Etain Tur-Mukan

"Yes, I know I should be directing the battle from the ship. Yes, I know we could reduce the surface of Dinlo into molten slag from orbit. But we can extract more than a thousand men, and that's worth doing. I asked for volunteers and I got the whole ship's crew and every man in Improcco Company, and not from blind obedience. Let me try."

- Etain before the Battle of Dinlo

Etain Tur-Mukan was a female Human Jedi Knight and General who lived during the Clone Wars. She was the Padawan of Jedi Master Kast Fulier. They both were assigned to Qiilura some time before the Battle of Geonosis to collect vital information about the Trade Federation and Separatist infrastructure on the planet. It was during this assignment that she would first encounter the Clone commando's of Omega Squad, with whom she would later become increasingly involved with.

After finishing her mission on Qiilura, Etain completed her Jedi Trials under Arligan Zey and became a full Jedi Knight. She served in multiple command positions throughout the clone wars, and completed assignments with both Omega Squad, Delta Squad and other clone units on Coruscant, Kashyyyk and elsewhere. During one of these missions she would break the Jedi Code's rule of attachment by falling in love with Darman, RC-1136, a Clone Commando in Omega Squad, and becoming pregnant with his child, Venku Skirata. The two would later marry in the traditional Mandalorian way shortly before her death in 19 BBY.

Etain was killed shortly after the issue of Order 66 in the aftermath of Operation: Knightfall at a security checkpoint at Shinarcan Bridge, Coruscant near the Jedi Temple. Etain had recently returned from Kashyyyk and was attempting to rejoin the rest of Clan Skirata and escape off-planet. On the way to the rendezvous, Etain had to pass through a security checkpoint on Shinarcan Bridge when several Padawans were discovered in the crowd. A melee ensued as the Padawans tried to escape, and Etain instinctively jumped between a clone trooper and a panicking Jedi Padawan, receiving the downward arc of the blow meant for the clone, severing her spine and killing her nearly instantaneously, only meters from her loved ones.

Early years
Taken from her parents at a young age after being discovered to be Force-sensitive, Etain Tur-Mukan was trained in the ways of the Force at the Coruscant Jedi Temple. After completing her education at the Temple's academy, Tur-Mukan was selected as Padawan by the Jedi Master Kast Fulier. Together, the Master-Padawan pair accepted missions from the Jedi High Council and traveled the galaxy together.

Assignment to Qiilura
Before the breakout of the Clone Wars, Tur-Mukan and her Master, Kast Fulier, were entrusted with covertly monitoring and gathering intelligence of suspected Separatist activity within the Trade Federation Barq export operation on the backwater planet of Qiilura. They worked for several weeks in deep cover, gathering information on a number of Separatist facilities around the planet's capital, Imbraani, including Dr. Ovolot Qail Uthan's biological research facility and the Separatist communication facility near Teklet. Fulier, although greatly skilled, was known for his sympathetic and just nature, oftentimes drawing unwanted attention to the pair while undercover. Upon witnessing how the Neimoidians and the Mandalorian mercenary Ghez Hokan exploited and oppressed the local population, Fulier could not bring himself to resist intervening. After defending a few of the locals against one of Hokan's thugs, the same locals would later reveal his whereabouts to Ghez Hokan for little more than the price of a bottle of Urrqal, forcing Tur-Mukan to escape on her own with the building schematics they had recovered. Fulier was eventually captured and executed by Hokan, who then took Fulier's lightsaber for his own use.

Tur-Mukan and Omega Squad
For the next few weeks Tur-Mukan managed to survive on her own, hiding in the countryside outside Imbraani. Still in possession of the plans, she was desperately looking for a way to either escape the hostile world or at least transmit what she and Fulier had gathered off-planet. Right after she had narrowly escaped a drunk Weequay thug, she met with a Gurlanin, a shapeshifter species, by the name of Jinart, whom at that time was under the guise of an old woman. Jinart helped Etain by influencing a barq farmer named Birhan in order to get her shelter at his farm, at least for the time being.

When Omega Squad landed on the planet, it was also Jinart who scouted out the whereabouts of the Commandos and led Tur-Mukan to meet RC-1136. When she first felt him in the Force, she was confused to sense a child rather than a man. When she finally met Darman, she mistook him for Hokan, and attempted to kill him. After being disarmed, she realized that it was not, in fact, Hokan. From Darman, Tur-Mukan first learned of the Grand Army of the Republic, as well as the fact that Jedi had been made commanders and generals in charge of leading the army. Given her self-critical nature, feeling she had been a disappointment to the Jedi, Tur-Mukan refused to take up on that role, going so far as to order Darman to disobey her if she gave an order that made no logical sense. Nevertheless, she agreed to join Omega Squad in their mission to avert the danger rooting in Dr. Uthan's research of a nanovirus lethal to clones and take the scientist prisoner.

With Tur-Mukan's plans on the Separatist facilities, Tur-Mukan and Darman tried to make contact with the other three members of Omega Squad. During her march through Qiilura's backlands, Tur-Mukan got to know the clones as people, and they established a friendship-like relation, especially with the clone Darman. Tur-Mukan felt sorry for the clones, whose only purpose in life was to fight and eventually die for the Republic, and tried to match their expectations as much as possible.

After teaming up with the rest of Omega Squad, who had already destroyed the Separatist communications monitoring facility at Teklet, they proceeded towards the nanovirus research laboratories. Through various firefights with hostile mercenaries and Separatist Battle Droids, Tur-Mukan became more and more used to the soldier's ways, learning that sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. Although still feeling under pressure from the faithful expectations from the clones, she began to slip into the role of a commanding officer.

Utilizing one of Hokan's deserted lieutenants the Omega Squad had taken prisoner, Tur-Mukan spread false information about their numbers by using a Jedi mind trick on the lieutenant, in order to force the Mandalorian to concentrate his forces at one point. However, the bluff turned against the squad: Hokan instead divided his forces between the two possibly endangered locations, attempting to perform a double bluff to get the Omega Squad to attack the villa of Lik Ankkit, in which a stockpile of explosives were being stored.

With Jinart's help, Omega Squad managed to blow up the villa, infiltrate the research facility and take Dr. Uthan prisoner. While Tur-Mukan, Darman, and Atin made their way back to the extraction point with their prisoner, Niner and Fi were confronted by Hokan.

During the rendezvous with the landing craft from the Majestic Tur-Mukan discovered that two members of her squad were still missing. Even though Jedi Master Arligan Zey insisted on leaving the planet immediately with the prisoner, Tur-Mukan refused to leave anyone behind. After a short argument, in which Tur-Mukan even threatened to disable the landing craft, Zey finally consented to wait for the two remaining members of Omega, feeling that her decision rooted deeply in her connection with the Force.

Going after the missing two members of Omega Squad, Tur-Mukan arrived at the battle between the two clones and Hokan, seeing Niner down, screaming for his Sergeant, while Hokan stood over him, about to finish him off with a vibroblade. Before Hokan managed to kill Niner, Tur-Mukan sneaked in behind the Mandalorian and beheaded him. Despite the fact that Niner had only been screaming to draw Hokan out, where Fi could kill, the sound of his screaming scarred Tur-Mukan.

After retrieving her master's lightsaber from Hokan's body, Zey offered Tur-Mukan to let her stay with him on Qiilura and assist the Gurlanin in establishing a working resistance against the remaining Separatist forces on the planet. Tur-Mukan knew that she had to adhere to the Jedi code and turn from the attachment she was about to form, but still asked Darman if he would like to stay with her. However, Darman refused, stating that he felt he must stay with his squad wherever they went. Staying with Master Zey, she said farewell to Omega Squad.

Before the events on Qiilura, Tur-Mukan had not been confident in herself or her Force abilities, as her connection with the Force was weak compared to others in the Order. It was Darman that helped her build self-esteem and confidence.

The 41st elite
For a time, Tur-Mukan worked with the 41st Elite Corps and Commander Gett, who commanded Improcco Company. She battled with the clones on Dinlo, and after battle would help the wounded and dying. She made a point of getting to know the clones' names, and not their numbers, and treated them as humanely as possible. It was here she first saw the Dha Werda Verda being performed.

Triple Zero
While en route back to Coruscant, the Fearless received an emergency Red Zero signal from Omega Squad. In transit, she gave the order to Delta Squad to extract the terrorists, and ordered the destruction of a Separatist ship primed to attack both squads. Recovering the two squads and terrorists, Fearless resumed course for Coruscant.

Mission on Coruscant
Tur-Mukan was later recruited by Kal Skirata to participate in a black op to destroy Confederate terrorist cells on Coruscant. She worked with Omega Squad, Delta Squad, fellow Jedi Bardan Jusik, Null ARC Troopers Ordo and Mereel, and Walon Vau, another Mandalorian recruited by Fett to train a batch of commandos.

Despite the Jedi code of non-attachment, her previous time spent with Darman had caused her to develop romantic feelings for him. She expressed these feelings to Darman during the course of the mission, and Darman reciprocated. Thus the two began a romantic relationship which would result with Tur-Mukan becoming pregnant.

In the final operation against the terrorists, Tur-Mukan was teamed up with Vau to eliminate the terrorist leader, Perrive. Accomplishing that, the two then worked together to eliminate a terrorist who had fled from the main battle, where it became apparent that she worked very well with Vau's strill, Mird.

Following the operation, Tur-Mukan told Skirata about her pregnancy, also telling Skirata that her child was Force-sensitive. The two agreed that the time was not right to tell Darman as it could distract him during battle. Skirata was adamant that the child would be raised Mandalorian, and knew it would not be safe for the child of a clone and a Jedi to become known to the Republic. So Skirata arranged to have Tur-Mukan sent to Qiilura until she came to term. After the boy's birth, in the event that Darman (for whatever reason) was unable to raise the boy, Skirata would raise the child. Tur-Mukan agreed to all Skirata's terms. Although she was heart-broken that she might not be able to be part of her child's life, she knew that the Mando way would be best for him. However, she hoped that she and Darman would be able to raise the child together after the Clone Wars ended. Tur-Mukan decided she would leave the Jedi Order at the end of the war to be with Darman and her baby.

Evacuation of Qiilura
Tur-Mukan led the relocation of the human residents of Qiilura, fulfilling the promise the Republic made to gain the Gurlanins' aide and allegiance. While on Qiilura, Tur-Mukan used daily Force meditation to advance her pregnancy. Though only ninety days pregnant, she succeeded in advancing the baby to six months development. She could not only tell that she was pregnant with a boy, but also that he was going to be Force sensitive. Commander Levet, along with his troops assisted her, and kept all rumors of her pregnancy at bay.

When the human farmers resisted evacuation, the troops were forced to work camp by camp, removing all resistance groups one at a time. The Gurlanins' were not pleased by this slowness and destroyed a Republic vessel; killing over ten thousand troops, to prove their dangerousness. Tur-Mukan led a large assault in a valley; bringing in an AT-TE to blast the foothills of the surrounding mountains. When the surviving rebels surrendered, Tur-Mukan led her troops to arrest them, setting off mines that were secretly planted between the rebels and Republic troops. Although the confrontation ended in victory on her side, she felt responsible for the troopers' deaths.

Away from action
Able to see the buried mines via the force, Tur-Mukan rescued a trooper by carrying him out of the minefield on her shoulders. Shortly after getting him to safety, she began to hemorrhage, possibly from added stress and weight of the trooper. Jinart contacted Kal Skirata and watched over her until Ordo arrived with a medical droid. The droid instructed Tur-Mukan to cease her meditation, allowing the baby to develop naturally, and to reduce her stress levels. Etain was forced to leave the field of battle with Ordo, who headed to Dorumaa to meet up with Skirata, where he had captured Ko Sai. After they met up, they headed for Skirata's recently obtained bastion Kyrimorut on Mandalore. While there, she learned what she could of genetics and used her pregnancy to barter with Ko Sai, offering blood and the baby's umbilical cord, in exchange for the anti-aging formula for the clones. Ko Sai, highly interested in studying Jedi blood, gave out bits of data as she collected the Jedi DNA.

Tur-Mukan would eventually have her child, named Venku Skirata, at first, then called Kad, by Skirata in the bastion. On holding Venku, Skirata realized he was wrong in insisting that Tur-Mukan give up her son. He gave her the option of staying on Mandalore to raise the child, so long as she left the Jedi order. Tur-Mukan felt she could not leave the war to raise Venku, especially since Darman would still be fighting. Skirata delivered the umbilical cord to Ko Sai, who would eventually kill herself, thanking Tur-Mukan for the ability to find one of her long desired answers.

Tur-Mukan returned to Coruscant to report to General Arligan Zey, and to introduce the baby to Omega Squad; however, he was introduced as Skirata's grandson. Skirata outlined that they needed to look for the right time to tell Darman that he was the father. Tur-Mukan was exasperated when Darman appeared nervous and scared around the child, holding him only moments before returning him to Skirata's arms. Atin asked Corr what he would name a son, which prompted Darman to say he would name a son Kad, meaning "saber" in Mando'a. Tur-Mukan left the baby with Skirata and spent the day with Darman, who told her he felt it was not the right time to have a baby during a war. Tur-Mukan knew at that point that she could not tell him he was the father.

Battle of Haurgab
While rejoining with both Omega and Delta Squad at Haurgab, Tur-Mukan decided it would be best that she tell Darman about Kad after the battle. When she saw that Scorch was grief-stricken with anger, she did her utmost best, through words, and when given permission through Force calming techniques, to calm him down.

Deciding to leave the Order
At Coruscant, Tur-Mukan told Darman that Venku was his son, and that they had named him Kad. Prior to this, Tur-Mukan met Callista Masana and discussed Jedi ethics and the idea of marriage. Tur-Mukan had also been growing more wary of the way the clones were treated by the Republic, and her own code of ethics did not mirror the Jedi Order's views. With guidance from the Force, she decided to leave the Order.

Although Darman was angry about being the last to know he had a son, he soon reconciled with Etain and they spent several days together with their son on Coruscant.

Mission to Kashyyyk
Tur-Mukan was sent with Delta Squad and Skirata's Wookiee companion Enacca, to liberate Enacca's homeworld of Kashyyyk, where she had seen the deadly Jedi-slaying cyborg, General Grievous, for the first time. Before Delta went on their objective to destroy a Recusant-class light destroyer, which attempted to land more battle droids, Tur-Mukan openly bet that they could be much faster than Omega, just to wish them luck.

However, when Tur-Mukan heard that Sev was being left behind, due to possible apprehension by multiple Separatist forces, she regretted her boast. She was more infuriated to hear that Grand Master Yoda himself had ordered Delta's evacuation. Enacca, under orders from Skirata, loaded Tur-Mukan into a transport shuttle and forced her back to Coruscant.

While Tur-Mukan was in transit back to Coruscant from Kashyyyk, Darman sent her a comlink message asking her to marry him according to Mandalorian tradition. Once she had emerged from hyperspace and received his message (after Order 66 had been initiated), she transmitted back and they were married.

Victim of the Sith
"Dar!"

- Etain's last words

This happiness would be short-lived, as Tur-Mukan saw the Jedi Temple burning while switching into civilian-like clothing. She heard rumors of Master Mace Windu trying to "assassinate" Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and being blasted away to his death for doing so, but she failed to recognize that Palpatine was Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, and that Anakin Skywalker had been manipulated into his new apprentice, Darth Vader. Skirata told Tur-Mukan to stay still and he would send someone to pick her up. Tur-Mukan refused, stating the Clan Skirata members shouldn't expose themselves so close to their defection from the GAR. Skirata went to meet her at the Shinarcan Bridge Extension after they learned her path to their hideout and current location.

However, while at the bridge, Tur-Mukan witnessed a group of Jedi Padawans attempt to break through a checkpoint held by clone troopers from the 501st Legion, who were now under Vader's command. Initially resisting the urge to get involved, she eventually reacted to a Jedi trying to kill one of the clones, and stepped in front of him. His lightsaber cut her from shoulder to spine. She died almost instantly, as Darman nearly broke into madness, Kal Skirata went into a fit of rage, and her son burst into tears while sensing her death.

Darman resisted his urge to run to her and break into tears, instead calling a Med-evac for Niner, who had broken his back when a Jedi pushed him off the bridge while leaping away from combat. This caused Darman to miss the evacuation with the rest of Clan Skirata, and to miss Tur-Mukan's funeral.

Funeral
Tur-Mukan was later cremated in Jedi fashion back on Kyrimorut, the home on Mandalore she was headed to before she died. Shortly before the ceremony, Kal Skirata posthumously adopted her as his daughter, saying daughter-in-law was not good enough. Her lightsabers were saved for Kad and her ashes saved for Darman. In Tur-Mukan's stead, Bardan Jusik trained Kad how to use his Force powers.

On Mandalore, Kal Skirata set up a memorial listing all the fallen clone troopers of the Clone Wars. Tur-Mukan was the only nonclone he permitted to be honored in the memorial. Although when Bardan Jusik died he would be allowed on the memorial. Jusik let Clan Skirata know after the funeral that Jedi believe that spirits of Jedi can sometimes appear and accompany loved ones even after death.

Legacy
After Tur-Mukan's death, the members of Clan Skirata would talk about her often, to keep her memory alive. The Strill Lord Mirdalan became excited at seeing Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy when she arrived on Mandalore, mistaking her for Tur-Mukan finally coming home. As of 41 ABY, her son wielded both her lightsaber and Kast Fulier's.

Appearance
Tur-Mukan was a short, thin, freckled woman with long, brown hair with streaks of red and blond. During her time as a Padawan she usually wore the traditional braid, although she deviated from the tradition during some of her time on Qiilura to avoid recognition.

Personality and traits
Tur-Mukan was a caring, but very insecure person. Even after getting used to her role as commander of Omega Squad, she was often shocked or disgusted by the actions of the troopers. She also felt disdain toward the thought of a clone's predestined life. Spending her whole life inside the Jedi Order, she did not expect many things in the outside world and was routinely surprised by how non-Jedi acted.

Tur-Mukan was a doubtful person; of her own abilities, her worth and usefulness as a Jedi and commander. Her fear of disappointing those who relied on her made her draw back from responsibility, which sometimes, especially under stress, made her desperate and angry. This inability to control her feelings as compared with the standards of the Jedi made her anxious and paradoxically uncomfortable. However, as she grew older and more experienced, particularly with Omega Squad, Tur-Mukan started to relinquish these problems. She would compare her situation in the Jedi Order to the clone pre-determined path, and start to see conflict between what she wanted and the Jedi order.

Ironically, it was her own sympathy for the clones that led to her death. Acting purely on instinct without giving the situation much rational thought, Tur-Mukan sought to defend a 501st Legion clone trooper from being killed by a Jedi, thus effectively dying for those who had been ordered to kill all of her fellow Jedi without remorse or hesitation.

Powers and abilities
Etain Tur-Mukan was not considered a very strong Jedi by the order as a whole, however Tur-Mukan displayed surprising physical resilience throughout her ordeal on Qiilura, keeping pace with Darman and Omega Squad despite her emaciated appearance. Her greatest weakness was her self-doubt. Through some of her actions she showed an amazing potential to control the Force, but her insecurity restricted her in many ways, especially when she tried to employ her various Force powers under stress.

Tur-Mukan employed a Jedi mind trick to keep multiple weak hostiles from discovering her and her squad, and to influence a Weequay lieutenant of Hokan's militia actively. She used her telekinetic abilities in addition to her physical strength when carrying equipment and to protect herself and Darman from deadly shrapnel from an explosion. Her most impressive display of telekinesis was the re-shaping of a gdan warren tunnel to allow Darman and Atin egress. Tur-Mukan was also able to use the Force to calm and comfort a disturbed mind. She used this ability at least once on Atin, who still suffered from the loss of his former squad brothers, and on the other clones as well to calm and encourage them. This could even be an indication that she had sufficient potential to achieve the ability of battle meditation, or at least a lesser form of that ability.

Behind the scenes
Etain Tur-Mukan was created for Republic Commando: Hard Contact, and later appeared in its sequels.

Appearances

 * Republic Commando: Hard Contact
 * Republic Commando: Triple Zero
 * Republic Commando: True Colors
 * Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel
 * Imperial Commando: 501st
 * Revelation