In the Darkness there is Truth
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Sub some minions for Libertas.
Image Credit: Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here.
Permission: N/A
Links: Eidolon Supplies & Transport, Enyo.
CREW INFORMATION
Crew Name: The Enlightened.
Crew Type: Special Operatives, Dark Side Agents.
Base of Operations: They use the Liberty's Tree as a mobile base. Moreover, the team has a Fury-Class Imperial Interceptor to go on missions with.
Crew Size: 9.
Loyalties: Darth Libertas.
Description: The Enlightened are a body of nine operatives established by Darth Libertas to enforce her will and carry out special assignments. Some of the members of the group are not traditional Force-Sensitives. Instead they are servitors who caught her eye due to their tenacity, strength and commitment. As a reward, she made a Faustian bargain with them and used her knowledge of Sith sorcery to enhance their Force-Sensitivity. This is comparable to the rituals Palpatine performed to empower the members of his Dark Side Elite. Others are more traditional Sith who are naturally Force-Sensitive.
Whatever the case may be, they serve her in a manner akin to Emperor Palpatine's Dark Side Elite or Jerec's Seven Dark Jedi. They may be charged with acquiring artefacts or other items that are of value to her, eliminating threats to her and acting as muscle. As a result, each member of the Enlightened has some leeway when it comes to requisitioning supplies and resources. The Enlightened follow a code of edicts passed down to them by their Mistress. It is based on the Sith Code that has formed the bedrock of countless Sith orders and empires since the days of the Jen'ari of yore, but she has given it a personal touch due to her somewhat idiosyncratic beliefs. Strength must be balanced by reason; power must be balanced with control; ambition must be balanced with pragmatism; emotion must be balanced with realism.
Libertas is a Sith with a philosophy of liberation through self-actualisation. She is almost an anarchist Sith in her methods, though not in a chaotic way. From her point of view, she is the breaker of chains, the bringer of...freedom. Just not freedom in the way some would think. She is not a 'kindly Sith' by any stretch of the imagination. After all, those who do not fit into her 'utopia' must be culled. It is a pretty brutal version of the self-help doctrine of 'the Force helps those who helps themselves'. She respects those who have endured hardship and thrived. For this reason, she prefers recruits who have experienced great hardship and become unfettered by it. This affects her choice in candidates for the Enlightened.
Those who want to be free must cast aside slave morality and unfetter themselves. Thus Sith have a purpose beyond acquisition of power, namely manipulating social conditions to a point where people are forced to become unshackled übermenschen or be crushed. Darwinian struggle is Nature's law, thus the darkness the Sith use is natural, whereas the Light is not. Thus the members of the group are raised on the belief of survival of the fittest and rule of the strong. They are taught to regard themselves as revolutionaries, overcoming the forces of statism, corruption and reaction. Of course, how fervently the individual Enlightened believe in these tenets varies. Some are true believers, others have adopted a more pragmatic stance.
Interestingly, every single member of the Enlightened is a non-human. This is intentional on Libertas' part, who is a bit of a Twi'lek nationalist and opposed to Human High Culture. It is a rather eclectic, mixed species crew. Aside from learning how to harness the Force, their training involves infiltration, stealth, survival in hostile environments, marksmanship, demolitions, zero-G fighting and movement. All these things can be made much easier by using the Force, but they are supposed to be able to cope without using it as a crutch, as otherwise they would be replacing one chain with another. The methodology they employ varies by operative and the nature of the mission. Thus the Enlightened have styles ranging from silent sniper strikes to poison to brute force. While a cyborg with the skill set of a Sith Warrior, Libertas prefers discipline and disapproves of wantonly destructive rampage. Not only do they arouse unnecessary attention, they demonstrate a lack of discipline.
Libertas makes a point of being affable to her minions. The Enlightened are expected to obey her orders and do their jobs well, but she does not fly into sudden rages or throw tantrums when she receives ill news. Mistakes can be made here and there. One cannot learn without them. Of course, those who do not will be killed. Sometimes the herd must be culled for the 'greater good', and naturally she claims she has the right to define what that is. The group receives part of its funding from Eidolon Supplies & Transport. Officially the company sells antiques and valuable art. However, its real purpose is to create and sell items constructed with Sith alchemy to those who desire them. It is also engaged in smuggling.
The Enlightened answer to Libertas personally. They seek to consolidate and secure their Mistress' own personal goals, while ensuring her followers remain loyal to the cause. They root out dissent from within, gather artefacts and servants from without, and eliminate potential rivals or threats. Of course, this also done in the hope of increasing their own personal power. Libertas is a Sith and thus under no illusions that one of her apprentices may challenge her one day. At present, Libertas is allied with Enyo Typhos, so the Enlightened have been called upon to perform missions in support of the Terminatrix' ventures. However, the Twi'lek is quite determined to keep the two organisations separate. Her alliance with Enyo is one of convenience, after all.
It is pertinent to note that individual members of the Enlighrened are not the type to demonstrate total obedience without any thought to their individual aspirations. After all, they are Sith and the Sith Code preaches exaltation of the self. Moreover, several members have their own agendas. Their devotion to the Sith Code varies. For instance, Aawala is an eco-terrorist and Tadiya joined because she was exiled by the Vashyada for dabbling in the dark arts. However, one thing all members of the group have in common is that they are outcasts among their species. While Libertas only headhunted a few of them, this is deliberate on her part. It helps bind them to her. She employs a mixture of carrot and stick to maintain control.
CREW MEMBER 1
Name: Jhassa
Age: Late thirties
Species: Selkath.
Role: Mentalist, water shaper.
Description: Jhassa is a Selkath and a native of Manaan. She is a survivor of the destruction of Ahto City during the Galactic Republic's crusade against the Sith Empire. Shortly after the Republic initiated its offensive, the Sith Empire launched a counter-invasion to claim the kolto-rich planet. During the course of the battle, one third of Ahto City was sunk. It happened to be the part of the city that had been occupied by the Sith.
Thus the Republic was held responsible, especially since the disaster happened shortly after a Jedi Master unleashed a Force-based storm in the city. Actually a Republic-allied Mandalorian mercenary had sunk the city. However, attempts to open an inquiry were stonewalled. The death toll was staggering. Jhassa survived the calamity, unlike many others. Until then she had been an ordinary citizen. Indeed, she worked in tourism. However, the event radicalised her and drove her to extremism. When the Republic and the Jedi Order returnd to Ahto City to offer recompense and rebuild the city, Jhassa saw it as further proof of their hypocrisy to her. From her perspective, both only wanted to secure control of Manaan's kolto. Those responsible for the deaths of her people needed to pay.
She became a terrorist. The fact that few expected a Selkath to be a fighter helped. Jhassa was Force-Sensitive, but her Force affinity was fairly weak. However, Libertas saw her inner fire. The Twi'lek offered her a Faustian bargain and the Selkath accepted. She specialises in water shaping and mentalism - and is fond of combining both. One of her favoured applications is to use her mental powers to make people think they are drowning. It helps that she can use her water shaping powers to flood their lungs with water. She can also manipulate water if she is close to a source, such as a river or underground plumbing.
This is complemented by her affinity for fear-based illusions. Moreover, she is able to use some abilities commonly associated with the Order of Shasa, namely a mind-affecting power known as the Progenitor's Call, and a telekinetic power called a waveform, which manipulates the particles of the environment to enhance the impact of telekinetic assaults. She also carries a Fira, the traditional weapon of Selkath warriors. Her knowledge of mentalism means she complements Libertas well, as the Twi'lek is not much of a mentalist. Slow.
Jhasa has rejected the Selkath's traditional policy of neutrality. Their homeworld has repeatedly become a war zone and their capital has been sunk several times. Her people offered their kolto to off-worlders, naively believing that the precious resource could be their shield, even after bacta had become the primary healing agent used in medicine. Time again, the planet was subjected to occupation, pollution and destruction. The Selkath mentalist feels strong hatred for Jedi and their followers. She is also rather xenophobic towards humans in general. Anti-human xenophobia is not inherently a part of the ideology of the Enlightened, but Libertas allows it to a degree.
CREW MEMBER 2
Name: Chraokh
Age: Around 200.
Species: Wookiee.
Role: Hunter, assassin, field team leader.
Description: Wookiees are commonly stereotyped as honour-bound, gentle giants. However, it is best to let the Wookiee win, as they have a fierce temper and impressive strength. Chraokh is, in his own way, honourable, albeit not in a way many people would consider. He is a predator, using cunning rather than primal ferocity. To him, the Galaxy is a jungle. The strong rule, the weak are trampled beneath them.
Life is defined by strife. He seeks interesting prey, and will take plenty of time to observe and study it when he finds it. Then he will systematically destroy it. Those who fight well will be given a clean death and he will take a trophy to honour them. He is remarkably good at tracking, trapping and camouflage. His Force abilities focus on phyiscal augmentation, endurance and concealment. Using Force Cloak and Force Stealth, he can turn invisible and conceal his Force presence. In short, he is extremely strong and impressive tank, but also quick and stealthy. By contrast, he does not bother with more esoteric applications of the Force. His telekinesis is minimal, he cannot shoot lightning from his fingertips or drain someone's life force. Instead he focuses on being strong, and invisible.
These attributes make him a good assassin, though blending into human society is obviously a problem. He is the strongest and most tenacious member of the Enlightened, and has the most combat experience. This makes him an ideal field team leader. He utilises a Bowcaster and a Ryyk Blade, but also makes use of non-traditional weapons. He is fond of using an axe made of beskar. Moreover, he wears armour, since fur is very flammable. Because full plate armour is not practical for a Wookiee, he wears a helmet, cuirass, greaves, vambraces and pauldrons. He keeps it light since he relies more on his natural and Force-enhanced tenacity for protection.
In terms of character, he has more than a few traits of a blood knight, though not in a mindless way. He respects those who put their lives on the line and work hard to accomplish their goals. Significantly, he does not denigrate anyone who does not use a weapon and fight. But he is scornful of what he considers the shallow culture of the Core Worlds, with their obsession with fame, comfort, and hedonism. He is rather taciturn and a being of few words. Chraokh gets on well with Tadiya, the Vashyada member of the group. The Wookiee and the wood elf have a number of things in common. In a way, their friendship is a dark mirror to the partnership the light side Vashyada have forged with certain Wookiee tribes.
Chraokh feels a strong hatred for the social institution of life debts. These have a tradition among his people, but he regards them as akin to slavery. In short, from his perspective, his people willingly chain themselves, even though they have often had to fight against foreign slavers. This ties in with his own history, as he was forced into de facto hereditary serfdom since once upon a time a human had saved the life of his father. After his father's death, the debt was not nullified, but passed on to Chraokh and a cousin.
The holder of the debt was a Jedi Master called Markus Starstrider, who still saw fit to have a life debted Wookiee as his gopher. It was tradition, after all, and as an enlightened and wise man he would not abuse it. If this meant draggging the 'debtors' into all manners of conflict that were not their problem, then so be it. It was for the greater good. The original debt applied only to Starstrider, but it was later extended to his wife and their children. Chraokh rebelled against being Starstrider's mamluk. Cast out into the Shadowlands for using his claws in a rage, he eventually managed to kill the Master. By then the Wookiee warrior had found out that he was Force-Sensitive. The Jedi had not told him, because he was too old to complete his training. Knowing would have only led him down a dark path and it would have forever dominated his destiny. Chraokh concluded that attaining mastery over the Force was the pathway to power and thus freedom. Hence he devoted himself to its study.
CREW MEMBER 3
Name: Tadiya.
Age: 55.
Species: Vashyada.
Role: Druid.
Description: Tadiya is far from home. She was born on Tygara before the planet was opened up to the outside Galaxy. She is one of the Vashyada, a race of wood elves. They are organised in a decentralised, tribal confederation, revere the Light and the forces of nature. Tadiya shares her people's respect for nature, but has turned away from the path of Light. Her story is a fall from grace. Her teacher was a well-respected Vashyada priestess called Vailkai.
Tadiya was a brave young woman, but also a problematic case. She lost most of her family in a Xioquo raid and hidden in the woods until she was found by Vashyada rangers. She rejected the pacifist, defensive mentality of her people in favour of a more aggressive approach. Determined to help the traumatised girl, Vailkai began Tadiya's training even though she was still recovering from her injuries. Having confronted her own darkness in the Dark Heart of Yarkul, she wanted to teach Tadiya the ways of the Light and how to control her abilities. At first the two wood elves managed to bond. Vailkai was a patient, attentive teacher. However, there was still a gulf between them. Vailkai believed in the old traditions that Tadiya was rebelling against.
When a Qadiri Mirza invaded Yarkul, Tadiya unleashed her anger in the fight, smashing an enemy warrior with a powerful telekinetic blast. She avenged her dead comrades by slaughtering invaders. She fought valiantly - but also ferociously. This was a cause of concern for the priestesses. Vailkai was worried as well. However, Tadiya did not see how she had done anything wrong. She argued that the Vashyada could not hide forever. Their enemies were only getting stronger and more ruthless. They needed to advance if they wanted to survive.
Vailkai had had her own struggles with pride and the dark side. Once she had gone on a pilgrimage to the Dark Heart, a powerful nexus. There she faced several trials, but was able to overcome them. Vailkai told her student about these trials. She intended it to be a cautionary tale, but unfortunately, it had the opposite effect on Tadiya. Her young student was fascinated by the story, believing she could emulate her teacher's quest. One night, after they had tended to some wood elves who had grown sick, Tadiya snuck away. Realising her intent, Vailkai pursued her, rightly fearing that her student was not prepared for such a test. However, the maze seemed to be actively working against her catching up with Tadiya, for each trial is meant for the individual alone.
Vailkai tried to reach out to Tadiya with the Force, but failed and was unable to sense her. When Tadiya emerged from the dark heart, she had been changed. She had embraced the primordial darkness of the forest. According to her, she had broken her shackles. Vailkai sensed a dark taint in her and confronted her former apprentice, seeking to talk her down and bring her to the priestesses. However, Tadiya refused to adhere to the rules, calling the beliefs of the Vashyada absurd. In the end it came down to a fight, as the wood elf, perhaps influenced by the darkness of the forest, attacked her. The dark had made Tadiya a formidable opponent, but in the end Vailkai defeated her. The darkness tried to twist the shaman's mind, urging her to kill her former apprentice, but Vailkai refused to do so.
As someone who had embraced the 'Drush', Tadiya was exiled. She has left her people and her home behind her. Her path has led her to the Sith and to Libertas. By then she had come across Rakata ruins on her homeworld. While her knowledge of her people's past is incomplete, the revelations she received about them and their prophetess Tylania solidifed her turn to the dark side. However, though she has abandoned many of the tenets of her people, Tadiya has not fully thrown them over board. Rather her beliefs can be characterised as a mixture of Sith ideology and bastardised Vashyada teachings. She has a strong thirst for knowledge. Her pursuit of it has given her insights into the forgotten past of her people. Tadiya is a skilled Earth Shaper and good at telekinesis. In addition, she has some knowledge of Nightsister magic and Sith sorcery. Being a Vashyada, she is physically hardy and strong, equal to a human.
CREW MEMBER 4
Name: Cawne
Age: Early Thirties.
Species: Twi'lek.
Role: Enforcer, assassin.
Description: Cawne is a Twi'lek male who grew up in the same small town as Libertas. Then she was known as Koyi Fenn. The town was at the mercy of off-world pirates. These raiders were more canny than the average pirate gang, for they realised that it was better to milk a cow than to slaughter it. So they demanded tribute. When the inhabitants were unable to meet their demands, they took slaves. Things threatened to escalate when some patriotic Twi'leks took up arms against the outsiders and were crushed. The local police was forced to help the raiders round them up.
Indeed, a few of the local luminaries came to see the deals with the pirates as a form of population control. The corsairs helped them take control over a number of villages, and in return the oligarchs ensured a steady supply. Cawne and his twin sister were poor and thus could not pay any meaningful tribute. However, they helped fugitive slaves hide. This cost them dearly, for his twin was abducted. Unlike him, she had a strong connection to the Force, which made her a particular tempting prize. Cawne bravely tried to free her, but failed. Then the prodigal daughter Koyi returned. However, she was no longer Koyi. She called herself Darth Libertas and was a Sith. However, she defeated the pirates, who had decided it was time to kill the cow, and passed judgement on the collaborators.
Some of the pirate leaders laid down their arms and tried to make a deal, while the caged slaves demanded to be set free. But Libertas insisted that her people needed to understand that freedom was a privilege which must be earned, not a right everyone just got. Thus she said that they could walk free if they took up knives and slew their subdued tormentors. Cawne was one of them who took revenge. After the bloodletting was over, she passed judgement.
Libertas enslaved a number of collaborators. As she explained, words about atonement were hollow. They had acted out of weakness and dragged others down alongside them. As she explained to them, death was preferrable to submission. Those who did not resist would always be stomped upon. Equality was an illusion, for nothing was equal in nature. Cawne was focused on one thing: freeing his twin, for she had already been taken off-world before Libertas showed up. He had seen Koyi's strength and power. If he had this sort of power, he and his sister would never be at someone's mercy again.
Libertas offered him a deal. He would have his heart's desire...if he would only kneel. Cawne knelt. The ritual she made him undergo was a painful one, both mentally and physically. The dark side seized him in its icy grip, he had to face his fears and terrors. But when he arose, he was strong in the Force. Libertas proclaimed him one of her apprentices and started training him while they went hunting. During their quest, Libertas did her best to subtly press her philosophy onto him, exposing him to the dark underbelly of the Galaxy. On a certain level, Cawne realised what she was doing, but as time passed he came to care less and less.
With his mistress' help, he eventually managed to track down his twin, who was supposed to be given to the winner of a swoop race as a prize. Giving in to his fury, he slaughtered many of her captors, as well as several spectators and bidders. They had delighted in the misery of an innocent woman. None of them had raised a hand, so they were just as vile as those who put her in chains. Cawne was seriously injured during the melee, but his fury made him push on. His sister managed to break free during the turmoil and help fight off their attackers, and the pair escaped. She was shocked by what he had done for her and who he served now. However, she felt compelled to join Cawne and Libertas out of a desire for revenge, and gratitude.
Cawne has served Libertas since then. Of the two siblings, he is the one who has more bought into her Sith philosophy. He feels strong hated for those who exploit his fellow Twi'leks, especially if they are Twi'leks themselves. Nonetheless, he feels genuine affection for his twin. He prefers direct action and loathes indecisiveness. His fighting style is rather aggressive, relying heavily on his speed and martial prowess, often using the Force to augment his body's capabilities. He is very skilled in lightsabre combat, as well as Terä Käsi and other martial arts styles, and a good pilot. He has a very high tolerance for pain and very proficient in various applications of telekinesis, including stopping a blaster bolt in mid-air, altering its trajectory and paralysing a target. However, his focus on unrelenting aggression can also turn into a drawback.
CREW MEMBER 5
Name: Aawala.
Age: 30s.
Species: Ithorian.
Role: Aawala works for Libertas as a special operative. She specialises in sabotage, healing and manipulating plant life.
Description: Ithorian are known for their reverence for nature, their environmentalism and commitment to pacifism. Their respect for nature goes so far that many Ithorians never set foot on their own planet, electing to live in floating cities above their world called herdships. This demonstrates their commitment to preserving their homeworld's ecosystem and avoid disrupting it through pollution. Many of the Ithorians' traditional traits apply to Aawala, but with a twist.
She is the exact opposite of a pacifist. Instead, she is a radical eco-terrorist. She subscribes to the belief of biocentrism and feels strong animosity for megacorporations, galactic government and mega-cities. In her view, these forces are destroying the foundation of life, as they only revere the almighty credit. She argues that if current society is left unchecked, it will lead to the complete degradation of the environment and regards overpolluted, dystopian slum worlds such as Metellos as proof. Preserving the forests, animals and trees is not enough. Sometimes those who prey on nature must become the prey themselves. Born in a jungle enclave on Felucia, she was later trained by Ithorian nature priests aboard a herdship. They worshipped the Mother Jungle and it seemed like her calling was supposed to be a healer.
The priests followed a code of strict pacifism and conservatism though. Aawala found this hard to follow. Time and again, she was confronted with the devastating effects of greed and sentient short-sightedness, witnessing nature paradises being despoiled. For a while she was stationed on Metellos. There, the priests were part of a humanitarian relief. The planet had a history of overpollution and poverty and things had only gotten worse in the past few centuries. The priests' restoration project had backers in the government, but their efforts were continuously stonewalled by vested interests in politics and business. Aawala chafed under the restrictions. She started to endorse the idea that sometimes one had to fight fire with fire. At first, she worked with a group of vigilantes and intrepid journalists to expose corruption and malpractice. When she was targeted by a bounty-hunter, she was forced to fight to defend herself. But though the group was able to expose some bad apples, the big fish were protected. Moreover, her actions forced her to operate outside of the law.
She radicalised further when a foreign corporation came to the land she had grown up on in order to 'develop' it and 'uplift' the natives. Their operations endangered the way of life of a native tribe she had lived alongside. Believing that this was the path to another Metellos, she turned to violence. At first Aawala tried to avoid loss of sentient life, focusing on economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to stop what she considered the destruction of the environment. This included industrial sabotage, liberating animals held in captivity, monkeywrenching and destruction of property. But her methods soon radicalised, especially after she spent some time in jail. Her endorsement and use of violence led to her being exiled from the ranks of the nature priests. This fuelled her radicalisation even further, operating alone or with like-minded rebels too extreme for mainstream environmentalist groups. She started resorting to assassination to further her goals. She has tussled with Firemane Industries on some of the worlds they operate on, and committed acts of terrorism against industrial targets. Eventually she was captured by Jedi Knights. Force-Users are difficult to hold, so she was locked in a maximim security prison. There she crossed paths with Libertas.
Aawala is quite large and strong. She is not particularly fast, but tough and packs a hard punch. The nature priests taught her Plant Surge and she can still manipulate plant life, though her way of using it is probably a lot more aggressive than her mentors intended. Moreover, she is good at utilising Force Bellow, enabling her to unleash a deafening and potentially concussive scream. She can push enough power into her sonic bellow to shatter iron and shred plasteel. Her teachers taught her Force healing, but her fall to the dark side has left her unable to draw upon the Light for this. Instead she uses dark healing, which is less efficient. She is good at Force Affliction. Aawala is passionate, but very self-righteous, seeing herself as a crusader of life. Aside from her radical environmentalist stance, she also has anarchist leanings. Aawala has not fully bought into Libertas' beliefs. Indeed, their alliance is more one of convenience, though their Darwinist beliefs overlap and both an anarchist bent.
CREW MEMBER 6
Name: Daeshara
Age: Early Thirties.
Species: Twi'lek.
Role: Special operative.
Description: Daeshara is the twin sister of Cawne. When she was seized by slavers, her brother made a deal with Libertas in order to gain the power to free his sister. He knelt, and the Sith Lady empowered him. Cawne managed to free his sibling, but fell to the dark side in the process. Though troubled by the price he had paid for her, Daeshara joined him and his mistress out of gratitude, and a desire for revenge. This is what keeps her tied to the Enlightened.
As part of her escape, Libertas had instructed Cawne that his sister should strike down her master, just as he had. Daeshara did so and felt ashamed that it felt good. When they returned to Libertas, the Sith Lady explained that this was because the power in her needed only release and now she would be strong. No one would cage her again. The abuse and humiliation she endured during her time in captivity has left Daeshara vengeful. However, of the two, she is the one who is less enamoured with the Libertas' teachings and her position as their mistress.
She knows that the Sith Lady did not help them out of the goodness of her heart. Their differing perspectives on their mistress have been the cause of disagreement between the two. Nonetheless, the pair still has a strong bond and is downright lethal when they work together on a task. Libertas knows that this bond could be turned against her, but presently considers it to be smarter to use it to her advantage rather than to try and drive a wedge between them, as the latter could easily backfire. She often directs Daeshara against 'deserving targets' while at the same time pushing her further to what Libertas considers to be 'true Sith'. Unlike Cawne, Daeshara was born with a strong Force connection, though she lacked the training. It was what made her such a valuable prize for the slavers.
Daeshara is more cautious, introverted and introspective than her brother. Her time as a slave and her subsequent apprenticeship under Libertas have shaped her. One could say she is the cold ice to her brother's blazing fire. She rarely displays overt emotion in her body language. He burns red-hot, but her fury is outweighed and tempered by ice-cold hate. She is rather observant; a trait that is boosted by her Sense abilities, which significantly improve her awareness of her immediate surroundings. She has an acute sense of danger. The Twi'lek possesses a better-than-average aptitude for precognition. Her heightened extrasensory perception serves her well in combat, but also helps her find whatever she seeks or whoever she has been ordered to kill.
She has an aptitude for mental abilities such as mind tricks and illusions. Her most potent power is Dampen Force, which allows her to disrupt, suppress or dampen the ability of other Force adepts to draw upon the Force, though this feat requires a lot of focus and concentration on her part. Her abilities in this regard could be compared to Darth Cognus. She is also good with a blade, pistol and has some skill as a slicer. Her preferred lightsabre form is Makashi.
CREW MEMBER 7
Name: Dayota
Age: 200s.
Species: Yoda's Species.
Role: Assassin, stealth specialist, thief.
Description: Yodalings, while very rare, are commonly associated with the Light Side and the Jedi Order. Well-known examples are Yoda and Yaddle. There is also Vandar Tokare, but he does not speak the way a Yodaling should. Dayota, however, is a bit of an outcast among her people. She grew up on Jakuu, a planet that had already been a desolate, desert wasteland centuries ago during the war between the Resistance and the First Order and was still one now.
Incidentaly, she lived in the now even more ancient ruins of the Super Star Destroyer that had crashed on the planet. She belonged to an enclave of Jedi who had ended up stranded on the planet due to the Gulag Virus. Cut off from the rest of the Galaxy, they went native. However, the community was destroyed. Dayota's memories are distorted and thus not very reliable. What is certain is that the young Yodaling was forced to practically raise herself from an early age in wasteland. She was able to survive, but went more than a little feral in the process, resembling an intelligent predator more than a sentient being. Natives started hearing stories a little, green creature that mainly communicated with growls, was crafty with a knife and had a sharp bite. At one point, a gang claimed the Yodaling as a pet, treating her like a caged animal. When she was able to break free, she systematically took revenge on her captors.
Having grown up on a world dominated by warlords, criminal gangs, scavengers and crazy cults, she grew hard and ferocious. The world she knew had one well: kill or be killed, and she was determined not to be prey. Dayota manifested Force powers at an early age, but lacked fine control and proper training. As a result, she often drew upon the Force on instinct rather than using it with deliberation. Her Force connection might have helped her survive when she was trapped inside a cave after a cave-in.
Deep down, Dayota understood that she possessed some special power. She picked up some skills as a scavenger and a thief. Her dimunitive size allowed her to go places larger beings would have trouble accessing, and made her good at sneaking. Libertas gave the feral Yodaling a purpose. Dayota's fighting spirit and survival skills appealed to the Sith Lady. Dayota is far older than Libertas, but grew up largely ignorant of civilisation and was largely illiterate. As a result the Twi'lek Cyborg had to more or less teach her all about how to function inside civilised society, outside of the desert wasteland she had called home. All this has made Dayota very devoted to her. In a twisted way, the Twi'lek may be the closest thing she had to a surrogate parent.
The Yodaling is a terse talker and short with speech, like a certain frost elf. She speaks primarily in short and simple sentences and often tries to respond in as few words as possible. She usually speaks in the standard way because she has not been around other Yodalings long enough, but sometimes falls back into the Yoda way of speaking. She dislikes extended conversation, considering it a waste of time. Her laconic attitude is also a defence mechanism, as she is less well-versed in social interaction. Thus she is a bit of a loner, but extremely observant. Dayota excels at using the Force to boost her speed and agility. This allows her to move extremely fast. Moreover, she has potent stealth abilities. She has very good survival and tracking skills. Like Yoda, she favours Ataru and carries a Shoto.
CREW MEMBER 8
Name: Sulquit Elg'afa
Age: Early Forties.
Species: Caamasi.
Role: Negotiator.
Description: A Caamasi who was jerked around and tricked by the galaxy once too often. Once he was a diplomat who was sent out full of idealism. He wanted to be an ambassador of peace, but but instead found a galaxy where no one was good, no one told the truth and everyone was out for their own gain. The ability to share vivid memories - usually such a peaceful and joyous event - was tainted in him by his experiences. The defining event in his life was the conflict between the Galactic Alliance and the First Order. He worked for the Alliance and witnessed the aftermath of battles between the two powers, particularly Kaeshana and Skor. These painful memories stayed with him. But then the Galactic Alliance was defeated by the Imperial Bloc. Angrily, he used these memories to try and gather support for a continuation of the war, but many Caamasi shunned him. Peace for our time. Do not use your memories as a weapon. Angered by this, he left. Shunned by his own people he found Libertas welcoming of him for he had the strength to break from the herd. In her words, his chains were broken.
Like all Caamasi, he has the ability to share vivid memories called memnii with near-relatives and Force-Sensitives. A memnis is as vivid to the one who receives it as it is to the one who participated in the event remembered. His people's peace-loving nature is partly a result of their ability, as having a memory of killing or harming someone would be particularly strong, becoming unbearable in time. However, Sulquit has broken with his people's pacifist ways. The memories do not fade in intensity over time, but he believes he is obligated to beat this burden. By the same token, his approach to sharing these memories is a lot darker than that of the typical Caamasi. He has become fond of using memmnii as a weapon and a means of manipulation.
Sulquit has a natural charisma. He is a very skilled orator and a good public speaker. Sulquit has an inquisitive nature and is a very learned individual. He regards his dark mistress as a more reasonable brand of Sith, which is one of the things that keeps him loyal to her. He is a good propagandist and thus able to deputise for her if need be, proselytising in her name. Indeed, he is one of those beings Libertas will actually debate philosophy with. His regal bearing and refined mannerisms not to mention his heritage enable him to move in social circles Libertas would find it difficult to gain access to.
While by no means an uncouth brute, Libertas is rather distinctive due to her visible cybernetic implants, whereas Sulquit can mingle a lot more easily. This puts him in a position to act as a chief negotiator and do his part to promote his mistress' vision. However, he is also devious and deceptive. He has a variety of cover identities. In addition to his native tongue, he is fluent in Basic and severan alien languages. Unsurprisingly, Force Persuasion is his strongest skill and he is very good at shielding his mind from intrusion. Moreover, he is skilled in using the Force to alter or erase the memories of others. Similar to Alema Rar and Lomi Plo, he is able to manifest an elusive Force presence. This allows him to slip from the memories of those whom he has encountered moments after departing. Sulquit carries a lightsabre and is trained in its use, but he is not a master swordsman. When he is put into a situation where he has to use his sabre, he gravitates towards employing Niman, a throwback to his life as a diplomat, or Soresu.
CREW MEMBER 9
Name: Malachite
Age: Over 900 years old.
Species: Shard. Uses an IG-88 droid body as host.
Role: Special operative, alchemist, tech support.
Description: Malachite is a Shard, a rather unusual type of creature. These silicon-based life forms are essentially sentient crystals, but they can be inserted into droids, using their mechanical bodies as hosts to interact with the Galaxy. For millennia the Shards lived in isolation, before coming in contact with the Galactic Republic during the last decades of its existence. Malachite was one of the Shards who received a robotic body. Being able to experience, feel and move was almost intoxicating. She found the organic beings with their myriad emotions and species intriguing, but also felt somewhat haughty. However, this peaceful existence came to an end with the rise of the Galactic Empire. Emperor Palpatine considered any Force-User he did not control to be a threat. The Emperor ordered Orax occupied and the Shards destroyed.
This view of the galaxy’s more destructive side profoundly changed Malachite's attitude. Shards did not typically die violently, except perhaps by an unfortunate rockfall, they merely slowly lost their light after many thousands of years. Malachite was part of a group of Shards who managed to escape the slaughter. It included Garnet, and was led by Ophila, the most powerful of the Shard, who later took the name Onyx. They fled to an abandoned Dyson Sphere in the Rishi Maze. There they built a new civilisation, safe from organic influence. However, this new utopia had a darker side – quite literally. As time passed those closer to the Dyson Sphere started to exhibit signs of a corruption. Ophila was the closest, and over time his once noble thoughts clouded. Soon he changed his name to Onyx, and those around him did likewise. Soon the prospect of a utopia was replaced with a desire for revenge on the galaxy. Malachite decided to follow Onyx when he declared a crusade. She worked on advancing her skills with the Force, researching and building technology.
However, when the Contingency, as the Shards now called themselves, mounted their Incursion, things did not go as planned. Their plan was to lure the Galaxy's great powers to the ring world so that they could use their doomsday machine to destroy them. Having provoked the galaxy into attacking them, the Contingency was slow and often deranged in its responses. Garnet and Enyo Typhos, whom the former had originally enlisted as an ally of the Contingency, turned against Onyx after concluding he had gone mad. The pair led the efforts of the strike team to destroy the mad Shard. Defeated in space and in a surgical ground strike on the station, the Contingency was mostly destroyed or blasted when the Dyson Sphere shattered into a nova. However, not all of its members were destroyed. Some returned to the shadows. Others were recruited by Garnet to work with her and Enyo.
Malachite was one of them. She is not entirely happy about the situation, but it is better than having her crystal broken. Like Garnet she has an interest in organics, but it is a lot darker. She finds them curious toys to take apart, find out how they tick, and then try and reassemble. Sadly most of the time they break. She is of the 'Onyx did nothing wrong' school thought and is still quite xenophobic. Nonetheless, she works for Libertas because she has broken her chains twice - once when escaping the galaxy, and once again when they broke free from the cosmic horror. Unlike some Shards such as Garnet, Malachite uses an obvious droid chassis instead of an HRD body. She is not an organic being and does not want to pretend to be one. For reasons that are entirely obscure, Malachite tends to use a really feminine voice. It sounds rather funny when it comes out of her IG body. Her droid body makes her extremely strong and tough and gives her access to a variety of armaments. She also has a talent for alchemy. This is an extension of her curiosity about life. She can put in very long hours as she does not need to eat or sleep.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Libertas did not fall to the dark side as a consequence of childhood trauma. She was no slave turned Sith. Rather she grew up in an affluent family. Her birth name was Koyi Fenn. Her parents were local notables in a Twi'lek community and successful merchants. However, though she was welloff, she was still confronted with the plight many of her people suffered. The Twi'lek servant girl who taught her how to read and write had once been a slave, until Koyi's parents purchased her and set her free. Injustice reached her doorstep when foreign raiders showed up at her hometown.
These raiders were more canny than the average pirate gang, for they realised that it was better to milk a cow than to slaughter it. So they demanded tribute. When the inhabitants were unable to meet their demands, they took slaves. Things threatened to escalate when some patriotic Twi'leks took up arms against the outsiders and were crushed. The local police was forced to help the raiders round them up. As local luminaries, Koyi's parents had to host the pirate leaders. Young Koyi was disgusted by what she perceived as capitulation. She could understand that her parents had no choice, but she was driven into a rage when she saw that one of her aunts was being amicable with pirates and making deals with them, offering 'undesirables' as slaves.
Things escalated and she lashed out with her power, awakening her long-dormant Force potential. Suffice to say she could no longer stay in her hometown. For the good of the family, her parents had to disavow her. However, her father arranged transport for her offworld by making a deal with a local smuggler. One of her ancestors had possessed Force powers like her. This woman had become a Jedi. Koyi presented herself to a Jedi Enclave. However, the Jedi were wary of her anger and aggression. Moreover, it was revealed to her that her ancestor had fallen to the dark side and become a Sith. This was supposed to be a cautionary tale, but inspired her to travel to Korriban.
To her, the Sith path promised the strength she needed. She was just one of many neophytes who ended up at the doorstep of the Sith Academy. After going through a series of trials, she was granted entrance. Here she was taught the ways of the Sith. A Sith Master called Darth Lüge chose Koyi as her apprentice. However, the Twi'lek never learned to respect the vainglorious, sadistic and libertine Sith. Nonetheless, she served the Sith Empire in many battles, fighting Jedi and Mandalorians on the front lines. Koyi was on Dromund Kaas when the Mandalorians razed the planet. The subsequent struggle to survive in the post-apocalyptic wasteland was something of an awakening experience for her. After managing to get off the planet with the help of a rag-tag band of survivors, she confronted her Master and slew her.
Taking the name of Darth Libertas, she returned to her home town to crush the pirates and teach her people the lessons of strength she had learned. Some were horrified by the dark gospel she preached, but others joined her cause. Two of her recruits were Cawne and Daeshara, two siblings who had suffered under the pirates. For a while she worked with the Lords of the Fringe, before joining the resurgent Sith. While scornful of the Dark Lord's cult of personality, she respected the One Sith's determination and evident success on the battlefield. While fighting the Republic and the other enemies of the Sith on the battlefield, she had time for games of cat and mouse with Jedi Knights, founding a populist, revolutionary movement called the Breakers of Chains and pursuing power plays with rival Sith Lords. For a while things were good. However, as the One Sith Empire stagnated after going from victory to victory, she turned her eyes towards her own agenda.
The Enlightened started to take shape in this period. She crossed paths with the radical Ithorian eco-terrorist Aawala in a maximum security prison and recruited her. Later she found the feral Yodaling Dakuu on Jakuu. After the collapse of the One Sith, Libertas joined the coalition of the willing that rose in opposition to the Rogue Sith, as she saw no point in the destruction the latter wanted to unleash with the Omega superweapon. Sadly Darth Soteria, a former Jedi she had converted during the war, disagreed and joined the Rogues, only to become a warlord later. Following the Omega War, Libertas went back to working independently. This led her into a partnership with Enyo Typhos. The two had much in common - enough to stomach an alliance of convenience.
They were sharks swimming in the same direction. A disillusioned Caamasi diplomat and a murderous Shard became new recruits to her cause. With Chaokh leading them, the Enlightened were conceived as a group of special operatives that could function as her eyes, mouth and hands. Libertas and the Enlightened supported Enyo in her crusade against Archangel, participating in the final battle in which the Terminatrix overthrew her creators and took control of their company. Libertas received her share of rewards and now seeks to expand her power base. The Enlightened have an important role to play in this endeavour.
Intent: Sub some minions for Libertas.
Image Credit: Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here.
Permission: N/A
Links: Eidolon Supplies & Transport, Enyo.
CREW INFORMATION
Crew Name: The Enlightened.
Crew Type: Special Operatives, Dark Side Agents.
Base of Operations: They use the Liberty's Tree as a mobile base. Moreover, the team has a Fury-Class Imperial Interceptor to go on missions with.
Crew Size: 9.
Loyalties: Darth Libertas.
Description: The Enlightened are a body of nine operatives established by Darth Libertas to enforce her will and carry out special assignments. Some of the members of the group are not traditional Force-Sensitives. Instead they are servitors who caught her eye due to their tenacity, strength and commitment. As a reward, she made a Faustian bargain with them and used her knowledge of Sith sorcery to enhance their Force-Sensitivity. This is comparable to the rituals Palpatine performed to empower the members of his Dark Side Elite. Others are more traditional Sith who are naturally Force-Sensitive.
Whatever the case may be, they serve her in a manner akin to Emperor Palpatine's Dark Side Elite or Jerec's Seven Dark Jedi. They may be charged with acquiring artefacts or other items that are of value to her, eliminating threats to her and acting as muscle. As a result, each member of the Enlightened has some leeway when it comes to requisitioning supplies and resources. The Enlightened follow a code of edicts passed down to them by their Mistress. It is based on the Sith Code that has formed the bedrock of countless Sith orders and empires since the days of the Jen'ari of yore, but she has given it a personal touch due to her somewhat idiosyncratic beliefs. Strength must be balanced by reason; power must be balanced with control; ambition must be balanced with pragmatism; emotion must be balanced with realism.
Libertas is a Sith with a philosophy of liberation through self-actualisation. She is almost an anarchist Sith in her methods, though not in a chaotic way. From her point of view, she is the breaker of chains, the bringer of...freedom. Just not freedom in the way some would think. She is not a 'kindly Sith' by any stretch of the imagination. After all, those who do not fit into her 'utopia' must be culled. It is a pretty brutal version of the self-help doctrine of 'the Force helps those who helps themselves'. She respects those who have endured hardship and thrived. For this reason, she prefers recruits who have experienced great hardship and become unfettered by it. This affects her choice in candidates for the Enlightened.
Those who want to be free must cast aside slave morality and unfetter themselves. Thus Sith have a purpose beyond acquisition of power, namely manipulating social conditions to a point where people are forced to become unshackled übermenschen or be crushed. Darwinian struggle is Nature's law, thus the darkness the Sith use is natural, whereas the Light is not. Thus the members of the group are raised on the belief of survival of the fittest and rule of the strong. They are taught to regard themselves as revolutionaries, overcoming the forces of statism, corruption and reaction. Of course, how fervently the individual Enlightened believe in these tenets varies. Some are true believers, others have adopted a more pragmatic stance.
Interestingly, every single member of the Enlightened is a non-human. This is intentional on Libertas' part, who is a bit of a Twi'lek nationalist and opposed to Human High Culture. It is a rather eclectic, mixed species crew. Aside from learning how to harness the Force, their training involves infiltration, stealth, survival in hostile environments, marksmanship, demolitions, zero-G fighting and movement. All these things can be made much easier by using the Force, but they are supposed to be able to cope without using it as a crutch, as otherwise they would be replacing one chain with another. The methodology they employ varies by operative and the nature of the mission. Thus the Enlightened have styles ranging from silent sniper strikes to poison to brute force. While a cyborg with the skill set of a Sith Warrior, Libertas prefers discipline and disapproves of wantonly destructive rampage. Not only do they arouse unnecessary attention, they demonstrate a lack of discipline.
Libertas makes a point of being affable to her minions. The Enlightened are expected to obey her orders and do their jobs well, but she does not fly into sudden rages or throw tantrums when she receives ill news. Mistakes can be made here and there. One cannot learn without them. Of course, those who do not will be killed. Sometimes the herd must be culled for the 'greater good', and naturally she claims she has the right to define what that is. The group receives part of its funding from Eidolon Supplies & Transport. Officially the company sells antiques and valuable art. However, its real purpose is to create and sell items constructed with Sith alchemy to those who desire them. It is also engaged in smuggling.
The Enlightened answer to Libertas personally. They seek to consolidate and secure their Mistress' own personal goals, while ensuring her followers remain loyal to the cause. They root out dissent from within, gather artefacts and servants from without, and eliminate potential rivals or threats. Of course, this also done in the hope of increasing their own personal power. Libertas is a Sith and thus under no illusions that one of her apprentices may challenge her one day. At present, Libertas is allied with Enyo Typhos, so the Enlightened have been called upon to perform missions in support of the Terminatrix' ventures. However, the Twi'lek is quite determined to keep the two organisations separate. Her alliance with Enyo is one of convenience, after all.
It is pertinent to note that individual members of the Enlighrened are not the type to demonstrate total obedience without any thought to their individual aspirations. After all, they are Sith and the Sith Code preaches exaltation of the self. Moreover, several members have their own agendas. Their devotion to the Sith Code varies. For instance, Aawala is an eco-terrorist and Tadiya joined because she was exiled by the Vashyada for dabbling in the dark arts. However, one thing all members of the group have in common is that they are outcasts among their species. While Libertas only headhunted a few of them, this is deliberate on her part. It helps bind them to her. She employs a mixture of carrot and stick to maintain control.
CREW MEMBER 1
Name: Jhassa
Age: Late thirties
Species: Selkath.
Role: Mentalist, water shaper.
Description: Jhassa is a Selkath and a native of Manaan. She is a survivor of the destruction of Ahto City during the Galactic Republic's crusade against the Sith Empire. Shortly after the Republic initiated its offensive, the Sith Empire launched a counter-invasion to claim the kolto-rich planet. During the course of the battle, one third of Ahto City was sunk. It happened to be the part of the city that had been occupied by the Sith.
Thus the Republic was held responsible, especially since the disaster happened shortly after a Jedi Master unleashed a Force-based storm in the city. Actually a Republic-allied Mandalorian mercenary had sunk the city. However, attempts to open an inquiry were stonewalled. The death toll was staggering. Jhassa survived the calamity, unlike many others. Until then she had been an ordinary citizen. Indeed, she worked in tourism. However, the event radicalised her and drove her to extremism. When the Republic and the Jedi Order returnd to Ahto City to offer recompense and rebuild the city, Jhassa saw it as further proof of their hypocrisy to her. From her perspective, both only wanted to secure control of Manaan's kolto. Those responsible for the deaths of her people needed to pay.
She became a terrorist. The fact that few expected a Selkath to be a fighter helped. Jhassa was Force-Sensitive, but her Force affinity was fairly weak. However, Libertas saw her inner fire. The Twi'lek offered her a Faustian bargain and the Selkath accepted. She specialises in water shaping and mentalism - and is fond of combining both. One of her favoured applications is to use her mental powers to make people think they are drowning. It helps that she can use her water shaping powers to flood their lungs with water. She can also manipulate water if she is close to a source, such as a river or underground plumbing.
This is complemented by her affinity for fear-based illusions. Moreover, she is able to use some abilities commonly associated with the Order of Shasa, namely a mind-affecting power known as the Progenitor's Call, and a telekinetic power called a waveform, which manipulates the particles of the environment to enhance the impact of telekinetic assaults. She also carries a Fira, the traditional weapon of Selkath warriors. Her knowledge of mentalism means she complements Libertas well, as the Twi'lek is not much of a mentalist. Slow.
Jhasa has rejected the Selkath's traditional policy of neutrality. Their homeworld has repeatedly become a war zone and their capital has been sunk several times. Her people offered their kolto to off-worlders, naively believing that the precious resource could be their shield, even after bacta had become the primary healing agent used in medicine. Time again, the planet was subjected to occupation, pollution and destruction. The Selkath mentalist feels strong hatred for Jedi and their followers. She is also rather xenophobic towards humans in general. Anti-human xenophobia is not inherently a part of the ideology of the Enlightened, but Libertas allows it to a degree.
CREW MEMBER 2
Name: Chraokh
Age: Around 200.
Species: Wookiee.
Role: Hunter, assassin, field team leader.
Description: Wookiees are commonly stereotyped as honour-bound, gentle giants. However, it is best to let the Wookiee win, as they have a fierce temper and impressive strength. Chraokh is, in his own way, honourable, albeit not in a way many people would consider. He is a predator, using cunning rather than primal ferocity. To him, the Galaxy is a jungle. The strong rule, the weak are trampled beneath them.
Life is defined by strife. He seeks interesting prey, and will take plenty of time to observe and study it when he finds it. Then he will systematically destroy it. Those who fight well will be given a clean death and he will take a trophy to honour them. He is remarkably good at tracking, trapping and camouflage. His Force abilities focus on phyiscal augmentation, endurance and concealment. Using Force Cloak and Force Stealth, he can turn invisible and conceal his Force presence. In short, he is extremely strong and impressive tank, but also quick and stealthy. By contrast, he does not bother with more esoteric applications of the Force. His telekinesis is minimal, he cannot shoot lightning from his fingertips or drain someone's life force. Instead he focuses on being strong, and invisible.
These attributes make him a good assassin, though blending into human society is obviously a problem. He is the strongest and most tenacious member of the Enlightened, and has the most combat experience. This makes him an ideal field team leader. He utilises a Bowcaster and a Ryyk Blade, but also makes use of non-traditional weapons. He is fond of using an axe made of beskar. Moreover, he wears armour, since fur is very flammable. Because full plate armour is not practical for a Wookiee, he wears a helmet, cuirass, greaves, vambraces and pauldrons. He keeps it light since he relies more on his natural and Force-enhanced tenacity for protection.
In terms of character, he has more than a few traits of a blood knight, though not in a mindless way. He respects those who put their lives on the line and work hard to accomplish their goals. Significantly, he does not denigrate anyone who does not use a weapon and fight. But he is scornful of what he considers the shallow culture of the Core Worlds, with their obsession with fame, comfort, and hedonism. He is rather taciturn and a being of few words. Chraokh gets on well with Tadiya, the Vashyada member of the group. The Wookiee and the wood elf have a number of things in common. In a way, their friendship is a dark mirror to the partnership the light side Vashyada have forged with certain Wookiee tribes.
Chraokh feels a strong hatred for the social institution of life debts. These have a tradition among his people, but he regards them as akin to slavery. In short, from his perspective, his people willingly chain themselves, even though they have often had to fight against foreign slavers. This ties in with his own history, as he was forced into de facto hereditary serfdom since once upon a time a human had saved the life of his father. After his father's death, the debt was not nullified, but passed on to Chraokh and a cousin.
The holder of the debt was a Jedi Master called Markus Starstrider, who still saw fit to have a life debted Wookiee as his gopher. It was tradition, after all, and as an enlightened and wise man he would not abuse it. If this meant draggging the 'debtors' into all manners of conflict that were not their problem, then so be it. It was for the greater good. The original debt applied only to Starstrider, but it was later extended to his wife and their children. Chraokh rebelled against being Starstrider's mamluk. Cast out into the Shadowlands for using his claws in a rage, he eventually managed to kill the Master. By then the Wookiee warrior had found out that he was Force-Sensitive. The Jedi had not told him, because he was too old to complete his training. Knowing would have only led him down a dark path and it would have forever dominated his destiny. Chraokh concluded that attaining mastery over the Force was the pathway to power and thus freedom. Hence he devoted himself to its study.
CREW MEMBER 3
Name: Tadiya.
Age: 55.
Species: Vashyada.
Role: Druid.
Description: Tadiya is far from home. She was born on Tygara before the planet was opened up to the outside Galaxy. She is one of the Vashyada, a race of wood elves. They are organised in a decentralised, tribal confederation, revere the Light and the forces of nature. Tadiya shares her people's respect for nature, but has turned away from the path of Light. Her story is a fall from grace. Her teacher was a well-respected Vashyada priestess called Vailkai.
Tadiya was a brave young woman, but also a problematic case. She lost most of her family in a Xioquo raid and hidden in the woods until she was found by Vashyada rangers. She rejected the pacifist, defensive mentality of her people in favour of a more aggressive approach. Determined to help the traumatised girl, Vailkai began Tadiya's training even though she was still recovering from her injuries. Having confronted her own darkness in the Dark Heart of Yarkul, she wanted to teach Tadiya the ways of the Light and how to control her abilities. At first the two wood elves managed to bond. Vailkai was a patient, attentive teacher. However, there was still a gulf between them. Vailkai believed in the old traditions that Tadiya was rebelling against.
When a Qadiri Mirza invaded Yarkul, Tadiya unleashed her anger in the fight, smashing an enemy warrior with a powerful telekinetic blast. She avenged her dead comrades by slaughtering invaders. She fought valiantly - but also ferociously. This was a cause of concern for the priestesses. Vailkai was worried as well. However, Tadiya did not see how she had done anything wrong. She argued that the Vashyada could not hide forever. Their enemies were only getting stronger and more ruthless. They needed to advance if they wanted to survive.
Vailkai had had her own struggles with pride and the dark side. Once she had gone on a pilgrimage to the Dark Heart, a powerful nexus. There she faced several trials, but was able to overcome them. Vailkai told her student about these trials. She intended it to be a cautionary tale, but unfortunately, it had the opposite effect on Tadiya. Her young student was fascinated by the story, believing she could emulate her teacher's quest. One night, after they had tended to some wood elves who had grown sick, Tadiya snuck away. Realising her intent, Vailkai pursued her, rightly fearing that her student was not prepared for such a test. However, the maze seemed to be actively working against her catching up with Tadiya, for each trial is meant for the individual alone.
Vailkai tried to reach out to Tadiya with the Force, but failed and was unable to sense her. When Tadiya emerged from the dark heart, she had been changed. She had embraced the primordial darkness of the forest. According to her, she had broken her shackles. Vailkai sensed a dark taint in her and confronted her former apprentice, seeking to talk her down and bring her to the priestesses. However, Tadiya refused to adhere to the rules, calling the beliefs of the Vashyada absurd. In the end it came down to a fight, as the wood elf, perhaps influenced by the darkness of the forest, attacked her. The dark had made Tadiya a formidable opponent, but in the end Vailkai defeated her. The darkness tried to twist the shaman's mind, urging her to kill her former apprentice, but Vailkai refused to do so.
As someone who had embraced the 'Drush', Tadiya was exiled. She has left her people and her home behind her. Her path has led her to the Sith and to Libertas. By then she had come across Rakata ruins on her homeworld. While her knowledge of her people's past is incomplete, the revelations she received about them and their prophetess Tylania solidifed her turn to the dark side. However, though she has abandoned many of the tenets of her people, Tadiya has not fully thrown them over board. Rather her beliefs can be characterised as a mixture of Sith ideology and bastardised Vashyada teachings. She has a strong thirst for knowledge. Her pursuit of it has given her insights into the forgotten past of her people. Tadiya is a skilled Earth Shaper and good at telekinesis. In addition, she has some knowledge of Nightsister magic and Sith sorcery. Being a Vashyada, she is physically hardy and strong, equal to a human.
CREW MEMBER 4
Name: Cawne
Age: Early Thirties.
Species: Twi'lek.
Role: Enforcer, assassin.
Description: Cawne is a Twi'lek male who grew up in the same small town as Libertas. Then she was known as Koyi Fenn. The town was at the mercy of off-world pirates. These raiders were more canny than the average pirate gang, for they realised that it was better to milk a cow than to slaughter it. So they demanded tribute. When the inhabitants were unable to meet their demands, they took slaves. Things threatened to escalate when some patriotic Twi'leks took up arms against the outsiders and were crushed. The local police was forced to help the raiders round them up.
Indeed, a few of the local luminaries came to see the deals with the pirates as a form of population control. The corsairs helped them take control over a number of villages, and in return the oligarchs ensured a steady supply. Cawne and his twin sister were poor and thus could not pay any meaningful tribute. However, they helped fugitive slaves hide. This cost them dearly, for his twin was abducted. Unlike him, she had a strong connection to the Force, which made her a particular tempting prize. Cawne bravely tried to free her, but failed. Then the prodigal daughter Koyi returned. However, she was no longer Koyi. She called herself Darth Libertas and was a Sith. However, she defeated the pirates, who had decided it was time to kill the cow, and passed judgement on the collaborators.
Some of the pirate leaders laid down their arms and tried to make a deal, while the caged slaves demanded to be set free. But Libertas insisted that her people needed to understand that freedom was a privilege which must be earned, not a right everyone just got. Thus she said that they could walk free if they took up knives and slew their subdued tormentors. Cawne was one of them who took revenge. After the bloodletting was over, she passed judgement.
Libertas enslaved a number of collaborators. As she explained, words about atonement were hollow. They had acted out of weakness and dragged others down alongside them. As she explained to them, death was preferrable to submission. Those who did not resist would always be stomped upon. Equality was an illusion, for nothing was equal in nature. Cawne was focused on one thing: freeing his twin, for she had already been taken off-world before Libertas showed up. He had seen Koyi's strength and power. If he had this sort of power, he and his sister would never be at someone's mercy again.
Libertas offered him a deal. He would have his heart's desire...if he would only kneel. Cawne knelt. The ritual she made him undergo was a painful one, both mentally and physically. The dark side seized him in its icy grip, he had to face his fears and terrors. But when he arose, he was strong in the Force. Libertas proclaimed him one of her apprentices and started training him while they went hunting. During their quest, Libertas did her best to subtly press her philosophy onto him, exposing him to the dark underbelly of the Galaxy. On a certain level, Cawne realised what she was doing, but as time passed he came to care less and less.
With his mistress' help, he eventually managed to track down his twin, who was supposed to be given to the winner of a swoop race as a prize. Giving in to his fury, he slaughtered many of her captors, as well as several spectators and bidders. They had delighted in the misery of an innocent woman. None of them had raised a hand, so they were just as vile as those who put her in chains. Cawne was seriously injured during the melee, but his fury made him push on. His sister managed to break free during the turmoil and help fight off their attackers, and the pair escaped. She was shocked by what he had done for her and who he served now. However, she felt compelled to join Cawne and Libertas out of a desire for revenge, and gratitude.
Cawne has served Libertas since then. Of the two siblings, he is the one who has more bought into her Sith philosophy. He feels strong hated for those who exploit his fellow Twi'leks, especially if they are Twi'leks themselves. Nonetheless, he feels genuine affection for his twin. He prefers direct action and loathes indecisiveness. His fighting style is rather aggressive, relying heavily on his speed and martial prowess, often using the Force to augment his body's capabilities. He is very skilled in lightsabre combat, as well as Terä Käsi and other martial arts styles, and a good pilot. He has a very high tolerance for pain and very proficient in various applications of telekinesis, including stopping a blaster bolt in mid-air, altering its trajectory and paralysing a target. However, his focus on unrelenting aggression can also turn into a drawback.
CREW MEMBER 5
Name: Aawala.
Age: 30s.
Species: Ithorian.
Role: Aawala works for Libertas as a special operative. She specialises in sabotage, healing and manipulating plant life.
Description: Ithorian are known for their reverence for nature, their environmentalism and commitment to pacifism. Their respect for nature goes so far that many Ithorians never set foot on their own planet, electing to live in floating cities above their world called herdships. This demonstrates their commitment to preserving their homeworld's ecosystem and avoid disrupting it through pollution. Many of the Ithorians' traditional traits apply to Aawala, but with a twist.
She is the exact opposite of a pacifist. Instead, she is a radical eco-terrorist. She subscribes to the belief of biocentrism and feels strong animosity for megacorporations, galactic government and mega-cities. In her view, these forces are destroying the foundation of life, as they only revere the almighty credit. She argues that if current society is left unchecked, it will lead to the complete degradation of the environment and regards overpolluted, dystopian slum worlds such as Metellos as proof. Preserving the forests, animals and trees is not enough. Sometimes those who prey on nature must become the prey themselves. Born in a jungle enclave on Felucia, she was later trained by Ithorian nature priests aboard a herdship. They worshipped the Mother Jungle and it seemed like her calling was supposed to be a healer.
The priests followed a code of strict pacifism and conservatism though. Aawala found this hard to follow. Time and again, she was confronted with the devastating effects of greed and sentient short-sightedness, witnessing nature paradises being despoiled. For a while she was stationed on Metellos. There, the priests were part of a humanitarian relief. The planet had a history of overpollution and poverty and things had only gotten worse in the past few centuries. The priests' restoration project had backers in the government, but their efforts were continuously stonewalled by vested interests in politics and business. Aawala chafed under the restrictions. She started to endorse the idea that sometimes one had to fight fire with fire. At first, she worked with a group of vigilantes and intrepid journalists to expose corruption and malpractice. When she was targeted by a bounty-hunter, she was forced to fight to defend herself. But though the group was able to expose some bad apples, the big fish were protected. Moreover, her actions forced her to operate outside of the law.
She radicalised further when a foreign corporation came to the land she had grown up on in order to 'develop' it and 'uplift' the natives. Their operations endangered the way of life of a native tribe she had lived alongside. Believing that this was the path to another Metellos, she turned to violence. At first Aawala tried to avoid loss of sentient life, focusing on economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to stop what she considered the destruction of the environment. This included industrial sabotage, liberating animals held in captivity, monkeywrenching and destruction of property. But her methods soon radicalised, especially after she spent some time in jail. Her endorsement and use of violence led to her being exiled from the ranks of the nature priests. This fuelled her radicalisation even further, operating alone or with like-minded rebels too extreme for mainstream environmentalist groups. She started resorting to assassination to further her goals. She has tussled with Firemane Industries on some of the worlds they operate on, and committed acts of terrorism against industrial targets. Eventually she was captured by Jedi Knights. Force-Users are difficult to hold, so she was locked in a maximim security prison. There she crossed paths with Libertas.
Aawala is quite large and strong. She is not particularly fast, but tough and packs a hard punch. The nature priests taught her Plant Surge and she can still manipulate plant life, though her way of using it is probably a lot more aggressive than her mentors intended. Moreover, she is good at utilising Force Bellow, enabling her to unleash a deafening and potentially concussive scream. She can push enough power into her sonic bellow to shatter iron and shred plasteel. Her teachers taught her Force healing, but her fall to the dark side has left her unable to draw upon the Light for this. Instead she uses dark healing, which is less efficient. She is good at Force Affliction. Aawala is passionate, but very self-righteous, seeing herself as a crusader of life. Aside from her radical environmentalist stance, she also has anarchist leanings. Aawala has not fully bought into Libertas' beliefs. Indeed, their alliance is more one of convenience, though their Darwinist beliefs overlap and both an anarchist bent.
CREW MEMBER 6
Name: Daeshara
Age: Early Thirties.
Species: Twi'lek.
Role: Special operative.
Description: Daeshara is the twin sister of Cawne. When she was seized by slavers, her brother made a deal with Libertas in order to gain the power to free his sister. He knelt, and the Sith Lady empowered him. Cawne managed to free his sibling, but fell to the dark side in the process. Though troubled by the price he had paid for her, Daeshara joined him and his mistress out of gratitude, and a desire for revenge. This is what keeps her tied to the Enlightened.
As part of her escape, Libertas had instructed Cawne that his sister should strike down her master, just as he had. Daeshara did so and felt ashamed that it felt good. When they returned to Libertas, the Sith Lady explained that this was because the power in her needed only release and now she would be strong. No one would cage her again. The abuse and humiliation she endured during her time in captivity has left Daeshara vengeful. However, of the two, she is the one who is less enamoured with the Libertas' teachings and her position as their mistress.
She knows that the Sith Lady did not help them out of the goodness of her heart. Their differing perspectives on their mistress have been the cause of disagreement between the two. Nonetheless, the pair still has a strong bond and is downright lethal when they work together on a task. Libertas knows that this bond could be turned against her, but presently considers it to be smarter to use it to her advantage rather than to try and drive a wedge between them, as the latter could easily backfire. She often directs Daeshara against 'deserving targets' while at the same time pushing her further to what Libertas considers to be 'true Sith'. Unlike Cawne, Daeshara was born with a strong Force connection, though she lacked the training. It was what made her such a valuable prize for the slavers.
Daeshara is more cautious, introverted and introspective than her brother. Her time as a slave and her subsequent apprenticeship under Libertas have shaped her. One could say she is the cold ice to her brother's blazing fire. She rarely displays overt emotion in her body language. He burns red-hot, but her fury is outweighed and tempered by ice-cold hate. She is rather observant; a trait that is boosted by her Sense abilities, which significantly improve her awareness of her immediate surroundings. She has an acute sense of danger. The Twi'lek possesses a better-than-average aptitude for precognition. Her heightened extrasensory perception serves her well in combat, but also helps her find whatever she seeks or whoever she has been ordered to kill.
She has an aptitude for mental abilities such as mind tricks and illusions. Her most potent power is Dampen Force, which allows her to disrupt, suppress or dampen the ability of other Force adepts to draw upon the Force, though this feat requires a lot of focus and concentration on her part. Her abilities in this regard could be compared to Darth Cognus. She is also good with a blade, pistol and has some skill as a slicer. Her preferred lightsabre form is Makashi.
CREW MEMBER 7
Name: Dayota
Age: 200s.
Species: Yoda's Species.
Role: Assassin, stealth specialist, thief.
Description: Yodalings, while very rare, are commonly associated with the Light Side and the Jedi Order. Well-known examples are Yoda and Yaddle. There is also Vandar Tokare, but he does not speak the way a Yodaling should. Dayota, however, is a bit of an outcast among her people. She grew up on Jakuu, a planet that had already been a desolate, desert wasteland centuries ago during the war between the Resistance and the First Order and was still one now.
Incidentaly, she lived in the now even more ancient ruins of the Super Star Destroyer that had crashed on the planet. She belonged to an enclave of Jedi who had ended up stranded on the planet due to the Gulag Virus. Cut off from the rest of the Galaxy, they went native. However, the community was destroyed. Dayota's memories are distorted and thus not very reliable. What is certain is that the young Yodaling was forced to practically raise herself from an early age in wasteland. She was able to survive, but went more than a little feral in the process, resembling an intelligent predator more than a sentient being. Natives started hearing stories a little, green creature that mainly communicated with growls, was crafty with a knife and had a sharp bite. At one point, a gang claimed the Yodaling as a pet, treating her like a caged animal. When she was able to break free, she systematically took revenge on her captors.
Having grown up on a world dominated by warlords, criminal gangs, scavengers and crazy cults, she grew hard and ferocious. The world she knew had one well: kill or be killed, and she was determined not to be prey. Dayota manifested Force powers at an early age, but lacked fine control and proper training. As a result, she often drew upon the Force on instinct rather than using it with deliberation. Her Force connection might have helped her survive when she was trapped inside a cave after a cave-in.
Deep down, Dayota understood that she possessed some special power. She picked up some skills as a scavenger and a thief. Her dimunitive size allowed her to go places larger beings would have trouble accessing, and made her good at sneaking. Libertas gave the feral Yodaling a purpose. Dayota's fighting spirit and survival skills appealed to the Sith Lady. Dayota is far older than Libertas, but grew up largely ignorant of civilisation and was largely illiterate. As a result the Twi'lek Cyborg had to more or less teach her all about how to function inside civilised society, outside of the desert wasteland she had called home. All this has made Dayota very devoted to her. In a twisted way, the Twi'lek may be the closest thing she had to a surrogate parent.
The Yodaling is a terse talker and short with speech, like a certain frost elf. She speaks primarily in short and simple sentences and often tries to respond in as few words as possible. She usually speaks in the standard way because she has not been around other Yodalings long enough, but sometimes falls back into the Yoda way of speaking. She dislikes extended conversation, considering it a waste of time. Her laconic attitude is also a defence mechanism, as she is less well-versed in social interaction. Thus she is a bit of a loner, but extremely observant. Dayota excels at using the Force to boost her speed and agility. This allows her to move extremely fast. Moreover, she has potent stealth abilities. She has very good survival and tracking skills. Like Yoda, she favours Ataru and carries a Shoto.
CREW MEMBER 8
Name: Sulquit Elg'afa
Age: Early Forties.
Species: Caamasi.
Role: Negotiator.
Description: A Caamasi who was jerked around and tricked by the galaxy once too often. Once he was a diplomat who was sent out full of idealism. He wanted to be an ambassador of peace, but but instead found a galaxy where no one was good, no one told the truth and everyone was out for their own gain. The ability to share vivid memories - usually such a peaceful and joyous event - was tainted in him by his experiences. The defining event in his life was the conflict between the Galactic Alliance and the First Order. He worked for the Alliance and witnessed the aftermath of battles between the two powers, particularly Kaeshana and Skor. These painful memories stayed with him. But then the Galactic Alliance was defeated by the Imperial Bloc. Angrily, he used these memories to try and gather support for a continuation of the war, but many Caamasi shunned him. Peace for our time. Do not use your memories as a weapon. Angered by this, he left. Shunned by his own people he found Libertas welcoming of him for he had the strength to break from the herd. In her words, his chains were broken.
Like all Caamasi, he has the ability to share vivid memories called memnii with near-relatives and Force-Sensitives. A memnis is as vivid to the one who receives it as it is to the one who participated in the event remembered. His people's peace-loving nature is partly a result of their ability, as having a memory of killing or harming someone would be particularly strong, becoming unbearable in time. However, Sulquit has broken with his people's pacifist ways. The memories do not fade in intensity over time, but he believes he is obligated to beat this burden. By the same token, his approach to sharing these memories is a lot darker than that of the typical Caamasi. He has become fond of using memmnii as a weapon and a means of manipulation.
Sulquit has a natural charisma. He is a very skilled orator and a good public speaker. Sulquit has an inquisitive nature and is a very learned individual. He regards his dark mistress as a more reasonable brand of Sith, which is one of the things that keeps him loyal to her. He is a good propagandist and thus able to deputise for her if need be, proselytising in her name. Indeed, he is one of those beings Libertas will actually debate philosophy with. His regal bearing and refined mannerisms not to mention his heritage enable him to move in social circles Libertas would find it difficult to gain access to.
While by no means an uncouth brute, Libertas is rather distinctive due to her visible cybernetic implants, whereas Sulquit can mingle a lot more easily. This puts him in a position to act as a chief negotiator and do his part to promote his mistress' vision. However, he is also devious and deceptive. He has a variety of cover identities. In addition to his native tongue, he is fluent in Basic and severan alien languages. Unsurprisingly, Force Persuasion is his strongest skill and he is very good at shielding his mind from intrusion. Moreover, he is skilled in using the Force to alter or erase the memories of others. Similar to Alema Rar and Lomi Plo, he is able to manifest an elusive Force presence. This allows him to slip from the memories of those whom he has encountered moments after departing. Sulquit carries a lightsabre and is trained in its use, but he is not a master swordsman. When he is put into a situation where he has to use his sabre, he gravitates towards employing Niman, a throwback to his life as a diplomat, or Soresu.
CREW MEMBER 9
Name: Malachite
Age: Over 900 years old.
Species: Shard. Uses an IG-88 droid body as host.
Role: Special operative, alchemist, tech support.
Description: Malachite is a Shard, a rather unusual type of creature. These silicon-based life forms are essentially sentient crystals, but they can be inserted into droids, using their mechanical bodies as hosts to interact with the Galaxy. For millennia the Shards lived in isolation, before coming in contact with the Galactic Republic during the last decades of its existence. Malachite was one of the Shards who received a robotic body. Being able to experience, feel and move was almost intoxicating. She found the organic beings with their myriad emotions and species intriguing, but also felt somewhat haughty. However, this peaceful existence came to an end with the rise of the Galactic Empire. Emperor Palpatine considered any Force-User he did not control to be a threat. The Emperor ordered Orax occupied and the Shards destroyed.
This view of the galaxy’s more destructive side profoundly changed Malachite's attitude. Shards did not typically die violently, except perhaps by an unfortunate rockfall, they merely slowly lost their light after many thousands of years. Malachite was part of a group of Shards who managed to escape the slaughter. It included Garnet, and was led by Ophila, the most powerful of the Shard, who later took the name Onyx. They fled to an abandoned Dyson Sphere in the Rishi Maze. There they built a new civilisation, safe from organic influence. However, this new utopia had a darker side – quite literally. As time passed those closer to the Dyson Sphere started to exhibit signs of a corruption. Ophila was the closest, and over time his once noble thoughts clouded. Soon he changed his name to Onyx, and those around him did likewise. Soon the prospect of a utopia was replaced with a desire for revenge on the galaxy. Malachite decided to follow Onyx when he declared a crusade. She worked on advancing her skills with the Force, researching and building technology.
However, when the Contingency, as the Shards now called themselves, mounted their Incursion, things did not go as planned. Their plan was to lure the Galaxy's great powers to the ring world so that they could use their doomsday machine to destroy them. Having provoked the galaxy into attacking them, the Contingency was slow and often deranged in its responses. Garnet and Enyo Typhos, whom the former had originally enlisted as an ally of the Contingency, turned against Onyx after concluding he had gone mad. The pair led the efforts of the strike team to destroy the mad Shard. Defeated in space and in a surgical ground strike on the station, the Contingency was mostly destroyed or blasted when the Dyson Sphere shattered into a nova. However, not all of its members were destroyed. Some returned to the shadows. Others were recruited by Garnet to work with her and Enyo.
Malachite was one of them. She is not entirely happy about the situation, but it is better than having her crystal broken. Like Garnet she has an interest in organics, but it is a lot darker. She finds them curious toys to take apart, find out how they tick, and then try and reassemble. Sadly most of the time they break. She is of the 'Onyx did nothing wrong' school thought and is still quite xenophobic. Nonetheless, she works for Libertas because she has broken her chains twice - once when escaping the galaxy, and once again when they broke free from the cosmic horror. Unlike some Shards such as Garnet, Malachite uses an obvious droid chassis instead of an HRD body. She is not an organic being and does not want to pretend to be one. For reasons that are entirely obscure, Malachite tends to use a really feminine voice. It sounds rather funny when it comes out of her IG body. Her droid body makes her extremely strong and tough and gives her access to a variety of armaments. She also has a talent for alchemy. This is an extension of her curiosity about life. She can put in very long hours as she does not need to eat or sleep.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Libertas did not fall to the dark side as a consequence of childhood trauma. She was no slave turned Sith. Rather she grew up in an affluent family. Her birth name was Koyi Fenn. Her parents were local notables in a Twi'lek community and successful merchants. However, though she was welloff, she was still confronted with the plight many of her people suffered. The Twi'lek servant girl who taught her how to read and write had once been a slave, until Koyi's parents purchased her and set her free. Injustice reached her doorstep when foreign raiders showed up at her hometown.
These raiders were more canny than the average pirate gang, for they realised that it was better to milk a cow than to slaughter it. So they demanded tribute. When the inhabitants were unable to meet their demands, they took slaves. Things threatened to escalate when some patriotic Twi'leks took up arms against the outsiders and were crushed. The local police was forced to help the raiders round them up. As local luminaries, Koyi's parents had to host the pirate leaders. Young Koyi was disgusted by what she perceived as capitulation. She could understand that her parents had no choice, but she was driven into a rage when she saw that one of her aunts was being amicable with pirates and making deals with them, offering 'undesirables' as slaves.
Things escalated and she lashed out with her power, awakening her long-dormant Force potential. Suffice to say she could no longer stay in her hometown. For the good of the family, her parents had to disavow her. However, her father arranged transport for her offworld by making a deal with a local smuggler. One of her ancestors had possessed Force powers like her. This woman had become a Jedi. Koyi presented herself to a Jedi Enclave. However, the Jedi were wary of her anger and aggression. Moreover, it was revealed to her that her ancestor had fallen to the dark side and become a Sith. This was supposed to be a cautionary tale, but inspired her to travel to Korriban.
To her, the Sith path promised the strength she needed. She was just one of many neophytes who ended up at the doorstep of the Sith Academy. After going through a series of trials, she was granted entrance. Here she was taught the ways of the Sith. A Sith Master called Darth Lüge chose Koyi as her apprentice. However, the Twi'lek never learned to respect the vainglorious, sadistic and libertine Sith. Nonetheless, she served the Sith Empire in many battles, fighting Jedi and Mandalorians on the front lines. Koyi was on Dromund Kaas when the Mandalorians razed the planet. The subsequent struggle to survive in the post-apocalyptic wasteland was something of an awakening experience for her. After managing to get off the planet with the help of a rag-tag band of survivors, she confronted her Master and slew her.
Taking the name of Darth Libertas, she returned to her home town to crush the pirates and teach her people the lessons of strength she had learned. Some were horrified by the dark gospel she preached, but others joined her cause. Two of her recruits were Cawne and Daeshara, two siblings who had suffered under the pirates. For a while she worked with the Lords of the Fringe, before joining the resurgent Sith. While scornful of the Dark Lord's cult of personality, she respected the One Sith's determination and evident success on the battlefield. While fighting the Republic and the other enemies of the Sith on the battlefield, she had time for games of cat and mouse with Jedi Knights, founding a populist, revolutionary movement called the Breakers of Chains and pursuing power plays with rival Sith Lords. For a while things were good. However, as the One Sith Empire stagnated after going from victory to victory, she turned her eyes towards her own agenda.
The Enlightened started to take shape in this period. She crossed paths with the radical Ithorian eco-terrorist Aawala in a maximum security prison and recruited her. Later she found the feral Yodaling Dakuu on Jakuu. After the collapse of the One Sith, Libertas joined the coalition of the willing that rose in opposition to the Rogue Sith, as she saw no point in the destruction the latter wanted to unleash with the Omega superweapon. Sadly Darth Soteria, a former Jedi she had converted during the war, disagreed and joined the Rogues, only to become a warlord later. Following the Omega War, Libertas went back to working independently. This led her into a partnership with Enyo Typhos. The two had much in common - enough to stomach an alliance of convenience.
They were sharks swimming in the same direction. A disillusioned Caamasi diplomat and a murderous Shard became new recruits to her cause. With Chaokh leading them, the Enlightened were conceived as a group of special operatives that could function as her eyes, mouth and hands. Libertas and the Enlightened supported Enyo in her crusade against Archangel, participating in the final battle in which the Terminatrix overthrew her creators and took control of their company. Libertas received her share of rewards and now seeks to expand her power base. The Enlightened have an important role to play in this endeavour.
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