JEDI HoloNet

[Origins: 197.xx – 207.xx ABY]
Arkallon was born during 197.xx ABY (exact date unknown) aboard a Hyperspace charting and planetary survey ship named the “Golden shores” while traveled deep in uncharted space. His parents, Ackaro and Cholra, were both scientists which were hired to lead a long-term expedition into wild space near the Tingel arm of the local Galaxy. The crew was primarily made up of technicians and subject matter experts, with only a handful of trained soldiers for security. In particular Ackaro was focused on Geology and Astronomy and Cholra focused on Exobiology and Botany. The goal of the expedition was to identify potential locations for commercial mining and colonization, as well as to determine safe hyperspace routes to-and-from each registered site.

Ark was raised aboard the ship up until around the age of ten. During this time he was frequently given small tasks by the crew as a means of keeping him busy while his parents performed their respective duties. These activities helped to familiarize Ark the operations aboard the ship and it also allowed him to develop a sense of community beyond his parents, who were his primary educators.

[The Crash: 207.xx ABY]
Eventually Ark was tasked as serving as the assistant navigator, which generally consisted of fetching things or carrying reports. One day there were two different systems in relatively equal distance from their position. The ships navigator allowed Ark to choose which system they would survey first. When they arrived in the chosen system, they began survey scans of the local area to determine safe routes and locate any noteworthy resources that may have been available. While passing near the fourth of five worlds in the local system, the lightly armed science ship came under fire from heavily armed fighter craft of an unrecognized design. The Golden Shores was quickly overwhelmed in the ensuing battle and power was lost, causing the ship to drift into the gravity well of the nearby planet. For reasons unknown the attacking craft then departed the system, leaving their battered target to crash land into the jungles below.

[Stranded: 207.xx ABY – 209.04 ABY]
Awaking badly bruised and sore all over, Ark sat up. His vision was blurred and his head spinning with dizziness. The air was thick with jungle mist and smoke, choking, suffocating. All at once he realized he was not on board the ship anymore and he began frantically scanning his immediate area for the crew, his parents, or any sign of the Golden Shores. Nearby through splintered, burned and crushed trees he saw it; the broken husk of the ship. He tried to run to it, but his lack of balance and injuries left him barely able to manage a series of short stumbling sprints. When at last he could stand again the scene before him was all too real for comfort: The hull was flayed in two, split upon the ground like a cracked egg and scorched black from roaring fires that had only now begun to smolder out. Remains of the crew were thrown everywhere like a jigsaw puzzle. Opportunistic creatures had begun scavenging among the wreck and were beginning to turn their attention to him. He turned, and ran as fast as his aching legs could take him – barely able to see through the tears in his eyes or hear over the pounding of his heart. As he fled he tripped over some underbrush and fell, blacking out in the process.

Ark awoke some time later near a small grotto at the base of a large rocky hill, unsure of how he arrived there. For the first time on that world he felt safe and at peace. The predators did not come there, they seemed to be pushed out by something unseen. The rocks and a cave within them became his new home. The transition from deep space to the dense jungle landscape was not an easy one. This new environment was overwhelming to his every sense, including ones he was previously unaware of. His first few attempts to find food and water were equally distressing, and he became violently ill after consuming some of the locally available materials.

Against all odds he managed to survive for several years on this remote world, and the struggle to survive slowly awakened something new within him. Ark’s previous force sensitivity was frequently dismissed as luck or as being indicative of an overactive imagination. However, under extreme duress the will to survive drove him to follow instincts that were not natural to his upbringing, as if some outside hand were guiding his actions.

[Rescued: 209.04 – 209.10 ABY]
Ark believed himself to be the sole survivor of the crash. In actuality Chorgo Harku, a Rodian soldier serving as a security officer aboard the Golden Shores, had also survived the crash landing. Chorgo eventually died of injuries sustained during the incident, but he had managed to activate an emergency transponder before losing consciousness for the last time.

A nomadic Ithorian splinter group, the Owuiaw Herd, was traveling through the sector with a mixed fleet headed up by a retrofitted colony ship during 211 ABY. They detected the partial data bursts of the decaying emergency transponder from the Golden Shores and sent a small search party to investigate the wreckage. The roar of atmospheric engines and landing thrusters shook Ark from his sleep that morning, and he rushed outside just in time to see the second of two two shuttles landing at the crash site.

His galactic basic was a bit rusty and strained by a shortness of breath as Ark approached the search party, but his weathered and shabby appearance was all the explanation that the Ithorians required. One shuttle ferried ark to the colony ship at the head of the Owuiaw Herd Fleet while he was tended to by a medical technician, while the second shuttle remained on the surface to initiate salvage operations.

The Herd remained in orbit of the remote jungle world for roughly a cycle before moving on. During this time they pieced together the details of attack and subsequent crash from speaking with Ark and from sifting through the information that they were able to retrieve from the ships flight recorder.

[Rehabilitation: 209.10 – 215.27 ABY]
While Ark was resting in the medical bay aboard the flagship of the Owuiaw Herd Fleet he was visited by Notdowm Wasmon, the leader of the Herd and a powerful force mystic. He informed Ark that his people had initially resettled with the other Ithorians after the fall of Ithor, though they became restless over time and they questioned the value of rebuilding their home within the reach of Galactic Civilization. The presence of frequent Galactic-Level conflict was a threat that his people felt they could not ignore, and that the only way to preserve their way of life was abandon Galactic-Civilization completely. It was their hope to settle far enough into uncharted space as to go unnoticed for the foreseeable future. Despite their resolve they were not able to accumulate enough support to convince the population of their HerdShip to go along with their plans, and their outlook was becoming increasingly unpopular. Eventually these dissidents formed a new smaller herd, which they named Owuiaw, and they assembled their expeditionary fleet from a combination of purchase and salvage. According to Elder Wasmon the herd had several key requisites for their new home, the foremost of which being safety through completely obscurity. They had hoped that the jungle world upon which they found Ark would suffice, but the potential threat the raiders that attacked the Golden Shores had quickly ruled out that possibility. The Elder also informed Ark that his people had recovered several damaged, but usable, data modules from the wreckage of his ship and that they wished to utilize the recovered data to aid in their search. Ark was quick to agree out of gratitude for being rescued, and asked if he could accompany them for the time being. Hence the deal was struck, and Ark became an honorary member of the Herd.

For the next several years Ark lived as a close friend and follower of Elder Wasmon. Notdowm took great personal interest in his young Mon Cal companion, sensing that the force was strong with him. Despite the limitations that his role imposed on his personal time Notdowm invested himself into helping Arkallon become a functional member of the Herd Fleet. Notdowm instructed Ark personally in the nature of the Force and the healing arts. Meanwhile, he arranged for his followers to confer personalized tutoring unto Ark on a number of subjects, including: Social customs, Ecosystems, Starship Operations, Galactic Basic language, as well as Galactic History and Economics. Ark had hoped to serve as a pilot among the Herd Fleet, but he was entirely too busy with his studies and chores to do much of anything else.

[Return to known space: 215.27 ABY]
Being quite at home by this point, Arkallon was content to remain with the Owuiaw Herd, but Elder Wasmon had other plans. One night over dinner he explained that their paths were destined to part. As Arkallon listened in shock and sadness Notdowm explained that the future of his protege’ was centered in the Galactic-Civilization that his people could no longer be a part of, and that he would no longer be allowed to travel with the Herd Fleet. Before dismissing him to rest and contemplate the meaning of his words Notdowm entrusted Arkallon with a bright orange crystalline stone. He insisted that its purpose would become clear when the time was right, and that Ark should keep it on his person at all times until that day came.

Ark tearfully said his goodbyes to his friends in the Owuiaw Herd, and boarded a transport which carried him to a commercial transfer station in the Tingel arm early in 216 ABY. Ark has never again attempted to contact his Ithorian rescuers out of respect for their desire for isolation and for fear of leading would-be raiders to their door.

[Working years: 216 – 224 ABY]
For the next few cycles Arkallon worked as an independent dock worker on the orbital transfer station where he was dropped off. While offloading some delicate personal affects for passengers Ark had the good fortune of meeting Rycen Neryan, the owner of a relatively small shipping company named “Nerayen Freight & Logistics Co.” After speaking at length Rycen agreed to take Ark on as a pilot trainee, whereby he obtained his pilots license on 217.11. From that point onward Ark worked a supply courier and freighter operator, with most of his work being done along the Perlemian trade route.

Delayed transfer of materials, disputes over docking fees or tariffs, routine maintenance, and lengthy ship inspections contributed to frequent downtime during these years. Whenever such issues arose Ark took it upon himself to explore the local systems as a tourist. He was insatiably curious about the citizens of the each system that he visited, but each time he set out to socialize and explore he was overwhelmingly drawn to specific people or locations. Each time he followed this strange urging he came into contact with someone who was desperately in need of help of one kind or another, with their very lives sometimes hanging in the balance. Slowly but surely Ark began to attribute these incidents to the “will of the force” as it was described to him by Elder Wasmon, and his hesitation lessened each time he felt the call. As a result of his actions the name “Arkallon [Surname: N/A]” appears on incident reports filed at dozens of systems in the Mid-Rim and Outer-Rim territories, though he is usually listed as a helpful bystander or as one of multiple civilians who were assaulted.

[Encountering the Jedi: 224 – 225 ABY]
In early 224 ABY Nerayen Freight & Logistics Co was temporarily under investigation regarding an allegation that the company had been transporting hazardous materials without proper licensing. All company operations were frozen while authorities conducted an audit of company records and assets, which left Ark stranded without work for several cycles. With no immediate hope of returning to work he decided to set out on his own, though he did so with no particular purpose in mind.

Ark used what little money he had to aimlessly drift from Star System to Star System in the Outer Rim Territories for nearly a year, doing odd jobs where he could to replenish his supply of cash. After several dangerous run ins with criminal cartels Ark decided that it would be wise to lay low for awhile, and he happened to be near the Yavin System. During his travels he had heard that the Jedi had a presence in this area and this fact made it seem like a safe place to set down for repairs and much needed rest.

After some searching Ark was able to locate the Jedi Temple on Yavin IV, one of the habitable moons of the Gas Giant Yavin. Ark had expected to find some kind of military complex or an equally secure facility that might have turned him away, so he was pleasantly surprised when he was cleared to land without incident. Walking among the retrofitted Massassi ruins was breathtaking and the Temple residents proved to be exceedingly kind. Student and Master alike seemed to welcome Ark as if they had known him all along, and the sense of community which they extended to him provided the first real taste of peace that he had felt since childhood.

Though Ark used his relatively small ship as his personal quarters, by early 225 ABY he considered himself to be a Resident-Guest of the Jedi Temple on Yavin IV. Ark made fast friends of most of the people that he met while at the Temple, and he would often observe the Jedi during their training exercises. Many of the force abilities that they discussed seemed to come rather easily to Ark and he also found that he had some fair aptitude for Lightsaber combat. The speed with which he adapted to these concepts was such that many were lead to believe that Ark had already undergone training in the Jedi Arts. Though he had a solid working knowledge of the force, he had never been introduced to the Jedi ways prior to this time and so he simply answered “No one” when he was asked who his Master had been.

Ark was closely scrutinized throughout 225 ABY, though he was eventually named an Honorary Jedi Knight.

[Jedi Service: Intermittently from 225.24 – 247.30 ABY]
Much to his surprise, Ark was summoned to the ceremonial hall of the Jedi Temple under escort by then Padawan Ctathos Ederoi. Surrounded by friends he now counted as family, Arkallon was formally inducted into the Jedi Order as a Jedi Knight on 225.24 ABY.

During the following years Arkallon served as a Watchman for the Jedi Order, helping to maintain peace and security within the walls of the Temple on Yavin IV. He was also privileged to assist some of the Masters with organized training sessions for Jedi Initiates and Padawans, though he never formally taught any classes of his own. Ark remained fairly social during his time with the order, serving as a confidant and comrade to many of his fellows. He would also took great pleasure welcoming and accommodate the many guests that passed through the Temple.

Eventually Arkallon responded to the need for additional instructors and on 232.23 ABY he was granted the privilege of serving as the mentor of Padawan Alanya Sgall; the ward of a trusted friend who had since parted ways with the Jedi Order.

Ark left the Temple grounds at length several times in order to clear his head and to answer his strong calling to intervene against the criminal element. Regrettably, one such departure interrupted his duties as a mentor and his apprentice was reassigned in the interim.

On 245.23 ABY Arkallon was privileged with the honor of serving as a Voice Councilor, where he served for approximately two years before retiring from service in 247.30.

[Retirement in Qiilura System: 248 – 266 ABY]
After leaving the order for seemingly the last time, Ark traveled to the Qiilura system to visit Rycen Nerayen and his family. After a short stay with the Nerayen family, Ark obtained a small cottage overlooking a series of rolling grassy meadows outside of a small star port which was used to transfer agricultural cargo from the planetary surface. Once Ark was settled in his new home he resumed working for Nerayen Freight & Logistics Co., which had long since been exonerated of all charges. Desiring to remain in-system for the time being Ark was allowed to work as a mid-level logistics manager rather than a freighter operator, and he worked mostly from home.

[Visiting the Jedi Order: 266 – 270.30 ABY]
Though Arkallon had lived alone as a civilian for 19 years almost entirely without incident, he started to become very curious about the state of the Jedi Order. Ark delegated his duties to other employees and returned to Yavin IV on a social visit, eagerly hoping to reunite with old friends and to meet the latest generation of Jedi students. True to form, Arkallon managed to make plenty of new friends during his visit to Yavin IV. Perhaps less expected was the length his stay, which extended into the next four years. During this time Ark put some difficult personal issues to rest, and he began to concentrate his efforts on returning the help was generously offered to him by the current Jedi. By the end of this time it was plainly evident that a new sense of purpose was being offered, and could not be ignored.

[Back in action: 270.30 ABY]
Late in the night Arkallon was privately reinstated with the blessing of the council. While some might have preferred fanfare and public recognition, Ark was both relieved and grateful for the personal touch of speaking with an old friend one on one. There was little time for celebration in either case, for everyone would soon be shaken by another sudden event….

[New Purpose: 271 ABY]
Whether by coincidence or fate, Arkallon had returned to the order moments before a series of seemingly painful changes. Turmoil built within some of the students as friends and mentors alike moved on. For his part, Ark did his best to listen and to show kindness to everyone he encountered during this difficult time. His time spent consoling others only reinforced his reasons for having returned, but soon his convictions would be placed up against an even greater challenge.

Having long avoided mentoring roles out of fear and regret, taking on another apprentice was the farthest thing from the mind of Arkallon. Nevertheless, in early 272 ABY he volunteered to take on the task of helping to complete the training of Jedi Padawan Johauna Darkrider. The reasons for his abrupt change of heart on the subject were simple, but compelling nevertheless. The recent loss of two mentors had apparently compounded existing personal issues, leaving Johauna in a terrible state. The compassion by which Ark lives demanded a response, and the situation suggested action more than words. More importantly, Arkallon fully believed that this was his best opportunity yet to make a positive difference while working to overcome his last obvious personal hurdle.