The Essential Guide to Force Exile/Samtel Kraen

Samtel Kraen was many things throughout his life. He was a mechanic who became a hyperspace mapper and planetary surveyor, only to later settle down on Commenor and become a renowned lawyer. His wild days behind him, Samtel devoted his time to his practice and to his wife, Lena Kraen, and their family. They had two sons, Sarth and Selusda, but Selusda, their youngest, was taken from them at a young age by the Jedi Order after he was discovered to be Force-sensitive. They would later be reunited with Selusda though, years later, and the reunion would eventually take both of them to distant Yanibar.

He grew up on Corulag as the son of a working-class family. He learned the value of hard work as a young man, and was greatly aided by receiving a unique and rare genetic trait from his father&mdash;Samtel Kraen had a memory retention rate of more than eighty percent. This genetic trait would be passed down his family line to all his male descendants. However, when an industrial accident cost him both his parents, he struck out on his own and joined a hyperspace mapping and planetary surveying case. Samtel's memory allowed him to become quite skilled at seeing locations and recording them on a map, so he became one of the expedition's better surveyors. Although the explorers he worked with had a Barloz-class freighter, the Sunflash, as their main ship, Samtel and a small group of others would often be detached in a smaller YT-1210 freighter, the Quick Step, to explore and map isolated systems.

On one such trip to explore a remote world known only as J7-AM88311 in 50 BBY, Samtel's ship suffered a mechanical failure when the reactor core overloaded, killing the engineer and pilot. Taking control of the ship, he set it down on the planet, fending off hostile animal attacks and trying to survive, along with the other survivor, a hyperspace mapper named Lena Quee. The two managed to endure for five weeks before they were found, and fell in love during their time together. Shortly before they were rescued, Samtel asked Lena for her hand in marriage, and she agreed.

Following their marriage, they agreed to move to Lena's homeworld, Commenor, and take up professions that would allow them to raise a family. Samtel took up law, as he had known a decent amount of surveying law in his previous occupation, while Lena became a mathematics professor at the University of Commenor. It was difficult for them at first, trading their wild exploration days for classes and holotexts, but they persevered. In time, Samtel gained his own practice, while Lena became a tenured member of the faculty. In the mean time, they were able to acquire some land of their own on the outskirts of the city of Munto. They had their first son, Sarth, in 41 BBY, and a second son, Selusda, three years later. Both sons would inherit Samtel's excellent memory.

However, Selusda was taken from the Kraens shortly after he was born, after he was found to be Force-sensitive. Samtel and Lena unhappily relinquished their son, but did not protest overmuch, knowing that Selusda would be better off with the Jedi. Throughout the years, they followed Selusda's career from a distance, all the while doing their best to raise Sarth and maintain their own careers. Sarth displayed an early aptitude for both academics and mechanical devices, and both Lena and Samtel tried to instill as much knowledge into their son as they could. At one point during Sarth's secondary schooling, Sarth reported to Samtel that a girl in his class, Annita Daowot, was being abused by her drunk father. Samtel did some investigation of his own, verified Sarth's claims and then filed suit against the abusive elder Daowot. With Sarth's testimony, Samtel was able to get Annita's custody moved to her mother, and both Samtel and Lena tried to help the girl as much they could. Samtel helped Annita pay her way through school, and Sarth helped tutor her. She eventually became a member of the Commenorian Investigators, but remained a close friend of the Kraen family.

As one of the leading attorneys on Commenor, Samtel filed an amicus curiae brief in the "Baby Ludi" custody case, which made its way to through the tangled system of courts belonging to the Old Republic. Called to testify before the Dynali Sector Superior Court, Samtel's testimony was key in allowing the case of the plaintiff, a mother whose child had been taken from her by the Jedi, to advance to the next level of court. However, the case was soiled by media attention and fervor, and Samtel bowed out of further proceedings; the plaintiff went on to lose the case.

His testimony and distinguished poise on the court room floor won him several more lucrative cases during the Clone Wars, and though he was known to work pro bono to help impoverished defendants. Several months after the end of the war, he was involved in a lengthy case over land embezzlement, which he eventually won after weeks of grueling courtroom testimony. During the case, he was surprised when his son, Sarth, who had become an engineer on a freighter after his university studies and a brief internship, returned to visit him and Lena on Commenor, accompanied by their long-lost son, Selusda Kraen, who had escaped the Jedi Purge with the help of Sarth. He was now also a freighter crewman on the same ship as Sarth's, the Hawk-bat, whose captain, the Bothan R'hask Sei'lar, Samtel had known years earlier. Selusda was in hiding from the Empire and technically a criminal, but the Kraens didn't care and welcomed their son back with open arms.

However, Sarth had brought danger of his own, as a group of Mistryl Shadow Guards, a group of expansionist warrior women, made an attempt to kidnap him after learning of the war-related research Sarth had done during his internship. Selusda, or Selu as he was often called, defeated the Mistryl in a bloody brawl, but was severely injured. Samtel and Lena helped cover up Selu's identity before the Investigators arrived. The Hawk-bat also arrived to lend assistance, and Selu was taken away for medical treatment, while R'hask Sei'lar arranged for a security team from Durashield Securities to protect the Kraens. During this time, Sarth admitted his attraction to the pretty young cargomaster on the Hawk-bat, Cassi Trealus, to Samtel and Lena, who were glad for him. Shortly thereafter, the Investigators arrived.

The investigative team was led by none other than Detective Annita Daowot, who was concerned for their safety. After she and Sarth were attacked during a casual interview the next day, she decided to move all the Kraens, as well Cassi Trealus, who had remained behind while Selu went with the rest of the Hawk-bat ' s crew to New Holstice for medical treatment, to a remote safehouse. They remained in isolation for several weeks, trying to endure the tight quarters and security restrictions. However, the Mistryl eventually found their location and attacked again. While the security team fended them off, their location had been compromised. Samtel, Lena, and the others were taken back to Munto for medical treatment for their minor injuries, and were able to talk to Selu, who was returning to Commenor. Selu reported to them the death of R'hask Sei'lar at the hands of the Empire, but was interrupted by the Mistryl, who had kidnapped Annita Daowot and held for ransom. Selu disguised himself as Sarth and went in his stead, while Sarth and some others freed Annita after learning her location. Though Samtel and Lena were heartbroken, they allowed Sarth to go with the rest of his crew to try and save Selu.

To their great relief, both their sons returned from peril, arriving safely back on Commenor&mdash;though Selu had been injured during the ordeal. After he recovered, they were both present at a party that saw Selu formally take command of the Hawk-bat, as well as introduce several new members to the crew. The ship then departed to ply the spacelanes once more, leaving Samtel and Lena behind to return to their peaceful lives on Commenor.

They had about two more years of this peaceful existence, enjoying their comfortable home and careers on Commenor. Lena and Samtel were also a large part of Annita Daowot's wedding; the detective had fallen in love with a former spacer and member of the Hawk-bat ' s crew, Jorgesoll Knrr. Samtel served as the father of the bride, as Annita saw him more as a father than her biological father. With tears in his eyes, the distinguished attorney escorted the bride up to the altar. However, the wedding was interrupted by a group of Imperials come to arrest Annita for sedition&mdash;she had helped cover the identity of Selu Kraen years earlier. However, Selu, Sarth, and the rest of the Hawk-bat crew, who had been imbued with the Force and trained in the ways of the Jedi, were there, as were friendly spacers. The wedding degenerated into a skirmish, and Samtel, Lena, and the rest of the wedding party. After the Hawk-bat escaped with its crew, they reunited with Samtel and Lena, taking them to a new refuge for Force exiles that Selu had established on the Outer Rim world of Yanibar. There, Samtel once again gave away Annita, as the wedding was completed there, and also bore witness to the wedding of Sarth Kraen and Cassi Trealus, which happened simultaneously. As Cassi's father couldn't be at the wedding, Samtel danced with her first, serving a role traditionally held by the father of the bride, and did the same for Annita.

Samtel served as one of the architects of the new society there, being named to the governing council, and he helped draw up the code of laws for the colony. He remained a prominent leader and his advice was often sought in legal matters, and his polished oratory often won many opponents over to his point of view. He and Lena lived in a comfortable house of their own on the same streets as Sarth and Cassi, as well as Selu and his wife, Milya Tayrce Kraen, whose wedding Samtel and Lena also attended in 11 BBY. Samtel eventually resigned his council position, retiring from public life on Yanibar in 2 ABY, allowing himself and Lena to live out a quiet retirement with their children and loved ones.

Behind the scenes
Samtel Kraen was first mentioned in Force Exile I: Fugitive, but was not introduced by name until the sequel, Force Exile II: Smuggler. His character role was inspired by a friend of Force Exile author Atarumaster88, but his characterization and mannerisms were heavily influenced by the performance of Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mockingbird. Samtel went on to play a small role in Force Exile III: Liberator, though his role was even smaller than in Smuggler. Samtel's primary purpose is to provide a supportive father figure, not only to his own children, but also to Annita Daowot. He and Lena were also later moved to Yanibar to help establish a society there, and had a cameo in the second Yanibar Tale, Hand in Hand.

Appearances

 * Force Exile I: Fugitive
 * Force Exile II: Smuggler
 * Force Exile III: Liberator
 * Hand in Hand