Tae Kass`l

Tae Kass`l was a male -, the younger child of Veli and Odala Kass`l.

Early life
Born on in 146 ABY, Tae was mildly Force-sensitive; he could not consciously manipulate the Force, but as he grew he demonstrated reflexes slightly sharper than those of normal children. He grew up alongside Nagarian Sakaros and Octavia, Orion, and Reia Solios, but was closest with Nagarian's adopted brother Kylar Tanake, the only other non-Force-user in the group. Tae's older sister, Azalyn, became a Novice of the Order of Keltrayu when Tae was one, but the two remained close in spirit and were very affectionate when they were together.

Odala was killed when Tae was two, and his father sank into depression; for a long time, Tae was effectively raised by his uncle Broll, Jarek and Alluria Solios, Reiko Kaytana, and Alluria's sister Selina Quinn. As he grew, while Tae could not keep up with the Force skills of his friends, he learned martial arts from his father and uncle and Alluria, and, like Azalyn, trained to use s.

Tae had been too young to learn much about his mother's family before she did, and his father and uncle were very closed about their history. Tae remained curious, especially because the Solios kids and Nagarian Sakaros had fairly storied families, but he eventually developed a tendency to focus on and make the best of the present.

The sins of the father
In 157 ABY, Reiko was assassinated by s and, realizing their family's safety was compromised, the survivors of the Belsavis group decided to go their own ways. The Solioses, Nagarian, and Kylar departed for the Golden Empire, but the Kass`l twins, Selina, and Tae went to Broll and Veli's home, the satellite galaxy.

On the way, Veli finally told Tae the past he and Broll had run from—their father, Lothar Kass`l, lord of the Dread Fleet and "the Terror of Firefist". Tae was scared of what awaited them, but old enough to commit to it anyway.

Having lived his entire life on Belsavis, Tae was intrigued by Belzior, his grandfather's, at the same he was thrown off by the subtle air of tension. He took seriously his father and uncle's warnings about the danger of the planet, but occasionally ventured out to observe it anyway. Eventually the twins decided to sneak into their father's fortress and assassinate him, but they, Selina, and Tae were captured by Zhezur Tarhy and a force of Dread Sentinels.

The four prisoners were separated; the twins were noncompliant and the Dread Sentinels were leery of Selina, whom they took for a and worried was only remaining their captive because she felt like it, but Zhezur spent time speaking with Tae. Broll and Veli, who had been united in their loathing for their home, had spoken more respectfully of Zhezur, and Tae tried to forge a connection with the old man. In the end, Tae's influence was among the reasons Zhezur let the twins and Selina go.

Broll and Veli assassinated their father, prompting a brief power struggle among the Dread Sentinels; influenced by Zhezur, those willing to support the twins won out, and Broll and Veli took over Belzior.

The Brothers' War
Veli had been wounded in the fight, and Tae helped him recuperate while Broll and Selina took over the government. The Dread Sentinels had captured Tae's uncle Ravi, but Veli refused to have him put to death. Ravi resented his captivity and had been raised to hate his half-brothers, but Tae continually talked to him, trying to get to know the family he had never known existed. Ravi initially used Tae to keep apprised of external events and maintain some measure of contact with his spy network, but as time passed the two developed more genuine affection for one another.

Meanwhile, the Kass`l twins were embroiled in what became known as the Brothers' War against Jehra Kass`l, Ravi's older sister. Both factions fought for control of the Dread Fleet and Lothar's former holdings. Tae remained inside his father's fortress, learning fighting techniques with his father and uncle, Selina, and some of the Dread Sentinels.

Eventually, Ravi managed to engineer his own escape, taking Tae as a "hostage". Ravi never intended to harm his nephew, but he was betrayed by Allax Sentine, and both were interrogated and tortured over the next two days before Broll, Veli, Selina, and the Dread Sentinels rescued them. Broll prevented Veli from torturing the captors to death, demanding that if Veli did it, it would have to be in front of Tae so Veli could see exactly what kind of man his father was. Tae took the betrayal hard, growing distant from Ravi, who was locked up in the fortress's dungeons.

When Zhezur Tarhy died, Tae attended his funeral, and there met Enza Tarhy, Zhezur's granddaughter. The two became friends, each feeling a little isolated given their families' involvements in the war.

The situation on Belzior became increasingly grim as the Tofs entered the war, and though Belzior withstood their attack, the populace was on edge. Tae convinced his father and uncle to put Ravi and his spy network to use, and it was Ravi who discovered that Jehra was being back into a corner in her holdings. Eventually reconciling, Ravi and Tae convinced Broll and Veli to rescue rather than abandon Jehra, and Tae accompanied his father to the field for the Battle of Konzertha. As the tide turned, he was not at the front often, but was with Veli on the bridge of the Scythe of Rohfellor for the Dread Fleet's triumph at the Battle of Gerleth'ap.

Heir to the Dread Fleet
Broll and Selina captured Nuwarg, the crown prince of the Tofs, and took him prisoner on Belzior, forcing his father, King Zongar, to end hostilities. With the war concluded, the four Kass`l siblings convened on Belzior along with Selina, Tae, and their senior captains. The end result was the reunification of Lothar's worlds and the formal establishment of the Kass`l Protectorate.

With Veli now commander of the Dread Sentinels and Broll ruling Belzior with Selina, Tae found himself—the only child of the four Kass`l siblings—the presumptive heir to the Kass`l Protectorate. He continued his study of fighting techniques while also learning about the military and government. Tae maintained his close friendship with Enza Tarhy, and she was a frequent guest at the fortress.

Skills and abilities
Tae was trained to fight using s, including both melee and ranged combat. He trained in the user of blasters and a number of martial arts styles. His "Aunt" Selina also taught him stealth and infiltration techniques, and he eventually learned political theory from his half-uncle Ravi.

Tae's minimal Force-sensitivity allowed him heightened reflexes and stamina in combat; as an adult, while he was not the equal of a Jedi or a Centurion, he had an edge over a normal man.

Appearance and personality
Many observers remarked that Tae looked remarkably like his father Veli—including Nagai pale skin, black hair, and lithe build—but he had blue-gray eyes and slightly softer features due to his mother's influence.

Raised among Force-sensitives without being one, Tae was inventive and adaptive by nature, easily fitting into nearly any situation. He was not as hardened by life as his parents, but became shrewder after experiencing duplicity and the violence of war himself in the Brothers' War.