Makezh

"The Aing-Tii. They … taught me, taught me the skills needed to listen to the Rift."

- Makezh to Lieutenant Darryn Thyte

Makezh was a Human male from the planet Danoor in the Kathol Outback, an isolated sector of space in the Outer Rim Territories. Abducted by the Aing-Tii, a race of mysterious, Force-using aliens from the Kathol Rift, Makezh was brainwashed and implanted with the compulsion to retrieve a sacred artifact for them. The artifact, known as the Codex, was located within the Kathol Rift, on an alien construct that the Aing-Tii viewed as sacred ground, and were forbidden to set foot on it by their own religious beliefs. The procedures they used left Makezh mentally scarred and amnesic, but with the uncanny ability to accurately navigate the Rift by "listening" to the "voices" within it.

Returning to Danoor, Makezh plied his trade as a navigator of the Rift, catering to scientific parties. His navigational methods were instinctive, and they often made his passengers feel ill at ease, but he was considered to be the best Rift navigator on the planet. However, despite his skills, he struggled to earn a living, and was forced to steal food from a local market. Caught and jailed, government scientists began to take an interest in him and his abilities. He was eventually released, but the attention he had received, combined with a series of murders aimed at other navigators, frightened Makezh into believing that he was next in line to be killed. Around the same time, the New Republic vessel FarStar arrived at Danoor, looking to hire a navigator to guide them through the Rift. Representatives from the vessel were directed to Makezh, who initially believed that they were there to kill him. Convinced of their good intentions, the young navigator agreed to assist them as he saw it as an opportunity to leave the planet.

Makezh guided the FarStar safely though the Rift, although his methods alarmed and frightened his fellow crew. They realized that, while his flying style was erratic, it was reliable and conceded that they probably would not be able to navigate the Rift without him. As the ship penetrated deeper into the Rift, the compulsion to retrieve the Codex within him grew stronger as he neared the site of the alien construct. Discovering the construct, a landing party from the FarStar retrieved the Codex from it while attempting to free the ship from the station's malfunctioning automated docking system and brought the artifact aboard the ship. The mental programming instilled into the navigator to steal the artifact steadily grew, threatening to drive Makezh mad. When the ship reached the planet Demonsgate on the edge of the Rift, Makezh finally snapped, stole the artifact and an X-wing and went to the surface. There, the Aing-Tii waited to claim the item, and took Makezh with them against his will.

Early life and abduction by the Aing-Tii
Makezh grew up in Eror Zeen, the capital city of the planet Danoor. His father worked on the irrigation system under the city, and Makezh accompanied him on several occasions, gaining a basic knowledge of the system's layout.

Around 7 ABY, Makezh was abducted by the Aing-Tii&mdash;a species who had a unique view of the Force&mdash;that hailed from an unknown planet in the Kathol Rift. They taught him the ability to navigate the dense gas clouds and lightstorms of the Rift by teaching him to "listen" to it, subjecting him to a series of experiments. They programmed him with the compulsion to retrieve an object known as the Codex for them, which was located on an alien construct deep within the Kathol Rift. The Aing-Tii were forbidden by their own beliefs to set foot on the station as they considered it to be holy ground, so they turned Makezh into their agent. As an "infidel", the restrictions they placed on themselves did not apply to him. Unfortunately for Makezh, the Aing-Tii's knowledge of the Human mind was limited, and the procedures left the young man's memory shattered. He could not recall much of his life from before his encounter with the mysterious aliens, and his first clear memory was of waking up in the presence of the Aing-Tii. He then entered a light transport, powered up the vessel, and launched into the Kathol Rift.

Return to Danoor
Exiting the Rift, Makezh set down on Danoor. With no credits, he began to earn a living with the only skill he had&mdash;the inexplicable ability to safely navigate through the Rift. He had no idea how he could navigate through the passageways without the use of charts or astrogation coordinates&mdash;he just knew that he could. Makezh regarded his new ability as instinctive, and often flew with his eyes closed, making unpredictable course changes without warning, and engaging the hyperdrive for brief microjumps. Danoor's scientific community made use of his talents, chartering him as a pilot for expeditions into the Rift, but the income from their infrequent trips did not earn him enough money to make ends meet. Hungry, Makezh stole a basket of fruit from a market near to his home, and was arrested by government forces later the same day.

While in jail, government scientists took an interest in Makezh, although he did not know the reason why. Shortly after visits from them, he began to suffer from headaches. Eventually released from jail, Makezh returned to his apartment, but could not sleep due to the relentless pounding in his head. He wanted to seek medical treatment, but it was too expensive and he had no money. Around the same time, he began to notice government agents patrolling the area around the building he lived in. This, combined with the murders of other navigators on the planet, convinced Makezh that he was the next target, and needed to flee the planet as soon as possible.

Arrival of the FarStar
"Ready when you are, Captain."

- Makezh to Captain Kaiya Adrimetrum

Around the same time, the crew of the New Republic vessel FarStar arrived at Danoor in search of a navigator to take them through the Kathol Rift. Minister Mooren, one of the leaders of the planet, pointed them in Makezh's direction and provided them with his address. Makezh watched as the crew of the vessel approached his building one night, and ducked out of his apartment and hid in the stairwell that led to the roof. Watching the crew members as they approached his door, he was convinced that they were there to kill him. Fleeing to the rooftops, he was chased by the New Republic representatives who were in desperate need of his services. After a short chase across the rooftops, Makezh began to suffer from exhaustion, and he attempted to leap a five-meter gap. Falling short of his target, he hit the face of the building, fell onto a ledge below, then tumbled off it. Barely managing to grab hold of the ledge, Makezh considered letting himself fall rather than let the "assassins" get him. The FarStar representatives managed to convince him of their good intentions, and offered to help him. Makezh believed them, realizing that they could have killed him outright either while chasing him or while he was suspended from the ledge. He agreed to their help, then realized the danger he was in. As Makezh waited to be rescued, he was fired upon by an assassin droid that he later learned belonged to Minister Waric Nane, another of the planet's leaders who was allied with Moff Kentor Sarne. Sarne was a rogue Imperial warlord who was being hunted by the FarStar as they believed him to be a threat to the stability of the region. The FarStar crewmembers managed to deal with both situations, destroying the assassin droid and rescuing Makezh. In return, the navigator asked for only one thing&mdash;to go with them.

Although his new companions had disposed of the assassin droid, a squad of government troops appeared as they were heading towards their shuttle, sent by Minister Nane. Nane was under orders to delay the departure of the FarStar until a force loyal to Moff Sarne could arrive in orbit. Pointing their blaster rifles at the group, they began firing. Makezh fled with the crew of the FarStar, and directed them to a tunnel that led to the irrigation system under the city. After visiting the area with his father during his youth, Makezh was confident that he could lead them all to the landing pad where the shuttle was kept. After a few wrong turnings, dead endings, and an encounter with a ghest that attacked the group, they emerged near their shuttle. After fighting their way past some government troops who were standing guard, Makezh was taken aboard the FarStar.

Once aboard the vessel, Makezh headed straight to the navigation station on the bridge and familiarized himself with the controls. The FarStar subsequently engaged the corvette Lialic II and a Star Destroyer in orbit around Danoor. The New Republic vessel emerged victorious due to the arrival of an Aing-Tii Sanhedrim ship which rammed the Lialic II, destroying it, while the FarStar ' s fighter squadron successfully destroyed the Star Destroyer with several well placed shots to its devastator torpedo launcher, causing a chain reaction. Following the battle, Makezh piloted the corvette into the Rift.

Navigating the Rift
"But lately, the Rift hasn't been talking. It's been shouting."

- Makezh

Makezh was given the responsibility for navigating the FarStar through the Rift, although the nature by which he piloted the vessel alarmed the crew. He made an effort to fit in with the rest of the crew, cutting his hair into what he believed to be a military fashion, wearing clothing he believed to be military-looking, and trying to copy military protocol. However, his attempts were less than successful, but he was given credit by members of the crew&mdash;including the commanding officer of the FarStar, Captain Kaiya Adrimetrum&mdash;for trying. Makezh was on duty in the command center when the ship was hit by a crippling lightstorm, and calmly pointed that fact out to Captain Adrimetrum shortly before the impact.

As the FarStar progressed deeper into the Rift, Makezh started to suffer from headaches and hallucinations. The navigator had trouble sleeping, and often dreamt of the Aing-Tii. The "voices" in the Rift gradually began to rise in volume until Makezh believed that it was shouting at him. He also got the impression that the Rift wanted him to find something. He did not know what, but he was sure it was important to the Aing-Tii, and that he would find it soon.

While on duty in the command center, Makezh revealed his feelings to the Operations Officer, Lieutenant Darryn Thyte. At almost the same time, Makezh’s instincts kicked in, and he directed the FarStar out of the corridor they were traveling in, and into a dense section of the Rift. Lieutenant Thyte was about to take control, believing that Makezh had doomed the vessel, but stopped when he saw that the corridor they had been travelling in had shifted, and that the FarStar was at the center of it.

The newly formed corridor led the FarStar towards a vast, ancient, alien construct. With only a little clearance space between the construct and the edge of the corridor, the corvette attempted to bypass the alien structure. However, the construct's automated docking systems had malfunctioned over the years, and the docking tendrils latched on to the FarStar. The construct's systems attempted to pull the corvette into a docking bay that, when closed, would be too small to accommodate the vessel. Captain Adrimetrum ordered a landing party to travel to the structure and attempt to disable the docking tendrils before it was too late. While on the construct, the landing party recovered the Codex, the item that Makezh had been programmed to retrieve, and brought it back to the corvette.

Shortly after the FarStar recovered the Codex, Makezh's breakdown intensified as his subliminal programming by the Aing-Tii took hold. Babbling about hearing "voices screaming at him from the Rift", Makezh eventually lost control on the bridge and was placed on restricted duty. The Aing-Tii's compulsion for him to steal the Codex and give it to them was becoming too strong for him.

Retrieving the Codex
"Security alert! Security alert! Navigator Makezh has attacked a crewmember and should be considered dangerous! All personnel, avoid interaction with Makezh, repeat avoid interaction with navigator Makezh. Security to Deck Three."

- Unidentified FarStar crewmember.

After receiving a distress call from an Imperial landing party on the surface of the planet known as Demonsgate, the FarStar prepared to launch their own party to assist them and to gather intelligence. As they were about to launch, Makezh escaped from his quarters and attacked a fellow member of the crew. A security alert was put out for him, but he managed to grab the Codex, and made his way to the flight deck. The navigator stole an X-wing, and used the starfighter's weapons to attempt to blast out of the hangar bay. His blasts were deflected by the magnetically shielded main airlock, and the ricochets caught two of the other X-wings parked in the hangar. The snubfighters exploded, causing a fire on the flight deck. Lieutenant Thyte, who had been monitoring the situation, ordered the magnetic shield to be dropped before more damage was caused. Makezh flew the fighter out the hangar, and into space.

Makezh piloted the fighter to the surface of Demonsgate, plunging the ship into the planet's turbulent atmosphere. However, the descent was a haphazard one, and Makezh was forced to eject from the fighter. The X-wing crashed into the surface, leaving a deep furrow in the ground. The ejection seat landed four hundred meters away, and, despite sustaining a large cut on his forehead, Makezh began walking north. As he moved, he talked to the Codex in a strange alien language consisting of clicks, hisses and snorts. A landing party from the FarStar managed to catch up with him, trying to persuade him to return to the ship. While he listened to them reasonably, he would not stop walking north. If stopped, he became agitated and claimed that he had to bring the gift to his teachers.

Eventually, Makezh and the FarStar landing party were ambushed by an Imperial force led by the bounty hunter Mist. Mist attempted to hold Makezh for ransom, ordering the FarStar crew to surrender or watch as their crewmate died. Makezh, however, knocked the bounty hunter to the ground, and started to run north. Intercepted by the Aing-Tii, the navigator was dragged off by them, protesting that he did not want to go back with them. The Aing-Tii stunned him with one of their stun sticks, and retrieved the Codex from him, holding it triumphantly.

Personality and traits
"Hey, Makezh, you listening?''" "''Oh, er, sorry. What'd you say?"

- Lieutenant Darryn Thyte and Makezh

Following his exposure to the Aing-Tii's mental manipulation techniques, Makezh's behavior was often erratic and he displayed signs of paranoia. Much of his memory had been lost due to the mysterious aliens' techniques. He preferred to avoid confrontations, running from potential dangers if he felt that his life was threatened. Despite this, he was brave enough to consider ending his life on his own terms rather than be killed by someone else.

As a result of his manipulation by the Aing-Tii, the young navigator had the ability to accurately pilot a starship through the Kathol Rift without relying on navigational sensors or data. Makezh would "listen" to the Rift, and what he heard would guide his actions. His actions were instinctive, turning the ship suddenly, or even engaging the hyperdrive for brief moments to avoid approaching lightstorms or to keep the vessel in a safe corridor. Despite having the ability to totally concentrate on piloting vessels through the Rift, he had a tendency to zone out, not listening to those around him until they managed to attract his attention.

During his time on the FarStar, Makezh attempted to blend in with the crew. Although his efforts were less than successful, he got credit for trying. He would not interact much with his colleagues on a personal level, and did not often talk about himself or his time with the Aing-Tii. His instinctive piloting skills often alarmed the crew, but they readily admitted that he was their best chance of making it through the Rift intact.

When suffering from dementia caused by the compulsion to steal the Codex, Makezh was briefly stronger than normal, and had no compunctions about hurting people to achieve his goal of giving it to the Aing-Tii. He was also capable of speaking the Aing-Tii's language during this time.

Behind the scenes
Makezh was created for the supplement The Kathol Outback, which was a follow-on sourcebook to The DarkStryder Campaign by West End Games for use with Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. Introduced in the adventure Galaxy's Edge, the character was vital to the FarStar's efforts to navigate the Kathol Rift safely. Makezh's final fate is unclear; in the RPG adventure Showdown, the player characters are given the option of trying to rescue him from the Aing-Tii. This involves battling the Aing-Tii and succeeding within a limited number of rounds. However, the last supplement of the series, Endgame, makes no provision for the character in the Crew Notes section, indicating that Makezh is not a current member of the crew at that point.

Makezh was to be the central character in the adventure A Cry For Help. However, it was cut from The Kathol Rift as the book was already too long. Elements of the story, including the discovery of the Codex, had to be worked into the plot of Waystation.

Appearances

 * Galaxy's Edge
 * Rogue Elements
 * Waystation
 * Home
 * Showdown