Though battered and bearing the scars of a dozen conflicts even before it was stolen from the Empire, the Noreaster is a venerable ship that has served her captains well ever since first clearing the docks. Numerous upgrades, retrofits and expansions have been made by the Gray Mariners in order to turn it into less of a warship and more into a home. Primary among them the conversion of the deck three cargo space into an armory and training deck, tweaks to the engines to give a little more power when needed and of course a bit more firepower in the form of a couple extra turbolasers. While it has been turned into a home among the stars for the mercenary band, it remains the brawler though, and none of her crew have forgotten that. Nor have their enemies, for reminders have been given time and time again that while old, the Noreaster is not yet ready to go down.
The following is a loose set of rules for the Noreaster, enforced usually through potential loss of pay or violent ejection from the ship via airlock. Generally speaking, the crew is free to operate aboard the ship with free reign as long as they don't impose on the privacy of their fellow crew, the captain or her sister, and understand where the line is. For those who don't, the short set below makes things clear.
- All crew are equal under the Captain, and all have equal say at the table. Except Five-Toes. You know what you did. - Looting is encouraged on missions unless the contract requests otherwise, however all spoils go to the company first. Crew are allowed to stake claims on a third of assets they loot, to be approved by the quartermaster or captain. The remainder goes to the coffers, stores or the armory where applicable. - All weapons taken from the armory are to be signed out and returned after missions. - Don't accept loan offers from Clu. Or any Muun. - Admiral Piff is not food, nor a pest. Neither is Vi. - The airlock is not sentient. It does not get a name. - No explosives in the armory. This goes especially for you, Kabal. - Holonet access is monitored shipboard after the Balmorra incident. - Training deck hours are from 09:00 shiptime to 18:00. No exceptions. - No disruptors on the training deck, Kabal. - For the last time, people are not loot. The Captain does not care about the stance on slavery within the Empire. - The Navigator is off-limits.
When first hearing of "The Mariner" most assume the same image as all others before them. A woman hardened by the salt air of an ocean world, skin darkened by the light of some star or another and a life on the waves that has led to a body built by struggle. That imposing image seems to always fade immediately as soon as one sees her true face. Pale and lithe, she is an entirely different kind of woman than that of what people assume her to be. Instead of the bitter grimace and gruff words, she speaks softly and an ever so alluring smile tempting people closer and into just listening to what she has to say. It helps that while Miralukan and already nearly indistinguishable from humans, she has taken to cybernetics to further enhance the lie. And that's exactly what she is from the moment she opens her mouth to greet either new prospects, potential informants or new clients. A lie, and one that has been honed by experience and skill over the years.
What she presents to all those save her crew is that of the inexperienced woman out seeing the Outer Rim and hanging off the words of every dashing smuggler or bounty hunter who passes by. It's an image that plays well due to her distinctly feminine… Assets and allure, which she has never been shy of using to tease through carefully selected outfits to enhance what she has. Everything about her image in fact is a show to play one person or another, whether it be the more conservative dress she takes to for meetings and among her own crew, to that tailored to attract all the wrong kinds of attention. Perhaps the only constant is her armourweave bodyglove, form-fitting and skin-tight so as to easily wear anything over and to always be prepared in case things go south. That and of course her face, as it is the one vanity she indulges in.
Despite all of the clever plays and dressing up though, she cannot hide for long that she is a warrior. Spring-taut muscle always ready beneath that porcelain skin, she has dedicated herself over the years equally to keeping in peak physical condition and has the scars to prove it. Scores of old wounds decorate her body from her neck down to her feet. Claw marks from various beasts of different sizes, slashes stretching along her sides from near misses, the stab wounds from where she was just that bit too slow and one in particular that still stings. Considered her greatest mistake the large pink blotch just below her shoulder is where she had taken a lightsaber through the chest, and very nearly died from it.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
- Aphelion: A modification of her first lightsaber, Solace's Lightsaber-pike has seen intermittent use over the years since the Jedi Purge, and many modifications. The original lightsaber sits at the cap of a cortosis-weave staff, the components built into the custom housing and reinforced for more her more aggressive style of combat. Inside, enhancements to the emitter allow her to change the tuning of the blade through her connection with the force, giving her the ability to vary the sharpness or length at will to a degree. The crystal itself is attuned to her and forms a viridian/green colored blade.
- Perihelion: Not actually a single lightsaber, the pair of shoto blades Solace calls "Perihelion" were gifts to her from her former master, Zentraedies. At a blade length of just under a foot each, they are well suited to her particular style of Juyo/Vaapad, which relies on high mobility and close engagement ranges. Both sabers are a deep blue in color, as many traditional Jedi lightsabers were.
- Solace's Jedi Armor: Like many of those who joined the Clone Wars and focused on a more battle-intensive role, Solace was provided a set of Clone Trooper armor to better protect herself. Though rarely used as a full set since, she still maintains it in case she has need of it, replacing worn out components as best she can. There are a few personalizations that have been made in the years, primarily the integration of a smaller guard-shoto lightsaber in the wrist of the right gauntlet, and an armourweave bodysuit as the underlayer. Finding it to be suitable protection by itself, she often wears the bodysuit underneath normal clothing.
- Cybernetics: Despite being able to see quite clearly through the force, being Miraluka does have the downside of standing out in a crowd. To this end, Solace made a point of finding a willing cybernetic surgeon to provide her with a pair of disturbingly lifelike eyes. Able to simply insert them into her vestigial sockets, they link to a small adapter wired into her skull that lets them sync with her forcesight and act as normal eyes. She's even had work done recently that allows her to use them in situations where she may be cut off from the force, either willingly or less so. It has become a particular boon in more than one situation and remains one of the most vital tools at her disposal.
- Assorted clothes: Among various items of clothing are her old Jedi robes, a few normal civilian outfits, as well as Imperial uniforms and some more cantina appropriate attire.
- Vibro-gladii: As most often she will be without a lightsaber, Solace has taken to carrying a pair of vibroblades on her when on a contract that may involve combat, or in areas where doing so may be prudent. Each blade is of the same length of her shoto blades and with a thin cortosis weave through the handles just in case.
- Push-blades: In addition to her assorted vibro weapons, lightsabers and blasters, she also has a few more discreet items in her small arsenal. Of particular use are a pair of modified grapple-launchers fitted to a small strap meant to wrap around her wrist and sit at the very bottom of her palm. Both have seen the normal hook replaced with a two inch vibro-blade, the energy cell disguised as a watch, and restrained so as not to be able to leave the holster beyond the range of her hand. The trigger mechanism has also been modified so that it cannot be accidentally set off, wired to a kyber crystal the size of a pearl that when activated by Solace specifically through the force, the blades eject. In effect, when set properly the push-blades become pneumatic pistons that can impact with enough force to cleanly pierce most personal body armor or shields. Of course, that requires a very personal touch as well leaving them to be only used as a last resort surprise weapon.
- Blaster weapons: Along with her wonderful impression of a real human, and the clothes to blend in as a few different occupations, she also occasionally carries a pair of blaster pistols and blaster rifle. They are minimally personalized, serving primarily as costume though still very functional.
- Sith Holocron: Given freely as a reward from a rather unsavory contact on Hutta, the relic was at first discarded as simply a strange shelf decoration. When it began whispering to her as she slept, Solace took an interest in it, and unlocking its secrets. Since opening it and discovering the identity of the former Sith who owned it, she has spent many nights talking to the holocron, learning of the Sith and their ways.
| {Physical Abilities} |
- Battlemaster: First and foremost a warrior, Solace has always excelled in the realm of combat. No matter the weapon she can find the weight of it just by feel, able to intuitively understand how to properly handle it and use it to its most lethal effect. Of course, though she is equally at home wielding a blaster or vibro-blade, there is only one weapon that feels truly natural in her hands. That is the lightsaber. When in the academy and learning with the other initiates, at first she had found herself struggling with the force and the nuances of it. Few powers came to her even in the years since exile, but when she took hold of the training saber she found her calling and the knights overseeing her training did as well. It was relatively simple from there, absorbing all she could of the varied forms and slowly creating her own. The varied blademasters of the order were all too eager to assist, even Mace Windu taking the time to teach of his own style to her. Vaapad was one which she took to more than the others, finding the highly aggressive style complimentary to her nature, and when it came time for her exams she displayed her own form for all to see. Flowing like water, she dances around her opponents careful to never give enough of a target for them to hit while always seeking and stabbing into their own soft spots. Her form relies on mobility, often enhanced through the force and making use of her own stature versus larger and stronger opponents. It is not a defensive form in the least either, for everything is devoted to the conclusion of the fight as soon as possible, so while in her own form she rarely is able to block. That said, she does know of the full range of lightsaber forms even if she is fairly out of practice in them.
- Outer Rim Academy: After the Jedi Purge and their time with their master was over there was a point at which the sisters found themselves lacking in a proper way to make a living. Fortunately enough for them, the Outer Rim provides opportunity in spades and more so to one willing enough to learn the subtle nuances of the lawless regions. Solace was one willing, and she learned to her benefit that all she needed out there was a little bit of cleverness, ruthlessness and often times showing enough skin to get what she wanted. Each year out on their own she would find herself learning more, becoming enamored to the so-called "Scum and Villainy" that the core-worlders were warned of. With now ten years of experience, she has become a decent enough infiltrator, spy, thief and whatever else is needed of her in order to complete the job she's given as captain of her company and to keep her sister safe.
| {Force Abilities} |
- Buried Presence - Cloak of Shadow - Force Lightning
| {Limitations} |
- Burst Fighter: Though at peak physical fitness and always seeking to push the envelope further, Solace is simply not built for battles of attrition. This shows most obviously in her adaptation of Vaapad, where little if any defensive moves exist and relies almost entirely on her own aggression. Prolonged fights tend to drain her because of that, and if things begin to look out of favor for her she is prone to disengage and run.
- Limited Force Powers: It was always her sister that was considered the prodigy of the academy, even in an era of renowned greats serving to defend the galaxy during the lead up to the Clone Wars. Solace is okay with that too, for while her ability in the force can be considered lacking, she is capable enough. She's never seen the need to know more than she does in that realm, getting by with what few powers are at her command and instead working to hone them. In her mind, if she's ever been in need of some force healing or something beyond her, she can just lean on her sister for some assistance.
- Outer Rim Academy: For all that she has learned out there on her own to provide for her sister and later the mercenary company she founded, the Outer Rim also takes quite eagerly. Not every lesson came easily, a few scars showing where she has miscalculated from time to time, as well as that she still has much to learn. More than that though, it's the successes that may someday prove to be her biggest detriment. Early on Solace learned to take the easy win, as so often it ended up a lot more trouble than it was worth to keep pushing. While true she has become rather adept at deceit and manipulation, it is not nearly to the extent she has been led to believe. All too often she relies more on allure and charm rather than actual skill when it comes to gathering information, and for as long as that and her luck has sustained her, it will not last forever.
Like everyone else in the Jedi Order, with the violent formation of the Empire there came a point where she had the choice to cling bitterly to its principles or to change with the galaxy around her. Though she was still young at the time, the importance of what happened was not lost on her and Solace chose the path she felt best in order to protect her sister. Over the years she has adapted to a more and more ruthless and brutal galaxy, becoming so herself in order to maintain her way. That her sister comes first has never once wavered. Always no matter what she does, Requiem is first in her mind. To take care of her, ensure she always has something to eat and a safe place to sleep. For her, even her own safety is of little consequence as long as her sister is taken care of. In some ways this has also extended to those who have come to call her captain. "The mission comes first." She has said many times over, briefing her people on whatever odd job they managed to secure for the month, but most of them know better. Not once has she ever put them in place of risk that she didn't know they could pull out of. Not once has Solace carelessly wasted their talents, and not once has she ever left someone behind.
That has always been her duty as captain, and to back it up she shows a cunning that has been carefully cultivated over the years. The Outer Rim is a harsh and unforgiving place to live, always fraught with dangers and providing new and interesting lessons on life. Solace like many of her crew, has often times learned the hard way as to just how unforgiving it can be. So she seldom leaves room to negotiate, rarely allows those who put either her sister or her crew in danger to do so without recourse, and despises loose ends. More than once has she taken things a step too far in order to do so, but it is always in their best interests. Such interests that she always feels as if may be in danger by something or another. It's something that has befallen many of the survivors of the Jedi Purge, at least those who haven't fallen in with the Empire once more. The sudden loss of so many all at once and in such a violent way left those who escaped reeling, and the more sensitive of their order struggling to cope with the aftermath. Solace had her sister to cling to, but it has still left her incredibly paranoid that there will always be an assassin around the corner seeking to finish the job, not the least for what they've had to do in order to survive.
Yet for all that, she hasn't entirely lost herself. Not the woman that has become the face of a ruthless mercenary group for hire to the worst of the galaxy, but the girl who had been plucked from home and shown a world of wonder. At that time she had actually been the more outgoing of the two sisters, surrounding herself with friends and family, charming them with her natural charisma and wit. The darkness she's taken upon herself hasn't diminished that one bit, and the freedom of not having the order overhead to dictate her life has even allowed her to flourish. In the same breath as promising a grisly end, she can whisper of far better outcomes and give a smile that could melt the very ice she exudes. So it is that for all of what she is, Solace has never been more alive than here and now, mingling among the scum and villainy within yet another cantina in the Outer Rim.
Requiem
| {Full Name} |
Sena Alleron
| {Age} |
26
| {Species} |
Miraluka
| {Gender} |
Female
| {Force Sensitive/Alignment} |
Yes - Light
| Role on Ship |
Navigator // Force-Healer // Moral Support
| {Appearance} |
As to be expected from twins, Requiem shares most of the same physical features as her sister. Just like her, she is of a remarkably average height at 5'4" and lithe build, though with the same distinctly womanly shape. Unlike Solace, she doesn't quite have the same lithe and toned physique, instead being a little "softer". To that end she seems to focus far more on keeping up appearances. Even the smallest blemish finds itself removed through force healing, her pale skin always perfectly smooth. While her sister finds endless amusement in teasing her over it, she always makes time out of the day to ensure nothing is out of place, obsessively hygienic to the point of paranoia.
Much like Solace, she does have a vain side, though far more pronounced in her own way. She also acquired cybernetic eyes, though changes the colors of them about as often as the color of her own hair. It is a habit that she knows should be avoided, but with her love of vibrant colors, she can't stop herself from indulging. Because of that, it's relatively uncommon for her to sport a "normal" hair color, though often enough choosing such lovely shades like turquoise and hot pink.
Clothing wise, it's all the same. Vibrant, often cheerful colors are the norm, and one would often think that perhaps she's compensating for the lack of any true visual ability, but she knows exactly what she's doing. Requiem will tend to gravitate towards anything cheerful or flowery, things that accentuate her naturally bubbly and youthful personality. She is also rather fond of keeping to Miralukan traditional garb, such as the veils and cloths over her face to cover her lack of eyes. Unlike Solace, she doesn't try to hide who she is, which tends to get her into more trouble than it's worth.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
- Equilibrium: A personalized curved hilt crossguard lightsaber, this was her first and has remained near unchanged since the day she finished it. Other than being able to use either emitter as the primary blade, the only unique modification is the vibrant magenta color of the blade.
- Requiem's Jedi Robes: Preferring them while on any kind of potential combat mission, the robes are the very same that she had when they left the order after the purge. A very normal drab brown, she actually doesn't like them that much in terms of fashion, but they allow her to use the full range of her force abilities unimpeded.
- Assorted clothes: Unlike Solace who uses various outfits with her cybernetics to blend in and disguise herself, Requiem's ever growing collection is far more focused on what is and isn't fashionable. An entire room of their ship is devoted exclusively to her clothing, myriad dresses of colors ranging from somewhat normal to absolutely gaudy and everything in between, not to mention things that her sister has cautioned against wearing openly in public.
- Admiral Piff: Few are the times in which Requiem has left the ship in any regard, least of all for a mission. Piff is one of the reasons why. Three years back, while out in the jungles of a backwater world in the Outer Rim, she was asked to come along due to her natural affinity with animals and because they were hunting what was rumored to be a particularly nasty beast. The mission went off without issue, as it happened to simply be a woefully lost Bantha, but on the way back Requiem found herself a small egg, and when it hatched the crew found themselves saddled with a gizka. While Solace herself isn't particularly fond of it, she has laid down the rules regarding any possible harm that may befall it for the sake of her sister. It is also the only one other than her that is allowed to sit in the captain's chair or wear the moff's hat.
| {Physical Abilities} |
- Unarmed Combat: Where her sister lacks only in stamina for physical combat, Requiem instead lacks of strength and ability when it comes to armed combat. The use of a lightsaber or weapon has never appealed to her or come to her quite as naturally as it has for her sister. Yet, she does have one advantage and a skill that she has honed over a decade of practice. Calling back to the basic principles of what the Jedi Order once stood upon, she has chosen to forego the blade in favor of the open palm. Using even limited force powers to augment her own speed and barriers when necessary, she can hold her own in a defensive posture and deflect not just blaster bolts and projectiles, but also bladed weapons. Through tutaminis she can even parry lightsabers, slap them aside or grasp them to keep an opponent occupied long enough for a disabling blow. True, it is often a last resort for her, but experience has taught to be prepared for the least desirable outcome in negotiations.
| {Force Abilities} |
- Force Healing - Shatterpoint - Animal Friendship - Battle Meditation - Force Barrier - Emerald Lightning - Tutaminis - Force Deflection - Stasis Field - Force Valor - Force Protection - Alter Environment
- Precognition: As some of the masters did before the Jedi Purge, Requiem is able to peruse the futures to a limited extent. Casting herself into the force and scrying ahead by hours or days, she can see possibilities caused by ripples set in motion by either her own actions or those around her. She can even cast herself backwards when deep enough in meditation, looking over events already in play or played out across the galaxy. While this gift could be useful in many regards, and as one in the crew has suggested before to be very lucrative, she most often displays it as a way to avoid danger. It is in fact, the reason why a woman with little knowledge in astrogation or piloting in general is the navigator of their company. Able to look ahead hours before reaching a destination can prove vital when not in the favor of the Empire.
- Natural Affinity: Ever since she was a child the force has been something that Requiem has had an intimate connection to. It flows through and around her as if part of her, and control of it is as second nature to her as breathing is for everyone else. Without even thinking of it she can channel healing energies into the wounded or erect barriers to shelter others from harm. Sometimes literally transitioning to one after the other and without effort. This natural connection is why her and her sister were selected first by the Luka Sene and then the Jedi Order. Her experiences with both groups only honed her abilities and taught her of all the possibilities before her. Techniques just learned of that would take any other years to master, come to her grasp within just a few sessions of training. Sometimes she even displays powers thought lost to time without even trying, as happened when the Battle Meditation technique came to her during a particularly nasty incident early on in the days of the mercenary company.
- Intangible Index: Perhaps what may be her greatest gift through the force however, is something far more subtle than portents of the near future or a natural gift for its control. While her skills and abilities are limited to a very particular set, and she has never shown much progress in learning anything further, what she does have is the ability to learn and understand most languages simply by listening. First displayed at a young age while still with the Jedi Order, it came as a surprise to some when she had shown an understanding of Togruta, despite her only contact with one of the species being in the order and not once taking lessons on the language. When confronted by the master Shak-ti, she explained that she had heard her speaking to another and while at first didn't understand, the more it was spoken around her the more she could. Since then she has picked up a few more, including Trandoshan which has been of great use to her and a source of comfort for one in particular on the crew who she has been teaching common to.
| {Limitations} |
- Fragile: By nature Requiem dislikes conflict, and especially of the physical kind. It is not just on principle that she tries to avoid it though. When her barriers fall, her defenses finally broken and a hit lands the reason for her sister's fierce devotion is shown clearly. Unlike Solace who can, and has, simply shrug off a wound and keep fighting, when struck bones break like glass and cuts refuse to clot on their own. Even the slightest blow can bruise, and on occasion she has awoken with bruises simply by sleeping the wrong way or tossing too much in her sleep. Though it can be treated to a degree and made more tolerable in the short term, as it is a genetic disorder there is little than can be done long term. What is more unfortunate is that while it is very much a non-issue for baseline humans and other near-humans, the Miralukan biology requires more specialized medicine. Specialized medicine that is tightly controlled by the Empire and quite obvious as to who would be taking it.
- Lightsaber combat: In addition to simply not being built for it, Requiem is quite lucky that she even knows which end is the business end of a lightsaber. To her last days in the academy and their entire exile of sorts in the Outer Rim, she has routinely proven to be inept with a weapon in her hands and unable to parry the most obviously forecasted attacks. Luckily for her she has adapted to other ways and rarely ever has to even pick up a lightsaber, though it can be argued that it is more lucky for those around her.
- Adaptability: It can be said and often has, that the few things she understands, she understands better than most. Through years of training she can use her hands to fight not just one person, but multiples and even has one occasion bested her sister. Her command of the force was something the masters had rarely seen before while the Jedi Order still stood, and since the purge she has only become more adept with it. From that first glance, it would seem that if it were not for her pacifist and loving nature, she would be nigh unstoppable, and perhaps rightly so. Those who live and work with her know better though. In addition to being fragile to the point where it has been jokingly suggested that she be wrapped with pillows before leaving the ship, learning new things has never been easy for her. What little she knows is about the extent of her learning, and even with daily practice new skills simply slip away from her as flowing water through her fingertips. Always to the newer members of the crew it comes as a surprise when the mirror image of their captain is seen struggling with a datapad, having to count on her fingers when faced with basic arithmetic or losing her way in a new port. Solace is nearly always close at hand though, and some of the more veteran members have even taken to looking after her in much the same way, ensuring that she is never lost for long.
A far cry from her sister who keeps secrets within secrets, weaves lies upon lies in order to get her way and keep those she values safe, Requiem is instead a completely open book. Rarely does she ever keep her feelings to herself, speaking openly of her opinion on something even if it might be just a little too open. This is shown most clearly from the near perpetual smile on her lips. It is perhaps her most telling and obvious feature, that she draws from a boundless well of energy and positivity, able to find a silver lining no matter the circumstance, and no matter who she is speaking to. Even those who had mere moments before been hostile are subject to her kindness and compassion. Day to day her faith is unshakable, always joyous for another day of adventure and looking forward to their next destination.
It is little wonder that some may not exactly trust her due to her sister's way of doing things, or how easily that very same smile slips into something devious, but it is to a fault that she is honest. She may not even be capable of telling a lie, such is the depths of her honesty and Solace feels it entirely possible that she may not understand it. That comes in part due to the trauma of the Jedi Purge and their narrow escape. Where her sister became more protective and paranoid like so many others, something inside Requiem broke under the stress of so much suffering in the galaxy. For a long while afterward she had remained quiet and withdrawn, but when she finally did surface it was if she had mentally not aged a day. Ever since she has found it easy to see the joy in things, even more so than she had before, and had trouble adapting to more complicated subjects. Deceit is one of those, and not only when it comes to her being able to lie to others. She is often far too trusting of everyone around her, especially those who talk softly and act a friend. This has gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion, and a few of which Solace has had to step in to keep her safe. Yet still, while she may be just a bit simple, she does mean well and her compassion is honest.
| {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} |
Born on Alpheridies like most of their kind, the sisters began their life in the peace of the gentle rolling hills outside the cities. There they spent their first six years simply being children and growing up without a care in the world. Both took to their schooling with the same enthusiasm as they did to play, making friends and dreaming of all the things they would be when grown up. Often enough they look back on those days, Solace in particular as that time was so much simpler. For her it was a life where she imagined herself someday as Verra Alleron, perhaps a name of importance on their homeworld and even in the Republic. To her sister, she knew that she just wanted to bring happiness to all those around her, even back then.
Yet like all things, one day it came to an end. As all those with force-sensitivity were of interest to the Jedi Order, Miraluka in particular were often a source of new initiates. Early on they had been introduced into the Luka Sene and took the first steps into the force that would change their lives forever. Solace had shown little aptitude, but her sister was doted on by all the masters for the feats she had shown even as a small child. In truth, if it hadn't been for the force bond keeping them close together, only Requiem would have ever taken on that new name and joined into the Jedi Order. Of course, it didn't play out that way, and both sisters had drawn the attention of another Miralukan with the order. It was then just before they both turned seven that Master Iain Zentraedies introduced them to the Jedi.
| {Background} |
When first entering the Jedi Order most initiates are taught first and foremost that they must let go of their former bonds, to look towards the force and rely not on things such as emotion and passion. So it is that under ideal circumstances they strove to avoid involving families in the order, and rarely brought in siblings especially at the same time. This was to ensure that the natural bonds they formed did not interfere in training, did not affect their minds later in the order and allowed them to stay closer to the light side of the force. As with any other pair of siblings, the twins were at first separated despite the protests of them and the master Zentraedies. It had been obvious that some kind of bond connected the two, and as much had been spoken of by the Luka Sene when they released the sisters to the Order. How strong it was had been underestimated however, and almost as soon as they had been separated did it become clear to everyone.
It began with the first few weeks where the sisters both became temperamental. Solace, ever the talker at that age and always personable, became withdrawn and sullen. She didn't speak to anyone except when absolutely necessary and steadily as the weeks went on started to pale even more so than normal. Her sister was no better off. Where one had fallen into despair, the other was uncooperative and upset at the slightest touch. She too took ill after the second week, suffering from body pains that at first were reflected upon her sister. The masters were concerned with these developments, but still reticent to reunite them, as few were willing to bend the code. That changed when it was discovered that Solace fell into a deep sleep from which nothing could awaken her. All the talents of the medical corps were at a loss, finding that her body was perfectly healthy yet her mind and soul unresponsive. Only then did the advice of Zentraedies finally come into play, and as soon as the twins were reunited both of them showed a remarkable turn in health.
The nature of force-bonds in the order had always been a bit of a mystery, as for how much they learned and thought they understood there was so much more yet to learn. Zentraedies had been a careful observer of dozens of such bonds in his long life, scribing several books on the subject and offering many theories on how they come to be. In the twins he found something unique, a bond that had existed since birth and made the two codependent on the other. When one felt pain or sadness, so too did the other. Where one felt joy and pride, the other soared on her good aura to the benefit of both. So he explained to the council that at such a young age, they didn't understand the full depth of the Jedi Code, and couldn't be expected to sacrifice their bond of sisterhood without time to adjust. Their desire to remain close to each other had reflected on their bond, and every moment apart from the other worsened their health until finally they were reunited. While true, he surmised, to keep them apart long enough might have broken that bond, he also proposed that the one may have never awoken from her coma and they would be blamed forever by one of their most promising students.
After all was settled and with no small amount of concern, the council decided not only to reunite the sisters, but to continue their training under Zentraedies. It was a rare case for sure, to take in two young students and nearly immediately elevate them to padawans, but he had assured them that he could turn the sisters into valued members of the order. Both sisters were confused at first, but the familiar presence of the master helped them ease into a routine. Not to mention that him being Miraluka as well helped significantly towards making them feel a little more comfortable at the academy.
For several years they trained there, learning of the basics and understanding the ways of the force beyond what they had been taught back home on Alpheridies. Though he knew the council disapproved, he treated them as family and as if they were his own daughters, easing them steadily into the order. It would not come entirely easy though, as he had agreed to take on all of their training on his own. Requiem was hesitant and lacking in confidence, always second-guessing herself despite a natural affinity with the force. Through a steady hand and near infinite patience he was able to show her that she had a gift, teaching her of first basic telekinetics and then healing. Once she found her way, there was little to keep her from diving in with a passion. Within those few years she had went from barely able to focus, to assembling her own lightsaber through the force, healing dire wounds without leaving scars and even layering force barriers.
Solace on the other hand, well she had never shown an aptitude with the force and Zentraedies knew that her talents would take a long time to develop. It had concerned him at first that perhaps he would have to stall the more gifted sister so as to keep them together, make sure that only when both were ready that they took the trials together. The moment she found a training saber and spun it hand over hand, that thought died. Though her mother and father had always frowned upon it, she had always loved to stick-fight with the boys of the village, imagining herself one of the palace guard. That love for play-fighting came to the fore when she first faced off against the sparring droids. Each swing felt more and more natural, each time she became better and better at avoiding the stinging bolts of the droid. It took barely a year for her to find her own gift, surprising observers with just how quickly she picked up the basic forms.
When it came time to build herself a lightsaber, she surprised them again when she chosen something quite unorthodox. Knowing it was not what most did, she constructed a lightsaber-pike and showed off for everyone to see on the day. Twirling it around overhead, she parried and deflected everything coming at her until with a single slash she dispatched the training droid at last. It was then that Zentraedies knew that he had nothing else to teach her when it came to lightsaber combat, laughing it off as his old age when explaining to her the need to seek training from others. She had devoted herself to it in full, in between lessons from the varied blademasters of the order keeping herself physically fit through a ruthless exercise regime.
It wasn't all lightsabers and weights for Solace or telekine exercises and mind-puzzles for Requiem though. As they advanced in the Jedi Order and found their own unique callings, they also spent time out of every day to learn of their bond in the force. At first when they had come to the order, it was for their own health that they stay close and never stray too far. Zentraedies explained as much when it was felt they would understand that, knowing after some time among other Jedi they would know more of themselves and why. When they did, and had an understanding of the unique gift they had, he began to teach them of all the things they could do with something that no one else had. He taught them that it didn't have to be a tether, a literal chain keeping them together. It could give them strength, and with practice they could always be close without having to be in the same room or even the same planet. With the ever-growing disappointment of the Jedi Council, he was gradually able to help them solidify their bond, teaching them to share more than just emotions. Requiem was the first, as she was always adept in all things force related, and shared her own memory of the night they were told of their acceptance into the Jedi Order.
Solace, surprised at seeing herself through her sister's eyes took to the teachings as well, sharing her own memory of the night and from there everything changed. No more did they need to stay physically close. Their bond was stronger than it had ever been, and so too was their bond of sisterhood. Everything they went through was shared between each other, their passions and dreams mingling along with their memories until there truly were no secrets between the sisters. There Solace first discovered her true desire and why she had taken so strongly to the lightsaber. It was there in those last few nights before their trials that she learned all she wanted was to keep her sister safe and would do anything to ensure it.
As it did for all, it would eventually come time to take their trials to become Jedi Knights and enter into one of the varied orders. Though at the time still young at ten, they had not only shown promise beyond their years, but it was a turbulent time for the galaxy as a whole. For a few years before the troubles of a growing separatist movement had been stirring conflict until full blown war erupted. The council fearing the potential involvement of the Sith behind it, the Jedi had become involved and acting as generals within the Republic army despite the Ruusan Reformations forbidding it. To the twins this was certainly on their minds as they were told of their selection for the trials, though it was quickly overshadowed by the scale of what that meant for them. To be a Jedi Knight would mean it entirely possible they would be separated, and despite it being less unhealthy a prospect as before, it was still something neither sister wanted. Nonetheless, Solace was first up and she took the Sentinel trials for her desire to protect. In all her time among the order she had been preparing herself for this moment. Early in 20BBY as the Clone Wars raged across the galaxy, she began the first real battle of her life.
It would be the hardest fight she had faced to the point, and even afterwards looking back on it. First was the test of forms, a warm-up of sorts merely to ensure her remedial knowledge was up to par. Each one she flowed through with her particular grace, from the most basic to her own adapted form to a round of reserved applause from the sitting masters. A dozen of them sat in observance, among them the recognized blademasters of the order and several she had trained with personally. Despite the pressures of being in such company, she had her sister silently giving support from beyond where her own master sat waiting. From there it only got more intense of course, and as one by one she was challenged, she took down each with a ruthless efficiency. When the sixth conceded, they turned to the holograms partly out of concern with how close each time she had come to actually injuring one of the instructors.
There she proved not just that she had the skill and tenacity, but that she had been restraining herself. Propelled by aggression, she outright killed the first hologram with her pike embedded through the construct's chest, withdrawing it to send the second and third reeling with a series of pommel strikes that effectively knocked them out of the combat. Solace reveled in the battle as she found herself more than merely enjoying the victory that came with each soft ping of the defeated hologram dissipating, but of the fight itself. More and more she shouted out and took on increasing numbers until the central pit was an all out brawl. Her lightsaber hewed through one mass as her fist connected with the face of another, never stopping as she flowed as if running water. When silence at last dominated the trial, there was but one left. Meant as a simulation of an impossible foe, the masters had given her a replica of one of the greatest blademasters to have ever lived based off records in the great library. Ajunta Pall stood before her in replica form, lightsabers ignited and matching her stance with his own.
At first they simply circled, the adaptive learning program taking into account her every move beforehand and weaving it into that of her newest opponent. The masters watched and waited, ready to intervene in case the fight became too dangerous, but Solace would not let it come to that. With a battlecry she leapt in for the first blow, slamming the stave end of her lightsaber-pike in an overhead blow only to slip away from the counter and begin the dance. Blows rang out like rain across the roof of the temple, both weaving in and out of stances to counter the other. Where the hologram took an offensive stance, she parried as best she could and waited to press her own advantage. There he would take on the defensive role as she was relentless in her assault, pressing hard and fast to put the hologram on the backfoot. Each time, though Solace herself was clearly tiring and losing out on the battle of attrition, she had worked her opponent steadily towards where she wanted him. Then, as the fourth assault came, she stunned the onlookers as she struck out suddenly and the hologram's head rolled across the floor severed from its body.
To say the response to her display was mixed would have been generous. Having witnessed such brutality there in the temple itself, several advocated outright for her to be expelled entirely from the order. It wasn't exactly an unpopular sentiment either, as the trial had been shown to other masters observing from the field elsewhere in the galaxy. In the end it came to a vote among those in observance of the trial itself and those instructors who fought her directly. Though exactly how close she came to being exiled was never told to her and has since been lost due to the Jedi Purge, she did pass and her padawan braid was cut to signify her advancement. That news was not welcome to all, but one in particular was nearly beside herself with joy and to Solace that was the only one who's opinion truly counted. Embracing one another, they enjoyed the interim between trials and made solemn vows to do their best to stay close no matter their assignments afterward.
Encouraged and emboldened by her sister, for once Requiem took to a task with a confidence that was quite unlike her. Just like she had done for her, Solace was there in spirit for her, whispering through their bond her support. For her though it was an entirely different trial, as she had chosen the Consulars for her skill with the force. Before her would be three tests, all of the mind and her ability to command the force. First and perhaps the most arduous was one of concentration and patience. A great holopuzzle was placed before her, pieces minute and intricate within a multi-level structure that left little room for error. Any mistake of movement or placement would also reset the entire piece, the puzzle vibrating apart to dislodge all the placed pieces. Knowing what was before her and how important this trial was, for once the more energetic of the sisters calmed herself and closed off all distractions around her. For hours she sat in the archives, the puzzle floating before her, twisting and turning with the touch of her mind as each piece was put in place. Unlike with Solace there were rarely observers there for long, only a few here and there to watch and ensure she wasn't cheating or receiving help from others. Closed off as she was, she didn't even notice until finally the last piece clicked into place and a soft warmth flowed from the completed puzzle to the soft applause of a dozen onlookers. Not one for praise, she had merely blushed and thanked them before running off to find the masters for the next stage in her trial.
It was at this point that things became a little more complicated but at the same time easier for her. Faced with the growing intensity of the war and an increasing need for skilled medics, the Consulars temporarily suspended her trial in order to send her to the Galactic City Medical Center. Already overwhelmed with wounded brought in from almost a sector away due to the need for specialist care, numerous Jedi wove among medical professionals to lend whatever aid they could. It was there in the heart of it that she showed her compassion, healing all she came across no matter who they had fought for. Republic or Separatist, soldier or citizen. Who they fought for or if they fought at all was not a concern, all that mattered was that they were suffering and it was within her power to ease that suffering. For hours she worked among the sick and dying until nearly collapsing on her feet and having to be told to return to the temple. When she had returned it had been expected that she would ask when her trials would resume, or if that had been enough. Instead she merely asked when she should arrive the next day and how she could be of more help. Humbled a little by her compassion and dedication to the core principles of the Jedi Code, it was agreed unanimously that she be passed there and then into knighthood.
For all that there was to celebrate, there was little time in which to do so for the sisters. War raged across the galaxy, setting alight entire sectors from the Outer Rim to the very Core itself. Without the excuse of being padawans both of them were assigned to a division of clone troopers and sent out to assist in the war effort. So much lay before them, and they knew that they were still quite young in the grand scheme of things and with much to learn, but there was a duty that had to be fulfilled. Boarding a CR70 corvette, they said goodbye to their friends at the temple and looked upon it for what they felt like the last time. Little did they know that it would be.
It was out in the Outer Rim defending a medical outpost that the first ripples were felt, barely a month into their assignment. Requiem being more sensitive and always looking into the force in order to aid those around her had seen it first. A dark shadow obscuring everything it touched, spreading from the core until she could see nothing beyond that moment. Even her sister had felt it, feeling strangely cold as she stood with the clone commander and heard the soft chirp of his personal communicator. As he turned to leave and receive the updated orders, she was left with a decision. Everything in her compelled her to run, a basic instinct crying out that she was in danger and that her sister was too. Yet she and her sister had been with these clones for a month now, and though they were a bit rigid in their interpretation of orders, they seemed just as much a living person as her. That moment of indecision nearly cost her her life, the clone putting away the communicator and reaching for his pistol.
Perhaps if it had not been for that one motion that she knew immediately as hostile, he might have lived and cut her down. Instead she drew a shoto-lightsaber first and plunged it into his helmet, flicking it on and off fast enough to kill but not draw too much attention. Even before the body slumped to the ground she was on the move, panic setting in her heart as she raced towards her sister. Luckily she was not far and the other clones had not received their updated orders yet, merely staring curiously at the two as they burst out of the medical quarters and towards the waiting CR70. It didn't take long though, and even as the cries of dozens of their fellow jedi sounded out into the force, they had to focus on their own survival. Blaster fire hailed towards them, Requiem pushed in front of her sister as a few found their mark in her back. Both barely made it, the ramp closing behind them as Solace urged her sister to focus on patching her up and getting her well enough to fly.
That she didn't entirely know how to fly a starship of that size was beyond concern at that point, as she knew that any moment starfighters would be retasked to take out the CR70. With all the grace of a novice pilot, she fired up the engines and the ship punched its way through the hangar bay doors, sending clones and burning metal sailing across the grounds even as they angled upwards and made their escape.
As narrow as it was, they knew that they were safe for the moment and once in hyperspace could find the time to understand what had just happened. Solace felt her mind reeling as so many were cut off from the force all at once, many friends and close connections that she had formed in her time at the temple. For her, it was that moment when she first truly felt the darkness dwelling within her, a small corruption of her soul that led her away from the teachings of the Jedi. She steeled her heart then in that moment, closing herself off from all others except her sister and her master, a determination growing to push her towards a singular goal. Requiem though, she fared far worse. Pain had wracked her already frail body, the disconnection of so many that she had known and enjoyed the friendship of wreaking havoc on her mind. The sheer trauma of it had shattered her grasp on the present, and even as her sister came to her help, she passed out there in the co-pilot's chair never to awake quite the same again.
Though shaken by the events that had almost cost them their lives, and now feeling if not knowing that Republic space would not be safe for them, Solace had to take them somewhere, as they couldn't stay in hyperspace forever. Only one place came to mind as a safe haven, and even then she felt it might not be permanent. It was where she had felt the presence of another survivor, and more importantly a place that would hopefully keep her sister's condition from worsening. Alpheridies.
Even cut off from the rest of the galaxy by The Veil and a few days after the events of The Jedi Purge, the normally calm and serene atmosphere of home felt distinctly off the moment they set down just outside the city. Within several Republic vessels lingered with a menace that wasn't entirely displayed but felt all the same by all their people. Solace had little time to deal with them though, and sought out their master, finding him in a refuge with a few others who had come for his guidance. Explaining the direness of her sister's condition, the two made their way back to the ship where Zentraedies found her still passed out. While many of the survivors had been significantly impacted, empaths most of all as he explained, most had managed to escape without significant damage. A few among them had not fared as well, and that was why he had remained on the Miralukan homeworld, tending to what he called "injuries of the soul". Requiem being a more tender sort and an empath at that, had suffered more than others. When so many died so suddenly, and others in pain as they fought desperately for survival, she had shared in their suffering. All of it all at once had been more than she could ever bear, even with all the training the order could have offered. It took him a full day and night with medical assistants tending to her body as he helped stabilize her mind, but she finally awoke and seemed oblivious to what had happened.
It had been as if the two of them had never left the Jedi Temple that day, as if they had not been turned upon by those they trusted, and as if dozens of friends and nearly everyone they had known weren't yanked from them in a single moment. She had seemed as if all the years of training that they had gone through that brought about a clarity of purpose, had never even happened. Even the smile of her youth returned, and that was when Solace knew that while she had her sister back, she was not the same. The damage to her mind had been severe, leaving scars that could not be healed and yet were not physical all the same. It had set her back by years, and as Zentraedies had explained, she wouldn't mature in the same way she had with the order, if at all. Memories the two had shared now lingered with just Solace, doing what she could to hold onto what she felt her sister would need or want the most, and understanding it would take a long time to restore what little she could. At least for the moment it would not be alone, as knowing the two would need some help their master promised to go with them and guide them along for a time.
For a couple years it was just the three of them, focusing on learning how to adapt to the changing galaxy and watching on as the Republic died and the Empire rose from the ashes. There would be plenty of the latter they would find, as holovids began to circulate of the destruction of the Jedi Order and more and more the propaganda machine eased into motion. Each year brought new lies to life, first that the Jedi had made an attempt on the Chancellor's life, then that they had plotted a takeover of the Republic, and more dire accusations that left Solace with a foul taste in her mouth until finally she decided not to even bother with it all. A coldness set in, seeing that for all the Jedi had preached of peace and defending the galaxy, they couldn't even defend themselves. She felt bitter, and the only thing that kept her mind from settling too deep within that cynicism was her sister and doing what she could for her. That was perhaps the only thing keeping her from falling completely to the dark side like so many of her kind, and even still the temptation was there and always calling. The Empire made no secret of their employ of the Miraluka, killing those who refused their offers all the while parading about the turncoats as agents of a new order.
Eventually she had to get away from it all, and they set a course for the deep Outer Rim, where for the first time a real life seemed possible. Out there among the lawless expanse of space, little had changed from before. True piracy, smuggling and outright dissent seemed rampant no matter where their ship settled down, but the only difference was that while the Republic had turned a blind eye to it all, the Empire seemed desperate in their attempts at "taming the Outer Rim". Zentraedies counseled caution, but he had felt the shift in her aura by now and knew that more and more he was seen as a remnant of the old. As her sister remained safe in the ship with their master, she explored and began to take in all that was before her. Each planet offered a new lesson, all she had to do was be willing enough to learn and do whatever it took to earn what she felt was due. Some like Nar Shadaa were bustling hives that taught her the value of putting on a face, and it was there at sixteen that she underwent her first surgery to implant cybernetic eyes, understanding that she would need to hide her heritage if she was ever to truly blend in. Her sister would not see that at first, and only did so much later when it was a little more convenient and necessary.
As they grew older and Solace turned from just a girl fresh from training at the Jedi Temple into a woman already knowing the basics of a cruel galaxy, Zentraedies began to see that he was needed less and less. A man bumbling about with two much younger women looked odd, and he was never quite as good at faking blindness as some were which led to their disguise looking much weaker than it already was. So with a heavy heart, goodbyes were said and he left the twins with one last lesson. While her sister rested, Solace listened to his last advice on trusting those around her. For though it was prudent never to truly trust anyone in the Outer Rim, he cautioned to always keep a few loyal connections just in case. Then he was off, leaving her with a way of contacting him and wishing a long life to her and her sister.
Now alone but for the company of each other, the sisters set about making a living the only way they knew how. Requiem didn't entirely like it, but there was a market for those who knew how to fight and had a willingness to employ such skills. The first few bounties were scarce and rather small on credits offered, but Solace took them all the same. A bit of roughing up here, some intimidation there and food was on the table, fuel was in the tank. It wasn't by any means steady work, as more than once they went a few months without and had to make do, but it was something they could do on their own and without relying on anyone other than themselves. As time went on, Solace picked up more and more on the intricacies of life in the Outer Rim, at first finding that a frown didn't get her near as far as a steady and even expression, then that even a fake smile would make others more amenable to negotiation. It didn't always work, but everything was a lesson now, and she still had a sharp mind even if she couldn't put her lightsaber skills to use as much as she wanted.
Eventually as the galaxy had changed, so did she and became something else entirely. Though still a Jedi by all right and rank, she eschewed the robes and lightsaber that marked her out obviously and almost eagerly fell in with the scum and villainy of the Outer Rim. Killing started to come easy to her, stealing more so and lying was as if breathing. It became all the more obvious when in 11BBY everything had seemed to be going so well for them. They had functional, if run down, decently sized starship that could ferry enough freight to cover food expenses when bounties were dry, and more than that had each other. While the Empire was always wary of them, they weren't actively hunted like some of the more prominent former Jedi, and they even managed to make contact with a few here and there to keep lines of communication open and make emergency plans. It had seemed as if everything was as it should be, just two sisters living life on their own and without much of a worry beyond what was on the horizon. That was until they made the choice to take on a contract which had all the warning signs that should have been listened to, but were ignored anyways.
Setting down at a small station in the middle of the deep Outer Rim amid one of the seasonal storms of a backwater world, the twins had been given an extraction mission that read like all the others. Someone was where they weren't welcome or safe, and a client needed them out of that area and somewhere more secure before more attention fell upon them. It was something that had been done before, Solace preferred them for how easy they normally ran. Only here and there had she ever run into trouble, and once she waved a blaster in the face of some poor thug just barely younger than her, that trouble was usually resolved. Here though, on this mission, things were just a little different. Some broker or fence was never too important she thought, and their names no matter how much they seemed to go for out on the Rim never seemed to matter. This man though… She knew his name immediately. It had been on one of the rare missions Zentraedies took her and her sister along on back when they were with the Order, a diplomatic visit out in the middle of nowhere to see how a senator was faring in troubling times.
Senators were always important, and though she was assured his captors were just thugs, she had the feeling that it was more than that. Perhaps the Imperial Fleet hanging overhead in orbit were a sign or five, or maybe the walkers stationed outside the borders of the settlement accompanied by stormtroopers. She could pass as human for sure to avoid attention, and their ship had years back been re-registered as legal salvage from a battlefield, but as the Empire seemed all around them, it became clear that this was quite different from their normal missions. The broker had promised more information once she reached the planet, but all they received was the assumed location of the senator and some Imperial diplomatic codes in case things went south. A direction that she was feeling more and more likely, even an insistence in the back of her mind that said to take off and leave right then and there. Solace ignored it all the same, understanding that there was a need for credits, and up until this point they had never had too many issues with the Empire.
With only a few words of caution to her sister to keep to the ship and the station, she set out to find her target. It wouldn't take too long, as he was held in the villa of a local aristocrat displaced by the Empire. What would take a bit and some doing was all the stormtroopers, and all the while there was that sense that things were off on this world. In the meantime, her sister took to exploring as her Miralukan desires to do so compelled her. By now she had been convinced by Solace to be fitted with cybernetic eyes, and though wearing them still felt weird she had practiced enough to not look too out of place. It was both to her fortune and misfortune that it was so, as she didn't appear to the average person as Miraluka and without force senses there truly was no way to tell otherwise. Taking to the local cantina, at first she was enamored with the stories of the various travelers, accepting a few drinks from some overly friendly sorts and listening to tales of their journey across the stars. Even the first couple officers of the Imperial Navy were alright enough, talking her ear off on the glory of their service and how they were doing their duty to keep the peace. Things turned sour when her natural empath abilities caught on to some vibes from the Imperials that she wasn't entirely comfortable with, and one who called himself a Moff was being a little too forward. A comment here and a brush against her there, and she found herself looking for the exit in a hurry and moving.
By this point, Solace had found the senator, incapacitated a dozen stormtroopers and was nearly back to the spaceport when she felt the unease from her sister. It had nearly knocked her off her feet, having been focused at first on the mission and when she realized that she was in danger, all she had to do was tell the senator to run and he understood. Both of them raced across the muddy road as the storm picked up, sheeting rain blurring his vision while hers was true. Requiem was steadily heading back to the ship, her anxiety radiating off her in waves as the officers and their moff followed, calling for her to come back with at first mere jeers and catcalls until things turned hostile. A threat was made, blaster pulled and both sisters were very nearly within sight of each other. As Solace turned the corner, lightning issued forth from outstretched fingers, arcing across the soaked distance to slam into the man. Smoke issued from the five wounds in his torso, silence except for the storm and natural thunder sounding in the distance. It didn't last long as the officers sounded the alarm and a panic set over the station.
Through blasterfire and with alarms ringing overhead, the sisters and the senator took cover and worked out their next move. Of course the first thing the Imperials had done was lock down the starport, effectively cutting them off from their ship. Already she knew there were stormtroopers boarding to search their belongings, and that meant the very real danger of being outed as Jedi. The trio decided then to make that their first move, silently avoiding encircling patrols and making their way to the CR70 to grab what they could. Lightsabers, armor, credits and the few personal belongings they could carry were packed into bags and carried off right before the first stormtroopers arrived, pouring into the ship and searching for whatever they could find. Their ship was effectively no longer theirs, and even if they could have made it out of the station, the star destroyers overhead would have shot them out of the sky if they were lucky. Solace knew they needed another way out, as for sure they couldn't just sit there and wait. It was then that the senator actually had a solution for them, and as much as it was one that was almost as bad, it was bold enough that it could work.
Opposite the commercial hangar was the Imperial garrison, and so focused were they on finding the trio that they hadn't put their own base on lockdown. The bays were just sitting there, open and with only a few guards standing around looking every bit as if they wished they were out there instead. Solace took the bags from the senator and carried them herself as she did what she could to make both him and her sister look just a little more presentable in the harsh weather. With all the boldness that the Outer Rim had instilled in her, she approached in the open to the hangar, pointing at the parked CR90 with engines idling and the senator putting on his best impression of a pompous ass. It took little more than a mild jab with the force to make them believe she was escorting the local governor to his quarters aboard the ship so he could meet with the moff in orbit. Nevermind that the moff was dead and planetside, she knew that basic troopers like that would be given only enough information to do their duty and little more. It had worked and even to the point of the troopers calling in dockworkers to carry their things to the diplomatic suite. With only a little more manipulation of the mind and calming her frantic sister now that they were somewhat safe, they had a new ship and were taking off from a wretched backwater that very nearly proved the end of them.
For the next few months they laid low, keeping to the far outer regions of the Outer Rim and only stopping at planets where the Empire kept a minimal presence if one at all. Word had spread of what happened on the outpost, and by now Solace's face was plastered across Imperial bounty boards for the murder of the moff. That she had also stolen a ship was mentioned, but at that point it was a drop in the ocean. The senator they had saved proved useful though, and for more than just the initial payout for saving his life. Showing his gratitude, he had introduced the sisters to his backers who were surprisingly other senators and various influential people within the Empire itself. As they explained, their group opposed the blatant dictatorship that had taken over their republic and wished to restore it to what it once was. They were few and among wolves, but held adamant beliefs that they could make a difference one way or another. With some assistance, the transponder codes for the CR90 were altered and the ship was given a new name. More than that though, Solace was given a lot to think on with this new information. A credible resistance was forming and had been since the announcement of the new order. These were honest people looking to do some good and make a difference, and from what she saw in desperate need for people with her skills.
The temptation to join up with the resistance was put to rest for a while, choosing instead to keep to freelancing once the heat died down. What she did take to hear though was that going solo was no longer as much of an option. Trying to take on every job alone had worked well enough, but she realized that in truth she had been lucky even with her Jedi training and unique skill set. More than that, she knew that if she was out on a mission, she couldn't do that and keep watch on her sister all at the same time. Solace thought long and hard on what sat before her. They had a ship now that was by far larger than they needed for just the two of them, and her reputation was already decent enough that she could rely on the contacts she had to do right by her. All she needed to do was say the right words, make the right offers and there would be no shortage of equally skilled individuals ready to join up. First there was the small matter of that bounty, and the fact that going about as a Jedi with a Jedi sister would raise far too many questions and draw all the wrong kinds of attention.
So it was that The Mariner was born. Coalescing from several covers she had used over the last few years, she created a new one that would serve as first point of contact and the only one for many. Solace was a name that, while known by more than a few good bounty hunters and smugglers, was also sought after by the Empire and assumed a force-user. That meant that wherever mentioned, inquisitors and Imperial Intelligence were not far behind. No, she needed to be seen as anything but a force-user and so she allowed a few months for reputation to build up a formidable woman known as both ruthless and cunning, out to gather a crew. She whispered her words into the ears of a few trusted contacts, gave them her intentions and let the rumor mill do the rest. Before long she was sat behind a desk at a station in dark space and interviewing her first, and perhaps the most interesting of the lot even afterwards.
Many varied applicants had come forward as had been expected, some a bit more violent and without moral than she had liked, but almost all in a desperate need. A couple mechanics were acquired on contract, some muscle to do some odd jobs with possibility of permanent hire and a particularly dashing smuggler who knew how to pilot capital ships. What had perhaps been the most interesting though, was the last possible thing she thought was necessary. For a good few months she had waited out on Anchorage building up her reputation, and like all others on the station she had been drawn to First Port to have a drink and food. It was of course, the very first bar on one's way out of the starport, so it was either that or walk a good ways to the others. Now, one might be excused in thinking that the food from a bar out in the distant outer rim on a rogue planet would be just barely passable, but rumor had been circulating that a new cook had come by and the quality had jumped significantly. Tasting it for herself, she had to agree as surprisingly the cantina actually managed something edible for once.
Not many had been keen on the details of why or how it was that First Port found a way to make something edible without copious amounts of alcohol or spice, merely appreciating it as a temporary calm in the storm so to speak. Solace was one of those people, just accepting it as it were until word came down to her as the Mariner that a local chef was looking to join the crew. The ship did have a functional canteen, a full complement to cater to the needs of dignitaries as it might have once done, but until then she never thought to actually use it. With an open mind she had called in the applicant, only to be completely baffled by what stood before her. Now, until that moment she had thought she had an idea on what Trandoshans were and what they did in the galaxy. Most people saw them as mercenaries out to hunt and kill for the glory of their god, the Scorekeeper. Lean and vicious reptilians, they had a reputation for being effective at what they did and only that.
Urj Grel on the other hand, was not most Trandoshans. She knew that as soon as the door opened and he had to turn sideways just to fit through the door. A door that had been spacious enough for a wookie to step through just an hour before. Of course, she had to remain ever professional despite the incredibly round Trandoshan before her, and she conducted the interview with the same compunction as all others. It had turned out, that Urj had once been a rather prominent chef on Coruscant, among the top echelon serving the wealthy aristocrats small plates that cost a lot of credits. For years he had catered only to those with the finest tastes, and even still there were holoads running for the restaurant he owned in the upper levels. Five gold stars. Five. By all rights, someone of his skill and background should have been anywhere except Anchorage searching for a way out, but things had gone terribly wrong.
It had been difficult to gather the exact details of what had happened, and "Five-Toes" as he had taken to being called, was hesitant to speak of it for reasons beyond her understanding at the time. All she could really find was a closed file provided to her by a rather sketchy Muun, on a massacre in a high-rise. Redactions and Imperial clearance markers littered the file everywhere, but she had found told her just enough. A moff had chosen a particularly noteworthy restaurant near the Senate district, taking along his personal guard of stormtroopers and generally making a nuisance of himself. After the first round of aperitifs, there had been a bit of a disagreement between the human moff and an unspecified chef, where a tense standoff resulted. Everything afterward was purposefully left vague by the Empire, not quite wanting to let out an embarrassing loss of one of their sector moffs and two dozen stormtroopers but Solace was undeterred. Once more sliding some credits to an unsavory information broker, she acquired a copy of the seized security feed and was quite shocked to see what played out before her.
Just as the file said, the moff and his guard had come to the restaurant in the evening looking to partake in what only the powerful could afford. They had run off all the other patrons, two of the stormtroopers brandishing blaster rifles and cajoling the alien staff as they took advantage of their rank with the Empire. Five-Toes, as the owner and head chef intervened before things became violent from the beginning, stepping between the moff and a server that had been slapped by the man, agreeing to serve them as long as they didn't cause any more trouble. From there things had seemed quite tense as he returned to the kitchen, by all Solace could see legitimately putting his heart into making a decent meal for the moff. When he came out with the plates, a brief exchange passed between him and the man once more. This time, things were very different. Where before Five-Toes seemed complacent and intent on keeping things calm, now his body-language spoke of irritation and closing in on the verge of violence. The Imperials didn't seem to see it quite the same, as when he crushed the skull of the moff on the counter instantly killing him, they all looked to be quite shocked. What followed was a display of barbarism that made her rethink her first impressions of the overweight Trandoshan, having never before seen so many beaten so badly with but a dinner plate as a weapon.
While still not entirely sure of the necessity of having a chef on board the Noreaster, she had seen that Five-Toes just like so many had suffered an indecency at the hands of the Empire and seen his life ruined by them. She accepted him onto her crew as one of the first, looking to set out at the end of the month on what would be the first contract of what became the Gray Mariners.
Several years passed, three in total, and many had come and gone since first the mercenary company formed. The Muun information broker had become a more permanent member of the crew, assisting in securing a good number of essential contracts that had allowed them to stay not only successful, but profitable. Solace had her doubts on the intentions of that one, but had also ensured that her contracts with him were long and binding, as she knew better than to simply trust a Muun on his word alone. Others had come along as well to replace some who had either died or gone their separate ways. It had been particularly rough on the more combat-oriented members of the crew, but a familiar face in the form of a fellow Miralukan helped in his own way to stymie the tide of wounded that would have otherwise required her sister's aid. The addition of a former clone trooper nearly ended that particular arrangement, but assurances were made and the two reconciled, or at least made appearances as such for their captain. Her rules had taken shape in those years, working slowly to guide what had started as a rough and tumble gathering of odds and ends into something looking towards professional. Arguments were frequent enough among so many opposed people, that to bar them completely would have been impossible, so with the assistance of some engineers the upper deck cargo hold had been turned into a sparring room. It helped some bit to allow the crew to vent their frustrations, and her to keep her skills sharp though reminders had to be given often to avoid killing each other.
Indeed, things had been going quite well for the Noreaster and her crew. Credits were flowing, jobs were steady and varied to keep them busy, and for the first time in a long while Solace felt as if she had finally secured something for herself and her sister. For her part, things had even stabilized on a personal level. In her travels before she had joked from time to time of a lover in every port, more ready to enjoy what life had to offer without the restrictions of the Jedi Code to dictate what she could and could not do in her personal time. Sure, most often she had an ulterior motive to such things. Working a smuggler for a cut in on some lucrative cargo, teasing information out of someone too interested in her to think straight, and rarely the seduce and assassinate deal. Rarely ever did anyone hold her attention for long enough to be considered anything but a fling, and of them it had been said to be "Just business", leaving behind a couple broken hearts and a lot of bad feelings.
Things took a turn when among the first of her crew introduced a smuggler introduced himself. Jervis Wayland as he had called himself, an entirely too charming man with a record sheet longer than he had any right to. There had been a way in which he simply sauntered into the meeting place, a smirk clear in his confidence that he was assured there was no better pilot than he, that made her more than a little curious. A curiosity that had driven her to delve deep into his background, more so than any other who had come before her in those initial months. She pulled every string she could wrap her fingers around, called in a few favors on some sketchy segments of the man's past and did more than just her due diligence. What she had found was a man who had served as a Republic pilot for a brief and useless career, replaced by clones and then when the Empire took over just a year later told that he simply wasn't eligible for the fighter corps.
It was the story of many who had lived through the change of power. Men and women of skill replaced by clones or droids in the galaxy-spanning war, and then after the dust had settled their former patriotism was rewarded with being called untrustworthy. A good many did exactly as Jervis had done, slunk off to the Outer Rim to turn smuggler, hauler or even the rare pirate from those disenfranchised enough. His reputation had been solid enough, a few marks here and there where he had ran afoul of the Imperials or simply lost the cargo, but it was all what she expected of a grizzled veteran just a few years older than herself and having served through one of the most tumultuous times in the galaxy.
She hired him on as a copilot, knowing that it was a necessity since her sister was less than capable, and he eagerly joined in on the crew among that first batch. Part of her then knew that most of the reason why he had accepted the offer was the implications of his role on the ship, practically at her side at all times while flying. It wasn't entirely intolerable, and as the days turned to weeks, months to years, she grew to like him. Solace had always had a bit of a weak spot when it came to rogues, finding herself drawn to the life out on the rim and those who reveled in it just like her. With him though, every moment she found herself more and more captivated by the man. The crew knew of course, as it was entirely obvious the way the two of them grew closer and closer together with each passing mission, the tone on the ship shifting to something more than just a band of misfits pulled together for a job or two. Ironically, as she looks back on those moments, it was him that really made the Gray Mariners what they are today. It was his jovial way, always quick with a game of cards to lighten the mood, suggestions here and there on how to keep morale up and of course distracting her from the grim reality of what always awaited beyond their ship.
The mood aboard the Noreaster soared for those three initial years, due in part to their personal broker's connections and capability in keeping them employed, and to the growing relationship of their captain with their copilot. Everything was going well for them, for her. It had been months since she consulted her holocron, even thought of taking out her lightsaber for practice and far more importantly, she had felt a shift in her being. Sena had felt it, gently poking at her from time to time on how she had mellowed and seemed as if she was settling down. She knew it too, had felt the subtle draw that kept her more and more on the ship quarter-backing missions instead of leading them. Though neither her or Jervis had ever said it, both knew their feelings for each other. For her part, he was the first in a long while to have inspired such things, and while much of her didn't know exactly how to keep going with that, she knew she had to keep him close while she could.
Yet as the galaxy has proven time and time again, all good things must eventually come to an end. See, Solace never quite developed the skills that others such as her sister and their friend the doctor had cultivated over the long years. She was about as good at reading the auras from people as a non force-user, sometimes feeling out the distinct markers necessary to alert her before a blaster pistol was drawn, or to nudge someone in the right direction, but never the subtle nuances. Things that she herself knew how to hide when it came to others reading her, but not quite how to see it on others. Airus seemed to always feel something off here and there, but Sena knew. Even as she saw her sister growing closer to the copilot, she had sensed something off about him that she couldn't quite place her finger on. It had never been anything too much, more like an oily film settling on the surface of murky water. Neither her or the doctor could see through it with just the few cursory glances and the one time it was insisted to delve deeper Solace had intervened and gave both a firm lecture.
It was ironic how blind she was, someone born without eyes but able to see the entire cosmos shifting around her, and later giving herself cybernetics for a more mundane vision. All she could see when it came to Jervis was the story that she was told, of a man who had more luck and charm than sense most days, but who had won over her heart. There had been sensations here and there though, little tremors in the force when she was with him for long enough, that something wasn't entirely right, but never enough to change her mind. Only once did she feel a pull strong enough that doubt was seeded in her mind. Balmorra, 6BBY.
Rarely ever did the crew go deeper into Imperial space, the mere consideration of increased fleet presence usually being more than enough to dissuade whatever reasoning they might have had. Solace herself had as many reasons as the others to not poke around where they weren't wanted. So it was that when their copilot suggested a trip to Balmorra most of the crew balked. Some outright refused, Clu in particular seeming as if he would rather die than head into what he called a "Rancor's den". Certainly, there was a difference between being disliked by someone and proactively kicking over a hornet's nest. Only in this case, instead of stinging insects they were likely to be swarmed with TIEs. The entire crew seemed to be in agreement, that snooping around an Imperial world was a bad idea, especially a fairly important weapons supplier like Balmorra. Jerivs like all others was allowed his piece, something that their captain had insisted on from the beginning that everyone gets the chance to defend themselves. He explained of a few contacts on the surface, of not just the opportunity to score modern weapons to outfit the company, but also ancient battlefields that had been protected sites by the Republic, but now were left unguarded by the Empire.
For what it was worth, he sold a good job to them and with just a bit of background work on his leads, everything checked out. Despite the dangers implied, the payoff looked good if they could pull it off. Despite that sinking feeling in her gut, that something was wrong, Solace went along with him because all she could see was what was right before her. They went about the mission the smart way, taking roundabout paths to Balmorra to avoid wandering patrols, Sena guiding them through her precognition to prevent any accidental run-ins, and after a couple weeks of taking it careful, they arrived. Balmorra, a planet that had been ever shifting even before the Empire, now doing all it could just to stay relevant. It hit bitterly close to home to most of the crew, a sullen mood settling as they set down outside the major spaceport under cover of a seasonal monsoon and nightfall. Everyone had their own jobs to do, Sharp leading a tactical team to hit some transports, Airus heading into town with Sena to see about a limited resupply, Clu doing what he did best, until it was just Solace and Jervis left alone on the ship.
There was still one last thing to do, something left for just the two of them to handle. Not too far from where they had set down were a few wrecks of old Republic starships that had been shot down during the Hyperspace wars thousands of years ago, protected until that time by the Balmorran Archaeological Commission. Sure, people still got in from time to time to scavenge, and occasionally particular items made their way onto the black markets, but there was the promise of some decent loot to be had with minimal risk. Jervis had a particularly large wreck located already, sighted in from orbit as they came down, and was prepping the speeder bike as she prepared a few supplies. Of course they had talked of a few other planned activities while away from the ship, but just as she was to leave their shared quarters something stopped her. A feeling, an insistence that things were not as they seemed. It was strong enough that even stepping towards the door made her feel uncomfortable, a sense of impending danger that she just couldn't shake off. Only when she made sure to bring along one of her shoto lightsabers did the feeling diminish, though still lingering as the pair made off into the storm to the wastes of Balmorra.
"For what it's worth, at least we're out of the rain."
A drawn out splashing sound announced her straining out her hair, the long locks of red duller in the dim lights of the downed spaceship the two of them now sheltered in. It was a useless endeavor, but her own vanity had shown through as dark-colored lips pulled tight in a smile. She had doubted him in her own way, that such a thing still lingered mostly intact as he insisted, that a Valor-class cruiser wouldn't have been gutted by now by not just scavengers but also the various corporations planetside looking for cheap metal. Yet there they stood, him and that stupid grin he liked to wear when he had shown her up.
"I told you my intel was good. Just look at this thing. I'll bet there's entire decks that haven't been opened in centuries."
"Yeah? And just what do you expect for us to find? Maybe a couple dusty holocrons, some old armor long since past use? Oh! How about some rusted to shit blasters?"
"You laugh, but I promised you a mostly intact old republic cruiser, and look where we're at. Trust me, there will be something in here that will have us set for life."
Something unsettling lingered over her, a strange feeling in the air as Jervis implored her to trust him. It… It didn't feel quite right, and it was more than the feeling of impending danger that yelled out at her to be aware. It was that she was even having that feeling to begin with. They had spent the last three years together, a good part of them intimately and she had never had reason before not to trust him, yet… The weight settling in her jacket sleeve spoke loud enough to that end. Shit, she hadn't even used that lightsaber in maybe a decade, only taking it out to clean it and ensure it was fit for service on that off-chance. Maybe these feelings had been there even then, a gentle insistence in the back of her head telling her to be ready. To expect the worst of a man she had given her best to. No… She waved off a look of concern he gave her and started walking. Lingering trauma from past wars, that's all it was. Before the order fell, the masters had taught of such things. Echoes of pain from years before, sometimes farther back than any thought possible. They called it the dark side, but she knew it for what it was. It was just the force wounded from so much death and destruction.
Her thoughts tried to push it all from her mind, taking any distraction she could to keep her from thinking of the growing unease. Even her sister could feel it, a gentle reassurance from her to let her know she was there. It was a special bit of irony that, and she reached back across their bond to let her know she appreciated it. Jervis talked as he liked to do, showing off his knowledge of little things that didn't matter to anyone but the experts in some field or another and him of course.
"... So, what they did was they started integrating the Jedi more fully into Republic command structure."
"Huh."
"When they did that, the Sith Empire lost dozens of spies before they were able to adapt, and of course they followed suit with their own force-users. It's said on their capital that the reprisals were bloody and thorough, executing not just the spies but anyone that had given them intel."
"Shit, that's a bit excessive, but I suppose par for the course, yeah?"
"It's how their shadow-games worked back then, when the Republic actually did that kind of thing. Every move had a counter-move, and a counter for whatever they expected to counter that ad infinitum. Some historians think that what eventually ended their spy-games was that they started to work against themselves. It's like the Empire now."
That caught her attention, something drawing her to that line of conversation as they walked the corridors and found a stairwell towards the command deck. It felt… Odd, almost out of place and she couldn't quite see why. If only her sister was there, she would know. When convinced of it, or inspired enough she could peel someone's mind like a wet onion, just shear the layers clean off. Few things truly terrified her, one of them being how her sister could do that with the force not just to minds but also starship plating, but also this right now. It was a clenching feeling in the pit of her stomach, a tossing and turning as she felt a shadow clouding over her thoughts and that primal fight or flight instinct starting to kick in.
"There was a point where they weren't even sure who's spies were whose. The Sith, now they thought in simple and easy ways. Anyone suspect ended up summarily executed, stripped of rank and buried so far in their bureaucracy that to this day historians aren't sure of their allegiances either. Republic though, they couldn't do that. Not just because of the Jedi sticking their noses in and trying to give the good talk about mercy and all that, but because it just wasn't their way. So they imprisoned them all and sorted through them as and when they could. A lot of their own patriots ended up cleared of charges, while some actual spies went free."
"And who do you think did it right, Jervis?"
His attention was focused at the moment on splicing a door-panel, the bulkhead leading to the bridge. A couple sparks announced him fucking up a perfect hack, their breath held as red lights flashed overhead and then whatever alarm was supposed to sound died.
"Shit, good thing this cruiser isn't occupied."
"Would have been incredibly embarrassing, to have died to a millenia-old security system."
"That it would, but I think…. Ah! There we are."
A crack sounded as the door prised itself just a couple inches open at first, then the slow wheeze of old machinery doing its best to fulfill its function. The way each side just hung limply in the frame announced that the door was done, now way to seal it back up again even if they wanted to. All around them was the ruins of the downed cruiser's bridge, bodies propped up at their stations where they had died so long ago, most just empty shells of armor or tattered uniforms clinging to husks of dried skin and bones. The viewport was buried in the Balmorran soil, rock piling up at the front of the bridge where it had spilled into the ship. Most of them had probably never even known anything past that moment, when flames spilled into the deck and they came to a mortal stop.
"Anyways."
His voice drew her from those darker thoughts, brushing aside an errant lock of red as she set her pack down at a stairwell and sat before him. He had always struck her as someone fit for greater things, not some freighter jock out in the backwaters doing nothing with his life. Perhaps that had been what drew her to him, why she had brought him on. Nevermind that he was actually better looking than most of the men she had been with, or his way of being able to gently steer the conversation. For all of those thoughts she had winding around her head, they were forced. She was doing anything she could to avoid the gaping chasm at her feet, the terror that threatened to drag her down and swallow her up. Her sister felt it, that fear that she had only felt once before. It was something unique, that she hid with a smile and a forced step towards him.
"I really hope you didn't bring me out all this way just to have a shag on the dusty floor of some ancient cruiser. Because I didn't bring anything for that, and I'm getting the feeling we're not just looting this thing. Otherwise we would be somewhere actually important."
"No Verra, but you're right it's not about the loot either. Well, we can pick some up on the way out."
Something stuck in her chest, a soft and hollow pang as she looked at him not just through her cybernetics but could feel the guilt radiating off him. He had a secret, a serious one for him to use her actual name like that. The only times he had done so was when he needed something important to him, and a few of their more passionate moments. It hurt deep, just the sheer wonder at what could possibly have him feeling this strongly, and how she could even see it on him like this. Lies had never come between them, early on when they decided to be together they both agreed on it. What could it have been? What was there that made him feel like this, and left her eyes starting to water?
"Wh-what did you do? Jervis?"
Emotion painted her voice, a desperation to know intensifying as she stepped forward, now just a couple feet from him. All he did was look to the side, letting out a sigh and starting to explain what she could only feel was something hollow.
"Look, whatever it is we can move past it, alright? You know I've never been a jealous woman, shit you know how I used to be. But that doesn't matter to me, you… You matter to me. We can work it out, if it's another woman I don't mind."
Reason had left her, starting at first to beg, then rationalize with him on something she knew nothing about. Everything that came to mind just spilled out, her fears spurring her on to step closer with tears rolling down her cheeks as she tried desperately to understand. That hollow within her just ate away at everything, her words panicked as he gently hushed her and tried to put his hands up to calm her. Nothing worked, not even her sister's own panic as her and Airus had stepped off the street to try and figure out what was wrong. All they knew is that she was afraid, hurting and nothing made any sense to her. She, the captain of a growing mercenary company whose reputation had spread to dozens of systems. She, the woman who had survived the Jedi Purge through wits and sheer determination, fighting with every fibre of her being to keep her beloved sister safe. She, the one who had built up the idea of the Mariner as a woman who was utterly unshakeable. All of it was crumbling, and without even a reason why until finally she stopped, wiping at her face to try and collect up a measure of her lost dignity and let her lover speak.
"It's complicated Verra, and I know it's going to hurt, which is why I wanted us alone like this. There isn't a woman on the side, as you've always been the one for me, nor is there a hutt tracking me down looking to kill me this time. I promise you, my feelings for you have been genuine the entire time we've been together but-"
"Tell me!"
"I'm Imperial Intelligence."
It felt every bit like she had just been shot. Her heart skipped a beat, chest tightening and in that moment of incomprehension she had forgotten how to breathe. Everything had been built on a lie. Her entire view on life lay shattered at her feet as she struggled to process that one thing. First it was incredulity, that surely she was just having a nightmare and would awaken at any moment. There was no possible way it could be true, that he was one of those people who had been keeping her and her sister on the run for so many years. They had laughed together, loved together… He had adored Sena as if she was his own sister, always so patient and understanding even when other weren't. It was what kept them close, that he seemed so… Perfect. As the impossibility of it all passed, she turned to how it couldn't have been so obvious to her. His records were ideal, not too ideal as to stand out, but just the right amount of dirt and the right amount of need to prove himself. How long… He had been one of the first people on her crew, a bond between them before love. Words came to her from his lips right in front of her, but sounded as if underwater, her body trembling as she came to grips with the sheer scale of betrayal.
"I wanted to tell you earlier, when we… Got close. Verra, you got to understand it was never supposed to be like this. All I was supposed to do was get close enough to you to report your movements. Everything else… I fucked up, I know that, but I... "
"So that's it…"
"No! Look!"
The clattering of his blaster-pistol broke the tense air of the room, swiftly passing to leave only her racking sobs as she stared him down with a mixture of emotions no one ever deserved to feel.
"Everything changed that one year we got together, I knew then I couldn't just keep going on as I was. There was something about you as a person that drew me to you, and not just how fierce of a woman you were. We shared more than just that bed Verra, and you know it deep down. You know how I feel about you, that was never a lie."
He was being honest with her, and it wasn't just that still ever present desire to prove him as a decent person. A clarity to his aura was there like never before, she could read his surface thoughts, his desires and the overwhelming need to prove to her that he was sincere. Everything was focused on her, she could see herself in front of him and how it was breaking him, how it had broken her. Her heart ached with this revelation, but more than that how she still felt the same for him regardless.
"Look, I made a deal with my superior officers."
"What kind of deal?"
"I have a guarantee that neither you or your sister will come to harm if you both come back with me to the Balmorra office. All past crimes forgiven, they'll even make you a cipher agent. We'll have our own ship together and can keep doing this if that's what you want, or you can take a desk job. They know how good you are out here, and that's why they're willing to look the other way on that moff as long as you and Sena join up."
"And my sister? What will happen to her?"
He hesitated, and that was enough that she could feel it once more, that sense of danger creeping up along the back of her neck. Whatever he had to say, it was a lie whether he knew it or not. Sena wouldn't be safe if she went with him, and the doubt in his mind said that he couldn't be sure of that either.
"The… Inquisitorius wants her. They want her to work with them on some project or another, that's all I know but they said she would be well taken care of and treated as someone important to their organization. Look, please just take my hand and let's take this deal. I want both of you to be taken care of, you're the two most important people in my life that I've ever known. You can trust me, I've done everything in my power to ensure this deal is right by both of you."
Solace hesitated then, her emotions a torrent of every feeling all at once. She wanted to scream and shout at him, to call him a traitor, a bastard, and every other foul name she could think of. Others had done far less to her and gotten just that for it, but him… Her trust was shattered. The last three years of her life had been among the best she had since leaving her homeworld, Sena had even told her as much one night as they talked it out as sisters always did. More than that though, was everything she had been looking forward to. Yes, she had been looking forward to so much more past just a mercenary captain and her copilot lover. Thoughts had turned to letting it all go, allowing someone else to take over as she settled down on some rural world somewhere. A life with just the two people she cared about most, and perhaps a few others to come afterwards. For all of that hurt though, all the betrayal that cut down to her very soul, it wasn't what pained her the most.
What truly devastated her, was that in her hesitation, the thoughts of what he had said to her and the feelings of what would come of it, is that she wanted it. Her hand shook as she was tempted to accept his offer, settle into his arms and let him tell her it was all going to be okay. A temptation that she knew deep down would put her sister in the hands of monsters. That thought broke her, that she would even entertain the thought of it. Yet she did. It wasn't just some small part of her either, her feelings for him cut through everything else. She had already forgiven him, though her lips didn't move and she remained still. Solace had already fallen for him over again, seeing the imploring look on his face begging her to just take his hand. Her hand raised up from her side, the familiar weight in it reminding her of everything before that very moment. Flashes of what could have been, what they had shared together went through her mind as just a gentle insistence pulled the lightsaber forward into her hand.
Before either of them knew what happened, before either could react, it was done. The emitter was pressed flush against the center of his chest, a soft hum as a deep blue light bathed the bridge. His voice was pained, a mixture of agony and surprise as he stared into her eyes, seeing her tears as she realized what she had done, and she finally admitted the one thing that she had denied for so long.
"V-verra…"
"I love you."
After Balmorra things were tense for a time, no one quite knowing what had happened except Solace was the only one waiting for them on the ship. Any question of where Jervis was ended with stern warnings against asking, and the few who insisted found violence as their answer. For a good few, they felt as if the crew had lost their soul following their swift departure from the Imperial world back into the Outer Rim. Tempers on the ship were short, with even the better-natured among them finding reasons to snap at anything and everything. It seemed that their captain's mood had infected everyone, even though they rarely saw her outside her quarters or the bridge. Solace delved deep into herself, almost daily speaking to her holocron in the privacy of her room, a dark aura lingering even afterwards that no one could deny.
It wasn't just on the ship however, as for months afterwards the crew took on increasingly violent and less savory jobs. Some came to call it as "The Mariner's Wrath", that short period where the crew of the Noreaster gained a reputation closer to reaver crews than proper mercenaries, and only at the insistence of their broker did it finally end. Fewer and fewer decent paying jobs were coming their way as they had fell upon each of their targets with a fury, something Clu found more than a little troubling, but what truly pounded their desperation home was that it was also getting harder to keep their crew. Half of the original crew remained, they had gone through several pilots through various incident, and the other half were growing increasingly concerned over the state of mind of their captain.
She knew they were right, even if they had no idea the reasons why she had lashed out, and with those few voices remaining insisting that she put an end to her crusade, she finally came out of isolation. It was hard to admit what happened to her sister, even more so that she had kept it from her for so long, but afterwards they simply resolved to look towards the future and build a better one.
So it was that six years after founding the Grey Mariners, though many had come and gone through those years, the Noreaster had become a home to more than just the twins. A loyal crew who had fought and bled together across the entire Outer Rim were there at their side, a family built by experience and taking on the name of their captain as a sort of rallying call. No matter what happened from then, they would sail out into the black resolute and undeterred. So long as the credits were right.
Like nearly all members of his species, Kabal's physical appearance underneath his fully-concealing mask and body armor is little-understood. Though sharing a bipedal physique, Kabal is notably shorter and slighter of build than the average human or near-human, standing 5'5" with a slender and graceful, if frail build. As no current database record describes the Ubese's physical characteristics outside their distinctive masks, battle armor, and enviro-suits, those who've interacted with them face-to-face would not recognize them as a distinct species. As such, Kabal is almost-always seen clad in heavy layered clothing and armor, formed around traditional Ubese garb, adorned with dozens of onboard computers, gadgets, and other miscellaneous technology. He wears several bandoliers packed tight with ammo, thermal detonators, grenades, and other explosives for ease-of-access. A walking armory, Kabal always appears equipped with at least half-a-dozen weapons designed for both close-and-long-ranged encounters, ranging from shock gloves and vibroknives to heavy blasters and wrist-mounted flamethrowers. His most distinguishing feature, however, is his optically-enhanced helmet designed to breathe Type I atmospheres, which he is almost never seen without. The unsettling, dual-visor helmet and rebreather only further emphasizes Kabal's strange, enigmatic nature and mysterious background, as well as his paranoid desire to maintain it.
Assortment of thermal detonators, thermal imploders, ion grenades, stun/flash grenades, and detonation packs
ZX miniature flame projector
MM9 wrist rocket system equipped with Type-12A anti-personnel rockets and type 12B capsules filled with a FGA-583 nerve agent
Shock-gloves
Vibroknife
Layered Ubese survival clothing and armor
Ubese double-visor helmet and rebreather. Equipped with audio pickup, broadband antenna, built-in comlink, speech scrambler, optically-enhanced vision scanner, and flash guard visor to nullify the effect of flash-bang grenades.
Expert Marksman: As the crew's weapons specialist, Kabal demonstrates great skill with a variety of firearms, showing a preference for high-powered blasters and heavy repeaters. Befitting his species' fascination with all sorts of technology, Kabal is similarly skilled in maintaining and modifying weaponry, turning even the most humble DL-18 into a powerful sidearm.
Grenadier: Equally as fond of explosives as he is of blasters, Kabal is an expert demolitionist, skilled in crafting various kinds of grenades, both lethal and nonlethal, and throwing them with deadly precision. Favoring an arsenal as versatile as he is, Kabal keeps several types of grenades on his person at all times, from the modest stun grenade to the devastating thermal imploder.
Technician: What little the galaxy at large knows of the Ubese, their obsession and skill with advanced technology is ubiquitously acknowledged, and Kabal is no exception. An expert in making, fixing, and understanding all-sorts of tech, ranging from household equipment and terminals to advanced weapon components and droid hardware, Kabal's intuitive grasp of technology makes him an invaluable asset.
Physical Resilience: Despite his unassuming size and stature, Kabal is infamous for his strength, ferocity, and toughness. Utterly fearless in the face of danger, Kabal has been seen engaging and defeating opponents much larger and stronger than he is in hand-to-hand, utilizing a blend of cunning, brute force, sheer stubbornness, and his vast arsenal of gadgetry. As fast and agile as his frame would suggest, Kabal's layered clothing makes it difficult to get a firm grasp on him, and his surprising toughness relative to his size makes him a dangerous opponent even up-close. Possessing great endurance, Kabal rarely complains even in the harshest conditions: braving extreme weather, starvation and dehydration, and even severe injury; only admitting defeat when his body gives out on him.
| {Limitations} |
Amorality: Put simply, Kabal is as unprincipled as they come. Self-serving, ruthless, and chaotic, Kabal has little in the way of morals or scruples, willing to do just about anything if offered the right amount of credits. Though loyal to a degree and generally honest, Kabal makes it clear that he puts his own interests first. The galaxy is a cruel one: and the space-wizards who preached selflessness and peace are dead, their ideas with them.
Xenophobia: A blatant and unrepentant xenophobe with a clear distaste for other alien species, Kabal, despite knowing better, is somewhat difficult to work with. In general conversation, he is rude, blunt, and derisive, mocking or insulting anyone who's earned his ire. Suffering from something of a superiority complex, Kabal, like many Ubese, sees his species as above any other in the galaxy; leaving him to view other races as crude savages or dumb animals. This, understandably, makes him a less-than-pleasant companion. Despite most of the crew being able to ignore this trait in favor of Kabal's more prominent talents, it still poses a general issue, particularly in public.
Lack of Subtlety: Fond of things that go boom, Kabal's entire skill-set revolves around carnage and how to spread it. As a result, Kabal lacks entirely what one may call a "soft touch." Possessing little in the way of nuance, subtlety, or finesse, Kabal prefers the hard-and-loud approach, which has seemed to work for him up to this point - just a shame for whoever has to clean up after.
Type I Atmospheres: Growing up on a planet with a Type-II atmosphere, Kabal's lungs are conditioned to breathe atmospheres with poor levels of oxygen. His helmet, equipped with a filter to accommodate this, is a necessity to properly breathe such air. As a consequence, if ever without his helmet, Kabal suffers from the Ubese equivalent of asthma that has the potential to cause permanent lung damage.
| {Personality} |
A strange creature from a stranger species, Kabal embodies the Ubese traits of xenophobia, aggressiveness, and technophilia. A bounty hunter of mysterious origin with an obsession of all things loud and explosive, Kabal's tenacity, ruthlessness, and obstinance has earned him something of a reputation in the Mid and Outer Rim. Though lacking the raw skill of famed hunters such as Boba Fett and Bossk, Kabal has nevertheless secured a small niche for himself as a tirelessly dedicated mercenary willing to forgo food and rest in pursuit of his target. Whether out of luck, persistence, or simply his impressive arsenal of weaponry, Kabal has survived countless encounters against increasingly-impossible odds, somehow making it on top almost every time. Yet, Kabal seems almost oblivious to his own luck, simply viewing each job as it is; unaware of any greater scheme or miraculous stroke of fortune.
Likely due to past experiences, Kabal is easily-enraged and extremely aggressive, which makes him exceedingly trigger-happy with an innate desire for violence. This bloodlust is what led him to bounty hunting in the first place, driven to test his wide assortment of weapons on unwilling alien targets. Quick to pick a fight, Kabal appears utterly unaware of any size or strength difference between himself and his opponents, talking down to hulking creatures such as Trandoshans or Besalisks without a second thought. While this rudeness often gets Kabal into trouble, his quick-thinking and cleverness inevitably gets him out of it no worse for wear.
Fixated with all manner of technology: Kabal is easily distracted by terminals, droid parts, tech components, and high-powered weapons. Most strangely manifesting in an obsession with cybernetics, Kabal seems to view prosthetics as a sort-of morbid trophy, always eager to add more to his collection - even if the owner is currently in use of it.
An unapologetic xenophobe with a disdain for most non-Ubese, Kabal perceives nearly all other species as unintelligent savages, treated condescendingly at best and contemptibly at worst. This xenophobia directly correlates with the physical attributes of the alien, as Kabal treats Humans or near-Humans with far more civility than the more bestial inhabitants of the galaxy, though still retaining an overall air of superiority.
Despite his overt aggressiveness and xenophobia, Kabal is no fool. He acknowledges, however begrudgingly, that his work requires him to be somewhat civil with other species; that the galaxy at large barely acknowledges the Ubese. Though consistently misanthropic and ill-mannered, Kabal will not purposefully seek out fights with others unless given proper cause - though his definition of "proper cause" may be rather skewed. A demonstrator of honorable traits such as honesty and loyalty, Kabal has a track record of never backstabbing an employer or going back on his word. Though secretive and untrusting to a fault, he sees little point in lying to others, though he does not share such reservations in hiding parts of the truth if necessary. Nevertheless, he is best described as amoral, caring little for any law, custom, or morals but his own.
| {Place of Origin} |
Though secretive by nature and one to disclose as few details about himself as possible, Kabal, like nearly all Ubese, hails from the Mid-Rim world of Ubertica. His childhood was unmemorable, born to be disregarded in a galaxy that had all-but-forgotten the Ubese existed. Whether his parents were good or bad, or his childhood pleasant, or the event that sparked his love of technology, all pointless memories that have little presence in the future. But they are kept closely-guarded by Kabal, himself, who seems to take comfort in clinging to them. Or at least, comfort in knowing that he's the only one aware of it.
| {Background} |
The circumstances regarding Kabal's emigration from Ubertica into the greater galaxy is as mysterious as the man, himself. The story seems to change anytime he's asked, with even Force-sensitives unable to detect a lie in each iteration. He's admitted to scavenging, piracy, terrorism, trafficking, bounty hunting, and assassination, all with vague details that led him to where he was now. Currently, he's been a member of the crew for a little over a year now, picked up in Mos Eisley following a series of likely-unrelated explosions and blaster bolts. Offering his services and skills in exchange for passage, Kabal's proven himself a useful, if eccentric team-member, though at times frustrating. Fond of big guns and even bigger explosives, Kabal's role on the crew revolves around one thing: killing bad guys as loud and messily as possible.
A rather scruffy looking bastard, Arx sports a short crop of brown hair and a faint mustache/beard. He has a receding hairline, making him appear a little older than he really is. Arx's body type is best described as "average." He stands at 5' 10" and weighs about 160 lbs. He can almost always be seen wearing a leather vest over an undershirt and work pants. He sometimes sports a brown leather duster when out in public. When engaging in a particularly dangerous mission, he changes into an armored and modified Imperial Pilot's Uniform. It incorporates a red trim into its design, with red X's over the Imperial logos. He tries to stray away from wearing the accompanying helmet unless absolutely necessary.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
PAC20 Visual Commlink
RSKF-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol
F-187 Fusioncutter
FastTurn-3 Hydrospanner
Macrobinoculars
Extra Energy Cells and Battery Packs
Marked Sabacc Deck
Spacer's Leather Vest (integrated into his casual outfit)
Personal Supply of Death Sticks, hidden in a secret compartment in his room.
Four cases of Jawa Juice, hidden in a secret compartment in his room.
| {Physical Abilities} |
Ace Pilot: While certainly not the absolute best in the galaxy, Arx ranks high in his craftiness in the pilot's seat. He was initially trained to run the family's sand speeder before eventually learning how to fly civilian transports. His records in some exercises at his Imperial Flight Academy have yet to be beat to this day. He knows how to push the ship to its limits, but seems to excel most behind the crew's alternative freighter, The Tempest.
Gunslinger: While not a brilliant marksman, Arx has a rather quick draw in the outer rim. His RSKF-44 Heavy Blaster pistol typically does any heavy lifting and fighting that come from a job gone south. Arx's fighting style revolves around being the first to get a shot off and hoping it's lethal enough to either incapacitate or kill his target. When that doesn't work, things tend to get dicey.
Passable Mechanic: While never formally trained in ship upkeep, years of working with various ships has given Arx a passable knowledge of how to keep a ship running. He can provide makeshift repairs in a pinch that help keep his ships running for just long enough. This knowledge doesn't exactly transfer over beyond ships and speeders.
| {Limitations} |
Deserter's Badge: Given Arx's previous role in the Imperial Flight Academy and now current profession as a Pirate, Arx has earned the special distinction of being marked as a traitor and deserter of the Empire. They have placed a substantial bounty on his head.
Headstrong: Arx is particularly stubborn when he makes a decision, and is willing to defy anyone who tells him otherwise. Only the direct threat of death is typically able to deter Arx from a course of action once he has his mind set on it.
Living on the Edge:Being the hotshot pilot that he is, Arx lives for danger. If there's a risky flight maneuver he can make to show off his skills, he'll take it over the safer option. This becomes particularly dicey in dogfights, but it's always panned out for him so far. An extent to this has manifested in Arx's addictive personality... including his addictions to gambling, alcohol, and death sticks.
That's MY Crew: Another trait that often places Arx in danger is his fierce loyalty to his crew. He would never abandon any of them on a mission, and he gets a little trigger happy if he believes that any of his companions are in danger. This has led to a few missions going sideways in the past... though they were bound to end poorly anyways.
| {Personality} |
Arx embodies the cocky persona one would expect of an ace pilot. He prefers working on his own, and has never been a fan of serving anyone other than himself. He is sarcastic and biting towards his captain and his fellow crew members, often favoring a potent one-liner than a long-winded argument. Openly, he doesn't appear to like any of his fellow crew unless he's inebriated.
That being said, Arx is fiercely loyal to his crew. More than once he's been the first to fire a shot off to help his crew, and has taken a blaster bolt or two for those he's worked with. This originates from his time as a Captain himself and having to defend his own crew, which he has translated over to his new comrades. While not formally listed as the ship's first mate or lieutenant, Arx seems to carry himself as one. He often tries to subconsciously give orders to his fellow crew, but his lack of granted authority means the crew never has to follow them.
| {Place of Origin} |
Arx was born and raised in his early life on Tantooine, specifically as the son of a moisture farmer not far from Mos Eisley. Being the third of seven children, not much was expected of him. Arx did everything he could to earn his parent's affection as a child by doing what he could to help his parents on the farm. He ended up learning a bit about how to maintain the farm's equipment, but nothing of note. As an older teen, Arx ended up managing to talk his way into a job helping taxi transport ships at the Spaceport. This helped instill a love for flight that ended up shaping his life.
| {Background} |
Arx wasn't able to afford getting himself into the Imperial Flight Academy until he was 22 years old. Once there, Arx demonstrated an uncanny affinity with spacecraft. He set records at his academy that still haven't been bested, not even by the instructors. Unfortunately, he was unable to officially graduate from the academy and was flunked out due to his insubordinate nature. Rather than serve as a member of the Imperial Infantry, Arx left the Empire's services and became a deserter. Due to his exceptional skills as a pilot, a decent bounty was placed on his head and can be sentenced to death if found in Imperial territory. Not that it matters now that he's a pirate.
For a time, Arx tried to serve as a smuggler in the employ of the Hutts. He was the one who managed to steal The Tempest from a small time spice trader in Hutt space. Arx managed to pick up a small crew of criminals to work under him. He actually managed to work with this crew for about four years, smuggling spice and various contraband mostly in the Outer Rim. Arx only dared travel to the Mid Rim for a few lucrative jobs. On a few occasions, Arx himself would get pulled from his crew to pilot a snubfighter in the collection of whatever Hutt called. He would usually be leading a squad of mercenary pilots to take down whatever enemies had earned their way onto the crime lords' shit list. This career with the Hutts wasn't meant to last either.
Thing about working with criminals is that things don't always work out in your favor. After a run to the Mid Rim turned belly up, Arx's crew turned on him. They knew of his addictions, and weren't particularly fond of their cuts lowering to help fuel their captain's addiction. The crew imprisoned Arx in his quarters. This turned out to be a mistake on their part, as he knew his ship better than anyone. He managed to use a secret hatch to get out of his quarters, and personally slaughtered the crew that chose to betray him. Unfortunately, Arx began his massacre while his former co-pilot tried to navigate the ship towards Ord Mantell to pick up their next job. The ship ended up crashing into the surface of the junk planet and was beyond repair. He used what remaining funds he had to get his way back into Hutt space on board a cargo freighter. He was freed from his obligations for the Hutts now that he lacked a functioning ship, but was left stranded to squander away his credits as an ex-Captain.
About two years ago, Arx found himself meeting a rather strange individual who needed a pilot and wouldn't turn down a pilot with a freighter to accompany the Corvette in their possession. Their past pilot ended up getting killed in a bar fight earlier that afternoon, and the timing was almost too good. Arx ended up joining the Gray Mariners that day, and has been flying for them ever since.
Behind the armor, Durn bears the features and detail of any Zabrak. Human head with horns branching out both sides of his forehead painted both with black and white tattoos that cover his face as a sign that he is part of an Iridonian Warrior Clan. The Hammers. He stands at 5'11 with a slightly thicker frame, most of it being his muscles.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
- Vibrospear - RSKF-44 Blaster Pistol - R-415 Huntsman Rifle - Durn's Hammer Clan Iridonian Armor (the one in the image) - Thermal Detonators - EMP Grenades - Explosive Mines - Portable Ammunition Droid - Smithing Tools (both for Machining and Gunsmithing
| {Physical Abilities} |
Strong Endurance - Zabraks from Iridonia are known to endure pain much more than their colonial counterparts, even if a limb is gone mid-fight, they're willing to take their chances and try to kill off the one they're fighting.
Mastered Close Quarters Combat - Surviving the criminal underground of Iridonia requires the eventual need to use fists and kicks. While they are young, Zabraks are to be trained in harsh close quarters combat training just to survive an attack from other rival gangs and clans should they be disarmed willingly or not. This also applies through his use of weapons.
Modern Blacksmith - The Hammer Clan in Iridonia teach all members of the way to craft and create both armor and weapon with the resources they have available as part of their survival. Not all the time will they get to purchase counterfeit Stormtrooper armor from a shifty person who claims to have connections with the Empire. Durn's equipment isn't high quality but it sure as hell isn't anything low quality.
| {Limitations} |
"Force"-phobia - For some reason. Durn is afraid of force users both Jedi and Sith alike. It doesn't matter whether they believe in the Light Side, the Dark Side, the Gray Side, the Polkadots Side. Anyone using Force Powers bewilders him to the point where he'd try to shoot them down or cower behind his side of the ship.
Short Tempered - Durn is hot-headed. While he can get patient with some people on certain things. Being insulted or undermined causes him to bark back with more insults that could escalate to social fights. The worst possible scenario is him having to charge an entire stormtrooper squadron just because their commander called him and his clan: "A bunch of savage idiots."
Slow To Embrace Ideas - Durn lacks a little in the intelligence department. If it's opening doors with keypads or opening vaults and safes he'd rather just smash it and damage whatever important material is in there. If anyone even tries to give him pointers, he'll just shoot a glare and be done with it. Best leave the whole hacking and technological stuff to the real professionals.
| {Personality} |
Durn claims to be the roughest, meanest and most abrasive crew member in the ship and he proves it to. Whenever he dislikes something, he isn't afraid to voice it out and assumes that the other members of the crew live with it. When new members live long enough, they are given nicknames based on what he sees physically or emotionally and no, just because he's giving you one doesn't mean he's going to exempt you from being badmouthed by him once in a while. His bad attitude is just a restrained version of what an Iridonian Zabrak would do to people he doesn't like.
Yet, despite how annoying he may be, he is still willing to accommodate the supplies of each crew member when they set out as well as keep tabs on the supplies remaining for their journey. Although he will still berate you as he does so.
| {Place of Origin} |
Iridonia
| {Background} |
An orphan boy taken in by the clan because he wanted a home and place to belong. Trained harshly in the ways of Iridonian Zabrak clans, going through intense exercises everyday and was encouraged to learn martial arts during self-defense as well as their clan's tradition of weaponsmithing. Iridonia was a land governed by a Dictatorship that changed hands in every war, it was here that he learned to be Neutral towards people, aggressively neutral.
The Clan was part of the Underground gangs and syndicates in Iridonia, among one of the ruined cities. He quickly fell in and got used to the dirty jobs they take. Beating someone to reclaim debt, kidnapping people, assassinating certain individuals. These things became second nature to him, desensitized from all manner of justice or caring, even feeling. It was kill or be killed in Iridonia after all.
Of course not all his outings had to be full of pleasure, while he was out negotiating a trade deal, he found himself a Jedi Padawan believed to be running from Imperial Stormtroopers for days, thinking he'd be easy pickings and how nice it was to sell that lightsaber, he tried to attack him... gutting him with the vibrospear. Only for him to be pushed back at a wall with the force user activating his lightsaber in front of him. He believed he was going to die for a moment had the companions he traveled with to the meet never chased him off. Even tough Zabrak gain fears sometimes, this one was scared of Force Users and did his best to avoid them throughout the years.
He started off "officially" as a mercenary when he left Iridonia to Outer Rim worlds, needless to say they were easy pickings, so long as they don't have ties to the Hutts. Even he gets outgunned by the lot hired by him. Not until a few months ago, he left for Anchorage to hunt down a bounty called "The Mariner" and upon meeting her, was bamboozled by the client. Apparently the whole thing was staged by them so she could put him on as a Quartermaster, what with the things he makes being more durable out here than most. He initially declined the offer before he was shown how much he would gain as a permanent member of the crew.
Biologically: 35 Chronologically: 29 ("Born" in 32BBY)
| {Species} |
Jango Fett Clone
| {Gender} |
Male
| {Force Sensitive/Alignment} |
No. // Neutral Good
| Role on Ship |
Recon, Observation and Marksman Specialist.
| {Appearance} |
Shares his face with atleast 6.2 Million men born at the same time, Some differentiating marks from his brothers are his very short hair being dyed bright pink and a Cross-hairs tattooed on his left shoulder.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
1) A full set of Phase 2 Advanced Recon Force (ARF) Armor and the necessary parts to modify it for any climate. 2) DC-15 Blaster Rifle 3) Valken-38x Sniper Rifle 4) A Case of N-20 Thermal Detonators 5) Holotags 6) Hologram of him and his "Batchers" at the completion of their training 7) A salvaged and barely functional AT-RT in the corner of the Hanger that he works on in his spare time. 8) Long Range Communication Backpack
| {Physical Abilities} |
Professional Soldier, Extreme Physical Training, Walker Maintenance and Advanced Recon and Sniper training.
| {Force Abilities} |
No special force abilities.
| {Limitations} |
Accelerated Aging: He ages rapidly due to the nature of Kaminoan Cloning techniques Removed Inhibitor Chip: His Inhibitor chip was removed alongside, Gregor, Rex and Wolff. Wanted by the Empire: Due to the unexplained nature of his disappearance on Kintan he is wanted as a deserter alongside his men. If captured he will likely be interrogated and executed as a traitor.
| {Personality} |
Generally quite kind hearted, Suffers from nightmares and PTSD due to his combat experiences.
| {Place of Origin} |
Born and Bred on the planet of Kamino, He was taught and trained for war by Mandallorian Advisors and ARC Troopers.
| {Background} |
He was born on the planet Kamino in 32BBY and given the designation CT-3011, during basic training he was cherry picked for his aptitude for thorough observation, attention to detail and his marksmanship skills. He underwent training as an ARF Trooper and was assigned to the 41st, After the Capture of Nute Gunray on Rodia and his subsequent escape during transport CT-3011 was promoted to lieutenant and became a close friend of CC-1004 "Gree".
Following the Second Battle of Geonosis and the incident with the Brain Worms he was promoted to Captain and became CC-3011 "Sharp" and commanded one of the 41st's Recon Companies. Over the course of the war he served alongside other units, and fought by the side of Jedi Master Luminara Unduli. Just as the rest of the 41st was preparing to depart for Kashyyyk, Sharp and a small detachment of ARF troopers were dispatched to the planet Kintan to investigate reports of Seperatist meetings with the Hutt Cartel.
While being dropped to the surface of the planet in a trio of LAAT's they came under fire from local Nikto militia, One of the LAAT's crashed and burned into a deep ravine with no survivors, the second LAAT exploded in mid air scattering debris and bodies over a wide area of swamp land with the third crashing not far away leaving eight surviving troopers including Sharp and five dead including the two pilots.
The survivors grabbed what equipment they could and headed north out of the swamp and into the desert mountains before their assailants could catch up with them. While resting in an abandoned homestead for a night they were ambushed and captured by a militia loyal to the local Hutt Warlords.
They were paraded before the warlord Chevu Brirm. Chevu maintained a "Gallery" of Droids and Lifeforms frozen in Carbonite and he intended to add the eight troopers to his collection, The night before they were to be frozen a breakout was attempted but it failed resulting in the deaths of two troopers.
The next day they were frozen in carbonite and put on display with their equipment in Chevu's palace, sometime between then and 8 BBY Chevu was assasinated and the palace was ransacked and abandoned. Only parts of Chevu's collection remained including Sharp when a land slide caused the palace to slip from it's mountain perch into the valley below. Sharp and one other trooper was found and awoken by a group of explorers but only Sharp survived the process.
He accompanied the explorers for a time until his eyesight returned and he was able to repay them by acting as security until 7 BBY when he took up work as a mercenary and found his way to Anchorage where he worked as a scout for bounty hunters, private investigators and assassins. Until one day he was sitting in a cantina and was recruited by the "The Mariner" as a specialist.
Much to his disgust Sable currently resides within the body of BX series Commando Droid. The somewhat imposing 6”2’ frame while taller than his old HK body is nowhere near as efficient or effective.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
E-5 Blaster Rifle
Cortosis Weave Vibrosword
Commando Droid personal shield
E-5s Sniper Rifle
ZX miniature flame projector built into left arm
Magnetic feet
Features in head: Multispectral vision, face scanner and his eyes can act as a holoprojector
Droid Poppers
Replacement body parts
| {Physical Abilities} |
Unbreathing: Due to the rather obvious fact that Sable doesn’t need oxygen to survive, he is often the first to volunteer to enter hazardous environments and to do anything involving space walking.
Electromagnetic hardening: Experience taught Sable’s owners that protection against EMP devices is almost essential given the work he would do for them and just because he has a new body doesn’t mean that lesson should be forgotten.
The bounty board: To coincide with his in-built face scanner Sable also possesses a live link to the galactic bounty board allowing him to profit on any random bounties he comes across, or if he feels like it he could point out to his allies that there are other bounties around that they could cash in on.
Voice changer: An ability that was inherent to the body he was placed in Sable immediately knew he could improve upon it to do more than just Clone troopers. After much tinkering with the aid of his master Sable is able to scan peoples voices and replicate them perfectly almost instantly.
The ultimate failsafe: The Blasaw family were not idiots, they didn’t accrue their wealth by not investing in asset protection. As such every processor unit that Sable has, be they active or dormant spares is equipped with a failsafe that activates when someone tries to access it without the Blasaw family signature, the ensuing explosion while not large is sufficient enough to remove the intruder from the vicinity.
| {Force Abilities} |
He can try and make the Force Choke hand at you but I doubt it’d do much.
| {Limitations} |
Amoral programming: Being a droid he knows little of right from wrong Sable would just as soon gun someone down as help them, though he has improved since his last master installed programming that gave him basic morality, he still prioritises logical solutions than those that “feel right”.
A droid with no master: Five years have passed since the last of the Blasaw family passed and with no heirs to serve, his masters last wish was he be set free from his servitude to her bloodline but being a droid with no master has had its challenges often in the form of prejudice from other bounty hunters.
| {Personality} |
A polite individual as long as you don’t piss him off, Sable often follows a policy of not speaking unless spoken to a policy which has served him well for the last five years. When the Blasaw family originally purchased him, Sable had almost no personality whatsoever he was simply a “yes master” killing machine however, the family found this to be boring for their personal guard droid and spent a not so insignificant amount of money on personality matrix upgrades for him. Combining the best parts of a polite servant droid, a knowledgeable protocol droid and his original HK programming to create the droid that wanders the streets today. Never one to speak out of tone unless joining in on the teasing of others, Sable knows his place in the universe he understands that even after being given freedom his role is to serve, some are not as appreciative of his service as others but this rarely phases him if he has a job to do he can be relied upon to do it.
Though to say that Sable will only respond with pleasantries would be a horrific understatement, Alanna, the last of the Blasaw family bloodline, who Sable spent ten years travelling with made certain adjustments to the matrix on their travels. Gifting Sable with a full range of vocal communication forms in all manner of languages, though sarcasm has quickly become his favourite.
| {Place of Origin} |
Built on Telos IV sometime after the Revan disappeared. Though he has no memory of his actions before being purchased by the Blasaw family.
| {Background} |
To know Sable’s story is to know the story of one of the most powerful crime families in the Outer Rim. The Blasaw family, they ruled a criminal Empire for over 2000 years; controlling the spice trade, slave trade and every other type of trade conceivable. Their rule was not without challenge however, Hutt cartels and other criminal organisations were always trying to muscle their way onto Blasaw turf. When looking for personal protection one should never tighten their purse strings, this was the policy that Bretre Blasaw followed when looking for a bodyguard. Enter Sable, one of the finest killing machines ever built, people talk, they can be bought out, or tortured. Droids cannot, with the proper upgrades, software and hardware a droid will keep all your dirty little secrets.
Originally just a tool for the Blasaw family Sable performed a number of tasks for them, from personal guard, enforcer and when the family really wanted to make someone suffer, he became their torturer. But Bretre always thought Sable was a little bland, at first he didn’t even have a name and was simply referred to as “HK” or “Droid”. It was Bretre’s youngest daughter Alemelo who gave Sable his name after finding a serial number on his right leg and thinking that the numbers 54813 were letters began calling him Sable, the name took a while to stick but after Bretre installed the upgraded personality matrix into him an actual name seemed more fitting.
However, the good life the Blasaw family had was not to last forever. The unwillingness for officials to be bought and for certain senators to take bribes would see their empire decline as the centuries went on. Their world and his finally came crashing down when a once loyal contact, someone the family had trusted for over 30 years sold their weaknesses and still exposed lose ends to the Hutts. It wasn’t quick and it wasn’t pretty, across the Outer Rim bloody fighting erupted between hired mercenary groups. As the Hutts exploited weaknesses and sold their newly acquired information to law officials the empire that had stood for over a millennium fell apart at the seams and the family went into hiding, changing names and even some faces. Once in hiding Sable was shut down and placed into storage, less anyone question why a family of ‘farmers’ on Saleucami has a HK-50 droid as a farmhand. It wouldn’t be until the war finally made its way to them that Sable would be reactivated, dealing with the droids that found their way to the farm wasn’t a problem at all, if anything Sable saw it as a mercy since they were so dumb. However, the fighting on the farm would also cost Sable his body, a wrist rocket that he didn’t watch out for punched a hole through his torso and rendered him useless and after retrieving his processor the remaining Blasaw family members once again found themselves looking for a new home.
In 18BBY Sable would once again be reactivated but he would never be himself again. Finding himself in a strange body and surrounded by strange people Sable tried to activate his failsafe, which Alanna would shut down. In his own way he was ecstatic that Alanna was still alive, the little girl he fell fighting to protect on Saleucami was probably his favourite of the Blasaw family in his 2000+ years of service. Though he would have to be hidden for the next year until the Clone Wars ended, Alanna and the mercenary crew she ran with would find much use for a droid with over 2000 years of experience and a body count that would put an evil Sith Lord to shame.
It would be fair to say that Alanna holds a special place in Sable’s memory banks, he’s put at least two people in the ground for talking ill of her. The last of her family through no fault of her own she hated what her family used to be, hated how they accrued their wealth which with Sable’s aid she could now retrieve. Half of the money they recovered would be anonymously donated to the Rebellion upon her passing and the rest left alone, rarely used apart from essential needs. Alanna would gift Sable new perspectives on things including a deep hatred of the Empire but most importantly she would free him from servitude to her family. With no more members of the Blasaw family to serve Sable would take up Bounty Hunting and prove extremely good at it, his more delicate touch in his new body allowing him to kill his targets without causing a scene most of the time. In 5BBY Sable would be contacted by someone only identifying as ‘The Mariner’ who had use of his abilities in her crew and while any money he would get was ultimately inconsequential the ability to explore would aid him in his search for a new HK-50 body so he couldn’t say yes to the offer quick enough.
Visually, he is far from the most striking person you'll ever see, especially amongst the crew of the Noreaster. At just shy of two meters tall and a hundred and sixty pounds, the lean figure of Clu Zanith does not particularly stand out from the usual muun Physique. That said, his skin tone is considerably darker than most Muun as a result of his more adventerous attitude and his time working out in the field. His elongated skull is somewhat more shapely than some of his fellow Muuns and his chin is angular and sharp, and two keen golden eyes peer out from their sunken eye sockets; They say that the eyes are the window into the soul, and in Clu Zanith's case that certainly appears to be true because the greed in his eyes is practically omnipresent whenever a potential deal presents itself.
Despite this obvious avarice, however, he retains the classic Muun disdain for wasteful spending; His clothing is fairly plain, consisting only of dull brown-grey garments with an armour weave cloak to drape himself in to protect from both the cold and from, heavens forbid, any danger he might find himself encountering.
Never far from his side is the towering gray-silver form of B-22, a customised C-B3 Battle Droid turned Bodyguard. With a single red sensor shining upon anyone who dares so much as look at its Muun master the wrong way and with two arms that end with ball jointed blaster cannons, B-22 serves Clu well in intimidation as much as it does in straight up protection.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
Holdout Blaster Pistol: A small blaster that Clu hasn't used in over six months now, it is easily concealed and thus always on hand in a pinch. He rarely uses it, even in battle, preferring not to fight directly and to allow others to do that. It is not particularly powerful either, being a holdout blaster, and mostly exists as a last resort.
Vibroblade: A short vibroblade in the echani style carried beneath his armour weave cloak, Clu has some training with the weapon but is by no means skilled. When activated, the ultrasonic vibrations turn even the lightest cut into a deep and deadly wound, making it a surprisingly effective weapon in a pinch; Still, it exists as one of Clu's last gasp efforts and while it might be effective if someone is caught off guard, it seems unlikely that he'd be able to put up a long fight, particularly with a weapon that's ultimately so short.
Credit Stick: This one is linked to one of Clu's many bank accounts, containing a large slush fund for business and necessary purposes.
Credit Chips: Keeping some loose credit chips is always handy for when you need to operate machines, place some bets or deal with small purchases and charity.
Datapad with message from Nima Diakiyo: "I don't want to talk about it."
Datacron: For storing vast amounts of data, information and necessary details.
Holocom: For all your galactic communication needs, Clu uses both his datapad and Holocom to remain in contact with his Network across the galaxy, taking contracts and trading information from a distance and often times anonymously.
Armourweave Cloak: A cloak, or perhaps capenisna more accurately term for it, that is held over his shoulder by a clasp. The material has some resistance to energy and ballistics, and is also adept at keeping out the elements should such become necessary. Indeed, its the only part of his clothing that instantly jumps out as being worth much, as Muun are not usually known for displays of extravagant or wasteful spending.
Bacta Vials: These medical vials are carried around as a backup in case something goes wrong.
Separatist Combat Speeder: An old Separatist combat speeder kept in good condition by a Pit Droid, Clu 'recovered' it from one of the old battlefields after the Clone Wars and had it fixed up. After the separatist insignia and identifies were removed from it, Clu began to sue it as a personal transport, particularly when away on more risky business.
B-22: A Customised C-B3 Battle droid, B-22 has been with Clu for just under 16 years. Originally part of a squad of eight such droids, B-22s compatriots were destroyed at the end of the Clone Wars when they became some of the only droids not to be shut down by the Mustafar signal during a clone offensive. B-22 has since become Clu's personal body guard and aside from a few times they have been parted, its hulking presence and overwhelming firepower has been enoigu to deter most attacks on Clu's person.
| {Physical Abilities} |
Zanith has connections into all kinds of businesses, conglomerates and political groups, trading and selling favours and secrets like a mafia godfather. His reach is considerable and if a particularly piece of information can be attained, its most likely Clu can attain it. Buying and selling secrets has been his forte for a very long time, as has striking deals with unsavoury sorts.
Indeed, an arguably uncomfortable part about his presence in the ship is that for all but the quietest and most obscure of crewmembers, chances are he already knows a great deal more about them than they might be comfortable with. Some of them he may even have made deals with before, or pointed them in various directions.
These connections extend past the role of being an information broker however, with his fingers the pie of more physical black markets as well. If he is present on a planet, chances are he's already involved in the criminals there somehow; if there's new weapons on a planet, he brought them in, if there's a swoop gang war, he's loaning money to the sides, if there's a new pirate in the sector, he got the captain their ship. If there's something you want, Clu knows a guy who can do that and would be happy to get it for you... For the right price.
Sure, he's not entirely in it for the credits: If someone is in hot water, he hides them, if a planet is blockaded, his "friends" will run in the food. But then, maybe he just does it because they'll owe him after - he isn't sure himself. One part Robin Hood, two parts Al Capone, if you want to call him a Crime Boss, that's your business; He prefers Fixer.
In the troubled days of the Clone Wars, propaganda and HoloNet communications took on a major aspect for both sides. The Republic had seized control over the original and 'legitimate' HoloNet, and censored and removed Separatist content while broadcasting their own propaganda.
Approximately nine months after Geonosis, the Separatists were able to gain access to the HoloNet via hyperwave transceivers and nodes spread through the galaxy with the help of their expert slicers and technicians. With this new found technology and infrastructure, in order to combat the new threat of the Republic and fight the propaganda war, the Separatists established the CIS Shadowfeed, an alternative HoloNet platform for Separatist content, communications and broadcasts. These shadowfeed were used by the Separatist Alliance to spread propaganda in favor of the Separatists or against the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars.
Attempts to shut down the Shadowfeed proved fruitless, even after the ruthless and cunning Wilhuff Tarkin, was was made responsible for counterintelligence to shut down his Shadowfeed. Inevitably however, for a time after the fall of Murkhana, the Shadowfeed went mostly silent as the Separatist cause waned and the Clone Wars entered its dying days.
After the rise of the Empire, however, the shadowfeed found new life. The Alliance to the Restore the Republic was among those who came to use the Shadowfeed to communicate under the nose of the Empire. Clu quickly came to realise that the shadowfeed and his unique access to former Separatist personnel presented a powerful opportunity he could exploit.
Through the establishment of Shadowfeed and a network difficult for the Imperials to infiltrate and stop, Clu produced the 'Network'.
The three principles behind Clu's network are fairly simple ones:
Reciprocity; You scratch his back and he'll scratch yours. This is how he built up his connections across the galaxy and became a fairly notorious figure.
Clandestine; Members of the network should keep anonymity where possible, avoiding accidental implications or large sections of the network being busted. The true beauty of the structure of this crime firm and the usage of the shadowfeeds is in insulating himself, and its other members, from liability; it has proven impossible for the Imperials to pin anything on him, and there is a lot they don't realise he's involved in. Likewise, it's difficult for opposing organisations to eliminate the leaders or place bounties on the heads of important people. More often than not, they are reduced to targeting low level employs or associates, while the retribution of the Network can thus be targeted towards their prominent opponents. This makes engaging in confrontation with them difficult and undesirable, despite their comparative weakness on paper.
Cooperate with the big, competition with the small: While its inevitable that the Network would get drawn into competition with similar organisations, and as its operations expanded with smaller smuggling outfits or gangs, the Networks operations on a principle of avoiding infringing on the activities of large and powerful organisations. If the Hutts are running the smuggling in a region, the Network will not compete and rather work through the Hutts and give them a cut. If the Black Sun pirates have started raiding in a system, the Network will sell them the information on targets and depots instead in exchange for credits or else a share of the loot. By avoiding directly competing with larger and dangerous organisations and rather becoming an asset to them, the Network avoids being drawn into fights and disputes it cannot win and conducts business smoothly, while allowing it to compete with the smaller crime syndicates or swoop gangs that existed and slowly muscle them out to expand its territory.
Money is passed along the network, with each member taking their share for the contract or information. Many members of the network do not know the full implications of what they are involved in, or the ultimate identity of their benefactor outside of those they are in direct contact with. Thus the system is set up to be difficult to infiltrate or bring down, with direct communication with the higher ups only afforded to the most trusted. Many working within the network do not know the identies of those above them, nor the identities of other feeds. If a section of the Network is compromised, it is only a matter of cutting off that feed and, thus, section of the Network.
Few written documents or recordings are kept and Clu personally avoids any such thing, giving orders only verbally and in private. Money is laundered and cleared by other parts of the network, including front businesses.
The Network is by no means as powerful as the Hutt Cartel in any kind of direct power, and its main power lies in information gathering. That is not to say it does not have access to substantial assets, however; The knowledge and tjr contacts the organisation had means that the Networks influential figures are ultimately able to contract teams of mercenaries, pirate ships and find and use old Battledroids from the Clone Wars when the need arises, primarily within the outer rim where law enforcement struggles to crack down on such operations.
The number of 'firms' has varied over the years but there are about a dozen such firms active. Each firm has separate business dealings, though sometimes the dealings of the firms intermingle depending on their proximity to one another and the commonality of their ventures. Information is passed between these firms, including contact information for mercenaries and bounty hunters, ensuring lucrative contracts and work for those who have proven themselves. Hence the 'Network'.
The leader of a firm is known as the Director. All major decisions are made by the Director, and money made by the Firm ultimately flows to him. The Directors authority is needed to resolve disputes and keep everyone in line. Collectively, the directors form the Board, headed by the Chairman. The chairman knows the identities of each of the Directors, and some directors know each others identities, though some are very mysterious figures even to other members of the board who keep their distance. Anonymity is a useful tool to many figures in the Network, insulating them both from assassination attempts from their enemies or overly ambitious employs, as well as from potential law enforcement agencies.
Just below the Director is the majordomo, a term taken from Hutt Cartels and Palace staff. The majordomo is the second in command of a Firm, and organises the lieutenants. If a lieutenant breaks the strict operating procedures or code of conduct of the Network, the majordomo will have him eliminated.
Beneath the Majordomo are several lieutenants. The number of lieutenants varies depending on the overall size of the firm. A lieutenant leads his own section of the firm, referred to as a 'feed' as they often control their own Shadowfeed and take contacts, take contracts and pass along information in this manner. They each have a number of soldiers beneath them. If a Lieutenant believes his feed to be compromised, he will kill his feed and either start a new one, or if he believes his own identity is compromised, will go into hiding until he is contacted by the Majordomo. He has specific activities that he operates, most often in the field of information but occasionally lieutenants, particularly on the outer rim, are engaged in more traditional organised crime. The lieutenants territory may be defined geographically in these cases, by the particular business he operates. The lieutenant keeps some of the money he earns, ensures the soldiers are paid, and then passes the rest up to the majordomo and director.
The "dirty work" is done by the employs. An employ is the lowest rank among the Network. They're part of the Firm, but they hold little power and make relatively (though still not insubstantial) little money. The number of employs that belong to any given lieutenant can vary tremendously; On the outer rim, there tend to be far more of these men who are retained as muscle and enforcers, whereas in the core worlds they are fewer and far more clandestine. Employs do not often know the identity of the Lieutenants they work for, and payments and dead drops are handled by these employs, especially junior ones. As a rest, when Network operations or agreements go south, relatively little information can be gleaned from him and the network remains operational. If a feed is compromised, trusted Employs may be recruited into a new feed by the lieutenant. Otherwise, they quickly find themselves cut off from their former network for security purposes (referred to euphemistically as 'laid off', contrasted with the euphemism of 'dismissal' for killing off a member of the network, usually for breaking the code of conduct or being an informant). Some of these former employs may prove their loyalty again and ultimately be brought back into the firm, others will be too suspect and deliberately kept at arms length.
In addition to soldiers, the Firm will use associates. Associates are not actual members of the Firm, but they work with them on various criminal enterprises. An associate is simply someone who works with the firm, including anyone from a burglar, thug, spice and arms dealers, smugglers. More rarely this includes officials, security officers or even imperial military personnel who are paid off or pass information along to soldiers for extra money or favours. Indeed, a few imperials in the outer rim owe their suspiciously effective service records to buying and selling favours and information with the Network. More often than not, especially when they are hired muscle, the associates do not know the full details of who they are working for, in order to avoid infiltration by law enforcement or rival organisations.
The results of all these systems, structures and methods ultimately produces something which, in practice, is akin to the Muun themselves who shied away from physical pursuits and sought economic means, as well as alternative avenues of protection, to defend their planet from being invaded. As one would find fitting for a former Intergalactic Banking Clan employee, the Network uses information, economics and other alternative means such as battle droids and mercenaries to defend themselves from being brought into costly gang wars or losing territory.
Dead body? No problem. Evidence need taken care off? It's never gonna see the light of day again. Political scandal? Say no more. Criminal activity been exposed? He'll have you looking like a saint. Need something moved through customs? It's already there. Need a false ID? He'll have it before you can say 'John Doe'
A favour here or there, some good PR and words in the right places and your problems are gone
Clu Zanith doesn't need to trick you, indeed, he would never cheat on a contract. No, instead he is remarkably persuasive and has an astounding business acumen; transactions are his bread and butter, and he can cut a deal to work his way out of almost any problem. Leave him alone in market for a day with a shopping list, and he'll come back with everything on the list and some pocket change besides. If you need negotiations for the best deal, Zanith will slide in with his snake tongue to make it happen.
The Muun are naturally very intelligent and calculating, and Clu Zanith even more so than most. This has many implications; he's practically a walking prediction maker, his talent with money and people stemming from his species innate ability to process complex mathematical formulas or analyse statistical data with speed and ease. Short of a calculator, Clu is as good as they come and with the capacity for problem solving and quick thinking, he is able to make and pull off many complex plan, even branching across into fields which one might not initially suspect he would be skilled in.
This produces a very adaptable individual, and when he puts his mind to a task he can quickly get the hang of it and begin to develop a deeper understanding of the subject. This is particularly true when it comes to matters which include mathematics, but also holds true of more general learning.
Despite his weak physical condition, he can run remarkably fast. His speed is somewhat above average for a Muun, given he's one of the few Muun who spend a consistent amount of time travelling rather than remaining in doors for long periods of time. Its not shocking or anything, and he's far from being in good physical condition, but his tall height and long legs make for long bounds and his three hearts pump blood around his body more efficiently than the single heart of many other species, helping to keep up his stamina. Fittingly, this means that Clu is very adept at running away from danger and finding somewhere to hdir when everything goes to blast.
| {Force Abilities} |
N/A
| {Limitations} |
Although he would never break a contract, he leaves it entirely obvious that his services are open to the highest bidder. Its difficult to find anything that he won't do if the money is good enough and it doesn't violate an agreement. As incredibly as his people bankrole both the Empire and the Rebellion at the same time, Zanith is more than willing to sell weapons, equipment and information multiple sides simply because it makes a better business prospect, provided doing so would not infringe upon one of his contracts or break faith with them. He'll never cheat you but he is more than willing to take his partners and associates for everything they've got and then some in deals. Use exact words, and you'll be fine. Leave wriggle room, and you might find a certain Muun growing richer even as everyone else grows poorer...
Yet contrariwise to his innately sneaky nature, Clu's word is very much his bond. If he has made an agreement, he will keep that agreement come hell or high water. If you get him to agree to something, he can always be counted on to keep that agreement. He will never sell shoddy goods, nor lie to people about the true value of some thing he's buying or selling; If he agrees to provide quality merchandise, then he will be providing quality merchandise, if he tells you something is worthless or is the best around, then that's what it is. He'll negotiate and haggle hard, but he won't deceive you in order to do it.
Clu Zanith is not at all interested in being loyal to the death and is rather open about this. You can't do business if you're dead, after all. In a fight, he prefers to hide behind B-22 or failing that run away and duck behind something very big and sturdy rather than stand and fight.
Clu Zanith is physically frail, below the human average for certain. His capabilities with a blaster are poor and close combat in particular is far from this bankers expertise, and he is heavily reliant on droids and others to do his dirty work.
| {Personality} |
On the face of it, Clu Zanith fits the stereotype of a Muun almost to the letter; Highly intelligent (The first percentile of Muun test takers for his year, as he's eager to remind anyone who'll listen) and cautious but exceptionally greedy and fixated on finances, one could be forgiven for wondering exactly why this Muun isn't sitting behind a desk back in the IGBC collecting a bankers bonus rather than out among mercenaries.
In truth, he has always had a strong entrepreneurial streak and was always far less shut in than most of his compatriots. He inherited his mother's talents for low cunning, and this served him well over the years. Clu Zanith holds an almost religious respect for contracts, like most Muun- but when it comes to law? Well, he didn't agree to it! It's only a contract if you agree to it, and since didn't sign, he's free to break whichever laws he sees fit to break (except, of course, those he agrees to follow)
This black market dealer and information broker is terrifyingly well connected, and he is unafraid to say so and cloak himself in it; If you have a problem, no matter how big, it's quite likely Clu Zanith can help you... But if Clu Zanith has a problem with you, then you will likely find yourself high and dry fairly quickly. Naturally, this has led to him being arrogant, proud and self-assured, often making him an annoyance that cannot be intimidated into silence despite his inherently cowardly nature.
And it is a very cowardly nature at that; Clu cannot fight to save his life, quite literally. When it comes to combat, he's a walking lump and is under no illusions he's anything but. He's much more inclined to throw his hands up in the air and run away screaming for his droid to save him than he is to actually use his blaster, and the rare occasions he does use his blaster he tends to be a passable shot best and useless melee combatatant. That said, he'll follow his contracts through to the end in spite of himself, even if the difficulty or danger of said contract is ramped up substantially.
Practically a walking calculator, Clu Zanith bases his decisions primarily on what outcomes he judges to be most probable. Like all Muun, he will consider a business agreement very carefully before he agrees to it (Indeed, if he is quick to strike the deal, it probably you've just been horribly ripped off). Your own actions and behaviour is being scrutinised, and if you make a threat, there has best be a decent probability you actually mean it because if he doesn't think it probable, it won't stick.
His primary motive in life, before anything else, is to make money. It doesn't matter how, particularly, and the general morality of it doesn't particular concern him so long as he's doing good business and making good money. He financed and armed both sides of a galactic war simply because it made him money... And he still, to this day, happily sells his arms and services to both Imperial governors and the Rebellion like an unpredictable genie from hell. He isn't entirely immoral, of course, its just that his moral compunctions can almost always be overcome by a decent enough stack of credits. Indeed, his unwavering commitment to making credits is so rampant and uncontrollable that he has even ripped apart his own loving relationships and friendships in pursuit of money. That this behaviour has caused periods of extreme misery to him is not lost on him, but it is never enough to make him stop. If there is one pleasure above all others, it is feeling he gets as he watches the credits in his account jump up after a successful deal.
He can be very charismatic and knows how to project a specific image; He can come across as friendly, amicable, good natured... Yet at the same time despite a rather unassuming figure and being unskilled in combat himself, Clu can project a powerful presence when he wants to. When he walks into a room, trailed by his Battledroid and whatever other bodyguards happen to be with him at the time, one quickly gets the impression that they are dealing with someone who is not to be crossed or angered, an aura of power surrounding him.
Despite all this, he adheres to a strict personal code of ethics (and expects those in his employment to do the same) as a necessary part of business; There are no court sof arbitration in the criminal underworld, the first and last judge, and a very harsh one at times, is reputationget a bad reputation, and you're done for.
| {Place of Origin} |
Clu Zanith was born in an upper class suburbia in Muunilinst to a family with connections to both the IGBC and the Criminal underworld. He had a stable and privileged upbringing, coupled with the best education money can buy and wanting for nothing. This culminated with his taking of the rigorous Muun examinations which ultimately catapulted him even higher into the upper classes of the strict technocratic hierarchy of Muun society.
| {Background} |
Lesson one, my boy; Your conscience won't make you money.
Clu Zanith was burn on Muunilinst to an affluent family connected to the criminal underworld and the IGBC; they were rich financiers who laundered money and funded criminal activities through their banking clan, ensuring vast profits and returns for themselves. Wanting for nothing in life and with a heavy focus on education from his family, Clu Zanith did not have to struggle with the rigors of common life or the pressure most of the galaxy faced. The Muun are not often travelers, and so he spent most of his childhood confined to what was effectively two blocks of a city in Muunilinst.
Indeed, he had very little exposure to the lower classes of society until he was 13, when his mother took him under armed guard down into the undercity of Coruscant, through the old abandoned factory districts. It was the first of several lessons, designed to teach the young Muun the arts of business... And, naturally, the intent was to scare him, to show him what lay at the bottom of society for those who did not work hard and achieve - and it did just that, not a day went by when Clu did not have his head buried in a holocron, studying endlessly.
But it also placed a seed of hunger inside him; He had watched as his mother closed a deal with a very shady looking Rodian, and less than a galactic standard month later, the family possessed a new, top of the range luxury Yacht class that his mother used to host other clients and close agreements, and the rest of the wealth ended up reinvested into ever more lucrative prospects. That the shady looking Rodian had just brought arms to continue his swoop war with a rival gang and thus expand the deathsticks market at the same time as Clu's father was buying up shares in medical treatment centres on Coruscant and charging upwards of 3500 credits for treatment of deathstick addiction was immaterial: If you want to be truly wealthy, you must be willing to overrule your morals. It is difficult to calculate for certain the human cost Clu's mother and father had in that one action alone, but it certainly couldn't have been a pretty one.
After this, Clu was increasingly assisting with the calculations of his families assets and subsequently their business decisions. Everyone knew he was intelligent by now and his assistance was invaluable.
The first rule of business; A contract is a contract.
Like most Muun looking to make a name for themselves in life, it came to pass that Clu took the extremely rigorous tests and examinations Muun society placed upon their children. Scoring in the first percentile, he was fast tracked into the InterGalactic Banking Clan. His exceptional performance caused a rift between him and his older brother when Clu passed him over for employment early in his career working for the IGBC.
The Muun system is extremely technocratic and the results of this examination ultimately determined his class within the social hierarchy. His result was a shock, naturally, even those who are intelligent would rarely dare to venture that they might be within the top one percent of those who take the tests.
With a life path to the upper management of the IGBC effectively ensured so long as he continued on with his diligence, this young up and coming financier soon found himself in the lap of luxury and power; while still early in his career, he had a strong starting wage with great prospects for the future. He ran through a several lovers during this early period as he sought a stable and lasting relationship, but proved unable to balance work and love particularly well.
His power and influence continued to grow and before long a powerful banking clan executive, San Tanuth, took a shining to Clu and became his mentor. They worked long on hard on promising prospects, lending money to many of the galaxies businesses and growing fat off the interest. Deciding on good investment opportunities was key to their operations and many a night was spent drawing up complex predictions and discussing cautiously which businesses deserved their funding.
Indeed, this was as far stretching as involving the backing of entire new currencies, which the IGBC did regularly and recouped massive gains from. Their holdings extended far past Republic space and every new nation which formed, new conglomerate which grew and new species that was encountered needed a currency and access to trade routes... And the IGBC was eager to exploit these new customers for every last drop of wealth they were worth.
It was within this time that the two of them built a strong working relationship with him which lasted past Clu's involvement with the IGBC, the two exchanging favours to this day.
Kuat is a beautiful planet. So much business, so much industry...
It was one of these favours, of sorts, which led to a major romantic entanglement for Clu and one of the most important chapters of his life, simultaneously one of the happiest and ultimately the most tragic.
The Muun detest wasteful spending, however many other races find such extravagance to be important displays of wealth and privilege. This made such engagements important places for finding contacts in the business world, and while bankers can always wait for others to approach them, it was not uncommon for more proactive members of the IBGC such as San Tanuth to send representatives scouting for lucrative new start ups or business partners. So when San Tanuth used his influence to ensure that Clu was invited to a gathering of a rich Coruscantian executive, Clu expected to come away from it with new friends in high places and several new prospective... Instead, he came away from it with his three hearts quite smitten with a human woman he had spoken to at great length. Kalara Knylenn from a wealthy aristocratic Kuati noble family, the two became romantically involved and used each others connections to advance their ends; Kalara established a new subsidiary of the Kuat Drive yards and Clu used his connections within the IGBC to credit it and secure a start up loan.
This subsidiary grew rapidly under Kalara and Clu's joint control and the IGBC continued to credit the start up throughout the period. Clu ensured preferential rates for loans and exploited legal loopholes to allow the two to reduce tax rates on their contracts. Before long, Clu had made his first million.
Disaster struck, however; Unaccustomed to Kuat and with only inoculations to protect him, Clu became stricken with a disease during his time there inspecting the business. Quickly confined to bed and tended to by a large team of doctors, Kalara was left fending for herself. At the same time, representatives of the Republic opened an audit into the business. Fearing the worst was to come of the financial brains behind the operation and worried that Clu's tax avoiding ways would be exposed, the IGBC began to call in some of its loans to make its money back and the business began to buckle.
Fortunately, Clu Zanith recovered from his illness although one of his three hearts was left considerably weakened by the ordeal. Contacting San Tanuth, Clu secured an extension on the loans and Kalara had successfully fabricated evidence that made their tax avoidance seem perfectly legitimate. Against all odds, the two had survived the nightmare and in the next year, the business grew even more.
Clu continued to manage the underbelly of the business as well and before long their products were finding their way into the hands of gangs and criminals. Indeed, Clu took advantage of the gangs of Balmorra to acquire industrial secrets from the companies rival and undermine Balmorran Arms monopoly on the planet, expanding his and Kalara's business into the factories there.
I can't blame them for it. It was just good business. Her, on the other hand... I have never met someone more terrifying or odious in my life.
It was during this foray into the underworld that disaster chose to strike again. One of the Swoop Gang leaders who Clu Zanith had been working with and supplying, Jana Undera, developed a romantic interest in him and made an advance. Clu turned her down... Which angered her deeply. Feeling spurned, she stopped working with him and her behaviour spun entirely in a way that Clu found rather shocking and probably belied some underlying mental instability.
Jana was a large and powerful woman with the physique of a Wookie. She'd clawed her way up the leadership of a gang by a combination of low cunning and brute force, and was a woman seemingly without a conscience. Violent, antisocial, rebellious and with a short fuse, remarkably easy to anger and very slow to calm down. That said, even Clu could not have predicted just how long this woman bore grudges.
Indeed, not only did she physically beat him down and throw him out of her hideout when he attempted to speak with her about unfinished business, she proceeded to inform his competitors in Balmorran arms about one of his plans to acquire the plans to their latest battle droid series.
It did not take Clu long to make the connection, then, when the following year Kalara was found dead under suspicious circumstances. It was difficult to say for sure whether it had been Jana or another rival, but Clu personally believed it was Jana's doing. She had been getting increasingly violent towards him and by now he feared for his own life.
To say losing Kalara devestated him would have been an understatement. It hit him hard, very hard. But Muun do not like to express their emotions publically, or even openly at all; They prefer to think of themselves as reserved and in control of their emotions. Crying then was an unthinkable show of weakness remarkably un-Muun. Despite half of the instincts in his body wanting to lock himself in his room and fall into a sobbing rage, and the other half wanting to throw everything he could at Jana, the Muun ultimately felt compelled to bare it and continue with business as usual.
That said, Clu was never above vengeance and despite himself, he increasingly armed Jana's rivals at discount rates, and before long Jana's swoop gang was losing ground all across Balmorran. At the time, he didn't even consider that in the long run that might make their vendetta even worse. How could he have?
Understandably, House Kynlenn was extremely concerned and sent one of their own to investigate. Kalara's grandmother, with whom Clu had never previously had a particularly strong relationship, took pity on the broken hearted Muun and the two connected over Kalara's memory. Talara Kynlenn's word served to sway the investigation away from Clu who had been a favoured target by some of the more xenophobic members of House Kynlenn despite his obvious devestation over the loss of Kalara. Unfortunately, no concrete evidence was ever found for the identity of Kalara's murderer and officially the case went cold a year later, with no leads. Despite having been rescued from the courts by the intervention of the Kynlenn matriarch, rumours spread by his enemies did not subside and Clu's public image on Kuat, for a time, became smeared and horribly warped.
At the same time, Kalara and Clu's business was now under attack from almost all sides. While the Kynlenn Matriarch had befriended Clu, she did not hold ultimate power over the family and there was little incentive for her to fight her own blood when Kalara's sister, Runa, opened a legal challenge over the inheritance of the business. Under Kuati tradition, she claimed, the ownership of her sisters business which had ultimately been registered in Kalara's name should pass to her, and not to Clu to whom Kalara had never formally married nor had any bond of blood. The lack of a will likewise proved a decisive factor in the case and it became increasingly difficult for Clu to retain control over his late lovers business.
Meanwhile, Balmorran Arms was pushing to reclaim its monopoly on Balmorra. The conglomerate pushed against the smaller industrial subsidiary and with Clu still beside himself with grief, the Kynlenn family now more focused on seizing the assets of the business for themselves and one of his most important contacts in the underworld actively working against him and entirely ablaze in a destructive swoop war that would ultimately claim nearly 900 lives, his actions to defend the business were half hearted and not entirely effectual.
Having by now recognised how emotionally compromised he was and the adverse effect his own lust for vengeance was having on his business, at Clu's request, the IBGC sent an administrator, a fellow Muun known as Urd Galon to help manage the business and ultimately reclaim money for the Banking Clan. Together, they managed to keep the business solvent and establish a weak but ultimately positive growth trajectory for the business, selling off the assets on Balmorra to Balmorran arms and restructuring to focus entirely on their Kuati holdings. Despite Clu's lust for vengeance, Urd made him cut off the arms and funding to Balmorran and although Clu sold all information on Jana and her gang he could to the local police, he was left unable to pursue his own vendetta against her.
Knowing that without the protection and connections of Kalara in Kuati high society the business was ultimately going to be absorbed into the holdings of one of the Kynlenn family in one way or another, Clu and Urd came up with a scheme to recoup at least some of the losses. Seven years after its founding, Clu signed over all his shares and assets of Kalara Industries to Talara Kynlenn specifically, mostly as one final sneer towards Runa and as a gesture of goodwill and thanks towards the Kynlenn matriarch. He was financially reimbursed, of course, but the cost of the shares was no where near as high as they had been several years earlier. Clu left Kuat, which he had ultimately come to regard as his second home, with a heavy heart and deep regret. He returned with Urd to Muunilinst where he repaid his outstanding loans to the IGBC and entered their employment again under his old mentor Sun Tanith.
The Senate? Ordinarily, they are insane, but they have lucid moments where they are only stupid.
Distancing himself from where he and Kalara had spent their time helped a lot with his mental state and he slowly began to move on. He settled back in to the life of the finacier for a short while but before long San Tanith had reassigned him to the distant world of Coruscant to assist the IGBC senator. The Separatist crisis was brewing and it was decided that his the skills he had honed working with Kalara would be better used on Coruscant, helping to manipulate and turn the Galactic Senate into a tool for the IBGC to further its own business interests.
Clu and Urd traveled together to Coruscant where they quickly set about establishing an information network and playing the political game. They made problems disappear for the Senator and ensured that their opponents became embroiled in political scandals, or else used dirt to lean on senators to vote the way the IGBC required. They also build up a powerful connection in the Coruscant Security Force.
As though some kind of personal tradition at this point, he once again found a lover on Coruscant, this time a fellow Muun who was an attache to the Senator named Meerus. During this time, Clu began to invest his wealth in lending to arms businesses, the Techno-Union and many other assorted businesses that would undoubtedly profit from the war that was now in its infancy.
It seemed that with a new lover, his increasing political prominence on Coruscant, the trust the IGBC put in him and the potential to launch a new, successful business that would profit from the inevitable fighting, Clu Zanith had his future set for him.
Like a horrible spectre from his past, however, Jana Undera had made her way to Coruscant. That this "psychotic bitch" had made her way across half the galaxy after him scared him deeply and he stepped up security around himself and his lover, fearing a repeat of events on Kuat.
Though this move ultimately came from a good place, it caused romantic problems between them, as Meerus felt that Clu was overreacting and felt increasingly caged in the CSF and Clu's private guards. Jana was able to contact Meerus and convince her that Clu had been the one in the wrong and had scorned her after cheating on Kalara, that Clu could not be trusted and was intensely jealous. Portraying herself as a friend seeking only to protect tother from Clu's avarice, Jana convinced Meerus to leave Clu and publically call him out for his behaviour.
As Jana had undoubtedly intended, this sudden betrayal caused a horrible scandal and wounded Clu deeply. The Senator dismissed his attache, though found Clu's services far too valuable to dismiss. Instead, he instructed Clu to do what Clu did best and make the scandal disappear into smoke.
Fighting a war is bad. But financing a war is just good business.
As the scandalous results of Jana's medelling died down, it was decided that it would be best for Clu to sink into the background for a while and begin to work behind the scenes. He continued to work for the senator and as the war began to heat up, his work took on an ever more martial aspect and began to increasingly involve communications with the Separatist cause. On several occasions, he even commanded battle droids or mercenaries for the Separatists, and on one occasion even advised a Republic officer. During this time, he even ended up becoming the close friend of the leader of a Trandoshan Hunting Guild, the Rockscale Clan, who sold their services as mercenaries.
He ordered in his own battle droids, and had them seperated from the CIS network of control, not trusting the Neimoidians or the Techno Union with his own security. By the time of the battle of Geonosis, Clu Zanith already had his own private army of B1 Battle droids, Trandoshan Mercenaries and even droidekas, and happily rented them out to any and every side in the conflict that proved willing to pay: Republic worlds, CIS worlds, Hutts, private corporate interests. All that mattered was that one would pay.
The introduction of the GAR closed one door and opened another; the Republic worlds no longer required such widespread assistance of mercenaries and while some on the edges of space continued to contract him for initial defence against CIS incursions, the contracts began to dry up as Clone Troopers were rushed to the front and began to garrison planets. The battle lines were drawn and it became increasingly clear that war was inevitable
But as some doors close, others began to open; armies require vast amounts of fuel and ships to carry them around, they require food and ammunition. And clones are expensive. So while this was occurring, he and the IGBC were playing banker to both the CIS and the Galactic Republic. Indeed, Clu Zanith was one of the many figures working in the background to pursuade, bribe and blackmail senators into voting for the deregulation of the Banking clans and loans, allowing the IGBC to hike the interest rates on loans to both factions up from 10% to an extortionate 25%. On the night that the Republic ordered another five million clone troopers, Clu Zanith was positively drunk on greed and in it for every credit he could squeeze out of the war.
While Mak Plain worked to secure the new rate with the Republic on Coruscant, Clu was sent to meet with the Sepatatists. Fear mongering about the Republics jingoism in the senate following the false flag attack on Coruscant infrastructure, Clu was able to force enough of those Separatists who were holding out on the hopes of peace to begrudgingly accept the new loans and order in millions more battle droids. Remarkably, the Inter Galactic Banking Clan was now bankrupting both the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Galactic Republic, intending to try and slave these two entities into a near perpetual stay eof debt and playing off of their fears of each other to prolong the conflict and encourage more borrowing.
Of course, publically he decried the war and found it a distasteful waste of sentient life. He even funded and attempted to head negotiations between the two sides. Deep inside, however, there was a black part of him that was glad the war was going on, and while one half of him was upset whenever peace talks fell through, the other half of him leapt for joy. War is a great time for business, not least because it is the time for the money lenders to sow seeds but also because the best time to buy new assets cheap is when there is blood flowing through the streets. Indeed, no sooner had a siege begin upon a planet than Clu Zanith would swoop in and buy up vast tracts of land, assets and real estate at discount prices from refugees, who could then afford to pay his transports to get them off world to safety. Then, once the war left the planet and moved elsewhere, property prices would rise quickly again and whatever survived the war would more than make back the cost of those which didn't.
As long as everyone was at war, everyone had to keep lending. As long as everyone was at war, everyone had to keep buying arms. As long as everyone was at war, they could be kept in debt in perpetuity. The sad thing about the banking trade was that the IGBC never wanted anyone to actually pay off their debt. Keeping the Republic and the CIS laden in debt was what kept them rich and powerful.
"25 percent is obscene, Muun!" The Neimoidian spat as Clu Zanith clasped his hands gently together, peering to the other members of the small Separatist Committee with a small smile. The Neimoidian was practically pink with fury, it didn't help that the large windows behind Clu cast his tall shadow over the committee. "Your previous rates sat at 10%."
"Ah, but that was before the galactic deregulation my friend. The old rates don't apply. The Republic are being presented with the exact same rate increase - and as you know, they are currently in a frenzy about that terrorist attack. They will accept it, and fund 5 million more clone troopers." Clu spoke calmly with a hypnotic voice and an amicable smile, placing the emphasis so as to accentuate the Republic threat. He could see the sudden wave of worry that overtook the Separatists at the thought of even more clone troopers coming for them. There was a murmuring from one of the delegates, before his friend next to him spoken up.
"That attack was not our doing! We have offered peace and assured the Republic that we had nothing to do with it!" A human senator protested. Clu looked at him with false sympathy, taking a step towards him and laying a hand gently on the man's shoulder
"My friend, they voted for the deregulation in a fit of nationalist rage so they could secure more credit. I have no doubt that the attack was a false flag, most likely by the highest echelons of the Republic Grand Army, or else by the Jedi Knights themselves, but the consequences stand. The Republic is sending more clone troopers for you." He said in a sympathetic tone, leaning in towards the Separatists and looking to them each in turn. His finality had clearly managed to convince them that the Republic were indeed coming. Good, their fear would allow him to push this through, even if right now they were not entirely forthcoming.
"We have been on time with all our debt payments to the Banking Clan, we have acquiesced to all your demands and deregulated you within our holdings as well, and now you present us with this outrageous ultimatum or else you will throw us to the Rancors?" A Gossam representative said, almost in disbelief as he shook his head from side to side, clasping a hand to his face.
"Don't look at it that way, this is just good business. If it were up to me, I'd give you a lower interest rate, but I'm afraid this is just out of my hands. The Republic is already preparing to sign this bill into law, you really don't have the time to delay." Clu said as he clasped his hands together before him, eyeing the Gossam up and down. The Banking Clan did only what it had agreed to, at the end of the day this was just good business.
"Blast you, Clu Zanith, blast you and your blasted Banking Clan. We accept your terms." The Lyakian said at last, seizing the stylus from the desk and scribbingly the signature onto the touch screen. of the data pad. Clu grinned eagerly as he did, brushing off the insuly and reaching for his holoterminal
"It is a pleasure to do business. Have a nice day, Senator Kaluss." Clu said with a poisoned sweetness, watching as several of the other delegates added their signatures to the bill and filled out the room one by one, wearing disgusted looks on their faces.
Clu grinned greedily as they did, this had been easier than he expected. The Republic and the Confederacy were so terrified of each other that it was child's play to convince them of the necessity of more soldiers and more equipment.
No soon had they left than Clu turned away from the door, clicked on the holoterminal and contacted San Tanuth. The ghostly blue figure flickered into existence on the holo terminal, sitting behind a large desk with his hands wrapped around a datapad.
"Have the Separatists accepted the new rate, Zanith?" The hologram of his mentor asked over the HoloNet, the distortion of the HoloNet compounding the nasaly voice. Clu adjusted the volume slightly to make it quieter as the Muun spoke, and when he finished, Clu nodded lightly, interlacing his fingers and leaning forwards towards his mentors hologram
"Indeed they have." Clu replied, pride rippling through his voice.
"Good, good... I will inform the others, we can use this to leverage the Republic into accepting the rate increase." San Tanuth's hologram moved to tap something into a data pad
"And the droids you said you'd secure for me?" Clu pushed with a small grin on his face; He knew that securing this rate hike would more than pay for the cost of the Cortosis weave battle droids, the true difficulty in acquiring them had been their exclusivity, with only one factory currently capable of producing these 'Jedi Killers' as they had become labeled.
"I promised you a squad, and you shall have a squad, unslaved from the CIS network as your requested. The Techno Union was unsettled by that request. It may take me a few weeks to get them to acquiesce. If they will not, I shall acquire the droids and explore alternates methods of decoupling them." San Tanuth said slowly, peering back at his close friend and ally.
They would make an excellent addition to his private army...
Its the nature of Empire's that they're built upon ashes and bone, and it's the nature of time that the new always ends the old.
He was present in the command room of a Separatist force during the events of Order 66, as its main commander had been sent to Mustafar instead. The sudden deactivation of most of the Separatist Droid army under that command took Clu and the organic separatists offguard and threw the other Separatists with him into a panic. His own personal battle droids, which included an expensive squadron of C-B3 battle droids that served as his body guards, remained active and he begrudgingly took command of what remained of the Separatist forces and tries to carve a path forwards.
All but one of the C-B3s was was destroyed in the ensuing battle as Clu held off an overwhelming horde of Imperial Clone Troopers while evacuating the planet. Amongst the evacuees he counted Nima Diakoyi, Padawan Learner to the missing and presumed dead Master Zaruc Kan. Having escapes from the troopers who had turned during Order 66, Nima Diakoyi formed an uneasy alliance with Clu and his small detachment of droids to get themselves and the remaining civilian personnel of both the Republic and the Separatists off of the planet and away from the Clone Troopers.
The ensuing battle had been notably swift. Dramatically outnumbered, the small force of battle droids didn't stand a chance against the overwhelming might of the Empire. The C-B3s faired better but without heavy support it was only a matter of time before the Imperial armour rolled over them. Still, with some clever planning and Nima's insights into the Clones plans and thinking, they were able to hold back the tide for long enough that they were able to evacuate. It was a desperate plan and its success was not entirely expected and not smooth (indeed, at one point Clu himself had to use a blaster rifle to help ward off a fireteam of Clone troopers who had somehow broke in through the outer ring of defences and tried to attack the transports directly)
Some of the transports were shot down by imperial fighters and the mostly inert Separatist fleet in orbit was no longer able to mount an effective resistance or provide strong fire support to the escaping ships. It did provide a screen for those ships once they made it close enough, however, allowing them cover for long enough to make the necessary calculations to escape from the system
Clu Zanith placed his fingers together lightly as he peered over the tactical screen from behind the chair, sighing heavily and pinching the bridge of his nose.
Why, oh why, had they left the Banker and some Neimoidian grubs in charge while they ran off to their little meeting on Mustafar? Insanity!
Still, the battle seemed to have come to standstill for now. It had been for some time, in fact, his job mostly comprised of sitting here watching a screen where nothing happened for vast periods of time, occasionally shuffling around a few droids. The enemy general, Jedi Master Zaruc Kan, had been content to allow the Separatists to smash up against the Republic positions like water upon Rock. Clu had not intent of bleeding droids in a pointless offensive like that, instead he had chosen to establish more defensive positions and hold the line. The Republic had made one counter offensive, that had been repulsed fairly quickly and hadn't attempted a new move since.
"Zanith, we've a transmission coming through from Mustafar." A Neimodian said as he peered away from the comms console. Probably the expected announcement of victory. Clu sat back and folded his arms, shrugging his shoulders to the Neimodian across the room.
"Let it play." Clu said, and the grub like alien danced it's fingers over the terminal with the grave and deliberation of a sleepwalker. Clu turned his attention towards the holoterminal, expecting a message to play.
Instead, he heard a series of sudden clanks beside him, a dreadful, echoing racket. Clu shot up out of his seat like a bullet, turning to see most of the droids in the room had simply doubled over and collapsed.
"It's - the shutdown signal." The Neimodian said with wide eyes, standing from his seat. Clu glared at him out of the corner of his vision.
"Congratulations, General Obvious. Bring them back on line, we're not done here." Clu clenched his fists tightly as he advanced towards the large window of the spire, peering down to the rows of deactivated droids below, frantic tapping coming from behind him.
"I can't! It's the master signal!"
"Whose bright idea was that?!" Clu said in exasperation, reaching for his holocommunicator and activating it.
A droid appeared on the other end, scratching its metal head with one hand. OOM A-75, one of the droids from his own personnel contingent. It was fortunate to see, at least, that his demand they have all CIS controls stripped out of them had been complied with.
"Master, the CIS droids appeared to have shut down. The Clones haven't made a move yet but we've got confirmed reports of rifle fire."
"I Know, '75. Fall all your droids back to the citadel, I'll be sending you defensive positions."
"Roger Roger." The Droid said as the ghostly blue hologram disappeared. Clu turned back towards the Neimodian, glowering at him.
"Can you contact Mustafar?" The Muun demanded
"I'm trying, they're not responding, I-"
"Incoming targets!" Another voice called from across the room and Clu turned his attention towards the window again, seeing a pair of LAAT gunships flying directly towards them. He widened his eyes.
"Downstairs! Now!" He yelled as he turned and sprinted towards the turbo lift at the back of the room, throwing himself inside it and hitting the button swiftly. The doors closed behind him and a pair of Neimoidians, and the foundations of the building shook with explosions as they descended.
"We should have taken the stairs!" Insisted one of the Neimoidians. Clu knew he was right, but he wasn't about to admit it right now, just hope that the damn elevator held.
The rumbling stopped although there was the defeating sound of explosions, and as the door flew open Clu darted out from it as quickly as he could, skidding to a halt in the courtyard. The smouldering ruin of an LAAT lay some ten meters away, and the other gunships appeared to be backing off.
"They are retreating?" One of the trio asked in surprised. They had more than enough firepower to wipe out the citadel, clearly the loss of one of their LAATs had spooked them. Clu's eyes widened slightly in sudden realisation
"They weren't expecting us to have any droids active. They knew what had happened almost as quickly as we did. That's not possible unless... The Separatist Council is dead. Get the shuttles prepped for take off. We are not dying on this forsaken rock." He concluded with a disbelieving shake of his head, ripping out his holocron again...
***
Clu stood upon the parapet beside A-75, looking through the binoculars into the distance. There was definitely the sound of blaster fire, and flashes of light from within the Republic camp.
He furrowed his brow in confusion - then narrowed them again as he saw a mass make its way onto the road. He immediately feared clone troopers, but as he watched the blob make its way forward, he realised that it was a mass mostly of civilians and locla resistance fighters. They were heavily armed... And they were making their way towards the citadel.
"A-75, do we have any artillery left?"
"I have two droids manning a CIS AAT we spliced into."
"An AAT... Have it brought up to the gate, if that mob makes it to our gates, they're going to overrun with numbers alo- Wait" Clu paused and adjusted the settings on the binoculars as he saw a flash of blaster fire; Suddenly the column broke into a panic, rushing out alone the road as the resistance traded fire with Clone scout troopers. He saw the flash of a lightsabre. "Get out AAT out there now, and whatever STAPs we have."
"Uh, sir, even with an AAT we don't have the numbers to take all that in an offensive."
"We're not. We're going to help them with those speeders." Clu said as he lowered his binoculars and turned his attention towards A-75 "Deploy the strike force, lend what assistance you can. Help them get to our gets.
"Rodger Rodger." The OOM droid reported as it clamboured down from the parapet and signalled to the forces.
"This is a not a good idea." The Neimoidian objected again.
"We need time to get those transports fueled. That means we need to hold the line. Since most of our army has decided to take a nap, that means we need people. They either help or kill us, given our alternative, if you can call it that, is to be overrun with clone troopers, I'm willing to take that chance." Clu explained irritably, raising the binoculars again and peering out as he watched a Republic TX-130 roll into position and begin to open fire onto the ground.
The AAT went forth, supported by half a squadron of STAPs. It was a pathetic response, but fortunately the Clones didn't seem to have a full force chasing down this mob. Yet. There was the sight of more blaster fire as the CIS forces joined the freu on the side of the Mob, and with the heavy fire power to take down the TX-130, the tide began to change. The mob made its way down the road quickly towards the gate and Clu signalled for his droids to take up defensive positions along the wall, ready to fight if the mob tried to break its way in.
"Open this gate! We've got civilians, we need to get out of here now." A soft and effeminate voice called up to him from the head of the mob. He peered down to a Twi'lek who looked up to him with a stern face. It was an understandable reaction considering that just hours before they'd have been blasting each other on sight
"And just who are you?" Clu asked with a raised brow.
"Nima Diakoyi, Padawan to Master Zaruc Kan." The Jedi replied in a somewhat irritated tone. Again understandable givnw that his tone had been rather short as well.
"Jedi! This must be some kind of trick." The Neimoidian insisted. Clu looked up to the bodies strewn on the road for a moment and immediately dismissed that idea.
"I'll let you in, but our ships aren't fuelled. Most of our army is out of commission... We need to hold the line here. A-75, open the gate." Clu instructed. The Jedi nodded and turned back towards the crowd
"Everyone inside, now!"
***
The Clones had backed off temporarily after they'd been struck at the road, and it became apparent that it was a small force sent to harass the mob. He wasn't sure how much respite they had.
"I need to get back out there." Nima said to him as he stood atop the parapet again, watching the horizon.
"If you do, you're dead." Clu stated matter of factly, turning his vision towards her "Your master stayed behind, didn't he? That's what the clones are dealing with?"
Nima nodded simply, clutching her light sabre tightly in her hand
"He told me to get these people to safety. Off the planet. The only way left to do that now the Clones torched our ships was your shipyards." The Jedi explained somewhat absent mindedly, it was clear her thoughts were elsewhere.
"I don't suppose he thought we might not be inclined to share..." Clu commented wryly
"If I go now-" The Jedi began
"They'll kill you. Even if your master survives, he expected you to protect these people. They're not safe yet. We're going to need every hand we get on station to hold this place." Clu cut her off almost immediately with a firm shake of his head, turning towards her
"Master Zaruc will keep them busy for a now... How long do we need?" She asked weakly, still looking out over the horizon.
"Six hours. The clones will start their offensive soon, whether they've dealt with your master or not. They know every second they wait is another second we've got to prepare." Clu explained as he looked out towards the horizon "Are your people in defensive positions?"
"We only have a few fighters, four dozen maybe, but yes." The Jedi said with a heavy sigh, reaching up and grasping the bridge of her nose between two fingers.
"There were hundreds of people in that column." Clu murmered as he peered back into the citadel courtyard, seeing the huddled mass of refugees. There grown men and women among them.
"Most are civilians." Nima objected almost immediately, turning to face him. "We can't ask them to fight."
"They'll be dead civilians if they don't help us fight back." Clu replied as he clasped his hands in front of him. "We have hundreds of E-5 blasters lying around now. Arm everyone you can."
"Maybe they can help with the transports instead... The young at least." The Jedi replied after a moments consideration, sighing heavily.
"Of course. Now I won't lie to you; in all probability, many of the people here will not survive." Clu said, looking to the courtyard again. He guessed at least a quarter would die in the ensuing fighting
"I know. I've-" She suddenly stopped and her face grew dark for a moment as she bowed her head lightly. "I think my master..."
"I am sorry for your loss." Clu said, allowing her but a moment before he continued to speak "We will mourn the dead later, for now that-"
"That means they'll be coming." The Jedi looked up to him, a determined look on her face. Clu gave a weak nod of agreement and raised the binoculars again to the horizon. "We'll be ready."
***
Sure enough, less than half an hour the first wave of Clone troopers arrived. Clu and Nima had devised a plan to hold down the fortress consisting of three layers of defenses that they would slowly abandon over the course of several hours. At the Jedi's insistence, Clu's Battle Droids would always be the last to fall back, after the organics.
Given that he valued his own skin more than his droids, Clu complied.
The information the resistance refugees and the Jedi Padawan had brought about the GAR composition was useful for plotting the defence. Clu had his droids set mines along main road and they'd done what they could to bring as many AATs online, knowing they'd need the fire power to fight back the Republic TX-130s
The LAAT gunships were another matter all together. Clu's Cortosis battle droids, given they were armed with powerful and accurate double laser cannons, assisted by two manned Anti-Aircraft emplacements, became tasked with shooting them down.
He looked over the makeshift tactical module with the Jedi beside him, rubbing at his chin. Everything seemed to be holding, for now, but the first wave of clones was but a fraction of their main force. They were probing the defences, and Clu knew it.
"They want to know what we have." He murmered.
"Then we can't show them. Have your Cortosis droids hold their fire." Nima said as she folded her arms and looked at him. He furrowed his brow for a moment.
"No, we should out on a display of overwhelming force... It might delay their next attack." Clu countered as he linked his hands together "We can't hope to beat them, just hold off long enough to get out transport into the air."
"But the LAATs are going to be our main problem. They can bypass our defences, and even worse, they can take our transports down in the air. If we bait them in now and then shoot them down..." Nima explained as she pulled back the cloth of the tent and pointed to the horizon, blasters hopelessly engaging an LAAT.
"We might clip their wings and force them to withdraw. Not bad, Jedi." Clu replied as he reaches for his data pad and hit a series of commands into it. He paused for a moment and grinned, hitting another command and causing the C-B3s to enter a dormant state temporarily.
"What happened?"
"I've made them go dormant. I cna awaken them again quick enough, this will hide their presence from the Clones." Clu replied with a triumphant smile on his face. "Now we wait and hope they take the bait..."
"And that our people don't panic. I should amongst them, I can keep them steady." Nima replied a she grabbed her Lightsabre form her side. Clu looked at he mf hesitantly, realising that he was personally at his safest whole she was here in the command tent, but that the front really might crumble from morale problems if she didn't turn up.
"Watch for Sharpshooters." He warned, she gave a brief nod and disappeared out towards the walls, quickly sprinting across the courtyard faster than he would have deemed possible.
"This is getting out hand, now we are working with Jedi."
Clu ignored the comment and circled the command terminal, waiting for the LAATs to show up and keeping his hand wrapped firmly around his data pad.
Come on...
Come on...
There!
A dozen LAAT gunships diverged in their location suddenly, opening fire upon the droids and resistance fighters on the walls. Clu hit several buttons on the data pad, awakening the dormant C-B3s to join the fray. Sure enough, the sudden addition of powerful laser cannons firing upon the LAATs brought several down in flames. Clu watched as two crashed into each other as they desperately tried to avoid the sudden influx of enemy fire.
The remaining LAATs pivoted and beg a acquiring targets, trying to return fire. Clu watched in pain as he saw tow of his Cortosis battle droids be wiped out by heavy blaster cannons, but took pride in the focused fire of the remaining droids. Another pair of LAATs fell from the sky, and the gunships began to withdraw from the battle.
Clu watched the tactical display with interest; The gunships had withdrawn and suffered heavy losses, but not before one of the AA guns and two of the three AATs they had managed to get online had been wiped out. Trading fire with the TX-130s was going to become a losing with just the Cortosis droids for heavy weapons support.
***
By the third hour, they had fallen back to second line of defences, set up around the damaged citadel spire. Mines had been lain down within the courtyard, enough in number to make it difficult for any of the TX-130s to enter. This evened the field somewhat, but the Clone infantry were both numerous and ultimately superior.
That said, while they could scale the walls from the far side, far more would be forced to enter through the gate. To make matters worse the citadel had been designed for exactly this eventually; there was very little on the inner side of the walls, which meant that clone trooper would have to push into the courtyard to secure good cover amongst the ruins of the LAATs and the AATs. The watch towers on the wall had been detonated when they fell back to deny them to the Clone troopers.
"Sep!" The Jedi's voice came thundering towards him, and Clu turned from the holo terminal to peer towards her. "I thought we agreed the civilians could be evacuated first?!"
"What are you talking about?" Clu asked in confusion, looking back towards the holoterminal.
"Nute Gamander and the other Neimoidian, they have taken the first transport loaded up with themselves and what few droids they still had, and most of the fuel too..." Nima clarified and Clu blinked for a moment in disbelief.
"They did what?! Greedy Womp Rats!" Clu bellowed; all pretense of Muun reservedness had now gone out the window under the stress of battle and the unexpected double cross
"You're honestly telling me you had no idea about this?" Nima asked, her lightsabre still thrumming dangerously in her hand. Clu didn't expect the Jedi would use it on him, that wasn't the Jedi was after all, but right now it certainly didn't make him feel anymore comfortable.
"I don't break my agreements. How much fuel do we have left?" Clu said with a heavy sigh, his voice laced with frustration and shaking his head in annoyance
"We can fuel maybe half the transports..." Nima began, looking back out to the battle and then back to him.
"That's not going to be enough now..." Clu paused fot a moment, having a sudden realisation of where this conversation was about to go.
"Your droids are going to have to stay behind." The Jedi replied. Clu felt like he had been punched in the gut; He'd been hoping to make it off world with at least some of his droids, maybe even manage to snatch one of the CIS AATs whole they were at it. Now that seemed impossible.
But- some of these droids are very expensive... Oh if I ever see those Neimoidian slimes again... This time I will see to it personally. " Clu clenched his fist and slammed it down into the holoterminal
"Oh no you don't. You're staying here, and one of the resistance officers is handling the refuelling." The Jedi knight thrust a blaster rifle into Clu's hand impatiently.
"But- I'm a civilian!" Clu stammered as he fumbled aimlessly with the rifle. Was she intending to make him fight?! He was a banker, not a soldier! By all rights, he shouldn't even be here!
"No buts, your people just put us in this men and changed out agreement, you and me aren't leaving until everyone else has, so you're going to need that before we're done." The Jedi's tone, and the fact that they left the tent immediately after, made it quite clear that this was not open to debate.
Clu swallowed and turned his attention back towards the holo terminal, trying to keep his mind focused and push the fact that he was now going to be one of the last ones out.
Why did nobody in this galaxy keep their contracts?!
***
"Last one out, get the lights!" One of the fighters called back as they dashed towards the ship and scrambled on board. Clu hurried towards the landing pads as the remaining transports began to take off, running halfway up the lamp and turning to face over the battle field.
There remained only droids and clones now, the resistance had fled onto the ships and taken to the skies. Clu gave a pained luck to his droids as he despaired at the thought of leaving them all behind.
Well, all except the two droids who still flanked him: B-22 and B-27, the two surviving Cortosis weave Battle Droids. Those two he wasn't going to let be squandered.
"Where the blast is that Jedi?" One of the resistance soldiers asked, receiving a shushing from his officer who reached up to his commlink and spoke into it..
"General Diakoyi, where are you? Very good ma'am. We're ready to take off."
No more than a minute later, the Jedi's Lightsabre emerged again, a flash of turquoise in the crowd as she rushed around the corner towards the landing pad.
In hot pursuit however was a squad of four clone troopers... His Cortosis battle droids opened fire upon them, forcing them into cover, but Nima was forced to turn and defend herself, backing away and deflecting a rush of bullets.
With a blast of force energy, Nima sent two of the clones flying back into the frey, but Clu could already see his compatriots preparing to fire. The Jedi ducked down behind a block of concrete, pinned by the blaster fire as another trio of clones arrived to support their comrades.
There was no way she was going to be able to make it under that much pressure. Clu could hear the argument over the comms net as she told the ship to take off, only for the resistance to delay and trade fire. There was no way they were going to abandon her, and this wasn't going anywhere.
Clu raised his own blaster and took several shots, most of them went horribly wide from his complete lack of combat training and experience. He advanced down from the platform with a shaky resolve, still flanked by his powerful C-B3, B-27, which began to push ahead as B-22 remained stationary aboard the ship, firing off blast after blast of laser cannons to devestating effect: one of the walls that sectioned off the courtyard from the landing pads was blasted out of existence, a pair of clone troopers flying several meters before landing dead on the floor.
The explosion revealed more of the fighting between the droids and clones, however, and another squadron of clones broke off to push towards the landing pad.
The C-B3 and Clu Zanith pushed out from the landing pad, covered by the Rebel militia who took defensive positions, and lay fire down upon the Imperial Clone Troopers.
"Jedi! Come on!" Clu called out as he fired off a burst of blaster rounds at one of the Clone troopers, who ducked his head back down behind what was left of the wall
The Jedi didn't need to be told twice; She elapt over the barrier and bounded towards the starships with a speed and grace Clu would have considered impossible for her build.
Clu's amazement was cut short, however, for an anti-tank rocket flew through the air and smashed into B-27 who was just a few feet away, causing a defeating explosion.
His life flashed before his eyes as the fiery explosion threw him through the air like a ragdoll, sending him smashing to the ground two meters away. Every part of his body screamed with pain and his ears rang from the explosion. He tried to stand, but he was too dizzy and collapsed back down before he'd even made it to his knees.
Then he felt himself ripped violently through the air again suddenly, screaming out and clattering in a heap on the metallic floor, coughing up a small amount of blood and peering up.
He couldn't hear a word that was being said, but could tell the Jedi was trying to speak to him from the movement of her lips. If he wasn't seeing six of her, he might even had been able to make out what she was saying.
He opened his mouth and told her that he could not hear her, that his ears were still ringing. At least, that's what he tried to tell her. He couldn't even tell if that's what came out. She nodded and gave him a reassuringly smile, so he got the feeling that she at least somewhat understood what he meant.
Nima and one of the resistance militia helped him sit up, propping him in one of the seats and kneeling to examine him...
It was then that Clu finally realised that the ship had already taken off...
***
"Okay there. Can you hear me, Sep?" Clu heard Nima's voice at last, and the sensation of suddenly being able to hear what was going on after thirty minutes of quite literally deafening silence overwhelmed him a little.
"I can..." He managed, giving a weak smile and breathing heavily. "The clones, they-?"
"They're following us, yes. We lost some of the other freighters. We've managed to give their Arc-170s the slip for now by going dark in the half disabled remains of your fleet. We'll have hyperspace coordinates locked in soon. Without an astromech, we've been struggling with the calculations but we're almost there-"
"Help me get to the cockpit." Clu said suddenly, standing up-and almost immediately falling over as pain shot through his leg again.
He lurched over, collapsing against Nima and clutching his leg as he let out a very unmanly scream of pain. Broken. He'd forgotten about that.
"You're not gonna tell me you're part droid now, right?" Nima said jokingly, helping him along the ship. He appreciated her not calling attention to his injury.
"I wish. My heads still ringing but... I've always been good with maths. I can't do it as fast as an astromech but I think I can help finalise them."
"I'm sure the help of a Muun will speed things along." Nima said as the door slid open; She helped Clu towards one of the seats, and he slipped down on it and peered to the pilot and copilot, before looking to the formula on the screen with a heavy sigh
"Alright... Let's see what we can do." Clu said, causing one of the Pilots to sigh as he handed a datapad to Clu.
"We're trying to-" The Pilot began, then suddenly got cut off as an explosion caught their vision out the cockpit window and the ship lurched with recoil.
There was a moment of uncertain chattering, before there was the distant site of a turbo laser smacking into another ship, ripping it in two.
One of the blue holograms fizzled out.
"They're done searching, they're just going to start shooting everything here..." One of the holograms said, causing the co-pilot next to Clu to throw his datapad aside in frustration, the plasteel casing splitting in two as it bounced off the wall.
"That's going to be it then. Game over. We lose." He growled, gnashing his teeth together so hard Clu thought they were going to break.
"It's not over yet, everyone calm down and stay focused. " Nima said in a reassuring tone. If there was one thing Clu did have to say for the Jedi, it was that they weren't lacking for leadership abilities.
Clu leant forward and peered over the console, his eyes dancing over the digits and symbols. His head was still aching and he had to keep double checking everything he did - he must have gotten a concussion when the explosion went off. With some difficulty, he kept trying to process the numbers, tapping information down on the datapad as the ships tried to collaborate to work out a solution.
"Is there anything we can do with these ships, Sep?" The Jedi asked him, peering out over the deactivated Droid fleet. Clu gave a forlorn smile; If there was, he'd have done it already.
"I have a name, you know. And I don't think so; the master signal has shut down everything and we don't have local overrides, we can't even activate the hanger doors to get ourselves in, let alone make them dor anything useful." Clu replied with a weary shake of his head, looking back to the figures in the screen.
"A master shutdown signal? Whose bright idea was that?" Nima asked dryly. Clu noted the irony of having his own words echoed back to him. He wished he had the answer. He'd have B-22 wring their neck.
By the time they had worked the hyperspace calculations out, several more of the blue holograms had gone out. Their own ship had gotten a close call, when the Clone fleet had targeted an abandoned freighter nearby to them.
"When we go warm, we're going to stand out like a sore thumb." One of the pilots commented as he began to enter the finished calculations into the ship and prepared to turn its engines back online
"I estimate we'll lose another four of our remaining 17 to Republic fire before we leap out of the system." Clu commented with a weak smile.
"So we've got about, what a, quarter chance of being shot down? That's not so bad." The Pilot said optimistically, finishing entering the coordinates and nodding to the co-pilot
"Twenty three point five percent. But those are not our odds specifically; Given our position and that we're one of the closer ships to that clone cruiser, I am guessing we've got more along the lines of a forty eight percent chance of being blasted." Clu commented with a weak smile. He found some dark humour in the correction here, even th ough he realised it wasn't going to be appreciated.
"Gee, thanks." The co-pilot replied, flipping several switches. They were going to divert all power to the engines - this ships shields wouldn't have taken a turbo laser hit from the Cruiser even if they'd put all power to it.
"It's better odds than we had a minute ago." Nima quipped as the engines came back on line, simultaneously with many of the other transports.
The ship lurched forwards and Clu held his breath, biting down hard on his lip.
As predicted, the guns opened fire almost immediately. Dead ahead of them, one of the transports was gutted through by a turbo laser battery, explosions rippling along its surface. A shot went just wide of their own transport, flying past in front of them and making Clu's heart leap into his throat.
The tell tale blue-white light of hyperspace began to appear around the front of the ship. When they finally leapt into the hyperspace tunnel, everyone in the cockpit and quite possibly in the entire freighter let out a collective sigh of relief.
Then they laughed, whooping and hollering with glee. The pilot clapped his copilot on the back and the two of them chuckled to each other. They'd made it out alive, despite all the odds!
Clu paused. Then he grinned.
"So, would anyone like me to work out the probability of a hyperspace collision based on us using such slap dash calculations?"
Clu, sometimes I can't even tell if you're a good guy or a bad guy. Do you help people because you know you should, or just because that means they'll owe you later?
Clu Zanith had sacrificed most of his special C-B3 battle droids in the escape attempts, and much of his private army was destroyed. Nima Diakoyi and Clu Zanith uneasy alliance continued in the immediate aftermath of Order 66 and the Rise of the Empire. Nima initially intended to return to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, but soon it became apparent that the betrayal of the Clone Army was universal and the Rise of the Empire near uncontested.
Separatist holdouts remained across the galaxy for some two years after the rise of the Empire, but none possessed significant enough power to push back against the Imperials. They hoped at best to be dangerous enough opponents to be left alone, a goal Nima and Clu both agreed was ultimately hopeless after much discussion.
With Clu's assistance and contacts, and in a very uneasy alliance with former Separatists and the scum of the criminal underworld, they acquired false identification for Nima and hid her within the outer rim.
Clu's connections with the IGBC and the Galactic Senate saved him from imperial persecution, and Nima relies on that to help her contact and engage with the fledgling rebellion.
Clu found this to be a beneficial business arrangement; the Rebellion needed information, arms, equipment, false identities, safe houses. They were seemingly endless customers, and although not always the richest, they were good on their word and in the long run he would always get the payment he was promised and protection from danger.
He left the Senate staff for good shortly there after, seeing it as an increasingly neutered and worthless institution. Money follows power, and power now lay with the Moffs. Despite his connections to the Rebellion and the Criminal underworld, Clu defaulted back to his roots of playing both sides. His profiteering ways were kept somewhat in check by Nima, who had now grown very close to him. Ultimately, the information he passed along from the Moffs most likely hurt the Empire more than his assistance aided them during this period, and the contacts he forged within the Empire continued to allow him to act freely in the galaxy.
He was able to slip almost anything he wanted through customs and make all but the most horrendous of bounties disappear through the cracks. Faked deaths and new identities were common bread and butter, sneaking the rebellions operatives through the system and allowing them to continue unabashed. He even smuggled Jedi away to safety, helping them find their way to safe havens such as the planet of Naboo, whom he provided with arms and equipment. Smuggling Jedi and arming a planet proved to be lucrative eon terms of both credits and powerful friends.
To ensure that this operation continued without a hitch, however, it required keeping the Inquisitors and the Empire off of the trail of these Jedi. His most proud moment in this period was sending an Inquisitor running around chasing his own tial for three months straight by planting false information and letting the Inquisitor follow his own scent through the outer rim. He'd found that to be quite the thrill, until eventually he had to have the man ambushed and killed when it was becoming too much of a nuisance to keep ensnaring him in a Web. He chose the place of the assassination well, and had the Inquisitors wasting their time investigating Bothawui for the next few weeks until they finally realised they'd been tricked.
All of this eventually culminated in the first armed rebellion against the Empire on Naboo, which was promptly and expectantly crushed by the 501st legion. Clu, who predicted that the chances of success for the uprising were slim but correctly predicting it was an inevitability, cut all ties in the run up to the rebellion and insulated himself from potential investigation by burying as much evidence of his involvement as he could.
It wouldn't be the first time Clu had been involved in such armed rebellions, and it wouldn't be the last; As regime changes by the Empire became increasingly prevelant across the galaxy, Clu's assistance became increasingly sought after by rich fugitives and by those seeking to arm themselves for defense, and smuggled food into blockaded planets or rescued slaves from the Empire, whether he did so for free or otherwise. On the side he profiteered as he always had. He and Nima found many a holocron together during their travels and acquisitions, and despite her lingering disapproval, he at first sold on great quantities of these to a Hutt collector from Nar Shaddaa. Eventually, she forced him to agree to leave the holocrons to herself and he begrudgingly complied.
Nima and Clu became something of an influence upon each other; she pulled him ever more towards more altruistic deeds, but the devestation of the Order 66 had taken its toll on her bit by bit she was forced to abandon the teachings of the Jedi order in the hopes of survival. Although Clu remained a scoundrel businessman of the most slimey degree, Nima came to see her ally in a more positive light as time drew on. How much of this was truly change within Clu's behaviour and how much was little more than a perception filter is difficult to say for certain.
"A sense a question on your mind. Ask it." Nima said, stopping at the top of the ridge and peering back down to him with a light smile. The sun rose behind her and the warmth of the morning washed over Clu's skin as he came to a halt.
"Can you please stop reading my mind?" Clu asked in exasperation, throwing his hands up for a moment. The very concept of people being able to infer what he was thinking unnerved him, he liked to be reading others and in control, not the other way around.
"I told you, it doesn't work like that. What is your question?" Nima asked again, not dropping it and folding her arms softly in front of her. Clu sighed lightly before replying.
"What is the force, exactly? You said before, it resides in all of us. Why do so few of us have this power if its inside all of us?" Clu asked in a slightly puzzled voice, stepping up a pace towards her. The Jedi had always been mysterious, and their teachings as opaque and cryptic as their order.
"The Force is not a power you have. It's not about lightening or pushing or anything like that. It's the energy field between all things in the galaxy, a field that binds all life together. Using the force is about feeling that bond." Nima explained, her hand waving idly in the air as she spoke. Clu furrowed his brow lightly, shifting un place. That was less cryptic at least, fairly straight forward even, for a Jedi.
"I see... You didn't answer my second question." He noted, causing Nima to pause for a moment and grown.
"Its... Not one I can answer. The way the force works is a mystery even to the Jedi; force sensitivity comes from a high count of midichlorians. You're a Muun, your species have a baseline of about two thousand. I could get your count specifically if I had one of our tools; it might make a fun piece of trivia for you, given you enjoy boasting about your grades so much." Nima teased, giving him a cheeky smirk.
" Very funny, at least you'd beat me in something." Clu retorted with an equally jovial grin.
"I'll beat you in Dejarik yet, you get over confident and you don't hide your emotions even half as you think you do. Whenever I'm making the move you want, I can feel your anticipation... That, and the corner of your mouth twitches ever so slightly." Nima said in amusement as she folded her arms back across her chest again, raising a brow and grinning. Was his tell really that obvious? Or was it her force powers letting her do that? He'd have to work on it either way, or perhaps she really would beat him.
"Yet- I keep beating you, turns out I'm better at predicting things than the Jedi." Clu stated, folding his arms and meeting her eyes
"Oh, but was that gentle quiver in your voice a moment of doubt?" She said, needling him lightly before continuing "As much as it pains me to feed into your hubris, you've got a brain that might as well be a droid processor, so it's not surprising you can calculate the outcomes of a game with finite moves."
Clu chuckled a little bit. They'd both been so full of themselves going into the first game while waiting for the astromech to finish repairs on the engines when they were adrift a few lightyears from Manaan. She had predicted him well- or perhaps foresaw what he had been intending to do, as she put it the force could guide her through it - but Clu had managed to trick her into letting herself get forked and take the upper hand.
"Awh, I'm touched. But yes, I suppose there is a small difference between that and predicting the future. Anyway, that sounds like an answer, though. I don't have enough of these... Midichlorians." Clu said, steering their conversation back into topic. Nima gave a light shake of her head in response to his comment on the Midichlorians.
"Yes. And no. Midichlorians doesn't directly correlate to force power, a Jedi's connection to the force comes from meditation and understanding, so some would say its merely an indicator of your natural attunement. Some would even speculate that anyone could take up the force, that everyone could tap into it if they took the time and worked hard enough and disciplined their mind. Others say Midichlorians dictate the presence, that they generate the energy, and you either had them or you don't." Nima replied with some uncertainty. Evidently the connection between the two was not well understood even by the Jedi, which left him at something of a loss as to how it would work. If the latter was true, which would certainly make sense from a biological perspective, then surely introducing more midichlorians would either induce the capacity to use the force or otherwise enhance the capabilities of a Jedi...
"So what if one was to artificially raise the level of midichlorians?" Clu reached up and stroked his chin lightly, and Nima winced for a moment.
"Leave it to you to jump to the scientific solution and start looking for unnatural loop holes... You're already thinking about it all wrong; The Midichlorians are not the force. And before you get any bright ideas about dosing someone up on midichlorians just to see, without any mental discipline or training, to suddenly sense the force? It would drive the person mad, I think. Imagine being connected to everything, even for a moment, feeling the pain of others, the joy?" Nima said, biting her lip for a moment. Clearly, the very idea of artificially generating force users was troubling to her, and he could arguably see why if her thoughts were correct. The last thing you wanted was for a mad army of force welding maniacs to be running around doing whatever they pleased.
Then again, the Sith were already doing that.
"I'm insulted you think I'd even consider that." Clu tried to make light of the situation, but Nima had apparently become more serious and wasn't having any of it.
"You know that isn't what I meant. You're practically wired up to think of this all as just another mathematical equation or formula that you can manipulate or solve. You're thinking of it as if A equalled B, where A is Midichlorians and B is force power. But it just isn't that simple. It's not even as simple as midichlorians plus training equals force power. Let go of your preconceptions for a moment and just imagine the connection." Nima urged him gently, smiling warmly.
"I don't think I could ever imagine how that feels." Clu admitted. Nima paused for a moment, thinking.
"Do you remember being a child? The first time they tell you other people have feelings too, and you just can’t quite believe it because you can't feel their feelings and you just can't quite think how they think? I can feel it." Nima took a step forward and reached out, gently placing her hand on to Clu's and wrapped her fingers around his. He gasped for a moment as he felt something... Something he couldn't even try to explain. It was like--like he wasn't in his body. He was feeling things that weren't his own.
Nima didn't speak, quite, but her heard her in his head.
Do you feel the flight of the bird? How it feels as it soars overhead, peering down at us?
He did. He felt it, rushing through the air in exhilaration as it dove. He felt something else too, hunger; it 2as searching for a meal.
And somewhere nearby a man dies in an alley, drunk and alone...
He felt that too. The pain. A disturbance. It rippled through the bond like a wave and he could feel the emptiness, the sorrow.
While a baby takes its first breath...
So much potential. His family were gathered, laughing. A woman, coming out of labour, wept tears of joy. Excitement, eagerness, the child a mix of confusion and fear as it took its first steps in a vast galaxy.
A child buries his mother...
The sorrow and the pain again. Cutting through his heart like a knife. But also solemness, a farewell, remembrance.
All of that. We're all connected, our emotions, our lives, all of us hurtling through space, clinging desperately to rocks or ships... every last one of us is connected.
And we can feel it.
They could... And it was beautiful, enlightening and fantastic... And in equal measure crushing, overwhelming, and terrifying.
"That’s the force." Nima said as she released her grasp and took a step away from him. Clu gasped, blinking several times and stumbling backwards down the hill, recoiling in shock but barely managing to keep his footing as that sensation was yanked away from him and everything went back to... Normal. Yes. Normal.
It had felt like- how he imagined seeing for the first time would be like, after a lifetime of living in darkness. The light would no longer be a comfort, it would just be blinding.
Maddening, even.
"How do you take it?" He said at last, looking up to her weakly. It felt like it would be overwhelming, to feel those around you night and day, to sense their emotions and the connections between everything.
"A lifetime has made me used to it, like any other sense, as well as discipline and meditation. Ask yourself, how do you take having a sense of pain? How do people build tolerance for it? How do you understand it?" Nima replied, drawing her hand back and letting it fall to her side. Clu understood well enough her meaning, or at least he thought he understood what she meant. But that was different.
"But that... I don't know whether to pity you or envy you." He said again, regaining his breath and composure and taking a few steps back up the hill.
"Don't." Nima replied simply, a single line but poignant word, as she signalled for the droid to bringing the cart with the two crates attached to it up the hill, turning her back on him and continuing up the hill "Come on, we're almost there. I answered your question, it's my turn to ask..."
Only you could get kidnapped by Hutts and come out richer for it.
This necessitated ever deeper links to the criminal underworld, including to organisations like the Hutt Cartels and the Black Sun Pirates. Rarely getting his hands personally dirty, Clu's network grew more and more complex as the Empire consolidated its power. The IGBC, its capital of Muunilinst devestated by the end of the Clone Wars, required many of its loans to be called in and Clu ended up heading up debt collection operations across the galaxy, hiring teams of mercenaries and sending battle droids to reclaim from less cooperative targets.
The Empire had nationalised many of the former powers within the CIS, included bodies such as the Techno-Union. This resulted in a plethora of unemployed engineers and low ranking employees being released into the market, dramatically lowering labour costs for start ups. He soon became invested in the creation of arms and ships, selling them on to the criminal underworld, to the Rebellion and even the Moffs.
While business boomed in the underworld, it proved an even mroe dangerous section to navigate than right under the Empire's nose. He had sold a Frigate to the Pirate Captain Angos Lightwater, and when that Pirate turned out to have more balls than sense and raided the Hutt Cartel, Ganun the Hutt turned upon his former supplier and sent bounty hunters after Clu.
Abducted and brought to the Palace of the Crime Lord on Saleucami, word soon reached Nima who assembled a small group of Trandoshan Mercenaries from the Rockscale Clan and traveled to Saleucami to rescue Clu Zanith. Having feared that Clu might be tortured into giving up information on the Rebellion or else outright murdered, Nima arrived on Saleucami expecting that she would have to fight her way through half of the Palace to get to him, only to find that instead Clu Zanith was being treated as an honoured guest.
Incredibly, while the Hutt had been intending on killing Clu as an example to those who would sell to his enemies, the Muun had managed to convince him that, not only was he more valuable alive, but that the Hutt would gain a lot more by working with him as an associate rather than by enslaving him. Clu then orchestrated a completely fabricated conspiracy where he conspired with a disgruntled lieutenant to 'expose' a conspiracy to assassinate and replace Ganun by his Rodian Majordomo. In reality, the Majordomo had been absolutely loyal to the core, but so damming were Clu and the Lieutenant able to make their accusation that the Hutt practically executed the majordomo and his 'conspirators' on the spot.
Having won the thanks of the Hutt and the newly ordained Majordomo's favour, Clu was able to have himself moved to more luxurious accommodation and treated as though he were royalty, and had subsequently gone on to secure a shipment of valuable spices for the Hutt from across the galaxly and delivered it to the Hutt in exchange for his freedom. So pleased with this turn of events was the Hutt that he placed a generous down-payment on a second shipment, and so Clu was able to walk out of the Palace with Nima and the Trandoshans clutching a large stack of credits and with a huge, shit eating grin on his face.
That night, on the way back across the Galaxy, Clu and Nima admitted their feelings for each other.
Clu Zanith stepped off from the turbolift in the Tarisian skyscaper, out onto the top floor. A damaged but extravagant corridor lay before him, leading to a closed door at the far end. There were several marks that stained this hallway; the destroyed carcasses of two B1 battle droids and blaster marks near the door where a shot had gone wide, one of the lights nearest the door had been shattered by blaster fire and flickered on and off ominously.
Clu moved down the corridor, C-B3 on one side of him and a B2 Super Battle Droid on the other, their footsteps echoing through the hallway as they approached the door at the far end. He reached out and placed his hand over the terminal by the doorway.
The door cracked open, letting light flow out through the door to illuminate Clu as he stepped into the penthouse, the stars of the night sky shining down through the glass ceiling. In the centre of the room were huddled four Neimoidians, surrounded by watchful BX-Series Commando droids who had already left the few B1s the Neimoidians had been protected by dead. The tension in the room from them was palpable as they looked towards him.
Clu came to a halt just under the skyline, peering around the apartment for a moment. It had been a nice place for these former Separatists to be meeting, no doubt paid for with the money they made from having made off with half the outposts fuel supplies. It was too bad that he'd decided to break up their little meeting and take control for himself. He turned his gaze back towards the four Neimoidians; One of them audibly gulped as they recognised him.
"Did you seriously not think that I would catch up with you, that your little stunt would not have repercussions?" Clu asked as he paced back and forth in front of the Neimoidians his eyes now fixed on both of them as they shrunk away from him and huddled fearfully in the centre of the room.
"Mr Zanith, I- we were only trying to survive, and you had begun working with a Jedi, we did not want to be left behind." The first of the Neimoidians, one who went by the name of Lar Haako, explained as he took a step towards Clu; The battle droids immediately raised their weapons and he backed off into the group with a fearful gasp.
"You would have been among the first off the planet, that was the agreement I made." Clu grunted, folding his arms and facing the Neimoidians.
"But you cannot trust the Jedi, they are cunning foes and we had been fighting for years- and we could not trust the resistance fighters. They could easily have turned on us in retribution for the massacre at-" Another of the Neimoidians, Lott Danak, continued.
"Could have, would have, should have, but they didn't. We had an agreement, they kept their end of the bargain and you compromised that agreement. In doing so, you cost me a small fortune in Battledroids, not to mention the lives you cost and the danger you ended up putting myself and everyone else in." Clu cut him off, a hint of anger seeping into his voice.
"Please, it was not our fault that your droids were left behind, it was not us who commanded that they must be left behind-" Lar Haako begged again.
"The Jedi made that call because you stole half our fuel; Given that you compromised my end of the agreement and made a liar of me, it was very magnanimous of them to continue to honour our contract. Now unless you have something better to offer my than excuses and bluster, I think it is time that I conclude our business together." Clu replied with some finality, waving his hands as the Battledroids primed their weapons.
"Please, do not kill us, we have credits still, lots of credits -" Nute Gamandar begged, his eyes going wide at the noise of the charging blasters
"Go on." Clu asked simply, cocking a brow at them and holding his hand up for a moment to stop the droids firing.
"I will give you a hundred thousand credits, just please do not kill me." Nute Gamandar offered as he took a step towards Clu, hunching over lightly and clasping his hands together.
"Is that how little you think is suitable compensation? How disappointing. Blast him." Clu said coldly.
"No! Please!" Nute cried out, but before the battle droid could comply with the command, another voice cut into the conversation.
"Clu, wait." Nima's voice carried over and Clu sighed lightly, closing his eyes for a moment. Everything in the room paused again, aside from the whimpering of Neimoidians.
"You can think about living for the moment..." Clu said to them, sighing lightly before turning his attention towards Nima.
"Thank you, thank you-" The Neimoidians began, Clu ignored their trifling responses.
"Nima, this is business. You know how it is, they crossed me." Clu began, taking a step towards her. He knew she wasn't about to let him gun them down, however fitting a fate that would be for the womp rats.
"Clu, they betrayed us both. People I'd been working with died too. If it's your business, it's mine as well." Nima replied, looking to the Neimoidians for a moment and then back to him. "Look at them. They're no threat to you anymore."
"Have you forgotten how close they came to getting us both killed? How many people they actually got killed? How much those droids cost me? Think of how useful they'd have been for us. If they and their battledroids had still been fighting, we'd have lost less people. If they hadn't taken the astromech with them, many more of our freighters would have gotten out, we wouldn't nearly been blown apart by a Venator Star Destroyer." Clu protested, waving his hand in the air and pointing towards them "I cannot allow them to get away with that."
"There are other ways, Clu; Other paths that we might take. It is always better to end things peacefully than to resort to violence." Nima urged him as she approached him, smiling warmly to him. "Revenge isn't the answer. What would killing them solve?"
"They deserve no better for what they did. They broke their side of the agreement, and that decision cost us dearly." Clu said with a firm shake of his head. Seven of his eight C-B3 units had been destroyed, if it wasn't for the decision of the Neimoidians more might have made it off the planet. And that was before he got to the value of all the other droids. What of all those who'd lost their lives because of it?
"Not like this. Let go of your anger, enough lives have been lost on their account." Nima counselled him. Clu paused for a moment as he looked into Nima's eyes. Then he returned her smile and gave a gentle nod, looking over towards the Neimoidians. She was right. They weren't any threat to him anymore, and perhaps killing them wouldn't achieve anything but to drive a wedge between himself and Nima. There was a far more peaceful and poetic way to do this.
"You're right. There are other ways." Clu said as he stepped away from Nima and towards the crowd of Neimoidians, clasping his hands together in front of him and looking over each of them in turn. "Let's discuss your impending decision to make a very generous donation to the poor of the Lower City..."
**
"You made the right decision." Nima said as she looked across the turbolift towards him and giving him an encouraging smile. All in all, Clu wasn't so sure; Neimoidians were greedy, selfish and underhanded. He could easily see this going horribly wrong.
"We'll see. You don't know these people like I do; they'll lie and steal and cheat. The minute our back is turned, they'll start sneaking their money back." Clu said with a sigh. He didn't really want to have to send someone back here just to finish he job again if they decided to cross him. Even worse, they'd know someone was coming in advance if they did. If his commando droids hadn't had the element of surprise, this would have been a lot harder.
"I don't know, I think that you made quite the impression." Nima replied as she glanced towards the droids that surrounded them as if to demonstrate what she meant. That was true, perhaps the Neimoidians would have been scared into line now, they were an innately cowardly species who could always be counted on to protect their own skins over anything else, if his dealings with the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars had taught him anything. They probably hadn't expected him to survive, let alone come after them.
"You should have stayed with the ship, like I said. Those Neimoidians know you're a Jedi, if they tell the Empire, the Inquisitorious -" Clu began in a concerned voice, worried for her safety. They had been able to stay out of the Inquisitors gaze for a long time, and even though they were on the outer rim it was possible one might have been on Taris, or that even if the Neimoidians didn't tell the Imperials, someone else could recognise her and report to them. Any security footage alone might be leaving too much of a trail.
"Given you marched some battle droids into their apartment, if they decide to tell the Empire, the Imperials will find me either way." Nima replied, casting a glance to him out of the corner of her eye. She made a good point, perhaps he'd been too reckless as well, but at least he wasn't likely to draw the wrath of the Imperials simply by walking through the street.
The door of the turbllift screeched open before them and the group stepped out onto the launch pad, advancing towards their waiting ship for a few paces before Nima stopped and turned, peering out over the city as the sun rose in the distance, reflecting off the windows and the streets and water fountains that dotted the city. "Taris... Do you know its history Clu?"
"No." Clu replied simply as he stepped up to join her, clasping his hands behind his back as he looked out over it. It was a lot like Coruscant and all other ecumenopolis; shiny and clean on the outside, rotten on the inside.
"It used to be even richer and grander than this. They called the Coruscant of the Outer Rim; It sat along the most profitable hyperspace lanes, for a while." Nima said as she watched several speeders rush by below them.
"I see. What happened?" Clu asked, figuring that Nima was building to some kind of point.
"Then the Sith Empire destroyed it, razed it all to the ground. They slaughtered billions. All over one man's vendetta, his obsession with killing just one person." Nima replied.
"I wasn't going to level a planet, Nima." Clu said with a light laugh, looking back out over the city for a moment.
"I know that, Clu, but it's the principle, that's the point I'm making. You have to know when to let go of the past and let go of your anger; If you let it, vengeance and anger will consume you, twist you. It'll blind you and make you destroy beauty in pursuit of something you hate." Nima explained with a light sigh and shake of her head.
"Thank you for stopping me, Nima." Clu said as he took a step towards her, reaching his hand out from behind his back and taking hers. She glanced up to him as he did, and smiled.
"This planet still reminds of Coruscant." Nima said, changing the subject and peering out over it "I never thought I would when I was a Padawan, but I miss Coruscant. I miss the view from the Temple, I miss the lights, I miss flying over the city. I miss the Temple, the people, the archives... I wish I could go back."
"I admit, I didn't take you for a city girl, Nima." Clu said teasingly with a warm smile.
"Well, homesickness does things to you." Nima replied with a weak chuckle, interlacing her fingers through his. "Maybe one day things will change again. But even then, I don't know if I'd be able to take living in the Temple again after what happened, as much I'd like to. There's too many old memories." Nima said weakly lowering her head for a moment. Clu gently pulled her closer to him
"I'm sorry... One day, something will happen, I know it. No one lives forever, not even Emperor Palpatine. Whether to the slow decay of time or to someone else, he'll die. If we're lucky, his empire will go with him." Clu consoled her, leaning in closer and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace. "And then, you can go home to Coruscant. If you can't live in the Temple, I've still got an old apartment on Coruscant. You know you'd be welcome to stay with me."
"I definitely wouldn't mind living in that apartment with you."
"And perhaps more of your order has survived than we think; You got away after all, and there were others we got to Naboo. I'm sure some of the Jedi managed to escape and hide away on some far flung outer rim worlds where the empire can't find them. Maybe even some of your friends." Clu reasoned. He wasn't sure of the odds on that, but some had to have managed it. The galaxy was a big place and the Jedi were used to an ascetic lifestyle, if they went off to live as lone hermits on some sparsely populated outer rim world, it stood to reason they might survive.
"I hope so, but speaking of my old friends, they might not approve of us." Nima said with a light chuckle.
"Well, we'll deal with that if we get there." Clu replied, and the two of them shared a kiss in the sunrise,
"Come on, let's get off this planet before I get anymore homesick and start embarrassing myself with stories from childhood." Nima said as he released her grasp on his hand and set out towards the waiting ship.
"Oh don't worry, I'll coax them out of you yet." Clu called out as he followed after her.
I was stupid enough to think that, just for a moment, perhaps you really had cared about more than the credits
This continued for a great many years and Nima and Clu remained close partners in both love and crime. Although sometimes time together was very brief, they spent it as best they could. Their goals ultimately seemed aligned and Nima had come to trust Clu as having his heart genuinely in the right place, even if he was too easily sidetracked by his greed.
That all changed at Ryloth.
The Rebellion had established a base there had been smuggling refugees and former slaves across the galaxy to safety. The planet was, at its core, poor and of little cultural or economic importance. The prefabricated rebel base lay outside the ruins of what had once been the CIS citadel on the planet and was operated by the Rebellion for quite some time without the notice of the Empire.
The local crime lords, who had long since been in the pocket of Clu Zanith, began to get greedy and the Rebellion began to get increasingly noble. Exporting slave labour to the Hutts and to the Empire had become a valuable trade for them and the Empire was increasingly taking slave labour from Ryloth and the Rebellion increasingly driven underground. Clu was unable to reign in his former allies but also unwilling to act against the due to the contracts he held with several of them, and became caught between the two worlds.
When Nima demanded he go back on his contract with them, Clu grudgingly refused to do so. He wanted to, but a contract is a contract. He didn't renew the contract once he had finished his end of the bargain and broke off contact with them, at Nima's insistence, but his failure to break off the contract had shaken her faith in him and planted doubt in her mind.
The weapons and skiffs that Clu had sold to these crime Lords were now turned to a darker purpose; Entire villages were taken as slaves and sold on to the Empire, which increased its presence above the planet. By the end of that week, a Star Destroyer had arrived.
Realising that the jig was up regardless, Clu Zanith began preparations to leave Ryloth and invited Nima to come with him. Nima, however, was now distraught by the use of the weapons and vehicles Clu had sold on to the Crime Lords. A village worth of such slaves were en route towards the capital where they would be sold on to the Empire, and Nima felt that it was her and Clu's personal responsibility to retrieve them.
The problem was, Clu knew there was no way that could be done without ending up on the Imperial Bounty Board or with a Hutt price on his head. They'd identify him for sure if he went with her, and with only B-22, which would be easily identified and linked back to him by the crime Lords working with the Empire, at his disposable doing so would have turned him into an outlaw.
Even worse, he knew by now which Imperial it was in orbit; Grand Moff Tarkin. Any Moff would have delivered a harsh response if the planet appeared to be fighting back, but Tarkin's reprisals would have been absolute and Clu doubted there was ever any hope of survival for either Nima or the resistance.
So he refused again and tried to convince her it was a lost cause. Once more, Nima stood her ground. At last, Clu relentled and agreed to help free the slaves, but instead told her to let her talk to them. Reluctantly, she agreed and Clu contacted the crime lord.
Three. Hundred. Thousand. Credits.
For three dozen slaves.
Clu balked. He knew *he* was being price gouged now and he didn't like it. He negotiated like he always did and managed to get the price down to two hundred thousand credits but... Then he hesitated.
He knew it was the right thing to do, but two hundred thousand credits was a lot of money to take as a hit to his wallet for so little. And it wasn't even as though he was buying the slaves, he was paying for their freedom. Who even knew how long that would last? If he bought them and freed them only for the Empire to round them up the next day, what good would that do?
In the end, he paid the credits to free the slaves, taking one of the largest single hits to his bank account he had ever dared to take.
The hesitation and the delays had deeply shook Nima's faith in Clu, and despite Clu having paid the money, he had left it too late the Empire had intercepted the returning Skiffs and taken the slaves regardless.
This drive a wedge between their relationship again. They had always had disagreements about his miserly nature in the past, but Nima hadn't seen the face of Clu that would rather doom people to a life of servitude than pay some of his obscene fortune before and it shocked her deeply.
Just a month later, Nima decided to join up with a group of rebels that had decided to take the fight to the Empire. Clu, more a pragmatist than idealist and knowing full well that sustained warfare against the empire was ultimately suicidal, couldn't countenance the idea. They'd worked against the Empire in the past, of course, and had on any occasions supplied rebellions or resistances. But there are difference between selling weapons, smuggling equipment and occasionally helping attack a small outpost and actively taking the fight to the Empire. The latter was, in Clu's opinion, utterly suicidal.
"You're really going then?" Clu asked her with a slightly pained voice, fighting to hold it back.
"It's the right thing to do, Clu. Come with me, I could do with your knowledge if I'm going to stand a chance." Nima held out her hand towards him from the back of the transport, smiling lightly to him.
"This rebellion will not succeed. Nima... I predict a success rate of-" Clu said as he took a single step before her, shaking his head firmly. He felt like begging her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"I don't want to hear it, Clu. First the pirates, then the slaves... Do you not even care?" Nima withdrew her hand and advanced forwards herself, starting at him in disbelief and... Anger. She was rarely angry, and the accusation wounded him deeply.
"You know I do Nima." He protested weakly, lowering his head to the floor. Did he care? He wasn't actually sure himself. It certainly hadn't felt like caring.
"I thought I did... But I don't know, Clu. You've got three Hearts, I wanted to hope that one of them was in the right place but - they all beat for your bank account." Nima raises a hand up to her forehead, and Clu could tell she was fighting back tears and fury as well.
"That's not true, they belong to you." He said as he took a step towards her, reaching out to gently take her hand with a smile.
"If they did, you'd be coming with me." Nima replied acidicly, withdrawing her hand and shaking her head at him. His smile faded as it began to dawn on him that this really was going to be an inexorable issue. She could be stubborn at times, and this was definitely one of their times.
"I'm not going to commit suicide by stormtrooper, you can't-" Clu protested, but was cut off by a short laugh and a sad shake of Nima's head
"Do business if your dead. See? Just more money, Clu, and its never enough for you. You're a millionaire, and that isn't enough. No amount of credits is ever enough for you, because it isn't every credit in existence."
"That's not fair. You know that's not what I meant." Clu replied, but his words sounded increasingly hollow even to himself. She was right, and that made it far worse. Money had always been his weakness, and he had helped the Rebellion mostly because they'd paid well.
"So what is it, Clu? Because I don't see what else is stopping you but cowardice and money. You'd have let that village be enslaved if I hadn't made you spend it... Would you sell me out, if the price was good enough?"
"Never." Clu said defiantly. That he was sure in, there wasn't any amount of credits he'd ever have sold her out to the Empire for.
"I want to believe you. I do. But I can't. And I can't believe I was stupid enough to think that, just for a moment, perhaps you really had cared about more than the credits." The worst blow yet, it stuck in him like a knife. She couldn't have wounded him more deeply if she'd cleaved him in half with a Lightsabre. Nima had always been insisting to him that he really did care, inside, that there was a part of him that genuinely wanted to free the galaxy and that had protected people from the Empire because it was right, not just because it was good for him. Hearing her say otherwise now... Cut very deep.
"I do-" Clu protested fiercely, raising his head again and shaking his head, listing a few examples jsut off the top of his head. He wasn't going to let this go, not now. "I didn't have anything to gain when I hid you, nor when we smuggled the food past the Imperial blockade at Mon Cala, nor when we got those Jedi to Naboo..."
"So prove it to me. Come with me. Put your heart in the right place for once." Nima said, pleadingly as she backed up the ramp of the transport, it's engines whirling up. He stood paralysed. He'd never done good on spur if the moment decisions. That just wasn't how he worked. He was careful, cautious, meticulous. This decision was too big too quickly.
"I don't know..." Clu choked, confused and hurt.
"Goodbye, Clu... I do love you." Nima replied sadly. The two words made his stomach churn and hit him so hard that he barely even registered the final four. He felt like a rock was stuck in his throat and as the ramp onto the transport closed shut and hid her from view, a tear ran down the Muuns face and he choked on his reply.
He fell to his knees in the dirt and knelt there for what felt like an age before he finally dragged his carcass off towards the clearing where their own starship was hidden. He had half a mind to go after her, to follow the ship... But what would he even say? He didn't know if he'd be any closer to making a decision in this then...
No, he'd follow her. This was it, he wasn't going to give up that easy! He threw the switches over the console and ran about the bridge of the star fighter, working quickly to activate it before coming and sitting back down at the pilots seat. He had seen Nima do this a thousand times before, he could do this! All they needed to do was clear atmosphere and the Droid could handle the rest. He nodded to the Droid next to him.
"Alright, this can't be that hard. Let's follow that ship!" He instructed with a triumphant look on his face. He'd have all of the journey to work out what to say, how to make up for this or whether he'd even take her up on her offer. It wasn't like he could stay here anyway!
The ships engines whirled and buzzed and began to take off from the ground. Clu moved the control of the starship carefully, pressing it forwards and-- immediately the starship swooped forwards and crashed down into the ground.
Oh. That wasn't supposed to happen
Fierfek.
Now, Brsk, you know I have a reputation for cunning. I do not intend this to be a fair fight. We are going to fall upon them without warning, we are going to strike at their communications and then we'll be long gone before the Imperials notice something is wrong. Do this right, and this won't be a battle - it'll be a kick in the balls.
Clu Zanith was stuck on that forsaken rock for far too long. When he finally got off it, he realised there wasn't anyway he was going to be able to contact Nima again within the near future. News cropped up on the holonet from time to time, but she was always long gone by the time anyone arrived to follow up.
The bitter Muun turned back to his business. It was all he had left in the end. Perhaps it really was the case that he didn't care, that it was only the credits and the business that really matter to him. Or perhaps that was what he had taken to telling himself in order to make it easier to accept. He wasn't really sure anymore himself.
Either way, he was determined now to prove he wasn't a coward, even if it was to himself. He'd committed to a contract of sorts, and he'd see it through. A warped sense of honour told him that he owed Nima that much. It was perhaps ironic that having refused her offer of joining in a crusade against the Empire would be punctuated by him making a strike against the empire simply to uphold his end of a contract. There was another part of him that intended to do it just to test himself whether it was possible to fight against the empire directly and survive.
But to achieve this, he needed time. So he went on much as he had before, running his own little operation underground, selling a buying favours. Before long, he'd fallen in with a new crowd, befriending the leader of a smuggler ring called Zakaros.
Zakaros would run whatever Clu needed running in the outer rum. Weapons, spice, food, medicine, whatever. Smugglers were always crucial services for Clu but this one was different, because this time he had a personal goal on mind rather than aiming to set up a transactional agreement. He'd paid for those slaves. They didn't belong to the Empire, their fates belonged to him
They tracked the slaves from Ryloth across the galaxy. Some had been sent to work on an Imperial special project run by Grand Moff Tarkin where they'd since been tagged as deceased, and Clu's digging there turned up nothing. Whatever it was, it was big enough that even Clu's omniscient network wasn't touching it. Yet. Given it was filed away under an Imperial weapons project, he didn't even dare thing what had happened to the slaves. Live targets or test subjects, perhaps, or else they'd been worked to death constructing more ships or weapons for Tarkin.
The rest of the slaves, however, were still tagged as alive and working and as it transpired had ended up working on a spice mine in the Midrim world of Mon Gazza, owned by the Galactic Spice Mining Guild, a former Separatist operation that fell under Imperial control after the rise of the Empire. A few of it's former administrative staff were in place and this drew his attention quickly and Clu soon penetrated the mines innerworkings, getting an administrator and some of the guards into his pocket and acquiring plans and blueprints for the facility, as well as a path to snuggle in goods. With plans and an update on the amount of slaves and defences, Clu decided to do what he did best; Fix things.
Zakaros would smuggle arms into the spice mine, aided by the pair of corrupt guards. These weapons would be used to launch a slave uprising in the spice line. At the same time, Trandoshan mercenaries would drop into the command centre through the ventilation system and eliminate the communication, ensuring that the Guards would be unable to call for reinforcements quickly.
It required precise timing and good predictive thinking on his part, but he proved mroe than capable of it and when the date came around, he believed that they would be able to pull it off despite his unease and fear.
They hit hard, and they hit fast.
The prison fell quickly under the unexpected outbreak of armed rebellion and external strikes. Subsection A-12 put down its resistance fairly quickly and began to fight their way to the command centre, which gave Clu and his team limited time to recover the slaves and prisoners from the mines. Likewise, some sections of the prison appeared to consist of rival gang populations and now began to turn on each other in the chaos that ensued.
Despite this, Clu's mercenaries quickly secured nineteen of the twenty three prisoners he'd come there for with the other four having died during the escape attempt or the rioting, and another eight dozen of the slaves besides. Clu paid an extra three thousand credits for each slave the Trandoshan and Smugglers rescued, and they managed to get off the planet before the imperial reinforcements arrived. Over the next few weeks, he and his associated acquired and forged false identifications and backgrounds for each of the slaves they had rescued, so they could travel across the galaxy and start new lives. Originally, he had hoped to return many of them to their home worlds, but particularly in the case of Geonosians, Wookird and Twi'lek whose homeworld were now under direct imperial occupation or else ravaged by imperial weapons projects, this proved completely untenable.
When the Imperial media deeply suppressed the true extent of the Rebellion in the Mon Gazzian mine, Clu came to consider it as a resounding success. Despite imperial censorship, news of the attack leaked out along other channels fairly quickly, of course, but few could be certain as to the true identity of the attackers or any of the details. The presence of the Trandoshans had been recorded which led some to believe that it was a violent and half mad Trandoshan clan who had stolen slaves for their own usage. Others believed it wa a push by the Rebellion to liberate slaves from the mines.
Clu wouldn't spoil this speculation, it was good to keep himself out of the attention of the Empire and off the bounty board. Besides, he'd done what he set out to do and felt vindicated, there was no need to draw unwarranted attention to himself. After all, you do one good deed, and suddenly everyone thinks you're soft and starts leaning on you harder in negotiations. The best way to get favourable terms was to be an unrepentant arsehole.
Imperial commanders would spend months analyzing the attack, hoping to discover the secrets of the covert strategies or anything which might link it back to its mastermind. Heads rolled - sometimes quite literally - at the Imperial Mon Gazzian Command for the attack and the humiliation had been palpable. Within a weak, half the command staff had been replaced, taken away and interrogated on suspicion of working with the attackers. He had helped get all his contacts in Mon Gazza out, feigned their deaths and given them new identification papers, so he knew any attempt to find fault back on Mon Gazza would amount to little more than an Imperial witch hunt. That suited him just fine, the bastrds could tear themselves apart for all he cared.
He knew it wouldn't end well for those slaves left behind, but he'd saved some and that was what he'd set out to do. Whatever had happened, he'd given the Empire a kick in the teeth and although he couldn't boast so publicly, he took private satisfaction in knowing that he'd proven that nobody in the galaxy could mess with Clu Zanith's contracts and get away with it.
And perhaps there was, privately and buried deep, a satisfaction that he had proven that he did care, and that he was not a coward. Perhaps one day he'd meet Nima again, and could tell her that he had in fact rescued those slaves, and that he'd decided to take a stand against the Imperials at Mon Gazza.
He hoped that she'd believe him if that ever came to pass. She'd want to, after all.
That's right, I can negotiate the most lucrative work. And whatever it is you and your crew need, I can get it. For the right price.
After Clu pulled off his great slave heist, the Imperials cracked down on smuggling in the Midrim. Bad for business, you see, and Clu had seen it coming a mile off. The empire was always going to throw its weight around once he'd finished with Mon Gazza, he'd planned ahead for that.
But what he hadn't expected was for Nima to fall off the galactic radar almost completely shortly after the attack on Mon Gazza. Logically, he knew that the result was likely the worst, and was concerned that perhaps his own activities had led to her being caught up in the crackdown or else had driven her underground... privately, he continued to hope that she'd been able to evade capture and had simply become even better at avoiding detection, so good that her motley crew was ducking even under his gaze.
Still, as the crackdown continued he remained one step ahead of the Imperials and slid his way under ground for a while, going mostly dark. Imperial intelligence never made the connection between Clu and Mon Gazza, but a number of his connections within that region were shut down or assassinated in the ensuing months and Clu thought it best to lay low until the Imperial investigations concluded and they loosened their grip around the midrim throat.
Not to mention that at the same time, he managed to get on the bad side of a xenophobic Imperial Naval Lieutenant in a Cantina on a midrim shipbuilding plant. After narrowly escaping a beating at the hands of the Lieutenant and several of his soldiers, Clu was forced to leave the planet for his own safety and burnt fake identities like there was no tommorow as he moves from planet to planet until he was sure that the Imperial had lost his trail. When he wants to disappear, Clu knows how to do exactly that.
Travelling to Anchorage to form new contacts and recoup his losses from Mon Gazza, he quickly made a killing selling on information, weapons, fighters, false identification papers and even some old battle droids to the denizens of the dark harbour.
When a chance presented itself to score a contract with the crew of the Noreaster, Clu met with the Mariner. Clu considered it carefully and negotiated as favourable terms for himself as he could possibly get as a Muun often would. The captain was wise enough to plug as many loopholes as could humanly be plugged as well, which Clu approved of for it's shrewdness. He knew how to sell himself as an invaluable asset and in fairness, he is; he knows how to get the crew linked up with the most lucrative work, and so long as he's working with the crew on a mutually beneficial arrangement, is happy to oblige.
This far he found the rules for working with the crew of the Noreaster to be fairly relaxed even if the crew was not the most amicable lot, and although he doubted he would personally be doing much looting any time soon, it allowed him to pick over choice pieces for his clientele and ensure that he could keep up with the demand. In addition, his ability to both score strong contracts for the crew and serve as a middle man to sell them information and help connect to black market contacts made his eyes water at the thought of the opportunities that might await him and he quickly set about making it clear to everyone that if they wanted or needed anything, he was their man.
Plus, in addition to the money he could make he was well aware that good connections were more important than any amount of money, and when it came to mercenary crews, getting them or their leaders to favour you or even better to be in your debt was a good way of securing valuable allies for the future. The Mariner had built herself a strong reputation, indeed, Clu has watched the rumours spread year earlier - and as a sign of good faith had buried any connections between her Jedi and this new composite identity that he had came across. Perhaps this ultimately played a role in him becoming part of the Noreasters crew, who was to say? That was the way of things, you scratch each others backs when it's appropriate.
And now, here he is. His silver tongue and contacts ensures that the Gray Mariners squeeze every credit they can from the most lucrative jobs in the galaxy, and he ensures that Imperial intelligence and other such nuisances get thrown off their tail at regular intervals.
Mygeeto represents a lucrative new investment opportunity. Succeed here, and you will all be rich enough to retire to a penthouse on the highest rises of Coruscant. About two years before the current day, word reached Clu's ears along the Shadowfeed. On Mygeeto, the Hutt known as Biothem had been slain by one of his slaves, a Lethan Twi'Lek known as Vasani'Brinme. Clu wasn't sure if he remembered her from his brief time there many years ago, but the details did match up. Lethal Twi'lek were fairly rare, and her reported age matched what he remembered.
Clu had been to Mygeeto several times before, during his time with the InterGalactic Banking Clan, and even to the Hutt's palace. After Clu's career change into the Criminal Underworld, Biothem had been an adequate customer but his death still presented an opportunity for Clu and his Network. Mygeeto had a small criminal underworld, but the planets value was immense and it had the potential to generate a lot of wealth; Clu and the Banking Clan remained on good terms, yet the Banking Clan had been increasingly squeezed by the Imperial regulations and oversight. If Clu could seize control of its underworld then perhaps he would be able to help both him and the InterGalactic Banking Clan could scratch each others back, making it easier to skirt under and bypass imperial regulations and raising profits.
The power vacuum left by the fall of the Hutt, not to mention the deaths of other key figures in his palace who had attempted to hinder the escape of this Twi'Lek slave, would throw the underworld into turmoil and a straight up gang war might be brewing. There was the potential for a new power to rise on Mygeeto, or for another power to move in. Mygeeto was a long way from Hutt space, and it would not be on the immediate radar of many Hutt crime lords. This provided a window, then, for Clu to take advantage of the instability and 'acquire' assets within Mygeeto and expand his own influence in Banking Clan space.
Now, this Vasani'Brinme had also attracted his interest. She was sloppy still, of course, but from the reports he had pieced together of the incident, it appeared that she had managed to either sneak a blaster from someone within the palace or lift one from one of her- "patrons" -, then manipulate the palace into breaking down into a gunfight before killing the Hutt and fighting her way out. That showed potential and potential could be honed; He'd rather that potential was on his payroll than in the employ of someone else, let alone being dead in some ice cave beneath the surface of Mygeeto.
With the help of his contacts within the InterGalactic Banking Clan and in the Network, Clu established contact with a few of the existing Crime Bosses on Mygeeto who were now fighting for control of the Hutts former empire. Playing them off against each other and selling arms to all sides, Clu's contacts found several of the smaller groups that were active in the gang war and negotiated a good deal with them; Clu would help them rise to prominence in Mygeeto's criminal underworld, and in exchange they would work for his Network.
With Clu bankrolling these groups and already having established the basic structure of a Network firm, treating each gang leader as lieutenants with the long term plan of bringing them on board, they began to take ground on Mygeeto from the larger two splinter groups.
As the weeks drew on, these two larger groups were heavily damaged and drained whole the smaller groups grew in power from weapons, financial support and defections from the larger blocs.
During this time, he became aware that the Twi'lek who had provided this opportunity had made her way off world, apparently in the company of a Mandalorian bounty hunter and mercenary of the Skirata clan. Rather annoyingly, they'd left a number of dead bodies in the alley of one of Mygeeto's few cities, causing a buzz in law enforcement which hampered his efforts.
Clu figured that she would learn well under this mandalorian and their services might be of use to him in the future. It was almost a shame they had made their way off Mygeeto so soon, or perhaps they would have been useful here. Then again, her relations with some of the former criminals here would likely complicate matters, and he would have hated to lose a potential asset over something like that.
By week three, one of the two large blocs had collapsed entirely and been pushed to the brink. Now was the time to begin his final takeover on Mygeeto.
Finally, Clu organised his Network to have a team of Mandalorian mercenaries hired and sent to Mygeeto; There they linked up with one of the smaller warring elements along with a small amount of "Security Droids" which had mysteriously gone missing from the stores of the Banking Clan on Mygeeto. This alliance proceeded to enter the Hutts former palace and seize control from the remaining bloc which had taken control of it in the aftermath.
With the gang war settled, Clu set about finalising the details of his takeover. Palms had to be greased for the authorities to look the other way, the Imperials had begun to get antsy about the crime and Clu made the Networks new feeds lie low for a while while he orchestrated with his contacts in the Intergalactic Banking Clan. For a while it looked as though the Imperials might swoop in, but his contacts in then planetary administration pulled through and the heat began to die off.
And so with that Clu's people began to exploit their new found prominence on Mygeeto. It had been hard fought in the end and there had been several moments where it seemed likely to fail, but it had been a profitable investment in the end. The opportunity couldn't have come along at a better time.
As for the Twi'lek, Clu had his contacts pass along what information they could on her and the Mandalorian for some time as they made their way around the galaxy, popping in and off of his reader a few times. About a year and half later, she re-emerged as Vasani'Brinme Skirata, apparently having been adopted, and began to seek work as a bounty hunter on her own. Her skills had grown and while she was young, she had clearly begun to make good on that potential.
He would have her watched with interest where he could. Perhaps she might make a useful addition to the crew, or at the least be a good bounty hunter when next he had need of one.
Sure enough, that Twi'lek ended up in anchorage, seeking work and with the hopes to make it big. He watched her for a short while; there was definitely potential there, and she had talents that would make her a fine addition to the crew. Arx might balk a little at having yet another pilot on the ship, but an engineer was always useful and one with a cunning mind and who could hold her own with a blaster was all the better...
One might mistake Airus for a poor pilgrim or wounded civilian at first glance, and even more so if they were to truly look at his clothing and bandaged over his. His features kept hidden by his cloak and bandages, though tufts of soft red hair can sometimes be seen upon his head. Well muscled and agile he seems rather strong for someone with no eyesight and no credits. Standing roughly over six and half feet tall with a medium build Airus has little in the way of defining features that can seen with his usual attire on. He bears a handful of scars along his body that seem different from a blaster but he never speaks about them if asked.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
Beskar walking sticking with force locked compartment for two lightsabers S-5 heavy blaster pistol Datapad with Jedi archives information Medical Jedi Holocron Jedi combat Holocron Medical Kit Two dual phase lightsabers hidden within his walking stick Jedi Knight robes Jedi Knight armor Utility Belt Pilgrims robes Headband Boxes of heavy bandages.
| {Physical Abilities} |
Doctor: Airus might not look it but you’ll never find a more steady handed and calm surgeon or capable of diagnosing a sickness rather quickly with examination. Thanks to so such time spent roaming the outer rim and treating sickness with a variety of species. His talent as medical and surgical doctor stem from helping a lot of communities on the outer rim as the Clone Wars ended.
Saber combat: Airus always practiced saber combat as a form of meditation and on the backwater worlds while the Empire was still organizing itself Airus had years to practice the forms he’d studied and hone himself as a warrior, lacking the ability to advance his force training. While a pacifist in a world ruled by Sith he knew he would need to defend himself from Imperial Agents and against any who might hunt him just for being connected to the force. Shii-Cho which Airus mastered as a Padawan before turning his attention to Soresu, finding the defensive form to be useful especially at defending himself until he could escape. As a Consular Airus strove to improve himself further and began learning yet another form, Shien/Djem So. With the fall of the Republic, he understood he make come up against enemies with sabers and so began to practice Makashi. With his second saber, he would relearn many skills applying Jar’Kai to them. Since becoming a more staff based combatant he has trained in Ataru using is as a way to quickly dispatch a single aggressor realizing he requires an aggressive style if he needed to deal with threats.
Lorekeeper: Airus spent most of his Padawan years in the great archives reading and learning the history of the Sith, the Jedi, the Republic, and the conflicts that defined the Republic and the Jedi order. He is an expert on many ancient artifacts and era’s of history few studied while not versed in local history well he knows much of galactic history and enjoys sharing the information. Acting as a sort of encyclopedia of information that turns pieces of junk into treasure. Thought his favorite bits of history relate to the Mandalorian wars and Revanite Schism that followed.
Conventional Combat: Airus adapted to staff combat as a method protecting himself and those around him without drawing lightsabers and gaining more attention than needed. He also has drawn on his gifted sight and ability to predict movement to be a crack shot with a blaster. While he is not heavily trained in these forms of combat he can keep with most non-force sensitives in battle.
Diplomat: A founding tenet of the Jedi order is to attempt peace through negotiation Airus will always try to reason and talk it out with people. Not to mention he is willing to warn them what will happen if anyone attempts to harm those he cares about. A Jedi Knight is taught the first form of combat is not to fight and Airus tries to embody this in how he approaches things and acts towards people. Though he is also wary of traps and tricks picking up on deceit easily.
Veteran: Airus served in the Clone Wars as a General, even if he wasn't a supporter of the war. As such he has experience in tactics, combat, and thinking up plans on the fly. Though he avoids fighting that doesn't mean he hasn't become quite adept in how to perform it.
| {Force Abilities} |
Natural Abilities: Force Empathy Force Sight/Farsight
Jedi Academy: Jedi hibernation Mind Trick Comprehend Speech Force Body Telekinesis Force heal
Clone Wars: Telekinetic lightsaber combat Psychometry Alter Damage
Great Purge: Revitalize Force Stealth Detoxify poison Force Weapon
| {Limitations} |
Needs a reader: Airus adores books but he can only through braille or having something read too him as such Airus usually asks some to read for him or uses a device that speaks the words on written before him.
The way of Wanderer: Airus no longer staunchly avoids violence whether his emotions boil over, he witnesses acts of cruelty, or those he cares about are in danger Airus will attack. While it may take some riling up or simply finally lose his patience Airus can lash out and has before. This is especially common when clones are brought up or Jedi are mocked, having a short temper with things he once held dear.
Hounded by Blades: Airus is a Miraluka, an illegal race, a fact he hides well by making use of force stealth and his staff when walking. However Airus reputation has not vanished a Jedi healer who killed two Inquisitors means the Inquisitorius hunts Airus with a passion. While they have not yet found him slowly they are building an image of what this healer looks like. He is not a priority to grand inquisitor who is more worried about Master Jedi than what he feels is probably a lucky former medical corps Padawan washout. However killing an inquisitor killer is sure to gain an Inquisitor influence.
The Terrors of Force: Airus has and continues to be haunted by Force, he sees visions of the slaughter at the temple. Haunting images of himself broken to the dark side uncaring and unfeeling. These visions started after the fall of the temple and still scare him to this day. The memories of wars, the visions of the future, happy memories decimated, and at the center of Airus feels his lack of conviction to the tenants wounds his departed masters to the core.
Fading Light: Airus was never the strongest in the force, finding more comfort in communing with the force through his lightsaber than meditation. His last learned skill came a year after the fall of the Republic, since that time he's been unable to learn new skills in the force and his old ones have weakened. In truth, many of his powers seem to exhaust than they used too as Airus spills further into being unsure of his path his Jedi training and dependence on light leads his own abilities to be weaker. Without a lightsaber in hand to help steady and focus him Airus's own force abilities drain his body much faster and cannot be sustained as long.
| {Personality} |
Airus is a conflicted soul, a Jedi trying to do good also trying to survive the Empire's brutal grasp. He prepares for combat and expects violence against him but never raises his fist first, taking any step he can to avoid fighting. Airus gives freely of his medical talents, force skills, and time to anyone who needs the assistance. However, the Jedi Consular can be devious he's infamously gambled and won against many people, barely ever losing, due to the fact he can see all the cards through the force. He does try to only take Imperial's and only win enough to wander ever onwards. Kindly, compassionate, and deviously clever Airus is strange but interesting Jedi Knight.
| {Place of Origin} |
Coruscant, born and raised on the planetwide city Airus Vel Aath was one of the few to become a Jedi Knight. Raised among the Order alongside his sister and many other students his sister and himself both serving as Lorekeepers with his sister traveling off with Exploration corps and his last assignments to begin contact with the Mandalorian about swapping historical records.
| {Background} |
Airus Vel Aath was never supposed to be a Knight, he was a Padawan apprenticed to a Chief Librarian Jocasta Nu while he had passed the initial trials and attended the Academy Airus ability to use more advanced force techniques was limited, unlike his sister who lacked sabers skills but had force mastery. While his saber skills were impressive and could have allowed him to continue on to become a Sentinel or Guardian his passion for knowledge and a love of history especially of the Republic and Jedi Order made him a choice pick to become a Lorekeeper. Believing he would not become a Lorekeeper due to the need for Jedi to fight the war Airus even during his academy days became rebellious often slipping away to explore Coruscant usually dragging his sister along.
During his time training at the academy, he practiced in the path of Sentinel as the High Council wanted him before allowing him to become a Padawan to a Consular, the Chief Librarian. The Council allowed this due to disagreement in just how many Knights and Padawans they were sending out to fight. This was also due to the Council of First Knowledge threatening to deny records access if another Padawan request was turned down.
Airus trained in investigation and practical use of the force, before shifting focus to research and artifact recovery. His other training came in how to deal with people with depending on the force and learning about how to negotiate whether discussing money with a Hutt or dealing with Alderaanian nobility, he even attended Senate meetings... Most of which he slept through. These skills served him well as the Chief Librarian could give him field assignments or recovery missions alongside Knights where he could hold his own and retrieve valuable historical items for the Order. Especially about the recently returned Sith who the Council wished to gain as much insight about as possible.
His time as a Padawan under Master Nu ended during the final years of the clone wars. Due to the war, few initiates became Lorekeepers with so many Jedi needed to fight alongside the clones. Airus did not face the trials like most Padawan's instead earning his knighthood facing a Separatist General who tried to take an ancient Holocron from him. Airus had traveled with Jedi Archaeologist Rachi Sitra to the shattered and corrupted planet of Malachor V under direction advice from the council tracking an artifact the Dark Acolyte Sev'rance Tann was pursing. The dark sider managed to render Knight Rachi unconscious and wound her, the hunt for the artifact and battles went on for days. Airus alone managed to defeat and escape not only with the Holocron but caring his fellow Jedi to the shuttle escaping the wrath of Chiss General.
He impressed the High Council saw him promising Jedi even if he preferred books to battle, Airus became a Knight with little debate among the Council his trials had been faced on the hell that was Malachor. Airus saw a few deployments as a general, mostly after finding out what had happened on Ryloth and other horrifying crimes. He along with many others were against the war but once it had ramped and the truth of what the CIS was doing came to light he had to serve. Originally assigned to the Mudjumpers serving on Mimban, Airus served proudly with the unit. With his skill in mind, Airus would be a natural fit as an attache for service corps Jedi who entered the field often times with no saber.
Airus had been dispatched with a few Jedi service corps from medical corps to Mandalore after Maul was removed from power. His duty at the time had been to search for items Maul might have left and to record the events that had transpired on Mandalore. His host family even offered him a gift a walking stick made of Mandalorian Iron, a gift for his efforts in chronicling the life of Duchess Satine Kryze so her deeds would be remembered by all of the Republic not just Mandalore. Airus contacted his sister before she left with colonists for a new world beyond the rim that was apparently a great habitat for rare plant life and seemed to have ruins on it that needed to be studied.
Airus was given shelter and a place to stay in Sundari, he was welcomed and shared many long debates of Mandalorian history with the Clan that gave him a place to stay. He also found himself spending time with the host clan's matriarch's daughter, a young Mandalorian woman. Airus sparred often with her and they chatted for hours other Jedi spread rumors that he forming an attachment to her. He finished his records and discovered nothing pertaining to Maul, nothing even about the Darksaber that the Mandalorians so revered. Mandalore had fully broken into civil war with the Capital becoming a safe zone for non-combatants Airus remained along with Clones to provide security for the medical corps.
Yet all was not well, Airus was on Mandalore that day when the Order fell. Those who had sheltered him told him to run yet, that the clones would kill him but he couldn't leave the medical service corps Jedi. He wasn't sure all of them even had a lightsaber, Airus arrived too late he saw Mandalorians being dragged away for trying to help the Jedi, others opening fighting the clones. The entire medical service corps dead save for one shivering young Echani Padawan, Antalis Helac, cradling her wound the corpses of several clones around her.
Airus moved to her side, he could do nothing there to care for her. He could not save her life, but he could be with her and offer her some comfort before she returned to the force. He held her talking with about Coruscant a few moments, offering a distraction. Finally, she pushed her holocron she'd been hiding to his chest and told him to carry on the legacy of the order... That people like the medical corps and the Lorekeepers would need to survive just as much as the Knights would. She passed away after that, taking her lightsaber to honor her commitment he made a vow he would survive to give his knowledge to the next generation of Jedi. As he meditated more he understood that joining this war had doomed the Jedi, he became more committed to avoiding violence than ever... It had to be the right way forward now.
Airus nodded, placing her back near the others he gave them one last honor burning the bodies as he made his escape. He escaped that night on a freighter the young man crying as he realized his life was over as he knew it. Airus rebranded himself as a pilgrim, a blind doctor simply wandering from place to place collecting knowledge in the outer rim. He trained himself through his personal archives of data on Jedi healing skills, he'd hoped to learn something while on assignment with the medical corps.
Days later Airus was alone traveling Rim world he barely knew the name of, he found a village with a group of clones mocking the Twi'lek settlers. Airus still reeling from the effects of deaths of hundreds of Jedi, the forces pain having snapped his force connection to his sister he felt more vulnerable than ever. The force wracked him with visions of what had happened at the temple his own powers as an empath multiplying the pain. Something snapped and Airus unable to feel anything but pain assault the clones, only wishing to render unto the same tortured emotions he felt.
A moment of hatred, pain, and anger saw him beat five clone troopers to death his staff, the attacks savage and uncontrolled. The Clones struggled, one tried to gouge his eyes only puncturing through the skin as tried to claw the force user off of him. Nothing liked the disciplined and skilled Jedi he became animal at that moment shattering the plasteel armor tearing at the clones inside. He left the bodies ripped apart by the force and bones shattered by his now blood coated staff. What scared him the most was not that he did this... But how good it felt to release the stress, the anger, the guilt, and unleashing in brutal fashion. Steadying himself shaking in fear with choked sobs Airus ran from the village, he knew he was not a proper Jedi anymore, not anything his master would be proud of.
Airus wrapped his eyes in bands, his hands as well not wanted to look at the once bloodstained hands, he knew he would have to atone. He would perform good acts and fight this darkness he would not become like what he had seen on Malachor, he would be a good Jedi... For his departed Master's he would do good. Airus became a hermit, sleeping in caves or under trees sometimes even in alleys or hidden in places non-force users couldn't reach.
He gave freely of his growing medical talents to the sick and poor, never accepting credits for the task. His dreams haunted by seeing the faces of academy students cut down or shot by troopers. Other nights he saw himself having bled his own lightsaber striking down clones before destroying the lightsaber of Padawan Antalis ending any hope of him carrying on the order. When rumors reached his ears of a mystical healer he found a ship to hide on or Imperial to cheat to earn enough credits to leave whatever rock he was on behind.
Airus spent years that way slowly building back his belief he could be redeemed, all the time slowly feeling the crushing grip of the Empire expanding with each passing day. Airus had finally settled himself in for the time being on the distant and rather simple world of Dantooine. Working as a healer he spent nearly a whole year on the planet finally feeling he could do good and trust himself to live among people once more. He gave freely of compassion for the locals, in return, they shared food with the mystical Miralukan.
However after two galactic years after having decided to remain on Dantooine Airus's first taste of the Empire's wrath. Airus sensed it his presence... He retrieved his armor and sabers, Airus knew he would come and if he ran the people here would just be slaughtered. He did not want the fight but the fight was before him the only thing he knew to do... Protect the innocents and stand up, be the guardian dying a Jedi would be better than living like a coward. So he thought at least.
The Dark side acolyte came Airus found himself standing saber in each hand, he met the human Inquisitor on a small wooden bridge over a river, the farms to Airus's back. The Sith could only cackle as dark warrior ignited the crimson saber in his hand as the last traces of light vanished behind the green hills. Airus's own saber a stunning yellow lit up, rain began to fall sizzling as it impacted the sabers. Then the purple saber ignited as he raised it to guard, the symbols of the Jedi order and Republic boldly on display. No words were needed, they both knew what had to be done, though the Dark Jedi even had a second join in the fray Airus won out. Wounded and exhausted Airus stumbled back to the old barn he called home, he was leaving.
Airus defeated those tracking him that day but at the cost of the homes of those he had once lived with. The fear they felt towards him after learning he was one of the Jedi, he could sense it and he understood something... The felt the same towards him as they did towards the Inquisitors fear, hatred, and he had fought for them yet they. He chose not to dwell on this... But he removed the Republic markings his armor, only choosing to save his robes with the emblem of the Jedi he didn't serve anyone but himself now. Perhaps it had never been worth fighting for in the first place, Airus found himself reconsidering everything he'd been taught as even the people he'd once served turned on him.
Another year of traveling, this time Airus held no qualms of gambling against the imperials for than transport money he played to get himself food or lodgings for the night. Things that up until now he had felt a good Jedi would not need, but as Master Vos once told the council "I'm not a good Jedi through" and Airus felt the same applied to him now. However as Airus moved onwards he felt a pull, a tugging at his mind and soon he found himself sitting in a bar nursing a drink he didn't much care for after having operated on the most recent orphan who had been injured working for the local crime boss.
When a familiar face sat down across from him, well more a familiar aura. Solace was alive it seemed she had walked with in and found him with how he was hiding at the moment that was impressive. Either way, talks went on awhile both were happy to see each other, in their own way Airus buying her a drink as they discussed the past. However, Airus found out Sena was alive as well and decided he would be better off with them... Failing that at least, strength in numbers. He agreed to serve as a doctor on 'The Mariner's' ship with the condition being he would use his normal cover as a wounded doctor from the last war.
Airus paid into the ship giving up the red lightsaber crystals he'd taken from fallen Inquisitors, knowing Solace would find a buyer or use them herself. He stowed his sabers, armor, and robes away. Hiding his other Jedi items and deciding to live as best he could as a Miraluka, it would be easier, for now, Solace's way of life seemed to have ended with less hurt perhaps he could adjust to that. Until then he still felt he just a wayward Jedi trying to do good in a galaxy that no longer knew what good was.
Brin is a rather beautiful Lethan Twi’lek, standing at 5’8” tall with a rather distinct look about herself. The dark tattoos standing out in contrast to her deep red skin and orange eyes, marks from her previous life as a slave. While having athletic and toned build, the girl has a body sure to attract attention. Something which Brin often dresses to accentuate, knowing that people tend to get sloppy when they’re distracted, making them easier targets. She often will add capes/half-capes and other symbols of status to her outfits, wanting to show those who in the upper class that she is on their level now. A statement, more or less, to show she is no longer somebody to be stepped on any more.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
Juro’s Lightsaber (Like Ventress')
DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol
E-17d Sniper Rifle
Modified PAC20 - To allow wirless hacking.
Various Outfits (Public Clothes, and bodysuits meant more for sneaking around)
Basic Datapad (Used as a journal)
Simple Hygiene Tools
"Sparky" - A Restored Republic-Era R3 Unit she found, equppied with a new purple and gold paintjob, a personality matrix, and programming to respond to the name Sparky.
| {Physical Abilities} |
Slicing (Hacking & Computers): Throughout much of her life before she was old enough to dance, Brin was used to help with maintenance around the Hutt’s palace due to her being small enough to crawl into hard to reach areas. From this, she has learned much about computers, how they work, and how to use them to her own advantage. She has since worked on improving these skills as it is something she found herself enjoying.
Tinkering/Mechanics: Throughout much of her life before she was old enough to dance, Brin was used to help with maintenance around the Hutt’s palace due to her being small enough to crawl into hard to reach areas. From this, she has learned much about mechanics, and working with machines. She has since worked on improving these skills as it is something she found herself enjoying.
Gunplay: Brin is adept at handling firearms. While she would not stand a chance in a shootout with a trained soldier, the girl is better than average with a blaster.
Piloting: Brin fell in love with the ability to fly wherever she wanted to go after escaping, and has practiced whenever she got the chance (usually with stolen ships). As such she is able to outfly most freighter pilots, although trained military pilots or pilots with more years flying than her can outperform.
Seduction/Deception/Manipulation: Having been an entertainer before escaping, Brin knows how to use her body and mannerisms to seduce others. She also is used to lying to others, having to pretend she was infatuated with patrons she couldn’t have been more disgusted by.
Agility/Flexibility: Brin is extremely agile/flexible, due to her past as a dancer.
| {Force Abilities} |
Force Sense: Brin is able to sense living creatures nearby by their impression in the force. However she is not very skilled in this skill, and those with any ability to even suppress their presence in the forest can hide from her.
Force Telekinesis: Brin is capable of using telekinesis via the force, although this ability is extremely limited. Unless she is either completely overtaken by emotion, or able to focus with no distraction she is unable to perform this ability. She is also rather weak with this ability, able at most to make a human stumble with it.
| {Limitations} |
Strength: Brin is not that physically strong, weaker than an average human male. As such she cannot lift objects that are very heavy, and in a close-quarters fight can’t do too much damage.
Close Quarters Combat: Brin is not skilled in how to fight up close, both with her fists or melee weapons. As such, she will find herself at a disadvantage in any close quarters fight and likely try to flee the battle.
Force Resistance: Brin is not very experienced in the force, and as such is unable to resist the effects of a force user acting upon her.
Anger Issues: Brin is very quick to anger and has a rather fiery temper, a trait that her mother told her was common in her family.
Suppression: Brin is unable to suppress or conceal her presence in the force, identifying herself to those who can sense it as a rather unskilled force-sensitive.
| {Personality} |
Brin is typically seen as a rather friendly and open individual towards others. The girl being not overly afraid to wear her emotions on her sleeve. Keeping an air about herself that seemed to paint the picture of a young girl with little to care about, she typically tries to engage those she can in conversation to build a bond. At times, she even comes across as being rather flirtatious as needed, as she does find a bit of a thrill in acting as such to see others bend to her wills. Brin also has a habit of being more than willing to help those that seem to be downtrodden, or stepped on by the harsh galaxy that they live in. Something that traces its way back to her heritage and where the girl started from. Whether it be in form of finding them food, money, or simply stepping in to protect those in need she has no problem stepping in and doing what must be done.
What she does not show towards others, is that Brin is a rather manipulative individual. While her efforts to help those she deems need it are true, the carefree attitude is simply something she created to make others more at ease around her. When somebody is relaxed, they are easier to handle, afterall. She is not afraid of making the hard choices and getting her hands dirty in order to accomplish her goals, no matter the price. The twi’lek does have some limits, such as selling another into slavery, yet on the other hand would not blink twice to execute a child if it led to her either achieving her goals or put her one step closer on the path. She is particularly fond of finding the secrets others would keep hidden, believing knowledge to be power. Especially when that power can come in the form of blackmail, and the sweet results one can reap from that.
To those she trusts, Brin is typically much like her persona she created to make those around her at ease. Only this time its genuine, as the girl will commonly be seen laughing and hanging around those she trusts. Although she is also more physical, in that with those she trusts Brin will often give hugs, bump shoulders, or other small signs of affection. She also will show that she has one side of her that simply wants to be loved, and is often watching romantic holotapes in her spare time. As well as reading romance novels when otherwise unoccupied.
Contrary to all this, Brin does have a very strong darkside to herself. She finds herself taking pleasure in destroying everything that those she deems in need of punishment. A sick pleasure in the killing of those who would hurt those in a position she used to be. In finding the secrets one would prefer to keep to themselves, just to watch them squirm. Most prominent if her flash temper. A fuse that is rather short, and burns with the rage of an inferno once ignited. Often the girl finds it hard to calm down from this rage, with the dark side, both her own and that of the force whispering sweetly in her mind to fuel the flames of rage.
Brin also inexplicably has a taste for very large guns, explosives, and pretty much anything with destructive potential.
| {Place of Origin} |
Mygeeto, Biothem’s Parlor: Brin was born into slavery, her mother being a dancer/entertainer in a Hutt Palace hidden deep under the ice on Mygeeto. In the last two years, Brin managed to obtain her freedom from the Palace, and left a pile of corpses behind.
| {Background} |
The daughter of a slave dancer and some patron she would never meet again, Vasani’Brinme never had much of a shot at life. In a different life, the Lethan Twi’lek might’ve nothing more than an innocent girl at this age. Happy, and without a care in the world. However, this was not that kind of life. Instead she spent almost all of her life growing up without her mother, who had been sold off to a different hutt. Instead the girl had to learn how to help with maintenance around the palace on Mygeeto. Being small enough to crawl into these spaces, the workers pretty much forced the young girl to do so. Here she learned much about how to work with machines, both physical and in the code. It was hard work, but something the young girl found herself both adept at and rathering enjoying. In her small amount of free time, she thought back to the stories her mother had whispered to her before being sold. About her family, and how one of her ancestors, a part of some old empire, had been a powerful warrior. About how Brin, who had been named after a heroine in an old Twi’lek story, would surely rise up to be powerful and do great things like her ancestor. These stories would hold with the young girl, pushing her to get through each day despite her raging anger practically begging her to lash out and slaughter everybody who worked for Biothem.
As she aged, and her body matured with her, Brin was eventually taken off the maintenance duties. Instead she was forced to learn to be a dancer, entertainer, and another thing she hates to recall. Her red skin, adorned with the black tattoos her mother had given her at a young age just like every woman in her line had possessed, made a rather exotic sight for the patrons of Biothem’s Parlor. So this was how the now-teen spent much of those years. Every day dancing for the entertainment of the scum of the galaxy. Pretending to be infatuated with them to get more money for the vile hutt master she served. Sitting on his dais during important meetings as a status symbol. Flirting with patrons, and worse. Everyday she hated her existence more and more. Wanted to escape and become that powerful warrior that her mother had told her she would always be. Yet the chance never presented itself, as the few times she tried to slink away she was quickly captured and brought back to the palace to remain at her duties. A humiliating display every single time she was brought back in, and then punished with lashings for her foolishness.
Then one day, when the girl was just barely 18, her chance finally came. A man bought her for the night, as others had done before. However this one proved to be more foolish than the others had. When he first took off his jacket, the Twi’lek spied a heavy blaster hidden in the pocket on the inside. A hidden blaster wasn’t all that uncommon in this place, but few were dumb enough to leave it within reach of a slave. As she slipped out to fetch her patron another drink, she made a lunge for the blaster. Too late he seemed to notice what was happening, and wound up with a blaster bolt through his skull. Then hiding the pistol in her own waistband, the girl played the part of a terrified slave who had witnessed a man being murdered. Pinning the blame on another patron she had seen earlier, and was rather familiar with his background thanks to his drunken ramblings, she desperately clung to a hope that this was it. Sure enough, the hot-head started firing when blamed and a brawl erupted in the palace. Through the chaos, Brin started making her escape. Putting a few shots into some who tried to stop her, but the fighting seemed to intensify and only work to her benefit. Before she fled however, Brin stole away into Biothem’s audience chamber while his guards were busy fighting. She doesn’t remember much of what happened in that chamber, her rage blinding her at the time, but she clearly remembered the pistol having no more shots and the smoking corpse of a hutt where her tormentor had once been. A debt paid.
Escaping into the frigid underground ice tunnels of Mygeeto, she sought to find refuge from that place. Where she could hide out until she figured her next step. However, she was very quickly lost in the icy tunnels that soon turned into an even greater hell than where she had once been living. Completely lost in the depths of these tunnels, and confident that her former owners would soon be on top of her any moment to avenge their employer, hope started to drain from the Twi’lek. She collapsed in the icy tunnels, confident that either the cold or massive ice worms would get her. Her consciousness faded, as the girl felt relieved that at least she was free of that hell before her final moments. However, it seemed that Galaxy had different plans for the Twi’lek. She woke many hours later in a warm bed, the sounds of a heater working over time that were common of the civilizations near or under the glaciers of Mygeeto. A simple man wearing robes that reminded her of the stories of religious monks sat nearby. Wary at first, she soon grew to trust the man as he identified himself as a jedi knight by the name of Juro. He started explaining to her about the jedi, the force, and all these things that apparently linked back to her. Brin wasn’t sure if she understood it all, but he had clearly saved her and given her a warm meal. So she could at least listen.
However, her own past would soon ruin this moment of peace, as some of the guards who must have survived the fighting and tracked Brin down for revenge of their ruined paychecks attacked not long after the two started to move to leave the planet. In the chaotic fighting, Brin managed to claim a slain guard’s blaster pistol and Juro’s lightsaber after he had fallen trying to protect her. Fleeing through one of the cities of Mygeeto, the girl eventually ran into a man wearing full Mandalorian armor. This interaction proving to be quite fateful for the girl, and one she remembers rather clearly.
The girl dashed into the alleyway, even as she could hear her pursuers bursting through the small crowd she had ducked past with reckless abandon. Checking over her shoulder to see if they were behind her, the girl never saw the man in front of her. Her forward momentum was suddenly stopped as an armored pair of hands planted firmly on her shoulders. Looking up, she recognized the type of armor towering over her. Mandalorians were rather commonplace bounty hunters around Biothem’s parlor. Although most of them had actually been kind towards the girl instead of treating her like an object. Still, they worked for Biothem, and she was certain this one did as well. Quickly backing away, she raised her blaster towards the man’s chest with a slight shake in her hands from fear of being captured after a taste of freedom. Only then did the man even seem to react to her presence. ”If you a point a weapon, you better be prepared to fire it, adiik.” Came an unwavering, deep voice from the helmet’s speakers. However, the girl was not about to be taken back to be punished, or killed. Squeezing the trigger of the blaster she heard the sound of the discharge echoing off the walls of the alley, and the scent of ozone burning in the air. At the same moment she could hear the demands of her would be captors from behind her. Telling the man to hand her over and be handsomely rewarded. The response was a simply, hearty laugh followed by an order of ‘down.’. As Brin ducked, a flurry of bolts soared over her head and into her pursuers. ”I think I like you, adiik. Not many would have the guts to pull that trigger. Though we’ll have to work on your aim, you shot the hell out of the wall instead of me.” The voice said as it offered a gauntleted hand to her, and Brin took it nervously. Unsure of where this would lead, but figuring somebody who had saved her was better than freezing to death.
That fateful encounter leading Brin to leave Mygeeto with the Mandalorian, and traveled around the galaxy with him for the next year and a half. It was during this time she learned how to handle blasters more, and sharpened her piloting skills as well as her skills in blackmail and information gathering. This time very much shaped who she would be in the future, as the merc became a sort of father figure towards Brin. He taught her the skills she needed to survive this harsh galaxy, while also teaching her what it meant to be Mandalorian. At the end of their year and a half stint, the man was passing away from a disease he had contracted during one of their bounties. Yet on his deathbed, he willed Brin to remain strong, and went the extra mile of adopting her as his own. Leaving her newfound father’s grave, Brin wears a simple necklace that has his holo-tag on the end as a reminder of her father while she set out to make her own way in the galaxy.
Giving herself the name ‘The Shadow’, Brin set out to gather information and blackmail on those in power that she could, or even striking against those she couldn’t. Using this, she sought to establish herself as a bounty hunter and use the credits from her contracts to fund her own endeavours. Afterall, everybody has their shadows and their shadows know all of their little secrets. Her paths led her to Anchorage, in search of a way to use her skills to earn some credits, so she could afford to find her own place in the galaxy..
Yes, but unknown to be force sensitive. Grey, but light leaning, alignment.
| Role on Ship |
Engineer, starfighter pilot
| {Appearance} |
Skylar has a normal humanoid appearance with pale skin. She stands at 165 cm in height and weighs about 50 kg with her slim but toned build. She has shoulder length black to red ombre hair which is usually just let down, her bangs slightly covering her silver eyes. She often wears her black armorweave shorts with leggings tucked into each boot along with a tight-fitting, black armorweave shirt, which hides the tattoo between her shoulder blades, with the sleeves tucked into brown armorweave bracers. Over her shirt, she usually wears a red cloak which she will use to conceal her face with the hood when necessary. Her blaster rifle is typically slung across her back while her blaster pistol rests in its holster on her grey utility belt at her waist.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
Modified A280 Blaster Rifle which is skeletonized to save on weight and has aftermarket galven circuits and focusing crystal to extend its effective range.
DC-15s side arm blaster which is able to recharge rounds up to a capacity of 7 rounds.
Utility Belt
Liquid cable launcher
Thermal Detonators
Sonic Detonators
Food and energy capsules
Pouch with a rebreather
Pouch with a holoprojector
Utility knife
Bandolier containing additional ammo for the A280 Blaster Rifle
| {Physical Abilities} |
Proficient with a blaster rifle and pistol
Expert pilot
Expert starship mechanic and technician
| {Force Abilities} |
None, untrained.
| {Limitations} |
Unskilled with melee combat
Low physical stamina
| {Personality} |
If Skylar were to be described in one word, that word would most likely be curious. The young woman is eager to learn about anything that piques her interest, so much so that sometimes it may lead to mischief such as breaking and entering and theft. Despite her actions and her various occupations however, Skylar is actually a rather kind person, after deeming a person to be trustworthy anyway, although she can also tend to act a bit arrogant and cocky at times. She was raised with manners being a member of an Imperial household after all, and old habits tend to die hard.
| {Place of Origin} |
Skylar was born on Kuat as the daughter and sole child of a couple who worked as engineers for the Kuat Drive Yards. Compared to most in the galaxy, Skylar was given a fairly wealthy, but modest upbringing and was raised in comfort, but not luxury, during her time with her parents. After life with her parents however, she was met with the grittier side of the galaxy, leading her to mature quickly in order to adapt with her rapidly changing surroundings.
| {Background} |
Skylar was born on Kuat at 29 BBY. She was the daughter of Oscar and Laura Fosslan who worked as senior members of staff at the Kuat Drive Yards, her mother being a technician while her father was a mechanic and on the design team. During her early life, she was given a comfortable life and education due to the relatively safe environment she was in. It wasn't long however, when she started to exhibit signs of force sensitivity, something her parents were afraid of but prepared for. Before anyone was able to notice, Skylar's parents engraved a marking onto her back, one that they both had, which would suppress her force sensitivity to others while looking inconspicuous as a tattoo, which is what she believed it was as she grew up. Even at an early age, the young girl showed an interest and curiosity in starships of all sizes, often asking her parents to get her tours and souvenirs from their work at the drive yards. As soon as she was able, she worked and learned at the drive yards, going through a variety of positions to learn as much as she could. By the time she was 18, Skylar was able to reassemble a fighter, program it herself, and fly it. During her downtime while learning about starships though, her father often took her to the shooting range and taught her how to use and maintain various blasters and other weapons. Although Skylar did not know why she was being taught such things during the time, her father often said that it would help her understand components in a starship, she would later learn that he had been preparing her for life without her parents. Her life would take a turn in 9 BBY however when her parents told her to pack her things and to get out of system with them. The Empire had discovered that Skylar’s parents were Rebel sympathizers and were secretly transferring classified information to the Rebellion. During their escape from Kuat however, Skylar was separated from her parents and while she was able to make her escape out of the system, she never learned what became of her parents. During the time between her escape from Kuat to her signing on to the mercenary group, Skylar kept herself alive with various jobs using her skillset. From being a convoy escort to being an assassin and hunting bounties, she took any job that she could do within reason and even managed to thrive considering the circumstances. Job after job, Skylar wandered the galaxy, never really seeming to find a purpose other than to stay alive and make credits to try and get away from her past life. At this point in her life, she was convinced her parents had died at Kuat after never having heard from them or of them since that fateful day. Eventually, her jobs would lead her to the mercenary group where she was attracted by the large credit reward it was offering.
image to follow, as always, once I get off my tail feathers and draw.
| {Full Name} |
Vifii ((Kushiban don't seem to take family names, and Vifii's never had a family, anyway))
| {Age} |
15 ((developmentally comparable to a ~20 year old human))
| {Species} |
Kushiban
| {Gender} |
Female
| {Force Sensitive/Alignment} |
Umm…no?
| Role on Ship |
Like it or not, Vifii has styled herself as an ‘infiltrator’ – no one is going to suspect a pet bunny to be making off with your commander’s dataspheres. The core of her skillset is petty pickpocketing, that and being able to sneak around in plain sight, but she’s donned a number of different identities and professed sets of abilities to carry out a number of jobs.
| {Appearance} |
Vifii is of a smaller size than would be expected of many kushiban, a byproduct of being raised in a crate, always hungry and with minimal space to move around. Standing upright on her hind legs, she’s a mere sixty-six centimeters tall (about half that when on all fours) and bears a thin and knobbly frame that resists every attempt at fattening. Her soft ears and tail dominate her small form – they grew normally, even if the rest of her didn’t - and the result is that she’s often tripping over the ears when walking on all fours, and they nearly skim the ground even when she’s standing upright. For that reason, and matters of pride, she prefers to stand on her hind legs and has taught herself to be able to walk and move with some amount of grace – though in danger she drops back to all fours.
Vifii’s eyes are usually some shade of bright blue, though they change colors slightly as her fur does – her fur, usually a shade of white or beige or grey, is always meticulously brushed and combed. Vifii can’t stand to have even the slightest dust or dinge in her fur. Most of her hair is grown out long, but for a bald, scarred band around her neck and a discolored patch over the slaver’s crest tattooed on the point of her left shoulder.
The only notable accessory she wears is a silver-colored hairpin which holds a particularly long tuft of hair in place behind her ears. It’s set with sparkly blue stones that on closer inspection are paste rhinestones – utterly valueless.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
When Vifii joined the crew, she had nothing but a small rucksack with a few changes of clothes. She dresses in altered human clothes, whatever she can easily get her paws on, though they’re often child-sized, or else adult human’s shirts worn as dresses.
Since joining the crew, however, she’s collected an alarming assortment of nick-nacks and trinkets, favoring brightly colored and sparkly objects. So far she hasn’t taken anything from the crew, but whenever they stop in a town it seems she gets her paws on something. She has recently started wearing ribbon bands around her neck in an effort to hide the collar scar.
| {Physical Abilities} |
Fast ‘lil bugger. – Bunnies are fast. Bunnies are really fast. Vifii, small and nimble as she is, is remarkably hard to catch or land a hit on if she’s able to get all four feet to the ground.
Hidden in plain sight - Vi prides herself on being able to blend in, being passed off as a docile servant or pet. Either class is given a remarkable amount of freedom, especially in wealthy houses.
Quick-Thinking Pickpocket – Vifii is very good at quickly weaving lies and half-truths – and then remembering the stories that she’s spun. Anything to get herself out of a situation alive.
Seamstress – During Vi’s early childhood, she was instructed in traditional Kushiban weaving and spinning techniques – and has since taught herself other intricacies of the skill. Kushiban silk is prized for its iridescence and softness, and though it is a niche market, selling the thread spun from her fur earns a nice chunk of pocket change for her.
| {Limitations} |
Hydrophobic – Given the hell that was her adolescence on Aquilaris, Vifii is horrified at the mere thought of visiting water worlds, and hates any exposure to the liquid beyond what is necessary. A mere ocean breeze can set her to trembling and refusing to leave her quarters.
Just a Dumb Bunny – The boon of her unconventional appearance is also a major flaw - the fact that no one will take her seriously. When she tries to engage directly in conversation, she is often as not laughed off. Even the crew of the Noreaster might treat her as little more than a pet.
Heart of Gold - Vifii is very young and naïve, and follows her heart over her head. Her strong moral compass has accomplished some major good in the world, but has also landed her in trouble and earned her more than her fair share of close calls.
Fragile – Vi has little way of protecting herself or fighting- sure, teeth and claws, but they do nothing against proper weapons - and her body is too fragile to withstand much force at all. Everything she does banks on her not getting caught.
| {Personality} |
Vifii is a delightful mess of contradictions. Her upbringing as a slave gave her a worldview that few possess, but also sheltered her from the more subtle cruelties of the galaxy. She is naïve, ill-informed of the way things work in the middle echelons of society, and still has a notion that she’ll be able to set the galaxy to being a better place – while being dreadfully fatalistic about the whole endeavor and her worth in the world. She tries to be optimistic, seeing some amount of good in everything and everyone – except slavers – and does her best to help people. With that being said, she is massively distrustful of any organization or group who claims to have a benevolent motive. Perhaps she is too cynical, or perhaps not enough.
Outwardly, Vi is a shy, reserved creature that is immensely distrustful of others. She could be mistaken for mute at first meeting her, mute save for squeaks and purrs and growls as one would expect from an animal. She has a very, very select few on the crew that she trusts, and to their perception she is a bubbly and inexperienced young woman, downright childish at times, who has an awful lot to say in an awfully soft voice that seems incapable of speaking emphatically. It’s hard to win her trust, but once you do you have a lifelong friend.
| {Place of Origin} |
“Some backwater hellhole, wherever it was.” There aren’t any records detailing Vifii’s birth or upbringing, but she was born of an escaped Kushiban fur slave in hiding in the slums of the city-world Nar Shaddaa.
| {Background} |
There was softness, and warmth. Gentle voices around her. Soft paws guiding her own, a lilting melody in her ears, the twisting of downy fur in her paws. Soft ears draped over her; the wriggling of other small downy bundles against her side, twitching noses and blinking eyelashes. Harsh lantern lights eased by sheets of sheer cloth.
A crack that shattered every moment of peace. Screaming. Blood splattered on the mildewed green tiles.
Her earliest distinct memory is that of a market. A feeling of emptiness. Something lost. An overwhelming cloud of the stink of fear and pain and sickness and waste and ruin.
Loneliness.
Laughter. A flash of blinding white-hot pain.
Darkness.
When she awoke, she was overcome with the sweetest scent she’d ever smelled – the salty, bitter tang of ocean air and sunshine. There was a dull stinging in her shoulder, the only sign that whatever horrible thing had happened before wasn’t just a dream.
She was on the water world of Aquilaris, in residence on an island resort of some sort. The owner of the place, a seedy-looking grey-skinned fellow, was quick to put her in her place. She was not a slave, not at all, but rather an employee, and her job was simple. There was a buzzer in her collar-
At the mention of a collar she panicked, pawing at it and tugging, but the light pressure that had been on her throat only seemed to grow more intense as she did. A bolt of pain seared through her head and chest, and she collapsed to the floor again.
The collar would tighten if she tried to remove it, and could be remotely activated to electrocute her. It would explode, and her head with it, if she wandered past the bounds of the man’s resort. The man smiled lightly, politely, as he explained it, speaking quickly as though she understood perfectly. When the buzzer sounded, her crate would open, and there would be a magnetic tugging on the collar. She was to follow the tugging, and it would lead her to a resort guest who required some service or another.
Any requested service was to be delivered promptly, professionally, and without question.
She had no idea what all could be asked of her, but she soon learned. She was spared much that was inflicted on others, the other “employees” that she only saw in passing – it seemed that even as heartless as these cruel businessmen were, they were under instruction to not kill or cause serious injury to the - employees.
The routine was simple. After whatever …service had been completed, and to the customer’s satisfaction, she was to return to her cage, and wait until she was called again. Failure to do so fast enough, as she found, resulted in her collar tightening until she couldn’t breathe, electric shocks dancing down her spine. Sometimes it seemed even daring to think improperly would leave her fallen to her knees, fire dancing behind her eyes.
It was hard to keep track of time, beyond the blur of hunger and mistreatment - it was almost easier not to think, not to worry about the infeasible. She got older and with her age grew; her accommodations did not. She could not bring herself to care. An animal, only there to wait hand and foot on the seedy business lords, fetch and carry, “provide comfort”, a thing, an object for them – it was hard to keep herself above such basal lines of thought. It was hard to remember that she was a person in her own right. Everything faded into a sick kind of rhythm. As she matured, the market brand pressed into her shoulder faded and stretched. Fearing that it might eventually disappear, the master had his own insignia tattooed on over it. Her duties redoubled, now more personal and …intimate to the master himself, and any of his favored guests.
Every summer, the sea creatures encroached on the edges of the resort’s white beaches, but one year they were more brazen than they ever had been before. Vi desperately yearned to wade out into the water and let them take her – but her resolve quickly weakened, memories of the time she had tried to let the oceans take her- memories of the punishment she had endured from it. Whenever she could spare a moment, though, the diminutive creature found herself on the edge of the beach, hoping that a freak accident might let one of the creatures pick her off.
The resort found itself a peculiar guest soon after – a man who never removed his helm, a peculiar construction that hid his eyes and all his features, a man who carried more than his weight in weapons, in such a way that it looked like he might know how to use them. Vi had the privilege of waiting on him the first day he was there, feeling his gaze sharply on her collar and the tattoo. He didn’t seek out her other services, either, though not for lack of her offering. And he spoke to her as an equal would, and was not content with the animal grunts that she had been reduced to for years – he would wait until she spoke, haltingly and scarcely whispering, terror rising with every word. There were some things he asked that she could not bring herself to speak of. But it seemed he understood.
The sea monsters were soon dealt with, and the mysterious guest vanished once more. Vi was devastated to see him go, devastated to be left again tending the whims of the sadistic men and women who frequented their establishment.
Such return to the mundane was short-lived. Within weeks, a group of others – wearing the same peculiar helms and armor – descended on the resort.
Blood splattered on tiles. Cages were sprung, collars torn from necks, slaves – now freed – herded into the relative safety of a starship’s underbelly.
Freedom.
Vifii had no idea what that word meant.
These strange folk called each other mando’ade, showing a kind of affection that was outright alien to Vi, and invited them all to join their clan. Their family. At the mention of family, there was a tug in her heart.
She might be able to be happy there. In a large group. Of large, intimidating people who showed no mercy. But she was weak and frail, and oh, God- what if they decided she wasn’t worth it? What if they were just to trap her here again?
She could not bear the thought. So she took their other offer – that of a respectable new identity, and a ride to a safe part of the galaxy. Having no idea just how big the galaxy was, she dumbly agreed to follow one of the older slaves, a Twi’lek woman who said she had friends in Coruscant.
Wherever that was.
They arrived in Coruscant without much ado, the Twi’lek woman scooped up by her family as soon as they landed, paying no heed to the quiet Kushiban shadow that she’d had the last few weeks of travel. Vifii was left alone, again.
She was hired on as a maid in a mid-level tavern – safe, if rather seedy – but was let go as soon as her slave marks became obvious. She bounced back and forth between several establishments, being hired on and fired for various reasons, most involving her appearance and the mark on her shoulder.
It was an adjustment to be wearing human clothing – they had all been kept nude on the island, and it was apparently sufficiently socially acceptable for her species – but things tended to go better when her tattoo was concealed. Still, work was hard to come by, and she was often fired for her stature and bearing, and her inability to confront rowdier customers.
Without money or options, she grew to be desperate. Though she had tried selling her fur – Kushiban fur thread, as light and soft and warm as their fur was, had grown to be a luxury good – her prices were consistently undercut by people she knew were sourcing it from slaves. There had been talk on the island, as she’d grown, that she might earn the boss more money if he sold her to a fur trader. But whatever the case, she wasn’t able to earn enough money for the exorbitant accommodation rentals even in the mid-levels of the city, and she refused to move any lower.
She took to petty thievery, hitchhiking to the higher levels of the city-world and sneaking things from the transports and purses of insanely wealthy people as they went about their day. When she was caught, and it was often at first, she would play dumb and cute and soft – and they fell for it nearly every time. A woman took her in for a time, and treated her kindly, giving her food and a soft place to sleep- Vi felt horrible about taking some of the woman’s jewelry before she left, but when someone has an entire room devoted to rows and rows of sparkly objects, there’s no way she needs all of that. The three valuable necklaces that she took gave her enough credits, when re-sold, to pay her rent for almost a year. And the paste-rhinestone hairpin continues to be Vi’s favorite accessory, with pretty blue crystals that match her eyes.
Karma got her back for that, though, and left her with no successful heists and several near-misses, including nearly being gutted by an exceptionally un-amused battle droid and its equally un-amused owner, who stared at her impassively with his eyebrows halfway up his bulbous, enormous head. She barely managed to talk her way out of that, and is rather convinced the man only let her go out of amusement. (It’s certainly terrified her of all the people she now knows are called Muun – including the one in the Noreaster’s crew. But it can’t be the same guy, right? That would be too much of a coincidence.)
She slowly fell back into debt, and as she did, a swoop gang took pity on her. By which it’s meant that she was cornered on her midnight commute home from the tavern (she’d found work at one, for pennies, but it was work) and offered a deal – she drop everything and work for them, or else she be forcibly overpowered and sold into slavery. Their leader had noticed the inked-over brand on her shoulder while she worked, and put together that a former slave of a presumed-dead master would be in for a mighty rough life if ever returned to the markets.
They wanted her to infiltrate the estate of a wealthy fur merchant, one who consistently undercut their prices on all exotic fabrics, and they wanted to know how and why. Vifii thought she knew the answer – Slaves. Low prices are always a sign of free labor. But when she said as much, their comment was simple. Sabotage it, any way she could, and bring the profits back to them. They’d be watching and waiting, and they’d help the extraction effort.
She played her part, turning up on the lady’s doorstep beaten (that had been the gang’s idea) and shaking, and a great show was made of taking her in with kindness. Kindness which evaporated as soon as they were through the door.
When she explained the situation to the other Kushiban captives, their fur shorn short and eyes dull, they laughed in her face. Said she was naïve and a fool and had doomed herself and all of them – the swoop she was working for kills slaves, and calls itself merciful. She’d practically signed their death warrant.
That was just an unacceptable betrayal. If you asked Vi now what had come over her, she wouldn’t be able to tell you. The others, scattered now in all corners of the galaxy, would likely have similar answers. Rage blinded her, and her fury was infectious. The slaves revolted.
The merchant - who was foolish enough to not expect such violence from such soft, pacifistic creatures, and so no longer retained any guard or other brute force - was summarily murdered next feeding-time, her eyes clawed out and body left to bleed out on the floor. Her estate was left on fire, and her fifty-five now-free Kushiban fur slaves were smuggled onto various ships heading off-world. The commotion of it caused all eyes to turn to the fur trade running rampant just below Coruscant’s surface, seeing market restrictions cracked down everywhere, and a tiny Kushiban with enormous ears became the primary target of several of the city’s exotic good smugglers.
She had made it back to her tiny apartment and gathered up her few belongings, barely getting free of the complex before flames shot out of every window, shouts and screams echoing down the street. Suddenly confronted with the very real possibility of dying and blinded by terror, she booked it to one of the smaller nearby spaceports. That was when she’d found the Noreaster. Though she hadn’t known the ship, nor the crew, she had seen that it was a small craft – big enough to not be an obvious choice of escape, small enough that it wasn’t too un-obvious. She’d scampered aboard, blending her fur in with the various crates of provisions in the hold and praying she wouldn’t be found until they’d lifted off from the surface.
A droid found her, of course, when checking the cargo for biological trace, and had dragged her abovedecks to face a motley crew. Having scanned the crowd, her gaze settled on a fragile-looking young woman she would eventually grow to know as Requiem. Maybe it was the small creature on her shoulder, or the softness in her face, but she seemed the most reasonable to speak to in this situation.
Letting oily tears well up in her eyes for the first time in a very, very long time, she fell to her knees and begged the woman for protection. She left out the part of the smuggling rings having it out for her head, naturally, but explained some of the cruelty she’d endured and begged for refuge, promising she’d do whatever menial work was thrown at her and that she’d earn her keep.
Some part of her ached fiercely at the admission, at her sudden willingness to give herself over to another party’s mercy, but she bowed her head and vowed that she would take whatever was dealt. She was out of options, and out of time.
The Geneti--Secretary.
Image to follow when Aria either swallows her pride and finds art or else draws.
| {Full Name} |
Loril Kaalun (Formerly Lomi Prolu)
| {Age} |
Twenty-Four (born in 27BBY)
| {Species} |
Kaminoan
| {Gender} |
Female
| {Force Sensitive/Alignment} |
Decidedly Not. (True Neutral leaning Lawful)
| Role on Ship |
A… Secretary. Yes. Loril is an exceptional secretary. She prides herself on her meticulous note-keeping and record organization, attending to the matters of her… business partner Clu’s work. She knows more than she ought to about the intricacies of cloning and genetic sequencing, and will not hesitate to blow everyone else out of the water with her knowledge if given the slightest opportunity. It’s a poorly kept secret that she’s a geneticist by trade, still on the run from the Empire nine years after the Kamino Uprising. It’s a slightly-better-kept one that she’s only alive for having been taken under Clu’s protection for her service in the future.
| {Appearance} |
Loril is a proud and elegant creature, standing at the above-average height of 2.35 meters and bearing a graceful, slender form. Her pale skin is mostly unblemished – her pride allows nothing less – and her pale gray irises bright in her black sclera. She dresses impeccably and simply, her clothing close-fit and tailored, in shades of gray and cyan and white. She has a bit of her clothing left from Kamino – the one bit of sentiment she still carries – and a wide range of styles of other worlds that she’s journeyed to in the last few years. Her vanity seems to be anything that could be considered a head or neck adornment – she has many (simple, but elegant) necklaces and headpieces that she can be seen sporting.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
Six: An AZI biomedical unit fresh from Kamino’s labs. It has a numerical-soup designator, the last digit of which is ostensibly six (or it’s just Loril’s sixth droid. Hard to tell.) A little bit scrambled, roughed up around the edges, with a cracked visor screen and several dents on its hull. Often speaks in a technobabble, and often says things that don’t make sense. Its movements are jerky, suggesting sensors might be out of alignment. Loril has neither the money nor expertise to have it repaired, though it’s a high priority – she cannot bear to have a piece of technology not functioning to its fullest. She has no attachment to the droid, or so she insists, putting its utility first - she will need a competent lab assistant wherever she sets up, and this particular unit has had a processor built in for her personal encryption codes. There is often argument between them; the droid’s very presence, and eternal lack of order, absolutely vexes her. But, its future utility outweighs the current inconveniences. A large suitcase, battered and especially heavy. Always locked. If opened, revealed to be packed full of journals and notebooks that are written in a mix of Kaminoan and what appears to be a Kaminoan-derived cipher of some form or another. Chemical diagrams and data tables are scattered throughout them. A second briefcase that’s smaller, and though the cover of it is apparently battered and worn canvas, beneath lies solid metal that’s intricately locked. The inside of the case is thoroughly insulated, with a small cryo box set into the center of it, which contains many small vials in a holding box – all labeled in the Kaminoan cipher. Outside of the cryo box are some of the various tools and harder to come by reagents a geneticist would need, carefully fit into high-density foam cutouts especially designed to carry them, and one singular data sphere. A duffel bag of clothing. Holopad, wrist computer, and beaten up data sphere, usually on her person.
Other than the cases, Loril maintains an insanely sterile living quarters. Her bed is made with precision the moment she wakes up, laundry stored out of sight. There are no sentimental objects to be found whatsoever.
| {Physical Abilities} |
Eugeneticist – For all of her (rather short, to this point) life, Loril has been trained and educated for the highly specialized cloning laboratories that dot Kamino’s surface. She was among the top innovators of Tipoca City’s laboratories, and her scientific knowledge is second to none.
Meticulous – Loril’s dedication and attention to detail becomes apparent in more than just academic work. Everything about her is done with a purpose, her mind highly analytical and pragmatic, and it carries over into all aspects of daily life. There is nothing frivolous or unnecessary about her- this includes in her speech patterns, which are direct and to the point.
Vengeful – Traditionally, Kaminoan services were open to the highest bidder. …Then the empire invaded, massacred countless scientists, and destroyed millennia of research. Loril would like nothing more than to see them brought to their knees and made to answer for the wanton destruction of so much knowledge, and will do anything in her power to make it happen.
There's a Droid for That - Loril's expertise is highly specialized and not directly applicable, but her droid Six has a somewhat wider field of programming. If only it were in full repair, it would be Loril's surgical orderly and all-around laboratory assistant, with some knowledge of chemistry and basic lab techniques. It has protocols of anatomy with enough detail for surgeries to be performed on a fair range of humanoid species. ...of course, it's out of calibration now, so you might well get a scalpel stuck into your liver if you let it operate on you. Beyond her own droid, Loril is passingly familiar with a number of other systems, from a variety of other planets - she can't program them herself, but working with a team of mostly-droids for three years has left her more than able to efficiently delegate tasks to droids of all sorts.
| {Limitations} |
Traumatized – The uprising on Kamino was the day that her entire world inverted itself. She watched her loved ones die, watched her life’s work – save for what she managed to rescue – go up in smoke. It was a freak accident that she made it offworld, even. A lesser individual would be grief-stricken, rendered nonfunctional by such a horrific experience. Loril is not traumatized. Of course she couldn’t be; that is a silly emotional response for lesser individuals. She just avoids any such stimulus that might remind her of that day, isolating herself whenever the training decks are in use- when the decks of the ship are rife with the echoes of blaster fire. When she’s confronted by such, or if – heaven forbid – a combat situation forms in her vicinity - her gaze turns vacant and empty, her muscles locking and brain ceasing to function.
Not Designed to Fight – Kaminoans are especially not known for their mobility, flexibility, or strength. Loril in particular is exemplary in her stiffness and slowness. Every movement she makes is graceful and assured, but that is only because it has to be – her long limbs seem as though they would give out if she had to run, and her shoulders and hips are so stiff that fighting or evasion would be out of the question.
Unarmed, Untrained – She’s never had to fight. Of course she’s never had to fight, the galaxy forgot that Kamino existed until they needed the services offered there. She doesn’t know how to hold a blaster, nor does she much care to know. Such work is outside of her expertise and thus a waste of time, effort, and energetic resources.
Stubborn as A Mule – Loril is exceptionally blunt. Many other Kaminoans are known in the galaxy as being placid, levelheaded and analytical – Loril bearn one, and only one, of those three traits. Painfully proud, and brutishly stubborn even when she’s proven wrong, it’s a wonder she hasn’t had anyone try to knock some sense into her. She has no common sense whatsoever.
| {Personality} |
“A personality, you say? A dreadfully primitive waste of energy and thought.”
Loril is the master of her own emotions and thoughts. A control freak to the highest; everything must be in its place and functioning to its absolute best. Not one thing can be out of place, in her environment or in her mind. While many Kaminoans profess an understanding of the human psyche and nature, Loril scorns such work, insisting that one’s merit is determined solely by their genetic makeup, and any shortcomings in their character are the fault of their biology. (She will not admit to herself that anything is wrong. She will not admit that she is a flawed and hurt individual.)
She is a cruel and analytical young woman, nearly expressionless – at least, outwardly appearing as such – and holds a xenophobic and downright condescending view of many. It is hard to earn her respect, short of being an outstanding member of ones species- and even then her respect is mostly a scientific one. Her haughtiness is especially realized with species that still reproduce biologically and leave to random chance what science could guarantee. Thirsting for results above everything else, she has grown dismissive of even other Kanimoans in their haughtiness and refusal to enhance themselves with science.
Loril’s proud and arrogant demeanor hides an inferiority complex, a constant, burning thirst for power and the realization that nothing she does is ever enough. Her greatest failings weigh heavily on her mind. She is obsessive, worrying over projects for hours and hours and ultimately reducing their efficacy for her incessant meddling. Her mind is often distracted in thoughts of impractical and even infeasible future projects, especially now that circumstance has rendered her unable to carry on her work for nearly a decade. She’s fidgety and irritable, especially when work is mentioned.
Outwardly, she is exceptionally secretive and endeavors to be clinical in demeanor, preferring to hide everything she thinks and feels behind her “professional” expressionless mask.
| {Place of Origin} |
Kamino, in one of the satellites of Tipoca City.
| {Background} |
Loril- or as she was named upon her spawning, Lomi Prolu – was born of the egg and sperm of a pair of Kaminoan geneticists (and birthed from an incubation chamber in Tipoca.) In her early years, it became clear that she had a special knack for the biological sciences, and was fast-tracked through Tipoca’s medical and scientific schools, and earned her place among the rank and file of Kamino’s genetic sequencing units a whole year earlier than most of her peers, by the age of 10.
Lomi was fiercely driven to innovate, to question the traditional work of the Kaminoans – It was a belief of many of the elder scientists that their process had become so efficient, perfect and wasteless, that it was unable to be improved upon. Lomi challenged that notion and sought to do better. Though many of her early attempts at such innovation turned out to be drastic failure, she earned the grudging respect (and ill-veiled enmity) of many other scientists. As she grew in expertise and confidence, her projects turned into successes, and after that the promotions soon followed.
Within three years of her employment, she became the head scientist of a regional laboratory under the republic clone project, overseeing the work of others more than twice her experience. By this point, the process was flowing as a well-oiled machine would, every lab a piece fitting into the greater production machine.
She was under strict instructions not to tamper with the genome being used.
Lomi was never good at following orders. Her laboratory started turning out batches of clones that were rather more specialized – some skills better than the average, some far worse. When she settled on the force as her next target of modifications – if one could simply instill midichlorians into a body and force the microbes to form a titer within the being, there would be no logical reason why one couldn’t have an army of force-wielding clones – she was promptly removed from the project, told she would only be reinstated when she learned the discipline of scientific process.
Really, the demotion was serendipitous. Her lab was one of the few no longer monopolized by the republic project – one of the few permitted to take outside commissions. Though she would have liked to work on her personal projects, visions of force-using warriors and the perfect, genetically altered Kaminoan, she had neither the resources nor bearing to direct her laboratory onto such tasks.
She had a few deals here and there over the next couple of years, simple, easy projects that were fast cash enough for her to amass a modest fortune. But the imperial presence was growing on Kamino – deals that she had formally been able to conduct in the open and with the assistance of many soon became hushed affairs conducted with only the knowledge of her few most trusted laboratory assistants. She grew to rely very heavily on droids – they could be trusted not to be whispering to the soldiers that now openly patrolled the research district.
She was approached at the end of the year 13 BBY with a particularly unique business proposition.
The man who brought it was a Duros, a humble “traveler”, he insisted, bearing a contract to be signed. A wealthy Muun businessman by the name of Clu Zanith was in the market for a new heart to be grown for him, and was willing to pay exceptionally handsomely for it to be done. The caveat? He wanted it to be an individual project, kept highly secret. Only the single scientist involved could be trusted with the information of his identity, and of what he needed. Secrecy and delicacy was key.
With the help of Halan Sil – as she had learned the Duros’s name to be – she set about organizing her laboratory for such a project, urging her handful of underlings to take on their own projects and do their own innovating, to be a bit secretive and inspire competition among themselves. They set themselves up with another imperial-sanctioned project, to draw suspicion away, and finally she decided they had as many measures in place as they could to begin the businessman’s work.
She never got to see how that panned out. It was a night shift, not the first time she had been working round-the-clock – she would work on her imperial project by day, and at night would “stay to finish some work” and begin the sequencing and splicing of the Muun businessman’s genome – that was disrupted by screaming and blaster fire.
Her lab assistants fled into the corridor, and she watched them gunned down. Medic droids, programming overridden at the detection of silver-blue blood splattered on the walls, rushed out into the corridor- to be gunned down as well, and with them countless amounts of data and work.
The blast doors slammed shut, and despite herself Lomi panicked, fearing herself trapped. But her terror was short-lived as Halan Sil himself stepped out of the utility door set into the side of the wall, throwing a large suitcase down onto the floor. “Hurry, pack what you can. I don’t know how long the doors will hold them.”
“What are you doing?” She couldn’t help but gawp at him.
“Getting you out, clone master. You’re no use to our benefactor if you’re dead, and he’d rather his genetic information not be in a third party’s hands.” The Duros reached for her bookshelf, an obsolete feature with Kamino’s technology level, but one that Lomi had insisted on – the better to keep hard copy records of the work she’d done. A skilled hacker could tamper with databases, but it was considerably harder to tamper with paper books in an age where they were obsolete.
The Duros started chucking the notebooks into the suitcase, with little regard for how gently he threw them – Lomi resisted the urge to chastise him, leaping for her sample briefcase. She gathered as many samples as she could fit into it. Most important were the working genomes of the Muun, as she was determined not to lose the month’s progress she’d made, a few that she’d had left over from the republic project (she hoped they were still viable, but wasn’t certain), and several from the various imperial projects she’d been commissioned on. Her meager handful of data spheres, and several vials of reagents that she wasn’t certain could be acquired elsewhere.
She got the case closed just as the blast doors were shoved open, tumbling into the maintenance door seconds before the room was bathed in laser light. Halan Sil was panting, body hunched over underneath the enormous suitcase. “Clone master,” he panted, “Why can’t you have a box of data spheres like literally every other cloner on this planet?”
“Would you have hired me if I was?”
He didn’t respond, grumbling and pushing onwards through the tunnel. It was a dreadfully uncomfortable journey, Lomi needing to hunch nearly in half to fit through the tunnel.
It would spit them out on the underside of one of the stilt towers. A speeder would take them back to the residential city.
Halfway to their destination, give or take, a beeping began to emanate from the tunnels behind them. Fearing the worst, Halan Sil dropped the case, drawing his blaster. As the sound grew closer and louder, it began to sound remarkably unlike anything that might have been hostile. The beeping almost sounded like a repeating of Lomi’s name, over and over.
A mighty shadow grew on the wall.
A small, jerky robot rounded the corner, beeping excitedly upon the sight of Lomi.
Six.
Damn that little droid.
It seemed a lot worse for wear, pearly colors on its hull as though it had a few near misses with the laser weapons, eye screen shattered, body scratched and dented, and missing an arm. But here it was, mostly functional. With a sigh, she gestured for it to come along.
…. They made it back to the residential block, to find that the ship was all but swarmed with imperial officers. Lomi still doesn’t know how Halan Sil managed to get them out of his way- the only explanation he offered was that he “has connections” and that was left to be that.
However it happened, it worked. They got offworld.
The vast majority of scientists and clones did not. …. She was taken to a nondescript business center on some mid rim world, without any real explanation of what was going on. Halan Sil told her only who she was to become.
“Records will show that Lomi Prolu was shot down on Kamino. You are Loril Kaalun, a young administrative assistant utterly unconnected to anything to do with the cloning operation. You are a refugee hired off the streets as a secretary and office assistant. Your records will check out, I assure you. Unfortunately, you don’t have as many credits at your disposal as you once did, though my people will be seeing if they can’t recover your assets.”
Several years passed in a blur, the newly-renamed Loril being shuffled around from planet to planet every few months, doing menial organizational and paperwork tasks (intergalactic businessmen have an obscene amount of paperwork to be processed) wherever she could. It seemed nowhere was safe enough for her to continue her research – occasional meetings with Zanith, when he happened to be in the area, confirmed that point, though he repeatedly referenced their contract for her services, implying that he was doing all he could to find a laboratory for her to continue her practice.
Three-odd years ago, Zanith paid a visit once more- he seemed different then, muscles tense and eyes too bright, though it was not her place to comment on it - and told her that she was to bring all of her supplies (which had been kept safe in a temperature-controlled vault for the duration of her time working for him) and accompany him on one of the most lucrative business offers he’s been afforded.
The Kaminoan does not much care for the ragtag crew of the ‘Noreaster, taking much of her time alone save for when she absolutely must interact with the crew, and despite instructions lording her intellectual superiority over them. Clu’s had to unstick them from several situations over these last three years, when Loril’s arrogant complex has had her reveal more than she should. He’s promised her that Anchorage will be what it takes to get her equipment, staff, and a place to continue her work.
She doesn’t know if any of her samples are viable - she hopes they are, but they were not packaged to be stored for a decade. She might have to start over. Her work might be lost forever.
His Beskar'gam is colored to blend into marine environs, and is teal along the front with a darker grey/brown under a light blue pattern to mimic light patterns on an ocean or lake floor. He can change the appearance if given a few hours to apply a new scheme, but always returns to this pattern. He stands 1.34 meters tall in his armor. His helmet crafted to fit his physique and he often strokes the armor over his cephalic lobes when thinking a problem through.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
A lot. Beskar'gam, modified for marine use. Sensors are visual, sonic(including echolocation), and thermal based.Instead of a jet pack, he has an air tank and several retracting propulsion units. He always carries a bes'kad and kal, both sheathed in the harness for his pack. Out of water, he prefers to use an LJ-50 concussion rifle with an electric bayonet, and a power hammer for heavily armored targets including most light vehicles. In water, fresh or saline, he uses a sporting harpoon launcher of Quarren design and his blades. In both settings he's fond of using chemical grenades, or mines depending on desired payload, to incapacitate anyone who more valuable alive than dead. He owns the Devilfish submersible in the ship's cargo-hold, and uses it to traverse marine environs with haste.
| {Physical Abilities} |
Manda. Well versed in unarmed combat, and the use of his beskad and kal both on land and in water. Qualifes as a marksman out to three hundred meters with most rifles on land; and one hundred meters underwater. He is trained in basic tactical movements in small groups, and has some experience working with the looser "crews" of the outer rim. As a Selkath he finds navigating waterways, be they rivers or oceans or anything between, instinctively simple. He's adept at reading and sketching detailed maps of any area he's been through. He is also able to infer topographical details from two dimensional sensor feeds, though he much prefers a solid recon to to such primitive attempts.
| {Force Abilities} |
Not applicable.
| {Limitations} |
Does not deal well with arid or tundra climates, when outside of his beskar'gam. Not a social creature, his communication is often ... brutally blunt. A jaded soul, collateral damage is not a concern for him. Has no sense of decor or fashion, everything fits a practical purpose or is discarded. May exhibit selective hearing, from time to time.
| {Personality} |
Clever, sharp wit, bit of a smart ass as often as not. Still gets the job done with pride and professionalism. His personality is somewhat fluid, adapting to the needs of those around him.
| {Place of Origin} |
A small moon in the outer rim, records indicate the Lipsec system as his birth system.
| {Background} |
A soldier of fortune, he goes where the credits call. He's never broken a contract, or his word. His word is as binding any legal document to him. He was raised by his parents, both active Mandolorians. One served the system defense force and taught Buure most everything he knows about fighting. The other was a farmer of sorts, helping manage one of the larger brine hatcheries on his birth world. He's never been to Manaan, and isn't related to those Selkath by many generations. His ancestors were enslaved by the Rakatan Empire, which later collapsed and forgot the slave camp that housed his ancestors. Later his ancestors witnessed the wreck of a mandolorian dreadnought. Some of the crew survived and shared their culture and skills with the locals. Buure is the product of one of this series of unfortunate events.
Striking out on his own, at the age of 23, he was moving through the stars doing odd jobs here and there. seemingly wandering the galaxy aimlessly. As long he had a job lined up, he was happy. He's been on hunts, collected Imperial Bounties, played guard for a series of merchants and thugs in the Outer Rim.
He occasionally reaches out to his clan, and does some work for them. That usually involves simple information gathering, sometimes a light recon. Once it even included inserting a small fire-team, via a convoluted series of waterways with strong currents and very little room for error. That had been tough, but it had been successful. He still doesn't know what their objective was, only that his part of the mission went smoothly. Another time he was being contracted to hunt for some small resort owner on Auqilaris, a crude ge'hutuun of a man, who was proud of his "pets" though Buure would have called them slaves. Buurenaar finished the contract, dealing with Demonsquid that had moved in a tad too close to the resort for the business to run smoothly. He took his payment and left, then compiled a file of all the data he'd collected at the resort. Including the sensor reading of his beskar'gam, maps of the local shore and sea floor, lists of personnel and equipment in use, everything he had. Once in orbit of the planet, he coded the file, flagged it appropriately, and sent it to his contact for official clan business.
D'ordinii does not now, nor will it ever condone slavery, organic or droid. The response was quick, and very precise. A month later the resort closed; the owner vanished, suspected dead. His staff had torn the place up arguing over who would take over, and the local officials stepped in to take over and clean up. The mans pets were also gone. Though no one was certain what had happened to them.
It was a standing black op that few in the clan knew of, much less the galaxy at large. Slavers and ring leaders died, thugs woke up with something akin to a hang over and no memory of what had happened. Slaves vanished. They were given transport to a refuge system, and given new identities, with with enough cash to get a job and start a new life. If any requested it, they would be permitted to join the clan. Those were given jobs that insulated them from the rest of the galaxy until they got readjusted.
Buurenaar however knew only what the rest of the galaxy was privy too, the man had been dealt with. He had an idea of what happened to the slaves, but couldn't even begin to try and prove it if he'd wanted to. Though when he joined the crew his HUD flagged one being as familiar, noting the number of times it had been detected by the sensors in his beskar'gam and the % match to previous scans. The only other data he had was when the being was last detected, and it took him some time to put the pieces together. Having put the clan out to save her once, he's decided to do his part guarantee a brighter future for her.
But this chance meeting was relatively recent, just days ago. Wandering through the Anchorage after his last job, a messy triple cross that never paid out, he decided to find more... stable work. He heard that someone called the Mariner was taking on new crew. Given his own marine nature, he was looking forward to meeting the individual. He was granted an interview and made his way to the directed co-ordinates.
He was... disappointed, when he met her at last. She appeared human, and utterly unfamiliar with the open waves at first glance. Still, she was clearly dangerous in her own right and no fool, given her armor. Something brought to mind the ancient tale of Sirens, beings that called spacers to their own demise with some lure or another, usually beauty. Buure noted that many males would find her attractive, but well... being Selkath he was looking for a very different profile. She was professional though, so he decided he'd take the job if offered. It was not terribly surprising to find that he did get an offer. Mandolorians had a reputation of being excellent warriors and hunters after all; and he wasn't asking for excessive compensation. She'd not easily find a better deal than he was offering, in the market of expert labor.
Like all Chiss, Sai’rys was born with blue skin tone, jet black hair, and eyes that emanate a dim crimson glow. As for his general attire, he leans towards darks mostly, complete with a multi-pocketed jacket/hoodie combo, small utility belt, and backpack. To further blend in with his surroundings -to the point of almost feeling invisible- he’ll toss the hood over his head.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
Equipped Gear ▷ Wrist Computer - pulls up holos for system diagnostics and/or slicing. ▷ Data Spikes (Slicer Gear) ▷ Data Breaker (Slicer Gear) ▷ Small Techie Toolkit (rear tool pouch) ▷ A180 Blaster Pistol which he has since customized.
Stored Gear ▷ An assortment of clothes that he had packed away in a rucksack before boarding the Noreaster ▷ Miscellaneous tools and computer parts he’d collected.
| {Physical Abilities} |
▷ Above average dexterity. ▷ Photographic memory ▷ Systems programming, slicing, and repair knowledge. ▷ Hologram forging ▷ Basic small firearms handling and cleaning ▷ Self-Defense
| {Limitations} |
▷ Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: He likes things the way he likes things, and -save for perhaps threatening his life- there is very little you can do to dissuade him otherwise. ▷ Insomnia: His mind just won’t quit sometimes, which makes it tough to get a decent night’s rest, which in-turn causes fatigue unless taken care of.
| {Personality} |
Sai’rys is highly intelligent, yet introverted for the most part, and the social awkward side of him isn’t too far behind. But over time, and under the right conditions, he can be less rigid and a little more talkative to those he trusts. He tends to feel more at home surrounded by tech, and would more likely engage in conversations with a computer than any actual flesh and blood being. Droids do tend to share a special place in his heart, but only so far, considering their thought processes are not so much like his on many levels. At times, or perhaps under stressful situations, he may speak more in code as though comparing himself to a terminal or operating system.
| {Place of Origin} |
Born twenty-five years before the Battle of Yavin on the Republic controlled planet of Coruscant in the seedy undercity, Sai’rys was already exposed to the galaxies worst bunch of losers right in his own backyard. Both parents worked within the entertainment district in a particular capacity: his mother facilitated Sabacc sessions mostly, while his father was essentially hired muscle. The two seemed to make a great team, that was until his mother died of a drug overdose. His father, now the sole caretaker of their only child, did what any self-respected parent would do in a situation they couldn't handle. He left.
| {Background} |
Life after abandonment was a series of rollercoasters which could only be satisfied by hanging with kids worse off than him, and Sai’rys found plenty of those while being holed up in one children's shelter after another. So the Chiss who had no one, suddenly found himself surrounded by people just like him. The outcasts. The has-beens. The forgotten. They were his family, and they were everywhere.
In later adolescence, Sai’rys eventually aged out of any obligations the shelters had to hold him, and so he left, taking what survival skills he’d learned and putting them to use on his own. Stealing, Conning, Gambling, and his personal favourite, Slicing. This particular skill seemed to overshadow the others as he continued to teach himself the finer points of breaching security protocols, falsifying identifications, and making a few extra credits on the side from very grateful clients. The kid needed a challenge it seemed at every turn, and while hanging out in the entertainment district, he decided to delve into a bit of holographic forging, switching several of the “dancing girl” holos scattered about into various Republic government officials. Of course, the laughs didn’t last long, as CorSec officers eventually caught up with the young male, arresting him for various misdemeanors and network attacks.
Eventually, realizing how much of an asset the boy could actually be, a deal was made to release him and expunge his record if he would agree to assist Republic Intelligence in deciphering several intercepted coded messages. So, Sai’rys took the deal, and after some time, was able to decode the transmission which ended up being blueprints for additional Imperial starships secretly built at the Kuat Drive Yard. Unfortunately, however, “freedom” came with a heavy price, as Sai’rys was tagged with a tracking beacon to be monitored by CorSec as well as put on retainer should they need his services again.
This did not sit well with the Chiss and he reached out to as many of his underground networks as possible to find a way to remove the tracking beacon and get the hell off Coruscant...
Clu Zanith was his name, a Muun who happened to answer the kid’s call for help through several dark channels within the Undercity. Sai’rys didn’t necessarily trust a Muun, but he also knew they were good for their word as long as some kind of ironclad contractual agreement was made beforehand. And for a species of business moguls and information brokers, it was no surprise that that Clu knew enough about the Chiss to see him as quite the asset indeed, insinuating within his correspondence the need for someone of his “particular skill set”. Was this a job offer? He didn’t know. But what was pretty much guaranteed, was that Clu Zanith was his only chance to get the tracker removed from his neck, and hopefully without any serious damage to the kid’s nervous system. In the end, it turned out to be a relatively painless procedure, albeit, taken care of essentially in the back room of a grimy strip club. But, the beacon was removed, and Sai’rys himself took the liberty of planting it on an unsuspecting club patron as they exited the premises.
And the next step? Well, turned out he was being offered a job by the Muun, aboard an old CR90 Corvette referred to as the “Noreaster”, whatever the hell that was. Honestly, it didn’t take much for the Chiss to be convinced that hiding out from Coruscant authorities aboard a relatively unknown ship would be a benefit. So, after Sai’rys officially joined the crew of the Noreaster he naturally began poking around only to realize that the ships security systems needed a massive overhaul because, according to him, it was an “embarrassment” and “a toddler could penetrate their system”.
But he also knew that this would be his new home, at least for awhile.
Standing at 6'1, with an athletic build and a shit eating grin, Lucien looks every bit the kind of person you wouldn't want watching your back with a blaster. With a black mop of unkempt hair, a trouble making grin, and a twinkle in his dark brown eyes like any minute he might decide to toss a grenade just to see how everyone reacts. His armor is painted sloppily, dark green paint covering the white armor in long streaks, and a bunch of modifications to make it stand out from a typical set of imperial stormtrooper armor have been made (such as holsters for additional tibana cartridges, and a sheathe for a vibroblade). On his thigh rests a black holster where a CDEF blaster pistol resides. On a sling across his chest is an Imperial issue E-11B, the weapon looking like one of the few well maintained parts of the former trooper's kit. His utility belt holds a variety of items, from a pair of grenades to an energy ration pack. He is rarely seen outside of his armor, but if he is, he is commonly seen wearing a long sleeved shirt and vest, with a pair of black trousers and black boots to accompany, utility belt and holster strapped on over it. He's rarely seen without a death stick either tucked behind his ear or in between his lips.
Good Marksman: "Be quick, or be dead!" During his time at the Imperial Academy, marksmanship wasn't exactly stressed, however they still taught it. In his time spent supressing local planetary rebellions though, Lucien learned that he had to aim well or risk death or injury. As a result, he spent his spare time working on his shooting and has become a good enough shot.
Extreme Physical Conditioning: "First Division, up that hill, and make it back in ten minutes!" Stormtroopers are expected to be in tip top shape, as they are the spearhead of imperial assaults. As a result of extreme physical training and conditioning, Lucien's stamina is beyond your average human's limits, able to run for miles and stay awake for hours despite various conditions he might be in. This also included resiliance to physical punishment as well, as troopers are expected to remain an effective part of the unit, no matter the circumstances.
Indifference under fire: "Stormtroopers don't duck!" Continously drilled into the hearts and minds of a stormtrooper is the tactics they used. A stormtrooper is the blaster of the Emperor, used to smash all that might oppose him. Thus, very little thought is given to death even in the face of the enemy. Blaster bolts may be flying past his head, things may be exploding, and people may be dying, but Lucien will not freak out.
Practitioner of the Knife: "Next time, try using knives, works a little better for close encounters." As a trooper, the need for close quarters tactics is sometimes overlooked, after all, many believe that a blaster will win in a fight over a bladed weapon everytime. Lucien sees it a little differently though. Knives are effective in all close quarters situations, and take less time to bring to bear then a blaster or slugthrower. Thus, he has learned how to use a knife effectively in combat, but smartly only uses it in close range, or when he is out of other options.
| {Limitations} |
A Bit Unstable: No one really knows why Lucien decided to frag his sergeant. They guy was upstanding. The general concensus though is that he just sort of wanted to do it, making him impulsive and unhinged in the worst way.
Poorly Cooled Weapons: The Imperial weapons have never been the best at staying cooled while being fired, a side effect of mass production. Despite modifications, Lucien's blaster is still prone to overheating, effectively limiting his rate of fire, and sometimes leading to terrible mishaps.
The Violence of Action: Lucien believes more in the violence of action then negotiating. If placed in a situation where there is a hostage, even one from their own crew, Lucien is more likely to shoot through the hostage to end the threat then he is to attempt to negotiate.
Uninspired: Unfortunately, Lucien is not exactly what one would call the "imaginative" type. Some say the book of doctrine are only those who are utterly unimaginative, and Lucien likes to stick to the book.
| {Personality} |
Lucien is a loner type, not one for making friends with... well anyone. He enjoys his deathsticks and gets a bit angry when he can't get ahold of any, and he's not afraid to speak his mind. He prefers a direct approach and has a bit of mean streak, but when it comes down to it and he's in the wrong, he likes to make amends anyway he can. Not to suggest he won't cut your throat if you double cross him though.
| {Place of Origin} |
Lucien came from a backwater mining asteroid of no note on the outerrim. He was raised by a miner, and a space faring love his father managed to snatch away from the stars. He was raised on the mining station to become a miner like his father, and got lucky when he was old enough to join the Empire as a cadet. A Little recruitment drive came by to nab new young men for the army, and off Lucien went, completely forgetting even the name of his home.
| {Background} |
Little is known about Lucien, aside from where he came from and his years of service with the Empire. He's a nobody, who got recruited into the Imperial ground forces, and through hard work managed to make his way into the Empire's stormtrooper corps. He served with the Empire for about two years during that time, following orders, going to various planets, and helping put down several rebellions. No one really knows why Lucien did it, but the wanted posters say he fragged his officer, grabbed his gear, and deserted the Imperial Stormtrooper Corp. There's a big blank period of about two years there, where Lucien went off the grid. He did some time as a bounty hunter but found the work difficult and unrewarding. In the end, he settled on simpler work, being hired muscle. The Empire wasn't particularly worried about one rogue stormtrooper of pretty low rank, so they put a small bounty up.
For a stormtrooper, being hired muscle was quite easy. Most of the time he got hired to look pretty and dangerous, and the armor he wore helped with the image. He never really earned a name, but he made a few consistent clients who were all interested in coming back. He wasn't super interested in that line of work, so when the opportunity came around to get out of the outerrim by signing up with the Mariner's, he took it (though he got the not so glamorous job of janitor, as muscle wasn't exactly in short supply).
Hired Gun || Mechanic || Builder/Inventor || Wanna-Be Bounty Hunter 'Anything else?' ".........well, I'd love to learn how to pilot a ship.."
| {Appearance} |
Dak stands at a tall 6'3" and weighs 195lbs, his hair is dirty blond and kept short, while his eyes a soft green, like sea-foam. His eyes may be soft in color but looking into them, they have a story to tell. A hard one, at that. His facial features are even more-so. It's rare to get him to smile, although he can easily play the part when a pretty girl is involved. His attire consists of two different sets of clothing. He has his usual attire which has him in his leather jacket, tactical pants with knee pads (used for sliding), boots and occasionally he has a face mask with him. When on business, he wears his tactical suit much like the Mandalorian armor (colored black and grey to match Kol's coat) but with his own helmet.
Device he works on to help him talk, still not working properly yet
Backpack to hold everything in
| {Physical Abilities} |
Decent shot with pistols
Ace shot with a sniper
Practicing throwing knives
Alright with rifles and hand-to-hand combat
Stealthy { yeah, he's a giant, but he's light on his feet }
Average endurance
Amateur parkour, but kinda sloppy and slow, given his size
Great with machinery. Loves tinkering
| {Limitations} |
Stamina needs work
Tends to run a slight temper { especially when Hutts are mentioned, and moreso when involved }
Has a soft spot for kids, animals, and pretty girls
Self-preservitive nature
A bit overly withdrawn
Social skills need work
| {Personality} |
Dak wants to be a hero, someone that everyone knows and reveres. But barring that, he’s willing to be a sort of dark knight. As the youngest of six and constantly disregarded, Dak is independent and desperate to prove himself, wanting to show his personal talent and leave a legacy behind in the minds of everyone. But he’s not brash. He is content to observe and work quietly, and he’s very intelligent, which is no small aid. He thinks before he acts and is adept at seeing all sides and analyzing situations so he can act to his best advantage. He wants to be something and make something of himself; proving himself better than anyone could have expected is one of his highest priorities. However, as intellectually mature as he may be, Dak is still young and still learning. There is much he doesn’t understand and his social skills need work. He has somewhat of a low tolerance for certain people and is dismissive of those who are loud, unsubtle, and quick to offer opinions for everything. Nevertheless, other people are often "entitled" to his opinion in the form of his biting sarcastic remarks/expressions. Other than that he is a quiet and even somewhat withdrawn guy. While he enjoys the company of some people, solitude is a balm for him. He has to be able to think peacefully while he tinkers.
Dak is a knowledge seeker. He is one of those people who believe that knowledge and intelligence are central to success and power, so many things fascinate him. In his mind no fact or understanding of a process or a tendency is unimportant or useless and may help a person when they least expect it to. As such, he can usually provide extra information on most any subject, even if he gives it in a condescending manner. He is proud of what he knows, both the facts and the underlying understanding of how things work. Interestingly, though, Dak’s quiet, studious exterior hides somewhat of a rebellious and unconventional streak. He likes to go his own way.. He has a hard time respecting authority, but follows rules when it suits him—in other words, most of the time, but not if he has something else in mind that he deems worth the risk of losing points or perhaps damaging his image a little. However, as important as that is to him, these moments come very rarely. More frequently his unconventionality is manifested in an 'experimentative' tendency.
Dak loves a challenge and he loves besting people, but it is usually a private victory for him. He needs not brag and draw attention to his success as long as he knows personally that he has won. However, this is not to say what he doesn’t need others’ acclaim. Being noticed is important to him, and he hates being ignored, but he would rather people notice by themselves how outstanding he truly is. That being said, criticism tends to bounce off of him as well--he is rather selective about what he hears and chooses to take to heart. Despite a sometimes ungracious manner, and a self-preserving and self-benefiting attitude, the boy is not bad at heart. He would always stick up for those he considers his friends and is not averse to helping even strangers after he is finished, or providing it doesn’t inconvenience him. But when he is hurt, it is common to find him completely withdrawn and intractable, working only for himself in a kind of cool temper that can take a while to thaw out, even with the efforts of his closest friends. Unfortunately, Dak is also prone to hold grudges after problems with others, and he is stubborn about them, though adaptable in other situations.
Dak is a careful and patient guy. He’ll watch and wait for a long time with an observant and analyzing eye without feeling a need to do anything himself, gaining something from everything he sees. Not only that, he’s good at making what he sees help him in some way. He’s also good at using all the resources he can to help him achieve whatever goal he has in mind. Dak is driven and works diligently to achieve any goal he’s set for himself, and places these goals above most other things. As such, he’s very organized; he hates clutter and his personal space, personal appearance, and his management of time and such are all very neat and organized, often following a schedule or other method of keeping everything in its proper place and time. It bothers him when things aren’t set out clearly and prioritized so they can be followed right. He’s a very good multi-tasker and his organization helps him make sure everything gets accomplished exactly when and how he planned it to. If it doesn't, he'll fix it until it does.
| {Place of Origin} |
Tatooine.
| {Background} |
Dak began his life on Tatooine where he grew up a slave, his mother was an entertainer for one of the local Hutts until he was about 7 years old, around which time she was killed. There was absolutely no reason for it, and to keep the boy quiet, the Hutt ordered the boy to have his tongue cut out. Ever since then Dak has had a strong hatred for the Hutts. Up until he was 14, he stayed on Tatooine in servitude under a local junker where he spent most of his time in the yard tinkering with things, trying to make them work and create new masterpieces. He nearly completed himself his own droid from scratch, but a local bully had shot the thing to pieces before it even got to see the light of day.
Sometime close to his 15th birthday, he got the crazy idea to stow away on a ship to get away from the dreaded planet he had once thought of as home. Now, only to be considered another scar on his heart. He hoped to never return to the place unless it was to settle unfinished business with the Hutt who had his mother killed and cut out his tongue. The ship lead him to Coruscant, where he eventually ran into a trapper who had caught a fairly nasty Anooba that had been giving a local business some problems. They intended to kill it. Dak took it upon himself to win the beast's trust (don't ask how he did it... he couldn't tell you even if he wanted to. x) yeah, I know..low blow lol) and set it loose, but it, in turn, decided to stick around Dak as he made his way through the corrupted city, trying to find his place in the new world.
It took some years to finally get on his feet in the new world he'd been dumped into, but his bond with the Anooba whom he named Tarrok, after a bounty hunter he'd once heard of who also owned an anooba who the hunter had named Marrok. The boy found himself in the 'servitude' of a Bounty Hunter, who grew to have somewhat of a soft spot for him, and began to teach him the ways of hunting. Dak spent just less than a year 'apprenticing' under the Hunter before he was killed during one of his missions. The hunter had left behind his belongings to Dak, but Dak neither knew how to pilot a ship on his own nor had the time enough to learn. He quickly sold off the Hunter's belongings and bought his own gear, bartering with numerous aliens for rides off of different planets he traveled to, some were given freely (unbeknownst to the pilot/crew, of course.)
It's been this way that Dak has made himself a sort of life on the run, all the while he's kept up trying to perfect the device he created to help him find his voice. Though not with his own vocals, he has a few select words to get across to a certain someone one day. He only hopes to get the chance to do so, and put a bullet between his eyes. This life of being on the run has led him here, where an old contact of his has mentioned his name as someone worth joining on the crazy venture. Dak eagerly (but not too eagerly) took up the job. Anything to get more bounty work under his belt.
No- couldn't give less of a shit about which way the force moves, she cares about one thing, and that is getting paid.
| What is her role on the ship? |
Role on the ship is a mercenary who has been hired, and she says that this is key for her job. That is about all she will tell anyone. But being apart of this group is what she HAS to do for the job that she has been hired to do. If you ask about it, you will most likely get the same answer she gives everyone: "Who knows, maybe to kill you. Maybe to protect you, either way i'll be watching your back."
Preferring long range and medium range combat; she usually does pretty well if she has to be a guard though her lackadasical attitude, may seem like a severe let down if she was a guard. She also is decent with repairs, not able to make anything permanent fix, but definitely able to help make sure it stays together for a few moments before completely falling apart. (IE: I wouldn't trust a ship she's repaired to go into hyperspace, but it'll fly)
Cook: She is a great cook, because of her love of eating and her fancy tastes for the finer things in life she is proficient with making an excellent meal.
| {Appearance} |
5 foot 8, 189 pounds, Pink skin; She also tends to wear incredibly revealing tops and what look like tight pants.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
She has a heavy laser pistol at all times. As well as a multitude of knives; this includes a couple laser knives, a few regular knives and some throwing ones of course. She also holds a sniper blaster rifle which she keeps locked up in her things. In that same chest holding that she has a E-11 Blaster Rifle. She has a few flash bombs on her belt at all times. And in her chest she as a few Pyro Denton explosives, locked away. Has cybernetics along her back and attach to some on the back of her arms and legs. And some vials of poison and darts either on her body or in her chest
| {Physical Abilities} |
She is proficient in multiple types of martial arts, usually types that help with using your opponent's momentum against them. She is decently strong as well (Even more helpful since the cybernetics). As for her training she has been trained for years under multiple teachers, taking jobs everywhere as a mercenary for hire, and an assassin. Her senses for what she thinks is stupid tend to be what keeps her alive, as she looks out for just herself. Her race gives her: They possessed two biological traits of note. The first was that they all produce potent pheromones, similar to the Falleen species, which enhanced their attractiveness and likeability. The second was a limited telepathic ability, used to project emotions onto others, as well as allowing them to read and even feel the emotions of others. The presence of a second liver, which allowed Zeltrons to enjoy a larger number of alcoholic beverages than other humanoids. Their incredible metabolisms allow her to eat even the richest of foods. Because of this she can often times be found in the pantry, or because of her desire to be reclusive at times if she wants to escape she will often hide away in the engine room.
| {Force Abilities} |
None
| {Limitations} |
Being who she is she does not make many friends, and if she does they often don't last too long, ending up wanting her dead or her killed them. Most don't tend to appreciate her way of if she doesn't like how your feeling she will try to impress upon you what she thinks you should feel.
She also has no type of force power so there could be a weakness for some. She tends to prefer medium to long range combat, her close range combat skills are still good, but they are mainly hand to hand or with a knife, never really with sword fighting.
Another Limitation she has is that she struggles to fight in the air or space, and is DECENT at landing. Often times if she is being chased she will just try to run but never pilot and fire: she becomes too focused on one or the other. Also often to save the hassle; if she has stolen a ship she tends to just take an escape pod and let the ship free-fall
Driven by lust: Lust of the battlefield, or lust of excitement, or regular old lust, all these things are types of things that can drive her, especially if she is bored, she often goes after a challenge, or a duel to see just how much of excitement she can get it. Or she will see just who she can make fall for her, who she might be able to string along, or even get together with, to add another trophy to her wall.
| {Personality} |
She is a cold dead bitch: She sees herself as superior than everyone else; even more superior than those who hold more power than her. She is Narcissistic to a fault; even when she is bested she will just see it as she was on a bad day.
Anything to get the job done: If she has a mission or a job, she will do anything to get it done, she sees it as her sole responsibility, and nothing else matters. Even if that means making the person fall in love with her to do so.
She is dubious and secretive: Not really someone to be trusted as she doesn't truly trust anyone else. Now this doesn't mean she doesn't like love, she definitely has the desire for... it, but for her it's a sport, just like killing.
She sees most things as a means to an end: If she is doing something there is almost always a long con behind it for her benefit. Even the most selfless acts she has a plan for it and theres almost always a reason, even if she tells you she did it because she could.
Respect: Respect is never given, in fact it is only earned by showing either her up, or doing something that impresses her. No amount of flirting or bragging will change that.
Smartass: she's not afraid to speak her mind, many see her as an asshole due to this, due to the fact that if she thinks she can she will speak her mind whenever possible
Intuitive: She sees everyone as a danger, if she doesn't know you, you are a threat and will most likely be dealt with in such a way that is not very friendly.
Seductress: She isn't afraid to show skin, let alone make you feel like you have a chance with her to get what she wants. Known to even sleep with a man if she thinks it will benefit her. Out for herself: If you haven't gotten it by now, then she'll spell it out for you, she is out for herself, that's who she sees as the most important person and the one being she can always count on.
Longing: Despite all of this, deep within her she has a longing for someone who can constantly bring her excitement and worth, but she has accepted long ago that isn't what will happen.
Stubborn: She is stubborn when it comes to her way of thinking, thinking that there is not much anyone else can do to change her mind, no matter the situation, and no matter what the argument is on. She will stand her ground, even if she knows she's wrong or been caught.
| {Place of Origin} |
Somewhere on Zeltros: She was taken from there as she seemed to get taken while a child from her parents late in the night. There she grew up around Trandoshian only going down to the planet when necessary. She grew up with the same group of pirates who had taken her. After she was done there and with the business that she had there she moved on. She would move back home for a little while before once again taking off, this time living mostly out of stolen ships as she often would leave hers somewhere hidden just in case she needed a spot to go back to.
| {Background} |
Natasha was taken as a child from her home. As she grew up she obviously realized she was not one of her captors as they were of many races who thought she would be useful to.. sell. She would trick the man, and while she was in the bathroom would spike his drink with a poison she had picked up. She used that to escape, only to run into a small group of beings from the Assassin guild. They were able to take her away as she convinced them that she could be useful. Though they were skeptical, especially when they found out that what she 'poisoned' this man with was merely something that would knock him out. She had not gotten the right amount. But regardless they would kill him and take her. training her to become stronger, and more cunning than she ever though possible. She went from believing that she was nothing to finally thinking that she had something she was good at rather than just sex.
While with the guild she would find her parents had moved on, through their contacts they would tell her that her parents had left the planet she was born on and went somewhere else, somewhere where they didn't tell anyone where it was. Doubt rushed through Natasha as she believed her parents had potentially abandoned her.
After about 3 more years she would finally feel ready to leave that small group who trained her, promising that if they needed that she would be available: after all, she owed them her life. Before she left though she found the pirates who had taken her, and killed each one, a methodical plan she had created was coming to fruition: each of the members of this pirate group was finding themselves either isolated or absolutely helpless in some type of situation that would either look like an accident or look like an attack. She'd only come out of the shadows in the final moments to show them that it was actually her. Once that was over Natasha decided it was time to go home. A place she hadn't been to in a long time. Finally getting home she would spend a couple years, having fun and learning about herself and her race. Soon that life was too boring, everyone seemed to really just come there to party almost, even her own race seemed like they were boring as she knew what to expect from them. So she left after about a year to begin to go to different planets, continuing her tradition of killing people when she was hired to and doing miscellaneous jobs, including fighting in wars when she had to; all the while learning any martial arts she could at the time. Finally she needed to put her skills to the test. At about 20 she began to truly put herself out there for hire, taking job after job, each one increasing in more danger. No longer was she going after cheating wives and husbands, rather she was going after those who had more protection, stronger and even some who were force wielders. She got the most excitement out of the ones she could play, the ones it took awhile to do just because of the excitement of each time she was able to pull off another lie and a other lie until finally it was accomplished. Her most crowing moment was when a 3 year plan on a contract came to fruition.
The job was simple: move to Naboo, and get a noble to fall in love with her; which he did, thanks to her own biology that was easy, but what wasn't easy was the fact that no matter when and no matter what they were doing his guards would be watching. She was only able to eventually talk hi out of it when one day she was bringing him home to see her parents. She had finally began the final stage of her plan. She had brought him to meet her parents, and helped the guards find some 'friends' to hang out with. All thanks to the amount of pheromones in the air because of the planet. Finally getting him away from the guards she had him come to what she claimed was her home, but it was really an abandoned house. It was there that she would first cripple him by grabbing a loose pipe and smashing in his kneecaps. She would then use her knife to slowly cut his throat, smiling at a job well done. Afterwards she set timed charges, that would blow his body and the entire place to nothingness. Of course that was by the time she was off planet and before the guards even knew what had happened. Of course, when the guards would not be able to find her or him until the explosion they figured they had both died in it. However, she had stashed another one of her species there to be blown up with the bomb. Ever since, she has been known as the Siren y those who hire her: Doing any job, usually known for the long con. Now that she has been away from her homeworld, everything has become a sport to her, just how many people can she get to fall in love, how many jobs and how hard the jobs she can find. She is always loyal to the first merchant, unlike most who sway depending on pay, to her, her word is everything. She still doesn't know who that original group was, but she has moved on from it.
Standing at about a meter tall, Kadroo looks like most other Ewoks, which is to say he looks like a small teddy bear come to life. With a flat face sporting a dog like nose, and two large, curious brown eyes. His fur is a russet brown that covers most of his body, aside from the white fur of his face and ears, blackish brown colored skin of his hands and fingers. He can almost always be seen to wear his long black ewok hood and woven belt. Attached to his belt is his obsidian ritual axe, the ornate handle held loosely by a loop on the side of the woven clothing. Held tightly in his hands will always be his spear, prepared for combat with the sharp end or poking new things with the butt end of the weapon.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
-Shaman Black Leather Hood: A black leather hood given to Kadroo signifying his status as a shaman apprentice. Until he gains his skull, he is not a “true” shaman. -Shaman woven Black Leather cord belt: A leather cord belt with various pouches hanging off it with different herbs in them. A loop is on the right side of the belt for holding his ritual axe. -Stone tipped wooden spear: A wooden spear crafted by the Long Lake tribe. This one is especially fitted to make spear fishing easy, with the tip made of a long thorn from a fallen tree. This thorn, despite being made of wood, is almost as hard as durasteel, and will not break easily, even when used against armor. Kadroo will almost always be seen holding this item. -Obsidian Ritual Axe: An axe made of volcanic glass given to Kadroo as a ritual tool. It is carved with depictions of ewok shamans performing various rituals. It is kept on Kadroo by him slipping it into the loop on his leather cord belt.
| {Physical Abilities} |
Natural Engineer!: Ewoks have a particular aptitude for designing simple traps that have been improved over their collective existence. On their homeworld they often take easily gained materials, such as fallen trees or vines to create things like large nets or logs that smash into the sides of creatures. Kadroo has knowledge of these things, as all Ewoks in a village are expected to be able to do their part.
Mini-Wookie!: Often described as a miniature wookie for their natural strength, a single Ewok is capable of overpowering a combat trained human. Kadroo is no different than the rest of his race, easily capable of such a feat.
| {Limitations} |
Primitive Life Form: Despite the natural advantages provided to Kadroo, he is still a primitive life form. His race is still collectively stuck in the stone age. This means that while he knows ewokese, he knows no other languages, including the common tongue that most spacefarers know. Additionally, he has no knowledge of the workings of blasters, or how explosives work.
Superstitious: It is fair to say that the Ewoks of Endor are a fairly superstitious lot, their primitive technology and nature meaning that they often turn to the divine for answers. As a Shaman, Kadroo was responsible for communing with the spirits of his planet, and he believes that these spirit gods are the reason why he was whisked away into space. He will go out of his way to appease these spirits, and may easily mistake a common act or occurrence for the wrath or anger of his spirit gods.
Naturally Short: Ewoks, as a race, are small, hence the term “mini wookie”. Being about the size of a toddler, Kadroo is a bit short to reach many things. This is up to and including: Tall counter tops, certain light switches, high cabinets, and the tops of coat racks. It can be a bit of a hassle for Kadroo at times.
| {Personality} |
A curious and seemingly content creature, with a childish demeanor, Kadroo holds an innate curiosity for everything he is surrounded with. He spends little time secluded, far more interested in experiencing any and all he can.
| {Place of Origin} |
Kadroo originates from the forest moon of Endor. He grew up as a member of the Long Lake Tribe. As an adolescent, much like most of the Ewok children in their tribes, he was fawned over by the entire village. It was soon discovered that the sapling of his spirit tree (the tree planted at his birth) was in fact a dark ebony color, an auspicious sign to the ewoks that he was strongly connected to the spirits of their home. As a wokling, he was taught the various stories and mythos surrounding the forest and the Ewok way of life, and when he took especially keen interest in the stories of the gods, it was decided that he would mentor underneath the shaman of the village after he gained his hood during the Festival of the Hood, and became an adult. Two years later, Kadroo earned his hood, made of black leather to signify his transition to Shaman apprentice, and began his studies as a shaman.
| {Background} |
Kadroo studied long and hard underneath the Shaman who was mentoring him, learning the various rituals and ways that the Shamans of Ewoks communed with the spirits. For a long time he learned the ways of the shamans. He distinguished himself during this time as a very adventurous young Ewok, constantly participating in the Tribal Games, and breaking his leg on two separate occasions while playing “Tree-jumping”. It was ten years after gaining his hood that at the feast after the Tribal Games Kadroo was allowed to lead the whole tribe in the “Dark Sacrifice”, a ritual involving the killing of a victim, and then the tossing of herbs onto a fire to introduce a hallucinogenic effect to those present, allowing them to supposedly commune with the spirits. They had caught several outsiders (the name they had for non-indigenous life forms on the planet). These ones were dressed uniformly in a striking white color of armor that they had never seen before, and the hunting party of the Long Lake village had easily overpowered the three life forms in a midnight raid. Tied up, the creatures were brought forward to the fire of the dark sacrifice. Kadroo was the one to draw the ritual axe across the throat of each of the strange outsiders they had found dressed in white armor, stripping the creatures of their helmets, proclaiming them sacred artifacts sent by the spirits. The visions that the tribe saw was especially vivid and lasted all night (possibly due to the fact that Kadroo added too many herbs to the fire) and the whole tribe considered it a sign that, although he had not completed his training, his power as a shaman was already great.
A year after the celebrations, just before the next yearly festival, he went with his shaman master Noot, on a thirty day journey to commune with the spirits of the forest in a way only shaman could. This journey included the smoking of plenty of the hallucinogenic herbs that were typically only used in the dark sacrifices, and Kadroo was filled with visions of the strange outsiders who had been sacrificed in the last ritual. Noot considered this a sign from the spirits that Kadroo was ready to take his shaman skull. When he returned, it was quickly announced to the whole village that Kadroo would soon become the new shaman of the village.
The final step was for Kadroo to take his own lonesome spirit journey over the course of thirty days to commune with the spirits. When he returned, he would be awarded with his own skull, prepared by the chief of the village, and Noot would step down as the shaman. Kadroo left with a pouch full of herbs, a pipe, his spear, and his ritual axe. He traveled for seven days before reaching the place that had been revealed to him by the visions. It was a small camp inhabited by the outsider who had been killed in the previous ritual, though these ones were not wearing any sort of uniform armor like the ones that had been caught at the lake. Those white armor wearing ones had been devils revealed to the village according to Noot, enemies of the great spirits that should be sacrificed. Noot had interpreted his visions of the outsiders though, these ones were physical manifestations of the tree spirits. The group of spirits immediately stirred upon sighting Kadroo walk out of the tree line surrounding the camp, and it seemed they did not understand ewokese, which Kadroo found odd, as they were supposed to be the spirits of the trees. The spirits surrounded and spoke animatedly to one another in some sort of godly tongue (what others would have identified as galactic basic) and the offering of his most valued possession, his shaman pipe, seemed to interest them greatly. They took it and examined the pipe, while Kadroo stood tall with pride. Of course they had recognized his great craftmanship, and were now discussing just how it was that they would return the gift, as was proper. Perhaps it would be great wisdom or long life that they bestowed upon Kadroo. The gifts of the spirits were always intangible, after all. Instead, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and all went black.
When he awoke, it was within a cage made of a material that was both shiny and hard as rock. Clearly some sort of magic made by the spirits, perhaps a test of his shamanistic wisdom. His pipe was gone, however, his spear and axe was in the cage. A large device with several strange symbols on it was recognizable as the object of the puzzle, and Kadroo spent his time over the course of several days trying to decipher the puzzle that the spirits had left him. That day, when he slept, a small plate and cup made of the same hard, shiny stone appeared in his cell filled with food and water. Kadroo was amazed to find that this plate and cup, magical as they were, would replenish themselves every time he slept. Thus Kadroo stayed fed and watered throughout the trip that seemed to last for days at a time. Occasionally, the spirits would come to visit him, likely to check upon his progress with the puzzle, and as was polite Kadroo would always bow and listen to them speak, although he did not understand the godly tongue they used. As the days turned into weeks, Kadroo found himself still examining the puzzle, and everytime he slept, the hold of the ship seemed to fill with more and more exoctic looking creatures in cages, some looking plainly like animals. It was unfortunate, Kadroo though, that they would waste time on these other creatures. It was clear that they were too stupid to understand the puzzles presented to them on their cages, no better than the animals that his tribe would hunt near the Long Lake.
After two weeks spent in the cage, Kadroo awoke to find the cage transported out of the room that it was placed in, carried by two of the spirits. He was taken out of what he realized was a vessel of the spirits and taken below, placed upon a large platform that was apparently some sort of mooring for the vessel. Spirits were milling about all over the place, moving from vessel to vessel, unloading large hard stone cubes. The place they were in was strange and cold, but his fur protected him well enough from the bite of it. As was typical Kadroo set to work on the puzzle. This time however the Ewok was successful in the task given to him by the spirits. The door to the cage opened with a hiss, sliding to the side, and after gathering up his weapons, Kadroo set off. He wandered for about two days in the port, getting food from plates in places that were clearly left for him. After a while of exploring this port however, he decided to check out some of the wonderful vessels that the great spirits were clearly using. One strange looking ship in particular reminding Kadroo of a fish from the long lake his village got it’s name from. Through the use of an empty hard stone box, Kadroo managed to boost himself up to the door of the ship, and open it with a little difficulty. Ever curious, the ewok entered the vessel of the spirits.
Kattha stands at six feet tall, with black hair and the characteristic all-red eyes and blue-hued skin of her race. Considered pleasant by many regards to look at, Kattha takes pride in her appearance, maintaining her visage with the utmost stringence - perfection in her physical form must never be allowed to be compromised. Kattha regards her surroundings with a cautious and wary eye, never allowing herself to be taken off-guard, which to some may make her appear cold and unapproachable, but this is not Kattha's intention; a lifetime of watching one's back makes one less amenable to sudden surprises.
In "civilian" situations, Kattha can often can be found wearing a long black leather and armourweave trenchcoat with black chest strapping, black bodysuit leggings and armoured bracers that incorporate Kattha's stealth field and energy shield generators. In combat, Kattha maintains her attire choices, though sometimes she eschews it for an armoured suit for de-oxygenated environments and the like, or particularly bad weather.
Kattha is of a slimmer build, though she nevertheless is well-toned and muscular; she weighs approximately 175 pounds, most of which is muscle, and she maintains a strict and rigorous training regimen designed to keep her at top condition; in her eyes, nothing less than perfection is required from her. Kattha's body is free of scars or injuries - a mark of pride for her, as it shows her competence, and any blemish or mark would be a stain on her honour and her perfecting standards - even during her most dangerous operations, Kattha was able to avoid injury, unlike many of her colleagues.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
A-280 Blaster Rifle
TL-50 Heavy Repeater Blaster
Cortosis Weave Combat Knife (nine inch blade)
Chiss-Pattern Personal Energy Shield
Personal Cloaking Field Generator
| {Physical Abilities} |
Winter Specialist - Kattha is a native of a harsh and uncompromising ice world in Csilla, and as such, is well-trained in winter survival, moving by ski, and winter warfare. Kattha can find her way through even the fiercest blizzards and snow flurries, and can use the weather to her advantage over those less-prepared for the bitter chill.
A Killer Par Excellence - Kattha is very well-trained in the arts of subterfuge, special operations, black ops wet work and espionage. She prides herself in her work, and no matter the planet or the surroundings, she will get the job done. She is used to working alone, and even uses her standing as a lone wolf to her advantage - it allows her to outmanoeuvre and outwit her enemies, counting on their arrogance and belief in superior numbers to betray them.
A Shot in the Dark - Kattha is, by any accounts, an exceptional shot. She has an uncanny ability to land shots exactly where she wants them on a body for maximum effect, be it debilitation, incapacitation or simply shooting to kill. Whether it's with a sniper rifle, a shotgun or a pistol, Kattha is a deadly foe in a firefight, make no mistake.
Unarmed and Dangerous - Even without weapons, Kattha is a veritable master of hand-to-hand combat, able to use her superior speed, agility and visual acuity to its fullest extent. Though she might not be the physically strongest of people, Kattha is more than able to defend herself in most close-quarters situations, even when facing numerically or physically superior foes. However, if she's armed...
Knife Fighter - Kattha is a very dangerous woman to cross in close-quarters at the best of times, as explained before, but if she's armed with a knife or sword, your chances of survival just got that much lower. Her agility and speed, combined with her precision, make close-combat a terrifying and usually short-lived affair against her. She lacks the brute strength of some of her comrades, but she more than makes up for it with finesse.
Hacking and Lockpicking - Kattha is trained in computer slicing and hacking, as well as physical lockpicking and disarming, though she's perhaps less skilled than others.
| {Personality} |
Self-confident, cool-headed and calm, Kattha is a quintessential special operations agent in her temperament. She is suave and silver-tongued, capable of sweet-talking her way into and out of situations - however, when matters are out of her hands or control, Kattha is prone to becoming irritable and panicky. A perfectionist, Kattha holds herself to exacting standards, accepting nothing short of the very best from herself and her comrades. She is also not above using herself as a tool or a ploy to achieve the mission - during her time in Imperial service, she seduced a Republic special operations officer that was assigned to monitor her activities, and then assassinated him in his own bed, escaping from the Republic base without even so much as a query from the troops stationed there. However, Kattha still maintains her loyalty to the Ascendancy, and to House Miurani in particular - were she to have to choose between the Grey Mariners and the Ascendancy, the Ascendancy would always come first. This may complicate matters further down the line...
| {Place of Origin} |
Thought by her family to have been born on the ice planet of Csilla itself, Kattha's true place of origin is unknown. Kattha herself says she was born amidst the ice spires and frozen wastes of the Chiss homeworld, and she does have quite the affinity for ice worlds and cold temperatures.
| {Background} |
The Chiss who would be known as Rruik'atth'ackirsa Miurani in the future is estimated to have been born on the planet of Csilla, the homeworld of the Chiss Ascendancy, in around 3675 BBY, during the time of the Galactic Cold War between the old Sith Empire and the Old Republic, far in the distant past compared to the modern day. Rruik'atth'ackirsa was by some accounts an exceptional student of war; specialised in black operations, 'wet work' and intelligence gathering. As a result of this, it has been surmised that Rruik'atth'ackirsa joined Sith Imperial Intelligence at around the age of 19, and rose in the ranks to become at least a Cipher Agent in the organisation. However, the chaos surrounding the dissolution of Imperial Intelligence has left many records inaccessible or corrupted, and information surrounding Rruik'atth'ackirsa's activities subsequent to gaining position as a Cipher Agent is unavailable. However, what is known is that Rruik'atth'ackirsa was formally adopted into both the Chiss House of Miurani, and the Imperial House of Kirileth. The latter adoption is known to have been orchestrated by one Darth Rashaaq Kirileth, patriarch of the House, as a way of retaining Rruik'atth'ackirsa's skills and loyalty following the outbreak of war once again between the Sith Empire and Old Republic. However, the House of Kirileth mysteriously vanished almost into thin air almost all as one during the outbreak of war, never to be seen again - even Chiss records have no record of Rruik'atth'ackirsa's activities or even existence during this time.
However, what is now known is that Rruik'atth'ackirsa and the rest of House Kirileth made their way into the Unknown Regions, whereupon the majority of the House encased themselves in stasis for unknown reasons, with perhaps no true idea of when they will re-awaken. Yet Rruik'atth'ackirsa has awoken from her stasis sleep, now, when the Sith rule the galaxy. Rruik'atth'ackirsa has been able to re-establish contact with the Chiss Ascendancy, and now operates as an agent within Imperial space once again. House Miurani has also survived, and contacts within House Miurani have led Rruik'atth'ackirsa to her newest 'allegiance'... the Grey Mariners of the Noreaster.
Alyra has the traditional blue skin and yellow eyes of all Pantorans. She sports either a mohawk or pony tail with an undercut, revealing tattoos that course around her head and seem too continue up under her hair that starts as a deep purple but fades into a lavender. Thanks to her malnourishment as a child, Alyra is on the smaller side of the Pantoran physique. Only measuring in at 5'3" and weighing 115 Pounds, But surprisingly strong for her size thanks to the demands of her job. She stays in peak physical shape with daily training producing a very toned lithe form.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
Two Electro-Batons/Electro-Staff.
Two Westar-35 Blaster Pistols.
Wrist display – for diagnostic readouts and ship status updates.
One Westar Carbine Blaster Rifle
Comlink
A backpack containing: Extra wiring, ball bearings, repair tools, canteen, normal clothes, mechanics coveralls, leather jacket, small medical kit, Data-pad with books and music.
Re-purposed and modified Phase II Clone trooper armor.
| {Physical Abilities} |
Alyra is surprisingly strong and muscular for her size. Less surprising is her nimbleness and flexibility. By being observant and keeping in shape she is skilled in parkour and free running, both through a ship or in the city streets.
The innate ability to tune into a ship she is on to the slightest variation in the drive core to knowing where impacts are landing based on feeling the turbulence and reaction of the ship. It also lets her sense subtle variations in the hyperdrives rhythm and engine manifolds.
When inside a ship she is excellent at hiding and maneuvering through ducts and vents. Preferring to draw any threat deeper into the ship before getting the drop on them.
She is a Master at extreme close quarters hand to hand combat, with no tools inside of an engine she can defend herself viciously. Using parts and tools as easily as a marksman uses a rifle. Her combat style is especially effective in tight spaces like the catwalks, maintenance shafts, and air ducts where she spends most of her time.
When she does have need or room, she carries a pair collapsible Electro-Batons that can be combined to form an Electro-staff with which she is also highly skilled in using. It is thinner and lighter than most Electro-Staffs. She prefers to use these in their inactive state. Effectively bludgeoning her opponent with regular batons.
She is adept with hand blasters both single and dual wielding. Her blasters allow for great accuracy at ranges up to 100m but within a ship where she spends her time this is usually enough.
Her skills are much less pronounced with rifles but she can effectively use full sized weaponry.
| {Force Abilities} |
She is very wary of the force as it is something she doesn’t understand and views as a great power that has caused a great many problems, but also recognizes its presence in the world. She is also force Attuned, while not force sensitive she is influenced by it in subtle ways and her ability to read a ship while she spends time on it. To feel its presence in space and understand it.
| {Limitations} |
She is not particularly brave or honorable, choosing the easiest route to a sure victory instead of the most glamorous. She has Survived this long running away from the firefight not towards it.
Her ability to sense ships is relegated to the ship she is on and while she may have technical knowlege of other ships she does not have the same connection.
She has no control or influence over the force she is attuned too.
| {Personality} |
Alyra is strong willed and intelligent. Preferring to avoid confrontation and run or hide, she has learned to surround herself without people who are themselves very capable and then make herself indispensable. This is a survival tactic that she learned over the years on board various ships. While avoidance of fighting she will stand her ground and is capable in one on one fighting and defending herself viciously. Alyra grew up on a ship and has spent most of her side off of solid ground. The few times she is planet side is mostly in ports and for repairs or missions. This has left her with a fascination with the natural world, forest and oceans and deserts are all foreign to her. She spends much of her time reading either technical manuals or histories and stories, and listening to orchestral music of the great composers of the galaxy. She finds a great bond in music as in some ways she feels like a ship is an orchestra itself and she keeps it working. It harmonizes many systems to one tone and it makes many of its own noises that are unique to each ship she has been on. While she seeks to be around people she also tries to keep them at a distance as those closest to you can hurt you the most. The loss of her parents at a young age hardened her to the reality of the world, the cruel and often brutal nature of it. She does not seek revenge or justice simply survival and potentially any money she can get her hands on. Alyra tends to avoid the advances of others and dodges many more serious conversations after many bad experiences and the inability to trust anyone, she is still fond of taking pride in being desirable without any desire to get involved.
| {Place of Origin} |
After the rise of the Empire, Pantora was left with three main political parties, those who wished to further the ideals of the republics, those who wished to placate the Empire, and a few who wished to rekindle old alliances with slavers and spice traders in the area. While still ruled by the Assembly, and before the Empire exerted control over Pantora, the assembly began to build a navy of ships to expand into the galaxy. On the far reaches of the Outer Rim they were met with resistance but they were soon able to make deals with mercenaries to help protect and open up their people to trade again. These first ships crewed by Pantoran volunteers had many a run in with slavers, spice traders, and even pirates before they were able to establish themselves. The first of these ships to be lost was the corvette class "Explorer" on its voyage to make contact with the planet of Naboo. While it was lost to the Pantoran people a much crueler fate awaited those on board as they were boarded by pirates. Many were sold into slavery and others died defending the ship. Alyra's Parents Among them.
| {Background} |
Alyra was born during the construction of the Pantoran Corvette Class Starship "Explorer". Her parents were engineers on-board the ship and helped to build it. She was not officially listed in the passenger manifest as she never boarded the craft. While it is possible that she set foot on Pantora before leaving it, she has no memory of it. Growing up onboard the Explorer, she learned a lot about the ships, and the stations they were built on. Even as a child she quickly learned the ship inside and out.
On the one of the Explorer's missions they were boarded by pirates who Captured those of the crew and killed the rest, using the ships crew log to verify they had gotten everyone. Luckily Alyra had never been added tot he log and her parents were able to hide her in the ventilation system of the ship before they were captured. From the vents she observed the pirates and learned of their plans. She was successfully able to remain undetected until after they had sold the ship to a band of mercenaries. After sizing up the group the young Alyra decided to present herself and was well received by the crew as some how this stowaway knew more about the ship then they did so they kept her on and helped to raise her and train her. This is where she got her love for money as these unsavory types were involved in many spice deals and imperial blockade runs.
During these years Alyra learned a lot about the criminal underbelly of the galaxy, she learned how to fight, shoot, and pilot. It would have gone on but inevitably there was an aggressive change in leadership and things changed. The crew began doing missions for them empire and the rules shifted. Many crew members threatened Alyra, and one or two disappeared before she was no longer welcome on board.
Thus began the hardest part of her life: Finding a new crew. She jumped from ship to ship repairing them in dry dock or serving on the during missions but she was searching for another home, another crew. After 3 years and nearly a dozen crews she found one where she seemed to fit. She went on a few missions and everything was going great until the captain decided that locking her in his quarters would be a good idea. She managed to escape into the life support system but the order was given to find her and the whole crew turned on her. With all her options expended she set the reactor to overload until it started leaking radiation thus forcing the crew abandon ship. However, just as she was able to make it off the ship in an escape pod before the reactor went critical, so did the rest of the crew. Now she is alone in the port of Anchorage, and somewhere in the crowds of people is an entire crew that wants her dead.
A very handsome man by all accounts and someone that clearly looks after himself and his physical appearance. Standing at 6ft tall; White skinned, with short blond hair and brown eyes, the only distinguishing features on Jarak’s face are the claw marks going down the left side of his face with one going over his eye. And the star shaped birthmark on his forehead. Normally he would be found in the imposing armour of the Storm Commandos, but unfortunately for Jarak his armour would be just a tad overt for his current assignment, instead choosing to opt for a leather jacket covering a simple shirt and trousers which hide an armour weave tunic.
| {Equipment and Personal Belongings} |
TL-50 Heavy Repeater.
SE-14 Blaster Pistol.
Electro Staff.
Vibro knife.
Armour weave tunic.
Sonic Imploders.
Thermal detonators.
Wrist mounted Grappling hook.
Rebreather.
Storm Commando armour and E-11D hidden away in a duffle bag.
Imperial issue Comm Link.
Encrypted datapad
Photo of himself, Iesha and Rachel.
| {Physical Abilities} |
A soldier through and through: Stormtroopers are expected to be in top physical condition at all time and that goes double for special forces. As a result of the extreme physical conditioning that Jarak has been through his stamina is far beyond the average mans and is able to go for extended periods without sleep.
I can take it: Owing to his time of service Jarak’s tolerance for pain is far higher than an average person. His tolerance for Blaster shots physical punishment far exceed a normal person and allow him to continue to operate as part of a cohesive unit no matter what.
Spec Ops equipment: Jarak has a fairly lengthy and distinguished military career which has taken him to exotic locations around the galaxy and put all manner of weird and wonderful weapons in his hands. As a result there is barely a weapon out there that Jarak does not know how to operate or field strip.
| {Limitations} |
Easily manipulated: They say every man has a fatal flaw, Jarak Delso’s is love. A soldier from a young age, for Jarak the adrenaline rush he got from combat was what kept him going, especially after joining the Imperial military. That was until he met Iesha Ricsou, an Imperial agent on an operation where he was stationed. Jarak was smitten from minute one, Iesha not so much. But after almost killing him in a night operation gone wrong, she took pity on the poor man. A few drinks with him back at base, the start of a budding friendship, a bed and a heartfelt kiss, a baby-bump and a daughter many months later… They say every man has a fatal flaw, Jarak Delso has two.
Brave but foolish: Owing to his caring personality Jarak will often put himself in harms way than allow his squad mates to be hurt, which more often than not can cause him to be injured instead.
Sleepless nights: To say Jarak suffers from a few night terrors would be an understatement, no amount of training or conditioning could ever have prepared Jarak for the things he’s seen and done while serving in the Imperial Military, from burning down Rebel and refugee camps with people still inside to almost killing his own sister and worse the things Jarak has seen and done things will haunt him forever.
Hammer over the scalpel: An instrument of death for the Empire for the last 9 years Jarak has known nothing but combat. And while he can and indeed be a calm headed and reasonable person, his tendency to prefer going loud over seeking a diplomatic solution can and has put him in difficult positions.
What?: It was the humble Frag Grenade that would leave Jarak with his most obvious issues, the infrequent abdominal pains and partial deafness in his right ear that have plagued him ever since continue to prove problematic.
| {Personality} | Speaking in a Coruscanti accent Jarak is a very soft spoken man, his team would often describe their Captain as a friendly man, someone that can always be relied upon in dire situations or a shoulder to lean on in tough times. Loyal and caring to a fault Jarak will often put his squad’s safety ahead of the mission at hand, even if it puts him at odds with his superiors. Owing to his friendly and approachable personality Jarak is a very open person and will look for any excuse to talk to anyone about anything. Partly to be a genuinely nice person but also to take his mind off of the things he’s seen and done.
| {Place of Origin} |
Naboo
| {Background} |
Born in Theed on Naboo in 38 BBY, Jarak would not have the easiest life growing up, his early years were marred by the Trade Federations blockade and subsequent invasion of Naboo. He would watch helplessly as soldiers of the Naboo security forces, including his own father were killed defending the city from Battle Droids. At age 20 Jarak would leave home and sign up for the Security Force to ease financial pressure on his mother and sisters. For the next few years Jarak sat on Naboo with not much to do. But with the rise of the Empire and the beginning of Human recruitment in 12BBY Jarak saw new opportunities and going against most of the other security forces and indeed the views of most Naboo citizens, Jarak left and joined the Imperial military. Having already received training, Jarak found that in comparison to the other Human recruits he was far better at almost everything, although the Clone instructors still showed nothing but contempt towards him and the other recruits. In truth Jarak would often find himself at odds with the instructors since some of the orders he was given went against every fibre of his being. The idea that he was simply an expendable piece of equipment that was expected to obey his superior officers without question or hesitance, regardless if they were required to unleash harm on innocents or even place themselves in extreme danger did not sit well with him. Being told on multiple occasions by the instructors that “Good soldiers followed orders.” This attitude from the Clones was not something Jarak was prepared for. His view of both them while slightly rose tinted was that they were heroes, having saved his planet and the attitude of the instructors was the complete opposite of the few clones he’d spoken to growing up on Naboo, but he chalked it up to their role as instructors.
Passing out of the Imperial academy as a sergeant Jarak was assigned as a Shoretrooper with his first deployment being on the world of Mon Cala to aid in the subjugation of the populace. An assignment which he hated from start to finish, the world and its inhabitants were as hostile and foreign to him as it could get. After being rotated off Mon Cala as a Shoretrooper position was only temporary, Jarak would serve a tour on Scarif which he hated for a whole host of different reasons, before eventually being deployed to Chandrila as part of the security forces stationed there. It was during this deployment in particular that he would meet his now wife Iesha Ricsou. Though at first, she took to his advances and flirtations like a Wookie to a Trandoshian she would come around eventually… though it took her almost killing him for her to do so. Service in the Imperial Military took on a new meaning for Jarak with the birth of their daughter just under a year later. No longer was he simply serving because it was better than being stuck on Naboo. Now his life seemed to almost have a purpose, one that went beyond any loyalty to the Empire or the Emperor that was drilled into him at the academy. Now he had a family to look after and with Iesha taking it upon herself to retire and look after the child any grievances he may have held would be pushed as far back in his head as they could be for the sake of his career and family. Life would not change much for Jarak over the next two years, a cycle of going on tour and coming home to try and make up lost time with his daughter. But when offered a transfer to Imperial Intelligence and a spot in a Storm Commando team Jarak could not bring himself to turn down the significant pay rise, even if it meant sending more time away from home and taking on far more dangerous assignments.
Life as a Commando was far different than that as a stormtrooper. Instead of simple grunt work he now found himself at the side of Moffs and Inquisitors or off hunting down Rebel cells. But by far the most daunting of his first set of assignments was the mission to Dantooine. His team were assigned to aid two inquisitors hunting down a Jedi that was rumoured to be there, spending a few days scouting the village where the Jedi was last sighted but all that both he and his team found was a simple village filled with simple people, the only standout being was a blind man. The Inquisitors however were certain, the Jedi was down there and the next morning they would make their move. There were five of them in total that approached the village two Inquisitors and the three-man trooper team. Though one of the Inquisitors swiftly separated from them and disappeared. As they approached the bridge leading into the village the blind man stood before them. With a single wave of his hand the Inquisitor instructed the troopers to take up positions at the other exits. The now Lieutenant Jarak Delso turned his head left and right and gave orders to the other two troopers who quickly departed for the far side of the village to block the other exit. Jarak obeyed the Inquisitors command and stood back as the Blind man on the bridge ignited his lightsabre revealing that he was in fact the Jedi they were looking for. A wave of emotions flooded Jarak’s mind, the Jedi were still heroes to him in truth he had never believed that the Jedi had tried to overthrow the Chancellor. But he could never tell anyone that, less he mysteriously disappear one night. But now the Jedi were supposed to be his enemies, but could he bring himself to shoot one, Rebel scum was one thing but people he admired and looked up to growing up that was something else entirely. The fight was mesmerising to the Commando, the flurry of colours and the sizzling of the sabres in the rain captured the boyhood wonder that still lingered in his mind. It was, however, still terrifying for him to watch as this supposed blind man took on two highly skilled Inquisitors and not only won but won convincingly. A sense of fear hit his body like a tidal wave as the Jedi finished off the second Inquisitor and turned towards him, Jarak had stood their throughout the fight with his weapon lowered and only now at what might possibly be the end did he understand how powerful the Jedi truly were and if the Inquisitors were beaten that easily what good would his blaster do. Jarak never raised his weapon to the Jedi and the Jedi never approached him either, he simply spoke towards Jarak from the bridge after throwing him the now crystalless Lightsabres. Never turning to show it but his words were meant for Jarak. "You don't seem to care much that they are dead... Just fearing how I did it... You never raised that weapon even when I ran them through... The soldiers of the Republic knew justice... Perhaps you remember it too... If we had more men like you, there would not be an Empire." As the Jedi walked back into the village Jarak picked up the sabres and signalled to his team that they were leaving, the mission was over.
Five years had passed since the meeting with the Jedi on Dantooine. The Rebellion while not officially in open hostility to the Empire was still proving troublesome, multiple of Jarak’s teams’ assignments over the last six years had been search and destroy operations against Rebel camps and weapons caches but one such mission in particular would affect Jarak’s mentality like none other. Naboo, his home a world where Jarak never thought he’d be deployed to. Yet here he found himself, scouring ruins with his team looking for the camp of Rebels, but he would soon come to wish he was back on Mon Cala or Scarif. Through the trees he saw it, multiple camp fires, tents and people. His dark armour keeping him concealed in the dark ruins, he moved around to where his squad mates were, both in an Overwatch position above the camp. Though there were only three of them against at least a dozen maybe more Rebels they were confident, their first volley of shots would take at least five or six of them, the rest should fall into a panic… should being the operative word. As Jarak gave the signal a flurry of blaster shots and a Sonic Imploder were sent hurling into the camp. Three Rebels died before they knew what hit them, a further two were sent slamming into trees by the Imploder. A few dove for cover after scrambling for their blasters and began trying to locate their attackers while another group ran to the trees to get away… But they wouldn’t. They were cut off and promptly cut down by Jarak’s squad mates. Jarak meanwhile had moved to the other side and began opening up on the group that had sought cover among the crates. The squad’s orders were clear “Do not hesitate and show no mercy to the Rebel scum.” But as the final Rebel fell and they moved in to confirm the targets were gone Jarak received a shock that to this day haunts his dreams. Lying on the floor in front of him clutching a wound to her shoulder was his sister; her long blonde hair, deep blue eyes and the star shaped birthmark on her forehead were unmistakeable, it was her. ”Kel?” His voice a mixture of confusion and fear, he looked at the wound she clutched, had Jarak been an inch or two down she would be dead. “Sir!” The voice of his squad mate came over his comm link. “We’ve got a live one, we’re bringing her over.” Jarak turned his head and his heart sunk even further, it couldn’t be, not here. Both of his sisters now sat before him, one still clutching her wound the other trying to comfort her. “What should we do with them sir? You know our orders we can’t leave them alive.” ”Ally, I want you and Nez to return to the ship, don’t contact anyone, I’ll explain everything when I get back. Understand?” The two nodded to their Captain and headed into the woods towards the ship. Jarak sat down on the bench in front of his sisters and removed his helmet, his own birthmark giving away who he was to them which made their eyes widen and their mouths open slightly in shock. ”I can’t say I’m surprised, I’m just disappointed. Why in the galaxy would you join the Rebellion?” “Because Jarak.” Ann his older sister answered him sternly. “The Empire has done nothing but terrorise the galaxy and oppress its inhabitants. And I can see you’re fitting into that mould perfectly aren’t you. No wonder Mother disowned you after you left, look at you you’re just another Imperial thug, dad would be spinning in his grave if he could see you now!” Her words stung like nothing he’d experienced before, although he never really knew his father his legacy was what made Jarak sign up for the Security force all those years ago and it took all his will power to not break down in tears right there and then. He looked up and stared his sister straight in the eyes. ”You think I don’t know that? you think I’m out here doing this because it’s fun? I know what the Empire does, I’ve seen it, I’ve done it Ann. And I’ve probably had more sleepless nights over the last eight years than you’ve hot meals, but I’ve got a family to provide for, a wife and daughter. Responsibility, Ann, You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” His words had venom in them, his resentment towards his family was deep by now. Eight years ago he left for the academy and hadn’t heard so much as a word other than that he’d been disowned since, he’d tried a few times to patch things up, an invitation to his wedding, the chance to meet his daughter he’d hoped that she could be a bridge back to a normal family relationship but it was to no avail. He looked down at Kel and felt nothing but anguish, he had always been close to her growing up, they were twins, so a strong bond was only natural but now… Now she refused to even look him in the eyes and that crushed him. ”Take these, I want both of you gone, if I never see you again again it’ll be too soon. But if we do meet I won’t be as forgiving.” The words he spoke were cold and empty, an emotional bluff. Despite everything they were still family and he still loved them both deep down but here and now all he felt was resentment and pain. He threw his medical supply pouch and ration packs on the floor next to his sisters before putting his helmet back on, picking up his blaster and disappearing into the woods and back to the ship.
Now on orders from Moff Walkenhorst, Jarak has been tasked with infiltrating a mercenary crew. Work that if he’s honest with himself is completely alien to him, sure Iesha has given him plenty of knowledge and advice over the years but actually doing it that was another thing entirely. When the Moff mentioned something about Jedi to the Captain his ears perked slightly but then the mention of potential Inquisitor involvement gave him a slight sense of dread. Though Jarak did at various points think of questioning the Moff on his motives for this assignment. Something about his dad getting turned to dust by some force user from the ship. Surely there were people more suited to this type of work, Jarak and his team specialised in covert and precision strikes against Rebel targets not infiltration, but this fact didn’t seem to bother the Moff one bit. Effectively giving Jarak a blank cheque to get the information that he wanted as well as enough money he could retire afterwards with little fear of his pension not being enough to support his family. So here he found himself, on some backwater dump filled to the brim with the scum and villainy of the galaxy. From a certain point of view, he fitted in just fine but never in his life had he ever felt like he didn’t belong somewhere like he did on Anchorage.