Belloq Tull
| Belloq Tull | |
 | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Race | Whiphid (Formerly Gran and Gamorrean) |
| Homeworld | Dorin (adopted homeworld) |
| Spouse | None |
| Born | Year -57 |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 2.4 meters (7' 4") |
| Weight | 227 kilos (500 lbs.) |
| Coloring | Golden-Brown |
| Eye Color | Right eye contains a green cyber-implant |
| Political Information | |
| Affiliation | The Wraiths |
| Rank | Archon
|
| Prior Affiliation | I.O.N.A.N.H., Year 18
Trade Federation, Year 16 thru Year 18
The Wraiths, Year 14 thru Year 16
Ailon Nova Guard. Year 12 thru Year 13
|
| Awards | Kyr'am Beroya, awarded twice |
Contents
The Ultimate Warrior-Poet
Battle-scarred veteran, Grand Master of The Force, scholar, investigator, magistrate, antiques collector, explorer, consultant, billionaire, philanthropist -- the many faces of Belloq Tull defy easy categorization. Through multiple race changes and many more government positions, he’s made his presence felt from one end of the galaxy to the other.
Appearance and Demeanor
With an impressive cascade of golden-brown hair and two large lower-jaw tusks, Belloq is imposing, and massive even for a Whiphid. At two point four meters in height and two hundred twenty-seven kilos (7’ 4” and 500 lbs.), he towers over most sentients, though he rarely acts like the brute many at first glance take him to be. In fact, he's surprisingly well-spoken and urbane, though his un-Jedi-like temper has been known to get away from him at times. He's been known to underscore those moments with his oft-repeated line, "I am no Jedi."
He's also an accomplished researcher and author, having published several award-winning papers for the The Scholars Guild and for the Trade Federation’s Force group, the Evocati Order. Two of his most well-received research papers were his studies of the Force Group The Disciples of Twilight, and the first-ever report on the Whiphid Race, presented before the Whiphids were even discovered.
Belloq can be polite and diplomatic or ruthless and lethal, as the situation demands. He's made many friends throughout the galaxy, often assisting new pilots who are trying to find their space legs, and relative unknown warriors still looking to make a name for themswlves. He's also angered quite a few criminal organizations with his unswerving opposition to their illegal acts, and his dogged pursuit of their criminal masterminds.
Since he has to be ready for combat at a moment's notice, he's never far from his ice-blue heavy battle armor and helm, with a matching Nightstinger and A280. He also carries an ancient lightsaber handed down over thousands of years from Master to padawan. His current skill with a blaster and the Force is such, they say, that he no longer needs armor in combat, and instead has been known to favor a simple white-and-blue Force robe together with his iconic straw hat, and his green-bladed lightsaber.
Belloq is known for participating in many of the galaxy’s premier hunting and combat contests, the majority of which he’s won.
A Gran on Dorin
Belloq was born, oddly enough, as a Gran to parents unknown. Their intuition told them that one day, their son would be a great wielder of The Force, so they turned him over to a secretive Kel Dor Master. This unnamed Kel Dorin took the boy with him to the planet Dorin, where he raised the young Gran as he would have his own padawan. During this lengthy time, Belloq became fluent in both Gran and Kel Dorin, and developed an affinity for the Dorin population that continues to this day.
Easily mastering traditional Gran combat skills with blaster and blade, but not yet found to be Force sensitive, he nonetheless worked at the tasks his Master set for him. He spent many decades roaming the hills of Mount Dor as a guide for off-worlders, always wearing a breathing mask to protect him from the planet’s noxious fumes. The mask helped keep his identity a secret, as he found out later there were a number of bounty hunters tasked with finding “the gifted three-eyed apprentice.”
After his fiftieth year, he was deemed skilled enough to be able to make his way on his own in the wilds of the galaxy. His Master awarded him his own ancient lightsaber, handed down from Master to padawan since before the Great Hyperspace War, if legends can be believed. With that lightsaber, a few hundred credits and a battered blaster rifle, he flew off in a borrowed fighter covered with more micrometeorite damage than paint, to find his fortune, and his destiny.
Thrust into a vast, uncaring galaxy, Belloq found a steady income as a freighter pilot for many years. By keeping a low profile and working earnestly, he was able to scrimp and save to buy a used freighter, and began transporting missions for himself. But his military training couldn’t be denied; he eventually found himself drawn to the ranks of the Ailon Nova Guard.
He joined them in Year 12, along with a friend he’d made in his transport runs, Gort Horth. Here he made a number of friends, from Admiral Xavier Bourdain (their leader until Year 15) to Lorenzas Atticus (their leader until late in Year 18), and closest of all, Kohl Straffer, ANG's leader from Year 18 onward. Kohl's looting of the ANG faction in Year 19 and allying with the criminal organization the Dark_Star_Hellions was indeed a bitter betrayal which Belloq has never forgotten.
Belloq's natural combat skill and leadership qualities seemed destined to direct him to the officer’s ranks, but his destiny lay elsewhere. When Gort wanted to leave for a different military group, Belloq’s loyalty was torn, but he chose to stay beside his friend.
Gort asked him to decide where their paths should head. After researching all of the military and mercenary orders, Belloq came up with one choice: The Wraiths. They were the oldest mercenary organization, with an unbroken chain of command that dated all the way back to Year One. With a heavy heart, he left ANG and took up service with The Wraiths on Year 13, Day 240.
Serving under Navik Ikron for the next three years was a rewarding time for Belloq. He was instrumental in creating their first dedicated ground combat group, Battlegroup Valkyrie, which Belloq funded with hundreds of millions of his own credits. Through his generosity, hundreds of troopers were brought into training and equipped with the latest in weapons, the A280 sniper rifle, the Queen of the battlefield.
He trained his troops on the sands of Rattatak, the mountains of Zoge Ver, and the jungles of Sanyassa IV. He served with distinction on a number of campaigns, too, from the battles on Jandur and Wallala (known as Operation Deep Helm), to secret forays into other combat zones, where his presence was clandestine, and whose records have still not been declassified.
He made many friends in his years with The Wraiths: Invergyre Foamswimmer, Dro Siphodius, retired Hortator Varro Kaar, and possibly his three closest comrades and confidants, fellow Whiphid Zao Nephalem and the humans John Gunn and Jasko Faren. Despite some of them being scattered to the farthest corners of the galaxy, Belloq was always cheered when an incoming holomessage indicated it was from one of these brothers in arms.
Change Begets Change
It seemed the change of scenery had a profound effect on Belloq’s fortunes, for they spurred two other life events.
Soon after joining The Wraiths in Year 14 Day 55, and during a study of the Metamorphosis Plague, he was changed overnight from a Gran to a Gamorrean. His size increased as well, to over 200 kilos and 2 meters tall. He had grown to such an extent that he had to have his fighters retrofitted to accommodate his larger bulk.
Within a month, the Hand of Ara struck a second time. It was when he was being Force tested by Master Skot Nosrednas late in Year 13 that he was finally found to have been blessed with a deep connection with The Force. Knowing his time with his new Master would be short, Belloq trained furiously for a period of ten weeks, rising almost to the level of Force Knight in less than three months. Having finally succeeded in finding and training a student worthy to take his place in the galaxy, Master Nosrednas retired to his personal ship, and has apparently remained there ever since.
One more change would occur in Belloq's life, almost a year later. He had been studying a race that was hitherto unknown to galactic records, the Whiphid. Belloq shared what he had gleaned from ancient texts and dusty tomes, and indicated the race should be found on an ice-covered planet named Toola, far to the northeast at the very edges of the known galaxy.
On Year 15 Day 251, his research bore fruit, and the hitherto unknown race, the Whiphid, were welcomed into the rest of the galaxy. Having become aware of how the Metamorphosis Plague could strike whenever a new sentient species was discovered, he willingly accepted the transformation this time, becoming a Whiphid within hours of the galactic announcement of the race’s discovery, and growing into an even more massive height and bulk.
He swore a Force Oath following this change that he would never willingly change his race again, and has ever since considered the Whiphids his “true” heritage. He has since been called the Father of the Whiphid Race, though he is reluctant to use that title himself.
"The Warrior Who Never Sleeps"
It was also during this time that Belloq began making a name for himself as a hunter and combat specialist throughout the galaxy. Having decided The Wraiths provided a safe enough base to operate from, he began to test himself against other sentient combatants.
He participated in the very first Death Hunt with fellow Wraith Zao Nephalem on the planet Derra, and together, they helped Zao take first place. Even though Belloq’s role was merely in support, he still took third place himself.
Armus Zod, prior to his one-on-one duel with Belloq in Year 14.
Following the Hunt, Belloq was challenged by Kaleesh mercenary Armus Zod to an honorable one-on-one duel. Armus' only requests were that Belloq not use his lightsaber, nor any sniper weapons, since Armus had focused mainly on training in close-range and hand-to-hand combat. Willing to agree to those stipulations, Belloq met the Kaleesh with a scant few meters separating them. Their duel became one for the record books, as the two battle-hardened warriors fought continuously for 36 hours, broken only when Armus begged for a brief respite of eight hours so he could sleep. Belloq scoffed at such a request, but he agreed, sitting on the blood-soaked battlefield to patiently wait for the Kalleesh to regain consciousness.
This may have been the moment where Zao named him, "The warrior who never sleeps."
Once Armus had awoken, Belloq allowed him time to gather himself, and with vibro-blade against ELGs, Force pike against Relbys, they fought on, stopping here and there to use their medical skills to heal themselves. Finally, near mid-morning of the second day, with one final volley from his twin ELGs, Belloq managed to drop Armus to the dusty Derran dirt. Armus was not used to being defeated in solo combat, and he gained a deep respect for the hulking Warrior that day.
The Death Hunt Sword awarded by Andrew Panzer at Death Hunt III
Belloq's participation in the Second Death Hunt in Year 15 was curtailed by the needs of Operation Deep Helm, and he reluctantly had to withdraw from the competition. But in Year 16, Belloq outpaced the field and easily took home first place, having completed the list of required targets in a little over three days. His phenomenal accomplishment earned him the honor Kyr’am Beroya, a title awarded by Mandalorian leader Andrew Panzer himself, along with a resplendent and unique Death Hunt sword.
One of the captured Cybot Droids repainted in Belloq's livery
He followed that up with an anonymous participation in the Cybot Galactica Droid Challenge on Serroco early in Year 18, where he not only completed the task of disabling 39 droids using only a TB-1A Ion Blaster, and completed the challenge faster than any other participant, but he also finished the event without any armor, wearing only his Force robe and iconic straw hat. In a GNS holonews broadcast on Day 69, Tri-Nebulon News' reporter Kate Farnsworth erroneously suggested that he had used his lightsaber in the Challenge, accounting for the speed of his finish. But Cybot CEO Dex Sehrin stated adamantly that Belloq fought honorably the whole time, never resorted to his lightsaber, and competed completely within the rules, even if discarding his armor was a bit unorthodox.
A restricted Twilight Foundation-issued Datapad
Year 18 was an especially eventful time for Belloq. After departing the Federation and striking out on his own, he devoted himself to two things: mastering the Force, and proving himself against other warriors in the galaxy. He was successful in both: in the middle of the year, he rose to the level of Grand Master, following the middle ground between the Light side and the Dark side, a path he called the Green Way, the way of committing to protecting life in whatever way he could.
His efforts at proving himself in combat were also successful. He defeated both warriors brave enough to face him on Serroco -- Dahm Johnson and Armus Zod, the second time they faced each other -- and stared down the empty threats of a third contestant who refused to step onto the field of combat, remaining undefeated in every one-on-one duel to which he was challenged.
Belloq later turned his attention to helping lead the Twilight Foundation to success in the Great Science Feud, capturing eleven droids on his own, and deactivating a dozen more of the GNS’ RO-LO Tank droids during the bitter friction-filled feud.
The statue awarded by Overlord Peter Max at Death Hunt V
After the Twilight forces were victorious, he swung his sights to the eastern side of the galaxy, where Death Hunt V was being held on Nimban in conjunction with that year's Uli-ah Gafsa Memorial Swap Meet, one of a series of Jawa Swap Meets. He arrived just in time for the starting signal, and threw himself into the fray with his usual abandon, though the challenge of so vast a field of participants (over twenty hunters, by some estimates) and the crowded conditions of the Meet's attendees made locating open hunting terrain a bit of a challenge.
Belloq's strategy of hunting in the limited desert terrain first, then moving into the mountains for other prey, and even hunting across the planet's deep oceans, gave him an advantage over the hunters who went rushing for the mountain terrains first, then fought each other over the crowded desert near the end of the Hunt. While other hunters took time out to sleep and heal their wounds, Belloq pushed himself and his troops to continue on. When some of his troops succumbed to the heat of the Nimban desert or the fetid humidity of its swamps, the big Whiphid called for a new squad and kept right on fighting.
Some reports suggested he slept as little as 9 hours over four days. “I can sleep when we’re in hyper,” he grumbled at one officer.
His determination and diligence paid off, as for the second time in as many attempts, he came in first (finishing almost a full day ahead of the second-place finisher, Lexor Gregain, winner of the previous Death Hunt IV). For his efforts, Belloq was awarded the title of “Kyr’am Beroya” for the second time, the first combatant to be so honored. In honor of his achievement, Death Watch Overlord Peter Max, the host of the Death Hunt, presented Belloq with a special statue of a Mandalorian Crusader. The statue now occupies a place of honor in Belloq’s Sabaoth Destroyer command ship, next to the commemorative sword he received for finishing first at Death Hunt III.
Service with the Trade Federation
With leader Navik Ikron releasing more and more of his day-to-day control of The Wraiths, Belloq was being groomed for the mercenary group’s leadership. He was promoted to 2nd in Command of the group, an honor he greatly appreciated. He had plans to make The Wraiths a solid military group, one with a ground force as capable and varied as their vaunted fleets. But as his first Master used to say, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”
Upon the sudden and unexpected dissolution of the Avance Coalition by Navik Ikron in Year 16 on Day 52, Belloq realized his duty to protect Avance citizens was at an end. Nearly all of the Avance ranks and file had chosen to join the new, larger Trade Federation, which had absorbed nearly all of the old Avancian planetary systems as well. After a short deliberation with the few remaining Wraith officers, he chose once again to honor his pact to protect the Avancians, no matter their current affiliation, rather than stay with the government.
Life in the Federation was not as easy as he’d hoped. The ranks and titles he’d earned in The Wraiths meant little to them, and he found himself starting almost from the ground up. But he was welcomed into the Federation’s force group, The Evocati, where he teamed up with Dr. Con Semper to continue the practice of collecting all the available Force artifacts that appeared on the open market. Though not a Jedi himself, Belloq focused on collecting Jedi artifacts and tomes, wile Dr. Semper, once a follower of the Sith ways but a Sith no longer, collected what Sith artifacts he could find. Together, the two of them combined to protect one of the richest stores of Force artifacts anywhere in the galaxy.
There were some especially rewarding times with the Federation.
- Operation Korev: When a Federation-owned subsidiary lost control of their system, Belloq raced to the system in question, becoming the First Federation officer onsite. His diligent efforts and many sleepless nights helped him locate the one sole infiltrator on the ground, and interrupted a handful of others who were trying to infiltrate the system when Federation control was still in doubt.
- Operation Thylarctos: Through the latter half of Year 16 and on into Year 17, Belloq led a group of rotating Federation members intent on finding new systems adjacent to Federation territory. Belloq was extremely active, and at one point managed to search 300 systems in less than six days. He wound up searching more systems than the rest of the team combined, in sector after sector.
On Day 190 of Year 17, his team was rewarded by the discovery of the Chagri system, and with that, the bringing of the Chagrian race to galactic awareness.
- Following a suggestion made by Belloq to the Federation High Command, that the Fed should try and unify the membership in a celebration honoring the absorption of the Avance Coalition into their ranks, the Federation announced a series of events scheduled for some two months after the one-year anniversary. Belloq won a number of competitions being held, including the "Hunt With Droids Challenge" and the "Collect The JJ Trophy Race." He himself gave out commemorative time pieces dubbed the Jade Sands Hourglass, a device made with ancient Gree technology that would wake a sleeping sentient up by flooding their dreams with horrifying monsters, thus guaranteeing no one would ever oversleep.
Current Status
After leaving the Trade Federation, Belloq enjoyed the less bureaucratic, more reclusive existence of a freelance hunter and combat consultant. He set up his new hunting grounds on an uncontrolled planet on the western edge of Federation space, where he spent his time collecting spare lightsaber parts and searching for Rancor eggs and Vornskr younglings to raise as hunting companions.
He became the first, and so far only, openly known member of a mysterious group known only as I.O.N.A.N.H.. There are many rumors about the group's purpose, and even its membership is still open for debate. Belloq has admitted only his own membership, and that he’s performed a few roles for them.
But old friends and new requests soon began to dog him wherever he went. After politely refusing the opportunity to lead multiple new factions, he finally succumbed to the call of his old friend Zao, now commander of The Wraiths, and late in Year 18, it was reported that Belloq had rejoined the oldest mercenary group in the galaxy.
It's been rumored that when he rejoined, a number of other veterans may have followed him to The Wraiths. Those reports remain unconfirmed, though it is true that The Wraiths celebrated a notable increase in membership at approximately the same time. He served briefly as Leader of the Wraiths, but found the bureaucratic paperwork was far more oppressive than he remembered, and not long after, relinquished the First Chair to another Wraith member
Belloq has since pursued two main goals: becoming the preeminent Bounty Hunter in the galaxy, and creating a world-class Museum for his ever-expanding collection of rare items and artifacts.
By the middle of Year 25, Belloq had reached the second highest Reputation status in the bounty hunting world, willingly going where many other Hunters dared not go, including the battle worlds of Derra, Serroco and Arvala.
Ships and Vehicles
Belloq is rumored to own more than four hundred ships, though he’s usually more fond of having both feet planted firmly on the ground. When he does fly, he can usually be found in one of the following vessels:
YT-2000 The Westwind, a hyper-modified YT2000 rumored to be the fastest freighter in the galaxy.
File:Acclamator The Midway, one of several Acclamator-class Landing Craft he has pre-positioned around the galaxy's various hot zones.
Sabaoth Destroyer The Missouri
Prometheus The Essex
ATR-6 Assault Transport The Tecumseh
Sentinel-class Landing Craft The Guadalcanal
Sentinel-class Landing Craft The Okinawa
Zephyr-G Swoop The John B a rare swoop with a full electronic countermeasures suite
In addition to these combat spacecraft, Belloq has collected over 1400 custom items in a museum ship called the Traveling Meliorist Museum & Artifact Collectorium. The first home for this collection was a specially modified Prometheus-class Starcraft. But Belloq's constant travels for Bounty Hunting kept him away far too long from the Museum's upkeep.
As he traveled to every corner of the galaxy, he continued to find and collect more rarities and artifacts, until he realized that he needed an even bigger ship to house his expanding collection. In year 25, he contacted ship builders Endless Endeavors, who produced a very special Kandosii Dreadnaught in the Ploo sector, with the intriguing serial number of 2771776.
This ship is now stationed in Mandalore space, where a Grand Opening is rumored to be in the works for early Year 26.
Personal Collections
While other successful sentients in this galaxy collect expensive ships, rare vehicles or unusual speeders, Belloq spends a significant portions of his non-military budget on ancient tomes, Force artifacts, datacrons, biologic oddities and unique crystals. Many of these items have connections to the Force, of which he is an ardent student, while other items detail the lives and events of civilizations long past.
Rather than let his collections gather dust in some unvisited museum, he carries the items with him in several locked and guarded vaults onboard his fast YT2K The Westwind, and regularly makes time to study them and investigate their Force connections.
A short introduction to his vast collection includes the following:
Tomes and Scrolls
The Journal of Jedi Master Ako Merisst
The Journal of the Jedai
Kraath's Datacron, from Asar Anchti
The ancient Prophecy Stone
An ancient Dark Side Book (unopened)
The Crystallized Scroll
The Golden Scroll
Lost or Banned Technology
The Ark of Ryloth, a fabled artifact that supposedly can aid communication with the Force, and punish the unworthy. Reportedly the most valuable single item in the entire galaxy.
An Ancient Rakatan Hypercore, found deep in a cave near the Great Dune Sea on Tatooine
An ancient Rakata Mind Prison, one of the Relics of Rakatan Empire.
An ancient Rakata Hyperspace Terminal, one of the Relics of Rakatan Empire.
An ancient Sagosh War Droid Head, part of the Legacy of Sagosh
An ancient Sagosh Data-Core, part of the Legacy of Sagosh
An ancient Sagosh Hyperspace Compass, part of the Legacy of Sagosh
A Shard of the Crystal Forge, found in an abandoned location on Tatooine
A fragment of the base of the Star Forge Map
A shard of the Obelisk of Bogan
The Void Engine Stone
The Vol'Krash Shrine
The Vynzantium Orb
Crystals and Geomorphic Oddities
The Quartz Skull
Amandinium Crystal
Calminium Crystal
Descius Crystal
Janzinicum Crystal
Nebulon Crystal
Nermicum Crystal
Zirkuraite Crystal
Viskial Crystal, from Volundr’s Vault on Kiffar.
Quantalian Stone, from Volundr’s Vault on Kiffar.
Kuarztiria Shard, from Volundr’s Vault on Kiffar.
Unusual Sentient Oddities
The Eye of Balgorath, always thought to be nothing more than a carved rock, but which appears upon closer inspection to be much more.
The Head of Jedi Raymond Deets, which can communicate with select Light side followers, when it chooses.
An Ancient Jedi Hand, which retains some of the energy that infused its Master while still attached.
The Scepter of Ragnos, a powerful Dark side relic, which contains a special sword hidden inside.
The Mask of Darth Nihilus, reportedly infused with Dark side energy.
Personal Gifts and Collectibles
Commemorative Bottles of Sand From The Great Dune Sea (2 of the original 20), handed out by Belloq during the Evocati Order’s visit to the B’Omarr Monastery in Year 17.
Jacob Jansen Hologram (Issue 3 of 3).
The Jade Sands Hourglass (15 of the original 50), given out by Belloq at the Inaugural Federation Day Event, Year 18.
Barancar Special Reserve, from Lady Hegemon Stephanie Barefoot,Leader of the Tion Hegemony.
Mecrosa Moon Moonshine.
A pitcher of Jawa Juice, a gift from Elena Kamchatka.
Awards and Medals
Death Hunt Memorial Sword, awarded by Andrew Panzer following Belloq's victory at Death Hunt III, Year 16.
Commemorative X-45 Sniper Rifle for surviving the Cybot Galactica Droid Challenge, Year 17.
Inaugural Federation Day Trophy (three different ones, becoming the first Federation member to collect all three), Year 18.
Commemorative Silver Coin For Defeating Dahm Johnson in a One-on-One Duel on Serroco, Year 18.
Commemorative Silver Coin For Defeating Armus Zod in a One-on-One Duel on Serroco, Year 18.
Mandaloria Crusader Statue, awarded by Overlord Peter Max for First Place at Death Hunt V on Nimban, Year 18.
Companions
As Belloq has moved from government to government and system to system, he has attracted the loyalty of a number of close allies and even some non-sentients. Most of these companions are volunteers; Belloq refuses to use the term "servant" or "captive." Others have sworn a life-debt to the big Whiphid for saving their lives, or rescuing them from captivity (or some far worse fate). A few of the more well-known individuals include:
Asar Anchti, ex-high-ranking Avancian and leader of the Dorinian Society, rescued from two years of captivity, and currently on extended leave
Coran Flayd, ex-high-rankling Avancian, and now in charge of Military Supplies and Coordination
Shobba Pau, ex-criminal and blackmailer, now in charge of Information Retrieval
Jalyn Wendonai, gladiator and duelist, now in charge of Hand-to-Hand Combat Training
Jarael Desh, scout and infiltrator, now in charge of Planetary Surveys
Saikko Darkael, merchant, card-shark, now Belloq’s sabacc tutor
Two Vornskr, nicknamed Sneezy and Bashful
One Rancor, nicknamed Grumpy (currently serving with Zao Nephalem of The Wraiths
Two Acklay, nicknamed Flick and Flack (currently serving with Zao Nephalem of The Wraiths
One Katarn, nicknamed Secrechariot
Two Droideckas, nicknamed Tinker and Stinker
A squad of personal Assassin Droids, released during the Science Feud of Year 18
Numerous RO-LO Tank Droids, rogue combatants left over from the Science Feud of Year 18
