| {Shared Force Abilities} |- Art of Movement
- Breath Control
- Center of Being
- Force Speed
- Enhanced Force Sight: Unlike others of their kind, both sisters can also interpret colors.
- Force Telekinesis
- Mind Trick(Solace's is less effective than her sister's)
- Force Bond: Formed at an early age, the twins always had a connection to each other that was rooted deeply in the force. At first a detriment in ways, requiring them to be physically close to one another or they would start suffering emotional or physical distress, it has been honed into something else entirely. With the help of the Jedi, they were able to lessen their dependence on one another, while strengthening their bond so that they would always know where the other was. No sister can ever be lost to the other, able to see through the force to always find her other half, and they can share feelings and thoughts without even being in proximity. It does still come with significant downsides however, as the force has always been known as a superb conductor of trauma, and the bond communicates it well. Whatever suffering one sister feels, the other will as well, as if she was there with her, and their former master held many reservations about allowing it to remain fully intact. While they have yet to encounter such a scenario, Zentraedies counseled strongly against forming lasting bonds with others, for the emotional damage that a loss could have on them both.
| {Place of Origin} |Like most Miraluka, both sisters were born on Alpheridies and spent the first six years of their lives among their own kind. During those years they were nigh-inseparable, always close by each other and forming the bond that would stay with them up until adulthood. Of course, like all of their people, they found an early tutelage with the Luka Sene, beginning their journey into the force and shaping their lives around it. When the Jedi came to Alpheridies they found the twins already proficient in the Force and brought them both into the order. Once there, they adopted new names and left their true ones behind in everything except their private lives.
| {Background} |Rarely enough were siblings inducted into the Jedi, much less at the same time and even then they were kept apart so as to ensure their bonds would not become troublesome. For Solace and Requiem however, it was clear the moment they were separated that neither they nor the order would benefit from keeping them apart. The initial few weeks were rough for this, as the sisters were at first uncooperative with the masters, then as time progressed they began to take ill. Only when they were reunited again was the correlation noticed. For Miraluka, being connected with the force was expected, and many of them were known to have a sensitivity towards events in the force. The sisters however, had more than just an emotional connection with each other, they were bonded through the force and their desire to remain close reflected through it.
With no small amount of concern, the Jedi chose to continue their training as padawans, assigning them both to another of their kind who had become a master of the order. Zentraedies took them both on eagerly, treating them as family and giving them a small piece of home that settled their minds through the bond of another Miralukan. For a few years the two sisters trained alongside each other, their individual skills coming to the fore. Requiem, though always hesitant and finding difficulty in overcoming her own lack of confidence, had a natural affinity with the manipulation of the force itself. Telekinetics and healing powers were her gift, able to outclass even her master and some within the medical corps. Such was her connection with the Living Force, that she could heal wounds normally thought to be mortal.
Solace on the other hand, embraced the more physical of their training. While her sister delved into numerous holocrons and records, she focused on varied styles of lightsaber combat and keeping herself in peak physical fitness. Her prowess rapidly eclipsed Zentraedies' ability to teach her, finding it harder and harder to keep even ground against her in his old age.
While the sisters advanced in the Jedi Order, they also learned of their bond in the force. When they had first arrived, it had forced them to remain close together or their health and well-being would suffer for it. Zentraedies taught them that while together it could give them strength, that it did not have to control their lives, that eventually they would have to part ways for one reason or another. Through long-term studies and practice, he gradually helped them solidify their bond, much to the disapproval of the council for encouraging such relations. Despite that, it was clear that he had done the right thing, as through the force the sisters could remain close even while across great distances.
Eventually it came time for both sisters to take on the Jedi Trials. Though at the time they were still young, and only been with the order for less than half the time one normally would for such an undertaking, the ongoing conflict in the galaxy and danger of the Sith had prompted the council to looking towards their more gifted padawans. Solace was first on their list, having studied under the more notable blademasters of the order, including a very brief and pointed lesson from Master Windu, and had been recognized for her natural ability. Her trial came early in 20BBY, facing off against the academy's instructors in single combat and finding swift victory each time. It was clear to the council however, that as she fought she increasingly relied on her aggression, shifting from the more defensive forms and into her own adaptation of Vaapad quite rapidly. More concerning though, was her final combat against a simulation of the Sith Lord Ajunta Pall.
Intended as a test of her defensive abilities, she surprised everyone when she immediately went on the offensive, striking rapidly at the simulacra. While at first the council thought she was merely keeping the false sith in a defensive posture, later review found that the grazing strikes were very purposeful. She had consistently struck to wound, spinning around her opponent and letting the very edge of her lightsaber bleed him of both his energy and will to fight. Eventually her opponent's defensive stance failed, and to the shock of the collected masters, she struck down holographic sith with a well-placed saber strike through the heart and into the emitter.
The response was mixed to put it simply, with a few in favor of her elevation to Jedi Knight for the skills she had shown, while others were opposed to her remaining in the order following such a display. It ended up going to vote, where despite reservations, she was found worthy and her padawan braid cut to signify her advancement.
While few in the order were pleased at the result, one in particular was nearly beside herself with joy, her sister. Embracing each other, the sisters seemed about to part as their master had predicted, when Requiem was also asked to see the council for her own trial. For once she met her test with confidence, emboldened by her sisters words of encouragement and the desire to remain by her side. Where her sister was tested on her skills with the lightsaber, she was to be tested in her mastery of the force itself, faced with several challenges of increasing difficulty. First she was asked to solve an ancient holopuzzle, the individual pieces small and with very little in terms of space between them. Any mistake of movement or placement would reset the entire puzzle, which proved disheartening initially as each one compounded on one another. She was undeterred though, and shut off her mind to any distraction, calming herself and focusing only on each piece at a time. Despite feeling like an eternity, she had solved it in mere moments, to the approval of all on the council who observed.
Next she was tested on not just her proficiency, but also her compassion and understanding of the code. She left the Jedi Temple for the Galactic City Medical Center, where a number of wounded had arrived requiring specialist care. Among them were not just Republic citizens, but also captured Separatists in the security wards. Not even thinking of the ongoing war, she went among each of those in need, healing the worst of their wounds and moving to the next without even waiting for their thanks. For hours she tended to them, providing the same care and kindness to Separatist and Republic alike. When she had finally returned to the Jedi Temple, the council asked why she had chosen to heal those who had declared themselves their enemies. She simply replied that it was the right thing to do, and that no one should suffer.
Both sisters had now become Jedi Knights, though still young and with much to learn. They took to the battles of the Clone Wars, boarding a CR70 corvette and shipping out to the fringes. It was there that they felt the first ripples of the Jedi Purge, a sudden shadow tainting the force in their meditations. Sensing something was very wrong, they took an opportunity to slip away from their clone detachments while at a Republic station, only barely avoiding the order that almost saw them dead in their sleep. Despite not knowing why, they knew that they were now enemies of the Republic and needed answers. Both sisters tried every contact they could, both masters and fellow knights in the field, and the temple itself. All was silent, except for Zentraedies. In agreement with the Luka Sene and Jedi Order, he regularly returned to the homeworld to tutor young Miralukan every decade, and it was there on Alpheridies that they found him.
Even cut off from the galaxy by The Veil, the normally calm and serene atmosphere of their home had felt tense immediately upon arrival. So many force-sensitive people had been so suddenly cut down in violence, their deaths echoing across the force in those more connected to it. Some were simply in shock, unable to process the reverberations in the force, others distraught by the closing shadows. Many felt that it was inevitable they were next, and Zentraedies was one of them. He took the sisters in, explaining what he could even as he packed his few belongings and urged them to do the same. Only a few of the Order had been able to escape the purge, but all of them explained the suddenness of the clone troopers turning on them, and the silence of the Jedi Temple. Only later did they discover it had been destroyed, and all inside dead.
With their home destroyed, and Alpheridies likely next, the sisters took the advice of their master, leaving for the Outer Rim and trying to keep a low profile. For a while it was rough, as Miraluka were rather hard to miss, especially while carrying lightsabers. Each year brought its own hardships, constantly moving from planet to planet doing odd jobs to earn credits, all while trying to avoid the Empire. Eventually they were able to acquire a ship, though it was largely by Solace's doing and Requiem thought it best not to ask specifics. It was rather run down, but spacious enough to serve as a mobile home for them, as long as they kept it floating.
Their ship afforded them not just a rent-free home and way to move between planets, but also a way to make a few credits of their own. At first they just ran cargo, finding enough difficulty in getting people to trust them, but as time went on they re-established contact with some of those who escaped Order 66 and started helping the survivors escape the notice of the Empire. It didn't make much in the way of credits, but it let them build a small network of connections, and would eventually land them contact with others who opposed the Empire.
That came with rather unfortunate consequences however, as while they could now afford to keep their ship in better than "just running" condition, and even a few personal things for themselves, there was increased danger in their work. Solace had the cunning to acquire cybernetics to disguise her heritage, making her more ideal for riskier insertions, and it was one of which where the sisters found all the trouble they didn't want.
While working an extraction for a Senator opposed to the Empire, the sisters had made a stop on an Imperial world that was a frequent stop for officers on leave. Tired of being left on the ship on such worlds, Requiem had borrowed her sister's spare cybernetic eyes and departed the spaceport for the local cantina. Very much the opposite of Solace, she soon became uncomfortable with the occasional lecherous glance her way, until deciding to leave just as soon as she had arrived. Unfortunately for her, an officer had take notice and chosen that moment to make his move. Following behind with a couple of his staff in tow, the man called to her several times outside the cantina, trying to convince her at first, and then becoming more and more confrontational. Just when things were about to get physical between them, the officer was suddenly struck down with force-lightning, killing him where he stood and scorching a few of his staff. Solace had come back early from her job, the senator standing behind her in stunned silence.
Without even waiting for the alarms, she moved both the senator and her sister back to the ship, taking off without permission and dodging the fleet in orbit just barely. Despite the success of the mission, she had been seen and identified as a former Jedi Knight, her appearance displayed on the holonet as one of the Empire's most wanted. Her cover had been blown, and the growing opposition to the Empire distanced itself from her, not yet wanting to draw that kind of attention to themselves.
For seven years the sisters once more kept a low profile, doing only odd jobs and staying in the Outer Rim and Hutt Space where Imperial control was weakest. It is there, at port on a midway station along the hyperlanes that they quietly stock up on fuel and essentials, all while looking towards their next destination...
