The preservation of life has always been the primary duty of the Jedi, a constant that has remained true for thousands if not tens of thousands of years.
But Kelan was not raised in any temple, surrounded by fellow Padawans and instructed by brave Jedi Knights and Masters. Instead, he was a poor farm boy on Dantooine with dreams of seeing the galaxy, a story as old as the galaxy itself. He was young, perhaps eight, when his village was graced by the presence of Jedi Knight who had come in search of peace. Solace. Kelan's village provided such a thing, or at least it seemed perfect to the visiting Jedi. While all the children in the village took an interest in the stranger, Kelan seemed to stick out as more "interesting" than the others.
Of course, the force was what made him stand out. While it bound all beings together, he was one of the lucky few who could call on its power. The Jedi Knight tested the boy, with simple tasks to see if he could access his abilities. Though an arduous process, Kelan proved to have the talent required to enter the order's sacred ranks. Most of the galaxy knew that the Jedi Order retained its most grand and illustrious temples in the core, famous bastions of learning for all those who sought to defend peace and preserve life. Kelan believed that the Jedi visitor would soon whisk him away to a life of adventure and action. But instead, the Knight had offered vague promises, that they would leave Dantooine once Kelan had been properly trained and was ready to join the Order officially. Though an odd choice, the boy readily accepted and became a Padawan learner. For nine years, Kelan trained with his Master, learning all there was to be a guardian of peace and defender of the innocent.
But one could only meditate and lift rocks for so long. As the Padawan neared adulthood, he grew restless as all do at this age. He felt ready to leave his homeworld, see the galaxy, and take his place among the Jedi. Restlessness grew into bitterness as the Padawan found himself in conflict with his Master, his family, and even the world of his birth. After a particularly furious argument with his Jedi Master, Kelan made the choice to leave of his own accord, to seek out the Jedi his own way if his Master would continue to refuse him. Perhaps out of pettiness, the Padawan had managed to swipe the weapon of his Master, a testament to his speed and skill that he thought was being underutilized on a world that seemed safe.
Kelan had made it a handful of miles from his village when his heart grew heavily, darkness overwhelming him as the force attempted to gain his attention. Perhaps realizing he had made a mistake, he rushed home to ask forgiveness of those who had raised him and offered him nothing but kindness. Yet such a thing was no longer possible, for slavers had come for the little village in the night, an easy target being so far from any major settlement...
...and the resident Jedi lacking his weapon.
The village was all but empty, homes burned as corpses of his neighbors lay scattered, those who resisted were cut down and the rest were hauled away to the unknown. Though it was obvious that the Jedi had put up a good fight, he was simply overwhelmed trying to save the villagers and defend himself. He had been left to die near the wreckage of his Padawan's home, blaster bolts spread across his body as he desperately clung to life. His robes were tattered, and yet he still found the strength to offer a weak smile at the sight of the boy. Kelan fell apart at the sight, falling to his knees at the sight of his Master and begging for any sort of forgiveness, desperate to offer any sort of help he could. Instead, the Jedi gathered the strength to stop him and extend a weak hand to the boy's shoulder.
"By the will of the force... I name you Knight of the Jedi."
With these words, his Master took his last breath.
Kelan had spent many days cleaning up after the attack, burying those villagers who had fallen, and preparing a funeral pyre for his Master as was tradition. The newly anointed Knight had gone snooping through what remained of his Master's possessions and discovered that Jedi had come to Kelan's village after choosing to leave the New Jedi Order. He had clearly found some disagreement with the Order's practices and sought peace in the solitude of the Outer Rim. But that brought on a few revelations for the Kelan, revolutions that only compounded the endless grief he experienced.
The Jedi knew nothing of him.
His training.
Even his Knighthood.
He was nothing.
But the fact remained that his Master had believed him worthy of being a Jedi Knight. Failure weighed on his shoulders, but Kelan would not allow himself to give in to despair. With tattered robes and the weapon of a Jedi at his side, Kelan left his homeworld and now journies in exile. For ten years, he attempted to hunt down those who had attacked his village, but in the end the galaxy proved to be too large a place. He failed to protect those who had cared for him.
He would not fail again. He would ever wander, upholding the principles of the Jedi and defending those who needed it most.
Alone.
