Calen Solayr

"The galaxy's turned out a lot vaster than I ever thought it could be."

- Calen Solayr Calen Solayr was a Human male Force-sensitive and later Jedi Knight of the New Jedi Order and Galactic Federation Triumvirate. Orphaned on the Unknown Regions planet of Aranya, Solayr spent his early years making a living as a street peddler, and even built his own personal astromech droid, Z1-X1, during this period. His life was changed, however, when he discovered a mysterious object, something that later turned out to be an ancient Jedi holocron. In his retrieval of it, he also encountered a young Jedi apprentice named Anhri Claynes, who would join his group in an effort to both retrieve the holocron and rescue her master, Rend Arcturius. Unbeknownst to Solayr, however, the dark side warlord Raixan Fauth also desired to acquire it, setting the two of them on a collision course. Barely escaping the planet with the help of hyperspace explorer Skyric Worrsayn and captured aboard the enemy flagship, the group managed to free the Jedi Master and narrowly escape once more, travelling to the Triumvirate SIS's homeworld of Hideaway, Fauth's forces just behind, which resulted in a battle.

He later took part in the New Jedi Purge, helping to ferry Jedi away from combat zones, and began his official Jedi training on the planet New Tython shortly thereafter. Experiencing visions of his father during a mission to cleanse a dark-side entity from the planet, he later encountered Fauth himself as he infiltrated the world, beginning the Battle of New Tython. Throughout the conflict, Calen engaged the conquerer in a lightsaber duel, being soundly defeated after the truth of his father's connection to Fauth was revealed. He was later picked up by his friends in the Kitehawk, but would later depart to hunt down the last owner of the holocron: Tuné.

Two years later, Solayr was 'missing', having spent that time training with the ancient master, before reemerging during the events of Operation: Homefront.

Birth and early life
"I ended up surrounded by some of the worst people I can think of. I was a kid, so it was probably easier to hate people without holding back."

- Calen on his time on Aranya.

Born within Fauth State space, in the Unknown Regions, Calen was the son of Lucen Solayr, a member of dark side warlord Raixan Fauth's armed forces, and an unnamed female Jedi Knight who accidentally discovered their preparations for war. Recruiting a disillusioned Solayr to her cause, the two managed to a much larger (though still small) force and began to launch precision strikes against Fauthian targets, falling in love and entering a relationship while doing so. Eventually, hwoever, the future conquerer himself would take the lead in hunting them down, and managed to trap them during one of their operations. Calen's mother would engage Raixan in a duel, but would be defeated and mortally wounded. Retreating, Lucen managed to lead their forces back to their headout, where his lover gave birth to their son. The two named him Calen, but the combined efforts of the birth and her own wounds lead to his mother's early death, and Lucen was left to raise him alone. Knowing that Fauth's forces would be hunting them down soon enough and not wanting his son or any of the other children of the resistance to be killed, Calen's father lead evacuation efforts. He himself took his son to the chaparral planet Aranya, where he left him in the hands of some contacts. Hoping that Calen would be able to live a peaceful and happy life there, he departed, promising in vain that he would return. Ultimately, however, he was killed by Fauth in their final battle.

Left on his own, a young Calen quickly lost his original guardians as well, and found himself wandering throughout the planet, taking work and jobs wherever he could to keep himself from dying. Often taken advantage of and treated badly when not outright abused, he began to despise the people around him. The liars, scoundrels, and dregs of society that would use anyone and anything for their own benefit, him included, become repulsive to him. Though he had no other choice but to work with them in order to survive, he became determined to never become like them, and eventually rise up to become special and important on the galactic scale: in his own words, a hero. Furthermore, he decided to do it on his own, by his own merits, so as not to follow the example of those who 'raised' him, who constantly used the accomplishments and faults of others to elevate themselves. Calen developed something of a loner mentality, and eventually struck out on his won, taking up the occupation of street peddler and earning his own living.

At some point, while making his way through the various wastelands of Aranya, he began collecting parts of various astromech droids that had been trashed or abandoned, eventually using them to cobble together his lifetime companion Z1-X1. Calen would also become somewhat-friends with the Cathar Utyc Khol, a fellow merchant who proved more cordial than some of their fellow-peddlers.

Appearance
As a child, during his first and earliest days on Aranya, Calen appeared to be not too dissimilar to how he appeared as an adult, albeit naturally being much smaller and having more simplistic attire. Dressed in a basic, short-sleeved shirt of a moth green color, complimented with simple breeches and what appeared to be moccasins, he gave off a rugged feel and always seemed to be slightly dirty or disheveled in some manner, an atmosphere that he inherited from both the place where he was born and where he ended up being raised. Initially appearing small and frail, he managed to build himself up over the years so as to keep up with the occasional attacks and abuses that he underwent.

Many years later, as a young adult, Calen adopted what would become his signature look for most of his known life. Rather tall but not overly so, muscular but also a bit wiry or thin, he also sported a head of soft, straw-colored hair that had a permanently windswept look to it. The most grating feature to him about it was the cowlick that persisted at its top, and despite all of his attempts to remove it, it would remain there. It extended down to around the middle of his neck, and on the front nearly reached his eyebrows, occasionally even brushing against them. It was described as being not too long, but on the verge of being so in a way that occasionally made him uncomfortable (but not in such a way that he felt any urge to cut it except when absolutely necessary). He had rather sharp and striking, but not very piercing, green eyes, and this noticeable color would prove the basis for the various color choices he made in his clothing over the years (featuring predominantly green with various other complementary colors mixed in for good measure). He has been described as, while not exactly handsome, far from homely as was possible. Calen gave the appearance of one who was in perpetual good health, though whether or not he actually was is widely disputed (discounting physical injuries and focusing on actual sicknesses).

During his time as an adult on Aranya, Calen wore a rather simple but effective set of clothing. Consisting of what appeared to be a larger version of the shirt that he wore as a child, of the overall same color (though at times it appeared to be darker), he complimented it with simple black pants and soft-soled shoes of the same color, that appeared both professional and rugged at the same time, allowing him to maintain the appearance of the merchant that he was while still allowing him the best footwear that he could find. Finally, he completed it with what he states as being the most prized piece of clothing that he owned: a simple black leather jacket that sported coattails which reached almost down to his knees. He enjoyed the way that it looked, and it would further give him the look of someone who was ready to fight at a moment's notice, which proved useful when negotiation with potentially dangerous or fight-ready clients. This form of uniform stayed with him during his later involvement in the Fauth State conquest, and even when he eventually switched it out for more appropriate, but still combat-ready Jedi garb, he would continue to revert to it when not on active duty or training, it transitioning into a casual uniform rather than the one that he wore constantly. It was initially present during his two years of training with Tuné, though it appears to have vanished slowly during this period, though it did appear once again following the conclusion of the conflict, albeit for a brief period rather than returning to its usual prominence. The shirt appears to have been worn beneath his main Jedi uniform following the two years of training.

Upon Calen's arrival on New Tython, he adopted a new, more Jedi-appropriate uniform when his training officially began. Consisting largely of armor that seemed to have something of a stamp of Mandalorian make about it. It was largely white, with the occasional bit of pure green trim as well as several odd symbols, mostly located on the shoulder pieces. Like the first outfit, it was connected by what appeared to be a series of brown belts (though the shade could often very depending on lighting as well as where he was currently acting at the moment). The major change from his original armor was the addition of sections for the lower parts of his body, though these were only on the waist and the area just below it, continued below by a kilt of some kind with a white trim. Only one of his arms appeared to be armored, save for the enforced gloves that he wore on each hand, with only one of them featuring a variety of armor pieces to protect them. Underneath the armor lay a series of dark green-colored variants of the traditional Jedi robes, topped off with a collar that had a white fur top trim, as well as a general trim of gold. Underneath the actual kilt was a simple set of breeches of a similar color, finishing with a simple set of combat boots with a similar color scheme and overall make as the rest of the armor he wore. His lightsaber was often kept attached to his waist, connected and held in place by one of the various belt sections that held the rest of the waist-area armor in place. It also featured a dark green hood that he could pull up over his face in order to shield himself from rain or similar environmental hazards, as well as concealing his identity for brief amounts of time.

After his two years of training, when he donned his old uniform for constant use, it changed somewhat. The armor itself appeared to be much more scarred and damaged than it had previously, and it appeared to hug his form a bit more closely, giving him a greater lean appearance. In addition, the hood was now black, in contrast with the rest of the ensemble, which retained its green color.

Lightsaber Skills
As to be expected with his background, Solayr was initially completely unfamiliar with the lightsaber, having not even seen one or gotten a clear idea of what one was before his first clashes with Fauthian forces alongside the Jedi. Despite this, he managed to show a surprising proficiency when the weapon after undergoing some training. While his initial instruction on the Kitehawk didn't involve dueling much, if at all, his first use of a lightsaber was more than those around him had expected. Following the slaying of Rend Arcturius at the hands of Fauth himself, Solayr managed to acquire his lightsaber, reaching out through the Force for the first time in order to do so. Once he grasped the weapon, Calen noted to himself that it felt more familiar than he had first thought it would, being a comfortable fit for his palm and hand, allowing his initial battle to feel more natural than normal. However, he lacked any style or fines in his premier duel, with his strikes being wild and makeshift, easily predictable and avoidable. They were rough things, aimed more to simply drive his opponent back than attempting to outmaneuver him or deal any major damage. While his opponent, Saedus, would have initially been able to easily defeat him in a one-on-one battle, he was already suffering from exhaustion from his prolonged duel with Solayr's companion, Anhri, and the wounds that he had taken during it made his own strikes sluggish and ineffective when compared to him at his full strength. Despite the advantage given to the comparatively fresh Calen, the general still managed to drive him back with every blow and proving capable of deflecting many of his attacks with not any great exertion. Solayr proved himself capable of blocking, however, and that combined with the aforementioned weariness on the part of his opponent allowed him to successfully parry an attack that temporarily left the darksider immobilized in a way, giving him the chance he needed to deliver a blow that, while not killing his enemy, did put him out of the fight for the time being. Raixan Fauth recognized elements of his fighting style from that used by his father, Lucen, but refused to allow himself the chance to believe that he had found the traitor's son until he learned of his name.

After being adopted into the New Jedi Order, Calen received official training on the use of a lightsaber in combat. With Anhri acting as his main instructor in that field, he initially specialized in the use of Niman, but continued practice showed that he was unsuitable for the form, with Claynes judging that he was one more suited for continuous attack. Not wanting to leave him vulnerable, she shifted his studies to that of Form V, having him gain a level of experience in both the Shien and Djem So disciplines when he proved much more adept at this particular style. It would become Solayr's main form of lightsaber combat during his time on New Tython, being especially highlighted in his duel with Fauth shortly thereafter. Despite the strengths that he had gained during his Jedi training, Fauth was still able to overpower him several times and overwhelm his defenses with intense bouts of Juyo, though the two managed to remain on a somewhat even keel for the majority of the duel, with the dark side warlord dominating the fight. Ultimately, Raixan's form of battling would prove superior, as he managed to disarm Calen twice before finally defeating him through the use of Force lightning. After the battle, his weakness in dueling was one of the reasons that the ex-peddler sought more advanced training.

Under the tutelage of Tuné, Solayr's skills as a duelist rose significantly. Aiming for a more balanced fighting style, she allowed him to retain his skills with Form V, but also began heavily instructing him in the use of Shii-Cho, the style that she favored herself. Teaching the young Jedi how to allow his emotions to flow through him without allowing the darker ones to influence his actions, she encouraged him to incorporate it into his fighting style if he truly wanted to match his nemesis in another battle. Agreeing, Calen made good use of the Determination Form, and it took over as his main fighting style, being supplanted with the Perseverance Form in order to provide a greater edge against lightsaber-wielding opponents. By combining these, he managed to become an incredibly skilled fighter, and proved this fact upon returning to the war, using his knowledge and improvisation with the first style combined with the aggressive strikes and counters of the fifth in order to easily overwhelm and defeat a Dark Jedi opponent whom he faced upon his reemergence. Analyzing his new fighting style after the battle, Anhri noted that he was using a variety of other styles mixed in with his two main as well, though these newer additions where few and far between and only seemed to occur when he sought to destabilize or surprise the opponent, and potentially when pushed into a corner as well. The new fighting style proved its worth in his second battle with Fauth, though despite managing to hold his own and at times overpower the dark warrior, he was eventually forced back and knocked down. During the second half of the fight, he began thoughtlessly introducing elements of the more aggressive Juyo into his strikes, managing to briefly overpower the warlord several times during the duel. Throughout all his various duels, most have noted that Solayr's style, despite being hardened with technique, still retained a rough exterior, and most of his attacks lacked any real finesse or flair to them.

In his last battle of the war, Solayr relied entirely on his own instinctual skills, barely managing to keep up against an opponent who was giving their all in order to slay him.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The New Frontier (First appearance)
 * Star Wars: An Advancing Darkness
 * Star Wars: Flames of the Galaxy