Sula Badani

Sula Badani was in the cockpit of the Witherbloom when it nearly collided with ship that appeared unexpectedly in front of them. When the ship rammed them and forced them to crash-land on a nearby planet, she commanded Coron Solstus to assist her with using the Force to open a hatch that had buckled shut due to the crash. After escaping from the exploding ship, she and Solstus returned to the wreckage to see if they could scavenge any supplies, but were unsuccessful. Sula and the rest of the team headed to the crash site of the other ship to see if there were any supplies or survivors. Upon arrival, Sula carried the injured Xinith Tarl and joined Ambar, Pako, and EX-5A to explore the body of the ship. She entered through an open airlock and discovered three bodies that had been mauled to death. She felt uneasiness through the Force, but was unable to discern what was causing it. When the group reached a cargo bay, she ordered the rest of the group to stay behind and take care of Tarl as she continued to explore the wreckage. The Jedi was attacked by several members of the Path of the Open Hand. As she questioned them on their mission, she was overcome by an intense feeling of hunger and fell to her knees.

The members of the Path of the Open Hand fled and Sula was able to compose herself and returned to the cargo bay where Ambar, Pako and Xinith were. She explained that the creature that was banging on the hull of the ship was trying to feed on the Living Force of the Jedi. When it started attacking again, Sula tried to remain focused and to assist Xinith in resisting the effects of the beast. She suggested they move to another part of the ship to get some distance from the creature. On the way, Sula discovered a medical kit and gave it to Ambar to use on Xirith. When Pako was able to successfully route power through the outer hull of the wreck and drive off the creature, Sula recovered from its effects.

The Jedi Master talked to Ambar while she worked on Tarl. She explained that while she felt better, there was still something wrong with her. Badani stated that her connection to the Force felt damaged. The creature returned to the hull and Badani realized that its drive to attack despite any dangers was due to the overwhelming hunger it felt. Buran returned with several members of the Path of the Open Hand and Badani reluctantly agreed to assist them. When Ambar needed some room to treat an injured member of the Path, Badani and the other Jedi moved some large gemstones, unaware they were Nameless eggs. The Jedi grouped up to discuss their plans and Badani suggested their primary focus should be to find a way to neutralize the creature that was attempting to attack them. Pako postulated that they should overload the engines and destroy the creature with the resulting explosion. Badani was skeptical of the plan, due to the need to move injured people off the ship. She eventually accepted the plan, but was hesitant to allow Solstus to return to the other part of the wrecked ship to connect some cables needed for the plan. Buran said he would accompany the padawan despite Badani claiming she should go since she was his Master. Before they left, Badani confronted the Path members asking them if they knew anything about the creature outside the ship. After denying they had any knowledge, Badani accompanied them and Pako as they returned to the engine room to work on disabling the safety protocols on the engines. The creature snuck back onto the ship when Buran and Solstus traveled to the other part of the wreckage, and Badani went to investigate when she heard noises coming from inside the ship.

As she walked through the wreckage, Badani began to be affected by the creature. Hallucinating, she attempted to confront the animal but was overwhelmed by the creature. It started to feed on the Jedi and caused Badani's left arm to dissolve into ash. She was saved when Pako rushed to her aid and fired his blaster at the creature, driving it off. Badani discovered that Pako had been killed by the animal and thanked him for his sacrifice. She met up with the rest of the survivors and informed Ambar that Pako had perished. When the engine overload alarm began to blare, Badani ordered the survivors to evacuate while she stayed behind to ensure the Nameless would not get out of the wreckage before the explosion could eliminate them. She confronted several of the creatures and was reduced to ashes by them.

Sula was first pictured in the Star Wars News article "New Star Wars: The High Republic Tales and More Reveals from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel" on StarWars.com. She was later identified when the issue came out.

• "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 219
• Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures — The Nameless Terror Meet the Characters
• Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia