Exal Kressh

"To be the Emperor's heir is one thing. To be his pawn is another, and I won't suffer that insult – not after everything I gave him!"

- Exal Kressh

Exal Kressh was a Sith female who was apprenticed to the Sith Emperor of the resurgent Sith Empire during the early years of the Great Galactic War. A descendant of the Sith Lord Ludo Kressh, Exal betrayed her Master when she learned of his plan to create "Children" who were connected to his will. She gave intelligence on Imperial fleet movements to the forces of the Galactic Republic so they could plan an attack on the planet Korriban. When she was confronted by Sith apprentice Teneb Kel on a space station near the planet Lenico IV, Kressh escaped the station and destroyed it, making her way to Korriban so she could raze the Sith Academy and halt the Sith Emperor's project. However, she was defeated during the Republic's assault on Korriban by Kel.

Biography
Exal Kressh was selected to be Emperor Vitiate's apprentice, a role in which she served until the early years of the Great Galactic War, when she discovered he intended to hollow her mind out and fill it with his own, making her the first of his 'children'. In response, Exal abandoned her duties in the Kathol Rift and fled toward the fringes of Republic Space, and possibly sending information to the Republic. The Emperor and the Dark Council responded by assigning the Sith apprentice Teneb Kel to hunt her down and kill her. Kressh destroyed Lenico Colony Blue while fighting against Teneb. Teneb barely survived the duel, but was able to escape from the colony and continue his mission to find her.

Kressh attempted to destroy Vitiate's project to make his children by assisting the Republic on an assault on Korriban. Secretly helping the Republic, she intended to sabotage the planet's defenses to allow the Republic to infiltrate the planet. She was met again by Teneb Kel, though she once again held the upper hand against him in combat. However, when Teneb's warrior slave Maggot intervened, Teneb took his chance by killing Kressh, therefore preventing her from sabotaging the planet's defenses or destroying the Emperor's project. She finally came to the point that her arrogance and superiority undermined her when Teneb defeated her.

Personality and traits
As Vitiate's apprentice, Exal Kressh at first believed she was special when the Emperor took her under his tutelage. This fact gave her a severe superiority complex, which she expressed during her duels with Teneb Kel. Kressh was supremely proud of her Sith heritage. She believed it was her right and privilege by blood to become the Emperor's apprentice and heir. However, after the Emperor attempted to make her his slave instead of his heir, she felt betrayed by her Master. Her hatred towards the Emperor was such that she was willing to give vital Imperial information to the Jedi and the Republic that would potentially undermine the Empire's campaign in the Great Galactic War.

Still, even though she left the Emperor's side, Kressh was constantly tormented by the persistent taunts and commands he projected into her mind, which was gradually driving her mad. However, even though she resisted the Emperor's presence in her consciousness, she felt invincible just because the Emperor hollowed her out and filled her with his strength, believing she could defeat any agents the Dark Council sent after her. Unfortunately, it was her arrogance and superiority complex that caused her to underestimate her enemies, which lead to her death at the hands of Teneb Kel.

Powers and abilities
Having been trained by Emperor Vitiate himself, Exal Kressh was more powerful than the average Sith. Her skills with a lightsaber was such that she was able to kill numerous Sith on Korriban and outmaneuver Teneb Kel twice. The dexterity of her style allowed her to redirect another Force-user's Force lightning back at them like she did against Teneb Kel on Lenico Colony Blue. Her technique consisted of constantly leaping at her opponent with ferocious two-handed strikes and attacking their flanks with one-handed thrusts.

She was also proficient in the use of Force lightning, which she used multiple times during her duels with Teneb Kel. The raw power of her Lightning was enough to sear flesh, shred fabric, and obliterate Teneb Kel's lightsaber with a single blast. She also showed a talent in the use of the protection bubble, demonstrated when she defended herself against the shards of crystalline permaglass thrown at her by Teneb Kel. Apart from the use of Force Lightning and Protection Bubble, Kressh's Force mastery also consisted of impressive telekinetic prowess, such as when she critically damaged the Lenico Colony Blue's verbobrain cluster, orbital stabilizers, and power core simply by applying pressure to the machinery. The immense strength of her telekinesis was enough to crumble one of the stone columns of the Sith Academy on Korriban. Other than crushing targets, Kressh was capable of wielding Force grip, which she used to temporarily immobilize Teneb Kel. She appeared to possess a powerful Force bond with the Sith Emperor, evidenced by the constant telepathic taunts and commands he sent into her mind. Exal Kressh also appeared to have an extremely high tolerance to physical pain. This was demonstrated when Maggot shot her twice and she was still battle-capable.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Old Republic, Blood of the Empire
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic