Nink ( uvak ) Nink was a male member of the avian uvak species who lived on the planet Kesh in the years following the Great Hyperspace War . Hatched in 5015 BBY , Nink eventually became the personal steed of the Keshiri Zhari Vaal , a member of the world ' s Neshtovar ruling council . However , Vaal mistreated Nink ; at some point , Nink decided enough was enough and , during a flight over the ocean , dropped his master to his death . Nink was passed on to Vaal ' s widow , Adari Vaal , a geologist who soon had to flee the Neshtovar on Nink ' s back after spreading teachings of Kesh ' s origin that the council considered heretical . Nink carried Vaal up to the remote Cetajan Mountains , where she happened upon an encampment of Sith who had recently crashed on the planet . With Vaal ' s help , the Sith were delivered from their predicament ; they eventually posed as the Keshiri ' s Skyborn gods and took control of Kesh as the new Lost Tribe of Sith . By 4975 BBY , Nink , at forty , was the oldest uvak in Keshiri memory . By then , his master had reached the head of a secret Keshiri resistance group dedicated to overthrowing the Lost Tribe . As part of their plot , that year Vaal flew Nink at the head of a large group of stolen uvak mounted by resistance members , hoping to sacrifice themselves as a way to cripple the Lost Tribe ' s ability to move across Kesh . However , after Vaal guided Nink into the chaotic air currents above the Sessal Spire volcano , Nink did not plunge into the water as planned ; instead , he reached an isolated island somewhere in the ocean . Biography . Mountain excursion . A member of a non - sentient avian species called the uvak , the emerald - eyed , multicolored Nink was , like the rest of his kind , native to the isolated Wild Space planet of Kesh . At some point after his hatching in 5015 BBY , Nink became the personal mount of Zhari Vaal , a member of Kesh ' s Neshtovar ruling council , who were the planet ' s most celebrated uvak - riders . However , Nink ' s master was cruel to him — shortly before the year 5000 BBY , Vaal mistreated Nink one too many times . One morning , Nink flew Vaal far out over the ocean and dropped the Keshiri rider to his death . Nink returned to Vaal ' s home in the city of Tahv later that day , bearing what Vaal ' s wife Adari Vaal took as a look of satisfaction in his eyes . As was tradition , Nink was passed on to the woman , but without a rider the uvak spent much of the next year lounging in the backyard without anything to do . Regardless , Nink adjusted well to his new lifestyle . In that time of his life , Nink had a rather lethargic personality , quite content to do nothing and ignoring Vaal . In 5000 BBY , Nink ' s life of leisure was disrupted in a major way . Adari Vaal , a geologist , became a figure of considerable controversy when she began to promote theories of Kesh ' s creation that contradicted the popular religious stories of Keshiri society . Vaal was forced to defend her findings before the Neshtovar , and public disgust with the " heretic " Vaal grew to the point that large throngs of Keshiri gathered in front of the family home and showered the structure with rocks . After a massive explosion in the nearby Cetajan Mountains was attributed to Vaal ' s heresy , their ire grew so great that Vaal felt the need to flee . Her only way to escape was Nink , and although Vaal had never ridden an uvak before , Nink followed her lead and took wing . Flying far out over the ocean — much to the chagrin of Vaal , remembering how her husband had died — Nink evaded pursuit from Neshtovar fliers on their own uvaks before finding a seaside mountain roost not far from the source of the explosion . Although Nink had a chance to leave Vaal behind , he stayed and ate whatever foliage he could find . The next morning , Vaal rode Nink toward the location of the explosion , coming across a burning wreck and a man throwing something over the side of a precipice . The object descended quickly past Nink , startling him and nearly causing him to drop Vaal into the sea . After Vaal regained her balance , the frightened Nink flew back to their previous roost as fast as his wings would take him . That night , Vaal spied fires , obviously set by someone , further in the mountains . Feeling compelled to follow them , she journeyed forward , although Nink refused to go with her . Venturing toward the source of light , Vaal stumbled across a camp of Sith who had crashed on Kesh shortly before , on a starship whose wreck Vaal had observed earlier . The Sith , mistrustful of Vaal , took her prisoner . Fearful of the newcomers , along with the native wildlife of the Cetajan Mountain region , Nink spent the next several days watching Vaal from high above . In the Sith encampment , the group ' s leader , Captain Yaru Korsin , convinced Vaal to help them escape their perilous situation in the mountains . To that end , Vaal called for Nink , who flew her back to the mainland . Nink and Vaal attracted Neshtovar fliers , who followed them back into the Cetajan Mountains to the Sith camp . The Sith took the opportunity to wow the Neshtovar with their Force abilities , and they proclaimed themselves the Keshiri ' s Skyborn gods returned home . The Keshiri populace , save for Vaal , fell for their charade , and the Sith took control of their society . The resistance . Over the next twenty - five years , as the new Lost Tribe of Sith expanded their dominion , virtually all of the uvak in the land were taken by the Sith . As an exception , however , Vaal was allowed to keep Nink in order to visit Yaru Korsin , with whom she had forged a friendship , at the Kesh Sith Temple in the mountains . Secretly , Vaal was at the head of an underground Keshiri resistance group dedicated to bringing down the Lost Tribe regime . By 4975 BBY , after years of surveillance and plotting , the resistance executed a plan to defeat the Lost Tribe . By then , Nink , at forty years old , was the oldest uvak in Keshiri memory . The resistance planned to steal the Sith ' s uvak and fly them to their doom — with their ability to effectively move across the vast Keshiri landscape crippled , the Sith would be vulnerable to an armed uprising . To that end , when Vaal took off , Nink would issue a powerful nesting cry , ordering all uvak in earshot to follow , then fly to the Sessal Spire volcano . The air currents over the Spire would carry the uvak , and their Keshiri riders , to their deaths . When the day came , Vaal took to the skies on Nink , planning to meet a large group of other Keshiri on uvak - back . However , an unforeseen difficulty arose , as the resistance leader ' s son Tona Vaal had fallen for Korsin ' s daughter , Nida Korsin , and divulged the details of the plan , allowing the Sith to prevent the taking of many uvak . Still , Vaal and Nink made it to the rendezvous point , along with a sizable group of resistance members and airborne uvak . Although distraught at her son ' s failure , Vaal determined that she would continue on , flying Nink toward the Sessal Spire and , seemingly , to her doom . However , Nink did not struggle to a watery grave . Along with some uvak and Keshiri stragglers , Nink made it to a barren island in the middle of the ocean . Although near death from exhaustion , Nink had survived . While the island did not have much in the way of resources , Vaal and other Keshiri survivors formed a makeshift settlement — when the day came that the venerable Nink finally passed on , his remains would be used for building purposes . Behind the scenes . Nink first appeared in John Jackson Miller ' s 2009 eBook " " , the first in Miller ' s nine - part " Lost Tribe of the Sith " series , although he was not identified by name until the series ' next installment , " Skyborn " . Nink also appeared in the series ' fourth story , " " . In 2012 , Nink was mentioned , and pictured for the first time , in Pablo Hidalgo ' s reference book " The Essential Reader ' s Companion " . Here , he was illustrated by Darren Tan .