Ikrit

"You will say I am no warrior. That may be true&mdash;it has been long since I wielded a lightsaber, and it was not what I preferred even then. But it is not lightsabers that will prevail here today, not weapons."

- Ikrit

Ikrit (495 BBY&mdash;26 ABY) was a male Kushiban from Kushibah, originally believed to have been the pet of Anakin Solo, discovered in the jungles of Yavin 4. It was only later, after solving the puzzle of the Golden Globe with the help of Anakin, and his friend Tahiri Veila, that Ikrit showed what he really was: an ancient Jedi Master.

Early life
Ikrit was born on the Outer Rim world of Kushibah. Like many other Kushibans, he was a farmer and and a skilled weaver. At a young age, his village was visited by a Jedi Master who had come to seek a Padawan. During this visit, Ikrit offered to assist him in any way he could. However, the Jedi Master told him that he was the Padawan he had been searching for. Though his fellow Kushibans and even Ikrit himself found it absurd at first, Ikrit left Kushibah with the Master and began training as a Jedi.

Jedi career
A year after training under the famous Master Yoda, he returned to his village to visit his family and friends. They were happy that he came though they still teased him for joining the Jedi. However, on the night before the silkweed harvest was about to begin, a Kushiban returned home injured. She alerted the village to the presence of a pack of vicious Xinkra. Since the Kushibans were ill prepared to deal with this menace, Ikrit spoke to his people and offered to deal with the threat alone lest many die.

He then raced into the fields to deal with the beasts. As the Xinkra surrounded the Kushiban, Ikrit stood on top of a stack of harvested silkweed. Ikrit then used his Force powers to send a message into the minds of the vicious creatures. In that message, he told them that his village was in flames before convincing them to seek food elsewhere by sending them a picture of plentiful food - other creatures - in the forests and streams of the mountains behind them. A victorious Ikrit then returned to his village where he was treated as a hero.

Ikrit would return to his Master and complete his training as a Jedi Knight. On one occasion, he almost murdered a fellow Jedi in anger during lightsaber combat. As a result, he forsook the use of lightsabers, much like how Nomi Sunrider had years and years ago.

Four hundred years before Anakin came to the Academy, Ikrit came to the moon of Yavin IV and discovered the Golden Globe within the Palace of the Woolamander. Unable to break the curse and free the countless trapped Massassi children, he waited until someone came along who could.

Four centuries in self-imposed exile
During the Separatist Crisis immediately before the Clone Wars broke out, Biscuit Baron, the Tagge Company's largest chain of quick service restaurants, launched its month-long "Heroes of the Republic" campaign. This consisted of including commemorative holocubes in QuickSnack and QuickSnackLite bundles depicting notable historical figures of the last thousand years of the Galactic Republic. These included Jedi Masters Ikrit, S'diawae, and Jojighar, and Supreme Chancellors Anwis Eddicus and Vaila Pecivas.

Being thus isolated from the outside galaxy on Yavin 4, Ikrit avoided Order 66 and the Great Jedi Purge.

The Junior Jedi Knights
The year 22 ABY finally saw the arrival of the people who could break the Golden Globe's ancient curse: Anakin Solo and Tahiri Veila, whom found him hibernating beside the Golden Globe. They mistook him for a simple animal at first and left the building though Ikrit followed them, having awakened. Later that night, he crept into Anakin's room through the window and revealed his idnetity to the young trainee. He also informed Anakin that the Golden Globe contained countless trapped souls which he had failed to free. Anakin later revealed this information to Tahiri.

Later, as Anakin and Tahiri were about to leave with their Melodie friend Lyric to accompany her to her homeworld of Yavin 8 where she was to undergo an important form-changing ritual known as the Changing Ceremony, Ikrit told the pair to follow her. Ikrit was right since the two young Jedi would help the Melodies fight of several vicious native predators including an avril, a reel, several raiths and a purella. The two Jedi also discovered ancient carvings deep within the a cave on the moon which matched those found at the Palace of the Woolamander. From these carvings, the duo learnt that Golden Globe contained the souls of the children of the Massassi that had been imprisoned by the Dark Lord Exar Kun in 3,997 BBY. They also learnt that it was held together by Sith magic that could only be broken by Force-sensitive children, exactly as Ikrit had told them.

Later, Anakin and Tahiri left for Tatooine after the Tusken clan that had raised Tahiri demanded that she return to Tatooine. There Tahiri learnt that her real parents were Tyrst and Cassa Veila, also Force-sensitive like their daughter though they had been accidentally killed in a Sandpeople raid. The two young Jedi also had to use their Force abilities as never before and defeated a Krayt dragon and survived the harshest deserts of the Dune Sea. Following this ordeal, they returned to Yavin IV and freed the trapped souls within the Golden Globe. When they emerged from the Palace of the Woolamander, waiting for them were Ikrit and Master Luke Skywalker. Ikrit had alreay revealed his identity to Luke and promised to help Anakin in his training.

Ikrit later accompanied Anakin, Tahiri and Peckhum to Dagobah after Anakin was troubled by visions of himself as a Dark Jedi as a result of being the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, who had become the infamous Darth Vader. To ensure he had no potential for evil, the young Jedi asked if he could go to the very same cave on Dagobah that Luke Skywalker had gone years earlier, and face himself. Skywalker allowed though on the condition that Ikrit accompany him.

However, before they could leave, a youth named Uldir Lochett was found stowed away on one of the supply ships to the Praxeum Lightning Rod. In spite of his optimism, he lacked obvious Force sensitivity - in his own later, rueful opinion, all he had were good hunches, a whisper-like ability to sense when the Force was being used, and a habit of causing trouble. Later, when Ikrit, Anakin, Tahiri and Peckhum arrived at Dagobah, they discovered that Uldir had stowed again on their transport Lighning Rod. During their adventure, they encountered swamp creatures before finally reaching the cave where Skywalker had faced his own Dark Side years earlier. There, Anakin faced the manifestations of his own doubts though he emerged victorious in the end.

Later, the Jedi historian Tionne Solusar discovered that Darth Vader had saved Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber after their duel on the First Death Star. The captured artifact had been sent to Vader's fortress at Bast Castle on Vjun. Since an imformation broker had sold this information to them, she feared that others may have gotten to it first. Thinking it was just a simple trip and time for training, Tionne allowed Anakin, Tahiri, Uldir and Ikrit to accompany her. They left on her Jemlaat-class yacht Lore Seeker. Having arrived on Vjun, they discovered another vessel and feared another group had reached it first. Having survived the fortress's automated defense systems, they discovered the lightsaber in a protected alcove. Unfortunately, a group of mercenaries under a self-proclaimed Mage named Orloc arrived. Orloc wielded a lightsaber and claimed to possess great powers. He then easily defeated Ikrit in lightsaber combat since the Kushiban had no lightsaber at all. This caused Uldir to believe Orloc's words. However, the Jedi managed to escape from Orloc with Kenobi's lightsaber and an ancient Jedi holocron.

This encounter with Orloc convinced Ikrit to construct a new lightsaber and get back into the practice of using such a weapon. However, since no one at the Academy had been able to awaken Uldir's powers, Uldir stole the two Jedi artefacts and then went to find Orloc, believing he could help&mdash;and took Ikrit's ship, Sunrider, (named after Nomi Sunrider) with him, a small ship Anakin gave to Ikrit when the Jedi Master had found it in the hanger of the Bast Castle. He found Orloc at Exis Station. Orloc then recruited the young man and promised to train him as a Jedi. In reality, Orloc had no Force powers and had used technology to deceive others with demonstrations of Force power. However, Uldir did not realise this.



Later, Ikrit, Tionne, Anakin and Tahiri discovered Exis Station and fought Orloc. During the fight, Tionne was wounded and Ikrit&mdash;who had sworn not to wield a lightsaber until he had found worthy students&mdash;made his decision and join Anakin and Tahiri in their fight. Uldir then saw that Orloc was little more than a charlatan whom use technology to deceive others with demonstrations of power. Together, the Jedi defeated Uldir, thus removing a threat to the New Jedi Order. Following this, Ikrit shared his knowledge with the Jedi of the New Jedi Order whenever possible.

The Yuuzhan Vong War
When the Peace Brigade and the Yuuzhan Vong attacked Yavin 4, Ikrit helped Tionne and Kam Solusar hide the trainee children from them. Ikrit went back to help Anakin defend the Great Temple from the attackers. He discovered that Tahiri, Sannah, and Valin Horn had stayed behind to help them. After stealing a Brigade shuttle and kidnapping the pilot, the group tried to make its escape. However, in the attempt a group of Brigade ships tried to stop them. Ikrit jumped out of the ship to drive them back and draw their fire. His gambit was successful, but cost him his life. Ikrit's spirit gave an encouraging, loving farewell to Anakin Solo.

Appearances

 * Junior Jedi Knights series
 * Young Jedi Knights: Crisis at Crystal Reef
 * Edge of Victory I: Conquest