Captain Michael Geary, grandnephew of Alliance legend Captain John “Black Jack” Geary, should be on his way home after the Alliance won the war against the Syndicate, but their captors have other plans for their prisoners. Fortunately for him, Executive Destina Aragon, commander of the remains of the 1252nd Syndicate (“Syndic”) ground forces regiment, has made him an offer—join their mutiny or remain a prisoner.  Guess which one he chooses?

In this second issue of a four-issue mini-series, Captain Geary finds himself in the thick of an attack on a Syndic battle cruiser with Executive Aragon and her troops at his side. The fighting is swift and brutal. Though they take the ship, more conflict arises when Geary demands that all of the Alliance prisoners be taken with them. If not, he will not be able to fly the ship and Aragon’s troop’s home.  They come to an agreement, but not all goes smoothly between two enemies who have been fighting each other for over 100 years.

Jack Campbell hits his stride in this action-packed issue. The pace is great, and the art and coloring deliver.  I liked that they show the basic schematic of the ship. It provides nice visuals for the reader and good reference points for understanding the battle.  The Syndic armor reminds me of the old-style Cylons, which I find personally amusing.  In my previous review, I had mentioned that Geary spent a lot of time whining about being related to Black Jack and how it had affected his life instead of acting like a captain. In this issue, there is a brief mention of it on page 15, which is all it really needs for the entire story.  Fortunately, we are not only learning a little bit more about this pragmatic man in the second issue, but more of the culture of the Syndics.

This series is a fun and rousing introduction to the “Black Jack” universe if you have never read Campbell’s novels. That alone should entice you to read them.