Gavar Khai

Originating from the isolated planet Kesh located in the Wild Space region, Gavar Khai was a Human male who possessed sensitivity to the Force-sensitive. He was the offspring of Thallis Khai, a member of the Lost Tribe of Sith, who were descendants of a group of Sith whose starship, known as the Omen, had crash-landed on Kesh around the time of the Great Hyperspace War in 5000 BBY. Within the Tribe, Gavar Khai underwent training in the ways of the Sith, successfully concluding his apprenticeship and earning the title of Sith Saber. He developed a romantic connection with Lahka and eventually married her, despite her lack of Force sensitivity. They resided in a private estate situated in Tahv, the capital city. In 27.5 ABY, they welcomed their only child, a daughter, whom they named Vestara. Gavar was present in 37 ABY during the festivities known as Presentation, when Vestara entered a competition to obtain a reptavian uvak, in which she won Tikk. Four years later, a Sith Meditation Sphere, Ship, arrived on Kesh and spoke first with Vestara, who was at that time a Sith Tyro.

Subsequently, Vestara was summoned to the Circle Chambers in Tahv by the Circle of Lords, the governing council of the Tribe. Gavar expressed his concern for his daughter, questioning whether she had committed any wrongdoing. Assured that she had not, he visited her chamber the following morning as her attendant, Muura, assisted her in preparing for the meeting. Despite his attempts to conceal his worry, Vestara sensed his unease. During her meeting with the Lords, Vestara was chosen to become the apprentice of Lady Rhea, as she had been specifically selected by Ship. As an apprentice, she was required to reside at the Sith Temple and was prohibited from seeing her family. Consequently, Gavar arranged for her few essential belongings to be sent to the Temple.

Shortly thereafter, Ship alerted the Sith to the presence of a Damorian S18 light freighter traveling from the planet Eriadu and requested the assistance of five Sith in capturing it. Gavar attended the meeting where his daughter was selected to be part of the strike team, along with his close friend, Ruku Myal. Ship then transported Vestara, Myal, Rhea, and two other Tribe members offworld for the first time to attack the freighter. Following the mission, Ship continued to aid the Sith in their endeavor to seize vessels in order to establish a new armada.

In 43.5 ABY, Vestara was chosen to be a part of the strike team dispatched to kill Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben Skywalker. However, the mission was unsuccessful, and Vestara was the only one to survive. After fleeing to Dathomir, she sent out a hypercomm message to the Tribe requesting retrieval. She also devised a plan to capture the dark side Nightsisters of Dathomir. Gavar Khai was selected to be part of the force of eleven ChaseMaster frigates, under the command of High Lord Sarasu Taalon, to retrieve Vestara and the Nightsisters and confront the Skywalkers. Confronting the Jedi in orbit over Dathomir, the Sith formed an alliance with the Skywalkers to take down Abeloth, a powerful dark side being whom the Skywalkers and Vestara had previously encountered. Khai then convinced the Jedi to let him come aboard their ship to speak with his daughter. There, he reassured her and gave her a shikkar so that she could eventually kill one of the Jedi.

The Jedi and Sith then traveled to Klatooine to meet up with businessman Lando Calrissian, who was to provide them with a Colossus I Beta Series asteroid tug, the Rockhound, for use in navigating the Maw. While there, Vestara and Ben Skywalker went planet-side along with the Force-sensitive Dyon Stadd, to restock their supplies. However, while there, Stadd succumbed to a mysterious psychosis, and in order to stop him from damaging the natives' precious relic, the Fountain of the Ancients, Vestara helped Ben capture Stadd, although all three were quickly detained by local guards. Gavar Khai and Luke Skywalker then went down to the surface to retrieve their children from the detention center. Khai confronted his daughter for helping the young Skywalker, but Vestara replied that she had helped him in order to cement his trust in her, and Khai's anger subsided.

Eventually, the Sith and Jedi decided that they could wait no longer for Calrissian's arrival and embarked on their mission, waiting for Calrissian and the Rockhound just outside the Maw. Calrissian and the ancient asteroid tug soon arrived with Jedi Knight Jaina Solo, and the fleet entered the Maw through Stable Zone One. However, the space station Sinkhole Station, their first destination in the Maw, had been destroyed; so the group decided to go straight to Abeloth's planet. Upon their arrival, Khai, Taalon, and Sith Captain Leeha Faal met with Vestara and the Skywalkers, and the elder Jedi suggested that they utilize the technique of Mind Walking to enter the realm of beyond shadows in order to locate Abeloth. Vestara warned the Sith against it, as she knew it was a dangerous practice, but Khai chided her and the Sith agreed to the task.

While walking at the Lake of Apparitions beyond shadows, Skywalker stumbled, but Khai steadied him. Faal stumbled and fell soon after and was dragged down into the Depths of Eternity, resulting in her death. Taalon attempted to help her, but Khai held him back, realizing it was too late. Skywalker then was visited by the spirit of his wife, Mara Jade Skywalker, who revealed that the presence he had been feeling while aboard his ship had not been hers. He realized then that it had been Abeloth, and decided that they needed to leave the realm immediately. Meanwhile, Vestara had placed a homing beacon upon Stadd and freed him, and the Khais, Skywalkers, and the other Sith tracked him to Abeloth's cave. They found Stadd—no longer possessed by the psychosis—there, and he revealed to them that Abeloth had drained nearly all of his life energy, and then had gone deeper into the cave.

The Jedi and Sith eventually found her in the ruins of an old courtyard behind the cave, and while Abeloth attempted to trick Skywalker into believing she was his lost love, Callista Ming, the Sith began to weave a control web—a Force technique they learned from the Nightsisters—above Abeloth. Skywalker finally saw through Abeloth's lies and attacked her, and Khai, Taalon, and two more Sith Sabers joined in the battle, even as Abeloth attacked and nearly killed Khai's daughter. Abeloth held her assailants at bay with her Force powers, and one of Khai's attacks accidentally killed one of his fellow Sith Sabers. As the Sith and Jedi regrouped for another attack, Khai feinted as if to attack Abeloth, before suddenly initiating the Sith's betrayal of the Jedi and attacking Skywalker even as the other Sith lowered their control web over Abeloth.

Ben Skywalker quickly moved in to attack Khai, and Khai began dueling the Jedi Knight. As Luke Skywalker struggled against the Sith and Abeloth, Khai found himself hard-pressed to defeat Ben, attempting in vain to goad the young Jedi into giving into his hatred. Suddenly, Abeloth released a powerful Force wave that knocked everyone aside, allowing her to flee. The Sith and Jedi followed her, finding her back at the entrance to the cave, where Luke Skywalker defeated her. The Jedi and Sith then agreed to send Calrissian, Solo, and all of the Sith forces off-planet, except for the Khais and Taalon, who were to remain with the Skywalkers to investigate more into Abeloth.

Khai, Taalon, and Luke Skywalker found ancient ruins on the world and began to explore them, hoping to learn something from them about Abeloth's nature. Two days after the battle, the Sith finally decided to burn their dead, and Khai tended to the pyre while carefully watching Abeloth's corpse. As Taalon and Skywalker prepared to explore the Font of Power—a powerful dark side Force nexus—Taalon ordered Khai not to intervene unless the Jedi attacked. Meanwhile, Ben and Vestara arrived on the scene, and Gavar questioned what they were doing, as they were supposed to be on the Jade Shadow. Vestara replied that circumstances had necessitated her leaving her post.

When Taalon and Luke Skywalker returned, Taalon went off with Vestara to hear of the circumstances—she had in fact felt Ship returning to the world. Fearing that Taalon was beating her for her faliure to obey his orders, Luke moved to intervene. Gavar began to stop him, but Luke sent him flying forward into his grasp with the Force. Ben realized that his father was causing a distraction so that he could steal Abeloth's corpse, but as he neared the body, Vestara and Taalon returned and confronted him. As Ben and Taalon began to fight, however, Vestara shouted for them to wait. Luke and Gavar then came running to the scene in time to see Abeloth's corpse morph into that of Dyon Stadd—she had somehow switched bodies with Stadd before Luke could kill her.

Following a three-hour standoff, the Jedi finally convinced the three Sith that it would be in their best interests to return to the Jade Shadow. However, by the time they arrived, Abeloth had fled. As Ship arrived on the world, the tenuous allies decided to search through the jungle for Abeloth, but to no avail. Gavar began to suspect that the Skywalkers had actually already found Abeloth and hidden her body, and were attempting to get rid of the Sith so that they could flee with their prize. As the Jedi and Sith returned to their ships, the Jedi suggested that Ship had actually returned at Abeloth's will, to help her escape. When the Sith questioned why she would choose to do so now, after all evidence suggested that she had been on the planet for millennia, Ben revealed to the Sith that he and his father had found evidence that suggested that Sinkhole Station's purpose had been to confine Abeloth, but that the station had begun to malfunction, allowing her to grow in power and eventually destroy it.

The Sith remained dubious of the Jedi, and Taalon decided to converse with Ship. The vessel suggested that Luke Skywalker would know where to find Abeloth, and he was forced to reveal that Ship was referring to the Pool of Knowledge—a Force nexus that Luke had visited while beyond shadows at Sinkhole Station. Ship transported the five wary allies to a cleft near the pool, and they broke up into two search parties—Gavar, Luke, and Taalon in one, and Vestara and Ben in the other—to search for the pool. Vestara and Ben found it first, and despite Ben's warning that they should not intervene with such dangerous knowledge, Vestara summoned the other searchers. When Gavar and the rest of his party arrived, they entered the grotto containing the pool.

In the pool, Ben saw an image of Abeloth running toward their ships, and realized that Ship's bringing them there had been a ploy to allow Abeloth to escape. Gavar questioned his daughter whether she had seen the same thing in the pool, and she replied that she had not been looking at the time, but that she believed Ben was right. However, an image of Kesh, centered on Tahv and the nearby Takara Mountains, suddenly appeared in the pool. Certain that the Jedi were trying to uncover the Sith homeworld, Gavar furiously used the Force to dispel the image and then turned on Ben. Before he could attack, however, Luke sent him flying across the grotto with a Force push, warning him not to threaten his son. Taalon, meanwhile, ignored Gavar's predicament as he found himself gazing upon a Jedi queen on the Throne of Balance in the pool. Fearing that she might stop the Sith from taking over the galaxy, he demanded to know who she was.

The Jedi quickly ignited their lightsabers, choosing that moment to attack. Gavar threw his shikkar at Luke, but the Grand Master dove aside, and the blade shattered against the floor. Taalon, meanwhile, had jumped into the pool; Ben started to go after him, but Luke prevented him from doing so. Gavar then began to fire Force lightning at Luke, and Ben opened fire on the Sith Saber with his blaster, sending him slamming back into the wall. As Taalon jumped out of the pool and Luke moved to engage the High Lord, Gavar let loose his parang at Ben, who slashed the weapon in half with his lightsaber. However, Gavar continued to guide it with the Force, sending a broken shard of the parang straight between the Jedi Knight's ribs. Khai turned to engage Luke, but the Grand Master sent him crashing into Taalon and sliced off the Sith Saber's forearm. Luke was sent flying back by Force lightning, and the two Jedi quickly fled the grotto, collapsing the entrance as they left.

The Sith soon escaped, and Taalon and Gavar formulated a plan wherein they would beat Vestara and make it look like she was fleeing them, so that the Skywalkers would take her in and she could gain their trust and learn from them everything about the Jedi queen that Taalon had seen. Gavar feared that the Jedi would not be fooled unless they caused some disfiguring, and even suggested a broken nose or a burst eyeball, but Taalon disagreed. The two Sith then questioned Ben's feelings for Vestara, and hers for him; and Taalon revealed that he wanted her to fall in love with Ben, so that he would fall in love with her in turn, and she would gain his trust. They then released Vestara to catch up to the Skywalkers, chasing after her in order to stage her escape.

Vestara reached the beach where their starships were parked only to discover the Jade Shadow had vanished. Anxious that the Skywalkers had already departed, she waited for her father and Taalon to arrive. Unbeknownst to her, Abeloth had commandeered the Jade Shadow. Meanwhile, the Skywalkers were devising a plan to commandeer Taalon's shuttle, known as the Emiax. Luke noticed Vestara waiting and deduced that her presence was a deception. However, Gavar and Taalon soon appeared, and Taalon unleashed Force lightning upon Vestara, sending her hurtling over a sand dune. Luke retaliated by firing upon the two Sith, but they both evaded the blaster fire. Two shots grazed Taalon, but Gavar remained unscathed. The Sith duo returned fire, prompting Luke to retreat towards Vestara, providing covering fire as he moved. As Gavar and Taalon advanced cautiously, they stumbled upon a thermal detonator that Luke had strategically placed nearby. The resulting explosion cleared a significant portion of the jungle, allowing Vestara and the Skywalkers to escape to the Emiax. Just as they began boarding, Gavar and Taalon emerged from the center of the crater created by the detonator. Luke resumed firing, and the two Sith sought cover as the Jedi made their escape.

Following the Skywalkers' departure with Vestara, Taalon instructed Ship to transport the two Sith away from the Maw. Once clear of the Maw, Gavar and the High Lord rendezvoused with other elements of the Sith armada. Taalon continued his transformation into an entity similar to Abeloth—a transformation triggered by his immersion in the Pool of Knowledge. Concurrently, Vestara and the Skywalkers tracked Abeloth to Pydyr, a moon orbiting the planet Almania. At the Corocus Spaceport, Vestara discreetly slipped away from the Emiax and used a public S-thread booth to transmit a message to a Sith relay station on Boonta. She reported that the Jedi had tracked Abeloth to Pydyr and suspected they had already requested reinforcements. Aboard the Obuuri, a Kondo-class assault shuttle, Gavar, Taalon, and several other Sith responded to the summons, arriving on Pydyr—where they were required to wear hazard suits due to a widespread epidemic—and quickly located the Jedi. Taalon expressed his desire to understand the nature of his transformation, but he needed Luke's assistance in locating Abeloth. He promised to allow Ben to leave Pydyr unharmed if Luke cooperated. Gavar added a request for Vestara's release as well. Luke initially refused and stepped forward as if to attack, prompting Gavar to mirror his movement. However, Taalon ordered the Sith to stand down. Taalon then vowed that he would eliminate Abeloth after she revealed the nature of his transformation.

Gavar and Taalon, along with Luke, Ben, Vestara, and fifty additional Sith, boarded the Jade Shadow for a journey to the Fallanassi village on Pydyr, with the Obuuri trailing behind. Luke attempted to warn the Sith that the hazard suits would not protect them from the plague—which, unbeknownst to everyone except Luke, was merely an illusion projected by Abeloth through the White Current, the Fallanassi's interpretation of the Force. Gavar accused Luke of attempting to infect them, but Luke countered by pointing out that Ben and Vestara had worn hazard suits and still exhibited symptoms of the disease. He also falsely claimed that the Jedi possessed a technique for resisting the plague, which explained his immunity and Ben's relatively better condition compared to Vestara. Gavar, enraged that Luke had not shared this technique with his daughter, began to threaten the Jedi. However, Taalon intervened, asserting that Luke was merely trying to trick them into removing their suits and contracting the plague. As they approached the island housing the village—which remained hidden by illusion to everyone except Luke—Ship suddenly appeared on the Jade Shadow's tactical display, appearing as a fleet of meditation spheres due to the Fallanassi illusions.

Taalon maintained the facade that the meditation spheres were under Sith control. However, as the illusions converged on the Jade Shadow and Obuuri, the Sith shuttle opened fire on the fleet, and Luke steered his vessel directly into them. Gavar and the other Sith became increasingly distressed and incredulous at Luke's composure. As they approached a cliff on the island, hidden from the Sith by illusion, Luke falsely claimed that a barrier had suddenly appeared and piloted the Jade Shadow over it. The Obuuri, unaware of the situation, crashed into the cliff. When Taalon questioned the origin of the barrier, Gavar suggested it was likely a Force wall, a misconception that Luke allowed the Sith to maintain. Taalon began demanding a return to shore to acquire reinforcements, but Luke abruptly dove the Jade Shadow toward the island. As they neared, the illusion dissipated. Upon landing, the Sith and Jedi were greeted by the Fallanassi, who offered to heal the Sith. Taalon finally realized that the disease was nothing more than a Fallanassi illusion—although Gavar and the other Sith remained unconvinced—and demanded to know Abeloth's location.

As Taalon commenced questioning the Fallanassi Akanah Norand Goss Pell, three additional Sith shuttles arrived, and Sith warriors began searching the village for Abeloth. When Taalon failed to obtain the answers he sought, he signaled Gavar to take another Fallanassi, Eliya, hostage. Eliya urged Pell not to reveal any information, but she answered Taalon's next question—that Abeloth had come to the Fallanassi because she was one of them. However, when Luke inquired whether she had always been a Fallanassi or had only recently joined, Pell refused to answer. At Taalon's command, Khai ignited his lightsaber and plunged it into Eliya's thigh, causing her to collapse onto his chest. He stepped back, allowing her to fall completely onto his blade, killing her. Pell—who was secretly Abeloth in Pell's body—suddenly conjured a vision of a green phantom attacking Khai, a vision visible only to its victim and those capable of accessing the White Current. Driven to madness, Khai began to flee, screaming, but his daughter used the Force to knock him to the ground. When he remained tormented by the illusion, she finally rendered him unconscious.

The other Sith, with the exception of Taalon and Vestara, were also driven insane by visions, and a fight erupted between the Skywalkers and the two Sith and Abeloth in a nearby gathering hall. Luke and Ben were both incapacitated and taken captive, and Gavar was also brought into the hall, although he remained unconscious. Luke, however, managed to create a diversion, allowing Vestara to kill Taalon to prevent him from becoming another Abeloth-like being. The Jedi then fought off Abeloth, forcing her to flee. When Vestara attempted to force the Jedi to surrender to Sith custody, Luke used the Force to awaken Gavar as he praised Vestara for killing Taalon. Shocked by what appeared to be his daughter's betrayal, Gavar reached for his lightsaber. Vestara swiftly knocked him unconscious with a Force blast and fled with the Jedi.

As the Sith regrouped, Gavar received a message from his daughter, informing him that she and the Skywalkers had located Abeloth on the planet Nam Chorios. He then led a flotilla, consisting of several Corporate Sector Authority frigates, to the planet. He commanded Operation Shieldfall, with the primary objectives of eliminating Luke Skywalker and capturing or killing Abeloth. To achieve this, Gavar dispatched advance agents who secured all but one of the planet's orbiting Golan III Space Defense NovaGuns. As Vestara and the Skywalkers engaged Abeloth and a group of planetside Sith led by Saber Tola Annax, the Sith flotilla arrived in the system. However, they were ambushed by a large squadron of Jedi StealthXs led by Jaina Solo and Master Kyle Katarn. The Sith flight sustained heavy losses, with several frigates being destroyed, forcing Gavar to order a retreat. As the Sith flotilla regrouped, he was contacted by Abeloth in Ship, who initiated discussions regarding their common enemy, the Jedi.

Around this time, Gavar had a cybernetic arm installed to replace his lost forearm. After Sith Grand Lord Darish Vol was informed of Abeloth's offer, he arranged for Gavar to bring Abeloth to Kesh. In orbit, Vol informed him that Abeloth would need to wait three days before descending to the surface, claiming that the Tribe required time to plan a grand celebration in her honor. Abeloth suggested that Gavar visit his family on the surface, as she did not anticipate a long stay on Kesh. Gavar visited his estate and met with his wife, Lahka, with whom he discussed his concerns about Vestara. Lahka reassured him that their daughter would remain loyal to the family, the Tribe, and the dark side. That night, he decided to kill Tikk—the uvak who had served Vestara loyally when she served the Sith, but now Gavar questioned Vestara's loyalties.

Gavar and his wife attended the celebration for Abeloth's arrival, although only Gavar was permitted to attend the masquerade afterward. Gavar attended the masquerade dressed as the Dark Tuash of Alancair, a figure from Keshiri mythology. Later, he decided to spend the night aboard the ChaseMaster Black Wave—Taalon's flagship which had fallen into Gavar's possession after the High Lord's death. That evening, Abeloth betrayed the Sith and launched an attack first on Grand Lord Vol and then on the city itself, resulting in thousands of deaths and widespread destruction. Among the casualties was Gavar's wife, Lahka. Gavar and his crew were awakened by the surge of emotion in the Force. Despite his wife's death, he ultimately decided to align himself with Abeloth. He ordered all vessels to retreat from Kesh with Abeloth, who was escaping in Ship. Several frigates disobeyed his order and opened fire, but Abeloth and the Black Wave successfully escaped.

Abeloth then instructed Gavar—who was increasingly influenced by her—to mislead anyone who attempted to find her. Consequently, he and nine other Sith Sabers deployed to the planet Dromund Kaas. Vestara, Jaina Solo, and the Skywalkers soon arrived on the planet, searching for Abeloth and the Sith. They reached the Dark Force Temple, where Gavar and the other Sith were concealed. Just as the Jedi were convinced that the Sith were not present, Gavar and the Sabers revealed themselves. When Gavar witnessed his daughter raise her lightsaber in defense of the Jedi, he became enraged and attacked her. In the ensuing duel, he fought Vestara while the nine other Sith attacked the three Jedi. He informed her of her mother's death and, accusing Vestara of dishonoring him, threatened to find a new wife and child to replace them. However, the Sith were decisively defeated. Gavar was emotionally paralyzed after Vestara questioned his loyalties, and Vestara struck him down. She was devastated by having to kill her father, but the Jedi comforted her, and Vestara ultimately chose to become a Jedi as well.

Despite lacking Force sensitivity, Gavar Khai deeply loved his wife. While he viewed her as inferior due to her lack of Force abilities and would not tolerate insubordination, he valued her intelligence, patience, and discretion. Khai also had a profound affection for his daughter and was surprised when she was summoned to appear before the Circle of Lords. When she was subsequently chosen as an apprentice, he attempted to conceal his concern for her. However, she sensed his emotions, detecting his worry, sadness, and pride. Later, he eagerly anticipated meeting with his daughter aboard the Skywalkers' ship. He was immensely proud of her and the honor she had brought to the Khai family by participating in and surviving the strike team's mission, as well as her accomplishments on Dathomir. He confided in her that he shared her grief over the deaths of Raas and Rhea. Khai was also perceptive of Vestara's emotions, quickly recognizing her attraction to the younger Skywalker and suggesting that she exploit it to gain Ben's trust and potentially turn him to the dark side.

When Ben and Vestara were taken into custody on Klatooine, Gavar blamed Luke, holding him responsible for Vestara's predicament. Later, when his daughter appeared to be gravely ill with a mysterious plague on Pydyr, Khai again became furious with Luke Skywalker for failing to care for her. Luke even came to admire Khai for his love for his daughter, although he believed that he was overly strict with her. Indeed, Gavar Khai was not always so protective of his daughter. When confronting her about assisting Ben in capturing Stadd, Khai became angrier than ever before, and Vestara began to perceive him as irrational. After the battle with Abeloth, when it appeared that Vestara had disobeyed her orders, Gavar was willing to allow Taalon to physically assault her. Later, while preparing to send her to spy on the Jedi and learn about the Jedi queen Taalon had seen in the Pool of Knowledge, Gavar and Taalon both physically abused her, and Gavar even suggested inflicting more permanent disfigurement, such as blinding her. When he learned that Vestara had killed Taalon, he was shocked and believed she had betrayed the Sith. He reached for his lightsaber as if to attack, but she knocked him unconscious. Nevertheless, he did not confirm to the other Sith that his daughter had killed Taalon. He later questioned whether her act had been treachery or loyalty, given Taalon's transformation into an Abeloth-like being.

In accordance with their feigned alliance, Khai was courteous to the Skywalkers upon their initial meeting. However, later in the mission, Khai expressed his displeasure with Ben's lack of absolute obedience to his father and frequently argued with Luke. During the battle with Abeloth, when Khai dueled with Ben, he attempted unsuccessfully to lure him to the dark side. Afterward, Khai remained distrustful of the Jedi, accusing them of concealing Abeloth's body, attempting to flee Abeloth's planet without the Sith, attempting to discover the location of the Sith homeworld, and attempting to trick the Sith on Pydyr into removing their hazard suits and contracting the mysterious plague. Nevertheless, Luke managed to instill doubt in Khai's mind that the suits would not protect them against the plague, and he began to experience the effects of the Fallanassi illusion.

Khai considered Taalon's attempts to obtain a piece of the Fountain of the Hutt Ancients on Klatooine as utter foolishness. During the mission to eliminate Abeloth, Skywalker perceived Khai as exceptionally confident but also somewhat naive about aspects of the galaxy. Khai was confident in his ability to kill Ben Skywalker, although he acknowledged Ben's skill for his age. As their duel progressed, however, Ben held his own, and Khai began to worry that he might not prevail. Nevertheless, after the battle with Abeloth, Khai often threatened Ben, both to intimidate the young Jedi and to gain leverage with Luke. On Pydyr, Khai showed no hesitation at Taalon's order to take Eliya hostage and murder her when Pell refused to provide the desired answers. When Vestara traveled with the Skywalkers for an extended period, Khai began to question whether she was exceptionally skilled at deceiving Luke or whether he was the one being deceived. When Khai killed her uvak, Tikk, he did so as painlessly as possible, because he felt the uvak had served Vestara well and did not deserve to suffer.

As Khai spent more time around Abeloth, she began to influence his actions, ultimately leading him to betray the Lost Tribe of Sith and align himself with her, despite her having killed his wife. When he was subsequently confronted by his daughter and the Jedi, he expressed his anger and disappointment at Vestara's choice and hurt her further by claiming that she and her deceased mother could be easily replaced. Vestara, however, recognized that Gavar had been altered by Abeloth—his fighting style was more erratic, and his emotions, which he had taught her to control and direct, were uncontrolled. Still, Vestara mourned his death and was deeply disturbed by having to kill him.

Khai wore full black Sith robes trimmed with silver, complemented by blaster-resistant armor. He was significantly taller than Luke Skywalker and possessed even features, dark brown eyes, and shoulder-length black hair that he typically wore tied back in a topknot. During the duel with the Jedi at the Pool of Knowledge, he lost a forearm. He later received a cybernetic replacement, and while he initially worried that it would be perceived as a disfigurement within the Tribe, he realized that the enhanced speed and strength it provided were advantageous.

Strong in the Force, Gavar Khai completed his training in the dark side, achieving the rank of Sith Saber. High Lord Sarasu Taalon considered Khai to be a strong and powerful Sith, selecting him for his mission to the Maw and later to accompany him when Skywalker suggested entering the realm beyond shadows. Later, after betraying the Jedi during the battle with Abeloth, Khai dueled with Ben Skywalker. Despite being confident of victory against the youth, Khai found himself challenged by Skywalker's dueling prowess.

Following the restoration of their alliance with the Jedi, Gavar frequently argued with Luke and threatened Ben, often provoking attacks from Luke in the Force, which Gavar was unable to prevent or counter. He was also untrained in accessing the Fallanassi's White Current, leaving him vulnerable to Abeloth's illusions. Shortly after, when he believed that his daughter had betrayed the Sith, she was able to knock him unconscious with a Force blast before he could react. Nevertheless, Gavar was soon placed in command of a flotilla tasked with executing Operation Shieldfall. Once he was fully allied with Abeloth, she began to influence his thinking, and during his final duel on Dromund Kaas, his fighting style became reckless. Consequently, his daughter was able to defeat and kill him.

Gavar Khai was created by author Christie Golden for her first Star Wars novel, the second installment in the nine-part Fate of the Jedi series, Fate of the Jedi: Omen. Khai was later featured alongside Luke Skywalker on the cover of the fifth novel in the series, Fate of the Jedi: Allies, also written by Golden. He also appeared in the sixth, seventh, and eighth novels of the series, Troy Denning's Fate of the Jedi: Vortex, Aaron Allston's Fate of the Jedi: Conviction, and Golden's Fate of the Jedi: Ascension, respectively. Additionally, he appeared in two short stories written by Golden, Imprint and "First Blood."