Erk H'Arman was a pilot and lieutenant in the Praesitlyn Defense Force. During the Clone Wars he flew T-19 starfighters for the Praesitlyn Defense Force with his wingman, Ensign Pleth Strom.
When a droid force under Commander Pors Tonith attacked Praesitlyn in 22 BBY, H'Arman would be thrust into the forefront of a war zone, and would meet Odie Subu, his future wife, during the fighting on the planet. Additionally, H'Arman would distinguish himself in combat and serve alongside famed Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who presided over his and Subu's wedding ceremony.
Biography[]
From boredom to danger[]
- "I hate to land anywhere on this blasted rock."
- ―Erk H'Arman despairing of life on Praesitlyn
A Human male and military serviceman, Erk H'Arman was present on Praesitlyn in 22 BBY, some four weeks after the Battle of Geonosis,[2] where he served as a pilot for the indigenous defense forces under General Khamar alongside fellow pilot Pleth Strom. Bored of service on the planet, H'Arman was understandably excited when an enemy landing force comprised of myriad transports and escorted by hundreds of droid tri-fighters appeared in the skies over one of Praesitlyn's larger continents. He and Strom attacked the force; however, their control ship was shot down and the two pilots were unable to make any headway against the tri-fighters, who quickly overwhelmed Strom and H'Arman. With Strom dead[2] and his own craft disabled, H'Arman was able to effect a crash landing.[1]
Meeting Odie[]
- "Don't shoot!"
- ―Odie Subu's first words to H'Arman
H'Arman's useless craft was detected by Odie Subu, a reconnaissance trooper attached to the overland segment of the Praesitlyn Defense Force under Khamar and Major Makx Maganinny. Having survived recent combat with several CIS mercenaries, Subu was shaken when H'Arman leveled his blaster at her, but the two quickly formed a bond and set off on Subu's speeder bike to find shelter amid the mounting chaos on Praesitlyn. Finding a cave with water, the two spent two days in the area recovering from the intense conditions of the desert. With no food, H'Arman and Subu were forced to travel on foot after a fault rendered Subu's speeder inoperable. Stranded in the desert with seemingly no salvation at hand, H'Arman experienced vivid hallucinations and witnessed an avian creature, a sight concocted by his heat-addled mind, attacking Odie. Drawing his blaster, H'Arman fired off a single shot.[1]
Service with the Sons and Daughters[]
- "Tank droids!"
- ―Subu to H'Arman during the battle for Izable
That shot proved to be the only factor in their survival. Omin L'Loxx, a soldier serving with the Sons and Daughters of Freedom, a pro-Republic splinter force under the leadership of the renegade Zozridor Slayke, saw the shot and found the two soldiers. Informed of the Defense Force's fall and the Sons' mission to obliterate the CIS forces by L'Loxx, H'Arman readily joined the patriotic freelancers and piloted a speeder bike to the nearest Sons and Daughters-aligned outpost, called Izable, encountering a Gamorrean soldier on the way. His worth proven, H'Arman and Subu were assigned to protect the facility by the Bothan soldier D'Nore at a gunwell. Demonstrating his knowledge of the E-Web heavy repeating blaster, H'Arman helped Subu man the gunwell and assisted in the defense of the outpost against a legion of battle droids. However, when a convoy of droid tanks rolled towards the outpost, H'Arman was unable to heed the warnings of the frantic Subu, and was caught in the collapse of the bunker as a defensive counter-mine effort launched by the Sons thwarted the tanks' advance.[1]
Trapped in the wreckage of the facility, H'Arman and Subu exchanged personal information and fell in love. Engineering an escape with a vibroknuckler, the two emerged from the base as a Republic counterattack against the CIS forces was underway. Subu fired impulsively on an approaching figure, believing it to be an enemy. That figure proved to be Grudo, a Rodian mercenary employed by the Republic to assist in the fighting. With that disturbing event past, H'Arman and Subu were taken to the Republic encampment. It was there that H'Arman, shocked to his stomach by the hardships encountered by the clone troopers onplanet, realized the true extent of the battle for Praesitlyn, and so he and Subu endeavored to assist the Republic by any means necessary. They later witnessed the terrifying results of an enemy attempt to subvert communications among the Republic forces.[1]
Into the heart of battle[]
- "Good hunting."
- ―H'Arman to Subu in the final moments of the conflict
H'Arman was later assigned to pilot a transport vessel into the embattled Intergalactic Communications Center, which had fallen into the hands of the CIS. Parting with Subu reluctantly, he and the recon trooper would reunite alive and well following the battle's conclusion. H'Arman and Subu would be married by Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi leading the assault alongside formerly disgraced Jedi Master Nejaa Halcyon.[1]
Personality and traits[]
A hardened soldier desiring an action-packed career, Erk H'Arman would get more than he bargained for when thrust into the heat of battle against an overwhelming enemy force. Though somewhat brash, H'Arman also possessed a softer side, and would willingly cooperate with any soldier whom he deemed to be fighting for the same cause. Although a catastrophic mistake during battle nearly killed himself and Odie Subu, Subu would see enough of H'Arman's positive traits to consider him a love interest.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Erk H'Arman appears in the Clone Wars novel Jedi Trial by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. He is introduced early on and becomes a key character in the novel. He later received entries in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and The Essential Reader's Companion.
Appearances[]
- Jedi Trial (First appearance)