The High Republic: Eye of the Storm 2 is the second and final issue of the comic book miniseries Star Wars: The High Republic: Eye of the Storm, as well as the final publication of Phase I of Star Wars: The High Republic. The issue was written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Guillermo Sanna, Jim Campbell, and Antonio Fabela, and published by Marvel Comics on March 2, 2022.
Publisher's summary
ACT TWO: Marchion. The Wreckage. The Hunt. The Storm. In which the Eye of the Nihil exults after a job well done. In which Marchion Ro reveals the source of the Jedi's greatest fear. In which the future of the Nihil is revealed.
Plot summary
Prologue
Aboard the Gaze Electric, a chained Jedi Master Obratuk steels himself in the presence of the Eye of the Nihil Marchion Ro. Ro taunts Obratuk about the successful Nihil attack which destroyed Starlight Beacon, displaying hologram footage of the station being destroyed. When Obratuk reacts with disbelief, Ro counters this information is true and announces that hijacked Corellian cruisers will be crashing into the wreckage. Obratuk refuses to believe that Starlight Beacon has fallen.
Ro mocks the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic for investing great resources in Great Works such as Starlight Beacon, saying that there will always be a flaw to exploit. Ro takes advantage of the destruction of the space station to reveal himself as the face of the Nihil.
Scene I: The Wreckage
At the Republic Executive Building, Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh and leading Jedi and Republic officials respond to Ro's broadcast claiming responsibility for the destruction of Starlight Beacon, the Legacy Run disaster and the Valo Atrocity. Soh's pet targons Matari and Voru are also present in the room. When Chancellor Soh asks why they did not know Ro's identity, Admiral Pevel Kronara admits it was an "unprecedented" intelligence failure and says that the Nihil have used their complicated command structure to obscure their ultimate leader. Senator Izzet Noor expresses bewilderment that a "band of rabble" who were supposedly defeated by the Jedi and Republic Defense Coalition forces destroyed Starlight Beacon; which he describes as the most heavily-defended space station in the Outer Rim Territories. Noor despairs and asks what he will tell his Outer Rim constituents. Chancellor Soh reassures Noor that the Republic will not abandon the Outer Rim to the Nihil.
Grand Master Pra-Tre Veter promises that the Jedi will not abandon their responsibilities despite their significant losses at Starlight Beacon. Master Yarael Poof informs the Chancellor that the Jedi is still determining the extent of their losses. He confirms the deaths of several senior Jedi including Masters Nib Assek and Stellan Gios. After Soh expresses her belief that Ro was responsible for the recent attacks, the Koorivar aide Norel Quo asks why. Soh points to Ro's transmission and believes that he wants to own the galaxy.
Chancellor Soh tasks Admiral Kronara with mustering the Republic Defense Coalition to move into the Outer Rim in order to reassure the local residents. She tasks Quo with mobilizing Republic resources to learning as much as they can about Ro including offering a bounty on him. Senator Noor asks the Jedi leadership why they have summoned all Jedi from their outposts across the galaxy, prompting Soh to join in. Poof explains that the Nihil have a mysterious new weapon that targets the Jedi. When Chancellor Soh asks if this was the cause of Loden Greatstorm's death, Veter reports that several Jedi perished under similar circumstances aboard Starlight Beacon.
When Master Veter explains that they are bringing their people back to Coruscant to keep them safe, Senator Noor laments that the Jedi are afraid and believes the situation is hopeless. Veter responds that the Jedi are not afraid but are being prudent. He explains that they will not sacrifice lives rushing to fight an enemy whose capabilities seem "uniquely calibrated" to neutralize their skills. When Soh asks about Master Emerick Caphtor's investigation, Poof reports that Caphtor's initial research suggests that it is an unknown Nameless creature. Veter admits that they are in the dark about the Nameless.
Scene II: The Hunt
Several months before the destruction of Starlight Beacon, Marchion Ro used the Great Leveler to kill Jedi Master Greatstorm. After realizing the effectiveness of this living weapon, Ro led an expedition to Planet X to obtain more Nameless creatures to kill more Jedi. Ro travels with seven handpicked Nihil acolytes known as She'ar, who are dressed in white robes, aboard the Nihil Cloudship Ikoru. To motivate his followers, Ro tells them the history of the Great Storm that devastated Evereni civilization centuries ago. He tells the She'ar that they will be his shear who will bear his mark.
Approaching Planet X, the Nihil find the planet surrounded by a stormy veil. Ro sends several scouts in stormships to clear the path for the Ikoru. These scouts were new recruits eager to prove themselves to Ro. Ro takes advantage of this sentiment by sending them on a suicide mission into the stormy veil. While the veil consumes the strikeships, the Nihil cloudship passes through safely. The veil is a sentient atmospheric system that kills intruders. After landing, Ro leads his She'ar onto the surface, which is covered in a colorful, beautiful forest. Ro warns that every part of the planet including stones are alive.
When a bald Nihil She'ar with pointed ears asks if the strikeships were killed by the living planet, Ro says they sacrificed their lives like Kassav Milliko. A brown-skin alien She'ar with a skull-like face says that Planet X freaks him out and asks about the weapon that Ro is interested in. The bald Nihil She'ar says they should capture the weapon and get it out. Ro counters that they have to summon the creature using the Rod of Seasons. This has the effect of summoning the various lifeforms on Planet X, which attack the Nihil. A winged creature grabs a She'ar.
As three Nameless creatures approach, Ro orders his She'ar followers to capture the Nameless but to kill the other creatures. After stunning a Nameless, he orders his She'ar to restrain them. The Nihil depart on their stormship and stop the Nameless creatures in a sealed container. When a green-skinned She-ar asks what the creatures are, Ro explains that these are Nameless creatures, who are capable of killing Jedi and other Force users. He explains that the Nameless neutralize the Jedi's Force abilities.
When the green-skinned She-ar asks why they have never heard about the Nameless before, Ro says that the Jedi suppressed all knowledge about the creatures. Ro explains that his family was once connected to an earlier attempt to use the Nameless against the Jedi during the Night of Sorrow. Despite the Jedi's attempts to "exterminate" them, Ro says they survived and remember. Ro believes that the Jedi are doomed. The green-skinned She'ar asks why the Nihil want to destroy the Jedi and the Republic, and are not content with just being pirates and raiders. Ro chooses not to answer his acolyte's question. Ro thinks that he is not motivated by revenge but rather by a belief that he is all that matters and that he doesn't like people "who do not matter telling him what to do."
Scene III: The Triumph
Following the fall of Starlight Beacon, Marchion Ro rallies his Nihil followers at the Great Hall of the Nihil in No-Space. He celebrates the destruction of the space station and the many Jedi and Republic deaths. He also announces that hijacked cruisers from Corellia will crash into the wreckage site on Eiram. Ro says that the Valo Atrocity was a prelude to the attack on Starlight Beacon. Ro welcomes the destruction of Starlight Beacon as a defeat for Chancellor Soh's Great Works programme. He says that they have hijacked Starlight's broadcast to transmit his message.
Ro also seeks to address the question of his motive behind waging war on the Jedi and the Republic. Ro says that he seeks the freedom for them to live without being beholden to the laws of the Galactic Republic. To achieve this freedom, their first goal was to demonstrate that the Republic and Jedi's power was meaningless against the Nihil. With the fall of Starlight Beacon, this goal has been achieved. Ro explains that his second goal is to create a home for the Nihil that is free of the Republic and the Jedi. Ro explains that his family for generations has worked on the Stormseed technology to create this homeland. Ro also acknowledges the contributions of "martyrs" like Chancey Yarrow and her Gravity's Heart project.
As the Republic Defense Coalition's Outreach Fleet travels through hyperspace to the Outer Rim, Ro announces that he has deployed stormseeds throughout the Outer Rim sectors they have claimed as their own. Aboard a Republic warship, a lieutenant informs the captain that the various ships will ready to disperse to their deployments once they exit hyperspace. The captain thanks the lieutenant, saying that the Jedi might be running scared but that the RDC will not let the people down.
Meanwhile, the stormseed network begins activating, creating a Stormwall that disrupts hyperspace travel across several Outer Rim sectors. The captain orders the fleet to exit hyperspace and to implement full emergency protocols. As Ro continues his monologue, several Republic warships collide with the Stormwall. Numerous ships are destroyed in hyperspace. Back at the Republic Executive Building, Republic military officers inform Chancellor Soh that they have lost contact with every ship traveling through hyperspace within the Occlusion Zone. Other officers report that they have lost contact with the Nihil Zone. Quo informs Soh they have lost contact with ten Outer Rime sectors and that the San Tekka clan is sending Keven Tarr to investigate. She asks the Chancellor what they should do but a stunned Soh has no answer.
Scene IV: The End
Gloating about his victory over the Republic and Jedi, Ro uses the Rod of Seasons to summon a Nameless creature to devour Master Obratuk. The Jedi reacts with horror as the creature consumes his living Force, reducing him to a lifeless husk. Ro says that his favorite thing is watching someone who believes they are strong realizing they are weak. He describes himself as the reason for this victory before sitting triumphantly on his throne.
Media
Cover gallery
Collected in
- Star Wars: The High Republic Vol. 3 – Jedi's End
- Star Wars: The High Republic Phase I – Light of the Jedi Omnibus
Appearances
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
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Organisms
Droid models
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Events
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Locations
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Organizations and titles
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Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
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Weapons and technology
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Miscellanea
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Sources
Sabé Returns and More from Marvel's February 2022 Star Wars Comics – Exclusive on StarWars.com (backup link)- Starlight Burns in Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic: Eye of the Storm #2 – Exclusive Preview on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars: The High Republic Show: The Fallen Star, the Nameless First Look, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
- The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic Announced and New Concept Art Revealed on Star Wars: The High Republic Show on StarWars.com (backup link)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Star Wars: The High Republic - Eye of the Storm (2022) #2 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of The High Republic: Eye of the Storm 2 to 230 BBY.
