Chase Piru

"I'm ready to fight, Master!"

- Chase Piru

Chase Piru was a Human female Padawan of the Jedi Order who was stationed in the Jedi Training Facility on Bogden 3 near the end of Clone Wars. When Order 66&mdash;an executive order declaring that all Jedi were traitors&mdash;was issued, she defended the Hawkbat Clan of younglings from the clone troopers that had come to Bogden for recovery, only to turn on the Jedi there upon receiving the order. Piru was able to escape alongside some younglings and Jedi Master K'Kruhk once Master Sian Jeisel sacrificed her life to allow their escape. After fleeing the system, the Jedi came to a moon, where they sought refuge from the Empire that had been declared by the former Galactic Republic's Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine.

After two months spent in recovery on the moon, Piru and the younglings were assaulted by the pirate Lumbra and his crew, who had attempted to salvage parts for their starship from the Jedi's Theta-class shuttle. The Padawan was nearly killed trying to defend the younglings as they were taken captive by the pirates, who wished to claim the Galactic Empire's bounty for captured Jedi. K'Kruhk later found Piru and healed her before the two enacted their plan to rescue the Hawkbats. During their attack on the pirates, Piru used the Force to guide K'Kruhk's arrows and kill many of Lumbra's men. Lumbra himself was able to capture Piru, though, and threatened to kill her, causing K'Kruhk to unleash his uncontrolled rage on the pirates and finish them off. Afterward, K'Kruhk promised Piru that he would take her and the younglings to a safe place to live, away from the constant reminder of what they had witnessed on the moon. K'Kruhk fulfilled his promise by taking the younglings to the planet Arkinnea, but while Piru and K'Kruhk were joined by Jedi Master Zao, the group unintentionally discovered that the planet's militia were massacring refugees.

Order 66
"What's happening? Why are they shooting?''" "I don't know. Block their shots." "The younglings!" "''BLOCK THE SHOTS!"

- Piru and Jeisel Chase Piru was a Human female Jedi Padawan stationed on the Jedi Training Facility located on Bogden 3, a world in the Bogden system, during the Clone Wars. Along with Jedi Master Du Mahn, Piru looked after the Hawkbat Clan, a multi-species group of younglings that had been delayed in returning to the Jedi Temple of Coruscant due to the ongoing galactic conflict in 19 BBY. During the setback, the Whiphid Jedi Master K'Kruhk and Devaronian fellow Master Sian Jeisel also came to Bogden 3 seeking refuge, as they had been ambushed over the planet Saleucami after the siege on the Outer Rim world a couple of days earlier.

While K'Kruhk's and Jeisel's clone troopers attended to repairs on their damaged Theta-class shuttle, Piru cooked a meal for the party. Shortly after everyone consumed their meals, the group's clone captain and his men received Order 66 from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, which declared all Jedi to be traitors to the Galactic Republic. In compliance, the troopers opened fire on the Jedi, including the younglings. K'Kruhk, Du Mahn, Jeisel, and Piru all attempted to defend the group, but were forced to flee because of the troopers' overwhelming numbers. Du Mahn was killed in the initial attack and, as Piru and K'Kruhk led the younglings out to the shuttle, Jeisel sacrificed her life to hold back the clones, using a thermal detonator to kill them all. The Jedi then fled on the shuttle, clueless as to why the betrayal had occurred.

Refuge
"I have your morning meal ready&mdash;uh, is there something wrong, Master?''" "''No. I'm sorry, Chase&mdash;I was just thinking about Master Jeisel. She would have liked it here."

- Piru and K'Kruhk

After fleeing from Bogden 3, K'Kruhk and Piru took the younglings to an uncharted moon. For two months, they were able to settle on the world and live in peace. K'Kruhk believed that on an unspoiled world such as the moon, the younglings could grow up happily and as Jedi. The Whiphid also noted that food would not be scarce, and that with their supplies, the Jedi could live in relative comfort on the moon for some years. Piru, meanwhile, cooked for the party and looked after the younglings alongside the Jedi Master. The two Jedi also successfully intercepted transmissions over the HoloNet which claimed that bounties had been placed on all Jedi across the galaxy, though both Piru and K'Kruhk believed the stories to be rumors.

One day as K'Kruhk hunted for game, a vessel entered the system and crash-landed near the Jedi crash site. Piru and the younglings believed the starship to be a rescue ship, but K'Kruhk tried to warn them otherwise, claiming there was no way to know who arrived on the vessel. However, the Whiphid's comlink was low on power and his communications were garbled, and the device eventually lost all its power. Piru was unable to receive his message to lead the younglings away from the camp, and therefore waited idly by.

Captured
"The Empire's offering a hefty bounty on Jedi&mdash;and we just found a whole herd of 'em!''" "What about the one Callow shot?" "Heh! That'll have to come out of Callow's share&mdash;the Empire doesn't pay for dead'' Jedi."

- Lumbra and his pirates, after shooting Piru

Shortly after the starship landed on the moon, Lumbra the Gotal and his pirate crew, who needed to make repairs to their craft as a result of an onboard explosion, headed for the wreckage of the Jedi's shuttle in the hope of finding parts for their own ship. When they arrived, Lumbra promised nothing would happen to Piru or the younglings if they remained quiet. However, while the pirates scavenged for the drive unit on the Theta-class shuttle, the Twi'lek youngling Seddwia confronted Lumbra and demanded their vessel be left alone. Lumbra then grabbed the youngling by the arm and threatened her before Piru attempted to free her. Although she was able to Force-push one pirate away, Piru was shot by Callow, Lumbra's right-hand man, before she could strike the Gotal. Kennan Taanzer, another youngling, then attempted to aid Piru, but was quickly knocked down by Callow. In response, Lumbra took the younglings captive, hoping to obtain the bounty placed on the Jedi by the First Galactic Empire. Presumed dead, Piru was left behind.

Later that night, K'Kruhk found Piru and healed her with the Force. Piru, who had been certain she was dead, informed K'Kruhk that Lumbra and the pirates intended on handing the younglings over to the Empire for the Jedi bounty, which confirmed the rumors they had intercepted. K'Kruhk and Piru then discussed the plan to save the younglings, while K'Kruhk hoped Piru, who was still injured and could not use her right arm, would not have to do any fighting. He then praised Piru for her courage before the two went to rescue the younglings. As part of the plan, Piru traveled across a river toward the younglings on a log to remain hidden from sight, where she prepared to assist K'Kruhk against their enemies.

After Piru arrived at cover behind some plants with the younglings in sight, K'Kruhk demanded from afar that the pirates release the younglings unharmed. Lumbra, however, refused and had his men open fire on the Jedi Master. K'Kruhk was able to kill one pirate with an arrow before they realized that their campfire was giving K'Kruhk the means to spot them, so they immediately put it out. Without light to guide the Whiphid, Piru carried out her part of the plan and used the Force to guide the Jedi Master's arrows into Lumbra's men, killing them. As Lumbra and Callow panicked, Piru rushed to save the younglings before the pirates could use them as shields. She was quickly discovered, however, and taken captive by Lumbra, while Kennan was taken captive by Callow. Both tried to use the Jedi as shields, demanding that K'Kruhk show himself or else the Jedi would be killed. K'Kruhk complied, but before the pirates could take him down, he attacked and killed them, unleashing his fury in front of Piru and the younglings.

In the aftermath of the short battle, K'Kruhk explained his actions to Piru, feeling remorseful for the manner in which he had killed the two pirates. Although Piru believed that Lumbra and Callow had brought their deaths upon themselves, K'Kruhk still asked her and the younglings to forgive him for the actions he had committed, which he felt were unworthy of a Jedi. Piru simply remarked that she did not know. K'Kruhk then promised that he would&mdash;after Lumbra's ship had been repaired&mdash;take Piru and the younglings somewhere safe to live. However, he also stated that he could only visit them from then on but never stay, as he felt that his presence would be a constant reminder of what had occurred on the moon.

Arkinnea
After they finished preparing Lumbra's ship, K'Kruhk fulfilled his promise by taking the younglings away from the jungle moon. However, the ship was damaged in an attack by pirates and they were forced to crash land on Arkinnea, a planet on the edge of the Expansion Region. The planet's security forces contacted the crashing ship and warned them to turn back, but K'Kruhk ordered Piru to get the other younglings strapped in when she expressed her fear that they would be fired upon. K'Kruhk avoided the security forces by passing close to the air traffic tower, causing their pursuer to accidentally fire on the structure as the Jedi's ship crashed in a nearby field. Before exiting their damaged vessel, Piru and K'Kruhk created a fake splint for her leg containing the Whipid's lightsaber, and K'Kruhk explained his situation to the security forces when they came to arrest him. However, their commander Captain Relik's attempt to threaten the refugees was halted when an Imperial Commander Teron arrived with two stormtroopers.

The security forces then escorted Piru and the other younglings to a nearby holding center for refugees, and the group was assigned to a family tent. Piru was given a datachip that would light up when it was their group's turn to take a transport to the Freelands&mdash;the open lands to the north of the camp. Upon reaching their tent, a youngling named Genel asked for help setting up a bad, but first K'Kruhk removed his lightsaber from Piru's splint. A fight soon erupted outside of their tent between a Republic loyalist and a Separatist, and Piru was unable to answer Sidirri when the young girl asked whether K'Kruhk was going to kill the fighters like he did the pirates. However, the Whipid simply broke up the fight, and Piru questioned the wisdom of calling attention to their group. He further reminded her of their duty to protect the younglings before he departed to gather information on the camp, and Piru was surprised when the wife of one of the fighters came up to thank her for K'Kruhk's actions. The woman gave Piru and the younglings advice on how to survive in the refugee camp, warning her to avoid the militia.

Not long afterwards, Piru and the others were surprised to encounter an elderly Veknoid Jedi Master named Zao, who began cooking a meal before K'Kruhk returned and tried to attack the intruder. Piru held the younglings back in as Zao halted K'Kruhk in midair with the Force, and he introduced the others to Zao upon realizing who the hooded figure was. After Zao served dinner to the children and gave them a lesson in using the Force, Piru put the younglings to bed. But when Zao revealed that he sensed great danger in the camp, and K'Kruhk helped Piru get the children out of bed and ready to travel later that night. They met Master Zao on the edges of camp, leaving the datachip that the militia had given Piru behind, and the Jedi used his sabercane to slice a hole in the wall so they could escape.

On Zao's instructions, Piru watched over the younglings as they harvested beelpop melons while K'Kruhk stole a repulsorlift wagon from a nearby camp, and the two older Jedi hid in the wagon with the younglings while Piru sat at the reins. She panicked as they passed a pair of militia soldiers, but K'Kruhk and Zao were able to use the Force and suppress their suspicions. Upon reaching a mountain, Piru was challenged to a race by Kennan and several other younglings, but when the children reached the top of the pathway they found a valley filled with decaying bodies&mdash;the bodies of their fellow refugees, who had been dropped from an ore hauler: the actual fate of those who were taken from the refugee camp to the Freelands.

Personality and traits
"You've grown to be a fine Jedi, Chase. Your courage makes me proud to have you at my side."

- K'Kruhk to Piru

Chase Piru was considered courageous and a fine Jedi by Master K'Kruhk, who told her this after he healed her from her attack by Lumbra's pirates. Piru attempted to save the youngling Seddwia before she was critically injured, and also previously displayed her courage when she defended the younglings from the clone troopers after Order 66 was issued at Bogden's training facility. Even though Piru was fearful during her and K'Kruhk's strike at Lumbra's pirates, she relied on her late Master Du Mahn's teachings to overcome the fear and aid the younglings. She also told K'Kruhk that she understood her Jedi teachings sometimes had to be placed aside, as she did when defending the younglings, since she felt that Lumbra's men would not have surrendered without a fight.

Powers and abilities
"I hope Chase is ready&hellip; because now it's up to her&hellip;"

- K'Kruhk, as he and Piru attacked Lumbra's pirates

Chase Piru, although only a Padawan learner, possessed enough prowess to defend herself from blaster fire with her lightsaber. She displayed this talent when Order 66 was issued and the Jedi were attacked on Bogden 3. Piru was one of the few survivors of the attack. Piru later was able to use the Force to shove away a pirate. After K'Kruhk healed Piru from the injuries she had sustained from Callow, the Padawan was able to use the Force to guide the Jedi Master's arrows accurately into Lumbra's men, displaying her prowess with telekinesis even in the darkness of night. Piru was also a cook, who prepared meals for both those at the Bogden training facility and for K'Kruhk and the younglings after Order 66.

Behind the scenes
Chase Piru was created by Randy Stradley under the pen-name Mick Harrison, author of the Star Wars: Dark Times comic series, for the Parallels story arc, which was released between October 2007 and April 2008. She was illustrated by Star Wars artist Dave Ross. She did not appear again until 2013, where she is again featured alongside K'Kruhk and the Hawkbat Clan in the Fire Carrier story arc.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Dark Times: Parallels
 * Star Wars: Dark Times 23: Fire Carrier, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Dark Times 24: Fire Carrier, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Dark Times 25: Fire Carrier, Part 3