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Xesh
Born	Well before 25,793 BBY[1]
Physical description
Species	Human[2]
Gender	Male
Hair color	Black[2]
Eye color	Blue[2]
Skin color	Fair[2]
Chronological and political information
Era(s)	Before the Republic era[1]
Affiliation	Infinite Empire[1]

[Source]

Xesh was a Force-sensitive Human male who was a slave to the Infinite Empire. Hailing from a world conquered by the dark side of the Force-wielding Rakata of the Infinite Empire, the young boy who would come to be known as Xesh was selected from among his brood mates and placed in a machine which amplified his innate dark side energy in order to power the Rakata's numerous war machines. Immersed in the dark side for a long time, the boy eventually came to the attention of the Rakata Predor, Tul'kar, who decided to train Xesh as a Force Hound, being trained as a master of tracking as well as combat, wielding a purple Rakata Forcesaber.

After discovering the lush, tropical planet of Tatooine for his master to subjugate, Xesh was assigned to track a Force-sensitive planet rumored to reside within the Deep Core of the galaxy. However, upon arrival in the system, which happened to be Tython, the home of the Je'daii Order, Tul'kar's ship was damaged. In the ensuing chaos, Xesh himself killed Tul'kar and his entourage in a bid for his own survival. Fleeing in an escape pod and landing on Tython's surface, Xesh was confronted by three Je'daii Journeyers: Shae Koda, Sek'nos Rath, and Tasha Ryo. Outnumbered and fleeing into the Abyss of Ruh, Xesh eventually became enamored with the display of compassion by Shae Koda and opted to assist the Jedi in fighting off several beasts of the Abyss, but he was subsequently arrested by the Je'daii Order and exiled to the moon of Bogan, where he would, in theory, renounce his use of the dark side of the force in the name of self-balance.

After two months in isolation on Bogan, Xesh became acquainted with Daegen Lok, a Je'Daii exiled from the Order due to his extreme vision of the future; namely, a one-eyed being wielding a "sword of fire" who would lead the forces of darkness against the Order. Believing Xesh to be that being due to his use of the forcesaber (which was confiscated by the Je'Daii), Lok saw Xesh as an ally in his plans against the Je'daii, and the two escaped Bogan in a downed starfighter of the Despot War revived by Xesh's skill in machine manipulation. In order to build new forcesabers, Xesh and Lok traveled to the crystalline planet Krev, where their ship crashlanded.

BiographyEdit

Childhood and trainingEdit

A Human male slave of the Infinite Empire of the Rakata species,^[2] Xesh was found to be Force-sensitive and placed in a brood of other Force-sensitive children. Branded with a tattoo of the Aurebesh letter Xesh on his face and upper arm,^[3] the boy found a friend in a fellow slave namd Trill, and she defended him against the brood leader Yirt when the larger child attempted to attack him. While the rest of the slaves turned on Yirt and began to attack him, Trill and Xesh left Yirt to his fate. The two became friends and made blood oaths to protect and not to kill each other.^[4]

In the years that followed, Xesh and the rest of the brood were encased in the machines of the Rakata, which drew on their strength in the Force to fuel the Rakata's ships. It was then that he first touched the dark side of the Force, his powers unknowingly fueled by the pain, anger, and hate that he felt. One of the Rakata, a Predor named Tul'kar sensed Xesh's power and singled him out from the brood, training him as a Force Hound. Not long afterwards, Tul'kar forced him to fight Trill, who was also training as a Force Hound, and the two battled aboard Tul'kar's ship Devourer. Xesh was victorious in their battle, and he was ordered by Tul'kar to strike down Trill with his new Forcesaber. However, in an effort to save Trill's life, Xesh proposed that Tul'kar present Trill as a gift to his superior, Skal'nas, as a gift—but also an insult, as Trill would be less powerful than Xesh. Applauding his slave's cunning, Tul'kar agreed, and Xesh departed the chamber without responding to Trill's calling his name. Trill perceived Xesh's actions as a betrayal, and Xesh earned her undying hatred after their battle.^[3]

Tul'kar's HoundEdit

As Tul'kar's Hound, Xesh lived a life of loneliness, becoming the best Force Hound in the entire Infinite Empire.^[3] Garbed in black and grey armor, Xesh sought out planets with powerful Force signatures, after which the Rakata would conquer the planets and cull the Force-sensitives from the native population.^[1] Among Xesh's discoveries was the planet Sriluur, which was inhabited by the Weequay species.^[3] In 25,793 BBY, Xesh located the planet of Tatooine, and he led Tul'kar's forces there to conquer it and the native Kumumgah. Xesh then identified the Force-sensitive Kumugah from the population, though his selection of a Kumugah named Lonai caused Lonai's father to try and attack Tul'kar.^[1]

Tul'kar and Xesh were then summoned by Skal'nas to the planet Byss, and they learned that Skal'nas actually had need of Xesh's abilities. Trill had detected a Force-rich world in the Deep Core, but she was unable to reach it because of the hyperspace disturbances and astronomical anomalies that riddled the region. When asked if Trill's statement was correct, Xesh replied that only she was unable to find it, and an enraged Trill attacked her former friend. Xesh replied by throwing her with the Force before leaping and attempting to kick her, and his second kick sent her falling to the floor. However, as Xesh prepared to execute the pinned Trill with his Forcesaber, Skal'nas intruded and threw the two Force Hounds apart with the Force. Skal'nas repeated his question to Xesh, and the Hound replied that he was able to find the world.^[1]

But when Xesh led the Devourer to the world&mash;the planet Tython in the Tython system—something happened to the vessel and it was wracked by several explosions. Realizing the ship was doomed, Xesh turned on his master and killed him before making his way to Tul'kar's escape pod, killing all of the Rakata guards who stood in his way.^[4] At the same time, Xesh unknowingly appeared in visions to four people—Sek'nos Rath, Shae Koda, and Tasha Ryo, and Daegen Lok. Koda, Rath, and Ryo were Je'daii Journeyers, students of the Force in the Je'daii Order on Tython, and Lok was an insane Je'daii who had been exiled to the moon Bogan. The three Journeyers were drawn to a volcanic region of Tython by the Force, where they witnessed the stricken Devourer crash, but they discovered Xesh's escape pod intact nearby.^[2]

Time on TythonEdit

As he exited the pod, Xesh cast aside his helmet and drew his Forcesaber, and he scoffed at the Journeyers' claims that they meant no harm when he saw their drawn weapons. The Force Hound then leaped at Rath, slicing through the Sith's Madog steel sword, and he did the same to Koda's weapons when the girl landed a kick to his back. Xesh scored a grazing blow on Koda's arm, but Ryo stopped him with the Force and again asked him to surrender. Refusing, Xesh threw Ryo against a nearby rock and resumed his battle with Koda and Rath, and the Sith was astonished when Xesh absorbed the ball of Force lightning that Rath cast at his opponent. Growing tired with the duel, Xesh unleashed the absorbed energy against Koda and Rath, and the lightning injured Koda's pet rancor Butch. Xesh took advantage of her distraction to send her flying with the Force, but Rath managed to stop Xesh's attack with his Forcesaber and take the weapon from the Force Hound. However, Rath was unable to activate the weapon, and in his fury Xesh summoned Force lightning and a storm of wreckage from their surroundings in order to attack Rath.^[5]

Rath tossed the weapon to a returning Koda, and a furious Xesh pinned his opponent to the ground before threatening to burn the Sith with lightning unless Koda returned the Forcesaber. But to Xesh's surprise, Koda was able to channel her anger into activating the weapon, and Xesh soon realized that he had misjudged his opponet's powers. Smashing his fist into the ground, Xesh used the Force to tear the surrounding rocks apart before fleeing into the nearby canyon known as the Rift. However, Xesh was weakened by his wounds and concussion, and he collapsed, unconscious, while traveling through the section of the Rift known as the Abyss of Ruh.^[5] Xesh's presence on Tython also generated an immense Force storm, as his intense darkness had driven the planet out of balance, and the storm became centered on Xesh's unconscious body in the Rift.^[6]

The Je'daii Masters soon arrived, having determined that Xesh was the cause of the storm threatening Tython and demanded that he surrender. Xesh then turned on the Je'daii, only to be struck by lightning channeled by Master Quan-Jang. In anger, Shae grabbed Xesh's Forcesaber, blaming him for the apparent death of her Master. Xesh willingly resigned himself to death and encouraged her to eat his heart. Shae relented, stating that it wasn't the Je'daii way. Xesh remarked that they were odd beings and passed out.^[7]

Exile on BoganEdit

Upon regaining consciousness, Xesh found himself being tended to by a Selkath Healer named Calleh. Xesh asked to be killed to which the Healer declined.^[7]

Tasha visited Xesh in his prison cell, requesting permission to look into his mind. The Twi'lek bore witness to Xesh's memories of the Infinite Empire and his upbringing. Shae then stepped in to inquire why he came back to help them. The Force Hound confessed that something within himself believed that their light should not be extinguished.^[7]

Ultimately, the Je'daii chose to exile Xesh to the moon of Bogan, to which they banished all those who had touched the dark side of the Force. Shae, Seknos and Tasha protested the decision, pointing out that Xesh didn't willingly choose the dark path, but the Council's decision remained final, and the Council stated that Xesh would have to meditate on the light side if he was to finally find balance within himself and the Force.^[7]

Alliance with Daegen LokEdit

While exiled on the moon of Bogan, Xesh was discovered by fellow exile Daegen Lok. Lok had been exiled to the moon due to his fascination with the dark side and dire visions of an army of dark warriors brandishing red lightsabers. Lok attacked Xesh in his home and attempted to smother him in his own clothing, using the Force. He goaded Xesh into attacking him in order to gauge his worth. After Lok was being questioned by Xesh, he revealed that he used a "mind twist" to give the illusion that Xesh was suffocating, when in reality he was not; he went on telling Xesh that he appeared to him in a vision before Xesh's actual arrival on Bogan.^[3]

After freeing Xesh of cuffs that relay a prisoner's location to sentry droids, Lok took Xesh to the wreck of a Shikaakwan fighter that crashed during the Despot War. He proceeded to tell Xesh of the vision that caused him to be exiled to Bogan, and Xesh recognized a carving on a wall as a Forcesaber, a weapon he himself used while in service of the Rakatans. Lok explained that he needed to obtain this weapon, so that the Je'daii would believe his vision. Further, there were crystals on the planet Krev Coeur and forges on the planet Nox that they could use to make a Forcesaber, but there was no way to get there.^[3]

However, Xesh was able to harness the Force to re-charge the ship's power cells. The intensity of the energy Xesh produced draws mynocks to the ship and causes the hull to glow. Lok tried to force Xesh to stop, but the Force Hound angrily told him to never interrupt him when he commanded the Force; the fallen Je'daii could not understand his power. Lok was willing to allow Xesh to live until he made a Forcesaber, but he was not certain if he would afterward.^[3]

Upon arriving over Krev Coeur, the ship's controls started to malfunction, forcing the two to equip themselves with parachute backpacks and left the ship before it was destroyed by the impact on the planet's surface.^[4]

Personality and traitsEdit

Xesh had a purple tattoo on the face representing the letter Xesh of the Aurebesh alphabet.

Due to his harsh upbringing as the Infinite Empire's Force Hound, Xesh developed a survival-of-the-fittest philosophy. He believed that all beings are inherently selfish and would put themselves before others' well-being. But upon seeing the three Je'daii Journeyers unwilling to abandon each other, Xesh was spurned by their selflessness and felt that their light should not be extinguished.

Powers and abilitiesEdit

Xesh was incredibly powerful and skilled, stated to be the greatest of the Force Hounds. Tul'kar prided his greatest weapon and would fight to keep him. Xesh had a rival in fellow Force Hound Trill, the servant of Skal'nas, and stated that she could not do the same as him. When she attacked, he proceeded to beat her unarmed and pulled out his Forcesaber for the killing blow. Xesh was also proficient in casting Force lightning and was also able to reflect it, repelling Sek'nos Rath's ball of lightning. He also defeated an armed and talented Force Hound opponent only using telekinesis. When Tasha Ryo lifted him in the air using the Force, he was able to turn the table by pushing Ryo backwards, making her collide with a rock.

AppearancesEdit

• Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void
• Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm (First appearance)
• Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan

SourcesEdit

Wookieepedia has 15 images related to Xesh (Force Hound).

• Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi 0 (First mentioned)
• "Blaster"—Star Wars Insider 132
• "Blaster"—Star Wars Insider 138

Notes and referencesEdit