Jarael

"Nobody's ever sacrificed himself for any of us before. Couldn't let you go around thinking that was sensible behavior."

- Jarael to Zayne Carrick

Jarael, born Edessa, was a female Arkanian, and companion to the mechanic Camper. She was also a traveling companion of the Jedi fugitive Zayne Carrick. Though she was Arkanian, she was a member of a genetically engineered subset of the Arkanian race giving her five fingers and Human-like eyes.

Biography
Little is known of the early part of Jarael's life, only that she was running from a shadowy past. Her parents called her Edessa, which meant "triumph" in old Arkanian, while "Jarael" was a name she chose herself later in her life.

At some point, she claimed that Camper saved her life, and out of gratitude, she began traveling with him in an attempt to return the favor. Eventually, the two wanderers ended up on Taris, hiding in a dump in the Lower City district known as Junk Junction.

On the run
"I'd say, 'Welcome to my life.' But, oh wait. You ruined that!"

- Jarael to Zayne Carrick



Following the Padawan Massacre of Taris, Zayne Carrick and Marn Hierogryph sought the aid of Camper and were nearly killed by Jarael, who proved very adept in fighting with an electrostaff against Carrick. Jarael ordered them both to leave immediately, out of fear of bringing the Republic to them and discovering their hiding place due to the Padawan Massacre of Taris and Zayne's involvement in it. This incident had caused Lhosan Industries to announce their pullout from Taris, ruining many people in the Lower City. Frustrated and annoyed by Jarael's demeanor, Carrick referred to her as "Darth Sunshine". Even so, when an arrest party arrived at Junk Junction, she and Camper helped Carrick and Hierogryph flee aboard their ship, the Last Resort.

Being chased by Jedi, as well as Taris Security, they fled into the nearby asteroid field. While inside, Zayne realized they were right on top of the Rogue Moon, the site of the former Padawans' last training exercise. Jarael accompanied him to the surface of the moon, where they discovered the remains of T1-LB, the Jedi's bulk-loader droid just before the Jedi Master Lucien Draay discovered them. Thanks to the Last Resort's repaired weapon systems, it scattered the Civil authority and allowed for Jarael and Zayne to escape with the remains of T1-LB. Inside the battered droid, Carrick and Jarael found a recording that revealed the Jedi Masters had received a vision of a Sith Lord in red armor killing Jedi and destroying cities across the Galaxy. However, before they could see more, the Last Resort was attacked by the bounty hunter vessel Oroko and trapped in their tractor beam.

On board the Oroko, they were detained by the bounty hunter Valius Ying, though with Gryph's bartering, all but Zayne were allowed to go free&mdash;the price on Carrick's head was too high to ignore. On Gryph's suggestion, Zayne pretended to leave with the bounty hunters, but sneaked away and tried to reach the Last Resort. Zayne was surprised to find Jarael waiting for him. She told him to stop running away, and that, by giving himself up, he would be saving his friends. Zayne gave up himself to the bounty hunters to stop the dark prophecy and save his friends and the galaxy from harm just after tossing his lightsaber to Jarael.

As Zayne finally stood before his former masters, blaster fire rocked the Jedi Temple. Touched by Zayne's sacrifice, Jarael disguised herself as the Sith Lord in the masters vision and crashed into the Council chambers. After threatening the masters with Zayne's lightsaber, she revealed herself. While Lucien ordered the masters to take her down, she used the suits rocket thrusters to launch her and Zayne onto the rooftop where the Last Resort hovered. Jarael and Zayne escaped Taris inside the Last Resort with Gryph, Camper and T1-LB.

Mandalorian prisoner
"This is payback, isn't it? I posed as a Jedi and now this is Zayne's Force getting back at me!"

- Jarael



The team of fugitives fled to the mining colony on Vanquo. Hoping to steal some supplies, Jarael again disguised herself. This time as Jedi Master Q'Anilia to force the miners to abandon their camp in fear of a Mandalorian Invasion. The plan went off perfectly but unfortunately, the Mandalorians did invade Vanquo soon after the miners evacuation. During the Battle of Vanquo, Jarael was captured by Mandalorians under Commander Rohlan while still impersonating a Jedi. She was imprisoned on the Flashpoint Stellar Research Station. Though she protested that she was not a Jedi, the Mandalorians kept her. When she had arrived on the Flashpoint Station, she met with Squint, a Jedi Prisoner. Demagol, a Mandalorian biologist, wanted to study her immediately. However, Squint protested and insisted that he go in her place since he had already figured out that she was not a Jedi. Before he was dragged off, he assured her that he had abilities that they were not aware of, that might be the Mandalorians' undoing.

When Squint was brought back, Demagol wanted to test Jarael next, fascinated by Arkanians. However, he noticed something odd about her. Fortunately for Jarael, Rohlan Dyre came to the facility with Zayne Carrick captured. Rohlan demanded that he be tested next and so his wish was granted. Some time later, Demagol and Rohlan emerged from the laboratory, purposely making it clear that Zayne had died. Jarael attacked Demagol but she heard a voice and was thrown off.

Soon afterwards, the Mandalorians evacuated the facility due to their belief that the Republic was attacking. Demagol and Rohlan returned to the prisoners and revealed that Demagol had been locked inside a storage cabinet and that the Demagol that Jarael attacked was actually Zayne. When leaving, Squint and Jarael said their goodbyes. Jarael was told that the next time they meet to simply call him Alek. Zayne and Jarael left Flashpoint station on the Last Resort.



A bounty
"We're here to resolve a problem, but I guess I was expecting some kind of an office."

- Jarael posing as Chantique

With escaping from Flashpoint Station, Jarael and Camper had problems to solve on the banking world of Telerath. Disguised as high level officials, the pair were expecting an office type world, only to find a beautiful planet instead. They were greeted by the droid GG-36. The problems Jarael and Camper had were a lack of funds. Fortunately, Gryph had a legal account on Telerath. The pair disguised themselves as "Baron Hyro Margryph" and "Chantique". Jarael explained how they must have mistaken the Baron for the fugitive Marn Hierogryph and froze the account. The account was reopened and they were allowed to collect the funds. However, while observing the beautiful scenery with their banker, they were intercepted by the Moomo Brothers. Jarael displayed amazing fighting prowess as she defended Camper. However, they quickly made off with the banker who assisted in reopening the account. The banker was none other then Arvan Carrick, Zayne Carrick's father. Camper, Zayne and Gryph managed to rescue Arvan and receive the money they needed. Jarael personally refused to disguise herself as a Jedi to rescue Arvan since her Mandalorian capture.

Trip to Arkania


After one last spar with Zayne, Jarael, Camper and T1-LB parted ways with Zayne and Gryph. Jarael informed Zayne of her admiration of his integrity when everyone in the galaxy was looking for him. She wished him luck in finding what he was looking for as well as the Force to be with him.

Unfortunately, her and Camper's past caught up and Jarael was faced with an assassin droid by the designation HK-24. After T1-LB was incapacitated by the assassin droid, Jarael fought the droid herself, only to be bested by it. The fortunate revelation of Rohlan Dyre, hiding in one of the smuggling compartments, saved her life. However Camper was injured by the HK unit. The situation caused him to have a serious "spell". Rohlan treated to what wounds he suffered but to help him, Jarael took the Last Resort to Arkania, the homeworld of the Arkanians, determined to find a cure&mdash;despite the fact that hybrids like her and Camper were despised by "pure" Arkanians.

While in Adascopolis, disguised by using heavy clothing and goggles, Jarael attempted to find help. She was immediately discovered to be an off-shoot Arkanian however. In the process, Jarael met a young Arkanian off-shoot named Zadawi. Zadawi explained to Jarael the plight of the off-shoots, forced to work in mining camps. Zadawi took Jarael to her grandmother that night where she was made to feel welcome. However, her grandmother felt ill and rested after she and Jarael had a disagreement concerning Adascorp.

Jarael however needed help getting medical attention to Camper. With Zadawi's help, she effectively disguised herself as a true-blood Arkanian with claw-fingered gloves, blunk-eye lenses and blush. While attempting to get help, the civil authority of Adacopolis was immediately called in to apprehend her due to her giving doctors the blood-sample of a offshoot. Jarael kept several of the guards at bay but was taken by Lord Arkoh Adasca himself. Jarael called Camper and Rohlan and told them that Adasca will help them.

Arkoh Adasca's prisoner
"This is the worst dinner I've ever had."

- Jarael regarding Adasca's revelation of his plans.

Camper was immediately taken in and Jarael found herself in the care of Lord Adasca. Adasca informed Jarael of Camper's previous status as a promising worker for Adascorp until he caught the Balinquar's Virus and ran away. Jarael was given the treatment of royalty during her stay on the Arkanian Legacy. However, Adasca and a worker for him, Eejee Vamm, kept the truth from her concerning Camper's condition when in fact he did not have any virus. Her stay on the Arkanian Legacy was just a ploy to get Camper to finish the project he had started on before he ran away.

Jarael continued to act as a prisoner to Arkoh Adasca without her even knowing it. Ejee Vamm continued to press on the story of Camper having the Balinquar's Virus by displaying images of him in the quarantine on board the Arkanian Legacy. Adasca continued with the illusion of him being the benevolent businessman by sympathizing with her over her and Camper's life conditions. Despite Jarael being an offshoot, the pure blooded Adasca found himself attracted to the woman and invited her for dinner in the Arkanian Legacy observatory.

As Jarael ate dinner with Adasca, he informed her of his plans to ensure the true blooded race of Arkanians returns...starting with her children, a notion in which she found to be unpleasantly abrupt. Adasca told her that he wanted to put Arkania at the center of the galaxy and his plans to use the mysterious creatures known as exogorths. Adasca informed her what he knew of the creatures who seemingly devoured everything metal and mineral and how a scientist named Gorman Vandrayk found a way to control these beasts. A final note of which he stressed was that this scientist was better known to her as Camper.

Behind the scenes



 * Jarael, like Camper, is described as an Arkanian offshoot. However, she bears pointed ears like that of Aleco Stusea and Fay, which may hint at a third species being involved in her birth. Her ears made her an anticipated subject of Demagol and also drew the attention of young Arkanian Zadawai. Jarael claims not to have any knowledge of how they came to be and preferred to keep her hair draped over them.
 * A similarity she, again, shares with the Jedi Fay are her distinctive tattoos above and below her eye.
 * Jarael has shown herself to be somewhat a master of disguises. Since the start of her travels with Zayne Carrick, Jarael disguised herself as a Sith Lord, a Jedi, a wealthy official and as a true-blood Arkanian, only blowing her cover when she desired or when her actions caused suspicion.
 * According to Brian Ching, he had designed Jarael to step away from the conventional appearance of comic characters having too much sex appeal in favor for an appearance that made it seem she has to work for a living.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 3: Commencement, Part 3
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 4: Commencement, Part 4
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 5: Commencement, Part 5
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 6: Commencement, Part 6
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Flashpoint
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Reunion
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 13: Days of Fear, Part 1
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 14: Days of Fear, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Nights of Anger
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Daze of Hate

Notes and references
Jarael