[Approved] Miarhi Gako, Jedi Padawan

[Jorick]

OoC

How long do you usually write? Several paragraphs.
Do you enjoy writing collaborative posts for things like conversations, combat, etc.? Yes.
Is grammar and depth of writing important to you? Yes.
Are there any writing subjects you particularly enjoy exploring? Long-term character development, broken characters, and political shenanigans.
Is there anything you really dislike and want to avoid like the plague? Slice of life and romance without any point to a larger plot.
Is there something you are uncomfortable with happening to your character? Nope.
Do you have any short-term or long-term goals with this character? Nothing special on the short term, just to throw her in and see what happens. For long-term goals however, it would be neat for her to become a Jedi Knight, perhaps with a specialization of some sort. Convincing a Sith character to turn to the light side would be pretty hype as well.

Jedi Temple Public Records

Name: Miarhi Gako
Species: Kiffar
Homeworld: Kiffu
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Rank: Padawan
Master: Jedi Knight Airus Vel Aath (newly assigned)
Former master(s): None.
Apprentice(s): None.

Jedi Temple Internal Records

_{Detailed appearance. Imagery insufficient.}

Image

Image created by Arthur Gurin. Can't actually find it on any of his profiles, but his signature is on it, so that's good enough for me.

Miarhi is five feet and seven inches tall. She has red hair that she keeps long, green eyes, and fairly pale skin for a Kiffar. Her most immediately striking feature is her Qukuuf facial tattoos, though they extend beyond her face. The traditional tattoos to denote the Gako clan of the Kiffar people are of an approximately golden color and consist of swaths of color around both eyes, over the bridge of her nose, three dots between the brows, and two broken lines extending below each eye to the jaw. Miarhi also possesses tattoos of the same color that begin on the sides of her neck near the back and extend down to the shoulders and all the way down her arms to roughly midway down the forearm; this set of tattoos has no cultural significance and appears to have been designed as a crude resemblance of gears and machinery. The numbers '125710' appear in the central portion of the design on each shoulder.

_{Report on natural ability with the Force, as well as all known Force Techniques and the skill level.}

Miarhi has exhibited talent in a few specific areas of use of the Force, but she still has a lot of room for improvement. She seemed resistant to learning to use the Force in an offensive manner, but this has been mostly corrected. Her natural affinity for Psychometry was an impediment to her training early on, but after some specialized training to get her to the point of being able to control it most of the time she made admirable strides forward.

Basic Skills

• Force Speed: Basic Training
• Telekinesis: Intermediate Training
• Force Throw: Basic Training
• Telekinetic Defense: Intermediate Training
• Force Sight (basic): Basic Training
• Force Sense: Trained Talent
• Precognition: Intermediate Training
• Mind Trick: Intermediate Training
• Force Jump: Basic Training
• Tutaminis (basic): Basic Training

Intermediate Skills

• Force Healing: Basic Training
• Force Empathy: Known, Untrained Talent
• Telepathy: Basic Training

Advanced Skills

• Psychometry: Trained Talent

_{Report on skills not directly rooted in the Force, including level of skill}

Miarhi was, according to her instructors, a very eager student when it came to both academic pursuits and practical skills. She was known to seek out further information and instruction on certain subjects during her free time, and she had to be reprimanded multiple times for bothering various Jedi with her endless questions and displaying arrogance when she acquired greater knowledge than her peers in some areas.

• Survival Skills: Intermediate training, likely capable of prolonged survival in most environments.
• Medical Skills: Intermediate training, well beyond the basics normally taught to Initiates.
• Navigation: Intermediate training.
• Negotiation: Basic training. Records indicate that Miarhi has read a variety of educational works on negotations and treaty summits that go beyond what is normally taught to Initiates, but her actual practical skill level is uncertain.
• Speeder and Starship Piloting: Basic training.
• Philosophy: Only basic training as common for Initiates, but as with negotiation Miarhi has apparently read extensively on the subject on her own.
• Investigation: No formal training. However, her natural inclinations and talent for Psychometry make her a worthwhile investigator at need.
• Research: No formal training, but her successful efforts to seek out niche philosophical tracts and records of negotiation meetings displays a level of noteworthy experience in this area nonetheless.
• Languages: Fluent in Basic, Kiffar, and Zygerrian. Limited conversational skill with Bothan and Togruti.

_{Report on known combat experience, training and lightsaber training.}

Miarhi has seen no true combat, and it has notably been the most difficult portion of her training. Her combat skills are below average for a new Padawan. She is capable of fending off numerous opponents using standard blasters and melee weaponry, but she would be woefully disadvantaged in a fight against any Sith she might be unlucky enough to encounter.

• Shii-Cho: Basic Training
• Soresu: Intermediate Training
• Shien: Basic Training
• Hand-to-Hand: Basic Training
• Saberstaff: A few weeks worth of training. Abandoned due to preference for a standard lightsaber.

_{Detailed notes on political influence and associates.}

Miarhi has very little political influence. However, she has made some limited connection with a variety of Jedi in her time in the Tython Temple, particularly those whose work predominantly involves academic or medical pursuits, and some day she may be able to grow those connections into some manner of influence among the Order.

_{Detailed notes on known rivals and enemies, outside and within the Order and Republic.}

Miarhi has no known specific rivals or enemies. Some elements of the Zygerrian slaver group from which she was rescued might view her as an enemy, but that is merely speculation.

_{List and description of other known associates, including intimates.}

Ashyn Tilah: A Togruta woman who is part of the Medical branch of the Jedi Service Corps. She went through training as an Initiate, but she failed her trials when attempting to become a Padawan. Rather than leave the Jedi Order entirely, she voluntarily requested to be transferred to the Jedi Service Corps. Miarhi remains in contact with her via Holonet communication and has made efforts to meet up with her whenever Ashyn returned to Tython.

Tarrithon Dril: A Twi'lek Padawan. Miarhi briefly engaged in a romantic relationship with him when they were both Initiates, but they were separated and have had no known contact since then.

Jufa Myr (deceased): A Mirialan woman who became a Padawan a few months before dying in a fight with criminals on Coruscant. Miarhi had a romantic relationship with her as well, which went on longer than with Tarrithon, but it was also discovered and broken up.

Zavas Ordo (deceased): A Jedi Knight who recruited Miarhi into the Jedi Order. He responded to the distress signal sent out by the slaves left behind on a Zygerrian slaver vessel after bounty hunters slew them and abandoned the slaves, and afterward he worked to ensure that they were all seen to safety. He died in the Sacking of Coruscant while acting as a rearguard for the group of Younglings and Initiates fleeing the Temple.

_{List of all known ownerships, including vessels, (non-standard) equipment, and locations.}

One fairly expensive datapad with both Holonet connectivity and subspace transmissions capabilities. It is a recent gift from Ashyn Tilah.

One lightsaber, built by Miarhi during her Initial Trial. It is a standard hilt, a bit longer than normal to comfortably accommodate a two-handed grip for use of the Soresu form. The blade is green and very mildly unstable due to a crack present in its kyber crystal.

_{Psychological evaluation of Jedi Order member.}

Miarhi is very empathetic and tends to put others before herself, even to the point of such sacrifice being foolish. She is lacking in confidence in many areas and often comes across as timid. However, when discussions with her turn toward areas of her academic interest, she becomes lively and animated and seems to forget her self doubts for a time. While she is capable of controlling her emotions enough to be worthy of her new rank of Padawan, she still has a very long way to go.

_{List and description of known and suspected flaws. To be put into restricted database.}

Miarhi's empathy can be a great boon, but it can also easily become a flaw. She has been known to display empathetic impulses toward even those who deserve no such understanding, such as displayed in her trial of Insight. If not corrected and contained, this tendency may lead to her being drawn toward the dark side.

Her lack of confidence in her own abilities, particularly in lightsaber combat and offensive uses of the Force, is a definite weakness. She becomes easily discouraged when criticized for her failings in such areas. On the other hand, she can be *overly* confident when she feels she is good at something, and such arrogance closes the mind.

Miarhi is prone to slight outbursts of emotion and passion that are unbecoming of a Jedi. They have become more rare with training, but this is also a worrisome trait that needs correction.

_{Known interests of the force-user.}

Miarhi is an avid reader of all manner of things, from novels to academic dissertations. Her primary areas of interest appear to be philosophy, history, and records of negotiations. She is rarely seen without a datapad in hand or nearby.

_{Notes on skillset specialization, if applicable.}

Miarhi has made some strides toward focusing on academic pursuits, but it is far too early to quantify these interests as true specializations.

_{Major achievements on record.}

• Survived years of slavery as a child.
• Was accepted as an Initiate of the Jedi Order at the age of thirteen.
• Survived the Sacking of Coruscant.
• Achieved passable control over her natural psychometry talents after a lot of specialized training.
• Passed the Initiate Trials on her second attempt and assigned as Padawan to Jedi Knight Airus Vel Aath.

_{Major failures on record. Confidential.}

• Required extra training to acquire basic control of her psychometry, despite having used it regularly for half of her life prior to becoming an Initiate.
• Repeatedly reprimanded and punished for bothering Jedi for additional instruction in her areas of interest and bragging about her prowess in those areas.
• Was twice discovered to be engaging in romantic relationships with fellow Initiates. No further sign of trouble after strict disciplinary action following second incident.
• Failed her first attempt at the Initiate Trials due to improper control of her psychometry. Remained a Padawan and received additional training.

Interview

_{Personal biography, as detailed by the candidate for use in Jedi archives. Acquired shortly after last achievement of note.}

Audio log recorded the day after Miarhi Gako successfully passed her Initiate Trials.

Is this thing... It's older than the machines I've used. How do I— The light? Green. Yes? Okay. I'll start now then.

My name is Miarhi Gako. I am twenty standard years old. I've just passed my trials to become a Padawan and the Council is deciding who I ought to be assigned to. None of the Knights who watched my trials chose to take me as their Padawan, but that's alright. I'm not very... Well, I'm not a fighter. I never really— er, I should probably just start from the beginning rather than the end.

I was born on Kiffu, and my parents, Haren and Zana, were both members of the Gako clan. I am too, but I never really had the time to learn much of the Kiffar lifestyle, so I'm not sure they would accept me as one of their own. Um, I'm not certain what exactly my parents did, but I believe they were involved in illegal activities. I was... I think I was seven years old when I first displayed a talent for psychometry, which is not common but a known skill among the Kiffar. I've been told I touched a stool in a bar my parents had brought me to and started crying, and when my mother asked what was wrong I told her someone was badly hurt by it; the bartender said there'd been a fight a couple weeks ago that included someone getting pummeled half to death with a stool, which was enough to confirm what I'd learned.

My parents started to use my ability for their own profit. It was wrong of them, and it turned out horribly for all of us, but I am not angry with them. It took me a long time to let go of those negative emotions. I just wish... Well, there's no point wishing for the past to change. One's efforts should always be focused on the present and aimed toward the future. After a year of selling the use of my talent to many unsavory people, we were captured by a group Zygerrian slavers. They'd paid for me to check a few items a month prior, and apparently it helped them make a lot of money, so they decided they ought to own me rather than paying for my ability. Their treatment was very harsh, but I was young and I was able to adapt quickly. I learned to speak their language and tried to act as a shield for my parents, but I... failed. I would prefer not to go over the details, and I was told that would be fine for this recording, so I will be brief. My parents were killed within two years of us being taken as slaves, but I was kept alive because I was valuable and I did not fight against their ownership.

It was an unpleasant life, but not as awful for me as it was for others. A few of us were treated well for our various skills, while most were used or sold off as menial labor. I became friends with Ashyn Tilah, a Togruta girl a couple years older than me who was something like the leader of our group of special slaves. She was one of the dancers who performed for the Zygerrians' guests, and her ability to accept her lot in life without despair helped me and many of the others get through our time as slaves. When I was I was thirteen, we were rescued by a group of bounty hunters who had come to collect on the heads of the Zygerrians. They attacked the ship we lived on, and they killed our owners. Well, I say we were rescued by them, but they had little interest in us and left us to fend for ourselves. Ashyn did something in the control room of the ship and kept us all from panicking as we waited. It took a couple days for a Jedi Knight, Zavas Ordo, to respond to the distress signal she'd sent out. Then we were truly rescued.

We were brought to Carida, to a building where there were a handful of Jedi recovering from wounds. That was when I learned about the war going on between the Empire and the Republic. I'd never had reason to be told about things going on in the world, I suppose, and I hadn't ever had access to investigate for myself. The Jedi helped as best they could to get the former slaves sent home, or to somewhere safe if their home was embroiled in the conflict, even though they were clearly struggling themselves. When it was just those of us without families or homes to return to, Zavas offered to take us to Coruscant. He said we would be safe there, and some of us might even have what it takes to become Jedi like him. I was so happy, and I was the first to say yes. Ashyn did as well, and the rest followed.

Coruscant was... nice. For a time. I was tested and found to be suitable for training as a Jedi, and they were impressed with my natural grasp of psychometry, though they were not very thrilled about my inability to control it. Ashyn was also force-sensitive, and so were a couple of the others. We all became Initiates together. It was hard. I had trouble concentrating on my studies, because almost everything I touched flooded me with so many memories that I couldn't think of much else. They pulled me out of the normal training in the use of the Force to instead learn from skilled users of psychometry to actually control it. By the time I finally got it under some control, I only had a couple weeks left to return to the normal lessons before Coruscant was attacked. It was...

No, no, I'm not done recording, sorry. I was just trying to think of how to explain the attack on the Coruscant Temple. I don't think it can be explained in any clear way. The attack threw the Temple into utter chaos. Some of the Jedi rounded up all the Younglings and Initiates and took us away, but we did not get away unharmed. There were Sith present, and some of the Jedi stayed back to guard our retreat. Zavas Ordo was one of them. He, um, he didn't make it. I don't know the details, but I know he gave his life to ensure that we made it to safety. We were brought into the lower sections of Coruscant to hide until the fighting was over, but it took so long. There were soldiers and droids and bombardments and... It was awful. By the time it was over, we learned that the Republic had been forced to sign the Treaty of Coruscant. Some of the Jedi were unhappy about that, but I think that it was for the best to end the war, even if it wasn't on the best of terms. We remained in hiding for a while longer, but then one of the Jedi received word of a safe place to go to. It took some more time to arrange transportation, but those of us who survived the attacks made it to Tython.

I resumed my training as an Initiate there, along with Ashyn and the other former slaves who survived Coruscant. I caught up in time, and I grew very interested in a lot of the things we were taught that had little to do with the Force or lightsabers. When we were given free time, I preferred to keep learning things on my own. Sometimes I would read anything I could get access to, especially works on negotiation and philosophy, and other times I would go and ask some of the Jedi to teach me more of certain things. In those, uh, extra lessons, I learned a lot about surviving in unpleasant environments, treating wounds, and navigating with star charts and terrain maps. I also got a Bothan Padawan to teach me some of his language, and Ashyn taught me a bit of Togruti. I, er, got into trouble for bothering the Jedi with my requests for additional instruction. I deserved it, particularly after, uh, bragging a little bit about how much more I knew than my fellows in some areas. Competing with my allies in that way was inappropriate, and the hours of additional meditation I was assigned helped me to realize the error of my thoughts and how I had harmed my friends with my selfishness.

Oh, I suppose it's time to talk about... Er, I don't suppose I could— no, no, they said I have to talk about all the important things, so I can't avoid this one. I'm glad this is just an audio log. Anyway, during my first few years on Tython, I uh... I engaged in inappropriate relationships with two different fellow Initiates. Tarrithon was, uh, sad? That sounds cruel, but I mean that I always sensed a lot of sadness from him. I wanted to comfort him and help him through his troubles, but things went beyond friendship without me really thinking of what I was doing. The Jedi of course found out what was happening, and we were both punished. Tarrithon was sent elsewhere, and I'm not sure where he is now, but that's for the best. Um, and then there was Jufa. She was... I don't know, very charismatic? I knew we would get in trouble if we were found out, but she convinced me that we simply would not let anyone know. It took much longer for that relationship to be discovered, and I think my guilty conscience is what tipped off the Jedi in the end. I was sad when they separated us, but I understood the reason for it. Or, well, I understood after many hours of lecturing and meditation and reading about the dangers that succumbing to emotions pose to a Force user. The reading helped the most, really. Those stories of Jedi turning to the dark side after being led astray by passion were disturbing, to say the least. I was told that the consequences for a third such incident being discovered would be far more severe, but I had learned my lesson well and I have avoided such attachments with others ever since. I heard that Jufa died about a year ago, not long after she became a Padawan. The thought still saddens me, but the sadness neither harms nor controls me. Pain is proof that we are alive, and it should be accepted as a bittersweet gift rather than feared. Uh, I read that somewhere, and it stuck with me. I think that's enough on that topic.

Ashyn was the first of the group rescued from the Zygerrian slavers to take the Initiate Trial, and she failed the trial of Wisdom. She had always seemed so calm and composed to me, but I was blinded by our shared history. In fact she was unable to keep her emotions in check, she simply managed to hide it well from other children, but the Jedi apparently saw through it with whatever trial they gave her. Ashyn still wanted to help the Jedi though, so she asked to join the Jedi Service Corps and was sent to their Medical Corps since that was her favored area of study. She remains my closest friend to this day, and we've kept in contact as best we can with her busy life. I suppose it will get even more complicated now that I'm likely going to be leaving Tython with whoever I'm assigned to as a Padawan, but we'll make it work. It would be nice if she would stop pestering me to read the awful romance novels she loves, but I can tolerate them for her sake. At the very least, it is good training in patience and handling unpleasant situations. The other former slaves passed their trials before I was deemed ready to try, and I hear they're Padawans now, but we don't talk much. Mostly I hear about them from Ashyn.

I made my first attempt at the Initiate Trial a few months after Ashyn did. I passed the trial of Wisdom without much trouble, though I'm still not the best at calming my emotions. The trial of Skill, however, was where I failed. The kyber crystal I was given was very, ah, very rich with history. I lost my control over my psychometry and got overwhelmed by everything I saw. I don't even remember most of it, just bits and pieces, but I know it was too much for me. I couldn't concentrate on constructing a lightsaber, so I gave up and asked to be given more time as an Initiate to prepare myself. This was provided, with additional training with a master of psychometry to ensure such a failure would not occur again. After about half a year, I was deemed ready to take on the trials again.

The trial of Wisdom again served as no obstacle to me. During the trial of Skill, I could tell they had given me an even older kyber crystal than before. I am grateful for the challenge it presented. This time I slowly unraveled its past enough to glean a sense of the history tied to it, rather than letting it all hit me at once, and I was able to use it to construct my lightsaber after spending time meditating over it and imbuing it with the Force for a few days. The trial of Insight was troublesome, but I succeeded on my first try. I was asked to solve the case of a murder without using my psychometry on any of the evidence presented. It turned out that the man's death was arranged by his sister, and that she'd manipulated a mutual childhood friend to do it. The motive was that she was bitterly jealous of the attention her brother's new wife was getting from their family; she had intended for the wife to die as well, but she'd made a mistake with her timing. Despite this, she still tried to insert herself as the center of attention by being the one to 'discover' her brother's body and playing at being more distraught than anyone else. It was a difficult case to solve, but I realized there was more to it than simply using my mind to find the truth. The woman was also a representation of what I could become if I fell to the dark side: manipulative and vain and seeking self-satisfaction at the expense of others. It was very sad, and I wish I could have spoken with her to further understand why she had gone down this dark path. The masters presiding over the trial were pleased that I both solved the case correctly and caught on to the deeper meaning, though they cautioned me that I should strive to separate myself from such cruel persons rather than trying to connect with and understand them, and so I passed and was declared ready to become a Padawan.

Now I am awaiting the Council's decision as to who I shall be assigned to. I'm excited, but also a little worried because I have no idea what to expect. A warrior? That would be, ah, difficult, but I can understand why the Council would perhaps assign me to a Jedi who is well-versed in the skills of combat. I will of course abide by their decision, whatever it may be. I just want to help people, like Zavas Ordo did and like Ashyn does, and if I must be of assistance by becoming a warrior then I will do my best.

Um, I think that's enough. How do I— oh, the button? Do you mean this bu—

Appended Note - Restricted Access Level 4

The Jedi Council has determined that Miarhi Gako shall be assigned as Padawan to Jedi Knight Airus Vel Aath. Based upon the input and recommendations of Masters Vant Turus and Vorlya Sisk, Airus has been deemed ready to instruct a Padawan, but their relationship shall be observed carefully for signs that his troubles since the loss of his former master are more severe than suspected. Miarhi has been instructed to send regular reports back to Tython in order to facilitate this observation, though further measures may be implemented at need.

[Sundered Echo]

Zavas Ordo? As in, Mandalorian Clan Ordo? Or just happens to share a name?

Otherwise, an interesting and well researched character. She's definitely walked the line very close in terms of not getting kicked out of the order, but she seems to understand that fairly well so I'd say its fine.

Approved.

[Jorick]

Zavas Ordo? As in, Mandalorian Clan Ordo? Or just happens to share a name?

@Sundered Echo

Just a shared name. In fact I totally forgot there was a Clan Ordo when I randomly slapped that name together, haha.

[Heat]

Dropping my own approval as well, welcome to the Jedi Order. @Jorick

[Jorick]

Well damn, that was a quick one. Perks of the light side, I suppose?

I'll knock this one over to Approved in the title as well.