Black Vulkars/Legends

"The Lower City was a great place to hang out until the Vulkars started that gang war. Now you can't even walk the streets without getting shot at!"

- Mission Vao

The Black Vulkars were a swoop gang that had established itself within the Lower City of the Outer Rim world of Taris some time prior to 3,964 BBY. The gang, one of the most well known on that ecumenopolis, was known for the thuggish demeanor of its members. During the lead-up to the Mandalorian Wars, the gang was led by a sentient named Benno, a being who did not like being in the spotlight. In the wake of the planet's liberation by Revan and Malak, a former member of the Hidden Beks, Brejik, took control. Disgruntled with not having been made leader of the Beks following Gadon Thek's blindness, which had been caused by a swoop accident, Brejik left his former gang and took over the Vulkars.

This change in leadership brought about a drastic change from the gang's earlier reputation. Through the use of coercion, threats of force, and pure iron will, Brejik molded the group of petty thugs into a group of zealots, mobilizing them for a brutal street war against the Hidden Beks. As the Sith Empire under Darth Malak conquered Taris, the war continued, claiming the lives of anyone who got in the Vulkars' path. The Vulkars also refused to accept the Tarisian underworld's hierarchy, openly defying crime lord Davik Kang, who was in charge of Exchange operations on that world. When the reprogrammed former Dark Lord of the Sith, Revan, who had been trapped on Taris by the Sith quarantine, arrived in the Lower City, he sided with the Hidden Beks.He believed that they could help him to find and free the Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan. Unbeknown to him, she was captured by the Vulkars after crash landing in the Undercity of Taris. After Revan and Shan's actions at the Tarisian Season Opener, including killing Brejik, the gang became less intrusive in the Lower City.

During the Mandalorian Wars
The Black Vulkars attained recognition as a swoop gang within the Lower City of Taris at some point prior to 3,964 BBY, the level of Taris already known for poverty and lawlessness. At this time the gang was lead by a being known as Benno. However, in comparison to other swoop gangs, such as the Hidden Beks, the Black Vulkars were known for acts of recklessness and idiocy, and cast an overall negative impression on residents of Taris. One known incident involved a number Vulkars, including Wargo and Frazznik, attempting to apprehend the fugitive Jedi Padawan, Zayne Carrick and his Snivvian companion, Marn "Gryph" Hierogryph. Hoping to claim the bounty on their heads for their alleged involvement in the Padawan Massacre of Taris, Gryph convinced the Vulkars to attempt to rob a nearby group of Wookiees, claiming that they had stashes of spice letting him and Carrick escape from the area. Another instance involved the young Mission Vao, when she first met the Wookiee Zaalbar, who was being taunted by a trio of Vulkars. According to Mission, when later telling Revan of the story, she attempted to make the gang members back off, but they instead focused on her. Furious, Zaalbar attacked the Vulkars, frightening one into unconsciousness.

During the First Battle of Taris, a siege of the planet by Mandalorian forces, the Black Vulkars fought against the invaders, but generally employed uncoordinated strikes and avoided uniting with the resistance during the occupation, preferring to spend the rest of their time looting.

New leadership
"Gadon keeps his Hidden Beks in line, but Brejik is getting delusions of grandeur. If Davik's smart, he'll slap that young punk back down."

- Canderous Ordo to Revan, during their first meeting

Some time after the Mandalorian occupation was ended, in the wake of the Second Battle of Taris, the Black Vulkars changed leadership. Brejik, a former member of the Hidden Beks, had hoped to attain leadership of the gang after their current leader, Gadon Thek, lost his eyesight in a swoop bike accident, but Thek still believed that Brejik was not yet ready for such responsibility so he stayed on. Feeling enraged at not being promoted to the position he thought he was so close to claiming, Brejik, along with some of the younger Beks, left to take over the running of the Vulkars. Though already having a grim record, the gang became even more wanton in their violence under Brejik's control, becoming heavily involved in the illicit drug trade, as well as dabbling in interstellar slavery. They also took to open war against the Beks on the streets of the Lower City, and even attacked civilians and Sith troopers during the Sith occupation at the height of the Jedi Civil War.

The Blockade of Taris
It was the Vulkars who captured Bastila Shan after her ship was destroyed over Taris by the Sith during the Battle of Taris. This was the main reason for the Sith occupation and quarantine, to prevent Shan from escaping. The former Sith Lord, Revan and his fellow crewman and survivor from the Endar Spire, Carth Onasi, were pushed to find Shan as she was a highly important figure for the Galactic Republic, using her abilities in battle meditation to assist in the war effort. When Revan first visited Javyar's Cantina, he witnessed Calo Nord, a notorious bounty hunter infamous for his 'no nonsense' attitude and his shortness who worked for Davik Kang in the Exchange on Taris, killing a trio of Black Vulkars, and then witnessed a group of Black Vulkars picking on Mission Vao, who were scared off by Mission's friend, Zaalbar. Later, Revan was able to secure the aid of Gadon Thek during his mission to rescue Shan, Revan had to infiltrate the Vulkars' base to steal back the Beks' prototype accelerator.

The base was located to the West of the Hidden Beks' base in the Lower City and was used primarily as their base of operations and the area for storing and maintaining their swoop bikes. Revan was aided by Mission who managed to deactivate the forcefield in the Taris Sewers with a keycard that she had stolen from a drunken Vulkar at the cantina. When in the base, there were many Vulkars but they were all killed by Revan's party. Revan did however choose to free a slave, Ada, from the base as well as let a Twi'lek Vulkar go free after he said that he did not like the new direction Brejik was taking the gang. Revan succeeded in retrieving the accelerator that the Vulkars had intended to use themselves, and Kandon Ark, the Vulkar garage manager, had even offered a deal for Revan to kill Gadon in return for Shan, but Ark was killed by Revan. Revan finally rescued Shan by winning a major swoop race. Bastila had been offered as the prize and was present at the event albeit restrained by the Vulkars with a neural disruptor. Furious at losing her, Brejik reported that Revan cheated in using a prototype accelerator in his swoop, but the head of the swoop race refused to acknowledge the move and said that the tradition was, once something was anted up it could not be returned once the race was over and that the decision could not be changed. At this point Shan used the Force to overload her restraints and pull her Vulkar guard to her making his smash into the cage, releasing the lock. As the guard tried to get up, she swiftly roundhouse kicked his head, killing him, and took his weapon, a vibro double-blade, to use in her own defense. The Vulkars, including Brejik, then attacked Revan but were killed by him and Shan. A considerable number of Vulkars fled the skirmish too afraid to fight.

Viewpoint
"Kill this woman! Kill the swoop rider! Kill them all!"

- Brejik, ordering the Vulkars to attack Bastila Shan and Revan.

When Benno was in control of the gang, the Vulkars were little more than common thugs on swoop bikes harassing the locals. They were usually found trying to acquire spice in some way or another among other crimes such as looting and muggings. However, when Brejik seized control of the gang he turned their focus to the destruction of their rivals, the Hidden Beks. He also brought the gang deeper into the illicit drugs and slavery trades. The Vulkars went about their business so vehemently that even the Exchange, an interstellar crime syndicate, started to notice them giving Davik Kang, the head of the Exchange on Taris during the Jedi Civil War, cause to hire mercenaries to keep the Vulkars out of his affairs. One particular mercenary was Canderous Ordo. On one occasion, an Exchange member was confronted by a pair of Vulkars. He called Canderous over and at just the sight of him the Vulkars, scared of the Mandalorian, quickly moved on.

Known Members
A large proportion of the Vulkars were Kadas'sa'Nikto with Redros being one particular gang member of this species. Drovians were members under Benno's leadership with Wargo a known member. Wargo's companion, Frazznik was a Zabrak although there were few other Zabraks seen in the gang. These two Vulkars were later captured by the Mandalorians and taken to Jebble where they became Neo-Crusaders. Doba was a Duro member and other Duros were often found working on the swoop bikes in the Vulkar base. There were also Twi'leks in the gang with the most notable being Kandon Ark. Other species in the gang included Humans, Aqualish, and Rodian.

Benno
Benno was the former gang leader of the Black Vulkars before Brejik took over. Benno was known for being impatient and not being one to wear suitable attire for the Upper City which was used by Marn "Gryph" Hierogryph to his and Zayne Carrick's advantage when Wargo and Frazznik threatened to give them to Benno for him to collect their bounties.

Brejik
"I am the wave of the future!"

- Brejik at the Tarisian Season Opener

During his time in the Hidden Beks, Brejik was noted for being impulsive and misinterpreting Gadon's instruction and then often going against the his wishes as a result. When he and Griff Vao kidnapped the Taris Constable's children he was nearly dismissed from the Beks. He later became Gadon Thek's protégé and expected to be made leader of the Beks after Thek was blinded in a swoop accident. Brejik left for the Vulkars after being deemed not ready by Thek and easily managed to edge his way as leader vowing then to destroy the Hidden Beks. He would later be killed by Bastila Shan and Revan at the Tarisian Season Opener when he withdrew the captured Jedi Knight as the reward for the race claiming the Beks of cheating.

Kandon Ark
"Well I didn't go to all the trouble of acquiring this prototype just so you could steal it back for that old fool!"

- Kandon, about Revan taking back the swoop accelerator to Gadon

Kandon was a green skinned Twi'lek and one of Brejik's chief lieutenants. He was in charge of the swoop garage in the Vulkar base and when Revan infiltrated the base he was to be found guarding the prototype swoop accelerator, stolen from the Hidden Beks, with many of his own bodyguards. He was killed by Revan while he was on a mission to recover the accelerator.

Redros
"I'm twice the rider you'll ever be, rookiee!"

- Redros, to Revan at the Tarisian Season Opener

Redros was respected as the Vulkars' best swoop rider, even by the Hidden Beks. The male Nikto made his best performance at the Tarisian Season Opener to beat Revan. However, he was beaten by the former Sith Lord and was later killed during the fight that followed.

Behind the scenes
In the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Revan has a choice whether to help the Black Vulkars or the Hidden Beks. If the player chooses the non-canon dark side option, Revan accepts the Vulkars' offer to assassinate Gadon Thek in exchange for Bastila. Revan then enters the swoop race for the Vulkars; after winning, Brejik refuses to give up Bastila, claiming that she is a Jedi and thus is too dangerous to be given as a slave. When Bastila breaks herself free of Brejik's restraint, he&mdash;apparently panicking&mdash;orders his Vulkars to kill Revan along with Bastila. Revan, however, ends up killing Brejik instead.

Cut Content
In the Knights of the Old Republic video game, the Black Vulkar Base level originally included an additional floor containing a spice lab, staff housing, and the base's heating control system. The player had to retrieve the keycard that would access the garage elevator from a Vulkar who would trade said keycard in return for some spice. Another means of taking it from the gang member was by killing them. The level was accessed by an elevator that would have been the armory in the final version and was guarded by the same pair of droids. Also included on the cut level was a female Twi'lek pazaak playing member who oddly was left with a male voiceover in the data left by Bioware.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 3: Commencement, Part 3
 * Labor Pains
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 22: Knights of Suffering, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Notes and references
Schwarze Vulkar Black Vulkars