Paul Luz

Paul Luz
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Biographical Information
Race	Mirialan and Arkanian
Homeworld	Ando
Physical Description
Gender	male
Political Information
Affiliation	Trade Federation

Born on Year -51, Paul Luz is a Mirialan and is a retired Trade Manager in the Trade Federation's Department of Trade. He also served as Editor of the Federation Ledger, and is a founding member of House Arkoh.

Growing Up on Ando

Paul was born on Ando to a family that had been there for as long as anyone could remember, although the lack of a significant Baragwin population suggested otherwise. It is likely that the family's ancestors moved there to cut on shipping costs for the ever-present Aqualish clan wars, because that's the business that the Luz family had been in for as long as anyone remembers. They were weapon smiths, and good ones at that. The Luz's had a very profitable business crafting small arms, and repairing whatever larger systems the clans managed to get their hands on. Their pride was in careful craftsmanship, in the precision and detail of their mechanisms and design. This was only practical on the rifles and blaster pistols, however as the demand necessitated a quicker turnaround than was needed for an expertly engraved planetary cannon. While the Luz family arms saw combat all over Ando, it was just as common for one of their more finely-designed weapons to be used in trades and as gifts to seal treaties between different tribes.

The Luz family was not one that loved war or carnage. They hated seeing the battered or destroyed villages, the wounded bleeding out by the side of the roads, or the lucky ones with a single burn hole in their heads. It goes without saying that they felt for the ones living in rags in the pieces of framing where their homes once were, the young Aqualish who always seemed to show up for loads of weapons, too young to know what they were getting into. The Luz's didn't like this, but saw no choice. They had no other contact elsewhere, and wouldn't even know where to start looking for a job. Guns were what they knew, and it seemed unlikely that they could find work that didn't lead to killing. At least here they were safe, and had steady work. It was weird, but by seeing what their weapons did, they stayed humble and caring, they stayed in touch with reality in a way they couldn't in a factory where their customers did their dirty work light years away. They stayed, and stayed in business. This is how Paul grew up. He and several others put extra care into their craftmanship in a vain hope that their weapons might be too beautiful to use in combat. This, however, had little effect. Like any young in the family, he got his education in the workshops. The Luz’s had a compound in the jungle, away from any of the action. This being the case, he did not have much access to Aqualish culture, which made trips into the villages exotic and exciting. Paul grew up not unlike his kin, quiet, bright, and out of site. He grew up and continued to hone his craft. This all changed during a routine trip to the nearest town. Paul was sixty years of age. Two of the clans were getting desperate in their fight, and each grew angry at the Luz’s for taking contracts from the other clan. In a fit of desperation, one of the clans ambushed his family convoy on its way. Killing some, including Paul’s brother, and capturing the survivors, and their weapons load.

For a few days they sat in a building in complete darkness with no food. Then they were brought out and loaded onto a barge. Once the barge was out of site, the Baragwins made use of their two greatest attributes: their size, and the fact that most sentients believed they are dull. They were able to overtake their captors, and get control of the barge! The survivors made for a nearby landing zone, and waited, out of site, until a transport came alone. Freight pilots were a common occurrence, bringing in most everything needed for civilized life, as both farmers and farmland, factories and factory workers were consumed in the fighting. Many were subsidized by the Falleen Federation, as the many attempts of the Falleen Crown to establish order had been met with bitter resistance by the natives. The Luz’s were able to convince a young Duros named Mark Antioch to help them escape.

Antioch, Paul learned, was an employee of Golan Technologies, a company that focused on building guns for the hunter, not the soldier. This, and the overall safety and prosperity of the Avance Coalition, wherever that was, intrigued Paul, and he wondered if it were not just another Duro’s tall tale. As Antioch had to continue his deliveries, he left Paul, his newly-orphaned nephews, and some random distant relatives at a Duros High House space station orbiting his homeworld of Duro. The kind Duros there were able to help everyone find a job fixing ships or working with local governments quickly, but it took Paul a while. This was not because he was unskilled, but because of the stories. He kept hearing stories about the Imperials at Duro which sounded just like the stories on Ando, and there were many more told by the old storytellers around the station… Paul did not want to cause anymore harm than could be avoided. He wanted to be part of the solution, or at least no longer part of the problem. He did not want to outfit ships that would blockade planets, he did not want to spend the rest of his life arming troops and mercenaries who only knew destruction. He looked hard for such a job, but he could not find it around Duro. The atmosphere was too politically charged. Either he found work with the Imperials, or he found work with small militias fighting the Imperials. It was destruction either way.

Golan Technologies

As he searched the surrounding system for more harmless job, the aging Baragwin met Cally McKnight. The middle-aged Duros was fiery and professional, and upon hearing his skills offered him another way out. In their conversation it became clear that the only thing Paul ever knew was guns: how to make them, fix them, and sell them. He would have little hope with such a limited resume outside the trade. She suggested that Paul capitalize on his family name. As they spoke longer it Paul realized he could do just that.He remembered his friend, Mark, and decided to look him back up, but he could find no word. This notwithstanding, he decided to try and contact Golan Technologies or this Avance Coalition, to see if it was anything like the stories. They were hiring, and it all seemed to check out. Cally revealed that she was looking to get away from Duro, too, and so the two submitted their applications and used what little they had for tickets to the Yushan Sector, Bhuna Sound system.

Cally was a marksman, not a factory worker, so upon their arrival she left to go seek employment in Golan's security branch. Paul was taken under the wing of the Director at the time, Adrian Kilstar, who taught Paul much about mass production, salesmanship, flight, and sport hunting, something Paul had never seen. Plenty hunted for food, but these people were a breed of their own. He grew to love the hunt, and the excuse it gave him to be out and explore the different climates and biomes in safety and peace, something Ando had never afforded him. He found new life and vigor in his old age. Paul quickly rose up the ranks to head up the sales department. After getting acquainted with some of the other citizens around the holonet and on business trips, he decided to look up Mark Antioch again. At first, all he could find was that he no longer worked for Golan. He found his official file and records, but they left off mysteriously. There was no record of his being fired or quitting. After a few months of tireless searching, he found out that Mark had had some type of breakdown while on a delivery, and had developed what they are calling the “Lost Soul” syndrome. The symptoms were serious, though not exactly terminal. The body would remain functioning, but vegetative. Mark was only biologically alive. As they could not locate any family, and Mark showed no signs of recovery, another friend of Mark’s gave Paul some of his personal affects: a few firearms, a Golan-commemorative saber, and a robe. Paul treasures these to this day.

That friend, Shor Urra, soon joined Krey Merr and they took the reigns of Golan Technologies after Adrian's retirement. Under their leadership Paul was able to stretch his skills and diversify his interests. In addition to processing sales, Paul was charged with negotiating sales treaties with the Trade Federation as well as setting up many promotional events and competitions for the sportsmen of the Avance Coalition and projecting what new markets Golan might expand into. It was an exciting time which required Paul to explore the fields of economics, politics, and ecology. He began to watch these issues closely and write in editorials for the Avance News Network and was eventually brought on as a reporter, serving under Editor-in-Chief Insurik Damask. The Directorship of Urra and Merr proved to be temporary as both of them returned to their previous business ventures once a replacements were decided upon by Golan's owner. Much to Paul's surprise, he was asked to accept a co-directorship alongside the shady and dark Director Vincent Kail who had just returned from an extended leave of absence. The two shared the burden of running the company, and while Kail had much more of a natural knack for it, he was known to disappear for days, weeks, or months on end as he pursued personal business. Effectively, Paul was running the company.

Under Paul's leadership sales were moved to be managed exclusively by the Trade Federation Marketplace as partnerships through the Galactic Concordiate brought the Federation and the Coalition closer. Paul also rebooted former-Director Kilstar's program of producing foreign goods for the Avance markets. His proudest achievement, however, came after a group of university students were attacked by poachers while studying the wildlife on one of Golan's planets. To ensure that nothing like that would happen again Paul formed the Golan Counter-poaching Division, or CPD. They were hand selected elite security officers assigned to patrol the wilderness of Golan-managed space, protect the sportsman, researchers, and wildlife by tracking and ending the freedom of poachers and pirates. He was surprised to find a familiar name among the applicant pool for the head of the CPD, and quickly appointed Cally McKnight as the Division's first captain. In another twist of fate, following criminal allegations Insurik Damask was forced to step down from the ANN, and Paul was elected the new Editor-in-Chief where he focused stories on galactic politics and economics, addressed overlooked public problems, and raised up the valor of everyday working sentients from around Avance. Many accused Paul of being a patriotic mouthpiece for propaganda, but he continued anyway. His conscience bothered him from time to time, now knowing that he could have no idea where his weapons were bring shipped to and how they were being used. He grew uneasy with his treaty with the Federation, but knew he had little choice in the matter as the orders came from higher authorities.

The Scholars Guild

Paul's dual roles and Director of Golan Technologies and Editor-in-Chief of the ANN opened him up to many new worlds and reawakened a curiosity in him that has long been hidden by the weight of tragedy and responsibility. What began as smaller articles and investigations for the paper turned ended up as much larger research projects, and Paul was encouraged to present them to the Scholar's Guild, a nonpartisan group for academics and researchers to share their findings. His first presentation was on the Duros High House Reformation, in honor of Mark Antioch. This research took him to the surface of Duro, where he witnessed first hand what he heard about in those stories. The land was in ruin. He vowed to become an even stronger disciple and advocate for the truth and an end to violence. Shortly after that he became friends with several Jawa Scholars and was soon fascinated by their rich and overlooked history, culture, their stories, and their language. The Jawas seemed similar to the Duros in many ways to him. Taking a leave of absence from Golan for a short while he joined his new friends on a journey into Tatooine where he studied their language and way of life. He then found himself called to investigate newly uncovered Jawa ruins in the Dune Sea, and published his results in his award-winning piece "The Bene Alissimama." From that point on he through himself into the composition of a complete Jawa lexicon and grammar book for the many different dialects. He strongly believed that a more intense study of the Jawa people would serve to raise their plight and standings in the Galaxy. Paul would also go on to publish a complete report on Operation Deep Helm, where the Mindabaal League and the Avance Coalition rescued Jandur from economic collapse and defended it from the Bothan Media Services. This report, too, would win him several awards.

The Great Merge, Elyssia, and the Trade Federation

Paul had been serving in the Coalition for two years when talks began about the biggest possible political move since the Galactic Concordiate was announced. The Avance Coalition, like many governments, was slowly beginning to get back on its feet after the Galactic Recession. With Avance's large infrastructure hard to maintain after the necessary cuts to several programs and departments, many were worried that Avance's lifespan was growing shorter. While many different solutions were tossed about in board meetings between the best and the brightest of the Coalition, Paul became an early supporter of a merge between Avance and a compatible ally. He was very pleased when the Trade Federation was announced as the potential partner, and he used his last article for the ANN to plea his case to the people of Avance that a merge was the best move forward for everyone. The story did much to move public sentiment, and the merge was soon approved by a slim majority among the elite. What Paul did next, however, surprised even those closest to him. Among those who advocated against the merge was Arklari Clise, owner of Golan Technologies and leader of House Vigihan which governed much of Golan's space. Arklari soon announced his plans to hold Golan and Vigihan space back from the merge and to form its own government. He wanted to revive what was once good about the Coalition and start again. Although Paul was a most vocal supporter of the merge, he remained at Golan Technologies and was very active on the ground floor of what would soon become the Kingdom of Elysia. He was appointed their head of culture and was able to get his former co-Director Kail a job as head of the Elysian navy. Shortly after the coronation of King Clise, however, Paul caught wind of some policies and business practices he did not approve of and after much consideration submitted his resignation from Golan and his duties to the Kingdom.

The Trade Federation was quick to offer Paul a position within their Department of Trade, where he was placed under the tutelage of Acting-Director Ted Winner with the intention of grooming Paul to manage the Southern Hub for the Federation Marketplace which was being constructed. He took to his training eagerly and began to draw up all kinds of plans for the expansion of trade in the newly merged southern Federation territories, or the former Avance Coalition. His work moved slower than expected as it still took him longer to adjust to the new ways of doing things, but he enjoyed his work. Most of all, however, he missed his former colleagues at Golan Technologies. His previous private pilot managed to join him soon at the Federation, but soon was transferred to the Department of Logistics as a freight pilot. Cally McKnight, his old friend, had chosen to stay with the CPD and aid in its transition to the ground force of the Kingdom.

A welcomed change of pace came when the Viceroy announced that Paul had been selected to serve as the Regional Governor of the Federation's Zuma Region which consisted of three former-Avance sectors. Around this time he was also brought on board to the Ledger, the Federation's news service, where he covered the trial of his former boss Insurik Damask and the surprising announcement of massive reclamation on the Forest Moon. Paul was proud to be involved in yet another effort to restore dignity to an overlooked and exploited people. As Governor, and then as Deputy Director as the titles and structures shifted around, he began touring his region, meeting with local leaders, and putting together a list of tasks and priorities to best serve the people. He was very grateful to be able to serve his former Avancians and to see to the preservation and completion of the Coalition's great work of freedom, neutrality, and prosperity within its borders. Under Paul's leadership the Federation-controlled planet's of Bakura all received state-of-the-art space defense systems, and Paul's advocacy moved his citizens need to the top of the lists for the various departments responsible for economic and civil development. During this time countless jobs were also brought to the Zuma sector when Centurion Arms relocated its headquarters and industry center there.

However, as productivity grew, so did the lists of tasks needed to be accomplished at the same time and Paul quickly became overwhelmed. Sensing the strain, the Federation Directorate offered Paul the chance to step down and receive a transfer back to the Department of Trade, where his particular skills and experience would be better used.

House Arkoh

As a citizen of the Avance Coalition Paul was a member of House Vigihan. Because Vigihan refused to merge with the Trade Federation, Paul was left without a House when the Trade Federation House System was founded. Wanting to contribute to the academic circles within the Federation he sought admittance to the former Avancian House Valeo. While waiting on his application to be processed, Paul was approached by Con Semper who wanted to start a new house and specifically wanted Paul to help found it. Semper was part Arkanian -an extinct race- and had long been attempting to revive his people's linage through genetic experimentation and retrieve its way of life. Semper's description of the Arkanian-Sith lifestyle as one of simplicity appealed to Paul, and the emphasis on scholarly inquiry as a pimary means of recovering and reconstructing an entire extinct culture gave Paul a sense of purpose apart from making or selling weapons. Paul gladly accepted Semper's offer. He quickly was appointed as the Zuguruk'Ari, or the overseer of the House's construction and development. House Arkoh was formed.

The ancient religion of the Arkanian-Sith was compelling to Paul, first as a topic of inquiry and then as a living truth. He was fascinated by a view of the "dark side" that did not necessarily lead to violence or evil. As he oversaw the building of many temples, contemplative houses, and other religious facilities across the House's territory he was occasioned to speak with many adherents and priests that only drew him in further, feeding and increasing his curiosity. Paul became more involved in the faith using his position as Zuguruk'Ari and his own personal finances to establish a Arkanian-Sith religious presence in other regions of the Galaxy outside of the Federation's territory. While compelled by the logic of the faith's argument, the dedication of the faithful, and the allure of its ritual, Paul does not consider himself a believer. Paul also is using his office to fund the development of research installations and cultural centers to aid in the culture's propogation: one by genetic research and repopulation of the Arkanian species, and the other by putting a public face on a reborn society.

Disease and Rebirth

During Year 17, Paul noticed himself feeling ill chronically, accompanied by feelings of weakness, acute pain, and an overall sense of 'uncenteredness.' Dismissing the feeling for weeks and months as symptoms of aging and over-exerting himself in his work, he noticed the pain growing so much that it kept him from travel and inhibited his work greatly. At the urging of his closest friends and advisers Paul checked himself into the Eren Research Installation - home of House Arkoh's premiere medical facility- and he was formally diagnosed with a strain of the Metamorphosis Plague. This strain was an unstable one. Paul's body was resisting the incorporation and domination of the newly introduced genetic material, and the instability caused his body to wage war on itself.It appeared that the invasive genetic code was for the Mirialan species, and though resilient it did not look like the virus had the strength to overcome Paul's dominant Baragwin genetics. The brilliant medical scientists at Eren predicted that if left to go its own way the strain would prove lethal. In a rush to stabilize his condition the team of scientists and doctors decided to try a gene therapy they had recently came up with. Arkanian-derived DNA would be introduced into Paul's system in hopes that it might fill the gaps or areas of tension that were contributing to his prolonged state of limbo and illness. After two months of careful treatment Paul was discharged as a Mirialan-Arkanian Offshoot.

Paul's more fragile state after his recovery inhibited his ability to keep up with the demanding pace of his job at the Trade Federation's Asrat Trade Hub. He was transferred to the affiliate Centurion Arms to help prepare the Trade Hub in Murk, but he was unable to meet expectations there as well. After consultation with his supervisors Paul effectively announced his retirement and accepted a small pension. In his retirement Paul planned to give more of himself to work for House Arkoh as well as manage his growing real estate portfolio in the Outer Rim.

Paul Luz's Personal Fleet

The Simmonds, the Proteus, and the Kleonaut- this trio of JV-7's were gifted to Paul by former head of Golan Technologies Adrian Kilstar when Paul began working for him. They were outfitted to function as mobile offices and personal transport before he began work with House Arkoh. Currently they are managed by pilots on Paul's payroll and shuttle crews between larger craft, transport small amounts of cargo at Paul's request, or ferry hunting parties.

The Sceptor- This Herald-class Shuttle is the official symbol of Zuguruk'Ari Paul Luz's presence in a system. It currently serves as his personal transport, and is escorted by four Sith Starfighters at all times. From here, Paul can oversee all his construction projects, track shipments, and manage his fleet.

The Lady Luck- The flagship of Paul's fleet is this Corona-class Frigate. it functions as his "home away from home", and is his preferred mode of travel between the regions of Federation Territory. As such, it is more comfortable for both Paul and the crew, though it is no where near a luxury vessel. It is well-equipped to broadcast for the Trade Federation News Network.

The Shanay Nufuzu Lopima- This YT-1300 once belonged to Uli-ah Gafsa, the Jawa pirate king. Paul befriended Uli while studying the Jawa language and excavating Jawa historical sites on Tattooine. The ship was primarily used for smuggling on and off of the planet. Following Uli's arrest and execution, two ships - the Shanay and a CR-90- came into Paul's possession through means he never understood. Paul sold the CR-90 never having seen the ship itself, but kept the light freighter for himself. He keeps it preserved as a historical piece.

The Offworlder- A gift from Sith'Ari Con Semper, the Offworlder is a bare-bones Neutron Star-class Cruiser that is responsible mainly for the transportation of construction materials and housing workers for Paul's real-estate projects in the outer rim, and for the various House construction projects Paul initiates on behalf of House Arkoh, such as the Eren Research Installation.

The Carellbee's Freedom- Paul has always been a fan of racing. While he has sold the podracers he owned, he kept his YT-510. This vessel won 3rd place in the first race of the 4th season of the Krieg's Run, though it was piloted not by Paul but by a young pilot whom he sponsored.