Kharys, originating from the planet Skye, was a female S'kytri. During the Clone Wars, this Force-sensitive individual encountered Anakin Skywalker. Skywalker, after rescuing her planet from annihilation, pledged to instruct her in the ways of the Force once the conflict concluded. With the Separatist threat eliminated and Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader complete, he honored his commitment, returning to Skye to take Kharys as his apprentice, albeit not as a Jedi. He imparted upon her the skills of lightsaber combat and the ability to harness the dark side of the Force, leading Kharys to become a Dark Jedi and a loyal servant of the Galactic Empire.
Upon her return to her home world, Kharys assumed the mantle of Majestrix of Skye, becoming a tyrannical governor who subjected her own people to oppression. Known as the tyrant of Skye, the S'kytri yearned for the arrival of "The One" who would liberate them from Imperial dominion and defeat her. The prophecy was fulfilled shortly after the Battle of Yavin, when Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader's son, arrived to confront the Majestrix. Equipped with an anti-gravity belt, Skywalker engaged Kharys in a mid-air battle above her stronghold, ultimately killing her and liberating Skye from her oppressive reign.
Kharys came into existence on the planet Skye two years prior to the Invasion of Naboo. As with most female S'kytri, Kharys possessed light green skin. Skye had a history of near constant war between clans, but by Kharys's birth, the S'kytri, calling themselves the Windborn, had embraced reason and sensibility. The S'kytri had put aside constant fighting, and created a relatively peaceful world. However, this made Skye a tempting target for conquest, and during the Clone Wars, the planet faced a threat from Zeta Magnus, a genetic terrorist.
Thirteen-year-old Kharys witnessed General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Halagad Ventor, three Jedi warriors, rescued the planet from destruction. Klarymére, the clan's Patriarch, pledged eternal friendship and loyalty to the Jedi in return. Although most S'kytri were prejudiced against "walkers," their derogatory term for the wingless, Kharys became fascinated by Skywalker and his incredible the Force talent. Skywalker sensed her Force potential during an interaction. Skywalker tried to persuade Kenobi to take Kharys for training, but Kenobi and Ventor thought she was too old. Before he left, Skywalker promised Kharys he would find a way for her to be trained.
Years later, after the Clone Wars and Skywalker's transformation into the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, Skywalker returned to Skye to keep his promise. Wearing a dark mask and armor, and no longer using his old name, the S'kytri weren't sure which Jedi he was. But when Vader came to Kharys's home to take her as his pupil, she knew Skywalker had come to fulfill his promise.
Vader trained Kharys in the Force, including lightsaber combat. The Dark Lord taught Kharys the dangerous technique of summoning Smoke Demons, and the combat form of Vaapad. Kharys adapted the lightsaber form into a new style incorporating S'kytri aerial dueling techniques. Called Trispzest, the S'kytric word for heart palpitation, this aerial fighting style tried to execute sai cha, or decapitation. With Vader as her master, Kharys became an accomplished Dark Jedi, succumbing to the dark side of the Force.
After her training, Kharys and Vader went back to Skye, where the Dark Lord made the S'kytri swear an oath to serve the new Galactic Empire. Kharys, given the Imperial title of Majestrix, went back to her world with a battalion of stormtroopers and starships as the S'kytri's new leader, replacing the Patriarch. The Imperials built an aerie-fortress on top of Canaitith Mountain, where Kharys centralized her rule. Under Kharys, Skye became a restricted world closed to outsiders. The current Patriarch, Aragh, kept his title and some duties, but Kharys had the governing power and final say. Eventually, all power was stripped from the clan elders, leaving the S'kytri unable to unite against their tyrant. Coupled with the oath they had pledged to Vader, the Windborn couldn't stop her. However, a prophecy about "The One" spread among the S'kytri, foretelling the arrival of someone who would free the planet from Imperial control and defeat Kharys.
After the Battle of Ylesia, during Kharys's rule, a group of Corellian smugglers entered the restricted world hoping to make quick money. But Kharys and her forces captured the twenty men and women, including Han Solo and Katya M'Buele. Kharys sadistically released the prisoners onto the plains of Skye and led a strike team to systematically hunt them down. Only Solo and M'Buele escaped. Kharys was happy with the hunt, but didn't forget the two after they fled offworld. Solo and M'Buele didn't forget the tyrant, with Solo saying he always expected Kharys to be there.
About a year later, after the Battle of Yavin, Kharys was at the Great Fair on Tirahnn with an escort of Catuman warriors. While looking around the bazaar, Kharys saw Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker, Rebel heroes, among the shoppers. Recognizing them as Han Solo's friends, the Majestrix planned to get them to lead her to the smuggler. Kharys deliberately bumped into Organa, dropping her money pouch. As Skywalker tried to return it, Kharys accused them of thievery, ordering her Catuman warriors to kill the Humans.
Kharys's escorts were killed by the Rebels, but her plan worked. Organa and Skywalker led the Majestrix to Solo, who put the Rebels in contact with Katya M'Buele. Later that night, after tracking the group back to the Millennium Falcon, Kharys summoned a Smoke Demon, ordering it to attack the two Corellians. Solo was away, and the creature only found M'Buele. The Smoke Demon eliminated the smuggler, but Skywalker noticed and killed the beast.
After discovering M'Buele's death and realizing Kharys was close behind, Solo decided to confront the Majestrix on her planet. Kharys predicted Solo's move, and a squadron of TIE fighters waited for the Millennium Falcon at Skye. Kharys's forces brought down the freighter, but Skywalker and Organa escaped in a Falcon lifepod.
While Organa and Skywalker escaped to the planet's surface, the Millennium Falcon was taken intact to the Majestrix's fortress. Kharys removed Solo and Chewbacca from their ship, restraining them with heavy chains and a force field around the enraged Wookiee. Kharys tortured Solo with an interrogation droid to find his companions. The Majestrix knew Vader wanted the Rebel heroes, but she wanted to know if the rumors about Skywalker being "The One" were true. While Kharys interrogated Solo, Skywalker and Organa, wearing anti-gravity belts and disguised as S'kytri, infiltrated the fortress, cutting down Kharys's stormtroopers with blaster fire.
Organa confronted the Majestrix in the interrogation room to free Solo. Kharys's Catuman warriors moved to subdue the princess. In the struggle, the Catuman warriors were killed and Chewbacca and Han Solo were freed. Kharys escaped to confront Skywalker, who was fighting outside, using his anti-grav belt to soar over his opposition. Seeing the stormtroopers falling to the assault, Kharys used throwing stars to disarm Skywalker of his blaster.
Before attacking, the Dark Jedi saw Aragh and the clan leaders watching the battlefield, confirming the S'kytri believed Skywalker was "The One." Distressed over the possibility, Kharys leapt into battle, and the two dueled in midair. The duelists seemed evenly matched until Kharys used the Force to dull Skywalker's senses, freezing him. Shrieking a battle cry, Kharys dived towards him, ready to kill. Skywalker came out of his frozen state and parried the blow, killing the Majestrix. Kharys's lifeless body fell to the ground, signaling the S'kytri prophecy's confirmation.
After Kharys's death, the winged clans descended on the remaining Imperials and destroyed them. With the prophecy fulfilled, all power was returned to the Supreme Council of the Highland Clans, and Aragh was reinstated as Patriarch. The Windborn swore resistance to any Imperials who returned.
The aerial lightsaber form Kharys developed was mastered by the Rishii Zulirian Swordmistress Nazish. The only other person to learn Trispzest was the Boltrunian Maw, who learned the combat style after being bisected by the Jedi Qu Rahn and used a repulsorlift carriage to fly. Maw was killed by Kyle Katarn, leaving Trispzest's future uncertain.
During the Clone Wars, Kharys was a romantic, falling for a "walker." After being trained by Darth Vader, she became a sadistic creature. She enjoyed causing pain and had no trouble turning against and enslaving her people. Kharys usually ordered her subordinates to kill instead of capture, but she used torture to get information from prisoners. Kharys also enjoyed playing games, hunting prisoners across Skye and executing them.
Kharys was impatient with subordinates, cursing those she thought were incompetent. Seeing her stormtroopers unable to subdue the Rebels, she became infuriated and jumped to the forefront. Kharys was overconfident, believing herself infallible, which led to her death in her duel with Luke Skywalker.
After training with Vader, Kharys was talented at difficult Force techniques. The most dangerous was summoning life-draining Smoke Demons using the ancient Sith power Dwomutsiqsa, which were nearly invincible, including invulnerability to blaster bolts. The Majestrix was also proficient with the lightsaber, developing aerial lightsaber combat called Trispzest, which adapted Form VII lightsaber combat Juyo with S'kytri aerial dueling techniques. Kharys was also adept at using throwing stars, which she used in her duel with Luke Skywalker.
Chris Claremont created Kharys for the Marvel Comics Star Wars Annual (1977) 1. After her death in that comic, Kharys wasn't mentioned until Joseph Bongiorno and Rich Handley's The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life: The Marvel Series, which mentioned Kharys and expanded on the S'kytri. Abel G. Peña mentioned Kharys in The Dark Forces Saga, explaining she developed the aerial lightsaber combat of Trispzest. Peña and Handley referenced Kharys again during their 2007 article, Aliens in the Empire. This article expanded Kharys's early life but said she could summon Force Demons instead of Smoke Demons, which is considered an error for this article. Kharys was also supposed to appear in Peña's Vader's Legacy, detailing her relationship with the Dark Lord, but Lucasfilm canceled the article.