Banik Kelrada

"Eyes are the tools of deception. They can bring about the illusion of pain, suffering and even death. Events can become clearer through the eyes of the Force."

- Banik Kelrada

Banik Kelrada was the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order during the Alsakan Crisis of 13,000 BBY. During the early days of the conflict, he spent a great deal of time trying to negotiate with Supreme Chancellor Relana Isolde Tanoor and the leaders of the Alsakan Union, hoping that the conflict would not escalate into an all-out war even though Coruscant had already been blockaded and invaded by the Alsakans.

Early life
Banik Kelrada was born on Coruscant thirty-eight years before the Alsakan Union invaded and took control of the planet away from the Galactic Republic. He spent very little time with his family, as when he was an infant the Jedi Order detected his potential with the Force and formally requested that his family allow them to take him to the Jedi Monastery on the planet to be trained. His parents agreed and said goodbye to their son, not knowing if they would ever see him again. When he arrived at the Jedi Monastery, he was put through the routine tests normally given to new Jedi Initiates to determine if he was an adequate hopeful for Jedi Knight status later on. When it was agreed that he was, he was placed into an infant clan called the Raven Clan, one that he remained in for years to come.

As a Jedi Initiate, he learned that he was Force Sensitive while undergoing the early stages of Jedi training. He learned the basics of using a lightsaber and began his initial and basic core Force powers. He spent most of his time in the Jedi Monastery, though he was allowed out into the city with supervision. Because he spent the vast majority of his time on Coruscant, he ended up preferring the spartan and metallic environment over lush and rugged environments. He also became greatly accustomed to the busy way of life.

When he was thirteen, Banik began his official training under a Jedi Master. He trained for many years, learning all facets of the Force. When he first began his training with a lightsaber, Banik’s teachers recognized that he had the potential to be an exceptional duelist. While he duels mostly with the offensive form of Makashi, he is also well versed in the arts of Soresu, giving him an advantage over an opponent that knows only one or the other. His skills gave him a great deal of confidence, though he was taught by his master how to keep that confidence in check so he did not lose control of his emotions.

Despite his attachment to his master and his progress as a student, his training was cut short. When he was eighteen years old, he felt that he would be facing his Jedi Trials within the next year or two. However, when he and his master were on a mission, they were attacked and kidnapped by a group of slavers that were looking for new pieces of sentient property. They tried to resist and Banik’s master was killed because of it, so Banik cooperated assuming that he would be rescued. Unfortunately, that rescue never came and he was taken aboard a slave ship that was headed somewhere in the Outer Rim.

Captivity
After spending weeks on the starship with cramped quarters and brutal discipline, Banik and the other slaves were taken to a world in the Outer Rim. Banik attempted to escape, though it was clear that they were prepared to take on Jedi as prisoners as they were able to use primitive Force suppressing devices on him. During his first few days on the planet, he was processed and bought by a company that inhabited the world, though he did not know what world he was on. The company was a mining company and he was purchased to work in the mines for the rest of his life, however short of a time that could have been.

In the months that he was forced to work the mines, the emotional suppressants that he had given himself while a Jedi Padawan began to wear off and he began feeling darker and more primitive emotions towards his captors, particularly anger and hatred. His heart began to become a black hole, a void in which there was little to nothing left. However, he refused to remain in captivity and became one of thirteen Warriors of the Apocalypse, a group that swore to destroy their slave-holding captors once and for all.

The warriors decided to wait some time and test their skills against one another before acting against the captors. One night, weeks after they formed together, they decided to act. Making their way to various high ranking officers in secret, they silently slit their throats, thus killing them. They stole their weapons and took the command codes while attempting to escape from the facility. Only Banik escaped and he found out that the other twelve warriors had been either killed in combat, tortured to death or simply executed for insubordination.

Banik’s hatred for the slavers grew and grew as he wandered the wastelands of the planet. Using guerilla tactics, he was able to destroy many slaver hunting parties and anyone else that he perceived as a threat. He was also able to use the Force to do this, tapping into the dark side after his Force suppressants wore off. The slave citizens of the nearby mining villages did not know his true identity, though they did hear of his assaults on the slavers. He was simply a myth to them which they called Wve-Sralmu in one of the alien languages, a term that meant Haunter of the Demon Wastelands. However, he was eventually re-captured during a skirmish and brought into another slave facility, though no one knew he was the living slave legend.

Personality and traits
From his teenaged years, Banik was the type of person that one could easily get along with so long as they knew him, though he was not an easy person to get to know. To those who did not know him as well as others, he appeared to be closed off from everything and everyone, and that was a trait he carried until his days on the Jedi Council. While most others could only guess why that was the case, the true reason as he knew it was because he had always longed for someone to love him for who he was and someone to cherish and smile at his name every time they heard it mentioned. He always sought love and companionship, though part of him felt as if being a member of the Jedi Order restricted that ability. While it had nothing to do with the actual tenants of the Jedi Order during that time, he always felt that even though people saw Jedi as heroes they were somewhat afraid of them in the end because of their immense power and understanding of the Force. Such thoughts led to some believing that he had a low self-esteem and that he suffered from some mild form of depression.

While many members of the Jedi Order choose to wear their own clothing, as there was no actual dress code for members of the order at his time, Banik chose when he became a Jedi Master to wear the traditional robes of the Jedi Order, even though some masters did not. Even the Jedi Grandmaster chose to wear his own personal battle armor, though Banik felt it was important to set the right example and to try to traditionalize at least one of the more ancient facets of the monastic peacekeeping organization. His signature violet-bladed lightsaber also adorned the belt on his tunic.

Talents and abilities
When he first began his training with a lightsaber, Banik’s teachers recognized that he had the potential to be an exceptional duelist. While he mostly dueled with the offensive form of Makashi, he was also well versed in the arts of Soresu, giving him an advantage over an opponent that only knew one or the other. He had an attunement and understanding of the Force that was normal for any member of the Jedi Council, making him a powerful foe to all that oppose the Jedi Order and a source of wisdom and guidance for younger members of the order, older members who sought understanding or outsiders who also sought understanding, wisdom or guidance. Even with this attunement, there were times when he was unable to push aside his Human passions and emotions in times of crisis, and sometimes in times of peace that saw some tension. His desire to find companionship and love also clouded his judgment at times.