Jogan Halder

Jogan Halder was a Keshiri male from Uhrar on the continent of Alanciar on the planet Kesh. He was a sentinel at Point Defiance, the southernmost of Alanciar's western watchtowers, shortly before the Lost Tribe of Sith invaded from Keshtah. In 2975 BBY, Halder began an affair with Quarra Thayn, a married Keshiri woman who was a wardmaster in the Alanciari military and the city of Uhrar's Chief Military Adviser. During the invasion, Halder was captured by the Sith High Lord Edell Vrai.

While his lover Thayn accompanied Vrai on a reconnaissance mission to scout Alanciar, Halder was taken back to Keshtah by Vrai's followers on the captured sailing ship Mischance. There, the Tribe successfully convinced him that the Sith did not actually pose a threat to the Keshiri on Alanciar. He became the Tribe's Ambassador to the Keshiri and escorted the Tribe's Grand Lord Varner Hilts on a trip to Alanciar. Halder's diplomacy successfully convinced the Alanciari to submit peacefully to Sith rule. As the first visitor from Alanciar to Keshtah, Jogan gained a place of honor in the Sith Tribe's society.

Early Life
As with all Keshiri living in Alanciar, Jogan Halder was raised from young to defend his homeland from a possible invasion by the Lost Tribe of Sith from Keshtah Minor, one of the other two known continents on Kesh. He was known to maintain a small library in his bunkroom which consisted of several romantic novels and a copy of the Keshtah Chronicles, the testament of Adari Vaal, the ancient Keshiri Herald who had escaped from Keshtah in 4975 BBY. She and her followers warned the Alanciari of the threat posed by the Sith. As a result, the Alanciari had developed a highly militaristic society where all citizens were expected to undergo military training.

Over a period of two thousand years, the Alanciari had also built an intricate defense system consisting of ballistae, forts, uvak patrols and a large, well-equipped citizen army. The southern region of Alanciar known as the Six Claws was well-fortified with six seaside forts. The Alanciari were also led by a centralized military government that was based in the capital Sus'mintri's Vaal Hall. Like many of his compatriots, Halder spoke an accented version of Galactic Basic Standard, the language of the Sith Tribe. Adari Vaal had made the Alanciari learn that language in order to prepare them for contact with the Sith. By 2978 BBY, Halder had become a signals officer who was posted at Point Defiance, a seaside fort on Garrow's Necks, the southernmost of the Six Claws. During that time, he recorded tales of his work on the frontier which was well-liked by many readers due to his skilled wordplay and honest appraisal of life on the frontier.

A Fateful Meeting
In 2978 BBY, Jogan Halder began an affair with Quarra Thayn, the wardmaster and chief military administrator of Uhrar. At the time, Thayn was married to Brue Thayn and had three children but was unhappy with her marriage. Thayn initiated the affair while she was making a routine visit to Kerebba, a military supply center upstream on one of the canals that emptied into one of the bays defined by the Six Claws. Her cousin was a signal officer who operated the Kerebba signal station's semaphore system. Her cousin had read Halder's tales and had shared it with Thayn, who enjoyed his writings and fell in love with the author. When her coursin was reassigned, she had managed to transmit signals to Halder through the signal station at Uhrar introducing herself.

This began a secret three year secret relationship where thousands of messages were exchanged via semaphore machine between Halder and Thayn. Most of these dispatches arrived overnight at Thayn's office in Uhrar and she read them in the morning. For Thayn, Halder's letters came to provide a form of escape from the drudgery of her work as an administrator and mother. She soon began carrying these letters with her throughout her rounds, reading them during her free time. Frequent distribution meetings became opportunities for Quarra to brainstorm the responses she sent him before returning home. Quarra came to find Jogan to be an understanding reader who took long nights to craft thoughtful and eloquent responses to his lover. In 2975 BBY, the couple agreed to meet each other in person at Halder's fort in Point Defiance. For that liaison, Thayn pretended to be away on a one-week trip to the industrial cities on the Northern Slope. She also forged a letter of transit by using her travel supervisor Belmer's seal to enable her to "legally" travel to Point Defiance.

After Quarra was allowed to enter Point Defiance through the guardpost, she was brought to Halder by one of his fellow signalers named Belmer Kattun, the thoughtcrier worked alongside him. When the two Keshiri finally met each other face to face, Halder was cooking a meal in the kitchen while humming a sailor's song. Halder had also been reading a parchment which he had borrowed from the fort's library. Halder explained to Quarra that he liked to read while he was eating. Coming from a big city to the frontier, Quarra was surprised to learn that Point Defiance had a library. Halder explained that he often frequented the peninsular Garrow's Neck while he was on leave and that travelers sometimes left things there to read. Apart from news from the other signals station, life as a signals officer on Alanciar's frontier was boring and quiet. Books thus provided a means for signalers and soldiers to relieve their boredom.

Jogan then asked Quarra if she had met his thoughtcrier colleague Belmer while he was on the way out. When she confirmed that she did and had mistaken him for Jogan, he commented that he did send romantic messages out under Belmer's name. He then retracted his comment, saying that he had been joking and that Belmer like fermented beverages. Qaurra commented that such characteristics were not what one wanted to find in a thoughtcrier. While acknowledging that Belmer was obsessed with lovers, he responded that the man did not drink while on duty. Jogan then placed Quarra's duffle bag, which contained her clothes, between the doors to the two bedchambers in the tower. This was the tower's equivalent of a baggage-handling system. The couple had not planned the specifics of their sleeping arrangement for the week of Quarra's visit.

Taking note of the rustic and informal look of Point Defiance, Jogan apologized that Point Defiance was not up to conventional inspection standards since it was situated at the end of the inspection route and was staffed mainly be old bachelors. Quarra assured him that Point Defiance was tidier than her family home, which was home to three children and her husband, Brue Thayn, who was often away at work for long hours. When Jogan asked about her husband, Quarra assured him that he was fine. Halder than took his lover and quest on a tour of the facilities at Point Defiance. First, her showed her his workstation: a semaphore station. This workbench was a wooden stand which held several cylinders of various sizes. Each of these drums had several slate-covered wheels which were oriented around a central dowel. Each of these wheels had lines dividing their circumference into equal parts.

Jogan then selected one of the medium-sized drums and snapped it crossways into a holder on his workbench. After scrawling a message in chalk across the cylinder, he then pilled a small locking rod free from the cylinder, causing the letter wheels to rotate freely. After resetting the positions of the wheel at random, Halder replaced the locking rod and recorded a ten-digit number reflecting the new positions of the tumblers. After commenting that this cylinder would not need a big cypher, he unplugged the cypher from his workstation and stepped out onto the eastern balcony. A fireglobe grid was located on the balcony and all but of its orbs cycled inward towards their bushings. At that moment, the fireglobe system was at its "off" position. After telling Quarra to shield her eyes, Jogan went to the signaling device and used pulleys to activate the grid.

An orange-colored alert signal was immediately transmitted from the fireglobe system. Jogan then activated the other controls, transmitting white, gold, orange, and green lights. While Quarra was familiar with the semaphore system due to her basic military training, she was unable to send signals as fast as an experienced Alanciari semaphore operator like Jogan, who only took five seconds to send the destination code and begin transmitting his missive.

The Sith Invasion
During Halder's first meeting with Thayn, the Lost Tribe sent a reconnaisance mission to scout Alanciar. After almost a millennium of civil war and anarchy known as the "Time of the Rot", Grand Lord Varner Hilts succeeded in reuniting the Lost Tribe on Keshtah in 3000 BBY. Hilts rallied the divided Sith factions around the cause of reaching "Keshtah Major", the Sith name for Alanciar. After twenty-five-years of experimentation, the Tribe's chief engineer and mathematician High Lord Edell Vrai succeeded in building a fleet of hydrogen-powered airships which were capable of travelling across the Western Sea for long distances. Halder led three airships on this reconnaissance mission to reach Alanciar.

The Alanciari defenders downed the enemy airships with their ballistae. In an attempt to hide their affair, Halder attempted to help Thayn leave Point Defiance during the fighting and return to Uhrah. Since Thayn had "officially been touring" the industrial cities on the Northern Slope, she wanted to return to Uhrar in order to hide her affair. However, Jogan was seriously wounded and suffered several broken ribs after an uvak, which had been attached to one of the Sith airships, crashed on top of him. Quarra attempted to fend him off when they were surrounded by the Sith. In the end, the two Alanciari were captured by Vrai and his followers.

The Sith also discovered his private library where they managed to gain a copy of Vaal's Keshtah Chronicles, which allowed the Sith to gain intelligence on Alanciar's society and to prepare a plan to take over Alanciar with minimal resistance. Halder and Thayn were taken aboard the Alanciari sailing ship Mischance which the Tribe had commandeered. There, they were tied to the ship's mast. Shortly later, Vrai received secret orders from the Tribe's leader Grand Lord Varner Hilts to bring Jogan and the Mischance to Keshtah for unknown purposes. Meanwhile, Vrai planned to go on a two-week reconnaissance mission to Alanciar's capital Sus'mintri with Quarra serving as his guide. Quarra reluctantly agreed to help Vrai in return for the Sith untying Halder from his bonds and attending to his medical needs. Vrai agreed and Halder was released and had his wounds treated.

Guest of the Tribe
After Vrai and Thayn successfully landed on Alanciar's coast, the Mischance departed on a long-distance oceanic voyage to Keshtah. Despite the inexperience of the Sith crew and the turbulent oceanic conditions, the Mischance safely reached Keshtah's coast. Upon landing, Jogan was blindfolded and transported on a cart to Tahv. There, Jogan had his blindfold removed and was allowed to roam the city freely. The city was filled with Keshiri craftsmen, painters, sculptors, and musicians who greeted him. The Keshtah Keshiri claimed to be a "happy and free" people who lived under the protection of the Sith, whom they dubbed the "Protectors." Halder was also allowed to visit the Tribe's "capitol" and befriended the Circle of Lords.

The Tribe's leadership managed to convince Jogan that the Sith did not actually pose a threat to the Alanciari. While they acknowledged that Adari Vaal had been right about the presence of "Destructors" among the Sith, the Tribe claimed to have purged the Destructors one day after Vaal and her followers had left. Jogan was also told that a servant of the Destructors had risen two thousand years later but had been driven from Keshtah. This same individual had also built a fleet of airships and sought to conquer Alanciar. Finally, the Tribe claimed that Edell Vrai and his airships had been sent in pursuit of the "servant" of the Destructors. According to the Sith, the clash between the Alanciari and Vaal's forces had been an unnecessary misunderstanding.

The Sith successfully convinced Jogan of their "peaceful" intentions and the latter became their "Ambassador" to the Alanciari. Unknown to Halder, the Sith had orchestrated a "grand deception" by putting their most loyal Keshiri servants onto the streets during Halder's arrival. The Sith had also withdrawn from public view. In addition, the Sith had actually planned to invade Alanciar; this had been one of the goals of Grand Lord Varner Hilts, the ruler of the Lost Tribe. Hilts had allowed his rival, the High Lord Korsin Bentado, to invade Alanciar knowing that his forces would be easily decimated by the Alanciari defenses. Based on the "sinister" appearance of Korsin, his followers, and his ships, Korsin's forces would appear to be the Destructors.

Herald of the Sith
Jogan then travelled with Grand Lord Hilts on his airship Good Omen to Alanciar. Meanwhile, Hilts' rival Bentado and his Ebon Fleet invaded Alanciar but his airships were quickly wiped out by the Alanciari ballistae. However, Korsin and several of his followers survived and regrouped. They succeeded in infiltrating Sus'mintri's Vaal Hall where they assassinated the entire War Cabinet, Alanciar's military government. This enabled the Sith to seize control of the Alanciari military without their awareness. Knowing that Hilts was travelling to Alanciar, Korsin attempted to use the Alanciari artillery to shoot down Hilts' airship. Korsin had intended to create a Second Tribe and a rival empire using Alanciar's industrial base.

However, Korsin was opposed by Edell, Quarra, and his own Keshiri assistant Squab, who was secretly working for Hilts. In the end, Korsin was slain and Edell took control of Korsin's forces. Meanwhile, the Good Omen landed without incident at Port Melephos, a coastal city in Alanciar. Jogan was able to convince the locals that the Sith did not pose a threat to them. The airship then travelled to Sus'mintri where Jogan repeated his testament and was warmly received by the Alanciari there as the new "Herald" who had saved the Tribe. Hilts then supported his message by disguising himself as the Bright Tuash, an avian deity in Keshiri religion. The false "Bright Tuash" expressed sadness that the "Destructors" had murdered the War Cabinet but assured the Alanciari that the "evil ones" and their leader had already been defeated by his "agent" Edell Vrai, working in conjunction with the well-trained Alanciari woman Quarra.

Hilts also claimed that Jogan's predecessor Vaal had been a well-meaning albeit misguided servant. Finally, Hilts announced that the Tribe felt responsible for the events that had occurred and that relief workers, both Human and Keshiri, would arrive from Keshtah to build relations with the Alanciari. This effectively facilitated the "unification" of Keshtah and Alanciar, which had been separated for millennia. Hilts' message was welcomed by the overwhelming majority of the Alanciari with the exception of Quarra, who realized the deception. However, she did not voice any objections since she preferred to safeguard her people's interests by collaborating with the Sith. Following the meeting, Jogan departed from the airship and went to a signal station in order to broadcast his new message to the other Alanciari. While Jogan saw his one-time lover Quarra, he was too busy to talk to her but indicated that they could meet afterwards.

Legacy
As a result of Jogan Halder's diplomacy, the Alanciari peacefully submitted to the Tribe. Thus, the Lost Tribe gained access to a large and wealthy continent which had a substantial industrial base and was rich in lumber. This lumber enabled the Tribe to build a significant fleet of sailing ships which began exploring the other regions and seas of Kesh in 2974 BBY. The annexation of Alanciar pleased Grand Lord Hilts who regarded it as a major victory for the Tribe with minimal losses. Halder's one-time captor, Edell Vrai, was appointed as the new governor of Alanciar. Shortly following the public meeting, Hilts privately confided in Vrai that his deception had been successful and had also eliminated a political rival, Korsin Bentado. Due to his services to the Tribe, Halder gained a place of honor in their society. This prestige was also enhanced by the fact that he was the first recorded Alanciari visitor to Keshtah Minor, the domain of the Tribe.

Following the Sith annexation of Alanciar, Jogan broke contact with his one-time lover Quarra since he was preoccupied with his new role and status. He became a professional hermit who visited the various cities of Alanciar in the airship Good Omen to repeat the story of his adventure. Halder's story was dramatized with the help of Keshiri actors and song-writes imported from Keshtah and gradually replaced the Observance Day plays which were based on the life of Adari Vaal, whose teachings were regarded by the new Sith authorities as outdated if not subversive. According to official rhetoric, Adari had merely been found on a rock. By contrast, Jogan had lived on one before his revelation. Thus, Jogan was regarded as the new "Rock of Kesh."

Behind the scenes
Jogan Halder was first conceptualized as a supporting non-point-of-view character by John Jackson Miller for his Lost Tribe of the Sith e-novella series, which ran from May 28, 2009 to July 24, 2012. He appeared in the last story Pandemonium, which was released as part of Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories, a paperback collection of the entire series which was released on July 24, 2012. Most of his lines are told from the points-of-view of Quarra Thayn and Edell Vrai.

Appearances

 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Pandemonium