Coleman Kcaj (HarmonyGrex)

Coleman Kcaj was a Force-sensitive Ongree male who lived in the twilight years of the Galactic Republic. Born on Skustell in 62 BBY, Kcaj was recognised to be Force-sensitive as a toddler and sent to train with the Jedi Order. He became famed for his tactics with diplomacy and negotiation, and slowly rose through the ranks to become a Jedi Master by the time of the outbreak of the Clone Wars. He became a Senior General in the Grand Army of the Republic and gained a Padawan in Vorn Hedriss, whose original master, Yina Jerrik, perished in the Battle of Geonosis. Jerrik had been Kcaj's original master, so it was believed that her former student was the best person to guide her current apprentice. Kcaj had been away on a diplomatic mission to the Intergalactic Banking Clan when Mace Windu formed the group of 200 Jedi who fought in the Petranaki Arena, and was therefore unable to fight in the battle.

He and his apprentice went on countless missions together until Hedriss' untimely death at the hands of Count Dooku, and not long after that Kcaj was elevated to the Jedi High Council to replace Even Piell. He participated in many meetings of the council and was usually the first to offer to lead missions of a peaceful nature, although he was an able lightsaber duelist.

Kcaj was a member of the council when Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, now known as Darth Sidious, executed Order 66. Most of his comrades on the council were slain, but Kcaj managed to evade his colleagues' killers throughout the Great Jedi Purge. His ultimate fate is unknown.

Personality
Coleman Kcaj was known as a kind, friendly and helpful soul, though many found him to be too trusting. He was also rather quiet, as he rarely interjected during High Council meetings and believed that actions spoke louder than words, especially when it came to diplomacy.

62 BBY - 22 BBY: Early Life and Jedi Training
Kcaj was born on the Ongree homeworld of Skustell in 62 BBY and, unlike many Jedi, it took several years for his potency with the Force to be recognised. Several weeks before his third birthday, his Force abilities made themselves known to his parents, who swiftly sent him away to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for training. Several years later, he became Padawan to Jedi Knight Yina Jerrik. Choosing to take the path of the Jedi consular, he often argued with his master due to her preference for combat missions, while he yearned for diplomatic experience. As Kcaj trained in a time of relative peace, they were usually assigned to negotiate regardless.

At some point during his training, Kcaj constructed a green-hued single-bladed lightsaber of standard design, that resembled his masters' dual sabers. Eventually, he completed the Trials of Knighthood and became a fully-fledged Jedi Knight several years before the Naboo Crisis. He remained in partnership with his master, who had been elevated to the rank of Jedi Master shortly before his own ascendance, and chose not to take a Padawan. However, he assisted Grand Master Yoda in educating Jedi Younglings in the Jedi Temple, often giving lessons on compassion and respect. He was greatly admired by many Jedi for this, and many younger Padawans would approach him in the years to come, thanking him for his useful lessons. It was because of these lessons that Yoda and the High Council first gained his attention.

After several years of delivering lessons and leading the occasional diplomatic mission, Kcaj became a Jedi Master after rescuing his former master Jerrik on Felucia with the help of High Councillor Oppo Rancisis. He also tutored certain Padawans on the importance of compassion and thinking before acting, including famed Jedi Anakin Skywalker during his time under Obi-Wan Kenobi.

22 BBY: Outbreak of the Clone Wars and Vorn Hedriss
When Master of the Order Mace Windu gathered a 200-strong Jedi team to rescue Skywalker, Kenobi and Naboo Senator Padmé Amidala from the Petranaki Arena, Kcaj was on a diplomacy mission with the Intergalactic Banking Clan on Scipio and was unable to help. However, once the mission was complete he immediately returned to Coruscant, and witnessed the official beginning of the Clone Wars. He was approached not long after by Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, who had with him a Jedi Padawan named Vorn Hedriss; he explained that Kcaj's former master Jerrik, who was also master of Hedriss, had died in the Battle of Geonosis, and the High Council believed that he would be best as a replacement master due to his experience of giving lessons and knowledge of Jerrik's teaching methods. Kcaj graciously accepted, and became the master of Hedriss as well as assuming the role of Senior General in the Grand Army of the Republic; he was subsequently given command of the 35th Marine Corps, and his apprentice became a Jedi Commander.

21 BBY: Mission to Ando and Death of Hedriss
As the war continued, Kcaj and his Padawan became more involved in combat than ever before. Kcaj was instrumental in a mission led by High Councillor Kit Fisto to the Ongree homeworld of Skustell, where he translated for the Jedi during negotiations. As a result of this mission, he became aware of fellow Ongree Jedi, Pablo-Jill.

Later on in the year, Kcaj and Hedriss were dispatched to the planet Ando to engage in peace talks with Aqualish Separatist Council member Po Nudo. However, the arrangement was in actuality a ruse set by Count Dooku, leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and the two Jedi were ambushed aboard the cruiser that the negotiations were meant to be held in. They fended off waves of battle droids until Dooku himself entered the room, followed by Nudo. Filled with anger over the trick, Hedriss immediately flung himself at the Sith Lord, and after a brief fight was cut down. Shocked, Kcaj attempted to reason with Dooku as he slowly approached, and Dooku offered to let him live if he told him the location of the famed Jedi Enclave, where many treasures of the order were said to be stored. Kcaj rejected the idea, as he knew Dooku would kill him anyway, and a short lightsaber duel begun. Kcaj was quickly overwhelmed but used the Force to hold Nudo over the edge of the cruiser and threatened to kill him. Though Dooku called his bluff, he seemed worried about his ally, and was distracted enough for Kcaj to escape through a ventilation shaft. He made his way back to his ship and swiftly returned to Coruscant, being pursued out of the system by Separatist gunners. Kcaj expressed sadness for the death of his pupil, but was able to move on and continue with his missions once he recovered from his injuries from the duel with Dooku.

20 BBY: High Council Member and Mission to Neimoidia
After the demise of Master Even Piell on Lola Sayu, the Jedi High Council approached Kcaj and asked him to a member of the august body, an invitation which he quickly accepted. Throughout the remainder of the war he spent the majority of his time on Coruscant, participating in meetings and occasionally giving his valued opinion. However, he still went on the occasional mission.

Towards the end of the year, Kcaj offered to lead a mission to Neimoidia after Viceroy of the Trade Federation Nute Gunray proposed a trade deal with the Republic, as his organisation was, according to him, entirely separate from the CIS. He was accompanied by Jedi Masters Agen Kolar and Sora Bulq, as well as the recently-Knighted Barriss Offee. Suspicions were raised when Gunray insisted that clone troopers were not brought to the planet.

The four Jedi were greeted by Gunray's lieutenant Rune Haako and the steward of the viceroy's palace, Seemla Wib, and were given a wing of the building to themselves during their stay. Upon being told that negotiations would begin at dinner, the group formulated a plan that Kcaj and Offee would attend the dinner while Kolar and Bulq investigated the palace for any suspicious dealings. However, their plan was foiled by Haako, who had overheard their conversation on the security system and ordered the capture of Masters Bulq and Kolar while the other two were at dinner. A battle then broke out between the Neimoidian security force, accompanied by battalions of droids, and the four Jedi.

Partway through the battle, Offee left to follow Haako and Wib through a corridor of the palace to overhear their plans. She eventually returned with Wib, and explained that Wib promised to call off the battle as long as they nominated him as replacement Senator for the recently suspended Lott Dod - Wib wanted the Clone Wars to end and has seen how the pressure of the CIS had changed Gunray and Haako. Kcaj agreed, and the four Jedi escaped while Wib told Haako that they had been killed and their bodies moved off-world to not arouse suspicion.

After the mission was completed and Kcaj had reported to the rest of the council, he visited Offee in her chambers and revealed that he had spoken to the Supreme Chancellor about Wib's senatorial nomination, which she was pleased to hear.

19 BBY: Battle of Coruscant and End of the Clone Wars
By 19 BBY, Kcaj was a seasoned member of the Jedi High Council who was present when Anakin Skywalker was refused the right to become a Jedi Master, despite being elevated to a council position by Palpatine. He participated in many correspondences throughout the galaxy between the various members of the body, including Grand Master Yoda on Kashyyyk and Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau.

Kcaj was present on Coruscant when General Grievous captured Palpatine, and helped to organise and co-ordinate ground troops during the subsequent battle with several other council members.

Alongside Shaak Ti, Coleman was tasked with protecting the Jedi Temple while other members of the council confronted Palpatine, who had been revealed as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. While Ti prepared troops to defend the building, Kcaj escorted as many Jedi as possible onto ships and away from Coruscant; this action saved many lives on that day, as it soon transpired that Anakin Skywalker approached the temple and began killing any Jedi in his path, including Master Ti. Kcaj ultimately decided to attempt to preserve the Jedi Order by leaving the planet in the last evacuation ship, which was severely damaged on its way out of the planet's atmosphere.

Fate and Legacy
Where the evacuation ship landed and Kcaj's ultimate fate remains unknown, but it is known that he went on to survive the Great Jedi Purge. He was once in a list compiled by the Inquisitorius of Jedi who may have been alive after Order 66.

Appearance and Clothing
In almost every way, Coleman Kcaj was a typical Ongree; from his dark yellow-tinted skin and eyes to his role within the Jedi Order as a negotiator and diplomat, he almost perfectly embodied the ideal attributes of his race. Because of this, he was often confused with fellow Ongree Jedi Pablo-Jill, as there were barely any defining features to tell them apart; one notable difference was that Kcaj wielded a green lightsaber, while Pablo-Jill used a blue-hued one. He wore traditional Jedi robes, like many of his contemporaries.

Battle Proficiency, Equipment and Force Abilities
Kcaj was more interested in negotiating than fighting, but was no slouch on the battlefield. He was a user of Form VI of lightsaber combat - Niman, which is a blend of all five previous forms and is sometimes considered a "jack of all trades" style, which served him well as he was able to survive a confrontation with Count Dooku. Master Kcaj wielded a single-bladed green-hued lightsaber of standard design.

Coleman's Force abilities were more advanced than his combat skills, and he was known to be proficient in a variety of Force techniques, including pushes and pulls, the Jedi mind trick and other useful skills, but again did not put much effort into honing his skills with it, although he focused on it more so than his lightsaber skills.

Yina Jerrik
As Kcaj's master, Yina Jerrik had a strong bond with her student that remained all throughout their life, even after his training was complete. They got on well and had a good teacher-student relationship that wasn't clearly defined by either of them - sometimes Jerrik was the teacher and Kcaj was the student, and sometimes it was the other way round. He grieved heavily for her loss at the Battle of Geonosis.

Vorn Hedriss
After taking Hedriss on as an apprentice, a firm bond between the two Jedi was forged. Though Hedriss was more concerned with practical combat training (like his previous master Jerrik), they still respected one-another and Vorn considered Coleman to be a very good teacher.

Yoda
Grand Master Yoda first came into contact with Kcaj via the lessons he delivered to Yoda's groups of Jedi Younglings over the years, a move that eventually persuaded him to nominate Kcaj as Even Piell's replacement on the High Council. They shared many values concerning the Jedi Order, and Yoda was elated to know that he had survived Order 66.

Kit Fisto
As both members of aquatic species, Kit Fisto and Coleman Kcaj got on very well, especially after the latter's promotion to the High Council. Kcaj once assisted Fisto on a mission to Skustell, which is where their bond first began.

Pablo-Jill
As members of the Ongree race, Pablo-Jill and Coleman Kcaj were often mistaken for one-another. It was not often that they saw each other, but when they did, they often joked about their resemblance and talked about their shared heritage on Skustell.

Shaak Ti
As a contemporary of Kcaj, Shaak Ti knew him extensively from council meetings but only got to truly develop a bond during their shared defense of the Jedi Temple, in which Ti admired Kcaj's helpfulness in getting as many Jedi as possible away from Coruscant. Kcaj considered Ti a major asset to the Jedi, and wept in the evacuation ship as he saw Anakin Skywalker stab her through the heart.

Barriss Offee
Serving together on a mission to Neimoidia in 20 BBY, Kcaj and Offee both shared interests in diplomacy (though Offee preferred combat more than Kcaj ever did) and Coleman appreciated her efforts to end the battle in the palace dining hall peacefully, and was glad to inform her of the nomination of Seemla Wib to the Senate.

Sheev Palpatine
As a member of the Jedi High Council and a famed diplomat, Coleman Kcaj was a close advisor to the Galactic Senate and, more specifically, the Supreme Chancellor. They often conversed about the state of the galaxy and Kcaj's homeworld, and it was Palpatine that Kcaj reported to regarding the wish of Seemla Wib to join the Senate in some fashion.

Behind the Scenes
This version of Coleman Kcaj, unlike other articles, is heavily fictitious as there was so little to work with in Canon or Legends; the only real Canon material to work with was that he survived Order 66, but I have managed to craft a much larger character - giving him a master and an apprentice, several important documented missions, relationships with other Jedi and more.

I have not yet devised a fate for this Coleman Kcaj, but at some point it will be revealed.