Rayış of Kalee

"Why should the Worlds be over-wise,  In counting all our tears and sighs? 

 No, let them only see us, while 

 We wear the mask." - Rayış quoting a Kalee proverb 

Rayış Sahali
Rayış (Ra-yush), is a former Senator and current representative of the GPF who held several prominent cabinet positions in the Republic including that of the Minister of Transportation, the Minister of Justice, and served as a special foreign advisor to the Chancellor during the Oxbig administration. Known for his startling appearance that belies his level headedness, Rayış is generally well regarded in most political circles.

Early Life
Born on Kalee in the year 80 BBY, Rayis was immersed as all Kaleesh are in the ebb and flow of life on a vibrant, but demanding world. An avid sailor, he became well known within the Siyahk tribe for his bravery and skill while hunting Leviathans, and soon he joined his Father sitting on the Council of the Elders despite his young age. However in 52 BBY the Huk war began. The greedy and technologically-superior insectoid Yam'rii overran neighboring planets (such as Abbaji and Tovarskl), ruthlessly colonizing them and plundering their wealth. The insatiable Yam'rii eventually attacked Kalee, seeking to enslave the native Kaleesh. They captured millions of Kaleesh and sold them into slavery.

The two races soon became locked in violent combat, and as a prominent member of the Siyahk tribe, Rayis became the head of a legion in the war. The fighting eventually claimed the life of his Father among the countless millions dead. Eventually the tide of the war changed and the Yam'rii were driven from Kalee. The Yam'rii eventually petitioned in the Senate for Republic intervention telling a rather one sided story of the war, and received as much when a dispatch of Jedi arrived to end the conflict. The Senate imposed harsh sanctions on Kalee, plunging the world into an economic crisis.

In the aftermath of the war, Rayis sought to spearhead the rebuilding work, and eventually came to the conclusion that Kalee needed official representation and membership in the Republic in order to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. However efforts to unite the tribes proved difficult, as many Kaleesh were very proud of their independent status throughout galactic history. Eventually he left the world not only to pursue his political goals, but also to prove that what he believed was practical.

Political Career
Serving in minor bureaucratic roles throughout the Outer Rim, eventually Rayis took up a residence on Coruscant where he joined the waning opposition party the Populists. Eventually obtaining a list seat after establishing himself within the party, Rayis attributed much of his early success to his friend and mentor Simmor Noph, the former Senator of North Arrowhead. After Senator Noph retired to take up sleeping and bartending, he left the North Arrowhead seat to his friend Rayis. Rayis proved to be a moderate Populist, able to work across aisles and make deals with all sides, which earned him both praise and derision in equal measures.

Eventually appointed to a cabinet position by the Candor administration, he successfully served within that government even during the eventual merger of the Populist party with the newer GPF. The HAZ war grated on the Kaleesh who had seen enough of war, and he has spent more time on Kalee since the year 4 ACV and the conclusion of the fighting. The public catastrophe that was the death of former Senator Viera Sarat was also said to have played a part in taking a less prominent role of late. Notably Rayis was a capable writer of legislature, and his Kashyyyk and Ryloth accords were what he viewed as the high water mark of his efforts. His work on Lothal during the drought is also well documented.

Personality
Possessing a calm quiet demeanor that belies his upbringing, Rayis works hard to make all feel at ease and free to speak their mind. An ordained Speaker on Kalee, he also is deeply interested in the spiritual nature of life and its connection to the force. HIs mindfulness and love of a good fable or proverb has left many on the receiving end of one of his sayings.