- "Why do you feel compelled to constantly test the boundaries of the balance? To satisfy your own pride?!"
- ―Miarta Sek
Sek'nos Rath, called Seki by adoring women, was a male Sith Je'daii Ranger who served the Je'daii Order on Tython at the height of the Infinite Empire's reign. He was a bold Je'daii who was fond of weapons and longed to achieve the greatness of the Je'daii of myth and stories. He was also known to be gregarious and a ladies man. Determined to remain in the Balance and become a warrior of legend, Rath suffered several great betrayals and torture during the Force Wars which saw him give in completely to the dark side of the Force.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
A Force-sensitive Sith, Sek'nos Rath was the child of Je'daii diplomats stationed in the Tython system. Rath was raised by his maternal grandmother, Miarta Sek and his paternal grandfather, Thok Rath on the planet Tython, one of nine planets which made up the Settled Worlds. He learned healing techniques from his grandmother and looked up to his grandfather for his many past adventures. He eventually attained the rank of Je'daii Journeyer and began traveling between the nine Great Temples of Tython. In his quest for forging the perfect weapon, Rath spent a large amount of time at Vur Tepe learning from Tem Madog, the Temple Master of the Forge. Under the tutelage of Master Madog, Rath forged three Force-imbued blades in his quest for perfection.[1]
A Dark stranger arrives[]
Twelve years after the Despot War, a conflict between the Order and Queen Hadiya of Shikaakwa, Rath spent part of his time from his Great Journey at Qigong Kesh in the Silent Desert attempting to master the power of Force lightning. While showing off for three flirtatious Je'daii girls, Rath tried to accomplish the never-before-seen ability of making a ball of lightning, when he apparently received a powerful vision from the Force. Simultaneously, a mysterious man named Xesh, a Force Hound of the Infinite Empire crashed the Rakatan ship called the Devourer near the Rift on Tython. The surge of deaths associated with the crash alerted all Je'daii to the foreign presence on the world, as well as stirring a Force storm that would rage across the entire planet.[2]
Distracted by the vision of Xesh, the lightning Rath had created arced back at him, which caught the attention of his grandparents. Shooing the girls away, the older Je'daii chided young Rath for using abilities which only used dark emotions for fear he would fall out of balance. Departing the temple to seek out the man from his vision, Rath took his mount to the Rift on the continent of Talss where he met fellow Journeyers Shae Koda and Tasha Ryo, both of whom had experience similar visions. Watching as an alien ship crashed down into the Rift, the trio searched the wreckage and discovered an escape pod carrying the stranger known as Xesh.[2]
Drawing their swords, the Je'daii were shocked as Xesh's weapon easily cut through their steel blades. Despite the loss of their weapons, the three Je'daii's mastery of the Force outmaneuvered Xesh and Koda was able to take the Forcesaber from his grasp. Unarmed and winded, the Je'daii forced Xesh deeper into the Rift towards the dangerous Abyss of Ruh.[3] While tracking the Force Hound, the three Je'daii experienced hallucinations brought on by the dark energies inside the Abyss. After Rath was able to calm his two partners, the trio was able to locate Xesh as he battled a saarl. Rath sent a boulder into the creatures head, which only antagonized the beast; the group was forced to flee deeper into the cave. Making a final stand, Rath and his allies attempted to hold off the beast but were unable to turn on the Forcesaber she had confiscated from Xesh. At Rath's insistence, Koda relinquished possession of the saber to Xesh in hopes that he would activate it and kill the saarl; however Xesh took the weapon and abandoned the Je'daii to their fate. Unknowing to the journeyers, Xesh stayed behind to watch them fight, believing that in the end they abandon each other to the saarl. To his surprise, none of them did. Xesh then spontaneously aided Shae against the saarl, ultimately killing it. Rath was thrown unconscious while protecting Tasha from the saarl, but later recuperated at Mahara Kesh. He and Koda were present when Ryo looked through some of Xesh's memories, and when the Temple Masters voted to exile Xesh to Bogan, Rath and the other Journeyers argued against it, claiming that Xesh should stay on Tython to learn balance. However the masters rejected their objections, and sent Xesh to Bogan.[4]
Tracking down Xesh and Daegen Lok[]
Later on, the trio of Je'daii Journeyers were sparring under the tutelage of Master Tave at Stav Kesh to take their minds of Xesh and their frustration with the Council's decision to exile him. Gently reprimanded by Tave for dwelling to much in the dark side emotions of doubt and anger, he warned them that the Council had made a decision based on the resources available to it and that they should trust the Masters' decision.[5] Summoned by Master Tem Madog to report on the Forcesaber at Vur Tepe, Rath joined Journeyer Koda and Rangers Hawk Ryo and Rori Fenn in discussing the attributes of the alien weapon. Comforting Koda when she was reflecting on the dark side energies needed to power the weapon, Rath reminded her that her parents had given their lives for the safety and future of Tython and that she should take comfort in that heroic deed.[6]
When reports came down from Bogan that Xesh and Daegen Lok, a Je'daii Master who was earlier sent to Bogan, managed to escape the moon, Rath and Koda were assigned to the mission by Temple Master Ketu because of their earlier involvement with Xesh. Joining a strike team led by Temple Master Jake Fenn, the group went to Bogan to investigate the empty cells which had housed the two escapes and look for clues. While Koda was assigned to work with Rori Fenn and Hawk Ryo, Rath accompanied Temple Master Fen and Ranger Bel Zana in searching the cells for clues. Ambushed by a herd of terenta, the Je'daii successfully fought them off without any casualties. After looking over the small set of belongings lef behind in the cell, the group deduced that Xesh and Lok were looking to make Forcesabers for themselves, so they would probably go to Krev Coeur first in order to get the crystals that they needed.[6]
On Krev Coeur, Lok and Xesh obtained the crystals from a Koorivar dealer named Slug. When Lok attempted to kill Slug in order to prevent him from telling the Je'daii, Ranger Zana intervened and saved the Koorivar's life; however, she soon fell victim to a mind twist by Lok, in which he made her believe she was on fire. Rath and Fenn rushed to her aid and engaged the two fugitives, with Fenn taking on Lok, and Rath handling Xesh. Xesh told Rath that because he and his friends attempted to vouch for him to the Je'daii, he was willing to spare his life if he let them go; however, Rath refused and they battled fiercely. During the fight, Lok used the Force to telekinetically push Zana off a nearby cliff forcing Rath to disengage Xesh in order to save her. Holding on to the cliff edge, Rath attempted to help Zana up; however, he failed and fell, though he was able to use the Force to push Zana up to safety.[7]
Encounter with another Force Hound[]
Assumed dead by his comrades, Rath was actually intercepted by a ship which was flying in the area. Blacking out after using the Force to get safely aboard, Rath awoke in the care of the strange and mysterious woman known as Trill. While secretly a Force Hound like Xesh who was tasked with finding the Human and locating Tython for her master, Predor Skal'nas, Trill masked her Forcefulness and her true identity and claimed to be a simple fortune hunter who had happened to save his life. When Trill claimed to have borrowed the strange ship from several other criminals, Rath informed her of his station as a Je'daii, Rath was determined to inform his friends of his survival.[7] As soon as they were clear of Krev Coeur's crystals and their jamming effect on the ship's comms, Rath made contact with Hawk Ryo on Nox and agreed to rendezvous with him and the other Je'daii on Shikaakwa. Assured that Zana and Fenn had made it offworld to Kalimahr safely, Ryo informed the Sith that Shae Koda had been abducted by Xesh and he was needed to assist in her rescue.[8]
Rath and Trill proceeded to Shikaakwa where they needed to infiltrate the Ryo Fortress. While crossing the moat they encountered a dianoga which threatened to tip their boat and drown them. Rath ordered Trill to get behind him, but Trill shot the dianoga in the eye, killing it and proving her skill in battle. Meeting with Rori Fenn and Hawk Ryo outside and entrance portal to the fortress' sewer systems, Rath was frustrated that the senior Je'daii refused to enter through the main entrance and demand an audience with the Baron. Resigned to the sewers, they successfully avoided any traps and arrived in the audience chamber of Baron Volnos Ryo in time to see an altercation break out between the Baron and Lok and Xesh. Drawing their blades, Hawk Ryo and Rath rushed in to apprehend the two fugitives but were beset with debris hurled at them by the two. Using the debris to form a ramp, Lok and Xesh ran up out onto the roof of the fortress–dragging a captured Shae Koda who was subdued under a special mind trick of Lok's. Hiding atop the roof of the fortress, Xesh hoped to lure Rath to him by relying on his bond with Koda in the Force. When Rath arrived, the Sith demanded that Xesh surrender and relinquish his control over Koda or he would not be able to guarantee that the Force Hound would survive. Xesh refused but stated that he had no wish to kill either of them. Rath attacked Xesh with a punch through the Force and demanded to know what Xesh had done to Koda's mind. When Xesh revealed that it was Lok's work, Rath demanded to know why Xesh had allied himself with the exile in the first place. As the duel intensified, Rath implied that Xesh was simply a pawn of Daegen Lok to which the Force Hound replied with a fit of Force lightning. Rendered unconscious by the onslaught, Rath was found by Trill who succeed in not being recognized by the amnesic Xesh and allowed him to flee. Regaining consciousness after the fighting concluded, Rath reunited with Shae Koda and assisted in the transfer of the subdued Lok and Xesh aboard Trill's ship.[9]
Becoming a great warrior[]
When Trill delivered them to Tython, Lok was placed back on Bogan. At the urging of the Masters, Xesh agreed to join the Je'daii Order and show them how to construct Forcesabers–a process which Rath participated in with Tem Madog at Vur Tepe. However, Trill had secretly sent word back to her masters about Tython, and the Je'daii, saying that they were easily tricked, and Skal'nas and the Rakata were free to attack the Settled Worlds.[9] When the Rakata attacked en masse Rath and Trill maintained a friendship and joined each other in battle, with Rath receiving a promotion to the rank of Ranger. A year into the war, Rath wielded a Forcesaber during the fighting on Shikaakwa and was protective of Trill on the battlefield. Killing Flesh Raiders alongside Master Tem Madog and Xesh, Rath was extremely frustrated with the war and did not like how out of Balance with the Force the Forcesabers made the fighting. Because they were fueled by the dark side, Rath believed the war to be inferior to the great battles of old where Je'daii relied on the Balance to see them through. Despite quarreling with Shae Koda over this, his mind was easily distracted by Trill, who sought to keep him complacent and in her favor through the carnal pleasures plaid out in the hot springs after the battle.[10]
When the attack on Ska Gora proved to be a trap, Daegen Lok placed Rath in command of his unit before he was taken prisoner by Flesh Raiders. Not long after, Rath himself was overpowered by his attackers and fell in battle, only to be dragged off by the Raiders. Taken back to the Rakata's slave ships, Rath was hoisted into a cell and suspended upside down in the oubliette-like container which slowly siphoned off his Force-energies. Constantly kept in a state of duress, Rath and the other prisoners were being fed upon by the Rakata, who used their Force-sensitive prisoners' fear and anguish for nourishment.[11] Deep within the slave units at Rakatan Base Prime on Ska Gora, Rath was kept alive and in pain, sensing Xesh's total immersion in the dark side and realizing that he was the tool of the Infinite Empire. Using his rage at the betrayal to fuel him, Rath pledged to escape and hunt down the traitor and kill him.[12] Enduring torture and pain constantly, the slave units were eventually visited by Trill who unleashed her hatred in the form of Force lighting to further torture the prisoners. Unseen by her former ally, Rath could still sense Trill and seethed with hatred by a second betrayal. After Trill departed the chamber, Rath unleashed his own rage and shattered his prison before attacking the guards with the Force. Leading the other freed slaves in a revolt against the Rakata, the untrained Force-sensitives following Rath relied on their own hatred of their captors to make up for their lack of skill.[13]
Fighting his way to Tython, Rath used the Force to follow Xesh into the Chasm below Anil Kesh where he planned on opening the Prime Gate buried below. Fighting past Flesh Raiders, he found Daegen Lok down within the Chasm and agreed to fight alongside him so long as he could attack Xesh as well. When Lok left Rath behind to fly with Shae Koda on her rancor-dragon to hunt for Xesh, Rath was preoccupied by a sudden attack by more Flesh Raiders.[13] Joined by Master Quan-Jang who expressed relief that the Sith was indeed still alive, the Temple Master wanted to inform the other Je'daii above about the Infinity Gate but the pair were attacked by Trill. Giving himself completely to the dark side of the Force, Rath attacked his former lover with all his fury. Wrapped in a ball of Force lightning, the pair fought while Trill mocked him as a slave. Unwilling to let her go, Rath forsook all caution and throttled the woman with an electrified fist, rendering her unconscious. Despite the pleas of Master Quan-Jang, Rath threw the form of Trill over his shoulder, and marched off into the darkness.[14]
Personality and traits[]
Cocky and craving fame, Sek'nos Rath grew up listening to tales of great Je'daii warriors and sought to join their mythical number in his lifetime. Searching for crowd-pleasing feats in the Force, Rath enjoyed performing stunts for an audience and was eager for another great war where he could define himself on the battlefield. When the Force Wars erupted in the Tython system, Rath was furious that the Forcesaber was drawing the Force out of Balance and believed it would never match the glory of the old wars wherein great heroes were defined by their keeping of the Balance. After being imprisoned by the Rakata and betrayed by both Xesh and Trill during the fighting, Rath gave himself completely over to the dark side and was consumed by its power. When he confronted Trill in battle, Rath's eyes glowed a sickly yellow as he gave up on his attempt at Balance and attacked her with the full power of darkness.
Powers and abilities[]
Sek'nos Rath was very talented in the Force. He was extremely proficient with Force lightning, attempting to develop it furthermore by creating a new style of Force lightning, named balls of lightning, which he could then throw at his opponents with devastating effects. He was also one of the only four known Force-sensitives that received a vision of Xesh's impending arrival at Tython and was capable of beast control. When dueling Xesh, he was finally able to create lightning balls, sending them onto his opponent though Xesh easily absorbed and returned it back to Sek'nos who in turn, had to jump out of the way so he wouldn't be knocked down.
Appearances[]
- Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm 1 (First appearance) (Cover only)
- Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm 2 (First appearance in story)
- Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm 3
- Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm 4
- Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm 5
- Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 1
- Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 2
- Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 3
- Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 4 (Voice only)
- Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 5
- Dawn of the Jedi: Force War 1
- Dawn of the Jedi: Force War 2
- Dawn of the Jedi: Force War 3
- Dawn of the Jedi: Force War 4
- Dawn of the Jedi: Force War 5
Sources[]
- Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi 0 (First mentioned) (First pictured)
- "Blaster" — Star Wars Insider 138 (Indirect mention and picture only)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi 0
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm 2
- ↑ Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm 3
- ↑ Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm 4
- ↑ Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 2
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 3
- ↑ Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 4
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 5
- ↑ Dawn of the Jedi: Force War 1
- ↑ Dawn of the Jedi: Force War 2
- ↑ Dawn of the Jedi: Force War 3
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Dawn of the Jedi: Force War 4
- ↑ Dawn of the Jedi: Force War 5