Ylenic It'kla

Born into the Kla clan of Caamas, Ylenic It'kla shared his early life with at least one sibling, specifically a sister. His ascension to the rank of Jedi, a rare achievement for a Caamasi, brought immense honor to his clan. Departing from Caamas, he had achieved the rank of Jedi Knight by 28 BBY. Throughout much of their lives, It'kla maintained a close bond with Nejaa Halcyon, a Corellian Jedi, even visiting Corellia at least once to serve as a mediator. As a dedicated pacifist, It'kla devoted a significant portion of his career to mediation and counseling, while also utilizing his piloting skills in service to the Jedi Order. Preferring negotiation and diplomacy, It'kla seldom resorted to using his lightsaber to resolve conflicts.

The outbreak of the Clone Wars occurred in 22 BBY with the Battle of Geonosis. Although he did not participate in the fighting on Geonosis, It'kla later expressed his willingness to have done so. Shortly thereafter, a scientist from the Techno Union named Ratri Tane sought asylum on Corellia for himself and his family. He carried with him stolen prototype technology, sabotaged to prevent its retrieval by the Separatists, as insurance for his family's protection. Upon learning of this, Nejaa Halcyon contacted It'kla to act as a liaison with the Jedi Council for a plan he was developing. Halcyon, It'kla, and Jedi Master Mace Windu decided to relocate Tane and his family from Corellia. Simultaneously, Halcyon would impersonate Tane, and Jedi would be dispatched to Corellia to divert Separatist agents and provoke them into targeting "Tane," thus providing the Jedi of Corellia, and potentially Corellia itself, with a reason to align with the Republic.

Windu selected Aayla Secura, a Jedi Knight, to accompany It'kla on the mission. Seven days after Geonosis, he summoned It'kla and Secura to the Jedi Temple to brief them. Secura was not fully informed of the plan; instead, she was told that their mission was to retrieve the real Tane. To minimize attention, It'kla and Secura departed Coruscant from a commercial spaceport aboard the smuggling vessel Flare, which carried supplies for Corellians and Republic expatriates. Upon landing in the city of Coronet, the two Jedi, disguised as traders, sold their goods while It'kla spread word that they were seeking passengers. Two buyers directed the Jedi to the Homestar cantina. Inside the cantina, Secura spotted Halcyon, believing him to be Tane, along with a pair of Gotals who possessed the ability to detect Force usage. As the two Jedi approached Tane, so did the Gotals. However, Lorfo, a Toydarian involved in It'kla's plan, created a distraction around Secura to draw the Gotals' attention. One Gotal opened fire on Secura, while the other pursued Halcyon. When Secura ignited her lightsaber, a number of other individuals revealed themselves, and a firefight erupted between them and the two Jedi. The conflict was soon interrupted by agents of the Corellian Security Force, who briefly questioned It'kla and Secura before allowing them to leave. By that time, Halcyon had already disappeared.

The Jedi possessed a tracking device intended to guide It'kla to the criminals' hideout, but it malfunctioned. Unable to locate Halcyon, It'kla was approached by Lorfo, who offered to lead them to Tane. At the warehouse where the criminal boss, Tendir Blue, was hiding, Lorfo alerted Blue to their presence, resulting in the Jedi being taken hostage. Halcyon was brought before them, with Blue aiming his blaster at him. Blue revealed that they had seized the sabotaged prototype technology Halcyon had been carrying and that the Separatists had provided them with battle droids, who also aimed their weapons at the Jedi. It'kla and Secura were disarmed. Meanwhile, Halcyon projected an image of his escape plan into Secura's mind. When the Gotals sensed the use of the Force, Blue shot Halcyon, who channeled the energy into an act of telekinesis and sent his own lightsaber flying into Secura's hand. As she dealt with the droids, Halcyon disabled the Gotals with the Force, and It'kla guarded the downed criminals. Finally, he revealed Halcyon's true identity and the full extent of the plan to Secura. She proposed an improvement: instead of implanting a memory in Blue's mind to convince him that the prototype was real, which Secura believed Dooku would uncover, she chased him off the planet, feigning vengeance for It'kla's supposed death. The plan succeeded, and Blue unknowingly returned to Dooku with the sabotaged technology.

With the Clone Wars underway, It'kla was assigned to protect the planet Alderaan, where he encountered Bail Organa, the Alderaanian Viceroy. Meanwhile, with the Sith having returned a decade prior, the Jedi Council tasked Nejaa Halcyon with investigating rumors surrounding them. It'kla, emphasizing the value of his negotiation skills, joined his friend, accompanied by another Jedi, a general known to It'kla as "Desertwind." After a month-long search, they discovered a looted archaeological site that led them to the world of Suarbi. The uncooperative locals of Suarbi, seemingly loyal to Sith cultists, hindered their investigation. Eventually, the three Jedi located an area on the moon Susevfi characterized by a void in the Force, rendering their powers ineffective. There, within an ancient arena beneath a duracrete dome, they encountered three "Sith"—actually Dark Jedi presumed lost during the conflict on Baltizaar. The Jedi attempted to dissuade the Dark Jedi from their path, but Nikkos Tyris, an Anzati and the leader of the Dark Jedi, initiated an attack. Each Jedi engaged a Dark Jedi in combat. It'kla's opponent managed to wound him in the flank with her lightsaber, but It'kla overcame her defenses and bisected her. Only then was he able to assess the progress of the other battles. Tyris, who had been fighting Halcyon, had disarmed him and was preparing to deliver the killing blow. It'kla attempted to return Halcyon's lightsaber to him, but as Halcyon reached for his weapon, Tyris impaled him. Mortally wounded, Halcyon absorbed enough of the lightsaber's energy to crush Tyris with the Force. The resulting explosion of dark side energy caused the dome to collapse, but Desertwind managed to hold it up long enough for It'kla to pull Halcyon to safety. Shortly thereafter, Halcyon succumbed to his injuries and vanished into the Force. It'kla and Desertwind made their way back to Corellia via Susevfi's capital, Yumfla.

Upon their return, It'kla delivered Halcyon's personal belongings to his family, refraining from providing details of the mission. At the request of the Galactic Museum, he donated Halcyon's lightsaber to their collection. Saddened by the loss of his friend, It'kla rededicated himself to the Order and assisted in caring for Halcyon's family. When Supreme Chancellor Palpatine declared himself Emperor and turned against the Jedi, It'kla developed the Force skills necessary to evade the architects of Palpatine's Great Jedi Purge.

While visiting a friend on Alderaan, It'kla witnessed the destruction of his homeworld, Caamas, in a surprise attack by an unknown enemy. The Jedi persuaded his friend to provide refuge on Alderaan for displaced Caamasi. Along with other leaders of the devastated world, he decided that the Caamasi Remnant needed to disperse to various new settlements. Bail Organa offered It'kla a position as one of his personal advisors, appointing him as Trustant of the Alderaanian Caamasi Remnant.

In 2 BBY, Bria Tharen, a member of the Corellian Resistance against the Galactic Empire, convened a meeting of various resistance groups from across the galaxy on Cloud City to explore the possibility of combining their efforts. It'kla, along with Winter and Hric Dalhney, both Humans, represented Alderaan. It'kla remained largely silent during the meeting, and while little was achieved—Dalhney vehemently opposed violent action—Winter pledged to discuss the matter further with Organa. Organa eventually embarked on a search for other Jedi, and when he traveled to Felucia in search of Jedi Master Shaak Ti, he left word with It'kla. Organa disappeared upon landing, and when Rahm Kota, another survivor of the Purge, contacted It'kla seeking information about him, the Caamasi shared what he knew. Kota then assisted in rescuing Organa. Although the viceroy played a pivotal role in the formation of a new Rebel Alliance, which It'kla joined, it drew the Empire's attention to Alderaan. It'kla was on the planet when the Empire's first Death Star arrived in 0 BBY. Sensing his impending doom, he could only surrender to the will of the Force as Alderaan was annihilated, resulting in his death.

Before his demise, It'kla transmitted a memnis—a form of memory sharing unique to the Caamasi—of the Susevfi battle to his nephew, Elegos A'Kla. Eleven years after It'kla's death, A'Kla shared this memory with the Jensaarai, a group of Force-users whose teachings originated from Tyris. Despite harboring misconceptions about the Jedi and their motives for decades, the Force sect, after witnessing the events from It'kla's perspective, was persuaded to re-establish dialogue with the Jedi Order. Shortly before this, Corran Horn, a Jedi Knight, had experienced his own vision of It'kla and the Susevfi duel from the perspective of his grandfather, Nejaa Halcyon. Later, A'Kla journeyed to the remains of Alderaan to leave a tribute in It'kla's memory, and Horn requested that he leave one in Nejaa Halcyon's name as well.

Like many of his species, Ylenic It'kla was a pacifist who sought harmony and peace. He was frequently called upon to counsel and mediate among the Jedi. However, It'kla believed that failing to act when others' peace was threatened transformed pacifism into evil, and he was prepared to take action when necessary. Although he did not participate in the Battle of Geonosis and was grateful for not carrying its memories, he later expressed his willingness to have done so. It'kla placed great importance on nobility of character, assuming responsibility for those under his care, from Nejaa Halcyon's family after his death to the planet of Alderaan during times of war.

It'kla possessed an inquisitive nature, and beneath his quiet exterior lay power and confidence. The Caamasi believed that doubt was essential to prevent arrogance and, consequently, the dark side of the Force. He cautioned against fear, emphasizing that the Jedi could offer freedom from the fear that drove people to the dark side.

With his strength, speed, power, and long reach, It'kla had the potential to be a formidable warrior, giving him an advantage in lightsaber combat. It'kla wielded a green lightsaber and, despite rarely using it, was a skilled fighter. However, he was also adept at peaceful discussion and favored negotiation whenever possible. The Jedi Order utilized the Caamasi's skilled piloting abilities.

It'kla had a keen sense of smell and primarily identified others by scent rather than name. He could project olfactory sensations through the Force into the minds of others, using strong odors to immobilize them. As typical of his species, It'kla could create memnii, a form of stored memory that could be shared among Caamasi and Jedi. When the Jedi Purge began, the Caamasi developed new Force techniques to evade Emperor Palpatine's agents.

Ylenic It'kla was created by Michael A. Stackpole in his novel I, Jedi, where the character only appears in visions to Corran Horn. He made one of two live-action appearances in the short story Elusion Illusion, also by Stackpole, with illustrations by Jan Duursema. It'kla's fur, described as golden with purple stripes in both Jedi and Illusion, appears gray with black stripes in the story's illustrations.

A timeline discrepancy exists in Power of the Jedi Sourcebook, which implies that the fight with Nikkos Tyris occurred before the Clone Wars. However, this contradicts not only I, Jedi but also all stories during the Clone Wars featuring Nejaa Halcyon, including Elusion Illusion.