Haran Arad

Haran
Biographical Information
Homeworld:	Ziz
Date of Birth:	15 BBY
Physical Description
Species:	Human
Gender:	Male
Height:	1.88 meters
Weight:	90 kilograms
Hair:	Brown
Eyes:	Brown
Personal Information
Lightsaber Form(s):	Djem So
Fighting Style(s):	Teras Kasi
Chronology & Political Information
Profession:	Jedi Ship's Captain
Position:	Jedi Councillor Captain of the Solari
Era(s):	Rebellion Era New Republic Era New Jedi Order Era Dark Jedi Brotherhood Era
Affiliation:	Odan-Urr Jedi Order
Dossier:	9709
[ Source ]

"What happens when we've bent the rules so far that they come around and stab us in the back?"

―Gilad Pellaeon to Grand Admiral Thrawn

Haran Arad, is a sitting Councillor of Urr and acting captain of the Solari, the flagship of Clan Odan-Urr. He was born in the Unknown Regions on a sparsely populated (by Galactic Standards) planet known to locals as Ziz. In his capacity as a ship captain, Haran oversees and directs some of the clan's most powerful and destructive assets. Fortunately, and despite his penchant for rebellious tom-foolery, he is regarded by his colleagues as an even-handed and restrained member of the council, fervently dedicated to Clan Odan-Urr and to the Light Side of the Force.

Royal Life on Ziz (15 BBY - 10 ABY)

Homeworld and Origins

Haran's royal palace on Ziz, ruined during the civil war and subsequent Imperial intervention

On the edges of civilization, between the deepest recesses of the Empire and the Unknown Regions, lies the insignificant, arid world of Ziz. Beautiful, yet devoid of any valuable natural resources, agriculture (and its various support industries) is and will remain the primary occupation of its population. Farming the narrow strips of fertile land that originate in high mountain peaks and cut through the rugged deserts along a dozen exotic rivers, the politics of the outer galaxy matter little to the people who inhabit this agrarian paradise, who live comfortably, yet simply. Advanced technology has yet to permeate through the communities of Ziz. Only major public institutions, such as the royal palaces and great temples possess reactors to provide consistent power. Most homes rely on ancient windmills and waterwheels to generate the electricity they need for cooking and temperature control. Archaic weapons are also prevalent. Force staves and vibroblades tend to be the preferred weapons of the inhabitants, as blasters and slugthrowers are difficult to maintain without a steady supply of parts. The lifestyle of the royalty, as is always the case, is an exception. As previously mentioned, the palaces are powered by advanced and modern reactors. The royal family has access to the wider HoloNet, and the youths regularly train with blasters, making them fierce and aggressive standouts on an otherwise melee-oriented battlefield. The royal family also possesses a handful of squadrons of ancient starfighters, which it refers to as a planetary defense force, though they are almost exclusively used for maintaining control over the local populations of farmers. While these ships would pose little (if any) danger to modern models, the royalty had developed a good head for piloting small craft over generations.

Born into this royal family as the youngest of five siblings, Haran grew up in some modicum of luxury with a strong emphasis on education and martial prowess. The son of a king, his life as a child was peaceful. Haran devoted his free time to exploring the rugged, colorful deserts of his homeworld, sparring in scrubby forests with his siblings and cousins, and relaxing in the constant breeze cutting across the surface of cool rivers. His education was broad, yet with a martial focus. He traveled across the world, studying ancient battle sites and ruined, brick-built cities alongside his peers and tutors. In addition to history and natural studies, Haran learned to pilot the rugged spacecraft his family possessed; a feat considering some were literally held together with wire and glue. He learned to fight with both martial and ranged weapons, and studied the tactics of his ancestors, considered by most people on his homeworld to be a religious matter: a holy sequence of steps in a mass dance. Haran, like his siblings and cousins, was reared to be an oppressor — a fervent juggernaut of soldierly prowess and divine favor, wading through a battlefield of untrained and ill-equipped farmers, who would tell tales of his deeds after the fact.

Brothers' War

The suppressive peace of Ziz was shattered suddenly, as a minor dispute over power sharing between Haran's father and uncle (both also named Haran) boiled over into a full blown rebellion on the part of his uncle, who established his power base at a rival city south of the capital. This war quickly turned cold, with neither ruler willing to commit their army to battle and risk its destruction. Instead, the two forces spent the better part of a decade circling one another across the countryside, ransacking towns and villages deemed loyal to the other, and pillaging food and money to provide for their armies. As a martially oriented upper class, both families accompanied their respective patriarchs in the field. When Haran's father (Haran VIII) experienced a stroke of good fortune and fell upon his brother's (Haran IX's) lagging baggage train, he captured his rebellious brother's wife. She was summarily executed at the insistence of her sister, Haran VIII's own wife, against the rest of the family's wishes. The consequences of this would prove disastrous for Haran and his elder siblings, when their uncle, Haran IX, managed to lure his brother away and seize the capital for himself, along with the ruler's wife. She was also put to death for her role in her sister's execution, leaving the siblings with only the guidance of their father. This did not last for long, however. After years of depleting the countryside's resources in a pointless back and forth with no clear advantage on either side, the army took its destiny into its own hands, and Haran's father was executed in a plot by his closest companions.

Suddenly alone, the five children of Haran VIII fled the heart of the empire, leaving their uncle--Haran IX--as sole king and ruler. They did not sit idle, however. Now 15, Haran assisted his eldest brother, Sybar VI, in levying forces in the fringes of the empire to attack their uncle and now king. Establishing his authority over the capital, there was little Haran IX could do as the rural army marched to confront him outside its gates, with his brother's five children at its head. The siblings were successful in defeating and slaying their uncle, but Sybar's rule was short. Their cousin, Haran X had arrived with reinforcements only days after his father's death and put the opposing army to flight. Sybar VI was cornered and burned alive by the forces of Haran X in the city he had made his capital, leaving the four remaining siblings scattered throughout the empire. Haran XI (the eldest brother after Sybar's death) and his twin sister Avila I established their power in cities on either side of the capital. The next eldest sister, Demida III and Haran (who became Haran XII) now set up a powerbase deep in the deserts to the south of Haran X. The war raged for another decade. Haran XI was slain in battle by Haran X, who was killed in battle fighting the Imperial Remnant when they established a frontier garrison on the planet. Avila I and Haran XII teamed up to seize the capital and drive their sister, Demida III, into exile. Finally, Avila was slain in battle by the Imperial Remnant forces, whose numbers were steadily increasing as their grip on the planet tightened. Left as the sole ruler of a minor city, facing the might of an Imperial garrison, Haran XII, the last member of the ruling family still on Ziz, fled the world along with his closest friends and companions.

Jedi Academy and the New Republic (10 ABY - 30 ABY)

A Refugee on Coruscant

Fleeing the Imperial occupation of Ziz, Haran and his companions made their way with their smuggler contacts toward the Galactic Core (and away from the Empire) along the Namadii Corridor, arriving at Glee Anselm. They immediately requested asylum and refugee status with the local New Republic officials and were provided temporary housing while their status awaited approval. During the weeks of waiting, Haran's compatriots began to drift apart. Some opted for an expedited route Core-ward and contracted more smugglers to take them. A few settled down on Glee Anselm permanently. When it became clear that, even if their status were approved with expediency, their journey to reclaim their domestic supremacy at spearpoint would take years (if it were successful at all) most returned home, hoping the Imperial authorities would overlook their absence and questionable loyalties. By the time the New Republic had processed the asylum-seekers, only Haran remained. He was provided a small sum of credits, new clothes, and an open ticket, which he could redeem for passage to one of several New Republic worlds of his choosing. As his ultimate goal was to plead his case before a political body opposed to the Empire, Haran chose a transport ship bound for Coruscant.

Unsurprisingly, the path toward a reclaimed kingship was not to be--especially not from the refugee camps in Imperial City. Getting an appointment to talk to even a minor official proved incredibly difficult, and getting them to listen to or believe claims of royal blood and a lost crown proved impossible. Finding his economic situation precarious at best, Haran ceased bothering his case-workers and instead sought to bother a job agency. His pilot training secured him a modest-paying position as an airspeeder pilot with a taxi service and within a year of working he was able to afford a small apartment outside of the Refugee Zone. While his background qualified him to fly an airspeeder, his aptitude with the Force allowed him to excel at it. Haran quickly gained a reputation as one of the quickest and safest taxi pilots in the area. He regularly cut across (and through) registered flight paths, could sense which routes would have the heaviest traffic, knew when his passengers wanted privacy or conversation, and never crashed. As his reputation grew, so did the status of his clientele. Before long, Haran was no longer shuttling downtrodden exiles to the refugee camps or case workers to their rundown offices. These fares had been replaced by minor (and occasionally not so minor) dignitaries and officials visiting the camps to make their grand gestures and hollow promises to the new arrivals.

One such fare took quick notice of Haran's almost supernatural piloting ability. As the Mon Calamari politician exited the speeder, he handed Haran a generous tip and an address at the Imperial Palace. With his thanks for a quick ride, he insisted that Haran visit the address at his earliest possible convenience.

Training at the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV

Haran sitting on the wing of his X-Wing after a battle

New Beginnings and Harakoa

Captain of the Solari

The Solari in orbit over Kiast