Tav Kennede

Tav Kennede was a Human male. He was the son of Ved Kennede, the training master of the Emperor's Royal Guard.

Early life and service to Kir Kanos
Tav Kennede was born the son of Ved Kennede, a former Imperial Royal Guardsman and Master Instructor of the Imperial Royal Guard Academy on Yinchorr. Though Tav Kennede was never trained to be a Royal Guardsman himself, his father taught him the secret battle language of the Guard as a child. After the death of Emperor Palpatine's final clone on Onderon in 11 ABY, Kennede's father and many of his Royal Guardsmen gathered to mourn their Emperor's death on Yinchorr, where they were nearly all killed by stormtroopers under the command of former Guardsman Carnor Jax, who sought to cover up his part in the Emperor's death. The massacre's only survivor, Guardsman Kir Kanos, informed Kennede about Jax's betrayal.

Kanos, who remained fanatically loyal to the deceased Emperor, killed Jax and sought out Kennede's aid in the execution of other parties involved in Palpatine's death, including Jax's co-conspirators, the Imperial Interim Ruling Council. Kennede willingly allied himself with Kanos to gain vengeance on those responsible for his father's death.

The Guardsman soon contacted Kennede from the planet Baramorra and requested that several items be brought to him within two days, including an R2-series astromech droid, to aid him in their mission. Kennede complied but, never having been to Baramorra, asked Kanos how he could find him. Kanos told him to look for a bounty hunter named Kenix Kil, an alias the Guardsman had assumed when bounties placed on him by the Interim Ruling Council elevated following Jax's death. Kennede immediately recognized the name as an anagram for "Kir Kanos" in the Royal Guard battle language and had no trouble identifying him two days later on Baramorra, after the Guardsman executed Boss Banjeer, nephew of the Ruling Council member Admiral Banjeer. As requested, Kennede brought Kanos the equipment he needed. The pair left Baramorra and made several stops before formulating a plan to take down the remaining conspirators.

Spying on Mirith Sinn
Disguised as bounty hunters, Kennede and Kanos decided to enter into the employment of the Hutt crime lord Grappa on Genon in order to gain inside information on their next target, the Ruling Council, which they hoped to infiltrate using their covers. They successfully gained access to Grappa's palace on Genon and acted as a pair of the Hutt's many bounty hunters. Kanos soon recognized New Republic Commander Mirith Sinn among the group, who had recently employed herself to Grappa and claimed to be looking for Kanos. Kanos knew that Sinn blamed him for the death of her friend, Sish Sadeet, and ordered Kennede to spy on Sinn to confirm her interest in him. Sinn, in reality, used her past with Kanos as a cover story to investigate Grappa's involvement in the recent hijackings of New Republic supply ships.

Tav Kennede continued to keep tabs on Sinn and followed her to the planet Smarck, where Grappa had arrived with much of his court to perform a business transaction with the Black Sun crime syndicate. Kennede surreptitiously shadowed Sinn as she began searching the Black Sun facility for clues relating to her investigation. When Sinn peered through the opening of a door leading to the chamber where Grappa and his Black Sun associate, Macus Kayniph, were having their conversation, Kennede noticed that whatever she saw surprised her. After Sinn broke off from the rest of the group, Kennede was unable to follow her. Kennede reported back to Kanos and concluded that Sinn was likely not hunting him, believing that she had found whatever she was looking for back on Smarck. Kennede admitted that he had no idea what Sinn's intentions were and was ordered by Kanos to continue his surveillance of the woman.

Back at Grappa's palace, Kennede continued watching Sinn from a distance when the Hutt held a banquet in honor of his Black Sun allies. He followed Sinn as she sneaked through a restricted area of the palace and into a set of quarters. There, Sinn found a drugged and captive Feena D'Asta, daughter of the Imperial shipping magnate Baron Ragez D'Asta and purportedly a member of the Ruling Council. When one of Grappa's guards discovered Sinn and attempted to turn her in, Kennede swiftly stabbed him in the back with a knife and told a confounded Sinn to head to back to banquet before she began causing suspicion. Kennede then disposed of the guard's body and returned to the banquet as well, where he continued to monitor the New Republic operative. Sinn's former subordinate, Massimo, soon arrived at the banquet and sold her out to Grappa, revealing her true reasons for being employed to the Hutt. After Grappa gave Sinn over to the Zanibar species for one of their sacrificial ceremonies, Kanos decided to follow her to the Zanibar homeworld Xo with the hopes of rescuing the woman because he believed he had a debt to repay to her. He instructed Kennede to pick both of them up from Xo at a later time.

Taking down Xandel Carivus
As planned, Kennede arrived at Xo the next day and flew his two-seated X-wing toward the surface of the planet. Kanos had already rescued Sinn but the two were fleeing from Zanibar forces. Kennede opened fire on the pursuers with his X-wing's laser cannons and the moment he touched down, Sinn boarded the X-wing, occupying its remaining seat. On Kanos's orders, he lifted off with Sinn and escaped Xo while the Guardsman was taken captive by the remaining Zanibar. The pair traveled to a New Republic base, where Kennede temporarily became a Republic recruit. Kennede revealed to Sinn his identity and his past with Kanos, and Sinn in turn described what she saw on Smarck that surprised her. She explained that she witnessed Black Sun agent Macus Kayniph handing Feena D'Asta over to Grappa in exchange for Gree spice, despite the fact that she knew D'Asta was with the rest of the Ruling Council on Ord Cantrell. They came to the conclusion that one of the D'Astas was a clone intended for a Black Sun plot to control the Ruling Council.

Kennede joined several squadrons of New Republic starfighters led by Sinn in an attack on Black Sun cloning facilities on Smarck. During the battle, Sinn received word that Kanos had been taken back to Grappa's palace by the Zanibar. Kennede, Sinn, and several other fighters made their way to Genon and confronted Grappa, who was surprised to learn that Kennede's employment to him was a ruse. They were able to intimidate the Hutt into releasing both Kanos and the original Feena D'Asta.

When Baron D'Asta learned that his daughter, in reality a clone of the original Feena D'Asta, had been imprisoned by self-declared Emperor Xandel Carivus, he launched an all-out attack against Carivus's forces at Ord Cantrell's capital city, De-Purteen, which ultimately ended in a ceasefire and the safe release of the D'Asta clone. After Sinn and Kanos reunited the Baron with his real daughter, Kennede accompanied them with the Baron to confront Carivus on the surface of Ord Cantrell. Baron D'Asta threatened Carivus with the secession of his sector from the Empire, prompting the Emperor to call for his guards. In the ensuing firefight, Kennede saved the Baron's life as a guard was about to fire on him, but Kennede himself was injured when the guard's blaster bolt hit his shoulder. The injured Kennede told Kanos to go after the fleeing Carivus, and was taken to safety by Feena D'Asta's clone. Once Kanos succeeded in killing Carivus and avenging the death of Kennede's father, Kennede and the Guardsman decided it was best to get Baron D'Asta to safety before additional Imperial troops arrived.

Kennede, Sinn, Kanos, and Baron D'Asta, along with his daughters, reconvened on the Baron's flagship a short time later. After Baron D'Asta announced the withdrawal of his sector from the Empire, Kennede chose to enter into his service. Prior to bidding Kanos farewell, Kennede told the Guardsman that his services were still at his disposal. Kennede remained aboard the Baron's flagship while Sinn returned to New Republic space and Kanos went off to pursue his continuing vendetta against the Emperor's enemies.

Behind the scenes
Tav Kennede was created by Randy Stradley and Mike Richardson for the 1998–1999 comic book series Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood, illustrated by Paul Gulacy. He first appeared in the comic's second issue as a background character present in several panels with Mirith Sinn, though his physical appearance remained concealed by his cloak. He played a larger role in the third issue, where he first received dialogue. The fifth issue established his name and background, and depicted him unconcealed for the first time. He also appeared in the final issue and was featured on issue's cover, illustrated by Dave Dorman. Kennede additionally made a brief appearance in the 1999 comic The Bounty Hunters: Kenix Kil, also written by Stradley and illustrated by Javier Saltares. He received an entry alongside his father in the 1999 Handbook 2: Crimson Empire supplement work. Kennede's biography in the Handbook was later reused almost word-for-word for his entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia in 2008.

Appearances

 * The Bounty Hunters: Kenix Kil
 * Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood 2
 * Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood 3
 * Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood 5
 * Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood 6