Gloom Walkers

The Gloom Walkers, under the leadership of Lieutenant Ulabore, were among the many military units within the Sith army during the New Sith Wars fighting against the Galactic Republic. In 1003 BBY, the unit gained two new members: Dessel, a former cortosis miner, and Adanar, both joining on the same day. Throughout the following year, the Gloom Walkers engaged in numerous battles across several worlds, establishing themselves as an elite unit. Dessel and Adanar experienced their first combat with the Gloom Walkers during the battle of Kashyyyk, where the Sith aimed to establish a presence in the Mid Rim by invading the Kashyyyk system. Republic forces had heavily fortified themselves within the dense forests of the planet, leading to a prolonged war of attrition fought amidst the branches of the towering wroshyr trees. The Sith troopers, unaccustomed to combat in such dense foliage, faced annihilation by the Republic soldiers and their native Wookiee guides.

The Gloom Walkers joined as part of the second wave of reinforcements. During the conflict, they became separated from the main battle lines, isolated from the rest of the Sith army. Lieutenant Ulabore, in a state of panic, was unsure how to maintain the unit's survival without explicit orders, being alone and surrounded by enemies. Dessel intervened to rescue his unit, demonstrating the ability to sense the enemy's location even when visually obscured, guiding the Gloom Walkers away from Republic traps and ambushes as they maneuvered back to the main force. The return to the main Sith army took three days and nights, during which several members perished in numerous skirmishes with Republic forces. Upon their return, their story became a source of inspiration for the rest of the Sith army, boosting morale that had been dangerously low. The Sith ultimately secured victory and captured Kashyyyk, resulting in Ulabore receiving a special commendation as the unit's commander, despite his failure to acknowledge Dessel's role in leading the Gloom Walkers back to the main force. However, Ulabore did promote Dessel to the rank of sergeant.

Following the battle on Kashyyyk, the surviving Republic soldiers retreated to the neighboring world of Trandosha, leading to the dispatch of twenty units of Sith troopers, including the Gloom Walkers, in pursuit. They caught up with the Republic survivors in the desert plains outside the city of Hsskhor, triggering the Battle of Hsskhor. After a day of intense fighting resulting in numerous casualties on both sides, the Republic and Sith forces retreated to opposite ends of the battlefield to regroup. However, the native reptilian Trandoshans launched an attack several hours later. As the Trandoshans were not allied with either side of the New Sith Wars, they attacked both sides, utilizing their ability to see into the infrared spectrum to fight in the pitch-black night. Both the Sith and Republic soldiers, including the Gloom Walkers, were caught completely off-guard, and by the end of the night nearly half of the Sith troops had been killed. In response, Sith reinforcements were dispatched from Kashyyyk. The Trandoshans and the Republic forces were overwhelmed in less than a week, with many Trandoshans abandoning the defense of their homes, switching sides and joining the Sith. Ultimately, the city of Hsskhor was sacked and razed to the ground.

By 1002 BBY, the Gloom Walkers had transformed from a disposable front-line unit into an elite force reserved for critical missions. In that year, they participated in an attack on the Republic manufacturing world of Phaseera. Upon landing, the Gloom Walkers were assigned the task of eliminating a Republic outpost, a move intended to enable a surprise attack on the Republic base camp by the rest of the Sith army. Lieutenant Ulabore's belief that the mission would be straightforward led to a relaxed atmosphere among the troopers as they awaited orders. However, Dessel harbored a sense of foreboding about the upcoming battle, similar to his feelings before the near-disaster at Hsskhor. Eventually, Ulabore returned with their orders: they were to attack the outpost within one hour. This announcement was met with shock and outrage from the soldiers, one of whom declared it a suicide mission. Dessel reasoned that the outpost's three repulsorcraft, equipped with heavy-repeating flashcannons, would decimate them from the sky if they attempted to take the outpost during the day. Ulabore refused to heed the Gloom Walkers' protests, prompting Dessel to punch Ulabore in the jaw, incapacitating him and assuming command of the unit. Dessel then instructed the communications officer to inform Sith headquarters that their mission was complete, allowing them to initiate the movement of the main force into position, granting the Gloom Walkers two hours to achieve their objective.

After incapacitating Lieutenant Ulabore, Dessel addressed the Gloom Walkers, warning them that anyone who followed him from that point forward risked court-martial, and offering to surrender command to Adanar if any felt unable to follow him after his actions. However, the Gloom Walkers voted to remain under his command. Under the cover of night, the Gloom Walkers moved silently through Phaseera's jungle until they surrounded the outpost, splitting into three squads on three sides. Once in position, they activated their interference boxes, jamming all transmissions within their perimeter. However, they encountered an unexpected challenge: although the repulsorcraft were grounded, each still contained a soldier operating the flashcannons. Dessel suggested that Lucia, one of the unit's best shots, snipe the three gunners in succession, but the idea was dismissed as impossible. Frustrated and acting on instinct, Dessel shot two of the gunners but was blinded by a flash canister.

Despite being blinded, Dessel retained the ability to see, and swiftly eliminated all the soldiers manning the gunships. Three hours later, the outpost had been captured, with nine Gloom Walker casualties. Dessel left Adanar and a small contingent to hold the outpost while he and the rest of the Gloom Walkers returned to their camp, where they found Ulabore, now fully conscious, accompanied by a dozen Sith enforcers. The enforcers took Dessel to be court-martialed, but before the trial could commence, he was taken to the Sith academy on Korriban, as his Force-sensitivity had been recognized. Indeed, his connection to the Force had enabled him to lead the Gloom Walkers back on Kashyyyk and to kill the soldiers at the outpost. Eventually, Dessel became Darth Bane, one of the most influential Dark Lords of the Sith in galactic history.

However, Dessel's arrest troubled many troopers within the unit, particularly Lucia. A month later, as the Gloom Walkers were deployed to Alaris Prime, they stumbled into a Republic ambush, an event Lucia believed would not have occurred had Dessel remained with them. During the ensuing brief skirmish, Lucia betrayed and killed Ulabore, shooting him in the back, in revenge for Dessel's arrest, as she believed the sergeant had been court-martialed and executed. The Gloom Walkers quickly defeated the Republic troops and approved of Lucia's actions, never reporting her betrayal, and Ulabore was officially listed as killed in action.

Lieutenant Ulabore held the official position of leader of the Gloom Walkers, receiving considerable praise and accolades from his superiors for the unit's successes, despite these successes being primarily attributable to Dessel's leadership rather than his own. Ulabore displayed unwavering loyalty to the Brotherhood of Darkness, the commanding force of the Sith army, and feared contradicting their directives. He was a cowardly and ineffective leader, panicking when separated from the main force on Kashyyyk, which led to Dessel taking command. His troops openly mocked him, recognizing that Dessel was the true leader. Despite Dessel's distinguished service within the Gloom Walkers, Ulabore continued to belittle him and treat him and the other troops as inferiors. Ulabore's fear of disobeying his superiors was evident during the Battle of Phaseera, where he refused to deviate from the orders given to him, despite the mission being a suicide mission. Ultimately, Dessel forcibly relieved him of command and completed their objective. Ulabore's arrest of Dessel led to resentment from the other members of the Gloom Walkers, ultimately culminating in Lucia's betrayal and murder of him on Alaris Prime.

Dessel, formerly a cortosis miner from the planet Apatros, joined the Sith army and was assigned to the Gloom Walkers unit on the same day as fellow trooper Adanar. Dessel possessed Force-sensitivity, a trait that proved beneficial to the unit in several missions. During the Battle of Kashyyyk, he was able to sense and evade Republic traps and ambushes while guiding the Gloom Walkers back to the main force. On Phaseera, he managed to kill nine Republic soldiers despite being blinded by a flash canister. Although Ulabore claimed full credit for the events on Kashyyyk, he promoted Dessel to sergeant. Dessel was widely regarded as the true leader of the Gloom Walkers, with all the other members deferring to him rather than Ulabore. During the Battle of Phaseera, Dessel, frustrated with Ulabore's ineffective leadership, knocked him out, assumed command, and led the Gloom Walkers to complete their objective. His seemingly impossible feats during the battle were reported by Lucia to the Brotherhood of Darkness, leading to his recruitment for training in the dark side of the Force. Dessel eventually became the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Bane, never forgetting his time with the Gloom Walkers.

Adanar was a senior Sith trooper, serving as the Gloom Walkers' third-in-command behind Dessel and Ulabore. Adanar enlisted in the Sith military on the same day as Dessel, and the two developed a strong friendship. After basic training, they were both assigned to the Gloom Walkers, and Adanar grew to admire Dessel. Upon capturing the Republic outpost during the Battle of Phaseera, Adanar and a small contingent were left to hold the outpost while Dessel returned to camp.

Lucia was a junior officer and sniper with the Gloom Walkers, one of the youngest soldiers in the unit. Prior to the Battle of Phaseera, Lucia had limited combat experience but had established herself as one of the better shots within the Gloom Walkers. After witnessing Dessel's seemingly impossible feats during the battle, Lucia informed their Sith superiors of Dessel's abilities, leading to his recognition as Force-sensitive. She was deeply loyal to Dessel, and his arrest fueled her dissent toward Ulabore. During a skirmish with Republic troops on Alaris Prime, Lucia betrayed Ulabore and shot him in the back, killing him. Following the war and the dissolution of the Gloom Walkers, she became a prisoner of war and was assigned to a work planet, until the Senate issued an official pardon to all troopers who had served the Sith. She eventually found employment as a mercenary, bounty hunter, and ultimately a bodyguard for Princess Serra until her death.

The Gloom Walkers first appeared in Drew Karpyshyn's 2006 novel, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, and were also referenced in Karpyshyn's 2009 novel, Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil. The unit also received a mention in Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force and an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

In The Essential Reader's Companion, their visual representation is similar to the Daimanate troopers from the Star Wars: Knight Errant comic series.