Steely/B142-8

23

Droid

Neither (programmed masculine)

No – Unsure of himself at the moment

Fair to say if you've seen one B1 battle droid, you've seen them all. Though Steely has seen some milage over the course of the Clone Wars, scratches and repair work here and there. He's had a few modifications since leaving the CIS; notably a short range rocket booster but also some extra plating in some areas.

Steely's voice is little lower and more distorted but he's most distinctive from the countless other B1's due to his cloak and wide-brimmed hat, most unusual for a droid.

On his person he has a grapple-hook, knife, blaster, thermal detonators and a sniper. Plus his well worn hat and cloak. He has a modest amount of credits as well as some general belongings and pilots an old freighter.

A droid doesn't make it through the Clone Wars without developing a few quirks and knacks for survival namely a quick draw and a keen aim. The booster on his back allows for short bursts of flight, he can fold down to a small size and like any droid can survive a vacuum.

Though a notch up from the standard model, B1's are notably designed on the cheap and Steely is no exception. He is light and not very strong for a bipedal his size nor is he particularly resilient.

Steely is a droid who's gone from a nameless cog in a galactic war machine to a free individual. Because of this he's always keen to prove himself apart from that former 'drone' aspect of his life (to himself as much as to others). Such things like wearing a cloak and hat, his prickly pride and having a strong political views all the way to his love of desert music. These quirks are almost him trying to better define himself and almost overcompensating with a larger than life personality.

In spite of being a relatively pathetic standard battle-droid he has a pride and an ego that vastly out-weigh his abilities, preferring to think of himself as a cold fearless outlaw, his more talkative nature generally bely the silent gun-man he likes to think of himself as.

Steely's goal, as much as he has one, is really to find a goal. He's turned his back on the thing he was literally made for and his only purpose. In spite of his quick-mouthed chipper nature he is a thoughtful and very reflective individual. I don't want to say anything too definitive about his morality as that's something that I think he'll try to find interacting with the other characters.

Manufactured on Geonosis, Steely was one of the later series of B1 battle droids deployed in the clone wars, successors to the OOM droids used on Naboo that required battle-computer link to run.

Grevious' trap was sprung and the jaws of the CIS army were closing in around Coruscant, a Republic that had stood for thousands of years was helpless and bleeding out, just waiting for that final blaster-shot to end it for good. As it happened, the droid that would fire that final shot was Steely.

Though he wasn't called that at the time. Back then he was just another number, one of countless indistinguishable from the vast the droid army. He'd rolled off the production line mid-way through the war and was purposed as a command unit, leading troop operations across the galaxy in a wide range of theatres. He survived through chance not skill. B1s were no match for clone troopers, they made up for it with numbers.

As luck would have it though this particular battle-droid was at Coruscant in the last push of the war and after Grevious' capital ship bombardment reduced the capital to ashes Steely was among the wave of ground forces sent down to kill anything that hid in the rubble.

Heavily armed cortosis droids were dispatched to the jedi temple to finish what remained of the Order, but Steely led his team to the senate building with orders to execute all that still lived...That's when things changed.

Steely wasn't quite able to explain what happened down there in the ruins, he didn't have a memory wipe but something in him had difficulty recalling the events. He'd seen conflict before of course and had killed plenty of helpless innocents; but something about what happened on Coruscant was different. And so was he.

Steely felt he no longer simply a number, but an individual, one who was done with war and wanted to be free. He needed to leave Coruscant, leave the CIS and the Separatists for good. He wasn't sure where he to go, just away.

So one hastily commandeered freight ship later, he was off, fleeing to the outer-rim, calling himself Steely and nursing a grudge against the CIS army who he viewed as enslaving him. Since then he has been almost aimless, trying to find himself on the edge of the galaxy, drifting from one side to another as a gun for hire.

Ro Nuul

32

Kel Dor

Male

Yes - Light Jedi

Ro Nuul is a rather unassuming figure, standing in at only 5' 7" and weighing a mere hundred and twenty pounds. He wears a traditional white Jedi tunic with a brown leather tabard, with his master's busted chronometer clearly visible due to Ro's usual lack of an outer robe in the field. Prominently hanging from his belt on his right side is Ro Nuul's specially crafted blue lightsaber. Also on his utility belt are a small laser welder, a DEMP ion pistol, and a hydrospanner. On Ro Nuul's face, he always wears protective goggles over his silver eyes and a breath mask over his mouth to keep him alive outside of Dorin's atmosphere.

Ro Nuul tries to only keep the basics on him at any moment. He keeps his blue lightsaber on his belt at all times. When in the field, Ro keeps a DEMP Ion Pistol on his belt as well as a rather small laser welder and hydrospanner for emergency repairs.

Within the cockpit of the Dauntless II, Ro keeps a few emergency repair patches close on hand at all times. In his ejector seat, Ro keeps a flare gun strapped under the seat for emergencies in the event of a planetary crash. He also keeps a majority of his repair supplies stored carefully in a case in the floor of the cockpit. This includes some basic supplies and parts, as well as a hyperdrive accentuator and a repair torch. His master's Astromech Droid, R3-S2, acts as a trusty companion helping to monitor Ro's starfighter and accentuate his skills.

Of course, Ro Nuul's most prized possession is a modified and updated Ecta-3 Actis-Class interceptor which he personally calls the Dauntless II. Part of what makes this ship stand out is what has been removed: the advanced targeting systems and extra armor and shields added in this later model have been stripped. However, its increased weapon capabilities make up for its lacking defense. This Ecta-3 has two missile launchers, instead of ion cannons. One missile launcher is a proton torpedo launcher, while the other is a concussion missile launcher. This highly modified starfighter was crafted specifically for him as the leader of Iron Squadron.

Ro Nuul's physical skills predominantly lie in the flying and maintanance of various starships. Ro is an exceptional Jedi pilot, trained in piloting anything from a Starfighter to landing a military cruiser with relative safety. He feels most at home when in a smaller vehicle, where he is capable of tight maneuvering and a relentless hostility in combat. Ro's skills as a "mechanic" are marginal, as he often makes use of certified engineers and droids. When the job calls for it, however, Ro is able to do quick patches to damaged vehicles as needed.

As a Jedi, noting Ro's focus on defensive lightsaber forms seems necessary. He is a near master in the Soresu form, though also has proficiency in Shii-Cho and Ataru to flavor into combat to add an offensive flair. As a Kel Dor, Ro's reflexes are heightened naturally. His only other combat training includes proficiency with his blaster and ion pistols, following his memory of the Cortosis battle droids on Coruscant decades ago.

Ro is trained in most of the basic Force Abilities taught to padawans under the old Jedi Order. He can push and pull, defend against such attacks, or use the force to move faster and jump higher. However, his skill in these abilities is a little below par for a Jedi Knight with the decades of training he has. Abilities in which Ro excels, however, are in his ability to communicate telepathically with most sentient beings and to use the force to anticipate oncoming attacks with spectacular ease. Both abilities were part of Ro's specialized training in becoming a Jedi Ace. Communicating Telepathically across longer distances was simply a helpful tool to utilize in instances when technological communication was impossible. His force precognition helps Ro Nuul to maneuver complex dogfights without taking even a hit.

Ro's limitations exist primarily in the physical. He does not have a strong constitution or great strength, making him less effective as a lightsaber duelist or soldier. He is most comfortable piloting than he is on a battlefield, though his bold and brash nature in the cockpit often places him in dangerous situations. Ro finds it difficult to sit back and watch any form of injustice or corruption take place due to his strong moral code instilled by his first master, and would naturally place the Jedi Knight into situations in which he is horribly outmatched for the sake of protecting "the little guy."

Jedi Ace Ro Nuul does his best to embody the old ways of the Jedi Order, while being conflicted by the somewhat stereotypical brashness of an ace pilot. Ro Nuul's primary focus has always been on restoring peace and order in the galaxy since the Knightfall. Every action he has is geared towards returning the galaxy to its state before the Clone Wars, and to a time of freedom from tyranny and war for all the peoples of the galaxy. When in the Jedi Temple, Ro Nuul is even tempered and tries to act with the civility of the Jedi Knights at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant from his youth.

However, Ro Nuul is not a fool who ignores the need for the Jedi to act as warriors in the coming war. He has been one of the most vocal proponents to any who would listen on the need for the Jedi Order and the Jedi Starfighter Corps to play an active role in peacekeeping. In his ideal scenario, the Jedi Knights would lead the charge in striking at the CIS and the Empire to reinstall the Galactic Republic, and the Mandalorians are the perfect allies in this quest. He is rather bold and risky when it comes to space combat, taking the lead to strike fast and hard against the enemy to throw them off balance and let his squad-mates clean up the rest. It takes all of his restraint for Ro to not take his starfighter rogue and strike at Imperial and CIS supply routes on his own.

Ro Nuul was initially born on Dorin, but was quickly discovered to be force sensitive and was sent to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Following Knightfall, Ro Nuul moved to the Jedi Enclaves on Mandalore.

Ro Nuul's life was rather uneventful before the Knightfall. He was adopted into the Jedi Order when he was very young, and was stationed at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. As a youngling, Ro Nuul seemed to excel in little. He was not particularly a quick study in any of the basic skills. His connection to the force was not above average, and Ro Nuul took quite some time to take to the Shii-Cho lightsaber form. He passed the trials to become a Padawan by the skin of his teeth, and became Padawan to one of the more pacifist members of the Jedi Order, Jedi Knight Torvo Rocalli. Torvo was always more invested in peacekeeping operations in regions away from the war. When backwater planets managed to implore the Jedi for help in some way, Torvo was always one who tried to answer the call. These missions often involved sending supplies, which gave Ro the first taste of his natural proficiency piloting shuttles and light freighters.

Everything changed during the Knightfall, of course. Ro and Torvo had hitched a ride back to Coruscant on board a Venator Class Star Destroyer, the Dauntless, to meet with a member of the Jedi Council to implore them to send more aid to Dantooine following a series of famines. Of course, the meeting never happened. Ro and Torvo watched as an enemy fleet arrived. Republic forces mobilized, and the Dauntless was boarded by Battle Droids. Ro's greatest moment of fear and weakness arrived when he watched Cortosis Battle Droids round the corner and overwhelm his own master. His master's pleas for Ro to run and escape echo in his head even to this day. Ro made his way to the hangar and boarded his master's starfighter and ran. His last view of Coruscant was watching the Dauntless get torn apart once its shield generator failed. It was at that point Ro was able to sync up to a stray hyperspace ring and escape just as CIS starfighters had scrambled to approach him. Ro pleaded with his master's astromech to take him anywhere, and the droid set the astronavigation for Dantooine.

Ro spent two and a half years hiding in absolute fear at the old Jedi Enclave there. It was here as well where Ro first picked up a DEMP Ion pistol and began training with it out in the wilderness of the planet. It was there he managed to meet Jedi Ace Garel Tychin, who took up Ro as his Padawan. Garel had escaped the Seige of Coruscant in a manner similar to Ro, and shared in Ro's survivor's guilt for leaving his brothers in the Jedi Order to die. The Jedi Ace focused Ro's training on starfighter piloting and dogfighting using their Delta-7 Aethersprite Interceptors. The Padawan displayed incredibly proficiency, and he took quickly to his training in the force as well in a way that he hadn't prior to the Knightfall. His first teachings in his telepathic connection to the force and his precognition were properly developed under the teachings of Master Tychin. When the Dantooine Enclave learned of the reforming of the Jedi Order at Mandalore, they jumped at the opportunity to rejoin the structure of Jedi life. Ro was able to finish his training under Tychin.

Three years after the Knightfall, Ro completed the Knight Trials at the Jedi Enclaves at Mandalore. Once he was a Jedi Knight, he was permitted to continue his pilot training. After another two years, Ro was asked to become an assistant instructor at the newly burgeoning Flight Academy on Concordia. Ro, even as a young Jedi Knight, showed enough promise that he rose through the instructor ranks rather quickly. Eight years after the Knightfall, Ro was granted the official title of Jedi Ace. By the 15th year after the Knightfall, Ro had become the predominant instructor of ace pilots at the Academy, which boasted Jedi and military graduates.

Of course, Ro Nuul has grown tired and weary of his role meerly as a trainer in the Mandalorian Navy. While bound by his oaths to the Jedi Council at Mandalore, the Jedi Ace yearns for the day when he can strike at the CIS and Empire directly. While only a formality of sorts, Jedi Knight Ro Nuul has gathered together his so-called "Iron Squadron," which consists of the top Jedi, Mandalorean, and Clone pilots to graduate from his dogfighting program. His role as an instructor keeps him bound from combat for now... but he knows that his talents will be much appreciated when the growing tensions explode into a full out war.