I've been almost killed several times. I'm not dead. I hold no ill will to any who did try to kill me.
—K'Kruhk to Sian Jeisel on Saleucami
K'Kruhk was a male Whiphid Jedi Master who served the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic during the Jedi Renaissance. The apprentice of Jedi Lilit Twoseas, K'Kruhk survived his Master's death during the Yinchorri Uprising and went on to serve with distinction in the Clone Wars. A disastrous loss of life at Teyr led K'Kruhk to question his cause, and he joined a dissident movement on Ruul. Betrayal by one of his own, however, caused him to reaffirm his absolute loyalty to the Republic and the High Council, and he would go on to serve on Saleucami in the final weeks of the Outer Rim Sieges. Appointed to serve as the Master of the Order following the death of Darth Sidious, K'Kruhk led the Jedi High Council alongside Grand Master Tomac Moorcé for several decades from the Jedi fortress world Ossus.
Biography[]
Early life[]
You know me, Master Windu. You were there when my first master… Lilit Twoseas… was killed.
—K'Kruhk
A Force-sensitive Whiphid born to nomads on the tundra world of Toola in 53 BBY, K'Kruhk was identified as a Forceful by local medics during his family's routine stop at a small port city. Taken to the Coruscant Jedi Temple for training in the ways of the Force, K'Kruhk was quite but quick and skilled with a lightsaber. Passing through the academy with ease, K'Kruhk was selected for further training by the Jedi Knight Lilit Twoseas and left Coruscant to travel the galaxy on missions for the High Council.
After seven years together, Twoseas and her apprentice fought alongside Micah Giiett, Plo Koon, and Qui-Gon Jinn during the Yinchorri Uprising. The Uprising was typical of the many isolated skirmishes of the decades before the Clone Wars—a minor, petty squabble inflamed by dark puppeteers behind the scenes. As the Jedi attempted to hold the crumbling Republic together, the Sith secretly worked to undermine them. Along with Jinn, Koon, Giiett, and Jinn's apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, the diplomatic group comprised such notables as Mace Windu, Tsui Choi, Adi Gallia, Eeth Koth, and Saesee Tiin. The High Council, believing the Yinchorri to be cowardly bullies at heart, believed an appropriate show of force would defuse the situation without the need for military action. Unfortunately, the Yinchorri were already being goaded to war by agents of Darth Sidious, and reacted to the Jedi mission with an unusual amount of hostility and attacked the Jedi as soon as their consular ships entered the Yinchorri home system.
Giiett performed a simple trick involving simple misdirection with cups and balls to K'Kruhk and Obi-Wan Kenobi. This seemingly innocuous piece of entertainments was intended to teach the Padawans an important lesson: do not always rely on the Force, as there are far more mundane ways to confound and mislead one's enemies. K'Kruhk remembered this and used the concept to help the Jedi evade pursuing Yinchorri starfighters, by jettisoning a few empty escape pods, which the easily-fooled Yinchorri immediately chased, thinking their prey had abandoned ship. The Jedi were able to then crash-land on the planet, the Yinchorri believing their ship to be empty. Once the Jedi arrived at their rendezvous locations, the situation escalated. Koth, Gallia and Choi were ambushed by Yinchorri on Yitheeth while Windu, Jinn and Tiin found no sign of the Yinchorri High Command on Yinchorr. K'Kruhk, a member of the group led by Koon and Giiett found himself fighting for his life on Yibikkoror, after their crash site was ambushed by Yinchorri warriors who had finally seen through K'Kruhk's ruse. In a brief moment of levity during the blaster-fire, K'Kruhk asked Masters Giiett and Koon why they claimed to be friends even though they bickered constantly. Koon gave a typically longwinded and philosophical response, whereas Giiett simply made another sarcastic remark. K'Kruhk and the others were eventually rescued by Adi Gallia's team, who arrived just in the nick of time, helping the stranded Jedi on to their still-functional ship. After their escape, K'Kruhk and the Jedi Masters at Yibikkoror reunited with Koth's team and set out to rescue Windu's squad, trapped by a large group of Yinchorri on Yinchorr.
It was in this rescue mission that his Master was killed, battling for her life on Yinchorr. As they attempted to escort Windu's strike team back to the ship, they were ambushed by hordes of Yinchorri. K'Kruhk was threatened by the weapon of a Yinchorri warrior; Twoseas leapt in to save her Padawan. Positioning herself between K'Kruhk and his assailant she took the full force of the blow, dying at the hands of multiple Yinchorri in front of her stunned Padawan. Maddened by the loss, K'Kruhk went into a battle frenzy, not halting his slaughter of Yinchorri until he was able to recover his master's body. Returning with Twoseas' corpse to the Jedi Temple, K'Kruhk attended her funeral at the Temple pyre where he agreed to complete his training under the noted Master Eeth Koth. After five more years as a Padawan, K'Kruhk passed his Trials of Knighthood and ascended to the rank of Jedi Knight in 28 BBY.
Clone Wars[]
Certainties and Doubts[]
I, too, had questions. Every battle I have with fallen Jedi like you answers them.
—K'Kruhk to Quinlan Vos
In the following decade, K'Kruhk matured into a dedicated and capable Knight, settling disputes on several worlds during the Separatist Crisis and working as an ambassador of the Republic. Having constructed a green-bladed lightsaber as a Padawan, K'Kruhk preferred to keep his weapon on his belt, though he was capable of settling arguments with the sword when necessary. In 22 BBY he joined Mace Windu's strike team at Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padmé Amidala. While injured in the battle, K'Kruhk survived the fighting and returned to Coruscant where he took up the title of General in the Grand Army of the Republic. In the early months of the Clone Wars, General K'Kruhk led the 416th Star Corps into the fighting on Teyr where they suffered terrible losses. Many clones died under his command, despite K'Kruhk's best efforts, and the Whiphid considered calling off the attack to save the lives of the others. The troops under his command, however, persuaded him otherwise. They could still achieve the objectives and their lives were unimportant in the greater scheme of things. In essence, they were born to die for the Republic.
Against his better judgment, he pressed ahead with the attack. While the Republic was ultimately victorious, the high death toll deeply wounded K'Kruhk, and he was so distraught he renounced his position in the war entirely, leading many to believe he was dead. It was soon discovered he had gathered with other Jedi unsure of the war on Ruul, led by Master Sora Bulq. When their refusal to serve in the war became known, Mace Windu came to negotiate with them. Unlike other dissidents, such as Sian Jeisel and Rhad Tarn, K'Kruhk never doubted that Windu's appeals were made in good faith, but he sorely misjudged the motives of Bulq. In truth, the whole event was a set-up, organized by the Sith to either kill Windu or, failing that, kill other Jedi and blame it on the Jedi Councilor. The acolyte of Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress, arrived at Ruul, ready to carry out the plan and engaged the Jedi in several lightsaber duels. After the deaths of Tarn and Mira, it became apparent Bulq was part of the conspiracy. The Weequay had gone to the dark side and allied with Dooku. His duel with Ventress had been a sham to conceal their alliance. Chastened, K'Kruhk rejoined the war effort, declaring simply that "Evil must be opposed".
The Walking Dead[]
Soon after, K'Kruhk was chosen to be part of a strike team on Hypori, led by Jedi Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi and Shaak Ti. The mission was a disaster from the start and turned into a Confederacy trap. Orbital mines destroyed most of their fleet and the surviving troops and Jedi, including K'Kruhk, were marooned on the surface of Hypori, forced to make a desperate last stand against the droid armies. It was here that K'Kruhk became one of the first Jedi to face General Grievous and live to tell the tale. Halting the advance of his legions of droid troops, Grievous took on the surviving Jedi alone, displaying dazzling ability with dual lightsabers. Tarr Seirr, Daakman Barrek, and Sha'a Gi were killed. When K'Kruhk charged Grievous and engaged him single-handedly, he managed to briefly disarm one of Grievous's lightsabers but left himself open and was quickly struck down by a slash across the waist and a near-fatal overhand strike.
Critically wounded and thought dead, he was left behind by the rescue team that recovered Ki-Adi-Mundi, Shaak Ti, and Aayla Secura. In reality, K'Kruhk had entered a state of hibernation, allowing himself to heal his wounds while feigning death. After the departure of Grievous, K'Kruhk awoke, and was able to escape Hypori to once more assume the role of General in the Grand Army. However, Grievous did steal K'Kruhk's green lightsaber. The weapon became one of Grievous' favorites, the cyborg keeping it handy and using it up until and including his final battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau.
Recuperating, K'Kruhk was reassigned to Coruscant, and charged with the protection of Senator Mil Viento. He silently observed his ward as the Senator went about his business in the Senate and at political functions. At one such soiree, Viento was deep in discussion with the Supreme Chancellor when K'Kruhk noticed a mysterious Kiffar taking unusual interest in the pair of politicians. The Kiffar was a disguised Quinlan Vos, and he managed to leave the premises before the Whiphid could discover his plans. Later that evening, Vos bypassed K'Kruhk as the Whiphid guarded a sleeping Viento, and broke into the Senator's apartment, preparing to dispatch Viento there and then. The sound and smell of the ignited lightsaber alerted K'Kruhk to the crime, and the Whiphid was forced to battle the rogue Jedi to protect the Senator.
K'Kruhk, unfortunately, failed in his mission. Vos murdered Viento and K'Kruhk burst in just as it happened. Attacking Vos, K'Kruhk suffered severe injuries in the ensuing battle after falling from an airspeeder. The physical injuries were great, but perhaps less so than the enormous emotional trauma. Vos had been a childhood friend of K'Kruhk and Vos's apparent betrayal of the Jedi wounded the Whiphid deeply. In anger, K'Kruhk declared Vos no better than Sora Bulq, Dooku, and the countless other traitors to the order.
The Siege of Saleucami[]
We will stand, Master Hett.
—K'Kruhk to A'Sharad Hett during the Siege of Saleucami
After extensive bacta treatment and months of recovery, K'Kruhk returned to the front line during the Siege of Saleucami as a Jedi Master. Ironically he would serve alongside Quinlan Vos, recently returned to the fold after the Rendili crisis. To the surprise of other Jedi like Jeisel, K'Kruhk had apparently forgiven Vos, accepting that the Kiffar's actions had all been done with the sole intent of maintaining his cover and that no malice had been intended. By this stage, K'Kruhk's many injuries and brushes with death had given the Whiphid a developed sense of gallows humor, and he joked that he had learned to carry basic medical supplies with him at all times. He had witnessed many deaths within, and more was to come: in the early days of the siege, the Jedi Ausar Auset was vaporized before the stunned eyes of both K'Kruhk and A'Sharad Hett.
K'Kruhk trusted totally in the leadership of Oppo Rancisis and believed that with the Jedi Councilor's fine grasp of tactics and battle meditation, the battle would swing the Republic's way. Understandably, K'Kruhk was devastated when Rancisis was murdered by Sora Bulq and, though he believed Quinlan Vos to have good intentions, was horrified by the fellow Jedi's plan to "read" Rancisis's battle plan from the head of the Thisspiasian's corpse. The next morning, K'Kruhk attended Rancisis's funeral presided over by A'Sharad Hett. There, the assembled Jedi remembered those who had already fallen on the fields of Saleucami. Hett began with the memory of Auset, a comrade-in-arms of Hett's late father. Then, the others followed: Xiaan Amersu recalled Xeltek, Jeisel recalled Durnar, Secura spoke the name of Master Tholme, and K'Kruhk himself honored the memory of T'Bolton. After the ceremony was complete, K'Kruhk and his compatriots prepared for the final battle against the Separatists.
Tholme, in fact, was not dead but had merely hidden his presence, hoping that his absence would help Quinlan Vos come to terms with his true beliefs. While the Jedi Master remained in the shadows, still presumed to be dead, the remaining Jedi launched their attack. Vos and Aayla Secura infiltrated the Separatist base and K'Kruhk and Jeisel led the ground assault, while A'Sharad Hett coordinated actions from the air. With help from Tholme, the Jedi were victorious, and Saleucami fell to the Republic. In the ensuing melee, the Separatist leaders were all defeated: Aayla Secura slew the Morgukai Bok, and Quinlan Vos finally ended the lives of Sora Bulq and his lackey Tol Skorr. Their task over, the Jedi were able to leave Saleucami. K'Kruhk prepared for departure and redeployment, but did so reluctantly. He believed it was shameful for Jedi to leave war-ravaged worlds so devastated when in the past, Jedi had assisted with reconstruction. Vos's assurances that it was merely the "way of war" did not assuage the Whiphid's doubts.
The End of the War[]
After the end of the siege, K'Kruhk and Jeisel were scheduled to depart to Mygeeto to assist Ki-Adi-Mundi, but as they and their escort passed one of the moons of Saleucami, they were ambushed by a Separatist cruiser. Thinking quickly, K'Kruhk ordered the envoy to rush the cruiser, then jump to hyperspace at the last second. Remarking on their narrow escape, the Whiphid discovered to his dismay the ship had been damaged, and would be unable to reach Mygeeto. K'Kruhk told the crew to instead plot a course for the Bogden system, where they could make repairs at the Jedi training facility]] there.
Upon reaching Bogden 3, K'Kruhk and Jeisel were greeted by Master Du Mahn and the Soaring Hawkbat Clan. The new arrivals, still unsure whether or not the transport there was to take them to Coruscant, were surrounded by the excited younglings, who pressed the clones with all sorts of questions. Telling the younglings to leave the soldiers alone, Du Mahn asked the students to go help Master Chase Piru prepare the welcome meal for their guests. In the meantime, the repairs to the ship were begun by the soldiers. Mahn informed K'Kruhk and Jeisel that the Jedi there, including the Initiates, were supposed to have been brought back to Coruscant several days ago, but the attack on said planet encouraged Grand Master Yoda to decide to keep them at the facility for their own safety.
During the meal, K'Kruhk discussed the war and its final days with one of his troopers. Their opinions diverged quite remarkably - while the trooper wanted to get back to the front lines as soon as possible, and not to miss the end, K'Kruhk was less enthusiastic. As he watched Master Mahn teach the Initiates, K'Kruhk thought about how he would like nothing better than to never have to raise his saber again, and how he had forgotten that, despite all the suffering and carnage seen in the war, tender scenes like Master Mahn and the younglings still took place. K'Kruhk believed that helping and teaching young ones was the true duty, not war. The clone seemed to agree, but was still eager to "get back to work".
Renaissance[]
During the night following their meal on Bogden, K'Kruhk and the other Jedi received an urgent holocommunication from Master Mace Windu. Claiming that the war was nearing its end with ships headed to Mustafar to arrest the Separatist War Council and disable to droid armies, Windu cautioned all Jedi to remain alert of their clone troopers and to distance themselves from them immediately. Ordering the clones out of the training facility, K'Kruhk was able to hail a passing Republic diplomatic vessel and transport the Jedi back to Corusant. Once back at the Temple, K'Kruhk was made privy to the knowledge that Chancellor Palpatine was indeed the Sith Lord they had been looking for throughout the war; indeed he had manipulated the war as a means to destroy the Jedi. With Palpatine dead at Master Windu's blade, the Korunnai Jedi Master had taken control of the Republic as a member of the triumvirate comprised of the Jedi, Senator Bail Organa, and Wilhuff Tarkin.
During the ensuing months, K'Kruhk remained at the Coruscant Temple overseeing the transition for wartime to peacetime in the Galactic Senate. Helping to negotiate with the Confederate Congress, K'Kruhk was nominated by recently appointed Grand Master Tomac Moorcé to succeed Master Windu as Master of the Order and leader of the Jedi High Council. Selected because of his initial questioning of the war and willingness to follow his own mind and the Force rather then bow to orders, K'Kruhk humbly accepted the position and took his seat on the august body. Helping oversee the rehabilitation of Ossus, K'Kruhk would serve as one of the Council's greatest spokesmen and communicated with many planetary governments to garner support for the Order's extensive reconstruction. Taking up residence within the new Grand Temple of Ossus, K'Kruhk was instrumental in negotiating peace with Metalorn and convincing the Skakoan government to resume its support in the Republic. A proponent of peace and justice, K'Kruhk welcomed the influx of Force-sensitive organizations to Ossus and hoped to create a society of intellectuals which would stretch beyond the confines of the Jedi Order.
Taking on a young Kennan Taanzer as his Padawan, K'Kruhk was glad to see the reopening of the Great Temples of Tython under the leadership of the Grand Master. Maintaining his friendship with Headmaster Sian Jeisel, K'Kruhk visited Tython as often as he could and encourage for Jedi with Padawans to take them to the world and seek further wisdom from among the nine temples there. Keeping his formal residence in the Grand Temple on Ossus the Whipid remained on the High Council for decades, leading discussions from the meeting chambers high atop the Council spire. When the Grand Master announced that the Order would actively pursue ways to end Hutt dominion over enslaved worlds, K'Kruhk strongly supported the move and led several task forces of Jedi and Republic soldiers to liberate those planets under the thrall of Hutt slavers.
Personality and traits[]
Unlike many of his kind, K'Kruhk was a gentle and thoughtful individual. Eschewing the Whiphid reputation for ferocity, he fully embraced the pacifistic creed of the Jedi. This, coupled with his deep respect for life, led to anxiety and soul searching during the Clone Wars, feelings that culminated with K'Kruhk's abandonment of his military duties to join Sora Bulq's dissidents.
It was his dedication to justice and his desire to right wrongs that would lead to K'Kruhk rejoining the order. These experiences would forge in K'Kruhk a deep and abiding antipathy for those Jedi who abandoned the narrow path—such as Bulq, Quinlan Vos, and, presumably, Anakin Skywalker. However, at the same time he had a very forgiving nature, and argued strongly in favor of giving Vos the benefit of the doubt upon his return to the Jedi Order. K'Kruhk was often seen sporting a conical straw hat, especially after the onset of the Clone Wars. It may have been a simple quirk or idiosyncrasy rather than holding any true significance. Regardless, the Whiphid was rarely seen without it.
Powers and abilities[]
Despite his gentle soul, K'Kruhk was a powerful warrior, his large Whiphid frame giving him an advantage against smaller opponents and his Jedi talents granting him a speed and agility few of his species could match. K'Kruhk's fighting prowess allowed him to hold his own against Asajj Ventress and General Grievous and though he was unable to actually defeat them he was one of the few Jedi who managed to survive an encounter with them. He was also able to hold his own against Quinlan Vos K'Kruhk was skilled at using the Force to heal wounds, not only his own wounds but also the wounds of others, as proven when he healed Chase Piru. He also attempted to use this ability to save Oppo Rancisis but failed. In addition K'Kruhk possessed an extremely strong Force Sense, as he was the only known Jedi besides Yoda who was able to sense the intention of the clone troopers during Order 66. Further evidence of his exceptional Force Sense was his ability to sense Quinlan Vos who was skilled at hiding his presence even from a Force user.
K'Kruhk's most remarkable talent was that of survival. Thanks to both the natural fortitude and inborn "healing trance" of his kind, he was able to survive injuries that in any other Jedi might prove fatal. Left for dead on battlefields as diverse as Teyr, Hypori, and Ossus, K'Kruhk was remarkable for his ability to live to see another day. Even a fall from the heights of Coruscant was unable to end the mighty Whiphid's life.