Octa Ramis

"Jedi for Jedi!"

- Octa on Kyp Durron's speech

Octa Ramis was a female Human Jedi Master from Chandrila who was trained to knighthood by Kam and Tionne Solusar. After becoming a Master, Ramis fought in the Dark Nest Crisis and the Second Galactic Civil War, whilst maintaining a position upon the Jedi High Council.

Early life
Octa Ramis was born on the planet Chandrila in the Core Worlds, but spent the majority of her life on high-gravity worlds where she built up her physical strength. Identified as a Force-sensitive individual, Ramis attended the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 where she was initially instructed by the Jedi Masters Kam and Tionne Solusar, before being apprenticed to Kam Solusar on a one-to-one basis. At the academy, Ramis became romantically involved with another student, Miko Reglia. Sometime prior to 25 ABY, Ramis graduated and attained the rank of Jedi Knight. Although a few within the Order&mdash;including Master Tionne Solusar&mdash;believed that Ramis and Reglia had ended their relationship after graduating, the pair were able to meet up again several times. Ramis also paired up with the Twi'lek Daeshara'cor for several missions.

The defense of Ithor
"That's pure madness. We're their best hope, and they won't have us working with them? It makes zero sense for them to do that. Then again, if that's how the government's thinking, being free of them might not be a bad thing."

- Octa Ramis on New Republic limitations on the Jedi

In 25 ABY, Ramis attended a memorial service for Reglia. Reglia had been killed by the Yuuzhan Vong&mdash;a species of extra-galactic warriors intent on conquering the galaxy&mdash;on the planet Helska 4. He was the first Jedi casualty of the conflict that would become known as the Yuuzhan Vong War. As the invasion progressed, Master Luke Skywalker called a meeting of all active Jedi shortly after the Battle of Dantooine. Held in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Ramis was among the participants. A supporter of Kyp Durron's stance that the Force was a tool that should be used to defeat the Yuuzhan Vong, and that the Order should be taking a more aggressive stance in dealing with the invasion, she was shocked at the New Republic's decision to not sanction Jedi missions within the invasion corridor. She was assigned a mission by Master Skywalker to assist in the war effort, but it was not one with an aggressive mandate.

Before leaving on her assignment, Ramis assisted Daeshara'cor in searching through the records archive for information on superweapons, using her skill with computers to erase the search logs. The Twi'lek Jedi had endured slavery in her childhood, and had never let go of her hatred of slavers. With the news that the Yuuzhan Vong were taking slaves and implanting them with surge coral to do their bidding, she transferred her hatred to the invaders, and sought to destroy them by any means necessary. To this end, she hoped to find another forgotten superweapon hidden away somewhere. Ramis, however, was unaware that a computer program designed by Anakin Solo to track search requests was also running on the academy's databases. The goal was to see what information was accessed by Jedi after receiving assignments so that future mission plans would include all relevant data. Unaware of the program's existence, Ramis did not delete her searches from its records. Correlation of the data by Solo and his aunt, Master Mara Jade Skywalker, revealed the search requests and Daeshara'cor was stopped before she could do anything harmful either to herself or others.

Following the successful extraction of a reconnaissance mission to the planet Garqi, Ramis was one of the two dozen Jedi assembled to defend Ithor, homeworld of the Ithorians. During the mission to Garqi, Jedi Knight Corran Horn had discovered that the pollen of the Bafforr tree triggered an allergic reaction in the Vonduun crab armor worn by the Yuuzhan Vong that contracted the living organism and crushed the wearer inside. Despite attempting to disguise the source of the infectious agent, it soon became clear that the Yuuzhan Vong were aware that the plant was native to Ithor and were preparing to assault the world. A joint New Republic and Imperial Remnant force, assisted by the Jedi, assembled to defend the planet.

Prior to the battle, the Jedi assembled aboard the Tafanda Bay, an Ithorian herdship in orbit of Ithor. In a ceremony presided over by High Priest Relal Tawron, each Jedi was required to renounce a part of themselves&mdash;in effect "pruning" aspects of themselves in order to become closer to the Mother Jungle. Ithorian tradition and customs dictated that this ceremony was required for any individuals wishing to set foot on the surface of Ithor. Ramis declared that mourning for Reglia had blinded her to many things, and that it was time to lay him to rest. She participated in the defence of the planet; an accord was reached between Corran Horn and the commander of the Yuuzhan Vong forces, Shedao Shai where the two would engage in single combat to decide the fate of the world. Although Horn won the duel and slew Shai, the Yuuzhan Vong's second in command, Deign Lian, launched a bacterial weapon at the planet. The bacteria began consuming the planet's animal and plant life, rendering it a lifeless husk. Battle between the defenders and the Yuuzhan Vong fleet was rejoined; during the engagement, the Yuuzhan Vong flagship, Legacy of Torment took crippling hits and plunged toward the surface of Ithor. The descent ignited the atmosphere, which in turn immolated the planet.

Holding back the night
"I heard about a few hotheaded Jedi who take, shall we say, a very proactive approach to the Peace Brigade." "What if they do? Who cares what happens to those Sith-spawned cowards? Jedi for Jedi&mdash;I've no quarrel with that!"

- Kyp's Dozen member Ian Rim and Octa Ramis on the proactive nature of some Jedi active during the Yuuzhan Vong War

As the war progressed, the New Republic and Jedi suffered defeat after defeat. Eventually, the Yuuzhan Vong offered the galaxy at large a deal&mdash;they would cease their invasion, ending their conquest with the capture of Duro, if the Jedi were handed over to them. With anti-Jedi sentiment reaching new heights, several Jedi fell prey to those who wished to appease the Yuuzhan Vong. In the wake of this turn of events, Master Skywalker called another meeting of Jedi. Ramis attended, though the anguish over Reglia she had lain aside had been replaced by grief for the loss of Daeshara'cor during the Battle of Ithor. She vocally supported Master Durron's stance that the Jedi had to look after their own as the galaxy at large turned against them. As the war continued, Master Skywalker established a High Council to better coordinate the Jedi. Despite being denied forming such a body immediately prior to the outbreak of hostilities by the New Republic's Advisory Council, Skywalker now felt it was necessary. Ramis was a member of the Council alongside several other Knights and Masters.

Two years into the war, Ramis joined with Kyp's Dozen, a group of starfighter pilots led by Master Durron. The only other Jedi in the squadron, the Dozen fought at Coruscant when it was conquered by the Yuuzhan Vong. Towards the end of the days-long battle, the Dozen were assigned to protect a ship carrying Jedi scientists, including Danni Quee who had recently developed a method jamming the Yuuzhan Vong;s Yammosk war coordinators. Ramis commanded a flight in the squadron, with three other pilots under her command. Emerging from hyperspace into the battlezone, the Dozen hooked up with the corvette carrying the scientists and their battered escort. Ramis led her pilots into combat with Yuuzhan Vong coralskippers, engaging a larger-than-normal enemy fighter that was intent on striking at the corvette. The coralskipper's dovin basal&mdash;which generated artificial singularities similar to black holes as a form of defense&mdash;resisted the standard tactic of stutter-firing low powered laser shots to overtax them, forcing Master Durron to seek another way of destroying it. Taking control of the hulk of a freighter destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong, he sent it hurtling towards the coralskipper while other members of the Dozen made sure it held its course. Ramis, who had been retasked to defend the corvette watched as Durron's tactic cost the lives of three pilots under his command. Appalled that his actions had cost the lives of so many pilots, she deserted his command and led the last two remaining members of the Dozen towards the small Jedi fleet. Harried by coralskippers, her wingmen were killed as she secured the area around the corvette, aided by Quee activating a Yammosk-jammer to disrupt the Yuuzhan Vong's ability to coordinate their fighters. Ramis regrouped with the Jedi fleet, the only other survivor of the Dozen alongside Durron.

Battle of Mon Calamari
Ramis continued to serve on the front lines during the war, and was present on Mon Calamari in 29 ABY for a meeting called by Master Kenth Hamner to discuss the lack of communication with Master Skywalker, who had travelled into the Unknown Regions to search for the fabled living planet of Zonama Sekot. The belief was that Zonama Sekot held the key to defeating the invaders, and Skywalker had assembled a group of Jedi&mdash;aided by Imperial support&mdash;to discover the location of the planet. Ramis advised sending a ship to contact Skywalker's group and ascertain their situation. Ramis was still on the planet when the Yuuzhan Vong moved against Mon Calamari. With Master Durron on an assignment to the planet Caluula, Ramis led the Dozen into combat against the Yuuzhan Vong. The battle was a victory for the combined Allied forces defending the world, resulting in the withdrawal of the enemy.

War's end
"This day has been years in the making. What we do from this moment forward will test our fealty to the Force in a way that the Jedi haven't been tested in more than a generation. Be mindful that we are not the purveyors of conflict and inequity, but the guardians of peace and justice. Above all, we want what the Force wants, no matter where that leads us. If some of us are not seen again today, that does not mean that our actions will have been in vain or will not be remembered."

- Luke Skywalker to the assembled Jedi on Zonama Sekot prior to the Second Battle of Coruscant

The cause of the Yuuzhan Vong's withdrawal from Mon Calamari was soon revealed; Zonama Sekot had travelled to the Coruscant system after being persuaded by Master Skywalker to assist in ending the war. The planet was a seed of the Yuuzhan Vong's original homeworld, Yuuzhan'tar. It was hoped that this revelation would be enough to end the conflict as Sekot, the living intelligence of the world, was willing to allow the Yuuzhan Vong to settle on the surface. Skywalker called all available Jedi to the planet, assuring them that it would be safe to travel to the Coruscant system despite the presence of a large Yuuzhan Vong fleet orbiting Coruscant itself. Ramis joined many of her fellow Jedi on the surface, where Skywalker explained the importance of Zonama Sekot to the Yuuzhan Vong. The world featured strongly in their religion, and its sudden reappearance was seen as an omen of defeat. Conversely, the Shamed Ones, the lowest caste of Yuuzhan Vong society, saw the planet as a holy, sacred place, that was the key to their redemption. Its arrival triggered a rebellion on the planet.

Zonama Sekot agreed to fashion living ships for the Jedi, and Ramis, along with several other Jedi such as Kyp Durron, Corran Horn, Kyle Katarn and Saba Sebatyne, underwent a special ceremony. Ramis and the other Jedi were led over a bridge and through a lamina-surfaced tunnel into a series of concealed courtyards. Required to adhere to a special diet, each candidate wore sashed robes and necklaces and listened to a series of litanies chanted by Magister Jabitha Hal, leader of the Ferroan and Langhesi communities that called Zonama Sekot home. Each Jedi had then bonded with their seed-partners, living organisms that would grow to become their new vessels. Ramis bonded with two of the seed-partners, which were then removed and taken away to be converted into living ships by the cybernetic Jentari.

Several days after the bonding ceremony, Ramis' ship was complete and was delivered to a landing platform on a canyon rim for inspection. Ramis circled the craft in awe, noting that the features of the ship included plasma weapons and a gravitic drive system that were patterned after those on a Yuuzhan Vong coralskipper. As the Jedi continued their inspection, Skywalker received word from Booster Terrik&mdash;commander of the Errant Venture and Corran Horn's father-in-law&mdash;that a Yuuzhan Vong battlegroup was en route to the planet. An Alliance force was already engaged with the Yuuzhan vong at the outer planet of Muscave, and the ships had been detached from that formation to assault Zonama Sekot. Those like Ramis who had been bonded to living ships were to immediately take to the air and get acquainted with flying them in preparation to defend the planet. Before taking off, an impromptu ceremony was held where each Jedi ignited their lightsabers and held them aloft, gathered around Master Skywalker. As the Jedi angled the blades inward, Skywalker gave a quick speech to unite those gathered for the tasks they were to perform.

The handful of Jedi-piloted vessels engaged Yuuzhan Vong coralskippers in the skies above Zonama Sekot. The presence of living vessels much like their own confused the Yuuzhan Vong a great deal, and the Yammosks had difficulty in differentiating friend from foe due to the similar organic nature of the ships. Some of the Jedi had difficultly in control their craft; as living organisms each craft had to get to "know" its pilot, effectively bonding with them. While some Jedi had no difficulty in letting go of their egos, other found it harder and their ships were not as responsive as they should have been, sometimes even refusing to fire on the enemy. In time, however, the bonding process smoothed out and the Jedi pilots defended the world in earnest. As the battle in the Coruscant system intensified, the focus of the engagement shifted toward the orbit of Zonama Sekot itself. Heavy fighting between the Alliance and Yuuzhan Vong threatened the world, and the presence of a Slayer ship infected with Alpha Red&mdash;a bio-engineered disease that targeted Yuuzhan Vong organisms&mdash;was en route to the planet. Sekot, however, wanted only to welcome the Yuuzhan Vong home. The living intelligence had used the Jedi piloted ships to defend the planet long enough to ready its other line of defense&mdash;specially designed starfighters capable of grappling enemy vessels. Sekot grounded the Jedi fighters, then used the grapplers to bring Alliance and Yuuzhan Vong ships alike down to the surface. Ramis, along with the other Jedi pilots, were witness to the first act of a Yuuzhan Vong surrender on the surface after four coralskipper pilots were forcibly brought down.

With the death of the Yuuzhan Vong's Supreme Overlord, Shimrra Jamaane at the hands of Master Skywalker during the battle, the Yuuzhan Vong surrendered unconditionally to the allied forces. They accepted disarmament and repatriation to Zonama Sekot where they began to build a new society that was not based on warfare. As Zonama Sekot prepared to welcome its new residents, Master Skywalker called a conclave of all Jedi to lay out his vision for the future of the Jedi Order. Ramis attended the gathering where Skywalker urged each of them to look inside of themselves and see how best each of them could serve the Force, and ultimately themselves. Four days later, many of the Jedi, including Ramis, had left Zonama Sekot to either search for lost friends or return to their homeworlds.

The Dark Nest Crisis
Sometime between the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War and 35 BBY, Ramis was elevated to the rank of Jedi Master. In her new position, she served on the informal Master's Council, a collection of Jedi Masters who convened at need to oversee the Order and the role it played in galactic affairs. During the Dark Nest Crisis&mdash;a series of conflicts between the insectoid Killik colonies, the Chiss Ascendancy, and the Galactic Alliance&mdash;Ramis was one of several Masters who gathered on Ossus to study the effect that the colony's conscious Will, which was directed by former Jedi Raynar Thul, was having on several Jedi Knights who had become Joiners. It soon became clear that a secret "Dark Nest", known as Gorog, was also directing the Killik colonies much like an unconscious mind. Where Raynar Thul's influence, styled as UnuThul and leader of the Killiks, made the Killiks benevolent and respectful of all life, the Dark Nest was under the influence of the Dark Jedi Lomi Plo. The Dark Nest was pushing the Killiks into war with the Chiss, which in turn threatened to pull the Galactic Alliance into the conflict. The Jedi resolved to end the conflict by neutralizing the Dark Nest.

The Jedi located the Dark Nest on Kr in the Gyuel system by tracking the Jedi Knight Alema Rar who, unlike her fellow Knights, had become a Joiner with the Gorog nest. While the Masters Skywalker infiltrated the nest in their StealthX fighters, Ramis joined the Masters Durron, Katarn and Sebatyne aboard the Millennium Falcon along with Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo. When contact was lost with the Skywalkers, the Millennium Falcon delivered the Masters, along with four YVH 5 Bugcruncher war droids, as a rescue team to extract the two Jedi Masters.

One of several Jedi Masters, along with Kyle Katarn, Kyp Durron, and Saba Sebatyne, to battle the Dark Nest at Kr alongside Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker.

During the final phases of the Killik expansion, Octa led a StealthX squadron of Jedi fighters against Lomi Plo's forces.

Second Galactic Civil War
In 40 ABY, rising tensions between the Galactic Alliance and one of its member states, Corellia, threatened to blossom into armed conflict. The Corellians, unhappy at restrictive Alliance regulations governing the size of their planetary defense fleet, began to hold back their tax and military contributions while continuing to enjoy the benefits of the Alliance's economy infrastructure. An attempt by the Alliance to bring Corellia back into line sparked an all-out war. Corellia soon gained allies and formed a Confederation to stand against the Alliance. Although the Jedi Order had been involved in the war since its beginning, one of their number, the Jedi Knight Jacen Solo took a leading role in the conflict, first by becoming the head of the Galactic Alliance Guard&mdash;a secret police organization formed to combat the rise of Corellian terrorist cells operating on Coruscant&mdash; and then as Co-Chief of State of the Alliance following a military coup.

Unbeknownst to the Jedi Order, Solo had fallen under the influence of Lumiya, a member of the Sith, and was gradually falling to the dark side of the Force. Although he did this willingly as he saw it as the only way to bring stability and peace back to the galaxy, his methods were considered aggressive. His fall was eventually revealed to Master Jade Skywalker through information from her son, Ben Skywalker, who was Solo's informal apprentice. This revelation led to a duel on the planet Kavan where Solo killed Jade Skywalker. Hiding his involvement in her death, he allowed the Jedi to believe that Lumiya had been responsible for her death. Jade Skywalker's body was returned to Coruscant, where a formal funeral was held. Ramis attended the ceremony, standing with the Order's other masters upon a raised dias, and witnessed Jade Skywalker's body becoming one with the Force.

Shortly after the funeral, Grand Master Skywalker withdrew Jedi support from the Alliance. Solo had effectively taken the Jedi Academy on Ossus hostage by garrisoning it with Galactic Alliance Guard troops to ensure the Order's compliance in his battle plan during the assault on Kuat. When news reached Skywalker of former Chief of State Cal Omas's death&mdash;and that his son was involved&mdash;Skywalker confronted Solo, unwilling to be pushed any further. Although Solo threatened to have the Jedi on Ossus killed and the Jedi Temple on Coruscant destroyed, Skywalker led the Jedi StealthX task force out of the system. Forming the Jedi Coalition&mdash;a loose alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to stopping the war&mdash; the Jedi Order regrouped on the forest moon of Endor where they established a secret outpost.

Ramis was one of several Masters&mdash;along with Masters Skywalker, Durron, Katarn, Cilghal, Sebatyne and Horn&mdash;who met atop the landing platform at the top of the outpost to discuss how to deal with Solo. During the discussion, where Durron proposed a neutralize-or-capture mission, the Masters engaged in a free-for-all practice lightsaber duel. Ramis, who was keeping her feelings over the recent near-fatal woundings of the Masters Solusar on Ossus in check through rigid self-control, chose to hand her lightsaber to Master Sebatyne to use while she herself used telekinesis to bring stones and rocks up from the forest floor and send them through the assembled Masters as they fought. As the discussion of the mission progressed, Durron brought up a young Jedi candidate, Seha Dorvald, who he intended to act as a guide through Coruscant's undercity. However, she had been sponsored to the Academy by Solo, and passed on information to him about the Temple. Following the attack on Ossus, and the evacuation of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Dorvald came forward willingly and confessed to her behaviour. After questioning Dorvald, the Masters, while acknowledging that she had done wrong, realized that it was only out of a misplaced sense of loyalty to the man that had brought her to the Jedi. Skywalker sanctioned the mission, with Master Katarn leading it.

Octa was one of the many exiled Jedi Masters that regrouped on Endor following the Battle of Ossus. Later, the entire Jedi High Council led a raid upon the Anakin Solo after the death of Darth Caedus; bringing an end to the war.

Rising Tensions
Following the resolution of the war, Ramis took on Seha Dorvald as her apprentice. In 43 ABY, Jedi Knight Valin Horn, son of Master Corran Horn, underwent a mental breakdown, believing that his parents and fellow Jedi had been replaced with identical-looking imposters. Despite being held in the Temple's infirmary on Coruscant, he subsequently escaped and went on the run. Master Cilghal had implanted a tracking device under Horn's skin, allowing him to be tracked. Ramis and Dorvald were part of the Jedi force assigned to locate him and bring him back to the Temple. On Dorvald's advice, they staked out the Senate Building as the apprentice felt that Horn might be thinking like an animal due to his mental state. Three years previously, Dorvald and Horn had been on the mission to assassinate Jacen Solo when it was clear that he had taken up the Sith mantle of Darth Caedus. During the mission, they had used Coruscant's undercity to move around and execute their plan, and Dorvald reasoned that Horn might use the knowledge he gained to his advantage, either to steal a vehicle to escape the planet, or to taken a politician hostage. Ramis approved of Dorvald's logic, and the pair took up position within the plaza in front of the Senate Building, watching a tracker attuned to the device located under Horn's skin. As they waited, Horn approached the plaza, proving Dorvald's theory correct. Ramis congratulated her apprentice for her insight, and ordered her to inform the other Jedi searching for Horn that they had located him.

Valin attempted to utilize an old X-wing to make his escape, but was thwarted when Octa jumped on the starfighter and broke its cockpit seal with her lightsaber to prevent the vessel from leaving the atmosphere. She was shaken off the fighter and plummeted to the ground, but suffered only minor injuries thanks to Seha's quick-thinking telekinesis.

At a meeting of the Jedi High Council, Ramis volunteered to be the subject of a documentary. Along with Seha, Ramis would be shadowed on a few assignments by a documentary crew. Interim Grand Master Kenth Hamner hoped that when broadcasted, the documentary would increase Jedi popularity.

Personality and traits
"Mourning a friend the Vong took from me has blinded me. I'll lay him to rest."

- Octa Ramis during the Ithorian ceremony aboard the Tafanda Bay prior to the Battle of Ithor

Octa Ramis was a passionate Jedi who often displayed her emotional state openly. In love with fellow Jedi Miko Reglia, Ramis was grief stricken by his death at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong. Although she not did not show it at Reglia's memorial service, she was angry at the Vong for taking him from her, and sought to make them pay for what they had done. However, she came to realize that the pain blinded her from her responsibilities as a Jedi, and let go of her grief shortly before the Battle of Ithor. She still loved him, and would remember him fondly sixteen years later in a conversation with her apprentice, Seha Dorvald.

Supportive of Jedi taking a proactive stance against the Vong.

Ramis was also skilled in using computer systems, able to erase evidence of file searches without leaving a trace.

Ramis was deeply affected by the suffering that Kam and Tionne Solusar suffered at the hands of Galactic Alliance personnel on Ossus. She kept her emotions in check with rigid self-control.

Appearances

 * Dark Tide II: Ruin
 * Edge of Victory I: Conquest
 * Dark Journey
 * Force Heretic I: Remnant
 * The Unifying Force
 * Dark Nest I: The Joiner King
 * Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
 * Fury
 * Outcast

Notes and references
Octa Ramis