- "Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is."
- ―Yoda
Ji, the first High Councillor of the Acolytes of Odan-Urr, was born in 30 BBY on the planet Gand, and trained on Coruscant as a Jedi Knight before the fall of the Old Republic. One of the few, if not the only, Jedi in Odan-Urr to remember the old Jedi Knights, Ji is a valuable member of the clan's Council, offering what wisdom of theirs he can. In addition to guiding the Council, Ji was also the militia commander and oversaw the general distribution of tribal protectorates before the catastrophic end of Harakoa. He was instrumental in the prioritization of evacuating as many Harakoans as possible before the planet's destruction at the hands of Darth Saran Wrap. Ji was severely wounded on New Tython after conflict broke out in the cities following the Tenth Great Jedi War and died in the presence of his fellow Jedi in 34 ABY. Unbeknownst to the membership at large, the clan leadership under Liam Torun and A'lora Kituri had Ji's body smuggled to a secret locus of the Force in the jungles of New Tython. A combination of the best medicine Odan-Urr had at its disposal, the power of the greatest Harakoan shamans, and the will of the Force brought the old Gand back to continue his work. The old Gand currently divides his time between the bridge of the Solari in his role as Jedi General and assisting with the permanent settlement of Harakoan refugees in the Kiast System.
Early History (30 BBY - 16 BBY)
Origins
Ji in combat stance
Little is known about Ji's earliest years. He was presumably born on Gand to a well-off family of slave traders. What is known is that in 27 BBY he was acquired the Jedi Order where he would spend the rest of his life. As the vast majority of Force Sensitive Gand children were trained to be Findsmen, it is likely that Ji was either taken by the Jedi by force or was orphaned off-world, and then given to the Jedi by his rescuers. His early years in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant proved fruitful. Ji excelled in school subjects both Force-related and mundane, and never wanted for social attention. Being one of the only Gand in the Order, he was something of a curiosity for his peers, many of whom used him and his homeworld as a subject for their various academic assignments.
A member of the Heliost Clan, Ji enjoyed most areas of youngling training, though he was particularly fond of the more academic pursuits and he had hoped to one day become a Jedi Archivist or Librarian. Unfortunately for Ji's modest ambitions, his talents lay beyond deciphering ancient tomes and artifacts. As most Gand are, Ji was particularly adept stalking quarry from the shadows. While most Gand use these talents to become Findsmen on Gand itself or to become successful bounty hunters, during training exercises Ji had inadvertently drawn the attention of the Jedi Shadows, who were eager for him to complete his early training and enter their ranks. However, in 19 BBY (mere months before he was set to begin his Initiate Trials) the Galactic Republic betrayed the Jedi Order and attacked the Temple. While many of his young peers fled to familiar (presumable) safety of rooms such as the Council Chambers or their barracks, the terrified little Gand made his way down into the belly of the temple, crawling through ducts, lift shafts, and sewage pipes before finally emerging deep in the Coruscanti Underworld.
Underworld
During his time in the seedy underbelly of Coruscant Ji depended largely on the sympathy of those beings traditionally marginalized by the Republic and now pushed to the brink by the Imperial authorities, between whose dwellings he was juggled for the better part of three years. Living in camps of squatter mutants or on the floor of various run-down apartments, Ji attended schooling whenever he could. He was always careful to maintain the secrecy of his identity—not a hard task considering his species. In spite of the constant danger of roving bands of Cthons and Imperial raids, these several years passed by relatively quickly and are remembered as some of the Gand's quietest, if not better, days. Finally, in 16 BBY (Ji still an adolescent Gand) Ji was introduced to a well-to-do Caamasi family of refugees (fleeing the Empire after the total devastation of their homeworld) with whom he would be lodging for several weeks. It was this fateful connection through which Ji was introduced to the Caamasi Jedi Master, Ylenic It'kla, who had managed to avoid both the Jedi Purge and the destruction of Caamas itself.
Ylenic It'kla (16 BBY - 3 ABY)
Tutelage
Ylenic It'kla, Ji's Jedi Master
Upon It'kla's arrival in the Underworld there was no question. Ji was ordered to accompany the Caamasi, and, still an adherent to the Jedi Order, he obeyed his superior. It was under It'kla's instruction that the young Gand learned the skills so essential to a Jedi Knight. As the pair traveled throughout the Galaxy, often aiding the Rebel Alliance in both diplomatic and subversive missions, Ji's skillset grew. He learned the histories and cultures of countless worlds, could speak several languages, and had made contacts throughout the Outer and Mid Rims. It was during this time that Ji also learned to pilot, a skill which he developed quite a knack for, thanks to his vast intelligence and quick reflexes. He was also provided by his master with the location of a secret rendezvous site he had passed along to as many surviving Jedi as he could, as a safe portage should they find themselves in immediate danger. Alongside his impromptu master, the now adult Gand visited some of the most important centers of learning in the Galaxy, including Ossus, Tython, Naboo and Alderaan, where, partly due to being so heavily associated with a Caamasi, Ji spent a great deal of his formative years. However, it wasn't until the destruction of this world, and by extension that of his master, that Ji ceased to be the assistant of a wayward diplomat-Jedi and became a true Jedi Knight, committed to the overthrow of the Empire.
Rebel Alliance
Formally joining the Rebel Alliance under a pseudonym days after the Battle of Yavin, Ji participated in many minor skirmishes and several very important battles against the Empire, though he always kept his identity as a Jedi secret. The Gand pilot flew his BTL-S3 Y-Wing in both the major victory during the Battle of Turkana, and the major defeat at the Battle of Tingel Deepspace Besh. After the major Rebel defeat at Hoth, fearing the imminent destruction of the Alliance and permanent loss of the Jedi teachings, Ji fled deep into the Outer Rim, rather than rally with his comrades.
Acolyte of Odan-Urr (3 ABY - 34 ABY)
New Tython
Ji's second lightsaber, crafted in a traditionalist style.
Arriving on Harakoa, a planet whose location was given to him as a rendezvous location by his former master Ylenic It'kla, Ji found himself with little more than his starfighter, some basic supplies, and a trove of holocrons containing the historical knowledge of the Jedi Order. He survived solely on the charity of several local tribes, but primarily on assistance from the swamp tribe Iwu Zawag. After his first winter on Harakoa the Gand Jedi was taken by his host il-Zaw the Ambitious to meet with another Jedi who had arrived at the rendezvous location several years prior. Though Liam Torun was, and would remain something of a hermit, the addition of a second Jedi to the cause, as well as the friendship of local Harakoans, enabled Ji to begin the process of turning the meeting site into a livable zone. Over time other Jedi arrived from scattered worlds, fleeing the still mighty grasp of the Empire, or the endemic warfare which had gripped the galaxy. Some Jedi came alone, while others brought post-purge families, and friends, and the rendezvous site originally provided by Ylenic It'kla grew into the Ooroo Abbey of Menat Ombo, which would become the capital city of the Jedi on New Tython.
Encounters with the Dark Jedi Brotherhood
Ji in HOU's war room along with Mike Halcyon
By the time the Dark Jedi Brotherhood made first contact with the New Tythonian Jedi, the group had expanded into more than ten individuals, and the population of colonists who had accompanied the Jedi (or come seeking riches) had exploded into the hundreds of thousands. Though original meetings were tense, they were strangely without hostilities as the Grandmaster of the Brotherhood seemed more intrigued by the Jedi enclave that outright hostile. Their arrival would also accompany that of Solari, an ancient Shard Jedi, who would become instrumental in both the formation of House Odan-Urr into a community capable of passing on its knowledge and training to new generations of Jedi, as well as its integration into the larger politics of the Brotherhood, which had come to dominate the region of space in which New Tython was located.
Outbreak of Hostilities
Inevitably, tensions between the two factions of Force users dissolved into outright hostility and, severely outmanned and outgunned, the Jedi fled to the forests of New Tython to mount a defense of the planet alongside colonist paramilitary groups and Harakoan tribalists. Although the resistance managed to inflict heavy casualties upon the Dark Jedi, their unending numbers and overwhelming space superiority resulted in the ultimate defeat of the Jedi, who, for reasons as yet unknown, were spared at the last minute by the same Grandmaster with whom their contact initiated. The Dark Jedi left the planet and the Odanite Jedi were left to pick up the pieces of their shattered planet and rebuild.
Characteristics
Appearance
A typical Gand, Ji is small of stature with large, pale compound eyes.. His stout frame is often hidden beneath traditionally cut Jedi robes, more reminiscent of the old Order under Yoda, than those typically favored by New Republic-era Force users. His chitinous exoskeleton maintains a brown hue, but is pockmarked by burn scars from both blasters and lightsabers. As he is a breathing Gand, Ji must wear a respirator at all times when not in his methane-filled quarters on New Tython. Though Ji did not grow up on Gand, his robes and mask are still adorned with trinkets and small trophies, as a small acknowledgement to his roots.
Personality
Having been around since the pre-Purge Jedi Order, Ji is often regarded as stodgy and old-fashioned. His extreme sense of caution and conservative reluctance to act are often mistaken for cowardice or the effect of old age, however they stem from an obsessive drive to ensure the security of the New Tythonian Jedi. In fact, the Gand has proven to be exceedingly courageous when the situation warrants it. Additionally, the fire to rebuild the Jedi Order as it was has been tempered as Ji has aged; He is content to preserve House Odan-Urr in its current form, though with the arrival of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, that often entails hostile action, tricky diplomacy, and winning converts in order to nullify the threat posed by the Dark houses.