|
Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? This article details the history of a character who no longer actively takes part in current events.
|
- "I might be short but I can still kick your ass!"
- ―Tekk Parsa
Born on the Sullustan home world of Sullust Tekk is a former mechanic and pilot with the Alinda’s Irregulars mercenary squadron. Finding himself stranded on New Tython after losing all his credits along with his Z-95 Headhunter in a Tanduran gambling den. He was locked in a Tanduran prison cell when Torrek Marth attempted to take the city. As thanks for his help in fighting off the invaders he was given his freedom and offered a place in Clan Odan-Urr. He is currently a member of the Knights of Allusis battleteam within House Hoth.
Character History
An Adventurous Start (7 ABY - 24 ABY)
Tekk was born in a small underground town on the Sullustan home world of Sullust and was the youngest of eight children born to Tam and Rami Parsa. From an early age young Tekk had an adventurous spirit often disappearing for hours on end as he explored the town. As he grew his adventures became more far flung and he would often disappear for two or three days at a time exploring the surrounding tunnels and caves.
Hoping to curtail his wanderings before he came to any real harm his father arranged for Tekk to be employed by the town handyman who, it was hoped, would teach the now ten year old boy a trade that would keep him in one place and out of any real danger. It worked, for a while at least, as Tekk seemed to have found his calling. He had a knack for pulling things apart, finding out what was wrong with them and fixing them so well they worked even better than before.
Over the next seven years he pulled apart and fixed everything from speeder bikes to air speeders and even managed to get his hands on the insides of an old Corellian light freighter after its hyperdrive was damaged while making a landing on Sullust. Life was good if a little boring until the day a Gran entered the store and began to speak quietly with his employer.
It turned out the old handy man had at one time been the head mechanic in a pit crew for the Gran’s father who had been a professional podracer. The Gran had come to Sullust on his way to Malastare for a race and was looking for a new mechanic after his old one had quit a few days before. After the pair had been talking for some time his boss motioned Tekk over and introduced the Gran as Lorth Krin. After talking with Tekk for a few minutes Krin offered the young Sullustan a chance to become his new mechanic on a trial basis and that if the next few races went well they’d discuss a more permanent arrangement. At the next race on Malastare Lorth came third and offered Tekk a permanent position on his pit crew.
Ready, Set, You’re Fired (24 ABY - 29 ABY)
For four years Tekk travelled the Outer Rim as a member of Krin’s pit crew. They visited worlds as far flung as Malastare, Ando Prime, Sullust and Tatooine. Over the years the team had some good results, winning a few races here and there but were never really top contenders. By the fourth year the team was consistently running last and Krin took to blaming the mechanics, specifically Tekk, despite the fact that the Gran just wasn’t a very good pilot. Things came to a head during the Boonta Eve Classic when, after not even finishing the race, the Gran approached his Sullustan mechanic and began to hurl abuse at him before firing him.
As the festivities wound up Tekk found himself stranded on Tatooine with no money and no job. Hitching a ride back to Mos Espa the Sullustan began to visit every mechanic, star ship repair yard and junk dealer he could find until he got a job working in the junkyard of an aging Anx named Ahm Tachi. His days now consisted of tearing apart whatever junk the old Anx managed to procure, it was boring backbreaking work but at least he was getting paid, not much mind but it was better than nothing.
For a little over a year he subsisted on his meagre earnings but things turned around the day a Kuati woman named Seyda Alinda walked into the junkyard looking for a hyperdrive motivator for an old Muurian transport. As Ahm wasn’t there to serve her Tekk showed her to the junkyard and helped her hunt down the part. Once found Seyda asked if he knew anyone who could install the part cheaply and Tekk saw an opportunity to make a few extra credits. Offering to install the part personally the pair haggled for a few minutes before agreeing on a price.
Alinda led Tekk back to her ship and after an hour he had it up and running again. Impressed by the Sullustans mechanical skills the Kuati woman explained that she commanded a small mercenary squadron called Alinda’s Irregulars and they were in need of a new mechanic after their last one had met an unfortunate end a few nights before in a tavern brawl. Explaining that, while they mere mercs, they went out of their way to take jobs that they felt helped people in some way. Intrigued and quite frankly tired of the desert heat Tekk accepted her offer and, after telling Ahm he was leaving, left Tatooine for a new life as a mercenary.
Show Me the Money (29 ABY - 34 ABY)
A few days after leaving Tatooine Seyda docked the ship on the frigid world Kamasto in a hidden base carved into a large glacier. As he exited the transport shivering in the cold air Seyda introduced him to the rest of the Irregulars. There were three other Humans, two Twi’leks, a Rodian, a Shistavanen, a [starwars:quarren|Quarren]] and a Bothan who greeted their newest member in turn. After introductions were completed Seyda asked one of the pilots, a young human woman named Ralla, to show Tekk to his new quarters so he could get some rest.
The next day he went to work familiarizing himself with the Irregulars array of fighter craft fixing what was broken, improving what wasn’t and doing everything he could to make sure he was useful even going so far as to offer to cook dinner which thankfully wasn’t needed as the Irregulars had an old protocol droid for that. As time went on and Tekk became more comfortable in his new home Seyda would take him on supply runs just in case the aging transport decided to break down again. It was during these runs that Tekk began to get the flying bug. On their return to Kamasto Tekk devoted himself to spending every minute of his free time learning to fly in one of the bases simulators to the point where Seyda often had to kick him out so he could repair a ship or get some sleep.
After a few months in the simulators and a few more months tutelage in the squadron’s old transport Seyda set him a test, Tekk was to take on one of the Irregulars in a simulated dogfight. If he survived for more than five minutes Seyda would consider promoting him to a pilot with the caveat that it didn’t interfere with his mechanics duties. Before she could even finish speaking Tekk was already in the simulator warming it up waiting to engage his opponent, the Bothan Lav’rey, in simulated combat. For five minutes their digital fighters swooped through an artificial asteroid field dodging realistic looking boulders all while trying to line up the perfect shot.
The simulator rocked several times as the Bothan scored hits on his craft but Tekk gave as good as he got, even dropping the Bothans shields at one point, but he was unable to land the killing blow before Lav’rey swooped behind an asteroid. As the five minutes drew to a close the Bothan was hot on Tekk’s tail rocking his fighter with blaster fire when suddenly the cockpit went black. Tekk was crushed assuming he’d been vaped by the Bothan pilot but as the canopy of the simulator creaked open Tekk was greeted by a group of smiling Irregulars cheering and shouting. A moment later he realised that he hadn’t been killed the time had simply run out.
Leaping out of the simulator he jumped out to a series of handshakes and congratulatory pats on the back. With his test passed Seyda escorted him to the hangar where a large shape hidden beneath a heavy tarpaulin sat waiting in the shadows behind the transport. With a little help Seyda removed the tarpaulin to reveal an old Z-95 headhunter, its yellow and black paint job barely visible under a thick layer of dust. As Seyda told him the fighter was his if he could get it running again Tekk leaped up and wrapped his arms around her neck thanking her repeatedly.
Once he’d dropped back to the ground Seyda informed him that he wasn’t an Irregular just yet, he needed to learn how to handle a weapon first as every now and then their jobs required them to leave the cockpit and that he was to report to the firing range at 6 am sharp. Barely able to sleep Tekk leapt from his bed as the alarm sounded and ran down the empty hallways pulling his pants on as he ran. As he entered the firing range he was greeted by Kev Uhdea the squadrons Shistavanen pilot and a former bounty hunter who had extensive experience with a variety of blasters.
Due to his small stature Kev thought it best if he used a blaster that was small enough for him to carry, had decent stopping power and wouldn’t knock the Sullustan off his feet every time he fired it. Handing Tekk an E-11 blaster rifle, the weapon synonymous with the Empire’s Stormtroopers, he muttered a single word. Shoot. Raising the rifle Tekk squeezed the trigger and missed so badly he struck the side wall eliciting a groan of annoyance from his tutor. Planting his feet firmly he lined up the target in his sight and fired missing the target again, but hitting the back wall this time.
For the next eight months they would meet every few days to practice until Tekk could nail the bullseye 99 times out of 100. While his firearms training had been progressing Tekk had also been working on the Z-95, bringing the fighter back to life. A year after his test against Lav’rey Tekk was ready for his maiden flight. The fighter was gleaming with a new silver and blue paint job as it exited the hangar and flew low over the endless ice sheet of Kamasto. Pulling up on the stick Tekk rocketed towards space breaking through the atmosphere shortly after. After testing the guns on some old space junk he returned to the Irregulars base a full-fledged member of the squadron. Over the next few years the Irregulars took on a number of jobs escorting freighters, defending colonies from pirates even performing a hostage rescue. Life was great and Tekk was the happiest he’d been since leaving Sullust, that was until he landed on New Tython.
Broke and Stranded…Again (34 ABY - Present)
Under Construction
Personal Information
Appearance
The first thing one notices about Tekk Parsa is his height. There’s no two ways about it, they guy is short even for a Sullustan. Barely topping out at four feet five inches in height and weighing in at one hundred and twenty five pounds. His body could best be described as wiry. It is lean and hard with well defined muscles that are hidden below a flight suit most of the time. As is typical of most Sullustans Tekk has a pair of large almond shaped black eyes, a pair of large round ears and facial jowls called dewflaps. And like most Sullustan males his head is bald and he has no facial hair.
Tekk can normally be found wearing some form of flight suit, custom made for his size of course, that more often than not has at least one grease stain marring its otherwise pristine surface. In addition to the flight suit he wears a leather skull cap, an old pair of boots and a worn leather belt around his waist. Hanging from the belt are a handful tools and a holster for his Westar 35 along with his newest possession, his lightsaber. He has also on occasion been seen sporting a backpack in which he carries additional tools, survival gear and power packs for his blaster.
Personality
Tekk Parsa is a Sullustan, one of the small big eared natives of the volcanic planet of Sullust. For several years he made a living as a mercenary despite the constant joking and laughing behind his back about his height, or lack thereof. And it is because of that joking and laughter that he's fiercely determined to be the best at what he does, and won't let anyone even dare to judge him by his size. Whatever you do, don't call him the little guy.
He also grows quietly affectionate for his peers - especially the young, the weak, or the oppressed. This most heartily shows itself when those friends are threatened or intimidated, an act that can send the small Sullustan into a full-blown rage - especially when he's intoxicated or otherwise impaired. This often leads to him and his friends being in trouble, but it also reminds even the largest of foes that big bangs can come out of tiny packages.
Skills and Abilities
Tekk is nearly unmatched as a mechanic and his ability to diagnose and repair everything from a blaster pistol to the hyperdrive of a Star Destroyer has led to the Sullustan being called a mechanical savant by more than one person. He is also an exceptional pilot where he uses the quick natural reflexes to good effect when behind the stick of a starfighter. Since the discovery of his ability to use the Force Tekk has trained with his lightsaber with the same single minded determination he had when trying to master piloting. As a result he has become very proficient in the weapons use in a very short amount of time.