Ghal Tarpfen

Biography

Life on Mon Cala

Born to Rhal and Gera on the planet of [Mon Cala](/article/mon_cala], Ghal Tarpfen was a Mon Calamari female originating from a family of modest means. As a child, she found joy in observing the debris from wealthier families drifting past her home; this once included a disturbing dead jara fish. Her mother would often sing her a lullaby. Tarpfen enlisted in the Mon Calamari Guard, eventually attaining the rank of Captain Third Class. During this period, she encountered Shenrick, a member of the royal family and the third son of the current ruler. They became lovers, keeping their relationship a secret due to societal norms on Mon Cala. During their affair, Tarpfen and Shenrick enjoyed a holodrama about a Mon Calamari guard who eloped with a princess, seeing it as a reflection of their own story.

Following a tragedy that resulted in the deaths of his predecessor and older siblings, Shenrick unexpectedly ascended to the throne as King of Mon Cala. With his new duties, he abruptly rejected Tarpfen, dismissing her from the crown's service without explanation after summoning her for an audience; he falsely claimed that Tarpfen had requested the dismissal. To avoid witnessing him marry another, Tarpfen chose to leave the planet, but both kept their past relationship secret, as its revelation could have damaged both Shenrick and Tarpfen's families.

Head of Security

By 232 BBY, Tarpfen had become the Head of Security at the Galactic Republic's Starlight Beacon space station. She arrived at the same time as Administrator Velko Jahen; upon meeting Jahen, she was introduced to the Soikan by Jedi Master Estala Maru, who had been discussing security protocol improvements that piqued Tarpfen's interest. Maru planned to share his recommendations with Chief Tarpfen, anticipating a discussion lasting an hour or two.

Ignoring Jahen, Tarpfen addressed Controller Rodor Keen, her superior at Starlight Beacon, informing the human about an issue with patients injured during the Great Hyperspace Disaster, as individuals from conflicting territories were being treated in the same location. Tarpfen worried about potential conflicts when they regained consciousness. Maru responded instead of Keen, sarcastically reminding them that the Disaster had disregarded politics. Keen then departed, followed by Maru and his droid, KC-78, with Maru expressing his anticipation for their conversation with Tarpfen. He then wished the Force to be with the Mon Calamari, who agreed that she would need it.

Turning to Jahen, Tarpfen gave her a cool look despite Jahen's smile. She inquired if the administrator had served as a soldier, given her Soikan heritage, which Jahen confirmed. Familiar with the Soikan conflict, Tarpfen assumed she was part of the Livtak Union due to her skin [coloring](/article/color], but Jahen had actually been part of the Gagic Alliance, as her father was Livtak and her mother Gagic. Tarpfen guessed that this must have been difficult, but Jahen explained that her father had defected upon learning of Livtak's plans. Tarpfen then directed her to assist in a nearby room.

Assassination attempt

The Medoslean

Upon arriving, Jahen was instructed to act as a bodyguard for Ambassador Ceeril of Rion, which was unexpected. While trying to understand the situation, she heard a disturbance in the ward, where a Medoslean was reacting negatively to her treatment, attempting to strangle Nurse Okana and Doctor Gino'le. Tarpfen drew her blaster, preparing to fire, but Gino'le explained that the Medoslean was unable to control herself due to the reaction. Jahen spotted a hypo on the floor that could sedate the patient. Tarpfen tried to retrieve it but failed when a tentacle struck her head, causing her to collapse.

Jahen managed to grab the injector and administer it to the patient, causing the Medoslean to release her grip on the doctors. Jahen then checked on the Mon Cal, who needed support to remain steady. She praised the Soikan for her actions. Doctor Gino'le diagnosed Tarpfen with a level nine concussion, recommending time in the rejuvenator. Tarpfen insisted she was needed and couldn't take a break. Jahen offered to oversee things, thanking her for the assignment with Ambassador Ceeril. Tarpfen smiled, but a scream interrupted them, revealing Ceeril's bodyguard droid on the floor and Ceeril motionless on his bed with a blaster burn.

Evidence gathering

A group of Jedi, including Avar Kriss, Nib Assek, Estala Maru, and Burryaga Agaburry, along with Controller Keen, arrived at the scene. When Maru inquired about the ambassador's droid, Tarpfen explained that its head had been cleanly severed, pointing out the shrapnel from its processors embedded in the wall. The group reviewed security footage, which revealed little due to static just before the [assassination](/article/assassin] attempt. Assek asked for clarification, and Tarpfen recounted the Medoslean's loss of control and attack on staff. She noted that Jahen's intervention prevented a worse outcome, surprising Keen, who reminded them of the many survivors being treated on Starlight Beacon.

Ceeril then arrived, having survived. The ambassador immediately blamed his rivals, the Hassarian species, for the attack. Despite skepticism from some Jedi, Kriss requested to see the two Hassarians on board Starlight; Tarpfen complied. Jahen was disappointed to miss the action, as she was tasked with writing a report for the Galactic Senate, but she and Maru gathered more evidence, leading Tarpfen to suspect that Ceeril had staged the "assassination attempt" to frame the Hassarians.

Declared guilty

While Jahen researched, Tarpfen endured Ceeril's demands for justice against the Hassarians. Jahen entered, announcing that the threat had passed and the culprit was dead, presenting the bodyguard droid's severed head. Ceeril feigned confusion, as did Tarpfen, who reminded Jahen that the head was evidence. Jahen explained that the bodyguard was the true attacker, detonating due to detonite planted inside its head.

Tarpfen was surprised by the detonite's location, but before further discussion, Ceeril tried to grab Tarpfen's blaster. The Mon Calamari firmly grasped the ambassador's tongue, releasing it upon the arrival of Keen, Kriss, and Maru, who inquired about the situation. Tarpfen explained Ceeril's attempt to disarm her, with Jahen adding that his assassination was faked. Jahen reiterated Ceeril's actions, and Tarpfen added that the Hassarian DNA was the kind left behind when planting false evidence.

Jahen also held up a blaster gas canister, which Tarpfen noted was too weak to kill someone, though Jahen sensed the Mon Cal's willingness to finish the job. Ceeril protested, but Kriss believed Jahen, and Maru agreed that the evidence was compelling. He mentioned sending the evidence to the Republic security service on Coruscant, amusingly prompting Tarpfen to ask if that was her job. She offered Jahen the honor of detaining the ambassador, but Jahen declined, citing Tarpfen's role as Head of Security.

Flowery fighting

The scientists arrive…

In 231 BBY, during the annual meeting of the Galactic Agricultural Alliance, Tarpfen monitored several monitors displaying various views of Starlight Beacon. The rapidly scrolling images made Jahen dizzy. She joked about Tarpfen's ability to track everything, but the Mon Cal remained silent, sipping a green drink. After a pause, she asked if Jahen was checking on her, as the Agricultural Alliance had only been smelling flowers, in her opinion.

She noted that the flowers were blooming per Jahen's request, for which Jahen said she would thank the gardener Castor. Then, one of the screens pinged; Tarpfen explained that a camera droids had flagged an infraction, recognizing thousands of aggression responses. They saw an Ithorian and Amani fighting on the screen. Tarpfen followed Jahen, running to the scene.

…and subsequently brawl

The two raced down the hall to an elevator, using it for rapid transport. Jahen wondered if they would arrive before anyone was hurt; Tarpfen hoped so. Upon exiting the elevator, they found the Ithorian and Amani engaged in full conflict, hissing and clicking before a crowd. Without hesitation, Tarpfen stunned them with her blaster, shocking Jahen. Despite Tarpfen's explanation that it was a stun shot, Jahen felt it unwise to shoot guests. The crowd dispersed, and Tarpfen rhetorically asked Jahen if it was better to let them turn each other into protein paste.

A Siniteen named Sh'nar Qwasba arrived, demanding to know why her colleagues were shot. Tarpfen tried to explain that the scientists were fighting, but Jahen interjected, introducing herself. Qwasba did the same, saying she heard of the brawl. Jahen confirmed, adding that the subdued instigators were to be taken to a medcenter. Tarpfen promised they would be detained for violating Starlight Beacon's zero-tolerance policy. Qwasba, like Jahen, felt shooting civilians was extreme, but Tarpfen maintained it was the best choice.

Qwasba questioned if security droids could have handled it. Tarpfen argued that such droids often fail to assess such situations and that a stun blast was best. Tarpfen and Jahen received emergency updates from Estala Maru about a riot in the dining facility. Tarpfen ran toward the facility, with Jahen following.

More brawling

Tarpfen burst into the dining facility, followed by Jahen. They found scientists of all species fighting. Tarpfen drily asked Jahen if she still felt shooting guests was rude, with Jahen realizing it was an efficient way to calm the chaos. She told the Head of Security it was their best option. Several Jedi arrived, offering assistance. Jahen accepted, asking for the scientists to be restrained without harm. The presence of the Jedi paused the fight briefly, but it resumed, with the Jedi trying to calm the combatants.

Tarpfen felt it was too late to prevent all injuries, but she told the Jedi she could handle it, calling over the security droid Ateseven. At Tarpfen's instructions, the droid deployed non-lethal crowd suppression. Tarpfen also had the air filtration cut off, and she motioned for the group at the doorway to step aside from so as not to be suppressed by the foam. The doors closed, and after some time, they reopened to reveal close to a hundred scientists sound asleep.

Dealing with the aftermath

After the Jedi left, Jahen sighed and told Tarpfen that all the brawlers needed examination, as they acted uncivilized. Sarcastically, Tarpfen asked if it was an argument over irrigating khema; Jahen responded that it was vital to find out before anyone was killed.

However, Doctor Gino'le reported that all readings were normal. Tarpfen questioned the report, finding it odd. She suspected a toxin, but the med teams found nothing. Gino'le theorized that if they were exposed to something, it would have been an organism that broke down quickly. However, she was unsure, frustrating Tarpfen. The original two fighters woke up, allowing Tarpfen and Jahen to question them. They split up, with Tarpfen taking the Amani and Jahen the Ithorian.

After the interviews, they met in the medcenter lobby, where Tarpfen sighed, feeling it was a waste of time. Jahen was unsure, asking if the Ithorian remembered anything but visiting the gardens. Tarpfen shook her head, skeptical that a simple plant could cause the trouble. Jahen spoke of a young girl she saw the day before, Avon Starros, who brought in the plant. They found the plant after walking through three gardens, finding it wrapped around other trees and greenery.

A menace revealed

Tarpfen then asked if Jahen had fallen behind on her fitness; the Soikan defended that she had been busy. Tarpfen studied the vines, noting their extensive growth. Jahen agreed, adding that it could have been the murderous Drengir if not for the fact that they had not been eaten in the minutes since they had arrived. Jahen went closer, and Tarpfen warned her to be careful. The smell caused her to hallucinate, making her think she was back on Soika, fighting in battle.

Tarpfen tried to suppress Jahen, who was attacking anyone, unaware she was on Starlight Beacon. She punched Tarpfen and was thrown against a column, knocking her out of the hallucination. Tarpfen stood nearby, checking her jaw. She was impressed with Jahen's punching. Professor Glenna Kip arrived, the scientist behind the hybrid plant. She explained that the plant was a johto flower, spliced with a strain of the Drengir. Jahen and Tarpfen were enraged. Kip tried to explain the positive traits, but she was unconvinced, reminding the professor of the riot, who apologized. She then had Starros use salt to kill the flower.

Tarpfen then asked what would stop others from breeding Drengir with other crops, noting it would be worrisome if they seeded themselves. Kip dismissed his worries, explaining that the Drengir never seeded themselves. Jahen was unconvinced, but her headache left her unable to argue. Tarpfen offered to go for a drink with Jahen, notably one other than tarine tea. As they walked away, Tarpfen told the Soikan that she was interested to see her punch again, which made Jahen wince. She apologized, but Tarpfen declined, noting it was the first time she liked Jahen. In that year, Tarpfen was set to give an update on Nihil tactics during a briefing, but the briefing was interrupted due to an attack in the Galov system.

Just a fracas

In that same year, what Tarpfen termed a "fracas" occurred on Starlight Beacon; unable to deal with it due to processing Nihil prisoners, Tarpfen called in Jahen, instructing her to head to Hangar Bay Four. Though the Mon Cal was less behind than she was the day before, Jahen was in the next section and able to get there quicker. The Soikan agreed, but Jahen felt Tarpfen was now in her debt.

The "fracas" turned out to be a Vuman named Vane Sarpo, a former lover of Jahen. The two reconnected, but the Trandoshan Jedi Sskeer found evidence of him running Nihil weaponry. Tarpfen apprehended him and put him in handcuffs. Later, in 230 BBY, Jahen tried to apologize for the incident, but Tarpfen was over it.

Interrogation

title: Ghal Tarpfen

Back in 231 BBY, Tarpfen's duties included the questioning of "Prisoner Forty-Two," who was thought to be "Sal Krost" but was secretly the Twi'lek Tempest Runner Lourna Dee of the Nihil. The prisoner was escorted by a guard into a confined room, at which point Tarpfen invited the Nihil to be seated. Dee responded with a question, asking if the invitation was for her or the guard; Tarpfen dismissed the attitude, stating that they would proceed well without it. Dee was taken aback when the Mon Calamari dismissed the guard, but Tarpfen assured her that she was capable of handling the situation herself. Dee, observing her interrogator's posture, correctly inferred that she had previously served in the Mon Cala Royal Guard.

Tarpfen, paying no mind to Dee's comment, requested permission to record the interrogation, clarifying that she would proceed regardless but allowing the prisoner the opportunity to voice any objections. Dee voiced no issues, and Tarpfen commenced the recording, stating her own name and then confirming the Nihil's assumed identity as Sal Krost. She then started asking about Dee's involvement with the Nihil, even referring to Lourna Dee as if she were a separate Twi'lek individual. The conversation then shifted to the prisoner's teeth, which had been sharpened in a style typically associated with males. Dee mentioned that her current appearance was not always the case—she was different before joining the Nihil.

Tarpfen pressed on, guiding Dee to discuss her family. As the questioning continued, Dee accused Tarpfen of using a repetitive interrogation technique to feign concern; Tarpfen countered by stating that she was genuinely curious and that she sought the truth from her prisoner—specifically, the reason someone would forsake the galaxy for the Nihil. Dee rejected the premise, asserting her love for the galaxy and its wealth, leading Tarpfen to conclude that Dee's motivations were purely financial. The two continued to discuss Dee's history and her family background, which Dee found painful to revisit.

After some time, including brief questions from Tarpfen, Jahen contacted the chief to inform her that she was needed in the Hub, so the Mon Cal concluded the recording, instructed the guard—who had returned—to escort Dee back to her cell, and informed Dee of her sentence: Tarpfen gave her ten years on the correctional vessel Restitution. Dee expressed surprise at the length of the sentence, but Tarpfen wanted to give her a chance to rebuild her life and have a second chance—in the Republic's way. While Tarpfen questioned whether "Krost" deserved it, she was taking a chance on her. In that same year, Tarpfen shared intelligence with the Jedi High Council during a meeting on Starlight Beacon concerning Nihil activities in the Soola system, information that her team had intercepted in communications.

Dreams and shadows

Suspicious holos

By 230 BBY, Tarpfen and the space station's personnel faced a heavier workload, with numerous weeks involving Nihil prisoners and their processing. During this period, Tarpfen experienced a recurring dream that had become commonplace during her assignment on Starlight Beacon: she would relive the moment when Shenrick relieved her of her duties, back on Mon Cala. This occurred once while she was trying to finalize a report; she was only awakened by Velko Jahen calling her name. As it was the third time she had fallen asleep, Jahen suggested a break, which the Mon Cal quickly declined. Jahen had come to Tarpfen to notify her of the arrival of Vice President Hackrack Bep of the planet Dalna. Tarpfen suggested placing Bep in the same secure wing as Senator Ghirra Starros as a standard procedure, but Jahen mentioned a problem: the security system in corridor sixteen was displaying an error.

Tarpfen managed to fix the issue, restoring the cameras. After visiting the refresher and springs, she took a break, which forced her to confront Shenrick's eyes once more. She woke up earlier than expected but realized she would not be able to fall back asleep, so Tarpfen got up to see if Rodor Keen was available to discuss the camera error. He was unavailable, but Jahen was; the Soikan had an urgent code from the Republic that only Tarpfen could access.

The Mon Cal reluctantly accessed the holo, quickly understanding that it was not a typical Republic message: a masked human figure ordered Tarpfen to disable the camera systems in three corridors, threatening to reveal her secrets if she refused. The individual then let out a Nihil war cry through their low-signal connection and ended the transmission. The combination of Tarpfen's recent dreams about Shenrick; the fact that one of the mentioned corridors, number sixteen, already had a problem; and the message itself made her feel sick. The messaging encryption appeared to be authentic, leading Tarpfen to conclude that these Nihil had connections in high places. She also realized that the strange holos she had received in the past months, including Mon Calamari gossip sites, documentary clips, and the holodrama that she and Shenrick had enjoyed together, were part of a blackmail scheme targeting her.

Secrets upturned

The possibility of her past being exposed terrified Tarpfen, and she worried that her affair with Shenrick could damage both Shenrick and her own family on Mon Cala. Jahen brought the Mon Calamari a cup of her favorite kelp tea, asking her to check on Senator Starros, who had been repeatedly requesting assistance. With a sigh, Tarpfen agreed. At that moment, Jahen noticed something was wrong with her friend; although Tarpfen insisted she was fine, the fact that she had been blackmailed to compromise a senator's security made it clear that everything was not fine. Left with no choice, Tarpfen complied. She had an early meal with Jahen that morning.

Assigning a security droid to monitor the feeds, Tarpfen rushed to the senator's suite, only to find a door ajar. Now on high alert, Tarpfen entered cautiously, blaster drawn. She quickly saw a Theelin man—Vice President Bep—on the floor and heard her name spoken in broken Mon Calamari; a dark-skinned human, who looked familiar, lamented that Tarpfen should have listened to the Nihil. The Mon Cal tried to raise her blaster but was struck from behind. As she fell, she realized that the attacker was Senator Starros.

Suspected

Because the cameras near Bep's room had been disabled before the attack on him, there was no way to review the footage. The Nihil responsible for knocking the Mon Calamari unconscious had also removed her from Starlight Beacon, causing Tarpfen to become a prime suspect in the Bep assault. Master Estala Maru hoped to question Jahen about the security chief's disappearance, but the administrator had no new information—Tarpfen had only disappeared in the last hour. Jedi Knight Lyssa Votz suggested that Tarpfen might be involved with the Nihil, which concerned the others about the extent of the pirates' influence within the Republic.

When Bep was questioned about the incident, he stated that he did not remember his attacker and had never known Ghal Tarpfen. Three days later, there was still no word from Tarpfen. Jahen started to worry that her colleague was indeed a traitor to the Republic, but despite the overwhelming evidence, the Soikan had a strong feeling that Tarpfen was innocent.

Abducted

After her abduction, Tarpfen woke up tied to a chair on an unfamiliar ship. She estimated that about a day had passed since she was knocked out, and her body was sore, likely from knockout gas. Tarpfen tested her restraints but found them secure, deciding to conserve her energy. Some time later, an Aqualish woman entered the room, telling her that they would soon arrive at their destination in No Space. Tarpfen noticed the Aqualish's key fob and devised a plan, tricking her captor into believing that her Mon Calamari skin desperately needed water. The Nihil relented, but as she approached with a sprayer, Tarpfen delivered a powerful kick that knocked her unconscious before using her foot to tap the fob and unlock her restraints.

Now free, Tarpfen got up to get some water for herself, realizing that she was indeed thirsty. She ordered from the food unit—enough for both drinking and pouring over her head, as she did not trust the Aqualish's sprayer. After doing so, she left her prison to determine if there were any other Nihil on the ship. It appeared empty, and despite listening carefully, Tarpfen could not find anyone else onboard. She even checked various compartments but found nothing.

Ghal's noble end

Tarpfen eventually entered the craft's cockpit, where she found a Chagrian at the controls. She attempted to surprise the Chagrian but alerted her to her presence, allowing the Nihil to block Tarpfen's punch and retaliate with a blow to Tarpfen's midsection. The Chagrian was surprised that Tarpfen had escaped the ship's galley, and her next attempt to kick the Mon Calamari allowed Tarpfen to pin the Chagrian to the ground, kneeling on her chest and twisting her lethorns. She then recognized the Nihil: Jeni Wataro, an aide to Republic Senator Izzet Noor. Wataro laughed at the accusation, stating that she worked for whomever she pleased.

The ship then alerted the sparring pair of another craft nearby. Wataro laughed again—she explained the signal and guaranteed that it would not be a Republic vessel. Tarpfen subdued the Chagrian until she stopped resisting, dragging her and locking her out of the cockpit. The Mon Cal was at a piloting disadvantage: she had not flown in years, and the controls were not labeled in Basic. Cursing loudly as her hope faded, she then realized that the settings were locked, preventing her from gaining control. Her sense of helplessness grew when she saw three enemy ships approaching, and when the comm unit received an incoming transmission, she simply ignored it. She felt defeated.

After composing herself, Tarpfen realized that she could at least warn the Republic with the information she had gathered. She sent a voice message detailing which Republic individuals were compromised to as many channel frequencies as she could—mostly Republic but some Mon Calamari. She repeated the message several times until Wataro started banging on the cockpit doors, demanding that Tarpfen unlock the escape shuttles for her. When she refused, the Chagrian reminded her of their impending doom; Tarpfen countered by mentioning the deadly attack on the planet Valo, where she had family. The Mon Calamari leaned back and sang a lullaby from her childhood. Tarpfen thought that it was a better death than she had expected.

Reaction to the news

Tarpfen's message partially reached Starlight Beacon. Estala Maru received it and had Padawan Imri Cantaros alert Jahen so that she could listen. Maru played the recovered snippets of the recording and informed Jahen of his plans to investigate if more existed. Tarpfen's demise left a heavy feeling in the Soikan, who reflected that even far from Republic-controlled space, Tarpfen's last act was to send them a warning. Maru forwarded the message to Jahen and comforted her for her loss; the Soikan was lost in thought.

Jahen walked around Starlight, contemplating Tarpfen's warning and how the Mon Cal could have obtained the information in the first place. Her loss evoked many emotions, as Tarpfen had taught her more than she had realized. Jahen considered Tarpfen to be an ally—more than just a friend—and resolved to both uncover the details of Tarpfen's death and guide Starlight Beacon through the challenges ahead in the Mon Calamari's memory.

Spoke too soon

Plight and blight

However, Tarpfen did not die. She escaped the ship she had been kidnapped to via escape pod and drifted for several days until the Nihil found her again, imprisoning her in a prison transport. They attempted to torture her for information on the Republic Defense Coalition by depriving her of water until her skin bled, administering injections, and threatening to murder both Jahen and Tarpfen's family in ways Tarpfen found horrific. The Mon Cal refused to yield and revealed nothing.

A disease known as the blight spread through the prison ship, infecting Nihil commanders and prisoners alike. The Nihil received no aid from their organization, and most aboard the ship succumbed to the blight and died. Tarpfen, however, developed a hibernation shell as soon as it reached her, placing her in biostasis. In 228 BBY, a group of RDC members—Pikka and Joss Adren, Elping Tsoo, Visma Tarko, and protocol droid C-06N—discovered the ship in which Tarpfen was stranded, as they themselves had become stranded in the Nihil's Occlusion Zone. They boarded the ship in search of supplies and found a nearly lifeless Tarpfen—dry, immobile, but still breathing.

They brought her back to their own starship, the Aurora III, unsure of what to do without a medical droid. Tarpfen, barely conscious, mumbled a warning that they could not understand about the edge of the Occlusion Zone, known as the Stormwall. The Mon Calamari stopped breathing shortly after, and Tarko noticed that the gray pathogen only clung to Tarpfen's hands and feet, so without consulting the others, she began tearing the shell off of the former chief. Tarpfen soon started breathing again, and Tsoo and the Adrens helped Tarko remove the rest of the shell, carefully isolating the gray material for containment. To completely remove the blight, Tsoo had to amputate and cauterize some of Tarpfen's fingers and toes. As her vitals stabilized, she thanked her saviors and lost consciousness.

Saved by the RDC

Tarpfen awoke to find herself quarantined in an escape pod, still in pain but now free of the blight and hibernation shell, with a hydration mister rehydrating her skin. Tarko, via a monitor, asked for Tarpfen's name and rank with a stern expression, which turned to surprise when the Mon Cal addressed the Arkanian by his own name and rank. She reminded the lieutenant that she had been involved in approving her promotion, which Tarko did not recall. After drinking what she found to be a delicious canister of kelp hydration fluids, she asked how long they had been in the Occlusion Zone. Once Tarko answered and prepared several questions of her own, Tarpfen began to lecture her on protocol but then stopped herself, thanking the lieutenant for saving her life.

The Adrens and Tsoo then appeared on the monitor, and the former revealed to Tarpfen that snippets of her message regarding the Senate's corruption had reached Jahen. Tsoo inquired about the injured Mon Calamari's condition; Tarpfen thought about Shenrick, Jahen, and the now-dead prisoners she had been with on the Nihil ship before responding that she was relatively well. She then recounted the stories of how the blight had decimated the prison ship and how she had been kidnapped by the Nihil in the first place. Tsoo mentioned that they were headed to Valo, which alarmed Tarpfen, as she thought she had already warned them to avoid the Stormwall: she had overheard a plan about it from the Nihil on her prison ship.

The other RDC members quickly went to their communications decryptor to check for any Nihil activity. Initial silence calmed them briefly, but then laughter and shouting erupted, and alarms on the ship began to sound. Three Nihil ships emerged from hyperspace, but Pikka believed that they had not come for Tarpfen or them—rather, they were caught in the middle of something else.

Personality and traits

Tarpfen initially accepted a position with the Republic to avoid witnessing her former lover, Shenrick, marry someone else. While stationed on Starlight, Tarpfen repeatedly had the same dream, reliving her dismissal from the Mon Calamari Guard. The frequency of the dream disturbed Tarpfen, and reliving those events caused her pain, breaking her heart each time she dreamt them.

When Jahen first encountered the Mon Calamari, she thought that Tarpfen moved like a caged targon; she barely acknowledged Jahen, concentrating on her current task, although she was able to recognize Jahen's potential side on her homeworld's war based on her skin coloring. When she realized that Ceeril had staged his own assassination attempt, she looked so enraged that Jahen thought she might finish the job herself. When visiting scientists on Starlight Beacon were fighting, she did not hesitate to stun them; Jahen was surprised by this, feeling that any form of shooting guests was an unwise move. Tarpfen, however, prioritized preventing them from harming each other, and she defended her actions to one of the fighters' colleagues. Despite Jahen's perception that Tarpfen lacked a sense of humor, the Mon Cal often spoke sarcastically, joking about stunning brawling scientists and suggesting that they were simply arguing over the proper way to irrigate khema. The first time she found herself liking Jahen was when the Soikan punched Tarpfen while under the influence of the johto, which had greatly embarrassed Jahen.

Jahen and Tarpfen were both aware that the Mon Cal disliked saying "please." The pair's relationship strengthened as they continued to work together, although it was tested when Jahen's former lover Vane Sarpo attempted to smuggle weaponry onto Starlight Beacon. After Tarpfen was kidnapped, Jahen knew that she should not have expected the Mon Cal to share any personal feelings with her, and Rodor Keen considered Tarpfen to be competent—she would have known what she was doing. Tarpfen preferred to take her Nihil captors down with her rather than negotiate for her escape; her final actions before the ship they were on was destroyed were sending a message to as many channels as she could about her situation and singing her mother's lullaby. When Tarpfen awoke after being rescued from the blight, she initially reverted to strict protocol but then stopped herself and apologized, choosing instead to express gratitude. Once she had regained her composure, she thought about all that she wanted to tell Jahen that she worried she now never could. She had blue skin and yellow eyes and was 1.73 meters tall, or 5 feet and eight inches.

Skills and abilities

Tarpfen possessed muscular arms, capable of wresting a blaster from Ceeril's strong tongue. While monitoring security feeds, she could focus on multiple monitors simultaneously, which impressed Jahen. She was fluent in both Mon Calamari and Galactic Basic Standard, but she had not heard the former since leaving Mon Cala until Senator Starros used it before shooting her. When she was kidnapped, Tarpfen knocked an Aqualish unconscious to free herself, also subduing Jeni Wataro in the process. However, she was not skilled as a pilot.

Equipment

Tarpfen wore a dark blue uniform with a belt and gold-colored trim. She wore lighter blue pants with the same trim, as well as boots that matched the uniform's color. She carried a blaster.

Behind the scenes

Ghal Tarpfen was created for the Star Wars: The High Republic serialized fiction, initially appearing and being named in Cavan Scott's "Starlight: First Duty," the first installment of which was published in the 201st issue of the Star Wars Insider magazine on March 30, 2021. Before its release, she was indirectly referenced when Scott discussed the then-upcoming story during a High Republic live stream on January 4 of that year. Tarpfen was first illustrated in the following story, "Starlight: Hidden Danger," which was written by Justina Ireland, illustrated by Louie De Martinis, and published in Insider's 203rd issue on June 22, 2021. She remained a central character for the remainder of the Starlight Beacon–focused short stories for The High Republic.

"Starlight: Shadows Remain," written by Ireland and published in the 207th issue of Insider as the final entry in the Starlight short stories on December 14, 2021, depicts Tarpfen discovering Vice President Hackrack Bep shortly after he is attacked, while Senator Ghirra Starros and her accomplice are still present. Tarpfen is then abducted by the perpetrators. The High Republic: Mission to Disaster—a middle-grade novel also written by Ireland and published in 2022—in contrast, mentions that Tarpfen is working with Velko Jahen to find the culprit in the aftermath of Imri Cantaros' discovery of the crime scene before disappearing the day after the attack. This article uses the short story's version of the events where the two sources differ.

While the April 7, 2023 reference book Star Wars: Timelines claims that Tarpfen was killed while in Nihil captivity, the November 2023 reference book Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia does not mention her death and instead confirms that Tarpfen would appear in Phase III of Star Wars: The High Republic. She did indeed return in "Tales from the Occlusion Zone: Pathogen," an installment of the Tales from the Occlusion Zone series of High Republic short stories, written by Lydia Kang and published in the 225th issue of Insider on April 30, 2024.