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I see the contestants are making their way out onto the starting grid. This article was originally created as an entry for a Return of the Light competition and is not official DJB canon content. It is preserved here for historical purposes only.
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A Human Colonist, Darik joined Thuron’s military to avoid punishment. After realising the injustice and oppression, he started speaking against the False King. He was caught eventually by some Thuron Loyalists and thrown into Purity Rock. From there, he has gone from success to success. He fought in all major battle’s against the Thuron monarchy. He was raised to General following a rushed field-promotion, before being grievously wounded by an artillery blast. Using cybertechnology, Darik left the military and became a politician, of sorts. He is a true voice for the people, and is very popular. He is fuelled by the death of his family, and strives to right all wrongs. He works closely with the Colonial Security Corps, as well as the Network to make sure that his planet and people are safe.
He has risen through good fortune and his unrelenting good nature to the position of Minister, in Menat Ombo. He answers to the Prime Minister, both advising him and running the smaller processes.
History
Early Life
Darik was born in 10 ABY to a working class family in a sizeable settlement that would later become Menat Ombo. During his childhood, there was a fair amount of conflict between the Harakoans and the Colonists. Unfortunately, this means that he didn’t receive a proper, stable education. Instead he would hang around the camp, receiving an unofficial education from the group of mechanics, engineers and veterans that would be there. Every Sunday, he had ‘private tuition’ from his mother, who taught him about the history of the universe, at least the way that she’d been taught it.
In around 23 ABY, Darik was growing up, and managed to snag an apprenticeship at the local speeder hire. There he reinforced his existing engineer skills. He got better, and he was good at it. Darik could repair a speeder, and maybe even make it better. He had a talent, to be sure. He worked there for a few years, gaining reputation as a very talented engineer. After the owner got too old, e inherited the business. Dark didn’t just sit on his moderate, local speeder hire, saving his money. he made it bigger, getting more speeder bikes and expanding over a larger area, eventually gaining three other garages. In the end, he controlled the speeder bike industry in most of Menat Ombo. Darik wasn’t the most frugal person ever, though. His net income was a moderate salary, at best. With all the money coming in, he gambled most of it away. Though, like most things, practice makes perfect. As Darik played more and more, he got better and better, eventually even making profits.
About this time, a young lady called Terisa spent a lot of time in Darik’s garages. She was always renting speeders, and Darik and her sparked. They’d have lengthy conversations whenever she returned a bike, and soon they were infatuated with each other. They married not long after, and in the next few years, Darik and Terisa had two sons, Adam and Niell.
Thuronian Life
- "Life under Thuron isn’t so bad. He may beat us and leave us for dead if we step so much as a toe out of line, but he rescued us from the obviously evil Jedi who protected us before"
- ―Darik whilst conversing with one of his gambling buddies
When Cy Thuron took over the planet, Darik’s business was seized by the dictatorial regime. When confronted about being unemployed, Darik was given a choice by the new military: train as a guard, or go to Purity Rock. Wanting to stay free, he chose the former.
His training was intense, and at times, brutal. Darik and the other cadets were flayed and whipped for the smallest mistake. Three hours overtime each night was considered a blessing if you stepped out of line. The Thuron army worked under the strictest discipline, which could have been impressive, if it wasn’t governed by fear.
However, there were benefits of Darik’s condition. He gained valuable skills in combat, and quickly became the best in his troop at tactical warfare. In one training mission, Darik almost completely devastated the other team of cadets using a simple tactic - speeder bikes. Darik was pleased by the praise he received, but it only meant that he was kept a closer eye on.
He valued his life and freedom, so he beared this new life. On another of his training expeditions, he walked through an abandoned village not far from Menat Ombo. Pretty soon after, he realised that the town wasn’t abandoned. The inhabitants hid in their houses, trying not to attract attention from Thuron’s intimidating officers, whose whips were in their hands. The ones that were outside cowered behind carts and were covered in filth, all in aid of hiding, and not being noticed. The thing that affected Darik the most is that he could see the fear in their eyes. Such fear can only have been created under the foulest of conditions, and the fear of the military only formed through the most horrific of displays. Darik almost cried out in outrage, but he managed to downgrade it to a sigh, for which he received a lash on the shoulder.
Darik’s hate for the new regime continued to build, and he started to spread rumours, both amongst his fellow cadets, and between his gambling friends. He found that most agreed with him, but lacked the courage and sheer bravery it took to do anything against Thuron. His successes were a double edged sword, and the attention that he had garnered almost lost him his life. His treasonous effort was eventually found out, and Darik was beaten and arrested. After a lengthy interrogation, Darik was sent to Purity Rock. Before he left, his children were brought before him, and their throats were slit, a merciless smile dancing across the interrogator’s lips. Darik is haunted by his inability to stop this evil, but also uses it to fuel his crusade against evil. Darik’s wife was also taken prisoner, and sent to Purity Rock, to blackmail Darik and ensure his compliance.
Purity Rock
He spent four months in Purity Rock, doing forced labour, and wearing himself down. He was constantly beaten and abused by his captors, who took every chance to lash out at the prisoners. He grew weak, the food being inadequate and only just sufficient to keep them alive. Indeed, the desert only added to their woes, and Terisa grew comatose, being severely dehydrated and deficient of enough proteins. After one day in the medical centre, the doctors gave up, giving her a lethal injection, killing Terisa. Darik didn’t find out until after the break.
Bruises covered his body, and there wasn’t a time when he didn’t have at least one broken rib. He hated Thuron. He hated everyone who supported him. When the break happened, Darik was ready. Darik was ready to fight back.
When the Purity Rock prison break happened, Darik was one of the first to escape. He would have stayed to fight his captors, but he was instructed to flee with the Knights as he was too ill to be of much good. Darik protested, but gave in once his legs fell from under him. He was taken by Strike-team Ooroo into the caves.
The Liberation of New Tython
After the prison break, the Disciples of Baas and other healers nursed Darik back to health, and furthered his training with a crash course in guerrilla warfare. With no family ties left, Darik nursed a deep hatred for anything that supported Thuron.
He joined in the bombardment of the Dac Compound, being on the front line and fighting alongside the Knights. Still not satisfied, Darik marched on Vard Mislu, and triumphed there as well.
When the rebels marched on Menat Ombo, Darik was ready. He was ready to face the threat head on. He fought valiantly, aiding the Jedi in their goal. He saw the Jedi ascend to Thuron’s palace, but soon after, shrapnel from a artillery shell shattered his arm and left his shoulder in ruins. He was put on a stretcher and rushed to aid. As he was moved through the crowds of rebels, he saw Thuron fly out of the window, and saw Mirus’ boot as it descended on Thuron’s ugly face. Darik felt relieved that his nemesis had been defeated, but he was disheartened by his failure to survive the battle whole. Soon after the fall of the False King, Darik lost consciousness.
His Awakening
- "Darik, you’ve lost everything. You’re holding on to what happened because you think that’s all you have. Heck, maybe it is. But now, your only option is to ‘’’find more.’’’"
- ―Douglas Tirech, whilst consoling Darik
Darik awoke in a field hospital, bandages and plaster covering his entire left side. Despite the pain emanating from his shoulder, his left arm felt relatively okay. However, when he strained his head, Darik found that he had no left arm. He was told that it had been amputated soon after the battle, and that an anonymous donator had organised a cybernetic arm to be manufactured and fitted within the next few days. Despite the intrigue of an anonymous donator, Darik spent the next few hours contemplating his future. He had no perceivable goal, nor any friends or family. The new government may be morally just, but their admin was terrible. Darik wasn’t able to tell if anyone he knew had survived.
Darik sank into a pool of self-pity and melancholy. His arm was fitted, and he was discharged. He wandered through the streets of Menat Ombo, to discover that his garages had been converted into barracks and dormitories. His speeder bikes were gone, and any trace of his driving business, his legacy, were gone. He sank to his knees and weeped for what seemed like a decade. One passing lady recognised Darik and convinced him to come to a cantina, where he then attempted to drown his sorrows.
Whilst in that cantina, Darik struck up a conversation with a man called Douglas Tirech. Douglas comforted Darik, and decided that Darik needed a purpose, a distraction. He organised a job for him in the government, as an assistant to a cabinet member of Menat Ombo, Chiral Koun. Darik took to his new job feverishly, learning the ways of diplomacy and politics. He found the job fairly simple. It mainly consisted of filling in paperwork and sometimes accompanying the minister on diplomatic missions. Darik found that he had a fair amount of time to himself, so to avoid thinking too much, he filled it with activities.
Menat Ombo, as seen from the Palace
As his mental state improved, Darik decided to expand his contacts. He got in touch with the government-endorsed mechanic team and became good friends with them, trading stories and mechanical incidents and the like.
He also branded out to the Colonial Security Corps, sharing many a blue milk with their members, recounting the Liberation, and reminiscing on the lives they had before Thuron. Once or twice, this nostalgia almost overcame Darik, who was still very sensitive over the loss of his family.
What time he didn’t spend with the Ratchet’s Department or the Corps, he spent in the cantina where his life had been re-imbued with purpose. He became a regular, and he found that he knew everyone quite well (the bartender was Dave, and he had lost an eye at Vard Mislu). Darik had found meaning in his new life, and he was as close to happy as he could ever get.
His connections proved quite useful in the government, as well. He found that his connections and his unique knowledge and skill set enabled him to be a unique asset to Chiral, who wanted Darik around more and more. One day, Chiral told Darik that a cabinet position had opened up, and he advised Darik that good connections and good advice go a long way in the new government. So, Darik applied, and campaigned. All his connections and all his friends got him a long way, and he got the position on the cabinet, with a landslide victory.
As the Jedi came and left due to their Dark Crusade, Darik became pretty friendly with the Prime Minister, who found that he needed someone with many contacts. Darik was asked to use his network of contacts to keep an eye on New Tython, and its underworld. Darik was inaugurated as Minister of Internal Security. He started working with the Sentinel Network, effectively the external Security force, as well as Strike-team Ooroo.
Physical Description
Darik stands at average height, though his strong build can make him stick out of a crowd. His left shoulder is slightly more curvy and defined, due to it being a polished metal limb. His chest, back and arms are heavily covered in scars due to the harsh treatment he received during his time at Purity Rock. A particularly pronounced scar lies diagonally across his back, which he gained during his interrogation. His back was cut open by a blunt kitchen blade. Since his rehabilitation into a working, democratic society, Darik has become less concerned in his fitness, so his abdominal composure isn't as pronounced as before, but he still poses an intimidating opponent in a fight.
His black hair is ordinary, except for a slight cowlick on his left side. It is often kept unstyled, yet groomed. His hazel eyes are bright, and their lustre often inspires curiosity, but also hides a difficult past. They rarely show true happiness or joy. His jawline is rounded, and his cheekbone only slightly pronounced. In a crowd he is pretty much invisible, which benefits his job quite a bit. If inspected closely, he gives off an aura of quiet confidence, like he knows what he’s doing. He also has an air of knowledge and wisdom. Sometimes, when caught at a bad time, he looks incredibly weak and sorrowful. He is often in this state when in private, after thinking on his family.
Powers and Abilities
Darik was a talented Engineer, and with his cybernetics, he still possesses the skills needed to successfully modify, repair, and potentially upgrade a speeder and some other vehicle types. However, his wounds and lack of practise means that he isn’t as good as he was.
Darik has learned the ways to build a strong rapport with anyone pretty quickly. Either that, or he’s just a really nice guy. Since he started dabbling in Politics, he’s learnt the ins and outs of speech, so he can generally tell when someone is lying, or just being shifty. His work in Security probably just amplifies that effect.
Personality
Darik is confident, but isn’t headstrong. He knows his limits, just as much as he knows his strengths. He is kind and friendly, and often knows just how to make you smile. After being reminded of his family, even if it was just a vague reference, he sometimes seems to get a small cloud over his head. When this happens publicly, he tries to find somewhere private where he waits for the emotions to stop.
He is a very resolute person: when he believes he is right, he will not change his position. He is also sensitive and thoughtful, helpful when determining the right from wrong, and also an endearing characteristic for his close friends.