Irek Ismaren

In 4 BBY, Irek was born on Alderaan, a planet. He was the son of Roganda Ismaren and Sarcev Quest, both of whom were Emperor's Hands, elite dark side users reporting directly to Galactic Emperor Palpatine. From the moment of his birth, rumors suggested Irek was the Emperor's son, given his mother's role as one of Palpatine's concubines. Roganda fueled these rumors, aiming to position her son as the heir to the Imperial throne. As a child, Irek began training in the dark side of the Force under his mother's guidance, who sought to develop him into a skilled Force user. To further her son's training, Roganda abducted Imperial scientist Nasdra Magrody, tasking him with Irek's instruction. Magrody was chosen for his research into implanting a device in a Force-sensitive individual's brain, enabling them to manipulate technology through the Force. At five years old, Magrody, held captive, implanted his invention—a subelectronic converter—into Irek's brain, allowing the boy to use the Force to influence machinery. Two years later, at seven, Irek underwent further dark side training, supervised by Magrody, who possessed limited Force-sensitivity. Magrody also taught Irek scientific lessons, utilizing accelerated learning techniques developed at Omwat orbital station. Through the subelectronic converter, Irek learned to control machines via the Force by visualizing their schematics, necessitating the study of various technologies and memorization of common droid graphics.

Following Emperor Palpatine's death at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, Roganda's plans for Irek's ascension to the throne were severely hampered. At only eight years old, Irek lacked the maturity and Roganda the support to challenge other contenders for the Imperial throne. When Trioculus was crowned Emperor by the Central Committee of Grand Moffs based on his claim of being Palpatine's legitimate son, the Ismarens realized their opportunity had passed and left Coruscant. They sought refuge on worlds still loyal to the Emperor's memory, but Roganda's past as Palpatine's concubine led to their rejection. By 5 ABY, the Ismarens had settled in Plett's Well on Belsavis, awaiting an opportunity to return to the Empire.

Roganda chose Belsavis because she had lived there in her youth. However, Plett's Well had since become a hub for smuggling activities, led by Nubblyk the Slyte, the town boss with access to salvage in an underground city beneath Plett's Well. This city, familiar to Roganda, had once sheltered Jedi refugees fleeing the Galactic Empire. Roganda orchestrated Nubblyk's disappearance, taking over his home on Painted Door Street. To prevent the smuggling operation from attracting attention, Roganda eliminated other smugglers who worked for Nubblyk, including Mubbin the Whiphid and Drub McKumb, crippling their operation and ensuring Plett's Well remained obscure. The captured smugglers were brainwashed and drugged to guard the underground city. Irek also commanded local kretch creatures for additional protection. Irek continued his training on Belsavis under Magrody, who was imprisoned in the Jedi settlement and forced to teach Irek under threat to his wife and daughter, Elizie and Shenna. Jedi training tools left in the city were used to develop Irek's Force powers. By twelve, Irek was proficient in Magrody's lessons, possessing knowledge equivalent to an advanced degree in subelectron physics or a droid motivator technician position.

By thirteen, Irek's control over droids and technology via the subelectronic converter was considerable. He could alter sensor fields and remained informed of new droid models. His training made him a talented Force-user, surpassing his mother. Despite his skill, Irek resented the rigorous training and, as rebellion, caused droids in Plett's Well to malfunction and experimented with substances like yarrock that his mother disapproved of. After learning all he could from Magrody, their relationship ended. Irek acquired a black-hilted lightsaber with an amber blade, but his skills with it were lacking.

By 12 ABY, Roganda decided the time was right to vie for the Imperial throne, developing a plot involving the aristocratic lords of the Senex and Juvex sectors. Using his mastery over technology, Irek summoned the Eye of Palpatine, a massive asteroid-shaped dreadnaught disabled in the Moonflower Nebula since 18 BBY. The Ismarens recruited Ohran Keldor, the vessel's original designer, to teach Irek the schematics of the Eye of Palpatine, enabling him to control it. From afar, Irek could not directly control the battlemoon but activated a damaged signal relay. With the relay activated, the Eye of Palpatine resumed its programmed mission: destroying the underground Jedi settlement on Belsavis. The Ismarens hoped Irek could fully control the ship once it was within range of Belsavis. Promising control of the Eye of Palpatine as a bargaining chip, Roganda sought financial and military support from Senex-Juvex for a campaign to reunite the fractured Empire and install Irek as Emperor. Leaders from six or seven noble houses who had avoided the Galactic Civil War, including Lord Garonnin and Lord Drost Elegin, agreed to hear the Ismarens' proposal on Belsavis. Additionally, ex-governors from Veron and Mussubir Three, and heads of the Mekuun and Seinar Corporations also accepted the invitation.

Preparations for the meeting were disrupted by the arrival of Leia Organa Solo, Chief of State of the New Republic, accompanied by her husband Han Solo, his copilot Chewbacca, and astromech droid R2-D2. They were investigating claims from the deranged Drub McKumb, who had escaped captivity and revealed the Jedi settlement on Belsavis. Upon arrival, they discovered the drugged and brainwashed smugglers guarding the tunnels to the city. Fearing Organa Solo would uncover their plot, Irek used his abilities to control R2-D2, ordering it to assassinate the group. However, the attempt was foiled when the droid was caught and deactivated. The droid's apparent malfunction increased Organa Solo's suspicion, leading her to witness the Ismarens and their allies descending into the tunnels. Pursuing them, Organa Solo was captured, with Irek using the kretch to subdue her. However, R2-D2 broke free when Irek could no longer control it due to rewiring after the initial attack. No longer familiar with the droid's schematic, Irek could not command R2-D2, and it escaped the tunnels. Enraged, Irek wanted to kill Organa, but Roganda and her allies knew she was more valuable as a hostage and imprisoned her in the settlement.

With the Chief of State imprisoned, the Ismarens prepared to host their potential supporters. The large contingent that arrived on Belsavis included Lady Theala Vandron of Karfeddion, Lord Vensell Picutorion, Lady Carbinol from House Sreethyn, representatives of the Mekuun Corporation, and the president of the Seinar Corporation. Before the banquet, Irek visited Organa Solo, leaving yarrock drugs in her cell, using the drug to calm his nerves. Dressed conservatively, Irek charmed the guests, convincing them his control of the Eye of Palpatine would lead to an allied fleet, positioning them against the New Republic. During the meeting, Irek sensed Organa Solo projecting her spirit into the hall. Angered by her humiliation of him, Irek decided to capture her spirit, imprisoning her outside her body. Using a Jedi training tool designed to project one's spirit, Irek brought the device to Organa Solo's cell. As she tried to return to her body, Irek attempted to trap her, but the arrival of the Eye of Palpatine interrupted him. Organa Solo returned to her body as Irek rejoined the meeting.

With the Eye of Palpatine arriving, Irek overloaded the central servomotors controlling the landing silos to prevent those on Belsavis from leaving before witnessing the battlemoon's power. However, when the weapon came within range, Irek could not control it, despite knowing its design. Unbeknownst to the Ismarens, Luke Skywalker had damaged the computer core, preventing Irek from accessing the systems. The Ismarens, believing Irek's earlier inability to control R2-D2 was related to his struggle with the Eye of Palpatine, summoned Organa Solo for interrogation. The Alderaanian princess revealed R2 had been rewired, leading Keldor and the Ismarens to deduce the battlemoon was damaged. With the landing silos shut down, they planned to commandeer Theala Vandron's shuttle to board the Eye of Palpatine and attempt repairs.

As the group prepared to leave Belsavis for the Eye of Palpatine, Organa Solo alerted Garonnin, one of the financial backers, of their departure. To prevent the man from revealing he lacked control of the weapon, Irek killed Garonnin with his lightsaber, cutting him in half. In the ensuing chaos, Organa Solo fled into the tunnels, pursued by Irek and Keldor. Organa Solo jumped into hanging vines, swinging above a deep pit to escape. Irek lunged after her, cutting the vines and catwalks above the chasm. In the pursuit, Keldor cut Organa Solo off, but Han Solo's intervention resulted in Keldor's death. Irek did not attempt to save Keldor and returned to his mother. Without Keldor's help, the Ismarens could not fix the Eye of Palpatine, abandoning their plans and supporters. Leaving the tunnels, Irek and his mother incapacitated the guards watching Lady Vandron's Tikiar starship and used it to leave Belsavis. Following their departure, the Eye of Palpatine arrived above Belsavis, ready to bombard the planet. However, Luke Skywalker and his student, Cray Mingla, activated the ship's self-destruct, causing it to explode before it could attack.

The Ismarens traveled to the Atravis sector, where Admiral Harrsk's troops were heavily concentrated. The New Republic's Admiral Ackbar gathered intelligence on their destination. To counteract Irek's electronic abilities, the Republic planned to modify starfighter and warship schematics to prevent sabotage and stop Harrsk from using the Ismarens against the New Republic. Those who had attended the Belsavis meeting were not charged, as they had only listened and not acted on the plan.

By 14 ABY, Roganda and Irek Ismaren had returned to Coruscant, acquiring Sith scrolls containing information on mechu-deru, which Irek's brain implant enhanced. These scrolls also held secrets of Belia Darzu, a Dark Lord from the Draggulch Period. They resided in a laboratory inside the Bluenek Section Pasarian Memorial Atmospheric Reclamation Complex Project on Coruscant. There, Roganda hired Cronal, a former Prophet of the Dark Side and Emperor's Hand, to continue Irek's training. Fearing detection, Roganda brought ysalamiri from Myrkr to mask their presence. Scientists placed Irek in suspended animation, and his mother had his body modified. Muscle mass and bone were added, and lightsaber blades were implanted in his wrists, elbows, and knees, with fail-safes to prevent self-injury. Activation of these lightsabers was hardwired to his subelectronic converter for greater control. However, during a lesson, Irek lost his temper and dueled Cronal. Though Irek's lightsaber skill was poor, records indicated Cronal was killed. However, Cronal escaped, using technobeasts, but not before stabbing Irek through the head with his lightsaber. Irek was brain-dead, but Roganda and her medical droids maintained his autonomic functions.

Over the years, his mother ordered medical droids to subject Irek to growth hormones and cybernetic stimulation, causing him to grow to three meters in height. Armor plates were installed, and cybernetics replaced missing portions of his brain, particularly those related to human memory. During this transformation, the droids were programmed to not record his presence, keeping the efforts to repair Irek hidden. Irek's subelectronic converter was augmented to stimulate his remaining brain, increasing his Force control. However, these efforts could not fully repair Irek, and he was unable to speak or remember his past. Desperate to revive him, Roganda created operational programming and prefabricated memories. Before this programming could be installed, Coruscant fell to the Yuuzhan Vong, and a groundquake caused ceiling rubble to drop on Irek's chamber, also killing one or more of the ysalamiri. Irek, with only his implant, instincts, combat programming, and motivations like killing Jedi and taking over Force nexuses, awoke and killed his mother, cutting her into pieces with his lightsabers. Irek escaped the laboratory and wandered Coruscant.

Upon his successful breakout, Irek detected a nearby nexus of Force energy and proceeded in that direction. His journey led him to an encounter with Yuuzhan Vong Warriors located in the Government district, whom he then proceeded to slaughter. During this violent episode, Irek became aware of the terror emanating from a Corellian individual named Yassat. Haunted by childhood tales of the malevolent entity known as Lord Nyax, Yassat was convinced that Irek, with his overwhelming dark side aura, was in fact the very same evil spirit. Irek gave chase to Yassat, but the Corellian managed to evade capture by leading Ismaren into the territory of a cannibalistic group headed by a man known as Skiffer. Skiffer's band launched an assault on Irek, but they suffered the same fate as the Yuuzhan Vong, being brutally cut down by Irek's lightsabers. Eventually, Irek arrived at a massive black wall, a remnant of the ancient Jedi Temple. This wall served as a barrier, protecting a concentrated source of Force energy. Despite his implanted lightsabers and considerable strength, Irek found himself unable to penetrate it. However, sensing the presence of a man named Ryuk nearby, Irek projected a mental image into Ryuk's mind, showing himself successfully breaching the wall, and commanded him to discover a means of cutting through it. Ryuk attempted to use a flame torch on the wall, but it proved ineffective. In response, Irek used telekinesis to violently slam Ryuk against the wall, resulting in his death.

Still determined to break through the barrier, Irek employed his powers to gather a large group of laborers. While this group managed to inflict some damage on the wall, their efforts were largely insufficient. However, one of the women working on the wall had a vision of a large construction droid smashing through the barrier. Irek then mentally commanded her to find such a droid. Irek's workers located a damaged construction droid amidst the ruins of a building and began the slow process of repairing it. Many of these workers, like Yassat, came to believe that Irek was actually the legendary Lord Nyax. Since Irek had no memory of his past or his true identity, he decided to embrace the name "Lord Nyax" as his own. As the repair work progressed, Nyax sensed a presence searching for him through the Force. He then set out to confront this individual, intending to dominate their will. However, his search led him instead to a Yuuzhan Vong war party commanded by Denua Ku, Raglath Nur, and Viqi Shesh. Accompanying the Yuuzhan Vong were voxyn, Force-sensitive creatures specifically bred to hunt Jedi. Nyax swiftly defeated this group, eliminating the voxyn first. However, Viqi Shesh managed to escape, and Nyax pursued her relentlessly, killing anyone who stood in his path. Shesh escaped by squeezing into a narrow shaft that Nyax was too large to enter, forcing him to abandon the chase.

As the repairs on the damaged construction droid continued, Nyax sought out those who were pursuing him. He discovered a taskforce led by Luke Skywalker. Nyax attempted to invade Skywalker's mind, trying to force the Jedi Master to commit suicide by jumping to his death, but he failed. Furthermore, Denua Ku, who had also escaped, returned with Viqi Shesh, approximately two dozen warriors, and another voxyn, all intent on killing Lord Nyax. Shortly after his enslaved workers completed the repairs on the construction droid, the Yuuzhan Vong launched their attack. Under the mental control of Lord Nyax, the unarmed slaves attempted to overwhelm the warriors, but they were quickly cut down by Denua Ku's forces. However, this diversion allowed Nyax to bisect their voxyn and prevented the Yuuzhan Vong from surrounding him. In the resulting battle, Nyax deflected their razor bugs and thud bugs, using his implanted lightsabers to cut through their ranks. However, the Yuuzhan Vong were reinforced by Luke Skywalker and his fellow Jedi, Tahiri Veila, and his wife, Mara Jade Skywalker.

Working in concert, the Yuuzhan Vong and the Jedi forced Nyax into retreat. He then activated the construction droid, causing widespread destruction within the complex where they were fighting. Denua Ku and his warriors perished in the collapse, allowing Nyax to escape. As the droid advanced toward the black wall, Nyax led the Jedi on a chase, attempting to prevent them from deactivating the droid before it reached the ruins of the Jedi Temple. Yuuzhan Vong warriors who spotted the construction droid rushed to destroy it, but Nyax commanded his slaves to defend it. As the battle intensified, the construction droid reached the black wall and began to smash through it. Nyax was forced to re-engage the Jedi when they arrived at the wall, preventing them from stopping the droid. Just as the Jedi gained the upper hand, the construction droid broke through the wall, releasing the energy contained within.

With the wall breached, Nyax tapped into the Force wellspring to amplify his own power. He released his enslaved workers from his control and used the Force to levitate himself above the Force nexus, absorbing its energy. Yuuzhan Vong coralskippers, drawn to the commotion, attacked Nyax, but he crushed them with massive pieces of debris. The Jedi continued their assault, also drawing upon the Force wellspring to enhance their abilities. While the two Skywalkers kept Nyax occupied, Veila surprised him with a trio of thud bugs, which he was unable to detect through the Force, shattering his lower back. Nyax fell into a pit within the ruined Jedi Temple platform, where he lay wounded. He managed to connect with the Force nexus beneath the Temple. Sensing the approach of two Yuuzhan Vong mataloks, and assuming that the Jedi had sought refuge aboard the alien ships, he hurled tons of debris into the air in an attempt to bring them down. The cruisers responded with a plasma cannon barrage, and after a brief surge of pain, Nyax's influence on nearby beings appeared to diminish. Nevertheless, columns of rubble continued to erupt from the Temple ruins, targeting the Yuuzhan Vong capital ships, resulting in a bizarre aerial duel over Coruscant.

Observing these events, Luke Skywalker sensed that Nyax had perished in the initial bombardment, and that only his final intention to destroy the mataloks remained, imprinted on the surroundings and guiding the Force energy from the nexus. However, later reports indicated that Nyax had, in fact, survived and escaped.

Irek Ismaren was a youthful, slender man, possessing aristocratic features, most noticeably a prominent nose. His physical description included curly black hair, inherited from his mother, that reached his shoulders, and eyes that were a sea-blue hue. His skin had a slight golden tone, however, spending most of his life in the underground city of Plett's Well and a subterranean laboratory on Coruscant left his skin pale due to a lack of sunlight. Irek possessed advanced technological knowledge due to his training, and by the age of thirteen, he had the knowledge to earn several scientific degrees. He was also fluent in Binary, both written and spoken. His transformation into a cyborg caused him to no longer be slender, but instead, he developed increased muscle mass and height through growth hormones and cybernetic enhancements. Armor plates were surgically implanted in his torso, elbows, knees, and head, but his curly black hair remained, allowing him to still be recognized. Furthermore, his aging was suspended due to being kept in suspended animation during his transformation, and even though he was around thirty years of age in 27 ABY, he had the physical appearance of a younger man.

While he was on Belsavis, Irek favored simple and conservative clothing. He exuded confidence and a sense of superiority. The subelectronic converter that was implanted in him gave Irek an intense sense of focus, almost to the point of obsession, and he had a very high opinion of himself. Irek also experimented with the drug yarrock, believing it would enhance his focus and Force abilities, despite its addictive nature. Irek was able to charm those he wanted to influence, using good manners and tact to gain their support. He also acted as a dutiful son, obeying his mother in the presence of others. However, Irek possessed a rebellious and petulant nature. His drug use was partly to defy his mother, and he would use his abilities to control droids for cruel pranks, forcing them to do things for his own amusement. This childish arrogance ultimately led to him being severely injured by Lord Cronal, after losing his temper during a lesson with the Dark Jedi and foolishly engaging him in a duel.

After Irek suffered brain death, he lost his former identity and personality. In addition to the armor plates, he wore a faded kilt-like garment around his waist. His hands were covered with fingerless gloves, and his body was adorned with various shiny objects. The extensive damage to his brain left him with very little humanity, driven only by a need for power and control over others. When Luke Skywalker confronted him, he tried to connect with the person Irek had been, but found no trace of him. However, some of his dark nature remained, as he enjoyed slaughtering Yuuzhan Vong and was excited by the prospect of conquering Coruscant and bending the minds of its inhabitants to his will.

Irek possessed exceptional Force talent, a prodigy with abilities far exceeding what his age would suggest. He had a unique control over machines, granted by a subelectronic converter implanted in his brain that allowed him to use mind tricks on droids. However, his control depended on memorizing the schematics of the devices he was trying to manipulate. This created a weakness in his ability; if the schematics were altered even slightly, he lost control of the object. He was skilled in telekinesis, capable of choking individuals through the Force. He used this ability on Leia Organa Solo while simultaneously dueling her; Organa Solo barely managed to resist the choke hold with her own Force strength. He could also influence minds, inducing fatigue in his targets. He had some talent with a lightsaber, but his technique was poor and unconventional. Instead of using a two-handed grip, he wielded it with one hand, in the manner of an aristocratic duelist.

As Lord Nyax, Irek lost his previous training and was left with only raw, uncontrolled power. His augmentations granted him immense physical strength, having been medically enhanced to grow far beyond normal human size. Eight lightsabers were surgically implanted into his body, along with sub-dermal armor pads, and he wielded them instinctively, slashing wildly at his enemies. His subelectronic converter was modified to stimulate parts of his brain and grant him greater mastery over the Force. As a result, his telekinetic powers and mind control abilities increased dramatically. Unable to speak, he communicated by projecting images into the minds of sentient beings. With this ability, he could compel individuals to work for him, forcing them into servitude against their will. His incredible power made him a beacon in the Force, easily detectable by those with Force-sensitivity. His desire for dominance and power caused his abilities to be rooted in the dark side of the Force, influencing those who reached out to him with dark energy. After accessing the wellspring of Force energy beneath the Jedi Temple, Irek's abilities increased even further. He could use the Force to levitate and effortlessly lift large columns of debris. He also became powerful enough to almost convince trained Jedi to obey his commands. Upon his defeat, he projected his will and anger into the area around his dying body, guiding telekinetic attacks even after succumbing to his injuries. Despite this, Nyax managed to survive, escaping from the pit he had fallen into.

Barbara Hambly created Irek Ismaren as an antagonist in the 1995 novel, Children of the Jedi. The story suggests that Irek is the son of Emperor Palpatine and his concubine, Roganda Ismaren. However, Leia Organa expresses doubts about this parentage. This backstory was mentioned in The Essential Guide to Characters, referring to Irek as the "possible heir of Palpatine." Irek's true parentage was later revealed in the Star Wars Gamer 5 article, The Emperor's Pawns, which identified Sarcev Quest, a member of Palpatine's court, as Irek's true father. In 2002, Irek reappeared in another novel, The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand by Aaron Allston. This story featured Irek prominently and explained that he had been severely injured after The Children of the Jedi and transformed into a cybernetic monster. The protagonists in the novel defeated the character, and they felt Irek die, but did not witness his death. However, Lord Nyax's entry in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia states that "a concerted effort to disable him using rocks and boulders proved effective enough to crush him to death." Despite this, the 2009 role-playing book, Jedi Academy Training Manual, claimed that Irek survived the attack on Coruscant and escaped.

According to Barbara Hambly, Children of the Jedi was originally set in 11 ABY. This date is implied in the novel, which states that Yoda died "about seven years ago." However, The Essential Chronology, and later, The Essential Reader's Companion moved the novel to 12 ABY. This timeline adjustment allowed the defeat of the Eye of Palpatine, which occurred "thirty years ago," to take place after the events of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, which was set in 19 BBY. However, this change affected Irek's backstory and some of the ages mentioned in Children of the Jedi. In the novel, Leia states that Irek is "fourteen or fifteen years old," and The Essential Guide to Characters definitively states that Irek was fourteen at the time of Children of the Jedi. Moving the novel to 12 ABY has made some of these dates inaccurate.

In the Jedi Academy Training Manual, the entry on Irek Ismaren states that Irek and his mother escaped into the jungles of Belsavis after the destruction of the Eye of Palpatine and later booked passage to Coruscant from Belsavis. This directly contradicts Children of the Jedi, which depicts the Ismarens commandeering a ship and escaping into the Atravis system. The image of the cyborg Irek in the Jedi Academy Training Manual does not perfectly align with the description in Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand. The novel describes Irek wearing a kilt-like garment and minimal armor on his head, torso, elbows, and knees, described as an "inadequate set of armor." However, the illustration shows Irek in full body armor, which conceals the top of his head, despite the novel describing his hair. Despite this, the illustration shows lightsabers protruding from his elbows, forearms, wrists, and knees, the same orientations described in Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand.