star Wars Adventures: Clone Wars 3, is the third issue of the canon comic book miniseries Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales. It was written by Michael Moreci, illustrated by Derek Charm and Valentina Pinto, and published by IDW Publishing on August 5, 2020.
==Publisher's summary==
This exciting weekly series explores a time of great upheaval in the galaxy—the Clone Wars! While Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and other Jedi Knights fight against incredible odds, Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and other clones, pinned down for the duration, swap war stories that feature your favorite characters from The Clone Wars animated series, such as Padmé Amidala, General Grievous, and many more!
==Plot summary==
On Hisseen, Count Dooku contacts a battle droid commander and informs him that he and Ventress will meet with him after they’re done handling the Jedi, and in the meantime, he is to keep the prisoners from escaping. The transmission ends, and just as the droids believe that Dooku is being paranoid, EMP grenades roll at their feet and disable a number of the droids. The Wolfpack and 212th clones move in and take out the remaining battle droids, freeing the Hisseenian Parliament members being held hostage. Afterwards, Waxer talks to Boil and brings one of their previous missions that heavily reminds him of their current situation freeing prisoners. 
Flashing back aboard a Republic Venator, General Kenobi briefs Commander Cody on the planet Krystar, which is still a member of the Galactic Republic. When he says that launching an assault on the planet without any proof to justify their actions would be unwise, Cody brings up the fact that their brothers are being secretly held as prisoners of war, and they must do something about it. The two ask Senator Padmé Amidala the situation, and she explains that she received the information from a longtime friend Vishar Koss, a representative from Krystar. The Krystar Palace is located at the heart of the planet’s habitable zone, and the local regent has constructed a compound in secret not far from the palace, which must be where the clone POWs are being held. Padmé reasons that she can get them to surface under the guise of a diplomatic aid mission, which will allow Kenobi and his forces to gather intel and discover the truth. 
Later within the Krystar Palace, Padmé and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet with Regent Queb for their “diplomatic aid mission”, but Queb is suspicious as he wasn’t aware of this. However, Vishar Koss, a female Ovissian, covers for Padmé and steps forward, saying that she invited Padmé as she thought that she could look into their agricultural problems. Queb is hesitant but decides to let Padmé stay as long as she’s kept inside the palace, and meanwhile outside aboard the ETA-class shuttle, Cody, Waxer, Boil, and other clones prepare for their mission. Cody and Kenobi instruct Waxer and Boil that their mission is strictly reconnaissance as they only need proof of their enemies actions, but Boil tries to argue that they may not have much time with their brothers vanishing. Shortly after, Waxer and Boil lead their squad through the dark and muddy terrain of Krystar, and Boil continues to get his point across - if their brothers truly are trapped, then he’ll blast them out and isn’t waiting for diplomacy. Just then, the squad comes up on something up ahead, and after further inspection it turns out to be the compound holding the clone POWs. Viewing it from a safe distance, they analyze the situation and realize that there are lots of battle droids keeping guard. Back on the shuttle, Kenobi is contacted by Waxer and informed of the situation, as well as Padmé, who explains that she was following Queb and found out that he’s been selling the clone prisoners to Trandoshans. Hearing this, Cody becomes alarmed since his brothers are being hunted and used for sport, to which Kenobi agrees can not be something that they allow to happen. 
With this newly acquired information, Kenobi contacts Waxer and gives him the go ahead to move in on the compound, and so the clone squad gets to work. Waxer and Boil cover themselves in mud, which allows them to sneak up to the compound after staying low and quiet. Finding a gap in the route of the battle droid guards, Waxer and Boil go up to the electrified fence and explain to the captured clones that they are breaking them out, but they’ll have to be ready to fight. Waxer and Boil disable and unlock the fence before leaving, allowing the clone prisoners to take the droid guards by surprise and attack them. Using this as a distraction, the 212th squad emerges from their cover in the trees and presses their attack until the droid guards are all defeated and the clones are freed. Meanwhile inside the Krystar Palace, a Trandoshan meets with Regent Queb and is chastised since all of the clones have suddenly become missing after being promised a shipment of them. Queb believes that it was Padmé, and when she and Vishar try to escape to the shuttle in time, they are cut off by the Trandoshan. However, Obi-Wan is waiting aboard and uses the Force to send the Trandoshan flying back through the air. As the three fly off aboard the shuttle, Vishar questions what will happen since she can’t go back to Krystar because of Queb, so Kenobi reassures her that Republic troops are already on their way to take Queb into custody. Later, Waxer and Boil speak with Kenobi and thank him for ignoring the political problem so that their brothers could be saved, and he explains that the clones will never be fodder on his watch, as clones, Jedi, senators, and their allies are all in this together. And so he will fight for each and every one of them in equal measure until the last day of the war. 
Back in the present on Hisseen, the 212th are escorting the Hisseenian Parliament members when Commander Cody is contacted by Captain Rex who requests aid at his position since a new wave of Separatist forces are attacking.
==Media==
===Editions===
*UPC 827714019537; August 5, 2020; IDW Publishing; First printing
**00311; Cover A; Derek Charm
**00321; Cover B; Derek Charm
**00331; Cover C; Peach Momoko
===Cover gallery===
File:TCWBattleTales-3.jpg|Cover A
File:StarWarsAdventuresCloneWarsIssue3Cover.png|Cover A (not final)
File:TCWBattleTales-3-RI.jpg|Cover B
File:StarWarsAdventuresTheCloneWarsIssue3CoverB.jpg|Cover B (not final)
File:SWATCWBT3PM.jpg|Cover C
==Appearances==
==Notes and references==
==External links==
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