Chaf'orm'bintrano

Biography

Outbound Flight

In 27 BBY, Chaf'orm'bintrano, acting as his Family's representative, was on an inspection tour of the space along the Chiss frontier, traveling in a distinct diplomatic vessel. As part of this tour, he arrived at the base of Picket Force Two of the Expansionary Fleet in the Crustai system. At the time, the Force Commander was the young Thrawn, who would later become famous as an Imperial Grand Admiral.

At this time, Thrawn invited Maris Ferasi and Jorj Car'das, Corellian smugglers being held as reluctant guests, to observe the formal reception for the Aristocra. To Car'das and Ferasi, Chaf'orm'bintrano seemed to possess the confident arrogance typical of an aristocrat, a perception supported by his behavior. He seemed to regard them as inferior due to their non-Chiss status, refused to offer any greeting, and declined to speak to them in the Sy Bisti trade language. It's possible Thrawn invited the Humans to provoke the Aristocra, but his behavior contrasted with that of Admiral Ar'alani and Syndic Thrass a few weeks later.

Some weeks later, following the conflict between Thrawn's picket force, the Vagaari, and the Outbound Flight mission, Chaf'orm'bintrano returned leading a fleet of Fifth Family ships. He intended to seize the Republic technology on Outbound Flight's Dreadnaught Cruisers and reprimand Thrawn for exceeding the Chiss rules of engagement. Formbi was willing to fight senior members of both the Eighth Ruling Family and the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force if he believed it would improve his Family's position within the Ascendancy. However, when Thrass and Jedi Lorana Jinzler removed Outbound Flight from the equation, Thrawn and Ar'alani negotiated an alliance, and he was forced to retreat without achieving his goals.

Rediscovery of Outbound Flight

In 22 ABY, a message was sent through Nirauan to Luke Skywalker, supposedly from Chaf'orm'bintrano on the planet Sarvchi. It invited the Jedi Master to Chiss space as a representative of the New Republic, due to the rediscovery of Outbound Flight within the Redoubt.

However, the original message was intercepted by Lorana Jinzler's brother Dean, who was working for Talon Karrde's organization as a communications technician. Jinzler had been tipped off by Car'das, fulfilling a fifty-year-old promise to Lorana. Jinzler stole the message and headed for the rendezvous, intending to impersonate a New Republic ambassador to reconcile with his sister or her memory. Car'das intercepted him after his ship suffered a failure, taking him to a meeting with a Chiss presented as Chaf'orm'bintrano before leaving Jinzler alone with the Chiss, who accepted his claim of being a New Republic envoy.

Thanks to Karrde, Luke and his wife, Mara Jade Skywalker, also arrived at Crustai, where they met the Chiss diplomatic vessel Chaf Envoy, carrying Chaf'orm'bintrano, his niece Chaf'ees'aklaio, Dean Jinzler, Commander Chak Fel, and Unit Aurek-Seven of the 501st Legion from the Empire of the Hand. The Aristocra had requested their presence from Admiral Voss Parck when it appeared the Jedi would be late.

Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the Aristocra intended to use the mission to recover Outbound Flight as bait for the Vagaari, luring them into an attack that would allow the Ascendancy to retaliate and eliminate their threat.

However, the Chiss were unprepared for the large number of Vagaari warriors hidden on the "Geroon" ambassador's ship. Upon arrival at the crashed ship, the Vagaari attacked, killing several Chiss and Humans. Thanks to the Skywalkers, who killed many Vagaari, the group won the Battle of the Redoubt. It was then revealed that Formbi knew the Geroons were actually Vagaari and had attempted to trap them, blaming himself for the resulting deaths.

In this, Chaf'orm'bintrano was ultimately successful. Mara and Luke later noted that his plan, with its complexities, seemed more like something Thrawn would devise than a conventional Chiss nobleman.

The Swarm War

Five years after the Yuuzhan Vong War, the same Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano who led the Outbound Flight mission played a key part in the conflict between the Chiss and the Killiks. In 35 ABY, Formbi visited Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker on Ossus to discuss the crisis in the Unknown Regions and the Jedi's involvement. During this meeting, Formbi revealed that the Killiks were responsible for the reduction in the number of Ruling Families from nine to four.

Formbi commanded the Chiss military during the crisis, holding overall command at the Battle of Qoribu. In 36 ABY, when the conflict escalated into the war, Formbi again commanded the Chiss military. He led the Chiss forces at the crucial Battle of Tenupe, where, with the help of the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi, the Swarm War concluded.

Personality and traits

As a Chiss Aristocra, Chaf'orm'bintrano carried the confident arrogance expected of his rank. He appeared to look down on non-Chiss, demonstrated by his refusal to speak Sy Bisti with Maris Ferasi and Jorj Car'das. He strictly adhered to the Ascendancy's isolationist policies and rules of engagement. Formbi prioritized his family's interests and was prepared to oppose senior members of the Eighth Ruling Family and the CEDF if it benefited his Family's position within the Ascendancy.

By 22 ABY, Formbi's personality had changed significantly. He spoke Basic fluently and readily conducted business with Humans, allowing them to use his core name, "Formbi." More importantly, his adherence to the Ascendancy's isolationism and rigid rules was superficial. After the Battle of the Redoubt, Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker observed that Formbi's intricate plan resembled something Thrawn would devise, rather than a conventional Chiss nobleman. In a later meeting with the Skywalkers in 35 ABY, Formbi expressed his dislike for the Chiss non-Aggression Law, but stated he would follow it even if it meant the Ascendancy's destruction. Formbi was also a skilled military leader, commanding Chiss forces during both the Dark Nest Crisis and the Swarm War.

Behind the scenes

Chaf'orm'bintrano was created by Timothy Zahn and first appeared in his 2004 novel Survivor's Quest as the Chiss leading the expedition to the Outbound Flight crash site. In the first novel of Troy Denning's Dark Nest Trilogy, The Joiner King, Formbi's name is incorrectly spelled "Chaf'orm'bintrani."