The High Republic: The Edge of Balance: Precedent

The High Republic: The Edge of Balance: Precedent is a manga set during the High Republic Era as part of Star Wars: The High Republic. The issue was written by Daniel José Older and Tomio Ogata, and published by Viz Media on May 23, 2023 as part of The Edge of Balance series.
==Publisher's summary==
The next phase of the interconnected cross-publisher initiative, Star Wars: The High Republic, an all-new era of Star Wars storytelling.
In the all-new era of the glorious HIGH REPUBLIC, the noble and wise Jedi Knights must face a frightening threat to themselves, the galaxy, and to the Force itself…
Long before the Nihil cast their shadow over the Republic, an unexpected encounter threatened the Jedi Knights and their exploration of the Outer Rim. An encounter so mystifying the aftermath still ripples through the galaxy…
One hundred and fifty years before Starlight Beacon shone its light into the Outer Rim, the galaxy was filled with new threats and Nameless unknowns. Banchii is still unexplored when the young Wookiee Jedi Arkoff journeys to Dalna to aid his fellow Jedi in the fight against the secretive faction the Path of the Open Hand.
Along with his former Master Ravna and her droid ZZ, Arkoff joins the fight at the Battle of Dalna, and during the struggle a terrifying threat emerges. Arkoff's longtime friend, Jedi Knight Azlin, falls victim to an unseen force whose effect on the Jedi is unlike anything previously encountered. Will Arkoff's past come back to haunt him, or will it be the key to tilting the balance in their fight again the Nihil over a century later?
==Plot summary==
===Opening crawl===
===The excavation===
Following the Attack on Banchii, a group of Nihil warriors search the ruins of the Banchii Jedi temple under orders from an impatient Marchion Ro, the Eye of the Nihil. The Nihil group encounter a robed Harch named Vol Garat who subdues several of them. Ro convinces Garat to stand down. Garat backs down but reminds Ro that the two of them are equal. Since Garat knows where to find the object they seek, Ro places him in charge of the search but warns him about the dangers of failure. Garat responds that he has not trusted any of them since the beginning of their partnership. 
Beneath the ruins of the Jedi temple, they find an area that seems older than the rest. They remove a large slab and find an old ZZ-model droid named ZZ-10 ("Zeezee") attached to several cables. The droid awakens from hibernation and claims that it is unarmed. Garat recognizes the droid and his Nihil followers contact Ro. While the Nihil warriors are eager to destroy Zeezee and claim the treasure it is guarding, Garat responds that they can wait and asks Zeezee about the treasure that the Wookiee Jedi Arkoff had tasked him with guarding for the past 150 years. 
===The Battle of Dalna===
Zeezee begins his story with the Battle of Dalna, which occurred 150 years ago. Zeezee recalls that Garat was working with the Path of the Open Hand, a cult who believed the Force must be set free and conspired against the Jedi Order. During the Battle of Dalna, Padawan Arkoff and his Jedi Master Ravna and Zeezee were surrounded by numerous armed members of the Path. During the battle, Ravna takes the opportunity to teach her Padawan some lightsaber techniques and moves. Ravna is attacked by Garat but she uses the Force to hurl him aside. The Harch faces off against Arkoff.
Ravna comes to the aid of Jedi Knight Azlin Rell, helping him defeat his Path opponents. Rell tells Ravna that he senses something is coming. Ravna dismisses his concerns and reminds him that their job is to stop the Path from fleeing farther into the caves. Rell replies that he is not afraid of the Path. The fight between Arkoff and Garat soon spills over to their section of the battle. Several Path cultists surround Ravna and her comrades but she uses her lightsaber to cut them down.
Ravna reminds Arkoff not to lose his lightsaber and returns it to him. With more Path cultists approaching, the Jedi decide to retreat with Ravna leading the way. The cultists flood the tunnels with water with the Jedi fleeing two waves of water. Garat and some Nihil warriors are caught in the deluge. Arkoff manages to carry Ravna and Zeezee to safety. However, they are separated from Rell, whom Ravna believes was swept down a different tunnel. 
While heading into a cave, Ravna and Arkoff sense a disturbance in the Force. Ravna initially thinks that Arkoff is grumbling about wet fur and tells him to hang in there. After sensing the disturbance herself, Ravna tasks Zeezee with leading Arkoff to safety. Venturing deeper into the cave alone, Ravna senses something is inside but is unable to feel it longer. Despite her own fears, she decides to face this unknown threat herself. She is swept away by a flood of water. 
Meanwhile, Rell awakes in another cave where he finds the remains of drowned Path cultists. Rell is surprised that the Path did not put up a stiffer fight and wonders what caused the tide of the battle to change. Rell senses something strange through the Force, which he initially attributes to a recent head injury. He senses a sinister supernatural threat, which overwhelms his mind. Rell experiences visions of demonic figures dragging and berating him for abusing the Force. The voices warn that they are coming to take him away and turn him into dust.
Later, Zeezee finds Arkoff hiding under the leaves on the roots of a tree. Arkoff is still troubled by his visions in the caves but Zeezee urges him to reconvene with Master Ravna and find Rell. While searching through the forest, they find Master Ravna's lightsaber. While reflecting on Ravna's lesson that dropping one's lightsaber means one has lost, Arkoff realizes that she must have fallen in combat. Zeezee thinks that Ravna is still alive and in danger but Arkoff disagrees.
Elsewhere, Tey Sirrek and the Jedi Knight Vildar Mac evacuate Rell, who is traumatized by his encounter with one of the "creatures" and continually chants the phrase "Shrii ka rai ka rai." The Jedi Matthea Cathley tells Zeezee that it will take the Order a long time to recover from their casualties on Dalna. Zeezee finds Arkoff and informs the Wookiee Jedi that the surviving Jedi are reconvening on Coruscant and that Rell is in a catatonic state chanting in a language he can't translate. Before leaving, Arkoff buries his late Master's lightsaber. Zeezee refuses to believe that Ravna has died.
===Vol Garat's quest===
Elsewhere, the Harch Vol Garat reflects on his powerful strength as an apex predator. He recalls joining the Path of the Open Hand a century ago. Garat reflects on his duel with Master Ravna, whom he describes as a formidable opponent. Before he could finish Ravna, Garat was interrupted by Arkoff, who subdued him and knocked him unconscious following an epic fight. Garat recalls that Dalna's caves chewed him up and spat him out. While lying incapacitated, Garat recalls seeing Ravna and Arkoff under attack from the Nameless, which he came to believe would give him the power to destroy all Jedi.
Vowing revenge, Garat resumed his hunt for the Jedi, turning his attention to Rell. Traveling to Coruscant's Grand Republic Medical Facility, he finds Rell scribbling the phrase "Shrii ka rai ka rai" in a notebook within his ward. Garat tells Rell that he is looking for information and offers to spare his life if he tells him the "truth." Rell, who is still in a trance-like state, repeatedly says that they are coming to take him away. Garat grabs Rell by the neck and demands to know what he saw in the cave that drove the Jedi mad.
Despite Garat's aggressive interrogation, he is unable to shake Rell out of his catatonic state. Rell hides before two medical staff enter the room to investigate the commotion. Believing that Rell is having another nightmare, they decide to transfer him to the sanatorium at the Gravan Monastery. Eavesdropping, Garat is pleased since he regards security on the moon as looser compared to Coruscant. He decides to bide his time.
===Master Ravna's passing===
A few days earlier on Dalna, Zeezee refuses to abandon Master Ravna and return to Coruscant, believing her to be still alive but lost on Dalna. Arkoff disagrees but Zeezee insists on continuing the search. However, the stubborn droid soon runs into the path of a pair of Open Hand cultists, who pursue him with spears. Arkoff rescues the droid, who urges the Wookiee Jedi to go back and capture them, believing that they have information on Ravna's whereabouts.
Arkoff instead hides behind a tree, allowing the two cultists to pass. Arkoff insists on returning to Coruscant because he believes that Master Ravna has perished. Zeezee refuses to abandon his master to the "unknown disturbance." Speaking in Shyriiwook, Arkoff replies that they are on their own since the other Jedi have already returned to Coruscant. Zeezee accepts Arkoff's argument that if he loses consciousness again, they will be stranded here. Finally accepting that Ravna has gone, Zeezee says that the best way for Arkoff to continue serving her is to continue on his path. They decide to return to Coruscant and seek the Jedi High Council's advice on the matter.
At the Jedi Temple of Coruscant, Arkoff and Zeezee report Master Ravna's death to Masters Creighton Sun and Rinn, who promise to update the rest of the High Council. Rinn thanks Arkoff for fighting alongside her. When Arkoff asks about Azlin Rell, Rinn explains that Rell is suffering from what Dalna locals call the "Night of Sorrow" and reassures him that he is being looked after. 
In private, Sun asks Rinn about Arkoff's report. Rinn opines that Arkoff's description is spotty at best but agrees that the circumstances of that night were tragic. When Sun asks about the mystery around the circumstances of Ravna's death, Rinn replies that Ravna is now one with the Force and believes that she was killed in battle. When Sun asks about rumors of "monstrous creatures" terrorizing Dalna, Rinn dismisses them as rumours and decides not to publicize the matter in order to avoid arousing panic among the Jedi. The two masters decide to focus on tending the wounded and rebuilding.
===Azlin Rell's illness===
At the Jedi Archives, Arkoff and Zeezee search for records about the Dalna caves but find they have not been updated. Zeezee recalls that the unknown threat on Dalna appears to have frightened all the Jedi including Rell, who has experienced it the worst. The droid is perplexed that there are no records of previous encounters similar to the events on Dalna. Recalling the strange phrase that Rell was speaking, Arkoff and Zeezee muse whether it is a song and decide to investigate the matter further on Grava Monastery.
When they visit Rell on Grava, the Knight warns them that the unknown threat will find them and turn them to dust. After experiencing a vision of the Nameless, he begins screaming for help. Arkoff and Zeezee manage to calm Rell down. He tells them that the unknown threat on Dalna took hold of him and that he doesn't know what is real or fantasy any more. The two decide to let him rest further. Zeezee observes that Rell has moments of clarity and hopes that the sanatorium will be able to heal his mind so that they can continue their investigation.
===Vol Garat's raid===
A few days later, Arkoff and Zeezee return to the Grava Monastery only to find that the Harch Vol Garat has forced his way inside and taken Rell. They find Garat manhandling Rell inside an abandoned building outside the sanatorium. Arkoff demands that Garat release Rell. The Harch taunts the Wookiee for not being able to speak Galactic Basic Standard. Zeezee speaks for Arkoff and tells Garat that he is facing defeat. When Garat asks if they are looking for Rell, Zeezee responds that Rell is a friend of Arkoff and demands that he release him. Garat responds that he still has business to deal with Rell.
When Zeezee calls out to the catatonic Rell, he experiences a vision of the Nameless and panics. Garat takes notice and seeks to harness the threat on Dalna that can terrify the Jedi. Zeezee realizes that Garat saw the unknown threat in the Dalna caves and asks if he knows what happened on Dalna. Garat mocks them for not knowing the Nameless and reaffirms his intention to take Rell hostage. Arkoff draws his lightsaber. After Garat challenges him, the two engage in hand to hand combat. 
As Arkoff parries with him, Garat taunts him about his fallen Master Ravna, which angers Arkoff. Giving into his anger, Arkoff lunges at Garat but the Harch throws him to the ground. Garat grabs shards of broken glass and attempts to kill the Wookiee. Rell temporarily snaps out of his trance and unleashes a blast of Force energy, which demolishes the building. Garat is trapped beneath the rubble but Arkoff and Zeezee are safe. 
===Rell's disappearance===
After returning to the sanatorium, Rell tells the staff that Garat came for him but that Arkoff saved him. However, he warns that the Nameless is still coming for him. When Arkoff visit him, Rell tells him that something was hunting for them when they were separated in the Dalna caves. He hands Arkoff a journal before warning him to run and hide from the Nameless. Rell then returns to his trance-like state. 
Several days later, Rell disappeared from his room. The Jedi tried to search for him but were unable to find him. Arkoff and Zeezee examine Rell's journal but find that it written in ciphers. The droid Zeezee is unable to decode the cyphers. To complicate matters, Garat has also stolen several pages from the journal, making any potential deciphering efforts difficult. Zeezee says that they need to find the missing pages in order to learn more about the Nameless.
Zeezee says that they should have done more to secure Rell. Zeezee also consults the databases for information about Garat but finds little. Zeezee also expressed surprise that Garat survived his injuries, which he attributes to the hardy physiology of the Harches. With Rell missing, Zeezee says that deciphering the journal will be a lengthy process and that travel will be difficult. He believes that the contents of the journal is linked to the mysterious new threat. Zeezee says that it is up to him and Arkoff to solve these mysteries but that they need more information. 
Heeding Master Ravna's advice to find the best timing, Zeezee decides that they must keep the journal safe on a remote world. He proposes the unsettled planet of Banchii, which is near the planet Hon-Tallos, where the Jedi Order plan to build a new temple. Since Arkoff is stationed on Hon-Tallos, he will be able to monitor the Inugg system and protect the journal. To ensure the safety of the journal, Zeezee convinces Arkoff to let him guard the journal and attach him to cables. Before Arkoff closes the lid, Zeezee wishes that the Force will be with Master Arkoff.
===Final round===
Back in the present, an impatient Garat remarks that Zeezee cannot stop talking after meeting the first living beings in 150 years. When he asks if Zeezee wasted his time in hibernation while Arkoff lived his life, Zeezee responds that Arkoff had set him up with an additional communications network. Garat asks if Zeezee was stalling him while calling Master Arkoff for help. The Harch voices his eagerness for a reunion. 
Garat thinks that Zeezee's processors are rusty and that his logic is impaired. He boasts that alerting the Jedi will not stop him from claiming the journal in the light of Starlight Beacon's destruction. Zeezee admits sending a distress call but reveals a second trick up his sleeve: several laser cannons. Zeezee blasts Garat and his Nihil companions, wounding and killing several. Garat survives and manages to rip off the cables connecting the cannons, he then boasts of his combat prowess and derides Zeezee as a scrap droid he will tear apart. 
Zeezee then attempts to self-destruct in order to deny Garat and the Nihil the secret's of Azlin's Journal. However, Garat disconnects him from the explosives and hurls him aside. Lying on the ground, Zeezee remarks that he is happy to learn from Garat that Arkoff has now risen to the rank of Jedi Master, which would have made the late Master Ravna proud. Before Garat can claim the journal for himself, he is ambushed by Master Arkoff. 
Following a brief duel, Arkoff kills Garat with his lightsaber. In his dying moments, a Garat grumbles about having to see Arkoff's hairy face again after many years. As Arkoff deactivates his lightsaber, Zeezee praises the Wookiee for finally applying what Ravna tried to teach him when he was her Padawan. As Arkoff embraces his old droid friend the two are soon joined by Master Savina Besatrix Malagán, who remarks that she is late to the fight. 
Malagan remarks that Zeezee is still not rusty after 150 years in hibernation. Zeezee agree but says that the sudden surge of power has overloaded him. Arkoff says something in Shyriiwook, and Malagan agrees with Arkoff that they still have a lot to do and there is no time for rest. After repairing Zeezee to the best of her abilities, Malagan informs Arkoff that Jedi Knight Lily Tora-Asi has defied the Council's orders to return to Coruscant and decided to remain on Banchii to confront the Nihil. Malagan thinks they should find her.
When Zeezee asks if Tora-Asi is a new Jedi, Malagan confirms that over a century has passed and that they need to update the droid's databanks. Malagan remarks that Lily is serious and thinks that Zeezee will get along with her. The trio then depart to find Lily.
==Media==
===Editions===
*; May 23, 2023; Viz Media; US paperback
===Cover gallery===
File:EdgeOfBalancePrecedent.jpg|Placeholder cover
File:Edge_of_Balance_Precedent_cover.jpg|Temporary cover
File:EdgeofBalance-Precedent.png|Final cover
File:EdgeofBalance-Precedent-Textless.png|Textless art
==Appearances==
==Sources==
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*Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia
*Star Wars: The High Republic: The Lightsaber Collection
==Notes and references==
==External links==
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Precedent