Although she’s only played a small role in the Star Wars: The High Republic saga so far, we know a few things about the Nihil’s Tempest Runner Lourna Dee. She’s incredibly opportunistic, preferring to only engage in fights she’s confident she can win. She’s cruel to the point of sadism. She’s also incredibly self-aggrandising, given that she named her ship after herself (and kills anyone who asked her about it). Now, Dee is taking the centre stage in a new audio drama from author Cavan Scott, but the Nihil warrior may have chosen this particular battle… poorly.
Actually, based on the official description for The High Republic: Tempest Runner, we can be pretty confident Dee (who will be voiced by award-winning audiobook narrator Jessica Almasy) messed up:
In this Star Wars audio original, delve into the cutthroat world of one of the High Republic’s greatest foes, the merciless Lourna Dee. The Nihil storm has raged through the galaxy, leaving chaos and grief in its wake. Few of its raiders are as vicious as the Tempest Runner Lourna Dee. She stays one step ahead of the Jedi Order at the helm of a vessel named after one of the deadliest monsters in the galaxy: the Lourna Dee. But no one can outrun the defenders of the High Republic forever. After the defeat of her crew, Lourna falls into the hands of the Jedi — but not before she hides her identity, becoming just another Nihil convict. Her captors fail to understand the beast they have cornered. Just like every fool she’s ever buried, their first mistake was keeping her alive.
Lourna is determined to make underestimating her their last. Locked onto a Republic correctional ship, she’s dragged across the galaxy to repair the very damage she and her fellow Tempest Runners inflicted on it. But as Lourna plans her glorious escape, she makes alliances that grow dangerously close to friendships. Outside the Nihil — separated from her infamous ship, her terrifying arsenal, and her feared name — Lourna must carve her own path. But will it lead to redemption? Or will she emerge as a deadlier threat than ever before?
Our exclusive excerpt from Tempest Runner chronicles the beginning of that ill-fated battle between Lourna Dee in the Lourna Dee versus a (seemingly) helpless Republic relay outpost:
Audio excerpted courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from STAR WARS: TEMPEST RUNNER (THE HIGH REPUBLIC) by Cavan Scott, read by a full cast. Copyright 2021 Lucasfilm, Limited; All rights reserved.
Cavan Scott’s The High Republic: Tempest Runner is the third Star Wars audio drama to be released, and the first to be set in the High Republic era. Giving that it focuses on one of the Nihil’s most important commanders, it should also be one of our best looks — er, listens — yet at the evil space-anarchists. You can find out yourself when Tempest Runner becomes available on August 31.