Liam Torun is an aging Jedi of the Old Order, a survivor of the Clone Wars and a secretive Councillor of House Odan-Urr. Hermetic and eccentric, he prefers to avoid the sort of politicking and maneuvering that steered his native Order into oblivion, while at the same time defending freedom and justice in the Galaxy and serving the will of the Force. Though he grows steadily older, he is now serving as the Knight-Commander for the Knights of Allusis, who he steers in their adventures as protectors of the fledgling House Hoth.
History
Padawan (43 BBY-20 ABY)
- "Anyone can wage war, Liam. The harder fight is to keep the peace."
- ―Kemmin, instructing a young Liam.
Born on Dantooine, to a farmer on a stead near Khoonda, Liam was inducted to the Order at infancy and began training under such Masters as Yoda and Cin Drallig. Torun proved to be a quiet, independent student, though he was also very kind-hearted and quite adept. Placed within the Soaring Hawkbat Clan, he proved himself to quickly gain a grasp for the Jedi Arts, though his real interests were in the arts of diplomacy, language, and agriculture. He was a noted student of both Niman and Soresu, a fact that both balanced out his weaknesses and made him nigh-untouchable by his peers; these facts combined to make Torun, who showed little interest in becoming a Jedi Knight, a target of his fellow younglings. Though he faced an increase in competitiveness and even some hostility from fellow initiates, Liam was always noted to be both respectful and humble, even in victory.
Liam was ten years old when he completed his Initiate Trials. Though there had been reports of harassment at the hands of his peers, Torun did not seek to win; indeed, he had made up his mind to apply for the Service Corps after the Trials. Even so, his opponents relentlessly attacked him, forcing him into defensive postures again and again until Liam, not willing to attack, finally became tired and risked injury. With no further choice, Liam was forced to switch to the offensive and defeat his opponents, lest they cause him or themselves any harm; before he could go through with his plan, he was taken as a Padawan by a Gotal Jedi Knight named Kemmin. In time, the two would come to serve in the Clone Wars.
A quick study, Liam showed great skill in the Force and great technique with the lightsaber, and quickly became capable on the field of battle at the side of his Master. While Kemmin was a steady hand and a stoic, unshakable fighter, he also preached a doctrine of peace whenever possible and warned his Padawan Learner against the lure of the Dark Side of the Force. Thus, young Torun learned not only to be a deadly adversary on the battlefield, but also to attempt negotiations, diplomacy, and, if necessary, blackmail rather than resorting to bloodshed. Kemmin's philosophy was that wounds to the pride and spirit of his enemies could be healed in time - whereas mortal wounds could not.
This peacekeeping approach to the Clone Wars ended with Liam's deployment to Umbara, alongside his Master.
Order 66 (19 BBY)
- "It will be done, my Lord."
- ―Clone Commander CT-8311, shortly before gunning Kemmin down in his chair.
Initially conquered by the heroic efforts of 501st Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic, the planet Umbara had been a hotbed of Separatist activity, with the native Umbarans facing off against the Republic in heated and violent battles. Due to his reputation as a negotiator and a diplomat, as well as a sure hand in battle, Kemmin was one of several Jedi sent to the planet after the machinations and death of its former overseer, Jedi General Krell. While active on the planet, he made great strides toward appeasing and relaxing Umbaran attitudes toward the Jedi and Clone Troopers, while Liam learned much from him on the strange, dark world.
This peace was not to last, however, and the declaration of Order 66 by Darth Sidious saw the Clones of the Republic turn en masse against their Jedi leaders. Kemmin was in the midst of negotiations when the order fell, and had sent Liam for refreshments, an exercise in humility; thus, the young Padawan was on his way back when he witnessed the violent death of his Master, who was gunned down alongside the mayor of an Umbaran settlement before the pair could even rise from their chairs. In desperation, Liam took up both his own blade and the fallen Gotal's in a futile attempt to reach his Master. Wounded, and with his own lightsaber destroyed in the attempt, he fled into the wilds of Umbara and managed to lose his Clone pursuers.
Alone, injured, and cold, the Padawan desperately tried to survive as the newly-minted Empire descended in force onto the planet's surface. Stormtroopers and Imperial walkers began to arrive in waves, securing and locking down the once-rebellious world and punishing rebels and malcontents with vicious reprisals and public executions. At first, Liam would survive by stealing supplies from settlements, Stormtrooper convoys, and other places; this became gradually more and more difficult, and soon Liam had to flee further into the wilds of Umbara just to evade Imperial surveillance. In those wilds, he would slowly come to lose his mind, becoming a fearful, feral being.
Solitude and Solace (18 BBY-14 BBY)
- "Looks like you're a Sep, little guy. Not that it means much, out here."
- ―A young Liam, upon discovering R4-5T.
For the first two years after the Imperial crackdown on the planet and the Galaxy, Liam lived a desperate life, relying upon theft, stealth, and blind luck to survive on a planet that wanted him dead. Alone in the darkness, he would work every day just to find food, water, and a safe place to sleep. More than once, this lifestyle brought him near to Stormtroopers, and in the event of being attacked he knew he would need to be strong. For a time, meditation, training, and practice with the Force would keep him busy - but this, alone, would not be enough to keep him both alive and whole.
He gradually began to lose his hold on his sanity, before finding the wrecked hull of a Separatist astromech droid unit, designation R4-5T, in one of the planet's many old battlegrounds. Salvaging it as best he could and reactivating it, he nicknamed it "Rusty," a play on its designation, and kept it near him as he worked to survive. Constantly nomadic, Liam had slowly adapted to the planet by that time, his Master's lessons on Umbaran flora and fauna coming in handy alongside standard Jedi survivalist training.
Rusty, Liam's only companion on Umbara.
Though damaged, malfunctioning, and incapable of quick movement or jet propulsion, Rusty nevertheless provided Liam with the lost resource of company, and the droid's beeps and feedback would soon be the main cornerstone upon which the Jedi Padawan kept his mind intact. Salvaging from fallen droids to create jury-rigged, makeshift parts, Liam's days went from pure survival to having actual goals again, and a respite from his loneliness. Reflections on this period in the Jedi's life have seen that he was, in fact, quite mad from the experience; treating Rusty like a best friend, confidante, and even a brother, Liam would obsessively clean and maintain the astromech unit and use it to give himself hope for the future.
In his isolated state, Liam hadn't had any contact with the people of Umbara, or with current events in the Galaxy; indeed, he had thought the clone rebellion on the planet a single, isolated event, and began to work toward reactivating Rusty's short-range transmitter and getting a signal out to the Jedi Order that he was certain still existed. This process went on for years, as the Padawan's knowledge of such things was not extensive and the demands of survival - and evasion of Stormtroopers - were constant concerns. Living in caves, beneath trees, and in makeshift shelters, the young Jedi did his best to maintain his health and practice his skills as he worked toward escape. Finally, in 14 BBY, he managed to complete his goal. Having rigged up a hasty repair for Rusty's transmitter, Liam wired it into a crashed LAAT's long-range holotransmitter and sent an encrypted signal begging for the assistance of the Jedi and for rescue by the Republic.
Imperial response was swift, and would drive Liam further into oblivion and solitude.
Inquisition (14 BBY - 6 ABY)
- "You still think they're out there, don't you? That your *Masters* are coming to save you. They're dead, Jedi!"
- ―Eethran Sa'Tresh, Imperial Inquisitor
Liam was surviving and happy on the day that his call was answered, enjoying rodents caught and roasted over a campfire and conversing with Rusty. Sure he was about to be rescued, he was rudely surprised when he was answered not by the Grand Army of the Republic, but by Stormtroopers lobbing concussion grenades into his cave; stunned, caught unprepared, the Jedi could only desperately hold off troopers and escape as he fled toward the back of his cave of refuge. Taking cover behind stalagmites, he desperately called for his only friend, but was unable to stop the Empire as they blasted the droid apart. This act sent Liam toward one of his rare brushes with the Dark Side, and snapped the last strings holding his sanity together.
In a rage, Liam embraced his anger and desperation, attacking the patrol that had come to arrest him and cutting them apart. Not holding back, he displayed his immense, innate talents for the Force by using it to kill his attackers wholesale, a battle that resulted in the refuge he'd built becoming one more ruin on the planet Umbara. Taking the memory core and a few attached parts from Rusty's chassis, the Jedi disappeared into the woods, where he shifted from a battle for survival to all-out guerrilla warfare against Stormtroopers. Striking at their patrols, scouts, and waystations, he moved quickly and without remorse to end the lives of as many oppressors as he could.
Such actions naturally drew more attention to the Jedi, and in short order the Empire deployed one of its Inquisitors to the planet to apprehend and destroy Torun. This Inquisitor, a Zabrak named Eethran Sa'Tresh, was deft in his pursuit of the young Padawan and eager to lure him out of hiding. Organizing a convoy of supplies and guarding it with what seemed to be a token force of Stormtroopers, Sa'Tresh drew Liam's attention with ease; when the young man attacked, the Inquisitor ambushed him, and fought violently against Liam in a one-sided fight that ended when the Padawan, bearing a wound across his chest, fled into the wilds. This scenario would be repeated again and again, with the Inquisitor engaging in tactics of scorced-earth assaults, deforestation, and massacres of the Umbaran populace in his continued efforts to flush out his prey.
Wounded, angry, and with a new threat that he could not surmount, Liam's mind went back to his training and his Jedi teachings. Working hard, he practiced his Forms time and again, using what he learned in ambushes and strikes on Stormtroopers. When the Inquisitor would catch up to him, he would face off against him in ferocious battles, each time learning new tricks and techniques - and each time, being tortured by hints about the state of the Galaxy. Even as the two battled, Sa'Tresh's actions would inspire loathing and fear in the populace of the planet, while stories of a Jedi ghost in the woods would begin to bolster and embolden rebels in the outlying settlements of the world. While the Galactic Empire faced off against the Rebel Alliance in battles far away, the Padawan grew in skill, power, and technique. Confiding in the dead remains of Rusty, often in mad rants about how he had to succeed and survive, the youthful Jedi focused himself entirely on a singular goal - the death of Eethran Sa'Tresh.
It was in these times of desperation, and as his madness grew, that Liam began to have dreams about his Master and the Force. Beginning at first as hallucinations might, these soon blossomed into violent nightmares, scenes of his carnage on Umbara contrasted with his better works in the earlier Clone Wars; images of Kemmin, now long-dead, appeared speaking words of caution, patience, and peace. While he trained, he would catch glimpses of movement on the borders of his vision; as he meditated and practiced Force attacks, watchful eyes would seem to peer out of nowhere, as whispers made their way through his head. This went on for four years, as his reality grew more and more surreal and his cat-and-mouse game with Inquisitor Sa'Tresh continued.
It was six years after the Battle of Yavin that Liam, for so long focused on killing the Inquisitor of an Empire he'd only heard of in taunts and threats, began to notice a shift in the movements and attitudes of the Imperials. No longer did they move about with ease and great numbers; their patrols began to dwindle and tighten, and were joined by - and sometimes even faced off against - movements of Umbarans. Unbeknownst to Liam, the Emperor had fallen at the hands of his Apprentice, Darth Vader, and the Jedi Luke Skywalker had destroyed the terrible Death Star. With the Rebellion now a force to be backed, and the Imperials working to clamp down on their worlds, Liam soon found himself with a host of new allies in his single-minded fight. Even as he saw these shifts, he declined to approach the people outright, having been alone and afraid for decades; he no longer knew how to approach them as a person, much less a Jedi, and feared that he would be betrayed anew.
The Will of the Force (7 ABY)
- "The dead are dead, Liam. Even me. We Jedi must now serve the living."
- ―Kemmin, during Liam's vision of him.
In the seventh year after the Battle of Yavin, Liam was no longer a youthful Padawan Learner on the run; in his time on Umbara, he had lived through puberty, adolescence, young adulthood, and the prime of his life on the run from the Empire. Now forty years old, he had grown from the lanky and uncertain youth of his teen years to become a tall, bulky man, a tower of muscle and wild black hair with madness in his eyes. It was in such a state that he began to covertly help rebels on Umbara against the fractured Empire, striking against the lines of Stormtroopers in hard, violent surprise attacks and using his lightsaber to rip holes in their defensive preparations. A life in the wilds had kept him strong, agile, and unafraid to fight; constant training, Force meditation, and the unending presence of the Inquisitor hunting him had forced him to refine and train his skills to great heights. However, he was still uncertain of his role on the planet, and remained trained only on the death of the Inquisitor.
Sa'Tresh, on the other hand, had not fled Umbara when the Emperor had fallen. Having failed to kill Liam for years, and afraid for his life at Lord Vader's hands, he had gone to ground long years earlier while using his status as an Inquisitor, illegitimate as it may have been, to choke off communications to the planet and hold a de facto rule over Imperial forces present on-world. Now, with the fall of Palpatine, he had thrown in his lot with a splinter group called the Emperor's Hammer. Hoping to appeal to their Sith cult, the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, he had begun working with the beleaguered and listless Stormtroopers on the planet to reorganize them, consolidate their grip over Umbara, and deliver it into his new Grand Admiral's hands. To prove himself to his new Dark Lord, he'd have to first crush the resistance on the planet - and bring in the head of their apparent Jedi guardian.
Increasingly, Imperial forces on the planet began to use their dwindling supplies and weaponry in more and more aggressive campaigns, going after soft targets or bombing resistance groups from the air; while the rebels continued to hold their own, their morale quickly dropped, and Liam's singular focus on the death of Sa'Tresh became tempered by grief, guilt, and sorrow at the horrific massacres he now witnessed. It was in these times that Liam, for the first time since the destruction of Rusty, began to think on the why of what he was doing again, and reflected with great internal turmoil on the truths and teachings of the Jedi Order. At first, he told himself he was foolish, that the Jedi were gone and with them, their teachings.
It was in this time that he was visited by an apparition of Kemmin, speculated to be a Force spirit by some and by others, a simple hallucination of Liam's maddened conscience. In either circumstance, his Master asked him questions of who he had become, to which he answered in pain that he did not know. He insisted that he was no longer a Jedi, and that Jedi were no longer a thing - to which Kemmin, allegedly, told him that the Jedi had indeed returned. He was told to stand firm, to unite the resistance and defeat their self-proclaimed Sith Lord, thus allowing the Umbarans a true chance to decide their future for themselves. Liam agreed, insisting he would kill; Kemmin's reply, before he evaporated, was that a Jedi used the Force for knowledge and defense - *never* for attack.
It was with great hesitation, and not a small amount of awkwardness, that Liam emerged from the woodlands to speak to the Umbaran resistance. Filthy, reduced to wearing only the ragged pants and worn leather boots he'd had since his time as a learner, he appeared as a wild mass of dirt, hair, and scars to the frightened rebels; after some time in their care, he was given supplements to treat malnutrition, what medicine and immunizations were available to make up for the weaknesses in his immune system, and access to a bath and haircut; he declined the latter, as well as the shave. Clean, dressed in new clothes, and with the lightsaber of his Master fully charged and maintained for the first time in years, he stood beside the rebels as they stormed Sa'Tresh's compound in a surprise attack. With Liam's lightsaber, they were able to infiltrate the compound from all sides, while the weapon and his skill in the Force quickly crippled their air support and walkers before the startled Imperials could even react. Decades of combat against them had taught Liam their tactics - and he knew just where to strike.
As the tide turned outside, Liam encountered Sa'Tresh, facing him in the command center of his compound and engaging him in a battle that quickly moved to the compound's rooftop. Duelling, Liam felt his rage ebb and flow, as his Master's words and warnings whispered through his mind between strikes. With his concentration and conscience uncertain, Liam gained and lost the upper hand many times, inflicting light wounds and taking some of his own; as the fight continued, Sa'Tresh taunted him, calling him a coward and a fool. In the end, a strike from Liam took the Zabrak's weapon from his grasp; Liam, his foe defeated, took the high road and attempted to let it be.
Sa'Tresh answered by drawing a vibroknife and striking; Liam's response was swift, putting his saber through the Zabrak's heart before letting him fall from the compound roof, to die on the grounds below.
As his foe died and Liam watched the rebels win the day, he was left uncertain and shaken, his future and purpose of so many years fulfilled; with naught but his boots, his lightsaber, the gifted clothes he wore, and the ruined core of an astro-droid, he was now a Jedi wanderer without a goal or a future. Staying on Umbara for a time, he quickly and quietly departed that world, taking to space and moving about. In these times he learned of many things, from the fall of the Republic to the defeat of Palpatine at Endor. But it was knowledge of the Battle of Hoth that stirred him, of how the Jedi Skywalker had received a vision there, and how other Jedi had covertly worked to aid the Rebellion before being scattered there.
Following their trail, Liam Torun found himself adrift on a freighter for the Yhi System, where he would first make contact with the Gand Ji, foremost among the students of the fallen Master It'kla.
New Tython (7 ABY-27 ABY)
- "If you will not stay, surely you will at least help?"
- ―Ji, asking Liam about his departure into the wilds.
Liam does battle on Dromund Kaas
Eventually, the will of the Force drew him to New Tython. There, he met the Jedi of Odan-Urr for the first time and was present for the founding of what would become the Ooroo Abbey. However, while Liam was quick to befriend many of the Harakoan locals and Tythonian colonists that would congregate near the Abbey, he chose seclusion in the wilds over being a direct disciple of their path. Having lived in the wilds of Umbara for so long, he was eager to resume the hermetic lifestyle he had become accustomed to. Even so, when there was need on New Tython, and elsewhere, he would move quickly to help them.
In this way, Liam became something of a nomad, travelling both within and outside of the Yhi System as he followed his meditations on the only thing he had left to serve - the Will of the Force. By such a path, he often found himself negotiating disputes between towns and easing tensions between rival groups; other times, he would take action against pirates, slavers, and other predators upon the weak. Though preferring the peaceful path, as he had been taught, he had been away from the monastic and structured Jedi Order for too long to not do battle if the cause called to him. For nearly three decades he lived this way; at times, he would not make contact with more than a passing Harakoan for weeks. At others, he would spend weeks living among the poor and destitute on worlds great and small, both covertly and overtly working to promote freedom and justice on all worlds.
It was during times of strife that Liam sensed a disturbance within the Force; the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, known to the aging Jedi because of Ji and his compatriots, was preparing for war with the One Sith, a secret cult of Sith neophytes. As the Jedi of Odan-Urr readied for action, following Quaestor Drodik, they were surprised to see the elderly Liam step up to join them. Though never one to seek command, he would later be appointed to the post of Quaestor by Drodik himself, who respected the older Jedi's experience and understanding of the Force. It was then that the Jedi learned of the Fall of New Tython; though they rushed to the planet, Liam and his people could not save the world from the conquerors, and had to content themselves with evacuating a few thousand refugees.
Liam, exploring the jungles of Haven.
After this, Liam's focus intensified, and for the first time in years he saw a chance to do the Force's bidding. Working with the Jedi throughout the Dark Crusade, he soon found new purpose, taking hold of the House's reigns in secret and leading them in a shadow campaign against the Brotherhood. While the Houses and Clans went to war against the One Sith, Liam and his Jedi compatriots would lead a series of covert strikes against Brotherhood infrastructure, supply lines, and defenses. These attacks would lead to heavy Sith losses during the engagement, and would ultimately cause the loss of many One Sith planets. Meanwhile, Brotherhood power balances would shift heavily across the Galaxy.
Haven(27 ABY)
- "Indeed, it is a paradise. And that is why we must not settle here."
- ―Liam, on why the KUDF would not simply rebuild on Haven's surface.
Following the Fall of New Tython, Liam's meditations would be plagued by visions of a small world, untouched by sapient life. Its coordinates were impossible to follow, shifting between anomalies and objects that would destroy ships who attempted it unaided. And yet, the perfect segment of coordinates - alongside all shifting possibilities - had bloomed into his head. Unsure of the meaning of this, but knowing he had refugees to guide, the Consular programmed these possibilities into the Arthos navicomputer behind keywords only he could access. Using these, he took the refugees of New Tython to the new planet, and aided them in establishing a camp. In time, it became known by the codename of Haven.
Setting up camp on the planet alongside the KUDF, Torun would continue the shadow war he'd been waging against the Sith during the Dark Crusade. During the Crusade's many battles, the forces of the Jedi would sabotage and ambush Brotherhood and One Sith forces, stealing away valuable resources, weapons, and equipment while inflicting as few deaths - and as many crippling casualties - as possible to their war machine. Meanwhile, they would escape with their gains to Haven, hoarding them there and using them to outfit their growing forces. Over time, and with further field experience in the Crusade, Torun's guidance began to produce an eclectic and well-trained mixture of escaped Tythonians and Harakoans, rebels and renegades picked up during the campaigns, Brotherhood and Sith defectors all too happy to work for less-cruel masters, and even a few mercenary and pirate groups that signed on to escape a life of constant grit. Over time the Jedi would also stage small operations on New Tython and other oppressed worlds in secret, liberating whoever they could and folding them into the KUDF forces.
It was during such raids that the Quaestor of the Jedi would discover the existence and scope of King Thuron's most savage example of cruelty, the concentration camp known as Purity Rock. The principle piece of Cy's plan for eliminating what he saw as the planet's Harakoan taint, it was a grueling prison that would force together millions of Harakoans in squalid conditions, where they would be forced into slave labor and brutal subjugation before being killed off, often in waves as large as thirty to fifty thousand individuals at a time. Also into this chief prison went political dissidents and rebels, eventually expanding in scope to include those who had offended Cy and anyone he perceived as a potential threat. The prison led to further camps throughout the Hunonum Desert, all answering to Cy; Liam's heart was initially set on freeing them immediately, but both his own experiences in war and the Force told him that if he did so before the KUDF was ready, it would lead only to anarchy and death for the Harakoan people. The Jedi General was forced to watch from afar, as people died in droves in the worst holocaust the planet had ever seen.
Eventually, while on a mission against the pirate group Alpha's Omega - a component of the Monarchy Fleet, paid for by Cy's mysterious assets and influence - the Knights of Allusis were captured, tortured, and imprisoned in the hellish facility alongside the Harakoans. Forced to wear stun collars that would specifically prohibit their Force usage, they were starved and emaciated alongside the natives of the world, but would manage to do some good against Thuron's will by spreading discontent amongst the prisoners. Eventually, they were able to unite them secretly beneath the banner of the Harakoan Chieftan Whenua and the former Human Prime Minister of the planet, Gideon Varos. All the while, they prepared for their moment, waiting for their chance to attack a weakness in Purity Rock. It was at this point that Torun decided he could wait no longer; trusting in his Jedi, he sent Strike Team Ooroo, his covert unit, to infiltrate the prison and recover the Knights.
Rise of the Rebellion (28 ABY)
- Main article: [[Tides of Freedom|Tides of Freedom]]
- "They were sent to help the planet. They may yet do just that."
- ―Liam, on V'yr Vorsa's continued captivity in Purity Rock, 28 ABY.
It was nearly two years into Thuron's reign and into the Dark Crusade that Ooroo's mission was launched. Simultaneously, as the Strike Team assailed the prison, Knight Commander V'yr Vorsa - a close friend and confidante of Torun's - made her move to unite the prisoners and force an escape. As the heavily armed and organized guard corps of Purity Rock set up defenses to hold off the covert assault by Ooroo, Vorsa and her Knights revealed their trump card by removing the stun collars they wore; in the night time of the previous weeks, they had been slowly sabotaging them with the help of the prisoners, to the point where they were essentially useless. The two-pronged assault, combined with the literal millions of prisoners facing off against a few tens of thousands of guards, made the fight one-sided from the start; Ooroo was able to disable and cripple many of the defenses the guardsmen relied upon, while Vorsa overwhelmed them in short order afterward. Once the heavily-stocked armory was overrun, the fight essentially devolved into a massacre of Thuronian forces. As a final trump card, the Jedi used the opportunity to cripple the guardsmen and liberate all of the surviving prisoners, who fled north to the mountains on the desert's edge at Vorsa's instruction.
Meanwhile, the Jedi were able to capture a few shuttles and, over-stuffing them with prisoners to aid them, they quickly made their way into orbit and captured two of Alpha's Omega's ships - corvettes that would come to be called the Pride of Owyhyee and the Proxia Mustirion. The crew of these ships, largely mercenaries and clearly overwhelmed and unprepared, gave up with little resistance and defected to the Jedi in exchange for deals of lenience and amnesty. Unlike their former masters, they knew the Odanites would actually keep their word. Once they had escaped, Vorsa and the Director of Ooroo, Revak Kur, made a full report to Torun. The Quaestor quickly ordered the ships inspected, properly crewed, and folded into the KUDF as the first stepping stones toward a true Defense Fleet.
It was during this time that the Bothans of the Nebula-class Star Destroyer Fey'lya's Last Stand, tired of the infighting of the Galaxy and hearing news of New Tython and its protectors via their extensive spy networks, and learning of its recent fall, arrived in hyperspace to treat with Torun and the Jedi. Liam met with their Admiral cordially, and after negotiating deals for the Bothans to be granted asylum by New Tython and land for a proper settlement, he was able to procure the Stand not only as a loyal member of the KUDF's fleet, but as the flagship of said fleet and Torun's main point of command. Liam pointed out to the Bothans the value such a ship could have for Galactic defenders, while the crew themselves saw the massive advantage, politically and militarily, that such a position in the fleet and command structure would grant them in future maneuverings and negotiations.
Its new fleet assembled and ready, the forces of the Jedi travelled to Haven along its treacherous route before loading up the forces of the KUDF and the massive amount of supplies they had gathered during the Dark Crusade. Their continued operations had yielded thousands of tons of stolen equipment, much of which they would retrofit to their purposes and use while other pieces were sold on the black market, the proceeds used to further fuel their war machine. Afterward, Torun would see the Jedi and KUDF arrive quietly on the night side of the planet, deploying KUDF forces and tons of equipment and supplies to the newly-forged Harakoan resistance in the mountains of Owyhyee. With Jedi guidance, KUDF training, and the huge bounty of the Crusade, the millions of Harakoans became healthy, hearty, and were happily trained and reformed into a force that could truly retake their world - the Harakoan Tribal Army.
It was at this time that Liam and the Summit of Odan-Urr met with the leaders of this army, representatives of various tribes both extant and shattered, rallied behind their chosen spokesman - Whenua. There, in their hidden mountain fortress, the Jedi and Harakoans would work together to pen and negotiate the first drafts of a vital document - the Treaty of Menat Ombo. Once the Harakoan delegates had discussed the ideas and laws, and had debated and negotiated to their satisfaction, they became the first signatories of the Treaty and the first true Nation of New Tython; in exchange for their help and agreement to the Treaty, the KUDF would continue to aid, train, and support them as they fought to retake their homeworld. Soon, the resistance was ready to strike, and awaited only Torun's command.
Liberation of New Tython (28 ABY)
- Main article: [[Return of the Light|Return of the Light]]
- "We cannot come to rule. We must instead come, that they may again rule themselves."
- ―Liam, on the reclamation of New Tython.
It was during the year 28 ABY that the forces of the KUDF, together with the Harakoan Tribal Army, would begin their assault on the Thuron Monarchy. Beginning in space, the newly-assembled fleet of Odan-Urr struck with all-out ferocity against the space station Sanctuary, with its two Strike Teams - the Knights of Allusis and Ooroo - attacking the station from within and without. This initial strike would be called Operation: Daybreak.
As Jedi and KUDF forces boarded and laid waste to the station itself, crippling it with little trouble, Liam's orders saw the Jedi utilize the mobility of the Proxia Mustirion and the Pride of Owyhyee alongside the overwhelming firepower of the Fey'lya's Last Stand to systematically target different groups and alliances within the Thuronian Fleet. Itself little more than a band of pirate and mercenary fleets and squadrons, all operating on their own command and relying on Sanctuary for coordination, the Thuronian Fleet quickly split apart into disparate groups and was decimated in short order. Before the coalition's forces could suffer irreparable damage, several pirate groups deserted or surrendered to the Jedi, leading to a decisive rout in orbit over the planet.
As soon as the Thuronian Fleet and station were crippled, Torun's forces had the ability to move about in orbit over the planet - but not yet the advantage of high mobility, nor the ability to limit Thuron's strikes and reinforcements. Thus it was that the aging Jedi Consular would assemble the Summit, the leaders of the KUDF, and Whenua to discuss their next target of interest. As the main staging point for anti-Harakoan operations, alongside being the nexus of all air and water travel for the Monarchy, the Dac Compound was chosen and was swept into disarray with a decidedly full-power assault in the late hours of the night. Leading Harakoan and KUDF forces against the city, Odanite Jedi assailed the Compound's outer walls and spread into the streets. Meanwhile, Ooroo and the Disciples of Baas moved into position to cripple city defenses and rescue civilians, while the Gungan Jedi Kah Manet saw the liberation of the city's leaders and soldiers. Mercenary forces put up a solid fight, but gave up in short order once the freed Mon Cals had a chance to organize.
Once the city had fallen, Liam - alongside Whenua, the Wookiees of The Chosen, and the Bothan settlers from the Last Stand - would work with Mughim Viik, former General and de facto leader of the Compound following his predecessor's death against Thuronian soldiers. Together they would negotiate a provision for a second Treaty Nation, that of the Independent Colonies of New Tython; Liam and Whenua would press the rights of Harakoan tribesmen to their lands and laws, while Viik would negotiate alongside his peer Independents for the permission of the Harakoans to keep their own lands, borders, laws, and standing forces. Once Viik signed the Treaty, the Dac Compound would see a temporary Harakoan garrison to help defend it, and would give Torun the advantage that Thuron had once enjoyed; the Jedi could now move between the colonies of the planet with impunity.
This mobility would soon see KUDF forces put to the ultimate test. As KUDF forces organized twin assaults on the colonies of Tanduran and Vard Mislu, the former's authoritarian governor would activate an energy shield that would protect the colony from aerial assault. Meanwhile, heavy anti-air weaponry and a massive fleet of tanks and infantry would be deployed in the fields around the city, making direct assault impossible and forcing the Jedi to fight their way across the surrounding fields, at least until Ooroo's forces could infiltrate the town and disable the shields. Meanwhile, the subjugated civilians of Vard Mislu - always a militantly independent, ferociously stubborn people - heard of the Odanite assault and gains, and would use the opportunity of a KUDF attack to host their own uprising. Unfortunately for Mislu, eighty percent of the colony would be utterly destroyed during the fighting, leading to mass casualties and leaving the town with crippled infrastructure and huge damages. However, a silver lining would appear for Mislu, as Liam, Whenua, and Gideon Varos would work to ensure that the rebel opposition worked alongside the Harakoans in reconstruction efforts. Traditionally opposed to Harakoans, the people of Mislu would change their tune during the fighting against Thuron, creating sentiments that would stay with the residents for years to come.
Once Tanduran and Mislu had signed the Treaty, operating under Gideon as part of a future Tythonian nation, the final assault would be waged on Menat Ombo. However, as Harakoan forces drew the bulk of the Thuronian army into the nearby fields for a massive and bloody engagement and KUDF forces would use the distraction therein to attack the city from behind, Liam's task was neither on the field of battle nor in the command tent. Using skills he'd developed on Umbara and in New Tython's jungles, he would deftly evade patrols and cross rooftop and barricade before infiltrating the Palace of Thuron - built atop the ashes of Ooroo Abbey. Quickly disabling Thuron's bodyguards with the power of the Force, Liam engaged in a lengthy and dangerous duel with the maddened Sith King, forcing him into a life-or-death battle. While Cy relished the chance for direct battle, in reality Liam's plan was simple - while his Aedile went after Cy's General, Alek Mirr, Torun would keep the King too busy to lead his forces. The resulting chaos, both within and outside of the city, would eventually lead to the Thuronian Royal Forces largely surrendering, deserting, disbanding, or being utterly destroyed.
Liam's battle with Cy was long and deadly, the two straining their bodies in a contest of lightsaber combat while their Force abilities demolished Thuron's ornate throne room. In time, the combat would escalate to the point where portions of Thuron's tower were blasted away, even as aerial battles between snubfighters and bomber craft outside did further damage to the structure. All the while, Liam moved to efficiently end the fight while trying to psychologically wear Cy down. As his hopes for the King's surrender and a quick end to the battle came to an end, Thuron would be offered one last chance to atone, to which he replied with a roaring charge. Torun, a combat pragmatist above all, would use the opportunity to trip Thuron and throw him off-balance, leading to a fall from the tower's precipice. Liam's report on the incident would offer no certain closure, though many who witnessed the battle's end would note that Cy seemed to come to his senses during the fall. In the end, he would up crippled at the base of his own Palace, while Liam turned away to deal with the battle at hand - leaving Cy to be finished by Mirus Hi'ija, as revenge for the murder of the Jedi Jonuss Rai in Vard Mislu.
Following the conclusion of the battle, all remaining forces of Thuron either fled the planet, deserted into the wilds in tiny bands, or otherwise surrendered by the thousands. Gideon Varos finalized the Treaty of Menat Ombo by signing on behalf of the Tythonian Colonial Alliance, while Liam signed on behalf of the Jedi to create a fourth Nation, this one with special provisions to protect the peace and bearing possession of the Arca Praxeum and the immediate surrounding lands. With peace secured for the time being and the world once again in the hands of its rightful people, Liam would turn his vision back toward the stars - to a Dark Crusade that still raged, and the murky purposes of Houses, Clans, and a Dark Lord of the Sith.
Korriban (28-29 ABY)
- "Yes, I have seen this war's like before. But not for a long time. A very, very long time."
- ―Liam, reflecting on the horrors of civil war on Korriban.
After two years of fighting the Dark Brotherhood and One Sith alike, alongside stealing from their war efforts to fund Odan-Urr's own, Liam and his forces were caught off guard with the destruction of Antei, the Brotherhood's historic homeworld. In the resulting backlash, the Clans of the Brotherhood would fracture, as word reached the Jedi of the Grand Master Darth Ashen pursuing the ultimate goal of his years-long war - the Rite of Immortality. Reports suggested that this Rite, first used by the Triumvirate of old that had founded the Brotherhood, would grant immortality to the one who completed it. Lord Ashen would be able to sustain the Brotherhood, indefinitely, in dark unity as they pursued their ultimate religious goal, the Final Way. Aligning behind him, the Clans Arcona, Naga Sadow, and Tarentum would support his claim and the idea of a unified, invincible Brotherhood.
From the shadows, this conglomerate would be opposed by the Sith Lord Esoteric, whose violent One Sith forces had held the Brotherhood's advances in check for years. Esoteric would propose a brutal New Order, a Sith Empire that would muster its strength and usher in the Final Way by *force*, purging the weak and enslaving those who stood against his advances. Though most of the Brotherhood's Clans would stand against this fascist, ultra-violent interpretation of the Dark Side, the Dread Lord of Clan Plagueis would pledge his enslaved armies to Esoteric's cause.
Alone against these dual forces of darkness stood an unlikely ally, the Grand Master Jac Cotelin. Standing for a free Brotherhood, where Clans could compete for their own goals rather than unifying under one vision, or going up against the entire Galaxy in bloodshed, he would lead Clan Taldryan and their allies, the Imperial Clan Scholae Palatinae, against Ashen and Esoteric. It was with such choices before him that Liam Torun met with his Council, and proposed an unpopular path - allying with the forces of Cotelin against the Dark Side's would-be Gods. Though allying with Taldryanites and Palatinaeans meant calling Dark Jedi and Sith their allies, their vision would create a Brotherhood with instability, weaknesses, and potential power vacuums to be filled. In such an environment, Odan-Urr could hope to fester within, to quietly grow strong and sunder the bonds that had held the Dark Side in its absolute dominance for decades. Such an option was deemed better than Muz's divinity or Esoteric's would-be Empire, and so the Jedi of Odan-Urr, for the final time in the Dark Crusade, would go to war.
There, upon the sands of Korriban, the Jedi would face the cunning of the Sith and the fearful might of the Dark Brotherhood's armies, alongside the violent forces of Esoteric. Yet they managed not only to aid the Rebels in their fight, but used their bolstered forces, stolen gear, and two years of brutal combat training against the very same to hold their own and aid Cotelin's forces in battle. They held their own and pressed against Loyalists and One Sith alike, until the timely arrival of the Sith Lord Darth Pravus, whose power and reinforcements rallied the Rebel cause and allowed him to break up the rituals of Ashen and apparently to kill Esoteric. With the One Sith leader dead, his forces were scattered, and those who did not die would flee or outright defect to the side of the Brotherhood.
Ashen, his forces humbled and brought back into line behind Pravus, would flee and go into hiding as the youthful Sith would declare himself the new Grand Master and bring the Brotherhood back into line. With the status quo shattered, the Dark Brotherhood's alliances and tethers in tatters, and a balance of power to maintain, Pravus had one decree for Odan-Urr - they would be pardoned of any actions against the Iron Throne, provided their Quaestor - Liam Torun - step down from his post while a more moderate Jedi took his place.
Liam willingly complied, happy to allow longtime friend A'lora Kituri to take his place. Odan-Urr became a Clan, and Kituri quickly elevated several Jedi to new seats on the Jedi Council of Urr to help her and offer counsel. One of these was Liam, who was now permanently named a Councillor of Urr.
The Old Man (29 ABY - 34 ABY)
- "Of course he's on top of a mountain. He's *always* on top of a mountain."
- ―Seraphol Ceartas, upon learning Liam's location while seeking him out.
Following the end of the Dark Crusade and the final battle upon Korriban, the Jedi of Odan-Urr would branch out and take up new duties in the newly-formed arms of Odan-Urr, Houses Satele Shan and Hoth. While the Satelean Jedi made contact with the Harakoan city of Seher, a populous and complex web of history and culture, their counterparts would spread to the largely unexplored continent of Kamuekiko. The Treaty of Menat Ombo, followed by each of its Nations and policed internationally by the KUDF, was holding; soon, economic and societal growth would require new resources and allies, while many Harakoan tribes still lived in fear and would need assistance. The Jedi of House Hoth would move to help them, and Liam Torun-Urr would join them.
Travelling to the continent, he would work with Hothite forces to scout and reveal the jungle; in so doing, he and his peers would be quick to discover a large and overtly hostile conglomerate of Harakoan tribes ruled by a vicious warrior known as the Butcher of Kamuekiko to local homesteaders. While arguing that they should not be wiped out or forced into submission, as that would be against their rights as people, Liam would quickly take up support for the cause of protecting other tribes and Tythonian settlements against their ambitious leader. To that end, he moved out into parts of the wild few others could comfortably tred, before finding the cliffside that would come to house the Hothite command center of Fort Pernicar. The cliffs concealed a massive, ancient stone complex, built with sprawling halls, tall pillars, armories, and what seemed to be a warrior's arena. Adding a hangar bay into the cliffside, Hoth would come to use the ancient stone fortress as its new home.
Following this act, and the initial defense of the base from Harakoan attackers - who would go on to label him the Old Man of the Mountain, due to his Force use being seen as mysticism - Liam would resume his nomad's life wandering Kamuekiko and its many wonders. Dwelling in caves, forests, and valleys, he would at times rest out in nature while at others being sheltered and lending a hand to villages and settlements like the Wookiee village Gradrrbecca. Away from war, conflict, and death, he was content to meditate and follow the will of the Force.
This lifestyle would be halted when he was approached by Seraphol Ceartas, Quaestor of Hoth. The Gray Jedi would locate Liam high in the Aki mountain range, known to locals as the "Mountains of Death", and approach him with a new mission. Following Korriban, the power shifts in the Brotherhood, and the growing and evolving political scheme of New Tython, Hoth would have need of a force that had been scattered and disbanded on the Sith homeworld - the Knights of Allusis. Liam would have to move fast, though, and indeed he did, mobilizing the team just in time for it to see combat in the city of Tanduran. Shortly thereafter, he elected to surrender command, unveiling a secret he'd been hiding since his days back on Umbara.
Liam Torun-Urr had gone blind.
The Dark Times (34 ABY)
It was in the weeks that followed that Liam, tormented by nightmares and Force visions in his blindness, began to get images and foresights of destruction and terror. Burdened, weighed down as he was by both his disability and the ominous weight of what was to come, Liam attempted to warn his Summit but ended up instead fraying his relations with the rest of the Council and drawing the ire of several of its members. Multiple times he attempted to circumvent protocol, or to act of his own accord, knowing only that some new doom was coming for them all. Unable to pierce the veil of the Dark Side, he knew only that dark days were on the horizon - but could not imagine the scale of the tragedy to come. Desperate, he rebuilt the memory core of his old droid, R4-5T, using it as a pilot as he took to the cold vacuum of space in an old 'Aethersprite' fighter to try and find a solution elsewhere.
The following day, New Tython was decimated and destroyed by the forces of Darth Pravus and the Brotherhood.
The weeks that followed would prove tumultuous for Torun, as he grappled with the immeasurable pain of millions of beings - being he'd been connected to, people he'd helped and touched - being snuffed out of existence in pain and fear. The disturbance in the Force was enough to drive the Old Man toward the brink of madness, and for several months afterward he would continue to wander the Galaxy with only the corroded, half-mad logic circuits of a decades-old droid and the Force to keep him company. Slowly, inexorably, he came to terms with the horror that had passed and made his peace with what had happened. It was then that the Force, in its infinite wisdom, drew him homeward again.
In time, he would learn of where this new home was - the Kiast System.
Physical Description
- "Never underestimate the value of a good pair of boots."
- ―Liam Torun, on New Tython for the first time.
Liam has, at first glance, the appearance of a kindly old man or even a drifter. Long years in the wild have weathered his face, and age has etched it with deep lines, wrinkles, and scars; these often give him a wizened, ancient appearance, with some Younglings commenting that he looks to be some sort of statue when he meditates or rests. His hair and beard, both uncut for decades and only slightly singed since his time on Umbara, have been bleached white by time, age, and the climates of the places he dwells in the wild. Bushy eyebrows and long white eyelashes grow from eyes set in a heavy brow, atop a square-jawed, strong, yet simple face; had he lived a normal life on Dantooine, he'd appear very much the consummate farmer, and once could even have been handsome in a rugged, simple way.
Tall and strong, his body is corded with thick, large muscles, though they have lost some small amount of their bulk and pronunciation as he has aged. Broad shoulders and a barrel chest rest on a frame that is six and a half feet tall, his core thick and solid while his huge thighs and bulging calves have been defined by literal decades of climbing mountains, trees, and cliff faces. Large hands with long, wrinkled fingers that have been broken before bear a thick layer of callous, as do large feet that are equally tough and rugged. He has been described by some as burly and bear-like, and bears a plethora of minor scars across his body, mostly from life outdoors; his only prominent scars are on his left side, where his flesh has puckered around an ancient blaster wound, and a prominent ten-inch scar from the burning blade of a lightsaber across his chest. Neither was treated properly, and thus they are ugly and clear to behold if ever looked upon.
For garb, Liam typically wears traditional Jedi fare, though on missions he will often create ragged "Nomad" robes in the tradition of the Odanites. These allow him to better blend in with the vagabonds and wastrels of foreign worlds, and make his identity and origin difficult to track if ever he is encountered or apprehended; no record of him exists outside of select Odanite databases, the Dark Council's wanted list, and ancient Jedi Order records of a Padawan learner last deployed to Umbara during the Clone Wars. Thus, by using local materials, dwelling with the locals, and playing up the madness and senility of his age, he is often able to obfuscate and confuse interrogators for long enough to escape capture, or to be rescued. The only possessions he truly keeps are the Aethersprite ship 'Vigilant Seer', his rebuilt droid Rusty, and the pair of boots he was given by Odan-Urr upon his arrival.
Personality
A life of turmoil, isolation, meditation, and peace has instilled a deep fortitude and self-assurance within Liam; once an optimist, a coward, a firebrand, and a maverick, now he is best called a sage. Living a nomadic lifestyle, typically within nature and always away from the hustle and bustle of a Galaxy that forgot him, one he never lived within, he has become a calm and pensive mind. Though he has studied society, and continues to watch it for signs of where to help, time and perspective have given him a deep patience and an understanding that all wounds - whether shallow or deep - do eventually pass in time. Furthermore, the Purge of his Order, his work on Umbara with rebels, and his years following as a vigilante peacekeeper have given him a strong belief that Jedi should be protectors, but not rulers. Though they must act against injustice and help the oppressed wherever they can, it is for the people to decide their fates, and not for the Jedi to prevent that.
In battle, Liam is never angry, nor does it seem possible to irritate or annoy him; rather, he is typically calm, often quite cheerful, and at worst stoic and somewhat sad. His combat has been described as being like water, flowing and ebbing like the tide, rushing in like a river or standing firm like a mighty waterfall against all odds. The same description fits him in his restive, non-combative state; he is like a pool of water, still and untouched, sheltered from the winds of change and the tremors of a chaotic universe. Though he lives alone, he is always happy to entertain a visitor; he will go weeks without speaking at all, and then have a four-hour conversation with a Journeyman about a topic irrelevant to their studies. He will climb a mountain and crawl into a desolate cave, simply so those pursuing him might stop after all that work and enjoy his favorite drink, a simple blend of Oku Flower tea.
He is a venerable, wise, and patient man, well-suited to his place in the Galaxy and well aware of the dwindling of years. In essence, the consummate grandfather to all of his pupils.
Weapons and Equipment
Liam Torun's original lightsaber, crafted during his trials.
Originally using a lightsaber crafted at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Liam would create a hilt with a blue blade and wield it sparingly in confrontations, and some negotiations, alongside his Master Kemmin. Used against doorways, bulkheads, and walls more than against battle droids, it faithfully served its master for four years before the death of Kemmin on Umbara. There, he would wield it briefly alongside Kemmin's own weapon, before having it shot from his hands and being forced to flee into the woodlands.
Wounded and fleeing, Liam desperately took up Kemmin's own blade to defend himself as he retreated into the dark forests of the planet. Using it initially to battle back and lose the Troopers, he was forced to then use it to cauterize a bleeding shoulder before going into hiding on the planet. During his time there, both training by himself and fighting off the local Imperials, he used it to great effect; though constantly threatened by Imperials and an Inquisitor, having nothing else to do but survive and grow stronger greatly focused his lightsaber training regimen, especially after the arrival of an Inquisitor. Though he did his best, both his garb and his weapon became rotten and worn throughout his time there, and he was forced more than once to steal Imperial tech and use natural resources to patch the weapon together. After his escape from Umbara and arrival on New Tython, he accepted the aid of a grateful Harakoan craftsman and the donations of a Tythonian family, and was able to restore the blade to its original look. The restored weapon bears an ornate, grooved design, with bits of brasswork for decoration and a polished wood grip. Its blade is green, and burns steadily and coolly thanks to a rare Pontite focusing gem installed by his Master prior to his death. Today, it is kept at the Arca Praxeum at Liam's request, alongside other memorials to fallen Masters of old.
Kemmin's lightsaber, restored by Liam following his escape from Umbara.
Following the recapture of New Tython, Liam would briefly dabble in the use of two lightsabers before using his training in Soresu, and his experience against Juyo in the past, to craft a saberstaff of his own. Doing so was an act of great emotional tribulation for Liam, for though events on Umbara had taken place long ago, it still bore a strong resemblance to the weapon used by his hated enemy so many decades before. Thus, he fought a battle of wills with himself while crafting it, facing his inner demons and coming to accept the truth of his nature; though his principles, moral fiber, and training in the Light had come from Kemmin and the Jedi Order, the majority of his combat experience, training, and his approach toward facing down evil had been ingrained in him by the Inquisitor Eethran Sa'Tresh. Crafting the weapon, he came to accept himself for what he was - a tool of the Jedi Order, forged by the machinations of the Sith. His weapon reflects this - a hilt built of simple materials, coppers and recycled steel, weather-beaten even as it conceals a pair of white blades. They burn brightly, as does the Light within the Jedi.
R4-5T
Originally an R4 droid utilized by the Confederacy of Independent Systems as a combat mechanic, R4-5T would take damage during the battles waged by the Separatists against the Grand Army of the Republic and would be left, deserted, on a battlefield of ruined droids. He would remain there until discovered by Liam, then a young Padawan, before becoming Liam's only friend and hope for multiple years. Eventually, he would be used in a bid for escape by Torun, though this led to his first destruction by Imperial Stormtroopers. In the decades that followed, Liam would reverently keep R4-5T, or "Rusty" as Liam had come to call him, preserved by bearing his memory core as a personal possession. At times interfaced crudely into datapads or probes by the Jedi, Rusty would nevertheless remain inactive for most of the following decades, until Torun had no choice but to bring him on as a pilot and mechanic.
Working with the Padawan Gui Sol, Liam would repair much of the circuitry damaged and corroded by time within Rusty's memory core, before installing it into the old, rusted frame of a C1 astromech droid. From there, using cobbled-together and jury-rigged parts, the two would get the droid together in time for it to serve as Liam's piloting assistant and companion as he took to the stars. A loyal and quirky droid, Rusty often acts stand-offish and even rude toward strangers, yet with Liam he seems to have taken on the role of a guide, friend, and sworn caretaker. He accompanies what is arguably the last of the old Jedi everywhere he can, aiding him in any way possible.
Vigilant Seer
- "...You're telling me you were shot down by a blind man?"
- ―A pirate captain, after one of his subordinates engaged the Vigilant Seer.
Originally downed over New Tython during the first Brotherhood Incursion, the Jedi Starfighter that Liam would name Vigilant Seer was an aging model long before it was ever a part of the KUDF's fighters, and once wrecked was largely abandoned to the ravages of time. Discovered in the jungles of Kamuekiko by Liam, the overgrown fighter would become something of a pet project of his as he recruited the Padawan Gui Sol and his astromech, Rusty, in its urgent repair. Largely intact, the ship's repaired frame is strong beneath a mishmash of outer plates cobbled together from other ships and vehicles, while its innards are either refurbished from the components that existed within the wreck already or salvaged from other starfighters entirely. Modified to be more maneuverable, Liam now operates it largely as a mode of transport, though when he must he is capable of engaging in space combat provided that he does so with the aid of Rusty, and of the Force.
Skills and Abilities
In combat, Liam is an adept and sure-footed saberist, using his skills as a Soresu adherent to maintain a near-impassable defense; this, coupled with the advantages of a spinning saberstaff, make him a terror against even groups of foes wielding blasters and lend him considerable longevity in any duel against a saber-wielding opponent. Fighting like a flowing river, he moves between his defensive stance and the aggressive, athletic movements of Juyo at will, utilizing that Form's vicious, unpredictable, and repeated strikes to keep foes on the defensive and scatter any hope they have of backing off to regroup. Though he will always move to disarm, defeat, or wound an opponent if he sees the opportunity, he does not hesitate and takes the first available move to end any confrontation - even if that happens to be a killing blow.
In terms of the Force, Liam is a lifelong student of its ways, and has become powerful in its usage over many long years. That said, his uses tend to not be combative, instead focusing on influencing the mind of an enemy and moving situations away from confrontation altogether. In times of need, however, he understands to a deep level certain truths of the Force; while in combat, his abilities are akin to any at his skill level, outside of it he knows things such as size, possibility, and perception of reality to be mere illusions to a luminous being serving the Light. This understanding, its applications, and his dedication to a hermetic lifestyle mean that he is regarded by some groups on New Tython as a friend, savior, or even figure of legend, while others view him as a madman, a sorceror, or even an apparition of evil. He isn't keen on embracing the former, but will also not foment the latter, unless the need for action is too dire to ignore.
Despite his advanced age, and perhaps because of the life he has lived, Liam is in extremely good health and great shape. Athletic, strong, and used to moving about in unconventional and even feral ways, he at times seems to be more ape than man. His survival skills and talents as a woodsman, though untrained professionally, have developed well from long years of necessity; though he seldom dodges blaster fire or patrols of soldiers these days, he is still content to scale cliffs, climb mountains, and swing between branches of trees in moving about. His experience doing so makes it a regular affair to him, and even allows him to do it stealthily; it has been said of Liam that no one ever sees him moving from one place to another. He just seems to appear, seldom on time, but always precisely when he needs to.