Jamei Hailon

"The farmer - the boy, he is strong in the Force, is he not?"

- Sylan Jerev

Jamei Hailon was a Human Jedi during the middle of the Unity Era. He was born on Dantooine in 183 ABY to a pair of simple farmers named Jasan and Meirka Hailon. Hailon was the heir to The Force through his ancient ancestors, Rikam and Kilan Shian. When he was seventeen, he joined the Jedi Order and was trained by Jedi Master Sylan Jerev. He became the first person in several years to master the art of Battle Meditation. He later served in the Huttese War as both a Jedi Knight and as a pilot.

Early Years
Hailon spent much of his early life learning how to farm and hunt on the plains of Dantooine. His father, Jasan Hailon, was a simple farmer, and he expected Jamei to follow a similar path. Jamei, however, was far too curious and imaginative to be content with life on a farm. He spent much of his time by himself, reading and writing fiction stories and poems. One of the few times he would leave the house was to explore the ruins of the ancient Jedi Enclave. The history of the Jedi fascinated him, since he grew up with stories of their glamor and chivalry. Hailon also enjoyed piloting, which was unsurprising considering his mother's career as a friegter pilot. When he finally learned how to fly, Hailon was surprised to discover he was quite adept among the stars, and he spent hours hovering in orbit above Dantooine when he had free time.

At about fifteen, Hailon published a series of satirical poems which criticized the regional government, and the increasing taxes in particular. Although Jamei originally wrote these poems to make some credits, he (surprisingly) became locally popular. The poems were also the first indication that Hailon was destined for a life beyond the grassland world; he simply had too much talent to squander it with farming. Both his parents were somewhat saddened when they realized this, and it took some time for Jasan to accept that his son wouldn't grow up satisfied with a simple life.

When Hailon turned sixteen, he left his family to establish his own homestead out on the plains of Dantooine. He settled a few kilometers outside of Khoonda, and he spent the next year or so hunting and farming for sustinance. Several months after he had established his homestead, however, a disturbance in the city sent shockwaves through Jamei's quaint world and changed his life forever.

Dantooine
In 200 ABY, while out hunting, Hailon found the city of Khoonda under attack by a strange group of men wearing unusual armor. Perplexed and worried, he took his blaster rifle and headed towards the battle. There, Hailon saw a lone Jedi fighting off the blaster fire of the unusual invaders. Out of worry that the Jedi would be unable to hold off such a threat with only a few militiamen backing him up, Hailon quietly sniped a few of the attackers from his position in the tall grass, though it did little damage. The invaders eventually retreated under the threat of the Jedi's lightsaber, and Hailon moved forward to introduce himself. The Jedi replied that his name was Jedi Master Sylan Jerev. He, along with Jedi Master Solus Horn, had been assigned to Dantooine. They asked Hailon if he could help, which the boy agreed to.

The invaders, known as the Sons of Mandalore, had retreated to their base in the ruins of the ancient Jedi Enclave to try and regroup for another assault. Fortunately for the Jedi duo, Hailon knew most of his way around the Enclave, and the boy was able to lead the pair to the main war room of the Sons of Mandalore. After a quick battle, Sylan fell down a hole in the floor, and was forced to do battle with an Iridonian reek. The reek, however, provided the group with the location of another Mandalore stronghold: Iridonia, home of the Zabrak.

The group did not rush off to Iridonia just then, however. In the deepest parts of the Enclave, Horn had found a box containing a pair of lightsaber crystals. Jerev was wary of these crystals, since they were of a rare type that he had never seen before. The other issue was the possibilty of Hailon being Force-sensitive. Both Jedi Masters had sensed that Hailon possibly held a rather strong connection with the Force, and they wanted to train him if they could before they pursued the remaining groups of the Sons of Mandalore. As such, Jerev and Horn took Hailon to Coruscant for possible Jedi training.

Jedi Training
"If you believe that this boy can be trained, then you will both train him as your Padawan."

- Ben Skywalker II to Sylan Jerev and Solus Horn

When Jerev and Horn presented Hailon to the Jedi Council, there was initial controversy, particularly over the issue of his age. Many of the Jedi began their training as children, but Hailon was already a young man. One of the staunchest opponents to Hailon's training was Master Naamil, who believed that the boy was too set in his ways and would fall to the Dark Side. Despite his protests, however, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, Ben Skywalker, agreed to allow the masters to train Hailon together.

Hailon spent the next four months learning the ways of the Force. Horn trained him in the use of a lightsaber, and Hailon eventually constructed his own. His lightsaber's hilt had belonged to both Kilan and Rikam Shian, and the boy used a rare Pontite crystal, which gave his lightsaber a teal glow.

Jerev, on the other hand, trained Hailon in the use of the Force, and he quickly learned a few Force techniques. In fact, his grasp of the Force was so advanced that he became a Jedi Consular.

Following his intensive four month training period, Ben Skywalker dispatched Horn, Jerev, and Hailon to Iridonia. When the Masters questioned why Jamei was being sent, Ben merely replied that he could use the experience. Though the Masters (as well as a couple of Council members) were puzzled, the trio nonetheless set off to track their first lead on Iridonia.

Iridonia
"Master, you might want to take a look at this, and I hope that you're good on a turret!"

- Jamei Hailon

Much to the group's surprise, when they entered the orbit of Iridonia, a massive battle fleet was awaiting them. The fleet was allied to the Sons of Mandalore, and was led by the Hutt Admiral Xerjax. The unusal fighters quickly shot down the Jedi shuttle, despite Hailon's attempts at piloting the ship around the fleet, and they crashed into the surface of the planet.

Hailon was the first to awaken on to the unwelcome sight of the harsh planet, and he was also the first to spot the Zabrak mechanic, Rudo'ab. He was also key in helping the group to defeat the Sons of Mandalore within a communications center, and he was the one that cleverly hid the message within an intricate poem. Jamei also noted the location of the next planet, Tatooine from the dying Mandalorian, Terix.

With their next lead secured, the group headed back to Rudo'ab to thank him for his work. Rudo'ab gave the group a final gift, a custom freighter called the Adamant Shield. Hailon would make great use of his piloting skills on this ship, though he was occasionally irked by the quarrels of the little droid known as AD-1.

Unravelling the Mystery
As the group slowly uncovered lead after lead, Hailon's skill in the Force grew. He was the first to sense a Greater Krayt Dragon on Tatooine, which surprised him and established that he had a good degree of focus on others. He also revealed that he was developing a sort of Battle Precognition when he was able to accurately predict the underground movements of the Krayt Dragon that was attacking the skiff the group was travelling on.

After the Dark Jedi Kalipso Siren revealed the location of the third leader of the Sons of Mandalore, Hailon was forced to fly through another Son fleet above the ocean world of Manaan. His skills let him land the ship unscathed on the planet, and he shot down no less than fourteen enemy fighters. On the watery world, Hailon used his analytical mind to solve the name of the third leader of the Sons of Mandalore, a Selkath named Ascha. He was also the one who engaged the Selkath in single combat, and emerged victorious. He was able to coax out the location of the fourth leader of the Sons of Mandalore, a Mandalorian named Hezaz.

Revelations on Dxun
According to the information extracted from Ascha, the fourth Mandalorian leader was on the jungle moon of Dxun (which Hailon thought was ironic, since the Mandalorians seemed to have spent a lot of time on the moon in the past). When they arrived on the moon, an Echani warrior named Derian informed the group of an ancient Mandalorian outpost, which the Sons were using as a base. The group was forced to fight through waves of savage animals on the moon, but they finally managed to reach the base. Here, the group encountered a small platoon of Mandalorians. Though they emerged victorious, Hailon was injured by a blaster bolt, and he was rendered unconscious.

In his wounded coma, Jamei was visited by his ancestors, Kilan and Rikam Shian, who appeared to him as Force ghosts. In his feverish dream, they told Hailon that the Shian family had a long history of being able to use the rare art of Battle Meditation. They explained to Jamei that if he was able to master this art, it would play a key role in an upcoming battle. Whether Hailon's ancestors actually appeared before him or if they were merely a part of his feverish dreams, he never found out. He awoke an hour later.

Hailon was a key player in taking out the second-in-command of the Sons of Mandalore, the Mandalorian Hezaz. The young man ran interference for Horn and Jerev, and he diverted the main force of the Mandalorian army on the planet while they hunted down Hezaz. He also was able to discern the location of the final leader of the Sons of Mandalore from a datapad that was found on Hezaz' body. It revealed that the leader of the Sons of Mandalore was the self-proclaimed Darth Ariss, a several-great-grand-neice of Exar Kun. The datapad also revealed her location. Their final stop was to be the jungle moon of Yavin IV.

The End Over Yavin IV
When the Shield appeared out of hyperspace above the gas giant Yavin, the largest battle fleet yet seen was hovering above Yavin IV. Hailon called for assistance from the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances to aid him. While waiting for them to show up, Hailon worked tirelessly for a week to learn Battle Meditation. He finally mastered it when he was able to aid Jerev in a sparring match against Horn. With this new ability, Hailon was able to help the Federation navy defeat the Son fleet and kill Admiral Xerjax.

After the battle, Hailon, who was exhausted, turned whatever strength he had left to help Sylan defeat Darth Ariss. The battle Jerev was engaged in took place in an ancient Massassi temple called the Tower of Kun. Hailon was able to use his Meditation ability to help Jerev fight off the influence of the Dark Side (which was not easy to do, considering that Jerev had recently, briefly, fallen to the Dark Side himself) and replenish his strength, much in the same way the Tower of Kun was replenishing Darth Ariss'. When Jerev finally emerged victorious, Hailon collapsed. When he awoke again, he was on Coruscant, and he was praised for his performance by Grand Master Skywalker himself.

Kashyyyk
In 202 ABY, Hailon and Jerev were sent to Kashyyyk to discover the source of a disturbance in the Force that Grand Master Skywalker was feeling. When the pair reached the Shadowlands, they discovered a dwelling made out of a hollowed-out log. Inside, the pair discovered a holocron left behind by the ancient Jedi Jolee Bindo. In the holocron, Bindo left a message which warned the listener to be wary of those around them, since they could inadvertently cause irreversable harm with a few misinterpreted words. Perplexed, the two Jedi decided to take the holocron back to Grand Master Skywalker for evaluation of the message. They boarded the Adamant Shield for Coruscant.

Lead to Lehon
Soon after their arrival on Coruscant, Skywalker sent Hailon and Jerev on a mission to Lehon to root out the source of an unusual presence in the Dark Side, which Skywalker had been feeling for several weeks. Upon reaching the planet, Hailon set off towards the ancient Temple which had been erected by the extinct Rakata thousands of years before. When he approached the temple, he came across a Force-sensitive girl by the name of Phoenix Dacanta, who had been exploring the same area. This was the start of a rocky friendship between the two, with Hailon viewing Dacanta as a loud fool, and Decanta considering Hailon to be too cold and uptight. Nevertheless, they worked together rather well. Jamei was forced to kill an Arconan Dark Jedi, which led to the revelation that some Sith Lord had recently extracted an ancient holocron from the Temple, which caused Hailon to wonder if the Sith was not tracking down ancient artifacts for their power. The datapad also pointed the small group towards where the Sith was travelling next: Hailon's home world, Dantooine.

The Battle of Rhen Var
After following a cold trail to Dantooine, and then another to Telos, Hailon's group was finally able to discover the location of the Sith Lord they had been tracking. The icy world of Rhen Var was besieged by a sizable fleet of pirates and smugglers, which forced the group to request assistance from the Galactic Alliance Navy. Three hours later, a large fleet appeared, and engaged the enemy above the icy world. Meanwhile, Hailon and the rest of the group took the Shield down to the cold surface of Rhen Var, and encountered a trio of Dark Jedi. While Phoenix Decanta engaged the least experienced and Sylan took on the leader, Hailon was forced to pit himself against a Dark Jedi who was equal in skill to him in almost every way. Jamei was only able to defeat his opponent when the ice the two were standing on cracked under his opponent's feet, leading to his death. The Padawan was able to turn just in time to see that Jerev's opponent was none other than Master Naamil, formerly of the Jedi Council, and now under the alias of Darth Nardolis. The Rodian Sith Lord escaped when the ice cave collapsed in front of Hailon, Jerev, and Decanta, and the three narrowly escaped with their lives.

Aftermath
The sudden, seemingly aggressive tactics of the Galactic Alliance, combined with some propaganda spread by the smugglers who escaped the battle, led to cries of outrage amongst some of the members of the Alliance, and a group of the Outer Rim planets rebelled against the Alliance, forming a small group of dissidents who occasionally launched attacks against the remaining members. Meanwhile, Hailon's actions during the conflict, as well as his improved abilities, prompted Skywalker to grant him the title of Jedi Knight, with his battle against the numerous Dark Jedi he had encountered as his Jedi Trials. This led to restless murmurs from many, including Hailon, who felt as if he did not yet deserve the responsibility of a Jedi Knight. However, Skywalker explained that Darth Nardolis' treason was a sign that perhaps it was time for the younger members of the Order to prove themselves, which was why eight other Padawans were suddenly promoted as well. This led some to wonder if Skywalker was slipping, but others were interested in how the new Jedi Knights would perform.

Abilities
In terms of Force power, Hailon was about on par with most other Jedi of his time. However, he possessed many unique abilities that set him apart from the rest of the crowd. Most notably, his skill with Battle Meditation was not only rare, but the fact that he mastered it so quickly and so completely is astounding. He also employed a sort of precognition, though part of this might have been derived from simple logic. He was very adept with Mind Tricks as well. Hailon also had many other non-Force related abilities, such as incredible language skills and a very sharp and analytical mind. He was usually able to talk his way out of a fight, since he despised fighting with a passion. He was also a practitioner of the Makashi style of lightsaber combat, and he became fairly proficient at it over time. However, even when using his lightsaber, he relied more on his Force abilities, rather than using his lightsaber.

Appearance
Hailon was rather tall and slender, which gave him an almost frail appearance. He had very short dirty blond hair (which was somewhat longer on top), and deep brown eyes. His comlexion was rather light. His body was almost wiry, and he was long in the face. He typically wore a black pilot's jacket over a white shirt, with dark blue pants and black boots, though by the time he had been promoted to a Jedi Knight, he wore an olive field jacket over a light grey shirt, with black pants and boots, to better honor his Dantooinian heritage. Hailon seemed to be very gentle, which reflected his personality, and he was often teased as a child for his apparent weakness.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Sons of Mandalore
 * Star Wars: The Jedi Council Schism