Cadden Blackthorne

From Star Wars: Exodus Visual Encyclopedia

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"I'm sorry, old friend, but this is how it has to be."
"You think you had to do all of this? And for what? A slice of revenge against the person who killed your father?"
"Revenge is all I have left! Do not dare take even that away from me! I did what I had to do!"
"Then you should have died! Died, rather than betray your friends, as we would have done for you!"

— Darth Trayus and Cazzik Wyn, in one of Trayus's visions

Cadden Blackthorne grew up on the planet Corellia. He was born to Faarel Blackthorne, Jedi Master in the Jedi Order, and Trina Blackthorne. Due to this complication, and that Cadden' Force-sensitivity was naturally masked, he was raised by both his mother and his grand-father, Akitane. When he reached seventeen years old, Cadden was accepted into the Imperial Military Academy on Carida. There, he continued his studies and graduated with honors as a soldier for the Galactic Empire. During the height of the Galactic Civil War, Cadden continued his training as an elite warrior, recognized for his skills, and became a commando for the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps. There, he became a sniper and forward assault soldier in the commando division, until he resigned his commission after learning of the Empire's raid on his family's estate on Corellia.

Cadden went on to further hone his skills in piloting and bounty hunting, becoming a notorious bounty hunter. He eventually came across a suit of Mandalorian armor, and continued to work as a bounty hunter until after he captured, and later released, Cazzik Wyn. Afterwards, he went into the life of a mercenary and freedom fighter, and was the man responsible for a devastating explosion on Bilbringi. During this time, he came to realize his own strong connection to the Force, and that he had two sons also strong in the Force, Guan and Jerik.

Eventually, he came to the planet Mandalore and was later dubbed Mandalore, leader of the Mandalorians. Cadden went on to form the Mandalorian Protectors, and led his people through many battles, particularly against the Xen'Chi.

Cadden later fell to the Dark Side of the Force in pursuit of additional power, to aid him in the quest to avenge his father's death. This pursuit lead hastily to a well-conceived plan by the Nomad Soul to take over Cadden's body, a plan which had partially failed, and instead the two merged their souls into a single identity. Knowing he could never return to the Jedi Order, Cadden set out on his own, with but one ally to accompany him.

His basis of allies grew, however, as Cadden released a cryogenically-frozen army in the Udine System, as well as Zan successfully recruiting several Jedi to their cause, despite the Kora Jedi Council denying them their aid. Cadden at that point severed what little connection to the Jedi Order he had and took up the name Darth Trayus. It was at this point he acknowledged his path into the Dark Side, however justified he would proclaim it to be, and harbored no regrets for anything he had done in the past.

Using his newfound power, Trayus quickly moved to sieze the Sith Brotherhood and, later, the Shadow Imperium for himself, slaying all those that stood in his way. After establishing his new empire in its place, he proceeded to dominate the Cylon Imperium, and face off with Sivter for the first time. Any traces of who he once was were now gone, replaced by a dark abyss of anger, hatred, and most of all, vengeance.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early Life(33 BBY—11 BBY) 1.2 In Service to the Empire (11 BBY—3 BBY) 1.2.1 Early Military Career 1.2.2 Soldier for the Empire 1.2.3 Death of a Family 1.3 Rise of a Bounty Hunter (2 BBY—3 ABY) 1.3.1 Dawn of a Legend 1.3.2 Chasing a Jedi 1.3.3 Fall of a Hunter 1.4 Mercenary and Freedom Fighter (3 ABY—15 ABY) 1.4.1 Liberation 1.4.2 Blackthorne Enterprises 1.4.3 Trial of a Warrior 1.4.4 To Fall and Rise Back Up 1.4.5 Resurrection 1.5 The Xen'Chi Invasion(15 ABY—16 ABY) 1.5.1 The Mandalorian Protectors 1.5.2 Mandalore 1.5.3 Operation: Dissection 1.6 The Second Fall (16 ABY)— 1.6.1 Darth Trayus 1.6.1.1 The Betrayer 1.6.1.2 Eye for an Eye 1.6.2 The Shadow War 1.6.2.1 Digging up the Past 1.6.2.2 Forging Alliances 2 Physical Characteristics 3 Skills 4 Training in the Force 4.1 Awareness and Early Training 4.2 Developing Skills 4.2.1 Lightsaber Combat 4.2.2 Force Powers 4.3 Potential 4.4 The Dark Side 5 Active Threads

Biography

Early Life(33 BBY—11 BBY)

"I'm surprised you were not selected for Jedi training."
"I'm not my father."

— Republic officer and Cadden Blackthorne

Cadden Blackthorne was born to Faarel and Trina Blackthorne on the world of Corellia. His grandfather, Akitane, was a political figure in the Galactic Republic, and was played a part in getting Cadden later accepted into the Imperial Military Academy.

Growing up an intelligent individual, Cadden attended, and graduated with honors from, Coronet's best institute, which granted him the extra boost he required to being accepted into the Academy. Once again showing his intelligence and skill, his graduation from the Imperial Military Academy was decorated with honors. However, soon after Cadden's graduation, the Galactic Civil War began.

In Service to the Empire (11 BBY—3 BBY)

Early Military Career

"The ends do justify the means!"

— Cadden Blackthorne

Cadden was placed in command of a squad of stormtroopers at the beginning of the Galactic Civil War. He grew notorious for leaving no enemy alive, and fought the Rebellion with a sense of ferocity. Cadden soon became aware of his father's true background during the Clone Wars and resuming a life of secrecy on Corellia as a Moff, but despite his loyalty to the Empire he swore to both his family and himself to never reveal Faarel's secret. However, his views on the Rebellion differed greatly, which led to many arguments and heated debates when he was at home, on leave.

Part of Cadden wished to report his father for his under-the-table dealings with the Rebellion - his conditioning as a soldier and a loyal member of the Imperial side. However, his strong sense of family and loyalty to them above all else kept him quiet. His father's dealings began to wear on him, however, and after a while Cadden became more sympathetic toward the Rebels, yet still viewed their cause as treason.

Soldier for the Empire

As time progressed, Cadden's squad was re-assembled into an elite division of stormtrooper commandos. Retaining the original look of stormtroopers, but with vast improvements over their shock trooper comrades, the squad became more of a specialist unit in the Empire, and slowly shifted into the ranks of the Stormtrooper Corps front lines assault units. However, they continued to act as a commando unit, and often penetrated enemy lines during the heat of battle in order to achieve a favorable outcome much sooner than conventional means would allow.

Cadden's personal life became far more complicated, however, when he was assigned to Corellia to eliminate Rebel insurgents planted planet-wide. He and his squad were assigned search-and-destroy duty, and these actions nearly led Cadden to becoming disowned by his mother and father, as they saw this as placing his own loyalties to the Empire above anything else, and even compromised his father's secret.

Death of a Family

"They killed my family, destroyed my life. I'm not going to associate myself with that."

— Cadden Blackthorne

This was mostly true, as the Empire had eventually discovered Faarel's underground activities. They sent an elite stormtrooper unit, lead by the Dark Jedi Ilan Garuda and stormtrooper commander Jerel Tremok, to the Blackthorne Estate. Ilan killed Trina and wounded Faarel, who had managed to escape and flee to exile. From there, the stormtroopers did their work on destroying the estate. All that was left after their work was its ruins, which would not be visited for another year.

Mere months after the event, Cadden learned of the Empire's actions. Infuriated, he resigned his position in the Empire, and traveled to the remains of his family's estate, in search of clues as to who was responsible for the wreckage. After discovering the unit that destroyed the estate, Cadden stumbled upon a data disc, located in the sublevels of his former home. When he searched the data, however, what he found was entirely unexpected. Coordinates were listed for the whereabouts of a suit of armor, which had belonged to one of his ancestors.

Rise of a Bounty Hunter (2 BBY—3 ABY)

Dawn of a Legend

"It's a first come, first serve business. I don't need the Guild's 'Code' to be successful."

— Cadden Blackthorne

Cadden followed the trail, having to fight many fights over the next couple months, before he found himself on Dathomir, and the location of an old hut. Entering the former homestead, Cadden found a chest, sealed shut and air-tight. He spent the next couple days attempting to open the chest, until he finally was able to open it. Contained inside was a full suit of blood-red Mandalorian armor. Cadden looked at the perfectly-preserved legendary piece of equipment with awe, all the while wondering how anyone of his family could have gotten their hands on such a thing. It was at that point Cadden was a free man.

From that moment on, Cadden trained himself rigorously on several different worlds, taking on beasts of nature big and small alike. During this time frame, Cadden had purchased a Firespray-class Patrol Ship, dubbing it the Pursuer, based off of his pursuit for his Mandalorian armor. He used this ship as his personal transport, and each week he put a distinct modification to it. Like Boba Fett, Cadden had remained silent about the origins of his armor. He used the mysticism, and the perk that a similar Boba Fett was a notorious bounty hunter, to climb even higher in notoriety in the Underworld, until Cadden had become a very common household name. Not even the Empire was capable of touching him at this point, for the Blackthorne bounty hunter had become one of the most feared individuals in the fringes of space, next to Boba Fett, Bossk, IG-88, Raptor, and other well-known bounty hunters.

Cadden made certain to upkeep and upgrade his armor as often as he was able. He modified his armor to include a macrobinocular viewplate helmet, motion and sound sensors, infrared capabilities, an internal comlink with his ship, the Pursuer, and a broadband antenna for intercepting and decoding transmissions. Wrist gauntlets housed lasers, a miniature flame projector, and a fibercord whip/grappling device; a backpack jet pack included a turbo-projected magnetic grappling hook with twenty-meter lanyard. Cadden also carried a knee-pad rocket dart launcher, spiked boots, a concussion-grenade launcher, and a BlasTech EE-3 rifle. Even though his gizmos were those of Fett's, Cadden's skills didn't quite equal the other hunter's, but he was confident that soon he would get the opportunity to rise to second best soon enough.

Cadden never took his helmet off, not for anybody or under any occasion. It was rumored that he was a grotesquely disfigured man, and was ashamed of seeing his own face. Another rumor had it that he did not wish to be reminded of his family, and the tragedy that remained in the memory of Corellia. The truth behind Cadden's behavior remained the same, however, in the fact that he used the armor to strike fear into others. He was quick and agile enough to hunt without it, but Cadden knew that anyone whom bore Mandalorian armor automatically gained the respect of others.

Cadden returned to working for the Hutts, and got a hefty salary out of his occupation with them, and even started working for the Empire. He was always slow and methodical and as unpredictable as the shifting sands of Tatooine. He rarely lost his quarry, and had shown no remorse for their fate. Cadden was known to work with other bounty hunters, but his motives may have been to show the others up; Cadden had always emerged as the one who caught the prize. He had yet to actually test his skills against the famed Boba Fett and find out who was the better hunter.

Chasing a Jedi

"He was definitely a worthy adversary...."

— Cadden Blackthorne, about Cameo Naton

At one point, Cadden had been on hire to intercept and eliminate Jedi Knight Cameo Naton, and was backed by a very large reward. Cadden had spent several weeks tracking Cameo and learning about the other. Opportunity struck when the Jedi was to meet with someone interested in becoming his apprentice on some backwater planet. Cadden had taken the opportunity to exterminate the future apprentice and take the ten thousand credit reward, and used that as his chance to ambush the unsuspecting Jedi Knight. Cameo took the bait, but he had escaped Cadden's grasp.

The bounty hunter chased Cameo around for some time, never meeting with success, before he finally gave up the pursuit and accepted the ten thousand, instead of the heavier 900,000 offered on the Jedi Knight, and went on his way. Cadden and Cameo would eventually meet again, nearly fifteen years later. However, Cadden had finally found a chance to face off with the Imperial Inquisitor, Ansara Bansari, responsible for his parents' deaths. He dueled Ansara, and had emerged victorious with nothing more than a mere cut in the Inquisitor's right arm before she fled the scene. Several weeks later, Cadden had finally tracked down and eliminated the team he believed responsible for his parents' deaths, thus effectively removing an aged act of vengeance.

Fall of a Hunter

"I know there is still good in you, Cadden. Let it go."

— Renalla Starrider

As his last jobs, Cadden had turned in the Imperial traitorous senator Ubio for 300,000 credits and a hyperdrive for the one partially responsible for his capture, Councilor Jobe. During the capture of the Bothan former senator, Cadden had run in to a Jedi Knight named Renalla Starrider. He did not know it at that point, but that woman was to be the sole person responsible for his leaving the bounty hunting trade. When Cadden returned from his deliverance of Ubio to Imperial authorities in order to give Jobe his hyperdrive, complications came along and Jobe left the ship to, unexpectedly, Jade. Later Cadden returned and successfully captured Dark Jedi Cazzik Wyn and turned him in to Karde for 1,500,000 credits. That was his last bounty, and Cadden assisted the Dark Jedi in escaping Karde's clutches for reasons unknown.

It is unknown how long Cadden had planned to change, but when he did, the entire galaxy was in shock. The famous bounty hunter returned to a life of mystery, simply fading into the dark expanding abyss of space. It was here that he had met Trai Kanossi. Trai helped Cadden discover his potency in the Force, as well as bring him and Renalla together for their first, and last, adventure together.

Over the course of time, Cadden had developed a perfection for hiding his presence in the Force. Much like how the Jedi Master Yoda had hid himself with the Dark Tree on Dagobah, but Cadden did not need any kind of mysterious, dark location to remain hidden. It was a trait that could only be perfected to this extent by few, and the Blackthornes were no exception. In order to keep his situation a secret, Cadden had placed an under-the-table order for an HRD, which would look exactly like him, to do his dirty work. For some time, the HRD succeeded in keeping the Empire away from Cadden.

Mercenary and Freedom Fighter (3 ABY—15 ABY)

Liberation

"A life-debt?"

— Cadden's reaction to Ryy'Suuk's freedom.

Cadden and Trai continued to work on their own, eventually stumbling across a slave ship under the Imperial Remnant's employ. Here, they helped free the slaves, amongst them being a Wookiee named Ryy'Suuk. Cadden in particular was befriended by the Wookiee, who swore a life-debt to the man. Cadden was taken aback, and argued against the idea, which merely offended the Wookiee. Had Ryy'Suuk not pledged his life-debt to Blackthorne, one of the two would have wound up dead due to those actions.

The trio continued onward, eventually meeting up with Renalla Starrider, who was the primary benefactor to Cadden leaving his previous occupation as a bounty hunter. They helped out those in need for a short while, performing acts against local criminal organizations, Imperial Remnant outposts and bases, and the like, before Cadden finally decided to begin a more settling lifestyle.

Blackthorne Enterprises

"He replaced his blaster with a lightsaber... his Mandalorian Armor with ceremonial armor."

— Trai Kanossi, on Cadden's change

Later, Cadden finally resurfaced and re-established Blackthorne Enterprises in the Hoth System, a family corporation which operated out of the Udine system generations ago. The company had gotten off to a good start, and continued to see some promising times at the rate it was going, yet Cadden's old ways got the better of him again. The freedom fighter, and now Jedi-in-training, decided to send a kamikaze ship to Bilbringi, the center of the Empire. He was to pilot it, and collide a modified, custom frigate, packed to the max with highly dangerous and explosive missiles and other detonating projectiles into the planetoid, but one of his Elite Guard members, Trasj Ricknas, took it instead.

Following the kamikaze attack, the Empire sent massive forces to the already-fleeing Blackthorne Enterprises forces, but they still outnumbered the company three to one. Because of an Interdictor field, Cadden's forces lost approximately 75% of its military forces and around 12% of its evacuees, a heavy loss for the company. Captain Irrad of the Red Star Alliance Star Frigate Benevolent gave the ultimate sacrifice, however, staying behind to delay the Empire. As soon as he knew that the company could escape, the Benevolent self-destructed, destroying all on-board, which seemed to include Cadden's personal ship, the Pursuer.

After the Blackthorne Enterprises forces had retreated to Midpoint Station, they hypered out toward their next rendezvous point in a series of jumps to shake the Empire off of their tails. However, Cadden, along with Trai, Ryy'Suuk, and Renalla Starrider, all found themselves in an unknown sector of the Outer Rim to face their ultimate trial of their skills.

Trial of a Warrior

"The same blood runs through both of us. The blood of a beast who wanders, hunting for the blood of others."

— Ulfik Nevekron, during his and Cadden's duel

But while they were stuck on the ice world Talmohkt, Black one-eighteen, Cadden's Human Replica Droid, sacrificed himself to Ket Maliss in order to have the bounty lifted off of the real Cadden Blackthorne's head. His last move was sending out a message to an agent of Cadden's by the name of Kay'l Syao, a message that would have to be given to Ket Maliss prior to the agent's visit to Junrest, in order to get the apparent killer of Cadden Blackthorne a message from Cadden himself (prior to his departure from Midpoint).

A week after being on the ice world, Cadden finally faced a great soul stealer named Ulfik Nevekron, who had a Dark Jedi Master inside his essence. After a heated duel, Cadden managed to get a jab through Ulfik's defenses with his lightsaber, killing the man almost instantly. While that was going on, a heated battle between Triad and Imperium forces was going on just outside the spaceport they were sent to destroy. Cadden got the detonators placed and had to manually detonate them, racing the explosion out on a hoverbike and barely escaping with his own life, while I'Flym valiantly saved Renalla's life by stopping a jab at her from an Imperium troop's baton. The troop was confronted by Renalla and Ryy'Suuk and taken away, and Renalla went down to the wounded Cadden.

After saying their good-byes, the gang hypered away from the planet and to a secluded, independent system, where Cadden spent the next few weeks recovering from his wounds on the world of Thonner. However, when he had first awoken, he discovered Renalla had left, and perhaps would never know of the real reasons why. As soon as he was healed, he was cleared of all doubts. He could not remain hidden forever... but he did know that there was one thing he had yet to do. Unaware of what was stirring within his own essence, Cadden departed from the others in a personal fighter he had acquired, to seclusion once again. During this time, he had constructed his own, unique lightsaber.

It was sometime during this time period that Cadden ran into an individual named Zan Fyar. Sensing the man's potential in the Force, Cadden took it upon himself to train Fyar as the first Guardian of the Force to follow in Cadden's footsteps. He warned Zan of the dangerous path that is walked, being a Guardian, and for a time, the two ventured together as instructor and pupil.

To Fall and Rise Back Up

"I always knew you were destined to the Dark Side."

— Klatonn

Later, Cadden received a call for help from a familiar source - Talmohkt, the ice world in which Cadden and his friends had returned from but a standard year prior. Cadden accepted the stressed call for aid, and returned to the ice world, alone this time. However, the call was a trap - the Nomad Soul had returned in his full form, a grotesque alien by the name of Klatonn. Klatonn, the original Nomad Soul, had gathered enough strength to return from the netherworld, whereupon he goaded Cadden to the Dark Side by claiming to be the cause of the deaths of his entire family, including Renalla Starrider. Cadden, infuriated, charged the Nomad Soul, lightsaber in hand and blade extended, and brought the saber down on the ancient nemesis of his with all his might. However, Klatonn had a new apprentice with him - a man by the name of Carth Dyral. Carth blocked the blow, but Cadden simply kicked the younger man away in response, and cut Klatonn down. Letting his rage take over, Cadden released a destructive surge of energy on Klatonn, completely destroying the creature's body, and sending his spirit back into the abyss. But at a great cost. With that simple act, Cadden had engulfed himself in the Dark Side, and soon after the defeat of the Nomad Soul, Cadden arose to the creature's place.

He led Talmohkt into a revolutionary stage, where the planet was to engage in modern technological advances of space, a movement that the people accepted well, but was masked with a true purpose - Cadden, with his newfound rage and dark powers, was intending on launching a frontal assault against the outskirts of the Outer Rim, in an attempt to raise a force to strike at the heart of the Empire. However, plans went awry, and Cadden found himself engaged in a fierce duel against Carth Dyral for the position of leader. At the end of the duel, though, both warriors ended in a draw, but both with a price to pay. Carth lost his vocal cords, and Cadden his right eye.

Agreeing to continue the duel another time, the two decided to focus on getting off Talmohkt, first. However, when civil war erupted with the rebels, led by Cadden's long-time friend, Trai Kanossi, alongside Ryy'Suuk, Cadden's friends managed to convince him to abandon his efforts. After some struggle, Cadden launched into space, using the very single-crewed fighter he arrived on the world with, and destroyed a subspace portal that was to lead the people of Talmohkt to their new home. Staging his own death, Cadden used decisive timing and expert piloting to escape through the portal, as it collapsed upon itself. He emerged in the Outer Rim territories, and ultimately decided to head to the Hoth System, whereupon he crash-landed on the ice world. He barely survived the wreckage, due to the interference of a Zabrak named Zartok Ular. When Cadden awoke three days later, he found himself with an artificial eye, and a thanks to be found with a new ally. He spent the next two weeks in recovery and, with no way off Hoth, he dedicated a lot of that time to meditation and training. Cadden had realized the kind of monster he had become, back on Talmohkt, and saw his time on Hoth as a good one to remain separated from all those whom he cared about, in hopes that his seclusion could rid him of his taint.

After the third week, Cadden received a visit from a man named Kladaar, an older ancestor of his from six generations prior, in his spirit form. Kladaar informed Cadden of a dark past that his family had shared, for quite some time, until they had come to the Jedi Order and a new generation of Blackthornes had been established. However, to keep Cadden from walking down the dark path, he refused to disclose any details. Instead, he warned Cadden of the dangers of the Dark Side, that once one walked down that path, it would forever dominate one's destiny, consume their will. And, for those that repented, they would be engulfed in a war with themselves, a war to purge the dark taint that would remain. Kladaar parted with these words: "A Jedi is free to follow the path he has chosen, but do not mistake the path of the Dark Side to be the strongest of the two. It is merely the easiest."

It was only afterwards that Cadden had realized that the last he saw his ship, the Pursuer, it was in the Empire's raid of Blackthorne Enterprises two years prior. Taking a gamble, he called the ship on a personal wristpad, and but a couple hours later, his Firespray-class ship found its way to his location, and landed outside. Cadden then made long preparations to leave Hoth, once and for all, and even took Zartok and his medical droid with him after a week's worth of preparations.

From there, Cadden re-surfaced, joining forces with Jhuston Vox in the apprehension of the notorious pirate Kaldone for Esran Croft. Zartok had lost his life in the hunt, but the others managed to pull off the bounty with little trouble. However, during the capture of Kaldone, Cadden had detonated the Pursuer, with his armor inside, in order to grant them the time needed to escape Kaldone's ship. Only weeks later had Talon Karde approached him with the gift of the Pursuer II, as a reward for Cadden helping him some time ago. Cadden once again went into seclusion, where he had discovered that Carth Dyral had escaped Talmohkt and, after repenting from the Dark Side himself, had fallen under the magics of a Sith Lord. Cadden faced off with Carth for the last time, aiding the old rival in purging the Sith from his mind, whereupon they parted on peaceful terms. Cadden then joined up with Ryy'Suuk and Jaylin Kumar, and held some minor adventures with the two for the next couple of years.

Resurrection

"I think [...] I think I need something more than killing and fighting in my life. I need a purpose, or something like that."

— Cadden Blackthorne to Deranz Tryce

He has recently re-surfaced one last time, and re-established Blackthorne Enterprises, this time in its rightful place in the Udine system. The company progressed well, with Cadden collaborating with the Loris Empire to obtain independence from its debtors. Plans went awry, however, and with the help of Cadden's sons, Guan and Jerik, they managed to avoid a disastrous outcome.

Cadden decided to leave the new Blackthorne Enterprises, and resold all its assets. Using the credits he got for that, as well as a healthy sum of credits from commission costs from selling older Blackthorne Enterprises designs to Esran Croft Enterprises, before his older incarnation of the company went belly-up, Cadden went into retirement. However, old habits die hard, and within a matter of a couple years Cadden was secretly scouring the galaxy in his Rogue-class Armed Transport, the Rogue Star. After hearing of the Xen'Chi and Gait threats, Cadden assembled together a crack team of combat and information specialists to deal with petty thugs, preparing them to combat the new threats on their own.

The Xen'Chi Invasion(15 ABY—16 ABY)

The Mandalorian Protectors

"The Force has brought us together, whether you choose to believe it or not. Our meeting is no coincidence. I sought you out, because the Force instructed me to do so."

— Teslar Maladan

The Falleen named Xhander joined the Rogue Star's crew shortly after Cadden had a run-on with a deadly Dark Jedi by the name of Ilan Garuda, whom Cadden later discovered had been undergoing the Jedi Trials during the Clone Wars, and subsequently fell to the Dark Side during Darth Vader's raiding of the Jedi Temple. Cadden defeated Ilan Garuda twice over the course of three weeks. During those three weeks, he had met with a Jedi Master whom had been in exile since the Clone Wars began named Teslar Maladan. Teslar guided Cadden toward a new path, separate from that of his ragtag team of specialists. After Cadden had supposedly killed Garuda on Holoworld III, he decided to take Teslar's offer and leave the group for his own destiny. Little did he know it would lead him to the planet Mandalore. When Cadden arrived in the Mandalore system, his ship's hyperdrive had suffered a major malfunction, due to the tampering of the Pursuer II's computer systems, causing the ship to explode. Locke Rekkon and Gandon Belak, two surviving Mandalorians, found Cadden floating in space above their world, after receiving news about the explosion, and nursed them back to full health. Only three days later did Cadden become accepted as a true Mandalorian, despite his past being devoid of the Mandalorian lifestyle. Cadden vowed to lead the Mandalorians to their former glory, or die trying. During the quest to reunite the clans, Cadden had been chosen to become the new Mandalore, and he immediately began the process of combating for his position, and reuniting the clans.

As soon as the clans were reunited, and the skirmishes between Cadden's Mandalorian Protectors and opposers of the new structure came to a closure, MandalMotors swore its fealty to Cadden, and the company became once again under Mandalorian control. With the fast-approaching threat of the Xen'Chi looming but on the horizon, there was little time to waste. Gandon Belak was charged with resurrecting the Mandalorian Warriors to fend off this and future galactic threats, whilst Locke Rekkon was tasked with the training of the fleet, alongside Admiral Ghrark Fyrebyrd, in orbit of Mandalore.

Mandalore

"Even if they outnumber and outgun us, we will need to be prepared to fight to the bitter end. We must remain superior."

— Cadden Blackthorne

Cadden and his Protectors did not enter the Xen'Chi War until its closing stages. After the reunifications of the clans, Cadden had set his sights on rebuilding the Mandalorian strength that it had once had, so long ago. With thousands of shock troopers, and hundreds of supercommandos, he finally viewed his Protectors ready to fight by roughly 14 ABY. They would soon get that chance, when upon heading to the Corellia system, to receive a new ship, a VCX-820 Escort Freighter he later dubbed the Hellfire, Cadden intercepted a call for help from the most unlikely of sources.

While in the Corellia system, Cadden visited his father and Cameo Naton, in order to tie up loose ends and square away old feelings that may have been harbored toward him. Then he set off with his son, Jerik, to the source of the distress call he had received but moments earlier, and rendezvoused with the long-thought-dead Cazzik Wyn. He was asked to help him begin his search for his missing sons, Caius and Xanic, leading them to the City of the Jedi. The group discovered the location of the City of the Jedi, and immediately set out to get there before Kamulos would. There, Guan, along with the Conqueror and her crew, met up with them and aided them and the Mandalorians in the defense of the planet from Kamulos's forces. Cadden's moment of glory, and show of his continuous dominating presence over many others, was shown when he successfully beat K471 in personal combat.

After the battle was won, Cadden left his sons under Cazzik's care, and returned to Mandalore, to finalize preparations for the war against the Xen'Chi.

During the Battle of Taylon, however, a second group of Mandalorians was tasked at traveling to Mechis III and attacking the Xen'Chi presence there. While greatly outnumbered and outgunned, the group did its job well, with the unexpected aid of Oremin operatives that had targeted the world for liberation as well. The Mandalorians, led by a Zabrak shock trooper named Nedth Dinsan, proved their worth to the tee, and combined with Oremin intelligence, gave Cadden a thorough report on Xen'Chi tactics.

Operation: Dissection

"The Xen'Chi will strike at Mandalore. The Defense Force won't be able to repel a large-scale Invasion, Mandalore."
"It won't have to. Mandalore is not their target. That is."

— Locke Rekkon and Cadden Blackthorne.

With this information, as well as the final preparations to the Mandalorian First Assault Fleet completed, Cadden set out a daring plan to strike back at the Xen'Chi and sever their invasion path which separated Mandalore from Coruscant itself. Nicknaming it Operation: Dissection, the order of attack was to strike at close-by systems, and purge them of Xen'Chi presence. The series of attacks began with an overwhelming victory at Woostri, and continued toward Aquaris. With their victory at Aquaris, the Mandalorians made an astonishing example of their growing strength, as they continue to press forward in their goal to stall the Xen'Chi invasion long enough for the galaxy to counter-attack.

Now, the Mandalorians ferociously duke it out on Ploo, poising to strike next at Obroa-Skai and continue onward to Myrkr. If done well, the tactic would cause the Xen'Chi to divert a fleet to Mandalore, where the planet would then be defended by the Protectors' full arsenal, and show the Xen'Chi just how unwelcome they are in this galaxy.

However, not all went according to plan. As the Assault Fleet returned home, they found Mandalore already under seige, and the Mandalorian defensive weakening by the minute. In a moment of desperation, the Assault Fleet counter-attacked, and sent the space above Mandalore into disarray. Cadden led the assault on his Basilisk War Droid, until it was destroyed, where he was picked up by Kya Waise on the Star's End. It was during this time Cadden experienced a disturbing vision of mysterious proportions.

Being awoken from his subconscious state, Cadden was questioned by Kya where he should be dropped off. After some consideration, Cadden instructed her and her crew to drop him off above Kedalbe, Mandalore's capital city, so that he could liberate the command tower from a pressing Xen'Chi presence. Making his way to the Square, where the remaining Mandalorians in the city were holed up, Cadden managed to get to the command tower and call for reinforcements. Just as the battle inside the Square seemed to be at a loss, Garen Starfall and his Mandalorians arrived to provided the assistance that was desperately needed. Unfortunately, it was soon discovered that the Xen'Chi commander was a Chosen. He quickly made work of several Mandalorians, and nearly killed Garen, before confronted by Cadden.

The duel was fierce, and quick. In the end, Cadden utilized the unorthodox method of destroying an explosive barrel near the Chosen to shatter his weapon, a deadly barbed lightsaber-resistant whip, before he leapt over the Xen'Chi warrior and penetrated his chest with one of his lightsabers. The Chosen, however, responded by cleaving some of Cadden's flesh with the remnant of his whip. It was at that point that Cadden returned the favor, with interest, by relentlessly severing the Chosen's head from his body.

He was then forced to leave the battlefield, from which point he provided some assistance to the Mandalorians from the command tower. Afterwards, Cadden picked up an assault rifle and continued to stay in the fight from the perspective of the tower, until Kladaar's voice instructed him to rely on the Force to aid him in battle.

It was at this moment that Cadden felt more connected to the Force than ever before, and surged into the heat of the battle, once again saving Garen's life as he and two others were surrounded by several Xen'Chi. Once Garen was clear, he took charge of the battle, and coordinated Nedth Dinsan's and Aeorn Mors' forces into the Square.

When the battle was over, Cadden collapsed in exhaustion, later to wake up, and on the road to recovery. It was at this point that he made his firm decision, that he would place the Jedi, his friends and family, as his priority, and thus began the transitioning of his title over to Garen Starfall.

The Second Fall (16 ABY)—

"You no longer need to sacrifice for your people. You no longer need to bear the weight of your name. I've taken care... of everything...."

— The Nomad Soul speaks to Blackthorne at the end of the Battle of Onderon.

Cadden left Mandalore shortly after his recovery, and traveled with Ryy'Suuk and Neddac to the Udine System. There, he recovered an old, forgotten ship, and continued to investigate the mysterious outposts deep within the asteroid field.

Afterwards, Cadden traveled to Onderon, where just after his arrival the planet was attacked by the Cult of Shadow. With very few truly skilled Jedi to guard the praxeum from a full frontal assault of such a caliber, Cadden teamed up with his father, and an unlikely encounter with his old apprentice, Zan Fyar, to help drive off the Cult. None were aware of the Cult's true intentions of the attack.

Faarel departed from the group, after sensing Sivter in the Force, and went to investigate, leaving Cadden and Zan to finish off a group of Dark Jedi that were attempting to enter a side entrance to the praxeum. Once the two Jedi defeated the group, Cadden led Zan around to find an unlocked door, and more cultists.

There, Blackthorne engaged in a duel with a wounded Dark Knight. During the duel, he maintained a defensive position, until he sensed a disturbance in the Force. He set for a distraction, and utilizing the time, made his way into the Praxeum, where he eventually came upon his dieing father in the archives.

There, Faarel asked Cadden to remain with the Jedi, but before he could respond, his father died in his arms. Cadden became enraged, and stormed out of the temple, hell-bent on destroying the Cult of Shadow, particularly the one who killed his father.

The quest lead Cadden and Zan to a distant planet deep in the Unknown Regions. There, he recovered an ancient sword by the name of Soulblade. Though warned against the idea by both Zan and a Jedi spirit, Cadden nonetheless took the blade, casting his own two lightsabers aside. The price for this acquisition of power was Cadden's eyesight, which was later enhanced through the Force to a level Cadden had never experienced before.

With the blade in hand, he proceeded on his mission to become powerful enough to avenge his father's death. This mission lead him to another place within the Unknown Regions. Due to Cadden's desire for power, he threw caution into the wind and traveled to an ancient tomb. Therein, Cadden and Zan entered a burial ground, whereupon he unleashed a powerful spirit from its grave. Vying for additional power, he was unwilling to be controlled, and so the failed attempt resulted in the merging of both his soul, and that of his greatest enemy - the Nomad Soul - into his body.

The merging complete, Cadden gained the wisdom, experience, and power of the Nomad Soul. He retained his own memories and personality, but the price was severe, as Cadden knew he could no longer return to the Jedi Order. With only Zan at his side, he decided to travel to the Udine System once more, and set up a base of operations within the asteroid field.

Cadden set up base in the Udine System, having discovered thousands of individuals frozen in cryogenic sleep onboard a large asteroid facility deep within the field. From here, he staged his plans for striking against the Cult of Shadow.

Utilizing the Battle of Onderon to his own ends, Cadden began a quest to seek out Jedi who wished to aid him in his quest to hunt down and destroy those responsible for his father's death. He and Zan left Udine in charge of Olan Signas, commanding officer of Cadden's new army.

Knowing that the dark side presence within Soulblade would be sensed and discovered, Cadden opted to leave the powerful Sith artifact behind. At this point in his transition, the blade no longer held any significant powers on its own, as the Nomad Soul's consciousness had transfered to Cadden earlier. Thus, departing from the blade had no effect on Blackthorne. In its place, he took a crimson lightsaber which belonged to an ancestor of his, Trak Blackthorne. Knowing he would not need to utilize the blade, its presence was merely for show.

The two set out for Taylon to seek allies to their cause. Aware of the danger of sensing the Dark Side within him, Cadden was prepared to exercise a new technique he had picked up, that would mask his presence in the Force and cause any who sensed it to believe what he wished them to. Though Cadden was uncertain if his old friend, Cazzik Wyn, would see through the mask, he was confident that most of the other Jedi in the Order would not be so skilled. It was this technique, which Cadden called Shadow Calling, which would be the determining factor of his success.

Darth Trayus

"I am not a member of the Jedi Order, I am merely a man whom operates with the Order. You, Cazzik, know this above all. And I will find this Cult of Shadow - this Sivter - with or without the Council's blessings."

— Cadden Blackthorne to the Kora Jedi Council.

At the City of the Jedi, the Council declined Cadden's request for aid in hunting down the Cult of Shadow. Disappointed, Cadden held the Council in contempt and left the Council chambers. He decided against traveling to Onderon, as he knew that, if Cazzik denied his request, Daer'Gunn certainly would. Betrayed in this regard, Cadden scorned the Jedi Order, and instructed Zan Fyar to recruit any that would be willing to accompany him on his quest, and in the end meet him back in the Udine System.

Cadden traveled off-world, and ventured to Holoworld III, in order to pick up the trail of an old enemy of his, Ilan Garuda, through wakes in the Force. During this time, Cadden's feelings of anger and hatred toward the Jedi Order caused him to abandon his birth name and take up the name Darth Trayus, in regards to his betrayal of the Order, and its betrayal of him.

Soon, Trayus discovered the whereabouts of Garuda, and sensing the danger involved in facing him single-handedly, set out to build his army even further. The Nomad Soul's wisdom granted upon him an ancient, forgotten world deep in the Outer Rim known as Dromund Kaas. There, he fought through the traps set by the Sith acolytes of Palpatine's Sith Order to discover an ancient holocron, which in turn lead him to the planet Morazis. When he arrived, he followed the holocron's directions and unearthed an army four thousand years old, frozen in carbonite. Upon unfreezing the army, and having their allegiance sworn to him, Trayus lead them back to Udine, whereupon he assembled his entire army, and grown navy, and lead an assault on Garuda and the Shadow Imperium.

The initial attack on the Imperium proved to be very fruitful to the Sith Lord, as Trayus built up his arsenal through the capturing of Imperium warships that defended the Delta Serpentis region. When his forces were ready to progress forward, Trayus lead an attack on Kiteras, whereupon he met the Dark Jedi Sidon Kun. Sidon, who appeared in the system during the heat of the battle, was visiting Kiteras on a lead to finding an ancient Sith location. What he found instead was a raging battle in orbit above his destination. Sidon was captured by Trayus's forces, and was later visited by the Sith Lord himself.

Impressed by Sidon's power in the Force, Trayus offered the Dark Jedi a position within his organization, and accompanied Sidon to the surface of Kiteras. The two ventured to the Sith location Sidon sought, and fought two Force-powered battle droids wielding dual cortosis-weave swords. Both were dispatched of fairly easily, and the two entered the chambers into a great library.

There, an ancient Sith spirit coerced Sidon into attacking Trayus. The Dark Jedi, confident in his abilities, challenged the Sith Lord, who gladly accepted. The two then engaged in a duel that would determine who would inherit the vast knowledge that was discovered in the hidden library. It was short, but fierce, and in the end, Trayus's superior skills and knowledge of the Force were clearly the determining factor. Trayus crippled Sidon, and forced him to choose between life and servitude, or death. Sidon chose the former, and the two took what they could from the library and returned to the ship. Trayus would later return in the Shadow Hunter to retrieve the rest of the rest of the knowledge found in the library.

With the newfound knowledge in hand, Trayus continued to launch his campaign against the Imperium and Garuda's forces, until he pushed to the planet Testria. There, he lead a surface assault to the planet, whereupon he guided his Force-trained followers to Garuda's position. Both sides fought well, and both suffered casualties. But Trayus ended up victorious, slaying Garuda in combat with the help of his newfound powers from the Nomad Soul, and so progressed to securing a new alliance with the Shadow Imperium.

The Betrayer

"I've betrayed everyone, and everything, I've ever loved. And still I feel no remorse. No shame. No pity."

— Darth Trayus

Next in line was the complete dissolution of the old Sith Brotherhood. With but one known survivor left, Trayus traveled to Tarix with a good portion of his own personal army and attacked the world. The fierce battle ended in the death of Darth Sadis in a heated lightsaber duel. Afterwards, Trayus sat on the throne of the Tarix fortress, and declared to the entire Shadow Imperium of its own dissolution and reorganization into the Crimson Empire.

With his quest complete, he was now ready to begin his plans at hunting down and killing Sivter. However, he knew that he would have to bolster his forces before he could accomplish such a feat, and so Trayus set out to secure the allegiance of the Cylon Imperium. In order to do so, he initiated a well-conceived invasion on Cylon space, ending with the Battle of Cylon. Trayus dueled K471 several times, before disabling the supercomputer that kept the droid's programming. Upon doing so, he fought and defeated K471 once more and force him to swear his loyalty, or die. K471 begrudgingly accepted, and Trayus kept the last remaining copy of the droid's programming for himself. The surrender of K471 brought about the end of the war and the dissolving of Cylon's forces into the Crimson Empire, thus making Trayus's armies even stronger.

However, during this process, Darth Trayus square off with Sivter during the Defel's unexpected visit to Cylon. During the duel, Trayus unleashed more and more of his potential on Sivter, but was ultimately felled by a powerful application of Force Lightning. While he was able to block most of the lightning, that which got through reminded him that he had a wound that was healing from the Battle of Mandalore, and, after he was able to stop Sivter's barrage, found himself unable to perform at peak capacity any longer. He seceded to Sivter, and the other Darksider struck an alliance with Trayus, with the same goal of turning their combined attention to another threat common to both.

When Sivter left, Trayus contemplated on his next moves, and knew he would need to grow stronger in the Force if he were to defeat the Defel in combat.

Eye for an Eye

"If all those in the Jedi Order would deny me my vengeance, then all of the Jedi Order will die."

— Darth Trayus

The additional power Trayus acquired would wipe away the last remnants of Cadden Blackthorne that Trayus possessed, thus making him a truly unique monstrous figure. He set out to gather more support from the Jedi Order, seeking out any whom would willingly join him. Trayus soon learned that the Jedi Council was forbidding any and all Jedi from joining his cause, thus making him infuriated, and turning against them in full. As Darth Trayus, he declared open war against the Jedi Order, and set his sights on a new target.

Knowing that his search for Sivter would not be easy, Trayus ordered the former Cylon Imperium to begin mass production of a new and improved army, and prepare for a war that would shake the very foundations of the galaxy. During this time frame, Crystal Roshia, possessed by the spirit of Aliah'ara, found Trayus and swore her allegiance to the man with merged souls. Trayus, unaware of the Nomad Soul's plans, recognized Roshia's power (who now went by the name of Alexis Kiara) and reluctantly agreed at the advise of the Nomad Soul, knowing full well that the Nomad Soul had just as much to lose as he did if he were wrong. Unbeknownst to both Crystal and Cadden, however, this simple act brought two ancient lovers back together, and set into motion a chain of events that would hold a drastic impact on the galaxy at large.

As soon as Trayus's forces were ready, the Dark Lord of the Sith set his sights on the first planet that would suffer his wrath; Taylon. Mass producing a new army, Darth Trayus attacked the world, marking the first event in the Shadow War. During the battle, Trayus mostly stayed out of the fight, as he made his way to his own primary objective - Cazzik Wyn himself - to stake his revenge on the Kora Jedi Council's refusal of offering him any aid months before.

When Trayus finally faced Cazzik, he also faced off with Jessica Sterling. Combined, they gave Trayus a good run for his money, where the Dark Lord of the Sith attempted to separate them on several occasions. Finally, he was able to fight Cazzik solo, and defeated the Jedi Master. It was this single moment that signaled the end of the battle, and obediently, the Sith forces withdrew from the battle.

Three days later, Cadden discarded his guise as Darth Trayus and revisited Taylon. Successfully using his Shadow Calling technique, he met with Cazzik personally and informed the Jedi Master that the Sith Empire had returned, and that they were the catalysts of the attack. After sharing this false information with Cazzik, in hopes of it reaching the Jedi Council on Onderon, Cadden departed from Taylon once more, to return to his empire in the Outer Rim Territories. Knowing full well he had much to learn still from the Nomad Soul, Darth Trayus opted to stay out of the fight and, instead, spent more time on meditating to fully understand the wealth of powers that were now at his disposal.

During this time, Trayus encountered a strange vision. It started on a dark, damp, and eerie world where two warriors engaged in battle against each other, and then shifted to an ancient stone temple on a desolate, dry planet. Neither of these two parts of Trayus's vision allowed him to learn more than he had witnessed, but it was clear to the Dark Lord that both held a key to the events that were about to unravel.

The Shadow War

"Soon, war between the Republic and the Empire will erupt once more. And then our plans may begin to unravel."

— Darth Trayus to Alexis Kiara

Despite his reluctance to engage directly in the war he had started, Trayus took to progressing the war through the various agents he had at his disposal. He had sent Alexis Kiara and Epsilon Squad to Dathomir to incite rebellion on the world, and Keldon Tyfus was assigned with the task of leading the Crimson Empire's 3rd Battle Fleet in a skirmish against the New Republic. Both engagements were designed to look as though the Republic and the Empire had been the instigators, respectively.

Upon completion of this initial act of the war plans, Trayus allowed the Shadow War to unravel at an unprohibited pace. During this time, Trayus attempted to regain control over himself from the Nomad Soul's influence. A vicious mental battle between him and the Nomad Sould ensued, whereupon Trayus was defeated and knocked unconscious. When he awoke, he saw the world around him differently, and when he walked, he felt different as well.

Upon meeting and being debriefed by Alexis Kiara, Trayus realized that he had a better command over the Force than before. At the same time, he also realized that he could not escape his fate, and that he had become a servant to the Nomad Soul himself. But most of all, he realized that not even he could determine where the line between he and Rahk'neqah was drawn.

Digging up the Past

"I have received a vision of a lush world, containing the whereabouts of a host of arcane artifacts that could prove useful in our conquest. I have been able to pull the name of this place from this vision. Wayland."

— Darth Trayus to Alexis Kiara

Several days later, Trayus and Alexis departed from their controlled space to Coruscant, where they sought out hidden vaults in the Imperial Palace. Their infiltration of the palace was fruitful, as Alexis found what they sought out, alongside some additional useful information that Trayus himself discovered. The two Sith made a daring escape from the palace and barely managed to avoid being trapped by the planetary shields.

Their travels took them to the planet Wayland, where they raided Mount Tantiss and procured the Scimitar from its resting place within the labrynth storehouse. Making a daring escape, the two Sith left the world behind. The Scimitar was taken back to Tarix, where Trayus transferred the DRK-1 Dark Eye probe droids to the Shadow Hunter, taking them to Morazis in search of an ancient temple he witnessed in a vision. Procuring no results from the droids, they were transferred back to the Scimitar, and Alexis was granted full use of the ship as she saw befitting to the Brotherhood's mission.

Forging Alliances

"There are other groups consisting of those strong in the Force that could prove useful to us. I sense that there are at least three others that share a common goal as yourself."
"Killing Sivter?"
"One of them. The other two hold a much larger set of interests in mind. The eradication of their enemies, no matter the cost. Allying with all three will make you -"
"Unstoppable."

— Rahk'neqah and Darth Trayus

The Shadow War soon paid off, as the Galactic Empire and New Republic began to see these hostilities as what Trayus planned them to be. Acts of aggression soon turned into an act of war, and civil war was, once again, at the galaxy's doorstep. Pleased with his results, and upon hearing of internal conflicts rising in both governments, Trayus ordered the Crimson Empire to witdraw from its efforts. He redirected his forces into securing several worlds to support a secret project he had procured from the archives on Coruscant.

At this point, Rahk'neqah advised him to focus his efforts in finding new allies to support him in eradicating him of his enemies - the Sith Empire, Cult of Shadow, and the Jedi Order itself. Trayus personally traveled to Mandalre to meet with the Mandalorians and forge an alliance with them, promising them that they would be attacked first. He then sent Tyfus and Invictus, with a small military force, to the Tion Consortium, where talks were initiated. Intrigued by the Nomad Soul's comments on two other organizations sharing his objectives, Trayus sent out emmissaries to search out his two new allies.

It was at this time that Darth Trayus opted to perform Sith Alchemy on himself, to alter his appearance significantly. When the operation was finished, Trayus did not even recognize the new face that looked back at him in the mirror. After receiving counsel from Rahk'neqah on his next move, Trayus prepared the Crimson Empire and Sith Brotherhood for its deadliest move yet.

Physical Characteristics

"Indeed you are an interesting specimen."

— Unknown Imperial medical officer

Due to an unusual genetic feature, Cadden became capable of aging at half the rate of a normal human being, effective at the time of adulthood. The reasons for this have remained unknown since it had first kicked in, and have served both as a blessing and a curse to Blackthorne.

This particular ability had first been recognized during Cadden's service to the Empire, when he had sustained injuries on the battlefield. The medical officer on duty at the time of his blood analysis showed that his cells reproduced at a rapid rate, allowing his body to maintain its current age for twice the period of time as a normal human. Though the medical officer was unable to discover the reasons for this phenomena, nor was he able to reproduce the effects in various studies, it had been reported in his analysis during Cadden's bed rest.

Because of this ability, Cadden appears several years younger than his true age, and his performance has reflected his appearance. However, due to his application of Sith Alchemy to conceal his true identity, he no longer holds this appearance, save for when he projects it using the Force.

Skills

"Do you think I got to be the best just by showing off this armor and waving my weapons around?"

— Cadden Blackthorne

Cadden's prowess in battle should not be overlooked. Trained by the Imperial Military Academy on Carida in melee and ranged combat, as well as concepts of warfare, Cadden can take a stand against even the most formidable of opponents. Cadden learned many studies of martial arts from Trai Kanossi:

• Teräs Käsi
• Hijkata
• Echani art
• Stava

In addition to his proficiency in the martial arts, Cadden is also an expert marksman and a highly skilled user of both lightsabers and vibroswords.

Aside from combat abilities, Cadden is a highly intelligent individual, proof from his track record which trails behind him wherever he goes. He is also an exceptional pilot and mechanic, and capable of patching up most non-lethal injuries he sustains.

Training in the Force

"Give him a lightsaber, and pray he's your ally. Grant him the ability to use the Force, and pray he will never stray to the Dark."

— Faarel Blackthorne

Cadden's training in the Force was largely based off of self-discovery. Because of this, Cadden often squared off with the Dark Side in himself, once even embracing it. It was not until he learned of why these urges occurred, that he was able to further control them. Nevertheless, since he discovered his connection to the Force, Cadden engaged in constant self-training, despite popular belief that this lead him down the path of a Dark Jedi. The belief eventually became reality, as Cadden's quest for revenge through power lead him down the path of the Dark Side once again.

Cadden is gifted with the heightened awareness to the Force, and the wake which others leave behind within it. This allows Cadden to be able to feel other people's presence from days gone by, and if the wake is "fresh" enough, and Cadden's connection to the person who formed it is strong enough, he can follow it in pursuit of the individual.

Cadden has an ongoing struggle with the dark side of the Force. The Nomad Soul and the Fallen Jedi Teslar Maladan both took interest in him, but both for their own separate reasons.

Awareness and Early Training

Cadden became aware of his potency to the Force through his close friend, Trai Kanossi. During a personal mission on one of Cadden's many ships he owned in his lifetime, Trai learned of his connection to the Force through a medical scan. Regardless of his past experiences in this area, Cadden took the medical scan as well, and proved this time to be positive. Thus began Cadden's journey.

Later, Cadden met with Renalla Starrider, as he was already diving into the mysteries of the Force. Though the two eventually fell in love, she served as Cadden's mentor, showing him the Light Side and the dangers of the Dark Side. It was not much, as their time together was cut short after the fall of the Frozen Empire on Talmohkt, but it was enough for Cadden. Trai also departed Blackthorne, leaving him with the philosophy of the Grey. He would later abandon this philosophy, in favor of additional power and the Dark Side of the Force.

Developing Skills

Lightsaber Combat

Since Cadden's merging of souls with the Nomad Soul, he has become a great wielder of the lightsaber, as well as his current primary weapon, Soulblade. Previously, he had little to no formal training in the seven forms of combat. But, with the Nomad Soul's wisdom, experience, and power embedded in him, he has gained valuable skills and traits he had not possessed before.

It has also become clear that, with the Nomad Soul's help, he is able to utilize the various forms of lightsaber combat with greater ease. Over time, Trayus is capable of unlocking the Nomad Soul's mastery of the blade, as evidenced by his short time of learning and understanding the usage of his recently acquired skills in lightsaber combat.

Force Powers

Most of Cadden's Force powers are a means of aiding him in battle. However, he also uses common rudimentary and fundamental Force abilities, and has a strong ability to communicate through the Force. Though others may be able to possess this feat, Cadden may do so much easier than most are capable of. Cadden is also capable, though not in his own will, to form bonds in the Force. This allows him to sense wakes in the Force, where others could not. He typically employs this technique when seeking out Force-sensitive individuals, and has done so on two occasions - to find the Jedi at Corellia, and to find and aid Cazzik Wyn in finding his sons. Cadden is also prone to receive visions in the Force and, at certain times, even seek out these visions. However, if he receives a vision during his waking hours, it can be very draining, both physically and mentally.

Aside from these particular powers, Cadden holds an array of command over the Force, primarily for combat-enhancement actions such as Battle Precognition and Force Valor. However, he is known to use Saber throw, Force Push (and its variants), Force Grip and Force Healing. Also, he has the capability to use darker powers such as a much lesser version of Force Destruction, and also sometimes employs Force Rage during his duels. Though not the extent of his abilities in the Force, they will be found typically employed if necessary.

Recently, due to the Dark Side powers inherent in the Soulblade, Cadden has acquired an advanced version of Force Sight, granting him the ability to see far better than he had before. The Force literally shows Cadden his surroundings, providing far more information than the blackness that used to be his eyes could ever provide him.

Upon the merging both the Nomad Soul's and Cadden's souls, Blackthorne has gained a variety of new techniques and abilities in the Force. Among them was the capability of understanding alien languages with ease, as well as many Force abilities stemming from the Dark Side (including the varied stages of Force Lightning and Force Wound). Upon his staging of operations out of Udine, Cadden has begun to work on a new technique that combines Force Concealment and Force Cloak into an advanced method of hiding oneself, both visually and through the Force.

It has also become apparent that Cadden possesses the ability (due to the merging with the Nomad Soul) to telepathically issue orders to all personnel on a battlefield simultaneously. Also, evidenced by his involvement in the Battle of Taylon, his overall ability to use the Force has heightened to extreme levels. This includes talents such as telekinesis and combat-related Force powers.

It is clear that, if his merging with the Nomad Soul completes, Blackthorne will be a powerful force to face off against.

Potential

Though he has come a long way since he first began his training, Cadden's potential still seems limitless. He has seen many battles, and often uncovers more of his potential through each, as he continues to grow in the Force. Even now, Cadden still possesses strong raw power in the Force, and he continues to learn what the extent of his abilities truly are. Oftentimes, he even surprises himself with what he can accomplish through the Force. One such even was while on Falleen, Cadden was able to hide the Pursuer II, while rested in its concealed docking bay on the Rogue Star, from two Falleen customs officers.

The Dark Side

"But beware of using such powers, for using them for the wrong reasons will lead you down a path you are all too familiar with. Yes... I can sense the taint of the Dark Side within you... but, unlike other Jedi, that taint is much more natural with you, and I feel it is supposed to be there, to keep you in check, should your destiny be fulfilled."
"And what may that be?"
"I cannot say, for only you can fully comprehend your own destiny. The only thing I can say is... I sense that your destiny will take you down a path all too familiar, and if you are not careful, it will consume you to the darkness you have been in a constant fight with these past twelve years."

— Teslar Maladan and Cadden Blackthorne

Cadden has, since his discovery of his powers, become a fierce warrior with the Force. However, he has no way to control his dark side. As such, as mentioned by Teslar Maladan on Falleen, it grew into a natural presence for Cadden, and became synonymous with him. Of course, he became a topic of controversy to the traditional-minded Jedi of the New Jedi Order, many Jedi (both traditional and not) seeing him as having already fallen to the dark side a long time ago.

This is partially true, in that Cadden Blackthorne will always be at a constant struggle with his own dark side, and at times has even accepted it, even embracing it. However, aside from Cadden's specific falls, it has been noted that he has often acted with the best interests of others in mind. But it is clear that his flirting with the dark side has come with dire consequences, such as his becoming Darth Trayus and his deadly alliance (if one could call it such) with Rahk'neqah.

Active Threads

• Dawn of Darkness
• Digging up the Past