Wookieepedia:Featured article queue/February 26, 2009

Vua Rapuung was a Yuuzhan Vong warrior who, in 26 ABY, attained legendary status among the Shamed Ones. Once a commander well-known for his prowess and skill as a fighter, Rapuung lost both his rank and his status as a warrior following the end of an illicit affair with Master Shaper Mezhan Kwaad. To prevent Rapuung from revealing her heretical nature to others, Kwaad used her shaping arts to corrupt the warrior's ritual scarring and escalation implants; the commander was given the appearance of a Shamed One. Outcast from his caste and domain and his claims about the master shaper met with disbelief, Rapuung was forced to carry out menial duties on Yavin 4, the moon on which both he and Kwaad were assigned during the early years of the Yuuzhan Vong War. In the face of this ignominious fate, the former commander continued to trust adamantly in his redemption, as well as the specter of the heretic master shaper's own humiliation and disgrace.

In order to effect these purposes, Rapuung followed what he perceived to be the will of Yun-Yuuzhan and allied himself with Anakin Solo, the young Jedi whose friend Tahiri Veila had been captured by Mezhan Kwaad. Fighting alongside the Jedi, Rapuung was eventually able to expose Kwaad, thus regaining his status and honor. However, the warrior’s respect for Solo was such that Rapuung gave his life protecting Solo and Veila as they escaped Yavin 4. These unique actions had a profound effect on the Shamed Ones who witnessed the warrior’s sacrifice, and the legend of Vua Rapuung provided the basis for the Jeedai heresy, the movement which ultimately helped topple the Yuuzhan Vong Empire during the Second Battle of Coruscant.