The Rising Storm (High Republic) by Cavan Scott
The Rising Storm (High Republic) by Cavan Scott
Rising Storm takes place "many months" after the dedication of Starlight Beacon so we've jumped a bit into the future. The Drengir are still running amok and Avar Kriss is heading up the charge against them (she's not a main player in this book as that story is happening mostly in the comics). And the Nihil are believed routed after the Battle of Kur seemingly annihilated their fleet, but, in reality, only brought down a Tempest's worth (so about a third). The Young Adult novel Out of the Shadows takes place completely after The Rising Storm and the middle grade novel Race to Crashpoint Tower takes place concurrently.
We start with Elzar Mann remembering the vision he had after the dedication ceremony, one of death and destruction in the days to come, complete with vivid screams of agony. Little does he know, no matter how hard he tries to stop the vision from coming true, the destruction of the Republic Fair is inevitable. This brings me to the overall gist of this novel--the Republic Fair has come to Valo and the Nihil are determined to rain destruction down on the festivities. Can the Jedi stop the chaos?? Will the Nihil finally be defeated??
The Republic Fair on Valo is vast and all-inclusive, showcasing many many different planets and what they have to offer. Probably the biggest feat on exhibition is the Innovator--"Over 300 meters long and bristling with the latest scientific and medical equipment. [... And] it runs on a network of no fewer than forty-two intellex-grade droid processors." "It was long and tapered, like a pristine arrowhead, its hull as white as a shark-boar tusk. Sensors lined a raised area near the rear of the vessel where Stellan knew from the schematics that the operations center was housed, a vast viewport flaring white in the sunlight." It is an Elite-class vessel and was not a warship or destroyer, but a pioneer, "after being displayed at the fair the ship would set out on a voyage to explore and map previously uncharted areas of space, the first of a new fleet of science vessels." One of the first events in the novel is an attack on the Cyclor shipyards where the Innovator was built and is temporarily docked. A Nihil Gllovan named Sarn Starbreaker is the Cloud running the operation (he apparently has a slime-covered face). Bell Zettifar, a Padawan, is severely injured in the battle when his Vector gets speared through. He ends up needing to float in bacta for awhile and even gets intestinal implants as a result of his injuries! But this is just the beginning of the Nihil's plans for the Republic during the span of this book...
As for the fair itself, one of the most impressive feats of engineering are the sky-islands that float above Lonisa's lake--"Each was designed to replicate the environment and landscape of a key planet in the Republic. It was one of the fair's main attractions, a way for visitors to explore just some of the Republic's rich diversity in one place." There are forty-two in total!! Some examples of what can be enjoyed on these floating islands are the golden beaches of Spira, island spires of Bestine, bustling markets of Jaresh, and fashion emporiums of Alderaan. Down on Valo's surface there's a large zoo with some super dangerous beasties like the hragscythe--a carnivore from Onderon and "one of the deadliest predators in the Japreal system. One of the deadliest predators in the galaxy, full stop. Six eyes, eighteen claws, three heads, and more teeth than a pack of Nexu." There are also "various pavilions organized into four distinct zones: Technology and Science, Sport and Adventure, Arts and Culture, and [...] Faith and Life." The Starlight Beacon Pavilion is in the Faith and Life zone.
The crux of the story is the attack on Valo's Republic Fair courtesy of the Nihil and they attack EVERYTHING!! The Innovator gets hit again, this time sinking down into the lake below. Bell Zettifar finds himself aiding a couple of trapped people--Senza Mulak and Denis--on his way to find the wayward Kitrep and Jom (see more on these two queer men below and tune in to Aphra's Artifacts next week for a video on Kitrep!!). The Nihil attackers are absolutely relentless and it turns out they're tenacity comes from constantly pumping themselves with stims "to keep the brutes fighting even when injured." It is one heart-wrenching action-packed situation, but it's not the end of the story...I don't want to give anymore away because you should totally check out ALL the High Republic entries as this era is fascinating, but I will say the very last page will stun you to no end...
Now I'll move on to a little about the Jedi of this era's philosophies, then characters, planets, species, and finally trivia!!
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High Republic Jedi Philosophy:
The High Republic Jedis' approach to romantic entanglements is super interesting as it differs so much from what the Jedi of the Prequels preached. Padawans, it appears, are able to flirt and more. They seem to have a much greater deal of leeway in regards to romance as compared to Jedi Knights and above. But even when the Knights mess up and dip their toes in those waters, they are forgiven quickly and are seen as needing to work on themselves. They don't really get into any trouble. I can't imagine the Prequel Jedi being so lax. "Jedi were taught to see the best in people from an early age. Friend or enemy, all were to be respected. The belief ran deep. There was good in the darkest of hearts. Such conviction marked the Jedi out from other Force-users: They were always ready to give someone a second chance. They were always ready to try again. To do otherwise would have been a betrayal of everything the Order stood for." And this sentiment applies to EVERYONE...even the freaking Nihil (as I discussed in the Aphra's Artifacts episode on Sylvestri Yarrow.) Personally I think this takes things way too far as the Nihil are bad people through and through.
I've always had issue with the Jedi code starting off with "There is no passion, only peace." Because I live my life very passionately and I've always seen that as an asset because it means I deeply care about the things I fill my life with. Well, Stellan Gios addresses the issue when asked point blank by a reporter. He says, "Strong passions are something we try to control within ourselves, as emotions can cloud our judgement, especially in stressful situations. They can blind us to the truth, and to the leading of the Force. That said, it would be foolish to suggest that a Jedi has no desires or interests. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it would be dangerous, leading only to complacency. Yes, I have a passion for learning and teaching. It is part of who I am. But I am also prepared to set such things aside at a moment's notice. My 'passions' must never be greater than my mission." This makes me feel much better about the idea--I really do dig these High Republic Jedi!!
An interesting quote from Indeera about how Jedi should deal with the deaths of loved ones, "Jedi can love, Bell. We're not droids, nor should we ever be. We are living creatures rich in the Force, with everything that brings. Joy, affection, and, yes, grief. Experiencing such emotions is part of life. It is light. [...] But while we experience such emotions, we should never let them rule us. A Jedi is the master of their emotions, never a slave." This is so hard for me as my emotions drive me quite a bit. I agree that we shouldn't let our emotions rule us, absolutely not, but sometimes you have to really sit in an emotion before you can move on. She further comments on death in regards to enemies with, "Every death was a failure, not a victory, even as the rescued Skyhawk waggled its damaged wings in thanks. She brought her Vector around and looked for another regret to add to her tally." I wonder how the Prequel Jedi would have handled such a situation since they "killed" a lot, but only droids...
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Characters:
If I had to say that this novel was the story of one character specifically, I'd say it was Elzar's story. His struggles with the visions in his head and his romantic tendencies are front and center and make for a fascinating, in-depth tale. The novel starts off with Elzar trying to gain as much clarity as possible on his vision, even going off to Ashla, the primary moon of Tython to gain seclusion. In the ocean, amongst the waves, after many tries to connect with the Force and get answers about his vision, he discovers that the answer was there all along--the destruction would happen on Valo, site of the Republic Fair and his new appointed home as Marshall of the Valo Jedi Temple.
Elzar and Samera Ra-oon, the Republic Fair Coordinator on Valo, have a super flirtatious relationship. "Instead [Elzar's] eyes dropped down to the long line of her neck before flicking back up. She spotted him looking and he glanced away, pretending to look up at the giant sky-islands that floated above the lake." "They stood in silence for a moment, enjoying each other's company, their free hands resting on the railing in front of them, millimeters from each other. Elzar felt the tip of one of Samera's fingers brush his own and turned to find her looking intently at him. Their heads came together, lips parted, arguments forgotten." This of course leads to the inevitable between these two lovestruck people, despite Elzar being a Jedi...they sleep together! *SHOCK* A little more on Samera, she was "a dark-skinned woman with long red hair" and green eyes. "She was exceptionally good at her job, always managing to keep her cool when everyone else was running around like a headless lemock." Her emotions do show through though at times...and they aren't always friendly. But in the end she makes her peace with the situation.
Once the attack on Valo begins, Elzar begins to furiously contemplate, "This was his fault. All of it. Not the fact that he had been caught with his pants down--quite literally as it happened. No, it was worse than that. Elzar Mann had been so full of himself, so supremely arrogant, that he had believed, really believed, that the disaster the Force had deigned to show him had been averted by his arrival on Valo, as if his mere presence had been enough to stop death running amok." "His eyes streamed from the smoke, and his skin burned, but he didn't care; in fact he welcomed it. He deserved it. Every scar the smog inflicted was a reminder that he needed to make amends. He needed to put things right." Even Ty Yorrick (see more on her below as well as on a future episode of Aphra's Artifacts!) senses his ordeal. She reaches out to him with her feelings after he proposes they work together and she "felt a mass of doubts and regrets, and an overwhelming resolve to put things right."
Regardless of this resolve, Elzar loses it... "Elzar Mann didn't think of the souls he was sending to the Force. He cut through the Nihil like a clinical instrument. He'd started by remaining true to his teaching, disarming instead of killing as a good Jedi should, but the Nihil didn't know when to give up. He ripped the masks from their faces, taking their weapons first and then their arms, but still the brutes kept coming, fueled by bloodlust or drugs or most probably both. Elzar didn't know, and for one terrible moment he didn't care. The Nihil were acting like animals, and like animals they'd be put down." DANG!! And he continues on, committing an act that gets every Jedi around him worried, "One second the Nihil ship was preparing to fire, and the next it was obliterated. The sky-island had changed direction, slicing up where moments before it was tumbling down, soaring through the air like a discus thrown by a giant. It continued out into the bay, carving a looping arc through the Nihil armada to splash spectacularly in the lake." Indeera sees this act and thinks, "Indeera couldn't ignore the chill that wouldn't leave her. The wave of emotions she'd felt, that had saved all their lives, had originated from a Jedi, but was fueled by the darkest of passions." And when Elzar thinks on it, "Such a feat should have left him exhausted, but he wasn't, and that scared him most of all. He felt energized, more alive than he had for months, years even." He then makes the decision to tell Avar and Stellan about everything he's been going through and to not hide anymore from his problems, "His friends would understand. They would see what had brought Elzar to this point, and they would help. There would be no more secrets. No more going it alone. No more distractions. Even if he had to become a Padawan again, he would not walk this path. He was Jedi." Mmmm...I love these High Republic Jedi SO much!
Later, Stellan is thinking about the future path for Elzar: "He had already planned a trip to Jedha for the both of them as soon as the time was right, perhaps even gaining special dispensation to visit the Kyber Mirrors beneath the Dome of Deliverance. Usually the Priests of Phirma only opened the mirrors on Reflection Day, but Stellan would pull a few strings, not only for Elzar, but for himself, too. They had a lot to learn together, especially now." And I cannot wait to see how they do so in the future media to come!!
We of course also have the Nihil and their nefarious plans! Away from Valo, Marchion Ro is after some sort of artifact that would be a boon for the criminal organization. He hires Udi Dis, an avian Talortai, to pilot the Squall Spider through treacherous space to get to the planet of Rystan. Being a Talortai, Udi was born with a connection to the Force. Because of this, "he could feel the location of every asteroid in the field. He didn't need maps or even a navidroid. All he needed was the Force." Once on the icy cold planet of Rystan, Marchion and Udi meet up with Kufa, a woman from Marchion's past. The trio journey into a cave at the heart of which is a shrine that is protected by a large beastie. The area is called "the fields of Golamaran." To get to the cave, they must ride atop slarga, beasts of burden that, according to Udi, look like a mix of part blurrg and part bantha! Marchion is after "the Leveler," a mysterious object within the Shrine beneath Golamaran. Udi begins feeling disoriented and unsettled as a result of being near the object--"The entire world was flickering back and forth like a faulty hologram, strobing between the cave and his father's home, back to the day he was exiled from Talor long ago." According to Kufa, he is being cleansed. Despite all the background build up on Udi, he gets killed 19% of the way through the book by droids guarding the Shrine. And Marchion makes sure the death is permanent by bringing "his foot down on Dis's head." Yikes!!
Ty Yorrick is a new character we meet who has a mysterious Jedi-related past. I find her incredibly intriguing and cannot wait to get more of her adventures!! Also, she is queer!! So check out an upcoming episode of Aphra's Artifacts for more on her.
Mantessa Chekkat is a Kuranu (see more on this species below) who has a small hovering droid unit that's only purpose is "to deliver an anti-bac solution into the Kuranu's palm whenever required." Mantessa hires Ty to act as a bodyguard of sorts as she tries to sell her newest invention to Senator Tia Toon (see more on him below). Her ship is named the Dynamo--"An army of tiny droids was constantly rolling from deck to deck polishing and sanitizing until every console gleamed and the filtered air smelled like a medcenter." Her invention "resembled a portable comm array or maybe even a moisture vaporator, albeit one smothered in exposed wiring and flashing diodes." It has a recainium core (a material that is very illegal due to the extreme danger it poses) and this core spins within a vortex chamber. What does it do?? The nullifier "generates a frequency that can disrupt any energy weapon" from a blaster to a lightsaber!!
Klerin Chekkat is Mantessa's daughter and according to Ty, she "looked to be about twenty years old and was as meek as her mother was commanding. [...] Klerin had a strip of closely cropped hair running from her brow to an admittedly elegant neck." Ty also refers to Klerin as "quite a timid creature." The young woman keeps making furtive glances at Ty and offering her refreshments while Ty waits on the Dynamo as the three travel to Valo. With these glances, Klerin easily convinces Ty that she has a crush on the mercenary. But is it real??
Rhil Dairo is a human reporter for GoNet with a faithful cam droid named Tee-Nine who she was permanently linked to with its data scrolling through an implant constantly. She has special permissions allowing her to get close to the Jedi and the Chancellor for the Republic Fair festivities. In her younger years, her job wasn't so glamorous--"She had certainly come a long way from reporting on micro-g basket weaving as a cub reporter on Cordota." Rhil had been fired from her first job because she stood up against a bully of a fire chief who was charging people to save their homes. She told the man that he deserved to burn and then grabbed the fire fighting hose and sprayed liters of foam in the fire chief's face!! Since then she's been seen as an icon of the people.
Stellan Gios: Jedi Council member, "all easy charm and manners," explains literally everything, always up for a chance to share his knowledge with others, his Master was a Jedi by the name of Gidameen
Nib Assek: silver-haired female Jedi Knight, master to Burryaga
Burryaga: Wookiee Padawan to Nib Assek, "possibly the kindest, sweetest soul [Rhil] had ever met. Sensitivity radiated from the Wookiee like light from a glow lamp."
Senator Noor of Serenno: "the main representative for all matters concerning the Outer Rim," "all too aware of his own importance, forever plumped up in the thick Carannian furs he insisted on wearing no matter the weather."
Senator Vaadu of Phindar: yellow eyes
Captain Idrax Snat is a "humorless Neimoidian [who] headed up the Valo Security Force and, in Elzar's not-so-humble opinion, should never have reached such a lofty position." Elzar "had never met someone so convinced of his own importance and yet so incapable of doing his job." HAHA!!
The mayor of Lonisa City (the capitol of Valo) is Nas Lariin.
Chancellor Lina Soh's son is named Kitrep and Mayor Lariin's son is named Jom. The two boys form a romantic bond of sorts throughout the chaos so be sure and check out the next few episodes of Aphra's Artifacts for more on them!
Norel Quo - Chancellor Soh's primary aide, a Koorivar
Larep Reza - Chancellor Soh's deputy, a Kalleran, takes over after Soh is injured in the attack on Valo
Tia Toon is a Sullustan senator who is pushing for the creation of a Defense Force Program. He has an Ozrelanso security guard named Ratko who he says is his personal secretary.
Pra-Tre Veter is a Tarnab who is one of the three Grand Masters of the Jedi High Council.
Regasa Elarec Yovet is the Togruta head of state. Ambassador Tiss is the liaison between the Republic and the Togruta. Yovet is known as the "Supreme Huntress of the United Tribes, Ruler of Togrutas far and wide." She walks around barefoot, something all Togruta do back Home due to their believing the ground beneath their feet is sacred. Her retinue carry "traditional Shilian weapons, the long, barbed pikes known as kiavene." It is made clear that the Togruta are not part of the Republic at this point in the timeline. They are very reluctant to accept outside help and value independence above all else.
Maramis is the Togruta guard captain in charge of protecting Regasa Elarec.
Zeetar is the newest Tempest Runner, replacing the Weequay Kassav after his spectacular crash and burn during the Battle of Kur. Zeetar is a Talpini who came from Lourna Dee's Tempest. He is "a brilliant engineer responsible for many of the Nihil's latest innovations, from improved Path drives to the scav droids that had made stripping ships so much easier." He also invented blaredroids--"the droids were designed to fly into the war-cloud, their speakers pumping out a mix of white noise and wreckpunk, anything to further disorient their prey." I'd say the guy's definitely earning his keep.
One of my absolute favorite new characters is the ever talkative Ugor Jedi Archivist, OrbaLin. According to Elzar, OrbaLin had "the ability to bore the wings off a Drethi. Elzar had only made it through their [first] conversation by imagining what OrbaLin looked like beneath his containment suit. Few people had seen Ugors in their natural form, which Elzar believed resembled a cytoplasmic blob, their suits manipulated by wriggling pseudopodia that also facilitated the creature's senses. OrbaLin was the only Ugor to be accepted into the Order." There's even an extended scene of him fighting the Nihil and the whole situation is glorious. It starts with, "'There's three of us and one of you, Jedi. What exactly do you think you're going to do?' 'What I do best,' OrbaLin replied, his lightsaber a blur. 'Give a lecture.'" Ha!! As the fight continues, a Lamproid Nihil slashes across OrbaLin's chest with one of his claws and the narrative says, "If the Nihil had expected blood, it was disappointed: Green jelly gushed up into the Lamproid's face, OrbaLin's true gelatinous form finally flowing free of the containment suit. The Lamproid thrashed and twisted, but there was no escape, the archivist encasing his opponent within seconds." Like...huh?!?! This is too crazy yet so freaking fabulous lol.
Kisma Uttersond is Marchion Ro's Chadra-Fan doctor who cares for the Oracle (Mari San Tekka). Marchion "had seen Uttersond conduct the most brilliant experiments, constructing torture devices so exquisite they would make a Galderian salivate, and yet the diminutive surgeon lurched around on a rusty old prosthetic liberated from a 1-1A medical droid."
Mikkel Sutmani is an Ithorian Jedi and Master Kunpar is a Jedi of the local temple, both who fly with several others in the sky above Valo as part of the opening of the Republic Fair.
Delegate Retar is a member of the Ardennian Guild of Technicians and he talks Stellan's ear off about the "intricacies of carbon score removal."
Master Wishan is a Jedi who manufactures incense from Uneti blossom petals that can be used to help a Jedi focus during meditation.
Madam Trangess Conserra is a noted Mon Calamari soprano with a Toydarian manager named Pall Sleko
The crowd of Jedi during The Republic Fair's opening ceremonies includes:
-Cherff Maota, "Avar's former Master who now scoured the galaxy as a Seeker, searching for Force-adept youngsters to be trained by the Order"
-Nooranbakarakana, a Frozian
-Torban Buck, "the hulking Chagrian medic who was famed as much for his bizarre insistence that everyone call him Buckets of Blood as for his medical expertise" See my reviews of the High Republic Adventures comic series for more on him!
Loden Greatstorm is Bell Zettifar's Twi'lek previous Master (everyone thinks he's dead) who is being held captive on Marchion's ship the Gaze Electric. "A strict regimen of drugs had robbed him of both his strength and the ability to sleep. Whenever he began to slip away [...] a hypo was pressed against his neck. The same click. The same hiss. The same rush through his veins, snapping him awake. Not that he could close his eyes. They had been clamped permanently open, his head held in an immovable vice. He couldn't turn his neck, couldn't even look away as lights strobed in front of him, a shifting kaleidoscope of colors, some he recognized, while others seemed new, almost as if he had forgotten their hue. And all the time a cacophony of screams and static was blasted from floating speakers, discordant sounds both organic and synthesized." Marchion goes as far as to cut Loden's lekku off with Loden's own lightsaber! In his delirium, Mari San Tekka makes a mental connection with him!
Milon Thakkery was a space traffic controller on the job when a cruiser above Valo exploded leading to alarms blaring and emergency protocols being activated. His assistant was a timid Peasle named Skuun. Unfortunately, moments later, the entire station explodes! Thus the Nihil attack on Valo began...
We get more info on Pan Eyta's backstory: "Pan had been alone since he was eight years old, thrown out of the nest to fend for himself. He'd nearly died that first night on the tundra, mauled by a manatrix. He still bore the scars across his chest where the beast's talons had cut deep. By all rights he should have bled out on the ice, but he endured, dragging himself to the nearest cavern, enduring the fever that almost took him, surviving on the meat of the eight-legs that hid between the rocks, their juices running down his chin horns as his strength slowly returned. Oh, how he'd savored tracking down the damn manatrix when he was hardy enough, breaking its neck [...], roasting its carcass over a spluttering fire in the cave. [...] He'd walked kilometers to the nearest spaceport, finding a ship ready for takeoff and sneaking aboard before the hold was sealed. The star traders hadn't even known they had a stowaway, not until they felt his knife on their throat." He ends up taking the star traders' ship for his own and using it for years to come. "Nothing had come easy to him, and he hadn't wanted it to."
Lourna Dee fights valiantly against OrbaLin, making it such that everyone believes she is the Eye of the Nihil! She attacks him with a quarterstaff she grabbed from the artifacts collection at the Fair that is impervious to lightsabers. "The staff dated back to the Blood Moon Uprising and was forged of phrik, one of the few substances that wasn't susceptible to a lightsaber's blade."
We meet Ram, a young Padawan who gets more "screen time" in the middle grade novel Race to Crashpoint Tower! "The kid was a mess, dirty goggles pushed up on his forehead and robes that were smothered in grease and oil." He help Ty Yorrick and the Chekkats get out of the jail they've been put in (being a prisoner himself).
Quin Amarant is a Lamproid Nihil who engages in battle with OrbaLin and later becomes an integral part to the story's climax and conclusion. While on Grizal (see more on this planet below), "It was raining again. He didn't mind. He liked it. It reminded him of Florn. Amarant could never return home, not after he'd murdered his entire nest, but Grizal was the next best thing."
At this point in the timeline, Yoda is off with Elder Tromak of Trymant IV going off to rescue an artifact from the potential hands of the Nihil...but only the Grand Master is privy to his mission and nobody knows where he is!!! Haha!! Oh, Yoda.
Other Jedi: Keaton Murag (relatively new Council member), Grand Master Veter (an ancient Tarnab), Teri Rosason ("always a combative member of the Council" and is not a fan of Avar Kriss!!--"Marshal Kriss seems to think she can do what she wishes, with or without the will of the Council."), Master Adampo (a Yarkora), Yarael Poof (Quermian from the Prequels), Jedi Bakari (from the Bromlarch outpost)
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Planets and locations:
-Valo is on the edge of the Rseik sector. "Valo was a paradise, its capital city--Lonisa--nestled next to an inland lake so large it might as well be an ocean. Crystal-clear water on one side, forest-lined mountains on the other, and air as pure as Elzar had ever smelled, even on Naboo."
-The Rystan Badlands was an ice field that "was filled with the twisted wreckage of cruisers that had attempted to run the gauntlet of colliding planetoids and failed."
-Rystan is tidally locked meaning that one side always faces the sun while the other side always faces away from the sun. This leads to a desert on the sun side and a frozen wasteland on the other.
-Safrifa was home to swamp farmers. The Safrifans "were scrawny little creatures with skin the color of stagnant water and hair that hung like pondweed in front of large oval eyes. They were industrious, though. Ingenious, too." Farmed kru-kru crops.
-Alzoc III is a planet where Ty Yorrick had a botched job courtesy of a Hoopaloo who stole half her stash.
-Keldooine was the home of an armorer who would make items for Ty Yorrick.
-Talor, the home of the Talortai, is a tropical planet.
-Galidraan is a planet where Ty Yorrick hunted for a batarikan, a serpentine species.
-Mandrine is the planet where Starbreaker received a scar on his cheek from a Jedi. Where Kiapene trading post is located.
-Rekelos is where Bell saw the results of a scav swarm, "a relatively new weapon in the Nihil's armory, sent to mob ships or settlements, dismantling machinery with their grasping manipulator arms, the resulting loot stored in large crablike shells ready for pickup."
-Derra has the nearest Temple Outpost to Cyclor and Tera Sinube is its marshal.
-Grizal is a planetoid that acts as the new main hideout of the Nihil. The buildings they use are a forgotten prison complex surrounded by thick forest.
-Other briefly mentioned planets: Tarabba (could only find Legends info on Wookieepedia), Ubrikkia, Gizer, Athiss (first canonical mention, in Legends was a Sith planet), Dutar (first canonical mention), Brentaal Minor (first canonical mention), Chaaktil (where Bazine Netal grew up), Sasoraan (couldn't find on Wookieepedia), Iskalon
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Species:
-"All Talortai [a sentient avian species] had an innate sense of direction, feeling the vibrations of the cosmos in their bones." They also were all born with some degree of a connection to the Force, but considered it immoral to use the Force. According to Dis, there were "legends of the great cull, an army descending on dragon-wing to cut through the population with their blazing crimson blades. [...] it was nothing short of genocide. The Talortai, once legion, became an endangered species, and stayed that way purposely, rules set in place by the elders. The penalties for nonconformity were severe."
-The Cyclorrians, insectoid sentients who helped build the Innovator at their Cyclor shipyards, "stood about a meter in height with large, bulbous heads dominated by a pair of large compound eyes."
-Kuranu have "smooth light-purple skin and large pupil-less eyes. [...] Had almost a pathological fear of germs."
-Cobonica is the name for the giant scary beasties in the cave below Rystan. "There was no way to truly understand what was launching itself at them, no way to differentiate between the shaggy fur-covered tentacles that shot forward like skim-snakes, each as thick as a Gamorrean's waist and lined with serrated suckers." Also has barbed teeth.
-Gloovans are a sentient species that have a thick layer of mucus that protects them from extreme heat.
-Bonbraks are the other sentient species of Valo, besides humans. They have bat-like ears and are described as "tiny and more than a little foulmouthed."
-Ozrelansos are a sentient species with long prehensile lobes and ridged foreheads.
-Dowutins are a familiar sentient species but we do get some more info on them. "Dowutins valued strength above all things. Thrown out of their family nest at an early age, the brutes were forced to fend for themselves or die trying. Bigger always meant better for their kind."
-Krantians, Thodians, Forshul, Alzarian(reptilian), Emmerian
-Rybets are a sentient species that have olive skin and webbed fingers. They are amphibious and even croak! One in particular who works for Pan Eyta of the Nihil is named Breet.
-Somehow I missed this, but Terec and Ceret, the twin Jedi from the High Republic comic series are Kotabi. "Twins from Sagamore who shared such a strong bond that they almost operated as if they had one mind split across two bodies."
-Lamproids apparently click their fangs together as their nearest equivalent to laughing.
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Trivia
-The designer of the Innovator was an Aqualish engineer named Vam Targes. The ship "runs on a network of no fewer than forty-two intellex-grade droid processors." It "boasted state-of-the-art cybernetic workshops alongside multiple bioengineering labs, analysis stations, research facilities, and a medical library second only to the Docha Institute on Dunnak."
-The Innovator was docked in the Cyclor shipyards in Hangar Twenty-Two when initially attacked by the Nihil.
-Bell Zettifar's Master is now Indeera Stokes, what with Loden Greatstorm believed to be dead.
-Stellan Gios and Indeera Stokes originally met on Caragon-Viner.
-Keekon root can be eaten to help one sleep.
-Novian ore can be melted down and forged into blades.
-Kufa's ship is called the Open Hand and it has been "half devoured by rust-weevils."
-Z-29s were a new Skyhawk starfighter built at the Cyclor shipyards.
-The Coruscant Dawn is Chancellor Lina Soh's ship.
-Chancellor Soh's targons are named Matari and Voru after the gods of the ancient Coruscanti
-A previous chancellor during the High Republic was Digrenara
-The Duinuogwuin are a species at odds with the Republic (along with the wary Togruta).
-With a little help from Wookieepedia: "Kavam was a substance used in the creation of bacta, along with alazhi bacteria and ambori fluid."
-Reedug is a very addictive and life-altering drug.
-The Reekrider Cartel is a criminal organization in the galaxy.
-Tythonian Mastery Tokens were "a common practice back in the early days of the Order. They were awarded when a Jedi Knight was elevated to the rank of Jedi Master, both to the Jedi Knight themselves and to the Master who had trained them."
-Fi Yona and the Hyper-Gazers was a band.
-There's a moment that absolutely cracked me up between Senza and Bell: "'May the Force be with you, Senza,' he told the woman. 'And also with you,' she replied, her face creasing into a frown. 'Sorry. Is that the right thing to say?' He smiled at her warmly. 'It's perfect.'" Ha!!
-The Lariat of Armistice is "an unbreakable cord that dated from the days of the Mystic Nine."
-Cypanid is a general anti-toxin "extracted from the bibfort males back on Ryloth."
-Apparently the High Republic used courier droids "in their first push for the frontier a century or so before."
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I'll end with a really great exchange between Master Rosason and Stellan Gios:
"We have been played by these Nihil. Led to believe that they are little more than a rabble. But if this is all true, if this attack was all part of an elaborate scheme..."
"Then they are an army," Stellan said gravely, "with tactics and unexpected resources at their command."
And with this, the Jedi are thrust into a war that they aren't emotionally or mentally ready to engage in. As Stellan says to Chancellor Soh, "The Jedi are not warriors, nor should we ever be."
But Lina Soh responds with, "But you are symbols."
How will the High Republic Jedi go about taking up this charge?? Especially after watching a horror above all horrors take place before their eyes on the last page of the novel?? I cannot wait to find out!!
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