Krayn

Krayn was a male T'surr slave-raider, or pirate, posing as a 'legitimate' business-dealing slaver in the galactic slave trading industry around the time of the Invasion of Naboo. He was also the real 'power behind the throne' of Nar Shaddaa, the "Smuggler's Moon"—for while Aga Culpa ruled it, Krayn controlled it. As Obi-Wan Kenobi was informed by Gogol, a humanoid who'd worked for the T'surr crimelord: "Everyone on Nar Shaddaa answers to Krayn."
Moreover, Krayn's ties—the layers of power and control—with governments on various worlds ran deep. The Colicoid species, for example, struck a deal with Krayn that would give them full control of the illegal spice trade, including the use of Krayn's spice-processing facilities, in exchange for awarding Krayn their sole contract for supplying slaves for the spice mines in both the Kessel system and at Nar Shaddaa.
==Biography==
The Jedi master Siri Tachi, who "rebelled" from the Jedi Order and had reportedly fallen to the dark side, joined Krayn's band of raiders in 30 BBY under the alias of "Zora," disguising herself in savage aspect, with darkened hair and fierce facial markings.
Among Krayn's stolen slaves of 35 BBY was one Hala, the mother of Anakin Skywalker's friend, Amee, seized during one of the pirate's five confirmed Tatooine slave raids.Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force Six years later, in 29-28 BBY, thirteen-year-old Skywalker (newly returned from crafting his first lightsaber on the planet Ilum) embarked with his Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on an escort mission to protect from such piracy a Colicoid cargo ship that was about to traverse the very space lanes Krayn was then preying upon.
Notwithstanding the Jedi presence, the infamous slave-raider boldly intercepted the Colicoid transport, which was commandeered by Captain Anf Dec. But the two Jedi, in a small utility vessel, were able to quickly board the pirate slave-ship via its large exhaust tunnel and cripple its weapons system. Even so, after stumbling upon Krayn's slave-guards, including one named Condi, Skywalker became embroiled in an argument with Kenobi about whether to leave the slaves or help them by continuing to pursue Krayn. The Padawan (who had made this mission a very personal one because of his own previous encounter with Krayn's raiders as a slave on Tatooine) at last acquiesced to Kenobi's direct order to return with him back to the Colicoid ship and Coruscant. But as they scrambled to board their utility transport, they were confronted by Siri Tachi, who introduced herself as "Zora."
Skywalker ended up as Tachi's prisoner, while Kenobi managed to escape back to Coruscant. As Kenobi next discovered, Tachi's "rebellion" from the Jedi Order was, in truth, part of an intricate plan of infiltration and "information gathering" set up by the Jedi High Council to overthrow Krayn's slave operations. But soon after this revelation, Skywalker inadvertently disclosed the true identity of "Zora," and Krayn imprisoned her with Skywalker in a high-security cell after arriving back on the "Smuggler's Moon." Together, Skywalker and Tachi, with the help of the Twi'lek slave Mazie and her daughter Berri, managed to escape their cell and begin to foment a rebellion among Krayn's slaves. Tachi was also able to convince the Colicoids that Krayn's power-hold on Nar Shaddaa was weak; this emboldened the Colicoids, when they witnessed the slave revolt errupt, to allow the planned overthrow of the crimelord to play itself out.
The two Jedi later met up with Kenobi, who, in the hopes of saving his young apprentice, had infiltrated Krayn's slave facility via the space station Rorak 5 under the alias of "Bakleeda," posing as the advisor-inspector for the Colicoids' lead negotiator, Nor Fik. As he gained entrance to the slave operation, Kenobi was able to fend off an attack by Krayn's Wookiee bodyguard, Rashtah, whom he killed. Tachi and Skywalker, meanwhile, forcing a meeting with Culpa, the satellite-moon's puppet-leader, had been able to suggest to him (albeit via a Jedi mind trick) that it was in his best interest to back the Colicoids over Krayn; Culpa therefore instructed his civilian guards to 'look the other way' when the slaves rebelled.
In the end, Skywalker defeated Krayn in combat. Standing upon Krayn's private landing platform, utterly fearless—with a righteous indignation pulsing through his veins that emanated not from anger, but, the boy was sure, from justice and purpose—Anakin confronted the pirate crimelord in his rush to escape the revolt: the lives of countless slaves, living and dead, both on Nar Shaddaa and on Tatooine, seemed to urge Anakin on. Even Qui-Gon Jinn, the boy sensed, was extending his posthumous approval of what he was about to do. Ignoring Kenobi's command to spare Krayn's life, Skywalker impaled the T'surr through the chest with his lightsaber.
A special Galactic Senate delegation that included Chancellor Palpatine soon arrived from Galactic City to congratulate the Jedi team on the key role they had played in the defeat of Krayn's "pirate empire" and to escort them home from a liberated Nar Shaddaa. A battle-wounded Mazie had come with Berri to thank Anakin, their friend and fellow slave: "You freed us all ... You have guaranteed our safety and our lives by killing Krayn. We will never forget it." But Kenobi continued to harbor "doubts," which he could not share, about "something dark, something feral" that he had glimpsed in his Padawan's fight with Krayn. And when Anakin had turned to face Kenobi after Krayn's death, "his expression had been so empty. His gaze held neither triumph nor distress. Only blankness."
Her undercover mission among Krayn's crime syndicate ended, enjoying again now full fellowship with the Jedi Order, Tachi (soon to be granted Jedi Knighthood) recorded a statement to the Jedi High Council in 28 BBY that defended Skywalker's actions on Nar Shaddaa. She reminded the august body that it was they who had sanctioned Kenobi and Skywalker's mission of escort across treacherous territories: clearly, the encounter that the three Jedi had had with one another, the Colicoids, the slaves, and with Krayn had been no accident. Addressing the Council's concerns whether Skywalker acted honorably when he killed Krayn, Tachi noted that, while Anakin may have acted with impatience at times during the mission, it was he, more than anyone, who was responsible for liberating the slaves on Nar Shaddaa. In conclusion, and after pondering if Skywalker had been motivated by revenge to kill Krayn, Tachi attested that, while only Anakin could truly answer that question, she herself had witnessed the duel and was convinced that, had she been in Skywalker's position, Krayn would have died by her lightsaber. Tachi expressed her firm belief that, "in that capacity, ... Krayn's death was decided not by Skywalker, but by the will of the Force."
Krayn possessed an enormous chair carved out of real greel wood, which was, surprisingly and as far as Kenobi could tell, the "only sign of ego" in the crimelord's otherwise plain and bare receiving room.
Kenobi and Skywalker's next mission was to the planet Radnor.
==Appearances==
*Jedi Quest: Path to Truth 
*Jedi Quest 1
*Jedi Quest 2
*Jedi Quest 3
*Jedi Quest 4
*Jedi Quest: The Way of the Apprentice 
*Jedi Quest: The Trail of the Jedi 
*Jedi Quest: The Changing of the Guard 
*The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader 
==Sources==
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*The New Essential Chronology
*Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
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*The Essential Reader's Companion
==Notes and references==
Category:Crime lords
Category:Enslavers
Category:Males
Category:Nar Shaddaa residents
Category:T'surr
Category:Thieves