Jarael

"Nobody's ever sacrificed himself for any of us before. Couldn't let you go around thinking that was sensible behavior."

- Jarael to Zayne Carrick

Jarael, born Edessa, was a female Arkanian and protector to the mechanic she knew only as "Camper" prior to and during the Mandalorian Wars. Jarael was a hot-tempered Arkanian offshoot with eyes and hands like humans and pointed ears. She was a fierce fighter who demonstrated an extreme loyalty to Camper and her other allies; normally armed with a shockstaff, she was a tough opponent when fending off enemies, whether they be bounty hunters, Mandalorians or Jedi Masters.

The pair eventually settled on Taris in the Lower City, living out of a garbage hauler, the Last Resort. She became a traveling companion to the fugitive Zayne Carrick after he was framed for the Padawan Massacre of Taris. Along with the criminal Marn Hierogryph, the four attempted to evade capture by the Taris Civil Authority and the Jedi until Zayne turned himself in to save them. As the Jedi were about to pass sentence, Jarael rescued Zayne, touched by his sacrifice. The four, including a recovered bulk-lifter droid called "Elbee," escaped Taris, and went into hiding from the Jedi as the Mandalorian Wars erupted and the Republic found itself engaged in a devastating conflict.

However, after Camper fell ill, Jarael was forced to take him to Arkania, to the businessman Arkoh Adasca. Adasca, however, had other plans for both Jarael and Camper, and blackmailed Camper into serving him, while Jarael was helpless to stop the mad Arkanian. As Adasca reached more power with both Mandalorians and represenatives of the Republic, the timely trap sprung by Zayne Carrick and other individuals stopped his plans. However, the weapon Adasca was bargaining with, creatures known as exogorths, forced Camper to lead them away from the Republic and known space. With the loss of Camper, Jarael traveled with Zayne Carrick to help him confront his notorious Jedi Masters and to clear his name.

Biography
Little is known of the early part of Jarael's life, only that she was running from a shadowy past, which some sought to keep secret. Her parents called her Edessa, which meant "triumph" in old Arkanian, while "Jarael" was a name she chose for herself later in her life.

At some point, she claimed that Camper saved her life and, out of gratitude, she began traveling and protecting him in an attempt to return the favor. Eventually, the two wanderers ended up on the planet Taris, hiding in a dump in the Lower City district known as Junk Junction, and living in an old ship known as the Last Resort. The pair deliberatly avoided contact with the gangs that inhabited the Lower City such as the Hidden Bek gang and the Black Vulkars. Jarael worked from day to day as a scrap hauler for the Kedorzhan reclamation plant though that closed eventually and the pair turned to selling items Camper had fixed for credits. The Last Resort was kept on top of an old abandoned apparel warehouse and while growing up, she would frequently play "dress-up" to pass the, otherwise, boring and tiring time.

On the run
"I'd say, 'Welcome to my life.' But, oh wait. You ruined that!"

- Jarael to Zayne Carrick

Following the Padawan Massacre of Taris, Zayne Carrick and Marn Hierogryph sought the aid of Camper, but the two were nearly killed by Jarael, who proved quite adept in fighting with an electrostaff. Jarael ordered them both to leave immediately, and not return&mdash;she was afraid that the Republic would follow Carrick's trail directly to them and discover their hiding place. Meanwhile, the Padawan Massacre incident had caused Lhosan Industries to announce their pullout from Taris, financially ruining many people in the Lower City. Frustrated and annoyed by Jarael's demeanor, Carrick referred to her as "Darth Sunshine". Even so, when an arrest party arrived at Junk Junction, she and Camper helped Carrick and Hierogryph flee aboard the Last Resort.

Being chased by the Jedi, as well as the Taris Civil Authority, the ragtag group fled into a nearby asteroid field. While inside, Zayne realized they were directly on top of the Rogue moon, the site of the former Padawans' last training exercise. Jarael accompanied him to the surface of the moon, where they discovered the remains of T1-LB, the Jedi's bulk-loader droid, just before Jedi Master Lucien Draay discovered them. Thanks to the Last Resort's repaired weapon systems, it scattered the Civil Authority forces and allowed for Jarael and Zayne to escape with the remains of T1-LB.



Inside the battered droid, Carrick and Jarael found a recording that revealed that the Jedi Masters had received a vision of a Sith Lord in red armor, killing Jedi and destroying cities across the galaxy. However, before they could see more, the Last Resort was attacked by the bounty hunter vessel Oroko and trapped by its tractor beam.

On board the Oroko, they were detained by the bounty hunter Valius Ying. However, due to Marn Hierogryph's bartering, all but Zayne were allowed to go free&mdash;the price on Carrick's head was far too high to ignore. On Gryph's suggestion, Zayne pretended to leave with the bounty hunters, but sneaked away and tried to reach the Last Resort. Zayne, though, was surprised to find Jarael patiently waiting for him. She immediately told him to stop running away, and that, by giving himself up, he would save the lives of his friends. Feeling defeated, Zayne tossed his lightsaber to Jarael, and decided to give up himself to the bounty hunters in order to stop the dark prophecy from coming true&mdash;doing this, he reasoned, would also save his friends from any persecution.

As Zayne finally stood before his former Masters, blaster fire rocked the Jedi Temple. Touched by Zayne's sacrifice, Jarael had disguised herself as the Sith Lord which had appeared in the Masters' vision and crashed into the Council chambers. After threatening the Masters with Zayne's lightsaber, she revealed herself to Zayne. While Lucien ordered the Masters to take her down, she used the suit's rocket thrusters to launch her and Zayne onto the rooftop where the Last Resort hovered. Due to the efforts of Jarael, Gryph, and Camper, Zayne was able to escape Taris and avoid being wrongly convicted of a crime he did not commit.

Mandalorian prisoner
"This is payback, isn't it? I posed as a Jedi and now this is Zayne's Force getting back at me!"

- Jarael

Following their escape from Taris, the team of fugitives fled to the mining colony on Vanquo. Hoping to steal some supplies, Jarael again disguised herself, this time as Jedi Master Q'Anilia. Her disguise helped convince the miners to abandon their camp in fear of a Mandalorian invasion. The plan went off perfectly, but unfortunately the Mandalorians did invade Vanquo soon after the miners evacuated. During the Battle of Vanquo, Jarael was captured by Mandalorians under Commander Rohlan Dyre while she was still impersonating a Jedi. Because of her disguise, she was imprisoned on the Flashpoint Stellar Research Station where other Jedi were being tortured and tested to find the "source" of their power. Though she protested that she was not a Jedi, the Mandalorians decided to keep her as their prisoner. After arriving on Flashpoint Station, she met with Squint, a Jedi who had also been made into a prisoner. Upon seeing that he had a new test subject, Demagol, a Mandalorian biologist, wanted to study Jarael immediately. Squint, however, protested and insisted that he go in her place since he had already, privately, figured out that she was not a Jedi. Before he was dragged off, he assured her that he had abilities that they were not aware of, and that they might be the Mandalorians' undoing. When Squint was brought back, Demagol wanted, again, to test Jarael as he was fascinated by Arkanians and he also noticed something odd about her. Fortunately for Jarael, Rohlan Dyre came to the facility with Zayne Carrick, who was posing as a Mandalorian prisoner. Rohlan demanded that Zayne be tested next, and due to his status as a warrior and aggressive manner, his wish was granted. Some time later, Demagol and Rohlan emerged from the laboratory, purposely making it clear that Zayne had died. Jarael attacked Demagol but she heard a voice inside of her mind, and shocked by its presence, stopped her attack on the Mandalorian as she was thrown off him.

Soon afterwards, the Mandalorians evacuated the facility due to their belief that the Republic was attacking. Zayne, Rohlan, and Gryph had developed a plan which allowed for Gryph to disguise himself as a Republic admiral who was directing an attack against Flashpoint Station. During Gryph's false transmissions Zayne used the Force to plant explosives on various ships in the compound, making them explode to cause confusion among the defending Mandalorians. Meanwhile, Demagol and Rohlan returned to the Jedi prisoners, and it was revealed that the true Demagol had actually been locked inside a storage cabinet&mdash;the Demagol that Jarael had previously attacked was actually Zayne in disguise. Rohlan and Zayne freed the captured Jedi, and during the evacuation of the facility, Squint and Jarael said their goodbyes to each other&mdash;Jarael was told that the next time they met, she was to simply call him Alek. Following the evacuation of the other prisoners, Zayne and Jarael left Flashpoint station on the Last Resort.

A bounty
"We're here to resolve a problem, but I guess I was expecting some kind of an office."

- Jarael posing as "Chantique"

Following their escape from Flashpoint Station, Jarael and Camper had problems to solve on the banking world of Telerath. Disguised as high level officials, the pair was expecting an office type world with large cities and a bleak, impersonal atmosphere&mdash;however, what they found was a beautiful resort planet with beaches, warm weather, and a relaxed environment, where they were greeted by the droid GG-36. Jarael and Camper were lacking of funds&mdash;fortunately, Gryph had a perfectly legal bank account on Telerath. The pair disguised themselves as "Baron Hyro Margryph" and "Chantique". Jarael explained how the bank administration must have mistaken the baron for the fugitive Marn Hierogryph, and as a result, froze the account. After a brief validation process, the account was reopened and they were allowed to collect the funds. However, while observing the beautiful scenery with the banker, they were intercepted by the Moomo Brothers, a pair of second-rate bounty hunters. During their attack, Jarael displayed amazing fighting prowess as she defended Camper. However, the two bounty hunters quickly made off with the banker who had assisted Jarael in reopening the account. The banker, as it turned out, was none other than Arvan Carrick, Zayne Carrick's father.

The Moomo Brothers were contracted by Master Raana Tey to observe and watch Arvan and his family in case Zayne decided to make contact with them. Once Zayne had made contact with his family, the Moomo Brothers were then to contact Raana and allow her and the other Masters to take control of the situation. However, the Moomos had a history of being third rate bounty hunters, and decided to go against Raana's orders and capture Arvan instead of merely watching him&mdash;their reason being that it was less boring, and that it made more sense to them, and therefore, more sense overall. Raana expressed her anger to the two bounty hunters and advised them that she would have to consult the other Masters to see what should be done. Meanwhile, Camper, Zayne and Gryph developed a plan which allowed them to rescue Arvan&mdash;Gryph convinced Dob, one of the Moomos, that Zayne was on the planet and was willing to trade his life for Arvan's. Gryph and Dob negotiated a trade, since Dob believed that this was a better deal for Raana. When Gryph arrived with a hooded Jedi, who was in fact Camper, Zayne secretly infiltrated the Moomos' ship and rescued his father from the two bounty hunters. Jarael personally refused to disguise herself as a Jedi to rescue Arvan, since the debacle which had led to her being previously captured by the Mandalorians. Once Arvan was rescued he helped transfer the money needed by both Gryph and Zayne.

Trip to Arkania
"Welcome to Arkania. Bet you wished you stayed wherever it is you were!"

- Zadawi to Jarael

Following the rescue of the banker Arvan, Jarael, Camper and T1-LB decided to part ways with Zayne and Gryph. Upon their departure Jarael informed Zayne of her admiration for his integrity despite his being a notoriously hunted man. She wished him luck in finding what he was looking for, and concluded with telling him that she wanted the Force to be with him.

Unfortunately, Camper's past caught up with him, and Jarael was faced with an assassin droid by the designation HK-24. After T1-LB was incapacitated by the assassin droid, Jarael fought HK-24 herself, only to be beaten by it. The fortunate reappearance of Rohlan Dyre, who had been hiding in one of the ship's smuggling compartments, managed to incapacitate the assassin droid and save Jarael's life.

However, during the fight, Camper had been injured by the HK unit and the injury caused him to have a serious "spell", much worse than anything previously experienced by him&mdash;Camper had always been prone to these "spells" during stressful situations which caused him to go into a coma-like state where he was totally unresponsive to those around him. Rohlan treated what physical wounds Camper had suffered but to help him, Jarael needed to take the Last Resort to Arkania, the homeworld of the Arkanians, where she had to find a cure&mdash;despite the fact that hybrids like her and Camper were despised by "pure" Arkanians.

While in Adascopolis, disguised by using heavy clothing and goggles, Jarael attempted to find help for Camper. However, she was immediately discovered to be an off-shoot Arkanian and forced to leave the city&mdash;in the process, Jarael met a young Arkanian off-shoot named Zadawi. Zadawi explained to Jarael the plight of the other off-shoots, who were being forced to work in mining camps. Zadawi took Jarael to her grandmother that night where she was made to feel welcome. However, her grandmother felt ill after she and Jarael had a disagreement concerning Adascorp.

Jarael, though, still required help getting medical attention to Camper. With Zadawi's assistance, she more effectively disguised herself as a true-blood Arkanian with claw-fingered gloves, blank-eye lenses, and blush. While attempting to get help, the civil authority of Adascopolis was immediately called in to apprehend her due to her giving doctors the blood-sample of an offshoot. Jarael kept several of the guards at bay, but was eventually taken prisoner by Lord Arkoh Adasca himself. Jarael called Camper and Rohlan, and told them that Adasca had offered to help them with regards to Camper.

Arkoh Adasca's prisoner
"This is the worst dinner I've ever had."

- Jarael regarding Adasca's revelation of his plans.

Camper was immediately taken in for treatment and Jarael found herself in the care of Lord Adasca. Adasca informed Jarael of Camper's previous status as a promising worker for Adascorp until he caught the Balinquar's Virus and ran away. Jarael was given the treatment of royalty during her stay on the Arkanian Legacy. However, Adasca and one of his workers, Eejee Vamm, kept the truth from her concerning Camper's condition&mdash;he, in fact, did not have any virus. Her stay on the Arkanian Legacy was just a ploy to get Camper to finish the project he had started for Adascorp before he ran away.

Jarael proceeded to act as a prisoner to Arkoh Adasca without her even knowing that she was, indeed, an actual prisoner. Eejee Vamm continued to play on the story of Camper having the Balinquar's Virus by displaying images of him in the quarantine on board the Arkanian Legacy. Adasca also kept up the illusion of himself being the benevolent businessman by sympathizing with her over her and Camper's life conditions. Despite Jarael being an offshoot, the pure blooded Adasca found himself attracted to the woman and invited her for dinner in the Arkanian Legacy's observatory.

As Jarael ate dinner with Adasca, he informed her of his plans to ensure that the true blooded race of Arkanians was able to expand and thrive&mdash;starting with Jarael's future children, a notion which she found to be unpleasantly abrupt. Adasca told her that he wanted to put Arkania at the center of the galaxy and of his plans to use the mysterious creatures known as exogorths to accomplish this. Adasca informed her what he knew of the creatures who seemingly devoured everything metal and mineral and how a scientist named Gorman Vandrayk had discovered a way to control these beasts. Once the beasts were able to be controlled, then Adasca said that he would be able to implement his plan&mdash;though he refused to elaborate further for Jarael during this time. However, as a final note, which he stressed with much importance, was that this scientist was known to her as the man she protected&mdash;Camper.

The first of Adasca's other guests arrived almost immediately. What was left of the Serroco Battle Group, traveling in a freighter known as the Deadweight, arrived at the Arkanian Legacy. While Eejee Vamm suggested locking her up, Adasca thought she might have some uses greeting their guests. Jarael refused to be apart of Adasca's plans of selling off the exogorths to the highest bidder and ran from him. She was intercepted by several HK-24 units, however, but managed to destroy them in the ensuing fight.

Holding Adasca at gunpoint with an HK-24 blaster rifle, Adasca threatened her that he'd cut off Camper's hands if she did not comply with his orders. As she handed over the blaster rifle, the first of Adasca's guests had landed in the hangar bay. As the members of the Serroco Battle Group disembarked, Jarael spotted her old friend, Zayne Carrick. Jarael rushed over and kissed him&mdash;only as a resort to give him information of what was really occurring on the Arkanian Legacy and to Camper. Zayne was quickly taken to a secure area though Jarael begged Adasca not to allow them to take him back to Coruscant&mdash;a wish in which Adasca used again to bind Jarael to do as he says or spend the rest of her stay under the guard of HK-24 units.

The representative of the Jedi Crusaders arrived afterwards with another of Jarael's old friends, Alek. Jarael attempted to make Alek see that Adasca was a madman but she was quickly interrupted and restrained by Adasca. While in the observatory with Adasca and his guests, showing them the exogorths, Adasca's final guest arrived. The guest was none other than Mandalore the Ultimate&mdash;his arrival made it apparent to her that Adasca had also bound her friend Rohlan into his game just as he did to her. Despite Adasca constantly watching her, she was able to sneak away to the observatory alcove to receive a transmission from Camper. Jarael apologized for allowing Adasca to find him. Camper told her to find the Last Resort and escape. Jarael knew she couldn't with the armed guards surrounding her but reassured Camper by informing him that Zayne and Alek were on the Legacy. Adasca discovered her and ended her transmission. She resisted him, fighting him off but he managed to keep her down by striking her. Adasca, through Jarael's locater bracelet (torn from her when Adasca struck her), informed him that Jarael would become the plague designers next test subject if he didn't continue doing his work.

Fortunately, Zayne Carrick had been able to escape and along with Rohlan, Repuiblic lieutenant Carth Onasi and Lucien Draay, whom had also been captured by Adasca, a trap was sprung and brawl took place between Republic forces and Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. Zayne managed to release Jarael of her binds and grab a guards shockstaff and joined the brawl. Jarael, Zayne, Rohlan, and Alek managed to escape the Arkanian Legacy's observation deck as the exogorths plunged into it and consumed it, killing Arkoh Adasca. The four managed to meet up with Elbee who displayed a holographic transmission from Camper. Camper informed them that he was going to take the Last Resort and lead the exogorths away into wild space. Jarael and Camper tearfully said good-bye to each other as Camper jumped into hyperspace.

As Jarael guilted herself over brining Camper to Adascorp, Zayne told Jarael he needed her to help him face his masters. At that moment, Lucien arrived and informed him that if he turned himself in, then he would agree to take all of them all away from the burning Arkanian Legacy. Zayne agreed to these terms but another ship had arrived. Moomo Williwaw crashed inside the vessel and emerged from it was the Moomo Brothers and Slyssk. Slyssk revealed that Marn Hierogryph was still alive on Taris and sent for Zayne to help him in he resistance against the Mandalorians.

Returning to Taris
Jarael traveled with Zayne and the others to Taris in their new, temporary home, the Moomo Williwaw. While Zayne left the Williwaw to seek out Marn Hierogryph, Jarael, Rohlan and Alek remained on board the vessel, floating amongst the Mandalorian blockade in orbit. With Camper in wild space and due to the events that had transpired at Omonoth, Jarael felt a sense of loneliness and her trust in others diminished. Rohlan took notice of her behavior and asked her to deal with her problems in the Mandalorian fashion - a sparring match. In the cargo hold of the Williwaw, Jarael spared with Alek and bested him. Her abilities were commented to be better then before and can still be better the more she trains.

The match, however, brought Alek and her closer together. Alek explained that since the Great Sith War Jedi have refrained from forming such relationships, however, he still wished for a more romantic relationship with her. Jarael asked that she be given time before she pursued a relationship with anyone due to the trust that Arkoh Adasca abused. Alek was unconvinced, and told her to ask herself whether it was really just the timing or because it was just him that she did not want a relationship with.

Personality and traits
"You're good. Better than you have any right to be." "And she can be better still. A warrior can tell."

- Alek Squinquargesimus and Rohlan Dyre, after a sparring match

Jarael was a fierce and hot-tempered Arkanian, passionately devoted to the older man she only knew as Camper. While living in the lower cities of Taris, Jarael was emotionally defensive, not allowing anyone to see her true self. Despite Jarael's fierce temper, a softer side of her emerged upon traveling with Zayne Carrick after he had sacrificed himself to the Jedi Covenant in order to spare her, Camper and Gryph. When captured by Mandalorians, she felt more concern towards others, notably the Jedi Alek when she witnessed the wounds dealt to him by the sadistic scientist Demagol. When she was led to believe Zayne was killed by Demagol, she lunged at the scientist, enraged by the death of her friend. Although, she soon discovered that it was Zayne in Demagol's armor. When Zayne and Gryph parted from her and Camper's company, despite her distaste for Gryph and initial feelings of Zayne, she felt saddened by the loss of their presence.

Jarael diemonstrated an advanced mastery of disguises. Since the start of her travels with Zayne Carrick, Jarael disguised herself as a Sith Lord, a Jedi , a wealthy official and as a true-blood Arkanian , only blowing her cover when she desired or when her actions caused suspicion.

Jarael letting her guard down around others proved to be an undoing when Camper fell ill and she was forced to travel to Arkania to get him aid. She unexpectedly found help in the very company Camper was running from. Lord Adasca charmed Jarael by granting her a suite to stay in and a vast wardrobe, though she was unknowingly being used to further Adasca's agenda, until he revealed his plans of making her children purebloods. Learning from this experience, Jarael became distant from others again, turning away from the romantic relationship sought by the Jedi Alek Squinquargesimus.

While living in the dangerous lower regions of Taris, Jarael became an exceptional fighter with a melee weapon as well as with her hands. Her skills in fighting had fended off bounty hunters, multiple law enforcement agents, and extremely dangerous assassin droids. Even when fighting proved useless, such as when she was surrounded by many Mandalorians, she fought viciously and valiantly.

Behind the scenes
Jarael, like Camper, is described as an Arkanian offshoot. However, she bears pointed ears like those of Aleco Stusea and Jedi Master Fay, which may hint at a third species being involved in her birth. Her ears made her an anticipated subject of Demagol, and also drew the attention of the young Arkanian Zadawi. Jarael claims not to have any knowledge of how they came to be and preferred to keep her hair draped over them.

A similarity she, again, shares with the Jedi Fay are her distinctive tattoos above and below her eyes.

According to Brian Ching, he had designed Jarael to step away from the conventional appearance of comic characters having too much sex appeal in favor for an appearance that made it seem she has to work for a living.

In Nights of Anger, Part 3, there is a mistake in the entire sequence of Jarael's dinner with Arkoh Adasca: she is drawn missing the tattoos on both of her arms. John Jackson Miller's comment on this was an evasive answer that Madam Darvla, the woman who dressed Jarael for dinner, applied cover up.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 3: Commencement, Part 3
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 4: Commencement, Part 4
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 5: Commencement, Part 5
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 6: Commencement, Part 6
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Flashpoint
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Reunion
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 13: Days of Fear, Part 1
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 14: Days of Fear, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Nights of Anger
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Daze of Hate
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 23: Knights of Suffering, Part 2