Jhoram Bey

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this that won't cause me to ground, demote or shoot those involved."

- Jhoram Bey

Jhoram Bey was a Weequay commander who served the Galactic Alliance Remnant as Rogue Leader during the Anti-Sith Insurgency. Bey served under Admiral Gar Stazi on his flagship, the Indomitable, around 137 ABY, commanding the prestigious Rogue Squadron. Bey took part in the Alliance's continual raids and harassments against Darth Krayt's Sith Empire, becoming one of Stazi's most trusted officers.

In 137 ABY, Jhoram Bey led Rogue Squadron in an attack on the Mon Calamari Shipyards with the intention of stealing an Imperial Advanced Star Destroyer, the Imperious. Imperial forces were waiting for them, and in the Battle of Mon Calamari, Bey lost several of his pilots to Imperial Predator-class fighters. When the Indomitable received heavy damage, Bey left his squadron to rescue Admiral Stazi, though the Duros refused to accompany him. Feeling he had no other option, Bey knocked Stazi unconscious and forcibly took him away, moments before the Indomitable collided with the shipyards. To punish Bey for striking a superior officer, Stazi promoted him to the late Jaius Yorub's position as the admiral's right-hand-man.

Rogue Leader
"I know you're not threatening a superior officer, Andurgo. Even you know what that means. And it's Commander Bey."

- Jhoram Bey, to Andurgo

A gruff Weequay male, Jhoram Bey joined the Galactic Alliance Remnant at some point in his life, becoming a pilot in the prestigious Rogue Squadron. By the time of the Anti-Sith Insurgency between 130 ABY and 137 ABY, Bey served under Admiral Gar Stazi, eventually being promoted to Commander and Rogue Leader. A strict taskmaster and shrewd pilot, Bey flew a CF9 Crossfire starfighter during Stazi's continued hit-and-run attacks on the fleets of Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Krayt, to great success. Bey was one the highest ranked of the Alliance personnel, and reported directly to Stazi. The Galactic Alliance Remnant was running out of supplies, though, and knowing they would be hard pressed to continue their harassment of Krayt's forces, they set their eyes on the secret Advanced Star Destroyer Imperious, which was under construction at the Mon Calamari Shipyards.

The Alliance fleet gathered near Mon Calamari, ready to attack the planet's shipyards. While they waited to pounce, Bey had to break up a fight between several members of his squadron&mdash;Andurgo, a troublesome Dug pilot, and the newest recruit, a former Imperial stormtrooper named Hondo Karr&mdash;though he was able to threaten them enough to stop. Eventually, the fleet prepared for hyperspace and launched their attack on the shipyards.

Battle of Mon Calamari
"That's dependent on the rest of us getting out of here alive, Anj. And that 's dependent on what the Admiral decides to do next."

- Jhoram Bey, to Anj Dahl

Things did not go as planned, however. Admiral Dru Valan was prepared for the attack and a full Imperial fleet arrived to defend the Imperious. Stazi went forward with his plan regardless of the new development, and Bey and his squadron were deployed in their fighters to fend off the Imperial Predator-class fighters. They were tasked with ensuring that the fighters were unable to cause Stazi and his flagship, the Indomitable, any harm; although they were many more Predator-class fighters than Rogues, Bey and his pilots were flying sturdier ships that could take more hits. The Rogues were mostly successful against the Imperials, though Andurgo's constant showboating left Ronto alone against two fighters; the Dug had been too occupied attempting to score kills that he did not notice Ronto's difficulties in dealing with the Sith fighters. Though Bey was able to down Ronto's attackers, the Klatooinian's vessel was badly damaged and he was forced to bail out in his escape pod, which moved towards Mon Calamari's surface. However, while the Rogues incurred few losses, the rest of the Alliance fleet was not so lucky, and when he received no reply from the Indomitable after attempting to contact them with his comlink, Bey decided to investigate himself.

Bey ordered the rest of his squadron to continue their dogfight while he left for the Indomitable, eventually docking in an area that had been opened to space. The Indomitable was in bits, and most of the crew had abandoned ship, but Bey found Stazi and his right-hand-man, the Sullustan Jaius Yorub, on the bridge. He told Stazi to return to his fighter with him, but the admiral refused; the Indomitable was on a collision course with the shipyards, and Stazi wished to stay with his ship until the end. This caused Yorub and Bey considerable distress, and after the Sullustan himself failed to convince Stazi, Yorub implied that Bey "do his duty" and forcefully take Stazi with him.

The Weequay commander obliged, punching Stazi in the face, rendering him unconscious; Bey bade goodbye to Yorub, who was going to ensure the Indomitable did as much damage as possible to the shipyards, and, with Stazi slung over his shoulder, Bey returned to his fighter. En route, he ordered Rogue Squadron to flee and return to the rest of the fleet while he exited the ship. Bey got out just in time as the Indomitable exploded into the shipyards, killing Yorub. The Weequay was able to link up with the rest of the Alliance Fleet&mdash;who had managed to capture the Imperious and escape&mdash;at the Alliance rendezvous point. The Alliance Remnant had incurred few losses in what turned out to be a successful mission.

Naval officer
"You struck a superior officer, Jhoram Bey.''" "For the good of the service, Admiral. And under the implied orders of Captain Yorub." "''Still, such an act cannot be permitted without consequence. I'm appointing you to Captain Yorub's position as my second. Teach you not to hit an admiral."

- Gar Stazi and Jhoram Bey, after the Battle of Mon Calamari

When Stazi regained consciousness, Bey filled him in on what had happened while he was unconscious; overall, the Alliance had lost several pilots, and half the Indomitable 's crew had been killed, though the Imperious was almost ready for use. Bey hoped that the Mon Calamari on the surface would shelter those who had bailed out in escape pods, particularly because one of his pilots, Ronto, was among the fifty. Stazi did mention Bey's disobeying of his order initially, though he eventually told Bey that, even if it was for the greater good, it could not go unpunished; he promoted him to Yorub's vacant position as his right-hand-man as a punishment. Stazi wished to get the fleet, particularly the Imperious, ready to fight again, despite Bey's objections that they should attempt to find and help the injured first; Stazi knew the Sith would strike back, and wanted to be prepared.

Krayt's retribution was swift; just days later, he had his minions execute the Calamarian Council live on the HoloNet for their perceived part in Stazi's raid. Bey and the other Alliance personnel watched in horror as the Mon Calamari were struck down by Darth Azard and his underlings. The Weequay commander wanted to act, and told Stazi that they should return to Mon Calamari to fight the Sith. Stazi, however, knew of the fleet's capabilities, and with the Imperious 's weapons systems still offline, he preached caution.

Eventually, an Alliance member, Monia Gahan, arrived on the Imperious with an Imperial Knight named Sigel Dare and several other Alliance pilots, who had been stranded on Mon Calamari's surface; among them was Ronto. The Fel Empire was officially at war with the Alliance, though Emperor Roan Fel and Admiral Gar Stazi both knew their real enemy was Krayt and his Sith. Sigel Dare had come to warn Stazi that the Imperials had planted hidden bombs on the Imperious before they knew of the Alliance's planned raid; Dare showed Stazi the location of the explosives and they were able to disarm them. Impressed at Roan Fel's actions in warning him, Stazi announced a possible allegiance between his own fleet and that of the Empire-in-exile, something that Jhoram Bey supported greatly.

Personality and traits
"I know who's responsible, Karr&mdash;I know my squadron."

- Jhoram Bey, to Hondo Karr

Jhoram Bey was a brusque commander, and he punished his pilots severely when they showed indiscipline. When he walked in on Andurgo and Hondo Karr's brawl&mdash;which was being egged on by many of the other Rogues&mdash;Bey fired his blaster between the two pilots, narrowly missing them. He threatened to ground, demote, or even shoot the culprits, though in truth he cared greatly about his pilots' wellbeing; when he heard of Krayt's massacre of the Mon Calamari, his immediate thoughts went to the Rogues stranded on the surface.

Bey was extremely loyal and dedicated to the Galactic Alliance Remnant, and Gar Stazi personally. Bey knew that Stazi was an idol among the Alliance supporters, and disagreed with the admiral that he was just one man. The Weequay was willing to violate a direct order from Stazi and punch him, because he knew that it was ultimately for the best. Bey preferred to be fighting on the front lines, and although he accepted Stazi's offer of promotion to a naval position, he was initially less than enthusiastic.

Behind the scenes
Jhoram Bey was created by John Ostrander for the Star Wars: Legacy comic series, appearing in the Indomitable and The Wrath of the Dragon story arcs, where he was illustrated by Omar Francia and Alan Robinson.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Legacy 20: Indomitable, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 21: Indomitable, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 22: The Wrath of the Dragon

Notes and references
Jhoram Bey