Jaqen Taral

Jaqen Taral
Biographical Information
Race	Anzati
Mother	Unknown Corellian
Father	Unknown Anzati
Born	Presumably Year -108
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Height	1.9 meters
Coloring	Dark
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Political Information
Affiliation	Galactic Empire
Prior Affiliation	New Republic
Awards

Jaqen Taral, nicknamed "Action Jaqen" by his troops, was a General in the New Republic Army who worked as an undercover agent for Imperial Intelligence. The son of a Corellian woman and an Anzati man, he was unusually large for an Anzati and was in impressive physical shape. He was considered an exemplary soldier and received several awards throughout his career, including the Geniality award for his outstanding performance in the Republic Academy, although many would later speculate that this was simply due to prior training by Imperial Intelligence. Besides his position as Executive Officer of the Orion Battlegroup, he also held functions with Republic Diplomancy Command and New Republic Intelligence. His true loyalties would be revealed during the Trellen Conflict, which saw a New Republic attack on Imperial territory fail and result in the loss of several Republic military officers. Wanted by the New Republic ever since, he retired to a more peaceful civilian life shortly after and disappeared from the galactic spotlight.

Biography

Early Life

Very little is known about Jaqen Taral before he enlisted with the New Republic. Although he knew his parents, he left home at an early age and never spoke about them. He earned a living as a mercenary and a bodyguard thanks to his excellent physique and travelled the galaxy. Wishing to discover more about his bispecial heritage, he eventually travelled to Corellia to explore the planet his mother hailed from. Here he took on the more human name Jackson Griggs in an effort to blend in with his surroundings, as many Anzati do. Presumably this is where he first came into contact with Imperial Intelligence and was recruited into their service.

Joining the New Republic

After disappearing once more for a period of about a year, Taral resurfaced when he entered the New Republic's Academy and joined the army shortly after. Due to his stature and willingless to tackle any situation head-on, his comrades nicknamed him Action Jackson, a name he embraced as it made him look like less of an outsider, which he very much considered himself due to his Anzati nature and secret allegiance to the Galactic Empire. He rose through the ranks and participated in many operations, including Peacekeeper and Kitchen Sink, continuously feeding information to his Imperial superiors.

Director Wedge Achilles of New Republic Intelligence took notice of the promising officer and he was accepted into their ranks, where he involved himself in the efforts against the Imperial Union as a double agent. Eventually he felt comfortable enough to take on his true Anzati name and reveal himself as Jaqen Taral. Despite his hidden motivations, Taral grew attached to several of his comrades and developed a friendship with his direct superior, General Leebri Chelski. The two bonded over their shared love for action and their sense of honour, as Jaqen considered himself a man of honour above all else in spite of the situation he was involved in. Taral became conflicted as he could not help but want a better future for the Republic and its citizens in particular, many of which he had begun to consider friends. It only agitated him further to see its potential squandered by politicians he considered inept, trapping the Republic in bureaucratic red tape, and destroying the sense of unity with their endless bickering.

Questionable Intentions

What began as simply his job and grew into friendship eventually ended in resentment. Taral had never cared much for politics, but the longer he stayed in the Republic, the more convinced he became that the upper echelons of their government were corrupt and had to be torn down. When he was promoted to General and offered a position as Executive Officer of his battlegroup, he finally saw the opportunity to act. He was included in the strategic planning unit of Operation Heartbreak, a mission to conquer several Imperial planets. Jaqen felt a sense of disgust as he imagined the grinning politicians flaunting their victory over the Empire on the galactic holonet, while men and women would fall in action and his troops who had done all the dirty work would have a piece of medal pinned to their chests as a means of keeping them satisfied, loyal and above all, quiet.

He decided that the time to strike against the Republic had come and informed the Galactic Empire about the operation. Bureau Chief Elvira Falston was placed in charge of developing a response, resulting in the creation of the Operation Romance taskforce. Taral would coordinate the attack from inside the New Republic and was introduced to the Imperial agents under his codename. Early in the morning, Imperial ships appeared at the Republic rendez-vous point while most Republicans were still asleep. General Taral provided the taskforce with access codes to specific ships that held priority targets. Unbeknownst to the Empire and Republic alike, he had spared his friend Leebri Chelski by leaving his ship off the list he provided, a secret he intended to take with him to the grave as he expected his friend to never forgive him for his actions either way. As he prepared to evacuate, Taral sent out a final message to the Republic in an attempt to explain his actions and how he hoped their bureaucratic leaders would be forced to rethink their divisive policies.

In total, ten officers were arrested, including some of the most high-ranking in the New Republic's military. A swift Republic response managed to free several of the prisoners, but their refusal to negotiate with the Empire resulted in the execution of all the others. Due to Taral's well-protected identity, he was briefly mistaken for an enemy by one of the Imperial taskforce members and brought on board the Imperial vessel at gunpoint, where the situation was quickly resolved.

Retirement and Legacy

Although he was offered a full-time position with Imperial Intelligence, Taral declined and returned to Corellia, where he intends to live out his days as an Imperial citizen, away from all the politics and fighting. The Republic dismissed his parting speech as the words of a traitor and little to nothing changed in the political system Taral had fought against. Despite this, Jaqen was glad to know that he had robbed them of what was supposed to become one of the biggest victories in the history of the New Republic.

Personality

Jaqen Taral was considered a hard worker by most who was always friendly and helpful to his fellow soldiers but had a low tolerance level for nonsense. He always spoke his mind, which occasionally brought him into conflict with others. He had little love for politicians and cared deeply about the wellbeing of his troops. He valued honour, although he showed that he was willing to sacrifice it for what he considered to be the greater good.