Melis Shryke was a warlord of the female persuasion, affiliated with the Nihil pirate organization. She operated under the command of General Abediah Viess. She embodied the very essence of the Nihil, a group that Jedi Knight Bell Zettifar was determined to dismantle.
Shryke was the designated successor of the Shryke family, who governed the city of Jodzia located on the planet Bantoo. As the inheritor of this significant wealth, her existence was dictated by societal expectations, customs, and regulations. Throughout her life, she was meticulously groomed, adorned, and presented, denied the liberty to express her own thoughts or pursue her desires. When the Nihil established the Occlusion Zone and arrived at Jodzia, they demanded tribute. Upon the mayor's refusal, the Nihil initiated the city's destruction, obliterating three entire districts. Contrary to her family's expected role of mobilizing guards and safeguarding the populace, Shryke reveled in the ensuing chaos, death, and devastation wrought by the Nihil. She was captivated by the perceived purity of the Nihil's actions. In her eyes, they were individuals unburdened by societal norms or rules, acting solely on their desires without hesitation, concern, or remorse. For Shryke, who had never experienced such freedom, it represented the ultimate liberation, a life she had never imagined possible. Consequently, she resolved to fulfill the rampaging Nihil's tribute demands, stipulating her admission into their ranks. Donning her ceremonial armor, she seized her father's blaster and fatally shot him, experiencing no guilt or regret but rather a profound sense of liberation as she pulled the trigger and witnessed her father's shock upon realizing his assailant. She coerced her father's chief adviser into opening the family vault, killing two of his staff members in the process. Gathering as many credits as she could carry, she ventured into the streets and approached Genral Viess, who welcomed her into the Nihil.
Shryke commanded the Nihil warship known as the Cacophony. She orchestrated a reign of terror across the worlds bordering the Occlusion Zone, indiscriminately targeting civilian populations. During one of her raids around 229 BBY, Shryke achieved a significant victory by successfully kidnapping Grand Master [Pra-Tre Veter](/article/pra-tre_veter], marking one of her greatest accomplishments within the Nihil. She derived pleasure from furthering the agenda of the Eye, Marchion Ro, by sowing chaos and disorder throughout the galaxy, engaging in killing and accumulating credits. She harbored a deep-seated animosity towards the Jedi, who sought to end her murderous spree, leading her to prioritize capturing more of them for Marchion Ro and his Nameless creatures. However, following the abduction of Grand Master Pra-Tre Veter, she struggled to replicate her success, which strained her relationship with her mentor, General Viess.
Avar Kriss and Porter Engle, aided by Belin, Rhil Dairo, and KC-78, successfully boarded the Cacophony within Nihil territory while Shryke was en route to a raid in the Seswenna sector/Legends. Upon seizing control of the Cacophony's bridge, Avar Kriss severed one of Shryke's hands and crushed one of her knee joints, inflicting severe injuries. Kriss managed to escape the Occlusion Zone, which resulted in the Jedi capturing Shryke.
The character of Melis Shryke was conceived by author George Mann for Phase III of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia initiative, serving as an adversary for Bell Zettifar. Shryke was initially unveiled in an article published on StarWars.com on November 3, 2023, and subsequently made her debut appearance in the novel The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness, released on November 14 of the same year. Her visual representation followed in the third issue of the 2023 comic miniseries Star Wars: The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight. Charles Soule penned the issue, Jethro Morales provided the illustrations, and Marvel Comics published it on December 13, 2023.