Welk Welk was a Human Dark Jedi and a former member of the Shadow Academy , who became the apprentice of Tamith Kai after the death of her student , Vilas . By the time of the Yuuzhan Vong War Welk had apparently joined the One Sith , and along with Lomi Plo , a Nightsister and Sith Master , he was sent to escort the independent Dark Lady Lumiya back to the Sith enclave base on Korriban . However , Welk and Lomi Plo were captured by the Yuuzhan Vong and taken to Myrkr , where the two eventually crossed paths with the Jedi strike force which infiltrated their prison . Aiding the Jedi for a short time , Welk and Plo ultimately betrayed them with the theft of the freighter " Tachyon Flier " , the strike team ' s sole means of escape . Badly damaged during its escape of the system , the " Tachyon Flier " crashed in the Unknown Regions , on the Killik planet of Yoggoy . Rescued by Raynar Thul , the young Jedi who had been unconscious aboard the starship , but horrifically scarred , Welk , alongside his master , went on to create the Dark Nest Gorog among the insectoid Killiks , thus instigating the Dark Nest Crisis , before falling to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker ' s blade in 35 ABY . Biography . Early life . Details on Welk ' s early life are scarce . Following his childhood , Welk was inducted into the Shadow Academy . Under the instruction of fallen Jedi Brakiss and the Nightsister Tamith Kai , Welk was taught the ways of the dark side of the Force . When Vilas , Kai ' s apprentice , was killed during his contention with Zekk for position of Darkest Knight , Welk went on to become the Nightsister ' s new favorite . Tamith Kai was killed in turn during the assault on the Jedi Praxeum , and Welk saw Zekk , who later turned to the light , as a traitor to the Shadow Academy . Partnership with Lomi Plo . Several years later , in the opening stages of the Yuuzhan Vong War , he was captured by the extra - galactic race along with the Sith Master Lomi Plo during a mission to bring the self - proclaimed Dark Lady of the Sith Lumiya to Korriban . Plo would later claim to have been abducted with Welk by the Yuuzhan Vong at the planet Dathomir . Indeed , Welk may not have been Plo ' s apprentice at all , as another , the Togorian Morto , held that position before his master ' s disappearance on the mission . Welk was taken as a prisoner with the Sith Master , and , due to their control over the Force , the two were incarcerated aboard the Yuuzhan Vong worldship " Baanu Rass " , where the Force - hunting voxyn were being bred to eliminate the Jedi threat . Aboard the " Baanu Rass " , Welk and Plo were used as live prey in the training of the creatures . Forced to run from the voxyn through the scenarios set up by the Yuuzhan Vong Shapers , Lomi and Welk soon learned their way around the cave warrens and slave cities on the worldship . Betraying Anakin Solo . In 27 ABY the Myrkr strike team of Jedi arrived on the " Baanu Raas " to wipe out the cloned voxyn and their queen . The team , led by Anakin Solo , rescued Welk and Lomi Plo from the Shapers who held them captive . The Jedi believed that the Force presence they felt was of another Jedi , and when they discovered the two Dark Jedi , they were disappointed and angered , However , because the Dark Jedi knew the way around the labyrinthine worldship and because the Jedi believed they could not in good conscience leave them behind , Solo allowed Welk and Plo to accompany his team so long as they swore not to use the dark side . Zekk , however , urged Anakin to leave Welk and his companion behind . Welk later broke his promise , strangling the life out of a voxyn which threatened Solo , but was forgiven , although he was told not to break his promise again . However matters soon worsened , and when he and Lomi Plo realized that the Jedi had no means of extraction , they decided to follow their own path . The strike team had managed to procure an aged ship , the " Tachyon Flier " , and was planning to use it to transport the severely wounded Anakin Solo from the worldship once they had completed their mission . Welk and Lomi wiped the strike team ' s memories of their presence and stunned Lowbacca , who was guarding the ship . They took off with the wounded and unconscious Jedi Raynar Thul on board , leaving the strike team to their fate . The crash and the Dark Nest . The " Tachyon Flier " did not get far before being detected . It sustained massive damage as the patrolling Yuuzhan Vong vessels opened fire on it , and jumped blindly into hyperspace , in the direction of the Unknown Regions . Crashing on the remote , isolated planet of Yoggoy , home to a hive of Killik s , insectoid sentients thought to have been rendered extinct millennia ago , Welk was rescued along with Plo from the inferno which soon consumed the crashed starship by Raynar Thul , who had by that time regained consciousness . The Jedi ' s actions saved Welk ' s life , but like all three survivors the Dark Jedi was horrifically burnt during their escape , losing an arm and a shoulder blade , with his face reduced to a mass of burnt tissue . Fortunately for Welk , he retained the power of speech and sight . Once he had healed , and using his knowledge of the dark side , Welk worked alongside Lomi Plo to create the Dark Nest . As Raynar had Joined with the insectoids , he had taught the Killiks to heal the three wounded survivors , and had eventually become ruler of Yoggoy . Raynar imparted his mentality upon the hive , eventually becoming UnuThul . Welk and Lomi had different plans , however , and used their mentalities ; aggression , selfishness , malice , subterfuge and a dominating will to survive , in order to create a nest of Killiks which remained hidden from Raynar and the rest of the species . Welk became Night Herald of the Gorog and protected Lomi Plo , who was to become the Unseen Queen of the Dark Nest . Discovery . The Killiks , under new leadership , did not remain unnoticed for long . Raynar , secretly under the influence of Lomi , led the Killiks to the borders of the Chiss Ascendancy and began to provoke the Chiss to war . If the Killiks could expand across the galaxy , rendering all species Joiners , Lomi Plo would attain complete control , through Raynar , over the vast majority of sentient life . Yet , on the Sith world of Korriban , Lomi ' s former masters had no idea of their whereabouts , or of their survival ; Lomi and Welk were operating of their own accord in their bid to dominate the galaxy . However , due to the rapid expansion of a mysterious alien species , the Galactic Alliance took too close an interest the conflict erupting in the Unknown Regions , and Luke Skywalker and his order began to suspect some insidious presence was manipulating events . With Jedi such as Jaina Solo , Zekk , Tesar Sebatyne and Alema Rar , all of whom had been members of the Myrkr strike team , were persuaded by Lomi Plo , through Raynar , to aid them in the war against the Chiss , Skywalker was forced to act quickly to prevent the onset of another galactic conflict . Duel with Sebatyne . On the Taat hive ' s homeworld of Jwlio , Welk was sent to breed assassin bugs in order to remove the threat of the Jedi Masters who were now encroaching on Lomi ' s designs . By this time Welk had created a new lightsaber , crimson in color , which he wielded in his human arm . However , Welk ' s mission was interrupted ; he was tracked to an underground cave by the Barabel Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne , and there the two engaged in a vicious duel . Welk surprised his opponent , who had no clue of his true identity as a Sith apprentice , nor of the Order ' s continued existence , by proving his mastery of the dark side . Although he lost one of his eyes and had his Killik arm severed , he badly wounded the Jedi Master , who would remember it as one of the best ' hunts ' of her life . The Dark Jedi also used Force lightning and telekinesis to overpower his opponent , but fled the cave badly wounded , leaving his assassin bugs to finish off Sebatyne . His Killiks failed , however , and news of Welk ' s survival , consistently denied by UnuThul , was broadcast to the New Jedi Order . Death on Kr . The Dark Nest was tracked to the moon of Kr , where Lomi was orchestrating the First Battle of Qoribu . Kr was infiltrated by Jedi Masters Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker . Once a substantial number of Gorog warriors and Alema Rar , now a Gorog Joiner and a fallen Jedi herself , had been defeated , Welk entered the fray , supported by Plo . He began firing his blaster at the Skywalkers , though Luke batted his bolts away and used the Force to whisk the weapon from Welk ' s hand . An explosion sent the Dark Jedi tumbling away , but Welk came back to the fight , now with his crimson lightsaber . Luke , fighting with not only his own blade but another which he had taken from Alema , was momentarily surprised by the might of the Force behind Welk ' s actions , although he still remained far more powerful than the Dark Jedi . He used Welk ' s strength against him ; the Night Herald was pulled towards Skywalker ' s waiting lightsabers . Aided by Lomi Plo , Welk survived as she drained power from the blade , and was able to wound Luke accidentally across his shin . In his regret at having misjudged his foe , and running out of time , Skywalker grabbed the Dark Jedi in a Force grip and began to strangle him . Welk was given a reprieve , however , and allowed to pick up his blade for a final duel . As the two warriors clashed , Lomi reached out with the Force and disabled Skywalker ' s remaining blade . The Jedi Master was too fast for Welk . Catching the Dark Jedi ' s wrist in a block and forcing the lightsaber up into Welk ' s own stomach , Skywalker killed him by tearing the crimson blade out through the ribcage . Welk died with a blood - curdling scream on his lips . Legacy . Welk ' s dead body was presented to UnuThul in an attempt to reveal the existence of the Dark Nest to the Colony . However , Raynar was still under the influence of Lomi Plo and was dissuaded from accepting the truth . Alema Rar would later claim that Welk had been BedaGorog , a Gorog Night Herald , and a woman . The nature of Welk and Lomi Plo as members of the new Sith Order was not uncovered by Skywalker ' s Jedi , who four years later were unaware of the continued existence of the Sith . It was only Alema Rar , later encountering the new Sith Order on Korriban in 40 ABY , who discovered that Welk had gone missing with Plo on a Sith mission . Personality and traits . In the presence of Lomi Plo , Welk was often overshadowed . He rarely spoke , but displayed , prior to his mutilation and assimilation into the Killik race , a strong propensity for anger and bitterness , in his accusations to Zekk and his murder of a voxyn through the use of Force Choke . He was selfish , only choosing to help the Jedi for his own gain , and fully prepared to abandon them on the " Baanu Raas " to their fate . After his injuries in the inferno which consumed the " Tachyon Flier " , Welk appeared to become even more silent and brooding , speaking not once during his intense duel with Sebatyne . His immersion into the dark side was total , and he cared little for the Killiks , even those of the Gorog , whom he lived alongside . While not as subversive and manipulative as Lomi Plo , Welk ' s brutal nature was well - adapted to his position of Night Herald . When confronted by the Jedi , Welk displayed his anger , but also great confidence by engaging the Skywalkers , no doubt sure that his ever - present mistress Plo would defend him . Powers and abilities . Welk rarely demonstrated his Force powers during his time on Myrkr , but when he did he was able to strangle voxyn with ease . He was proficient with a blaster , and was possibly able to fly light freighters such as the " Tachyon Flier " . Welk aided Plo in their theft of the starship , which involved wiping the minds of the entire Jedi strike team . As a member of the new Sith Order , Welk ' s powers were already formidable before being bolstered by the Killik hive mind . He was able to fight Jedi Master Sebatyne to a draw , demonstrating his prowess with a lightsaber , and use the Force to a large extent during the duel . His skill with the blade were no match for Luke Skywalker ' s , however , and during the duel on Kr Welk was aided greatly by Lomi Plo . He was as skillful as a Force user trained in the Sith arts might be . Behind the scenes . In " " , Anakin Solo , on seeing Welk , regards the Dark Jedi ' s age as being two years greater than his own . This presumably makes Welk ' s birth date circa 8 . 5 ABY . Welk and Lomi Plo were both created by " Star by Star " author Troy Denning . They resurfaced in his Dark Nest Trilogy as the chief antagonists of the series , but their true alliance to the New Sith Order was not revealed until " Inferno " , another novel authored by Denning .