The Queen's Bloom

"The Queen's Bloom" is a short story written by Zoraida Córdova as part of the anthology The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life. The story was published on September 5, 2023.
==Plot summary==
Axel Greylark is a student at Reena University, on the planet Reena, where the end of the rainy season is marked by a natural phenomenon in which outdoor surfaces across the planet glow with bioluminescence due to photoproteins from the rainfall reacting with pollen which is spread by the wind, an event called the Queen's Bloom. He fakes an illness using guiji fire peppers to get out of volunteering at the activities put on by the University for the Queen's Bloom Festival, and instead enjoy the partying himself by the waterfront. 
Along with his classmates Lord Kozmo Sundrel IV and Leyli Romero, Axel impersonates his father, Lexxir Greylark, in order to sneak into Gorag Tower, where a party is being held by the royal House of Reena. His mother, Kyong Greylark, and Lexxir are also in attendance. Concerned that his parents will see him, the three classmates attempt to sneak out through the kitchens at Leyli's suggestion. 
However, in the kitchens they find the staff being held captive in the walk-in freezer by thieves Elecia and Kerun and their eight henchmen. Taking Leyli as a hostage, the pair force Axel and Kozmo to don serving uniforms pickpocket from the rich partygoers while they are distracted by the Queen's Bloom. Upon returning to the kitchen with the stolen goods, Axel stuns two of the thieving crew in an attempt to free Leyli and escape. However, Leyli was working with the thieves the whole time, and shoots Kozmo in return. The thieves escape with the stolen goods. Kozmo survives the blaster shot because of the diamond medallion he always wears, a symbol of his home planet of Luzalite.
==Continuity==
At New York Comic Con, it was established that the story takes place during Phase II of Star Wars: The High Republic.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
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==Notes and references==
Category:The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life