Kael Fayne/PartOne

Where... where did it go?

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Complete Article: Kael Fayne
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History

The Early Years (48 BBY - 30 BBY)

Before There Was Kael

"If you're the wine, I'll be the glass."

―Soren Fayne, to his would be bride

Kael's parents, Soren and Alena Fayne, shared a love whose level of passion was only overshadowed by its simple implausibility. Alena, a Prophetess of the Darkside seeking to hide on Arkania from the Jedi Order after a botched espionage mission, met her future husband while working for his family's diamond mining company, Fayne Diamonds. Soren, the lone Fayne not in the diamond business, had made it on his own as a Doctor and a political activist after earning multiple doctorates in medicine, philosophy, and political science. As is so often the case, opposites began to attract as Alena let go of her darker ways to embrace the philosophy of peace that permeated Soren's life.

A Child is Born; A Mother is Taken

"He has your eyes."

―Alena Fayne, commenting on Kael's irisless eyes

After five years of marriage, Soren and Alena were happy to greet their one and only son into the universe in 43 BBY. Kael was a loveable and adventerous child, cleverly escaping his parent's watch from time to time to explore on his own. Tragedy struck, however, as Alena was murdered by a rogue Jedi who had discovered her past when Kael was only three. The attack happened as mother and child were on their way to preschool, leaving both fatally wounded. Alena used her last moments to selflessly heal her son through the Force before passing on herself.

Soren, after many hours of soul searching, forgave the Jedi for allowing the murder to happen, but cursed their representatives when they offered to rear Kael in the Force. Not willing to part with the child, Soren put his all into raising Kael, fearful that his esoteric and abstract mindset may prevent him from relating to the child. Nevertheless, the stern yet peaceful philosopher was surprised as Kael understood his attempts to break down complex ideas into simple parables. In like respect, Kael was also able to teach Soren what it was like to play.

Soren also found another means of connecting with his son: candy. The new father would travel far and wide, going out of his way to find exotic candies to bring back home whether he was traveling on Arkania or across the galaxy. Kael harbors a particular fondness for discovering new candies to this day.

From a Boy Into a Man (30 BBY - 22 BBY)

Those Awkward, Formidable Years

"Follow virtues, my son, not men."

―Soren Fayne, instructing his son

Entering into his teen years, Kael was turning out to be every bit his Father's logical intellectual and his Mother's adventerous rogue. The young man spent his carefree years working on and riding swoop bikes, playing electric mandolin and percussion in a couple bands, and even studying history and sharpening his mind playing Holochess . As well, to further develop his son's character and appreciation for hard work, Soren sent Kael to work in their family's diamond mines. Today, Kael credits these many hours of excavation and sifting for his physical toughness and endurance, as well as working on various equipment for his knack for fixing things.

Despite the youth's fun and mischevous nature, the death of his mother combined with other meaningless acts of violence perpetrated throughout the galaxy created in Kael a subconscious belief that the universe was nothing but chaos. Thus, if there was to be meaning and order, it would have to be established, not by accident, but by force. Though operating on a subconscious level, this belief drove Kael in many areas of his life, even to the point of becoming obsessive-compulsive over things under his control. However, the more he succeeded, the more the belief proved a virtue rather than a vice.

It was also during this period that Kael became attracted to his childhood friend, a thin hot-headed Zeltron named Sybella. While Sybella helped Kael have a more positive, less chaotic view of the universe, Kael defended Sybella against bullies who hurled immature, Zeltron related sexual insults. The two dated throughout their teens and beyond, rarely being seen apart from the other.

Waking to a Cruel Universe

"You don't want to fight me. You're already ugly enough."

―Kael Fayne, trying to pick a fight

After several years of working in the diamond mines, Kael's uncles offered the sixteen year old a job as a cargo pilot, stating that Kael had more good sense than all their transport jocks combined. Over his father's objections, Kael lept at the opportunity. Upon being hijacked by pirates on a solo mission to the outer rim, the young boy was forced to defend himself, using surprise and stealth to disable two of the pirates and killing the leader with his own blaster. This life or death situation further awakened Kael to the ugliness of the universe, driving him to train obsessively with various weapons to learn how to defend himself. In like respect, Kael also took to sneaking out to local catinas, picking fights with obstreperous scumbags in order to learn how to give and take a punch.

To Protect and to Serve

"Dad, I have to go my own way."

―Kael Fayne

As Kael left school with bachlor degrees in both History and Law, his father began to encourage him to become, of all things, a school teacher. Despite his deep voice and somewhat intimidating size, Kael had always been good with kids, never failing to find ways to make them laugh and learn at the same time much like his father had done with him. Sybella, on the other hand, wanted Kael to continue with Fayne Diamonds mainly for financial reasons.

Although he agreed with much of his father's philosophy and lifeview, Kael desired a more active approach to confronting wrong in the universe, and thus he enrolled in the local Civil Security Academy. Racing through the Academy's many courses, Kael soon became a local beat cop, where he served with honor for the next three years. The new cop soon became highly coveted for undercover missions and interrogations in particular.

Sybella, giving into the taunts of her childhood bullies, had by this time become a stripper at the local ski resort, arguing that the money she earned was more than she'd make anywhere else. Kael continued to live with her, hoping he could one day convince her to give up such a life. However, when Kael asked her to quit her job and marry him, she declined, saying she couldn't give up her nature and who she was meant to be. Kael responded that he no longer wanted to see her or watch her waste her life, and the two parted ways shortly thereafter.

From a Man Into a Soldier (22 BBY - 19 BBY)

In the Presence of Greatness

"Youngling, you are barely half the man you could be."

―Arca Jeth

Kael's third year of service in Law Enforcement proved to be his most successful as he devoted himself to work as a distraction from his seperation from Sybella. As a further means of escape, Kael went undercover for most of the year as a gangster named Nissa Gábor. Kael became addicted to several illicit drugs in the process of keeping his cover, though he enjoyed the release they provided. While laying next to several hired escorts in drug induced euphoria, Kael had a vision of legendary Arkanian Jedi Arca Jeth. The mighty Jedi Master told Kael it was time to turn back from his current downward spiral least he fall too far.

A Galaxy at War

"If this war is worth fighting, then it is worth being fought by honorable men...not manufactured armies."

―Kael Fayne

A week after the supposed vision, the Battle of Geonosis finally plunged the galaxy into what became known as the Clone Wars. Like many in the Republic, Kael left all he had behind to join the war effort, not willing that his place on the battlefield be taken by a clone. Fearing he would be enlisted as a cook or something worse if he went to official Republic recruitment centers, Kael drifted from one militia group to the next for the first few months of the war. In that time, he learned a variety of skills, serving as a scout, engineer, and slicer among other roles. It was during this time that Kael came in contact with a group of Matukai who themselves chose not to fight with the Jedi Order. Sharing a common training regimen, Fayne learned much from these Force users, causing him to begin to open up to the mystical energy field for the first time as well.

Off the Bench; Into the Game

"Hey! Those are our blasters!"

―A wounded Clone Trooper lamenting Kael's borrowing of his blasters

Tiring of sitting on the relative sidelines, Kael's reputation among Militia leaders finally got him into the game during the Republic's planned liberation of Brentaal IV. With Republic approval, Kael went undercover inside the planet's main defense complex, where he sliced into the complex's security systems and helped clear the way for Republic troops.

During the post-victory mop up operation, Kael noticed some of the Confederate droids retreating whilst carrying about a rather large man, one the Arkanian had seen with an attractive white haired woman before his deployment to the planet. Fayne managed to track down the lady, who called herself Rielle, and after borrowing a pair of DC-15 Sidearms from some wounded troopers he helped locate the man and rescue him. The large man, a Shaevalian on closer inspection, introduced himself as Brodo and both he and Rielle thanked Kael for his assistance.

From Ship to Ship

"That one isn't going to last long."

―A Militia leader, watching Kael dodge blaster fire rather than seek cover

Kael's efforts on Brentaal IV earned him a place on the front lines of the Militia as a Marine, storming enemy ships in a hail of blasterfire to shut down self destruct systems and capture Confederate leaders. Such missions took nerves of durasteel as many of the self destructs were only seconds away from activation before being sliced and shut down. The twenty two year old enjoyed the change of pace, however, believing his skills as a gunslinger were finally being put to proper use, earning him the rank of Lieutenant with a platoon of 36 Marines under his direct command.

A Late Goodbye

"The Jedi, long content in using disposable clones to do their dirty work, are so blinded by their spotlight that they have no right to question my actions."

―Kael defending his treatment of prisoners.

However, as the Clone Wars drew near to their sudden end, the ever growing casualties and loss of life all around him drove Kael to take harsher measures in his interrogations of captured Confederates. Whatever means were necessary were employeed, from harsh beatings to pharmaceutical stimulants to withholding medical treatment after being shot at point blank range. Fayne, though not trained in the Force, also began to inadvertantly use such powers as Fear to get the answers he wanted. Some of his men questioned Kael's tactics in this regard, but none could argue with the results.

Although his intimidating reputation set many of the Confederates on edge, it earned the Republic a black eye in the press, which led to the Jedi Order requesting Kael's immediate dishonorable discharge. Many of Kael's men protested, appreciative that he would do whatever it took to protect them. Nevertheless, Kael packed his things and prepared to returned to Arkania until a private meeting with a representative of the COMPOR changed his mind. The agent said that the Commission still required men with his talents as an interrogator. Kael, disturbed that he was being asked to do the same job he'd just been discharged over, said he would only serve until the War was over, which he did.

From a Soldier Into a Hero (19 BBY - 16 BBY)

Starting Over From the Beginning

"How many of you know that the Clone Wars were started all because a Jedi chose to trespass in one of the Confederate's droid factories?"

―Kael teaching recent history to his students

With the Clone Wars over and the New Order in the process of being established, many of Kael's contacts within the military offered him positions in various stormtrooper squadrons. Fayne declined, desiring a quieter life on the one hand and believing he could do more good on the local level on the other. Even after his offered payment was doubled, the Arkanian began the long trip home.

Rather than return to his position within Civil Security, however, the former Marine followed his father's advice and became a school teacher, teaching history and other subjects to the youth of Adascopolis, Arkania's crime-ridden capital city. Although not nearly as prestigious as his career in the military, Kael found sincere joy in helping the children learn and develop into young adults. Kael was also able to use his free time to finally earn his doctrates in History and Law, both of his theses being in defense of the New Order and its constitution.

Someone to Look Up to

"Alright, children, you can go back to telling stories about "the Gavel" later. "

―Kael gathering his student's attention

While traveling home one day from work, Kael noticed a familiar face on the corner of one of Adascopolis' less reputible neighborhoods: Sybella. The Zeltron's once youthful appearance was now aged beyond her years and sickly as she admitted she had been addicted to various narcotics for the last three or so years. Because she had no where else to stay, Kael offered to take her in and help rehabilitate her.

When it was revealed to Kael that some of his own students were being used to traffic some of their narcotics and dirty money, the former Marine decided to take matters into his own hands. Assuming his old undercover identity as Nissa Gábor, Kael was able to learn the inside and outs of the main organized crime syndicate. Then, wearing an expressionless grey helmet, the history teacher began to stalk the various street gangs, striking fear into their hearts using the same darker Force powers he had developed during the Clone Wars.

It was not long before news reports were released telling of how local gangs were running scared of some faceless vigilante capable of fighting off a dozen men with nothing but his fists. Although a little exaggerated, such reports kept many gangsters from operating out in the open, and the movement of narcotics was halted. Kael took no glory in the reports, but his heart was warmed when his students would excitedly tell stories about the "Greyman", or "The Snare", or Kael's favorite:"The Gavel".

Sybella before becoming addicted to various narcotics

From a Hero Into a Dark Jedi (16 BBY - 32 ABY)

You Can't Blame a Guy For Trying

"I may be guilty of many things, but not this."

―Kael defending himself while on trial

For the next two years Kael lived without a full night's sleep, continuing to teach history during the day and either playing the role of Nissa Gábor or masked vigilante at night. In order to keep up with the physical abuse, Kael had to take large amounts of painkillers, but he felt the good he was doing was worth it. Sybella's addictions, however, were not as easily cured as Kael had to retrieve her from the same darker districts of town on a number of occasions.

On one particular night, however, Sybella made the mistake of revealing Kael's identity as the vigilante hero to a low level gangster during a drug-induced stupor. However, instead of killing their enemy outright, the gangsters called Nissa Gábor to a meeting in a run down hotel. Kael entered the room to the sound of a lone blaster shot only to find Sybella's dead body in the bedroom. Several Civil Security officiers, all on the take, soon stormed the hotel room and arrested "Nissa Gábor".

With the help of several high ranking and corrupt political officials, the cartel was able to keep Kael far from the public eye during the rather private trial. To what public cared, it was just a case of a degenerate gangster snuffing out a prostitute rather than paying her outright. Kael's court appointed lawyer accepted a plea bargain without his client's knowledge, sentencing the school teacher turned vigilante to life without parole. "Kael Fayne" was reported missing by his friends and family a day later.

A Hall of Mirrors Built by Liars

"In this hall of mirrors, built by liars, I am a pale reflection of myself."

―A lyric Kael often repeated to himself while in prison

Entering the city of Adascopolis' maximum security prison, Fayne was greeted by an endless horde of low level gangsters, many he himself had put away. For the next two years, Kael suffered beating after beating, always outnumbered to the point where he couldn't defend himself. Eventually, some of the gangster's bodies were found, one here and one there, each one either strangled or blugeoned to death in private areas of the prison complex. Though no evidence was found, the Warden decided the best course of action was to "donate" Kael's body to science in order to get rid of him. Not another corpse was found thereafter.

Fayne was thus handed over to Arkanian Microtechnologies, a medical supply and technology corporation that dabbled in a variety of interesting areas, including cloning. Because of the dangerous nature of the prisoner, scientists from Arkanian Micro chose to utilize Kael's body to test carbon freezing techniques and their applications for suspending the sickly in animation until cures could be found.

Encased in Ice; The Seeing Blind

"It feels like I'm dying...every time..."

―Kael, reporting on how it feels to be frozen in carbonite

Lasting for 45 years from 13 BBY to 32 ABY, Kael was frozen in carbonite while said scientists studied the results, letting the innocent victim out once a year for a week's worth of evaluations. During these short periods Kael learned what little he could about the outside universe, and soon became attracted to a human research assistant named Sala. The feeling proved mutual as Sala began to look forward to evaluating her favorite patient, often bringing him candy after learning about his childhood affection for it.

Even though he was unwilling to talk about it at first, Sala finally managed to get Kael to discuss with her the reason for his imprisonment after the two shared a secret night of passion during Kael's eleventh year of imprisonment. Sala, like most people, had heard of the masked vigilante and had wondered of his sudden disappearance. Afterwards, she offered to help the innocent victim escape, but Kael did not want any harm to come to her and made her promise not to do anything.

Nevertheless, years and years of being thawed out and refrozen caused Kael's vision to finally stop returning to him, making him more desperate to do something before his physical situation grew worse. His blindness, however, helped to awaken in him a new sense that had been buried deep in his subconscious: the Force. What had only aided him slightly during gunfights and interrogations now came to the fore as the blind man found new eyes with which he could "sense" his surroundings. Kael chose to keep this knowledge to himself, hoping to use it to surprise his captors and escape in time.

A Sith Never Forgets a Friend

"Now we are even."

―Brent "Archangel" Ligur Victae

Fortunately for the now-blind test subject, Sala proved stubborn and broke her promise as she neared retirement at the age of seventy. Having learned about him from listening to Kael's stories, Sala sought out the one called Brodo, enlisting him to help Fayne escape. Remembering how strong the Force felt around the Arkanian and believing he owed him as much, Brodo, now known as Archangel, agreed to help. He was surprised, however, at the degree of savagery the patient exhibited on his captors once he was freed, remembering him only as a calm and collected scout. After the two were in the clear, Archangel made known to Kael his place within the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, and how they could use someone with his abilities. Kael thanked the Shaevalian for his help, requesting a way to contact the Brotherhood once he had made his decision.

Kael spent only a month more on Arkania, checking in on his family and their business under an assumed alias to make sure all was well. Perhaps one of the most devastating of discoveries was also one of the most expected: Kael's father, Soren, had passed away while his son was in prison. The happiness of being free soon gave way to remorse as Kael reflected on the fact that his father never knew what had happened to him. However, subtle questions to his family revealed how highly Soren had spoken of and rememberd his son. The final and greatest comfort was knowing Soren had lived to see his life's work, pushing for Arkanian independence, had become reality in part as Arkania had refused to join the New Republic.

Fayne also visited a memorial made in honor of the vigilante hero he had once been. Lastly, he managed to find where Sala had retired in secret, only sending her a bouqet of flowers, under his alias, to say thanks. Once he was ready, Fayne broke into the garage that had impounded his Imperial ARC-170, called "The Latter Rain," and embarked towards Brotherhood space.