Baladron Holt

> You speak of mercy as a pittance. I will not yield to the likes of you — to bargain with bandits is like charting through asteroids. Take your mercy and go.
>
> Baladron Holt dismisses demands to surrender during the Raydonia Crisis, 35 BBY

**Baladron Holt**, known as the **Blackthorn**, was a Human ranger, soldier, and rebel leader during the time of the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War. Born to a modest family on the Outer Rim world Toprawa, Baladron grew up with plans to join the Republic's diplomatic service. After a chance encounter with a Jedi, however, he changed course and strived to enter the ranks of the Antarian Rangers, a group of Jedi affiliates who aided the Order wherever they went. Baladron joined soon after reaching adulthood, and rose through the ranks considerably

Holt's time as an Antarian Ranger was filled with distinction, though his finest hour came during the Raydonia Crisis, over a decade before the Clone Wars. Sent as part of a Jedi task force to mediate a planetary insurgency, the Raydonian rebels proved unwilling to negotiate. During a routine reconnaissance mission, Baladron and his rangers were cut off. Holt famously refused to surrender, and defended the small depot his forces held for nearly three standard months. When the Jedi finally relieved the siege, Jedi Master Saesee Tiin is credited with bestowing Holt with his famous moniker, Blackthorn.

A high-ranking ranger by the time of the Clone Wars, Holt continued to aid the Jedi Order across the galaxy. When Order 66 occurred, he was leading surface investigations on Coruscant, and was away from the temple during the attack. Holt attempted to return upon hearing the news, but was saved by Senator Bail Organa before Imperial authorities could capture the ranger. Vowing vengeance against the Empire, Baladron swore himself to Senator Organa's service, and helped establish the Fulcrum Network to connect Imperial dissidents. At the height of the network's strength, Organa considered Holt to be the de-facto director of the entire effort.

As galactic conflict grew nearer, Baladron was trusted with ever-more critical tasks to build the fledgling rebellion. He integrated the information networks of other smaller cells, including Garm Bel Iblis's Corellians and Rahm Kota's militia. Helping to build secret rebel bases across the galaxy, Holt oversaw construction and then commanded Crait Outpost, using it as a listening post for much of the Outer Rim. He was present at the base during the destruction of Alderaan and Battle of Yavin, and immediately sprung into action against Imperial holdings in the region.

By the time of the New Republic, Holt was remembered as one of the rebellion's critical organizers, helping to construct a true alliance from the dangerously muddled rebel cells.

## Biography

### Early Life

#### Childhood and Adolescence

Born to an unassuming family on Toprawa, Baladron Holt was a reserved and quiet child, immersed in his schooling. Considered bright, his teachers encouraged him to pursue a career in the Galactic Republic's Diplomatic Service, and young Baladron was responsive to the advice. He pursued joining the service, and was set to take the entrance exams. Shortly before the test, however, Holt encountered several members of the Jedi Order visiting Toprawa. He was enamored by the warriors, as well as their escort, the Antarian Rangers. Upon further inquiry, he learned of the rangers' mission and the recent establishment of a recruitment office on the planet. With his heart suitably changed, Baladron abandoned the Diplomatic Service and began training for the Antarian Rangers, which he would join upon reaching adulthood.

### Antarian Ranger

#### New Recruit

Entering their ranks as an Explorer, Baladron served in his early years alongside more experienced rangers in non-combat roles. He spent little time with the Jedi, and spent his days delivering relief supplies to struggling worlds, or responding to trade disputes requiring mediation. During one such dispute on Tibrin, Holt's bold speaking nearly stoked further fury into the arguers, though he toed the line enough to convince both sides of a compromise.

Named a full Ranger for his success, Baladron was given his first permanent assignment in the service of Jedi Knight Mobar Fung. The two did not immediately get along, with Holt's professionalism striking against Fung's eccentric nature. Despite this, when a criminal crackdown on Yerbana turned into an intense firefight, Holt and Fung fought alongside one another in a difficult day of fighting. When the smoke cleared, they each had a newfound respect for the other, and their relationship improved considerably.

#### Promotion and Mission to Raydonia

Noticed for his rapidly-growing list of accomplishments, the Ranger General bestowed Holt with the rank of Lieutenant, giving him a squad of rangers to command. Traditionally, he would be expected to accompany a Jedi Master instead of a Knight, however Baladron refused to be reassigned from Fung, and the leadership on Antar IV relented.

When major discontent on Raydonia seemed poised to break out into open revolt, the Jedi Council sent word to the Antarian Rangers to formulate a response plan. A mission was immediately organized, including several Jedi Knights and Masters and a strong contingent of rangers. Fung and Holt were part of initial negotiations with the dissenters, but the talks were rapidly deteriorating as the planetary government prepared for war. Hoping to put a swift end to any potential rebellion, Holt and Fung were sent with an advance force to shore up the sector defense forces.

#### Birth of the Blackthorn

> What you have managed here, this storied effort of the few against the many, is beyond commendable. To call you a thorn in the enemy's side, Baladron Holt, would be of the greatest compliments to the thornbush.
>
> Saesee Tiin praises the efforts of Baladron Holt and his soldiers, 35 BBY

Operating in the forest regions outside of Raydonia's capital, Baladron was unsurprised when news came of a general rebellion. The insurgents launched several ill-fated attacks against the Republic's forces, all repelled by Holt or surrounding commanders. Given orders to scout out possible strongholds in the forests, Holt and Fung left their position with roughly forty others, including nine rangers.

Shortly into their mission, the team discovered a storage depot, which Holt suspected was used by the insurgents. While they found evidence of previous activity, the depot itself was abandoned, and the team intended to camp there for the night. Shortly after dusk, blasterfire and explosions roused Holt into action. The perimeter was attacked en masse by a large insurgent force, with the main gate breached and multiple Raydonian security troopers killed. Holt and several rangers charged into the fray, discovering a wounded but alive Mobar Fung holding off swathes of insurgents single-handedly. Holt's men helped turn the tide, and the gate was resecured and sealed.

The following morning, the insurgent commanders arrived before the gate to parley with Holt and Fung. They demanded the immediate surrender of the depot, citing that no relief would come for the garrison. The insurgents then touted their missile launchers and vast numbers, though neither Holt nor Fung were intimidated. Mobar Fung called the insurgent cause hopeless, and demanded they return to negotiations with the Republic. Holt, aversely, called the insurgents cowards and bandits, and declared that he would hold the depot to the last.

Despite their strong showing at the parley, Holt and Fung held private reservations about their odds of success. Fung's injuries would require treatment beyond that of the ranger medics present, and his strength was already beginning to dwindle. While the rangers themselves were capable fighters, the Raydonian security troopers were ill-equipped and trained, and Holt feared they would break under sustained combat. Most critically, the insurgents were in greater numbers than expected, and had the means of shooting down any relief sent by air. Baladron feared that a ground force could not reach them in time, but resolved to fight on regardless, unwilling to surrender his men or the Jedi he was charged to protect.

The siege that followed would prove the most difficult days of Baladron's life. The insurgents withheld from attacking on most days, hoping to starve out the garrison and use the prisoners as leverage. As food supplies ran low, Holt and his rangers led nighttime raids on the scattered camps outside the depot, capturing supplies and keeping his meagre garrison fed. Fung's worsening injuries became harder to hide, and soon the Jedi Knight barely had the strength to walk. Having held on for over two standard months, Baladron believed that the enemy would be forced to mount a proper assault soon, one he did not believe they could withstand.

The insurgent commanders, eager to end the siege quickly and secure their hostages, opted to parley with Holt one last time. They met at the depot's gate, and offered medical assistance and fair treatment to the entire garrison, including the Jedi. Holt, again, refused to surrender, and the insurgents questioned the lack of Fung's presence. Baladron did not answer, and the insurgents ensured him that there would be no quarter given when the depot fell.

As darkness fell, the insurgents mounted their largest attack against the depot since the first night of the siege. The outer walls were quickly conceded to prevent being overrun, and Holt concentrated his men around the central building. His best rangers held the doorway itself, but it seemed only a matter of time until the insurgents won their way inside. Desperate, Holt gathered up any men he could, including the wounded and sick, and organized them in one of the adjacent warehouses. Grabbing Fung's lightsaber, he armed these men with two blasters apiece, and ordered them to shoot "as fast as the damned things will fire". When the warehouse door careened open, the insurgents watched in horror as a lightsaber blade shone through the dark, and the firepower of seemingly a full-strength company battered them. Fearful and surprised by the arrival of "Fung", the insurgent attack broke despite few casualties and the fighters retreated in droves.

Two days later, led by Jedi Master Saesee Tiin and spearheaded by a large complement of Antarian Rangers, a Republic relief force sent the insurgent army into a headlong retreat. The siege, which had lasted nearly three months, had finally ended. Fung and nearly half of the original garrison was evacuated by air to a nearby hospital, while those that remained were appraised as heroes by the army. Tiin, in particular, honored Lieutenant Holt, and his statements would help form the nickname *Blackthorn* that he would be known by for the rest of his days.

#### Clone Wars and Order 66

Baladron's reputation was cemented after his actions on Raydonia, and he was raised to the rank of Captain. As such, he was expected to lead rangers independent of a Jedi, and his partnership with Fung was at an end, though the two continued correspondence with one another. When the Clone Wars began, Holt helped determine the position of the Antarian Rangers in the war effort. He aided in post-battle strategic analysis after major engagements at Geonosis and Kamino, and helped shore up the defenses of the ranger headquarters on Antar IV.

After the bold yet failed Separatist attack on Coruscant, Holt was sent to assess the failure of both Republic intelligence and naval forces. It was during his investigations on the ground that Order 66 was issued, and the Jedi Temple sacked by Darth Vader. Upon hearing of this, Holt tried making his way to the site, but was intercepted by Senator Bail Organa, and convinced to return with him to the Alderaanian Embassy. Upon hearing of the extent of the betrayal from both Organa and Jedi Masters Kenobi and Yoda, Holt swore himself to the service of Organa, and vowed revenge against Palpatine's New Order.