Korin Taerich

Korin Taerich was a Force-sensitive fugitive from the Empire. The son of a disgraced Jedi Knight and an Imperial ambassador, Korin fled from Imperial space as a teenager and took up a life of smuggling.
==Personality==
Korin was reckless in combat, and very much inclined to shoot first and ask questions later. It was commonly assumed that he would take credits from the highest bidder, although this wasn't entirely true- he was very reluctant to take jobs that sent him into contact with Imperials. He bragged about being entirely focused on himself and not caring about anyone else, although the ones closest to him knew that he would drop everything for his brother Sorand Taerich or older sister Xaja Taerich, and considered his crew a better family than his own biological relations. He also would flirt with almost any pretty female that came across his path.
Interestingly, despite having a Jedi mother and sister, and despite his fear of the Sith, Korin did not hold the Jedi Order in high esteem, regarding them to be weaklings and cowards and strict pacifists.
==Biography==
===Early Childhood and Flight from Lavisar===
Korin was born on Lavisar to Ambassador Radean Taerich and former Knight of the Order Aerdna Drallig-Taerich. His mother knew that he was Force-sensitive immediately, but was unable to flee Lavisar a second time to get Korin out of the Empire's clutches. Korin was trained as a Sith with his younger brother Sorand by their uncle, Lord Maglion the governor of Lavisar, throughout their childhood. Their mother, helpless to stop their training in the Dark Side, still spoke to her children about the Light Side and the path of the Jedi when she could, and it could be argued that this had the most impact on Korin- and later, on Sorand. Over these years, Korin and Sorand developed a close bond that they somehow managed to keep hidden from their uncle. During this time, Korin also learned the basics of lightsabre combat and piloting.
When Korin was fourteen, his mother found out about his upcoming Sith trials, which she knew would kill him, and decided it was time to escape. Sorand was too young to flee Lavisar even with his brother, and Aryn was Force-blind (and therefore exempt from Sith training) and her uncle's favourite. One night, Korin accepted credits and guidance from his mother as to how to get off Lavisar, and fled the planet on an outgoing freighter his mother had arranged a deal with before his father and uncle became aware of his flight. Aerdna faked ignorance in her son's departure, and was subsequently poisoned to death by Maglion.
Korin arrived on Coruscant as a lost, very anxious fourteen-year-old, and was guided by the pilot of the frieghter he'd escaped on to Taron Bodenar, a former smuggler who had worked for Aerdna before when she was a part of the Order. Taron took on Korin as a pseudo-apprentice, teaching him the finer workings of life as a spacer with bounties out for collection on his head. During this time, Korin met Jedi Master Celedurian, his mother's best friend, whom he only knew as "Auntie Cel" for several years.
When Korin turned eighteen, Taron sold him his old ship, the Nella 342 Nightglider, at a steeply discounted rate due to the affection that had grown between the two. The ship came with the little utility droid M6-R5. Excited to start gallivanting around the galaxy, Korin recruited his best friend, the Zabrak mercenary Torak, and another mechanic friend of his Lisha into his crew.
===Reunion===
It didn't take long for Korin to realize that he had a substantial bounty on his head for his live return to Lavisar. It also didn't take long for him to become completely jaded against the Republic for not helping their people. The spacer kept flying until he finally contacted his younger brother, when he caught wind of a rumour that said Sorand had left Lavisar. He met his brother on Nogatan, where they finally were able to catch up on the last five years of separation. Sorand swore himself to secrecy as to his brother's contact and location. He also divulged details that their older sister, who'd been presumed dead after the Sacking of Coruscant, was alive and had come across Imperial agents, including Sorand's mentor Je'ka Cuyot and friend Lia Ciabanu. Korin left Nogatan to stay. out of Sith radar, although he was on Voss when Sorand arranged a meeting with his estranged Jedi sister. It was their first time meeting Xaja, and formed a bond between the three of them.
It wouldn't be the only time the siblings met each other, though. Korin and Xaja were on Nar Shaddaa together some months later, which resulted in Xaja accumulating a new bounty on her head from the Exchange. Korin, of course, already had a bounty from that group. Another episode on Nar Shaddaa saw all three Taerich siblings chasing and being chased in turned by an Arkanian Sith who'd abducted Torak to be a member of his crew, and eventually rescuing Torak before escaping the city-moon. As well, Korin did eventually meet Sorand's girlfriend-turned-wife, Shara Verhayc. At one point after the Rakata War, Korin contracted a deal with his older sister's amnesiac lover Darren Kota to deliver spice for him, with both men unaware of the Jedi connecting them (and without Xaja ever finding out about their arrangement).
===Loss===
One night, Korin received a frantic holomessage from Xaja, who said she'd been contacted by a Sith holding Sorand prisoner. Shocked out of a hangover by the news, Korin altered course for Tatooine and flew as fast as he could push the Nightglider, after contacting Je'ka Cuyot for help, although he'd realize he was too late to do more than watch as Sorand stopped breathing in Xaja's arms after being tortured by Sith. Blinded by grief and fury, Korin opened fire on Xaja, forcing the Jedi to flee the cave with her brother in pursuit while Je'ka's brother Tal rescued Sorand's body and got him to a medical facility. Korin lost Xaja in the tunnels of the cave and finally staggered out into the desert, watching the cave collapse behind him and losing himself to grief over the supposed death of his brother.
However, life had to go on. Leaving Xaja to her fate (a decision he would later regret), Korin returned to his smuggling routes, detouring only once upon picking up a distress signal on Nal Hutta. There, he and Torak rescued a young Pureblood teenager from bounty hunters led by his own sister. The Sith, Nuro Sh'ak, would end up being adopted by Korin in his crew. Korin took Nuro with him to Coruscant to meet up with Taron, where he encountered "Auntie Cel" again. There, Celedurian revealed that she was a Jedi Master, charged by Aerdna Drallig to watch over her oldest two children, and that Xaja had been abducted by Sith. Reluctant, still angry over the supposed betrayal of his sister, but unable to resist the urgings in the Force that warned him Xaja was in mortal danger, Korin returned to Tatooine. He found one of Xaja's lightsabres, lost during her duel and capture by Wraythos Vi'garion, but had to surrender it to Jedi Master Arkanus Serren after the Mandalorian Jedi threatened him.
After being released by Master Serren, Korin resumed working across the galaxy until he finally got the holocall he'd never expected to hear again. Sorand had made it safely to Vornu with Tal Cuyot's help and was not only a father himself, but had enlisted in the Republic Military. Korin flew to Vornu post-haste to reunite with his brother, and was still on-planet (presumably for "repairs") when word finally reached the brothers that Xaja had been rescued from Sith clutches. During this sojourn on Vornu, Nuro was discovered by Jedi to be Force-sensitive, and despite his (and Korin's) wishes was taken into the Enclave for training in the path of the Jedi.
==Relationships==
Korin's only loyalties are to his crew and to his older sister and younger brother. He'll fight like hell for his crew, and he'd die to protect Sorand. Xaja can defend herself, although he'd still drop everything to help her if needed.
==Trivia/Behind The Scenes==
Originally, Korin was going to be one of the twins and still the runaway, leaving Sorand as the youngest child.
Korin is very loosely based off of one of Celebril's younger brothers.
Korin exists in Star Wars: The Old Republic as a level 26 Gunslinger. He's far more light-sided than his forum counterpart, and a shameless womanizer. Interestingly, Korin's NPC first mate and best friend Torak is loosely based off of Corso Riggs, the Smuggler's first companion in SWTOR.
Category:Republic
Category:The Republic of Free People
Category:Old Republic Era