Galak Avara

"It is far better to make one's own way in the woods, rather than to follow the beaten dirt road."

- - Galak Avara speaking to a group of Force philosophy students.

Galak Avara was the Prime Envoy of the New Jedi Order in the Legacy period of early 1,000 ABY. He was born on Dantooine, where he was discovered as Force sensitive and taken in as a youngling of the Enclave there. Galak was apprenticed to High Council member Errand Khoss, the Sage Master of the Order, when he was whisked away to Coruscant to complete his training.

Galak took on his Trials of Knighthood at the age of 19, when he passed and chose for himself the calling of Jedi Consular with specializations as a Diplomat. Over the years Avara became a skilled aggressive negotiator, training a young Human padawan named Joshua Mulunar. At 34 he was promoted to the formal rank of Jedi Master, in which he took on more intensive training. He became an accomplished orator over the years, serving as a teacher of younglings at the Coruscant temple and losing a padawan to the dark side before he was appointed to the Jedi Council as the chief of the Jedi ambassadors and diplomats and granted a seat on the Galactic Congress.

Early life
Galak Avara was born on the humble, agriculturally dominated world of Dantooine in 952 ABY. His father was the owner of a large farm on the outskirts of Khoonda, but his mother and father willingly gave him up to the Jedi Order when their firstborn was discovered as Force sensitive.

Galak spent his early years, from age two on, as a Jedi youngling, where he made friends easily and was known as a natural leader and mediator between his peers. He immediately took to the principles of the Order, holding to rigidity and structure in the Order. He got on well with his teachers, and was regarded as a promising student of the Force. He began competing in lightsaber tournaments and skill demonstrations to attempt to lure in a Master to train him, but his comfortable world would be flipped upside down when Jedi Councilor Errand Khoss would take him as his padawan and whisk him away to the metropolis world of Coruscant where he would spend his apprenticeship to the Sage Master of the New Jedi Order.

Apprenticeship
After being taken to Alliance capitol of Coruscant, Khoss and Galak began intensive training sessions together to hone the padawan's skills. He immediately took to the archaic dueling form of Makashi, which he trained with with a master of the form himself, his master. What Galak truly found solace in was his ability to speak and be heard.

Galak found that his abilities lay in negotiation and oration, which he would often use on missions of peace. Throughout his time as a padawan Galak trained to master the ability to diplomatically handle situations, with finesse and a powerful grace. Avara's natural characteristics as a leader made people want to follow him, and he would use this trait to command respect from his betters even as a padawan.

Knighthood
Galak eagerly took on and passed his Trial of Knighthood at the age of 19; he then chose for himself the specialization of Jedi Consular, to allow himself to better focus on the nature of the Force and his diplomatic abilities. Galak soon joined the ranks of Jedi Diplomats, and made a name for himself as an aggressive but effective diplomat. He was not afraid to carry and use his lightsaber when necessary, but always looked for the peaceful measure if ever there was one.

After six years of service as a lone Knight in the field Galak finally took on his own apprentice, a creative tech-enthusiastic human named Joshua Mulunar. The two bonded instantly and would become great friends throughout their training. As master and apprentice they jived perfectly and made a name for themselves as a combined force to be reckoned with. The two played off of each other's strengths, and Galak granted his padawan enough freedom to do as he wished while remaining within the boundaries set down by the Jedi Code. Avara and Mulunar remained a team for seven years before Joshua took on Jedi trials of his own, and the former master and apprentice plunged into brotherhood, with their mentorship and bond remaining strong.

Galak continued on his own again for two more years, distinguishing himself as an exemplary member of the Order with a profound grasp on the Force before he was approached by his former Master who, along with the High Council, had decided to appoint him to the rank of Jedi Master.

Mastery
Galak was appointed as a Master of the New Jedi Order in 996 ABY. He was assigned to the temple to put his musings on the Force in writing and begin teaching youngling students on philosophy. He immediately took to this new challenge to put his oratory skills to the test, and became a great instructor of the methodology of the Force. This also gave Galak the opportunity to continue his individual training and meditation without being interrupted by major missions that took him away from the Temple for long periods of time. He took advantage of his spare time by mastering the Diplomat's Form, Niman, in it's single bladed variation, and delving deeper into his studies of the Force.

The Instructor served in this capacity for six years until, the day after he turned 40 he decided to return to active duty and begin taking on missions of a larger scale for himself. Galak also took a new apprentice for himself, a fiery Kiffar male named Jace Corr. The two maintained a more professional relationship, but Galak's view on the dark side would soon be completely changed.

The duo was deployed to a civil dispute on the world of Honoghr, but little did the Council know that a Dark Jedi played a part in the chaos inflicted on the planet. While working independently the fifteen year old apprentice was seduced by the lure of the dark side and he fled the planet with his newfound master, leaving Galak on the planet to clean up the mess on his own and report back to the Council by himself.

Galak blamed himself for the incident, and took two weeks leave to meditate and surround himself with the light side. Avara returned to the Order a stronger but more reserved master. He continued to test and hone his skills as a diplomat for fourteen years until his distinguished reputation and mastery over the Force and lightsaber granted him a position on the High Council at the right hand of the Grand Master. Appointed as the Prime Envoy of the Order Galak was loosely the head the Jedi Diplomats and Ambassadors, as well as granted a position on the Galactic Congress and tasked with handling all negotiative matters of the Order. Galak's authority became second only to the Grand Master, in a position where the political bearing of the Order rested on his shoulders. In the Legacy era of the galaxy Galak would take to the helm of the Order along with his fellow Councilors to guide the Order and Alliance through the evil times of resurgent Sith and rogue factions. With the Force as his compass Galak strives to lead his faction to the best of his ability, at the cost of his leisure and life.

Personality and traits
From an early age Galak was regarded as a natural leader and mediator, and these traits would go on to significantly aid him in his career as a diplomat. Galak's commanding presence allowed him to demand the respect required from his audience, and his powers of oration were almost unmatched in the Jedi Order by the time he ascended to the Council. Galak possessed a cool head under fire, and he had no problem issuing tough orders to his subordinates. He formed bonds easily with his apprentices, but became a much more reserved man after losing his second apprentice to the dark side. Galak has always held a firm core of justice within himself, and he strives to see all forms of the Sith and Dark Jedi abolished by whatever means necessary.

Powers and abilities
Galak Avara was a skilled lightsaber duelist and had a firm mastery over the Force even though his skills lie in the direction of negotiation and diplomacy. He was a master Form II, Makashi, and Form VI, Niman, and adept at Soresu. His offensive Force powers were regarded as extremely powerful, and his arsenal included Electric Judgement, Battle Meditation, and Stasis Field.

Behind the scenes
Galak Avara's name was originally modified from the random generator of the original Knights of the Old Republic role playing game for the X-BOX. His name has been frequently used in the past by the author, Matthew Lines, until when appointed second in command of the New Jedi Order of TheStarWarsRP.com's 5th Timeline he decided to portray his character with one of his steadfast names.

Appearances

 * TheStarWarsRP.Com