Oppo Rancisis (Powerstaark)

Oppo Rancisis was a Thisspiasian Jedi Master and a member of the Jedi Council for decades, both before and during the Clone Wars. A talented military strategist, Rancisis was a respected General during the Clone Wars. Rancisis was also the leader of the Council of Reconciliation.

Early life
Oppo Rancisis was a Thisspiasian male born on the planet Thisspias, 184 years before the Clone Wars. The son of the female Blood Monarch, who ruled over Thisspias, he was discovered to be Force sensitive as an infant, and his mother offered him to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for training in the ways of the Jedi, when Oppo was six standard years old. Though older than most Force sensitives who were allowed into the Order Oppo's connection to the Force was too powerful for the Jedi to ignore. His mother hoped that, after his training had been completed, he would return to Thisspias and succeed her as Blood Monarch, and use the wisdom and power taught to him by the Jedi for Thisspias's benefit.

Oppo was accepted by the Jedi Order, and eventually selected by Jedi Master Yaddle, a revered member of the Jedi High Council, as a Padawan. Yaddle trained Rancisis in the Jedi arts, and he proved to be an adept wielder of both the Force and a lightsaber as well as a talented tactician, with a keen sense for military strategy. When Rancisis was twenty, terrorists stormed the Thisspias alcazar on Ramatesh and killed his younger sister, who had become Blood Monarch during Rancisis' early training; Oppo was the next in the lines of heirs, and was offered the throne. Devoted to the Jedi Code, he refused the offer, and continued with his training in the Jedi Temple.

Jedi Master
Rancisis was eventually made a Jedi Knight and later a Jedi Master, proving adept at the rare Jedi techniques of Battle Meditation and Malacia. Battle Meditation allowed the user to boost his allies' morale while draining his enemies', and to subtly alter the odds of any given battle. Malacia allowed a user to use the Force to turn an opponent's equilibrium against him or her, halting movement and causing dizziness and nausea, though the effects were only temporary. A rare ability, which many frowned upon for its seemingly violent nature, Malacia was taught by Rancisis for many decades, and he recorded his notes on using the power in the Great Holocron. Oppo had a keen grasp of military tactics, and he was known for his complex yet ingenious strategies, which helped the Republic to emerge from several conflicts victorious. Though Rancisis rarely used his lightsaber he was also renowned as one of the best swordsmen in the Jedi Order having studied Shii-Cho and Djem So and was also well known for his skill in hand to hand combat.

Rancisis eventually became a member of the Jedi Council and was also a member of the Council of Reconciliation, a five-person body that attempted to find peaceful solutions to the Republic's problems, and assigned various Jedi to carry out these solutions. One day Oppo traveled to the chambers of Lorian Nod, a young Padawan, at the behest of the other Councilors, who had noticed him acting strangely and believed he might be ill. Rancisis entered the room to find Nod with a fellow Padawan named Dooku and immediately sensed a tremor in the Force; he searched the room, looking to locate the source of the tremor, and eventually found a Sith holocron, stolen from the Jedi Archives. Nod claimed that Dooku had stolen it, but Rancisis merely took the holocron and left them, telling the two Padawans that the Council would decide their fate.

Oppo informed the Council of the theft, though, as it was busy attending to other matters, it would be several days until they could hold a meeting with the two students. In the interim, Rancisis and Master Yoda arranged a sort of competition for a group of Padawans, including both Nod and Dooku. Breaking them up into two teams of ten, Rancisis tasked them with successfully bringing a muja fruit from one of the fruit sellers in the All Planets Market back to the Temple by sunset. The Padawans could also use their training lightsabers to eliminate opposing team members with a light touch of their blade. Rancisis and Yoda purposely selected Nod and Dooku as team leaders so that they could pit them against each other and test how great the tension was between them. During the contest, Dooku recklessly injured Nod badly with his lightsaber, and was brought before the Council. Oppo, Tor Difusal, and Yoda questioned him; ultimately, Dooku was sanctioned for excessive aggression during a training exercise, while Nod was banished from the Order for lying about stealing the holocron and for implicating his fellow Padawan. Dooku went on to become a revered Jedi Master, while Nod became a pirate.

At some point Oppo befriended Sora Bulq and sometimes sparred with the Weequay being one of the few people who could defeat Bulq in sparring. However as Bulq became older and more powerful Rancisis' victories in their sparring matches became less and less frequent.

During the Stark Hyperspace War, Jedi Master Plo Koon—a friend of Oppo's—and several other Jedi contacted the Jedi Council from the planet Troiken to relay a plan of his to end the conflict. Koon asked Rancisis specifically about the plan, because of his tactical nous, and the Thisspiasian approved it. Iaco Stark had unleashed a virus onto all Republic ships that prevented them from entering hyperspace, but Master Qui-Gon Jinn had found a way to counteract it. Koon's plan was to take Stark and his forces by surprise by sending a small fleet through hyperspace; simultaneously, Koon's forces on the ground would drive Stark's soldiers back and occupy them. Rancisis refined Koon's plan, devising various elaborate strategies, and, along with fellow Council Member Yarael Poof, he used Battle Meditation to augment the Republic assault force. The strategy was successful, and Stark was apprehended; Plo Koon was given a seat on the Council for his part in ending the conflict.

Later crises
Eleven years before the Clone Wars, Master Rancisis and his fellow Councilors met to discuss the Yinchorri Uprising. The Yinchorri, a warlike species native to Yinchorr, had recently discovered hyperspace travel, and were attacking the other worlds in the Yinchorri system. Two Jedi were sent by Master Mace Windu to negotiate with the Yinchorri, though their heads were sent back to Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum's office. Jedi Master Yaddle later learned that the Yinchorri were immune to Jedi Mind Tricks, and that they wore cortosis armor, which rendered lightsabers almost useless. During the meeting, Rancisis told the Council of the Yinchorri's philosophy—that the strong could take what they wished from the weak—but also that, should they encounter beings stronger than themselves, they would surrender. Ultimately, after much discussion, Mace Windu and Councilor Micah Giiett volunteered to lead teams of Jedi to the Yinchorr system to find and destroy the Yinchorri headquarters. Rancisis remained behind with half the Jedi Council.

Rancisis, Yoda, and Yarael Poof watched Windu's three Consular-class cruisers depart, though Yoda was uneasy; he told the others that Windu's team was in peril, but so were those who opted to stay on Coruscant. His fears proved correct soon thereafter, when a team of Yinchorri warriors infiltrated the Jedi Temple and attempted to execute the Council. The Force forewarned the Jedi of their arrival, though, and they were able to kill the attackers with minimal Jedi casualties. Rancisis uncovered a weakness in the Yinchorri's armour; their necks were unprotected and therefore a well aimed blow would decapitate them. Oppo's lightsaber skills allowed him to kill several of the attackers.

Surveying the damage, Rancisis expressed his concern about the raid to Yoda; the Yinchorri had nothing to gain by attacking the Temple, and he suspected that some unknown, outside force was manipulating the warrior species. In the Yinchorr system, the Jedi were successful, though at the expense of three lives: Micah Giiett, Lilit Twoseas, and Theen Fida. Rancisis attended their funerals on Coruscant, and Ki-Adi-Mundi was chosen as Giiett's replacement on the Council.

Ten years before the Clone Wars, the Council of Reconciliation—comprised of Oppo, Yoda, Adi Gallia, and Plo Koon—met with Qui-Gon Jinn to discuss his most recent mission, which had resulted in the destruction of the Trade Federation battleship Revenue, for which Arwen Cohl and the Nebula Front militant group were responsible. The Front had serious qualms with the Trade Federation's monopoly on trade in the Outer and Mid Rims, and several of the Councilors believed their anger was justified—Rancisis, however, noted that, despite their laudable goals, they were, in his eyes, a ruthless organization and nothing more than petty criminals. Eventually, the Council decided to attempt not to take sides, as both factions represented a great many beings, a course of action for which Rancisis was a strong proponent.

Soon after, members of the Nebula Front attempted to assassinate Chancellor Valorum, but fled to Asmeru in the Senex sector, which was not part of the Republic, when the attempt failed. The Council sent several Jedi to Asmeru to deal with the would-be assassins while many more safeguarded the Eriadu Trade Summit. After the Jedi overstepped their bounds and attacked natives on Asmeru, Valorum and the Council were put in a difficult and finely balanced situation. If Lord Crueya Vandron of the Senex sector filed charges against the Jedi, Valorum and the Council would have received much negative attention, and might have lost support from Republic citizens. The Council met to discuss the issue; some, such as Even Piell, advocated striking a deal with the Senex lords—who had been repeatedly refused free trade with the Republic for a number of years because of their policies on slavery—while others believed that the Senex lords were mere slavers, and not to be bargained with. With the Republic's interest at heart, Rancisis seconded Piell's proposal, knowing that a rift between the Senex sector and the Republic would be difficult to mend. Ultimately, the Republic appeased the Senex sector, and Cohl was apprehended.

Later that year, during the Trade Federation's Invasion of Naboo, the Sith re-emerged, and Qui-Gon Jinn briefly dueled with a Dark Lord of the Sith on the planet Tatooine. When he returned to Coruscant, he briefed the Council about the confrontation, though some were skeptical that the Sith had returned. Jinn had also encountered a Human child, Anakin Skywalker, on Tatooine and, convinced he was the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy, asked if could take the boy as his Padawan, despite Skywalker being several years older than the traditional age of new members of the Order. Yoda reminded Jinn that he already had a Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, though Jinn was adamant that Kenobi should be knighted and Skywalker trained. Ultimately, the Council opted to wait before making a decision, and sent Jinn and Kenobi to help Queen Padmé Amidala end the crisis on Naboo. There, the Sith Lord slew Jinn, but Kenobi struck the Sith down—though no one knew if he was the master or the apprentice. Rancisis and his fellow Councilors traveled to Naboo to attend Jinn's funeral, and, ultimately, Kenobi was knighted, and took Skywalker as his Padawan, though Rancisis was among those opposed to Skywalker's admittance to the Order, believing that he was far too old for training.

Separatist Crisis
Rancisis continued to serve on the Council for the Separatist Crisis, during which many Republic worlds seceded to Count Dooku's newly formed Confederacy of Independent Systems. There were other threats to the Republic, as well, which the Council had to deal with; eight years before the Clone Wars, former Jedi Aurra Sing murdered several Jedi Knights on Coruscant, and Rancisis and his fellow Councilors sent Ki-Adi-Mundi to apprehend her. Three years later, the Council learned that Ashaar Khorda, an Annoo-dat revolutionary, had obtained a mysterious superweapon with which he planned to target the Republic. In his report, Mace Windu stated that his sources were unable to learn exactly where Khorda would strike, but they were able to narrow it down to three targets: Corellia, Alderaan, and Coruscant itself. Rancisis volunteered to safeguard Corellia, while Eeth Koth traveled to Alderaan and Yarael Poof defended Coruscant. Ultimately, Koorda targeted Coruscant, and although Poof was able to put a stop to the Annoo-dat's plot, he did so at the expense of his own life. Master Yaddle also perished around this time; Shaak Ti and Coleman Trebor served as their replacements on the Jedi Council.

Later Rancisis was sent on a diplomatic mission to Trandosha. Relations between the Trandoshans and their in-system neighbors, the Wookiees, had been going downhill, and the Trandoshans repeatedly petitioned for representation in the Galactic Senate. Oppo arrived four weeks after Trandoshans began attacking Wookiee transports to speak with representatives from both species, accompanied by Caamasi and Alderaanian diplomats. Many critics of the Jedi were quick to voice their displeasure at the fact that Rancisis had arrived so late into the conflict, and claimed that had the Council sent a representative sooner, much bloodshed might have been averted.

Rancisis met with Wookiee senator Yarua and Trandoshan Speaker-Above-All Hadocrassk at Hsskhor, Trandosha, to discuss the situation and to address the problem presented by Trandosha's policies on slavery. The talks started shakily, and continued in the same vein for some time. When the Trandoshans went behind Rancisis' and the Wookiees' back and requested Trade Federation help getting a seat on the Senate, Senator Yarua refused to continue the discussions, and stormed out of the chamber, despite the efforts of Rancisis to persuade him against leaving. The Council, recognizing the negotiations as a debacle, reassigned Rancisis.

One month later, the Jedi Order received a distress signal sent by Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet Geonosis in the Outer Rim; after unearthing a plot of the Confederacy's to start a war with the Republic, he had been captured by Count Dooku and sentenced to be executed, along with Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padmé Amidala, at the Petranaki arena. A team of over 200 Jedi, led by Mace Windu, traveled to Geonosis in a bold rescue attempt, though Rancisis was not among those who participated in the arena battle. The Jedi ranks in the arena were decimated, with a ring of just over twenty survivors being all that remained. Before Dooku could order their deaths, however, Yoda arrived with hordes of clone troopers, who had secretly been grown on Kamino on the orders of the deceased Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. The Republic was victorious at the Battle of Geonosis, though it marked the beginning of a galaxy-wide conflict: the Clone Wars.

Early war
During the first few days of the Clone Wars Oppo sent a squad of Clones to Bakura after recieving a message from Jedi Master's Tholme and Sora Bulq, who had engaged Count Dooku just one day after the battle of Geonosis. The clones rescued the two Jedi and brought them to Coruscant but shortly afterwards Sora disappeared for three months. Unknown to Rancisis or any other Jedi Sora had secretly turned to the dark side. Where Rancisis was at this time is unknown but he wasn't on Coruscant as Tholme and Bulq had been unable to get a message to Coruscant.

As he was considered one of the most brilliant tacticians in the Jedi Order, Rancisis became a Senior Jedi General and one of the most important Jedi figures in the Grand Army of the Republic, using his Battle Meditation to subtly alter the will of Separatist forces to give the Republic an advantage in battle. The first couple of weeks of the war saw much bloodshed for the Republic, but two weeks after the Battle of Geonosis, the Jedi Council was presented with an opportunity to hit back at the CIS. Jedi Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura, working undercover on the space station known as The Wheel, had learned that the Confederacy planned to launch a major offensive on Kamino in the hopes of destroying a fresh batch of over a million clone troopers produced by the Kaminoans. It was the first time since the outbreak of the war that the Republic knew when and where the Separatists would attack, and Rancisis was tasked with drawing up a battle plan for Kamino's defense.

The most important part of Rancisis' strategy centered on the fact that the CIS was expecting Kamino to be ill-defended. If they suspected that Republic forces were lying in wait for their fleet, Rancisis knew that they would retreat, and the opportunity to gain a foothold in the war would be lost. Thus, Rancisis had the fleet given to him to defend Kamino position itself outside the Kamino system, ready to jump to the planet's defense via hyperspace at Rancisis' signal, once the Separatists had launched their assault. Despite being a somewhat risky plan, in that it left Kamino virtually undefended for the beginning of the attack, Rancisis was confident in its chances for success.

Rancisis did not coordinate the battle on Kamino itself, but would lead the Republic forces from aboard a ship in the Republic armada. He addressed a team of Jedi, led by Obi-Wan Kenobi, via hologram before the Separatists arrived, outlining his plan and explaining the importance of the element of surprise. Tipoca City, where the majority of the clones were being grown and trained, would still be susceptible to ground attacks from the first wave of CIS forces, and with clone starfighters unavailable en masse, Rancisis tasked Anakin Skywalker and Aayla Secura to lead the the air forces and Obi-Wan and Kit Fisto led the ground forces. Ultimately, the battle was something of a stalemate; both sides incurred losses, and the Separatists, led by Passel Argente, were able to flee. Despite this, Rancisis' battle plan had helped to preserve the future warriors of the Republic and ensured that the Separatists were not granted an early victory in the conflict.

He continued to serve the Jedi Council during the Clone Wars, and was present at many meetings, during which the cost of the continuing war was discussed. At some point during the conflict, Rancisis returned to Thisspias to request the assistance of his species in the struggle against Dooku and the Separatists. The current Blood Monarch agreed provisionally, promising to pledge Thisspias's help if, as tradition required, Rancisis bested him in unarmed combat. Knowing the Republic was desperate for the assistance, the Jedi Master agreed; he defeated the Blood Monarch, who stayed true to his word and lent small contingents of Thisspiasian warriors to several battles.

Rancisis, along with the likes of Yoda and Mace Windu, often met with the Chancellor in his office to discuss the war. Three months after Geonosis, Rancisis, Yoda, and Windu met with Palpatine at his request to discuss the situation on the planet Thustra, whose native species, the Sephi, were on the brink of seceding. Negotiations with the Sephi king, Alaric, had been unsuccessful, but Palpatine was adamant that the Republic and the Jedi should do all they could do stop Thustra joining the CIS by whatever means necessary, as the planet was of strategic importance and because he feared that the remainder of the sector would follow suit. Yoda, who had known Alaric for centuries and who knew that he could see reason, volunteered to travel to Thustra and act the diplomat, though Rancisis stated that this was out of the question. Yoda oversaw the entire Jedi war effort, and Rancisis feared that placing his attention on a single battle would be detrimental to the Republic's chances of winning the war. Palpatine would not be deterred, however, and, despite Rancisis' objections, Yoda traveled to Thustra to try and persuade Alaric to side with the Republic.

Eventually the Jedi Council convened to discuss the dwindling number of Jedi Knights, and the toll the war had taken on the Order. After Adi Gallia suggested that the Council knight any deserving Padawans, Obi-Wan Kenobi suggested that they forgo the traditional Jedi Trials and promote Anakin Skywalker to Jedi Knight, but Rancisis was strongly opposed. He felt that Skywalker was too reckless to be a Knight, and that the Order's most ancient principles and practices should not be forgotten, even in times of war. Yoda was quick to remind Rancisis that, in his youth, the Thisspiasian was not the most disciplined himself; ultimately, despite varying opinions on the Council, Yoda agreed that they should knight Skywalker, and the Council held a ceremony in the Jedi Temple.

Personality and traits
Oppo Rancisis was well known for being an excellent military strategist, comparable with Sev'rance Tann and later General Grievous and his battle plans were usually successful. He was extremely loyal to both the Jedi Order and the Republic and always wanted what was best for both of them. He could have accepted the throne on his homeworld at a relatively early age and lived a life of luxury and power, but he decided to continue with his Jedi training, and never looked back. He was wholly devoted to the Jedi, spending over a century teaching students and offering his tactical knowledge whenever he was requested to do so.

Oppo was conservative, more so than most of the other Councilors of his time, and he was strongly opposed to overlooking ancient traditions laid down by the Jedi of old. While many members of the Jedi Council were content to forgo the proper trials and promote Anakin Skywalker to Knighthood early, Rancisis was strongly opposed to it as well as to a number of other concessions afforded to Kenobi's Padawan. However, by the time of the Clone Wars, he had realized the necessity of occasionally setting aside ancient Jedi traditions for the good of the Republic.

Rancisis cared for all living beings, and was often at odds with non-Jedi military officers who had less compassionate natures. Oppo was confident in his military strategies and didn't like to abandon them, preferring to continue with his plans until the battle was won. Very few people were able to outmaneuver Oppo when it came to military tactics and in the Clone Wars he was one of the Republics most respected generals.

Powers and abilities
Oppo Rancisis was trained as a Jedi Consular and was a highly skilled user of the Force having mastered at least two Force powers which were rare among the Jedi. Oppo was a master of Battle Meditation and this ability, combined with his ingenious battle strategies, made him one of the Republic's best generals in he Clone Wars. Yarael Poof was another practitioner of Battle Meditation alive in Rancisis' era, and the two used it together to help Republic forces on Troiken during the Stark Hyperspace War.

Rancisis had also mastered the rare Force power Malacia which he taught it in the Jedi Temple for decades though few, if any, of his students mastered the ability. The power was used predominantly as a defense; it caused no permanent effects, but turned a victim's equilibrium against him or herself, inducing incapacitating nausea and dizziness for several minutes. Most Jedi found it easier to employ powers like Mind Tricks or Force Push to halt attacking enemies, but Oppo argued that the power might have benefited some of its victims—it reminded thugs that they, like their prey, were not invincible.

Though Rancisis rarely used his lightsaber, even during the Clone Wars, he was a skilled duelist and a master of Shii-Cho and Djem So. Sora Bulq, believed to be one of the Jedi Orders most talented lightsaber duelists, believed that Rancisis was one of the most skilled duelists of his time; in fact Rancisis was one of the few people who was able to outmaneuver Bulq in sparring though as Bulq got older and more powerful Rancisis' victories over him became less and less frequent. Bulq was one of the few duelists who was able to defeat Mace Windu in sparring but, although Oppo had outmaneuvered Bulq in sparring matches, he had never managed to defeat Mace. Oppo successfully weilded his lightsaber during the Yinchorri attack on the Jedi Temple and discovered that the Yinchorri's armour didn't protect their necks leaving them vulnerable to decapitation.

Oppo was also a skilled practitioner of hand to hand combat and he used his four hands and his tail to subdue his enemies. In addition Oppo was able to twist and bend his snake like body to avoid his opponents attacks. He was strong enough in unarmed combat to defeat the Blood Monarch on Thisspias in an honor duel during the Clone Wars.