"To trust everyone is idiotic; to trust no one ignores the obvious."
-Archer Merchant
"She tests me more with each passing day."
-Archer about his former commander, Inarya
Physical Description
Archer stands at about two meters tall with an average build that is shadowed by a lengthy frame. His complexion is light with the faintest hint of five o'clock shadow resting beneath his chin and brown hair that is short and unkempt with a natural part pushing it off to the right. His eyes are a dark brown, adding to an empty gaze that is both cold and calculating. He wears a gray tunic that is covered by a dark blue vest and black slacks that drape slightly over a pair of leather boots. A long, flowing trench coat generally covers his outfit, masking all but the front.
Force Philosophy
"Some argue that either side of the Force leads to its ultimate potential. I find supremacy in both; power through options."
As a Krath Scholar, Archer has studied many schools of thought in regards to the Force, and has accepted the path of the Gray Jedi. He has come to believe that there is power in keeping all options open; that the path to his fullest potential with the Force lies not in one side or the other, but with knowledge and understanding of both.
History
7 ABY to 12 ABY
Archer Merchant was born on Corellia to a middle class family that owned a small freight company. He was a quiet child, walking and exploring as soon as he was able to. However, he proved to be somewhat antisocial, refusing to talk to people he didn't know. At first his family thought he had trouble with comprehension, but soon came to realize that he was intelligent for his age, just not very trusting of others.
13 ABY to 22 ABY
Archer excelled in his studies from an early age, racing to the top of his class with ease. Because of this his family was able to enroll him in the more affluent schools they could afford. He made a few friends here and there, but mainly focused on his schooling. For the most part he was the ideal student, a straight shooter who rarely got into any trouble.
23 ABY to 25 ABY
At sixteen Archer experienced his first love, first drink, and attended his first party all in the same night. He spent most of that evening in particular enjoying what little Corellian ale he could get his hands on and socializing with fellow students before he was introduced to his first love: Lyla. For most of the year they grew closer, taking walks in the park or late night visits to sandy beaches. But as time went on they found they had less and less in common, particularly with their plans for the future. Archer wanted to help expand the family business on Corellia, while Lyla was determined to leave the planet for good and strike out on her own. In the end they decided to call it off and go their separate ways. As a result, for the remainder of his teen years Archer decided that love was not for him and continued to focus on his studies instead.
Upon turning seventeen Archer was encouraged to find an extracurricular activity and found that he had a natural affinity for boxing. While not the best at his academy, he still enjoyed sparring on a regular basis and gained an interest in the Hapan martial arts style as a result. While he did compete regularly, he did not take the tournaments seriously and, as a result, rarely placed in any of them, though he never let that fact discourage him. It was actually more important to him that he perfect his skill, justifying the matches, win or loss, as a learning experience.
For his eighteenth birthday Archer's father bought him a ceremonial sword for his acceptance into Coronet University, as well as to encourage his well-known fascination and growing skill in the Hapan style. He also agreed to teach Archer the basics of piloting, allowing him to aid in the family freight business for the season before university began.
26 ABY
At nineteen Archer attended Coronet University for business studies. For the remainder of that year he immersed himself in the practices of management and economics. However, when he returned to his family estate during break, he found less than encouraging news waiting. Threats had begun to pour in from a rival competitor promising action should his father not sell the business. His father, gambling that the business was small enough not to warrant any real action, ignored the threats and assured that it was merely politics. His decision proved fatal.
The sabotage started out small enough at first with a hurt worker or a malfunctioning cargo lift. But as time passed it escalated into something much worse. It was during this time that Archer tried to make himself useful given the situation his family was in, and began to run freight as an auxiliary pilot. But one such run would prove deadly; the final run that set everything in motion.
On approach from a low orbit Archer found his shuttle without power, a sudden overload disabling most of the systems. He watched from the cockpit as it plummeted toward the planet, the ocean slowly growing ever-expansive as he futilely tried to engage the auxiliaries. The memory would be burned into his mind forever, leaving him with a weariness for extreme heights. But somehow he managed to survive, washing ashore with minor injuries sustained. Ignoring the scrapes and bruises that he had suffered, and managing to somehow overcome the sheer exhaustion consuming his every movement, he raced home.
Unfortunately he was too late. The building had already been decimated by an explosion, and his family killed in the blast. The authorities would deem it an accident, an overload caused by a faulty generator.
27 ABY
Over the next year Archer went into hiding, trying to stay as low key as possible. He found out what he could about the man who had killed his family and continued to bide his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. Around the age of twenty he received his chance, the businessman in question throwing a lavish dinner in an exotic hotel in Coronet. He spent all the savings he had booking a private suite under an alias, sending the man the finest bottles of wine the hotel had available, and inviting him to his suite for an alleged business arrangement.
The last thing the man ever saw was the glint of a sword slicing through the wrist as he tried to shield himself in horror, followed by the fresh spray of blood as the blade slowly pierced into the man's throat before he could cry out for help. Though it was over in a matter of moments, Archer deliberately took his time as he edged the blade deeper with each press, prolonging the suffering for as long as he could.
28 ABY to 29 ABY
Over the years that followed Archer took odd jobs, working for some of the shadier contacts he could find in the underworld. They didn’t ask questions and he appreciated their discretion. It also kept him off Corellia most of the time, which allowed him to escape the notice of the authorities as they tried to piece together what had happened. In the end the case would remain unsolved. He would even come to meet his former love interest, Lyla, once more during a shipping run. Now a captain of her own freight vessel, the exchange would prove brief, as she commented how much he seemed to have changed, particularly in the eyes. He told her how he was not the man she knew, that that man had died on Corellia. Familiar with what had happened, she simply nodded in understanding as the two parted ways once more.
30 ABY to 31 ABY
Archer continued to do business for the local underworld until one day when a mysterious man approached, promising him knowledge and power if he would follow. He accepted, and soon found himself at the academy for the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. From there he was attached to House Galeres of the Clan Arcona, and admitted into the elite Soulfire Strike Team. A brief introduction in the mess hall with his superior Xathia, the Quaestor of House Galeres at the time, also ensued, in which he opened his mouth to introduce himself and was both slammed into the wall with the Force and covered in a flavored mush for interrupting her meal. Such occurrences proved common, and would somehow form a camaraderie between the two in which she became his instructor. Through her tutelage, as well as the continued support of the Soulfire Strike Team, he rose through the ranks, and even served for a brief time as the Black Hand: Executor for House Galeres, his past proving the perfect aid as their liaison to the underworld.
However, shortly after the Ninth Great Jedi War, Archer took an opportunity to disappear when, following a failed operation on Onderon and a change in leadership, the Soulfire Strike Team was bound with shock collars. While he did aid them for a brief time longer he found his abilities to be limited, and once the situation had been resolved he vanished for over a year, focusing on his training at an undisclosed location.
32 ABY
Archer returned to Arcona after the conclusion of the Spoils of War Right of Supremacy, and was recommended for a position as a sniper attached to the battleteam Sukhur's Legion at the request of their leader, Inarya. Realizing the potential in his methodical nature, she entrusted him with command of the squad while she was called away on a covert operation. Her decision was not without merit, as during the two week period he took control he distinguished himself in the eyes of his superiors and received a Dark Cross for his exceptional service.
33 ABY
As the Disorder Vendetta erupted into full swing, Archer had a vision of his past love, Lyla, in danger. Conflicted between his loyalties, he ignored the call of the Krath order and booked passage to Corellia instead, frequently switching shuttles so that there would be no trail to follow. It was in Coronet that he managed to rescue Lyla and a dozen others who had been taken hostage by religious fanatics in a seedy hotel. Using the layout of the building to his advantage, he placed charges in the sewer tunnel directly beneath the banquet hall and detonated them as the hostages were herded inside, collapsing the floor into the sewer, and the hostages along with it, while simultaneously pumping the hotel with knockout gas to dispose of the assailants.
It proved to be a complete success, with the hostages suffering mostly minor injuries. Before leaving he said his goodbye to Lyla out of formality as the two stood several thousand yards away in another section of the abandoned sewer network.
It proved a brief exchange, with him wishing her luck as he gestured to the ring on her finger, and ending with her thanks as he left silently in the opposite direction that she would. The entire incident was deemed a fortuitous coincidence by the authorities; just the right amount of industrial gas from a leak sparked by a trigger happy fanatic that tore perfectly through the floor, though none of them could remember firing a single shot.
Upon returning to the BAC Darkest Night after the conclusion of the Disorder Vendetta, Archer sought out his superior, Inarya. Ready for the repercussions of his actions, he was instead greeted by news that was rather unexpected. She wished for him to assume command of Sukhur's Legion so that he might learn through experience, and he happily accepted the honor that she bestowed upon him.
34 ABY
For the entire year Archer led Sukhur's Legion with pride, accompanied by the former commanders from his past, including Inarya and Cethgus Entar who served as his closest advisers. But the responsibility became more than he could accommodate, the fact that he was responsible for the safety of an entire squad of men. It finally became too much for him when an operation to liberate a high profile prisoner from the aquatic maximum security prison Orion took a turn for the worse, with the hostage being severely wounded in an ambush and the team barely managing to escape. Upon their return he offered his resignation, relinquishing his command to Cethgus. In turn Sukhur's Legion was disbanded, and its members were held pending transfer.
35 ABY
Now attached to Revenance Virtuom at the request of Cethgus Entar, Archer found himself, as well as the rest of his team, subjected to a series of medical experiments in the name of creating a better soldier. These tests proved beneficial as the Tenth Great Jedi War erupted into full swing, with Archer fighting alongside the initial invasion force, led by his commander Cethgus who, through great valor, became one of the most recognized heroes of the war. Though there were losses and many hardships faced, Archer was awarded a second Dark Cross for distinguishing himself on the battlefield.
DJB Facts
Positions Held
Melee Specialist- Soulfire Strike Team
Tech/Comm Specialist- Soulfire Strike Team
Sniper- Sukhur's Legion
Battleteam Leader- Sukhur's Legion
Outstanding Achievements
Black Hand: Executor- 2/2/09
Dark Cross- 7/17/10
Dark Maven: Flight
Dark Maven: Philosophy
Trivia
Who would want to know about me?