- "I will defy everything. Darkness, war, misery. Even the limiting construct of time."
- ―Liu Van Dae
Liu Van Dae was a Jedi who desired to purge all disciples of the dark side. A man who grew to idolize the fallen Omancor Crask, who had challenged the Dark Jedi Brotherhood in 24 ABY and died doing so, Liu was interested in challenging what he perceived to be the greatest threat to the galaxy. Allying with Odan-Urr in order to execute Muz Ashen, he was later killed in 29 ABY by Taigikori Aybara during the Invasion of New Tython.
History
Very little is known of Liu Van Dae, and Brotherhood records hold little to no information about his upbringing, education, and endeavors as a Jedi.
Crask's Legacy
Omancor Crask, Liu Van Dae's influence.
Enraged by the Jedi's lack of perception and judgment, Liu decided to become a loyal follower of Crask's philosophies and legacy. He would become a poacher of Dark Jedi, traveling across the cosmos with others to eliminate the threat of the Brotherhood. But the Brotherhood was only becoming stronger. Several warlords and conquerors had taken over worlds and systems, all under the allegiance of their dark sovereign. Often, Liu would hear homage given to one known as the Lion of Tarthos, and he was determined to discover who that was.
Encountering The Enemy
Taigikori Aybara, shortly after his encounter with Liu Van Dae.
Liu knew of a moon called Lyspair that housed artifacts and holocrons of great knowledge and power, things he could use to his advantage to fight Ashen. Liu piloted his ship toward the Shroud, using his keen Force abilities to navigate the dense nebulae covering the Antei system.
What he did not know was that the Dark Jedi awaited his arrival. Liu's travels had sparked the attention of Dacien Victae, who delivered his findings to Taigikori Aybara, the Headmaster of the Shadow Academy at the time. Taigikori enlisted the Iron Throne's fleets to protect Lyspair, to ensure that Liu could not enter the Dark Vault. But Liu, no matter what he knew, was still prepared. He breached the lines of naval defense and landed unscathed on Lyspair, cutting through set up droid legions to get to the Vault. He managed to break through the security networks of one of the safest and most protected facilities that belonged to the Brotherhood, but not without being confronted. Taigikori managed to reach Liu before the Jedi could retrieve any of the artifacts, and a duel commenced.
After removing Taigikori's tongue and lower jaw with his lightsaber, Liu was about to kill the Headmaster when he finally beheld Muz Ashen himself. Enveloped by panic at the sight of his far stronger enemy, the Jedi escaped, boarding his starfighter and attempting to flee Anteian space. Ronovi Tavisaen, Praetor to Taigikori, was ordered to shoot down Liu from the Fallen Spear. Brotherhood forces declared him dead as soon as they perceived that his ship had been obliterated.
Fragmented Light
Ji, High Councillor of the Acolytes of Odan-Urr.
Liu, however, had not died as the Dark Jedi had once believed. In the last moments before the two ships had engaged, he had delved into the Force in order to produce an image of a decoy starfighter. Therefore, through the art of illusion, his real ship had not been touched and he was able to set his coordinates to the Stygian Caldera, maneuvering his way out of the system. He traveled aimlessly for some time before discovering the Yhi system in the Esstran sector, where he found himself in orbit around the planet New Tython. His starfighter, suffering from engine failure, plummeted through the atmosphere and crashed on the outskirts of Menat Ombo, where he was retrieved by Jedi Councillors and medically tended to.
Within the halls of House Odan-Urr, Liu was first introduced to Ji, the High Councillor of the Acolytes of Odan-Urr. The Councillor maintained communications with a Jedi known as Michael Halcyon, who was attempting to evade assassination attempts concocted by the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Liu agreed to assist Ji in his endeavors to strengthen the light side house, which as of 28 ABY was in the palm of Muz Ashen's hand. He was skeptical of the Gand's agreement to stay within the dominion so long as it belonged to the Brotherhood, but upon observing Odan-Urr's meager fleets and lackluster forces, he realized just how critical the situation was.
Death and Legacy
Liu Van Dae and Taigikori Aybara's final duel.
Liu was present on New Tython at the time in which Brotherhood forces invaded the planet. Still determined to kill the Grand Master himself, he maneuvered through the besieged Jedi units and stumbled across Taigikori, who was now equipped with a metal jaw. Liu had no choice but to begin another duel against the Headmaster, not knowing that the fight would be his last.
Liu Van Dae's death at the hands of Taigikori Aybara.
Taigikori sought revenge in battle, while Liu was simply focused on survival. Becoming confused when his enemy suddenly began to close the distance between them, Liu did not sense the dagger that his enemy was drawing. The Jedi was killed by a vicious stab to the throat, which punctured his jugular vein and caused him to choke on his own blood. His corpse was burned on a ceremonial pyre by the remaining Jedi of Odan-Urr, and Ji spoke of his admiration toward Liu before the Gand died later in the same year.
Characteristics
Appearance
Liu was a tall man, standing at approximately 1.87 meters, with sandy blond hair and dark brown eyes. He tended to don a long cloak in his travels, and several scars were visible on his face and cheeks. His nose, having been broken several times in combat, was slightly crooked after several attempts to mend it. People who met him tended to observe, despite his youth, that Liu looked worn and battle-ridden, a mentality that seemed far older than his age permeating from his figure and his eyes.
Combat
Liu mastered the Ataru lightsaber form at a fairly young age at the expense of other forms and arts. As such, he proved to be extremely acrobatic in battle, capable of dodging barrages of blaster shots and even the quickest and most cunning swings of a lightsaber. His most favored tactic was feinting, appearing to lose ground against his opponents before approaching them at an undeniably quick speed and raining several blows upon them.
Not one to use blunt weapons or blasters, Liu did occasionally have daggers or knives on his person. As a Jedi, he was interested in dealing merciful deaths, although with Taigikori he proved to be uncharacteristically cruel by disfiguring him before attempting to deliver the coup de grâce.
Personality
Liu was known to be an obsessive yet devoted Jedi, constantly pestering his mentors with his many questions and thoughts about power, life, and time. He was curt yet pensive, aggressive in battle yet calm and even witty in civilian settings. Non-Force sensitives who knew him found him to be very sociable and easy to talk to. He easily absorbed information and knowledge, always a precocious child and a young man who could be considered a genius by galactic standards.
Beneath a gentler exterior, however, was a broiling pit of passion and determination. Liu occasionally would become manic in his studies, never satisfied until he was able to perfect what he had sought out to do.
Trivia
- Liu Van Dae was created by Taigikori Aybara and Ronovi Tavisaen to serve as a main antagonist to the Shadow Academy. It was determined that Liu would be killed off in the Tenth Great Jedi War storyline, decided by Taigikori and Muz Ashen.