Lourna Dee

Born circa 272 BBY, Lourna'dee was a Twi'lek of the female sex. She belonged to the First family of Aaloth, which was a Twi'lek colony planet branching off from their species' homeworld, Ryloth. Lourna's father, Yudiah Dee, held the position of Keeper and governed the planet. Lourna's sister, Haleena, was against the common practice among Twi'lek colony planets of basing their economies on spice mining and the slave trade. Famines severely impacted Aaloth, resulting in widespread starvation. Lourna's view was that the population needed to be "controlled," and the mining of the ore ryll, which was used in spice production, could create a stable economic foundation to provide food for the people of Aaloth.

At some point during her youth, Lourna found herself trapped under a blurrg while riding with her brother Inun in the Sal Plains. She criticized Inun for his inability to lift the blurrg off of her. Unbeknownst to them, the land was rich in glitterstim. Upon returning home, Lourna and Inun were confronted by an angry mob, who were protesting her father Yudiah's leadership. The palace guards intervened, opening fire on the crowd and rescuing them. Inside the palace, Lourna received treatment for her leg injury and rested for several days. Lourna, along with her older sister Haleena, had disagreements with Yudiah regarding spice mining. Yudiah, cautious about dealing with criminal elements, insisted that Aaloth remain an agricultural colony.

Later, her boyfriend Bala Waleen visited the Dee family's palace. After Waleen discovered a spice spider on Lourna, he informed her about Ryloth's new connections with the Zygerrian Alliance, which was involved in slavery. Subsequently, Waleen arranged a meeting between the Dee family and the Zygerrian representative Vardem Kroleyic, who had an interest in exploiting Aaloth's mineral resources. When Dee inadvertently revealed the presence of spice spiders in the Sal Plains, Yudiah refused to allow mineral exploration on Aaloth and ended the meeting. He also banished Waleen and ordered the palace guards, led by Kalla Secaria, to destroy the glitterstim grass.

Lourna disagreed with her father, who grounded her and took away her comlink. Feeling sympathy for his older sister, Inun gave Lourna his comlink. Waleen contacted Lourna and informed her that he and Secaria were secretly planning an uprising against Yudiah's rule and would install Lourna as the new Keeper of Aaloth. During the ensuing coup d'état, Lourna opened her family's safe room to the mob. Waleen and Secaria then betrayed Lourna by executing her family. After forcing Lourna to relinquish the position of Keeper to him, Waleen drugged her and sold her into slavery.

Bala sold Lourna into slavery, selling her to the Zygerrian overseer Kroleyic, who had previously contacted her family. Lourna was fitted with a shock collar and given the designation "Unit 4978/7179." Dee attempted to care for her fellow slaves, including a Gamorrean sow and a human, both of whom contracted illnesses. Lourna's slave drivers consistently punished her for expressing her opinions and advocating for the other slaves. The human slave advised Lourna to remain quiet and avoid attracting the attention and anger of their enslavers.

Kroleyic nearly killed the sick human when the Zygerrian camp where they were held was attacked by Jedi forces. Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis and his Padawan Dal Azim rescued many enslaved people, including Lourna, from captivity. Lourna insisted that the attack was the slaves' "chance" to overpower their captors, urging them to flee. After being freed by the Jedi, Lourna vowed to never be imprisoned again.

Oppo Rancisis praised Lourna for her bravery in leading the slave revolt and inquired about her desired destination after the rescue. Lourna insisted that she had nowhere to go, declining the Jedi Master's offer to return her to the Twi'lek homeworld of Ryloth. He sensed significant anger within Dee and requested Dal to remove Lourna's shock collar using the Force. Rancisis then asked Dee for her name, to which she responded with her unit number as a slave. When the Jedi asked for her real name, she insisted that it was irrelevant as she could not return to her past. Rancisis stated that, in that case, they should move forward.

Master Rancisis brought Lourna to the Carida Military Academy, which he described as the finest military academy in the Galactic Republic. Dee told the Jedi Master that "handing her over" to the military did not seem very "Jedi-like." Rancisis explained that he did not believe she would thrive in a temple outpost or a foster system. Lourna interrupted her Jedi companion, stating that she did not want another family. Rancisis sensed deep-seated anger in Lourna that went beyond her experience with the Zygerrian slavers, but she refused to share the reasons for it. Following the Jedi's encouragement, Lourna enrolled in the academy using her deceased brother Inun's name.

During her time as a cadet, Lourna maintained contact with Master Rancisis. Rancisis was overseeing the construction of the Jedi outpost on Volostun, which was the furthest from Coruscant at the time. Due to the poor relay network and the vast distances, communications were of very low quality. Nevertheless, Captain Reese kept Master Rancisis informed of Dee's grades, and the Jedi commended her for excelling in nearly "every aspect" of her training. Although Dee was unsure of herself, Rancisis assured the cadet that she had a natural talent for flight. However, Reese reported that Dee sometimes struggled with respecting the chain of command. Lourna expressed regret for agreeing to enroll, but Rancisis assured her that he would be thinking of her and wishing her well. He told her she must strive and persevere and wished her the Force when the call ended. Lourna tried in vain to fix the connection and entered a bout of rage, asking what if she did not want to strive or persevere and referring to the Thisspiasian Jedi Master as a "slithering hairball." Dee destroyed the communication device when Captain Reese appeared behind her and scolded her for destroying Academy property. He punished her by making her run 50 laps at the Academy square wearing a gravity pack, after which she had to rebuild the destroyed equipment by hand.

An instructor at the Academy required the cadets to train in starfighter maintenance to know every millimeter of their vessels. Lourna demonstrated a strong aptitude for mechanical work, but other cadets, such as Wilson and the Selkath Lalutin, were displeased with the task of repairing starfighters. Lalutin attempted to take Lourna's [servo driver](/article/servodriver], which she was using, and she challenged him to a fight. Wilson demanded that a first-year cadet like Lourna obey commands from senior cadets like Lalutin, or face serious consequences. Lourna defied the two cadets' attempt to assert their authority over her, pointing to her assessment scores, which were higher than theirs. The senior cadets threatened to report Dee to Captain Reese for insubordination. Lourna then ranted that the Carida Academy was a sham, and its graduates would either end up in unimportant administrative office roles or at an Academy teaching the next generation of "deluded, self-important gasbags" who were foolish enough to enroll.

She acquiesced to allowing the older cadets to take her servo driver, now covered in grease. However, they ordered her to clean it on her uniform. She then cursed and assaulted Lalutin with the device, getting blood on it as well. Wilson said that Lalutin was no longer breathing before Lourna attacked him as well. At that point, Reese came by and ordered Wilson and "Inun" to stand down. Lourna then confessed that Inun was never her name, and said that he was better than her. Dee said Inun would never have done what she was about to do: hijack a starfighter.

Captain Reese ordered all cadets to board their starfighters to pursue Dee, reasoning that she would not get far without a hyperdrive. However, none of the other cadets were as talented at starfighter maintenance as Lourna. All other fighters were grounded by loose fuel injectors, which caused safety protocols to prevent launch in a way that could not be overridden. A servo driver could fix the loose injectors, but Lourna took it with her. Carida Control informed Dee that, as she had stolen her fighter, her engine would shut down and a recovery beacon would activate. However, she managed to override Carida Control's override signal. She sarcastically remarked that she could not have done any of this without the Academy's skilled training staff, and to send her compliments to them while sending kissing noises.

Having shed her pseudonym of Inun, Lourna pondered what she and her stolen fighter should do next. She decided returning to Aaloth would be pointless, and that if she chased down Master Rancisis, that he would send her to "another Carida on another planet." She then resolved to live how she chose, making it up as she went along. Dee exclaimed to the universe that no-one would ever tell her what to do again.

Dee became a regular patron at a bar near a spaceport on Nurasenti, where she engaged in fights with other patrons much to the chagrin of the bartender Karter. She wore battle-damaged Mandalorian iron armor in barfights. Upon hearing that a patron had bet on her, she took the patron's winnings and chased off some customers before retreating into a booth. She was then joined by Bala Waleen, who did not recognize her under her Mandalorian armor. The usurper Keeper who had executed her family told Dee her voice was familiar, and she responded denying any connection. Waleen informed Lourna that Aaloth's "supply lines" had been disrupted by a group of pirates known as the Nihil, and sought to hire her to protect the planet's ships. Dee asked for 300 ingots for the job and a starship, to which Bala agreed.

Dee joined the crew of the cargo cruiser Tycoon Trader and lie in wait for the Nihil to incapacitate the ship with war cloud gas torpedoes. Lourna had emptied the Trader of glitterstim and set up automated defenses aboard the ship for the ambush, including mining the cargo hold with thermal detonators. The Nihil pulled the Trader out of hyperspace with a gravity mine in the Abrion sector and raided the ship. The Colicoid Storm Jinnix sent a boarding party to Dee's cruiser from his stormship, including Towl, Blackwing, and the droid H7-09. Dee killed all the organic marauders and damaged H7. Eventually Jinnix boarded the Trader, engaging Dee in combat. Jinnix licked Dee's beskar helmet, giving Dee the opportunity to rip out one of his fangs. Dee killed Jinnix by stabbing him with his own tusk. Lourna took some of Jinnix's stims, enabling her to get back on her feet.

Having killed all the Nihil, Dee felt confident she could enter the second stage of her planned revenge on Bala. However, she was confronted by the Dowutin Tempest Runner Pan Eyta and some of his underlings. The Dowutin ordered her to surrender and took her prisoner. Much later, Dee asked Eyta why he didn't kill her then and there. He told her he wanted to know who could take down a Colicoid and wipe out an entire Storm single-handedly.

Dee defected to the Nihil, helping lead a raid on Aaloth. Pan Eyta preferred to have the entire world of origin of the spice over merely hijacking shipments. Dee was eager to exact revenge on her former boyfriend who destroyed her life. By that point, she had become ruthless and intrepid. Waleen tried to escape to his starship, but Eyta cornered him. Lourna revealed herself to her traitorous ex, who still believed the mercenary he hired a Mandalorian. Bala asked the Lourna how she could betray her own planet and home, to which she scoffed. She requisitioned Jinix's ship, the Tooth Spike, and rechristened it the Lourna Dee as she shot Bala with Pan's blaster.

Lourna rose through the ranks of the organization, eventually becoming a Storm and leading a Storm group and running the mines on her homeworld of Aaloth. In addition to the Lourna Dee stormship, she appropriated a now-repaired H7-09 from the deceased Jinix. Dee trusted H7 more than any other member of her Storm, enough to perform a teeth-sharpening ritual typically performed by Twi'lek males. A Strike interrupted H7's sharpening of Dee's teeth to deliver a summons from the Tempest Runners to attend a party at the Great Hall of the Nihil in No-Space, which would be a chance to be seen by the Eye of the Nihil Asgar Ro. Dee told the Strike to inform No-Space that the Lourna Dee would be there, and then struck her Strike for interrupting her dental rite.

After arriving at the Great Hall, H7 complimented Dee on her intimidating appearance, which made her fit right in. Lourna was impressed by the Hall, a repulsor disk hanging in the cosmic dust of No-Space and accessible only through Asgar's Paths. Dee asked H7 whether Ro had built the Hall, but the droid did not know the answer. Pan Eyta approached Lourna after she threatened a highly intoxicated Nihil who bumped into her. She greeted her Tempest Runner formally, and the Dowutin told her all were equal at a revel. Nevertheless, he said he would break a person's legs for bumping into him like that. Eyta offered to introduce Lourna, his "finest Storm," to the Eye.

Pan took Lourna to meet Eye of the Nihil Asgar Ro, who was conversing with the Weequay Tempest Runner Kassav Milliko. Kassav bragged about using a proton bomb to destroy the holy Chamber of the Unknown Spirits in the sacred Relic Reap. The Weequay joked that the Relic Reap was now very "hole-y" as his bomb had created a lot of holes. Eyta warned Dee to be cautious around Milliko, whose hands had a habit of wandering when he indulged in his spice habit. Pan suggested Lourna use her new "fangs" to snap Kassav's hands off if he touched her. Asgar Ro complimented Lourna for her bright and rising reputation.

The Eye asked the Twi'lek Storm her opinion of the Great Hall. Lourna replied it was impressive, when Asgar's son Marchion Ro interrupted to say it was defenseless. The younger Ro pointed out that the Hall was merely a durasteel platform protected only by vacuum shields. Marchion pointed out that the Great Hall would be highly vulnerable in event of an attack, but his father replied that no-one knew of the Great Hall and the many Nihil ships gathered outside could defend it from an invasion. Marchion's father said his son worried incessantly about everything, and the son opined that the presence of all Nihil vessels concentrated at one place and time weakened the organization in event of a surprise attack.

Asgar asked Kassav to signal the crowd to attention, causing the Weequay pirate to shoot several shots with his blaster. Marchion fretted, worrying that Milliko could puncture the energy shields and open the Great Hall to vacuum. Eyta insisted that would not happen. Asgar beckoned the crowd to attention, declaring it had been far too long since the Nihil had assembled. The Eye declared that the Nihil were feared and unstoppable. However, not everyone had paid their dues per the Rule of Three: the spoils of Nihil raids were to go three ways. One-third of the spoils was to go to the Storms, Clouds, and Strikes who performed the raid; a third to the Tempest Runner; and, if the raiders made use of the Paths, a third would go to the Eye of the Nihil. Asgar brought out Xanaven, a Frong Tempest Runner who had not paid his fair dues to the Eye, in shackles. The Eye announced his purpose for the summons: the public execution of Xanaven and his replacement with a new Tempest Runner.

Zan attempted to break free and attack Asgar, but Lourna Dee sprang up to protect Ro from the Frong. Dee killed Avan with her sharpened teeth, leading Asgar to commend her bravery for risking her own life to protect her Eye. At that moment, Asgar promoted Lourna to the rank of Tempest Runner, much to the chagrin of both Pan and Kassav. Lourna had not expected the promotion, but quickly embraced the promotion as the Eye commanded the crowd to chant her name in praise. Xanaven's Tempest was abolished with Lourna Dee's rising in its place. Dee's Tempest came to inherit her sadism, and in time developed the reputation of only striking when they absolutely knew they would win.

Unknown to Asgar or Lourna; Eyta, Milliko, and Avan had conspired against the Eye. The Tempest Runners were displeased with Asgar taking one third of all profits and had planned for the Frong to kill the Eye in front of the assembled crowd. Marchion had hesitated to give his father his sword during the execution, which nearly allowed Zan to kill Asgar until Lourna intervened. At some point after becoming a Tempest Runner, Dee, her fellow Tempest Runners, and Asgar led a Nihil rally on an astronomical object as the young Marchion watched on beside them.

While serving as a Tempest Runner, Lourna Dee visited Kassav's flagship, the New Elite, where an arm wrestling match between Kassav Milliko and his Gungan lieutenant Wet Bub was underway. Bub was capable of speaking in Galactic Basic Standard, but at that time talked in the Gungan patois dialect to throw off his Tempest Runner. Dee challenged Kassav to a wrestling match, insisting that wrestling the Gungan Storm would be a waste of energy when she could take the Tempest. Dellex bet fifty credits on Dee's victory. The Weequay Tempest Runner was known to be strong, but Dee proved herself stronger. Lourna insisted all the smash Kassav consumed eroded his strength. The New Elite's captain yielded, claiming that the Tempest Runners were equal in every way. Dellex retorted that she'd like to see Kassav wrestle Pan, a large Dowutin, but then demurred under pressure.

Kassav and Lourna answered Pan Eyta's call in Kassav's quarters. Dee attempted to calm Kassav, who was struggling to breathe, fearing he felt awkward. The Tempest Runners had gathered to discuss the threat of Eye of the Nihil, Asgar Ro. Dee voiced her confusion about the issue, to which Kassav responded that she was his most cherished. Kassav lamented the absence of Zan Avan as a fellow Tempest Runner, which puzzled Dee, who recalled his treason. The Dowutin and Weequay Tempest Runners revealed to Lourna the plot she had unknowingly disrupted. Dee believed Asgar had unified the Nihil, but the other Tempests cautioned her against believing everything he said. Kassav conceded the Nihil needed his Paths, but resented Asgar's dictatorial manner.

The Weequay complained that Asgar had "emasculated" them, having, as he told it, altered the terms of their agreement. Eyta and Milliko decided to assassinate Asgar to prevent further alterations. Eyta clarified that they would still have access to the Paths through Asgar's son Marchion, whom Milliko described as a weakling cowering under his father's influence. Kassav and Eyta would still provide Marchion with a smaller share, believing him to be more easily controlled and manipulated by the Tempest Runners. Milliko condemned Asgar, asserting they had never agreed to a leader. He then threatened Lourna, demanding she join their conspiracy against Asgar or face death.

Dee feigned agreement with the other Runner's scheme but promptly informed Asgar Ro of the plan. The Eye reminded Lourna that her debt to him outweighed her loyalty to her fellow runners. She assured Ro that while Pans were plentiful in the galaxy, Asgar was unique. The planned assassination was to occur on Pan Eyta's Elegencia, where Eyta would invite Asgar under the guise of concern for Kassav's addictions. The Tempest runners drew lots, and Kassav was chosen to be the one to execute Ro. Lourna was tasked with gathering the Nihil to announce Asgar's death and console his son Marchion. Lourna suggested the Eye could eliminate both Pan and Kassav with a thermite bomb placed near the Elegencia's core, leaving Lourna and Asgar in joint command of the Nihil. Ro appreciated Lourna's strategic thinking but emphasized that the Paths belonged solely to him. He promised to reward her loyalty but refused to share power or wealth equally with the Twi'lek. He would propose a raid on Shili by the combined Tempests of Kassav and Pan, where they would be decimated by the Togruta Royal Fleet.

Asgar requested Lourna to submit an anonymous tip to Togruta intelligence so Kassav and Pan's forces would be destroyed. Lourna hesitated at the thought of betraying her fellow Tempest Runners, but Asgar reminded her that she was already betraying them to him. The Eye further explained that Eyta and Milliko would escape, but their Tempests would not; thereby jeopardizing Kassav and Pan's position within the Nihil. To regain their prestige and the respect of their people, they would need quick and easy victories, which would require Paths from Asgar. Ro knew Pan and Kassav were treacherous but not foolish. Dee then inquired what would happen if she told her fellow Runners about Asgar's plot; the Eye responded that he was willing to take that risk just as she had risked informing him about their planned coup. Asgar asked Lourna who she could trust more: him or Pan and Kassav.

In a moment of fury, Lourna Dee realized she could only trust Asgar to betray her. She then lashed out at her communications equipment, at which time H7-09 entered to inquire if everything was alright. She instructed the droid to transfer a Path to the Great Hall to her smallest Strike ship, knowing the Eye would not expect it. H7 threatened to blackmail Dee with the information, but she remotely overrode his programming and erased his memory. She then proceeded to transfer the path herself.

Dee located Asgar alone in the Great Hall and stabbed him, leaving him to bleed to death in his private quarters. Marchion discovered his father, uncertain of his attacker, bleeding out but kicked him violently to increase his suffering. Later, at the Great Hall, Marchion approached Kassav and Dee, informing them of his father's murder as he held the dead man's helmet. When Dee questioned if his father had prepared him to be the Eye, the young Ro confirmed he had and prepared to return to the Gaze Electric, only for Kassav to confide in Dee his fear about whether Marchion would really live up to the hole his father's death left. Overhearing them, Ro confirmed to them both that he was not his father, leading to two Tempest Runners to reach for their blasters as Kassav asked him to settle down. Dee remained silent as Kassav claimed they had all respected Asgar before asking the boy if he had vision like his father, to which Marchion replied by saying he believed he had vision as well, puttig his father's bloodied helmet on.

Subsequently, the Nihil's Tempest Runners reconvened at the Great Hall for a funeral pyre, believing Marchion needed time to grieve his father. Kassav and Pan were displeased with Lourna for failing to adhere to their agreed-upon plan; meaning, in Kassav's words, that they could not trust her. Lourna insisted that one aspect of the plan had changed, but they should proceed as planned as they had met their objective. She began to threaten the others by saying if any of them should go down for the death of Asgar, they would all go down for it. However, Pan smoothed the tensions by insisting none of the Runners would go down, and agreed with Lourna to proceed as planned thenceforth. Pan said they would allow Marchion to mourn his father and then tell him how the Nihil would work from then on, which would be reducing the Eye's cut of loot from one-third. However, at that moment, Marchion joined the Tempest Runners and cut Pan off. Pan told the younger Ro he was sorry for his loss, as Asgar had given them so much. Marchion reacted icily, saying the Paths had not been given by Asgar but rather by their family. Unknown to the Tempest Runners, the Paths had come from the Force-sensitive navigator Mari San Tekka.

Marchion, holding Asgar's helmet, declared to the Tempest Runners that his father was merely a link in a chain; a chain that led to him. The younger Ro instructed the Runners to never address him by his first name again and approached the podium. Marchion dismissed his father as "dead wood" to be discarded. Ro addressed the crowd to honor his father, informing the assembled Nihil that Asgar knew his time had come. Marchion spoke of renewal and endurance for the Nihil, claiming his "birthright" as the Eye of the Storm. Together, they would ride the Storm; Ro declared, addressing the Tempest Runners as "his." The crowd began to chant "Ro" in support of Marchion, marking the beginning of his consolidation of power. Lourna understated, suggesting the Tempest Runners might have underestimated the consequences of their coup against Ro. Additionally, Marchion came to suspect one of the Tempest Runners had been the one to kill his father.

Around 236 BBY, Dee took in the thirteen-year-old Sylvestri Yarrow, daughter of the fugitive hyperspace physicist and Nihil associate Chancey Yarrow, for a year. Dee, whom Sylvestri referred to as "auntie Lourna," taught the girl combat skills. During that period, Sylvestri frequently sustained injuries from Dee, including being rendered unconscious, fracturing her arm twice, and possibly fracturing her jaw multiple times. Nevertheless, Yarrow acquired the ability to defend herself in challenging situations during her time with Lourna. Sylvestri was unaware that her auntie Lourna was actually Lourna Dee, Tempest Runner of the Nihil, at the time. Dee informed Sylvestri that life would not be gentle with her and that she was fortunate to be alive. The girl understood that life as a cargo hauler was perilous, and believed that was the only reason she was being taught so much about self-defense and security.

In 232 BBY, when Dee was approximately forty years old, her and Milliko's Tempests assisted Eyta's in a raid on Ab Dalis shortly after the Great Hyperspace Disaster, achieving considerable success. Eyta hosted a celebration at the Great Hall in No-Space. Zagyar, a Storm under her command who partially botched the raid, was interrogated with Dee's consent, but it remains unknown if he was punished for his actions. The Eye of the Nihil, Marchion Ro, convened a meeting between himself and the Runners. Ro announced that the use of the Paths would be restricted until the aftermath of the Disaster subsided. The Runners reluctantly concurred, except for Dee, who persuaded Ro to grant her one Path for a swift and straightforward raid on Elphrona, with the objective of abducting the Blythe family of Alderaan and demanding ransom from their affluent relatives.

Kassav Milliko had attempted to extort Eriadu Governor Mural Veen for credits in exchange for saving Eriadu's inhabited moon from the Emergences, but failed to fulfill his part of the agreement. The moon was destroyed, and the resulting outrage from Eriadu and the Galactic Republic drew intense public scrutiny and attention to the Nihil. The Runners and the Eye convened at the Great Hall where Ro, in a display of domInunce, brutalized Milliko and forced the Runners into compliance. Dee was instructed to proceed with her raid and retrieve the flight recorder of the Legacy Run.

Lourna Dee had a brief encounter with Republic forces while attempting to secure the flight recorder of the Legacy Run. She managed to escape and eventually even captured Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm and Ottoh Blythe after the raid began to fail and the other Blythes were left behind. She transported them to Ro's ship, the Gaze Electric, where Ro revealed he only permitted the raid to occur because he anticipated capturing a Jedi as they attempted to rescue the Blythes. Dee became terrified when Ro explained this as he practiced with his new weapon, Loden Greatstorm's lightsaber, and pointed it at her face. He also disclosed that the reason Milliko and his Tempest was destroyed is because he sabotaged the entire Tempest's Path engines which caused them to collide with the Republic forces. She was subsequently intimidated into secrecy by Ro.

Shortly thereafter, Ro assembled the remaining Nihil in the Great Hall where he presented footage of the battle of Kur that portrayed Milliko and his Tempest as martyrs of the Nihil way of life who staunchly opposed the Republic's restrictions until their demise. Ro convinced the assembled warriors that, with a united front under his leadership, the Nihil could withstand the Republic and the Jedi. Ro removed his mask, revealing his face to the crowd, an action that was replicated by everyone present except Dee and Pan Eyta.

The Eye quietly directed the two Tempest Runners to also remove their masks, which they did with reluctance. Ro transformed the footage of Kur into a star map as bowls filled with liquid were circulated around the hall, which each raider applied to their faces as a symbol of the fallen Tempest's spilled blood. The Eye of the Nihil then proclaimed that they would commence galaxy-wide operations and crush the Galactic Republic for opposing them.

Lourna Dee took part in the attack on Valo, which was the Nihil's assault on the Republic Fair taking place on the Outer Rim planet of Valo. During this event, she engaged in a duel with Ugor Jedi archivist OrbaLin, who, to her annoyance, delivered lectures about Jedi artifacts as they fought.

Following the Valo attack, the Republic came to the conclusion that Dee was the Eye of the Nihil. Dee participated in the Battle of Galov, under orders from Marchion Ro to seize control of Relay Post Epsilon One. When Jedi and Republic forces appeared, intending to capture Dee due to her supposed high rank within the Nihil, and Ro declined to provide reinforcements, Dee understood that the Nihil's attempt to capture the station was doomed. Consequently, she used the turbolasers of her cruiser, the Lourna Dee, to bombard the station, and subsequently deployed Salvage droids to ensure its complete destruction. Realizing that her cruiser had no chance of surviving the battle, Dee promoted Andrik Keller, who had assisted her on the cruiser's bridge during the conflict, to the rank of Storm. She then instructed him and Cathar Storm Tasia to leave the bridge and escape, while she remained behind. However, she actually devised a scheme to fake her own demise. She outfitted the droid H7-09 with her mask and armor, so that when Jedi Nib Assek and Padawan Burryaga Agaburry arrived with members of Firebird Squadron and its Skyhawk pilots, they would be deceived into believing it was her. The droid was equipped to explode, and it did so after Skyhawk pilot Jano Brayson shot it, successfully creating the illusion of Dee's death.

Later, while trying to escape the Lourna Dee, Dee approached Trandoshan Jedi Master Sskeer from behind. Sskeer was trying to subdue Andrick Keller, who was trying to reach escape pods on the other side of a collapsed hallway. She was without her armor and mask, as she had given them to H7-09, so Sskeer did not recognize her as Lourna Dee. She attacked him, striking him with a vibro-ax and drawing blood, which caused Sskeer to use the Force to push her against the wall. However, she responded by throwing a flash grenade at him, causing him to fall. Lourna then pushed Keller through the opening in the collapsed hallway where he was stuck. Keller believed that Dee was assisting him, but her true intention was to clear a path to the escape pods for herself. After he was through, she commanded him to prepare an escape pod for their joint escape. Before Dee could pass through, Sskeer pulled her back through the wreckage, knocking her to the ground and incapacitating her. Sskeer pointed his lightsaber at her and ordered her to remain down as Jedi Knight Keeve Trennis arrived. Dee was defeated and would be taken to Starlight Beacon for arrest and medical treatment, but the Jedi and Republic were still unaware of her true identity. At the end of the battle, Dee's cruiser, the Lourna Dee, was destroyed.

Dee, along with Tasia, was taken aboard Starlight Beacon. They were placed in one of the station's medical bays along with other Nihil members. There, Skyhawk pilot Brayson, who believed he had shot Dee (but had really shot the droid H7-09), confronted Tasia and said he wanted to kill all the Nihil in the room to avenge his friend Teff's death in the explosion caused by the Lourna Dee decoy. He threatened to kill the unconscious Dee so Tasia would watch her friend die. Tasia told him to stop, but when he refused, she attacked him, and he fought back, hurting her and saying she deserved it for what the Nihil had done to the galaxy. Dee woke up during the fight and hit Brayson with her ventilator, knocking him out. Assek, Agaburry, and Trennis, who realized Brayson's plan to kill the Nihil, broke through the glass door to the medbay. Seeing the scene, Trennis told Assek that Dee had attacked Sskeer.

However, they still did not know that she was Lourna Dee. Now without a ventilator, Dee began to lose consciousness. Assek steadied her and sent Trennis to get the doctor while she and Agaburry watched over Dee and Tasia. After Dee was settled again, Assek asked her name. Dee told her that her name was Sal Croft. Later, Dee was questioned by Chief of Security Ghal Tarpfen of the space station. Dee shared some details of her childhood and early life with the Mon Calamari security chief. Tarpfen sentenced Dee to ten years aboard the correctional vessel Restitution as part of the Republic's Prisoner rehabilitation program.

Dee, along with Tasia and her Cloud Quin, a Bivall slicer who had never met Dee, were brought aboard the Restitution. The women listened to an orientation speech from Councilors Jon Wittick and Fry, who explained that the prisoners would receive training in medicine, construction, and engineering and would be paid three credits a day for their labor. Tasia and Quin expressed their willingness to become romantically involved with Wittick, as a "man in uniform," if it would improve their situation on board. Lourna reacted with disgust at the idea.

Dee was assigned to K block and designated "Prisoner 134." She shared a cell with Tasia, and Quin was housed nearby. Tasia knew that "Sal Krost" was actually Lourna Dee and blackmailed Dee into serving her and Quin under the threat of revealing her identity to the other prisoners and guard, who would surely seek revenge on the notorious Tempest Runner. As a precaution, Tasia told Quin about Dee's identity and instructed the survivor to immediately spread the word if anything happened to either Tasia or Quin. Nevertheless, Dee befriended fellow Twi'lek Sestin Blin, with whom she shared stories of her time as a slave of the Zygerrians and the aftermath.

The Ottegan criminal Ola Hest wielded considerable influence on the Restitution, having bribed many guards and essentially becoming a leader among the inmates. Hest's henchwomen were an Aqualish named Parr and a Gloovan named Muglan. Shortly after Dee arrived on the ship, Hest, Parr, and Muglan confronted Tasia in the commissary, believing that the Cathar had stolen Hest's illegal comlink. Unbeknownst to Dee, Tasia had indeed stolen it and used it to contact Pan Eyta, who sought revenge on the Twi'lek for betraying him by leading him to the Second Battle of Cyclor.

Lourna reluctantly defended Tasia from the attackers by claiming that she had stolen and destroyed Hest's comlink herself, which started a fight. Eventually, the alarm was activated, and guards were summoned, resulting in Lourna being placed in the sickbay with Councilor Wittick. Dee shared her disappointment with the Republic and the Restitution with Wittick. Wittick scolded Dee for fighting but praised her for defending her friend when no one else would. Dee then recalled her time at the academy on Carida.

Leela from block D sang the song "Shrii ka rai ka rai" for two days straight, annoying the bedridden Lourna while she remained in the sickbay, when Sestin was assigned sickbay duty. Sestin told Dee that she would be heading back to block K that day, as she was nearly recovered. Lourna was unhappy because Wittick had told her not to fight with Muglan anymore. Sestin insinuated that Wittick was romantically interested in Dee and warned her to be cautious. Sestin explained that Wittick was not "in Hest's pocket," and that if Hest believed Dee was in bed with a guard she had not bribed, Dee would be subject to reprisals.

After Dee's return to K block, Sestin informed the Tempest Runner that the Restitution would soon be making a planet drop. During planetside work stops, prisoners would earn 5 credits a day instead of 3. Lourna asked Sestin where they would be going, but was told that prisoners were never even told what star system they would stop in as a safety precaution. Lourna told her friend she wished to hole up in her cell so not to draw attention to herself, and Sestin responded with joy that her friend was learning. As Dee approached her cell, she was again confronted by Muglan and Hest. Hest asserted that Dee's supposed destruction of the Oteggan's property was forgiven and forgotten, insisting Dee had learned her lesson. Ola referred to Lourna as a "worm head." Lourna commanded Hest not to call her that, and Hest apologized for the remark, saying she hated to be disrespectful.

Soon thereafter, Lourna returned to her cell where Tasia and Quin were playing a card game. The Twi'lek threatened to kill each of them before asking whether Tasia had in fact stolen Hest's comlink. Tasia replied equivocally, referring to Lourna by her name rather than "Sal" and stating Dee had "done her job." Tasia said she would have loved to visit Dee in the sickbay but she could not acquire a pass. Lourna replied by pointing out that the Cathar could have used her new accord with Ola to gain visitor access, at which point Quin interjected that Lourna was a hypocrite because of the allegations that Lourna became involved with "handsome Councilor Wittick." Tasia laughed, expressing that she had wondered who would first "sink their teeth" into the Councilor but had never expected Lourna to do so. At that time, Wittick summoned all prisoners from K block to the common area to announce their first work stop.

Councilor Fry explained that the Restitution would stop at a forested planet, Arbra, where pirates had recently attacked and burned the main settlement. Three parties of prisoners were to build prefabricated shelters the Republic had provided to assist in rebuilding efforts, while the rest would clear the remaining buildings and the local logging station. Tasia asked why droids were not assigned to the reconstruction, to which Wittick explained that droids frequently break down and further, a workforce "dedicated to repaying their debts to society" would finish twice as fast. As Wittick and Fry gave orders, Quin and Tasia made sly insinuations about Wittick attending to "Sal" (Lourna) personally. The Councilors then dismissed the prisoners back to their cells, when Ola Hest objected that lockdown was not for another hour. Wittick repeated that meant "everyone," to which Ola insisted that Dee get "her man" under control. Dee insisted Wittick was not her "anything" before being summoned by the Councilor to talk one-on-one. Wittick warned the Twi'lek that aboard the Restitution, rumors had a way of turning nasty for everyone involved.

Upon the planet, Sestin expressed her love of planetary visits and experiencing nature. Ola interjected that people had to take what they could get in life, unknowingly echoing the Nihil slogan of taking what one wanted and burning what one didn't. Dee asked Ola sarcastically whether the Ottegan would known all about taking what she could get. Ola asked Sestin what she would do once released from prison, and Sestin replied that she'd be happy to no longer have to watch out for Lourna "Sal." After Ola and her entourage departed, Sestin showed Dee a hologram of her sons Ita and Silus when they were children. She told Lourna how she longed to hug her children if they wanted to see her.

Lourna and Sestin caught up to Tasia, who pointed out signature lightning bolts burnt into a tree trunk signifying the raid had been conducted by the Nihil. Wittick explained that the work party would be on the planet for 5 days and would sleep aboard the Restitution. Tasia, who had conducted similar raids with Lourna, whispered "ride the storm" to Dee. Wittick then introduced the prisoners to the local Republic emissary: Lalutin, the senior cadet Lourna had nearly killed with a servo spanner before escaping from Carida. Lalutin briefed the prisoners, telling them the settlers on Arbra had had their lives turned upside down by "scum," leading Tasia to wonder aloud how he would react if he learned such Nihil "scum" were among his prison labor force. Dee replied that the Administrator knew well of their presence. Lalutin continued, saying he resented having to rely on prison labor for this reconstruction effort. However, Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh insisted the Prisoner Rehabilitation Program was the first in a long list of reforms to the Republic's Carceral System; demonstrating beyond doubt that "we are all one Republic." Lalutin then threatened the prisoners if they should cause any trouble to the settlers on Arbra. Regretting her circumstance of meeting Lalutin once again, Dee murmured aloud "I knew I should've hit him harder."

After some time working with load lifters to clear the logging station, Dee became angry that Ola Hest and her crew were given much better power rigs. Sestin then insisted that Hest was a "special case," explaining Hest's history: Ola had killed more people than most had ever met. Sestin implored Lourna to stay out of Hest's way as she was dangerous. Lourna retorted "maybe I am too," though Sestin expressed doubt that her friend was a murderer. Hest had once massacred a children's hospital on Novor run by the Sisters of the Ninth Plane for refusing the Hutt Clan's racketeering demands before being tracked down by the "Blade of Bardotta" Porter Engle. Lourna said she had survived worse than having a building dropped on her but refused to explain. Sestin expressed frustration at the "walls" Lourna was putting up, telling Lourna she could tell when someone was hurting. Lourna, lying, said the only reason she was hurting was the pain from working with the faulty load lifter. Sestin reacted by calling Dee out on her nonstop dishonesty and equivocation. Dee, frustrated, asked why Sestin continued to talk to her, to which her friend replied that if she did not speak with Lourna, no-one else would. Sestin then analyzed Dee's behaviors as purposely alienating anyone who wished to help her. At that point, the load lifter fell on Lourna's leg similarly to how a blurrg had in her youth. Sestin called for help from Wittick and Lalutin, but Lourna implored her friend not to call the Selkath for help. Sestin left the area to fetch others because there was no comm reception at the logging station.

Just after Sestin left, Lalutin appeared. The Selkath remembered Dee clearly from their time at the academy, telling her he had thought about little else than her attack on him for years. He stood by idly expressing his desire for retribution as Lourna was crushed under the machine. Lalutin, who had known Lourna as "Inun," talked to Wittick about her. The Selkath administrator revealed he knew Lourna's true identity, pulling up a holo wanted poster showing a five-thousand credit reward for information that would lead to her capture. Lalutin recognized Dee even under her mask, remembering her head tails vividly. Lalutin said he would only have to call Starlight Beacon to inform them of Lourna's location and then he could have any job he wanted. He tried to call Starlight Beacon, but the reception was poor and the Beacon asked him to repeat his message. In the meanwhile, Dee tried to cut a deal with Lalutin until the Selkath was shot by Tasia. Tasia remarked snidely that Lourna had a penchant for making enemies.

Lourna told the Cathar that she could barely breathe. At that moment, Pan Eyta appeared and commented that he could hardly breathe either. He said he had been looking forward to his revenge against her. Tasia revealed that she had been an agent for the Dowutin Tempest Runner since they came aboard the Restitution several weeks ago and promised to lead him to Lourna. Tasia implied that she killed Sestin, angering Lourna at the death of her friend. Lourna denounced Tasia for the murder, calling Sestin a "good person," to which Tasia retorted by asking if that was why she ended up imprisoned. Tasia attempted to call Marchion Ro on an old Nihil frequency, which Pan picked up whilst already hunting Dee.

Pan wished to kill Dee, who was still being crushed under the load lifter. However, he believed they had time to converse, and the pair reminisced over the circumstances under which they met. They reflected on the raids in the Abrion sector and on Aaloth, when Lourna first joined the Nihil and finally got revenge on Bala. Lourna stopped breathing, sending Pan into a fit of rage as he wanted to kill her himself. Tasia, bemused, thought the point was for Dee to die, but Eyta got angry and choked the Cathar nearly to death. The Dowutin furiously tossed machinery around and mused on how he wanted to deliver Lourna Dee to Marchion Ro himself, see the fear in the Eye's eyes and slit his throat. Pan said over comm to his underlings that he had once believed he and Lourna would rule the galaxy together, before the "upstart" Ro interfered.

Pan believed Lourna dead, and carried her limp body towards an extraction point he arranged with an underling. He told his underlying she was dead when Lourna attacked him and commented on the similar way she killed his Colicoid Storm Jinix when they first met. She then destroyed his comlink and attacked his ventilator. As Dee taunted Eyta, his Tempest arrived overhead. Pan then counterattacked Dee, saying it felt "right" for the two of them to die together. As Eyta put it, perhaps they would haunt Marchion Ro together.

Sestin appeared at the downed load lifter having awoken from unconsciousness resulting from a blunt strike on her head by Tasia. Sestin told her friend she couldn't find Wittick, then inquired about the presence of a Dowutin at her feet. Dee asked Sestin, who by now drove a power lifter of her own, to push Eyta into the logging pit. Sestin complied, though she mused that it would likely add time to her prison sentence.

Lourna awoke to Councilor Wittick looking over her in the Restitution's sickbay. She was questioned by Wittick and a cam droid about what had happened, including the death of Administrator Lalutin at Eyta's hands. Dee lied, saying she believed Lalutin was going to find help when he was shot in the back by Pan Eyta. When asked the whereabouts of "Prisoner 135" (Tasia), Dee lied again, saying Tasia had tried to stop the Dowutin from killing her. Tasia had not died from Eyta's chokehold, but was in a coma and might not make it. Wittick informed Dee that Tasia might be transferred to Starlight Beacon for medical care, and Eyta's body had gone missing. The Nihil raiders Lourna had heard overhead had killed eight prisoners and three more had gone missing.

The Restitution was on its way to its next work stop. Lourna, who had been treated with synthskin, was to return to K block. Lourna asked if the three escaped prisoners were Ola Hest and her cohort, but Wittick assured her the security droids had stopped their escape attempt. Councilor Fry believed Hest and her cohort orchestrated the raider attack, perhaps to escape. Dee lied that the raiders were not Nihil, and further denied that Eyta had singled her out. Wittick told Dee he could sense something amiss about her, and that in his experience, prisoners were often kept imprisoned more by their own thoughts and secrets than the cells and walls of the physical correctional vessel. Lourna confessed that, for the first time in her life, she had welcomed death in the forest clearing at the logging site. Wittick offered to connect Dee to a whole wing of therapists who could help her if she felt suicidal.

Wittick told her she could trust him and tell him the truth, assuring her that the recorder was off and no-one was listening. Lourna expressed doubt that he would help her if he knew her past, but Wittick said that cut both ways. Wittick believed in Chancellor Lina Soh's Great Works, but had come to doubt that things were getting better. Wittick told Dee he was going to attend the Republic Fair on Valo to see his sister and her kids. His nephew was so excited to see the Innovator, but now that was all gone. Dee told him it was because of people like her. Unbeknownst to the man Lourna's fellow prisoners thought she was involved with, she had led the terrorist attack on Valo that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Wittick knew the Nihil had attacked the Valo Republic Fair, but felt he had to believe in redemption for the Nihil prisoners.

Dee expressed disdain at the bevy of individuals around her who believed in hope and redemption, as she did not believe herself capable of it. First Ghal Tarpfen, then Sestin, and now Wittick; each wanted to believe in people. Lourna denied that she was the person for people to put their trust in, but her purported boyfriend insisted that she could be. The Councilor pointed to Lourna's self-sacrifice taking the blame for something she had not done to save Sestin. Dee said Sestin was worth it as she was "one of the few people—" when Wittick cut her off to suggest Dee meant one of few people she could trust. Lourna said she would not go that far, as she never trusted anyone. Wittick drew a connection between Lourna's trust issues and her inability to look others in the eye. Dee demurred, referring to her habit of wearing a mask. Wittick let on that he knew Sal was not her true name. Under pressure from Wittick and amid flashbacks from her past, Lourna confessed her identity as the nefarious Tempest Runner Lourna Dee and her need for Wittick's help.

After trusting Wittick enough to confess her true identity, Lourna continued to act abrasively. Wittick called her into his office to talk about her bad attitude, pointing out he had "put his neck on the line" for her and that she had not been marched off the ship by Jedi. Dee asked Wittick whether he was risking himself for her to establish a power dynamic whereby the guard would sexually exploit her as a prisoner. Wittick bristled at the notion, adamantly insisting that he merely sought to provide her a new start. He easily could have handed Dee over to the Jedi when she confessed to being the supposed Eye of the Nihil Lourna Dee, but he believed in her ability to change for the better. Lourna had told the councilor the Nihil were finished, so he did not believe providing her to Jedi custody would solve anything. Governments and people she had wronged would want vengeance on Dee, as Wittick put it.

Dee suggested the people she had wronged deserved retribution on her, but Wittick responded that such punitive measures would not restore the harm she caused. However, Wittick told Lourna that her eager work to restore the damage she inflicted on the galaxy was worth to him than anything. Dee quipped, asking whether her redemption was worth more to the Councilor than justice. Wittick confessed that he saw Dee as his "last chance" to see someone make a true change in their life, untainted by who they used to be. Lourna asked Councilor what would happen if she failed to live up to his optimism, when a droid interrupted their conversation to inform them the prisoners' work cycle had ended. Dee told Wittick how she had been forced to reinvent herself in a new life many times in order to survive, always because of someone else's expectations or demands. She wanted to believe the man that she could change and be who she wanted unencumbered by her past, but experience weighed against her belief that she could do so.

Having concluded a lengthy shift repairing equipment, Dee encountered Sestin in the mess hall. Sestin confided in Lourna that, despite assurances to the contrary regarding Tasia's transfer to Starlight Beacon, the Cathar was still recuperating in the Restitution's infirmary. With only sixty minutes of leisure time before the lockdown, during which inmates could use their credits for entertainment like holodramas, Sestin extended an invitation for her companion to join her in watching one. Dee turned down the offer, stating her intention to contemplate matters in her cell. Suddenly, Ola Hest materialized, attempting to dissuade Lourna from returning to K block while subtly suggesting Dee should accompany Sestin to view a holo. Disregarding the Ottegan, Dee hurried back to the cell block, where she witnessed Parr and Muglan, acting under Ola's instructions, intimidating a frightened Quin. Hest's muscle argued that Lourna had allegedly pilfered from Hest and subsequently become friendly with them, and Quin had also become friendly with them. Consequently, they reasoned, Quin might have slighted the group despite her seemingly harmless nature. Dee intervened, assaulting Parr and Muglan, fracturing the Aqualish's cheek, and declaring that no-one understood her and no-one would care even if they could. Muglan retaliated, charging at Lourna, who responded by incapacitating the Gluvan, leading to her hospitalization. Later, Councilor Wittick reprimanded Dee for her interference in the altercation. Lourna retorted by likening herself to a Jedi, emphasizing that she had simply defended a friend and had utilized only the necessary amount of force. Moreover, Dee had garnered the respect of everyone, including Hest and her "dogs," who would refrain from filing reports against her. Lourna surmised that she had established herself as a dominant figure among the prisoners, diminishing Ola's authority and sway on the prison vessel. The Twi'lek compared the Ottegan ringleader to a Karkarodon that had lost its teeth, prompting the Councilor to remind Dee that Karkarodons' teeth grew back. The Councilor began to cough, and his complexion turned pale. Dee remarked on his pallor, comparing him to a Gigoran and noting his extreme fatigue. Wittick asserted that monitoring Dee was a demanding task. Lourna proposed giving him a second chance of his own, by acting as an enforcer to make the other inmates fall in line. Dee suggested they could instigate genuine change at the "grassroots" level without awaiting the Senate's passage of new laws. Wittick cautioned Lourna about the potential ramifications of that course of action, to which she affirmed her awareness. She had previously erred in that manner, recounting to the guard her experiences as a Tempest Runner. #### Developing a Bond with Quin The Restitution made a stop at a communications relay station, where prisoners were granted the opportunity to communicate with their families. Quin desired to converse with Lourna, but she demurred. Lourna claimed exhaustion, and Ola Hest ridiculed her, attributing her weariness to a lengthy day spent with her attractive guard, Wittick. Hest implied that, if Dee refused to "cozy up to" Wittick, then Sestin would, citing Sestin's desire for peace and preventing harm as her motivation to do what was "necessary." Quin reiterated her request to enter Lourna's cell to express gratitude for saving her. The Bivall inmate acknowledged their initial contentious relationship. Quin had assumed that Tasia and Ola would safeguard her aboard the prison ship, and she had acquiesced to their demands out of fear and peer pressure. Quin confessed to Lourna in a hushed tone that admitting her fear to her Tempest Runner was not easy. Dee responded that fear was acceptable and that she was no longer Quin's Tempest Runner. Quin admitted that Tasia had not informed her of contacting Pan Eyta, and she doubted the Cathar would have included her in her planned escape. The Bivall informed the Twi'lek that the inmates formerly affiliated with Eyta's Tempest believed the Jedi had slain him aboard the Elegencia at Cyclor. Consequently, they were unaware that the Dowutin who had assaulted "Sal" on Arbra was their Tempest Runner. Quin had overheard Eyta's former subordinates discussing Pan and Lourna. One Siniteen had served under Pan and attended the celebration at the Great Hall of the Nihil when Lourna was appointed a Tempest Runner. Quin conveyed to Lourna that the Siniteen had stated that if Lourna Dee were still alive, the Storm would not have dissipated, and they would not be incarcerated. Lourna found the Siniteen's faith in her ironic, despite anticipating the prisoner's desire to eliminate her. Quin departed Lourna's cell upon discovering Sestin's holoprojector displaying her children, Ita and Silas. Quin, mistaking them for Lourna's offspring, reacted with "aww," but Dee grew concerned because Sestin never allowed the projector out of her sight. From that, Lourna deduced Sestin's impending actions as hinted at in Hest's threat: Hest had blackmailed Sestin by abducting her children, intending to compel Sestin to murder Tasia. Lourna dashed to the commissary, where Councilor Fry denied her entry to the infirmary, citing her lack of illness. Dee implored Fry to summon Wittick, who would be receptive and understanding. Fry declined, stating that both she and Governor Arman desired to make an example of "Sal Krost." Quin caught up to Lourna, proposing to involve the Twi'lek in a game of klikklak. Lourna instructed the Bivall to create a diversion, wherein Dee would ostensibly return to her cell to retrieve her sabacc deck, and Quin would follow her two minutes later. Lourna inflicted an injury upon herself to gain access to the medical center, requesting Quin to summon assistance. #### Protecting Sestin Sestin, proficient in both droid repair and sabotage, disabled a security droid that attempted to prevent her from accessing a restricted area. Once inside, Sestin attempted to stab the still-comatose Tasia with a scalpel. Lourna confronted her acquaintance, promising to secure assistance for the other Twi'lek to shield her children from Hest's network of bounty hunters and assassins. Ola Hest had threatened to harm Ita and Silus if Sestin communicated with anyone or sought help. Lourna attempted to pacify her friend by reminding Sestin that her release was scheduled for only a few weeks in the future, at which point she could reunite with her sons. Sestin responded frantically that she would not have the opportunity to see them if they were deceased. Lourna disarmed Sestin, knocking the scalpel to the floor before seizing it herself. Dee was adamant that Sestin would not want Tasia's blood on her hands, but then killed Tasia with the scalpel Sestin had wielded only moments prior. Alarms sounded, and security droids and guards arrived to apprehend the intruders. Lourna clarified that she was voluntarily dropping the scalpel, rendering herself unarmed. Wittick arrived hastily, addressing Lourna by her given name, "Lourna," confusing Sestin, who had only known her friend as "Sal." Sestin inquired about Lourna's identity, while Dee informed the Councilor that Ola had coerced her into murdering Tasia. Dee explained that the Ottegan had threatened the family of her friend, Sestin Blinn. In doing so, Hest was targeting those closest to Lourna to exact revenge on Louna. Dee then told Wittick that Hest had an entire network spreading out from the Restitution like a glitterstim web. Lourna lied that Sestin had tried to stop her from killing Tasia. Wittick asked why Lourna had not come to him for help, to which she replied that this was "the only way" and that this is who she was and had always been, calling Wittick by his first name "John." Lourna was placed in confinement. Sestin struggled to reconcile her friend Sal with the Nihil Tempest Runner Lourna Dee, discussing the recent events with Quin. Quin commented that, with Hest in isolation and Muglan and Parr in the sick bay, and Wittick relieved of duty, it was unclear who was in charge in the prison. Sestin reminded the Bivall not to say that in front of Councilor Fry, who remained in power. Quin reassured Sestin, reminding the Twi'lek that she had done nothing wrong. Lourna had killed Tasia, not Sestin. Sestin asked Quin whether Lourna and Tasia had known each-other for long, to which Quin replied "long enough." Sestin had thought her friend Sal had been a "grunt" within the Nihil, only now coming to terms with the fact that Lourna had served as one of the Nihil's three leaders. She struggled to come to terms with Lourna's involvement in planning the destructive acts of the Nihil, including the attack on Valo and the Hyperspace Disaster. Quin told Sestin that, as a Cloud, she did not know as such information was above her grade. ### Restitution attacked Lourna Dee sat alone, confined in an isolation cube. Ola Hest, locked up in the isolation cube right next to her, knocked on her door, calling her "Lourna" and taunting her that everyone knew her secret identity and location. Hest goaded Dee, saying the Jedi would arrive soon and be furious. Dee replied that the Jedi did not "do" furious. Ola then told Lourna that Wittick had been removed from his duties and would no longer be able to protect her. Dee, angry, yelled that the Ottegan got what she wanted: Tasia was dead. Furthermore, the Republic took Sestin's sons into protective custody, making them safe from Hest's web of agents. Hest said that it was she who was untouchable when a klaxon blared, urging all prisoners to their cells. The Restitution came under attack, with laserfire audible from space outside the ship. Lourna asked whether Ola Hest had ordered the attack, which the Ottegan vociferously denied. Lourna realized Pan Eyta had survived and chased the Restitution down to finish his vengeance against her. Dee and Hest asked the security droid guarding their cells what was going on. The droid refused to answer, saying that was privileged information. Lourna warned the droid that the person attacking the ship would not stop until he located her, and would eagerly kill everyone in his way. Dee asked the droid if there was a ship clamping onto the Restitution's hull. Lourna pointed out the sound of someone cutting through the hull to prepare for boarding. The droid refused to let the women out of their cubes, but agreed to warn the Governor that Pan Eyta was attacking and to broadcast a distress signal. Unfortunately, internal communications were overloaded and soon to be jammed, so the droid had to alert the Governor itself. #### Chaos ensues Coucilor Hazeltoe on L block called Councilor Fry to inform her the Governor had sent them to check deck 7. Security droids formed a defensive perimeter as the Nihil breached the Restitution's hull and came aboard, releasing war cloud gas and shooting people and droids. Fry's comms went down and Sestin volunteered Quin's talents as a slicer to help with comms. At that moment, cell doors were opened, leading to a prison riot. In the meantime, Lourna aand Ola were also released from their solitary confinement and found the nearby computer down. Lourna murmured aloud that she needed to find an escape pod and hope Eyta's people would not find her. Hest expressed doubt at Lourna's willingness to abandon Sestin to the marauders, pointing out the close friendship the two Twi'leks had developed aboard the Restitution. Hest attacked Lourna, trying to knock her unconsciousness to make it easier for Eyta to find her. Ola tried to choke Lourna, believing Eyta would either give her a ride or that she could steal the Dowutin's ship. Wittick appeared with a stun weapon, disabling the Ottegan while Lourna bit her with her sharpened teeth. He came with a rebreather for Lourna to protect her from the war cloud. The pair rushed to K block, as Lourna feared Sestin would not survive in a riot. Wittick ordered Fry to drop her stun baton, but the Councilor refused to comply. Dee then disarmed Fry and Quin took the baton, giving it to Dee. Wittick ordered the Tempest Runner to drop the weapon, but she also refused. Dee marshalled the crowd to rally behind her, pointing out that Eyta's crew would kill everyone aboard without distinguishing between guard or prisoner. Dee asked Wittick to arm the crowd as the Restitution had become a battleground. Fry asked if the prisoners would simply hand the blasters back once it was all over, to which Dee replied "one step at a time." Dee gave Quin Fry's baton back, commanding her Cloud to only use it on the attackers. As such, Lourna united the prisoners and guards under her command. #### Fighting scav droids Dee asked for a respirator for Sestin, but she insisted Wittick keep his as he was armed with a blaster and would need to breathe. The group approached an armory where scav droids were salvaging and stealing the weapons. Wittick prepared to shoot the scav droids when they heard a Reeman Nihil walking by, telling Pan Eyta over comm that the droids had cleared the armory. One of the prisoners, a former Nihil, attempted to defect and join the Reeman, but he shot her. Wittick shot the Reeman, but alerted the droids to the prisoners' and guards' location in doing so. Wittick told the others to fall back so he could protect them, but Dee told him they needed him with them and he could never destroy all the droids on his own. The Tempest Runner led her squad down a level to the workshops where the load lifters lied. The group descended the stairs while Wittick reported they had lost half their people. Quin tried to force a door open while a scav droid grabbed hold of some of the group. Quin then returned the baton to Fry, who dropped it as she could not see in the war cloud. A scav droid took hold of Fry, dismembering her arm, and Wittick's blaster ran out of charge. Dee then engaged a scav droid in combat, buying the others time to go through the door. Wittick took the droid out with a strong swing of his blaster rifle, commenting that he batted for the phaseball team back at the academy. The group then neared the workshop, but were now completely unarmed. As they entered, they encountered Ola Hest and Muglan. Wittick assured everyone in, pointing out they did not have time to fight each-other while scav droids pierced their way through the previous door. Hest tossed Sestin a hammer which she used to force the door closed. Fry passed out due to blood loss, when Quin and Lourna noted the droids had already ransacked the workshop for weapons. Wittick asked for a plasma torch to cauterize Fry's wound. Lourna Dee asked the Gloovan to help her move shelves, which would not stop the scav droids but might slow them down. Behind the shelves was an access shaft, which the group used to escape their droid pursuers. #### Outrunning the Storm The motley crew crawled through the hatch as Sestin coughed strenuously under the scarring effects of the war cloud. Councilor Fry gave up, believing she could not survive or get away. She revealed a major stomach injury inflicted by the scav droids. Fry promised to try to slow the droid onslaught, in exchange for Wittick promising not to let any of the attacking "scum" escape. The droids killed Fry as the cohort lumbered through the access shaft. They emerged into the commissary when a scav droid came close to penetrating the barrier they set on the hatch. Muglan smashed the hatch with a chair, sealing the shaft. Quin spliced into a droid's comm unit, commandeering a flock of scav droids to send them back to their ship. Hest took a blade from a smashed droid while Quin gave the group the code to enter the kitchen, which released even more war cloud gas into the ship. The Governor sent a message in distress over the comm, telling Lourna to surrender and no-one else would be hurt. The Governor, held at blasterpoint, told anyone who could hear the message to send for help and call the Jedi. At that point, Pan Eyta killed him, taking over the announcement stream. Pan said the Governor had been stupid, and hopefully the same would not be true of Lourna. Pan announced that they had primed the ship to explode, and it would detonate in thirty minutes if she did not turn herself over to him. Eyta offered everyone else aboard to bring him Lourna Dee in exchange for their freedom, which he analogized to an early release. Hest tackled Lourna with the blade, meaning to take Lourna to Pan to ensure her survival. Wittick protested, saying he would not allow the Ottegan to turn Dee over to the Dowutin Tempest Runner, but Lourna agreed with Hest's course of action. As Lourna put it, Ola's plan was the only way to guarantee the others a chance at survival, as Dee's captivity at Eyta's hands would buy them time. #### Confrontation Ola Hest took Lourna Dee before Trilok, a Gormak agent of Pan Eyta's. The Gormak Nihil asked for confirmation the Twi'lek was in fact Lourna Dee, to which Hest threatened to kill Dee if any of the Nihil or scav droids present moved. One of the Nihil told Pan Eyta she could take Hest out, but the Dowutin insisted she not. Trilock warned Pan Eyta, who was in poor health, to stay aboard his ship, but Pan insisted on coming aboard the Restitution to see under Dee's mask for himself. Pan shot and killed Ola Hest, lumbering over to the Twi'lek to verify that she was indeed Lourna. Dee had used decoys in the past, and Eyta felt a need to confirm her identity. Lourna told Pan he did not have to kill the Ottegan. Eyta pointed out that Hest had had a knife to Dee's throat, which Dee specified was the plan. Trilock urged his boss to take Lourna aboard the Nihil ship and go. Pan, frantically, demanded to know of Lourna's "plan." In the meantime, Dee tried to erode Trilock's will to serve Eyta. Pan threatened to kill Lourna unless she told him what she meant by her "plan," when Trilock and a female Nihil brandished their weapons towards Eyta to reinforce the Nihil's stipulated agreement to turn Dee over to the Republic in exchange for a reward or amnesty. The Dowutin again demanded to know Dee's plan, which she revealed was a plan to give the others of her squad time to arrive. Wittick, Sestin, Quin, and Muglan arrived at the confrontation point. Wittick invoked the authority of the Republic Correctional Alliance to command the marauders to all drop their weapons. Sestin asked Lourna whether the Tempest Runner had everything under control, to which Dee replied that she did indeed for the first time in a long time. Quin commented that the Nihil had all the guns, but Muglan reassured the Bivall that all the guns were pointed at Pan Eyta. Trilock ordered Lourna's reinforcements to stay back as the Nihil mutinied against the Dowutin. Wittick taunted the Gormak that the Nihil could not shoot the guards and inmates while all blasters were pointed at Pan. Trilock sent the scav droids to attack Dee's reinforcements when Quin sliced into them, turning the droids on the Nihil. The scav droids killed all of the Nihil except Pan, causing Wittick to bemoan that the droids were only supposed to incapacitate the attackers. Lourna told the Councilor that they looked pretty incapacitated to her, engaging Pan in combat and asking him how he thought his forces looked while disarming the Dowutin by knocking the blaster from his hands and taking it. She ordered Pan on his knees, and Eyta told her to "finish it" by killing him. Wittick ran over to the Twi'lek he had so hoped to redeem to stop her from pulling the trigger, appealing to her hope for change. Lourna told the Councilor that it was too late now, and there was no walking away from what she must do. Everyone would know who Lourna Dee was. Sestin told Lourna she already knew who Dee was: her friend, the woman who gave up her freedom so Sestin could see her sons. Lourna was Sal. An apoplectic and degenerating Pan Eyta yelled in confusion, asserting that Lourna Dee was Lourna Dee and demanding she "finish this" by ending his life. Lourna replied that it was already finished and ordered Quin to deactivate the scav droids. Dee then gave the blaster to Wittick, telling the Councilor that the Dowutin was all his. The defeated Tempest Runner screamed in agony, yearning for Lourna to be his end rather than a Republic prison guard. ### Rebirth #### Questioning herself Aboard the flight deck, Councilor Wittick sent out a distress signal for anyone listening to come to the correctional vessel's assistance. No reply came in, and Quin informed Lourna that she was attempting to force the scav droids to repair the transmitters. Pan Eyta, still alive and now in stuncuffs, told Lourna that the Republic would not thank her for her deeds that day. Dee asked why they had not imprisoned Eyta in an isolation cube. However, the droids had not yet reactivated the cell controls so they could not lock him up. Sestin provided Wittick heart stims he had been taking for a terminal ailment, and Sestin told Lourna that Wittick had not visited the infirmary so frequently only to see her. The last few hours without the stims had been hard on the Councilor. Quin hacked the personnel records to verify the seriousness of Wittick's illness. The records said Wittick was due for medical discharge at the end of his next tour of duty, angering Lourna because the man had never mentioned that to her. Lourna then recognized why Wittick believed she was his last chance to do something good; coming to believe it had never been about her, just as it had never been about her in her past lives. Eyta laughed in her moment of recognition, as Dee compared Wittick and his "noble words" and aspirations to Bala Waleen, Oppo Rancisis, and Asgar Ro; all men who had manipulated her to their own ends. Wittick denied knowing what Lourna was talking about, while Eyta laughed in the irony that he did. Asgar had called Lourna "his greatest work," and Lourna had fallen for it. She decried the trend in her life of changing herself and donning new identities at the wishes of others, always for someone else's gain. Eyta taunted the Twi'lek, calling her pathetic and asking if this was not all part of her plan to gain new friends and allies. #### Culmination In that moment, Quin's commandeered droids repaired the internal and external comms arrays. Parr and Muglan signaled the flight deck from the exercise hall. The Gloovan reported to Wittick that they had gathered all the survivors. Few prisoners and no guards had survived the Nihil attack, save for Wittick. Most security droids had been taken offline. Quin opened external communications, where they heard the voice of Tempest Runner Zeetar on a Nihil code. Sestin asked whether the signal they heard was the Republic Defense Coalition (RDC). Wittick asked who it was, to which Lourna initially replied that it was "fate" before changing her answer to "an opportunity." Quin told Dee the assembled prisoners could see and hear her. She took the blaster from Wittick, telling the man that she was sorry she had ever entrusted it to him in the first place. Pan smiled, saying "that's my girl." Dee then sent a live message to the survivors that Pan Eyta had betrayed all of them, executing the Dowutin in front of their eyes. Wittick tried to get Lourna to stop her violent streak, but she rebuffed him, saying no one was ever allowed to tell her what to do again. Sestin tried to tell her friend that this behavior was not who Lourna was, distressing Dee that her close friend would try to tell her who she was or was not. Lourna affirmed her self-determination, insisting that only she could decide who Lourna Dee was. Dee said she had so wanted Sestin to see her children, threatening the other Twi'lek woman. Lourna Dee cocked her blaster, preparing for a shot. Wittick informed Lourna that there was only enough charge left in the blaster for one more shot, forcing Dee to choose the subject of her rage. Dee then gave an inspirational speech to the survivors, invoking Marchion Ro's speech at his father's funeral to speak of rebirth and renewal. She offered those aboard a chance to flee in shuttles and escape pods or to join her in a reborn Tempest of the Nihil, where they would ensure they would never be imprisoned again. Quin and many survivors in the exercise hall announced their intentions to join Dee. Wittick warned Lourna that the Republic would hunt her down if she went through with her plan, which the Twi'lek denied. Sestin burst into tears and Wittick implored Dee not to proceed. Lourna then shot and killed Wittick and sent Sestin in an escape pod with a distress beacon in the Darkknell systems. Sestin was eventually rescued by the RDC vessel Moonseeker and told the rescuers of the Nihil's attack on the Restitution. She begged the Defense Coalition personnel aboard to reunite her with her children. When asked the whereabouts of the prison ship, Sestin said she did not know, but her friend "Sal" had sent her aboard an escape pod. Sestin told her rescuers that Sal did not survive. #### Denouement Tempest Runner Zeetar, who had been sending out an emergency message, picked up a holotransmission from Marchion Ro. The Talpini Tempest Runner was surprised to see Ro alive. Ro assured Zeetar that the Storm never dies, although the Talpini responded that the Storm was not what it had once been. Zeetar's dreadnought Technocrat had been lost to the Jedi, leaving Zeetar's Tempest with only nine ships. Ro ordered Zeetar to regroup at the Great Hall, where they would make their plans for the future. Each man believed Lourna Dee dead and her Tempest destroyed. Ro believed Lourna and her Tempest unnecessary, insisting he had something "far more effective." At that moment, Dee joined the call, wishing to hear Marchion's plans. At that moment, the prison ship dropped out of hyperspace to join Zeetar's vessel. A Nihil informed the Talpini that the ship was registered as the Restitution. Muglan, now promoted to a Cloud in Lourna Dee's Tempest, offered to prime the correctional vessel's weaponry against Zeetar. To Ro's delight, Lourna refused to allow the Nihil to fire on one-another. Republic records said Lourna Dee had been lost, but she said she had merely been biding her time. Quin, now a Storm, presented Lourna a new and upgraded mask. Zeetar insisted that Dee could not be a Tempest Runner without a Tempest to command, but Lourna dismissed the remark by revealing her new, stronger Tempest of former inmates. She believed she now commanded more resources than either Zeetar or Ro, and they should discuss the matter aboard her ship. Ro asked if Lourna Dee meant the Restitution, to which Dee laughed and had Storm Quin reveal the ship's new name: the Lourna Dee. Lourna told Ro and Zeetar not to forget her new flagship's name, the Lourna Dee. ### Nihil Once More #### Xais Encounter On the planet Xais, Jedi knights Keeve Trennis and Terec were undercover with the Nihil and had been commanded by Zeetar to kill his prisoner Myarga as proof of loyalty, but Trennis suggested that they interrogate the Hutt instead since she had previously allied with the Jedi. Myarga revealed to the Nihil that Trennis and Terec were Jedi, causing the Nihil to attack them. Dee then appeared, to the surprise of Trennis and Terec, who had thought she was dead. Dee had a container brought in by Quin, Muglan, and Dr. Uttersond, which contained the

Following an extensive period spent fixing machinery, Dee came across Sestin in the refectory. Sestin confided to Lourna that, despite assurances that Tasia would be moved to Starlight Beacon, the Cathar was still recovering in the Restitution's medical bay. With only sixty minutes of free time before lockdown, during which prisoners could spend their credits on amusements like holodramas, Sestin invited her friend to watch a holo with her. Dee declined, saying she needed to think in her cell. Ola Hest then appeared, trying to pressure Lourna not to go back to K block and suggesting Dee watch a holo with Sestin. Dee ignored the Ottegan and hurried back to the cell block, where she saw Parr and Muglan, under Ola's orders, intimidating a panicked Quin. Hest's enforcers argued that Lourna had supposedly stolen from Hest and then become friends with them, and Quin had also become friends with them. Therefore, they reasoned, Quin might have insulted the group despite her apparent innocence. Dee attacked Parr and Muglan, breaking the Aqualish's cheek and telling her that nobody understood her and nobody would care even if they could. Muglan charged Lourna, who responded by injuring the Gluvan and sending her to the medical bay. Councilor Wittick later scolded Dee for getting involved in the fight. Lourna responded by comparing herself to a Jedi, pointing out that she had only defended a friend and had used the least amount of force necessary. Furthermore, Dee had earned everyone's respect—even Hest and her "dogs" would not report Dee. Lourna reasoned that she had become the new leader among the prisoners, weakening Ola's power and influence on the prison ship. The Twi'lek compared the Ottegan boss to a Karkarodon who had lost its teeth, to which the Councilor reminded Dee that Karkarodons' teeth grew back. The Councilor began to cough and his skin turned pale. Dee told him he was as white as a Gigoran, looking extremely tired. Wittick insisted that watching Dee was a constant job. Lourna offered to give the man a second chance of his own, working as an enforcer to make the other inmates obey. Dee said they could make real change together at the "grassroots" level without waiting for the Senate to pass new laws. Wittick warned Lourna of potential consequences of that action, to which she insisted she was aware. She had made that mistake before, telling the guard about her time as a Tempest Runner. #### Connecting with Quin The Restitution stopped at a communications relay station, where prisoners were allowed to talk with family. Quin wanted to talk to Lourna, but she refused. Lourna said she was tired, and Ola Hest mocked her by suggesting her tiredness was from a long day with her handsome guard, Wittick. Hest suggested that, if Dee would not "cuddle up to" Wittick, then Sestin would; using Sestin's desire to make peace and prevent anyone from getting hurt as a reason she would do what "needed to be done." Quin again asked to come into Lourna's cell to thank her for saving her. The Bivall prisoner admitted that the two had a bad relationship when they first met. Quin had believed that Tasia and Ola would protect her on the prison ship, and went along with them out of fear and peer pressure. Quin whispered to Lourna that it was not easy to admit being scared to her Tempest Runner. Dee replied that it was okay to be scared, and she was no longer Quin's Tempest Runner. Quin confessed that Tasia had not told her that she had contacted Pan Eyta, and that she doubted the Cathar would have taken her along in her planned escape. The Bivall told the Twi'lek that the inmates who had been in Eyta's Tempest believed the Jedi had killed him on the Elegencia at Cyclor. They did not know the Dowutin who had attacked "Sal" on Arbra was their Tempest Runner. Quin had heard Eyta's former people talking about Pan and Lourna. One Siniteen had worked for Pan and attended the party at the Great Hall of the Nihil when Lourna became a Tempest Runner. Quin told Lourna that Siniteen had said that if Lourna Dee were still alive, then the Storm would never have ended and they would not be in prison. Lourna found the Siniteen's belief in her strange, even though she expected the prisoner to want to kill her. Quin left Lourna's cell when she found Sestin's holoprojector of her children Ita and Silas. Quin, who thought they were Lourna's children, reacted with "aww," but Dee became worried because Sestin never let the projector out of her sight. From that, Lourna figured out what Sestin would do as hinted in Hest's threat—Hest had blackmailed Sestin by taking her children hostage, and wanted Sestin to kill Tasia. Lourna ran to the commissary, where Councilor Fry would not let her enter the medical bay because she was not sick. Dee asked Fry to call Wittick who would listen and understand. Fry refused, saying that both she and Governor Arman wanted to make an example of "Sal Krost." Quin caught up to Lourna, offering to include the Twi'lek in a game of klikklak. Lourna asked the Bivall to cause a distraction for her, where Dee would supposedly return to her cell to get her sabacc deck and Quin would run after her two minutes later. Lourna hurt herself so she could get into the medcenter, asking Quin to get her some help. #### Protecting Sestin Sestin, who was good at repairing and sabotaging droids, deactivated a security droid that tried to stop her from entering a restricted area. Once inside, Sestin tried to stab the still-comatose Tasia with a scalpel. Lourna confronted her friend, offering to get the other Twi'lek help to protect her children from Hest's network of bounty hunters and assassins. Ola Hest had threatened to hurt Ita and Silus if Sestin talked with anyone or asked for help. Lourna tried to calm her friend by reminding Sestin that her release was only a few weeks away, when she could see her sons. Setin replied frantically that she would not get to see them if they were dead. Lourna disarmed Sestin, knocking the scalpel to the ground and then taking it. Dee insisted that Sestin would not want Tasia's blood on her hands, but then killed Tasia with the scalpel Sestin had held just before. Alarms went off, and security droids and guards arrived to deal with the intruders. Lourna made clear she was dropping the scalpel willingly, making her unarmed. Wittick rushed in, calling Lourna by her name "Lourna," confusing Sestin who had only known her friend as "Sal." Sestin asked who Lourna was, while Dee told the Councilor that Ola had forced her to kill Tasia. Dee explained that the Ottegan had threatened the family of her friend, Sestin Blinn. By doing so, Hest was targeting those closest to Lourna to get revenge on Louna. Dee then told Wittick that Hest had a network spreading out from the Restitution like a glitterstim web. Lourna lied that Sestin had tried to stop her from killing Tasia. Wittick asked why Lourna had not come to him for help, to which she replied that this was "the only way" and that this is who she was and had always been, calling Wittick by his first name "John." Lourna was put in confinement. Sest

Leveler: Dee, who had been wanting to experiment with it for a while, initiated the Leveler. She opened the container, severing the mind connection between Trennis, Terec, and Terec's bond twin Ceret, effectively disabling them. Zeetar started firing at Trennis, but Dee intervened, explaining that they needed the Jedi alive to observe if the events of Grizal (specifically, the demise of Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm) would repeat themselves. Despite the debilitating long-range effects of the Leveler, Ceret managed to reroute the Jedi cruiser Ataraxia to Xais. This allowed Avar Kriss and Sskeer to descend in Vectors to the Nihil base. On the ground, Sskeer confronted Dee, but she remembered from their past encounters that he was a uniquely brutal Jedi. Dee intended to escape on her ship, but Zeetar continued to battle Sskeer. Sskeer disabled Zeetar's powersuit by bisecting it. Sskeer demanded Trennis's location, prompting her to emerge and reveal Terec's condition to Sskeer and Kriss. Kriss, driven to understand the source of Keeve's fear and the twins' state, attempted to use the Force to prevent Dee's ship from taking off. However, without support from Sskeer, whose Force connection was weakening, or Trennis, who was still suffering from the Leveler's effects, Kriss failed to stop Dee's escape. #### The Battle of No-Space Dee came back to the Nihil Great Hall, reinforcing the platform with metal where it had previously been open to space and only protected by vacuum shields. She and Zeetar communicated with Ro via hologram. Zeetar accused Ro of abandoning them, but Dee stated she always knew Ro would leave them to their own devices. As the two tempest runners were speaking with Ro, the Ataraxia emerged from hyperspace, now equipped with a path drive recovered from the Battle of Galov. Ro commanded them to defend the hall before ending the transmission. Countermanding Zeetar's order to retreat, Dee ordered the Nihil to launch fighters and attack the Jedi cruiser, confidently stating it would never fire first. She was proven wrong very quickly. She then ordered Zeetar to defend the main entrance while she defended the launch bays. Instead of doing that, she used Zeetar's supposedly incomplete new powersuit to attack Trennis and Kriss, who had boarded the platform along with Sskeer and Goonral Monshi. While fighting Kriss, Dee ordered all Nihil ships to fire on the Great Hall, dismissing her own people as "cannon fodder." Kriss, disarmed and knocked down, used the Force to dismantle Dee's powersuit. Dee refused to surrender to Kriss, continuing to fight with Terec's stolen lightsaber. Enraged, Kriss severed Dee's hand and raised her blade to deliver the final blow. However, Trennis intervened, reminding Kriss that Dee was already defeated. Kriss hesitated, but Dee grabbed Trennis from behind and held the lightsaber to her neck, declaring that mercy was the Jedi's weakness. Kriss used the Force to throw Dee off of Trennis, countering that mercy was their strength. Dee was knocked unconscious upon hitting a wall and was imprisoned aboard the Ataraxia. #### Chaos at Starlight Just as the Ataraxia returned to Starlight Beacon, an explosion damaged Starlight and caused the cruiser to lose power. This enabled Dee and the other Nihil prisoners to break free from their cells. While most of the escaped Nihil attacked the Jedi and the civilians rescued from Starlight Beacon, Dee headed to the cockpit where OrbaLin was attempting to use the Ataraxia's tractor beams to stabilize the space station's structure. She shot OrbaLin through his environment suit's helmet and considered destroying Starlight Beacon herself. Instead, she seized control of the Ataraxia and piloted the cruiser away from the scene with Monshi, OrbaLin, and the rescued civilians onboard. ### After the Fall #### Hutt Enforcer One year after the destruction of Starlight Beacon, Dee was employed by Skarabda as the hutt's enforcer. She was present when Nihil envoy Affanar, accompanied by Brother Lycos and a Nameless, met with Skarabda on Ballum. Affanar offered the Hutts Nihil weapons, droids, and ships in exchange for their "undying gratitude." Lycos and the masked Dee exchanged glances until, noticing Lycos reaching for his weapon, Dee drew hers first and disarmed Lycos. Skarabda retorted that her forces could defend themselves. At that moment, Skarabda's steward, Masakene, announced that a Republic Longbeam was emerging from hyperspace. Affanar teased Skarabda about her troops taking care of themselves, as Dee rode out to confront the Republic and Jedi forces on a large white beast. The Nameless that Lycos had brought along significantly weakened Keeve Trennis and Santar, who were on the ground, until Terec dove to blast it from their Vector. As Trennis recovered from the effects of the Nameless, Ceret reported from the longbeam that another ship had appeared from behind the planet - the stolen Ataraxia. On the ground, Trennis responded that the Ataraxia had been stolen. Jumping down from her mount, Dee replied that she preferred the term "liberated" and that it had a new name. Removing her mask and hood, she revealed herself to Trennis, who filled in the ship's new name: Lourna Dee. ## Personality and traits ### The one who stands out Lourna Dee and her Tempest were considered the most sadistic and clever among the Nihil, inspiring fear among many of them. Dee closely adhered to Nihil rules, such as granting permission for Pan Eyta to punish a Storm in her Tempest. Dee greatly valued intelligence and cleverness within her Tempest, believing that those who possessed these qualities would rise through the ranks, as her Cloud Belial had. Lourna Dee also had a very high opinion of herself, naming multiple starships after herself and reacting violently to anyone who questioned her about it. Despite her ferocity, Dee could be intimidated by those who demonstrated power over her. From a young age, Lourna Dee struggled to trust others. Bala Waleen's betrayal on Aaloth left a lasting impact, fueling her anger when she discovered that Wittick had visited the sick bay to treat a heart disease with stimulants rather than to see and rehabilitate her. She once attempted to live under her brother's name, Inun, but abandoned the act, believing he was superior to her. After the attack on the Restitution, Lourna resolved to never again allow anyone to dictate her actions. She emerged with renewed confidence in her identity as the feared Tempest Runner Lourna Dee, characterized by self-determination and tenacity. ### Contrarianism and problem with authority Throughout her life, Lourna Dee struggled to follow the chain of command. She loved her family on Aaloth, despite frequently disagreeing with her father Yudiah and sister Haleena. When her boyfriend Bala Waleen asked her to join him in a coup d'état against her family, he promised her that she would succeed her father as keeper and her family would not be harmed. Nevertheless, Bala betrayed Lourna, having her family executed and installing himself as Aaloth's keeper. This led Lourna to a life full of anger and vengeance. As Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis pointed out after rescuing Dee from the Zygerrian slave camp, one did not have to be a Jedi to sense Lourna's deep-seeded anger or her reticence to share her reasons for such unbridled rage. As a cadet at the Carida Academy, Lourna consistently achieved top marks in her classes. Captain Reese deemed her an excellent student in all areas of her training except that she did not respect the chain of command. Ultimately, her unwillingness to tolerate abuse from her nominal superiors led her to violently attack a fellow cadet and desert from the academy with a stolen starfighter. After her supposed death, Dee tried to turn over a new leaf under the name "Sal Krost," but her fear that Wittick only helped her as a final act before he retired overrode her emotions, leaving Sestin to believe "Sal Krost" died the moment "Lourna Dee" was reborn. ## Equipment Lourna Dee wore armored leather crafted from the hide of a kell dragon and a matching mask that concealed her identity and filtered the poisonous gases frequently used by the Nihil. She carried a single long-bladed knife sheathed on her thigh and a blaster resembling the shape of a staff. Dee named several starships after herself, including a stormship Lourna Dee formerly known as the Tooth Spike, her cruiser Lourna Dee used during the Great Hyperspace Disaster, and the prison ship Lourna Dee formerly called the Restitution. ## Behind the scenes Lourna Dee made her debut in the 2021 novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, penned by Charles Soule. Before the book's publication, Dee was revealed, albeit without identification, on the preliminary cover for the first issue of the comic series Star Wars: The High Republic, illustrated by Pascalo Blanche and Gonzalo Kenny, and presented to the public during the unveiling of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project on February 24, 2020. In the audio drama The High Republic: Tempest Runner, written by Cavan Scott, Dee was voiced by Jessica Almasy. The audio drama introduced an alias for Dee; while the exact spelling was unconfirmed in Tempest Runner itself, Scott established it to be "Sal Krost," though noted that it was subject to change in the event of a script edition.