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In Star Wars: The High Republic #10, the Nihil unleash one of their greatest weapons on Keeve Trennis and Terec.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The High Republic #10, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
In the second wave of the Star Wars: The High Republic subseries, the Nihil have risen as the main threat to the galaxy. In Cavan Scott’s Star Wars: The High Republic: The Rising Storm, Marchion Ro, the Eye of the Nihil, obtained the Great Leveler, a creature that seems to feed on Jedi’s fear and has the ability to turn Jedi to stone and dust once it is done feeding. In Star Wars: The High Republic #10, Lourna Dee unleashes the Great Leveler on Keeve Trennis and Terec after their attempted undercover assignment goes south. While the attack does allow the Jedi to get more information on the creature, Keeve, Terec and their bond-twin Ceret may not survive the attack.
The Great Leveler’s first major attack occurs over Grizal after the Nihil’s attack on the Republic Fair. Marchion Ro releases the Great Leveler after Loden Greatstorm escapes from the Nihil with the help of his Padawan Bell Zettifar. Loden is turned to stone and crumbles to dust before Stellan Gios’ eyes. Bell Zettifar is so traumatized by the attack that he cannot provide clear information. Jedi Knight Emerick Caphtor’s begins investigating the Great Leveler’s first attack in Star Wars: The High Republic: Trail of Shadows #1 by Daniel José Older, David Wachter, Giada Marchisio and VC’s Joe Sabino. His investigation also reveals that the Jedi might have more information on the creature tied to an old nursery rhyme, but the Jedi are still mainly in the dark about the Great Leveler and its abilities.
Therefore, the Great Leveler is still an unknown quantity when Lourna Dee unleashes it on Keeve and Terec. This attack by the Great Leveler differs from the Jedi’s first encounter with the creature because Terec is a Kotabi bond-twin, and their sibling, Ceret, is back on the Ataraxia, a Jedi starcruiser. Terec and Ceret’s bond makes them particularly suited for undercover assignments because they can sense each other’s thoughts no matter where their sibling is in the galaxy. However, their bond also makes Terec and Ceret more susceptible to mind control. When Ceret was captured by the Drengir on Sedri Minor, Terec also became mind-controlled by the Drengir as well. The twins eventually break through the Drengir’s control with the help of Avar Kriss and their fellow Jedi, but the possible future threat of psychic attacks harming both twins remains.
When the Great Leveler attacks Keeve and Terec, Ceret loses their connection with their sibling completely. However, once Ceret attempts to find their sibling’s thoughts, they are also placed in the line of the Great Leveler’s fire, and Ceret seems to also be turning to stone and dust in front of the rest of the Jedi’s eyes. When Avar Kriss tries to help, Ceret says, “No…You cannot. It’s a lie… All of it. There is no balance. No peace. There is only pain.” The Great Leveler seems to drain its victims of all of their hope, leaving them terrified and disillusioned in the aftermath.
This moment shows that the Great Leveler only requires access to a Jedi’s thoughts to feed on their fear, even across great distances. However, the Jedi have paid a high price for this information, especially since Terec and Ceret may both die from the attack. While Avar Kriss and her team are on their way to attack the Nihil base, they still might not get there in time to save Keeve, Terec and Ceret. Alternately, if the Great Leveler is loose when the Jedi arrive, more lives might be lost to the Great Leveler in the battle to come.
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