Deadmerit: “Hmmm. . .I'm glad to say that the New Republic doesn't want any involvement in the stalemated conflict between Darkon and the Gatekeeper. To me, the Sith and the Jedi are overrated at best.”
Deathdragon: “You're probably gonna regret saying that, Deadmerit.”
Deadmerit: “You are probably right about that, Deathdragon.”
— A conversation between Deadmerit and Deathdragon[src]
Captain Tarakus Deadmerit was a New Republic naval captain of unknown origins. His past was a mystery to those around him, although he was once a Jedi Master—a fact known only to Tarakus and his friend Deathdragon. In an encounter between TrueSith'ari Darkon and The Gatekeeper, Deadmerit tried to stay out of the battle. Later, when his Force powers were returned to him, he was forced to go on the run and took Deathdragon with him.
Biography
Captain Tarakus Deadmerit was born in 21 BBY, in Tepagastra, but much of his life was a mystery. However, it is known that he fought for the Rebel Alliance and joined the New Republic as a naval captain shortly after the Rebellion won. What is known is that he was once a Jedi Master—This fact was only known to Tarakus and his long time friend and apprentice, Cyvelon Deathdragon. In an encounter between TrueSitn'ari Darkon and The Gatekeeper, Deadmerit tried to stay out of the epic battle. Unfortunately, several weeks after the encounter, Deadmerit's Force powers returned to him. He and Deathdragon were forced to go on the run. In 17 ABY, Tarakus revealed that he was the legendary apprentice and great-grandson of Kiro Vapthes, and he forged an alliance with his old Master. He shared designs for the wormhole drive that he never released to anyone else.
Early life
Tarakus was born in 21 BBY on Tepagastra, in the Mudara Galaxy, to Ne'feir and Sith'ari Farshenzai. His mother, a Fazabian Fa'neir Dragon, was part of an elite warrior family from Tristchana, known as the House of Bar, with Bar Shanassa, the main matriarch of the family. The family consisted of three elder sisters, Bar Shina, the Destroyer, Bar Kaiya, the Watcher, and Bar Re'Fieyre the Compassionate. Re'Fieyre had Ne'feir. It is known that Kiro Vapthes is the great-grandfather of Tarakus.
The Mustafar Incident
After being given up by his parents at an early age, Tarakus trained under his teacher and great-grandfather, Kiro Vapthes. He taught young Tarakus everything that he had known about the Force at the time. In 13 BBY, Tarakus set out to finish some unfinished business that he had yet to settle on Mustafar. He completed his mission, but on his way back to his ship, he had stepped on an unstable rock, and rolled several feet onto hot, volcanic ash, which burned him severely, leaving numerous scar patches all over his body.
Deathdragon
The Fa'neir Dragon races are well known secret keepers. When the ever mysterious Cyvelon Deathdragon approached Tarakus while he was in hiding on Alderaan, Tarakus could sense a deep secret within him that troubled him. However, dismissing the secret, Tarakus taught Deathdragon everything he knew and then both of them enlisted in the Rebel Alliance's Navy, becoming elite starfighter pilots among the likes of Luke Skywalker. During numerous battles, Deathdragon's harmful secret put Tarakus and Deathdragon in jeopardy, because many Imperial pilots often recognized Deathdragon's flying style as that of Deathdragon's first teacher.
Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith
Shortly after the Battle of Endor, Tarakus and Deathdragon fled to a small, abandoned outpost in Imperial Remnant territory. They hid there to avoid being detected by anyone, for the outpost, which was in Kejim, was one of the best kept secrets at the time of the Empire. Sadly, they were discovered after hiding for three years, by a former flame of Tarakus, Lumiya. When they had known each other, she was a love of Luke Skywalker's, but they had been on several missions together, enduring many crises that emerged. After many years of being out of contact, the young Dragon sentinel, and the Sith woman seemed to fall in love again.
The Gatekeeper/Darkon Incident
In 16 ABY, Tarakus and Deathdragon bore witness to a violent battle that emerged between Sith'ari Darkon, and Tarakus's illusion great-grandfather, The Gatekeeper. At that time, Tarakus had just taken command of a rogue experimental fleet under New Republic control, the 47th Experimental Fleet. And Tarakus had just commissioned The Warmonger Solstice. The end result left Tarakus speechless, as he couldn't get over what happened.
Fatherhood
After returning to his native dimension and planet, Tarakus and his wife, Lumiya had their first child, Tu'verana, and laid low for a while, with his great-grandfather, Kiro Vapthes. Tarakus often had to put up with his daughter's pranks, some of which were cruel in nature.
The GA Incident
In 43 ABY, Tarakus sent his daughter, Tu'verana Deadmerit, to Coruscant, under her Sentinel Title, Stenthis Carmadaline, to prepare the GA's Chief of Staff, Natasi Daala for confrontation between them about her oppression of the Jedi. When Tarakus arrived, his sudden reappearance stunned many of the older officials, those who had known him when he was with the New Republic, for he had not been there in over 30 years. The end result of the confrontation wound up with Daala being overthrown by the Jedi. Tarakus felt better, completing his mission to Coruscant.
The Tilurafon Confrontation and his death
The last battle that Tarakus ever fought, occurred in 1,379 ABY on Tilurafon, with Darth Draco Minoris. In the battle, which was more of a shoving match, on the rim of the caldera of an active volcano, Tarakus had an early edge, but after several minutes, Draco Minoris took over, and pushed Tarakus to his death, before being pushed to his own death by his second cousin, Moorshavin Warbird.
Resurrection, and the return of Darth Gualtullo
When vulcanologists recovered Tarakus's body in 2,079 ABY, Ludamigus, had secretly returned, with a holocron containing the spirit of Tarakus's greatest archnemesis, Darth Gualtullo, one of the few Master Sith Lords in the Universe, more feared than Kiro Vapthes, Tarakus's great-grandfather. After a few weeks of recovering from the resurrection techniques used on him, Tarakus went out on a walk in the hospital garden, when he was ambushed by Ludmigus, and given Gualtullo's Sith Holocron. Upon waving his hand, Gualtullo returned, and terrorized the new Galaxy, causing turmoil that even Darth Draco Minoris could barely stop on his own. In a confrontation with Gualtullo on Kothlis, Tarakus was restored, when Draco Minoris, the man who had once killed him, waved his hand in front of the holocron, trapping Gualtullo's spirit within.
Gualtullo's Third Return
Several years after Gualtullo was returned to his holocron, Richon Barcünaveris, created a clone of Tarakus, and stole Gualtullo's holocron. When he returned these items to Ludamigus, Ludamigus brought his master back, and shortly thereafter, the duo disappeared, there whereabouts never recorded.
Personality and traits
Tarakus was often very anti-social, trying to avoid any contact with anyone except for those individuals he trusted the most, particularly his friend Deathdragon and his lover/wife Lumiya. He also tended to talk to himself, almost like he was discussing something with himself. This very erratic and bizarre behavior often got people's attention, whenever he appeared. There was also a very mystical mantra about him, a dark side that not many people knew about. This dark side would always expose itself whenever he visited the Jedi Academy on Yavin, and later Coruscant, in the form of tattoos depicting Tekus, the Harbinger of Death, the Time Keeper, on the palms of his hands.
Highly intelligent, quick thinking, and often calculative, Tarakus became even more so after regaining his power, and a boost after running into his lover. He would often become a dangerous psychopath, displaying a very aggressive fighting style with a lightwhip, or a lightsaber. His psychopathic ways would often show in the form of haunting, psychotic laughter, a rapid succession of cackling.
In addition to being socially awkward, Tarakus also had a very strange sense of humor, one only understood by members of his inner circle, mainly his friends and family, such as Harlan Takanagamo, Tu'verana Deadmerit and Zarkun Haikaul-Deadmerit, one of his best friends, and his two daughters.
You royals sure know how to have breakfast in style, don't you?
—Tarakus Deadmerit, regarding breakfast with Harlan Takanagamo
Behind the scenes
Development
Tarakus Deadmerit was created by fan fiction user Deadmerit. The idea for the character came when two role-players on JK3Files started a battle on a poll. Because the POTD service had been done for some time, there was nothing else for them to do but watch the battle play out. The character came to Deadmerit while he was watching from the sidelines of the ships, but he did not know who to turn to for it.
Credits
Deadmerit credits a number of other individuals for helping him with the character: TrueSith'ari Darkon for providing a number of images for the battle in Dawnbreaker Episode I: Hard Contact; Ty294 for being involved in the battle and putting the character into the right era; Garyn Darkai for inspiring him to help with the series; and JA 394 for coming up with the Gatekeeper.
Appearances
- Dawnbreaker Episode I: Hard Contact (First appearance)
- Dawnbreaker Episode III
- Takanagamo Advent I
- Takanagamo Advent II
- Tarakus Deadmerit: Time Frame
- Tarakus Deadmerit: Holding the Right Cards
- Tarakus Deadmerit: Outlandish Judgment
- Tarakus Deadmerit: Prime Time
- Tarakus Deadmerit: Escape
- Tarakus Deadmerit: Trials and Tribulations
- Tarakus Deadmerit: Isolation