Taj Junak was a male Human Jedi Knight and a noble of the Tapani Pelagian bloodline. Serving the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic during the final years of both institutions, Junak survived the early years of the Great Jedi Purge, taking refuge within the Freeworlds Territory under the guise of Professor Shellery Kint. After years of hiding, Junak was eventually discovered by Imperial agents and executed.
Taj Junak as professor Shellery Kint
Heir of the royal bloodline of House Pelagia, Taj Junak was given to the Jedi Order during his infancy like so many of his ancestors before him. Studying at the academy within the Coruscant Jedi Temple, Junak eventually attained the rank of Jedi Knight after completing his Trials of Knighthood under the guidance of his Jedi Master. Surviving the Clone Wars, Junak was active at the time that the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic issued Contingency Order 66 to the Grand Army of the Republic, an order which deemed all Jedi traitors and demanded their execution. Junak escaped execution and fled to the Freeworlds Territory deep within the Tapani sector. Under the guise of a philosophy professor, Dr. "Shellery Kint," Junak applied for and achieved a teaching position at the Mrlsst Trade and Science Academy on Mrlsst while the Galactic Empire took control of the rest of the galaxy.
Unable to reveal his identity as a Jedi, Junak worked subtly to sabotage the Empire, hacking into Imperial databases and erasing data from research centers located across nearby space. As the Empire's presence in the sector grew, Junak's secret identity became more threatened. When an uprising at the school threatened the institute's very existence, Junak engaged the Imperial forces in hopes that they would leave the academy and allow its students to live. Seized by members of the Inquisitorius in one of the academy's common areas, Junak was tied down and burned alive by the agents of the Empire.
Taj Junak was proficient in the use of the Force to engage in projective and receptive telepathy, to control his own and another's pain, concentrate, affect the minds of others, move objects, to drain energy, strengthen himself and enhance his memory. He also could use precognition, detect and sense life, magnify his own senses and dim senses of others.
He was also familiar with the powers Dopplegänger, Force harmony, Reduce Injury, Remain Conscious, Resist Stun, Force sight, Farsight, Accelerate Healing, Detoxify Poison, Emptiness, See Force, Lesser Force Shield and Hibernation trance. In addition, Junak was capable in the art of lightsaber combat.
The memorial to Junak
While the academy was permitted to remain open, the spot on which Junak died remained fallow and barren, and was later walled off in honor of the Jedi hero. Rumor among the students at the school claimed that Junak's spirit lingered on, roaming the academy grounds as a phantom, watching over all who entered the halls of learning. Rumors of the "Ghost Jedi" later inspired a popular music band of the same name.
Named by the scripter Darko Macan, Taj Junak was one of the in-jokes by the Croatian author. Just like a number of other characters in The Phantom Affair, Junak's name is actually his description in Croatian, Macan's native tongue; "Taj Junak" literally translates to "That Hero."
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