Zarin Kal

Zarin Kal was a Kiffar male Jedi Knight of the New Jedi Order.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Zarin Kal was born to Xavian Kos and Kalina Zar, two former Kiffu Guardians who fought for the Partisans. Kal lost his parents at an early age when they were killed in an attack made by the Galactic Empire on the Partisan base on Kiffu. He was saved from a similar fate by Plun Kil, a fellow Partisan who escaped with Kal to the Rebel Alliance. Shortly afterwards, Kal was brought to Kiffex, where he was cared for by the Kiffu Guardians.^[1]

Although his grandfather hoped Kal would become a Kiffu Guardian like his parents, the young Kiffar began to display a desire to become a Jedi Knight after he started demonstrating signs of Force-sensitivity. Reluctantly, Kal's grandfather contacted the New Jedi Order, who sent Plun Kil. After becoming reacquainted with the nineteen-year-old Zarin Kal, the Besalisk Jedi Master took him to the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 for training.^[1] In 26 ABY, Zarin and his master participated in the final battle against the Crimson Empire on Coruscant.^[2]

Jedi Knight[]

By 30 ABY, Kal had reached the rank of Jedi Knight. In that year, he befriended the Jedi Padawan Natia Dorn and the two developed a sibling-like connection.^[3]

In 35 ABY, he was part of a team of Jedi sent to Korriban to eliminate the last surviving members of Vorath's Sith. However, the Jedi were forced to retreat when Darth Scythe activated a mysterious device which transported Korriban to the Unknown Regions, where the Glorian Empire planned to use its resources to rebuild the Star Forge.^[4] Later on in the Glorian War, Kal was part of a team of Jedi sent to Ord Mantell to investigate the Glorians' connections to the criminal underworld.^[5] He later participated in the final battle against the Glorians on Coruscant.^[6]

Three years later, Kal was part of a team of Jedi that traveled to Begeren in search of a Sith amulet belonging to the ancient Dark Lord Vorak Zal, only to find the amulet missing upon entering the Dark Lord's tomb. Kal was then sent to search for the amulet's thief along with his fellow Jedi Jaden Korr. Traveling to Korriban, the two Jedi ran into a Quarren Sith named Prodd, who was associated with the thief, and the three clashed blades. During the duel, Jaden used Force lightning to defeat the Quarren, something which unsettled Zarin. His suspicions of his friends only increased when Jaden did not return with him to Ossus and instead departed for a system in the Trans-Vulta sector.^[7]

In the months that followed, Kal became wary of Jedi Master Odan Murk, suspecting that the Weequay had fallen to the dark side. His suspicions were confirmed when he witnessed Murk clash with and kill his former master Appa Nakil before reporting the deed to Darth Taral, the new Dark Lord of the Sith. Kal proceeded to attack Murk, giving into the dark side himself and killing the Weequay Jedi Master. Not long after, Ossus was attacked by an army of Sith and Kal was captured by the invaders.^[8]

He was later brought to the Mandalorian ship Awaud as Darth Taral's forces clashed with the Resistance over the planet Mandalore. During the battle, Kal was freed from his confines by the Marked One Lokai and ordered to kill the Sith Lord Darth Glovoc. While Kal refused, Glovoc was killed instead by the Kiffar's fellow captive Jedi Natia Dorn, who had slipped towards the dark side since the death of her master Taana Di. Following Taral's defeat, Kal and Natia were brought to Kursid where they were forcibly inducted into the Marked Ones' cult.^[8]

Brush with darkness[]

Not long after being brought into the Marked Ones, Kal accompanied a group of Sith to the planet Sed'tral, where they found and freed the fallen Jedi A'Sharad Hett. Seeing the markings on Hett's face as a sign that he was the chosen herald of their god Valtheran, the Sith cultists hailed him as their new Dark Lord and Hett subsequently took on the name Darth Krayt.^[3]

Hoping to find a way to escape the dark side's thrall, Kal sought out his grandfather Korin Zar, who was in possession of the holocron of Quinlan Vos, another Kiffar Jedi who had come close to the dark side during the Clone Wars. From Vos's holocron, Kal learned of A'Sharad Hett's history and became determined to free not only himself but Natia and Viron as well from Darth Krayt's control.^[3]

Kal was then sent to Ord Talavos to retrieve the Eye of Kaas, a Sith totem that was being sold at an auction. Upon arriving, he crossed paths with Sare Valrisa, a former Jedi who had been a peer of Natia's. Before he could retrieve the totem, it was taken by the Givin Sladru Nalas, who coerced Kal and Valrisa into coming with him to Sed'tral so that he could reunite with his partner, the former Sith Master Nasoth Alarin. Along the way, Nalas told Kal of his and Alarin's intention to find the Whills. After the two Givin seemingly perished after destroying the totem, Kal decided to pick up where they had left off and seek out the Whills himself. After convincing Valrisa to let him join her crew, he swore off his allegiance to the Sith, though he vowed to one day return to rescue Natia and Viron.^[9]

Renegade[]

Mission to Corellia[]

Kal's quest for information on the Whills brought him, Valrisa, and Typha Lorr to Void Station, where they ended up starting an altercation when a spacer tried to make advances towards Typha. Escaping to the space station's dungeons, they met up with Kyla Kishanti and her crew before escaping with them aboard their ship the Renegade. After escaping from the system, the two crews agreed to work together in exposing the Malvis Cabal and its activities before making their way to Corellia.^[10]

Upon arriving on Corellia, the crew ran into Jedi Master Toah Jarsan and his apprentice Rey, the former whom Zarin recognized from his time in the Jedi Order. The Renegades learned that the two Jedi, along with their fellow Resistance agents Poe Dameron and Jessika Pava, had come to Corellia to investigate the Cabal's activities on the planet, and the two parties decided to work together.^[10]

Infiltrating the stationary star yacht First Light, which was serving as the office for the Corellian head of state Thrackan Sal-Solo, Zarin posed as a member of the fictitious band Bedo Nodes in order to distract the secretary while the rest of the team broke into Sal-Solo's office. However, the Arkanian secretary Lunara saw through their disguises and ordered security to take them away only for the Knights of Ren to show up. The ensuing fight was brought to an end when the Renegade Bedo activated a sound device which disoriented the Knights of Ren. Zarin then escaped the lobby with the rest of the team, being pursued by Kylo Ren and Karis. The pursuit ended when the curator Sal Tyrius, the true owner of the First Light, had his security bring both parties to his office.^[10]

Not long after, the First Light was captured by the Veiled Sorority, whose leader Queen Kestora claimed ownership to the star yacht, and taken to Ord Mantell. Zarin was subsequently put in a cell block with the rest of the male members of the team while the women were placed in a separate cell block. Zarin was eventually able to use the Force to disable the ray shields to their cells and they managed to escape just as a droid uprising was instigated by Mal Banvor on Ord Mantell. After the droids were dealt with, Zarin shared a drink with his fellow Renegades.^[10]

Mission to Naboo[]

After a mission to Terminus, where Valrisa learned about the other heirs of the Dowager Sareth, the Renegades traveled to Naboo to seek an audience with Valera Teramo, who was to be married to Senator Darius Naberrie. However, things took a turn when the Supremacy arrived on Naboo, placing the city of Theed under lockdown.^[11]

After apprehending Queen Renemé, the Renegades infiltrated the Supremacy and Zarin led the charge to rescue Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, and Toah Jarsan from Supreme Leader Snoke. After the rescue, Zarin spoke with Jarsan and told him what had transpired on Ossus leading to his fall to the dark side.^[11]

Following the mission, the Renegades made plans to strike at the Cabal on Ord Talavos.^[11] Before then, they made a stop at Takodana, where Zarin helped stop Dax Goldam from assassinating Kadar.^[12]

Return to the Sith[]

Upon receiving a data leak from Drakmos the Despised, the Renegades traveled to Coruscant to confront the Cabal operative Vixen. While taking Vixen back to the Renegade, they were attacked by the bounty hunter Alyson Dorn, although Zarin managed to defeat her.^[12]

This article is a stub. The author may be expanding it soon.

Appearances[]

• The End of All Days (First appearance)
• The Lost Hero
• Terrors of the Underworld
• Judgment Day
• The Elusive Shadow
• The Final Destiny
• The Dragon's Claw
• Withering Glare
• The Corellian Conspiracy
• The Seventh Heir
• There Be Dragons
• The Balancing Act

Notes and references[]