Rawk

"Family takes care of family."

- "Bantha" Rawk to his nephew, Cade Skywalker

"Bantha" Rawk, a Human male formerly known as Nat Skywalker, was a former Jedi Master who lived during the Sith–Imperial War and the Second Imperial Civil War. Born into a family that was strong in the ways of the Force, Skywalker was a descendant of Anakin and Luke Skywalker, the older brother of Jedi Council member Kol Skywalker, and uncle of Kol's son, Cade. During his time as a Jedi, Skywalker married a Kiffar female named Droo and adopted her children Ahnah and Skeeto. When the Sith–Imperial War was initiated, Skywalker helped the Jedi Order found a suitable planet, Taivas, to build a Hidden Temple. After he left the Jedi Order, Skywalker and his family changed their surname to "Rawk", with Skywalker adopting the alias "Bantha". In 130 ABY, after the Sith Lord Darth Krayt's Sith and Imperials massacred the Jedi on Ossus, Rawk assumed that Cade had died during the attack. However, Rawk eventually reunited with Skywalker, now a bounty hunter, and helped him build the starship Mynock. During this time, Rawk became a chief mechanic of the Selonian Shipyards and adopted the Cathar Micah after rescuing him from slavers. In 137 ABY, agents of the Black Sun criminal organization attacked Rawk's home on Iego. Skywalker and the crew of the Mynock assisted Rawk and his family in defending his home against the mercenaries. Later, Skywalker told Rawk of his recent exploits, and Rawk told Skywalker about his mother, Morrigan Corde, when the former Jedi mentioned that he had met her. The former Padawan Azlyn Rae, who was now an Imperial Knight, fought and was defeated by Rawk, and she explained why she was following Skywalker.

An Imperial scouting party landed on Iego and interrogated the Rawks and Rae, and only left after Rae used the Force to convince the captain that the Black Sun mercenaries had lied to the Imperials about Skywalker assisting Rawk. The former Jedi Master revealed the Hidden Temple's location to Skywalker when his nephew expressed his desire to assassinate Darth Krayt. Rawk guided Skywalker's crew and Rae to Taivas. Rawk, Skywalker, and a delegation of Imperial Knights&mdash;comprised of Princess Marasiah Fel, Antares Draco, and Ganner Krieg&mdash;met with the reconvened Jedi Council as Skywalker presented the Council with his plan to kill Krayt. The Council ultimately refused, and Rawk bid his nephew farewell as Skywalker left with his crew, the Imperial Knights Draco, Krieg, and Rae, and the Jedi Knight Shado Vao to assassinate Krayt. After Skywalker and his team successfully killed Krayt, he met Rawk and his family on Droo's homeworld Kiffex and asked for their assistance in healing Rae, who had been grievously wounded during the mission. After doing their best to heal her, Rawk and Droo encased Rae in a life-preserving suit which Rawk had built for the Kiffu Guardians. After discovering that Rae had not wanted them to heal her, Rawk gave Skywalker and his crew a deadline of two days to repair the Mynock and to leave Kiffex. Skywalker and his crew left Kiffex without saying any goodbyes to Rawk or his family.

Early life
"He understood the Force in ways I never could, natural-born leader&mdash;what folks look for in a Skywalker."

- Rawk, speaking of his brother Kol Skywalker

Nat Skywalker, a Human male, was born into the Skywalker family, inheriting Force potential of that bloodline. Skywalker grew into a powerful Jedi Master in his own right. However, he felt he could never live up to his family name, especially in comparison to his younger brother Kol Skywalker, who was a natural leader and a member of the Jedi Council. Skywalker was aware of his brother's secret marriage to the Imperial spy Morrigan Corde, although he never really understood why until Kol brought his and Corde's son Cade to the Jedi Praxeum on the planet Ossus. Kol had to remain on the galactic capital Coruscant to tend to Jedi affairs, and Skywalker raised Cade on Ossus until Kol brought his son to Coruscant. During this time, Skywalker married a Kiffar woman named Droo, and adopted her children Ahnah and Skeeto.

When the Sith–Imperial War began in 127 ABY, the Jedi Council ordered the creation of a hidden Jedi Temple. Skywalker scouted the Rim for a planet suitable enough for the creation of a Hidden Temple and came across the planet Taivas, located in the Zhar system. Skywalker and his family helped the Jedi build the Hidden Temple. At some point during the war, Skywalker left the Order, revealing his reasons for doing so only to his wife, Droo. In order to hide the fact they were Skywalkers, he and his family changed their surnames to the name "Rawk," with Skywalker taking the alias "Bantha." In 130 ABY, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Krayt's Sith and Imperial forces attacked the Ossus Jedi Praxeum, killing Kol Skywalker and the Jedi on the planet. Rawk believed that Cade had died with his father on Ossus, but Cade was rescued by the pirate Rav and joined the Feeorin's crew aboard the Crimson Axe.

At some point after the Massacre of Ossus, the Rawks rescued a young Cathar named Micah from a group of slavers. During the rescue, Micah lost his legs, and Droo tried her best to heal him. Rawk attached a pair of cybernetic legs to Micah and adopted the Cathar. Rawk eventually became a chief mechanic at the Selonian Shipyards. He also maintained a side business creating and modifying weapons for bounty hunters and other people who needed reliable weaponry. Eventually, Cade Skywalker and Rawk reunited, and Rawk helped his nephew and a member of his crew, the Zeltron Deliah Blue, build the starship Mynock. Rawk also supplied his nephew with weaponry, building a modified double-barreled blaster carbine called the Rawk chopped special. At some point, Rawk attacked the Mynock as they were leaving Rawk's home, because Skywalker's friend, Jariah Syn, had tried to seduce his daughter Ahnah.

Visit from Cade Skywalker
At some point by 137 ABY, Rawk and his family relocated to the planet Iego in an home nicknamed "Rawk's Nest". Rawk maintained a friendship with the Shipmaster Ure'monbarak on the planet Dac, which supported his family. Members of the Black Sun crime syndicate attacked Rawk's Nest, and the Rawk family were defending their home from the mercenaries when the crew of the Mynock arrived to help the Rawks. With their assistance, Rawk and his family managed to drive off the attackers. Four days later, during a pool party, Rawk and Skywalker had a conversation in Rawk's workshop. Skywalker told his uncle of his recent exploits, including assisting the Imperial Princess Marasiah Fel's return to her father&mdash;deposed Emperor Roan Fel&mdash;on Bastion, finding his former Jedi Master, Wolf Sazen, and his invasion of the Sith Temple to rescue the Jedi Hosk Trey'lis, whom he had turned in for a bounty. Skywalker also told Rawk that he also trained under the Sith before he escaped their temple. Rawk began to berate his nephew, but stopped when Skywalker mentioned that he had met his mother, Morrigan Corde. When Rawk asked Skywalker if Corde said anything, Skywalker used the name of Rawk's former identity. Rawk reminded his nephew that he abandoned the name "Nat Skywalker" when he left the Jedi for reasons known only to Droo. Rawk further told Skywalker to leave if he told Rawk's children the reason for him leaving the Jedi. After Skywalker asked Rawk to calm down, Rawk told his nephew about Corde and his father's relationship with her. Before they rejoined their family, Rawk apologized to Skywalker for not telling him about Corde and told his nephew that his family meant everything to him.

As Rawk and Skywalker rejoined the family at the party, Skeeto told everyone to watch the latest holovid. Rawk and his family watched in disgust as images were shown of Sith-Imperials on Dac executing the Mon Calamari, and also watched as the Dark Lord Darth Krayt decreed that the surviving Mon Calamari in the galaxy would be placed in work camps. The holovid showed an image of Skywalker, and called him by his full name. Skywalker confirmed his identity to his cousins, and Rawk began to berate his nephew. The two attacked each other, but managed to calm down. Rawk ordered Skeeto to turn on the long-range scanners for Imperial activity and told everyone not to panic. Later in the night, Skywalker went on a death stick–induced binge after conversing with the Force ghosts of both his father Kol Skywalker and the former Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker. When he was attacked by a masked figure, Rawk used the Force to pull the assailant's blaster out of her hand. She gained the upper hand, eventually holding the tip of her ignited lightsaber near Rawk's chest. However, Rawk managed to overpower her and asked Skywalker whether he knew the woman or not. She revealed herself to be Azlyn Rae, a Padawan who survived the Massacre at Ossus. They brought her inside and she explained to the family how she survived the massacre and that she made her living as a bounty hunter. As Blue attempted to take Skywalker to bed, the long-range sensors picked up Imperial Star Destroyers entering the system and heading towards Iego. When Skywalker said it was time to leave, Rawk told his nephew that he had to hide. A scouting party led by Imperial Captain Gurlok arrived at Rawk's Nest and interrogated Rae and the Rawks. Rae told Gurlok that she had assisted Rawk in defending his home against the Black Sun mercenaries, but the Imperial captain did not believe Rae, and ordered his stormtroopers to kill Ahnah, Skeeto, and Micah unless either Rawk or Rae told him the truth. Rae used a mind trick to convince Gurlok that the Black Sun mercenaries had lied to him, and the Imperials went back to the Star Destroyer and left the system. Two hours later, Rawk gave Skywalker another Rawk chopped special and commended Rae for her actions earlier. He advised Skywalker to change his appearance, name, friends, and ship, and also advised against using the Force. Skywalker disagreed, and told Rawk of his intentions to assassinate Krayt. Skywalker stated that he saw how the Sith operated during the time he spent learning from them and determined that Krayt had no heir. The bounty hunter did not trust deposed Emperor Roan Fel or Admiral Gar Stazi. When Skywalker mentioned that he could not find the scattered Jedi, Rawk revealed to his nephew that there was a hidden Jedi Temple.

The Hidden Temple
Before Rawk, Skywalker, and his crew left Iego to locate the Hidden Temple, Rawk instructed Droo to relocate the family to her homeworld of Kiffex. During the trip to Taivas, Rawk recorded a message for Droo and voiced his concerns over his nephew and the crew, as well as a recollection of how the Hidden Temple came to be. After landing at the Hidden Temple, Rawk, Skywalker, and the Mynock crew discovered that the Imperial Knights Marasiah Fel, Antares Draco and Ganner Krieg had followed them to the Temple. Skywalker and the Jedi Knight Shado Vao attacked the Imperials, but stopped when Wolf Sazen ordered them all to put away their weapons. Skywalker figured out that Rae had led the Imperials there, and when Princess Fel explained that Rae was an Imperial Knight, Skywalker tried to attack them, but was restrained by Rawk. Later, Rawk, Skywalker, and the Imperial delegation met with the reconvened Jedi Council, led by Masters T'ra Saa, K'Kruhk, and Tili Qua. Skywalker presented the Council with his plan to assassinate Darth Krayt, whom he also revealed to the Council to be the former Jedi Master A'Sharad Hett. The Council told Skywalker that they would meditate on the matter.

Rawk and the Council discussed Skywalker's assassination plan. During the meeting, Rawk expressed his opinion that his nephew probably had the right idea to assassinate Krayt, even though Skywalker had slipped more into the dark side. Despite this, the Council decided not to support Skywalker's plan. Rawk bid his nephew farewell as Skywalker, his crew, Shado Vao, and the Imperial Knights Rae, Draco, and Krieg carried out their plan to assassinate Darth Krayt. Rawk returned to his family on Kiffex.

A desperate plan
"There's nothing more that I can do for her, Bantha. It's like she's fighting me&mdash;like she doesn't want to live. To save her, she'd have to be constantly bathed in bacta&mdash;maybe for the rest of her life. We have to let her go.''" "''Made a promise to Cade, Droo. Boy's seen too many of those broke."

- Droo and Rawk

After Skywalker's crew successfully killed Darth Krayt, he rushed to Kiffex so that Droo could try to heal Rae, who had been grievously injured during the battle. In his compound on Kiffex, Rawk informed Sheyf Zharia Vos, a leader of the Kiffu Guardians, that the prototype armor that he had been working on was finished. After Rawk finished talking with Vos, Syn came in over Rawk's comm system asking Rawk to transmit the compound's coordinates to the Mynock navicomputer. After sending the coordinates, Rawk and Droo met Skywalker and his crew outside their home. Skywalker, who was using his healing ability to keep Rae alive, gave Rae to Droo. Rawk asked Shado Vao about Skywalker's eyes, which had turned red due to the fact that he used the dark side with his healing ability. Rawk promised his nephew that he would do whatever it took to save Rae.

Later, Skywalker attempted to help Rawk and Droo with healing Rae, but Rawk refused, citing Skywalker's usage of the dark side in conjunction with his healing ability. Rawk reminded his nephew that he had promised to save Rae and instructed Skywalker to leave his home so that he and Droo could concentrate on healing Rae. After trying all she could, Droo informed Rawk that she could not heal her anymore, because Rae&mdash;who had been placed in a bacta tank&mdash;was pushing her attempts away. When Droo told Rawk that they had to let Rae go, Rawk disagreed, stating that Skywalker had seen too many promises broken in his life. Rawk told Droo that he would put Rae in the life-preserving suit that he developed for Sheyf Vos, but Droo objected to this idea, fearing that Rae would end up like Rawk's ancestor, the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Rawk managed to convince Droo to help him put Rae in the armor. Rae confronted Skywalker after he and Syn returned from the Ven Karya Spaceport. After Skywalker and Rae's conversation, Rawk told Rae that he would arrange for her to leave Kiffex. Droo told Skywalker that because he had lied to her about Rae wanting to live, she wanted him to leave and to perhaps never return to the Rawks. Rawk gave Skywalker and his crew a deadline of two days to make repairs to the Mynock, after which he wanted them gone. Two days later, Skywalker and his crew left Kiffex without saying goodbyes to Rawk and his family.

Personality and traits
"Gotta enjoy what we got while we got it&mdash;be around those who we care about and who care about us."

- Rawk, to Cade Skywalker

The Human male Nat Skywalker felt that he could not live up to his family's name. He felt that his brother, Kol Skywalker, was a natural leader and what people looked for in a Skywalker. When Nat met Cade's mother, Morrigan Corde, he felt she was secretive and was not easy to get a sense of. When Kol brought Cade back to the Ossus Jedi Praxeum, Nat took care of Cade while Kol attended to Jedi business on Coruscant. Kol eventually brought Cade to Coruscant to live with him. He left the Jedi Order, telling nobody except his wife, Droo, his reasons for doing so. He and his family changed their surname to the name "Rawk", in order to hide the fact they were Skywalkers. Rawk would often berate his nephew when he felt that he had done or was going to do something stupid. After an Imperial scouting party interrogated the Rawks, Rawk suggested that Skywalker change his identity, appearance, friends, and his ship. When he refused, Rawk informed him of the continued existence of Jedi at the Hidden Temple that he had helped the Jedi Order build during the Sith–Imperial War. After Skywalker presented his plan to assassinate Darth Krayt to the Jedi Council, Rawk discussed the plan with the Council. He felt that his nephew's plan was not a bad idea, even if he had slipped further in the dark side. Rawk also felt that to ignore Krayt's genocide of the Mon Calamari was wrong.

When Skywalker brought the injured Rae to Rawk after his successful assassination of Krayt, Rawk promised to his nephew that he would do whatever it took to save Rae's life. He was determined not to fail his nephew, encasing Rae in a life-preserving suit. After finding out that Skywalker lied to Droo about Rae wanting to be healed, Rawk gave his nephew a deadline of two days to repair the Mynock, and then he wanted Skywalker and his crew gone.

Rawk's family meant everything to him. He adopted Droo's daughter, Ahnah, and also adopted Skeeto. After he and his family saved the Cathar Micah from slavers, Rawk adopted the boy as one of their own. When Jariah Syn tried to seduce Ahnah, Rawk attacked Syn, going so far as to shoot at the Mynock as Syn, Skywalker, and Blue fled Rawk's home. Rawk was unafraid to speak his mind and was known for being boisterous, traits that Rawk's family shared. Rawk understood a variety of languages, including Galactic Basic Standard, Bocce, and Huttese. He possessed a modified blaster carbine, a modified blaster pistol, and a comlink.

Powers and abilities
"Youth and skill, old timer&hellip;""Ain't got nothing on my experience."

- Azlyn Rae and Rawk

Like most members of the Skywalker lineage, Rawk possessed a deep connection with the Force. Even after years of not using the Force, Rawk managed to overpower Imperial Knight Azlyn Rae, despite the fact that Rawk was unarmed while Rae had her lightsaber to his chest. Rawk was skilled with telekinetic Force powers, although his ability to use mind tricks had diminished, since his wife Droo forbade Rawk from using mind tricks on their children.

Rawk was a gifted mechanic, as seen by his construction of his adopted son Micah's legs after Rawk and his family rescued Micah from slavers. Rawk also helped construct his nephew Cade Skywalker's ship, Mynock. Rawk designed a life-preserving suit intended for use by the Kiffu Guardians and used it when he and his wife Droo saved Azlyn Rae's life. He constructed the Rawk chopped special, a modified double-barreled blaster carbine which was Cade Skywalker's weapon of choice. Rawk supplied his nephew with upgraded versions of the carbine.

Behind the scenes
"Bantha and his family are the closest thing to family for Cade. [&hellip;] I see the Rawks as another layer in Cade's life where he can go when things get too hot."

- Jan Duursema

"Bantha" Rawk was created by John Ostrander, the writer of the Star Wars: Legacy comic series. He was introduced in Star Wars Legacy 0, a resource comic which gave basic information on some of the characters, locations, and organizations of the Legacy series. Rawk also received an entry in Star Wars Legacy 0½, another resource comic which expanded on the information gived on Rawk from Legacy 0. Rawk was given an entry in the Legacy Era Campaign Guide.

Rawk was first identified as the former Jedi Master Nat Skywalker in the twenty-third issue of Legacy. Rawk appeared in the Loyalties, The Hidden Temple, and Storms story arcs. Rawk has been drawn by Jan Duursema in all his appearances in Star Wars: Legacy.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Legacy: Loyalties
 * Star Wars Legacy: The Hidden Temple
 * Star Wars Legacy 29: Vector, Part 10
 * Star Wars Legacy: Storms
 * Star Wars Legacy 39: Tatooine, Part 3
 * Star Wars Legacy 43: Monster, Part 1