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| Fang Ao Tian
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Byss
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c. 8 ABY
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Kiffar
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Male
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1.87 m
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86.4 kg
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Silver
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Aqua
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Left Ring Finger
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Valithrae Torafin, Lutzyan Venhart
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Dal'Tek, Doctor Mehdi
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Liberi Fatali
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10397
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Fang Ao Tian is a Dark Jedi. Born on Byss, Fang was raised by adoptive parents on Falleen. After leaving home, Fang joined a group of freight haulers. Eventually, he was stranded on Elrood. Low on money, Fang became an assassin in order to earn credits. When Fang's lover, the group's former pilot, found out what he had done, she stole his credits, purchased a ship, and left Fang behind.
Determined to avenge himself, Fang tracked down and killed his former lover, her family, her new fiancé, and his family. Fang struck out on his own, resuming his career as an assassin and expanding into bounty hunting. He fell in love with and became the partner of Valithrae Torafin, a minor bounty hunter and highly-skilled pilot. The two became a successful pair notorious for their efficiency and discretion. However, when the duo tried to assassinate a powerful Dark Jedi, Fang was nearly killed. Feeling that he would need to become more powerful in order to kill the Dark Jedi and other powerful marks, Fang joined the Dark Brotherhood.
History
Early life
Byss
Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Emperor Palpatine ordered the start of a genetic research and experimentation program. This program was intended to unlock the secrets of longevity and physical prowess in various species. An unknown number of Humanoid sentient beings were abducted and brought to newly-constructed, highly-sophisticated labs on Byss. Though most of the individuals became test subjects, several of them were sedated and had their gametes extracted. The respective eggs and sperm were tampered with to varying degrees before being combined.
Over fifty children of various races were produced this way. They were housed in a separate lab and placed under the supervision of Doctor Mehdi, a leading Falleen geneticist. One of Mehdi's nurses, a Mon Calamari, privately refused to refer to them by their serial numbers. She named the lone Kiffar child Fang Ao Tian, though it's unknown who or what inspired the name.
Fang and the other children were treated relatively well. They were given a basic education, fed bland, nutritious food, and kept at a high level of physical fitness. Mehdi and his staff typically only monitored the children, though some were subjected to further experiments. Though the Emperor never visited the laboratories on Byss, the staff often referred to the children as "Palpatine's Children".
Liberation
In 10 ABY, the Emperor's new apprentice, Luke Skywalker, ordered the test subjects to be taken off planet. They remained on a remote space station until after the Emperor's final death in 11 ABY.
Fang and the rest of the test subjects were liberated by the New Republic. While the adults that were willing and able returned to society, the children were placed with foster families. Fang, whose parents hadn't survived Mehdi's experiments, was adopted by a married Falleen couple.
Childhood and Teen Years
Fang had a lonely childhood. Though the couple that Fang was placed with took care of all of his physiological needs, they were rarely affectionate with their adopted son. The children that lived near Fang shunned him and frequently played cruel tricks on him, usually taking advantage of his desire for friendship. As a result, Fang was often alone. He spent most of his free time reading fiction, practicing martial arts, and caring for Altaïr, Fang's pet pittin. When he entered his teenage years, he took a keen interest in physical fitness and gourmet cooking.
When he wasn't in school or utilizing his free time, Fang was at the side of Xian, his adoptive father, who was then one of the galaxy's leading toxicologists. Xian often bragged about supplying poisons to both Xizor and Tyber Zann. At a very young age, Fang became his father's apprentice. He learned about the sources, effects, and antidotes of various poisons, venom, and chemicals. Though he was never passionate about his father's work, Fang absorbed Xian's teachings, knowing that the information could be useful in the future.
Adult life
Departure
In his later teen years, when his primary education had been completed, Fang was offered a lucrative but unexciting job in one of the planet's primary spaceports. He accepted the job and moved out of his adoptive parents' house. Though he initially liked living alone with his pitten, Fang longed for friendship and a romantic relationship.
One day, Fang gazed into a mirror and discovered discoloration of his irises and hair. Both had been brown, and his hair was slowly turning silver while his eyes were becoming a vibrant shade of green. A doctor examined Fang and concluded that he was undergoing slight genetic restructuring. The doctor was unable to discover the reason behind the changes, and after a few local days, informed Fang that he would not be conducting further tests. Confused and scared, Fang began to look for a way to leave Falleen.
An exit presented itself when Fang encountered the crew of the Gibberling 3. The captain of the freighter, a Human named Fedor Kreide, offered to hire Fang to be an extra worker and guard. After an unemotional farewell to his foster parents, the Kiffar packed his few possessions and left Falleen.
The Gibberling 3
Life on board the Gibberling 3 was enjoyable for Fang. He quickly befriended everyone aboard, especially the freighter's copilot, Willow Odesseiron. Fang fell in love with the beautiful Human female, and she soon began to return his feelings. In addition to helping the crew load, unload, and guard freight, Fang became the ship's cook.
When the Gibberling 3 would dock to take on new cargo, Fang would use every moment of free time to become a better cook or take target practice with his 434 blaster pistol. Willow would often complain that Fang was ignoring her, but the two were always able to easily reconcile any hurt feelings and spend time alone.
Descent Into Darkness
Stranded
The crew of the Gibberling 3 lived well for almost two years. They traveled to numerous, far-flung points in the galaxy. The crew saw many wondrous sites from the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim. They rarely met with trouble, and the credits were plentiful.
The crew's good life changed when, over the planet Elrood, they encountered the ships of The Rouge Brood, a large band of space pirates. The Gibberling 3 tried to escape the pirates, but they were pursued by a trio of Pursuer-class enforcement ships and a Warrior-class gunship. Willow and Wendon Carr, the freighter's other pilot, tried to outmaneuver the pirates. They were eventually driven into Elrood's atmosphere. Willow and Wendon were forced to put their badly-damaged ship down on a deserted beach. The Rouge Pirates landed near them, and a firefight ensued. When a fragmentation grenade exploded in their midst, three crew members of the Gibberling 3 were killed. Fang's left ring finger was severed by a flying piece of shrapnel. A concussion grenade knocked Wendon, Fedor, and Fedor's lover, Nyla Corwin, unconscious and allowed the pirates to capture them. Willow and a wounded Fang continued to fight. The battle was finally ended when the local authorities arrived and drove off the pirates. Fang and Willow were arrested for possessing ranged weapons, though the charges were later dismissed when the pair agreed to surrender their weapons.
Elrood
After burying their fallen comrades, Willow and Fang sold the wreckage of the Gibberling 3 for scrap. Fang suggested that they hire on with a new crew, but Willow was against the idea, saying that it was too soon. The pair rented a small apartment and sought employment. Fang worked as a cook in a small restaurant while Willow became a tapcafe barista. In his spare time, Fang earned extra credits by teaching cooking classes and performing odd jobs for the local elderly. Willow occupied herself by painting and sending messages to her parents via the HoloNet. She tried to sell her art, but a buyer never surfaced.
Willow and Fang's relationship suffered while they were on Elrood. Willow was fired from the tapcafe and only halfheartedly looked for another job. Meanwhile, she spent the couple's credits on frivolous items, almost always without consulting Fang. Fang, who had always been frugal, tried to discuss finances with Willow, but she would ignore him and either retreat into her art or to the HoloNet.
The situation got worse when the restaurant Fang worked in burned down. Though he tried to find another job, Fang remained unemployed. Eventually, he started his own business vending street food. While successful, profit was small, especially with Willow spending whatever credits came in. Frustrated and looking for advice, Fang talked to a few friendly acquaintances about his financial woes.
One of Fang's regular customers listened to him and offered to put him in contact with Obama the Hutt, a local crime lord and owner of a successful casino. Desperate for credits, Fang reluctantly agreed. When he was finally brought before the Hutt, Obama offered a small job to Fang as a trial. All Fang had to do was guard a shipment of spice while it was transported from one of Obama's warehouses to a ship that would take it off world. Fang agreed but stated that he didn't have a weapon. The Hutt then used his contacts in the police force to return Fang's confiscated 434 blaster pistol. Even though this cost Fang a tenth of the money he would be paid, the Kiffar felt better with the familiar blaster at his side.
The First Steps
Assassin
Fang's first mission was completed without incident. When he was paid, Fang hid the credit chips from Willow. Though he felt guilty for doing so, he felt it was the only way to make them last.
Obama offered a second job to Fang. The job required Fang to assassinate the head of the union of workers of the planet's four starports. The workers were threatening to go on strike, an action that would severely damage Obama's spice operation. Though he had misgivings, Fang agreed.
After observing the mark for several days, Fang made his move. Instead of using his blaster, as Obama had expected him to do, Fang fell back upon the education he gained while on Falleen. The head of the union and his assistant were both fatally poisoned. When the local authorities could find no evidence that lead back to either Fang or his Hutt employer, an overjoyed Obama paid the assassin a bonus for being so devious and also killing the assistant.
Fang's third job for Obama the Hutt involved assassinating a Human running for the office of mayor of Elrooden. The mark strongly believed in establishing a socialist state and economy. While Obama fully supported the politician in that regard, he strongly opposed the Human's view that the spice trade be made the main focus of the capital's law enforcement. Again Fang was able to observe his mark and kill him with poison. The murder was, again, untraceable, and Fang was paid by his grateful employer.
Betrayal
Now that he had credits to spare, Fang showed his earnings to Willow. She was quite excited until a guilty Fang revealed how he had acquired them. She was upset, but the two eventually managed to come to an understanding. They agreed to buy a ship, leave the planet, and become spacers once again. Fang could leave Obama the Hutt behind him, and the lovers could start anew.
However, one morning shortly after coming to this agreement, Fang awoke late and found that all of their possessions were missing, the credit chips had disappeared, and Willow was gone. As he inspected the apartment, he felt extremely groggy; Fang knew he had been drugged. He assumed someone had broken in, stolen the couple's possessions and credits, and kidnapped Willow. When he contacted the local police, Fang discovered that Willow hadn't been kidnapped but had left the planet on a transport. Before she left, Willow had pawned everything in the apartment, including Fang's spare clothes.
Payback
In need of credits, Fang again contacted Obama the Hutt. The crime lord told the young Kiffar about a bounty offered by none other than the Rouge Pirates. Their numbers had recently been reduced by The Wind of Corellia, a group of highly-skilled starfighter pilots determined to rid the galaxy of piracy. The bandits had been forced to ground their ships until their adversaries had been dealt with. With no other options, Fang accepted the bounty.
Fang went to the pirates' base and met with their leader to present his plan. When the meeting was concluded, Fang stayed there until nightfall. When most of the pirates had fallen asleep, Fang snuck around the compound, discreetly placing explosives around the base. He also downloaded their computer records.
After leaving the pirate base, Fang contacted The Wind of Corellia and informed them that the Rouge Pirates were hiding in Elrood's capital city. The Wind quickly arrived and began searching for the pirates with Fang as their guide and informant. After their first day of looking for the pirates, The Wind was resting at one of Elrooden's finest hotels. When they ordered their evening meals, Fang was able to slip a colorless, tasteless, and odorless lethal poison into the food. After the members of The Wind died, Fang went to the Rouge Pirates and collected the bounty. When he had his payment in hand, the Kiffar detonated the planted explosives. The blasts killed or injured the majority of the pirates. Wielding his 434 blaster, Fang killed the remaining pirates before the shock of his attack could wear off.
Fang's pilot droid
The FatalityFang returned to Obama the Hutt's casino and tried to scour the pirates' computer logs. Unfortunately, Fang met with little success; his skills as a slicer were limited at best. For a small fee, Obama the Hutt put Fang in contact with a talented slicer living on Rimma 18 in the Outer Rim. Fang commandeered a Pursuer-class ship that had belonged to the now-defunct Rouge Pirates. He named it the Fatality. Due to his unfamiliarity with the ship, Fang also took possession of a modified pilot droid. Once the droid was subjected to a memory wipe and the ship's transponder code had been replaced, Fang flew to meet the slicer.
Family
When Fang met the slicer, he was surprised to find that the young man was a Kiffar. The Kiffar, named Lutzyan Venhart, was surprised by Fang's appearance and went on to talk about an aunt and uncle that had been kidnapped by the Empire shortly before the Battle of Endor. Several members of Lutzyan's clan had left Kiffu in search of the missing pair, but the search had been abandoned. The slicer believed Fang to be the son of the missing Kiffar and himself to be Fang's cousin. Fang consented to a DNA test, the results of which confirmed Lutzyan's suspicions; the two were cousins.
Showing little interest in his possible family, Fang coldly presented the pirates' data to Lutzyan and asked him to decrypt it. The slicer easily hacked into the pirates' files and discovered that they had sold Fedor Kreide and Nyla Corwin to a slaver on Nar Shaddaa. Lutzyan couldn't find any record of what happened to Wendon Carr, however.
Rescue
When Fang was preparing to leave for Nar Shaddaa, Lutzyan asked to come with him. When Fang refused, Lutzyan countered by offering to drop all slicing fees if he was allowed to go along. After some thought, the bounty hunter agreed.
When the pair arrived on the Smuggler's Moon, Fang immediately began making inquiries into the location of Fedor and Nyla's owner. After several violent encounters with the slaver's thugs, the two Kiffar found Fang's former companions. The two Humans had been forcibly-addicted to low-grade spice and turned into gladiators. Fang killed the owner of his two friends and while Lutzyan freed and escaped with them. The quartet fled Nar Shaddaa and flew back to Elrood. On the way, Lutzyan told Fang that he had hacked into the slaver's accounts and transferred his credits to a dummy account.
Using those credits, Fang rented a medical droid to help Fedor and Nyla detoxify from their spice addiction. While they were recovering, Fang told them of his life since their last meeting, ending with Willow Odesseiron's betrayal. Nyla theorized that the former pilot had fled to her home planet, a suspicion Fang had also held. When Fang asked about Wendon Carr, Fedor told him that Carr had actually been in league with the Rouge Pirates. Hoping to sell all of his shipmates into slavery, Wendon had deliberately piloted the Gibberling 3 into the pirates' path. During the skirmish on Elrood, Wendon had allowed himself to be captured so he could make an easy escape to his employer.
Hunting
After Nyla and Fedor recovered, Fang asked one of them to fly with him to Narenda III; Nyla volunteered. Before they left, Fang gave Lutzyan two tasks. The first was to slice into the HoloNet account Willow used when she was on Elrood. The second was to find any trace of Wendon Carr. Using Obama the Hutt's contacts, Fang was able to scrounge together a small but potent cache of weapons. Though he didn't know exactly what he was going to do, Fang wanted to be well prepared.
Fang and Nyla flew to Willow's home planet, a tiny Wild Space world called Narenda III. It had been colonized in 40 BBY and forgotten during the Clone Wars. Before descending to the planet, they docked at an orbiting service platform to have minor repairs made to the Fatality.
Narenda IIIWhile they waited, Lutzyan contacted Fang. The younger Kiffar informed his cousin that while on Elrood, Willow had been communicating with a soldier on Narenda III. When Fang read the messages, it became clear that Willow had been romantically involved with the man in the past and was rekindling the romance from afar. She wrote about a plan that involved spending all of Fang's credits on items with high resale value. When the time was right, Willow planned to sell her purchases and buy passage back to Narenda III.
Before signing off, Lutzyan warned Fang that the spaceport authorities were watching for a bounty hunter matching Fang's description. Fang and Nyla surmised that Willow's father, a former Imperial soldier and current officer at the spaceport, had arranged this.
Once repairs were completed, Fang sent Nyla down to Narenda III's surface. After she left in the Fatality, the bounty hunter met a group of smugglers who were waiting for repairs to their ship's sublight engines. After negotiating a fee, the smugglers agreed to smuggle Fang to Washu, Narenda III's only city.
When he arrived in Washu, Fang reunited with Nyla. She told the Kiffar that in three local days, Willow, only four months removed from being Fang's lover on Elrood, was going to marry the soldier from her HoloNet messages. The wedding was scheduled to take place in a remote location called Valhalla Valley.
The next day, Fang visited Washu's library. While he was looking over various maps, he encountered Willow. Fang told her that if she returned the credits she had stolen from him, he would peacefully and immediately leave the planet and never bother Willow or her family again. She refused and warned Fang that her father, brother, and fiancé were all members of Washu's militia and would now be looking for him.
Massacre
At Fang's request, Nyla rented an airspeeder and loaded it with enough food for two meals and the weapons from the Fatality. On the day before the wedding, Fang piloted the vehicle to Valhalla Valley. After parking the airspeeder in a nearby cave, he scouted the area and camped there overnight.
The next day, Fang watched as three shuttles brought in the wedding party. Once the ceremony began, the bounty hunter took position on a high ridge overlooking one end of the valley. Just before the bride and groom said their vows, Fang threw a trio of grenades into the midst of the wedding party. Before they detonated, the Kiffar began firing into the crowd with a slugthrower rifle fitted with a flash suppressor, high-powered scope, and silencer. Fang's first shot killed Willow's fiancé. His second shot was aimed at the bride herself, but Willow's brother dove in the way and was shot instead. By that time, the grenades landed and exploded. Two of the grenades were glop grenades; when they detonated, they bound the majority of the guests where they stood. The third grenade, a fragmentation grenade, killed nearly half of the guests. Fang fired until the first magazine was empty. Before he reloaded, he threw another fragmentation grenade and a concussion grenade at the survivors. By the time the second magazine was empty, Fang had killed the entire wedding party. To ensure that there weren't any survivors, Fang climbed to the valley floor. With his 434 blaster pistol, Fang shot anyone left alive. He then left the valley and returned to the Washu.
After Nyla returned the airspeeder, she and Fang left the planet. After setting in a course for Elrood, Nyla asked if Willow was dead. Fang nodded as the emotional impact of the last few months caught up to him. For several hours, Nyla held Fang while he cried, mourning the betrayal and loss of one he loved so much.
Vengeance
When they arrived back on Elrood, Lutzyan told his cousin that he had found evidence that Wendon Carr had recently been on Aurea. Nyla and Fedor immediately boarded the Fatality and left Elrood; Fang elected to follow a few days later. In the meantime, he commissioned the creation of a retractable blade that would ride in a sheath on the underside of his left forearm.
Fang's hidden blade When the weapon was complete, Fang bought passage on a transport to Aurea. He rendezvoused with his friends and was told that they had learned that Wendon was working at a private spaceport as a clerk for a local spice lord.
The three decided to lay in wait for Wendon outside of the spaceport. When the man left for the night, the trio trailed him, waiting for the right moment to strike. Unfortunately, Nyla and Fedor hadn't been very discreet when they were looking for the former pilot; Wendon had actually set a trap for them. Several of the spice lord's thugs opened fire on the trio. Nyla and Fedor found cover and returned fire, but Fang sprinted after a fleeing Carr. Though Fang was faster, Wendon used his familiarity with the city to his advantage and seemed to lose his pursuer. Thinking himself out of danger, Carr circled back to his landspeeder. Before he could pilot it away, Fang leaped out of the shadows and tackled Wendon from behind. Using his hidden blade, Fang stabbed Carr in the back, puncturing the man's right lung, then slit his throat. While Carr bled to death, local authorities arrived on the scene and attempted to arrest Fang. Before they could put a pair of stun cuffs on him, Carr's landspeeder exploded. Fang took advantage of the distraction and escaped.
Meanwhile, Fedor and Nyla had survived the ambush and regrouped at the Fatality. Fang joined them, and the three quickly left Aurea and flew back to Elrood.
Walking the Path
Irony
After resting for a few days on Elrood, the friends decided to go separate ways. Lutzyan moved to Corellia and became a slicer working for the New Republic. Nyla and Fedor flew to Byblos and began to attend a local university. Fang boarded the Fatality and flew toward Britannic Station, a space station in the Core where, among other things, information is bought and sold. While there, Fang met with Lantz, a traveling musician and viable source of information. Lantz told the Kiffar that someone had placed a small bounty on him. A little research showed that the majordomo of his old friend, Obama the Hutt, was acting as a broker for the bounty.
Once he left Britannic Station, Fang tracked down the majordomo, a female Lucent named Pelosi. He confronted her on the nearby Core World of Necropolis and demanded to know who had placed the bounty. Pelosi told Fang that Korrigan, the spice lord who had employed Wendon Carr, had suffered tremendous damage to his business and reputation after Carr's death.
Determined to cancel the bounty, Fang once again set a course for Aurea. However, once he arrived, he learned that Korrigan had been betrayed by one of his underlings, a Balosar named Spink, and taken into custody along with several of his men.
Excalbia
ExcalbiaConsidering the bounty canceled, Fang left Aurea. He resumed the activities of a bounty hunter, and his first target was the Balosar Spink. A female monk on Excalbia, a small Inner Rim planet, had contacted Fang via the HoloNet. She informed him that Spink and several guards had arrived on the planet and taken over their monastery. She offered adequate payment if Fang would get rid of the Balosar and his guards. He agreed and flew to Excalbia.
Once on the tiny planet, Fang met his contact and traveled to the monastery. He eliminated all but one of the guards and attempted to poison Spink. However, seconds after the Balosar ingested the poison and began to feel the effects, the last of his guards killed him. Fang angrily confronted the guard, a female Zeltron, and was surprised when she turned out to be a fellow bounty hunter. The two parted ways without violence, and Fang was paid a greatly-reduced fee.
Aurea
The next several months of Fang's life were spent collecting various bounties. He was very successful and earned a large amount of credits. However, he learned that Korrigan had escaped from incarceration and was reestablishing his criminal ties. Fang assumed it was just a matter of time before he had another bounty on his head. With that in mind, Fang traveled back to Aurea.
After two weeks of observing the criminal, Fang made his move. He successfully poisoned Korrigan, but once again, the female Zeltron appeared and killed the crime lord. Annoyed by the woman's interference, Fang began to argue with her. Their dispute was cut short, however, when two of Korrigan's lieutenants appeared and engaged the bounty hunters in a firefight. They held their own against the criminals until more of Korrigan's underlings appeared. Fang and the Zeltron fought a retreating battle, both heading toward the same spaceport.
On the way there, Servo, Fang's pilot droid, warned him that explosives had been planted on the Fatality by some of Korrigan's thugs. Just as Servo's message ended, the ship exploded. The Zeltron offered to take Fang with her. With no other recourse, Fang accepted. In the spaceport, the pair was surprised to find Servo damaged but functional. Fang tucked the droid under his arm and boarded the Zeltron's ship, the Liberi Fatali.
Partners
Valithrae TorafinAboard the Liberi Fatali, the Zeltron introduced herself as Valithrae "Vali" Torafin. She told Fang that he could become her partner until he earned enough credits to buy another ship. Fang agreed, and the pair flew to Britannic Station to have Servo repaired.
On Britannic Station, Fang and Vali exchanged stories and got to know each other. They became tentative friends and settled any lingering hard feelings. When Servo was repaired and the Liberi Fatali refueled, the two bounty hunters prepared to leave. Outside of the ship, however, they were ambushed by a large Human named Urak Exchester. Wearing a suit of heavy armor and wielding two high-powered blasters, Urak attack them, wildly screaming that he had finally tracked down the being who had killed Willow Odesseiron. Vali and Fang exchanged blaster fire with the man but were unable to achieve more than a standoff. The battle ended when Urak's armor was disabled by an ion grenade thrown by Vali's protocol droid, Crow. Barely able to move, Urak could only watch as the bounty hunters flew away from the station just as the authorities arrived.