Dezo Tan Char

Dezo Tan Char's character sheet.

What is my
name, you ask? I have gone by many names in my life. You can call me Tan, if
you like. Dezo Tan Char is my real name, if you must know, but it does not
matter. I have not used it in about 20 years. A far more interesting question
is not what my name is, but who I am. And that is a whole different story
altogether.

I am a
fugitive, a wanted man. The Empire is hunting me for an imagined crime, as they
have for most of my life. You see, once upon a time I was going to be a Jedi. Oh
yes, they were real, and I was going to be one of them. And all that stuff
about the Jedi staging a coup to overthrow the Old Republic? I don’t believe
a word of it. They fought for peace and justice throughout the Galaxy. They
only wanted to help people, not rule over them. If you ask me, our dear Emperor
needed them out of the way, or else he could never have built his evil empire
in the first place. Either way, my training was cut short the same day the Jedi
disappeared. The same day the Clone Wars ended, and the Empire was born. Heh.
It is fitting I suppose, that the Empire was founded on the anniversary of so
much bloodshed.

At the
time, I was still very young. I could not have been much older than four or
five. Master Cho, one of my instructors, had taken a group of younglings and
myself to a Jedi sanctuary on a planet far away from Coruscant. The sanctuary
lay in a vast, deep jungle, but still not too far from a small city. I liked it
there. This was during the last days of the Clone Wars, so a small contingent
of clone troopers also came along. For protection, I thought at first. I don’t
remember much from our stay there, except that it was away from the war, and
the capital. But one evening I became… the best way to describe it is
apprehensive I guess. I remember telling Master Cho about it, and that he was
concerned, but he could not help me understand it, or make it go away. I could
not sleep that night. It probably saved my life, because I was fully awake and
dressed when the fighting started.

It started
without warning. I had no idea why, but all of a sudden there where shots being
fired, and I could hear people fighting in different parts of the sanctuary. I
started yelling to my friends, telling them to get up, that we needed to get
out of here. When we got onto the gallery overlooking the courtyard, the battle
was in full swing. I saw Master Cho on the steps of the dormitories, fighting
to keep the clones out. Flashes of blue, green and red lit up the night as they
fought, and there were dead clones everywhere. But Master Cho was already
bleeding from half a dozen wounds. There was a lot of blood. He told us to run,
so we ran.

I lost
sight of the others out in the jungle. It had seems such peaceful and friendly place
in the days before, but now it was a nightmare. Shots rang out in the dark. I
could hear screams and shouts form my friends and the clones as they chased us.
Eventually it got quieter, but I kept running. Somehow I managed to make it
back to the town. The streets where in utter chaos. People where running
around, celebrating or shouting. It seemed like the whole galaxy had gone mad.
I guess it had, with news of the war ending, Palpatine proclaiming himself
emperor, and the supposed betrayal of the Jedi all hitting at once. But Lucky
for me, because I could disappear in the crowd. I made my way to the space
port, slipped onto the nearest ship and hid myself in the hold until takeoff. I
had no idea where it was headed, only that it was away from there.

Since then
I have been on the run. I have drifted from place to place, never staying
anywhere longer than I have to. The Jedi Temple back on Corscant had been my
home for as long as I could remember, and the Jedi my teachers. Of course I
could not go back there. The Empire had taken the only home I have ever known
from me. It is difficult not to hate them for that. But Hate is not the way of
a Jedi. So I try to let it go, and to live selflessly, like my masters had. I
try to stick to their teachings, what little of it I can remember anyway. But
it is very difficult to make my way without guidance. Still I try. It is the
only way to save the galaxy from this ruin. So I help when I can, to teach when
I must, and to fight injustice when I see it. Yes, it has gotten me into
trouble more than once, and brought me to the attention of agents of the
Imperium. But it has made me friends along the way too. This sword for example.
It was made for me by an artisan out of gratitude for saving his son. The young
fool had gotten himself stabbed in a bar fight. Luckily I could use what little
I know of the force to stop him from bleeding out.

Then there
was that time, several year ago, in Cloud City. That was the closest shave I
have ever had. Cloud City is a small gas mining station on Bespin in the outer
rim. It was one of those unimportant, out of the way places that people like me
like to frequent. It helps us to keep a low profile. I was apparently not the
only one who with that idea, because I heard that there was someone else on the
station who also wanted to remain unnoticed. Unfortunately, the authorities
where hot on his trail already. An Imperial inquisitor was send to bring him
in. The guys was just a kid, not much older than myself. I could sympathize
with him, so I sought him out, and offered to help. Unfortunately, as soon as I
was out in the open, it became very clear that the inquisitor was not after the
boy, but was looking for me. The kid had just been bait to lure me out. At least it
meant that the inquisitor had lost interest in my fellow fugitive, so he
managed to get away. I was not so lucky. With help of some Imperial Stormtroopers this dark agent finally cornered me on the rooftops of the city. Of
course I tried to resist. I even managed to get a hold of his lightsaber for a
little while. Still, I was no match for him. He finally wore me down, and then
stunned me with his blaster. I suppose I got lucky, because he wanted to take
me alive, but I really did not feel lucky when I woke up, cuffed, bound, and
hurting all over, in a holding cell. I really thought I was done for that time.
But, as it turned out, the Force had other planes.

While I was
sitting there in my cell, a storm trooper came to talk to me. Alone. He
introduced himself as Captain Gideon, and said that we needed to talk. I
thought he had simply come to gloat, or else, to torment his captive. So
imagine my surprise when all Captain Gideon asked me was why. Why had I risked
my own life to help that other fugitive? You see, it turned out that the guy I
was trying to help was Gideon’s own son. The inquisitor had used him as bait,
without Gideon’s knowledge, or consent. To the inquisitor, he was simply
expendable, a means to an end. This did not sit well with Gideon, and it
weighed heavily on his conscience. What was more, in helping his son escape, I
was going to lose my life. The whole conversation seemed very odd to me. I did
not understand the question at first. I had helped his son because he was in
trouble, and I thought I could help him escape the fate that awaited me now. I
had no other motive. Gideon seemed to be greatly troubled by this, and left
without another word. But that night, my cell door suddenly opened. I saw no
one on my way through the detention facility. No guards, or other personnel.
Only once I reached the exit did I see anyone. Gideon quietly handed me my gear
and weapons, and told me that I could probably find a transport before anyone
noticed I had gone. When I asked him why he was doing this he almost seemed to
smile. “Same as you” he said. “It seemed like the right thing to do.” I don’t
know what happened to Gideon after that. I have not seen him since, or his son.
He assured me that the inquisitor would not find out he helped me escape, but I
never found out. But I make it a point these days to avoid inquisitors whenever
possible. Unless, of course, I feel like I can help others in need.

Well, there
you have it. The Life and Times of Dezo Tan Char. Thank you for listening. It
is nice to unburden myself sometimes, even though it is probably not a wise
idea. I should be going anyhow. I mean to catch a spice freighter bound for the
outer rim. May the Force be with you.

Dezo is a Master Sergeant in the Rebel Alliance.

Dezo was awarded the Star of Alderaan 5th Class and the Redbird Badge for his actions on Commenor.

He was awarded the Star of Alderaan 4th Class and a second Redbird Badge for his actions on Onderon.

He was awarded the Special Forces Medal of Courage for his actions during operations on Tolea Biqua and Skone.