Antares Draco

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Antares Draco was the leader of the Imperial Knights during the reign of the Fel Empire by 137 ABY. A descendant of a member of the Inquisitorius that served Palpatine, Draco was known to be a formidable lightsaber duelist and an ace pilot, and was loyal to Emperor Roan Fel, who had been his master. His most trusted friend was Ganner Krieg, a fellow Imperial Knight.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Sith-Imperial War 1.2 Second Imperial Civil War 1.2.1 Rescue at Vendaxa 1.2.2 Mission to the Wheel 1.2.3 Journey to the Hidden Temple 1.2.4 Traveling with Skywalker 2 Personality and traits 2.1 Relationships 2.1.1 Marasiah Fel 3 Behind the scenes 4 Appearances 5 Sources 6 Notes and references 7 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Sith-Imperial War

Like the rest of the Imperial Knights, Draco was forbidden by Emperor Roan Fel to participate in the Sith-Imperial War, a conflict between Fel’s Empire and the Galactic Alliance that raged from 127 ABY to 130 ABY.^[3] Instead, the Imperial Knights served as a personal bodyguard to the Emperor.^[4] Following the Battle of Caamas, which saw the defeat of the Galactic Alliance and the end of the war, Draco and fellow Imperial Knight Mohrgan Fel accompanied the Emperor to his private chambers on Coruscant as Fel prepared for a meeting with the Moff Council. Fel planned to arrest Grand Moff Morlish Veed, whom he suspected had disobeyed him by ordering the Massacre at Ossus. Fel instructed Draco and Mohrgan to kill Veed if he made any suspicious moves, and to watch Director of Imperial Intelligence Nyna Calixte closely. At that moment, Calixte revealed herself to be in the room with them and eavesdropping, and after being held against the wall by Mohrgan’s use of The Force, revealed that the Sith were planning to kill Fel. Draco advised his master not to trust her, but Fel bid her explain herself, prompting her to point out that his survival was in her interests in addition to his own.^[3]

Mohrgan volunteered to lead a contingent of Imperial Knights and accompany Fel's double in appearing before the Moffs, a ruse which ultimately allowed Fel and Draco to flee the planet. Darth Krayt, the leader of the Sith, appeared at the Moff's meeting, and slew Mohrgan's entire contingent before striking down Fel's decoy and declaring himself the new Emperor of the galaxy.^[5][3] Concurrent with these events, Fel and Draco were making an underground escape from Coruscant through Sublevel 12. As the two took out guard droids that attempted to halt them, Draco felt the deaths of his fellow Knights in the Force. Fel told him that they would honor their sacrifices by escaping. Displaced from his throne, Roan Fel and his Imperial Knights were now in exile.^[3]

[edit] Second Imperial Civil War

[edit] Rescue at Vendaxa

After seven years of conducting hit-and-run tactics on Krayt’s Imperial fleets, Roan Fel returned to the Imperial stronghold of Bastion, which Krayt had claimed shortly after the conclusion of the war. Draco accompanied Fel as he arrived on-planet, along with fellow Imperial Knights Sigel Dare and Draco's trusted friend Ganner Krieg. After securing the loyalty of the Imperial forces stationed on the planet, Fel believed that his Empire could now become a more potent threat to Krayt, though Draco cautioned him that Krayt would now know where to find him. Fel was then informed by General Oron Jaeger that Elke Vetter, an Imperial Knight and the bodyguard of Fel’s daughter, Princess Marasiah Fel, had been killed on Socorro, and that Marasiah was missing. Draco immediately volunteered to take three knights to Socorro to rescue her, but was forbidden to do so by Fel, who would not allow his new base to be discovered yet. A distraught Draco told Fel that he did not understand, but would obey.^[6] Nevertheless, he continued his attempts to convince the Emperor to mount a rescue mission, proclaiming that he would die before giving up the news that they had retaken Bastion. Reminded by Krieg that they had sworn an oath of loyalty to the Emperor, Draco wondered if loyalty was the same as obedience.^[7]

Despite their orders, Draco and Krieg made their way in two stolen Predator-class fighters to Vendaxa, where Marasiah and her companion Astraal Vao had been picked up by the bounty hunter Cade Skywalker, and had rendezvoused with Jedi Knights Wolf Sazen and Shado Vao. Arriving at the site of Skywalker's grounded ship, the Mynock, their fighters were shot down by a Sith Fury-class fighter, but Draco and Krieg managed to escape the flaming wrecks of their ships. They arrived on the scene simultaneously with Darth Talon, Darth Nihl, and a legion of other Sith, who had been pursuing Marasiah since her escape from Socorro. With his hood up, Draco appeared to the Sith to be Fel himself, but revealed his identity and told them to run while they still had the chance. Along with the Jedi and the princess, Draco and Krieg engaged the Sith in combat. Despite seven years of tension between the Jedi and Roan Fel’s Empire, the Jedi and Imperial Knights were fighting side-by-side against their common enemy, the Sith. Marasiah was angered by Draco’s attempt to rescue her, which she suspected had been forbidden by her father. Draco’s reasoning was that he loved her, to which her response was simply: "I know." She was soon after cut down by a Zabrak Sith while protecting a derelict Skywalker.^[7]

Believing that the person they had sworn to protect had been cut down, Krieg and Draco fought the Sith with renewed vigour. Draco cradled what he believed to be Marasiah's corpse in his arms, until faint signs of life led him to rush her to the Mynock while Sazen covered him. When Sazen attempted to return to the battle, Draco held him back, insisting that Marasiah’s life was more important than anyone else’s. Frantic, he revealed that the Massacre at Ossus had happened against the Emperor’s orders, and convinced Sazen to do whatever he could to heal her. Draco rushed back outside of the ship, only to find that it was taking off, with everyone but the Sith aboard. As Talon leapt onto the ship’s closing hatch, Draco Force-shoved her off, allowing the Mynock to leave the surviving Sith behind and escape.^[8]

On the ship’s bridge, Draco insisted that a course be set for Bastion, and bid the crew to get there as fast as they could or he would kill them. When Krieg told Draco that Marasiah was on her way to death, a very reluctant Skywalker, reminded of his healing powers, offered to help, but was met with a punch to the face by an emotionally heated Draco. An intervening Shado Vao prevented a fight from ensuing, and his sister Astraal convinced Draco and Krieg to let Skywalker heal Marasiah. After Skywalker used his powers to bring her back from the edge of death, the Mynock safely arrived at Bastion.^[8]

[edit] Mission to the Wheel

Shortly after Skywalker and the Jedi departed Bastion in the Mynock, Fel summoned Draco and Krieg, and berated them for having disobeyed a direct order, accusing Draco of putting his love for the princess before the needs of the Empire. As the Sith had likely tracked the Mynock to Bastion, Fel believed that he now had a stalemate with Krayt’s Empire. Draco, ready to receive any punishment the Emperor wished to hand them, was shocked when Fel told them that they would be receiving medals. He was retroactively approving their mission to Vendaxa, rather than having news of their insubordination undermine his authority. Draco and Krieg’s punishment was thus that they were being declared the Empire’s foremost heroes, and thenceforth being tasked with its most dangerous missions. Fel then told Draco to forget about the idea of marrying his daughter, and sent the two on their next mission --- escorting Captain Mingo Bovark to the Wheel, where Bovark would be discussing a possible alliance with Admiral Gar Stazi of the Galactic Alliance Remnant Fleet. Fel needed allies, and having met Sazen and Vao, doubted that he could find them among the Jedi. Draco and Krieg's mission was to ensure Bovark's safety at all costs, and to see that the negotiations went smoothly.^[9]

Aboard the Wheel, Stazi and Bovark met in a conference room, with each's set of guards required to wait outside. Draco and Krieg, despite having been required to leave their lightsabers aboard their ship, smuggled them aboard the space station. Draco told Krieg that he didn't trust the Galactic Alliance guards that they were staring down, and vowed to win back the Emperor's trust.^[9]

While the talks were happening, Imperial Spies Morrigan Corde and Jor Torlin, also aboard the station, managed to cause the Imperial shuttle to fire on Stazi's ship using a Command Override Limpet Droid, causing Stazi to believe that Roan Fel had betrayed him. Angry, Stazi drew a vibro-shiv on Bovark, while outside in the hallway, a firefight erupted between the Imperial Knights and the Galactic Alliance guards. Krieg held off the guards with his lightsaber while Draco burst into the room to retrieve Bovark, Force-pushing Stazi away from his charge. Wheel Administrator Pol Temm and several security guards arrived, and called on the Imperial Knights to surrender their weapons immediately. Draco refused, and Temm ordered the Imperials off of the Wheel, declaring the station off-limits to all of Roan Fel's forces. Bovark wondered why the Imperial shuttle had fired, and Draco suspected sabotage. He vowed to find and kill whoever was responsible, as they had set off a chain reaction of events that had resulted in Krieg and Draco taking great steps to alienate their Empire from both the Wheel and the Galactic Alliance.^[10]

Some time later, while on Bastion, Draco felt a Disturbance in the Force, and rushed to the Pellaeon Gardens, where he found Emperor Fel standing over the corpse of the Sith Lord Darth Kruhl. Kruhl had arrived on-planet aboard the Star Destroyer Dauntless, whose crew had been sent by Darth Krayt under the guise of defecting to Fel’s Empire; the ruse allowed Kruhl to make an attempt on Fel’s life. Fel shook off Draco’s concerns over his master’s wellbeing, and informed him that he would be sending Krayt a message back. Every crew member of the Dauntless was then killed, save for its Governor, Vikar Dorn, who was spared in order to deliver the message.^[11]

[edit] Journey to the Hidden Temple

Over the next several weeks,^[12] acting on the orders of the Emperor, Draco kept mainly to himself, avoiding Marasiah Fel in particular as she completed her training and became a full-fledged Imperial Knight. As the Emperor prepared to send Marasiah, Draco, and Krieg on a mission, Draco sat sulking in the gardens of Bastion’s royal greenhouses and was approached by Marasiah. Worried about her safety, he intended to counsel the Emperor to replace her on the mission with another Imperial Knight. Marasiah surprised him with a kiss, telling him that she had no intention of letting her father run her personal life. Nevertheless, Draco had doubts that the two could pursue a relationship.^[13]

The three Imperial Knights were sent to the Iego system, where their fellow Knight, Azlyn Rae, had been sent on a mission to locate Cade Skywalker. Undercover, Rae confronted Skywalker as he visited his uncle, Nat Skywalker, on Iego, and claimed to be a bounty hunter. Owing to her status as a former Jedi and a childhood friend of Skywalker's, Rae was able to learn of the existence of the Jedi’s Hidden Temple. As she prepared to follow the Mynock to the temple in her ship, she relayed its coordinates to Draco, Krieg, and Marasiah, who waited nearby in a ship of their own. Although both Draco and Krieg suspected that she might be setting them up, the three Imperial Knights set a course for the Hidden Temple on Taivas.^[14]

Draco and Kreig arrived with lightsabers drawn, and despite Marasiah's greeting to the Jedi their tactics quickly led to a confrontation, as Skywalker took offense at being followed and Shado Vao did the same at the drawn weapons. Luckily, Wolf Sazen arrived to stop the fighting, but still expressed the Jedi's displeasure at having their hideaway violated in such a way. However, Draco and Krieg were allowed to accompany Marasiah in a meeting with the Jedi Council, where the Princess proposed an alliance between Fel's Empire and the Jedi, citing Gar Stazi's ongoing negotiations as an example.^[15]

The true event of the meeting, however, was Cade Skywalker's proposal to assassinate Darth Krayt and thus send his Empire into disarray. Despite the Jedi Council's reservations, Draco and the other Imperial Knights approved of the plan and began considering it as an option.^[15]

When, a day later, the Jedi Council rejected the plan to assassinate Krayt, Skywalker prepared to take his crew and do the job anyway. Fel continued to agree with the plan, and ordered Draco, Krieg, and Rae to accompany Skywalker while she continued to negotiate with the Jedi. Skywalker's crew and the Imperial Knights were also joined by Shado Vao, adding a Jedi Knight to the team.^[16]

[edit] Traveling with Skywalker

The Mynock headed to Had Abbadon in the Deep Core to attract Krayt's attention. All the while, the Imperial observed Shado's prowess. Krieg commented that the Twi'lek could have been one of them but Draco said that he lacked discipline. Suddenly, they were pulled out of hyperspace by a Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer's interdiction field. However, the ship seemed derelict and battle-worn. Upon inspection, they were attacked by mysterious creatures and Cade and Azlyn were separated from the others by Celeste Morne—a Jedi of the Galactic Republic who was under the influence of the Muur Talisman— and had survived 4,000 years in stasis; because they were bitten or scratched. Shado tried to get through the door but had no luck so Draco pridefully wanted to use an Imperial lightsaber until the two came out emerged with Morne.

After taking Had Abbadon, Draco contacts Fel, who orders them to bring him Morne, better yet the Talisman, to him. Draco was only concerned with the fact that if they succeeded, Emperor Fel would allow him to marry Marasiah. But Azlyn Rae and Ganner Krieg were horrified that Emperor Fel wanted them to bring the Talisman to him. Rae declared that she would not be part of this particular mission and stormed off. Noting that Rae's loyalties seemed to be wavering since she reunited with her Jedi Master, Draco said he may have to kill her. But Ganner, who had once been involved with her and still harbored feelings for her, refused to allow that to happen. When Draco questioned Ganner's loyalty, Ganner chastised Draco for losing sight of what they truly served. The Imperial Knights serve the Force, through the Emperor and their owed allegiance to the Emperor only as long as the Emperor embraced the light side of the Force. Ganner also reminded Draco of the Knights' original edict: that if the Emperor ever fell to the dark side, the Knights were either to bring him back into the light or remove him from power.

Emperor Krayt took the bait, and traveled to Had Abbadon with three other Sith Lords. Once he arrived a duel erupted. Morne set all the rakghouls on Krayt, and the three Imperial Knights were cut off from the rest of the fighting. Draco told Ganner and Rae to make sure Krayt was dead while he secured the Talisman. Rae objected, and Draco attacked her. Ganner interceded, and Draco went to complete his mission. When he approached Morne, Muur took control. He knew of Draco's intentions, and dismissed him, saying his emperor was not worthy of the Talisman. Draco attempted to subdue Morne, and Muur Force-pushed him into a wall, knocking him unconscious.

The battle ended when Morne blasted a mortally wounded Krayt off a cliff. But Rae had been wounded when Muur blasted her and Krayt with Force lightning. Cade, who for once couldn't heal her, and his crew decided to take her to see his Aunt Droo. But Krieg refused to allow them to take her. He and Draco were eventually Force-pushed away by Shado and Cade and his crew left the Knights on the planet. Draco told a distressed Krieg that their duty now was to return to Roan Fel.

When they returned to Bastion, Fel was not pleased: they claimed that Krayt was dead and they allowed the Talisman to get destroyed. Krieg stated that the Talisman was too dangerous to use; Fel retorted that it would have put the servants of the usurper under his control. He assigned Draco to find out what was going on in Coruscant.

[edit] Personality and traits

Antares Draco was extremely devoted to Emperor Fel. But when Marasiah Fel, who Draco loved, was in danger, he was willing to directly defy the Emperor's orders to ensure she would be safe. His loyalty, however, bordered on blinding, as he was willing to bring Fel the Muur Talisman, even though it was obviously tainted with the dark side of the Force, perhaps in denial that Fel could ever even be tempted to use it with evil intent.

Draco was very critical of both the Jedi and Sith. He saw both orders as inferior to the Imperial Knights. In fact, he said that by simply being a Jedi, Shado Vao was inferior to him and Ganner Krieg, despite Vao's formidable lightsaber skills.

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Marasiah Fel

Antares Draco is in love with Princess Marasiah Fel, the daughter of his Emperor Roan Fel.

When Roan Fel had retaken Bastion, they received word that Sia had been attacked by the Sith. While it pained him to do so, Fel chose not to send a rescue team for his daughter to ensure the greater good. Draco, however, would not let Sia go. In direct defiance of his Emperor, Draco and Ganner Krieg went to retrieve the Princess.

After landing on Vendaxa, Draco and Krieg joined forces with Jedi and pirates to protect the Princess. During this time, he confessed his love for her. He was heartbroken when Sia was fatally wounded while trying to save Cade Skywalker, who, in his mind, wasn't worth her sacrifice. He later attacked Skywalker, blaming him for Sia's wounds. But Skywalker was able to use the Force to heal her, saving her life.

Upon return to Bastion, Emperor Fel forbid Draco from being with Sia. Sia, however, didn't intend to allow her father to run her personal life. She showed Draco that she loved him by kissing him, and insisted to Draco that they could be together.

[edit] Behind the scenes

Antares is a star in real life, and the heart of the constellation Scorpius—the name is Greek, and means "counter to Mars", in reference to this star's striking red color—appropriate for a red-armored Imperial Knight. In other languages, Antares has also historically been known as "the heart of the scorpion".

"Draco" is the Latin word for "dragon," and gives its name to a constellation of the northern sky. Draco was also the name of an Athenian ruler, supposedly of the seventh century BC, whose association with a harsh early penal code gave rise to the word "draconian," meaning "severe."

An action figure of Antares Draco was released in 2008 as part of Hasbro's Comic Pack line, along with Ganner Krieg and a reprint of part five of Broken.^[17]

The publication of the 2009 Legacy Era Campaign Guide— a Wizards of the Coast supplement to the Star Wars Roleplaying Game—has introduced the possibility that Antares Draco is the descendant of Valin Draco, an Inquisitor of the Galactic Empire ruled by Emperor Palpatine. While the Legacy Era Campaign Guide does not explicitly state the familial bond, the entry for Antares Draco notes that an ancestor of Antares was a member of the Imperial Inquisitorius.

Jan Duursema has indicated that "Draco was about 17-18 at the time of the Massacre on Ossus and deposing of Krayt. So that makes him 24-25 within the story now. A good question is why he is leader of the IK at such a young age--and it's a question we have not addressed within the story yet, but we have some ideas."^[18]

[edit] Appearances

• Star Wars Legacy 8: Allies
• Star Wars Legacy 3: Broken, Part 3 (First appearance)
• Star Wars Legacy 6: Broken, Part 5
• Star Wars Legacy 7: Broken, Part 6
• Star Wars Legacy: Trust Issues
• Star Wars Legacy 13: Ready to Die
• Star Wars Legacy: Loyalties
• Star Wars Legacy: The Hidden Temple
• Star Wars Legacy: Vector
• Star Wars Legacy 35: Storms, Part 2

[edit] Sources

• Star Wars: Legacy 0 (First mentioned)
• Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
• Star Wars Miniatures: Legacy of the Force
• Legacy Era Campaign Guide
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• Jan Duursema identifies Roan Fel as Antares Draco's master