Gobee

"Hey, Gobee, take it easy! Just because Oron Kira left you in charge of his army, doesn't mean you have to polish every buckle!"

- Fellow Beast Rider to Commander Gobee

Second-in-command to the Beast-Lord Oron Kira, Gobee was a human male citizen from Inner Rim world of Onderon. He, like Kira, was a Beast Rider, a society of warriors from the planet's wilderness. Extremely loyal to his Beast-Lord, Gobee often went to battle by his side. He served with Kira in the final battle of the century-spanning Beast Wars, as well as fighting by his side throughout the Freedon Nadd Uprising of 3,998 BBY. Afterwards, Gobee, along with his fellow Beast Riders were able to finally enjoy a season of planetary peace, having defeated the dark side power of Freedon Nadd that had dominated their world for generations.

Early life
"That ship is breaking through! It's going to reach the city!" "We must stop it! The Jedi must not be allowed to reach Iziz!"

- Oron Kira and Gobee, on a mission together

Nothing is known about Gobee's early life. It is known, however, that he was a Beast Rider from Onderon's uncivilized wilderness, and at some point, had achieved the rank of commander within the Beast Rider army. He was also a Beast Warrior Commando, an elite faction of soldier within the Beast Rider ranks. As Commander, however, Gobee acted as the second to Beast-Lord Oron Kira, with whom he was also well endeared. He fought valiantly by Kira's side many times over in battle, though moreso together, due to their comradery. During his teñure as Commander, Gobee was assigned many squads of Riders under him, which he called "wings", all of whose members followed him obediently.

Princess abduction
In 4,000 BBY, Gobee, Oron Kira, and several of Gobee's squads, encountered an off-world starship, while flying their warbeasts in the skies of Onderon. The Beast Riders had received news beforehand that the Jedi were arriving to facilitate peace between their people, and the civilized people of Iziz, the planet's only city. Thus, when the Nebulon Ranger appeared in the Onderonian atmosphere, the Beast Riders immediately went on the offensive. They laced the ship's hull with heavy blaster fire as it approached the city. The Jedi were also aware of the Beast Riders' presence, and had contacted Iziz to lend some assistance. Iziz obliged them, as its walls were lined with their own perimeter defenses, and the turbolaser fire that spewed forth was enough to halt the advance of Gobee and his comrades. The ship, which was carrying Jedi Knights Tott Doneeta, Ulic, and Cay Qel-Droma, was then able to then land safely within the walls of Iziz.



Gobee and his team regrouped, and prepared themselves for the next stage of their plan, which consisted of using the distraction of the off-worlders' presence to assault the Royal Palace, and attempt to abduct Galia, the Princess of Iziz. With the hour finally at hand, Gobee's squads of Beast Riders entered the city though a weak point in the wall, and took the city-dwellers by surprise. As his men held the wall defenses at bay, Gobee, Oron Kira, and several of their Beast Warrior Commandos attacked the Palace, just as the Jedi were being introduced to Onderon's ruler, Queen Amanoa. The other Commandos engaged the Jedi, while Gobee and Kira abandonded their beasts in pursuit of the Queen, who had fled with her daughter under the protection of their Royal Guards. Armed with knives and blaster pistols, Gobee and Kira made short work of the Guards as they came upon the Queen and her daughter. Amanoa attempted to call upon the spirit of Freedon Nadd, an ancient Sith Lord whose dark power had held dominion over Onderon for nearly the last four hundred years. Shrugging off her rants as nonsense, Gobee blasted the Queen with his pistol, lightly stunning her, and rendering her temporarily unconscious. Meanwhile, Oron Kira had taken Princess Galia into custody, and the two Beast Riders made haste with the Princess. Despite suffering minor losses, the Beast Rider's raid on the Royal Palace had been a total success.

Protecting the fortress
"Ugh, man, I hate pullin this kinda duty. I don't know why Oron Kira stuck us out here in the middle of the jungle!" "Come on Gobee, keep your eyes on your instruments. Oron Kira's the boss, and he says these hunter-seeker torpedoes we're manning are important! Now that we've got hold of the Princess, the Queen's sure to send out search parties!"

- Gobee, and a fellow Beast Rider on guard duty

What was unknown to both Amanoa and the Jedi, was that the Beast Rider's "raid", had been a masquerade all along. In reality, Galia had allowed herself to be kidnapped by Oron Kira, because the two were secretly betrothed. Knowing that Amanoa would never allow her daughter to marry a "savage" Beast Rider, the abduction was the only means for them to consecrate their love without the hindrance of the Queen. They then retreated to the Kira's forest stronghold of Fortress Kira, and prepared themselves to be wed. Commander Gobee would not attend the wedding ceremony of his friend, however; he was instead tasked by Kira to man the perimeter defenses of the forest citadel, in case Amanoa had dispatched search-and-rescue parties in pursuit of her daughter. It was a chore he took to begrudgingly.

Complaining about being assigned to perimeter duty, Gobee sat anxiously as he waited for some manner of action to commence. Another Beast Rider was assigned to detail with him, and had to remind the Commander that Oron Kira had given them a job of notable importance. Just then, their sensors were alerted by the presence of an incoming vessel, which he immediately recognized as being the off-world ship of the Jedi. Without hesitation, Gobee fired one seeker-torpedo from the defense turret, and scored a direct on the Nebulon Ranger, bringing it down somewhere in the jungle nearby.



Though satisfied with the successful defense of their territory, Gobee and his companion were not so sure that their quarry had perished in the wreck. Thus, they armed themselves with blaster rifles, and searched the surrounding area for potential survivors. Their reconnaisance was impeded by the dense jungle, which usually offered them the benefits of its abundant cover. It was not long though before Gobee and his partner were happened upon by the Jedi, who used their mind tricks to glean from him the location of the Princess. According to Gobee, Galia was being held in the Beast Rider's forest citadel, and was also in the process of binding herself to Oron Kira. The astonished Jedi then left for the Fortress, to prevent the wedding from happening by any means necessary.

When the Jedi located the Fortress, they found the wedding all ready in progress, and that Galia was willingly binding herself to the Beast Lord. As a symbol of peace, Ulic Qel-Droma convinced them to present their union as a truce betwee their warring peoples before the Queen. Oron's father and senior Beast-Lord Modon Kira, was wary of Qel-Droma's idea, and prepared his armies for war anyway, in case the Jedi's plan went awry. Gobee also received his own orders from Oron, to ready his squads for the final battle with Iziz. He did so, and led his troops alongside thousands of others, in the largest arny of Beast Riders ever assembled. However, peace was the furthest thing from the Queen's intentions, and she promptly rejected their offer. She instead denounced the Jedi, her daughter, and Oron Kira as fools, and in a gesture that shocked them all, Amanoa revealed her allegiance with the spirit of Freedon Nadd, and unleashed the full scope of his dark influence against them. Confounded by the sheer weight of the dark side, the group then attempted to escape, but became blocked by Amanoa's forces inside the Palace.

Battle for the walled city
"This is Commander Gobee, to all squadron commanders: we've secured every tower on the northern wall! All wings: commence your attack runs!"

- Gobee, during the Battle of Iziz

Meanwhile, outside the walls of Iziz, Gobee was readying his troops for the coming battle, making sure that every Rider was properly supplied and every warbeast fully prepped. It was not long before Gobee received a comlink from Oron Kira, who advised the Commander that the peace mission had dissolved into more aggressive negotiations, and that the final battle was at hand. Gobee was immediately concerned with Kira's position, but the Beast-Lord assured his friend of his well-being, and ordered Gobee to commence his counterattack. Without further question, Gobee did as instructed, leading his troops in an assault on the city's northern wall. The wall was heavily fortified with defensive towers, which housed armaments of both turbolasers and ion cannons. Though suffering casualties from the ranged weapons in the process, Gobee's flying wings of warbeasts attacked from above, while he and his ground forces scaled the walls and captured the towers, with Gobee himself killing the last of the enemy soldiers manning them. Once the north wall was secure, Gobee ordered one of his Flight leaders, Kurt, to bring his flying squads around from the east to begin their strafing runs over the Palace. He was satisfied with the progress of the Beast Riders in their bout to capture the city, but one unresolved issue still concerned him: the location and status of Oron Kira.



Heavily embroiled in battle against the city-dwellers, Gobee and his forces pressed the advance until they had taken nearly all of the city. In his search for Oron Kira, Gobee took up a command position near the Palace, which was where Kira's last transmission had originated from. Shortly afterwards he was greeted by the Beast-Lord, who had escaped the Palace, and had arrived to assist with the battle. Gobee, however, assured him that everything was proceeding as planned, and that they would soon be triumphant over the dark side. Together in battle yet again, Gobee and Kira led their troops in an effort to finally subdue the Palace.

During the fighting, Gobee had captured a prisoner of notable regard, in the form of Amanoa's servant, the Royal advisor Novar. Pleased with Gobee's acquisition, Kira began to interrogate the dark-sider, but was interrupted when Novar pompously informed them that their victory was short-lived, as the city-dwellers had the power of the dark side at their command. At that very moment, a deafening rumble of thunder sounded, and a palpable darkness rapidly began to consume the skies and atmosphere of Onderon. Gobee was immediately stricken with feelings of pain and fear, with Oron Kira following soon after. Novar gloated over them and reveled in their misery, explaining that Queen Amanoa had used the Sith magic taught to her by Freedon Nadd to both overwhelm the Beast Riders, and ensure her victory over them through the power of the dark side. Reduced to pure hysteria, Gobee and Kira were at the mercy of Novar, who was about to bring both of their lives to an end with his knife. Unoticed by all of them was the timely arrival of an off-world ship carrying Jedi Master Arca Jeth, who employed his talent with Jedi battle meditation to nullify Amanoa's power, and deliver victory into the hands of the Beast Riders. Amanoa was subsequently defeated when Jeth confronted her at the tomb of Freedon Nadd, in the catacombs deep under the Palace. There she perished in the face of Jeth's light, and, thanks to the Jedi's assistance, the Beast War conflict was finally brought to an end. Oron Kira and Galia were then officially crowned as King and Queen of Onderon, and took up residence in the Royal Palace of Iziz. With the civil war finally over, peace could be instituted worldwide, and unhindered.

Return of the dark side
"These caverns under the city go on for miles. And they're pitch-black!" "Why are we down here anyway?" "Orders from the Jedi. They say someone's down here practicin Sith magic."

- Gobee, and another Beast Rider

In the wake of the battle, the Jedi ordered the coffins of both Amanoa and Freedon Nadd, to be relocated to Dxun, Onderon's closest moon. There they would be kept in a new tomb constructed of Mandalorian iron. In reverance for the Queen, a funeral procession was held, allowing Galia and any others to pay their last respects to the deceased. Much like Oron Kira's wedding, Gobee would not attend Amanoa's funeral either. Instead, he was ordered by the Jedi to explore the catacombs under the Palace, where Nadd's remains were originally housed, in search of lingering pracitioners of Sith magic. Taking another Beast Rider with him, they began to explore the dark hallows, while joking about finding the ghosts of Freedon Nadd and Galia's father King Ommin along the way. They were suddenly accosted by Ommin himself, who up until now, was thought to be dead by the citizens of Onderon. Ommin also revealed his army of dark-siders to Gobee and his partner, and the Beast Riders in turn fled the tunnels to warn Oron Kira and the Jedi.

Gobee resurfaced above ground just as Master Jeth was overseeing the final internment of the Queen and the Sith Lord. He attempted to warn the gathering about his findings, but Ommin's forces were on fast on his heels. Before Oron Kira and the Jedi realized what Gobee was saying, they were interrupted by a deafening explosion, as the very ground beneath them split open. What belched forth was a gargantuan, boring, war machine, which released scores of Naddist soldiers from Ommin's army, who were led by an iron-clad-Dark Jedi named Warb Null.

The Naddists immediately assaulted the procession, and they were met head-on by Oron Kira, Gobee, and the Beast Riders. Meanwhile, the armored dark-sider attempted to beset the Jedi by engaging them in lightsaber combat, as his soldiers confiscated the coffins of Nadd and Amanoa. They succeeded in their mission, and after loading the sarcophagi onto their war machine, the Naddists and their Dark Jedi commander retreated to their underground stronghold. Master Jeth, who had been attacked through the Force by an unrevealed source during the fray, recognized the skirmish for exactly what it was&mdash;a distraction. The real mission of the dark-siders was to reclaim the remains of the Queen and Freedon Nadd. Also to their dismay, the Jedi Tott Doneeta had just received news that another faction of Ommin's army was rapidly approaching their position. Jeth then deduced that Nadd's influence was still lingering around his physical remains, and decided that their recovery was paramount in defeating King Ommin. Together with Ulic Qel-Droma and Princess Galia, Jeth entered the resulting tunnel of the groundborer's departure, in search of Ommin and the sarcophagus of Freedon Nadd. Gobee, the Beast Riders, and the remaining Jedi stayed behind and prepared to meet the darksiders in battle once again, unwilling to relinquish the newfound peace that took nearly four hundred years to achieve.

The dark-siders attacked the city, and the battle began to turn in their favor, after they captured the city, and drove the Beast Riders back as far as Fortress Kira. On the second day of fighting, Ulic Qel-Droma made contact, having escaped the tunnels under the Palace. They learned from him that Master Jeth had been captured by Ommin, and that he and Galia escaped his underground lair with more of Ommin's forces pursuing them. Qel-Droma had sent a distress call to the Galactic Republic, which they obliged with the full strength of their navy, and a contingent of Jedi Knights. In the face of their superior numbers and strength, Ommin's forces were defeated by the Republic, with Ommin himself perishing after the Jedi rescued their imprisoned Master. Following the battle, Freedon Nadd's, Ommin's, and Amanoa's remains were sealed away on Dxun. Gobee and his kin then began relief efforts in the first steps in restoring Onderon to peace.

Personality and traits
"Uhh&hellip;right&mdash;hahaha! I guess Freedon Nadd must be "nadding" off, hahaha."

- Gobee, making light of the situation

Gobee was an extremely loyal soldier and friend. As a commander in Oron Kira's army, he was an intense leader who often barked out commands, which were occasionally met by the grumblings of some of his subordinates. However, Gobee was always in the midst of battle with them, displaying both valor, and his willingness to lead by example. Because of this, his men held him in high regard, and followed him unquestioningly. His dedication to duty was further realized when he had to forgo his friend's wedding, and instead was ordered to perform security detail. As Oron Kira's close friend, Gobee demonstrated his loyalty by always fighting alongside Kira. When the two ever became separated during battle, Gobee refused to retreat or withdraw his forces until he was sure that Kira was accounted for. Gobee also had a slight sense of humor, occasionally making light of dangerous missons by engaging in situational anecdotes.

Abilities
"Hurry, Gobee! You're slower than a third-rate&mdash;" "I'm runnin as fast as I can! I'm used to ridin' on the back of my beast, not hoofin' it down hallways in the Royal Palace!"

- Oron Kira and Gobee



Commander Gobee was skilled, as were most Beast Riders, in taming and flying Onderon's wild drexls. He wass also proficient with an assortment of hand-ranged weapons, such as both blaster rifles and pistols. Gobee was even skilled with using heavy blasters while flying his warbeast, a skill akin to most of his ilk. Gobee was skilled with knives, and often carried them along with his personal blaster. Gobee was proficient as well with heavy machinery, such as the torpedo emplacements around the perimeter of Fortress Kira. He was skilled in missions of espionage, as well as being a formidable commander in the theater of war.

In matters of the Force, however, Gobee was relatively weak. Though he was not Force-sensitive, he could nonetheless feel the affects of the Force being used against him. On one occasion, he was played by the Jedi mind-tricks of Ulic Qel-Droma, and when Amanoa unleashed the full rapture of the dark side during the Battle of Iziz, Gobee was immediately undone by its surpressive power.

Behind the scenes
The character of Gobee first appeared by name in the Tales of the Jedi (audio) drama, which was written and conceived by authors Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson. Gobee also appeared, albeit unnamed, in Tales of the Jedi: Knights of the Old Republic comic series, also written by Veitch. He provides a supporting roll to Oron Kira as well as offering moments of comic relief throughout the story. In the audio drama, Veitch and Anderson used Gobee as the character who would reveal the rumored existence of King Ommin, another of Veitch's characters that had been only mentioned up until that point. Ommin himself was further explored in the subsequent story-arc, Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising. Gobee, however, made no apearance of the Freedon Nadd Uprising comic, rather appearing in the audio adptation instead.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi audio drama
 * Tales of the Jedi: Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising