Post by bgrd17 on Jul 4, 2012 20:58:26 GMT -5
Name: Brakkar Desh/Ferinus
"Ferinus" is Brakkar's Sith name, meaning "Brutal" (In Latin, mind you)
Race: Thakwaash
Age: 80
Height: 10'
Weight: 400 lbs
Appearance: Brakkar stands at an intimidating ten feet, which is only slightly above average for people of his species. His muscles are very large and powerful, another trait typical of the Thakwaash. He is equinoid in appearance; his face is much like a horse's snout, with wide, thick lips, and a broad, lumpy nose with large, flaring nostrils. He has big, deep, black eyes below a naturally furrowed brow. His ears are large and floppy. Brakkar's hair is long and greyed, flowing down past his broad, muscular shoulders to mid-back. He also has a long, thick beard that goes down to his navel. His eyebrows are very thin and wispy. Brakkar's skin is brown-grey.
Brakkar's typical garb first consists, rather simply, of pants, a tunic, a leather tabard, leather boots, and leather gloves, all jet-black. His robes and cloak are more elegant; long, flowy, and velvety, jet-black with a blood red lining. He ties a red sash around his waist, from which hangs his dual-phase lightsaber. The darkness and depth of his robes, around his already tall, broad exterior, add to his appearance, making him seem almost statuesque, or like a great, terrible, looming shadow. Most of his victims have screamed in terror at the sight of this monster, this dark figure and his scarlet red lightsaber being the last thing they ever see.
Personality: Describing Brakkar's personality is not a straightforward process; as with all Thakwaash, he possessed multiple personalities. After a terrible starship "incident", Brakkar was spaced. He survived, just barely, but sustained a degree of brain damage. The bizarre side effect of this was that he was left with only two, dangerous, new personalities.
Personality One: The Aristocrat
The "first" of his two personalities; when Brakkar is in this state of mind, he sees himself as being far superior to others. He believes his power to be absolute, and unquestionable. Everybody is below him and not worth their time, unless they have something to offer him, in which case he maintains a cool friendliness, in which his arrogance is ever so slightly detectable. He thoroughly enjoys luxury, fine arts, fine foods, and fine company, though his company is always at serious risk while at his side. Anybody speaking to him out of turn is fair game for a verbal thrashing, at the very least, if not a physical and aggressive response. The wisest and safest course of action is to smile sweetly and lavish him with compliments when asking something of him, or offering him advice or input. Treating him roughly or with an uncaring manner is likely to be replied with a lightsaber through the torso.
Personality Two: The Madman
Those thinking his first personality to be dangerous and disagreeable have not experienced his other side. He is completely unpredictable in this state. Brakkar will rant and rave in his native tongue, speaking to shadows and inanimate objects as though they were his closest and dearest friends. He seems to perceive anything moving as a threat in this state, and will tear into it savagely with tooth, nail, or lightsaber. He requires special restraints forged from Mandalorian iron, as anything less is likely to be torn apart with ease, including people. Anybody brave or stupid enough to have confronted him while Brakkar was in this state was torn to pieces, and occasionally eaten (or at least gnawed upon).
Brakkar is entirely aware of his two differing personalities, and has given those he is in regular contact with a CODE PHRASE to challenge him with each time, every time, as soon as they greet him. When given the correct response, his allies can be sure that he is in his "right" state of mind, and are much safer than if he was in his "Mad" state. Brakkar is given an approximate 2 minute warning (on average) that he is going to descend from Aristocrat to Madman; he experiences severe migraines, nosebleeds, and tremors. When in his private quarters, he has enough time to shackle himself safely before he transforms, though he is not always able to do so before he becomes Mad.
Brakkar is in his Aristocrat State for 2 days at a time (on average), and his Madman State for 12 hours (once again, on average). Despite these observed terms, he can sometimes transform at completely random intervals, thus requiring the Code Phrase as a greeting at all times, lest one be at a severe risk.
Most of his lightsaber technique is pure, brute strength, due to his impatience and scarcely controlled rage, but when facing a more worthy adversary, he employs great skill with many forms of lightsaber combat.
Birth place: Thakwaa
Faction: Sith Order
Rank: Master-Marauder
Previous Faction: Jedi Order
Previous Rank: Master-Guardian
Lightsaber: Single blade (dual-phase)
Color: Red
Practiced Lightsaber forms:
Shii-Cho: 5
Makashi: 5
Soresu: 2
Shien / Djem So: 5
>>Sub-form Backhanded: 2
Juyo: 5
Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:
Telekinetic: 5
Telepathic: 2
Body: 5
Sense: 3
Protection: 2
Healing: 0
Destruction: 4
Specialized Skills: Projected Fighting
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 9
Intelligence: 3
Speed: 3
Leadership: 3
Unarmed: 7
Melee Weapons: 7
Ranged Weapons: 1
Starship: Star Explorer
Droid(s): 3 pilot droids (Star Explorer crew)
Bio:
Brakkar was born on Thakwaa, in the Outer Rim Territories, to two proud parents, Jakkess and Miralo. Jakkess was an experienced starship mechanic, often taking young Brakkar to the spaceport to see the varieties of ships, small and large, colorful and bland, local-built and exotic. The colors, sounds, and smells fascinated the young Thakwaash. Miralo was a baker, producing different breads and cakes from the local crops and selling them for a respectable sum. All in all, they were an average, middle class Thakwaash family, just making their way in the universe.
It was a pair of coincidences that brought young Brakkar to the Jedi Order--or simply destiny, as many Jedi see it. A Jedi Knight was returning to Coruscant from a mission in the Outer Rim, but his ship was damaged when passing through an asteroid field, and was in need of repair, so he landed on Thakwaa.
Jakkess had Brakkar with him when the Jedi arrived, and asked the Jedi to watch his child as he worked on repairing the starship. A curious thing happened while Brakkar was casually playing with some of his father's tools; some of them would float, hovering just above the ground, as Brakkar was playing and laughing, clanking pieces of metal together. The Jedi Knight plainly took this as evidence of the young Thakwaa's Force Sensitivity, and asked to take the boy to Coruscant after the repairs had been completed. Brakkar was naturally reluctant to leave his parents, as were they to part with him, but Jakkess and Miralo knew that he would be wasted if not a part of the Jedi Order, given his raw potential as a Force Sensitive. And so Brakkar left, never to see his parents again.
After a few days of loneliness, Brakkar took to his new role as a Jedi Youngling. He learned Galactic Basic, and attentively listened to his minder. He squabbled with the other younglings in his clan, but was soon taught to behave and cooperate with them. Brakkar took to his lessons with youthful enthusiasm, very eager to become a proper Jedi.
His true talent became obvious early on in his initiate years. Brakkar was very skilled compared to the other younglings with the use of his practice saber, and was a difficult sparring partner, aided greatly by his natural strength. This came to fruition when the day for the Apprentice Tournament came. He fought very fiercely, and defeated most of his opponents with ease. Brakkar became the winner of this Apprentice Tournament, with only a few burns from the latter few bouts. He drew the attention of many Knights and Masters, and was ultimately approached by Jedi Master Rizzar Saliss, a male Barabel and a former Jedi Battlemaster. Brakkar happily agreed to be taught by Rizzar, and Brakkar became his Padawan learner. The two were quite pleased.
At age 13, Brakkar went on his first mission with Master Rizzar. There was a digsite on the planet of Talus, operated by the native Drall, that was searching for a legendary repulsor device that was supposedly buried deep beneath the planet surface. This digsite was reporting mysterious disappearances, of workers or groups of workers that had gone in and never come back. Some Drall feared evil spirits or monsters, as they were naturally quite savvy and suited to caves. The Jedi suspected simple cave-ins or sinkholes, but Rizzar and Brakkar were sent regardless, to ensure that the digsite was safe, and to locate the missing Drall workers if at all possible.
Talus is a Core World, so the trip from Coruscant to Talus was thankfully brief. When Brakkar and Rizzar arrived at the digsite, Drall were running away from it. One Drall who stopped to talk to Brakkar warned them that another group of diggers had gone missing, and horrible screams were reported. The digsite was immediately shut down and the Drall workers fled the area. Brakkar and Rizzar went in, dismissing the Dralls' fears as superstition and cowardice.
The air in the caves was thick and full of dust that made it difficult to breathe, without stopping every few seconds to cough repeatedly. Navigating them was difficult, with many winding, twisting tunnels, dug in an unclear pattern. Eventually, they found small bone fragments, random knuckle bones and such, laying in small piles in one of the tunnels. They traced the bones further into the caves, and the piles of bones grew larger and more frequent, while the air grew dustier and harder to breathe. Turning a corner, they were both struck on the head and knocked unconscious.
Brakkar and Rizzar awoke to find themselves lashed crudely to wooden crosses, in a large, open cavern, filled with dozens of twitchy, skinny, stinky furry bodies. It was a nest of Selonians, a species of furry, carnivorous, burrowing mammals. They were all disease-ridden and starved, driven mad by their hunger and pain. The flesh of the Drall workers was still being cooked on a spit in a corner of the cave. The Selonians were paying the Jedi little mind, as they were focusing on a Drall who was about to be executed.
They were chanting something in the Selonian language, surrounding a lone Drall who was lashed to a cross in the same fashion as the two Jedi. A large female Selonian was brandishing a crude knife, and was making small cuts into the Drall worker, resulting in terrible cries of pain. Brakkar and Rizzar did not intend for this to happen to them, and wanted to put a stop to the Drall's suffering. Using their powerful muscles, the two Jedi easily broke their bonds. Rizzar was relieved to find his lightsaber still on his belt, and Brakkar found a club made out of bone. The two set upon the distracted Selonians.
The nest of diseased, starving Selonians was killed off swiftly. The two Jedi burned the bodies of the dead, including what remained of the Drall workers, and freed the last surviving worker from his bonds. The three left the caves and were celebrated with roaring applause and a great feast when they went to the nearby Drall settlement. The Jedi were thanked for their rescue of the surviving digger, and their slaying of the deranged Selonians. This mission solidified the trust and kinship between Brakkar and Rizzar, having fought side by side, protecting eachother and saving the Drall worker. The digsite continued to operate, but no news was ever heard if the mythical repulsor device was located.
Brakkar sprouted quickly. By age 16, he was already 8 feet tall, and still had more growing to do. He was vastly stronger than a fully grown Human male, like other Thakwaash were, and made it quite a challenge for Rizzar to train him in melee combat.
The day came for Brakkar and Rizzar to head to Ilum, the icy world known (amongst the Jedi Order) for its caves full of crystals used in the construction of lightsabers. It was a long and treacherous hike up the slopes leading to the Crystal Caves, and they had to keep a constant vigil, looking out for Gorgodons--large, furry creatures native to Ilum, with three rows of sharp teeth and a mean temperament. Fortunately, and unexpectedly, the two Jedi didn't encounter a single one. They reached the Crystal Caves, and it was there that Brakkar spent many days and nights, meditating, and slowly assembling his lightsaber, in the image of his master's own lightsaber. Brakkar encountered many disturbing visions of war, death, murder, and genocide, but held fast. Finally, after weeks of concentration and labor, Brakkar held the metal cylinder before him, and pressing a stud on the hilt, a brilliant, blue plasma beam extended forth. Pressing another stud, it extended again, doubling in length, creating a blade as large as Brakkar was. He had constructed his lightsaber.
Brakkar and Rizzar were now able to go on more dangerous missions, since Brakkar was armed. It was also around this time that he developed another personality; Thakwaash gain multiple personalities as they age, and Brakkar's first was that of a respectful and playful young man. This new personality was more wizened and dutiful, like that of a Jedi Knight. Alternating between the two, Brakkar came across as a pleasant and mature young man, with refreshing enthusiasm.
While practicing his Force powers one day, Brakkar asked his master if there was a method in which one could use brute strength or martial prowess through the Force, possibly even through an opponent's guard. Rizzar revealed that there was such a power; through the use of telekinesis, one could project their strength and combat prowess through the Force. Thus, Brakkar began his practice of projected fighting, which would take decades of practice before he would perfect it.
One mission that Brakkar went on after creating his lightsaber was near the planet Mindor, a member of the Inner Rim Territories. A trading vessel had been captured by a band of pirates who were demanding tens of thousands of credits for the safe return of the crew. Brakkar and Rizzar were sent to save the crewmen and deal with the pirates, preferably through diplomacy. When they boarded the ship and revealed that they hadn't brought the demanded ransom, the pirates made it clear that they were going to execute the hostages, as they began to shout orders and raise their weapons towards the prisoners.
Acting quickly, Master Rizzar threw his lightsaber, disarming the pirates who were going to shoot the prisoners. Brakkar raced forward and engaged the criminals who were still armed. They fired on him, but he deflected their blaster bolts, killing one pirate and disabling another. Before the last pirate could fire his blaster, Brakkar grabbed his arm and twisted it, snapping his bones with ease. The criminals, disarmed, injured, or both, quickly surrendered to the two Jedi. They were arrested, and the prisoners were freed.
Brakkar felt that his relationship with his master was something like that between an uncle and a nephew. They were quite friendly with eachother; protecting eachother, learning from eachother. Rizzar challenged his Padawan to be his best, to push himself beyond his built-in limits, that it was necessary to do so to be a protector of the galaxy. And so Brakkar did. He strived to be the best that he could. And he was.
The time came when Rizzar had realized his Padawan was ready to become a full Jedi Knight. The next chapter of Brakkar's life was ready to begin.
A lull in the frequency of missions undertaken by Brakkar and Rizzar allowed for the Jedi Trials to be administered normally, whereas many Jedi passed there Trials while in the field. Brakkar entered the Jedi Trials Chamber alone.
Brakkar sat in the Chamber and meditated, waiting for his Trials to commence. He waited for an hour or two, before a hologram appeared, the form of the Jedi Grandmaster of the time. "We have deemed you to be unworthy of the Jedi Order. Turn in your lightsaber and leave at once", it said. Brakkar became full of anger and confusion, wondering what he had done wrong, why he was being cast out so abruptly, and how they could dare to treat him in this manner. He felt his veins boiling with rage, Brakkar felt like drawing his saber and smashing the hologram projector to pieces, smashing the entire Temple down around him.
He was puzzled by these thoughts even more than he was puzzled by why he was to be cast out. A Jedi must not be so rash, arrogant, so vengeful. He felt ashamed of himself, and merely sat down to meditate some more, trying to push aside his anger and let go of his feelings. It was when he did so that he realized that this was the first of his Trials, and he had passed. The hologram was a lie. It was a trick, meant to show him the anger and frustration he had within himself, even if he did not realize it, and for him to learn to overcome it. The Trial of Spirit was meant to force Padawans to confront their inner demons and defeat them, which Brakkar had done. The hologram of the Grandmaster bowed, and faded. Brakkar was relieved. He returned to his meditation, awaiting the next Trials.
Many hours into his meditation, several figures appeared, in dark robes--wielding red lightsabers. Brakkar drew his lightsaber and was confused-were these holograms, or members of the Jedi Order that were just going to spar with him? Or were they indeed Dark Jedi, that had somehow infiltrated the Temple? His time spent in that chamber had somewhat dulled his perception and thoughts, so he decided to go on the defensive, not wanting to risk injuring a fellow Jedi. He blocked blow after blow, only counter-attacking to push them back. Time pressed on, and he grew exhausted. Fellow Jedi would not be pressing him so hard, so they were either holograms or actual Dark Jedi. Brakkar charged in, and battered away at their defenses, raining blows upon them. One after another were felled, until Brakkar was the only person standing. Their bodies disappeared, and the door to the Chamber opened. In defending himself from his attackers, and defeating them in such extended combat, he had passed his Trials of Courage and of Skill. Only one Trial remained, and it would not be pleasant. It also required more field work.
The second mission Brakkar and Rizzar went on after his successes in the Jedi Trials Chamber was especially trying. The daughter of the senator of Kinyen, the Gran homeworld, had been kidnapped, and was taken away from the Galactic Core. No ransom or demands had yet been made. Brakkar and Rizzar tracked rumors and reported sightings of the kidnappers from Coruscant all the way to Tatooine in the Outer Rim.
Investigating possible leads to the whereabouts of the senator's daughter, Brakkar heard that a group of especially rough looking Dugs had occupied an old warehouse near the outskirts of Mos Eisley--and were seen with a female Gran. Brakkar contacted his master on his commlink, informed him of the possible sighting, and raced ahead of Rizzar to the warehouse. Brakkar sneaked to the backside of the warehouse, and could hear muffled cries within the building. Not wanting to waste time, fearing for the life of the senator's daughter, and against Rizzar's warnings, he used his lightsaber to cut a hole in the side of the building and charged in.
Brakkar was immediately met with a volley of blaster fire. He deflected many of the blaster bolts, killing and wounding a few of the Dug criminals, but there were too many of them. He was repeatedly shot and went down.
Slipping in and out of consciousness, Brakkar made out a figure with a bright light enter the warehouse and combat the Dugs.
When Brakkar awoke, he was in a bacta tank in a hospital on the planet Lorimax, in the Inner Rim, and several weeks had passed. After a few more weeks, when his wounds had sufficiently healed up, he was visited by Master Rizzar. Rizzar explained that Brakkar had nearly been killed, but his hasty entrance had interrupted what was to be the senator's daughter's recorded execution. She had been wounded in the crossfire, but survived, and the matter was largely swept under the rug, to avoid tensions between Kinyen and the Dug homeworld of Malastare, from which the kidnappers hailed. They had apparently planned to execute the senator's daughter in a bid to become more independent from Kinyen.
It was also in this time that Rizzar informed Brakkar that he had passed his Trial of the Flesh, in having been so gravely wounded in the line of duty. When he was able to travel, Brakkar left for Coruscant with Rizzar, to become a Jedi Knight.
Brakkar was overjoyed to have become a fully fledged Jedi. He was 25 years old, a staggering 10 feet tall (still, only a bit above average height among his species), and eager to defend the innocent of the galaxy.
The first mission Brakkar was sent on after being knighted was a very sensitive one. A Jedi Knight and his apprentice had gone on a mission to Corellia to track down and arrest the assassin of a senator--they had not reported back. Brakkar was to find the missing Jedi investigators, and bring the assassin to justice. He left for Corellia at once.
Brakkar located various Republic contacts, inquiring about the whereabouts of the Jedi and the assassin. One, surprisingly, claimed to be able to lead Brakkar to the assassin's hideout. Brakkar was a bit suspicious, but had the contact lead take him. They went to an especially shady part of Coronet, where prostitutes were on every corner and gangs roamed freely. The contact knocked in a peculiar rhythm on the door to a seemingly abandoned home, and nodded to Brakkar, who stepped inside, drawing his lightsaber.
The door locked behind him, and he felt a blaster press against his abdomen. He was lead into the house at gunpoint, where he saw a young male human, dressed in Jedi clothing and with a Padawan braid, bound and gagged. The gunman stepped before Brakkar and showed his face--a Trandoshan, clad in battle-scarred combat armor, with a sniper rifle on his back. This must have been the senator's assassin. When the gunman ordered Brakkar to drop his lightsaber and roll it to him, Brakkar refused. The assassin put the barrel of his blaster flesh to the Padawan's head, and demanded again.
Brakkar slowly lowered his lightsaber to the floor and kicked it over to the assassin. Focusing his mind sharply, he channeled the Force through his body, and punched the air in front of him. The brute strength behind his use of projected fighting crumpled the assassin's chest like tissue paper, killing him instantly. Brakkar retrieved his lightsaber and freed the captive Jedi. The Padawan thanked him profusely, and proceeded to explain to him about how he and his master had similarly been caught by the assassin. The Jedi Knight had been killed trying to defend his apprentice, but the assassin kept the boy as a bargaining chip in case anybody else came after him.
Brakkar and the young Jedi found the fallen Jedi Knight's remains, and took them back to Coruscant for a proper funeral. After the ceremony, Brakkar humbly put forth that perhaps he could finish the Padawan's training. The human agreed, and became Brakkar's Padawan learner. His name was Aaron Dex, age 15.
The Thakwaash Jedi Knight found training his new apprentice far more difficult than his own training. Brakkar had to heavily restrain his strength during sparring sessions with Aaron, to avoid harming the boy. He would hold his saber in a loose grip with one hand as his apprentice charged in, full strength, both hands gripping his training saber. The boy fortunately proved to be a quick and spirited learner, eagerly following Brakkar's form as they practiced Shii-cho, Makashi, Soresu, Djem So, and Juyo. Aaron was a natural.
After turning 16, Aaron was ready to construct his first lightsaber. Brakkar fondly thought back to when he had been in the same place, years earlier, ascending the slopes of Ilum and making his own lightsaber, which he still held. However, things would be somewhat different on this trip to Ilum. Many Gorgodons barred the way to the Crystal Caves. The two engaged the great beasts, though Brakkar held back a bit, wanting to let his apprentice learn and train, though not putting his Padawan in direct danger. When a Gorgodon deflected Aaron's vibroblade and went in for the kill, Brakkar horizontally bisected the creature at the waist, with relative ease.
It was many weeks that Brakkar waited for his apprentice to construct his lightsaber. Aaron shook and sputtered, no doubt disturbed by troubling vision during his meditations. All went well, though, and Aaron held aloft his brilliant blue lightsaber, which made Brakkar's heart leap with joy.
Soon after their return to Coruscant, Brakkar and Aaron were sent to capture a terrorist on Alderaan. A human executive in a starship manufacturing company believed he was being cut out from the profits on a lucrative contract, and was holding several of his coworkers hostage, demanding a tremendous sum of credits for their safety. Brakkar and his apprentice took an airspeeder to the roof and descended to the floor below, where the hostage taker was.
Brakkar did not draw his lightsaber, and merely ordered the human to drop his blaster and allow himself to be arrested. The human refused, and in his panic, accidentally shot one of his hostages in the leg. Acting quickly, Brakkar picked up his apprentice and threw him towards the terrorist. Aaron activated his lightsaber and cut off the terrorist's arm, ending the standoff. The wounded hostage survived, and was freed along with the others. The terrorist was arrested, had his wounds treated, and upon receiving a psychological evaluation, was indeed found to be mentally unstable. He was to spend many years in prison and therapy.
Aaron and Brakkar became like brothers over the years. Despite their difference in species, they got along very well, always joking and trying to one-up eachother. Despite his initial difficulties, Brakkar was a fine teacher, and Aaron was well on his way to Knighthood himself.
Their last mission together was quite the horrifying experience. Reports of Cthon incursions to the upper levels of Coruscant were on the rise, and the two Jedi were sent to cull the Cthons and send them back to the lower levels. The two set off immediately, not wanting to waste any time. As they went deeper into the Coruscant Underworld, they saw the usual gangs and thugs, but heading even further, they saw no people, only heavily boarded up, decrepit buildings, from which hushed voices could occasionally be heard. Brakkar walked up to one of these buildings, knelt beside the door, and asked to those inside what they were hiding from. Only one word came from the other side; "Cthons."
Hardly two minutes later, a greyish creature came shuffling towards the Jedi from out of a darkened alley. Upon drawing their lightsabers, the creature howled with rage, and charged Brakkar and Aaron. It leaped at Aaron, who cut it in half with a single stroke. The creature's remains twitched horribly. It was a ghastly, man-like creature, completely naked, smelling of rotted flesh. Brakkar and Aaron had found the Cthons. They went from building to building, alley to alley, finding small groups of them holed up, feasting on the remains of people who had been unfortunate enough to have been captured by the Cthons. The two Jedi cut them all down.
Standing in the middle of an abandoned street, Brakkar and Aaron were catching their breath when a horde of the awful creatures came racing towards them, and circled the two Jedi. Master and Padawan went back to back to engage the foul humanoids. After half an hour of fighting, the surviving Cthons fled. Their mission complete, Brakkar and Aaron returned to the surface of Coruscant, eager to be somewhere well lit and populated.
Brakkar was 32 years old when his apprentice, Aaron Dex, became a Jedi Knight. The Thakwaash was filled with pride, in his apprentice's skills, and in his own as a teacher. He was even more proud when he was offered the rank of Jedi Master upon successfully training Aaron, and Brakkar accepted the promotion.
Upon reaching Masterhood, Brakkar took up a position within the Jedi Temple as a lightsaber instructor, intent on passing on his own considerable skills with the weapon onto the younger generations. Many trained under (and with) Brakkar, from Younglings and Padawans, to some Knights and even some fellow Jedi Masters. Many looked up to Brakkar as being one of the best warriors in the Order.
After a few years of instructing people in the use of lightsabers, Brakkar was saddened to learn that his former master, Rizzar Saliss, had passed away. This also left an empty seat on the High Council, and Brakkar was offered his master's former position. Brakkar politely declined, however, and also relinquished his instructing position to return to peacekeeping missions, wanting to return to his roots, in honor of his beloved, deceased mentor, Rizzar.
The third mission Brakkar went on after Rizzar's passing was quite a volatile situation. A clan war on Rodia was claiming hundreds of lives, and the Bomu Clan, the most powerful clan at the time, requested a Jedi to command their warriors in restoring order. Nobik Gala, the Grand Protector and leader of the Rodians, met with Brakkar and they discussed ways to restore the peace. When it became clear that order could not be restored without some bloodshed, Brakkar took to the streets of a Rodian village with a company of warriors at his back.
The leaders of two allied clans who were warring against the others held talks with Brakkar and a representative of the Bomu Clan. The leaders demanded control of several territories owned by other clans, to which the Bomu representative flatly denied. The leaders returned to their groups and prepared for battle.
Brakkar led the Bomu charge against the two united clans. Hundreds were killed, on both sides, and Brakkar was scarred across his face by an enemy's vibroblade, but eventually, the Bomu were victorious. The enemy clans had been devastated, and surrendered. When news spread of a Jedi at the head of the Bomu Clan, defeating some of the largest warring Rodian clans, the rest ceased fighting and met for a grand peace council. Maps were redrawn, territories were won and lost, and a few shots were fired, but in a month's time after Brakkar had went to Rodia, peace was reestablished.
The official report was labeled as a "terribly unfortunate mechanical failure", but many within the Jedi Order, the Republic, and back on Rodia believed it to be an intentional sabotage, though none knew who was responsible. It could have been a member of any one of the clans back on Rodia who rigged Brakkar's ship with any sort of an explosive device or corrosive agent, but a few solid facts are known for certain.
When returning to Coruscant from his successful mission on Rodia, the cockpit of Brakkar's starship was damaged, and Brakkar was spaced. Whether it was a miracle or the will of the Force, a trader vessel was passing by, and Brakkar was picked up within 2 minutes of being exposed to the cold vacuum, and he was shipped from planet to planet, hospital to hospital, from the Outer Rim to the Inner Rim, back to Coruscant. All of the doctors thought Brakkar would die, or at least be left in a vegetative state for the rest of his life, requiring breathing support, and feeding tubes.
Brakkar spent three and a half years in bacta tubes, on operating tables, in dozens of hospitals, undergoing several procedures and operations, organ transplants and some cybernetic reconstruction. After so much work, the doctors, after consulting with the Jedi Order, had decided that Brakkar would be left on life support indefinitely. Nobody had expected that he would wake up. But he did. A nurse was alerted when she heard Brakkar's screams of pain. He had stumbled out of his bed, and was howling terribly. It took eight of the hospital staff to put him back in his bed, restrain him, and sedate him.
After months of therapy, both physical and mental, Brakkar was released from the hospital on Coruscant. The Thakwaash was changed. Brakkar was 40 years old at this time, and very much different from his usual self. He was bitter, arrogant, spiteful and rude. His room in the Temple was also often found in shambles, furniture having been destroyed, clothes torn, and holes punched in the walls. The High Council assumed that he was having a hard time dealing with the physical and emotional damage from his experience. They were partially right. Results from screenings, scans, and other tests taken over the years had shown that Brakkar's time in vacuum had damaged his brain, from the lack of oxygen, and exposure to various types of radiation. The Council thought he would get better in time. They were wrong.
Brakkar had reluctantly gone back into teaching lightsaber combat. He was very unhappy, and saw the young Padawans as not being worth his time. He preferred training with the Jedi Knights and Masters, though still saw it as a pointless waste of time.
One day, while sparring with a Jedi Knight, after deflecting a blow, Brakkar noticed that his nose was bleeding. His heart was racing, and his head started pounding. He dropped to the floor in agony. His training partner raced to his side, deeply concerned for Brakkar. The Thakwaash pushed him away, claiming he was fine, and staggered to his feet, still bleeding and in pain. Uncertain, the Jedi Knight continued sparring with Brakkar. It wasn't long before Brakkar completely forgot himself. He could not remember with whom he was fighting or why, nor did he care. He stopped holding back his tremendous strength.
The Jedi Knight was disarmed with one swing, and cut in half with the next. Brakkar howled with rage, and stormed away. He fled the Temple, assaulting everybody in his way, stole a Star Explorer from the spaceport, and departed. Brakkar was tailed by two Republic officers who requested, then demanded his return to Coruscant. Brakkar's only response was angry ranting in an alien tongue (his native tongue of Thakwaese), and he engaged the two ships following him, destroying one, and damaging the other. He fled for the Outer Rim Territories.
Brakkar regained consciousness and composure. He was confused, but still retained memory of what had transpired. He cared little. What mattered to him now was that he find out where he is, and seek out more power, so that he could defend himself from any pursuers, and forge his own destiny. He was still in the Star Explorer, on the outskirts of a small town on Tatooine.
RP Sample:
"Ferinus" is Brakkar's Sith name, meaning "Brutal" (In Latin, mind you)
Race: Thakwaash
Age: 80
Height: 10'
Weight: 400 lbs
Appearance: Brakkar stands at an intimidating ten feet, which is only slightly above average for people of his species. His muscles are very large and powerful, another trait typical of the Thakwaash. He is equinoid in appearance; his face is much like a horse's snout, with wide, thick lips, and a broad, lumpy nose with large, flaring nostrils. He has big, deep, black eyes below a naturally furrowed brow. His ears are large and floppy. Brakkar's hair is long and greyed, flowing down past his broad, muscular shoulders to mid-back. He also has a long, thick beard that goes down to his navel. His eyebrows are very thin and wispy. Brakkar's skin is brown-grey.
Brakkar's typical garb first consists, rather simply, of pants, a tunic, a leather tabard, leather boots, and leather gloves, all jet-black. His robes and cloak are more elegant; long, flowy, and velvety, jet-black with a blood red lining. He ties a red sash around his waist, from which hangs his dual-phase lightsaber. The darkness and depth of his robes, around his already tall, broad exterior, add to his appearance, making him seem almost statuesque, or like a great, terrible, looming shadow. Most of his victims have screamed in terror at the sight of this monster, this dark figure and his scarlet red lightsaber being the last thing they ever see.
Personality: Describing Brakkar's personality is not a straightforward process; as with all Thakwaash, he possessed multiple personalities. After a terrible starship "incident", Brakkar was spaced. He survived, just barely, but sustained a degree of brain damage. The bizarre side effect of this was that he was left with only two, dangerous, new personalities.
Personality One: The Aristocrat
The "first" of his two personalities; when Brakkar is in this state of mind, he sees himself as being far superior to others. He believes his power to be absolute, and unquestionable. Everybody is below him and not worth their time, unless they have something to offer him, in which case he maintains a cool friendliness, in which his arrogance is ever so slightly detectable. He thoroughly enjoys luxury, fine arts, fine foods, and fine company, though his company is always at serious risk while at his side. Anybody speaking to him out of turn is fair game for a verbal thrashing, at the very least, if not a physical and aggressive response. The wisest and safest course of action is to smile sweetly and lavish him with compliments when asking something of him, or offering him advice or input. Treating him roughly or with an uncaring manner is likely to be replied with a lightsaber through the torso.
Personality Two: The Madman
Those thinking his first personality to be dangerous and disagreeable have not experienced his other side. He is completely unpredictable in this state. Brakkar will rant and rave in his native tongue, speaking to shadows and inanimate objects as though they were his closest and dearest friends. He seems to perceive anything moving as a threat in this state, and will tear into it savagely with tooth, nail, or lightsaber. He requires special restraints forged from Mandalorian iron, as anything less is likely to be torn apart with ease, including people. Anybody brave or stupid enough to have confronted him while Brakkar was in this state was torn to pieces, and occasionally eaten (or at least gnawed upon).
Brakkar is entirely aware of his two differing personalities, and has given those he is in regular contact with a CODE PHRASE to challenge him with each time, every time, as soon as they greet him. When given the correct response, his allies can be sure that he is in his "right" state of mind, and are much safer than if he was in his "Mad" state. Brakkar is given an approximate 2 minute warning (on average) that he is going to descend from Aristocrat to Madman; he experiences severe migraines, nosebleeds, and tremors. When in his private quarters, he has enough time to shackle himself safely before he transforms, though he is not always able to do so before he becomes Mad.
Brakkar is in his Aristocrat State for 2 days at a time (on average), and his Madman State for 12 hours (once again, on average). Despite these observed terms, he can sometimes transform at completely random intervals, thus requiring the Code Phrase as a greeting at all times, lest one be at a severe risk.
Most of his lightsaber technique is pure, brute strength, due to his impatience and scarcely controlled rage, but when facing a more worthy adversary, he employs great skill with many forms of lightsaber combat.
Birth place: Thakwaa
Faction: Sith Order
Rank: Master-Marauder
Previous Faction: Jedi Order
Previous Rank: Master-Guardian
Lightsaber: Single blade (dual-phase)
Color: Red
Practiced Lightsaber forms:
Shii-Cho: 5
Makashi: 5
Soresu: 2
Shien / Djem So: 5
>>Sub-form Backhanded: 2
Juyo: 5
Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:
Telekinetic: 5
Telepathic: 2
Body: 5
Sense: 3
Protection: 2
Healing: 0
Destruction: 4
Specialized Skills: Projected Fighting
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 9
Intelligence: 3
Speed: 3
Leadership: 3
Unarmed: 7
Melee Weapons: 7
Ranged Weapons: 1
Starship: Star Explorer
Droid(s): 3 pilot droids (Star Explorer crew)
Bio:
Pre-Discovery
Brakkar was born on Thakwaa, in the Outer Rim Territories, to two proud parents, Jakkess and Miralo. Jakkess was an experienced starship mechanic, often taking young Brakkar to the spaceport to see the varieties of ships, small and large, colorful and bland, local-built and exotic. The colors, sounds, and smells fascinated the young Thakwaash. Miralo was a baker, producing different breads and cakes from the local crops and selling them for a respectable sum. All in all, they were an average, middle class Thakwaash family, just making their way in the universe.
It was a pair of coincidences that brought young Brakkar to the Jedi Order--or simply destiny, as many Jedi see it. A Jedi Knight was returning to Coruscant from a mission in the Outer Rim, but his ship was damaged when passing through an asteroid field, and was in need of repair, so he landed on Thakwaa.
Jakkess had Brakkar with him when the Jedi arrived, and asked the Jedi to watch his child as he worked on repairing the starship. A curious thing happened while Brakkar was casually playing with some of his father's tools; some of them would float, hovering just above the ground, as Brakkar was playing and laughing, clanking pieces of metal together. The Jedi Knight plainly took this as evidence of the young Thakwaa's Force Sensitivity, and asked to take the boy to Coruscant after the repairs had been completed. Brakkar was naturally reluctant to leave his parents, as were they to part with him, but Jakkess and Miralo knew that he would be wasted if not a part of the Jedi Order, given his raw potential as a Force Sensitive. And so Brakkar left, never to see his parents again.
First Years at the Temple
After a few days of loneliness, Brakkar took to his new role as a Jedi Youngling. He learned Galactic Basic, and attentively listened to his minder. He squabbled with the other younglings in his clan, but was soon taught to behave and cooperate with them. Brakkar took to his lessons with youthful enthusiasm, very eager to become a proper Jedi.
His true talent became obvious early on in his initiate years. Brakkar was very skilled compared to the other younglings with the use of his practice saber, and was a difficult sparring partner, aided greatly by his natural strength. This came to fruition when the day for the Apprentice Tournament came. He fought very fiercely, and defeated most of his opponents with ease. Brakkar became the winner of this Apprentice Tournament, with only a few burns from the latter few bouts. He drew the attention of many Knights and Masters, and was ultimately approached by Jedi Master Rizzar Saliss, a male Barabel and a former Jedi Battlemaster. Brakkar happily agreed to be taught by Rizzar, and Brakkar became his Padawan learner. The two were quite pleased.
Padawan of the Former Battlemaster
At age 13, Brakkar went on his first mission with Master Rizzar. There was a digsite on the planet of Talus, operated by the native Drall, that was searching for a legendary repulsor device that was supposedly buried deep beneath the planet surface. This digsite was reporting mysterious disappearances, of workers or groups of workers that had gone in and never come back. Some Drall feared evil spirits or monsters, as they were naturally quite savvy and suited to caves. The Jedi suspected simple cave-ins or sinkholes, but Rizzar and Brakkar were sent regardless, to ensure that the digsite was safe, and to locate the missing Drall workers if at all possible.
Talus is a Core World, so the trip from Coruscant to Talus was thankfully brief. When Brakkar and Rizzar arrived at the digsite, Drall were running away from it. One Drall who stopped to talk to Brakkar warned them that another group of diggers had gone missing, and horrible screams were reported. The digsite was immediately shut down and the Drall workers fled the area. Brakkar and Rizzar went in, dismissing the Dralls' fears as superstition and cowardice.
The air in the caves was thick and full of dust that made it difficult to breathe, without stopping every few seconds to cough repeatedly. Navigating them was difficult, with many winding, twisting tunnels, dug in an unclear pattern. Eventually, they found small bone fragments, random knuckle bones and such, laying in small piles in one of the tunnels. They traced the bones further into the caves, and the piles of bones grew larger and more frequent, while the air grew dustier and harder to breathe. Turning a corner, they were both struck on the head and knocked unconscious.
Brakkar and Rizzar awoke to find themselves lashed crudely to wooden crosses, in a large, open cavern, filled with dozens of twitchy, skinny, stinky furry bodies. It was a nest of Selonians, a species of furry, carnivorous, burrowing mammals. They were all disease-ridden and starved, driven mad by their hunger and pain. The flesh of the Drall workers was still being cooked on a spit in a corner of the cave. The Selonians were paying the Jedi little mind, as they were focusing on a Drall who was about to be executed.
They were chanting something in the Selonian language, surrounding a lone Drall who was lashed to a cross in the same fashion as the two Jedi. A large female Selonian was brandishing a crude knife, and was making small cuts into the Drall worker, resulting in terrible cries of pain. Brakkar and Rizzar did not intend for this to happen to them, and wanted to put a stop to the Drall's suffering. Using their powerful muscles, the two Jedi easily broke their bonds. Rizzar was relieved to find his lightsaber still on his belt, and Brakkar found a club made out of bone. The two set upon the distracted Selonians.
The nest of diseased, starving Selonians was killed off swiftly. The two Jedi burned the bodies of the dead, including what remained of the Drall workers, and freed the last surviving worker from his bonds. The three left the caves and were celebrated with roaring applause and a great feast when they went to the nearby Drall settlement. The Jedi were thanked for their rescue of the surviving digger, and their slaying of the deranged Selonians. This mission solidified the trust and kinship between Brakkar and Rizzar, having fought side by side, protecting eachother and saving the Drall worker. The digsite continued to operate, but no news was ever heard if the mythical repulsor device was located.
Brakkar sprouted quickly. By age 16, he was already 8 feet tall, and still had more growing to do. He was vastly stronger than a fully grown Human male, like other Thakwaash were, and made it quite a challenge for Rizzar to train him in melee combat.
The day came for Brakkar and Rizzar to head to Ilum, the icy world known (amongst the Jedi Order) for its caves full of crystals used in the construction of lightsabers. It was a long and treacherous hike up the slopes leading to the Crystal Caves, and they had to keep a constant vigil, looking out for Gorgodons--large, furry creatures native to Ilum, with three rows of sharp teeth and a mean temperament. Fortunately, and unexpectedly, the two Jedi didn't encounter a single one. They reached the Crystal Caves, and it was there that Brakkar spent many days and nights, meditating, and slowly assembling his lightsaber, in the image of his master's own lightsaber. Brakkar encountered many disturbing visions of war, death, murder, and genocide, but held fast. Finally, after weeks of concentration and labor, Brakkar held the metal cylinder before him, and pressing a stud on the hilt, a brilliant, blue plasma beam extended forth. Pressing another stud, it extended again, doubling in length, creating a blade as large as Brakkar was. He had constructed his lightsaber.
Brakkar and Rizzar were now able to go on more dangerous missions, since Brakkar was armed. It was also around this time that he developed another personality; Thakwaash gain multiple personalities as they age, and Brakkar's first was that of a respectful and playful young man. This new personality was more wizened and dutiful, like that of a Jedi Knight. Alternating between the two, Brakkar came across as a pleasant and mature young man, with refreshing enthusiasm.
While practicing his Force powers one day, Brakkar asked his master if there was a method in which one could use brute strength or martial prowess through the Force, possibly even through an opponent's guard. Rizzar revealed that there was such a power; through the use of telekinesis, one could project their strength and combat prowess through the Force. Thus, Brakkar began his practice of projected fighting, which would take decades of practice before he would perfect it.
One mission that Brakkar went on after creating his lightsaber was near the planet Mindor, a member of the Inner Rim Territories. A trading vessel had been captured by a band of pirates who were demanding tens of thousands of credits for the safe return of the crew. Brakkar and Rizzar were sent to save the crewmen and deal with the pirates, preferably through diplomacy. When they boarded the ship and revealed that they hadn't brought the demanded ransom, the pirates made it clear that they were going to execute the hostages, as they began to shout orders and raise their weapons towards the prisoners.
Acting quickly, Master Rizzar threw his lightsaber, disarming the pirates who were going to shoot the prisoners. Brakkar raced forward and engaged the criminals who were still armed. They fired on him, but he deflected their blaster bolts, killing one pirate and disabling another. Before the last pirate could fire his blaster, Brakkar grabbed his arm and twisted it, snapping his bones with ease. The criminals, disarmed, injured, or both, quickly surrendered to the two Jedi. They were arrested, and the prisoners were freed.
Brakkar felt that his relationship with his master was something like that between an uncle and a nephew. They were quite friendly with eachother; protecting eachother, learning from eachother. Rizzar challenged his Padawan to be his best, to push himself beyond his built-in limits, that it was necessary to do so to be a protector of the galaxy. And so Brakkar did. He strived to be the best that he could. And he was.
The time came when Rizzar had realized his Padawan was ready to become a full Jedi Knight. The next chapter of Brakkar's life was ready to begin.
The Trials
A lull in the frequency of missions undertaken by Brakkar and Rizzar allowed for the Jedi Trials to be administered normally, whereas many Jedi passed there Trials while in the field. Brakkar entered the Jedi Trials Chamber alone.
Brakkar sat in the Chamber and meditated, waiting for his Trials to commence. He waited for an hour or two, before a hologram appeared, the form of the Jedi Grandmaster of the time. "We have deemed you to be unworthy of the Jedi Order. Turn in your lightsaber and leave at once", it said. Brakkar became full of anger and confusion, wondering what he had done wrong, why he was being cast out so abruptly, and how they could dare to treat him in this manner. He felt his veins boiling with rage, Brakkar felt like drawing his saber and smashing the hologram projector to pieces, smashing the entire Temple down around him.
He was puzzled by these thoughts even more than he was puzzled by why he was to be cast out. A Jedi must not be so rash, arrogant, so vengeful. He felt ashamed of himself, and merely sat down to meditate some more, trying to push aside his anger and let go of his feelings. It was when he did so that he realized that this was the first of his Trials, and he had passed. The hologram was a lie. It was a trick, meant to show him the anger and frustration he had within himself, even if he did not realize it, and for him to learn to overcome it. The Trial of Spirit was meant to force Padawans to confront their inner demons and defeat them, which Brakkar had done. The hologram of the Grandmaster bowed, and faded. Brakkar was relieved. He returned to his meditation, awaiting the next Trials.
Many hours into his meditation, several figures appeared, in dark robes--wielding red lightsabers. Brakkar drew his lightsaber and was confused-were these holograms, or members of the Jedi Order that were just going to spar with him? Or were they indeed Dark Jedi, that had somehow infiltrated the Temple? His time spent in that chamber had somewhat dulled his perception and thoughts, so he decided to go on the defensive, not wanting to risk injuring a fellow Jedi. He blocked blow after blow, only counter-attacking to push them back. Time pressed on, and he grew exhausted. Fellow Jedi would not be pressing him so hard, so they were either holograms or actual Dark Jedi. Brakkar charged in, and battered away at their defenses, raining blows upon them. One after another were felled, until Brakkar was the only person standing. Their bodies disappeared, and the door to the Chamber opened. In defending himself from his attackers, and defeating them in such extended combat, he had passed his Trials of Courage and of Skill. Only one Trial remained, and it would not be pleasant. It also required more field work.
The second mission Brakkar and Rizzar went on after his successes in the Jedi Trials Chamber was especially trying. The daughter of the senator of Kinyen, the Gran homeworld, had been kidnapped, and was taken away from the Galactic Core. No ransom or demands had yet been made. Brakkar and Rizzar tracked rumors and reported sightings of the kidnappers from Coruscant all the way to Tatooine in the Outer Rim.
Investigating possible leads to the whereabouts of the senator's daughter, Brakkar heard that a group of especially rough looking Dugs had occupied an old warehouse near the outskirts of Mos Eisley--and were seen with a female Gran. Brakkar contacted his master on his commlink, informed him of the possible sighting, and raced ahead of Rizzar to the warehouse. Brakkar sneaked to the backside of the warehouse, and could hear muffled cries within the building. Not wanting to waste time, fearing for the life of the senator's daughter, and against Rizzar's warnings, he used his lightsaber to cut a hole in the side of the building and charged in.
Brakkar was immediately met with a volley of blaster fire. He deflected many of the blaster bolts, killing and wounding a few of the Dug criminals, but there were too many of them. He was repeatedly shot and went down.
Slipping in and out of consciousness, Brakkar made out a figure with a bright light enter the warehouse and combat the Dugs.
When Brakkar awoke, he was in a bacta tank in a hospital on the planet Lorimax, in the Inner Rim, and several weeks had passed. After a few more weeks, when his wounds had sufficiently healed up, he was visited by Master Rizzar. Rizzar explained that Brakkar had nearly been killed, but his hasty entrance had interrupted what was to be the senator's daughter's recorded execution. She had been wounded in the crossfire, but survived, and the matter was largely swept under the rug, to avoid tensions between Kinyen and the Dug homeworld of Malastare, from which the kidnappers hailed. They had apparently planned to execute the senator's daughter in a bid to become more independent from Kinyen.
It was also in this time that Rizzar informed Brakkar that he had passed his Trial of the Flesh, in having been so gravely wounded in the line of duty. When he was able to travel, Brakkar left for Coruscant with Rizzar, to become a Jedi Knight.
Knighthood
Brakkar was overjoyed to have become a fully fledged Jedi. He was 25 years old, a staggering 10 feet tall (still, only a bit above average height among his species), and eager to defend the innocent of the galaxy.
The first mission Brakkar was sent on after being knighted was a very sensitive one. A Jedi Knight and his apprentice had gone on a mission to Corellia to track down and arrest the assassin of a senator--they had not reported back. Brakkar was to find the missing Jedi investigators, and bring the assassin to justice. He left for Corellia at once.
Brakkar located various Republic contacts, inquiring about the whereabouts of the Jedi and the assassin. One, surprisingly, claimed to be able to lead Brakkar to the assassin's hideout. Brakkar was a bit suspicious, but had the contact lead take him. They went to an especially shady part of Coronet, where prostitutes were on every corner and gangs roamed freely. The contact knocked in a peculiar rhythm on the door to a seemingly abandoned home, and nodded to Brakkar, who stepped inside, drawing his lightsaber.
The door locked behind him, and he felt a blaster press against his abdomen. He was lead into the house at gunpoint, where he saw a young male human, dressed in Jedi clothing and with a Padawan braid, bound and gagged. The gunman stepped before Brakkar and showed his face--a Trandoshan, clad in battle-scarred combat armor, with a sniper rifle on his back. This must have been the senator's assassin. When the gunman ordered Brakkar to drop his lightsaber and roll it to him, Brakkar refused. The assassin put the barrel of his blaster flesh to the Padawan's head, and demanded again.
Brakkar slowly lowered his lightsaber to the floor and kicked it over to the assassin. Focusing his mind sharply, he channeled the Force through his body, and punched the air in front of him. The brute strength behind his use of projected fighting crumpled the assassin's chest like tissue paper, killing him instantly. Brakkar retrieved his lightsaber and freed the captive Jedi. The Padawan thanked him profusely, and proceeded to explain to him about how he and his master had similarly been caught by the assassin. The Jedi Knight had been killed trying to defend his apprentice, but the assassin kept the boy as a bargaining chip in case anybody else came after him.
Brakkar and the young Jedi found the fallen Jedi Knight's remains, and took them back to Coruscant for a proper funeral. After the ceremony, Brakkar humbly put forth that perhaps he could finish the Padawan's training. The human agreed, and became Brakkar's Padawan learner. His name was Aaron Dex, age 15.
The Thakwaash Jedi Knight found training his new apprentice far more difficult than his own training. Brakkar had to heavily restrain his strength during sparring sessions with Aaron, to avoid harming the boy. He would hold his saber in a loose grip with one hand as his apprentice charged in, full strength, both hands gripping his training saber. The boy fortunately proved to be a quick and spirited learner, eagerly following Brakkar's form as they practiced Shii-cho, Makashi, Soresu, Djem So, and Juyo. Aaron was a natural.
After turning 16, Aaron was ready to construct his first lightsaber. Brakkar fondly thought back to when he had been in the same place, years earlier, ascending the slopes of Ilum and making his own lightsaber, which he still held. However, things would be somewhat different on this trip to Ilum. Many Gorgodons barred the way to the Crystal Caves. The two engaged the great beasts, though Brakkar held back a bit, wanting to let his apprentice learn and train, though not putting his Padawan in direct danger. When a Gorgodon deflected Aaron's vibroblade and went in for the kill, Brakkar horizontally bisected the creature at the waist, with relative ease.
It was many weeks that Brakkar waited for his apprentice to construct his lightsaber. Aaron shook and sputtered, no doubt disturbed by troubling vision during his meditations. All went well, though, and Aaron held aloft his brilliant blue lightsaber, which made Brakkar's heart leap with joy.
Soon after their return to Coruscant, Brakkar and Aaron were sent to capture a terrorist on Alderaan. A human executive in a starship manufacturing company believed he was being cut out from the profits on a lucrative contract, and was holding several of his coworkers hostage, demanding a tremendous sum of credits for their safety. Brakkar and his apprentice took an airspeeder to the roof and descended to the floor below, where the hostage taker was.
Brakkar did not draw his lightsaber, and merely ordered the human to drop his blaster and allow himself to be arrested. The human refused, and in his panic, accidentally shot one of his hostages in the leg. Acting quickly, Brakkar picked up his apprentice and threw him towards the terrorist. Aaron activated his lightsaber and cut off the terrorist's arm, ending the standoff. The wounded hostage survived, and was freed along with the others. The terrorist was arrested, had his wounds treated, and upon receiving a psychological evaluation, was indeed found to be mentally unstable. He was to spend many years in prison and therapy.
Aaron and Brakkar became like brothers over the years. Despite their difference in species, they got along very well, always joking and trying to one-up eachother. Despite his initial difficulties, Brakkar was a fine teacher, and Aaron was well on his way to Knighthood himself.
Their last mission together was quite the horrifying experience. Reports of Cthon incursions to the upper levels of Coruscant were on the rise, and the two Jedi were sent to cull the Cthons and send them back to the lower levels. The two set off immediately, not wanting to waste any time. As they went deeper into the Coruscant Underworld, they saw the usual gangs and thugs, but heading even further, they saw no people, only heavily boarded up, decrepit buildings, from which hushed voices could occasionally be heard. Brakkar walked up to one of these buildings, knelt beside the door, and asked to those inside what they were hiding from. Only one word came from the other side; "Cthons."
Hardly two minutes later, a greyish creature came shuffling towards the Jedi from out of a darkened alley. Upon drawing their lightsabers, the creature howled with rage, and charged Brakkar and Aaron. It leaped at Aaron, who cut it in half with a single stroke. The creature's remains twitched horribly. It was a ghastly, man-like creature, completely naked, smelling of rotted flesh. Brakkar and Aaron had found the Cthons. They went from building to building, alley to alley, finding small groups of them holed up, feasting on the remains of people who had been unfortunate enough to have been captured by the Cthons. The two Jedi cut them all down.
Standing in the middle of an abandoned street, Brakkar and Aaron were catching their breath when a horde of the awful creatures came racing towards them, and circled the two Jedi. Master and Padawan went back to back to engage the foul humanoids. After half an hour of fighting, the surviving Cthons fled. Their mission complete, Brakkar and Aaron returned to the surface of Coruscant, eager to be somewhere well lit and populated.
Brakkar was 32 years old when his apprentice, Aaron Dex, became a Jedi Knight. The Thakwaash was filled with pride, in his apprentice's skills, and in his own as a teacher. He was even more proud when he was offered the rank of Jedi Master upon successfully training Aaron, and Brakkar accepted the promotion.
Brakkar Desh, Jedi Master
Upon reaching Masterhood, Brakkar took up a position within the Jedi Temple as a lightsaber instructor, intent on passing on his own considerable skills with the weapon onto the younger generations. Many trained under (and with) Brakkar, from Younglings and Padawans, to some Knights and even some fellow Jedi Masters. Many looked up to Brakkar as being one of the best warriors in the Order.
After a few years of instructing people in the use of lightsabers, Brakkar was saddened to learn that his former master, Rizzar Saliss, had passed away. This also left an empty seat on the High Council, and Brakkar was offered his master's former position. Brakkar politely declined, however, and also relinquished his instructing position to return to peacekeeping missions, wanting to return to his roots, in honor of his beloved, deceased mentor, Rizzar.
The third mission Brakkar went on after Rizzar's passing was quite a volatile situation. A clan war on Rodia was claiming hundreds of lives, and the Bomu Clan, the most powerful clan at the time, requested a Jedi to command their warriors in restoring order. Nobik Gala, the Grand Protector and leader of the Rodians, met with Brakkar and they discussed ways to restore the peace. When it became clear that order could not be restored without some bloodshed, Brakkar took to the streets of a Rodian village with a company of warriors at his back.
The leaders of two allied clans who were warring against the others held talks with Brakkar and a representative of the Bomu Clan. The leaders demanded control of several territories owned by other clans, to which the Bomu representative flatly denied. The leaders returned to their groups and prepared for battle.
Brakkar led the Bomu charge against the two united clans. Hundreds were killed, on both sides, and Brakkar was scarred across his face by an enemy's vibroblade, but eventually, the Bomu were victorious. The enemy clans had been devastated, and surrendered. When news spread of a Jedi at the head of the Bomu Clan, defeating some of the largest warring Rodian clans, the rest ceased fighting and met for a grand peace council. Maps were redrawn, territories were won and lost, and a few shots were fired, but in a month's time after Brakkar had went to Rodia, peace was reestablished.
The "Accident"
The official report was labeled as a "terribly unfortunate mechanical failure", but many within the Jedi Order, the Republic, and back on Rodia believed it to be an intentional sabotage, though none knew who was responsible. It could have been a member of any one of the clans back on Rodia who rigged Brakkar's ship with any sort of an explosive device or corrosive agent, but a few solid facts are known for certain.
When returning to Coruscant from his successful mission on Rodia, the cockpit of Brakkar's starship was damaged, and Brakkar was spaced. Whether it was a miracle or the will of the Force, a trader vessel was passing by, and Brakkar was picked up within 2 minutes of being exposed to the cold vacuum, and he was shipped from planet to planet, hospital to hospital, from the Outer Rim to the Inner Rim, back to Coruscant. All of the doctors thought Brakkar would die, or at least be left in a vegetative state for the rest of his life, requiring breathing support, and feeding tubes.
Brakkar spent three and a half years in bacta tubes, on operating tables, in dozens of hospitals, undergoing several procedures and operations, organ transplants and some cybernetic reconstruction. After so much work, the doctors, after consulting with the Jedi Order, had decided that Brakkar would be left on life support indefinitely. Nobody had expected that he would wake up. But he did. A nurse was alerted when she heard Brakkar's screams of pain. He had stumbled out of his bed, and was howling terribly. It took eight of the hospital staff to put him back in his bed, restrain him, and sedate him.
After months of therapy, both physical and mental, Brakkar was released from the hospital on Coruscant. The Thakwaash was changed. Brakkar was 40 years old at this time, and very much different from his usual self. He was bitter, arrogant, spiteful and rude. His room in the Temple was also often found in shambles, furniture having been destroyed, clothes torn, and holes punched in the walls. The High Council assumed that he was having a hard time dealing with the physical and emotional damage from his experience. They were partially right. Results from screenings, scans, and other tests taken over the years had shown that Brakkar's time in vacuum had damaged his brain, from the lack of oxygen, and exposure to various types of radiation. The Council thought he would get better in time. They were wrong.
Descent into Madness
Brakkar had reluctantly gone back into teaching lightsaber combat. He was very unhappy, and saw the young Padawans as not being worth his time. He preferred training with the Jedi Knights and Masters, though still saw it as a pointless waste of time.
One day, while sparring with a Jedi Knight, after deflecting a blow, Brakkar noticed that his nose was bleeding. His heart was racing, and his head started pounding. He dropped to the floor in agony. His training partner raced to his side, deeply concerned for Brakkar. The Thakwaash pushed him away, claiming he was fine, and staggered to his feet, still bleeding and in pain. Uncertain, the Jedi Knight continued sparring with Brakkar. It wasn't long before Brakkar completely forgot himself. He could not remember with whom he was fighting or why, nor did he care. He stopped holding back his tremendous strength.
The Jedi Knight was disarmed with one swing, and cut in half with the next. Brakkar howled with rage, and stormed away. He fled the Temple, assaulting everybody in his way, stole a Star Explorer from the spaceport, and departed. Brakkar was tailed by two Republic officers who requested, then demanded his return to Coruscant. Brakkar's only response was angry ranting in an alien tongue (his native tongue of Thakwaese), and he engaged the two ships following him, destroying one, and damaging the other. He fled for the Outer Rim Territories.
Brakkar regained consciousness and composure. He was confused, but still retained memory of what had transpired. He cared little. What mattered to him now was that he find out where he is, and seek out more power, so that he could defend himself from any pursuers, and forge his own destiny. He was still in the Star Explorer, on the outskirts of a small town on Tatooine.
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