Lourna Dee is a supporting antagonist in the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project, appearing as one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Kassav Milliko) of the novel Light of the Jedi, a major antagonist in the novels The Rising Storm and Out of the Shadows, and as the titular main protagonist of the audio drama Tempest Runner.
Dee was one of the three Tempest Runners who led the large space-faring marauder gang called the Nihil. She commanded her own Tempest made up of roughly one thousand raiders, and owned a fleet of ramshackle war vessels to strike out against unsuspecting victims. Of the Tempest Runners, Lourna was the most secretive, reserved, and enigmatic in her operations.
When the Eye of the Nihil Marchion Ro began making subtle bids for power that would circumvent the authority of the Tempest Runners, Lourna Dee was the least confrontational of the three leaders. Although not supportive of Ro, she recognized the danger he posed and as such didn't seek to oppose him.
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Appearance
Lourna Dee was a female member of the humanoid Twi'lek species around forty years old. As a Twi'lek, Dee did not have hair on her head, instead possessing two long appendages known as "lekku" that sprouted and flowed backwards from the crown of her skull. Rather than having human-shaped ears, Dee had a pair of small, cone-shaped organs in their place. She had green skin the color of swamp water and horizontal bone-white stripes decorating her lekku. Dee was incredibly thin and her lekku were emaciated.
Similar to most Nihil, Lourna Dee wore practical leather clothing and a mask that contained a filtration system, allowing her to survive in noxious gases. Her leather clothing was armored and made from the hide of a kell dragon, and her large purple mask had reinforced armor that allowed her to survive high-impact blunt force attacks. Unlike most females of her species, Dee sharpened her teeth to points. She had numerous piercings on her face, including a nose ring.
Synopsis
Hyperspace Emergences
Raid on Ab Dalis
| “ | I'm telling you, Marchion, it'll be easy. The planet is Elphrona, which doesn't have much of a security force, and apparently the family decided to go all rustic, live way out on their own in the middle of nowhere. Easy pickings. We'll be in and out. | „ |
| ~ Lourna convincing Marchion to accept her proposed job. |
When Dee was around forty years old, an event called the Great Hyperspace Disaster caused debris to emerge from hyperspace across the Galactic Frontier that threatened to hit planets. Shortly after the beginning of the Emergences, Dee dedicated some of her Tempest to a raid proposed by Tempest Runner Pan Eyta on a merchant convoy above the planet Ab Dalis. Among them were Lourna's Storm Zagyar and his crew, who inadvertently cost the whole raid party a portion of the profit when they accidentally detonated one of the target ships. Regardless, the raid as a whole was a great success.
After the raid, the Nihil celebrated their successful job in the Great Hall of the Nihil. Before the merry-making commenced, Dee and her fellow Tempest Runners gave a speech regarding their success to the gathered marauders. Pan Eyta, however, sought compensation for the damage Dee's Tempest had accidentally caused to the profits they could've reaped. Dee gave permission to Eyta, who subsequently had one of Zagyar's crew thrown into space. As the feasting began, Dee and the Tempest Runners followed Ro into the docking bays for a private conversation.
Marchion warned them to reduce activities, as the Republic and the Jedi were searching for those responsible for the Hyperspace Disaster and as such would be more active on the Frontier. After voting between themselves, the Nihil leaders agreed to the Eye's suggestion. After the other Tempest Runners left, Lourna asked Ro if he could give her a Path for a job on the planet Elphrona. The job would consist of a small team kidnapping and holding a wealthy family for ransom. Despite the previous conversation, Ro accepted the request.
Kassav's Mistake
Days later, Dee and the other Tempest Runners were contacted by Ro. He offered them a list of where and when the future Emergences from the Hyperspace Disaster would occur, but only if they didn't use Paths on any jobs they garnered from the list. Dee and her fellow bosses accepted the Eye's offer. Kassav Milliko, ever the most impulsive of the Tempest Runners, tried to extort the planet Eriadu by offering to sell them details on the Emergences that would help save their world. The whole ordeal brought Republic attention to Milliko, and by extension the Nihil.
Dee and Eyta were angered by Milliko's stupidity and wanted to kill him when he returned to the Great Hall, although Ro suggested that they give him one more chance. Marchion then revealed that it was the Nihil that had been responsible for the Hyperspace Disaster, as a Nihil vessel travelling via a Path had nearly collided with a ship in hyperspace, causing said ship to fall apart and shoot debris across space. The Eye explained that the flight recorder on board the destroyed ship would provide evidence of the Nihil's involvement in the Disaster if it was found by the Republic.
Skirmish with the Republic
| “ | Send out the rest—everything we've got. We'll kill these idiots, too, and then go after the fragment. | „ |
| ~ Dee ordering her crew to fire on Republic forces. |
At Ro's suggestion Dee used her covert flagship to scout out various Emergences, hoping that the flight recorder would emerge from hyperspace at one of the spots. The Republic had furthered their investigation, and were now able to predict when and where Emergences would occur. The Republic also sought the flight recorder, and as such Dee had to stay hidden from a small Republic and Jedi fleet at each Emergence point. Eventually, Dee found the Emergence in deep space that contained the flight recorder.
Dee fired her missiles at the Republic vessels, destroying a single starship whilst not giving away her location. Lourna then fired a single missile at the flight recorder, although a Jedi flying a starfighter sacrificed themselves by intercepting the missile and keeping the recorder safe. Despite the "Lourna Dee" being cloaked, the Republic mysteriously discovered its location and the remaining vessels began their attack run on Dee's flagship. Not wanting to risk her life, Lourna used a Path to escape empty-handed.
Abilities
- Master Combatant: Lourna Dee was an expert melee fighter who was impressively efficient in both armed and unarmed combat. She could use an array of close quarters and ranged weaponry with startling skill, and could face down almost anyone provided she had the appropriate equipment. She was even able to fight on par with members of the Jedi Order, and could defeat dangerous predators such as Targons with relative ease. Additionally, Dee was incredibly tenacious. She could continue fighting after seemingly crippling blows and was well known for being hard to kill.
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