Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on Siobhan's retinue and the Order of Fire.
Image Credit: Here. Phoenix Symbol. By SGTsanttu.
Permissions: N/A.
Links: Firemane Industries, Into Darkness, Eldorai, Qadiri, Vashyada, Xioquo, Interview Log 003: The Fires of Progress, Casus Belli, Denouement, Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori, Young Flames, Atrisia, Shadow Knights, Fallanassi, Angelii, Dahomey, Atrisia Invasion.
CREW INFORMATION
Crew Name: Commanders of Fire.
Crew Type: Military Staff.
Base of Operations: Arx Aeternae, though they are not always concentrated there or even in the same place together.
Crew Size: 12.
Loyalties: Firemane Industries, Order of Fire, House Kerrigan, Leonina Varkathras, Siobhan, Firemane General Staff.
Description: The Commanders of Fire are a group of senior leaders of the Order of Fire, Firemane's Force-using arm. In contrast to say the typical Jedi order, the Order of Fire is a martial, heavily militarised organisation that is integrated directly into the military chain of command rather than standing apart from it. Recruiting, vetting, and training are standardised, and those standards are high. They are meant to weed out would-be chosen ones, whimsical mystics, madmen and acolytes who keep passing through the revolving alignment door. Its members are supposed to conduct themselves as soldiers and are subject to military law.
The Order has been created to identify, train and lead Forcewielders who serve Firemane and House Kerrigan. Members who serve in a military capacity are not only trained in the Force and lightsabre combat, but also military tactics, marksmanship, logistics and so on. The Order is under the direct authority of Siobhan Kerrigan. However, she also runs Firemane, so she can obviously not micromanage the whole organisation. Hence, like any political or military leader, she has a staff of officers who run various branches. This is not comparable to a Jedi or Sith Council. The Commanders do not get together and vote on who should be Grandmaster. Likewise, membership is not decided by challenging people to duels. Rather it has more in common with a military command.
Brigadier Leonina Varkathras, a Cathar female and former Jedi Knight, serves as her de facto deputy. She brings military experience and a steady hand to the job. The Commanders of Fire are senior officers who operate beneath her. Some of them will lead forces in the field, while others work out of headquarters. Without exception, all of the Commanders are Masters of the Force. However, their level of skill and raw power vary. Ziva Khalan, the head of the Truthseekers, is another important figure of equivalent rank with the Commanders. Her bureau is responsible for counter-intelligence, internal security, vetting recruits and so on.
Every Commander is a powerful element, but quite a few have positions where leadership ability and administrative competence are more important than sheer might. Management by the tip of a lightsabre is a poor form of leadership, after all. In keeping with the makeup of the Order itself, their origins are rather diverse. The Order counts Angelii, Qadiri fire mages, Xioquo witches, Grey Jedi and even some Sith defectors among its ranks, among others, and this is reflected in their senior Commanders. The Order's approach to the Force can be broadly described as grey. It treats the Force as a skill and source of power, rather than as a mystical journey or an entity with a will of its own that must be followed by Forcewielders.
This means the Force is not treated as an entity that must be worshipped or served, though this does not preclude individual members of the Order from having religious beliefs. It can be taught as a skill just like piloting or sharpshooting. At the same time, Order members must comport themselves in accordance with Firemane's military code. Balance is stressed for the warriors of fire. These teachings are drilled into the minds of recruits from early on.
Some of the Commanders get on with each other, whereas others are rivals. Similarly the relationship of the Commanders with their boss varies. Some have a close working relationship - and sometimes one that goes beyond the professional - with her, whereas others are distant or do not even like her. Siobhan keeps a careful eye on the senior officers of the Order. She knows all too well that while powerful Force-Users can be useful, they can also easily turn into a threat and try to make a power grab.
She has been careful to separate the senior leadership of the Order from Firemane's ruling group. With the sole exception of Alaerni Samasarth, none of the Commanders are members of the board or the inner circle, and Siobhan is determined to keep it that way. Her Vice President Kaylah Danton concurs, albeit for slightly different reasons because she dislikes the idea of a super-empowered, genetic aristocracy.
CREW MEMBER 1
Name: Atsuko Kitazawa
Age: 39
Species: Human
Role: Chief Apotheracy of the Order of Fire Hospitallers.
Description: Chief Apotheracy Atsuko Kitazawa is the leader of the Order of Fire Hospitallers, a group of battle healers and medics who can use the Force and conventional medicine to heal injuries and cure diseases. They are an important support branch for the Order and Firemane's military as a whole.
Atsuko is a stern Atrisian soldier, healer, surgeon and doctor. Her knowledge of the healing arts is paired with a strong understanding of the anatomy of many sentient species. Atsuko grew up on Atrisia at a time when the planet was controlld by an expansionist, neo-Imperial government and had strict rules against Force-Users. It was the law that all Force-Users had to be registered and were monitored by the government. The most powerful were conscripted by the secretive Inquisition. Its existence was a state secret and it functioned as a secret police and the Emperor's personal hit squad.
Thus Atsuko grew up in an atmosphere of suspicion. She was duly registered with the government and practiced healing in a remote town on Atrisia. Many people in her community treated her abilities with distrust, yet they also sought her aid. Ironically, she was once rescued from a mob by Imperial troops, yet was also framed for 'witchcraft' when a patient died despite her best efforts. Sometimes she reluctantly cooperated with the security organs against cultists because the latter would have made a precarious situation worse.
Atsuko experienced Atrisia's Anti-Force-User Purge first-hand. Indeed, she was one of its victims, though she was eventually able to escape. These events left their mark on her. She is a very dour, imperious woman. Indeed, she has a reputation for being a bit of a tyrant, but this is paired with a determination to care for her patients. She knows what's best for them and will not hesitate to say so, even when dealing with general officers.
Good does not have to mean nice, after all. She is forceful in prescribing treatments, sometimes to the point of overruling the patient. Her authoritarian attitude does not make her popular, but she is good at her job. She holds a grudge against former members of the Atrisian security apparatus who now work for Firemane, such as ex-Inquisitors. She is very talented in the use of powers such as Force Healing, Hibernation Trance, Crucitorn and protective abilities lie Protection Bubble. She has an intricate understanding of anatomy.
Atsuko is dedicated to her craft, but also likes the finer things in life. It helps that her job pays well. She has participated in many combat and humanitarian operations. Though initially sceptical of the unit's new Tygaran members, she accepted them after they had proved their competence. She gives them a hard time, but she does that to everyone, as it is supposed to push recruits to give their all. Her own experience of being discriminated and persecuted for what she was have left her very intolerant of the racist sentiments some employees have.
CREW MEMBER 2
Name: Aerin Askari
Age: 90s. Eldorai develop and age at a slower pace than humans.
Species: Eldorai
Role: Commander of the Young Flames.
Description: Master Aerin Askari is the leader of the Young Flames, the cadet corps, trainee organisation and youth wing of the Order of Fire. She is an Eldorai Force Master. Aerin is trusted by Siobhan and Leonina to be in charge of administration. Aerin has a lot of experience in the role, as she was responsible for training Angelii recruits way back and was quite good at it. Aerin was an Angelii who stayed with the Star Queen during the Exodus, and fought in the Battle of Kaeshana but decided to stay on with Firemane. She saw advancement and further profit with the humans.
Moreover, she resented the ancien régime of the Eldorai Matriarchy. Aerin is the bastard daughter of a noble. She was sent to the army to make sure her existence did not complicate the succession. Rejected by her family, she grew up bitter and resentful of the highborn and her bastard status. Ironically, she is now the last member of her house, though as an illegitimate daughter many would argue that she does not count. Her surname is an Eldorai word for soldier. She took it after joining the military. Her previous surname was 'Star', which is a name Eldorai give to bastards. Aerin has not tried to claim her family name, preferring to cut ties completely. She likes to annoy Eldorai nobles by wearing her uniform with the Order of Fire emblem when she has to attend official events.
Unlike many of her compatriots, she is not racist. Moreover, she is an agnostic. Aerin likes working with her Tygaran 'cousins' a lot and is a cultural anthropologist in her spare time. She is married to a male Xioquo. She does not get on well with Eldorai conservatives or political radicals. Some of her ex-comrades among the Angelii have taken her change of employer poorly, viewing it as desertion since she now serves the humans of Firemane rather than the motherland. The Shadow Knights tried to recruit her once, but she turned them down.
Most of her duties are administrative in nature. She supervises the various trainee units, determines training programmes, doles out assignments, ensures funding and coordinates with the senior leadership. The Young Flames' various boot camps and other training facilities are under her authority. However, she is also a tough combatant who can lead in the field or provide hands-on training for young recruits.
Her job requires her to travel a lot to ensure that everything is in order. The Order is a multicultural group and so it falls to her to facilitate the integration of very diverse groups of trainees from different cultures and species into one cohesive whole. Aerin is a talented duellist. She was trained in the use of a Sarix and a Sarzmigar, but has graduated to wielding a lightsabre. She favours a lightsabre-pike, but can use other lightsabre types when the situation demands it. Aerin focuses on elemental earth abilities, which makes her comparable to an Earth Shaper. Moreover, she is skilled in the use of protective and buffing Force powers.
CREW MEMBER 3
Name: Alaerni Samasarth
Age: 128
Species: Eldorai.
Role: Head alchemist.
Description: Alaerni is an Eldorai alchemist turned scientist and a friend of Varisanthra Lycaeni. She helped Vari leave Kaeshana, as her scientific views were heretical. She worked as a research scientist, making money on some patents which incorporated Force imbuement in the Dark Age galaxy. She was recruited by Siobhan and worked her way up the ranks. Alaerni is not a generic mad or absent minded scientist, but someone who is full of boundless energy and enthusiasm. Alaerni is the type who is peppy even at 3am on test #87. For this reason, she is quite popular. It is best to keep her away from stimcaf though. She tries to explain everything without being too patronising...or tries to anyway.
She also understands the importance of having plans, prototypes and backups for inventions. Moreover, she has a team of experts instead of doing everything on her own. She is a scientist, so she keeps detailed notes. The Eldorai has a strong interest in things otherworldly, occult and arcane. Her Force study focuses on material alchemy, but she has branched out into the hard sciences. She has some tattoos on her body that display esoteric concepts. She finds the scattering of the Eldorai tragic, but is happy that the Matriarchy has less reactionary fossiles in its leadership now, as many went off to build a 'true Ashiran paradise' on Raevana, which went extremely poorly.
Alaerni is famliar with Yohara, a fellow Eldorai scientist and scholar who defected from the Matriarchy. Both are on a similar trajectory, but have chosen different paths. Yohara has rejected the Matriarchy as backward, but considers herself an Eldorai patriot. She works for the Shadow Knights and considers both Vari and Alaerni to be sellouts. Alaerni always had a questioning attitude, which got her in trouble with the Matriarchy's authorities during the reign of Tirathana VI.
Other than Siobhan herself, Alaerni is the only Order of Fire member on the Board of Control, Firemane's ruling group. She is an alchemist, not a combatant, so Siobhan does not feel that her authority is threatened by her. Alaerni's combat powers, such as telekinesis, are baseline, but she is extremely talented in alchemy and Force imbuement. She also knows some arcane spells such as a Blood Trail.
The Eldorai gets on well with Phylis Alince. The two have compared notes on alchemy. One of her fields of study is using the Force not just to imbue items, but as a power source, combining the Force with technology. She often has lively debates with Varosh the Hutt, a Hutt researcher and engineer employed by Firemane.
CREW MEMBER 4
Name: Mariam-uz-Zamani
Age: 49
Species: Mon Calamari
Role: Lorekeeper and chief librarian.
Description: Mariam-uz-Zamani is a Mon Calamari Force Master, the chief librarian, chronicler and loremistress of the Order of Fire. The Order is a very martial organisation, but it still needs people to chronicle its history, and knowledge of the Force as well as handle artefacts. In that capacity, Mariam-uz-Zamani is responsible for reviewing the Order's collection of Jedi and Sith holocrons and other Force artefacts in its possession. Aside from Siobhan, she is one of the few people who have complete access to the Order's restricted archives. Mariam-uz-Zamani is very driven - some might even say aggressive - when it comes to the acquisition of relics. This has at times led to issues.
Mariam-uz-Zamani does not oppose the handling and research of dark side artefacts, such as Sith relics, but it must be done in 'controlled circumstances'. She has been made responsible for the section that deals with dark side relics. Many Sith texts are copied to digital devices by hand, whereupon the original is destroyed. Copying the matrix of Sith holocrons onto other devices has had mixed results. Moreover, she is responsible for all non-Sith holocrons owned by the Order. Unlike a certain Jedi Master from twilight of the Old Republic, she is well-aware that the archives are not complete and knows that it is nonsense to claim that if something is not in the archives, it does not exist. All this means is that there is another gap for the archives to close.
Mariam-uz-Zamani seldom leaves headquarters, but maintains contact with various teams responsible for discovering, securing and containing - or if need be destroying - artefacts that are of interest to the Order. An example would be Special Recovery Team 1. She does not restrict herself to the knowledge of the Jedi and the Sith. Rather she has sought to acquire texts from groups like the Voss, the Xioquo witches, the ancient Eternal Empire as well as precursor civilisations.
The Mon Calamari loremistress is said to have an encyclopaedic memory. Mariam-uz-Zamani carries a lightsabre and favours Niman or Soresu. Some of the more militant members of the Order disparagingly refer to her as a librarian and pen-pusher, but this is a bit unjustified. Her access makes her influential, though this is not immediately apparent to an outside observer. Leonina, who is uncomfortable around dark side tomes and devices, does not get on with her that well.
She is a bookish, somewhat solitaty figure who is unlikely to see combat often, but can thrown down if needed. She has a grim quality about her. The loremistress gets snippy with noisy students who pester her. Aside from standard Consular skills, she knows a lot about dark sorcery. Perhaps she spends a bit too much time with certain tomes. She has some knowledge of the White Current, but since she did not complete her training with the Fallanassi it is that of a Knight level adept. She keps her knowledge under wraps rather than flaunting it.
Mariam-uz-Zamani grew up in the Kyrikal system, which is located in Wild Space. She received some training from Fallanassi who had taken refuge there. Thus she acquired some knowledge of the White Current, though not enough to be considered a master. Wanderlust and a desire to make a difference brought her to the Levantine Sanctum, then the Silver Sanctum Coalition. However, she found it increasingly difficult to reconcile the Fallanassi's pacifist beliefs with the harsh reality of the galaxy.
Back in those days her mind set was quite different, more tolerant and less radical. She participated in the Battle of Ruusan, despite her misgivings about it. There she was injured and lost an apprentice. However, she broke with the Silver Jedi after they made the decision to withdraw to Kashyyyk and retreat from the worlds that had been under their protection, leaving them to the Sith to conquer. As the Sith swept across the Tingel Arm, she devoted herself to safeguarding Jedi and Sith relics to keep them from falling into the wrong hands. She had several dangerous adventures down lost artefacts and tomes. This is what ultimately led her to the Order of Fire's ranks.
Mariam-uz-Zamani is hostile to Sith due to their brutal occupation of Dac and poisoning of its oceans. She helped some of her people escape. The native Quarren collaborated with the Sith in return for being spared, so she is negatively disposed to them. This may be one of the reasons for her inclination to fight fire with fire. Siobhan is not personally close to her, but appreciates the Mon Calamari's practical approach. Moreover, Siobhan obviously has an interest in how her own history will be written.
CREW MEMBER 5
Name: Nakhaya
Age: 98. Vashyada age and develop at a slower pace than humans.
Species: Vashyada.
Role: Head of recruitment.
Description: Nakhaya is a prominent Vashyada member of the Order and in charge of recruitment. Her position has made her eager to try and sign her Tygaran kin up to increase prestige. However, many dislike this, arguing that they should stay with their people. Nakhaya argues that the Vashyada must move with the times and acquire positions of influence, or they will be left behind and taken advantage of. Detractors believe that this is cover for her own ambition.
Nakhaya is from one of the small colonies of Vash outside Yarkul. They dwelt on the northern continent of Ajustra, which was mostly populated by Qadiri. Thus they had to deal with more depradations and slave raids from Qadiri and Xioquo. Her tribe had to fight for its autonomy and was forced into a servile status. These events shaped her world view a good deal, putting her in the war and retribution group rather than the peace and harmony faction.
When the Eldorai came, her tribespeople at first welcomed them warily, as they opposed slavery. However, while the Eldorai promised protection from their foes and made use of Vash as scouts, the colonisation of the continent endangered the way of life of her people. Her people received scraps of tech, but were treated as primitives, not equals. Eldorai settlers tried to lay claim to their land, and missionaries came to their villages to convert them to the 'true faith'. Industrialisation and urbanisation destroyed many indigenous habitats. Nakhaya joined the humans of Firemane due to the realisation that they were the ones really in control. The fact that the Eldorai would not have come to her homeworld without the aid of the humans has not escaped her, but she has been able to get better conditions for her people.
She has a different view of Tylania compared to many of the mainstream Vash view as a quasi-divine protector and prophetess. To her tribe, she is a distant, quasi-mythical figure and they were too far away to benefit from any protection or guidance. Thus Nakhaya's view of the Paragon is a more cynical one. This also applies to the High King and High Queen who nominally rule the Vashyada as a diarchy.
Nakhaya is good at networking and has cultivated a friendship Vessa, a Vashyada from Yarkul and a member of Siobhan's harem. Moreover, she has connections to inhabitants of the Light of Yarkul, the Vashyada's first worldship. Indeed, some members of her kin have settled on it. She is too clever to exclusively favour her clan, but is conniving, ambitious and not above resorting to manipulation to achieve a desired end. As the youngest child of a chieftain, she saw little chance of advancement in Yarkul, as there was already an heir and a spare vailable. Thus she left to join the offworlders. Needless to say she plays an important role in the Order's marketing efforts.
Putting a member of a low-tech civilisation in charge of recruitment was initially seen as strange, but she is a good communicator. She is a sociable, articulate and talented person who has devoted a lot of time and effort into enhancing the Order - and herself - through recruitment and training. Since her promotion, she has played an active role in shaping internal Order politics. Many aspects of the Order's present recruitment and media strategy have been determined by her. Moreover, she has a lot of say when it comes to personnel assignment. Her job requires her to work closely with Aerin Askari.
In terms of Force powers, she specialises in mentalism, illusions and elemental ice and water abilities. For Vash, ice is a rare element, though not as much as fire. She has a knack for Force Persuasion and is good at bringing her message across and getting people to open up. Interestingly, Nakhaya does not use any dark side abilities. One can, after all, be of the Light and still have ambition so long as it does not hurt innocent people. Light does not mean soft, fluffy and meek, after all.
CREW MEMBER 6
Name: Zal'varash
Age: 89. Xioquo age and develop at a slower pace than humans.
Species: Xioquo
Role: Commander, special warfare expert.
Description: Zal'varash has a background as a Xioquo priestess, albeit unwillingly. She was the younger sister of the head of a house. Xioquo politics were ripe with Byzanzine intrigue - and this often came at a real personal cost to those who were crushed by the wheel. In keeping with this, her sister had her blinded so that she could not become a threat to her position.
Then she had Zal'varash dumped in a temple to keep her 'safe'. However, the the exile learned how to use the Force to see. Having become suspicious and somewhat paranoid, she kept that to herself and pretended to be complete blind and did her best not to arouse attention. Indeed, when some of her relatives plotted against her sister and tried to rope her in, she quickly realised that the conspiracy was ill-conceived. Sacrificing short-term satisfaction, she made sure no evidence implicated her. Deciding that her sibling had been broken in, her sister made sure she got more relaxed conditions. Then one day her sister came running to the monastary, as she was in need of sanctuary during Firemane's invasion of the Underealm.
Zal'varash weighed her options, then proceeded to beat her sister down and dragged her out to the invaders. She eventually joined them, recruiting some of the more manageable and less savage acolytes to go with her. She has been able to organise them into a clique that looks to her for guidance. Her sister had a daughter, but she is young, so Zal'varash is technically the head of her house.
Xioquo are already used to operating in the dark without the aid of technology because their homeland due to living in the Underealm, a dark, gloomy, subterranean realm. This means they are able to see much further in the darkness than say humans or Eldorai. In the case of Zal'varash, she is particularly useful in night and underground operations because she uses the Force to see. She provides advanced training in both. Moreover, she has excellent hearing and is good at blending in with the shadows. She is talented in stealth abilities, especially suppressing her Force aura or alignment. She can employ Art of the Small to shrink her Force presence, and has strong Force Sense abilities. She is a sink or swim type mentor, but gets results.
Zal'varash is patient and has an aptitude for deception. Her circumstances have changed significantly, but she has retained an inclination towards suspicion. She still plays up the frail, blind woman angle when it suits her. Sometimes it doubles as a test of character of sorts. She has been offered cybernetic or cloned replacements for her eyes, but refused both. Aside from acting as a trainer, she heads her own group within the Order. Fittingly, it focuses on her specialisations.
CREW MEMBER 7
Name: Raise. Her full name is Tabra'iseda'karat, but she uses her core name since she mostly works with non-Chiss and it is a lot easier for them to pronounce, let alone remember.
Age: 38
Species: Chiss.
Role: Strategist, logistician.
Description: A professional Chiss officer who serves the Order as a strategist and logistician. Force-Users are rare among the Chiss and not seen as great because they go against the majority Chiss ethos. Her ability to use the Force in direct combat is limited. For instance, her telekinesis is subpar, as she needs to put in significant effort for a feat as simple as using her mind to lift a pencil or a pebble. Likewise, she cannot summon force fields, lightning or fireballs. In terms of raw Force power or physical strength, there are stronger Commanders.
However, she is quite gifted in more cerebral applications of the Force. She is a powerful telepath and especially talented in the use of Force Meld, allowing her to meld the minds of soldiers under her command to boost their efficiency and coordination. Moreover, she has strong precognitive abilities and a talent for farsight. Raise has an excellent memory, which she can enhance with the Force, and can function with very little sleep. She has a good grasp of tactical concepts, but is prideful and competitive. She is a good swordswoman, favouring Makashi when she uses a lightsabre. The Chiss is a good planner and impervious to casualty lists.
As a young girl growing up in the Chiss Ascendancy, she was often plagued by dreams of things that had not come to pass yet. This caused many of her people to view her as odd or cursed. Her house had isolationist and conservative values. It was big on rigid class distinctions. As a girl, she was sent to a cadet school. She has experience fighting Klaxxi, a species of sentient, Force-using arachnids that occupied Csilla for a while. These giant spiders used telepathy to communicate and could turn invisible.
The academy she was attending was overrun. After overcoming its defences, the Klaxxi and their minions scoured the premises in search of Chiss to enslave or eat. However, Raise's talents saved her. Her mental talents helped her anticipate them and feel their presence. She managed to shepherd a small group of teenage cadets, who hunkered down and hid. After a Klaxxi noticed and started mentally tormenting her, Raise separated herself from the group to draw attention away.
They were saved by the arrival of Atrisian troops, which had come to fight the arachnids - and annex Csilla. The Ascendancy gained security, but lost its sovereignty. Moreover, the Atrisian Inquisition soon heard about her. Upon graduation, Raise was given an offer she could not refuse. Officially it was an honourable transfer. She received a commission in the Imperial military, but was secretly being trained by the Inquisition. It caused a lot of cognitive dissonance, as she had to keep her membership in the Inquisition secret and serve a government that regarded Force-users as dangerous weapons. Her conservative family disliked being subservient to humans. Raise participated in the Battles of Atrisia in a staff role, but deserted the Inquisition in the chaos that followed the ill-advised invasion of Fondor and Atrisia's absorption into the Fringe Confederation.
Csilla has been controlled by a succession of foreign occupiers, with brief periods of freedom, so she has found her way to Firemane. Many officers of the Order are attached to special forces or shock troops, but her path is one of leadership rather than direct combat. She has an active role in military planning and strategy, working directly with Firemane's general staff. She has the talent to plan and organise far-reaching military operations.
She has been actively involved in planning several Firemane 'peacekeeping' and 'piracy suppression' campaigns on Tygara and Wild Space. While technically legal and often directed against genuinely unpleasant foes, they naturally serve the purpose of extending Firemane's economic and political power and might just as well be directed against forces that simply wanted to remain independent.
She holds a grudge against Royal, a fellow Chiss and the majordomo of Siobhan. Their shared ethnicity has not made them friends. In contrast to her, Royal was born low class and used to be the lowly servant of Raise's relative 'Grand Admiral' Brand, the head of the house. Raise resents Royal's meteoric rise. This ties in with the fact that she is a relative of the 'pen-pusher's' former employer, 'Grand Admiral' Brand. She is not direct family, but a cousin.
CREW MEMBER 8
Name: Akhtar Jal Saobana
Age: 66. Qadiri age and develop at a slower pace than humans.
Species: Qadiri
Role: Commander.
Description: Akhtar is a Qadiri warrior and former mamluk or slave soldier. These slave soldiers were a curious feature of Qadiri states. Of course, giving slaves weapons and ensuring they were used only on one’s enemies was a tricky business, but the Qadiri were able to turn it into a process through a mixture of carrot and stick. Their slavery was represented to them as a special bond with the Mirza, who became a kind of mother figure.
He used to be the prize slave and champion of his owner, some 'big time' ruler a little ways from the centre of Amikaron. He was always the one who fought challenges on her behalf, trained the Force users and kept order. His mistress kept stringing him along with half promises, and used him as a lover. But eventually overheard her mocking how he was never going to be freed to one of her friends and he plotted revenge.
So he started working with the resentful younger sister of the Mirza and they plotted to overthrow her. This was done but the sister attempted to betray the uppity slave, only to find that he had outsmarted her by offering bribes and promising freedom to the other Mamluks if he was made ruler instead. The soldiers rose up, killed the new Mirza and her adult family and exiled the rest. He proclaimed himself the new king and tried to legitimise his rule through an arranged marriage pact. But the city's population, especially the wealthy, was angry at this slave king. Realising the situation was untenable, he left with the freed Mamluks, house slaves and other citizens and took their ships to an island holding of the city. There he assumed control and trained up his forces. When forces came to punish the slave their ships were burnt by a stash of oil and the soldiers were killed.
His people engaged in piracy to acquire loot and hostages they could hold for ransom. However, they likely would not have lasted forever under siege, but Firemane arrived to broker a peace. In return for being relocated off-world they evacuated the island. This done, he joined Firemane and put his talents to good use. He is a driven, ambitious person. As a slave he had no family name, and so took the name Jal Saobana after obtaining his freedom. It literally means 'from/of Saobana', which is a reference to Siobhan Kerrigan. Many freedmen have taken her name since she promulgated the abolition of slavery.
Here it is worth noting that it is common among the Qadiri for freed slaves to take the name of their patron. It is a way of establishing a patron-client relationship. Of course, he is not in her family officially as she has not acknowledged him as such, but she clearly does not mind either. The two are having an affair. Former mamluks are an important component of Firemane's army, but obviously not all are friends. Some allege Akhtar was not really out for freedom for all the other slaves but mostly for himself. Akhtar specialises in elemental fire abilities and protective uses of the Force. He is a typical Guardian/Warrior type of Force user and very tenacious in combat. Now he serves as a senior training instructor for more advanced members of the Order. He is a gifted combatant. His muscular physique helps. He wields a crossguard lightsabre, favouring the Djem So style.
CREW MEMBER 9
Name: Tarn Nasru
Age: 38
Species: Ugnaught
Role: Engineer, quartermaster and weapons designer.
Description: Tarn is a special weapons and combat trainer. Moreover, he is a designer who tinkers with weapons and designs new ones. He has some interesting adaptions of weapons for the Order to use. He is a skilled engineer who likes explosives and dislikes patronising humans who call him short.
Tarn is from Cloud City in Bespin and used to work in the tibanna gas industry. This was in accordance with the 'blood profession' of his family, which belonged to tribe Isced. However, inevitably outside parties took an interest in the tibanna gas mining colony. One of them were the Bando Gora, a violent dark side cult that had enjoyed a renaissance during the Dark Age and now sought to stretch its tendrils across the western rim.
Unlike the first incarnation of the cult, the new Bando Gora worshipped 'dark gods' from the realm of Chaos. They were big on spreading terror and blood sacrifices and used potent narcotics to acquire funds and brainwash people. The Bando Gora managed to take control over Cloud City after converting the Baron Administrator's wife to their cause. At first, little changed, as the cultists were content with exercising power from the shadows and exploiting Bespin's resources. But as they tightened their grip, orders from above became increasingly crazed and people began to disappear.
Tarn started questioning things after one of his relatives vanished. He was offered a bribe if he reported his supervisor, who was replaced by a cultist. Rumours spread of blood sacrifices. Tarn was able to convince some workers to join him in carrying out acts of sabotage to undermine the regime Tibanna gas is highly explosive, so they were able to arrange industrial accidents. However, this led to a crackdown, as the cultists tightened the noose and murdered the Baron Administrator. Amidst all this, the Omega Protectorate dispatched an invasion force to dislodge the dark cultists and claim Bespin's wealth for itself. Securing the gas storage platforms was a priority before they headed into Cloud City itself. The task force was led by Siobhan, then a Colonel.
Tarn ended up joining the Protectorate, applying his engineering skills. He was severely wounded during the Battle of Coruscant when the Starfall crashed into the planet. He was able to survive and evacuated by his men, but the doctors had to amputate both his legs above the knee to save his life. Fortunately, his family was able to pay for cybernetics which in time were able to help him walk again and also to use his right arm. Tarn took jobs as an engineer and amateur weapons' designer. The Netherworld Event threw Bespin into turmoil. First it was raided by the Bando Gora, then occupied by the Lords of the Fringe and finally the First Order. Tarn was abe to live with the Fringe despite not being fond of them, but, while not particularly political, opposed the humanocentric Imperials. This brought him into the orbit of the Alliance and Firemane.
Tarn came to the Force rather late. He had always had flashes of insight, particularly when he was around machines, and received visions during the Netherworld Event, but had never taken an interest. Then out of curiosity, he decided to get tested and discovered he was Force-Sensitive. By then he was an experienced combat engineer. Being a methodical person, he spent some time reviewing options to develop his abilities before he settled on the Order of Fire. He has manifested talent in mechu-deru and technopathy, which goes well with his skill set as a machinist and engineer.
CREW MEMBER 10
Name: Carrick Dhar
Age: 45
Species: Human.
Role: Commander of Fire, Brigadier.
Description: Carrick serves the Order and Firemane as a field commander and was born on Dahomey. The Dahomians have a curious way of naming their children, since around their tenth birthday they choose a descriptive name that embodies their personality and is different from their birth name. Of course, some name choices end up being awfully ironic.
However, he is a bit of an iconoclast and has chosen a 'galaxy' name. This annoys Firemane's Dahomian clique. His surname means something in Dahomian though. In contrast to many of his compatriots, Carrick is neither a former slave or rebel. His world was underdeveloped and plagued by strife, having regressed during the Dark Age. But Carrick was born in an area that still conducted limited trade with outsiders. He was of humble birth and grew up poor. His father was a small-time tradesman, but died when Carrick was six.
At the age of thirteen, Carrick managed to leave his homeworld to seek his fortune in the stars. At first he was a cabin boy aboard a merchant vessel that picked up minerals from Dahomey. After several adventures, he enlisted in the fledgling Republic's army as a private, eventually reaching the rank of warrant officer. These early years were rough. The galaxy was just emerging from the Dark Age, after all. Carrick briefly left the army and became a smuggler.
His stint as a criminal was not long, and he rejoined the military. Carrick learned he was Force-Sensitive during an early engagement with Sith. However, while he got some training to control his abilities, the thought of becoming a Jedi did not appeal to him, as he disliked their mysticism and found their beliefs strange. Carrick reached officer rank, before switching to Omega Pyre because the mercenary corporation offered better pay.
The Pyre was not content with remaining a mercenary band, and from early on started to consolidate the systems near Fondor under its control. Using Fondor's shipyards and Thyferra's bacta, it was able to expand rapidly. Carrick returned to Dahomey as part of the liberation force that overthrew the foreign warlords - and brought the planet in the Pyre's orbit. During this time he became acquainted with Siobhan Kerrigan, a former Jedi and rising star in the Pyre. Indeed, she provided him with some Force training, though they were never close.
Carrick rose through the ranks of the Protectorate, before eventually switching to Firemane after it started to stagnate. While an old hand, he was not one of those Omega veterans who joined Firemane shortly after its foundation. Carrick believes, with some degree of justification, that Siobhan has been suspicious of him because of that. Perhaps the two are too similar to get on well. Carrick has demonstrated a capacity for independent command in several battles for the Protectorate and Firemane, but never really got on the whole Kerrigan hype train. He respects her professionally, but does not treat her as something special and personally does not like her that much. Because he made his way in the galaxy on his own terms, he is not one of those Dahomians who see her as some sort of saviour.
Once he took his mistress on campaign with him, disguising her as one of his aide-de-camps. When Siobhan found out she reprimanded him for it. Carrick complained about the obvious double standard since she did the exact same thing - and often had more than one mistress with her. Carrick is greedy and has a weakness for women, but is respected for his abilities on the battlefield and as an administrator.
He is somewhat resentful that Leonina was promoted over him, as he has been with Firemane longer. That said, Carrick is one of the Order's few masters with general officer rank. He has been put in command of a large force of regular troops, while retaining his position. As a slight salve to his pride, it is a crack unit which operates as an elite strike force. In terms of Force ability, Carrick is a generalist broadly comparable to a Sentinel type. This makes him a bit of an all-rounder. He focuses on the core powers. He lost an eye in a hunting accident. It has been replaced by a bionic implant.
CREW MEMBER 11
Name: Issulla the Hutt
Age: 139
Species: Hutt
Role: Commander of Fire, Administrator.
Description: Hutts tend to get a bad rep. They are commonly stereotyped as greedy, lecherous criminals. In all fairness, many members of this species do their best to live up their reputation, revelling in it. However, there are Hutts who pursue alternate career paths. An example would be Doctor Juvard Illip Oggurobb, a famed scientist and five-time winner of the Bao-Dur Science Prize. Issulla the Hutt has an administrative portfolio, being responsible for personnel management, bookkeeping, funding and similar issues.
Issulla is a relative of Varosh, a Hutt engineer employed by Firemane. Like his relative, he has chosen a different path than most of his kind. Issulla hails from a Hutt group that was stranded away from Nal Hutta and Nar Shaddaa during the Dark Age. This meant they did not get involved with some of the more depraved exploits of others of their kind. They had sought new markets to exploit, but wound up stranded on a dangerous world and cut-off from the rest of the galaxy.
Growing up in circumstances quite different from most Hutts, he had to use his natural skills to his best advantage. After all, Hutts are designed for harsh conditions. He had to learn how to protect himself, as there were no mercenarie to fall back on. Issulla soon displayed talent in managing and distributing scarce resources, so he became the chief bean-counter. Ironically, he was able to win the trust of some of the natives. His Force-Sensitivity manifested during that time, but his use was more based on instinct than formal training. He managed to educate himself a bit after finding some old holocrons and through the shamanistic teachings of some of the natives.
Issulla was only later rescued by others when explorers came across the planet. By then he had developed very differently from most Hutts. For one, he could actually fight and did not surround himself with scantily-clad 'dancers'. This caused quite a culture shock when he discovered the way of life of the mainstream Hutts. Issulla decided that he did not respect them much. Their practices were not just disreputable, but inefficient. Moreover, they were effete cowards. For a while, Issulla ran his own trade and exploration outfit, putting his administrative acumen to good use to discover lost worlds.
Eventually, Issulla came into contact with Varosh. His relative had grown up in more conventional circumstances, but rejected mainstream Hutt culture and eventually found employment with Firemane. Varosh found Issulla to be rather rustic, but it was nice to have another like-minded Hutt around, so he arranged a job interview with Firemane. A Hutt looking for a job was the cause of bemusement, but his efforts paid off and he was recruited by the Order of Fire. Ultimately, he was put in charge of general management. By Hutt standards, Issulla lives rather frugally. Indeed, he can use the Force for sustenance, allowing him to subsist on little food for a prolonged period of time if needed. Like apparently all Hutts, he is massive and fat, but he has good strength for his size. This can make him dangerous in hand-to-hand.
He can overpower foes and employ his tail to deliver powerful blows. However, he is very slow without being aided by a repulsor sled. So he prefers to fight enemies at range rather than in melee. He wears thick, heavy armour if he has to engage in combat. In terms of Force abilities, he is talented in animal friendship, plant surge and Force tracking. He learned these powers in the hazardous conditions he had grown up in. In addition, he is skilled in Sense abilities, telekinesis and protection.
CREW MEMBER 12
Name: Yrsa Falk
Age: 41
Species: Human
Role: Commander of Fire, senior Starfighter Command officer.
Description: Yrsa grew up on Corellia, a planet known for its daring smugglers, hot-shot pilots and enterprising shipwrights. Sadly, the darkness was a rough time for all concerned. Her family is quite well-known. But now they have nothing more than a famous name. It has made her a driven, determined woman.
In many ways, her story contrasts and mirrors that of Siobhan. The latter grew up dirt poor, but managed to use her combat prowess and determination to rise up and acquire a terrific amount of wealth. By contrast, Yrsa grew up in the lap of luxury. Her parents were rich businessowners running a Ponzi scheme. They scammed people with trade deals to other planets that been 'rediscovered' after the Darkness. But in reality they siphoned off most of the money.
When questioned, they would say that space travel was expensive and hazardous and underestimate the real returns, giving the investors only half of the actual amount they should. But then her family's schemes caught up with them and they were arrested by Cor-Sec. They lost all their money after being convicted for fraud and running a Ponzi scheme. Overnight, Yrsa had become poor and alone. She endured foster care, living with poorer relatives and doing menial jobs to make ends meet. Her jobs included dock worker, cleaner and mechanic. Naturally she was ostracised by her high society friends. She joined a boxing club to learn how to defend herself and make some money.
Yrsa enlisted and eventually became a combat pilot. Corellia had been drawn into the orbit of Omega Pyre, which soon transitioned into the Protectorate. The nation had need of fresh bodies to maintain its expansion and protect its holdings, so she hitched her wagons to it. Yrsa saw naval action against the Bando Gora. During a surprise encounter with them, she destroyed several of their starfighters, but her own craft was damaged and fell towards a red moon with an unbreathable atmosphere.
Yrsa had to eject from her starfighter. Her knee was smashed in the process. With only a limited amount of time until her oxygen tank would run out of air, she tried to repair the Bando Gora starfighter, but discovered that it was a biomechanical construct controlled by a disembodied organic brain. Yrsa managed to repurpose the downed craft and rejoin the Protectorate task force, providing it with a piece of Bando Gora tech for study. Later she patrolled the edges of the Fringe/Omega Neutral Zone on several missions. Yrsa received training from Siobhan after joining Firemane. She fought at the Battles of Druckenwell, and Kaeshana. Yrsa holds the rank of Commodore and works with Starfighter Command. Unlike in some militaries, Firemane has made it part of the navy rather than an independent service. She is a talented pilot, and has special responsibility for training Force-Sensitive pilots. Jazan Jai Khalal, a highly decorated Qadiri pilot and starfighter commander, is one of her former students.
As a child, Yrsa felt strong resentment for what had happened to her family, but she has matured over time. Indeed, she treats it as a blessing of sorts, since it made her a stronger person. Her younger self had everything, but grew up in an environment where it was handed to her on a silver platter. For this reason, she does not value material wealth much. She is physically tough, self-reliant to a fault and has a fierce temper when provoked.
Yrsa has potent precognitive abilities. Moreover, she is skilled in using the Force to boost her speed and reaction time as well as alter gravity's pull on her body. Prolonged use of the latter makes her dizzy and nauseous though. Yrsa has survival skills, like being able to go into a hibernation trance, filter toxins, regulate her body temperature and suppress her pain. Moreover, she is a good shot with rifles and pistols. Not having the same focus has allowed Yrsa to distinguish herself from her mentor, since Siobhan does not enjoy flying herself and is a groundpounder at heart. Moreover, it means that they have not been in direct competition. She gets on poorly with Carrick. Their poor relationship has sometimes caused issues on campaign.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The Order of Fire was founded as a militarised group of Forcewielders that would serve Firemane. They were heavily inspired by the mixed force model promoted by Omega Pyre, an organisation Siobhan Kerrigan had served with and commanded for many years. In it Force-Users and soldiers lived together, trained together, fought together. Force-Using Omega Pyre members were soldiers rather than cloistered space mages.
Siobhan adapted this model when she assumed a position of leadership in Firemane. Members of the Order would be trained as disciplined, well-rounded soldiers who could fight alongside regular troops on the battefield, carry out special operations and utilise military tactics, blasters and so on. In keeping with this, the Order was organised along military lines. Fittingly, the Order introduced a dual rank system. Those serving in a military capacity would have both an Order rank and a regular army of navy rank. The military rank took precedence. At first the Order was a small, rather informal grouping comprised of Siobhan's acolytes and Force-Users who had been recruited on an often rather ad hoc basis.
However, over time the Order grew, as Firemane's influence expanded and it acquired clout on various fringe worlds. The expansion of the Order meant that in time it had grown too large for Siobhan to oversee every detail in person. This became more apparent after she became Firemane's undisputed paramount leader following the Battle of Kaeshana. Something more cohesive was needed. In short, military bureaucracy. Leonina Varkathras, a former Jedi and veteran of the Republic-One Sith War and the Omega War, joined Firemane and soon became Siobhan's de facto deputy in the Order. Her personality was quite different from that of her chief and she was not a savant of the Force, but she was a competent, level-headed presence.
The Commanders of Fire were created as senior officers to whom Siobhan and Leonina could delegate tasks or who oversaw certain aspects of the Order. Strictly speaking it was not a formal rank, but a title that gave its recipient an elevated position. The Commanders were considered grand officers of the Order. Without exception, all of them were Masters of the Order. Although the main criteria for elevation was supposed to be professional competence, political considerations also played a role. In that regard, Siobhan bestowed patronage on important players in special interest groups within Firemane's sphere. Naturally the relationships between the individual Commanders were not free of rivalry.
After Siobhan sustained near-fatal injuries during her duel with Darth Soteria, she went into a coma. The Commanders were left without their Grandmistress. Vice President Kaylah Danton took the helm in Firemane. The elevation was in accordance with a decree passed by Siobhan, which stipulated that Kaylah would act as regent if she was incapacitated. But it was also a position the Eriaduan had long desired.
Unlike Siobhan, Kaylah was a Non-Force-User and a career bureaucrat. Not all in the Order and the military were pleased by this change, though Leonina was firmly lawful neutral. At the same time, Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori, Siobhan's oldest adoptive daughter and a Master of the Order, was appointed acting head of the family. Time would tell how this arrangement would work out in practice, and what roles the leaders of the Order would play.
