Blade of Bardotta redirects here. You may be looking for the Blade of Barab.

Porter Engle, known as the Blade of Bardotta, was a male Ikkrukkian Jedi Master and cook who lived during the High Republic Era. Sporting an enormous beard, Engle was a legend in the Jedi Order and formed a bond of siblinghood with fellow Jedi Barash Silvain, whose memories of infancy drove her desire for family. The two resolved disputes in the Galactic Frontier, with Engle specializing in combat and Silvain in sensing the Force and perceiving others' intentions. In 382 BBY, they arrived on the isolated world of Gansevor, confident that they could quickly answer a plea regarding the besiegement of the city Firevale.

Engle and Silvain negotiated with the Bethune army to allow the passage of some humanitarian supplies into Firevale in return for the Jedi to investigate Bethune's claim that their heir, Princess Sicatra, had been kidnapped by Firevale. The Bethunians then also requested the assistance of mercenaries led by General Viess, and they began bombarding the city to expedite the siege's end. Having been told by Firevale's Prince Colden that Sicatra had fled Bethune in order to marry him, the Jedi pair wanted more time to investigate the ordeal by speaking with Sicatra directly, and Silvain sent Engle down to the Bethune encampment, where he successfully pleaded for a ceasefire.

However, Silvain was quick to believe in Sicatra's claim that she was pregnant with Colden's child, who would thus be doomed as a Firevale royal staying among Bethunians. Silvain thus told Engle to ask the besiegers to leave. Fully trusting his sister's judgement, as always, Engle attempted to persuade the Bethunians and Viess to avoid further bloodshed and withdraw. Viess instead fired on the Jedi and the bombardments resumed. With his mastery of combat, Engle held his own against his opponents and started destroying their heavy cannons, prompting Viess to demand that they target the heart of the city to expedite the siege. When the Bethunian leadership refused, the general killed them, reasoning that Gansevor was disconnected from the galactic comms network and that her mercenaries were free to plunder as they pleased.

While Sicatra revealed that she and her husband had planned the siege in order to usurp the Firevale throne and persuaded the Bethunians to bear arms against the treacherous mercenaries, Engle fought overnight in what became one of the most epic instances of lightsaber combat ever recorded. After the battle, Silvain became uncertain of herself due to her misjudgements, vowing to venture as a lone Jedi and leaving Engle. He later broke the siege of Bardotta, for which he was renowned as the great "Blade of Bardotta," and eventually stepped down from combat duty to serve as a cook at the Jedi Outpost on the planet Elphrona, becoming known for his Nine-Egg Stew by the time of the Nihil maurauders' attacks in 232 BBY.

Master Engle was embroiled in combat again while fighting the Nihil on Elphrona alongside fellow outpost Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm, Jedi Knight Indeera Stokes, and Padawan Bell Zettifar. Engle was later reassigned to the Jedi outpost on the world Derra before leading a drift of Jedi Vector starfighters against the Nihil raid on the Cyclor Shipyards, rescuing Zettifar. Together with Stokes and other pilots, Engle defended the planet Valo during the devestating Nihil assault on its Republic Fair in 231 BBY, and later single-handedly foiled a raid on the world Quilken.

When the Nihil claimed ten Outer Rim sectors as part of their Occlusion Zone in 230 BBY, Engle was among the Jedi trapped behind its Stormwall boundaries. He spent a year attempting to send a message out of Nihil space by collecting parts to build an EX droid that could bypass the Stormwall, but his efforts were foiled by General Viess, who led the Nihil's Ministry of Protection. Engle subsequently heeded the reporter Rhil Dairo's secret rendezvous for any Jedi to flee Nihil space with her, finding Master Avar Kriss alongside Dairo on Hetzal Prime, but they were pursued by Viess, who was obsessed with defeating Engle. The Ikkrukkian Jedi was lost alongside Viess when they confronted each other in the Seswenna sector, allowing Kriss to escape with Engle's EX unit, which provided the necessary technology to breach the Stormwall and reach the Jedi Council on Coruscant.

Biography[]

Brother and sister[]

A new friend[]

Porter Engle was a Force-sensitive male Ikkrukkian,^[2] a species hailing from the Mid Rim planet Ikkrukk.^[8] Engle grew up with no memory of his birth family,^[7] having been taken to^[4] the galactic capital planet Coruscant in the Core Worlds^[9] to be trained as a member of the Jedi Order at the Jedi Temple during the High Republic Era.^[4] Around 407 BBY,^[1] along with other Jedi younglings, Engle was assigned to a new class in which an instructor introduced them to training lightsabers. Engle eagerly took up a blade and dueled with a green-skinned youngling, but was quickly bested.^[4]

Subsequently, Engle took notice of a youngling who stood by herself away from the sparring younglings—Barash Silvain,^[4] a Kage whose memories stretched back to infancy and missed the sense of family that she had prior to being taken in by the Jedi.^[10] Silvain simply explained that she was unenthused by lightsabers and that she did not need friends. Nevertheless, Engle persuaded her to try being friends with him.^[4]

Family[]

As they progressed their training as younglings, Engle and Silvain developed a close bond as Padawans.^[11] In 399 BBY.^[12] Razere told the Ikkrukkian that he had overheard the Jedi Masters being wary of the pair's attachment to each other, which Engle relayed to Silvain in the darkened corridors of the Jedi Temple. Neither wanted to quit the Jedi Order, viewing it as part of their identity, and Silvain suggested that they exaggerate their shortcomings when on separate missions in order to prove to the Masters that they worked better as a pair—she expressed hope that they, as two of the Masters' "most promising" students, would be reunited after a while. Silvain also told Engle not to complain upon being separated, and to have fun with performing bad enough for their elders to allow them back together.^[11]

Indeed, with Silvain honing her skills at sensing the Force's energy and Engle working on his combat skills, the two trained separately^[3] until 397 BBY.^[13] Alone together in a council chamber in the Jedi Temple on a sunny day, Engle hugged Silvain and mentioned her actions on the world Dantooine as a cause for them being brought back together. The two admitted that working in each other's absence felt different, and Silvain asked to entrust Engle with a secret, which he readily accepted, stating that she was his best friend.^[7]

Silvain confessed that she had missed the feeling of family as a new Jedi, due to her memories as a Kage stretching back virtually to birth as well as being found by the Order at a slightly older age, and that she had found the feeling again with Engle. With the pair holding both hands of one another, Silvain asked Engle to be her brother. Engle affirmed their relationship as siblings, and in lieu of his lack of experience of family, promised to get better at being a brother to his sister.^[7]

Trouble on Daedus[]

At some point in his youth, Engle accompanied the cheery human Jedi Master Creighton Sun on several missions with their shuttle in the frontier. Their ship was shot down over the sparsely populated Outer Rim planet Daedus by local pirates when they were on a diplomatic mission in its sector in the Galactic Frontier. With his sureness in piloting, Sun controlled the plummet by wrecking their shuttle into a forest's gully, with the viewscreen shattering over himself and Engle, who was clutching the copilot's seat. Although Sun wore a proud expression, he and Engle emerged from the ruins to find that they were surrounded by hostile pirates and a battle ensued.^[14]

Gunslinger of frontiers[]

Engle subsequently traveled on adventures as a gunslinger^[15] Jedi Master with Silvain^[11] on faraway worlds^[4] during the age of Republic Pathfinder exploration into the Outer Rim's Galactic Frontier.^[16] The siblings became one of the greatest Jedi of the age,^[4] and at one point, they fought off blaster-wielding foes in a sandy town.^[17] After the ceasefire agreement of the Eiram and E'ronoh War in 382 BBY,^[1] they were ready to leave the frontier's Boneworld when Engle became curious about ingredients that he had not known in a market and decided to make a stew with them in the kitchen of a crowded establishment.^[4]

Having made the stew while reciting Jedi teachings that one could always trust in the Force as an ally, Engle offered it to a table of "gentlefolk" strangers playing sabacc in the establishment. One of them thanked the Jedi and asked why he made them free lunch, to which the Ikkrukkian answered that he loved to cook. However, a human tasting the stew spat it out in disgust, and Engle admitted that he was not a good cook, although he would improve. Silvain then alerted him to a dispute outside, and Engle picked up four sabacc chips as he stepped out, promising to bring them back later.^[4]

Engle stepped into a heated confrontation between the Nautolan Ralen and the Twi'lek Dregg—who were each accompanied by an associate and had attracted the attention of about a dozen spectators—over the former's satchel of ambercryst; Dregg wanted to take Ralen's finds, which were made outwith Dregg's area of claim but the Nautolan had become lost and stumbled onto the Twi'lek's land. Introducing himself as a "concerned citizen" who came to see the wonders of the Boneworld with his sister, who stood a distance behind him, Engle requested an explanation of the situation. He did so while lifting his sabacc chips around him, which troubled Ralen's mind, and stating that he sought a peaceful resolution.^[4]

After hearing from both sides and sensing them via the Force, Silvain told her brother that the Nautolan was telling the truth, and Dregg pulled his blaster. To their shock, Engle accurately deflected Dregg and his partner's shots with his blade through the four sabacc chips. After demanding that the aggressors give up their blasters and leave, Engle advised the Ralen to cash in the ambercryst and leave, warning that the Twi'lek might return soon.^[4]

The Jedi Masters then took a transport to the Galactic Republic's Office of the Frontier in order to pick and handle one of the many petitions for Jedi aid in unsettled sectors. They decided to act on a vague plea from the Tammuz sector's frontier world of Gansevor—known as "the planet of knives"—about a siege on the city-state Firevale. Although Engle expressed doubt as to acquiring a means of transport to Gansevor, Silvain was certain that the Force willed them to go there.^[4]

Jedi Master Helion Volte overheard their conversation and offered to give them a lift with his Pathfinder expedition crew's starship. Accepting the ride, the pair were en route via hyperspace when Volte realized that he was hosting Porter Engle, a reputed lightsaber duelist, and asked to fight him. After besting Volte, Engle and Silvain disembarked^[4] in Gansevor's capital city Horatio by themselves,^[11] with Silvain having refused EX droid assistance. The Kage was adamant that the dispute could be swiftly resolved, and that she and Engle could be picked up on the expedition crew's way back to the Office of the Frontier.^[4]

Planet of knives[]

Upon meeting Envoy Seleen of Firevale in Horatio with Barash Silvain, Porter Engle quipped that he hoped "the planet of knives" was named for its mountains. They were then informed that Firevale was the sole city in possession of baudraxite deposits, which were central to the planet's energy infrastructure, and that the rivalling army of Bethune had been laying siege to Firevale for months. Seleen then requested the Jedi to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian supplies to the city; Engle questioned whether they included weapons, but received the envoy's assurance that they were only food, medical equipment, and other essential goods. Still unsure of the situation, Silvain simply agreed to escort the supply convoy of four avian-towed cargo transports, but who and how the Jedi helped was yet to be decided.^[11]

Upon arriving near Firevale at the edge of the Nomad Plains, the Jedi and several members of the relief force stood atop one of the transports. Engle remarked the large scale of the siege, but Silvain expressed confidence that it could end without a shot being fired if they negotiated appropriately. However, her brother noticed the Bethune's missiles firing upon them, and together, on Engle's mark, they exerted the Force to redirect all the projectiles into the surrounding mountains. After the convoy set down outside the Bethune's range of fire, the Jedi disembarked and instructed the others to remain behind, despite their concerns for the Jedi. Engle declared that their army had already tried to kill them once, and that very few people ever try to kill the Jedi twice.^[11]

As the siblings ventured toward the hostile camp alone, Silvain commented that Engle's words made a good line, with him reponding that it had "the benefit of being true." Immediately, Bethune forces opened fire on them; the irony was not lost on Silvain, whom Engle protected using his main lightsaber and his shoto blade, intending to show the opponents the Jedi's prowess. A blaster shot slipped past his defenses and struck Silvain, who protected herself with her armguard, agitating the brother as he disarmed several soldiers by deflecting their shots into their blaster pistols and exclaiming "enough!" The Ikkrukkian dared the soldiers to take another shot, to no response.^[11]

Ugly business[]

While his sister pointed out that his reaction may have been too extreme, Engle was satisfied that their "new friends" had stopped shooting. The Jedi then introduced themselves into the tent of the army's commanding officer, speaking with Field Marshal Tozen. Tozen blamed the Republic for neglecting and the Jedi for interfering with local affairs, describing it as "deeply offensive," but Silvain clarified that they had come at the request of a person from Gansevor to resolve the matter peacefully; Engle further expressed taking offense at being greeted by a missile attack and blaster shots. His sister took back control of the negotiations, asking to hear the Bethune's perspective of the conflict: a member of the camp explained that Firevale had kidnapped the Bethune's heir, Princess Sicatra.^[11]

Despite Engle feeling that the situation was complicated, the two Jedi proposed that they deliver the supplies to Firevale to alleviate hunger there, then to hear from both sides to peacefully resolve the dispute. Although Tozen warned that the conflict would be prolonged and that Firevale would lie to them, Engle answered that Silvain was excellent at distinguishing the truth, and the convoy was allowed to enter Firevale. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, Tozen, concerned that the conflict would be lengthened by the unexpected supplies, called on mercenary support led by the Jedi hunter General Abediah Viess to help win the siege.^[11]

Tales of Firevale[]

Standing atop the convoy transports again beside his sister as they entered Firevale itself, Engle observed that the people seemed desperate and stated that they should end the conflict as quickly as possible. The Jedi were greeted by a grateful Chief Magistrate Renata and Prince Colden of Firevale's royal family, who expressed surprise at the Jedi aid. Engle explained that they received a petition from Firevale's envoy, while Silvain explained that they were allowed through the siege on the promise that the Jedi would peacefully resolve the issue of the kidnapped princess. Colden then pointed out that she was his wife, having fled Bethune for asylum in Firevale, eliciting the siblings' surprise.^[11]

Firevale's civil-defense alarm system then alerted the group to the arrival of over a dozen starships of the Bethune's mercenaries, and Engle jumped into action with Silvain, each riding an avian creature to assess the scene. The Ikkrukkian, already disliking the mercenaries for being killers for hire, asked his sister who they should side with if fighting breaks out, but Silvain could not give a definitive answer.^[11] At night, the Jedi stood on the walls of Firevale alongside Prince Colden, who called the Bethune's use of mercenaries "pathetic," but Engle advised caution. The city's anti-air defense array was capable of deterring aerial assaults, but the city gate could quickly succumb to a focused attack by the mercenaries' heavy cannon–mounted tanks, which began shelling Firevale.^[7]

Silvain was determined to find the truth among the royals of the city, and asked Engle to stop the assault below and to buy her as much time as possible. Jumping down the city walls and deflecting blaster fire with his lightsaber mid-air, the Jedi flipped into an encirclement of dozens of armed opponents, warneding them that they would inadvertently shoot at themselves, and that they had only seen a sliver of his capabilities. The soldiers, their blasters still raised, allowed him to negotiate with Field Marshal Tozen, who introduced General Viess. Engle asked that they wait until Silvain had located and spoken with the princess for a peaceful settlement, but Viess snorted and expressed her contempt for Jedi.^[7]

Likewise, Engle responded that he hated those who killed people for money, and that the Jedi were duty-bound to interfere in such issues, angering Viess, who started drawing her blaster but was dissuaded by Engle's threat of using his lightsaber. Tozen then lowered his blaster on Engle as he extinguished his blade, agreeing to entertain the Jedi's attempt at diplomacy and pause the assault for a short while. Engle said that he was grateful for Tozen's tolerance and proud of his ceasefire for saving lives.^[7]

A matter of lies and death[]

Meanwhile, Silvain was meeting Queen Keraan of Firevale, promising that the shelling would stop as she had sent his brother down to the Bethune and mercenary camps. Indeed, the truce proved the Jedi's point, and Silvain proceeded to speak with Princess Sicatra, who said she was moved by the Jedi's actions putting themselves at risk. Along with Silvain, Sicatra lied that she was pregnant with Colden's child and that the potential succession crisis of Bethune, which held strong antipathies against Firevale, would doom her child. The Jedi failed to detect the lie, believing Sicatra's story and telling Engle via comlink to convince the besiegers to leave.^[7]

Engle, who was sitting on top of a tank, had Silvain confirm if she was certain. Trusting his sister, he told the dozen of soldiers surrounding him to relay to their bosses that their ambitions would end "in failure and loss, possibly death and pain" should they choose to stay. Despite Engle's attempt to appeal to their mutual benefit of avoiding a bloodbath, Tozen offered twelve hours for the mercenaries to plunder Firevale in exchange for Viess to kill the two Jedi, reasoning that Gansevor was not connected to the galactic comms network and that events on the world would not be known to the Republic.^[7]

While Porter Engle continued to casually tell the soldiers that they did not need to bear arms, Viess fired a missile at the Jedi and ordered the attack to continue, blowing up the tank and killing several soldiers of her own side in the vicinity. In Firevale, Silvain confidently told Prince Colden that while his city's defenses may not hold, Engle could. Her brother emerged unscathed^[7] and confronted the mercenary general, who boasted that she was known for killing Knights of the Jedi Order. The Ikkrukkian responded that he would never forget General Viess' name, and that he was unlike other Jedi.^[10]

The price of Viess[]

Unfazed by Viess' lightsaber-proof beskar spear and armor, Engle made several quick strokes with his saber, sparing her life but dealing minor injuries on her limbs and cheek as a show of his power. The Jedi then made an ultimatum to the flustered general to call off the bombardment while her mercenaries watched, and declared that he would not allow anyone else to die. However, she ended the duel by throwing a grenade at several of her own people, who were only saved by Engle swiftly hurling the explosive into the sky.^[10]

Using a strategy known to his sister, Engle focused on destroying the tanks, reducing the greatest threat and making the ordeal costly for the mercenaries. Retreating to Tozen's tent, Viess ordered the field marshal to retarget their cannons into the heart of the city to expedite the siege, but he refused; the mercenaries thus shot him and his people in his tent, intent on gaining the spoils for themselves. Engle, who had begun using his shoto in conjunction with his main blade, was dismayed that the cannon fire began to intensify, and continued destroying the cannons. When a mercenary called for fellow soldiers to prevent the Jedi from approaching one of the tanks, Engle blew it up by hurling his shoto into it.^[10]

The battlefield then heard an announcement from Princess Sicatra from Firevale's walls—having learned from the dying Tozen via comlink that the mercenaries had betrayed them, the troubled princess had admitted to Silvain that she and Prince Colden had been working with Tozen and the Bethunians so as to force Queen Keraan to hand over her rule of Firevale, after which they would negotiate a preplanned truce and share Firevale's baudraxite with Bethune. She had also revealed to Silvain that her alleged pregnancy was a ruse to gain the Jedi's sympathies. The princess thus called on the Bethune warriors to end the attack and avenge Tozen by turning on the off-world mercenaries, and the resulting bedlam impressed Engle.^[10]

Barash Silvain told Sicatra that while the mercenaries would certainly retreat, the prince and the princess were responsible for the heavy cost of lives at the battle—but so was the Jedi Master herself, for her erroneous judgements during the ordeal. Meanwhile, Master Porter continued driving back the mercenaries,^[10] and his actions at the siege became one of the most epic instances of lightsaber combat ever recorded.^[7] He fell to his knees out of exhaustion once the mercenary ships had taken off. A vengeful Viess then fired a laser cannon at the Ikkrukkian—but he was saved by his sister, who drew her lightsaber. Engle admitted that he was worn out, unable to even lift his arms.^[10]

Vow[]

With the end of the mayhem came the dawn. Silvain explained to her brother that she had failed to handle the intrigues of the "dark world," and did not accept Engle's dismissal that it was "the usual sort of ugliness," or that they had done the best they could, that the world would hopefully choose peaceful solutions, and that they should return to the capital for pick-up and resume their work elsewhere. Silvain refused to join her brother. She held herself responsible for telling him to escalate the bloody conflict by facing the mercenaries directly and failing to listen to the Force, instead being clouded by her own history, believing in the princess' story of a young family's child being threatened to be taken from her parents.^[10]

Uncertain of herself and refusing to let her brother trust her again, Silvain decided to take no action on behalf of the Jedi Order while remaining as a member, as always, to listen for the Force again. Engle protested that they could not work apart, but his sister insisted that he would, telling him to remember that he was never alone. She then left him for parts unknown to him and did not respond to Jedi communications; her decision became known as a Barash Vow.^[10] History would be remembered inaccurately, as General Viess became known for her "heroism" at the siege of Gansevor and saving a team of Pathfinders when she lived on the Outer Rim planet Sarumo over a century later.^[18]

The Blade of Bardotta[]

After submitting a full report to the Jedi High Council regarding Silvain's departure, Porter Engle was debriefed by the council in person in the council chamber in Coruscant's Jedi Temple. The Jedi confessed that he was unsure whether he understood Silvain's decision, and assessed that she was a very special person; Grand Master Yoda concluded that she had become uncertain. Believing Engle would be of more use returning to the field, the Jedi Masters then sent him to^[10] the planet Bardotta, in the Colonies region.^[19] Before he left, Engle sat before the Great Tree in the Temple courtyard, which was bustling with Jedi.^[10] According to Jedi legend, Engle fought against hundreds of blaster-wielding mercenaries and pirates at the^[16] five-days'^[17] siege of Bardotta^[16] of 382 BBY,^[9] earning the title "Blade of Bardotta."^[16]

At some point, he visited a riotous coast and a sprawling city.^[4] Engle sparred with Rooper Nitani,^[14] a human Jedi born in 397 BBY,^[20] at some point in his youth.^[14] He also captured the Hutt Clan enforcer Ola Hest after she had brought down a children's medcenter on Novor. According to a tale told by the criminal Sestin Blin^[21] a century and a half later,^[22] the Blade dragged Hest "kicking and screaming" from the palace of^[21] Gardulla the Hutt on the world Nal Hutta,^[23] and the criminal was imprisoned aboard the Republic correctional ship Restitution.^[21] Subsequently,^[22] an incident cost Engle his left eye and left a scar along his face.^[2]

Due to his long lifespan, Engle was able to take on many roles as a Jedi. His years spent as a teacher, an explorer, a diplomat, and a warrior led to his legendary reputation within the Jedi Order;^[2] stories were spread amongst the Jedi of his many exploits during his youth.^[6] Engle stepped down from combat service after experiencing horrors in his career,^[3] which included a lightsaber slipping from broken fingers, troubling him for years to come.^[6]

Elder Engle[]

Perfector of the Nine-Egg Stew[]

Unlike most other elder Jedi who stayed at the Coruscant Temple, Engle requested to be stationed in the frontier, at the Jedi outpost on the planet Elphrona. The Ikkrukkian worked as a cook there, and created the Nine-Egg Stew at some point.^[2] By 232 BBY,^[9] he worked with fellow outpost Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm, Knight Indeera Stokes, and Greatstorm's Padawan, Bell Zettifar.^[2]

An injured fire-breathing charhound appeared at the outpost's entrance one day, and while Stokes treated the wounds, Engle fed the creature, who was named Ember by Zettifar and allowed to stay as a companion by Greatstorm.^[2] Around the time of the Great Hyperspace Disaster of 232 BBY,^[9] Engle visited Elphrona's Verdigris Hills, where he took herbs from a nova crystal deposit for use in a soup that he served his fellow Jedi. Their meal was interrupted upon being alerted to an emergency at a local mine, which Greatstorm, Zettifar, and Ember investigated. Ember had enjoyed Engle's food;^[24] at some point, she stole some from the outpost kitchen while he was cooking there.^[17]

On a morning shortly after the Great Disaster, Engle made Nine-Egg Stew with stone peppers that he had found in a market for breakfast, serving it to his fellow Jedi after Zettifar returned from training to survive falling off cliffs. Engle teased the hungry Padawan that falling must be demanding work, and later expressed his hope that Starlight Beacon, a space station for coordinating Republic and Jedi activity in the frontier, would be completed to schedule, on the account that it would be a beautiful station and was important to the Great Works projects of Republic Chancellor Lina Soh. The elder Jedi sat at the head of the table, approving of Soh's ambitions to unite the galaxy with new networks, given the desperation that existed early in his lifetime. When Zettifar asked if he thought the Jedi outpost network would be replaced by a network of Beacons, Engle replied that he hoped not, since he found life on Elphrona provided just enough novelty and meaning.^[2]

Family in peril[]

As a servitor droid cleared the breakfast, Engle asked of his fellow Jedi's plans for the day and declared that he would wash the dishes. The group was interrupted by a plea about the kidnap of the wealthy Blythe family on Elphrona. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the anonymous message was sent by Marchion Ro, leader of the Nihil raiders, members of which instigated the Great Disaster and conducted the raid. Engle and fellow Jedi of the outpost quickly responded to the call alongside Ember, traveling in a Vanguard tread vehicle to the family's homestead in the claim zones.^[2]

Moved by the threat to the family, Engle sat still in the passenger cabin, recomposing himself as a formidable warrior of one of his past lives. While Stokes scouted ahead on a speeder, the others arrived at the homestead and disembarked, with Engle's hand resting lightly on his lightsaber in his holster. Upon finding three frightened steelees in their pen, Engle calmed the creatures and inspected the ground, gathering that six Nihil captured four people, including two children, and stole some of the steelees when their speeder was wrecked by the homestead.^[2]

The Jedi were then attacked by mole mines left as a trap by the marauders, with each Jedi battling them in different ways. In a low crouch, Engle wielded his lightsaber in a reverse grip, precisely bisecting every mole mine around him with an unflinching expression, catching the attention of both Greatstorm and Zettifar; the latter thought his swordsmanship incomparable to even lightsaber displays by Masters Yoda, Zaviel Tepp, or Arkoff at the Jedi Temple. Distracted, the Jedi failed to notice a stray mine destroying their Vanguard transport.^[2]

Engle surmised that the Nihil had left the mines expecting to be followed, and the strong magnetic fields in the area meant they were forced to land their ship in a nearby transit zone and, with their speeder lost, return to the ship on steelee-back. The Ikkrukkian also suggested that the group ride the three remaining steelees to prevent the Nihil "monsters" from fleeing Elphrona, preparing the creatures' saddles and reins with Greatstorm's approval while Stokes headed back to the outpost for a Jedi Vector in case she had to intercept the Nihil in the air. Engle then advised the master and apprentice to connect with their steelees as best they could, expecting to push the mounts to their limits, which meant imparting to them the importance of the rescue.^[2]

The searchers[]

The three Jedi left Ember and pursued the escaping raiders, gradually closing their distance with Engle in the lead, encouraging his steelee and establishing a bond between them while he considered strategies for the hostage situation. Engle thought that the confrontation would most likely involve Greatstorm pulling the family away from the Nihil while he and Zettifar dispatched the blaster-armed raiders.^[2]

When the Jedi reached a narrow canyon, they were ambushed by Nihil snipers, with Engle ready to deflect their fire with his blade. However, one of the Nihil instead shot dead his steelee, forcing the Ikkrukkian to withdraw his connection with the creature and somersault midair, with his lightsaber deflecting several more shots, allowing him to determine that there were only two Nihil firing from the hills. Engle urged Greatstorm and Zettifar to ride on and prevent the family from being taken away, promising to join them as soon as he had dealt with the "monsters." He then announced to the Nihil that they had shown their true colors as murderers of an innocent being such as his late steelee, and braced for a second round of covert fire.^[2]

Indeed, the Nihil shot him from behind; he spun and blocked the first two bolts before sending the third back to its origin. When the sniper dodged, Engle leaped to the top of the canyon and whirled his lightsaber at them, slicing through their ironstone shelter and body. Before the Jedi could land, the remaining Nihil fired again, prompting him to swat the shot across the hills as a statement of the Force's power. Engle shouted that he saw the Nihil's location and recalled his saber, sprinting toward the raider, who fled to his own steelee and desperately tried to make the creature move. Engle stated that that raider must have been the one to kill his steelee, and he fired upon the Jedi, who deflected the shot into the Nihil's mask.^[2]

Engle then began to calm the traumatized steelee and asked if the creature would like to join him to do some good, preparing to hoist himself onto the saddle. However, the Nihil sat up, still alive, and lifted his blaster at the unprepared Jedi. Just as Engle prepared his spirit to join the Cosmic Force, knowing that he would not be quick enough to live on to try a refinement to one of his pie recipes, Ember incinerated the Nihil, stunning the Jedi. He expressed his gratitude to Ember before they descended the slope, with Engle riding the steelee, to catch up with Greatstorm and Zettifar.^[2]

Engle joined the other Jedi and a rescued but injured Erika Blythe at the site of the Nihil's ship, which took off with the rest of the Blythes. The Ikkrukkian kneeled beside Erika and tended to her wound via the Force, and persuaded the other Jedi to join Indeera Stokes after the Nihil on the spare Jedi Vector that Stokes had brought; their patient required treatment on the way back to the Jedi outpost, and Engle was the best medic among them.^[2]

For light and life[]

Zettifar rescued Erika's daughter, Bailen; although he had hoped Engle would save him from freefalling in Elphrona's skies, the Padawan accomplished the feat himself, which his master deemed worthy of elevation to the rank of Jedi Knight. Greatstorm then tasked Zettifar to take Bailen to the Jedi outpost and ask Engle to give some stew to the mother and daughter while Greatstorm himself and Stokes attempted to recover the rest of the family in space. While Stokes returned with the boy Ronn, Greatstorm himself and the father, Ottoh, were seized by the Nihil. Their leader, Marchion Ro, had actually intended to capture a Jedi from the raid on Elphrona, and Stokes assumed Greatstorm and Ottoh to be dead.^[2]

After Stokes, Zettifar, and Engle and the rest of the family reunited, they were invited to Starlight Beacon for its dedication ceremony in the Galactic Frontier. While the family instead returned to their relatives on Alderaan,^[2] a Core Worlds planet,^[9] the three Jedi and Ember joined hundreds of other members of their Order and Republic luminaries on the station, which was completed on schedule. Zettifar was still processing the loss of his master, presumed to be dead by others,^[2] and noticed that following the encounter with the Nihil on Elphrona, Engle's spiritual "light" slowly started to fade.^[25]

Indeed, the Jedi Master walked quietly with Zettifar and Stokes as part of a tour group along the Beacon's corridors, paying little attention to its wonders as he remembered his past as the Blade of Bardotta and why he once chose to set aside the role. The Jedi then listened to Chancellor Soh's speech in the station's atrium, which addressed the sacrifice of Greatstorm and many others to bring safety to the Outer Rim. At the end of the speech, all of the assembled Jedi raised their lightsabers as a salute.^[2]

Innovator[]

Porter Engle then returned to active Jedi duty.^[9] Leading up to the Republic Fair on the Rseik sector's frontier world of Valo in 231 BBY,^[9] Engle was reassigned to the Jedi outpost on the world Derra^[6] in the Expansion Region,^[26] serving with its marshal, the young Master Tera Sinube. When the Nihil attacked the nearby Cyclor Shipyards in the Mid Rim, Sinube sent Engle and a drift of Jedi Vector starfighters to help the Cyclorrians there.^[6]

Leading the squadron in destroying the Nihil's scrambler droids at the edge of the planet Cyclor's star system to restore standard communications, Engle reported mid-battle via comms to the Jedi and senators who were in transmission with Chancellor Lina Soh on her flagship. Asked by Grand Master Pra-Tre Veter and Master Stellan Gios of the Jedi Council, he relayed that the Cyclorrians had battled valiantly, that most of the Nihil forces had been defeated, and—prompted by Soh's surprising revelation that Jedi Stokes and Zettifar were at Cyclor—that he just found a wounded Zettifar.^[6]

Along with a Cyclorrian, Stokes, and Ember, Engle rescued Zettifar from his Vector, with the Jedi Master's lightsaber cutting him free from a Nihil harpoon aboard the state-of-the-art vessel Innovator. The group then put Zettifar on a gurney and rushed him to an infirmary for recovery in a bacta tank; Engle's drift and the Cyclorrians fought off the remaining Nihil, ensuring that they never boarded the Innovator. As the vessel prepared its maiden voyage to the Republic Fair on Valo, Engle's drift was assigned by the Jedi Council to escort it and remain until after the opening ceremony.^[6]

Spirit of unity[]

Hearing of the Jedi's plans from Master Gios, the fair's coordinator, Samera Ra-oon, asked if Engle was a Jedi Master. Gios replied that his name was mentioned in the same breath as Masters Brisbane, Cherff Maota, and Yoda, leading Ra-oon to propose adding Engle to the chancellor's party as a special liaison for Regasa Elarec Yovet of the Togruta state, given their fear of a Nihil attack. However, Gios did not feel confident of Engle as a diplomat, and opted to confer with the chancellor on the matter. As Zettifar recovered on the Innovator outside his bacta tank, Engle stayed with the him, which dismayed the young Jedi as he was reminded of losing Master Greatstorm on Elphrona.^[6]

At the end of the Republic Fair's opening ceremony in Valo's capital, Lonisa City, presided by Chancellor Soh and broadcast to billions of citizens on every Republic world, Porter Engle, Indeera Stokes, and Bell Zettifar flew their Vectors alongside a squadron of Cyclor Skyhawk starfighters and the Innovator. The Vectors followed the Skyhawks as they flew against the Valo sunset toward and over the thousands of beings gathered in front of the fair gates and the Unity Arc while the Innovator landed, and Master Gios, standing at the arc, felt the three Jedi's presence. The starfighters rocketed back over the crowd just as the Chancellor concluded her speech celebrating the spirit of unity, and they released gold- and white-colored smoke trails to the Valo Fair anthem.^[6]

Engle, Stokes, Zettifar, and Ember then attended the reception in the fair's Starlight Pavilion, and were immediately greeted by three Jedi: Nib Assek, her Padawan, Burryaga Agaburry, and Mikkel Sutmani. They were joined by Master Gios, who expressed his pleasure to see that the Jedi who were at Cyclor were safe. Engle then remarked that Zettifar nearly went "the same way" as Master Greatstorm, making him uneasy; while Stokes directed the focus of the conversation to planning the following day's display, Gios and Zettifar visited the pavilion's exhibition with Ember. The three did not withdraw for long, as Gios sensed trouble from fellow Jedi Master Elzar Mann, and asked the group of Jedi if they had seen Mann. Engle was inspecting a tray of spiced rycrit strips and was brought back to the conversation by Nib Assek; while she wanted to help Gios find Master Mann, the former told the group to remain to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.^[6]

Later, Engle frowned very hardly at the earworm United in Song exhibit in the Faith and Life zone, which an amused Jom Lariin, son of the city's mayor, pointed out to Kitrep Soh, the Chancellor's son, whose laugh made holojournalist Rhil Dairo smile. As the day drew on, Engle was unaware that he was humming United in Song.^[6]

Vector[]

Still early in that day, the Nihil launched a surprise indiscriminate aerial and ground attack on the Republic Fair. Porter Engle and fellow Jedi pilots Stokes, Assek, Agaburry, and Sutmani flew their Vectors against the Nihil onslaught, targeting the marauders' starfighters around the fair. When Stokes felt an urge to exact vengeance on a Nihil fighter taking pleasure in smashing a falling person near one of the fair's platforms, Engle set his craft, which was suffering from a smoking engine, on a collision course with that fighter. The Ikkrukkian then leaped out of his cockpit onto Stokes' fast-flying craft, holding one of its wings as if it was a skyboard.^[6]

To Stokes' astonishment, Engle held on and communicated to the other Jedi pilots through the Force, with the Vector drift accompanying Stokes' fighter and fractured images of his life flooding into the Jedi's minds: eggs on a stove, his fighter exiting hyperspace over Cyclor, and a distant terror of a lightsaber slipping from broken fingers. Initially uncertain, Stokes attempted to calm Engle's mind, but he reminded his colleagues not to focus on past horrors and instead save lives together. Regaining their resolve, the Vector drift united in formation as Engle stood up.^[6]

The Jedi pilots' minds were joined as one in united meditation as the drift flowed through Engle, his mind at peace for the first time in years; they collectively levitated four falling individuals from the final floating sky-island to succumb to Nihil fire onto each Vector. Below the Nihil war-cloud obscuring the fair grounds, Master Elzar Mann felt the drift and was awed by the sight of Engle riding the central Vector like a Drumian wing-walker. Mann also saw that the ships were threatened by an incoming Nihil cruiser, which broke the drift's concentration for a moment, and the Jedi in the air, expecting certain doom from an unfair galaxy, attempted to calm the survivors they had picked up.^[6]

Valo acrobatics[]

The Jedi felt a wave of emotion and were saved when the sky-island was hurled into the Nihil ship by the power of the dark side of the Force. Unknown to them, it was Mann who had drawn on the darkness. Stokes promptly led the drift down and out of the fair park while Engle kept the survivors in place, but one of them—a Nihil clinging onto Mikkel Sutmani's Vector—attacked Sutmani's ship. It crashed and both the Nihil and the Jedi perished, breaking the drift formation and their meditation, with Engle nearly falling out from Stoke's ship.^[6]

Nevertheless, with communications restored and the arrival of Jedi reinforcements, Master Gios coordinated the Jedi via comms to take survivors to the nearby Jedi Temple on Valo for shelter. When the council member proposed that all Jedi lift the war-clouds at once and cited his late master, Rana Kant, for her teachings of keeping things simple, Engle, who had returned to lightsaber combat, commented that Kant was a wise woman. Indeed, all the Jedi pushed away the war-clouds.^[6]

By the end of the battle, Engle and fellow Jedi Vernestra Rwoh were recovering casualties at the fair, and were caught on holovid as they tried to pull an unmoving Gungan from a fallen ride. Worlds away, the GoNet news anchor Sine Spenning asked Rhil Dairo, a journalist on the ground, about the Jedi's names while the live footage was broadcast. Distracted by the dire circumstances around her and deeming the Jedi's deeds to be more important, Dairo could not divulge their names.^[6]

Nihil wile[]

Shortly following the attack on Valo, Stellan Gios led a large fleet of joint Republic forces and Jedi Vectors that included Porter Engle to protect the Cyclor Shipyards from a second Nihil attack. The Vectors entered Cyclor's system in their hyperframes alongside Republic Longbeam cruisers, but the Jedi had expected to face more than the several Nihil vessels present, with Engle being the first to voice his concern over the Nihil's small numbers and speculating that perhaps they had lost more forces over Valo than initially estimated.^[6]

A battle ensued in which the Nihil Tempest Runner Pan Eyta and his forces were defeated. During the engagement, Gios led a contingent of forces away to Grizal,^[6] another Mid Rim world,^[9] upon confirmation that the Nihil were based there. Gios asked Engle if he could handle commanding the remaining forces against the Nihil at Cyclor, with the Ikkrukkian feigning offense at the question and urging Gios to go.^[6]

In the same year,^[9] aboard the correctional ship Restitution, the prisoner Sestin Blin spoke of the legend of the Blade of Bardotta; Blin warned Lourna Dee, covertly a Nihil Tempest Runner, about the savagery of their fellow prisoner Ola Hest and how she had been captured by the Blade. Dee responded that she knew of the Jedi.^[21]

Afterward, Porter Engle was due to return to Starlight Beacon when he set up a trap for the Nihil on the Outer Rim world Quilken. Engle lured Storm Slombo and their forces to raid a repository on Quilken, and they were joined by fellow Nihil forces under Lourna Dee. As they breached the vault with an alleged collection of priceless treasures, the Nihil simply found the Jedi Master with his lightsaber in hand, exclaiming "surprise!" Recognizing him as the Blade of Bardotta, Dee urged her forces to press the attack but made herself scarce, as Engle defeated the raiders and their scav-droids while taunting them. The Ikkrukkian then captured Slombo, reporting to Master Estala Maru of Starlight Beacon to expect "another haul," his prisoner, for the station's security tower.^[27]

Sweet story custard cakes[]

In 230 BBY,^[29] Porter Engle was among the Jedi who took part in a bake-off event hosted by Master Torban Buck in the kitchen area of Starlight Beacon's Jedi quarters. As various responsibilities were divided between individuals, Engle quipped that he would crack the eggs and return in "roughly two hours." He then asked Buck if they were to follow Grand Master Yoda's recipe for special baked sweet story custard cakes, and that they were missing the crucial ingredient—Padawan Ram Jomaram exclaimed lard, to Engle's disappointment, but Masters Kantam Sy and Buck explained that they must tell a story.^[28]

As the two spoke of their experiences during the Great Disaster, Engle sat down and prepared a large bowl of eggs beside Padawan Bibs, who tasted the mixture with their fingers and admitted that they were only present to hear the story, being unskilled in either cooking or baking. At an interlude when ingredients were ready to be placed in the oven, Engle and others asked Sy and Buck to resume their "quite riveting" tale. Near its end, Master Buck announced that he had placed the treats in the oven, prompting another request from Engle and others that he finish the story. After another baking interlude in which the audience demanded that Buck finish the story, it concluded with satisfaction as Engle and Padawan Burryaga Agaburry distributed the food, with the Ikkrukkian stating that a good story made for a delicious meal indeed.^[28]

Around the same time,^[9] Jedi Vernestra Rwoh was reminded of Engle's cooking while enjoying food by fellow Jedi Yacek Sparkburn, who served at the temple on the planet Dalna in the eponymous frontier sector. Rwoh imagined that a cook-off between the two would be greatly satisfying.^[30]

Occlusion[]

Legends lost[]

The Nihil unleashed the Nameless beasts that fed on Force-sensitives, including Jedi, and destroyed Starlight Beacon in 230 BBY,^[9] killing many as it crashed into the planet Eiram^[25] in the Dalna sector.^[32] Like most Jedi, Engle believed that Padawan Burryaga Agaburry, who had disappeared during the fall of Starlight, had died, but Zetiffar did not. When the Jedi Council recalled all Jedi back to the main temple on Coruscant in response to the fall of Starlight, most Jedi complied, including relief efforts on Eiram. Recognizing that Engle had become unhappy ever since the Nihil attack on Elphrona, Zettifar sent Ember into Engle's care on Eiram, happy to let the charhound go for a while in the hope that she could provide the Jedi Master with some much-needed companionship.^[25]

Just before Engle departed Eiram into Nihil space, he gave Ember to Indeera Stokes while the latter was hospitalized, telling her that she needed Ember more that he did.^[33] The Nihil promptly claimed^[9] ten Outer Rim sectors as part of their Occlusion Zone, deploying stormseeds that destroyed any starship attempting to breach the Stormwall borders via hyperspace.^[34] Many members of the Order were trapped behind the Stormwall, including Masters Porter Engle and Avar Kriss, famed as the "Hero of Hetzal" for her actions during the Great Disaster.^[31] Zettifar considered Engle among the few Jedi he felt were "home" to him, and, as a lone Jedi on Eiram five days after the fall of Starlight, he decided to keep searching for his friend Burryaga Agaburry.^[33]

Two months later, Zettifar had found Agaburry and they were greeted by Ember and Indeera Stokes upon returning to Coruscant's Jedi Temple, where Stokes informed the Padawans that Engle had left Ember before venturing into Nihil space.^[33] Three months after the fall of Starlight, Jedi Reath Silas and Ady Sun'Zee were looking at a wall in the Jedi Temple that displayed holograms of the lost Jedi, who either perished at Starlight or were trapped in the Occlusion Zone. Master Elzar Mann petitioned the Jedi Council to rescue those Jedi, but Grand Master Yoda stated that the Force had placed them where they were needed.^[31]

Compiled in the weeks following the fall of Starlight in the Coruscant Temple, Master Harli Cogra's book Chronicles of the Jedi included an illustration of the elder Porter Engle standing beside Grand Master Xo Lahru, Jedi Nib Assek and Keeve Trennis, and Padawan Agaburry overseeing a Rodian youngling's lightsaber technique. Furthermore, the book included an entry on Engle and Barash Silvain's exploits a century and a half ago; however, it conflated their separation following the battle on Gansevor with the siege of Bardotta. The book also mentioned Engle's involvement with the rescue on Elphrona.^[16] By that point, Jedi Master Avar Kriss had made an impression on Engle. The elder Jedi had also had weeklong debates with Yoda.^[14]

After about seven months in the Temple as new Jedi Knights, Zettifar and Agaburry joined the Republic forces patrolling the Stormwall alongside Grand Master Pra-Tre Veter, who was captured by the Nihil;^[33] Zettifar grew uneasy not knowing whether Engle and other Jedi were dead or alive behind the Stormwall.^[14]

Year in the wild[]

In the Occlusion Zone, Porter Engle found that the Nihil patrolled all of the approved hyperspace lanes, while any ship without the correct Path engine codes in an uncontrolled lane was swarmed by Nihil scav droids and torn apart. Engle initially laid low and recovered a comm receiver unit from a crash site, using it to listen for messages, but mostly heard Nihil chatter and propaganda presented by the journalist Rhil Dairo, whom the Nihil held captive.^[14]

Feeling a sense of duty toward the millions of fellow beings in Nihil space, Engle attempted to build an old EX droid that could breach the Stormwall with its special series of short hyperspace jumps that he hoped could inform the Jedi outside Nihil space of the plight within and help them enter the zone. He had been inspired by a secret broadcast by Elzar Mann that reminded all Jedi behind the Stormwall that they were not being forgotten; it transmitted through the sublight relay system established by the Pathfinder teams exploring the region over a century ago.^[14]

The surprised Engle speculated that Mann's message was on a repeating loop playing on all methods and channels, and deemed it as a song of comradeship that gave him hope, reminding him of Jedi Master Avar Kriss—she experienced the Force as a song, and Engle had heard that she was interfering with the Nihil inside the Occlusion Zone. The elder Jedi resisted the urge to seek her out, reasoning that it would be very risky and hoping that they would both continue their fight in their own ways. Engle instead ambushed a Nihil patrol on Exu Prime and stole their shuttle, dubbing it the Torment. For months, Engle collected EX droid components from various worlds that he had visited during the days of the Pathfinders.^[14]

Return to Daedus[]

After many months of fruitless effort, failure, and battles with the Nihil at Jedi and Republic ship ruins—including at one world's deserted Pathfinder outpost and an old communications relay on a small, uninhabited moon—Engle had nearly completed his EX droid and arrived on Daedus in search of an intact memory core and a transit pad. Despite initially keeping a low profile, his movements through space were recorded by the Nihil's scav swarm. Indeed, scav droids damaged Engle's shuttle's engine housing in Daedus' orbit, and he quickly left the EX droid parts with the ship upon landing on the planet to scout the closest abandoned outpost station.^[14]

The Jedi gathered that the local Nihil were led by an Abyssin, Nool, and satisfied themselves with occasional raids and collection of tithes, enjoying their spoils in Daedus' outpost stations. After two days of covert trekking, Engle set out on the morning of the third to find the crash site that he and Master Creighton Sun had left during his youth. He had considered wiping out the Nihil crew on the planet, but concluded that it was not the Jedi way, and that it could attract more attention from other Nihil to worsen matters for surrounding worlds.^[14]

Engle and two other Jedi operating independently in various sectors had caught the notice of General Viess, who started serving as the Nihil Minister of Protection shortly after the Occlusion Zone engulfed her world,^[14] Sarumo. Five months after the fall of Starlight, the general had reported to Marchion Ro that she received reliable intelligence of Porter Engle's presence in Nihil territory, but the Nihil leader insisted that he only wanted news of the Jedi's death.^[18] Two months after Pra-Tre Veter's capture by her protégé, Storm Melis Shryke, Viess continued to keep the relevant footage of Engle's survival from Shryke; although the protégé offered to help handle the threat of Jedi within Nihil borders, Viess was unimpressed by her self-confidence and determined to do so herself.^[14]

Indeed, the general had visited previous sites of carnage that Engle left in his wake, recognizing his strikes for their quick and clinical precision, and alerted Nihil members to report Jedi attacks to her. Promising Marchion Ro to capture Engle alive as a test subject for the newly recruited Minister of Advancement, Baron Boolan, Viess also installed Nool as the leader of the Nihil on Daedus; he would be bait to lure the Jedi.^[14]

Prey[]

Despite his precautions, Engle was forced to take a long route around the crash site in an attempt to break the trail that a Nihil patrol had been following after finding his campsite from the night before. Resisting his own growing frustration, Engle was reminded of the pursuit by the fanaticism of General Viess, whom he knew was hunting him as a prize to be taken to Marchion Ro. While not seeking vengeance, Engle wanted to face Viess for justice for the pain and suffering that she had dealt, including her involvement in causing Barash Silvain to leave his side during the attack on Firevale long ago.^[14]

After laying a false trail toward the end of the day, Engle observed his pursuers—five well-equipped beings, two humans, a Twi'lek, and a Shistavanen led by an Umbaran tracker. When the Jedi descended a shale wall to the bottom of a gully, he disturbed a flying lizard and cautioned himself to be more careful. Recalling his first time on Daedus, the Jedi indeed found the shuttle parts that he and Creighton Sun had left in the gully.^[14]

Although the shuttle had been decaying, Engle noticed that its rear compartment was partly intact as he circled the ruins. Wary of attracting undue attention with his lightsaber, he forced the metal plating of the rear hold apart before igniting his blade in the complete darkness inside, grinning at the sight of Creighton Sun's temple robes. Although the space had been ransacked by a salvager, Engle found the shell of an EX droid and gently inspected it. He apologised to two rodents fleeing the droid for taking it away and placing it in its thruster pod, which he prepared to haul out of the site.^[14]

Killbox[]

However, Engle sensed movement and heard quiet voices outside, and determined that there were five beings with thoughts steeped in fear, anger, and violence around the wreckage. Realizing that the Nihil had spotted the glow of his blade through the hull and that he had to kill them, Engle warned the marauders to walk away after they announced that they had surrounded him. They then fired upon the hull, with several blaster shots piercing through it to strike the hold's interior, but Engle was unmoved; he caused the ship's plating to vibrate and fall outward through the Force, showing himself with his blade ignited.^[14]

The human woman of the group exclaimed that he was a Jedi and opened fire again, but Engle deflected the shots and killed her. The Shistavanen charged at the Jedi with his blaster firing but Engle closed the gap between them and bisected the person while knocking the remaining human into the ground via the Force. As the Twi'lek struggled to launch their gas grenade, Engle hurled his saber into their chest and onto the ground. However, the Umbaran then held the Jedi's back at blaster-point, telling him that Marchion Ro wanted Jedi as captives.^[14]

The Umbaran also expressed his pleasure at his fellow Nihil being killed so that he could take Roola's position without explaining the others' absence, but Engle confused him by saying "I'm sorry"—the Jedi sent his blade through hurling into the Umbaran using the Force, ducking to let the weapon pass before catching the Nihil's body and laying it gently on the ground. After retrieving his blade, Engle silently took the EX droid chassis and pod out of the wreckage and, at the edge of the gully, looked back at the regrettable sight of the dead.^[14]

Pieces of junk[]

Engle returned to his shuttle to build his EX droid, spending nearly a day on restoring its thruster pod. By that time,^[14] in 229 BBY,^[35] he had seen the Nihil recordings of the anniversary of the fall of Starlight Beacon via his comm receiver unit; the Nihil broadcasted live and on loop their execution of the captive Grand Master Pra-Tre Veter using the Nameless. The broadcast was presented by Rhil Dairo and Marchion Ro himself to declare that he did not tolerate any anti-Nihil activity in the Occlusion Zone. Engle persisted until the droid was completed at dusk, dubbing it EX-1.^[14]

After activating EX-1, Engle made a quick meal and imagined that the Jedi Elzar Mann, Bell Zettifar, and Keeve Trennis would lead a large Republic fleet would puncture the Stormwall with the EX droid's long-fallow hyperspace technology to defeat Marchion Ro alongside Engle himself in a final triumph. Engle then swore as his droid was nowhere in sight and prepared for combat, but he was relieved upon finding EX-1 simply exploring his camp. He then instructed the droid to deliver an urgent message to Elzar Mann on Coruscant, stressing that perhaps millions of lives could depend on the mission's success before sitting down to have his message recorded.^[14]

After watching EX-1 safely launch away into Daedus' atmosphere, Engle sensed approaching danger and hurried to repairing his shuttle while listening to his comm unit. The Jedi intended to leave the moon and commune with the Force for his next steps in helping people suffering from Nihil occupation. After overhearing a Nihil report on tithes from the asteroid city Pontus, an individual asking their husband to prepare their meal, and landing codes from a transport ship, Engle heard a secretive broadcast by Rhil Dairo.^[14]

Dairo pleaded for any Jedi in the Occlusion Zone to rendezvous with her on the frontier planet Hetzal Prime, where the Nihil were headquartered. She explained that a disgruntled Nihil, Quith Meglar, wished to defect to the Republic and had a plan to escape Nihil space with the Jedi and Dairo herself, who wanted to tell the galaxy the truth of the suffering in the Occlusion Zone. Dairo's broadcast provided coordinates on Hetzal and a set time, and Engle thus departed Daedus to meet her.^[14]

Rendezvous on Hetzal[]

Around that time, the Nihil on the moon alerted General Viess upon finding the site of carnage around the old Jedi shuttle. She and her small group of Jedi hunters saw the hallmarks of Porter Engle's strikes and executed Nool for his failure to contain the Jedi. Feeling almost sorry to dash the Jedi's long months of efforts, Viess subsequently intercepted the EX droid and had her lackey, Meglar, present it to Marchion Ro. To evade Ro's wrath, the general blamed Nool for letting Engle go and claimed that the Jedi's desparate hope laid in a droid that could not find its way to Coruscant, allowing Ro to destroy EX-1.^[14]

At the rendezvous, Rhil Dairo and Meglar were approached by the Jedi Master Avar Kriss. Meglar presented the wrecked EX droid and explained that a Jedi named "Engle" hoped to use it to relay a message to the Jedi outside the Stormwall. When asked, Meglar clarified that he had no knowledge of whether Engle was alive and that he never heard General Viess play the message. Although Kriss was pleased to hear of Porter Engle and wanted KC-78, the astromech droid on her ship, to retrieve his message from the EX unit's memory core, Dairo and Meglar warned that they did not have the time—they wanted to sneak aboard Melis Shryke's ship, the Cacophony, which would leave Hetzal in the morning to conduct a raid in the Seswenna sector.^[14]

However, the trio were ambushed by a small Nihil army led by General Viess. The Nihil shot Meglar and fired at Dairo while the Jedi hunter dueled Kriss, but Porter Engle soon arrived. Kriss initially thought his shuttle overhead brought enemy reinforcements, but the Nihil themselves were confused; Engle had braved scav droids to bring his ship close to the planet surface in smoke and flames, igniting the canopies of nearby trees and crashing down in a very acute angle. Despite Viess' cry, most of the Nihil were either incinerated by the blast or crushed by the shockwave, which scattered hot ash around the vicinity of the ship's crater while further explosions claimed the shuttle's fuel supply. When Kriss stood to face Viess again, Porter Engle dropped from the burning sky.^[14]

Party's over![]

Engle used the Force to slow his descent and greeted an incredulous Avar Kriss before addressing General Viess. She considered her chances against both Jedi Masters and bitterly decided to flee, while Engle decided against pursuing her and told Kriss that they must leave the area, expecting Nihil reinforcements from their nearby fortress. They also met Rhil Dairo, who was shaken by the experience but nevertheless recomposed herself to show Engle his EX droid. Although he was dismayed, Kriss reassured Engle that the message could still be sent out, and he asked if they had a ship, jokingly adding that his was no longer flightworthy.^[14]

Engle's presence restored Kriss' hope, and she jokingly emphasised that she would do the piloting as she led the group back to her cargo ship that was hidden nearby. While Kriss' pilot friend Belin flew the ship to an asteroid field in the Kiblini sector, Engle sat by an empty storage vat in the rear of the hold as he and KC-78 listened to Kriss recounting her deeds in the Occlusion Zone, which consisted mostly of hiding and small gestures to help people on various worlds. Although Kriss was pacing and being harsh on herself for not having a proper plan, Engle was impressed and consoled her not to dismiss the difference she had made in spite of a hostile environment.^[14]

Kriss appreciated Engle's presence for helping with introspection and regaining a sense of belonging to something bigger, and the Ikkrukkian also shared his story, with both Jedi thinking it a shame that they had not found each other sooner but also realizing that their isolation might have aided in their survival. Engle further considered that their reunion thanks to Rhil Dairo's message had been influenced by the will of the Force and that they must make use of the opportunity. Kriss in turn asked how Engle felt, to which he replied he was old and weary yet determined, his conflict having began long ago, though he would not elaborate on his past given their time constraints. Kriss also pointed out that his comments that the Jedi should soon end the threat of the Nihil and their "pets"—the Nameless—was quite an understatement.^[14]

Asked about the chances of the EX droid bypassing the Stormwall, Engle explained that the Republic could replicate the droids' obsolete technology of chaining together small hyperspace jumps to pass through the distortion field without using the Nihil Paths. When he said that he was inspired by Elzar Mann's messages to try finding ways through, Kriss was surprised as she was not aware of the messages from her close friend. Engle then gave her the comm unit he had been using and listened to Mann's code. After hesitating, he asked KC-78 to translate the code for Kriss instead and excused himself to check on Belin and Dairo—Mann's message was addressed to Avar Kriss, confessing that he missed her. The Jedi Master wept upon listening.^[14]

Dance of death[]

Obsession[]

General Viess personally delivered the news of Avar Kriss and Porter Engle's escape with Rhil Dairo to Marchion Ro on his throne on Hetzal. Openly furious before the gathered Nihil, which included Ghirra Starros and Baron Boolan, he ordered the Jedi brought to him unharmed so that he could unleash the Nameless Great Leveler upon them, particularly on Kriss as the much-celebrated Hero of Hetzal. Viess replied that she wanted Engle dead as much as Ro did, given the nemeses' history, her face grew sour when Ro quipped that he sometimes wondered about the fact. When Baron Boolan was about to interrupt, Viess insisted that she be the one to handle the matter; the general asserted that Engle must be planning to hijack a Nihil ship and use its Path engine to flee the Occlusion Zone.^[14]

Although Starros proposed that the Nihil let the Jedi go as a bargaining tool for more political power, Ro was adamant in killing the Jedi, rousing the crowd gathered in the room. Ro gave Viess one chance to bring him the Jedi unharmed and the general departed with pleasure, although she intended to satisfy herself with removing parts of their bodies first. One of Viess' followers, Selch, subsequently told Starros secretly that an increasing number of Nihil were disillusioned with the general's obsession and the high death rate under her command.^[14]

Crashing through[]

In the cockpit of their ship, Engle, Kriss, Dairo, Belin, and KC-78 discussed their next step after Kriss returned her fellow Jedi's comm unit. Despite Kriss and Dairo considering the initial plan of sneaking aboard the Cacophony impossible given that the Nihil were alerted to their escape, Engle proposed that they simply break into the ship and use its Path engine to exit the Occlusion Zone. Despite the others' resistance, Avar Kriss agreed that it was doable if she and Engle worked together with KC-78.^[14]

Engle explained his plan of intercepting the ship as it launched to the Seswenna sector within several hours' time, take control of its bridge, and signal to Republic Defense Coalition forces and await their assistance in fighting the remaining Nihil aboard. Belin thought the plan was insane, but Kriss understood his position since he had never seen the Blade of Bardotta in action, and she was determined to do it for both herself and for Elzar Mann. Dairo agreed with the plan and stated that she wanted to stay in Nihil territory to help the people within using secret broadcasts. Belin also reaffirmed his intention to do his part in the struggle and pilot for Dairo, which Engle appreciated.^[14]

Asked by Belin about approaching the Cacophony, Engle suggested that they stop briefly on a world to paint the Nihil's eye symbol on the battered ship and use some of KC-78's code to mask as a Nihil vessel. Kriss added that they could improvise an explosive to detonate an airlock of the Cacophony and use gas masks to leap from one ship to another. When Belin said that he could position the Jedi close enough but doubted the rest of their "harebrained" plot, Engle declared to Kriss with a grin that he liked the pilot, who muttered "hmmm" in reply.^[14]

Not afraid[]

Belin's cargo ship sped toward the Cacophony, informing Storm Melis Shryke aboard via a broken comms transmission that they were delivering weapons from General Viess, mentioning "raid" and "Jedi," prompting Shryke to briefly belay her order to open fire. Porter Engle carried with him only his lightsaber and the EX droid memory core, and he rigged a large grain silo with a fuel cell in the cargo bay, overseen by a concerned KC-78 who was uncomfortable with bidding farewell in the cockpit. Avar Kriss joined the pair and gave Engle a Nihil gas mask, and he uttered the signal "for Light and Life" for Kriss to open the cargo door.^[14]

Engle pushed the silo out into the vacuum of space while Kriss attempted to close the door, but she failed to reach the controls; Engle did so instead and proceeded to nudge their improvised explosive toward the Cacophony's main portside airlock. The silo nearly missed its mark, but Kriss helped to set it on the right course. The Ikkrukkian immediately ran to the disembarkation hatch, confirmed with Kriss if she was ready, and focused in the Force before hitting the door release and leaping into the Cacophony, using both the Force and the outflow of air to cross the few meters of distance with his arms gracefully windmilling.^[14]

With KC-78 in tow, Engle and Kriss made their way toward the Cacophony's bridge, battling the Nihil crew with their sabers drawn and standing back-to-back at a junction between multiple passageways. The Jedi Masters moved in perfect synchrony, with Engle stating that he had expected more resistance—many Nihil were simply leaving via escape pods. Their pleas were ignored by the Foregone Catastrophe, the Nihil vessel that was following the Cacophony and was commanded by General Viess, who ordered to debilitate Shryke's ship by bombarding it.^[14]

Twist of fate[]

Shryke scuttled her vessel's Path drive and set the sublight engines at full speed toward the Stormwall, wishing to spite Viess by killing the Jedi aboard. The Storm also ordered the crew loyal to her to abandon ship, allowing Kriss to make progress to the bridge with Engle as rear guard. The human defeated Shryke at the bridge but found that the ship was on a doomed course, informing Engle of the fact. Shryke then gloated that she had foiled the goal of "the general" in bringing the Jedi to Marchion Ro, leading Engle to realize that Viess was in the starship bombarding from behind.^[14]

Despite Avar Kriss' protests, Engle resolved to stop General Viess' relentless bombardment alone, stating that Kriss was the Jedi Order's future whereas he was its past. Kriss objected that Engle would be trapped even if she found a way out, which he insisted could be done; he named Elzar Mann among the Jedi who depended on her to inform them how to breach the Stormwall. After affirming his belief in Kriss, who was lost for words, Engle turned to leave and took a moment to look back, smiling and wishing for the Force to be with her.^[14]

Porter Engle sped into the ship's hangar in search of a shuttle that could take him to Viess' ship. He took a mining drill ship of the type used during the Eiram and E'ronoh War and was surprised that it remained in working condition. Optimistic that the Force was with him that day, Engle hurried the nose drill and announced "here I come" for Viess, predicting that her ship was situated just above the Cacophony's rear. As the drill's power threw Engle against his seat, he positioned the craft upward and accelerated with maximum power, bursting through the hull of the Cacophony and up into the Foregone Catastrophe's bow.^[14]

Two ships, one drill[]

As his craft churned through Viess' vessel, Engle was thrown forward into his control panel and made woozy by the impact. The drill made terrible noises as it tore through the larger ship's base and interior until it became stuck at the upper end, with Viess' ship losing crew members into space, halting its bombardment and pursuit, and starting to tear itself apart. Engle felt that the burden of accomplishment turned to Avar Kriss and took a moment to catch his breath before expending some effort to open his craft's canopy; the ship segment he stopped at was vacuum-sealed.^[14]

The blazing alarms pierced the Jedi's grogginess, who confirmed from the drill ship's displays that it was ruined and sought to flee on an escape pod or perhaps a shuttle. Engle strained as he slipped out of the cockpit onto the ground, where he was overwhelmed by the chaotic stimuli of burst air pipes, corpses, fire, and alarms. He told himself to concentrate, finding that the bridge was behind him and that he had to navigate the mess he had made to reach an escape craft at the back of the doomed ship. However, General Viess approached him from the bridge, holding her sword and stopping several meters away as the Jedi drew his blade.^[14]

Going down together[]

Viess looked upon Engle in pure contempt and addressed him: she had thought he had fled as his sister did before, and he had ruined everything again. Engle expected neither the ship nor himself to last long and sighed, inviting Viess to a final "dance," and then the general charged whilst screaming in rage. The Jedi tried to knock her off blaance by forcefully striking the general's beskar vambrace with his blade, but Viess stepped to the side, pushed Engle, and lunged with her sword tip touching the Jedi's tunic until he stepped back. He commented that the two of them seem as though they would go down with the ship together; the back end had ripped apart while the drill ironically kept their segment of the ship intact for longer. As he said so, he pivoted, struck, and stepped back again, thinking that their ending was very fitting.^[14]

Engle contemplated that the longevity of both himself and Viess allowed the latter to obtain power at the expense of other lives whereas his Jedi work acted as a counterbalance. He wanted to see Coruscant once more, spending an evening speaking with Master Yoda, walking the low levels' markets for their hot and exotic food, and check in on Bell Zettifar, Ember, and Indeera Stokes. Nevertheless, he did not fear death, knowing that the Force would embrace him and hoping to close the circle that began when Viess drove away his sister, Barash Silvain. Engle also found comfort in buying time for Avar Kriss to escape, thinking that he would never know whether she was fortunate enough to do so.^[14]

Viess hissed at the Jedi, cursing him for obstructing her, to which he responded that she had always made it easy. She feinted with her left arm and blocked his blade with her right arm, and she put her sword in another hand to jab at Engle's gut. However, he turned and struck Viess in the chest with his knee. When he tried to ram his shoulder into Viess, she jumped away. As the pair continued to circle each other during the ship's last moments, Engle suggested that they lay down their weapons and die in peace, but his opponent laughed and repositioned herself, prompting the Jedi to tense.^[14]

Goodbyes[]

Viess said that Engle remained "so naïve" even after all their years apart, and that like all Jedi, he knew nothing about how the galaxy worked. She dismissed their peculiar rites and meditation as small-minded, to which Engle replied that there were virtues in small lives for anyone to make a difference. Viess declared that it was the strong who survived and made a difference, a view she believed the Nihil to understand, prompting Engle to sigh and lament that he wanted her to see the truth about the Nihil, but that it was too late.^[14]

Engle then staggered as the ship lurched, allowing Viess to jump and swing her blade in a tight arc terminating in the Jedi's left shoulder, cleaving muscle and sinew as he yelled in pain. The Ikkrukkian took a step back and was shoved by Viess as the ship tilted back, crashing him into the floor as his lightsaber rolled from his fingers and deactivated. The floor plating collapsed and he hit a jagged metal ledge below that his right arm held onto, climbing up with great effort. Yanking and throwing away the sword that was lodged in his bloodied shoulder, Engle ignored the sharp pain and wished Avar Kriss to "go well." With the void of space beneath him, protected by the dwindling power of the wreck's shields, the Jedi looked up, where Viess stood out of reach. As Porter Engle watched with sweat and blood in his eye, Viess bid him goodbye and ran away.^[14]

Holding tight[]

Porter Engle's drilling into Viess' ship gave Avar Kriss and KC-78 the opportunity to patch the EX droid's memory core into the navigation systems of the Cacophony and enter hyperspace at the Stormwall. They safely exited hyperspace at the planet Reventine in the Seswenna sector, meeting a Republic Defense Coalition fleet led by Bell Zettifar and Burryaga Agaburry. When Kriss returned to Coruscant and saw Elzar Mann, she thanked Engle for his "gift" of reuniting the pair.^[14]

The Nihil on Hetzal later heard news of Kriss' escape, Shryke's capture, and the disappearance of both General Viess and Porter Engle. The few survivors from the Foregone Catastrophe spoke of unstoppable demons with lightsabers, and Ghirra Starros speculated that such tales would become mythologized into Nihil nightmares about the Jedi and inspirations for rebellion. She sought to persuade, unsuccessfully, Marchion Ro that the Republic was fed on hope.^[14]

Personality and traits[]

Physical attributes[]

As an Ikkrukkian, Engle had pale^[4] gray skin,^[6] a pair of eyes with blue pupils and black irises under black eyebrows, two bulges on his forehead, and free-flowing black hair, which connected with a black moustache with a long beard.^[4] His hair turned white as he aged, and the beard grew voluminous in his later life, being held at the ends by six beard wraps inspired by Barash Silvain's braids.^[3] As a youngling and Padawan, Engle tied his hair back in a ponytail. He also did so on occassion with a light hair tie as a full-fledged Jedi, but otherwise let his shoulder-length hair loose.^[4]

His left eye became blinded, with a long scar visible over it, but the Jedi covered the wound with a yellow eye patch.^[28] The Ikkrukkian had a strong, athletic body in his youth,^[4] and kept a burly build after retiring from active Jedi service,^[2] speaking with a gruff and expressive voice.^[6] As a young Jedi, Engle preferred to wear dark robes in stark contrast to Barash Silvain and her white robes.^[16] The Ikkrukkian lived a long life and stood 1.93 meters, or 6 ft 4 in, tall.^[3]

Characteristics[]

Attitudes to life[]

Porter Engle loved to cook and experimented with new ingredients while serving as a Jedi. The Ikkrukkian accepted that his food may not taste very well, but he was confident in improving,^[4] and indeed eventually became proficient in the art of cookery.^[2] Similarly, Engle stated that he would "get better" following his very first lightsaber duel, in which he was defeated by a fellow youngling. His persistence made him a distinguished warrior renowned for his skills.^[4] Even when given the chance to retire in the comforts of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Engle wished to make better use of himself by requesting to be stationed at Elphrona Outpost.^[2]

Engle was a compassionate man, sounding surprised upon learning that Zettifar was also at the attack on Cyclor, and being dismayed by his injuries.^[6] He had great respect for steelee creatures and sympathy for the family kidnapped by the Nihil, deeming the raiders cowardly "bastards" and "monsters."^[2] Whereas his sister, Silvain, became uncertain of herself following the siege of Firevale,^[10] Engle grew to become well equipped with moderating his emotions; where there was the temptation of anger and the dark side, Engle had certainty and light to set right injustice and ensure their perpetuators do not continue their crimes.^[2] Indeed, the elder Engle considered himself too old and full of memories, losing count of the years and thinking that he should one day face his old foe, General Viess, instead of continuing to run. His pain and suffering from Barash Silvain's departure did not cause him to seek revenge against Viess, but justice instead, and he did not dwell on his pain despite frequently thinking of Silvain.^[14]

During adolescence, when Barash Silvain proposed that they deliberately perform worse when separated on different missions in order to convince their masters to bring them back together, Engle initially questioned the use of deception.^[11] In his later life, Engle respected the authority and ambition of Chancellor Lina Soh,^[2] and did not seem fazed by the voice of Grand Master Veter suddenly questioning him about the situation at Cyclor even while he was engaged in battle.^[6]

Engle was intrigued by how events mirrored each other through time upon arriving on Daedus during the Nihil occupation, musing that there was "always someone who wants something for nothing." He was also pleased with the notion that even machines decayed into the soil and nature whence they came, becoming one with the Force as with living beings. The memories of his relatively happier days on Daedus brought the Jedi a grin despite the near-death experiences involved, and he sometimes envied that many of his friends had passed into the Force.^[14]

Engle quipped that he still had the memory to build his EX droid and caught himself being sentimental of it as something that willed itself back to life from many disparate and old parts. He appreciated the irony that he too was a tired and old being who was merely surviving and in pursuit of a singular task, resolving to put in all of his effort to fight for the friends who remained.^[14]

Behavior[]

The elder Engle was a very humble and easygoing Jedi who did not take himself too seriously, always appreciating a sense of humor. He found that life was too long for a stoic attitude toward the Jedi vows.^[2] When Barash Silvain reminded the young Engle that she, as a Kage, would die before he did, given Ikkrukkians' centuries-long lifespans, he quipped that she might miss him too much and "figure out a way around that."^[4] The Ikkrukkian kept good humor for friends, strangers, and battlefield opponents alike, joking about poison in his stews while serving them,^[24] taunting Nihil raiders,^[27] and making an understatement about the Jedi stopping the Nameless beasts to Avar Kriss just after Pra-Tre Veter's execution.^[14]

Engle was known for his directness and lack of tact, commenting that the Force saved Bell Zettifar from a fate similar to that of his master, Loden Greatstorm. Given Zettifar's attachment to his master, other Jedi were shocked by Engle's remark and drew Nib Assek's condemnation that he would be a poor counselor and that she hoped his clawfish chowder was better than his "bedside manner"—the ignorant Ikkrukkian frowned and mouthed "what?" in return. When Gios attempted to salvage the situation by inviting the young Jedi to tour the exhibition, Engle nearly went along, stopped only by Indeera Stokes.^[6]

His hope helped him persist with the difficult task of finding EX droid parts that had not been in use for over a century, and listened to the pips and beeps of Elzar Mann's broadcast for inspiration. Engle refrained from rushing while building his EX droid in spite of his anxiety.^[14]

A noble warrior[]

On Gansevor, Engle was determined to save lives and not to be involved in the war there as a soldier. Despite facing an army's full strength, the young Jedi carefully deflected blaster bolts to disarm rather than kill opponents. While engaged in a duel with Engle, General Viess exploited his compassion by indiscriminately hurling an explosive into the spectators, forcing the Jedi to leave the duel to save others.^[3] Engle respected all life and did not wish to kill another being, granting his opponents quick deaths^[14] and regretting whenever he had to do so.^[2] He considered that even Nihil raiders were children of the Force who merely made regrettable choices,^[2] and alone, the Jedi even gently laid down the body of a cruel Nihil to give him dignity in death.^[14]

Padawan Bell Zettifar noticed that Engle's voice became very cold over his concern for the family kidnapped by the Nihil on Elphrona, giving what Zettifar thought might be the first time he met the warrior once called the Blade of Bardotta. En route to the homestead raided by the Nihil, Engle appeared calm but great power gathered internally, as if he was summoning a ghost of his past life, and his facial expression was cold upon realizing that the Nihil had captured children.^[2] After the fall of Starlight Beacon, Zettifar found that Engle's happiness had declined over the course of the Nihil war, believing it began with the attack on Elphrona.^[25] Indeed, Engle deemed the Nihil's usurpation of Daedus' natural beauty "unforgivable" and their execution of Pra-Tre Veter disgraceful.^[14]

Porter Engle also liked to be dramatic expressing intent, confidently telling Nihil raiders that they would be caught and choosing to deflect blaster bolts with a hand gesture to demonstrate his prowess with the Force. He also recalled his lightsaber into his palm to the effect of a "whap" noise that he found extremely satisfying. While the Jedi did his best to calm innocents such as steelees on Elphrona,^[2] and even spoke to a pair of rodents fleeing their shelter when he salvaged the EX droid on Daedus, explaining that he needed it more than they did,^[14] he allowed his opponents to cower in fear, gripping Storm Slombo by the collar while capturing the frightened Nihil.^[27]

Relationships[]

Porter Engle believed that family was defined by how a person felt, rather than needing to ask to be together; he and Barash Silvain affirmed that they were siblings to one another as young Jedi.^[7] They complemented each others' talents, working well as a pair and treating one other as a sibling. While Engle performed well at fighting, Silvain was adept at sensing the Force^[11] and intuiting other minds' intentions, and they coordinated according to their own strengths and weaknesses.^[4] The siblings fully trusted one another, with Silvain fearless in face of blaster fire beside her brother and Engle completely confident about his sister's judgement of truth.^[11]

Master Harli Cogra's Chronicles of the Jedi described Engle and Silvain as opposites in personality, skills, and even dress, remarking that where the former Jedi was terse and unfamiliar with diplomacy, the latter was outgoing.^[16] Although sure of his own abilities, Engle was agitated when a blaster bolt slipped past his defenses and struck his sister on Gansevor; while she was unharmed, Engle overreacted with an outburst.^[11]

Aside from Silvain, Engle also saw Creighton Sun as a moral compass despite finding Sun's stubborness infuriating as well as sometimes arrogant. Engle treasured their venture on Daedus, when Sun crashed their ship into a forest there. The Ikkrukkian likewise viewed Stellan Gios highly as a moral leader, in addition to positive memories of many other Jedi, such as Avar Kriss, Yoda, and Rooper Nitani.^[14]

Later in his life, Engle also cared for Bell Zettifar.^[6] The elder Jedi liked that his master, Loden Greatstorm, had a sense of humor even for the dangerous training he put Zettifar through, and thought that the Padawan was a brilliant youth who would grow to be an example of a good Jedi to future generations. The Ikkrukkian was also affectionate toward the charhound Ember, who liked his food and even saved his life on Elphrona.^[2] Although Zettifar hoped that Ember would provide Engle with much-needed company following the fall of Starlight Beacon, the Jedi Master in turn sent Ember to Indeera Stokes, who was recovering from her injuries.^[33]

Skills and abilities[]

Force capabilities[]

Despite being in the "bottom middle" of his class as a youngling, Porter Engle trained to become^[4] a formidable warrior in lightsaber combat,^[17] unparalleled as a duelist and admired across the galaxy.^[3] He became an esteemed Jedi who was compared with Masters Yoda, Zaviel Tepp, Arkoff,^[2] Brisbane, and Cherff Maota,^[6] and his blade endured tens of thousands of hours of practice and combat.^[2]

The Ikkrukkian's saberwork were distinguished by clinical strikes made quickly and precisely.^[14] Engle could lock his blade into an opponent's lightsaber telekinetically, holding them in place, and use his shoto lightsaber to attack the other unsuspecting lightsaber-wielder; he successfully bested a fellow Jedi Master using the technique.^[4]

The Jedi also had mastery of simultaneous, coordinated telekinesis of multiple objects, being able to confuse and impress opponents on the Boneworld with deflecting blaster bolts through tiny sabacc chips levitated around himself,^[4] redirecting many Bethune missiles when using the Force together with his sister, Silvain,^[11] and single-handedly lifting and crushing a heavy tank at the siege of Firevale.^[10] Engle could extend his senses via the Force to gauge others' emotions even when they were out of sight,^[14] as well as anticipate danger and deflect and freeze blaster bolts using only the Force. The accompaniment of a hand gesture was optional when he countered blaster fire,^[2] being able to accurately return the bolts even to disarm opponents rather than kill them.^[7] Engle was confident that firing at a Jedi was essentially the same as shooting oneself.^[2] According to Jedi legend, his prowess in deflecting the blaster shots of hundreds of mercenaries on Bardotta earned him the title "Blade of Bardotta," and continued to perform valiantly in his later years at during the rise of the Nihil.^[16]

The Ikkrukkian was capable of falling from a great height^[7] and jumping up even to the top of a canyon, as well as sprinting^[2] and pushing opponents^[11] and taming beasts by calming them and forming a connection with their minds via the Force. Engle was also a proficient medic, using the Force to treat wounds.^[2] He recited Jedi teachings about the omnipotence of the Force while cooking a stew,^[4] and even did so with Barash Silvain while he fought with his sabers.^[11] At the Battle of Valo, he united other Jedi's minds in battle meditation, coordinating their actions as one to rescue those on the brink of death.^[6]

Jack of all trades[]

Porter Engle's mastery in cooking was distinguished in his lifetime for his perfection of the Nine-Egg Stew.^[2] His skills had vastly improved from the time when he was a young Jedi whose experimental stews elicited disgust among others.^[4] By the time of the Nihil, Engle had a wealth of experience as a teacher, explorer, diplomat, and warrior that he drew on in terms of battlefield strategies.^[2]

Engle was a persuasive diplomat, being able to negotiate a truce with Field Marshal Tozen of the Bethune during the siege on Firevale, although it was broken by a combination of Viess' disregard of life and a tragic misjudgement on the part of Barash Silvain.^[7] However, Master Stellan Gios doubted Engle's diplomatic capabilities, deeming the man to be lacking in sensitivity.^[6]

Porter Engle was amicable with droids, patting KC-78 and pointing out to Belin that they were also supported by a droid when Belin neglected to list the droid among the crew.^[14] He was also capable with animals, being able to ride an avian creature on Gansevor and steelee mounts on Elphrona. He bent down to scratch behind Ember's ear and could quickly tame agitated steelees, his touch and Force connection with them calming their muscles and emotions.^[2] The Ikkrukkian could similarly ride a starfighter when standing outside one, enduring the high speed battle against the Nihil in Valo's skies. As a pilot, he also led a drift of Jedi Vectors,^[6] flew his shuttle through Nihil scav droid swarms and a drill ship through Viess' larger starship, and crashed his shuttle into Viess' soldiers on Hetzal to great effect.^[14]

On Daedus, Engle could make and control a fire in a forest so as to avoid attention. He also built an EX droid there using salvaged components and his memory of how the droid was constructed, and he repaired his shuttle's engine housing as well. Engle had to salvage parts from other shuttles to maintain his vessel as it endured scav droid attacks throughout his travels. The old Jedi understood Pathfinder code.^[14]

Equipment[]

Attire[]

Youth[]

Porter Engle's Jedi attire as a youngling consisted of white robes, which ended in sleeves with a parallel pair of thin golden lines, over a gray tunic and beige trousers. He also had a brown belt with a gray clasp and black boots. The first training lightsaber that he picked up had a blue blade and a straight, gray hilt.^[4] As a Padawan, Engle wore a white tunic under tan robes and dark boots, as with Barash Silvain, although the former had a blue belt while the latter had a green one.^[11] Later, at the pair's reunion, each Jedi were dressed in a dark brown tunic under hazel brown robes, a dark brown belt, and dark boots.^[7]

While a young Jedi Master, Engle fashioned sleeveless dark gray robes over a biege overtunic and a gray undertunic as well as dark gray trousers.^[4] The Ikkrukkian also had a dark poncho and a dark hooded cloak,^[4] which featured light lines along the edges,^[36] and could be used in conjunction with a dark fabric that concealed his face below the nose. Donning black gloves and boots, Engle wore a golden belt with a silver-colored clasp bearing the High Republic crest over his robes.^[4] While reporting to the Jedi Council following Barash Silvain's departure, Engle wore white Temple robes, which included a hooded cloak over an overtunic and an undertunic, with brown boots and a black belt bearing a gray clasp of the High Republic crest. Similar to Silvain, he had his hair braided, hanging down over his torso from the right side.^[10]

Old age[]

In his older age, Engle wore a yellow-brown tunic with its sleeves rolled up, hazel brown robes, and loose-fitting beige trousers that were tucked into his dark brown leather boots, which were flexible to support his large frame. He put on a brown belt with several pouches and a golden clasp bearing the crest of the High Republic. The Ikkrukkian also sported a yellow eye patch over his blinded left eye and a brown ring on the index fingers of each hand.^[3]

While trapped in the Occlusion Zone, Engle wore civilian clothing to keep a low profile from the Nihil, including a circular olive-gray metal hat, a dark eye patch, and a worn olive-gray poncho over a dark gray sleeveless tunic that extended down to his thighs and gray trousers underneath. Over the tunic was a black belt with shoulder straps and an olive-gray trim along the middle. He also wore black gauntlet gloves that exposed his fingers and a pair of black boots.^[37]

When crossing the vacuum of space into the Cacophony, Engle wore a Nihil gas mask provided by Kriss that made him look nearly demonic. It has red painted horns, a thin slit for the eyes, and a black vent. He also tied to his belt a small leather pouch that held the EX droid memory core^[14] below his left waist^[37] when attempting to breach the Stormwall. Engle detached the pouch and handed it to Kriss when he decided to confront Viess and allow his friend to complete the mission herself.^[14]

Tools and weaponry[]

The Jedi wielded a lightsaber with an intricately detailed golden hand guard in conjunction with a shorter shoto, both of which had blue blades. Engle lost the latter blade during his battle on Gansevor, when he hurled it into a tank and caused it to explode.^[10] Similarly, Engle could flick a button on his remaining saber to keep the blade ignited while tossing the weapon.^[14] Its hilt had grooves that were worn into the metal due to long hours of use,^[2] and it made a snug fit into his lightsaber holster.^[14] He flew a Jedi Vector starfighter into space battles against Nihil forces.^[6]

As a cook, Master Engle used a ladle and a pot over a cooker that included a hob with knobs^[24] and a hot oven in Elprona Outpost's dining chamber. The outpost also included sleeping chambers for the Jedi and a kitchen,^[2] which was stocked with ingredients and featured an island with a large cooking aparatus that emitted blue flames and could hold a pan with dual handles.^[17] He was skilled at dual-wielding kitchen knives, making use of a ladle and a pot when cooking on the Boneworld.^[4]

Inside the Occlusion Zone, the Ikkrukkian carried a pack that included the comm receiver unit for the EX droid that he hoped would bypass the Stormwall. The comm unit was sliced adapted with an added cluster of antennae and extra dials to listen to Nihil communication and Elzar Mann's messages in Pathfinder code. The other droid parts were gathered in the shuttle Torment, which he used to travel through Nihil space. It was stolen from the Nihil, who left aboard gas masks, primitive weapons, and gas grenades that were useless to Engle. He maintained the shuttle with parts from other ships using a turbohammer, subsisting on lukewarm water from a decanter and tasteless stew packets that he cooked in its kitchen galley with a pan and a wooden spoon.^[14]

Behind the scenes[]

Conception and development[]

Porter Engle first appeared in the 2021 novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, written by Charles Soule for the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project.^[2] His nickname, "the Blade of Bardotta," was first mentioned in a letter by Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael Siglain that was published on StarWars.com on May 26, 2020, addressing the delay to the project's launch following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[39] Soule created Engle as the archetype of an old warrior called for a final battle^[40] and considers him to be "an old prospector dude," "more beard than man,"^[41] "old grizzled warrior,"^[42] and one of his all-time favorite creations.^[43] Fans have also latched onto the character, becoming a fan favorite as The High Republic was published.^[44]

The author also believes that readers especially connected with Engle's desire to be a happy cook, "the version that he really wants to be," despite his terrifying prowess at combat.^[38] Partly due to the fan response to Porte Engle, Soule took advantage of the earlier timeframe of The High Republic's Phase II to expand on his backstory in the comic series Star Wars: The High Republic — The Blade.^[40] Announced during Celebration Anaheim on May 26, 2022,^[45] the comic details what Soule describes as his "beautiful" tragedy with his sister, Barash Silvain, and their "symbiotic approach" to Jedi business. The Blade was illustrated by Marco Castiello and Jethro Morales^[40] and published between December 28 that year^[46] and March 29, 2023.^[47] Soule describes the young Jedi shown in The Blade as "Inigo Montoya with a lightsaber," referring to the Spanish fencer in William Goldman's 1973 fantasy romance novel The Princess Bride.^[48] Soule also advised fans to keep an eye on Porter ahead of The High Republic Phase III.^[49]

Jeffrey Thomas enjoyed working on the character concept design for the "badass" elder Engle: the final design was dated May 2021^[38] and revealed on July 28 that year.^[50] Thomas thought the initial coloring—an orange-red—made Engle look "too Hellboy-ish" and mean, leading to a revised appearance that the artist thought resembled a classic Santa Claus. Due to watching MasterChef at the time, Thomas incorporated celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's chef attire for Engle's chef design, featuring a sleeveless chef's jacket.^[38]

Thomas also made a concept design of the young Porter Engle clad in full-black robes for Phase II of The High Republic.^[36] For Phase III, the concept poster for the elder Engle by MinJi Yoon features him in civilian clothing, using a darker palette to downplay his jovial attitude shown in Phase I and emphasise his work in the shadows in George Mann's November 14, 2023 novel, The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness.^[37] Nevertheless, Mann considers the most lighthearted part of his novel to be the reintroduction of Porter Engle, which involves "good banter" and action sequences.^[51]

Lightsaber design[]

Thomas also made lightsaber designs for Engle, with one based on the Star Wars prequel-era character Count Dooku's "fencer-duelist" curved-hilt saber; the artist wanted Engle to have a curved-hilt lightsaber as well. Another design is a straight hilt with a curved hand guard, while a third design is a straight hilt with a collapsible crossguard.^[38] While appearances of the elder Engle's lightsaber uses a standard straight hilt design in the comic "The Haul," illustrated by Stefano Simeone and published in The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021, which also features Jason Loo's alternate cover of Engle with the standard hilt,^[27] the young Engle consistently uses the straight hilt with a curved hand guard in the character's November 4, 2022 animated short in the Characters of Star Wars: The High Republic series,^[17] throughout 2022-2023's The Blade comic series by Castiello and Morales with covers by artists such as Giuseppe Camuncoli,^[4] and in Yihyoung Li's illustration in the February 2023 reference title Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles of the Jedi.^[16]

Contradictions[]

The 2021 novel Light of the Jedi,^[2] set in 232 BBY,^[9] states that Porter Engle had served the Jedi Order for "over three hundred years,"^[2] which is reinforced by the 2021 novel The High Republic: The Rising Storm showing Porter fighting at the Battle of Valo,^[6] set in 231 BBY,^[9] "at some three hundred years old"^[6]—information that is repeated by the 2023 Chronicles of the Jedi reference book.^[16] However, 2023's The Blade comic series,^[4] set a hundred and fifty years before 232 BBY—in 382 BBY—has a flashback sequence in the first issue set twenty-five prior—around 407 BBY^[1]—featuring Engle as a youngling.^[4] This article refrains from making the assumption that he remained a child at over a hundred years old.

Some panels in the fourth issue of The Blade show Porter Engle fighting members of the Bethune army after the Bethune princess' announcement that stirred the Bethunians into attacking the mercenaries instead.^[10] This article assumes that this was an error and that Engle had only resumed fighting the mercenaries.

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]