Antares Draco

"Do you understand?''" "''No, sire. But I will obey."

- Roan Fel and Antares Draco

Antares Draco was the male human leader of the Imperial Knights during the Second Imperial Civil War. An ace pilot and a skilled lightsaber duelist, Draco was fiercely loyal to and willing to die for Roan Fel, Emperor of the Galactic Empire and later the Empire-in-exile. Although genuine and stemming from years of hard work, this loyalty was also partly rooted in Draco's love for and desire to marry Princess Marasiah Fel, the Emperor's daughter and heir to his throne. Along with Marasiah, Draco could count fellow Imperial Knight Ganner Krieg as one of his most trusted friends and allies, and was more often than not paired with Krieg on missions during the war. Brash and cocky, Draco was openly critical of both the Sith and the Jedi; the latter bias often put him at odds with Jedi Knights that he found himself working alongside.

Trained by the Emperor himself, Draco was an Imperial Knight as early as 130 ABY at the conclusion of the Sith-Imperial War, and fled the Imperial capital with Fel when the Sith Lord Darth Krayt seized control of the Empire and the galaxy, declaring a new order and driving Fel's forces into exile. Seven years later, Draco accompanied Fel as he retook the world of Bastion, and soon after traveled to Vendaxa with Krieg in a daring attempt to rescue Marasiah from the clutches of the Sith. Escaping on the Mynock, a ship belonging to the bounty hunter Cade Skywalker, Draco and Krieg were able to return the princess to Bastion, but at the expense of their Emperor's trust, as Fel had expressly forbidden them from rescuing her.

Hoping to win enough of Fel's trust back to persuade the Emperor to allow him to marry the princess, Draco grew even stauncher in his willingness to obey orders, journeying with Krieg on missions to the Wheel, the Hidden Temple, and Had Abbadon. While on the latter mission, Draco unhesitatingly accepted Fel's order to obtain the the ancient Sith artifact known as the Muur Talisman, an acceptance which brought him into conflict with fellow Imperial Knights Krieg and Azlyn Rae. It was also this mission that saw Rae aid in killing Darth Krayt; after returning to Bastion, Draco was assigned by Fel to investigate the general reaction on Coruscant to the news of the Sith Lord's death.

Sith-Imperial War
"Mohrgan&hellip;the others&mdash;!''" "''I felt it too. We will honor their sacrifices and escape."

- Draco and Roan Fel, feeling the deaths of four fellow Imperial Knights in the Force

Like the rest of the Imperial Knights, Draco was forbidden by Emperor Roan Fel to participate in the Sith-Imperial War, a conflict between Fel's Empire and the Galactic Alliance that raged from 127 ABY to 130 ABY. Instead, the Imperial Knights served as a personal bodyguard to the Emperor. Following the Battle of Caamas, which saw the defeat of the Galactic Alliance and the end of the war, Draco and fellow Imperial Knight Mohrgan Fel accompanied the Emperor to his private chambers on Coruscant as Fel prepared for a meeting with the Moff Council. Fel planned to arrest Grand Moff Morlish Veed, whom he suspected had disobeyed him by ordering the Massacre of the Jedi Order at Ossus. Fel instructed Draco and Mohrgan to kill Veed if he made any suspicious moves, and to watch Director of Imperial Intelligence Nyna Calixte closely. At that moment, Calixte revealed herself to be in the room with them and eavesdropping, and after being held against the wall by Mohrgan's use of The Force, revealed that Fel's Sith allies were planning to kill him. Draco advised his Emperor not to trust her, but Fel bid her explain herself, prompting her to point out that his survival was in her interests in addition to his own.

Mohrgan volunteered to lead a contingent of Imperial Knights and accompany Fel's double in appearing before the Moffs, a ruse which ultimately allowed Fel and Draco to flee the planet. Darth Krayt, the leader of the Sith, appeared at the Moff's meeting, and slew Mohrgan's entire contingent before striking down Fel's decoy and declaring himself the new Emperor of the galaxy. Concurrent with these events, Fel and Draco were making an underground escape from Coruscant through Sublevel 12. As the two destroyed guard droids that attempted to halt them, Draco felt the deaths of his fellow Knights in the Force. Fel told him that they would honor their sacrifices by escaping. Displaced from his throne, Roan Fel and his Imperial Knights were now in exile.

Rescue at Vendaxa
"Is loyalty the same as obedience?"

- Draco to Ganner Krieg

At some point before 137 ABY, Draco earned the title of Master, and, under the tutelage of Roan Fel, became the leader of the Imperial Knights behind Fel himself.

After seven years of conducting hit-and-run tactics on Krayt's Imperial fleets, Roan Fel returned to the Imperial stronghold of Bastion, which Krayt had claimed shortly after the conclusion of the war. Draco accompanied Fel as he arrived on-planet, along with fellow Imperial Knights Sigel Dare and Draco's trusted friend Ganner Krieg. After securing the loyalty of the Imperial forces stationed on the planet, Fel believed that his Empire could now become a more potent threat to Krayt, although Draco cautioned him that Krayt would now know where to find him. Fel was then informed by General Oron Jaeger that Elke Vetter, an Imperial Knight and the bodyguard of Fel's daughter, Princess Marasiah Fel, had been killed on Socorro, and that Marasiah was missing. Draco immediately volunteered to take three knights to Socorro to rescue her, but was forbidden to do so by Fel, who would not allow his new base to be discovered yet. A distraught Draco told Fel that he did not understand, but would obey. Nevertheless, he continued his attempts to convince the Emperor to mount a rescue mission, proclaiming that he would die before revealing that Bastion had been retaken. Reminded by Krieg that they had sworn an oath of loyalty to the Emperor, Draco wondered if loyalty was the same as obedience.

Despite their orders, Draco and Krieg made their way in two stolen Predator-class fighters to Vendaxa, where Marasiah and her companion Astraal Vao had been picked up by the bounty hunter Cade Skywalker, and had rendezvoused with Jedi Knights Wolf Sazen and Astraal's brother, Shado Vao. Arriving at the site of Skywalker's grounded ship, the Mynock, their fighters were shot down by a Sith Fury-class fighter, but Draco and Krieg managed to escape the flaming wrecks of their ships. They arrived on the scene simultaneously with the Sith Lords Darth Talon, Darth Nihl, and a legion of other Sith, who had been pursuing Marasiah since her escape from Socorro. With his hood up, Draco appeared to the Sith to be Fel himself, but revealed his identity and told them to run while they still had the chance. Along with the Jedi and the princess, Draco and Krieg ignited their lightsabers and engaged the Sith in combat. Despite seven years of tension between the Jedi and Roan Fel's Empire, the Jedi and Imperial Knights were fighting side-by-side against their common enemy, the Sith. Marasiah was angered by Draco's attempt to rescue her, which she suspected had been forbidden by her father. Draco's reasoning was that he loved her, to which her response was simply: "I know." She was soon after cut down by a Zabrak Sith while protecting a derelict Skywalker.

Believing that the person they had sworn to protect had been killed, Draco and Krieg fought the Sith with renewed vigor. Draco cradled what he believed to be Marasiah's corpse in his arms, until faint signs of life led him to rush her to the Mynock while Sazen covered him. When Sazen attempted to return to the battle, Draco held him back, insisting that Marasiah's life was more important than anyone else's. Frantic, he revealed that the Massacre at Ossus had happened against the Emperor's orders, and convinced Sazen to do whatever he could to heal her. Draco rushed back outside of the ship, only to find that it was taking off, with everyone but the Sith aboard. As Talon leapt onto the ship's closing hatch, Draco Force-pushed her off, allowing the Mynock to leave the surviving Sith behind and escape.

On the bridge, Draco pressured Jariah Syn and Deliah Blue, respectively the ship's co-pilot and mechanic, to set a course for Bastion, and bid them get there as fast as they could, else he would kill them. When Krieg told Draco that Marasiah was on her way to death, a very reluctant Skywalker, reminded of his healing powers, offered to help, but was met with a punch to the face by an emotionally heated Draco. An intervening Shado Vao prevented a fight from ensuing, and his sister convinced Draco and Krieg to let Skywalker heal Marasiah. After Skywalker used his powers to bring her back from the edge of death, the Mynock safely arrived at Bastion.

Mission to the Wheel
"We're going to win back the Emperor's trust."

- Draco while aboard the Wheel

Shortly after Skywalker and the Jedi departed Bastion in the Mynock, Fel summoned Draco and Krieg, and berated them for having disobeyed a direct order, accusing Draco of putting his love for the princess before the needs of the Empire. As the Sith had likely tracked the Mynock to Bastion, Fel believed that he now had a stalemate with Krayt's Empire. Draco, ready to receive any punishment the Emperor wished to hand them, was shocked when Fel told them that they would be receiving medals. He was retroactively approving their mission to Vendaxa, rather than having news of their insubordination undermine his authority. Draco and Krieg's punishment was thus that they were being declared the Empire's foremost heroes, and thenceforth being tasked with its most dangerous missions. Fel then told Draco to forget about the idea of marrying his daughter, and sent the two on their next mission --- escorting Captain Mingo Bovark to the Wheel, where Bovark would be discussing a possible alliance with Admiral Gar Stazi of the Galactic Alliance Remnant. Fel needed allies, and, having met Sazen and Vao, doubted that he could find them among the Jedi. Draco and Krieg's mission was to ensure Bovark's safety at all costs, and to see that the negotiations went smoothly. Before their departure, a ceremony was held where they received their medals.

Aboard the Wheel, Stazi and Bovark met in a conference room, with each's set of guards required to wait outside. Draco and Krieg, despite having been required to leave their lightsabers aboard their ship, smuggled them aboard the space station. Draco told Krieg that he didn't trust the Galactic Alliance guards who were staring them down, and vowed to win back the Emperor's trust.

While the talks were happening, Imperial Spies Morrigan Corde and Jor Torlin, also aboard the station, managed to cause the Imperial shuttle to fire on Stazi's ship using a Command Override Limpet Droid, prompting Stazi to believe that Roan Fel had betrayed him. Angry, Stazi drew a vibro-shiv on Bovark, while outside the conference room, a firefight erupted between the Imperial Knights and the Galactic Alliance guards. Krieg held off the guards while Draco burst into the room to retrieve Bovark, Force-pushing Stazi away from his charge. Wheel Administrator Pol Temm and several security guards arrived, and called on the Imperial Knights to surrender their weapons immediately. Draco refused, and Temm ordered the Imperials off of the Wheel, declaring the station off-limits to all of Roan Fel's forces. Bovark wondered why the Imperial shuttle had fired, and Draco suspected sabotage. He vowed to find and kill whoever was responsible.

Some time later, while on Bastion, Draco felt a disturbance in the Force, and rushed to the Pellaeon Gardens, where he found Emperor Fel standing over the corpse of the Sith Lord Darth Kruhl. Kruhl had arrived on-planet aboard the Star Destroyer Dauntless, whose crew had been sent by Darth Krayt under the guise of defecting to Fel's Empire; the ruse allowed Kruhl to make an attempt on Fel's life. Fel shook off Draco's concerns over his wellbeing, and informed him that he would be sending Krayt a message back. Every crew member of the Dauntless was then killed, save for its Governor, Vikar Dorn, who was spared in order to deliver the message.

Journey to the Hidden Temple
"In the name of the true Emperor, Roan Fel, we come bearing greetings to our Jedi cousins."

- Marasiah Fel

Over the next several weeks, acting on the orders of the Emperor, Draco kept mainly to himself, avoiding Marasiah Fel in particular as she completed her training and became a full-fledged Imperial Knight. As the Emperor prepared to send Marasiah, Draco, and Krieg on a mission, Draco sat sulking in the gardens of Bastion's royal greenhouses and was approached by Marasiah. Worried about her safety, he intended to counsel the Emperor to replace her on the mission with another Imperial Knight. Marasiah surprised him with a kiss, telling him that she had no intention of letting her father run her personal life.

The three Imperial Knights were sent to the Iego system, where their fellow Knight, Azlyn Rae, had been sent on a mission to locate Cade Skywalker, who the Emperor worried had divulged Imperial secrets to the Sith. Undercover, Rae confronted Skywalker as he visited his uncle, "Bantha" Rawk&mdash;formerly the Jedi Knight Nat Skywalker&mdash;on Iego, and claimed to be a bounty hunter. Owing to her status as a former Jedi and a childhood friend of Skywalker's, Rae was able to learn of the existence of the Jedi's Hidden Temple. As she prepared to follow the Mynock to the temple in her ship, she relayed the Temple's coordinates to Draco, Krieg, and Marasiah, who waited nearby in a ship of their own. Although both Draco and Krieg suspected that she might be setting them up, the three Imperial Knights set a course for the Hidden Temple on Taivas.

Cloaking their ship, the Imperial Knights followed the Mynock to the Hidden Temple and landed at the base behind their quarry. Draco, Krieg, and Marasiah disembarked just as the Mynock crew was being greeted by Wolf Sazen and Shado Vao, Draco and Krieg with their lightsabers drawn in an effort to protect the princess from any potential danger. Misinterpreted as hostility, the move prompted Vao and Skywalker to draw their own weapons and engage the two Imperial Knights in duels; Draco duelled Cade in defense of what he perceived as an attack on Marasiah. Furious that they had hitched a free ride on his ship, and realizing Rae's true identity as an Imperial Knight, Skywalker Force-pushed both Draco and Krieg across the hangar. In response, Marasiah ignited her own lightsaber, informing Skywalker that the Imperial Knights had come on a mission of peace. Draco stood by as she told Sazen that they had come to open discussions with the Jedi about a possible alliance between them and Roan Fel's Empire, and then told them himself that they had relayed the coordinates of the Hidden Temple to Bastion.

After tensions between the Imperial Knights, the Jedi, and the crew of the Mynock had died down, the Imperial delegation was permitted to see the Jedi Council. Accompanied by both Skywalkers, Sazen, and Vao, they appeared before Jedi Masters K'Kruhk, Tr'a Saa, and Tili Qua; Saa believed that the Force had allowed the Imperial Knights to come to the Hidden Temple for a reason. Draco stood by as Marasiah gave a long speech, revealing that her father had not ordered the Massacre at Ossus, and calling on the Jedi to open talks with him so that they might cooperate against their common enemy, the Sith. Skywalker chimed in, revealing knowledge of Darth Krayt and the One Sith that he had learned during his time as their captive, and proposed a plan of his own: assassinate Darth Krayt. Although the Jedi Council was taken aback by Skywalker's proposal, the Imperial Knights were impressed by it --- Draco thought that it was the first thing Skywalker had ever said that he liked. Ultimately, the council did not support the mission, but Skywalker decided to proceed without their assistance. Marasiah assigned Draco, Krieg, and Rae to accompany him on his mission, while she would stay behind to continue negotiating an alliance with the Jedi; Draco was appointed the leader of the Imperial Knights' mission. Skywalker's astromech droid, R2-D2, opened the cargo bay doors of the Mynock and allowed Draco and Krieg to load their TIE predators into the ship's hold. With their fighters already aboard his ship, Skywalker reluctantly allowed them to join him on the mission. Vao joined the strike team as well, as the sole representative of the Jedi.

Mission to Had Abbadon
"Your will be done, Majesty."

- Draco to Roan Fel

Skywalker formulated a plan to lure Krayt to the planet Had Abbadon. En route, Draco and Krieg watched Vao practice lightsaber technique against a remote in the ship's cargo hold, before the Mynock was drawn out of hyperspace by the interdiction field of the Star Destroyer Iron Sun, which Old Republic Jedi Celeste Morne had commandeered ten years before and kept dormant in the Deep Core. Draco observed that there were no TIE predators meeting them, and that the Star Destroyer's hull had taken fire damage from the inside. After the Mynock was locked in a tractor beam, and Vao and Skywalker sensed the presence of a Force-user on the ship, the crew set out to explore the derelict vessel. Skywalker ordered Draco and Krieg to explore the corridors connected to the hangar bay, where they found several bones, some of which had been gnawed on. Following an attack on Skywalker, Rae, Vao, and Jariah Syn by Rakghouls, Draco contacted Deliah Blue on the Mynock, suggesting that Skywalker was dead and that the mission be called off. Blue ignored him and rushed into the interior of the ship, followed by Draco and Krieg. The trio located Syn and Vao in front of a locked door, along with several tame-seeming Rakghouls, beasts that Morne was able to control with the power of the Muur Talisman, an ancient Sith artifact that housed the spirit of the Sith Lord Karness Muur. As Draco and Vao attempted to force their way into the door, it opened suddenly, revealing a weary Skywalker and Rae. Morne followed, and, having just been impressed by Skywalker's healing abilities, decided to join them on their mission.

With Morne as their newest passenger, the Mynock arrived at Had Abbadon, a planet that was under the control of Krayt's Empire. In a ruse, Draco and Krieg piloted their TIE predators after Shado Vao's TwinTail Fighter, and blasted gounded TIE pilots before they could get to their ships, helping to rid the base of its Imperials. With the base clear, Draco accessed the holonet and informed Roan Fel of the Muur Talisman. Realizing its power, Fel told Draco to obtain it. With his new instructions, Draco interrupted a tender moment between Krieg and Rae, and got into a verbal quarrel with the two of them, both of whom questioned Fel's new order. After Rae stormed off, Draco told Krieg that he would have to kill her if she disobeyed their Emperor, and was met with a heated rebuke from his trusted friend: he would have to kill Krieg first. Tension mounted between the two as they argued over their primary duties as Imperial Knights, and, with the argument unresolved, Krieg walked away.

Lured to Had Abbadon by the bait of the Muur Talisman, Darth Krayt arrived along with four of his most trusted Sith Lords: Darths Stryfe, Wyyrlok, Talon, and Maladi. Four of the five Sith Lords confronted Morne and Skywalker, before Draco, Krieg, Rae, and Vao emerged from hiding, having managed to conceal themselves in the Force. The six members of the strike team attacked the Sith, aided by Morne's army of Rakghouls, who ended up cutting the Imperial Knights off from the battle. Draco, wanting to ensure both the death of Krayt and the obtainment of the Talisman, ordered Krieg and Rae to take care of Krayt while he confronted Morne. Rae protested, but was angrily Force-pushed away by Draco, who was in turn physically restrained by Krieg. A frustrated Krieg bid Draco go confront Morne while he and Rae dealt with Krayt. Draco cut his way through several Rakghouls and confronted Morne, who engaged him in lightsaber combat, taunting him and telling him that the Emperor was not worthy of the Talisman. Morne easily Force-pushed Draco away, causing him to hit his head and lose consciousness.

While Draco lay unconscious, Krayt was stabbed through the chest by Rae, and Force-pushed off of a cliff by Morne, before being killed by his own servant, Darth Wyyrlok. However, the Force lightning produced during the confrontation mortally wounded Rae. After Krayt's defeat, Skywalker destroyed the Talisman and killed Morne, but could not effectively heal Rae with the Force. As Draco regained consciousness, the crew of the Mynock prepared to depart for Kiffex with Vao and Rae. Skywalker refused Draco and Krieg passage, as he knew that they had tried to secure the Talisman for their Emperor. The Mynock departed, leaving Draco insistent that he and Krieg return to Bastion to report to Fel. After returning to Bastion, the two were joined by Sigel Dare in appearing before the Emperor. Fel was not pleased that they had allowed the Talisman to be destroyed, and, without proof, was not entirely convinced that Krayt had been killed. His sources told him that Krayt was in stasis on Korriban, and, as such, he assigned Draco to discover what was happening on Coruscant as rumors spread regarding the Sith Lord's demise.

Later, Draco was on Bastion, and, along with Masters Dare, Hogrum Chalk, and Emperor Fel, observed a sparring match between Masters Krieg and Rae that was happening under the direction of Master Treis Sinde.

Personality and traits
"As Imperial Knights, we serve the Emperor's will!"

- Draco to Azlyn Rae

Antares Draco's service to the Empire saw him follow in the footsteps of his forefathers; one of his ancestors was a member of the Galactic Empire's Inquisitorius. As of 137 ABY, Draco was the second-in-command of the Imperial Knights; behind Roan Fel, he was the highest-ranking member of the organization and was at the head of its disciplined command structure, a position he earned through years of hard work, discipline, and loyalty. Draco possessed unwavering loyalty to the cause of the Imperial Knights and was willing to die for his Emperor, but his loyalty, though unflinching, was not blind. Draco defied the orders of his Emperor on at least one occasion, when he and Ganner Krieg traveled to Vendaxa to rescue princess Marasiah Fel from the Sith, wondering if the concept of loyalty could transcend obedience. Following this incident, Draco was willing to accept any punishment that the Emperor would hand out, and became more willing to obey his Emperor in the hope that it would persuade Fel to allow him to marry Marasiah. Such was Draco's loyalty that he unhesitatingly obeyed Fel's order to obtain the Muur Talisman from Celeste Morne, and dismissed the objections of Krieg and Azlyn Rae that it was an evil Sith artifact which would corrupt their Emperor. On this occasion, Draco insisted that Imperial Knights always served the Emperor's will, but was letting his desire to marry the princess cloud his judgment. This occasion also saw Draco verbally quarrel with Ganner Krieg, who was normally his most trusted friend.

Although it was said that his personal feelings rarely interfered with his work, Draco was openly critical of the Jedi, and remarked on more than one occasion that Shado Vao was no match for an Imperial Knight, despite his having bore witness to the Jedi's formidable skills. His malice towards those who didn’t serve Fel's Empire also extended to bounty hunters, members of the Galactic Alliance, and those serving Darth Krayt's Empire; Draco had no moral qualms about killing the latter, although fellow Imperial Knights Krieg and Treis Sinde did.

Draco's dedication to Fel was second to none, yet he knew that instinct and intuition were as important to an Imperial Knight as dedication and discipline. His belief that listening to the Force and heeding one's insights were paramount helped craft him into a cunning, loyal, and very competent warrior. However, his love for Marasiah could cause him to lose face and control of his emotions; her brush with death on Vendaxa prompted him to threaten the lives of Jariah Syn and Deliah Blue, and saw him punch Cade Skywalker in the face when the bounty hunter offered to heal Marasiah with the Force. In spite of his brashness and cockiness, he was said to be nearly incorruptible.

Marasiah Fel
During the Second Imperial Civil War, Draco was in love with Marasiah Fel, the daughter of his Emperor and a fellow Imperial Knight. Draco would claim that he cared about her more than this vows as a Knight, his fealty to her father, or his loyalty to the Empire. His feelings for her were enough to prompt him to disobey the Emperor's orders when she was in danger, and to unwaveringly obey his orders when doing so might convince the Emperor to let Draco marry her. After being told that he could forget the idea of marrying her, Draco spent weeks sulking, and, influenced by the Emperor, told Marasiah that he doubted their relationship could work. She, however, had no intention of letting her father run her personal life, and made it clear that his feelings for her were reciprocated.

Powers and abilities
A powerful Force-user, Draco was extremely skilled both with a lightsaber and behind the controls of a starfighter. He was said to be a competent and cunning warrior, and proved the claim on several occasions, such as on Vendaxa, when he aided in fighting off a legion of Sith. Draco was skilled with various uses of the Force, including levitation and sensing disturbances in the Force.

Behind the scenes
Antares Draco was created by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema for the comic book series Star Wars: Legacy, and, along with the Imperial Knights in general, was first revealed in Legacy’s Issue 0, released in June 2006. He would go on to make his first appearance in the third issue of the series; Draco has played a prominent role as a major character in Legacy since.

Although Draco’s age has not been stated in canon, Duursema has indicated that he was seventeen or eighteen in 130 ABY, and twenty-four or twenty-five in 137 ABY. She acknowledged that it was a good question as to why he was the leader of the Imperial Knights at such a young age, and indicated that she and Ostrander do have ideas of how to address that question within Legacy’s story.

In 2009, the Legacy Era Campaign Guide was published by Wizards of the Coast, and mentioned that Draco was the descendant of a member of the Imperial Inquisitorius who served under Palpatine. Although the specific familial bond was not made, the implication nevertheless exists that the ancestor in question was Valin Draco.

Figures
In 2008, Draco received his own miniature figurine, as part of the Legacy of the Force set of Star Wars Miniatures, as well as his own action figure. Hasbro, as part of its Legacy Collection comic packs, released Draco and Ganner Krieg as 3 ¾ inch action figures, packaged with Issue 6 of Legacy.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Legacy 8: Allies
 * Star Wars Legacy: Broken
 * Star Wars Legacy: Trust Issues
 * Star Wars Legacy 13: Ready to Die
 * Star Wars Legacy: Loyalties
 * Star Wars Legacy: The Hidden Temple
 * Star Wars Legacy: Vector
 * Star Wars Legacy 35: Storms, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 43: Monster, Part 1