The third installment of the canon comic book series, entitled The High Republic Adventures 3, which falls under the banner of Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, made its debut with IDW Publishing on April 7, 2021. Daniel José Older penned the story, while the artwork was a collaboration between Harvey Tolibao and Rebecca Nalty. The narrative, titled "Starlight," revolves around Zeen Mrala's adaptation to life alongside the Jedi at Starlight Beacon.
During the Republic's golden age, the Jedi served as the guardians of galactic peace until the emergence of a formidable new adversary known as the Nihil. Zeen accompanies the Jedi to the Starlight Beacon, a radiant symbol representing both the Jedi and the Republic. Here, [sic] she begins to grasp the true meaning of being a Padawan. Concurrently, Krix and the Nihil navigate their way through a Republic blockade to reach safety, prompting Krix to question the identity of the enigmatic individual who aided him.
Daniel José Older, the acclaimed author of Star Wars: Last Shot, and artist Harvey Tolibao introduce IDW to The High Republic, a comprehensive publishing endeavor encompassing both comics and prose!
Krix Kamerat and Zeen Mrala, situated on the Gaze Electric and Starlight Beacon respectively, are shown exchanging messages via a set of matching holoprojectors. Zeen expresses her longing for Krix and her desire to share her experiences in person. However, Krix remains resentful that Zeen concealed her Force-sensitive nature, leading him to believe he misjudged the depth of their connection.
A week has passed since Zeen's arrival at the Beacon, and she is still amazed to be surrounded by Jedi, individuals she had always been taught to distrust. Despite this, they have shown her great kindness, and she has enjoyed spending time with Lula Talisola and her friends. They have been incredibly welcoming, despite Zeen being a recent acquaintance while they have known each other for their entire lives. Aware that this information will likely upset Krix, she finds it liberating to embrace the Force instead of suppressing it. In fact, she feels more at peace with herself and more supported by those around her than ever before. She still experiences echoes of the destruction that occurred in Bralanak City, a place she continues to miss, along with her close friend Krix.
As Zeen begins to cry, Lula enters and inquires about her distress. Zeen admits she is still grappling with recent events and asks if Lula needs something. Lula informs her that the Jedi Masters wish to speak with her, but the Masters arrive shortly after, questioning whether they are intruding. Yoda brings along some tasty pastries. Avar Kriss explains that they felt it was time to discuss Zeen's future plans.
Krix states in his message that the Nihil haven't treated him poorly and that the food has been surprisingly good, but that isn't the main point. Aboard the ship, Zagyar leads Krix to a meeting with the leader, Marchion Ro, who is displeased with Elder Tromak for withholding information. Tromak insists that the Elders' scriptures forbid revealing such information to outsiders, and that it can only be passed down to the next in line in the Council of Elders. Krix narrates in his message that everything could change at any moment, because everyone he has ever cared about has abandoned him, and he blames Zeen for leaving him alone. Ro orders Krix and Tromak to be taken to the battle rink, as Krix promises to do whatever it takes to survive and avoid finding himself in such a situation again.
Krix questions Tromak about Ro's motives, and the Gran explains that the Eye of the Nihil is seeking the location of an ancient relic that the Elders concealed many years ago. It was divided into two parts, hidden on different [planets](/article/planet], and the Elders vowed never to disclose the locations, knowing that anyone who sought it would have malicious intentions. Krix convinces Tromak to reveal the location to him, promising to keep the information secret. Tromak agrees, revealing that the artifact is located on the outskirts of the Kharvashark Ruins, on Vrant Tarnum within the [Stygmarn system](/article/stygmarn_system]. As they are forced into the battle rink, Krix says there are two voices at war inside him: one that misses Zeen, and one which hates her for not telling him the truth. Inside the gladiatorial arena, the announcer commands the contestants to mount their bogaranth and begin fighting.
At Starlight, Estala Maru, Avar Kriss, Kantam Sy, and Yoda are in discussion about what to do with Zeen, while Torban Buck is eating. Maru points out that Zeen is too old to begin Jedi training, but Avar notes that the actual status of Trymant IV is unknown. Sy suggests that Zeen could stay temporarily, as she has proven to be a valuable ally and gets along well with Lula. Yoda concurs with Sy's points. Lula interrupts, suggesting to the Masters that they should ask Zeen what she wants to do, since her opinion is the most important. Farzala Tarabal adds that they should also ask the opinions of those with the next most important opinions, Zeen's friends: all of the Padawans and younglings she has met during her time on the space station.
Onboard the Gaze Electric, an Ortolan pirate informs Tromak and Krix that one of them must ride the bogaranth. Tromak volunteers, to Krix's surprise, even though he is unlikely to survive. As he is hoisted up, he explains that he has already lived for several centuries and that it is time for the younger generation to take over. The Ortolan then tells Krix that he gets to be the "slime runner": in charge of guiding the creature so it does not run amok. However, bogaranths are always very hungry, leaving a trail of slime everywhere, so if Krix does not want to get eaten, he will have to run. Just as the match begins, Ro orders it stopped, announcing that they have found Krix's holoprojector, meaning there is a traitor in their midst.
Farzala, with the help of Bibs and Qort, entertains an audience with the story of how they, Lula, and Zeen fought off the Nihil and dealt with the Emergence at Trymant. Kantam notes that the Padawans want their friend to stay, and Avar responds with amusement that every time she hears the story, it gets bigger and better. Maru states that they may not be allowed to train Zeen, but she can stay on a temporary basis while Trymant IV is recovering, and she could be useful since she personally knows two people in the Nihil camp. The only problem is that they do not know where to find them, but Yoda and Zeen may have an answer for that.
Krix claims that the holoprojector belongs to Tromak, who is shocked and denies it. Ro asks if he is sure, and Krix lies that he saw Tromak using it late at night but thought that Ro knew about it. Ro orders Krix brought to his chamber. Tromak, as he is dragged away to be fed to the bogaranths, is furious about Krix's betrayal, shouting that he helped raise him.
Aboard Starlight, Yoda explains about the holoprojectors he gave Krix and Zeen, and the Mikkian girl admits that he did reach out, and she responded because she missed him. Yoda tells her she has nothing to apologize for, as she may well save the day. On the Gaze Electric, Krix insists that the holoprojector was not his, but Ro sees through his lie. Ro explains that although he respects the "little play" Krix pulled, their real problem is that they found a transponder beacon inside, giving the Jedi their exact location.
Maru notes that this attack was very different from the Nihil's usual style, and Yoda remarks that they had something strange aboard their cruiser, stating that they need to find out more. Avar says that based on all this, she suspects this group is on some kind of high-level secret mission. Farzala declares that they could sneak up on them and "pummel" them with laser cannons. Yoda notes that the transponder only has a short range, but there is still a way.
Ro tells Krix that the girl has betrayed him once again, a sentiment backed up by one of his droids and Zagyar. He tells Krix that there is still a way he can redeem himself and help them, Zagyar adding that Krix will be able to help himself too. Zagyar says that they will let the Jedi think they've found them before springing their trap, and Ro tells Krix it will not work without his help, asking him if he will turn against the one who betrayed him to help them defeat the Jedi once and for all.
Avar notes that there have been reports of Nihil attacks in the Bright Jewel system, and Buck says they could start looking at Ord Mantell to see if the Nihil show up. Kantam says that they need to find out what Yoda saw aboard the Spider Cruiser, and Yoda says that for the transponder to work, it would need to send a message when they are closer. Yoda says that they are putting a lot of pressure on someone so young, telling Zeen she should do only what she is comfortable with, and Lula asks her if she will help them stop the Nihil.
Krix says that he will try. Zeen says she does not know.
Within this particular issue, Estala Maru is visually represented possessing brown hair in conjunction with red eyes. Conversely, in the Star Wars: The High Republic series published by Marvel Comics, the character is depicted with grey hair and eyes.
- UPC 827714020656; April 7 , 2021 ; IDW Publishing ; First printing [2] 00311; Cover A; Harvey Tolibao & Kevin Tolibao 00321; Cover B; Yael Nathan