Aron Peacebringer

Aron, a male Human, was born on Shiva IV, a planet located far from the galactic center. He grew up within the Calian Confederacy, a warlike Human society that was constantly at war with the humanoids of the Twelve Tribes of T'Syriél, another group on the planet. At the age of twelve years, he participated in battle and personally killed an enemy, using the Calian style of sword combat. This experience deeply disturbed him, and he decided to put an end to the violence that plagued Shiva IV. He eventually married Alisande, a woman he loved, and they had several children. Their first daughter passed away as an infant due to a disease that Aron also contracted. Although he was greatly saddened by the loss of his child, he eventually recovered. In time, Peacebringer became known as one of the most formidable individuals in the galaxy.

Aron climbed the ranks of the Calian government and, in 2 ABY, became the Warlord of the Calian Confederacy, establishing his capital in Illyriaqüm. Prince Ygal Delois, a close friend and relative, served as the captain of his bodyguard. Using his authority as Warlord, Aron reached out to Kéral Longknife, the Demarch of the T'Syriél, with an offer to establish peace. Together, they signed the Concordat of Peace and became blood brothers. For the first time in the collective memory of the Shivan people, peace came to Shiva IV, and Aron was given the surname Peacebringer. He abolished the death cults of the Calian war gods, executing their priests and ending their worship, an action that caused controversy among his people. Not everyone accepted the peace, and some outcasts continued to attack the peaceful settlements. Over the following year, Peacebringer received unsettling reports that these outcasts were being gathered and trained into an army in the Drylands.

In 3 ABY, Illyriaqüm lost contact with the remote city of K'avor. According to nearby reports, a massive flash of light occurred when communications were lost. To investigate, the Warlord, along with Longknife, Delois, and fellow comrade Jain Havero, embarked on a three-day journey to K'avor to uncover the truth. On the second night, while at the campfire with his men, he heard a gunshot. Rushing to investigate, they found a group of T'Syriél outcasts attacking a woman, who turned out to be the Rebel Princess Leia Organa. She had crashed on the world while on a mission to investigate Imperial activity in the area. Despite not knowing the enemy's numbers, Peacebringer rushed to save the woman, relying on the darkness to make his men appear as a larger force. When mounted outrider reinforcements arrived, Peacebringer engaged them himself, causing the outcasts to flee. However, Peacebringer was concerned that his four-man party, composed of the best warriors on Shiva IV, had struggled against the band of outcasts, who were better trained and armed than usual.

Peacebringer then focused on the woman, whose Basic language he could not understand. She also could not understand the Calian spoken by Peacebringer and his companions. Peacebringer managed to communicate his name and learned that hers was Leia. He took the mysterious woman with him as he continued his mission, teaching her Calian in the back of his repulsorlift transport. Upon reaching K'avor, they discovered that the surrounding area had been turned into polished black glass, blue flames hovered above the city, and both the city and its inhabitants had been reduced to ash. Organa, recognizing the effects of the Cherenkov effect and realizing that the city was likely highly radioactive, warned Peacebringer to avoid entering the city to prevent death. Trusting her warning, Peacebringer turned away.

Returning to his capital, Peacebringer sent his agents across the planet to determine the cause of K'avor's destruction. Weeks passed without an answer, and rumors spread that the war gods were seeking revenge on the heretic Peacebringer. The Warlord began to suspect that someone was spreading these rumors while plotting a coup against him. He also found himself increasingly drawn to Organa, fascinated by her beauty, courage, and exotic nature. While he still loved his wife, he felt a growing passion for Organa that left him confused and guilty. Although Organa, who had learned to speak Calian fluently, tried to talk to him, he avoided her, fearing the consequences of another encounter. Through intermediaries, he learned that she was an emissary from the Alliance to Restore the Republic, fighting the Galactic Empire beyond Shiva IV, and that she had crashed while on a mission to investigate the world.

On the night before a gala celebrating the first anniversary of the signing of the Concordat of Peace, one month after Organa's rescue, Alisande informed Peacebringer of Organa's reports about a Galactic Empire. This Empire dominated the wider galaxy and was eager to conquer, likely responsible for the destruction of K'avor, a devastation beyond the capabilities of Shiva IV's technology. At his wife's urging, he spoke with Organa, trying to ignore his attraction to her. At the party, he remained preoccupied with fears for the future of the peace he and Longknife had created. Alisande noticed his jealousy when Delois danced with Organa, but instead of scolding him, she acknowledged that it was only Human to be tempted. She encouraged him to exercise caution and wisdom in his decisions, expressing confidence in his judgment.

However, after he danced with his wife, they did not slip away for a romantic encounter as they usually did. Instead, they separated, filled with doubt. When Organa left Delois and went to a balcony, Peacebringer stopped his friend and went to speak with Organa himself. She was upset that the Rebel Alliance had not yet rescued her and saddened by the loss of her homeworld, Alderaan, which Illyriaqüm's stately courts reminded her of. Peacebringer tried to comfort her about Alderaan's destruction, but while he did so, they were ambushed by T'Syriél stormtroopers trained by the Empire. Caught off guard, Peacebringer was knocked unconscious before he realized the danger.

After being taken from his capital to a hidden Imperial base, Peacebringer woke up in chains and was brought before General Bentilais san Sk'ar, the commander of the Imperial force assigned to conquer Shiva IV. He quickly realized that the Empire had organized the outcasts and remained defiant in the face of the massive Kaleesh general. Sk'ar explained his plans to enslave the inhabitants of Shiva IV as Imperial shock troops, and Delois revealed himself as a traitor, assisting Sk'ar in exchange for ruling Shiva IV. Delois boasted about the plan to kill everyone gathered in Illyriaqüm, destroying the world government and creating chaos that Sk'ar and Delois would exploit as conquerors. Peacebringer was horrified by the cold-blooded betrayal of the man who had been his close friend, lieutenant, and blood relation.

As he and Organa were being led away, Peacebringer signaled the Rebel princess and attacked their guards, creating a diversion that allowed Organa to take the offensive. The Calian Warlord had to fight for his life and only caught glimpses of Organa's struggle with an attacker wielding a knife. When it appeared that she had been killed, Peacebringer lost control and entered a Calian battle madness, which amplified his strength, enabling him to break his chains and kill the entire squad of guards. Upon reaching Organa, he found that she was safe; her attacker had narrowly missed her before she turned the knife against the Imperial officer.

With most of the base's forces away on the mission to destroy Illyriaqüm, the pair managed to steal a transport and escape without much trouble. Organa piloted the ship through Sk'ar's TIE defenses and onto the airship that Sk'ar was using to carry out his attack. Peacebringer and Organa fought off waves of stormtroopers before evading their would-be captors and disappearing into the vast battleship. They made their way to the location of the bomb that Sk'ar planned to drop on Peacebringer's capital, and the warrior stood guard as Organa attempted to disarm it.

Delois ambushed Organa from above, injuring her, but was defeated by the arrival of Rebel reinforcements. These reinforcements included Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca, two of Organa's closest comrades, along with Longknife. While Organa successfully disarmed the bomb, Peacebringer and his new allies held off the Imperials. As Sk'ar tried to escape, Chewbacca shot down his flier with a hurled gun mount, killing the would-be conqueror of Shiva IV. When he saw Organa instinctively celebrate with Skywalker instead of him, Peacebringer realized that Leia did not and never would love him. This realization allowed him to accept that he could live without her.

In the aftermath, Peacebringer gathered his forces to eliminate the remaining troops of the Kaleesh general and rooted out Delois's conspiratorial party from his court within six days. Once he felt secure, the Warlord hosted a ball to honor the world's successful defense. At the ball, Alisande put the matter of Organa behind them, and Peacebringer felt confident in his relationship with his wife. However, the ball was interrupted by the arrival of an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer in orbit. Using the Rebel freighter called the Millennium Falcon, Skywalker and his Rebel compatriot Lando Calrissian were able to draw the ship into a black hole, ending the new threat to Shiva IV.

Aron Peacebringer's first experience with killing in battle forever turned him away from warfare. Despite the fact that war was deeply ingrained in his world's culture, he became determined to put an end to it, preventing any more warriors from losing their lives. Peacebringer was willing to take any risk to achieve this goal. While he was dedicated to achieving peace, Peacebringer was also known as one of the most formidable warriors, a fierce fighter when necessary. Even as a warlord and ruler, he made sure to dress well.

Peacebringer was dedicated to his homeworld, his people, and his family, and he wanted the best for them. He felt a heavy responsibility as one of the planet's two leaders. He understood how fragile the peace settlement was and was determined to ensure that it would last. He was a man who enjoyed good company, a devoted family man, and loved his friends like family. Delois's betrayal was a great blow to him, as he considered the captain of the guard like a son. Peacebringer was muscular and physically imposing, with tanned red skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes.

Aron married Alisande when he was a young man. They were deeply in love and conceived a child, who died in infancy. However, instead of drifting apart, they grew closer and had more children, whom they cherished. When Peacebringer became the Calian Warlord, Alisande became his queen, and they enjoyed a comfortable married life. Their relationship grew stronger over time and remained lively, with formal dances often ending in secluded embraces.

However, when Leia Organa arrived, Peacebringer found himself captivated by her. Although he still loved his wife and wanted to remain loyal to her, he could not deny his strong attraction to Organa. This caused him great distress and strained his relationship with Alisande, who noticed his wandering eye. She did not condemn him but warned him that while his attraction was natural, he should think carefully before taking any rash actions. The matter was resolved when Peacebringer realized that Organa did not and would not love him, and he was able to let go of the hold she had on his emotions. Peacebringer reconciled with his wife and family, whom he still loved.

Peacebringer was one of the most skilled fighters on Shiva IV, having been raised in a Calian warrior tradition forged through generations of battle. Although he was a peace-loving and thoughtful man outside of war, Peacebringer was known for his ferocity in combat, throwing himself into the fray and cutting down his opponents with ruthless abandon. Peacebringer was known to succumb to the "battle madness" sometimes experienced by the Calian people. In times of stress, he would be consumed by a berserker rage that transformed him into an almost unstoppable killing machine with superhuman strength and fury. He was equally skilled in hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting. Peacebringer combined skill at arms with speed and athleticism, and he was also a cunning strategist and tactician. He was also a skilled pilot of the unique aerial transports developed by the Calian people.

As Warlord of Shiva IV, Aron Peacebringer typically wore a loincloth and a bandolier-type garment on his upper body. This outfit provided minimal protection but served Peacebringer well in combat. Peacebringer commonly used a sword in battle, although he was a formidable opponent even unarmed, especially when affected by the Calian "battle madness."

Aron Peacebringer made his first appearance in the fifty-third issue of the Marvel comic-book series Star Wars, written by Chris Claremont and released on August 18, 1981. Claremont and penciler Walter Simonson created the character when unused art from the canceled Marvel Comics series John Carter, Warlord of Mars was adapted as a Star Wars comic. Carmine Infantino, a regular artist for the Star Wars series, had provided some fill-in art for the series based on Edgar Rice Burroughs's space-fantasy warlord John Carter of Mars. This art was left over after the cancellation. Approximately a year after the cancellation, Marvel tasked Claremont with writing a new story based on the existing art and Simonson with adapting Infantino's art as needed to fit the Star Wars comic series. The character of John Carter was transformed into Aron Peacebringer of Shiva IV in a story that spanned two issues, Star Wars 53 and Star Wars 54. The "Star Words" letters column presented the issues as simply inspired by the John Carter stories.