Taku "Crix" Matsuki's current lightsaber
Crix has used many lightsabers over his career as a Dark Jedi, the first one being built from parts he took from the lightsaber of the first Jedi he killed. This lightsaber was of a simple design, a tube with rings cut into it to aid in grip. The blade was a brilliant orange. Crix retired this lightsaber when he joined Clan Alvaak. Crix now uses this saber as a backup in the event of his main saber being damaged or lost. When not on a mission, the lightsaber resides in a display case in his quarters.
As with all Dark Jedi ranked Knight or above in Clan Alvaak, Crix constructed and carried a lightsaber which was double the normal length, what amounted to the 2nd phase of a dual phase lightsaber, and purple. Upon leaving Alvaak, Crix kept the lightsaber but he no longer uses it. The lightsaber is kept in a display case with his first saber now.
When Crix returned to Clan Taldryan, he constructed a new lightsaber. This one was similar to his original in design but a little more fancy. This saber used a crystal that produced a purple blade, as he'd come to like that color saber blade while in Alvaak.
By the time that he'd reached the rank of Battlemaster, Crix had begun learning the Trakata lightsaber style. In order to help himself with the style, he constructed a lightsaber which resembled the style's most well known proponent: Darth Sidious. The lightsaber retained the purple blade that Crix had become so fond of, but included red and dark chrome on the handle. This was a radical departure from his earlier, plain, lightsabers.
Taku "Crix" Matsuki Taldrya's last Lightsaber
Crix soon began to design a new lightsaber for himself. This one took its styling cues from normal swords and included a very short hand guard between the blade and handle, a feature not found on many lightsabers. The pommel was capped with a red ball and between the activation switch and the hand guard there was a small Taldryan Crest inlaid.
Origins
Taku Matsuki Taldrya is the adopted name of Crix Madine, a Corellian-born Chiss from the city of Coronet. His father was absent since before his birth and his mother raised Crix, his brother Drak and his sister Angel by herself. His mother was Human, as were his brother and sister; Crix was the only Chiss in the family.
Crix was born ten years before the Battle of Yavin and grew up in the early days of the New Republic. Although the anti-alien policies officially died with the Empire, there was still a large amount of animosity directed at Crix because he was a Chiss. Although he wasn’t barred from holding specific jobs he was still pushed away from most jobs.
Out on his Own
Crix was pushed away from most jobs that were considered respectable and was forced to work in jobs that most people would shy away from. He didn’t hold any one job for very long, but between jobs he kept going back to minor bounty hunting. At first he took jobs from the government, tracking down bond jumpers and eventually he moved onto tracking down escaped prisoners. Crix enjoyed his work, but the pay was minimal; he would only make a few hundred credits for each bounty he captured alive for the government and even less if they died before he got them back. He’d heard how much more money taking private contracts could bring but he didn’t want to give up on the idea of finding respectable work.
Full Time Hunter
By the time Crix was 21 he’d given up hope of finding a respectable job and turned to full-time bounty hunting. In addition to hunting full-time, Crix also began to take on non-government contracts. He eased his way into them, first taking on contracts to track down missing people. After completing a few of these contracts, however, he began to take higher paying jobs; these jobs involved a higher risk to go along with the higher pay, however.
Since he’d started hunting for the government Crix had owned a blaster pistol, with the appropriate paperwork and licenses to own and carry it openly and concealed. Most of the time, however, the blaster had been set to stun and when he had to use it to kill a simple pistol was enough power to do what he needed.
As he got deeper into the world of bounty hunting he found that his little pistol wasn’t powerful enough to punch through the armor that his new targets seemed to always wear. He fixed that problem by buying a Blas-Tech E-11 blaster rifle from a contact that he’d made through hunting. Armed with his new rifle, Crix was able to take down most of the targets that he hunted.
Taku "Crix" Matsuki joins the Dark Brotherhood
Beings of a Brotherhood
About two years into Crix’s full-time bounty hunting career he took a job working with two Dark Jedi to trick someone into meeting them at a cantina so they could “persuade” them to give up some information. Crix brought the man to the cantina and once his part of the job was finished he went over to the bar to get himself a drink. The entire time that he’d been with this man he’d felt something weird about him, like the man was watching him without watching. Crix ignored it, but the feeling didn’t go away. He couldn’t hear what was going on at the table with the Dark Jedi and this other person, but suddenly Crix felt an extreme compulsion to take cover and without thinking he dove over the bar. The barkeep barely had time to yell at Crix as the table that Crix’s employers had been sitting at flew across the cantina and three lightsaber blades sprung to life. The fight was quick and when it was over the two Dark Jedi called Crix over and asked why he’d dove behind the bar before the fight started. He explained the feeling that he had about the man he’d brought to them and the feeling that he’d had just before the fight.
After the story had been told the two Dark Jedi explained that Crix was probably force-sensitive and invited him to come back with them for testing and, if he passed, training. Crix accepted and the next day he was off.
Taku "Crix" Matsuki's Flight suit
Crix passed his testing and entered the Shadow Academy as an Obelisk, due to his previous experience with ground fighting. He graduated from the Shadow Academy as a Guardian and was assigned to House Galeres in Clan Arcona. He quickly found that neither the Obelisk order nor Clan Arcona suited him. While Crix was training at the Shadow Academy he had taken a liking to small space fighter combat and when he decided to switch his order, Crix chose the Sith.
New Order, New Clan
Crix, now a Guardian of the Sith order, had also decided to switch the clan that he was affiliated with. After a bit of looking and asking around, he chose to transfer to Clan Taldryan. Once the transfer was completed Crix was a member of House Archanis, the house in Taldryan that was affiliated with the Sith Order. Unlike in Arcona, Crix felt at home in Taldryan and he managed to work his way up the ranks. He was promoted up to the rank of Dark Jedi Knight for his services to the house.
TIE Corps
Taku "Crix" Matsuki's TIE Corps uniform as a Captain and Flight Member
At this point, Crix was invited to join the TIE Corps which he accepted. Because of his status as a Sith who had completed the Shadow Academy he was allowed to bypass the normal training that new members were required to undergo. He was immediately commissioned as a full Lieutenant, as opposed to a Sub-Lieutenant, in Avenger Wing I’s Spectre Squadron on the Super-Class Star Destroyer Avenger, the entire ship was reserved for members of the TIE Corps who were also members of the Dark Brotherhood. Crix quickly rose through the ranks and eventually took command of Spectre Squadron with the rank of Commander. He through a contact that he’d made in the TIE Corps, Crix as appointed to the position of Aide to the Fleet Commander while he still kept his primary position of Commander of Spectre Squadron. It was through this position that Crix earned his first Silver Star. Later, he began working for the Tactical Officer by testing, then correcting the X-Wing Alliance battles that were submitted to the TIE Corps’ battle archive. Eventually Crix was named the Tactical Coordinator: X-Wing Alliance and with that position he was the person who assigned battles to the various testers and correctors under him. By the time that he resigned from that position he had earned his second Silver Star.
When the current Command Attaché to the Fleet Commander retired, Crix took over the position, which required his resignation from Commander of Spectre Squadron. He was also promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. He did not last long in the position, however, and resigned back to Spectre Squadron and his old rank of Captain within two months.
Clan Alvaak
While working as the Fleet Commander’s Aide Crix was invited to join Clan Alvaak, a Clan in the Dark Brotherhood which required an invitation to join and was under the control of the Fleet Commander. He accepted the invitation and transferred to Alvaak. While in Alvaak Crix was promoted to the rank of Sith Warrior.
High Court of Inquisitors
While Crix was a member of Clan Alvaak, a new Grand Master came to power in the Dark Brotherhood: Chi-Long. As Chi-Long continued his reign he instituted policies that angered the members of Clan Alvaak, and the Brotherhood as a whole, which Crix spoke out about. As a result of that speech Crix was charged by the High Court and found guilty. As punishment he was demoted to Jedi Hunter and banned from any promotions for six months.
Crest of Clan Taldryan
Return to Taldryan
Crix transferred back to Clan Taldryan, who welcomed him back almost as a martyr as Taldryan held very strong anti Chi-Long feelings. Crix found his place again in Taldryan and after his six month promotion ban was lifted he was very quickly promoted back to Sith Warrior. He was appointed to the position of Aedile of House Archanis under Fletch’s Quaestorship. The position was just a stepping stone, however. Flech had intended for Crix to get his feet wet in a summit position before he retired and handed the Quaestorship on to him. Within two months of Crix’s appointment to Aedile Flech resigned and Crix took over Quaestor. During this time Taldryan won the fourth Great Jedi War and Archanis was named the First House of the Sith in a Sith War.
Crix served as Quaestor of Archanis for almost Seven months before conflicts with the Consul caused him to resign and transfer to the rogues for a time.
When Crix resigned from the Quaestorship of Archanis he transferred from Clan Taldryan to the roll of Rogue Dark Jedi and spent the next year wondering throughout space. Not much is known about this time in Crix’s life, but news of the Dark Brotherhood’s split from its supposedly sister organization, The Emperor’s Hammer, brought him back to home Clan Taldryan.
Back to Taldryan
While on Tatooine, Crix received a message from an officer in the Emperor’s Hammer. The officer had come to offer Crix a command position on the Imperial-Class Star Destroyer Grey Wolf. This had Crix intrigued not because of the command opportunity, but because there was no real reason for this kind of visit and personal invitation, especially since Crix had spent his entire TIE Corps career on the Super Star Destroyer Avenger. He asked why he was getting this personal invitation and found out that there had been an uprising by the Dark Brotherhood, who had rebelled and left the Emperor’s Hammer, taking many officers with them. Crix thanked the officer and said that he’d think about the offer.
After doing a little digging, Crix found that Taldryan had gone with the rebelling part of the Dark Brotherhood and had relocated to the Kr’Tal system. Taldryan had been his home for years, there was no question in his mind about which side he would support. He flew to the Kr’Tal system and rejoined Taldryan, moving back to his old House Archanis.
Dark Times for Taldryan
While Taldryan had chosen to join the departing clans, not all of the members had gone with them. When Crix left the clan was over 100 strong and when he returned it was barely over 50. House Archanis had around 20 members, with no more than 10 of them around the base at any given point. Crix’s friend and old student Rexal Qel was the Quaestor, although he’d been planning on retiring.
When Rexal retired, Crix was offered the position of Quaestor of Archanis, which he accepted. His tenure as Quaestor was one large uphill battle, trying to keep the house alive. Although Archanis managed to take third place in the Sith War with the fewest number of member, the time came when it was unavoidable: Archanis had to close.
The members were transferred to House Dinaari and Crix took the position of Rollmaster. When the Aedile position came open he was offered it and accepted. He stayed here for a few months, but in the end he chose to return to the rogue jedi and travel again.
Return from the Galaxy At Large
Upon returning to Taldryan after his second stint traveling the galaxy, Crix rejoined House Dinaari. A little while after this, the Quaestor of House Ektrosis retired and Chaosrain, then the Aedile, took over the position and announced that he was looking for a new Aedile. Crix applied and was given the position. He has held the position for two years (DB time, 1 year real time) and plans on staying in the position for some time still.
The Sons of Taldryan
Reopening of House Archanis
After the 6th Great Jedi War, the Summit of Clan Taldryan began to talk about reopening House Archanis, which had been closed after the Exodus. After a few months of talking and planning the issue was put to rest and it was decided that the house would be reopened. The clan summit decided who would be best to fill the newly reopened positions and on January 10, 2007 House Archanis reopened after a three year period of being closed. Taku "Crix" Matsuki Taldrya was appointed as the Quaestor, Baron Zarco the Aedile and Ricco Vao Rollmaster and Envoy.
Son of Taldryan
On May 31, 2006, Taku "Crix" Matsuki Taldrya was invited to join the family of Taldryan by Consul Duga Taldrya Arkarso. He accepted, and become the 13th Son of Taldryan. Crix took the last name Taldrya to show his connection with the family and with Taldryan.
Death
During the opening of the Seventh Great Jedi War, Taku Matsuki Taldrya was in command of Hyperion Flight, a squadron of unique fighters by the same name. The squadron was one of the first scrambled and immediately dove into the thick of the fighting. They took extremely heavy losses over the first battle, with Crix being the last surviving pilot in the squadron. When the order came to evacuate to The Shroud, Crix aided in the rear guard action which allowed the rest of the DB fleet to retreat to The Shroud. He had taken out a good number of enemy craft and had drawn their attention. While their usual tactic was one-on-one dogfights, three ships attacked Crix at once. Although Crix was one of the best pilots in the Taldryan fleet, he was unable to beat three of these amazing pilots. He was killed in action serving the Brotherhood and Clan Taldryan as a rear guard while the rest of the fleet was able to make their way to safety.
Current Information
Rank: Battlelord
Primary Position: Quaestor of House Archanis
Other Positions: Fiction Staff Member (Writer's Corner Editor)
Titles
Quaestor of House Archanis, Clan Taldryan
Son of Taldryan
Member of the Fourth Caste of the Inner Order of Clan Taldryan
Governor of Volcanus
Past Positions Held
Awards Received
Clan Taldryan Awards
Crescent of Ektrosis (5/22/06)
Dagger of the Fallen (1/4/07)
Trivia