I do not care about the Jedi, nor do I care about the Sith. I am Raian Keldabe of Mandalore; user of the Force and protector of the weak!
—Raian Keldabe
Raian Keldabe was a Force-sensitive Human male from Mandalore who was briefly trained as a Jedi, but upon his master's demise on the planet of Corellia, he left the Order and became a Senator's aide for his homeworld. At the start of the Clone Wars, he resigned from the Senate and fought alongside the Galactic Republic and the Jedi, whom he had left, to fight the increasing threat of the Separatists. During the war he became a well-known general, on par with some of the Jedi Masters he fought alongside. When Palpatine seized control and executed Order 66, Raian was hunted down by Darth Vader and the Clone troopers due to his mastery of the Force. He managed to elude Vader and the Empire and go into hiding on the planet of Manaan. It was there that he first encountered operatives of the Syndicate, a crime organization that was seeking Force-sensitives and knowledge about the Force in order to gain control of the new Empire. He was recruited by the Syndicate and, as the organization's first Force-sensitive operative, tasked with recruiting other Force-sensitives (both former Jedi and Dark Jedi alike) as well as hunt down and kill Darth Vader.
During his time in the Syndicate, he became known galaxy-wide as "the Black Reaper" for his skills in assassination, bounty hunting, and use of the Force. On top of his missions for the organization, he gained an interest in learning early Jedi and Sith history; such as the Jedi Civil War. He began to gather information on powerful Sith such as Darth Revan and great Jedi Knights, such as the Jedi Exile. He also began to delve into knowledge of Force powers with the ultimate goal of trying to become a Force-user who could use both light side powers and dark side powers without becoming tainted by the dark side's evil qualities. 19 years after the end of the Clone Wars, the Empire encountered the Rebel Alliance. The Syndicate immediately became interested in this emerging rebellion faction and gave Raian a new task. On top of killing Darth Vader, Raian would met with Leia Organa of the Rebellion to express the Syndicate's interest in supplying the Rebellion with weapons and ships to combat the Empire.
Organa, however, declined to meet with him, claiming that the Rebellion would not accept help from criminals. The Syndicate then decided that it would show the Rebellion it's worth while flexing its muscles to the Empire. To do this, Raian was tasked with hijacking the Empire's new Star Destroyer, the Exodus, and using it and its ships to sabotage a well known Imperial Military Academy on Taris. Raian succeeded in hijacking the ship, however, his plans were put on hold when Vader's fleet stopped them from leaving the system. Vader boarded the Exodus and Raian dueled with him for a second time. In a duel that came down to the two's mastery of the Force, Raian held his own against Vader, but was scarred when Vader managed to re-activate his lightsaber and slash Raian across the cheek. In a demonstration of Force lightning that highlighted his strength in the force, Raian forced Vader back and managed to get to an escape pod; using it to get back to the Syndicate's small fleet hiding on the opposite end of the system.
Though Raian was not present at the Battle of Endor, he silently applauded the Rebel victory against the Empire when word reaches the Syndicate. Sometime after the Galactic Civil War comes to an end, he leaves the Syndicate behind and, for awhile, drifted from planet to planet, doing whatever thrilled him. Finally, in 22 ABY, Raian comes to terms with his Jedi past and returned to the Order; Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order that is. Raian's mastery of the Force and knowledge of lightsaber skills earned him an almost instant advancement to the title of Master. He served on the New Jedi Council and in 25 ABY, he joined the rest of the new Order along with the New Republic in fighting in the Yuuzhan Vong War. During the war, he was exposed to a rare Yuuzhan Vong disease that slowly began to kill him. He died in 30 ABY, shortly after the new Jedi Temple was completed on Coruscant, as one of the greatest Force-users and Jedi to have lived.
Biography[]
Early life (57 BBY-40 ABY)[]
I never asked to be a Jedi...but if being a Jedi is the best way to use my Force powers, so be it.
—Raian Keldabe to his Jedi Master
Raian Keldabe was born in 57 BBY to Human parents on the planet of Mandalore. Soon after, Raian was taken to Coruscant by the Jedi to begin his training.
Becoming an apprentice[]
Raian receiving instruction from his Master.
Little is known about Raian's time as a youngling except that he was eventually chosen by a female Zabrak Jedi Master, named Shan Rappa, to be her apprentice. However, this wasn't a finalized decision. Before she would completely accept him as her apprentice, he had to prove to her that he could not only follow the Jedi Code to the letter, but also that his command of the Force was above average for his age. To prove this, she pitted him against his arch rival during his youngling training, Kentai Teijina. The two were to duel with lightsabers and the Force while adhering only to the light side and the Jedi Code. The duel tested Raian's skills and patience, and at one point, it was thought he would fail; when Kentai stated that he'd make a better apprentice to Master Rappa than he, Raian nearly lost his cool, but by immersing himself in the light side of the Force, Raian was able to resist this temptation. He then showed the first signs of his immense power with the Force, by employing a massive Force Push on Kentai which disables the latter, resulting in Raian's victory and acceptance by Master Rappa.
Early training under Master Shan Rappa[]
She was the only reason I wanted to be a Jedi. She was a good Master and an even better Jedi. I would've picked her over Master Yoda as a teacher any day.
—Raian about Shan Rappa
Master Rappa's training regime was vigorous and rough, but Raian seemed to enjoy the challenge. For much of their early days together, Rappa spent a majority of her time teaching Raian about the Force and its many properties. Her first tests consisted of making him lift heavy objects via the Force and get use to the concept that "size matters not," in the words of Yoda. After he had tackled that concept, she taught him extensively about the bodies of various species throughout the galaxy and then employed Force healing training. Within months, Raian became one of the youngest healers at the Jedi Temple. This caught the attention of other Masters as well as the scorn of some of the other apprentices. At some point, Rappa took Raian to the moon of Thule, a former Sith stronghold, to teach Raian about the dangers of the dark side. She allowed him to experience first hand what dark side energy felt like, which generated a dislike for the feeling in the young apprentice. One that would steer him from the path of the dark side for the rest of his life. Soon after this, she began intense lightsaber instruction with him. Raian expressed great interest in the Ataru style of lightsaber combat and so, Master Rappa began teaching him the necessary skills to complete this form.
This training segment, however, was interrupted when the Jedi Council instructed both Rappa and Raian to go to the planet of Kashyyyk to settle a border dispute between several Wookiee clans.
Kashyyyk border dispute[]
Upon arriving on Kashyyyk, the two Jedi quickly realized that tensions were high among the Wookiees. The two disputing clans had even sent warriors to the disputed border in preparation for war. But this was the least of their problems. Soon after their arrival on the planet, the Trade Federation also arrived and began demanding Wookiee land for an outpost for their organization. This only served to increase Wookiee tensions. Shan attempted to negotiate with the three factions, but neither was willing to budge on their demands. Finally unable to wait any longer, the Trade Federation forced their demands by sending a small group of Battle droids to the surface in order to secure their desired area. Provoked, the Wookiees attack the droid unit and overwhelm them. This further angered the Trade Federation who threatened to enact trade sanctions on Kashyyyk if the land was not given to them. Realizing the illegality of the Federation's actions, Shan ordered Raian to return to their ship and transmit a message to the Jedi Council, informing them of the Trade Federation's actions and instructing them to contact the Senate about addressing this matter.
Raian does as he was told and Rappa informed the Trade Federation of the Senate's new involvement in the issue. Realizing that they might be in trouble, the Trade Federation recalled its forces and prepared to leave the system. This pleased the Wookiees enough to allow Rappa to convince them to begin peace talks over the disputed land. With their job complete, Raian and Rappa board their ship and begin to leave the Kashyyyk system, however, they were ambushed by Trade Federation ships who open fire on them. Raian was commanded to pilot the ship while Rappa uses a type of "Reverse" Battle Meditation to scramble the enemy ranks, allowing the Jedi to escape.
Late training[]
Shortly after returning from Kashyyyk, Master Rappa took Raian to Ilum to complete his Ataru training. Upon completing his Ataru training, Rappa instructed Raian to create a lightsaber within the caves of Ilum. Raian did so, finding a blue crystal that seemed to call out to him in Force. With this, he was able to assemble the pieces with the Force, and thus, create his own lightsaber. The two Jedi then returned for Coruscant for another mission.
Mission on Corellia[]
A 17 year-old Raian as a Jedi Padawan.
The Jedi Council then assigned the two Jedi to Corellia with the assignment of hunting down a rogue Jedi, who was causing trouble in the capital city of Coronet, and arrest him. The two arrived in Coronet the next day and began hunting for the Jedi; it would not be a long hunt. They arrived in the central portion of the city and immediately noticed a confrontation between the local militia and a black-robed man. It was apparent to Raian that the militia was trying to arrest the man, however, they were quickly overwhelmed when the man ignited a lightsaber and began to deflect their blaster fire. Acting rashly, Raian ignited his new lightsaber and rushed to fight the Dark Jedi. Despite all of Raian's recently obtained skill with Ataru, the far more experienced Dark Jedi quickly overwhelmed him and sent him sprawling with a powerful wave of the Force. Master Rappa stepped in and masterfully pushed the Dark Jedi back with her superior lightsaber skill.
She then demanded to know who he was working for. The Dark Jedi said that he was working under the tutelage of a Sith apprentice that he had met on Coruscant. This greatly shocked the Zabrak Jedi Master, enough to leave her open to attack. Raian noticed this and tried to get to his master in time, but he was too late. The Dark Jedi lunged at Rappa and ignited his lightsaber in her abdomen, killing her. Raian activated his own lightsaber and, in his grief, sliced off the Dark Jedi's hands. He then displayed his first use of Force shock by grabbing the Dark Jedi's head and sending immense amounts of Force-generated electricity through his skull; killing him.
Leaving the Jedi Order (40 BBY-22 BBY)[]
I had always had some resentment towards the Jedi for separating me from my family, but that was somewhat overcome when I was with Master Rappa. After her death, I had nothing keeping me in the Order...so I left
—Raian to Yoda about leaving the Jedi
Demoralized by the loss of his master, Raian left Corellia and the Jedi Order behind. He flew back to his homeworld of Mandalore and took up a great interest in Mandalorian politics. He became an aide to the Mandalorian Senator in 35 BBY and returned to Coruscant. There, he was also confronted by Jedi Grandmaster Yoda about leaving the Order five years prior. He explained to Yoda that after the death of his master, he had nothing holding him in the Jedi Order, so he left. Saddened by this answer, Yoda resolved to leave Raian in peace after Raian made a personal promise to remain true to the light side of the Force. As Yoda left, Raian also promised to be an ally to the Jedi in the future if they ever needed it.
The Clone Wars (22 BBY-19 BBY)[]
Just before the Clone Wars[]
The time for his help came soon. He returned to Mandalore yet again after the Invasion of Naboo was resolved and Senator Palpatine became the Supreme Chancellor. Once there, he resigned from the Senate just as the Separatist Crisis was kicking off. Soon after Chancellor Palpatine signed the Military Creation Act, Raian enlisted in the Grand Army of the Republic to support the Jedi in the upcoming war.
Early Involvement in the War (22 BBY-21 BBY)[]
After the Battle of Geonosis, Raian discovered that the Jedi were leading their own clone battalions into battle with the Separatists. He traveled to Coruscant and requested his own legion of troops to aid in the war effort. The Jedi Council was initially cautious about trusting Raian, due to his early abandonment of the Jedi Order, but after considering how short handed the Jedi already were, they accepted and put him in charge of the 405th Clone Legion. He and his troops were present at the Battle of Thule during the Dark Reaper Crisis. Raian himself was one of the only non-Jedi to be part of the Jedi fleet that defended Kamino during the First Battle of Kamino.
Mid-war involvement (21 BBY-20 BBY)[]
Mission to Korriban[]
The Force is strong with you. Are you Jedi or Sith?"
"Neither."
"Impressive. Most impressive.
—Raian and Count Dooku meet
During the second year of the war, Raian and the 405th were sent to Korriban based on a lead that suggested Count Dooku was to be visiting Dreshdae, a city on the planet, and then go on to the Valley of the Dark Lords. When they arrived, they were welcomed by a small force of Battle droids which they easily defeated and entered the city. Search of the droid outpost resulted in the discovery a datapad that confirmed Count Dooku's presence on the planet. Raian left a small number of his troops to guard the city and watch the landing site while he and the rest of his troops ventured to the valley to confront Dooku. Upon reaching the old Sith Academy, Raian entered alone and found Dooku in the ancient library, studying some of the ancient texts. Dooku commented on Raian's affinity for the Force and asked if he was a Jedi or a Sith. Raian responded that he was neither and the two ignite their lightsabers. Dooku sensed a great amount of the light side within Raian and tried to persuade him to use the dark side. Raian scolded Dooku, saying that he isn't there to play his "swapping sides game". Dooku was somewhat shocked by this, having never encountered a Force-sensitive who was immune to the lull of the dark side. He noted that Raian seems unconcerned with which side he was on and more focused on simply surviving.
The two had a brief duel, with Dooku's experience and skill seeming to give him an edge against Raian. Raian commented that he was excited that he finally gets to see the power of a Sith Lord first hand and Dooku answered by saying that he was glad at least one of them was enjoying the situation. Raian then told Dooku to not disappoint him and used the Force to disarm them of their lightsabers. What took place next was an all out Force battle, in which Raian's affinity for the Force again showed through. When Dooku unleashed a mighty barrage of Force lightning, Raian unleashed his own Force lightning and the two become deadlocked. Dooku expressed his surprise of Raian's use of the technique, despite his seeming affinity for the light side. Raian reminded Dooku that he was not a Jedi nor a Sith and was not bound by such rules and regulations before intensifying his lightning with the Force. This triggered an explosion, which sent the two flying to opposite ends of the room. They both regained and re-activated their lightsabers but, before the duel could continue, Dooku senses a tremor in the Force, which was later revealed to be Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi arriving in the system, and made his escape by backing out of the nearest door and then destroying the structure keeping the door accessible, preventing Raian from giving chase.
Mission to Dathomir[]
A month later, Raian was sent by Chancellor Palpatine to the planet of Dathomir to root out and destroy an enclave of Dark Jedi that were being trained by Count Dooku. Before leaving Coruscant, he was promoted to general and given a small fleet of five Star Destroyers, choosing the Mandalore as his flagship due to the fact that the ship was named after his homeworld. Upon arriving on Dathomir, he ordered his fleet to secure the airspace above the enclave and then orders a bombardment of the Confederacy's outpost. The Dark Jedi within project a Force Shield around the base and prevented any further damage from being done. Raian handed over command of his fleet to his lieutenant and took a strike team to the surface to infiltrate the facility.
Once inside, Raian engaged the Dark Jedi only to discover that it was a trap. The Dark Jedi, Assajj Ventress was awaiting them there, claiming to have been sent by Darth Sidious himself. Ventress states that she had heard of Raian from Dooku and was interested to see his skills up front. Raian, however, was in no mood to play her games. He was suspicious about the nature of his mission. It seemed strange to him that a surprise assault on the planet ordered by the Chancellor himself ended up as a trap. Ventress did not give him much time to think, attacking him with her lightsabers ignited. Raian demonstrated his new-found use of Juyo and quickly put the Dark Jedi on the defensive. Before the fight could go on any longer, the 405th broke in and surrounded Ventress. Not wanting to face a skilled Force-user and a legion of Clone troopers, Ventress backed down and fled Dathomir. Raian returned to the Mandalore along with his troops and finished the bombardment of the Separatist facility before leaving for Coruscant.
Defense of Mandalore[]
After his success at Dathomir, Raian had regained the trust of his former Jedi companions and had also captured the attention of the Sith Lords. Palpatine sent Raian and his fleet to his homeworld of Mandalore to defend it from any further Confederacy assaults. For several months, this would be his station, until the chancellor was kidnapped by General Grevious.
Final Campaigns (19 BBY)[]
The Battle of Coruscant[]
The space battle during the Battle of Coruscant.
Raian and the 405th returned to Coruscant during the start of the Battle of Coruscant and aided Squad Seven fight off the Separatist fleet while Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi went to rescue the Chancellor. During the battle, Raian lost one of his ships, the Marauder, but managed to steer the rest of his troops to victory, along with assisting the other Republic forces by using his Battle Meditation. After the battle, he was commanded by the Supreme Chancellor to return his ships to the fleet and to remain on Coruscant with his Clone troopers to guard the capital. Raian was greatly displeased by this order, but accepted nonetheless.
Stationing on Coruscant[]
Raian ordered his men to patrol various parts of the capital while he went to watch the Senate proceedings. There he noticed something that he had not seen from when he had been an aide for Mandalore; Chancellor Palpatine was grabbing for power and would stop at nothing to do it. He began to hear rumors about the Jedi's distrust of the Chancellor and he himself remembered the oddity of the trap on Dathomir a year prior. He remembered how Ventress had said that she had been sent personally by Darth Sidious, the elusive Sith Lord that the Jedi were relentlessly hunting. Slowly, he began to suspect the Chancellor of dealing with the Sith. He could sense the dark side surrounding him. He thought to alert the Jedi, but was never given the chance. By the time that he decided to report his suspicions to the Jedi Council, it was too late, Order 66 had begun, and he was a target.
The Great Jedi Purge (19 BBY)[]
Raian Keldabe...you're no Jedi but you're a threat."
"How gracious of you, Skywalker. Thank you for the compliment.
—Darth Vader and Raian
After Order 66 was issued, Raian began searching for a way to escape the Sith's grasp. He went to the Jedi Temple to get a ship which would take him off system, but just as he reached the Temple's hanger, Anakin Skywalker turned Darth Vader invaded the Temple with the 501st Legion. Raian defended himself from any Clone assault, but Vader's arrival upset him. Vader told him that the Anakin that he had known was gone for good. The two then had a climatic lightsaber duel which resulted in the destruction of Raian's lightsaber. In order to stall for time, Raian asked who was behind the attack on the Jedi Order. Vader responded that his master, Darth Sidious, was the perpetrator. At that moment, it was confirmed to Raian that Palpatine was a Sith Lord and the orchestrator of the Clone Wars. Vader continued his battle with Raian, with the latter having only the Force to fight with, which put him at a severe disadvantage due to the Sith Lords superior Force powers and the fact that he was still using his lightsaber. Raian revealed his mastery of telekinesis to the Sith Lord and managed to fend him off by hurling debris at him until Vader demonstrated a superior, dark side-enhanced, telekinesis, effortlessly weilding a pillar telekinetically. Arrogantly sure in his victory Vader taunted Raian, calling him weak. However whilst he was bragging about his superior Force powers, he made the mistake of leaving an opening and Raian completely submitted himself to the Force and unleashed a massive Force wave on Vader, sending him flying into a nearby wall before he could counterattack.
Before Vader could recover, Raian entered a Jedi starfighter and escapes the Jedi Temple and Coruscant.
Stop on Korriban[]
Raian briefly returned to Korriban in order to record as much information about the Sith as he could, with the goal of learning how to combat them. He spent several weeks among the tombs and the old Sith Academy, but the amount of information he gathered was scarce. The people of Dreshdae, realizing that he was a Force-user, reported him to the newly formed Galactic Empire and within days, Darth Vader arrived to exterminate the threat. Raian planned to escape without having to confront Vader again, but he failed. He and Vader again confronted each other at the entrance to the old Sith Academy and began to battle. Raian picked on Vader for his mechanical appearance, something that seemed to enrage the still-young Sith Lord. As their duel continued, Raian asked what Vader's interest in him was. He emphasized the fact that he wasn't a Jedi. Vader responded that he was a Force-user and an ally of the Jedi and, therefore, was a threat to the Empire.
The fight reached it's climax, with Raian only having used the Force thus far to combat Vader. He realized that Vader hadn't yet gotten use to his mechanical suit and therefore was significantly weaker than he had been back on Coruscant. He then revealed a new lightsaber he had constructed during his short stay on Korriban, one with a silver blade, and used a combination of Ataru and Juyo to combat the weakened Sith. Raian began to realize that, even with Vader in a weakened state, he would be continually hunted until the Empire killed him. He then resolved to fake his death, in order to escape Vader and the Empire once and for all; though Vader was weaker than he had been on Coruscant he was still powerful enough to stop Raian from defeating him. Using the Force, Raian caused a rock slide that separated him from Vader and then hid his Force signature. Believing him dead from the slide, Vader retreated and Raian was able to escape.
Early days in the Syndicate (19 BBY-0 BBY/0 ABY)[]
Sure, I'll join your organization, but I have some conditions of my own. One, stop calling me a Jedi. Two, I get a ship to myself; I'm not sharing one with no stinkin' Ewok. Three, keep me the heck away from the Emperor. Do those things and I'll do whatever you ask of me.
—Raina upon joining the Syndicate
Raian fled to the Outer Rim world of Manaan and began to hide his presence in the Force from the Emperor and Vader. Coincidently, a few days later he overheard a group of Selkath merchants talking about a local crime organization who were hunting down Force-sensitives to strike back at the Empire. While Raian was no personal fan of the Jedi, he had loved the Republic, so an opportunity to strike back at the entity that had caused it's downfall caught his interest. The merchants had mentioned the location of one of the organization's recruiters, so Raian went off looking for him. After finding the man he was looking for, he demonstrated his use in the Force and was asked to join. After making a few "conditions" of his own, Raian became a member of the Syndicate.
Hunting for survivors[]
Raian duels a Dark Jedi aboard the Dark Hand.
One of Raian's first missions for the crime organization was to hunt down former Jedi and/or Dark Jedi to enlarge the organization's number of Force-users. Raian was given a ship; a YT-1300 light freighter he dubbed the Black Reaper (a nickname he himself would later gain), and was sent out into the galaxy. He soon found out that more Jedi had been killed than he had previously suspected. Vader's men were everywhere; they were also hunting Jedi. During his hunts, Raian came into contact with Imperial Senator Bail Organa who was secretly helping Jedi that had survived Order 66. He used Organa to get into contact with former Jedi Master Rahm Kota, who helped the Syndicate strike several of the Empire's smaller training facilities. Though Kota didn't join the organization, he proved to be a helpful aspect in the overall goal of the Syndicate.
During a visit to Tatooine, he learned of Obi-Wan Kenobi's survival and asked him about possibly joining forces, but Kenobi refused, saying that he had business on the planet that he needed to tend to. While traveling from Tatooine to and rendezvous with a small Syndicate fleet in the nearby Geonosis system, he is intercepted by an Imperial Scouting Fleet and imprisoned on the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, the Dark Hand. There, one of the Emperor's Dark Jedi attempted to interrogate him about the location of other Jedi. Raian refused to give such information and used an overwhelming surge of Force shock to break free of his prison. After retrieving his lightsaber, he dueled the Dark Jedi and killed him. He then seized control of the Dark Hand and turned it's guns on the other ships in the scouting fleet. He then steals the ship and heads to the rendezvous point as previously planned.
Upon explaining how he came to own the Dark Hand to his Syndicate companions, they provide him with a crew and give him the Star Destroyer as his own ship. He renames it the Dark Reaper II, after his YT-1300 freighter and is then given his primary objective for the organization; assassinate Darth Vader.
Return to Coruscant[]
Raian and Darth Sidious.
You're going to Coruscant?! Are you mad?!"
"A little. That's the only place I'm for sure to find Vader."
"I thought you wanted to stay the 'heck away from the Emperor'!"
"I changed my mind. That slug, Palpatine, and his mechanical Frankenstein are going down.
—A Syndicate member and Raian discussing his decision
After a quick stop on Ryloth to allow his Dark Reaper II to be repaired and upgraded, Raian leaves for Coruscant on the first Dark Reaper. Upon arrival he once again allows his signature in the Force to be felt freely, in hopes of drawing the Sith into a trap in the old Jedi Temple. To his horror, he draws none other than Emperor Palpatine to the temple. Palpatine remembers him from the Clone Wars and asks how he survived Order 66. Raian retorts that Vader wasn't as thorough as the Emperor would've thought. The two then engaged in a duel of Force lightning, in which the evil Sith Lord showed immense skill in; far exceeding Raian's own talent with the power. Raian, in response, activated his lightsaber and managed to reflect a great amount of the dark lightning back at the Sith. With a slash of his lightsaber shattering the glass of a window, Raian had recreated the scene in which Palpatine was almost defeated not even a year prior by Mace Windu.
Darth Sidious, the spirit of the Old Republic has not gone out of the galaxy! The glory days will return!"
"Insolent child! Experience the true power of the dark side!
—Raian confronts Palpatine
Palpatine realized this and drew his own lightsaber to fight back. A lightsaber duel ensued and during the duel, Sidious attempts to turn Raian away from his light side foundations and lean him towards the dark side. Raian responds, as he had to Dooku years prior, that he was not there to participate in the Emperor's mind games. At the same time, he realizes that he stands no chance against the Sith Master and decides to 'flex his muscles' per say and show the Emperor his power. In an awesome display of Force repulse, Raian destroyed the walls and roof of the room they fought inside, opening them up for the outside world to see. The Emperor, realizing that his he would be discovered as a Sith to the general public (something he thought the new Empire wasn't yet ready for), fled the temple, leaving Raian to go free for the moment.
As Raian attempted to leave the planet, however, he was met with resistance. Upon reaching his ship, he was intercepted by several squads of Imperial Stormtroopers, which he soon recognized as the 405th that he had served with during the Clone Wars. Fighting his former comrades was no easy task for him, as showed no willingness to kill of people he had once considered equals and friends. Still, the will to live drove him to kill dozens of stormtroopers and then make a last minute dash to his ship, whose guns he then turned on the squads, decimating them. Raian left Coruscant, vowing not to return until peace and justice was restored to the galaxy, and headed back to Ryloth.
Becoming the "Black Reaper"[]
Death[]
Post-mortem[]
Personality and traits[]
Raian Keldabe: Mandalorian Jedi and hero of the Republics Old and New.
Raian loved life, even when things seemed bleak. This outlook improved his stay in the Jedi Order. Initially Raian resented the Jedi for taking him from his family, however, after meeting his master, he began to love the Jedi way and the light side of the Force. Even after leaving the Order, following the death of his master, he would always come to the aid of the Jedi if they were in need. One thing that remained consistent, however, was his refusal to be called a Jedi. He constantly scolded others for doing this until he re-joined the Order after the fall of the Empire. His reasoning for this was that he felt great guilt for not being able to save his master and, therefore, felt unworthy of the title of "Jedi". Raian was very kindhearted, a trait that greatly pleased his instructors, such as Master Yoda or his own Master, Shan Rappa. He was also very resistant to the lull of the dark side, one of his greatest qualities, and one that he often pointed out to people such as Count Dooku and even Emperor Palpatine himself. This particular trait had many contributors. One was the general dislike of dark side energy he had come to have after his master took him to Thule to teach him of the dangers of the dark side. The other contributing factor was his general love for the light side and the teachings of the Jedi. Strangely he was still known to use powers and skills that were related to the dark side including Force lightning.
Raian was very attached to his Master, Shan Rappa and said that she was a better teacher than Yoda. Raian was devastated by Shan's death and losing her caused him to leave the Jedi Order.
Raian was a learner. He constantly sought out new ways to train himself or gain knowledge, with particular interest in the history of the galaxy; more specifically, the events of the Jedi Civil War and it's contributors. He was also rare among the Jedi in that he had a great interest in politics and was good at it, leading him, at one point, to be a Senator's aid for the Senator of Mandalore during the Old Republic. He was also very fond of battle. Lightsaber duels excited him, and the thought of testing himself against a powerful opponent excited him more so, as proven during his encounter with Count Dooku during the Clone Wars.
As he grew older, he became interested in having students of his own and passing on his knowledge to future generations; something he accomplished by re-joining the Jedi Order after Luke Skywalker re-founded the Order after the collapse of the Empire. He was an excellent leader, capable of leading a mighty legion of Clones during the Clone Wars and even leading missions for the Syndicate. He later became a well-respected general for the New Republic during the Yuuzhan Vong War as well as an influential figure on the new Jedi Council.
Despite his many talents, he did have many fears. The most prominent was the loss of his close loved ones and companions. This was first demonstrated when he was forced to fight and kill members of the 405th Legion, a group he had fought with during the Clone Wars, while trying to escape Coruscant after the Great Jedi Purge. He also suffered from arachnophobia, greatly fearing anything that resembled a spider. The reason behind this fear has not been delved in to.
Powers and abilities[]
Lightsaber training[]
Raian Keldabe was an extremely skilled swordsman, managing to survive encounters with some of the best lightsaber duellists of the time. He nearly defeated Asajj Ventress in a lightsaber duel and held his own against Count Dooku as well as survived two encounters with Darth Vader. The most impressive display of Raian's skill was when he managed to hold off Darth Sidious himself while Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin and Kit Fisto could not. However he quickly realized that Sidious was the superior swordsman. Raian was notable for being one of the very few Jedi to survive an encounter with the Dark Lord of the Sith. He was a master of Ataru and was also adept in the use of Juyo. Due to his near immunity to the dark side, Raian was one of the few practitioners of Juyo who could use the style without submitting to his rage.
Force powers[]
Raian was also exceptionally talented in the Force and had the potential to be one of the most powerful Force users who had ever existed. He even managed to stun Darth Vader in a battle of Force powers, despite the fact that Vader had not yet been defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar. However he only managed this because Vader arrogantly assumed he'd already won. He was a master of telekinesis able to move massive objects with little effort and was capable of using a powerful Force push or Force wave. He was also able to use an amazingly strong Force repulse.
Raian was also able to use Force lightning despite his loyalty to the light side of the Force, a skill Luke Skywalker and the New Jedi Order would learn to do as well. However his lightning was considerably weaker than that of Darth Sidious.
Raian was also talented at Force healing. He was also able to use Force Concealment which he used to hide himself from Darth Vader on Korriban.
Behind the scenes[]
This character is the culmination of the writer's ideas on the ideal Star Wars protagonist. The writer, Ten Tailed Fox, spent up to two years testing out characters here and there in his own personal work to be his primary protagonist/central character in his fanfictions, one of which was a Sith Lord, and another who was a powerful politician, and finally came up with this design.
The use of images such as Jacen Solo and Ferus Olin were because these characters, coincidently, fit the writer's mental picture of what the character would look like throughout his life. Also by coincidence, the character shares many traits with Ferus Olin; having left the Jedi Order yet remaining loyal to the light side and eventually aiding the Jedi in a future time.
The name "Raian" is the Japanese form of the English name "Ryan", whom the writer uses as a name for all of his protagonists in his fanfiction. The surname "Keldabe" was a name that was inspired by the capital city of Mandalore, Raian's homeworld, which was also named Keldabe. His nickname and subsequent names for his flagships, the "Black Reaper", is inspired by the writer's favorite anime Darker than Black, whose main character also goes by this moniker.