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Depa Billaba

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this slender Chalactan Jedi Master was a member of the Jedi Council, and was part of the group that deliberated over the possible training of young Anakin Skywalker. She was rescued from a band of space pirates when she was just six months old. Her rescuer turned out to be Mace Windu, who recognized her strength with the Force and brought her back to Coruscant. There, she grew up among the other Jedi trainees, becoming Windu's Padawan and eventually became a Jedi Knight. She chose to honor her parents by living by the native culture of Chalacta, and embraced many of its religious tenets. She wore the Mark of Illumination, given to her upon her achivement of the rank of Jedi Knight. Depa, who was one of the youngest beings ever elected to serve on the Jedi Council, was known in the Council for her insights. Shortly after the Battle of Geonosis, Master Billaba was dispatched to Haruun Kal, in an effort to earn the trust of the native Korunnai in supporting the Old Republic. She disappeared just a few months into her mission, until a recording was found hidden in the mouth of a murdered Balawai woman. The woman had been brutally injured before and after her death, giving rise to the belief that Master Billaba had turned to the Dark Side of the Force. Her old Master, Mace Windu, was sent to locate her, and discovered that she had allied herself with Kar Vastor. During her time on Haruun Kal, Master Billaba had lost a good deal of weight, and her appearance had become haggard. She had even removed the Greater Mark of Illumination from her forehead, and had covered the scar with a rag. Master Billaba had been the mastermind behind the Upland Liberation Front, hoping to keep a ragtag group of surviving Korunnai from being exterminated by the Balawai who were allied with the Separatists. An early victory in forcing the Separatists off Haruun Kal was later proven false, as the Separatists had simply backed off into the Gevarno Cluster to later ambush any Republic reinforcements. Master Billaba decided that her place was on Haruun Kal, helping the Korunnai defend their freedom and their right to live on their homeworld. She turned over her lightsaber to Master Windu, and set out to defeat the Balawai with Vastor's help. When Windu refused to let her free of her commitment to the Jedi, she struggled internally between that commitment and her intense desire to free the Korunnai. During Master Windu's suicidal plans to take Pelek Baw from the Balawai, Depa was caught by the blast of a proton grenade and thrown to the ground. She faked her death, trying to decide where her loyalties lay. When Windu tried to revive her, she grabbed her lightsaber and ignited it, spearing her teacher through the stomach. Windu survived, and managed to defeat the forces protecting Pelek Baw. His efforts brought the Summertime War to an end, but Master Billaba was emotionally and mentally lost by this time. She was returned to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple, but was held for trial until she could recover. Her crimes were listed as crimes against civilization, a category of crimes which had not been prosecuted since the Great Sith War. Until she was able to stand trial, however, Depa remained at the Jedi Temple, where she was cared for by many Jedi healers, including T'ra Saa.