The Battle Hydra was a type of large reptilian dragon-like Sithspawn that was created by the Sith Lord Exar Kun.^[1]

Contents 1 Biology and appearance 2 History 3 Appearances 4 Sources 5 Notes and references 5.1 In other languages

Biology and appearanceEdit

Physically, a battle hydra was a sinous reptile with leathery wings.^[1] It should be noted that no two of these animals were identical though all shared the same general description.^[2] Typically,^[3] they were known to hold two heads that sat atop long, fluid necks.^[1] The heads held a pair of yellow slitted eyes.^[1] Whilst this was the usually the case, there were some varieties of these beasts that had multiple heads that were more than two.^[3] At the back was long wicked,^[1] whiplike tail that held a hooked stinger.^[3] The stinger glistened with a strong and acidic crystalized poison^[1] that dripped from the tail.^[3] Four powerful legs were tipped with hooked claws^[2] that were both tough and sharp^[1] as well as easily capable of ripping the flesh from the beasts victims.^[2] The body of the beast contained muscular torsos that were sheathed in iridescent scales.^[1] This was forever altered at a molecular level by the Sith alchemy that had altered their physiology.^[2] The skin was infused with ancient Sith alloys that reduced the damage sustained by the beast.^[3] The armor alloy introduced into their basic physiology even reduced the damage from a lightsaber attack.^[2]

When left to their own devices, these beasts were mindless and shy creatures^[1] that was a contrast to their fearsome appearance.^[2] When searching for food, battle hydras were known to be solitary animals that hunted alone.^[2] Much of their existence involved them being aloft where they rode thermal currents in search of prey or threats. When these were spotted, the battle hydra dove through the air where they snapped with multiple jaws^[2] as well as attacked with their teeth, claws and poisoned stinger.^[3] Once prey succumbed to either the attack or poison, the beast took the corpse back to its lair where it was torn apart and devoured.^[3] They only ever attacked with their claws once they landed and were beginning to feed.^[2]

These animals were, however, susceptible to influence or commands from Force-sensitive Dark Side users.^[3] Normally, they did not attack an individual unless cornered or spurned by the will of a Sith Lord.^[1] Many of them used their battle hydra as their own personal shocktroopers^[3] and it was only on such commands did they ever attack in numbers.^[2] Battle hydras were known to be particularly attracted to sites that were strong in the Dark side of the Force. It was believed that perhaps these beasts perhaps drew some form of nourishment from these locations.^[3]

HistoryEdit

Many centuries ago, the Sith Lord Exar Kun studied the dark Sith sciences within the depths of the planet Yavin 4.^[1] His experimentation in the arts of Sith alchemy resulted in the creation of the battle hydra.^[3] This alchemical creation was formed as a fierce guardian creature to test his theories. After Kun's death in the Great Sith War, the battle hydras retreated into deep mountain caverns where they dwelt in the shadows where they became a rare sight on Yavin 4.^[1] In that time, the beasts regressed into typical predator behavior where their small population in the mountain cave survived and only emerged in order to hunt.^[2] Normally, they prowled the skies of the steamy jungle moon though their creators travels did leave the possibility that some were located on other planets so long as there was an abundant supply of food.^[3]

Battle hydras were forgotten for millennia until the early days of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy. In this time, the dark shade of Exar Kun's spirit summoned the mutated hydras to attack the comatose body of Skywalker. His Jedi students were known to had encountered a variant of the creature that had three heads and possessed no forelegs. The beasts nearly succeeded in this goal had Master Skywalker not acted through his nephew Jacen Solo to fight off the animal with a lightsaber. Another swarm of hydras were summoned to complete their master's will but were destroyed when Rogue Squadron pilot Corran Horn borrowed a Z-95 Headhunter. After this event, the New Jedi Order only rarely encountered the battle hydras. Without Exar Kun's will to control them, the animals simply fled all contact with sentient beings or more rarely simply attacked out of self-defense instinct.^[2]

With Exar Kun destroyed, the creatures were believed to either revert to their more natural forms or simply die out.^[2]

AppearancesEdit

• Light and Dark
• Champions of the Force (First appearance)
• I, Jedi
• Jedi Academy: Leviathan
• Young Jedi Knights: Heirs of the Force

SourcesEdit

• The Jedi Academy Sourcebook
• The Dark Side Sourcebook
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Jedi Academy Training Manual
• Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side

Notes and referencesEdit