Irek Ismaren

"Really nasty business. Gives even mad science a bad name."

- Baljos Arnjak

Irek Ismaren was the son of Roganda Ismaren and Sarcev Quest, often mistakenly referred to as the son of Emperor Palpatine himself.

Biography
Irek hid for years on the out-of-the-way planet of Belsavis with his mother. During this time Irek grew stronger in the dark side of the Force with each passing day. A unique ability of his was his control over machines through the Force; by visualizing their schematics in his mind, he could channel the Force through a subelectronic converter implanted in his head at age five and use the Force to affect droids with abilities they were previously immune to, such as various mind tricks.

At age seven, Irek began to be trained in both the use of the dark side from his mother and the theories of droid control and creation by Nasdra Magrody, using accelerated-learning techniques developed by Wilhuff Tarkin for his Omwat facility. By the age of twelve, Irek was knowledgeable enough on the subject to qualify for an advanced degree on the subject.

When Irek was fifteen Leia Organa Solo visited Belsavis and recognized Irek's mother. Irek and Roganda trapped Leia and held her hostage. Irek was in the process of bringing the Eye of Palpatine to the planet as part of an attempt to re-establish the Galactic Empire. But the ship was destroyed before it reached Belsavis and Irek and his mother escaped into the planet's dense jungle.

Irek and his mother managed to somehow book passage off the planet and relocated to an unnamed location in the Corva Sector, and later to Coruscant, where Roganda had more alterations done to her son, including upgrading the memory chip in his brain, forcing his body to grow well past maturity so he reached a height of three meters, and having lightsabers implanted in his knees, wrists, and elbows.

Roganda hired Blackhole to further instruct Irek in the ways of the dark side of the Force, but when Irek lost his temper a lightsaber fight ensued between the two, resulting in Blackhole's retreat. However, before he retreated, the Dark Jedi all but slew Irek, stabbing him through the brain with a lightsaber. Irek did not die immediately, even though he suffered severe brain damage.

A second series of experiments were begun to try and save Irek from brain death. Before the process was complete, Coruscant fell to the Yuuzhan Vong. Irek broke free and killed his mother. Because he could not speak and had no idea who he was or what had happened to him, it was at this point he took the name 'Lord Nyax' from the Corellian legend, after hearing it in the minds of his victims, and terrorized the stranded citizens of Coruscant after the planet fell to the control of the Yuuzhan Vong. Nyax used mind control on the survivors of Coruscant's fall to get them to scout out the Yuuzhan Vong for him, as well as for other tasks such as clearing paths and the like.

Due to a large 'knot' he sensed in the Force, Nyax had discovered the location of the old Jedi Temple, and used the Force wellspring underneath it to become even more powerful. Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Tahiri Veila, who were on Coruscant as part of a reconnaissance team, discovered Nyax and fought him. Since battling Nyax with lightsabers was out of the question, the three used the Force and assaulted him with rubble. Nyax fell into a nearby pit, drew in all the dark side energy he could muster, and released it, devastating the surrounding area. His body had died, but his dark side presence lingered on in nearby structures.

Appearances

 * Children of the Jedi
 * Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
 * Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand