D/055-Retal

D/-055Retal, more commonly known as "Sir Retal", is a legendary ex-Senate Bounty Hunter and the only one in history to have been dismissed. He has gone by many names, including "Retal the Harbinger", "Retal the Corpse Thief", "Retal the Mystic", "Retal of the Golden Sword" and "Lord Retal". His name is Taeski in origin, and translates roughly as "one who hides the sun/stars" or, more succintly, "eclipse".

Very few have seen beneath the bone-white mask Sir Retal wears, as it is one of his most distinctive features. It covers his whole face with the exception of his eyes, and its smooth, white surface is only broken by a thin black line that bisects it from top to bottom. There are no other features on it.

Sir Retal wears a suit of black, angular armor not unlike what Edge has become renowned for. Retal's, however, is almost form-fitting and cut from jet-black titanium. It has silver and gold accents on the shins, chest and forearms, but otherwise is very basic. Despite weighing over a ton, Sir Retal's suit lacks any kind of load-bearing mechanisms. No servos help him support the weight. Instead, he relies on gifts bestowed by his heritage to move the suit. The only other ornamentation he wears is a black cape which reaches his ankles and is emblazoned with the Taeski glyph for "Eclipse".

A complex hybrid, Sir Retal was orphaned on the planet Altar at a very young age. He was raised by an Alintean of unknown name, and discovered early in his life that he had been born from the union of a Scion and a Taeski. The result had unlocked abilities within him that had never been seen before, such as a vastly extended lifespan, and made him both a valued and feared individual. Even as a child, his Psionic power was on par with that of any Vanguard soldier of the Scain Empire. His Taeski blood granted him both Cyulei and Dryulei, as well as his flexible body. Amusingly, his eyes do change colors like a Scion's, and this includes his Cyulei.

After several hundred years on Altar, during which he defected to both sides of the Hasmak-Dekara, Sir Retal abandoned what he called the secular world and went to study with the enigmatic Ignis. After spending decades learning their meditative techniques, he did the same with the Okulaurum, who welcomed him with open, if not curious, arms. By the time he left the Okulaurum's care, he was 2,300 years old - far older than even his Scion heritage should have allowed.

Sir Retal contacted the Brotherhood of the Mind - an elitist sect of Scions - and was welcomed into their fold. At first. Later, they shunned him for being a hybrid, and therefore Retal quit, leaving them behind. It was at this point, having learned to make full use of his Cyulei, Dryulei and Psionics, that he enlisted as a bounty hunter, immediately targeting and destroying one of the ten Constellation Generals.

He was quicly invited into the fold of the Senate Bounty Hunters, where he spent almost two thousand years serving the Senate. During this time, he killed two more Constellation generals before meeting the only person to ever challenge him. The Fourth General, Vindara, was a female hybrid of both Alintean and Heil genetics. They clashed multiple times, each time causing massive collateral damage, until the Senate dismissed Sir Retal, claiming he was too dangerous.

Within months of Sir Retal's dismissal, Vindara disappeared from the Constellation, causing no small amount of chaos until she was replaced by Narelu. When Sir Retal was next seen, he and Vindara had somehow managed to not only call a truce between them, but had gotten married. The two retired on Yaidon, using the remainder of Sir Retal's back pay to live comfortably.

In "The Four Trials", Sir Retal was called out of retirement by Nyylu, who managed to convince him that her younger sister, Klaara, had been enslaved by a black-clad bounty hunter. She offered him a king's ransom to deal with the situation and kill the hunter, who went by the name of Edge. Sir Retal grudgingly agreed, entering the Trials as well in order to ensure Edge's defeat and death. Ultimately, however, he learned of Nyylu's deception through Klaara, and ended up assisting Edge during his final trial. Apologetic, he gifted Edge with a custom Ion Fanelia before returning to Yaidon. He has not been seen again since, although some of his pupils (such as Sir Naxxis from "Paradox") have appeared.

Sir Retal is almost always composed, and is more intelligent than most other sentient species - mostly due to how long he has been alive. Due to his Taeski nature, he sometimes comes off as a bit cryptic and long-winded, but at the same time he is a very sage, wise individual. Sir Retal also has a curious habit of vanishing or appearing as he sees fit, often at what he deems opportune moments. He abhors fighting unless it is necessary, although he is far better at it than he cares to admit. He understands, however, that there are some individuals who will not listen to reason and must be dealt with physically.

As for his combat skills, he relies mostly on a unique Ion Saber (which is later revealed to be one of the Ten Sabers of Aruned, Gut-Dikad) or on his customized Ion Fanelia. His Psionics are used in conjunction with his Cyulei, which allows him to trick opponents into seeing illusory copies of himself, phantom limbs, wings or other appendages and opponents. This talent, coupled with his already masterful swordplay, makes him one of the most dangerous opponents in the Galaxy. Even Edge, renowned as one of the strongest hunters since Retal, could not defeat him.