"The Queen's Bloom" is a short story penned by Zoraida Córdova. It appears as a contribution to The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life, an anthology. Its release date was September 5, of the year 2023.
The narrative centers on Axel Greylark, a student attending Reena University. This university is located on the world of Reena. On Reena, the conclusion of the wet season is celebrated by a unique natural display. The planet's surfaces outside begin to glow with bioluminescence. This glow is caused by photoproteins from the rain interacting with pollen carried by the wind. This event is known as the Queen's Bloom. Axel feigns sickness using guiji fire peppers. His goal is to avoid volunteering for the University's Queen's Bloom Festival events. Instead, he wants to enjoy the parties near the waterfront.
Axel, along with his fellow students Lord Kozmo Sundrel IV and Leyli Romero, decides to impersonate his father, Lexxir Greylark. This allows them to sneak into Gorag Tower, where the royal House of Reena is hosting a party. His parents, Kyong Greylark and Lexxir, are present at the party. Concerned about being discovered by his parents, the trio attempts to leave through the kitchens, as suggested by Leyli.
Inside the kitchens, they discover the staff held captive in the walk-in freezer. The captors are thieves Elecia and Kerun, along with their eight accomplices. The thieves take Leyli as a hostage. They then force Axel and Kozmo to put on serving uniforms. These uniforms were pickpocketed from the wealthy party attendees while they were distracted by the Queen's Bloom. Upon their return to the kitchen with the stolen items, Axel stuns two of the thieves in an attempt to rescue Leyli and escape. However, Leyli reveals she was working with the thieves all along, and shoots Kozmo. The thieves manage to escape with the stolen goods. Kozmo survives the blaster shot due to the diamond medallion he always wears, which is a symbol of his home world, Luzalite.
During New York Comic Con, it was confirmed that the events of this story occur during Phase II of Star Wars: The High Republic.