Hawk Ryo

Hawk Ryo, a Twi'lek who was Force-sensitive, was born on Shikaakwa into a wealthy family. As the brother of Baron Volnos Ryo, Hawk Ryo underwent training in the Force under the guidance of the Je'daii Order on Tython. Tython was one of the nine planets comprising the Tython system, which collectively formed the Settled Worlds. During his time as a Journeyer, Ryo had a romantic involvement with another Journeyer, Rori Fenn, but their relationship ended once they both achieved the rank of Je'daii Ranger. During his time as a Ranger, Ryo was responsible for introducing his brother to Kora, who would eventually become his wife and a Je'daii Master. A veteran of the Despot War, Ryo's father and his oldest brother were executed by the Despot Queen Hadiya because they refused to pledge their allegiance to her.

Shortly after the war concluded, Daegen Lok, a friend of Ryo's, convinced him to delve into the Chasm beneath Anil Kesh on the continent of Talss. Using jetpacks, they descended into the darkness, seeking answers about the enigmatic Chaos Wall, an invisible barrier that drove anyone who crossed it to madness. Despite Ryo's advice to proceed cautiously, Lok recklessly plunged deeper into the abyss. Gazing into the void, they both experienced a vision of an armored figure with a single red eye, leading an army and wielding a fiery sword. Hastening their escape, Ryo pulled Lok out of the Chasm and brought him to Akar Kesh. There, at the Temple atop the monolith, the Je'daii Council listened to their report but dismissed the vision as delusion, exiling both of them to the moon of Bogan. Ryo was eventually permitted to leave after convincing himself that Lok had experienced a false vision and had been driven insane.

In the year 25,793 BBY, the Je'daii Council sent Ryo to join Ranger Lanoree Brock on the moon Zerist. Their mission was to oversee a mining dispute and resolve the conflict that had arisen following the abduction of a young girl named Oma Dessain. While examining the deserted town of Kainnan, Ryo noticed two armed Twi'lek guards, whom he suspected were connected to a Shikaakwan ship that had landed suspiciously during the town's evacuation. Adding to the suspicion, the ship was registered to Ryo's brother, the Baron, who had investments in the local mining industry. Ryo informed Ranger Brock that he believed his brother's men were guarding the missing girl and set out to uncover what they were protecting. Silently attacking and drawing upon the dark side of the Force, Ryo killed the guards, one of whom he recognized as Deon Aarlaa, his brother's personal guard. He then rushed into the building as a nearby volcano erupted, covering the abandoned city in ash. Ryo swiftly eliminated the three guards watching over their prisoner and freed the girl. As they raced against the erupting volcano towards the safety of the subterranean caverns where negotiations were to be held, Oma Dessain refused to cooperate with the negotiators, who wanted her to marry Brom Santis, the representative of the workers protesting the Dessain Mining family. With Brock and Ryo's guidance, the negotiations concluded with both parties agreeing to call off the marriage in exchange for each child being fostered in the opposing family's home.

After his mission with Ranger Brock, Ryo traveled to the Furies Gate space station for a meditative retreat. He found that sitting before the viewports and gazing into the vastness of space helped him clear his mind after a mission. While Ryo was still aboard the space station, a ship of unknown origin and design entered the system, marking the first such arrival since the Je'daii had settled on Tython. Ryo informed Captain Gost that he would alert the Je'daii Council on Tython, then sent a message to Temple Master Ketu before pursuing the large ship in his fighter. Following the ship to Tython, Ryo met with Je'daii Master Quan-Jang and Ranger Rori Fenn, and together they examined the wreckage of the ship after it crashed into the Rift. He transmitted video footage of the wreckage to his sister-in-law, Temple Master Kora Ryo, at Kaleth for her review and analysis. Unable to identify the ship's design, origin, or pilot, the Je'daii fended off attacks from several saarls before landing near the remains of a small escape pod. While a violent Force storm raged overhead, the Je'daii investigated the pod and discovered the broken weapons of Je'daii Journeyers Shae Koda and Sek'nos Rath, as well as the wrecked speeder of Ryo's niece, Journeyer Tasha. Further investigation revealed Rath's mount being chased by Butch, the rancor-dragon belonging to Journeyer Koda. After Master Quan-Jang calmed the beast, the group concluded that the three Journeyers had engaged in battle with a survivor from the wreckage and were now in grave danger, deep within the Rift, without their weapons, and amidst a powerful Force storm.

While Master Quan-Jang used the rancor-dragon to survey the wreckage from above, Ryo and Fenn rode Rath's bipedal mount deep into the Rift to find the missing Je'daii. Ryo guided the beast while Fenn used her sensor goggles to locate the lost Je'daii, despite the storm's interference. As their mount grew tired, Ryo and Fenn returned just in time to witness Quan-Jang's mount being struck by lightning and falling to the ground. Quan-Jang was unharmed, but the beast was injured and could no longer assist them. The trio proceeded on foot to the mouth of the Abyss of Ruh, where the storm was at its peak, determined to find the missing Je'daii. They located them at the storm's center, battling a Human warrior and a saarl. Ryo and Fenn moved to eliminate the beast while Quan-Jang meditated above to quell the storm. With the help of the Force Hound named Xesh, they killed the saarl. Ryo and Fenn attempted to capture Xesh, but the storm was too intense around him. Once Quan-Jang cleared the storm, Ryo and Fenn secured the Force Hound and brought him and the others to Mahara Kesh for healing. When the Council decided to banish Xesh to the moon of Bogan, Ryo advised him to meditate on the light side of the Force to find salvation and Balance.

Following Xesh's exile, Temple Master Tem Madog attempted to study the Forcesaber that had been taken from Xesh upon his capture. Unable to activate the alien weapon, Madog gave it to Ryo, who turned it on effortlessly. Drawing on the dark side of the Force, Ryo discovered that the Forcesaber drew its power from focusing on raw anger. Ryo's ability to control and focus his anger on Bogan impressed and troubled Master Madog, who allowed him to keep the weapon and study it. Shortly after, a report came from Bogan that Xesh and Lok had escaped, and the Council assigned Ryo to join the task force. Ryo piloted a Peacemaker-class cruiser with Rori Fenn and Shae Koda, following a second ship with Temple Master Jake Fenn, Ranger Bel Zana, and Sek'nos Rath towards the dark side moon.

Upon arriving on the moon, Ryo and his team searched Daegen Lok's abandoned cell and quickly found a secret tunnel leading to a crater on the moon's surface. They discovered wreckage from a Pho-V fighter left over from a downed craft abandoned from the Despot War. Their torchlight revealed carvings on the crater walls depicting Lok leading an army of Je'daii wielding Forcesabers. Seeing the carving triggered Ryo's memories, and he explained to Koda and Fenn how he had also seen the vision of a war on Tython. Lost in his thoughts, Ryo suddenly ignited the Forcesaber and attacked Ranger Fenn as a flock of mynocks swarmed the group. Journeyer Koda pulled Ryo off Fenn, and Hawk regained Balance, recounting how he had shared the vision with Lok but later denied it to escape the exile imposed by the Council. Realizing that Lok would use Xesh to fulfill his vision, Ryo directed the others to Krev Coeur, where he knew Lok would be searching for crystals to power his weapon.

Anticipating that they might be too late to stop Lok on Krev Coeur, Ryo took his team to Nox, while Jake Fenn attempted to prevent Lok from retrieving the crystals. Ryo knew Lok would have to travel to Nox to forge the hilt and hoped to trap him there if he evaded Fenn. While infiltrating the domed city of Boneyard, the Je'daii were attacked by a mutated slashrat, which Ryo decapitated. After receiving word that Lok had indeed escaped capture on Krev Coeur, Ryo calmed a panicked Shae Koda after Jake Fenn revealed that he had seemingly died during the fighting. Tracking Lok to Skrag's Cantina, Ryo entered the establishment and was met with drawn rifles. Surrounded by former supporters of Despot Queen Hadiya, including Bakko, Shri-Lan, Gav Vannar, and Ka'un Damm, Ryo avoided their ambush and jumped through a skylight to the roof. Ryo and Rori Fenn chased after Lok, while Shae Koda pursued Xesh. Ryo found Lok first and engaged him in a duel. Denying the vision they shared, Ryo refused to believe that Lok was the destined leader of the Order and ordered him to surrender and return to Tython. Lok disengaged from the duel, expressing disappointment at Ryo's refusal to admit the truth, before leaping off the building and disappearing. Realizing that he had fought an illusion projected into his mind by Lok, Ryo deduced that the rogue Je'daii had left for Shikaakwa to raise an army.

Ryo rendezvoused with Sek'nos Rath and his new companion, Trill, at the base of Ryo Fortress on Shikaakwa. Ryo believed it would be best to enter through the fortress' sewer system rather than the formal entrance. They reached Baron Volnos Ryo's chamber just as Xesh and Daegen Lok attacked the Baron. Ryo, Fenn, and Rath drew their weapons and moved to attack the fugitives but were distracted when Lok brought the roof down on them. After clearing the debris, the three Je'daii chased their prey onto the rooftop and began searching for them. Lok attacked Fenn and knocked her out. Ryo arrived and delivered a roundhouse kick to Lok's jaw, sending him to the ground. As they engaged each other with their Forcesabers, Lok used a mind twist that brought Ryo's fears to the forefront of his mind. Overwhelmed by the truth of his lie to the Council, Ryo overcame the mind trick and disarmed Lok, driving him to the ground. Before he could deliver a final blow, Ryo was distracted by Xesh, who jumped from above to attack him. In the moment of confusion, Lok regained control of his Forcesaber and used it to sever Ryo's right leg at the knee. Shae Koda's timely intervention saved Ryo from further attack. Ryo was returned to Tython, where he was fitted with a prosthetic leg. After recovering from the attack and learning that Lok had been imprisoned on Bogan once more, Ryo joined Temple Master Ketu in his chambers at Akar Kesh to confess his role in the vision. However, in the vision, it was not Lok leading the army of Je'daii into battle, but Xesh.

When the Infinite Empire launched their assault on the Tython system, Ryo joined the battle to defend his home system. A year into the conflict, Ryo participated in the battle for Shikaakwa, flying in the orbital defense of the planet. When Generals Daegen Lok and Xesh were under heavy fire from Rakatan annihilators on the ground, Lok called for Ryo to lead a strafing run on their position. Commanding Red and Blue Squadron, Ryo freed up Lok to lead the Je'daii to victory. After the battle, Ryo joined the Je'daii celebration on the ground, commenting on Lok's natural leadership abilities and expressing his belief that Lok would defeat the Rakata.

During the battle to save Tython, Ryo flew in the orbital defense as Blue Leader alongside Rori Fenn. Unable to maintain the planetary defenses, several Rakatan ships broke through to the planet's surface. During the final moments of the battle, Ryo and Fenn were flying past the Tho Yor suspended over Anil Kesh when the sigils on the sides of the strange ship began to glow. They piloted their ships away from the pyramidal vessel and watched as the Tho Yor fired beams of energy that destroyed the Rakatan vessels in its path.

Hawk Ryo, a Twi'lek Je'daii, was proud of his heritage but distanced himself from his family, who were part of a notorious crime syndicate on his homeworld of Shikaakwa. As a noble Je'daii, Ryo was haunted by the vision of war he experienced in the Chasm. He later convinced himself that he had been delusional to escape his exile on Bogan. Tormented by his lie and betrayal of his friend, Daegen Lok, Ryo often meditated at the Furies Gate space station to find peace. Despite allegedly mastering his emotions during his exile on Bogan, Ryo occasionally had violent outbursts but quickly regained control. His training allowed him to activate the Forcesaber easily, even when Temple Master Madog could not.