Bek–Vulkar gang war

The Bek-Vulkar gang war was a swoop gang conflict that was waged throughout the Lower City of the Outer Rim world of Taris, between the Hidden Beks, led by Gadon Thek and the Black Vulkars, led by former Bek Brejik. When Thek lost his sight in a swoop bike accident, many gang members assumed that the elder leader would step aside and appoint Brejik in his place. The war was sparked when Thek refused to do so; incensed, Brejik left the gang and took over the Vulkars, and began a protracted campaign of street fighting designed to whittle away at the Bek ranks as well as attempts to kill Thek himself.

During the Jedi Civil War, the amnesiac former Dark Lord of the Sith, Revan, along with Republic officer and pilot Carth Onasi became trapped on Taris after their ship, the Hammerhead-class cruiser Endar Spire was destroyed. While searching for the missing Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan, whose battle meditation was vital to the Republic war effort, they became caught up in the conflict. Siding with the Hidden Beks, Revan and Carth reacquired a prototype accelerator, which was installed on a swoop that Revan would ride in the Tarisian Season Opener. After winning the race, Revan and the freed Jedi Shan squared off against Brejik and the Black Vulkars at the track, killing them and ending the war.

Origins
At some point between the Beks' involvement in the Mandalorian Wars and the outbreak of the Jedi Civil War, Gadon Thek lost his sight in a swoop bike accident. Most members of the Beks assumed that he would pass on leadership of the swoop gang to Brejik, whom Thek had mentored for some time. When Thek refused, stating that Brejik was not yet ready for the responsibility, the latter left the Beks and took over a rival gang, the Black Vulkars.

Conflict in the Lower City
Galvanizing his leadership of the Vulkars through intimidation and strong-arm tactics, Brejik led his followers on a rampage against his former gang. Soon conflict spread throughout the Lower City, with nonaligned civilians often getting caught in the line of fire. The Vulkars pursued their crusade so vehemently, that even the Exchange took notice; some Vulkar thugs even attempted to intimidate Exchange operatives. The Mandalorian mercenary Canderous Ordo, working for Exchange boss Davik Kang, often had to put a few Vulkars back into line. Vulkar members even defied Davik when they went after the escape pods from the Endar Spire that landed in the Undercity, capturing the Jedi Bastila Shan

When the amnesiac former Dark Lord of the Sith Revan, along with Republic officer Carth Onasi entered the Lower City during their search for Shan, they encountered gang violence nearly everywhere they went. At Javyar's Cantina, they learned of the origins of the conflict from Twi'lek street urchin Mission Vao, who along with her Wookiee companion Zaalbar, were friends of the Beks. It was she who pointed them in the direction of the Bek base; the lookout informed them of the Beks' state of alertness, but let them pass after Revan offered to help in the ongoing war. Upon meeting with Thek, watched over by Zaerdra, the two learned of Shan's whereabouts and status&mdash;whe had been taken prisoner by the Black Vulkars, who intended to put her up as a prize in the Tarisian Season Opener, the biggest swoop race of the season. The only hitch was that Revan had to infiltrate the Black Vulkar Base in order to reclaim a prototype accelerator that had been stolen by Vulkar agents.

End of the war
After successfully infiltrating the Vulkar base and acquiring the accelerator, Revan returned to the Bek base and Thek, who agreed to sponsor him to ride for the Beks in the Season Opener. The next day, with the accelerator installed on his swoop, Revan competed in&mdash;and won&mdash;the race, posting times better than those who had been at the sport for over twenty years. Brejik, enraged, accused the Beks of cheating, and refused to award the prize. Shan, however, had other plans; after freeing herself from the neural disruptor that had held her "captive", she confronted the Vulkar leader. Brejik ordered his gang to kill Revan, Shan, and the other Beks; in the resulting lightfight and lightsaber battle that followed, the Vulkars, including Redros and Brejik himself, were killed, thus ending the war.

The relative peace that followed would be short-lived, however. Growing frustrated with the increasingly unsuccessful hunt for Shan, Darth Malak ordered Taris to be subjected to an orbital bombardment. The resulting deluge of turbolaser blasts and firestorm devastated the planet, wiping out nearly the entire population.

Behind the scenes
The Bek-Vulkar gang war takes place alongside Revan and Onasi's search for Bastila in the second set of levels and quests in the computer and video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. A number of dialogues, cutscenes and encounters with assorted Black Vulkars serve to illustrate the scale of the conflict, with Revan playing the key role.

If the player, as Revan, takes the dark side path through the game, the option to be recruited by the Black Vulkars, given during Revan's attempt to steal the prototype accelerator, is taken. The player will then ride for the Vulkars; after winning the race they are tasked with killing Gadon Thek and clearing out the Hidden Bek base, thus resulting in the Vulkars winning the war.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic