Walon Vau

Walon Vau's origins lie within the aristocratic circles of Irmenu, a remote, feudal world dominated by oceans. The Count of Gesl, his father, was a controlling figure and a staunch religious follower. Vau endured severe beatings from his father during his youth, yet his emotional capacity wasn't entirely suppressed. As a young man, Vau aspired to join the Imperial Irmenu Navy, where his father held the rank of admiral, but his father deemed him unworthy. Subsequently, Vau fell in love with the princess from a neighboring province, but their union was opposed by both families. Their ill-fated rebellion against this prohibition attracted the attention of the Imperius priesthood, resulting in the princess's confinement in a convent and Vau's temporary banishment from Irmenu.

Like many displaced individuals, Vau became a member of the Mandalorians. This decision led to his disownment by his family, and the title of count and his inheritance were passed on to his cousin.

Vau oversaw the training of the commandos comprising Delta Squad, and he bestowed the name "Scorch" following an explosives incident that left both of them temporarily without eyebrows. He also suffered a broken arm during a combat training session with Boss. Walon exhibited extreme violence, even unleashing his pet strill, Lord Mirdalan, on a young Ordo. Furthermore, on Kamino, he permitted Mird to hunt, which resulted in the death of a "menial" and "genetically inferior" Kaminoan, thus solidifying Vau's negative perception of the Kaminoans, mirroring Skirata's sentiments.

Similar to Kal Skirata, he advocated for the clones he trained to be raised as Mandalorian warriors. However, his approach differed from Skirata's. Rather than treating the clones as his own sons, he instilled the Mando principles through rigorous discipline, often bordering on extreme violence, possibly influenced by his upbringing. To harden his clones, he frequently arranged fights between them, including melee combat and live-fire exercises. However, he offered them a choice: fight each other or fight him. Only one clone, Atin, accepted Vau's challenge. At the fight's conclusion, Atin required a month-long stay in a bacta tank. Vau believed that experiencing true pain was essential for his men to develop resilience. His goal was to create soldiers capable of overcoming any obstacle, including interrogation.

Vau personally supervised their training, refusing to delegate the demanding aspects to others to protect his conscience. He maintained that his brutal training methods were for the clones' benefit, not driven by sadistic tendencies.

Skirata and Vau often clashed over training methods. Following Vau's violent spar with Atin, Skirata nearly killed Vau, despite not knowing Atin. Skirata inflicted the broken nose that Vau would carry for the rest of his life. Despite appearances, Vau genuinely cared for the clones he trained. When Sev was reported MIA on Kashyyyk, Vau dedicated himself to finding the missing commando.

Vau's methods proved effective. A year into the Clone Wars, only three of the commandos he trained had been lost, compared to fourteen of Skirata's. He attributed the high casualty rate to the Galactic Republic, particularly the Jedi, for deploying commandos as infantry during the First Battle of Geonosis.

Upon completing his contract as a member of the Cuy'val Dar, Vau returned to civilian life. A year after Geonosis, Kal Skirata recruited him to dismantle the Confederacy of Independent Systems terrorist cells operating on Coruscant. He was enlisted due to his existing relationship with Skirata and his interrogation expertise. This mission reunited him with Atin. Despite Atin's vow to kill Vau, he continued to collaborate with him for the sake of the mission.

Near the mission's conclusion, Vau collaborated with Jedi Knight Etain Tur-Mukan to neutralize the terrorist leader, Perrive. Vau showcased his sniper skills by eliminating Perrive with a single shot, and then dispatched Lord Mirdalan to retrieve the body and the datapad they needed. Accompanied by Mird, they rejoined the main battle and were instrumental in neutralizing a fleeing terrorist.

Following the mission's success, Atin sought revenge. He attacked Vau, and their fight continued until Atin was poised to deliver the final blow. However, Jedi General Bardan Jusik intervened, separating the two men. The conflict between Vau and Atin appeared to be resolved, albeit with lingering tension.

Several months after the successful Coruscant mission, Vau joined Delta Squad on Mygeeto, assisting them in infiltrating the Dressian Kiolsh Merchant Bank. There, Vau reclaimed his family inheritance from the Vau family vault. To conceal the true motive, he also stole from other boxes, amassing over fifty-three million credits in stolen goods. During their escape, Vau fell into a crevasse and nearly succumbed to hypothermia. Skirata and Ordo eventually rescued him in Aay'han. All the acquired loot, except for his family inheritance, was given to Skirata to fund his research into slowing down the clones' accelerated aging.

Vau later joined Skirata and Ordo on Mandalore during the birth of Darman's son, Venku Skirata, to Etain. During this time, Vau and Null-10 agreed that upon Vau's death, Jaing would inherit Mird. Vau expressed his desire to entrust Mird to someone who would care for the strill, and Jaing volunteered.

After Etain returned with Delta and Omega Squad following a stalemate on Haurgab, Zey requested that Vau monitor Skirata, who was suspected of treason. Later, Vau privately informed Skirata about Zey's suspicions, assuring him that he would remain silent.

In the subsequent months, Vau played a vital role in Kal Skirata's efforts to liberate adopted members of Clan Skirata from the Republic army. He assisted Ordo in freeing Jilka Zan Zentis, Besany Wennen's close friend, from prison after Gurlanin spies framed her to divert suspicion from Besany.

Following the Battle of Coruscant and Order 66, Vau joined Skirata in his escape and defection mission, transporting numerous clones who had joined Clan Skirata to Kyrimorut on Mandalore. There, Vau continued to support Skirata in his efforts to combat the clones' accelerated aging.

Vau's unsuccessful attempt to locate Sev on Kashyyyk deeply troubled him. After the failed rescue mission, Vau returned to Kyrimorut to reside with the rest of Clan Skirata. He grew frustrated with Skirata's decision to allow Jedi to use the same escape route established for clones defecting from the Empire. While he acknowledged the potential benefits of the Kaminoan Jedi in finding a solution to the aging process, Vau disapproved of Scout and Arligan Zey, who had also been rescued. Their disagreement escalated, leading Vau to punch Skirata, who did not retaliate.

Vau was described as tall, gaunt, and athletic. He typically wore black armor unless the situation dictated otherwise. He was almost always accompanied by his pet strill, Lord Mirdalan, whom he affectionately called "Mird."

Vau rarely displayed overt emotions. Although he showed some empathy, he prevented it from influencing his training of the clone commandos. While he never explicitly stated his affection for the clones he trained, he exhibited signs of caring for them.

Generally, Vau showed limited concern for those around him. He possessed a patrician's charm when interacting with colleagues but generally kept conversations brief. He appeared comfortable and communicated easily with Skirata, suggesting a mutual trust between them.

He left minimal impression in the Force, much to the surprise of Jedi Etain Tur-Mukan and Arligan Zey. He could also deceive Jedi mind scans through careful wording and strict, almost unnatural, control over his emotional state. This control was evident in his behavior, only occasionally broken by displays of affection and attention toward Mird.