Chrag'mak'al

"You have a .00325 chance of successfully evading me. Surrender or be spaced."

- Chrag'mak'al

Chrag'mak'al was a Givin pirate who operated some time during the reign of the Galactic Empire. A former priest, Chrag'mak'al left his homeworld after becoming disillusioned with his predictable life, and began working as an astrogater on a series of heavy freighters. However, due to his xenophobia, he was unable to work with other species, and could not keep a position for any length of time. Eventually, he joined the Duros crew of the Tesserahedron, using his mathematical abilities to determine when and where a targeted ship would come out of hyperspace. After two standard years of lucrative operations, the Duros crew decided to retire, though Chrag'mak'al continued his illegal ventures.

He purchased the Tesserahedron from his former crewmates, and employed a team of boarders compromised entirely of his fellow Givin. They used their rare ability to survive in space to great effect, becoming one of the most infamous group of pirates of the era. However, the Imperials soon sent out a arrest warrant for the Givin marauders, charging Chrag'mak'al with mass murder and piracy. He managed to avoid being arresting at the first attempt made by the Empire, though if he was eventually imprisoned is not known.

Early life
Chrag'mak'al was a member of the Givin, a humanoid species native to Yag'Dhul in the Inner Rim Territories. Chrag'mak'al had an appearance described by some as similar to that of a skeleton, with two large, triangular eye sockets and a dark mouth which appeared to be permanently frowning. As a Givin, Chrag'mak'al was vastly different from the majority of other aliens in that he had an exterior body frame, with a chalk-white exoskeleton. Chrag'mak'al was slightly short for a Givin at approximately one meter and sixty centimeters.

Givin society revolved around two key things: advanced mathematics and religion, each of which were closely tied. Like many Givin of the era, Chrag'mak'al joined one of the religious orders of his homeworld, learning the theory of transfinite hyperspacial mathematics. He soon became an expert in transfinite hyperspacial mathematics, and eventually became a well-respected priest on his native planet. As one of the Givin priests, Chrag'mak'al was forced to live a community-driven life, governed by dozens of rules and regulations. However, he slowly became disillusioned with his extremely structured and repetitive life, losing his previous satisfaction at his many achievements. He began to have fantasies and dreams of another life, one where he would not be a slave to mathematics, where he could act freely and without judgment. Using his superior mathematical abilities, he calculated the sort of profits he would earn if he became a criminal, and knew that the life of a pirate was what would suit his needs.

Shortly after Chrag'mak'al's decision to leave his homeworld and live a more exiting existence, an event known as the Fractal Heresy had unforeseen effects on Givin society, the religious aspect of it in particular. The Fractal Heresy proved the teachings of the Givin religion to be incorrect, and with what they had worked for and believed in for so long shattered, huge amounts of Givin priests announced their resignation from the orders they had once served, to rethink their life and re-evaluate their beliefs. Chrag'mak'al took advantage of this fallout, using it to leave the priesthood without drawing unwanted attention unto himself. He left his homeworld, and vowed never to return.

Pirate
He spent some time traveling the space ways located close to his native planet, though it was not long before Chrag'mak'al found work as an astrogater aboard a bulk freighter. He proved very skilled at this role, due to his advanced mathematical abilities, and after switching the ship that he worked on many times, the former priest built up a sturdy reputation. However, certain aspects of the nature of Chrag'mak'al's species meant he could never stay with one crew for long. Givin were known for their advanced shipbuilding skills, and viewed other ships as inferior, bar a select few. They also found species who could not survive in a vacuum as they could weak and pathetic, and had problems associating with practically any other species. Because of his deep xenophobia, Chrag'mak'al wandered from post to post, unable to cope with the imperfections he found in most other species who worked on the freighters.



Eventually, he managed to find a job with a crew made of members of one of two species the Givin could put up with, the Duros (the other species were the Verpine). Chrag'mak'al procured a position on a Duros pirate vessel, a patrol boat named the Tesserahedron. The Duros were excellent astrogaters in their own right, though Chrag'mak'al was still far superior, and did not require the aid of machines of any sort as the Duros did. Under their new Givin crew member, the crew of the Tesserahedron started to become extremely wealthy. Chrag'mak'al proved to be an ace strategist, using his mathematical knowledge to calculate the hyperspace routes of targeted ships, who the Tesserahedron then intercepted in systems litghtly guarded by any sort of law-makers, be they local police or even the likes of Palpatine's Galactic Empire. He based his calculations on the targeted vessel's speed, position and class of hyperdrive at the exact moment it made the jump, and even if the ship filed a false hyperspace plan, Chrag'mak'al could almost always calculate its destination. After two years of using the flawless tactic again and again, Chrag'mak'al had yet to make an error sufficiently major to prevent a successful raid, and the Duro crew were wealthy enough to retire. They did so, though their Givin astrogater decided to continue his life of piracy, which he was beginning to enjoy.

The Duros were extremely grateful for all the success Chrag'mak'al had brought them, so they sold him the Tesserahedron and allowed him to continue looting ships as he pleased. The former priest then hired a crew made up solely of merciless Givin boarders, and continued using the technique which had served him so well in the past, albeit with a minor change. Because of their exoskeleton, the Givin had the rare ability to survive in any sort of vacuum, including space. Chrag'mak'al used this to his advantage; he had his Givin boarders breach the hulls of any ship who attempted to resist with precision explosive charges, and loot the vehicle once its interior had de-pressurized, and the inhabitants had all been killed from a lack of oxygen. Although it was a old and relatively common technique employed by space pirates, it worked particularly well for the Givin, who only needed to make minor repairs to the hull before returning back to their ships, while other pirates would have had to re-pressurize. He continued to maintain a lucrative operation, though he soon came to the attention of the Galactic Empire. They attempted to arrest him, though he managed to escape, and told them the minuscule odds they had of capturing him. He was charged with piracy, flight to avoid Imperial prosecution and mass murder, though whether or not he was apprehended remains unknown.

Personality and traits
Chrag'mak'al was rarely satisfied with what he had. During his early life, he grew dissatisfied with his way of living, and sought ways to leave it behind and use his skills to make fortunes. Even after he had made the money he craved, he did not retire like his comrades, preferring to further his reputation as a pirate. He was merciless, and cared little if others were to die in order for him to make a sizable profit. However, if his targets did not attempt to evade him, he was happy to leave them unharmed in exchange for their valuables. Although his borders and thugs generally committed most of the crimes, Chrag'mak'al was not above killing innocents himself, and during his career he killed many people. However, he was also extremely intelligent, and was very confident with his own talents and abilities. When faced with Imperial imprisonment, he confidently told them they would have no luck capturing him; something which proved to be correct. Some of the teachings of the Givin religion carried over into his new life; he wore but a simple brown robe, and carried with him an abacus at all times.

Talents and abilities
Even for a Givin, Chrag'mak'al was an expert mathematician. He used his skills to determine the location that any ships he intended to pillage would come out of hyperspace at, and during his lengthly career, he did not make a single mistake when doing so. He was also a skilled shooter, and carried a Merr-Sonn Model 44 blaster pistol on his body at all times, as well as his abacus, a comlink and a datapad.

Behind the scenes
Chrag'mak'al was created by Star Wars author Timothy S. O'Brien for the Pirates & Privateers, a supplement for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game published by West End Games in 1997.