I was truly first—the first of Lord Aresh's disciples. He and General Seldec entrusted me with leadership only because I've seen enough of the galaxy to have the experience for command.
—First Aurek to Aldayr Nikodon
First Aurek was the first member of the Dark Vanguard. Initially merely its senior member and one of Valin Aresh's foremost servants, he rose to command the Vanguard himself after the death of Eviar Seldec.
Biography[]
First of the First[]
First Aurek was the first clone of Eviar Seldec successfully grown to maturity, though he was developed only to late adolescence or early teen years, so that Aresh and Seldec could train him further without flash learning. First Besh, First Cresh, and First Dorn followed a year or so after, and First Aurek assumed a leadership role among them, and all the many Vanguardians who followed.
When he had grown to maturity and mastered the dark side, First Aurek took on many missions for his master, traveling throughout the Supreme Modality and other parts of the galaxy. When Kenza Rowkwani killed Seldec in 1,386 BBY, Aresh appointed First Aurek the new Commander of the Dark Vanguard. Though he maintained a stoic, disciplined face to outsiders, First Aurek confessed his uncertainty to some of his fellow First Ranks; he had never expected to inherit the command, and worried he was an unworthy successor to Seldec, whom he considered a father as well as a master.
Aldayr[]
Only months after his ascension, First Isk captured Aldayr Nikodon at the Battle of Garqi. At Aresh's command, First Aurek worked to break down Aldayr's resistance to the dark side, using both direct intimidation and psychological manipulation. Like many senior First Ranks, First Aurek wondered if Aldayr had a greater part to play in the Modality, and whether he might become Aresh's new apprentice.
Halfway through 1,385 BBY, Aldayr murdered ten growing Vanguardian clones, and killed Third Shen, First Aurek's adjutant. First Aurek was livid, but reluctantly accepted Aresh's instruction to coexist with Aldayr, who had now embraced the dark side and become their partner.
First Aurek was devastated by Operation Liberator—not merely the brutal defeat in the western front, but the losses of First Grek and especially First Dorn.
Succession[]
When Aresh took direct control of the revival of the Redeemer, First Aurek remained in command of Ciutric. After the Redeemer's destruction and Aresh's death, First Aurek became the de facto ruler of the Supreme Modality.
During the Rebirth conspiracy crisis, Tirien Kal-Di persuaded a deeply reluctant Mali Darakhan (and he Commander Nura Haibrani) to alert the Modality of Rebirth's agents in its midst. A few days after the conspirators were rooted out on Coruscant, First Aurek repatriated 1,000 Human prisoners of war back to the Republic without explanation, though Supreme Chancellor Nulu Thini suspected it was tacit thanks for the Republic's action.
Powers and abilities[]
Trained extensively in the dark side by Valin Aresh and Eviar Seldec, First Aurek was the most powerful of the First Rank Vanguardians. He was a sufficiently talented hand-to-hand combatant to defeat Aldayr Nikodon with minimal effort, and was strong enough in the dark side to batter and choke Aldayr with the Force. Due to Seldec's training, he was also a strategist on par with First Dorn, though he appreciated Dorn's somewhat higher intellect and ability to see patterns.
Appearance and personality[]
First Aurek was the closest to a pure clone of Seldec that Aresh and Urzelda Krosinth produced, but his body was maximized for height and brawn, leaving him around 1.91 meters tall, with a Form V build. Like Seldec, he had pale gray eyes and brown hair; his eyes were usually red and yellow due to the influence of the dark side, but sometimes reverted to gray when he was calmer or unusually relaxed. He carried a single, red-bladed lightsaber.
First Aurek was trained for cold, dispassionate control, in a Sith style that contrasted against the later, junior Vanguardian grades. He usually kept his temper despite external provocation, though extreme events such as Third Shen's and First Dorn's deaths could rattle him. He was devoutly committed to Valin Aresh and the Supreme Modality, and able to put aside his distaste for Aldayr in the interest of the greater good.
Like all Vanguardians, First Aurek was raised with a virulently Humanocentrist view, and consequently thought of all non-Humans as inherently inferior. However, he had a soft spot for Urzelda Krosinth; despite being constantly frustrated by her attitude of smug superiority, he somewhat reluctantly viewed her as a mother figure.
Appearances[]
- Behind Enemy Lines
- The First Cut (Mentioned only)
- Lightning and Fire (Mentioned only)
- The Hundredth Day (Appears in hologram)
- Fault Lines (Mentioned only)
- Underworld (Mentioned only)
- Rebirth (Mentioned only)