Harron Tavus was a male Human who served as a lieutenant and later achieved the rank of captain within the Republic Special Forces. He participated in the Great Galactic War. During the offensive in the Minos Cluster, he developed a friendship with and fought alongside the Jedi Orgus Din. Tavus was present during the reconstituted Sith Empire's attack on Coruscant, the capital world, and once more joined Din in the defense, although they were ultimately defeated. Following the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, which officially concluded the war, Tavus accompanied Din on a diplomatic mission to Balmorra, where they rescued Satele Shan and SP-99 from a drifting escape pod.
As the galaxy became embroiled in cold war conflicts, Tavus, who was then a field officer and commander of Havoc Squad, began to question his allegiance to the Galactic Republic. While stationed on Ord Mantell during a violent civil war against the Imperial-backed Mantellian Separatist Movement, he and his squad planned and executed their defection to the Sith Empire.
While serving as a lieutenant in the Republic Special Forces Division alongside the Jedi Orgus Din, Harron Tavus witnessed the conclusion of the Sith Empire's offensive in the Minos Cluster. Subsequently, they reported their observations to the Galactic Senate on Coruscant, and were present when the Sith forces launched their attack on the capital world. As Din engaged Darth Angral, a Sith Lord, in lightsaber combat, Tavus fired upon the emerging Sith troopers. When Din broke off his engagement with the Sith Lord and proceeded to the Jedi Temple, Tavus followed, only to discover the temple in ruins.
Later, in the aftermath of an incident caused by Din's former apprentice, Fortris Gall, Tavus accompanied Din on a diplomatic mission to Balmorra. En route, they encountered a Republic escape pod at the same moment that a Mandalorian cruiser approached. Tavus warned off the Mandalorians, but they refused to retreat. After shots were exchanged, Tavus and Din managed to recover the pod, which contained Jedi Knight Satele Shan and the droid SP-99. Shan informed her rescuers about the Sith betrayal and insisted that, after notifying Grand Master Zym, they attempt to rescue Master Dar'Nala, who was still being held prisoner by the Sith Empire.
However, Tavus soon received a transmission from Master Zym, who informed them that they had intercepted an Imperial communication revealing that Dar'Nala had been executed. Shortly thereafter, Tavus went to Shan's quarters to offer her comfort, for which she expressed her gratitude.
Upon their arrival on Balmorra, Tavus and Din were greeted by Master Buryn, who informed them that fighting had resumed on the planet. Meanwhile, Din had dispatched Gall to Dantooine to assist in ending the conflict there, with Tavus and Shan accompanying him. During the journey, Tavus and Satele discussed the possibility of developing a relationship.
Once they arrived on Dantooine, the commanding officer informed them that Gall had already arrived and was assisting in the battle against the Sith. Tavus agreed to leave the troops behind. Later, Gall contacted Tavus to meet him at the ruins of the Jedi Enclave. Upon discovering SP-99 spying on him once again, he destroyed the droid with a blaster shot.
Subsequently, Fortris Gall led Tavus to the ruins of the old Jedi enclave, where he revealed that he, along with other Jedi, were responsible for the bombing of the Senate Tower, not the Sith. Dar'nala, who had not been killed, then appeared with a Wookiee bounty hunter named Dalborra, who was under her influence. Dar'nala was leading the group that sought to disrupt the treaty in order to "save" the Republic. Tavus accused them of treason, but Dar'nala argued that standing by while the Republic suffered under the treaty was the true treason. The trio then offered Tavus the opportunity to join them, as they were only a few steps away from framing Darth Baras as the one disrupting the treaty. Tavus accepted their offer.
The group met Darths Baras and Angral at the crystal caves, where Satele soon arrived as well. Dar'nala was revealed to be the one responsible for the attack on the Envoy. Baras attempted to turn Satele to the dark side, but she resisted. Tavus had Angral beaten and was about to kill him when Satele told him to stand down, as killing Angral would only play into the Sith's hands. An infuriated Dar'nala called them both traitors and stated that Satele had broken her heart, and she would break Satele's in turn by killing Tavus, whom she sensed cared about the Lieutenant. Gall blocked the strike, saving Tavus' life, and turning on the now quite mad Dar'nala.
Dar'Nala was killed seconds later by Dalborra, who managed to escape the Dark Jedi's mind control. Satele gathered Tavus and Gall together and escaped the caves. They returned to the base, where Din announced that the Major in charge had finally seen reason and agreed to pull out.
During the Cold War, Tavus rose to become the commander of the elite Special Forces unit known as Havoc Squad. His squad consisted of his second-in-command, Captain Zora (aka "Wraith"), and Lieutenants Vanto "Fuse" Bazren, Bex "Gearbox" Kolos, and Ryler "Needles" Dorant. Over time, the squad became disillusioned with the Republic, particularly after the Senate chose to abandon them on Ando Prime. Consequently, Tavus made the decision to defect to the Empire, but he needed something of value to gain their favor.
During the Ord Mantell Civil War, Havoc Squad was tasked with retrieving a prototype bomb called the ZR-57. Simultaneously, a newly transferred Meteor was added to Havoc Squad. Tavus deemed the new recruit too idealistic and chose not to involve the sergeant in his plans. Therefore, when Havoc Squad, excluding their new member, infiltrated the Mantellian separatist fortress, they intentionally cut themselves off from base camp. Defying Tavus' explicit orders, Lieutenant Aric Jorgan sent the Sergeant into the separatist base to find Havoc Squad, only to discover that they were prepared to hand over the ZR-57 to the Empire, unaware that the sergeant had previously deactivated it. Tavus decided to explain his intentions to the sergeant, but left the sergeant to die against an Imperial brigade. While he presumed the sergeant dead, Tavus was mistaken. The sergeant not only survived, but the Republic military became aware of Tavus' betrayal. The sergeant was promoted to lieutenant and given command of a new Havoc Squad, placed under General Elin Garza's command to hunt down the traitors. Nevertheless, Tavus managed to lead hundreds of SpecForce operatives to defect.
Upon learning that the loyalist Havoc recruit had survived and had eliminated Needles and Captain Andrik, Tavus stole a prototype cloaking device from Cularin and hid it on a derelict ship in the Outer Rim, anticipating that Havoc Squad would be sent to retrieve it. Once Havoc was aboard and had disabled the security, Tavus addressed the squad via holo. He condemned the Havoc CO for killing his fellow defector, hypocritically labeling them heroes. He attempted to repel his foes with the Imperial special forces unit Shadow Fist, cutting communications without confirming a kill, expecting that his former enemies-turned-allies would eliminate his nemesis but that failed.
Following this skirmish, the new Havoc Squad proceeded to hunt down and eliminate the remaining traitors' operations, leaving only Fuse and Jek Kardan alive to return to the Republic. With the Empire becoming displeased with him, Tavus summoned all remaining defectors to his flagship, the Harrower-class dreadnought Justice. Garza intercepted his transmission and dispatched Havoc Squad to confront Tavus. Havoc sabotaged the Justice, preventing it from entering hyperspace, killing Wraith in the process, before confronting Tavus on the bridge. After the Lieutenant defeated him, Tavus surrendered, feeling regret for his actions and how it had cost the lives of his men, and offered to work with General Garza and the Republic Special Forces to undo some of the damage he caused by the defection of Havoc Squad.
The Lieutenant then insisted that Tavus face a court-martial for his betrayal against the Republic which would have allowed him to reveal his reasons for defecting to the Empire. However, Tavus refused, believing that Garza would cover up and suppress all evidence of Havoc Squad's abandonment on Ando Prime. The lieutenant and Tavus, then engaged, leading to the latter's defeat. In a weakened state, he felt sorrow and regret for the deaths of his squadmates, surrendering himself to the lieutenant, pleading to be taken in alive, as he had valuable information regarding the Empire, an idea Jorgan argued that was wrong and that Tavus deserved death, based on a personal vendetta against him. The lieutenant refused, saying that his information may be of use to the Republic before appearing in front of General Garza, who expressed her satisfaction of Tavus realigning with the Republic before being held in custody of Garza.
Tavus was a highly skilled trooper in the Republic Special Forces, known for his composure and decisiveness even under pressure, as demonstrated during the Sacking of Coruscant. Instead of succumbing to panic during the surprise attack, Tavus professionally and precisely engaged the invading Sith forces, fighting alongside Jedi Master Orgus Din. Tavus' confidence was also evident in his slightly cocky demeanor, as he made several casual, flippant, and teasing remarks to Satele Shan after her rescue from a drifting escape pod. He was also capable of maintaining close relationships with others, as evidenced by his first-name-basis friendship with Jedi Master Orgus Din.
As time passed, Tavus' faith in the Republic eroded when the Senate abandoned Havoc on Ando Prime. He defected to the Empire because he believed it valued strength in its warriors. However, as the new Havoc Squad eliminated his comrades one by one, Tavus developed a growing hatred for the recruit he had failed to kill. Eventually cornered, Tavus sought to fight and avenge his friends' deaths. But in losing, he felt regret for his actions and realized that he's good as responsible for the old Havoc's downfall.
Depending on the player's choices, Tavus either surrenders and offers to collaborate with Republic Special Forces to mitigate the damage caused by Havoc Squad's defection under his leadership, or he meets his demise on the Justice. If the player suggests that he will go to trial, Tavus will resist, knowing that Garza would cover up his defection and he's good as executed, resulting in his death. Regardless, he does not make another personal appearance after the confrontation on The Justice -- if he is allowed to surrender, the player receives a message from him expressing his regrets and wishing the new Captain of Havoc Squad luck. The player can also choose to personally execute him on the bridge of the Justice for Dark Side points, citing a lack of mercy for traitors, an action that would be supported by Aric Jorgan.
Harron Tavus is voiced by actor Michael Gregory in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Gregory also lent his voice to Nomen Karr.