Floater (Bouncer)

Floater was a Bouncer of Ruusan.
He was member of a group of Bouncers who witnessed the invasion of Ruusan by Jerec, an Imperial Warlord who coveted the Force nexus of the Valley of the Jedi found on that planet. Floater's group experienced a brutal attack from Jerec's forces, before they were saved by the human colonists and Rebels who wished to request the Bouncers's help to stop Jerec's plans. As such, it was decided to go with the humans in order to guide them safely to the Valley.
==Biography==
Like every night, Floater's group exited to the Ruusanian desert when they were attacked by a group of Imperials who hunted them for sport. The group was defenseless, but the unprovoked attack was witnessed a group of human colonists led by Grif Grawley, who interfered and eradicated the Imperials; although the skirmish resulted to the loss of one colonist and two Bouncers of the group.
At dawn, the human Kyle Katarn talked with the group's leader who gave his permission to Floater to accompany the humans and assist Katarn to find the Valley of the Jedi. As Floater moved away from his group to join the humans, he touched every one of them with his tentacles as a parting gesture. The leader explained that he goes "where he must - though death it may bring." Floater was taken to the temple ruins where the Rebels had their hideout under the leadership of Grawley.
A couple of days later, Katarn, Jan Ors and Grawley took Floater with the Moldy Crow to a ravine some klicks away from the Valley. Floater then guided them through the maze canyon, a trip that included climbing or rappeling down the cliffs. Thanks to the upwards winds, Floater easily ascended to the higher ledges and mesas. At some point Kyle Katarn complained and requested to stop for rest, but Floater insisted that they should continue, promising that the entrance was close by, and moved up. Grif, who was in better shape than Katarn, followed him.Dark Forces: Jedi Knight audio drama During that climb, Grif had an encounter with an Imperial droid which led to its destruction and his death which all witnessed, and Floater lamented his death. Kyle and Jan rested on a ledge to decide their next move, and saw that Floater had been already far above them, realising that he had decided already by continuing on their mission. Floater led them to an ancient enclosed aqueduct, which led directly to the Valley, a route which Kyle found ideal, and patted Floater to thank him for this choice.
They traversed the tunnel and emerged to a ledge; Floater showed them the Valley, now housing a menacing Imperial garrison and reminded Kyle that the final part of the prophecy remained: a battle will be fought. Kyle decided to sneak to the central Imperial tower, telling Jan, as an excuse, that she should stay behind so that Floater wouldn't be left alone. 
The two remained hidden for some time, and at dawn, with the sun's rise, Floater hid back in the shadow of the aqueduct. Their arrival was observed however; hours after Kyle's departure, a skimmer with troops came after Jan. A blast from its energy cannon made the opening collapse, and Jan was soon captured by the Imperials. An officer ordered to make a hole and find any more Rebels, and Jan only hoped that Floater would manage to hide in the many branching tunnels of the aqueduct.
==Personality and traits==
Either by volition or by skills, Floater was the one who eventually was allowed by his leader to accompany the humans to their quest for the Valley. As a fragile creature, Floater could not accompany the humans to a brief trip to a mesa under the sun. Despite his species's adaptation with moving in the open desert, Floater showed an impressive agility moving within the canyons near the Valley of the Jedi, using his tentacles to climb, or sling himself into the open and land softly to the ground.
==Behind the scenes==
Floater first appears in the novella Dark Forces: Jedi Knight; as all Bouncers, Floater never speaks. In the audio drama, Floater, like other Bouncers in the audio dramas, can speak in otherwordly voice. He is voiced by the drama's director Peter Moore.
In the drama, Kyle and Jan ask Floater's opinion about the mission who responds with the Poem of Ages; in the novella, these lines are exchanged between the humans and the Bouncer leader.
==Appearances==
*Dark Forces: Jedi Knight 
*Dark Forces: Jedi Knight audio drama
==Notes and references==
Category:Bouncers
Category:Males