Post by .:Falcon:. on Jan 6, 2010 16:07:06 GMT -5
By permission of Mrs. Meira, my 5th character.
Name: Reè Kota
Race: Human
Age: 47
Height: 5"4
Weight: 135 lb.
Appearance:
Reè is slight, though not particularly short. Her features are ordinary- hazel eyes, a well-shaped nose, and slightly thin lips. She has long wavy blond hair that is starting to gray at the temples. Her personal fashion is a bit eccentric. She tends to dress more ornately than many Jedi, but keeps a conservative color scheme, generally dominated by dark greens, grays, and black. When on missions or diplomatic trips (especially when first arriving) she opts for a more traditional Jedi look, as the official face of the Order; a white tunic and pants, boots, and a silver robe.
Regardless of what she is attired in, it is always spotless. Woe be the individual that musses Master Kota's clothing, for reprimands and distaste are sure to follow. Reè is said to be more than slightly obsessive compulsive, but she is herself nearly oblivious to said rumors.
Birthplace: Humbarine, Northern hemisphere, Western Quadrant, Southern Sector
Faction: Jedi
Rank: Master
Bio:
Early Years- 1 to 3
Reè was born on the ecumonopolis world of Humbarine. Her father was a small-time merchant who owned a hardware store, her mother former accounting clerk. Devin and Leesa Kota loved their first child with a quiet steadiness that was a habit with them. Reè's early life was comfortable- her 'firsts' were eagerly celebrated, only to be trumped by the celebration of her first birthday- a huge affair that the Kota's grumpy next-door neighbor, a Twi'lek laconically referred to as 'Old Man', derisively said must have been attended by half the planet with all the noise it made.
Reè was treated like a little princess at all times, and it seemed that there was little that could possibly mar their perfect lives- until, that is, Aaron Tesc showed up at their front door. Aaron Tesc was a Jedi Knight- the watchman for Humbarine. He had sensed something in his travels nearby, and had decided to go check up on it. Reè's parents were reluctant to allow him to see their little girl, certain it could not be she, but Tesc was polite and promised to not unduly upset the child.
Accordingly, Reè met her first Jedi. Tesc quietly examined her, asked the serious two-year old a few questions, then spoke to her parents once again. Yes, Reè was Force sensitive. And he would like to take her to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for training, with their permission. Devin and Leesa were understandably conflicted. They wished their daughter to develop to her full potential, but their time with her had been so short already, and they had been eagerly looking forward to years yet!
They told Tesc to come back in a few days and they would have made their decision. What followed were two days of avoidance of the issue and much spoiling of the befuddled Reè. On the morning of the third day, Devin and Leesa were quietly withdrawn. All day, significant looks passed between them. Once Reè was in bed, they talked it over. Leesa quietly packed Reè a bag of clothes, and they brought the girl to their bed to sleep, snuggled up between them for her last night at home.
The next morning, Reè was treated with the utmost love and tender care- she was dressed in her best clothes, given her favorite foods for breakfast, and the little girl was in a high state of excitement because of all this going-on by the time Tesc came to the door. He solemnly explained to the two-year old what was happening. How much she understood was unknown, but she didn't carry on or even whimper when Tesc took her away. That afternoon, they embarked on a ship heading to Coruscant.
Youngling Years- 3 to 10
It took awhile for Reè's baby mind to understand she was not going back to Humbarine. When she did realize, she became ever more quiet than usual. Her two-and-a-half mind could not comprehend this...but, life in the Temple was exciting, and the people were kind and all sorts of different, and she got to do new, exciting things.
Reè fell quietly and easily into the patterns of life at the Temple. Her classes were full of other children her age. The Temple became used to seeing her cheery smile lagging behind at the end of a straggling line of Younglings, her baby-fat encased body hurrying to keep up. Reè grew quickly, and as she grew, she advanced. She proved to be adept at both saber skills and Force skills- though she infinitely preferred the latter, even at a young age. She loved nothing more than classes on Force philosophy and seemed to her instructors a never-ending fount of questions.
When she was about 7, she met and made friends with another youngling- Dex Tell, a young Human boy a couple years older than she. They practiced together, talked together, and became each other's best confidants. But it was not to last; when Dex was 11, Reè 8, Dex was chosen as a Padawan. A scant three months later, Reè heard word of his death at the hands of a smuggler. So it was that death first touched Reè's life. At first, it was difficult for her to understand- why Dex wouldn't be coming back- but over time, she came to grasp the concept more through the help of her teachers. By the time she did, she had become used to his absence, but the idea still hurt.
When Reè was 10, she participated in a tournament among the younglings. She didn't do as well as some of her fellow younglings, but not too bad either. During this time, Reè became friends with yet another youngling- a girl just her own age, from Coruscant, named Aalya Lis. Aalya was little and shy, quiet even when spoken to, and she and Reè got along well- they learned in the company of each other.
When Reè was 9, she first caught the attention of her future Master- an older Sentinel, lady-Knight named Kuam Zizan. Kuam, coming close to completing the training of her current Padawan, kept an eye on Reè. Two more years passed, and Kuam approached Reè. At the age of eleven, Reè became a Padawan.
Padawan Years- 11 to 24
Kuam Zizan was an able teacher. Having trained two previous Padawans, her techniques were founded on practical foundations as well as theory. Kuam and Reè quickly became good friends, mutual respect tying them together. Kuam gave Reè a lightsaber for her use until the day she would build one- an instrument of sleek design and blue of blade. Kuam kept herself and Reè close to the Temple for a few years, merely to grow their relationship and ensure Reè was ready for the rigors of missions and unfamiliar places.
During these years, Kuam began the framework of training that would carry Reè through her future life. She instructed her mainly in saber and other battle skills, most notably in continuing her Shii-Cho instruction, and beginning the framework for Kuam's own chosen form of Niman, which she felt would suit Reè quite well. Kuam recognized that Reè, weaker in combat, would be a prime target in their future missions if she did not achieve a balance between the Force and her combat. Kuam did accept a few missions on Coruscant itself- solving a dispute between two powerful families, locating a local drug cartel, and aiding planetary law enforcement in apprehending a group of murderers.
In all these endeavors, Reè assisted. When she was 13, they took their first mission off-planet together. It involved Corellia and the Kuati shipyards- the Kuatis claimed Corellian agents had infiltrated and tried to damage Kuati business in favor of their own manufacturer, the CEC. Together with another Master and a younger Knight, Kuam and Reè embarked on a ship for Humbarine, the chosen place for negotiations to begin between the two rival companies. The name of her home planet stirred long-forgotten memories in Reè's young mind- memories she attempted to push back into the recesses they had come from, as she had been taught.
In this mood, Reè reached Humbarine with her Master and the others. The representatives from the CEC and the Kuati shipyards had beaten them to the city-planet. Negotiations, grudging apologies, and explanations took days to complete- but finally, the CEC and Kuati representatives went their ways- if not completely satisfied, at least on speaking terms. Their next off-world mission was to track down a very persistent smuggler operating off of (they believed) Alderaan- a strange base of operations, all told. It had become a matter for the Jedi after this particular smuggler had been observed to be accompanied by two mysterious men who looked suspiciously like Jedi.
They picked up the smuggler's trail on Alderaan, and pursued him to Nar Shaddaa, where he met up with his mysterious friends- Dark Jedi who just happened to be making a tidy little fortune off their mind-controlled lackey the smuggler. Luckily, both were not full Dark Jedi. One was an ill-trained man who called himself Knight (without justification), the other an even more poorly-trained teenager. The main talents of both seemed to fall in procrastination and conniving to make ever more credits. The two were easily subdued by the vastly superior Jedi, and taken back to Coruscant for trial by the Council.
During this time, Reè everyday gained more knowledge of the Force and the galaxy about her. Their next mission was less demanding- to conduct a group of refugees from their war-plagued Middle Rim world to a planet chosen for them. During the weeks they spent on the mission, Reè and Kuam daily trained. Kuam had begun training Reè in telepathy more often, exploiting Reè's natural aptitude for the skill-set. Kuam mainly worked with Force melds, persuasion, and the like.
When Reè was about sixteen, she and Kuam were sent on a mission to Thyferra to investigate a series of cleverly executed thefts. The thieves in question had carted off hundreds of gallons of kolto, leaving nary a trace behind. Kuam and Reè were dispatched to the kolto world, and they began their investigation. Their search led them to a small kolto farm in the southern hemisphere. They began a stake-out and intercepted the thieves- a factory worker, an off-world smuggler, and a kolto marketer, surprisingly.
Both Kuam and Reè were unwilling to use their lightsabers, and that hesitation was enough. Reè ended up with a transport canister of kolto all over her. (This is my RP sample. Why? Because it's absolutely hilarious.) By the end of the night, the kolto thieves safely locked up in holding cells, Reè was coated with a grimy mixture of kolto, dirt, and mud. (Kuam is convinced this was where Reè first developed her semi-obsessive compulsive habits. Reè, who prefers not to think about this embarassing interlude in her life, isn't.)
Not long after this, Reè went to Ilum to build her lightsaber. She had crafted her hilt- a smooth, sleek piece of engineering, and lacked only the crystals to make it complete. After a grand total of a month and a half of meditation and searching spent on the mine-planet, Reè had built her first lightsaber. After these interesting interludes, Reè's life settled into a comfortable routine- daily training, interspersed by missions and, occasionally, heart-stopping moments of excitement and terror.
One such moment was on one of her later missions- she was about nineteen, and their mission was to locate a missing starliner. Five search teams, composed of Jedi and Republic emergency personnel, spread out over two sectors and attempted to find the starliner, which carried a Republic senator and the Chancellor's daughter. As fate would have it, the search team that included Reè and Kuam would locate the missing liner a week and a half after the search began. Everyone on board was quite well- food supplies had been getting shorter, but that was easily remedied. The liner was left, a drifting hulk in space to be salvaged later, and the transports were loaded and readied to leave. But just as they were preparing to jump to hyperspace, they were set upon by a small but fierce Mandalorian party.
The Jedi on board the transports (eight in all) embarked in their fighters and joined their firepower to the limited power of the transports. The Mando force was small, but determined. Reè, never good at flight matters, found herself in a great deal of trouble, set upon by several Mando fighters at once. With the help of the other Jedi, she managed to break free, and the Republic ships jumped to hyperspace, closely followed by the Jedi fighters. During this time, Reè and Kuam were slowly working towards Reè's trials. Both were willing to wait however- Kuam had things to teach, Reè things to learn. They were going to get as much out of their Master-Apprentice relationship as they possibly could.
When Reè was 23, a full year after she was enabled to take the Trials, she and Kuam went on a mission to locate and report on a loosely-banded group of Dark Jedi, presumed to be located on a remote moon. While attempting to flush their dark counterparts out, Reè and Kuam were separated, and Reè was captured. The head Dark Jedi (a self proclaimed Grandmaster, who presumed to greatness), attempted to turn the young Jedi through the use of both physical and mental torments.
For days he harrassed the Padawan, at one point making her believe Kuam was dead by using Kuam's torn and dirty robe, which she had lost. The last day of her captivity, a full week after her capture, was the day Reè came closest to falling to the Dark Side. But a brief, fleeting mind-contact with Kuam brought her back to herself, joy and relief flooding her. Kuam was not dead. Angered at his lack of success, the Dark Jedi swore he would kill both the young Jedi and the older, but Kuam proved to be Reè's savior. Reè, having lost her lightsaber, and sore both in mind and body, was saved by her master. Reè helped Kuam fight through the remaining Dark Jedi as best she could, using the lightsaber of the first fallen Dark Jedi to defend herself- and hastily abandoning it at the first opportunity.
When she returned to the Temple, the Council called her before them to take her trials. Her experience with the Dark Jedi counted as both her Trial of Flesh (her torture at the hands of the Dark Jedi), her Trial of Spirit (the ordeal she had had to face as she came to terms with the darkness within herself during his torture), and her Trial of Courage (for standing up to him). Her Trial of Skill consisted of a vision induced by the Council- she fought against a trio made up of a Dark Jedi, a mercenary, and a smuggler. She passed by a narrow margin, just enough to scrape by.
Before she went before the Council to be officially named a Knight, Reè first went to Ilum to rebuild her lost saber. This time, she spent two months on the forsaken planet, both in building her new saber and in meditation. When she returned, she had subtly changed- she seemed older, more cautious, and definitely more quiet then she had been formerly. While on Ilum, she had found a light blue, almost silver, crystal. This she used to form her lightsaber, giving her saber a silvery-blue hue. Thus, at the age of 24, Reè Kota became a Jedi Knight, under the heading of a Consular.
Knighthood, and Sael Te'eal- 24 to 35
Reè spent a month or two getting her bearings in her new position- patience and moderation in all things had been well taught by Kuam, and Reè took the lessons to heart now. She and Kuam remained close friends, though Kuam soon took yet another apprentice. Reè assisted in several missions after she found her balance- trade disputes, house and planetary infighting, the occasional more sinister clash with a smuggler, crime lord, or even Dark Jedi.
Reè tried to purge herself of the un-Jedi like emotions she held towards the Dark Jedi, and most specifically towards the now-dead Knight who had so cruelly abused her. But it came back fresh constantly- the sight of a red lightsaber, a face twisted in anger, a voice raised in exasperation, the rasping grate of a door, all brought it back, bringing with it memories and a stab of pain from old scars.
It was during this time that Reè met Dorset Chaan, an older Jedi Master who was friends with nearly the entire Temple. He was friendly with all, even to those he had helped track down and incarcerate (for Dorset was a Guardian, and remained so even in his Mastership), and was never seen without a smile and a ready word of encouragement and companionship. With the help of Kuam and Dorset, Reè managed to, at least somewhat, put what had happened behind her, and to instead look into the future.
In this vein, Reè began to look for a Padawan. She found a youngling, twelve years old, named Sael Te'eal. She was a Twi'lek, taken from Ryloth ten years before. Light blue of complexion, and already beautiful, Sael showed a great deal of promise as a Jedi- smart, sweet, and gentle, the Twi'lek showed a great affinity for the light side of the Force. Reè and Sael hit it off right away. Sael was eager to learn, Reè to teach. They proved to be an exceptional team. Their first off-planet mission was to settle a dispute between two planets in the same system. The governments of the respective planets both laid claim to the mining rights of the asteroid belt between them. Reè and Sael were greeted with less than open arms; the two worlds were more interested in pointing fighters and firepower at each other than trying to make peace.
But Reè and Sael received some semblance of a welcome- a poor one, but a welcome nonetheless. The rival planets half-heartedly entered negotiations. Reè patiently worked with them, her ultimate goal a treaty that would be mutually benificial for both. During this time, Sael's training began in earnest- the little Twi'lek and Reè trained daily, mixing a healthy dose of Force training and lightsaber discipline. Sael proved an apt pupil in both, and advanced quickly.
The two planets finally reached an amicable arrangement, for which Reè was very glad. On their way back to Coruscant, the ship carrying Reè and her Padawan was attacked by pirates. The crew put up a valiant fight, but it still went badly. Reè and Sael joined the defense, and managed to throw the battle enough in their favor. The pirates fled, and despite damage to their ship, the Jedi managed to limp back to Coruscant.
During the conflict, Sael had lost the saber Reè had given her, not regaining it until they were well on their way back to Coruscant. Because of this, Sael wished to learn hand-to-hand and other more physical tactics to add to her fighting ability. Reè, intrigued by the idea, joined her Padawan in this venture- and knew just who to go to. When they got to Coruscant, Reè sought out Dorset. He agreed to teach she and Sael some of the more physical disciplines he had picked up over the years. So, on top of their other training, Sael and Reè began learning hand-to-hand tactics.
Sael and Reè went along handsomely for several years. Typical missions, many diplomatic in nature, broke their lives up into pleasant intervals. Sael progressed beautifully, becoming a better Jedi daily. Her daily struggles were confided in Reè during off times, when the two would curl up on Reè's bed and take a break from their strict routines with datacards of history- and, inevitably, wouldn't get much reading done, but would instead spend the time laughing and talking.
All in all, life was quite pleasant for the young master and her Padawan. They worked well together, becoming a team adept in negotiations, politics, and diplomacy, but not without their more aggressive arsenal. When Sael was 21, Reè began preparing her for the Trials- quietly, without fuss, but quite surely.
Sael faced her Trial of Flesh and Courage that year- a tense negotiation turned into fighting. A Dark Jedi on the planet took advantage of his opening, and and attacked Sael. Sael's hand was cut off in the resulting conflict, but Sael didn't give in. Reè, having succesfully calmed down the powers that be who were trying to slaughter each other, found Sael sitting on the ground cradling her arm, the body of the Dark Jedi not far away. The Trial of Skill and Trial of Spirit progressed when she was 22, and Sael Te'eal became a Jedi Consular. At this same time, the Council named Reè a Master.
Master-ship and Jacob Dasminster- 35 to 46
With Sael a proper Jedi Knight, Reè found herself drifting a bit aimlessly. Her own studies, still continuing under Dorset and in Niman as well as a side-study of Soresu she had taken up, took up some of her time, but she still missed the close companionship of the Master-Padawan relationship. She began to search for another Padawan.
She eventually found and chose a bright young boy by the name of Jacob Dasminster. Jacob, a comely boy of 12, was overjoyed to be chosen as a Padawan. Reè was not without her reservations about the boy- he was impatient, but Reè was confident she could help him move past it. Reè put into effect Kuam's strategy of wait and watch, staying in the Temple for several months, getting a feel for Jacob, and allowing him to learn her ways of doing things. Slowly, Reè began easing Jacob into the life of a Padawan.
Their first mission together was on Coruscant- and it was the first time Reè noticed a disturbing trend in her new Padawan. The mission was to track down a kidnapped child in Coruscant's underworld. Going deep down into the dark recesses of the city-planet, Reè and Jacob took shelter in the anonymity of disguise- all-encompassing cloaks, lightsabers hidden in concealed pockets, and deep hoods. The Jedi information proved to be accurate- the kidnapped child, the second son of a Senator, was hidden inside a hovel deep under Coruscant's metal surface.
Reè waited patiently for the opportune moment, but Jacob was jittery and impatient. She rationalized it as first-mission jitters, something that frequently plagued new Padawans. In an undertone, she instructed him to go through a calming exercise. But even that did nothing, or very little. She made a mental note to work with him, but his current jitters would prove to be their undoing.
Without asking her, or even checking her opinion, Jacob rushed out from their hiding place the moment a single kidnapper appeared. Reè was forced to follow to save his skin, but the damage had already been done. Despite Reè's skill, the situation ended with the child dead, three kidnappers dead, and Reè with several cuts and bruises. Jacob fared worst of the two Jedi- bad blaster burns on his hands where he had tired to grab one of the weapons, and a bad cut from his own lightsaber on his leg, when it had fallen.
Returning to the Temple after turning the bodies over to law enforcement, Reè took Jacob to the Council. She did not want to outright accuse him, but she expected him to own up to what he had done. But he did not. He stood next to her, stolidly silent, and let her explain. She touched briefly on Jacob's actions. Once she was done, the Council dismissed Jacob, and asked to speak to Reè alone. Once Jacob was safely out of the room, the Grandmaster asked Reè to retell the story, not glossing over Jacob's part in the affair. Reè did so, a bit unwillingly. The Council let her go to her Padawan, with the knowledge that she must teach him better.
Reè spent the next few weeks teaching Jacob more effective techniques for calming himself, for healing, and for meditation. One day, about two weeks after the Underworld debacle, Kuam sought out Reè. She told her to watch the young Padawan; he wasn't the most docile Jedi, and his resentment towards the world about him was deep-seated, but well-hidden. Reè had sensed some of this over their time together, but when she had taken him as a Padawan, she had not realized just how deep it went. Now, she was unsure of her ability to train the volatile boy, but Kuam reassured her that she could both do it, and that Jacob merely needed a guiding hand and a friendly ear.
Reè threw herself back into teaching her Padawan. Jacob proved to be adept in saber combat, but his concept of and control over the Force was a bit shaky. Reè set out to remedy this gap in his education, teaching him more about the Force daily. He proved to be a quick study. He learned well, and Reè rarely found the need to repeat her instructions. By the time he was 14, and Reè 37, Jacob was on a bit evener keel. Three missions together, excluding their first disaster, had passed. One of these had led to the discovery of a young Force-sensitive on Alderaan, a boy named Joran Savon who had been in an orphanage after the death of his parents. During this time, Reè herself had also grown- Jacob's questions about things made her think and grow. The two would spend hours in the Archives, then spar- Reè using Niman, Jacob his ever-expanding knowledge of Shii-Cho.
During this time, he and Reè were dispatched to negotiate trade relations between two remote Republic worlds. The two planets, located in neighboring systems, had a past history of rivalry and hostilities and even after hundreds of years under Republic rule, their old habits were proving hard to break. When Reè and Jacob landed, Reè was nearly killed by a disgruntled member of an anti-Republic faction, who was brandishing a blaster pistol. The man was bundled off to a detention cell, and Reè and Jacob settled in for their stay. Jacob could not understand how Reè could be so calm about her near brush with death. She explained that getting worked up would merely cloud her mind and impede the flow of the Force. She counseled Jacob to calm down, and let himself rest in preparation for the state dinner that evening. Jacob grudgingly followed her instructions, but he was none too happy about it. Reè could feel a vague sense of impending chaos, stirring through the Force. Jacob behaved himself that night however, and Reè began to breathe easier. Perhaps the catastrophe she had foreseen wouldn't happen, after all.
Despite the initial reactions Reè had been met with, prevailing opinion on the planets was favorable to peace and trade between them. The negotiations went quickly, and a treaty was quickly signed. The alien culture, in a last gesture of good-will towards their mediator, brought the would-be assassin of Reè in. He proved unrepentant, and the magistrate allowed Reè, in the custom of their culture, to choose his punishment. Reè declined, but she was pressed, so she pardoned him.
Jacob, incredulous and disapproving, loudly protested his Master's decision, telling her that he should die, or at least be imprisoned. Reè, fearful the forceful dissent of her apprentice would sour relations between the planets and the Jedi- and thereby the Republic- Reè sternly told the boy to allow her to deal with it. But Jacob wasn't going to let it go. He openly challenged his Master, insistent he was right. Reè cut him off, and didn't give her Padawan another chance to spout. Hastily excusing them, she hurried Jacob away. What followed was several hours of stern explanation and reproof, and Force meditation for Jacob. Immediately on their return to Coruscant, Reè sought out the superior wisdom and experience of Kuam and Dorset. They both suggested she take Jacob to some place of quiet for meditation and emotion training.
Reè gained the permission of the Council, and Jacob and Reè traveled to Felucia. The Jedi transport left them in an uninhabited portion of the planet. Reè had leased a small cabin deep within the forest, and she and Jacob went there. Jacob was obviously unhappy about this turn of affairs, but had apparently decided to go along quietly- a wise decision, recent events considered. Reè and Jacob launched into a daily training regimen, mostly Force exercises and meditation, interspersed with infrequent sparring matches. Reè limited their time spent in the latter activity; Reè noticed, as she had before, that Jacob became more aggressive when challenged in such situations. While this was not unexpected (Jacob was, after all, a teenage boy), the intensity of his emotions was disturbing.
Reè worked with him nonstop. She couldn't tell if her instruction had actually accomplished anything, but she stuck with it, persistently teaching him what she could about control and emotion. Jacob seemed to catch on, and at the end of six months, they returned to Coruscant. Jacob behaved himself, for which Reè was very glad, but she also got the uncomfortable impression that he was merely behaving so, without real conviction behind his actions. It was a disturbing thought, but one Reè could not help feeling when she would sense a twinge of harsh emotion from her Padawan, or caught him staring at her or another with a guardedly predatory look.
Two years passed so- Reè teaching, Jacob waiting. When Reè had reached the age of 40, and Jacob was nearing 17, they were assigned a mission to locate yet another Dark Jedi. Reè was unsure, both for Jacob's and her own sake, but she accepted the mission. She tried to prepare him for the impending, inevitable conflict as best, she could. She also felt nervous for herself. She had had little contact with Dark Jedi since her last mission with Kuam. But her link to the Force was strong, her mind clear of emotions that could prove her undoing.
They tracked the Dark Jedi to Farrfin, where he was picking up goods. Reè and Jacob discretely tracked him, but Reè could tell something was amiss with her Padawan. He was jittery, nervous, and downright spastic. Reè counseled him to calm down. But he did not. The Dark Jedi found them, drawn by the great, dark potential hidden within Reè's apprentice. He tried to lure Jacob to him, but Reè intervened. The Dark Jedi, annoyed at the interruption, lashed out at the Master Jedi, using Force Lightning. With Reè temporarily disabled, the Dark Jedi began to work on Jacob, cajoling and coaxing him. It didn't take long for Jacob to make the fateful decision- a decision he had really made years before. He consented to become the Dark Jedi's Padawan.
However, when the Dark Jedi moved to kill the stunned Reè, Jacob insisted he stay his hand. She had shown him kindness, and he had no desire to kill his former Master. The two left, leaving Reè unconcious. She awoke only minutes later, still disoriented. With some difficulty, she found her saber, and attempted to catch her former Padawan and his Dark tempter, but was too late. Their ship had already left Farrfin. Reè eventually found her way back to Coruscant, where she had to tell the Council of her Padawan's fall. This unpleasant duty dispatched, Reè quietly tried to fit back into Temple life- but this time, with an ever-present knowledge of the darkness her former Padawan had succumbed to, and also the more vague certainty that, eventually, she must face Jacob.
Reè didn't take another Padawan. She felt that her recent actions (and in her eyes, failure) as well as her state of emotional turmoil would merely lead to a repeat of the Jacob Fiasco. However, a reckoning with her former Padawan wouldn't come for another three years. At 43, Reè was a quiet, steadfast Jedi Master, responsible for a youngling class, as well as having plenty of time to study her own skills. She had begun training in Soresu on top of the Niman she had mastered and hand-to-hand tactics. But that was all put on hold when the Council summoned her.
They had gotten word of a powerful Dark Jedi, known only as Dasminster. The liklihood of its being her former Padawan was great, and they wished her to go find him. Reè agreed, and set out. He led her a merry chase- he would land on a planet, then leave as soon as she landed. This went on for weeks. But finally, he stopped on Felucia, of all places. The irony did not escape Reè, and she landed with trepidation. He had led her straight to their old cabin- now tumbling down, midway between ruin and mere hovel.
And the man standing before her might once have been the Jacob she knew, but three years of darkness had changed him. Now a cold, hard man of 20, Jacob only remotely resembled to bouyant 17-year old Reè had last seen. And he wasn't going to let her get away this time. He gave her the chance to join him, to succumb to the Dark Side's allure, but Reè refused. Jacob pulled out his saber, its new crimson glow even further proof of his fall.
Reè, even though older and less fit, was nonetheless vastly superior to her former Padawan. Despite his newfound power in the Dark Side, she disabled him, unwilling to kill him, but he left her with no choice. In the depths of his anger, he attempted to kill her with the use of the Force. Reè killed him once and for all, ending what she had helped to create.
Transition- 43 to 47
Reè returned to Coruscant, wounded both in spirit and body. After her report to the Council, Reè retreated into isolation, to think and to heal. After a period of several weeks, she came out, ready to resume her Jedi duties.
It was about this time that Kuam passed into the Force. Kuam Zizan, having trained five Padawans and influenced countless others, peacefully passed at the ripe old age of 81. The death of her former Master profoundly affected Reè. The older woman had not been a mere Master; she had been a loyal friend, confidant, and advisor even in the worst circumstances. Reè has often said that a more humble, joyous, peaceful Jedi she has never known.
Besides that happening, Reè's life went on quite normally. Political upheavel and vague mutterings of evil dwelling in the outer reaches of the galaxy punctuated Reè's life, but nothing too significant occurred. Reè didn't take another Padawan during the three years after her duel with Jacob. The memory of that failure was still too fresh, the look in Jacob's eyes still too memorable.
Reè during this time spent most of her days studying and meditating. She advanced quickly in her studies of Soresu and Makashi, which she had also taken up as a side-study, but more important to her were the Force studies she undertook. She concentrated mainly on skills of the mind and sense, going more in depth on studies like Force Meld. She accepted several missions, often accompanied by a young Knight, in lieu of a Padawan. She had gone almost entirely to diplomatic missions, finding the nature of such quests still interested her far more than more combat-oriented ones.
A year, two years, three...they passed with regularity. The slow pace of her days and weeks gave her ample time for meditation and even time for her to begin a manual (a strictly personal project) in the form and usage of Niman.
During this quiet time of her life, Reè lost the second person she had come to implicitly trust- Dorset Chaan passed into the Force. Like Kuam, he died because of natural causes, an old man of 89. Dorset's death, mourned though it was, created a situation which would come to profoundly effect Reè. Dorset, a member of the High Council for ten years, left a seat open. Reè was surprised when she was called before the Council, and offered his seat. The Council found that her strict adherence to Jedi principles, even in the midst of upheavel in her life was a valuable trait to have. She accepted the post, and became the newest member of the Jedi High Council at the age of 47.
Lightsaber: single blade, single-phase
Color: light blue, almost silver
Practiced saber forms:
Shii-Cho: 5
Niman: 5
Soresu: 3
Makashi: 2
Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:
Telekinetic: 5
Telepathic: 8
Body: 6
Sense: 7
Protection: 5
Healing: 4
Destruction: 1
Specialized Skills:
Force Meld
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 4
Intelligence: 6
Speed: 3
Leadership: 5
Unarmed: 6
Melee Weapons: 0
Ranged Weapons: 0
Force Attunement: +6
RP Sample:
Reè uneasily shifted. Her boots softly scraped on the concrete floor of the kolto storage facility, and Reè folded her arms as Master Kuam glanced at her, silent reproach in her look. Reè gave her a bright smile, indicating she understood, then slumped back against the storage tank behind her. This was boring. And she couldn't even practice Force tricks. Well, except quiet ones. Reè closed her eyes and turned inward, experimenting with her own mind. Focus on a thought, and release, then repeat...
Things happened quicker than Reè could follow them. One moment, they had just been sitting there, then the pressure of Master Kuam's hand on her arm told her to remain completely still. Reè snapped out of her meditation, straining her ears to listen. A whisper of boots against the stone floor, a low hiss of breath. Master Kuam's hand left her arm, drifted to her saber. Reè grasped her own saber, clenching it tightly.
A soft click came as the tap on a kolto storage tank was opened, the slight scuff of something being set against it, the whoosh of kolto draining. Kuam stood silently, and flitted across the gap between two tanks, nothing but a dark shadow. Her hand motioned Reè to follow, and the teenager stood, walking cooly across the gap, using the Force to muffle her footsteps. She was almost to the other tank when her foot knocked against something- a stone, it sounded like- and sent it skipping across the floor.
Reè berated herself as she covered the space between she and Master Kuam in one long stride. The sound of draining kolto had stopped, and voices could be heard, fiercely whispering. Reè felt something- images from Kuam. A plan. Reè processed the telepathic images, then squeezed her Master's hand to indicate she understood. At the count of three, the two jumped out, running soundlessly towards the thieves. There were three of them- two men and one woman. They stared at the Jedi, eyes wide. The woman gave a muffled scream and turned to run, but one of the men grabbed her and growled something. "Halt." Kuam ordered, slowing to a walk. "You are under arrest, by order of the Thyferra authorities."
It happened so fast, Reè had no time to react. The man who had been draining the kolto threw the storage tank at her, then turned to run. The storage tank hit her before she could even shield herself with her hands, throwing her backwards. She landed on her bottom, covered in gooey kolto. Reè wrinkled her nose in disgust. Great.
Kuam was calling urgently to her, and Reè could hear the hum of her Master's lightsaber. She tried to scramble to her feet, but slipped on the kolto, falling back down. She felt kolto squish between her fingers. Using the Force, she propelled herself upward, flipping and landed solidly on her feet- sort of. She slipped a bit as her kolto-coated boots sought purchase on the ground. She found it, and ran after Kuam, pulling her lightsaber out of her belt as she went. She burst out into the front lobby of the kolto facility, and saw Kuam standing against the front desk, lightsaber held out in a defensive maneuver as she propelled blaster bolts away from herself.
Reè ran towards the thieves, spinning her saber in preparation for an attack. Only one of them was armed, and he was apparently unnerved by the sight of a dripping Jedi coming towards him. He squeaked, and all three of them ran for the door. Kuam followed, and Reè ran after them. Outside, one of them ambushed her by the door. Slipping behind her, past her saber, he kicked her behind her knees, sending her sprawling into the dirt. She rolled, coming up on her knees, and pointed her saber at where he had been. He was gone. She jumped up, and ran towards their speeder. She caught it. One of the men- the blaster-wielding one, apparently- was caught in a conflict with Kuam. These two were up to her.
Reè jumped onto the hood of the speeder and plunged her saber into it, cutting a wide swath, hoping to cut something vital. It must have worked, because the speeder's engines died with a sickly-sounding wheeze. Reè felt grease bleed out onto her boots. She pointed her saber at the two. "You are under arrest." she announced quietly.
*********
"What happened to you?" Kuam's voice was amused. Reè glared at her Master, and tried- unsuccesfully- to wipe her hands off on her robe. She just got her robe dirty, and smudged it all over her hands. "Don't glare at me, little one. I'll put you on your back." Kuam joked.
Reè just huffed, and turned to glare after the police transport. "I hope they get life." she grumbled.
"Why? Because they got your tunic dirty?" the warning note in Kuam's voice made Reè turn back to her. Kuam's eyebrows were raised, her eyes serious now. Reè, ashamed, scuffed the dirt with her grease-and-kolto-smeared boots. "Sorry." she muttered.
Kuam nodded, then looked Reè up and down. "I hope we have an extra tunic in the ship. If not, we'll just have to strap you onto the outside of the ship so you don't get it dirty." Reè gave her a distasteful look, and Kuam walked away. Laughing.
Name: Reè Kota
Race: Human
Age: 47
Height: 5"4
Weight: 135 lb.
Appearance:
Reè is slight, though not particularly short. Her features are ordinary- hazel eyes, a well-shaped nose, and slightly thin lips. She has long wavy blond hair that is starting to gray at the temples. Her personal fashion is a bit eccentric. She tends to dress more ornately than many Jedi, but keeps a conservative color scheme, generally dominated by dark greens, grays, and black. When on missions or diplomatic trips (especially when first arriving) she opts for a more traditional Jedi look, as the official face of the Order; a white tunic and pants, boots, and a silver robe.
Regardless of what she is attired in, it is always spotless. Woe be the individual that musses Master Kota's clothing, for reprimands and distaste are sure to follow. Reè is said to be more than slightly obsessive compulsive, but she is herself nearly oblivious to said rumors.
Birthplace: Humbarine, Northern hemisphere, Western Quadrant, Southern Sector
Faction: Jedi
Rank: Master
Bio:
Early Years- 1 to 3
Reè was born on the ecumonopolis world of Humbarine. Her father was a small-time merchant who owned a hardware store, her mother former accounting clerk. Devin and Leesa Kota loved their first child with a quiet steadiness that was a habit with them. Reè's early life was comfortable- her 'firsts' were eagerly celebrated, only to be trumped by the celebration of her first birthday- a huge affair that the Kota's grumpy next-door neighbor, a Twi'lek laconically referred to as 'Old Man', derisively said must have been attended by half the planet with all the noise it made.
Reè was treated like a little princess at all times, and it seemed that there was little that could possibly mar their perfect lives- until, that is, Aaron Tesc showed up at their front door. Aaron Tesc was a Jedi Knight- the watchman for Humbarine. He had sensed something in his travels nearby, and had decided to go check up on it. Reè's parents were reluctant to allow him to see their little girl, certain it could not be she, but Tesc was polite and promised to not unduly upset the child.
Accordingly, Reè met her first Jedi. Tesc quietly examined her, asked the serious two-year old a few questions, then spoke to her parents once again. Yes, Reè was Force sensitive. And he would like to take her to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for training, with their permission. Devin and Leesa were understandably conflicted. They wished their daughter to develop to her full potential, but their time with her had been so short already, and they had been eagerly looking forward to years yet!
They told Tesc to come back in a few days and they would have made their decision. What followed were two days of avoidance of the issue and much spoiling of the befuddled Reè. On the morning of the third day, Devin and Leesa were quietly withdrawn. All day, significant looks passed between them. Once Reè was in bed, they talked it over. Leesa quietly packed Reè a bag of clothes, and they brought the girl to their bed to sleep, snuggled up between them for her last night at home.
The next morning, Reè was treated with the utmost love and tender care- she was dressed in her best clothes, given her favorite foods for breakfast, and the little girl was in a high state of excitement because of all this going-on by the time Tesc came to the door. He solemnly explained to the two-year old what was happening. How much she understood was unknown, but she didn't carry on or even whimper when Tesc took her away. That afternoon, they embarked on a ship heading to Coruscant.
Youngling Years- 3 to 10
It took awhile for Reè's baby mind to understand she was not going back to Humbarine. When she did realize, she became ever more quiet than usual. Her two-and-a-half mind could not comprehend this...but, life in the Temple was exciting, and the people were kind and all sorts of different, and she got to do new, exciting things.
Reè fell quietly and easily into the patterns of life at the Temple. Her classes were full of other children her age. The Temple became used to seeing her cheery smile lagging behind at the end of a straggling line of Younglings, her baby-fat encased body hurrying to keep up. Reè grew quickly, and as she grew, she advanced. She proved to be adept at both saber skills and Force skills- though she infinitely preferred the latter, even at a young age. She loved nothing more than classes on Force philosophy and seemed to her instructors a never-ending fount of questions.
When she was about 7, she met and made friends with another youngling- Dex Tell, a young Human boy a couple years older than she. They practiced together, talked together, and became each other's best confidants. But it was not to last; when Dex was 11, Reè 8, Dex was chosen as a Padawan. A scant three months later, Reè heard word of his death at the hands of a smuggler. So it was that death first touched Reè's life. At first, it was difficult for her to understand- why Dex wouldn't be coming back- but over time, she came to grasp the concept more through the help of her teachers. By the time she did, she had become used to his absence, but the idea still hurt.
When Reè was 10, she participated in a tournament among the younglings. She didn't do as well as some of her fellow younglings, but not too bad either. During this time, Reè became friends with yet another youngling- a girl just her own age, from Coruscant, named Aalya Lis. Aalya was little and shy, quiet even when spoken to, and she and Reè got along well- they learned in the company of each other.
When Reè was 9, she first caught the attention of her future Master- an older Sentinel, lady-Knight named Kuam Zizan. Kuam, coming close to completing the training of her current Padawan, kept an eye on Reè. Two more years passed, and Kuam approached Reè. At the age of eleven, Reè became a Padawan.
Padawan Years- 11 to 24
Kuam Zizan was an able teacher. Having trained two previous Padawans, her techniques were founded on practical foundations as well as theory. Kuam and Reè quickly became good friends, mutual respect tying them together. Kuam gave Reè a lightsaber for her use until the day she would build one- an instrument of sleek design and blue of blade. Kuam kept herself and Reè close to the Temple for a few years, merely to grow their relationship and ensure Reè was ready for the rigors of missions and unfamiliar places.
During these years, Kuam began the framework of training that would carry Reè through her future life. She instructed her mainly in saber and other battle skills, most notably in continuing her Shii-Cho instruction, and beginning the framework for Kuam's own chosen form of Niman, which she felt would suit Reè quite well. Kuam recognized that Reè, weaker in combat, would be a prime target in their future missions if she did not achieve a balance between the Force and her combat. Kuam did accept a few missions on Coruscant itself- solving a dispute between two powerful families, locating a local drug cartel, and aiding planetary law enforcement in apprehending a group of murderers.
In all these endeavors, Reè assisted. When she was 13, they took their first mission off-planet together. It involved Corellia and the Kuati shipyards- the Kuatis claimed Corellian agents had infiltrated and tried to damage Kuati business in favor of their own manufacturer, the CEC. Together with another Master and a younger Knight, Kuam and Reè embarked on a ship for Humbarine, the chosen place for negotiations to begin between the two rival companies. The name of her home planet stirred long-forgotten memories in Reè's young mind- memories she attempted to push back into the recesses they had come from, as she had been taught.
In this mood, Reè reached Humbarine with her Master and the others. The representatives from the CEC and the Kuati shipyards had beaten them to the city-planet. Negotiations, grudging apologies, and explanations took days to complete- but finally, the CEC and Kuati representatives went their ways- if not completely satisfied, at least on speaking terms. Their next off-world mission was to track down a very persistent smuggler operating off of (they believed) Alderaan- a strange base of operations, all told. It had become a matter for the Jedi after this particular smuggler had been observed to be accompanied by two mysterious men who looked suspiciously like Jedi.
They picked up the smuggler's trail on Alderaan, and pursued him to Nar Shaddaa, where he met up with his mysterious friends- Dark Jedi who just happened to be making a tidy little fortune off their mind-controlled lackey the smuggler. Luckily, both were not full Dark Jedi. One was an ill-trained man who called himself Knight (without justification), the other an even more poorly-trained teenager. The main talents of both seemed to fall in procrastination and conniving to make ever more credits. The two were easily subdued by the vastly superior Jedi, and taken back to Coruscant for trial by the Council.
During this time, Reè everyday gained more knowledge of the Force and the galaxy about her. Their next mission was less demanding- to conduct a group of refugees from their war-plagued Middle Rim world to a planet chosen for them. During the weeks they spent on the mission, Reè and Kuam daily trained. Kuam had begun training Reè in telepathy more often, exploiting Reè's natural aptitude for the skill-set. Kuam mainly worked with Force melds, persuasion, and the like.
When Reè was about sixteen, she and Kuam were sent on a mission to Thyferra to investigate a series of cleverly executed thefts. The thieves in question had carted off hundreds of gallons of kolto, leaving nary a trace behind. Kuam and Reè were dispatched to the kolto world, and they began their investigation. Their search led them to a small kolto farm in the southern hemisphere. They began a stake-out and intercepted the thieves- a factory worker, an off-world smuggler, and a kolto marketer, surprisingly.
Both Kuam and Reè were unwilling to use their lightsabers, and that hesitation was enough. Reè ended up with a transport canister of kolto all over her. (This is my RP sample. Why? Because it's absolutely hilarious.) By the end of the night, the kolto thieves safely locked up in holding cells, Reè was coated with a grimy mixture of kolto, dirt, and mud. (Kuam is convinced this was where Reè first developed her semi-obsessive compulsive habits. Reè, who prefers not to think about this embarassing interlude in her life, isn't.)
Not long after this, Reè went to Ilum to build her lightsaber. She had crafted her hilt- a smooth, sleek piece of engineering, and lacked only the crystals to make it complete. After a grand total of a month and a half of meditation and searching spent on the mine-planet, Reè had built her first lightsaber. After these interesting interludes, Reè's life settled into a comfortable routine- daily training, interspersed by missions and, occasionally, heart-stopping moments of excitement and terror.
One such moment was on one of her later missions- she was about nineteen, and their mission was to locate a missing starliner. Five search teams, composed of Jedi and Republic emergency personnel, spread out over two sectors and attempted to find the starliner, which carried a Republic senator and the Chancellor's daughter. As fate would have it, the search team that included Reè and Kuam would locate the missing liner a week and a half after the search began. Everyone on board was quite well- food supplies had been getting shorter, but that was easily remedied. The liner was left, a drifting hulk in space to be salvaged later, and the transports were loaded and readied to leave. But just as they were preparing to jump to hyperspace, they were set upon by a small but fierce Mandalorian party.
The Jedi on board the transports (eight in all) embarked in their fighters and joined their firepower to the limited power of the transports. The Mando force was small, but determined. Reè, never good at flight matters, found herself in a great deal of trouble, set upon by several Mando fighters at once. With the help of the other Jedi, she managed to break free, and the Republic ships jumped to hyperspace, closely followed by the Jedi fighters. During this time, Reè and Kuam were slowly working towards Reè's trials. Both were willing to wait however- Kuam had things to teach, Reè things to learn. They were going to get as much out of their Master-Apprentice relationship as they possibly could.
When Reè was 23, a full year after she was enabled to take the Trials, she and Kuam went on a mission to locate and report on a loosely-banded group of Dark Jedi, presumed to be located on a remote moon. While attempting to flush their dark counterparts out, Reè and Kuam were separated, and Reè was captured. The head Dark Jedi (a self proclaimed Grandmaster, who presumed to greatness), attempted to turn the young Jedi through the use of both physical and mental torments.
For days he harrassed the Padawan, at one point making her believe Kuam was dead by using Kuam's torn and dirty robe, which she had lost. The last day of her captivity, a full week after her capture, was the day Reè came closest to falling to the Dark Side. But a brief, fleeting mind-contact with Kuam brought her back to herself, joy and relief flooding her. Kuam was not dead. Angered at his lack of success, the Dark Jedi swore he would kill both the young Jedi and the older, but Kuam proved to be Reè's savior. Reè, having lost her lightsaber, and sore both in mind and body, was saved by her master. Reè helped Kuam fight through the remaining Dark Jedi as best she could, using the lightsaber of the first fallen Dark Jedi to defend herself- and hastily abandoning it at the first opportunity.
When she returned to the Temple, the Council called her before them to take her trials. Her experience with the Dark Jedi counted as both her Trial of Flesh (her torture at the hands of the Dark Jedi), her Trial of Spirit (the ordeal she had had to face as she came to terms with the darkness within herself during his torture), and her Trial of Courage (for standing up to him). Her Trial of Skill consisted of a vision induced by the Council- she fought against a trio made up of a Dark Jedi, a mercenary, and a smuggler. She passed by a narrow margin, just enough to scrape by.
Before she went before the Council to be officially named a Knight, Reè first went to Ilum to rebuild her lost saber. This time, she spent two months on the forsaken planet, both in building her new saber and in meditation. When she returned, she had subtly changed- she seemed older, more cautious, and definitely more quiet then she had been formerly. While on Ilum, she had found a light blue, almost silver, crystal. This she used to form her lightsaber, giving her saber a silvery-blue hue. Thus, at the age of 24, Reè Kota became a Jedi Knight, under the heading of a Consular.
Knighthood, and Sael Te'eal- 24 to 35
Reè spent a month or two getting her bearings in her new position- patience and moderation in all things had been well taught by Kuam, and Reè took the lessons to heart now. She and Kuam remained close friends, though Kuam soon took yet another apprentice. Reè assisted in several missions after she found her balance- trade disputes, house and planetary infighting, the occasional more sinister clash with a smuggler, crime lord, or even Dark Jedi.
Reè tried to purge herself of the un-Jedi like emotions she held towards the Dark Jedi, and most specifically towards the now-dead Knight who had so cruelly abused her. But it came back fresh constantly- the sight of a red lightsaber, a face twisted in anger, a voice raised in exasperation, the rasping grate of a door, all brought it back, bringing with it memories and a stab of pain from old scars.
It was during this time that Reè met Dorset Chaan, an older Jedi Master who was friends with nearly the entire Temple. He was friendly with all, even to those he had helped track down and incarcerate (for Dorset was a Guardian, and remained so even in his Mastership), and was never seen without a smile and a ready word of encouragement and companionship. With the help of Kuam and Dorset, Reè managed to, at least somewhat, put what had happened behind her, and to instead look into the future.
In this vein, Reè began to look for a Padawan. She found a youngling, twelve years old, named Sael Te'eal. She was a Twi'lek, taken from Ryloth ten years before. Light blue of complexion, and already beautiful, Sael showed a great deal of promise as a Jedi- smart, sweet, and gentle, the Twi'lek showed a great affinity for the light side of the Force. Reè and Sael hit it off right away. Sael was eager to learn, Reè to teach. They proved to be an exceptional team. Their first off-planet mission was to settle a dispute between two planets in the same system. The governments of the respective planets both laid claim to the mining rights of the asteroid belt between them. Reè and Sael were greeted with less than open arms; the two worlds were more interested in pointing fighters and firepower at each other than trying to make peace.
But Reè and Sael received some semblance of a welcome- a poor one, but a welcome nonetheless. The rival planets half-heartedly entered negotiations. Reè patiently worked with them, her ultimate goal a treaty that would be mutually benificial for both. During this time, Sael's training began in earnest- the little Twi'lek and Reè trained daily, mixing a healthy dose of Force training and lightsaber discipline. Sael proved an apt pupil in both, and advanced quickly.
The two planets finally reached an amicable arrangement, for which Reè was very glad. On their way back to Coruscant, the ship carrying Reè and her Padawan was attacked by pirates. The crew put up a valiant fight, but it still went badly. Reè and Sael joined the defense, and managed to throw the battle enough in their favor. The pirates fled, and despite damage to their ship, the Jedi managed to limp back to Coruscant.
During the conflict, Sael had lost the saber Reè had given her, not regaining it until they were well on their way back to Coruscant. Because of this, Sael wished to learn hand-to-hand and other more physical tactics to add to her fighting ability. Reè, intrigued by the idea, joined her Padawan in this venture- and knew just who to go to. When they got to Coruscant, Reè sought out Dorset. He agreed to teach she and Sael some of the more physical disciplines he had picked up over the years. So, on top of their other training, Sael and Reè began learning hand-to-hand tactics.
Sael and Reè went along handsomely for several years. Typical missions, many diplomatic in nature, broke their lives up into pleasant intervals. Sael progressed beautifully, becoming a better Jedi daily. Her daily struggles were confided in Reè during off times, when the two would curl up on Reè's bed and take a break from their strict routines with datacards of history- and, inevitably, wouldn't get much reading done, but would instead spend the time laughing and talking.
All in all, life was quite pleasant for the young master and her Padawan. They worked well together, becoming a team adept in negotiations, politics, and diplomacy, but not without their more aggressive arsenal. When Sael was 21, Reè began preparing her for the Trials- quietly, without fuss, but quite surely.
Sael faced her Trial of Flesh and Courage that year- a tense negotiation turned into fighting. A Dark Jedi on the planet took advantage of his opening, and and attacked Sael. Sael's hand was cut off in the resulting conflict, but Sael didn't give in. Reè, having succesfully calmed down the powers that be who were trying to slaughter each other, found Sael sitting on the ground cradling her arm, the body of the Dark Jedi not far away. The Trial of Skill and Trial of Spirit progressed when she was 22, and Sael Te'eal became a Jedi Consular. At this same time, the Council named Reè a Master.
Master-ship and Jacob Dasminster- 35 to 46
With Sael a proper Jedi Knight, Reè found herself drifting a bit aimlessly. Her own studies, still continuing under Dorset and in Niman as well as a side-study of Soresu she had taken up, took up some of her time, but she still missed the close companionship of the Master-Padawan relationship. She began to search for another Padawan.
She eventually found and chose a bright young boy by the name of Jacob Dasminster. Jacob, a comely boy of 12, was overjoyed to be chosen as a Padawan. Reè was not without her reservations about the boy- he was impatient, but Reè was confident she could help him move past it. Reè put into effect Kuam's strategy of wait and watch, staying in the Temple for several months, getting a feel for Jacob, and allowing him to learn her ways of doing things. Slowly, Reè began easing Jacob into the life of a Padawan.
Their first mission together was on Coruscant- and it was the first time Reè noticed a disturbing trend in her new Padawan. The mission was to track down a kidnapped child in Coruscant's underworld. Going deep down into the dark recesses of the city-planet, Reè and Jacob took shelter in the anonymity of disguise- all-encompassing cloaks, lightsabers hidden in concealed pockets, and deep hoods. The Jedi information proved to be accurate- the kidnapped child, the second son of a Senator, was hidden inside a hovel deep under Coruscant's metal surface.
Reè waited patiently for the opportune moment, but Jacob was jittery and impatient. She rationalized it as first-mission jitters, something that frequently plagued new Padawans. In an undertone, she instructed him to go through a calming exercise. But even that did nothing, or very little. She made a mental note to work with him, but his current jitters would prove to be their undoing.
Without asking her, or even checking her opinion, Jacob rushed out from their hiding place the moment a single kidnapper appeared. Reè was forced to follow to save his skin, but the damage had already been done. Despite Reè's skill, the situation ended with the child dead, three kidnappers dead, and Reè with several cuts and bruises. Jacob fared worst of the two Jedi- bad blaster burns on his hands where he had tired to grab one of the weapons, and a bad cut from his own lightsaber on his leg, when it had fallen.
Returning to the Temple after turning the bodies over to law enforcement, Reè took Jacob to the Council. She did not want to outright accuse him, but she expected him to own up to what he had done. But he did not. He stood next to her, stolidly silent, and let her explain. She touched briefly on Jacob's actions. Once she was done, the Council dismissed Jacob, and asked to speak to Reè alone. Once Jacob was safely out of the room, the Grandmaster asked Reè to retell the story, not glossing over Jacob's part in the affair. Reè did so, a bit unwillingly. The Council let her go to her Padawan, with the knowledge that she must teach him better.
Reè spent the next few weeks teaching Jacob more effective techniques for calming himself, for healing, and for meditation. One day, about two weeks after the Underworld debacle, Kuam sought out Reè. She told her to watch the young Padawan; he wasn't the most docile Jedi, and his resentment towards the world about him was deep-seated, but well-hidden. Reè had sensed some of this over their time together, but when she had taken him as a Padawan, she had not realized just how deep it went. Now, she was unsure of her ability to train the volatile boy, but Kuam reassured her that she could both do it, and that Jacob merely needed a guiding hand and a friendly ear.
Reè threw herself back into teaching her Padawan. Jacob proved to be adept in saber combat, but his concept of and control over the Force was a bit shaky. Reè set out to remedy this gap in his education, teaching him more about the Force daily. He proved to be a quick study. He learned well, and Reè rarely found the need to repeat her instructions. By the time he was 14, and Reè 37, Jacob was on a bit evener keel. Three missions together, excluding their first disaster, had passed. One of these had led to the discovery of a young Force-sensitive on Alderaan, a boy named Joran Savon who had been in an orphanage after the death of his parents. During this time, Reè herself had also grown- Jacob's questions about things made her think and grow. The two would spend hours in the Archives, then spar- Reè using Niman, Jacob his ever-expanding knowledge of Shii-Cho.
During this time, he and Reè were dispatched to negotiate trade relations between two remote Republic worlds. The two planets, located in neighboring systems, had a past history of rivalry and hostilities and even after hundreds of years under Republic rule, their old habits were proving hard to break. When Reè and Jacob landed, Reè was nearly killed by a disgruntled member of an anti-Republic faction, who was brandishing a blaster pistol. The man was bundled off to a detention cell, and Reè and Jacob settled in for their stay. Jacob could not understand how Reè could be so calm about her near brush with death. She explained that getting worked up would merely cloud her mind and impede the flow of the Force. She counseled Jacob to calm down, and let himself rest in preparation for the state dinner that evening. Jacob grudgingly followed her instructions, but he was none too happy about it. Reè could feel a vague sense of impending chaos, stirring through the Force. Jacob behaved himself that night however, and Reè began to breathe easier. Perhaps the catastrophe she had foreseen wouldn't happen, after all.
Despite the initial reactions Reè had been met with, prevailing opinion on the planets was favorable to peace and trade between them. The negotiations went quickly, and a treaty was quickly signed. The alien culture, in a last gesture of good-will towards their mediator, brought the would-be assassin of Reè in. He proved unrepentant, and the magistrate allowed Reè, in the custom of their culture, to choose his punishment. Reè declined, but she was pressed, so she pardoned him.
Jacob, incredulous and disapproving, loudly protested his Master's decision, telling her that he should die, or at least be imprisoned. Reè, fearful the forceful dissent of her apprentice would sour relations between the planets and the Jedi- and thereby the Republic- Reè sternly told the boy to allow her to deal with it. But Jacob wasn't going to let it go. He openly challenged his Master, insistent he was right. Reè cut him off, and didn't give her Padawan another chance to spout. Hastily excusing them, she hurried Jacob away. What followed was several hours of stern explanation and reproof, and Force meditation for Jacob. Immediately on their return to Coruscant, Reè sought out the superior wisdom and experience of Kuam and Dorset. They both suggested she take Jacob to some place of quiet for meditation and emotion training.
Reè gained the permission of the Council, and Jacob and Reè traveled to Felucia. The Jedi transport left them in an uninhabited portion of the planet. Reè had leased a small cabin deep within the forest, and she and Jacob went there. Jacob was obviously unhappy about this turn of affairs, but had apparently decided to go along quietly- a wise decision, recent events considered. Reè and Jacob launched into a daily training regimen, mostly Force exercises and meditation, interspersed with infrequent sparring matches. Reè limited their time spent in the latter activity; Reè noticed, as she had before, that Jacob became more aggressive when challenged in such situations. While this was not unexpected (Jacob was, after all, a teenage boy), the intensity of his emotions was disturbing.
Reè worked with him nonstop. She couldn't tell if her instruction had actually accomplished anything, but she stuck with it, persistently teaching him what she could about control and emotion. Jacob seemed to catch on, and at the end of six months, they returned to Coruscant. Jacob behaved himself, for which Reè was very glad, but she also got the uncomfortable impression that he was merely behaving so, without real conviction behind his actions. It was a disturbing thought, but one Reè could not help feeling when she would sense a twinge of harsh emotion from her Padawan, or caught him staring at her or another with a guardedly predatory look.
Two years passed so- Reè teaching, Jacob waiting. When Reè had reached the age of 40, and Jacob was nearing 17, they were assigned a mission to locate yet another Dark Jedi. Reè was unsure, both for Jacob's and her own sake, but she accepted the mission. She tried to prepare him for the impending, inevitable conflict as best, she could. She also felt nervous for herself. She had had little contact with Dark Jedi since her last mission with Kuam. But her link to the Force was strong, her mind clear of emotions that could prove her undoing.
They tracked the Dark Jedi to Farrfin, where he was picking up goods. Reè and Jacob discretely tracked him, but Reè could tell something was amiss with her Padawan. He was jittery, nervous, and downright spastic. Reè counseled him to calm down. But he did not. The Dark Jedi found them, drawn by the great, dark potential hidden within Reè's apprentice. He tried to lure Jacob to him, but Reè intervened. The Dark Jedi, annoyed at the interruption, lashed out at the Master Jedi, using Force Lightning. With Reè temporarily disabled, the Dark Jedi began to work on Jacob, cajoling and coaxing him. It didn't take long for Jacob to make the fateful decision- a decision he had really made years before. He consented to become the Dark Jedi's Padawan.
However, when the Dark Jedi moved to kill the stunned Reè, Jacob insisted he stay his hand. She had shown him kindness, and he had no desire to kill his former Master. The two left, leaving Reè unconcious. She awoke only minutes later, still disoriented. With some difficulty, she found her saber, and attempted to catch her former Padawan and his Dark tempter, but was too late. Their ship had already left Farrfin. Reè eventually found her way back to Coruscant, where she had to tell the Council of her Padawan's fall. This unpleasant duty dispatched, Reè quietly tried to fit back into Temple life- but this time, with an ever-present knowledge of the darkness her former Padawan had succumbed to, and also the more vague certainty that, eventually, she must face Jacob.
Reè didn't take another Padawan. She felt that her recent actions (and in her eyes, failure) as well as her state of emotional turmoil would merely lead to a repeat of the Jacob Fiasco. However, a reckoning with her former Padawan wouldn't come for another three years. At 43, Reè was a quiet, steadfast Jedi Master, responsible for a youngling class, as well as having plenty of time to study her own skills. She had begun training in Soresu on top of the Niman she had mastered and hand-to-hand tactics. But that was all put on hold when the Council summoned her.
They had gotten word of a powerful Dark Jedi, known only as Dasminster. The liklihood of its being her former Padawan was great, and they wished her to go find him. Reè agreed, and set out. He led her a merry chase- he would land on a planet, then leave as soon as she landed. This went on for weeks. But finally, he stopped on Felucia, of all places. The irony did not escape Reè, and she landed with trepidation. He had led her straight to their old cabin- now tumbling down, midway between ruin and mere hovel.
And the man standing before her might once have been the Jacob she knew, but three years of darkness had changed him. Now a cold, hard man of 20, Jacob only remotely resembled to bouyant 17-year old Reè had last seen. And he wasn't going to let her get away this time. He gave her the chance to join him, to succumb to the Dark Side's allure, but Reè refused. Jacob pulled out his saber, its new crimson glow even further proof of his fall.
Reè, even though older and less fit, was nonetheless vastly superior to her former Padawan. Despite his newfound power in the Dark Side, she disabled him, unwilling to kill him, but he left her with no choice. In the depths of his anger, he attempted to kill her with the use of the Force. Reè killed him once and for all, ending what she had helped to create.
Transition- 43 to 47
Reè returned to Coruscant, wounded both in spirit and body. After her report to the Council, Reè retreated into isolation, to think and to heal. After a period of several weeks, she came out, ready to resume her Jedi duties.
It was about this time that Kuam passed into the Force. Kuam Zizan, having trained five Padawans and influenced countless others, peacefully passed at the ripe old age of 81. The death of her former Master profoundly affected Reè. The older woman had not been a mere Master; she had been a loyal friend, confidant, and advisor even in the worst circumstances. Reè has often said that a more humble, joyous, peaceful Jedi she has never known.
Besides that happening, Reè's life went on quite normally. Political upheavel and vague mutterings of evil dwelling in the outer reaches of the galaxy punctuated Reè's life, but nothing too significant occurred. Reè didn't take another Padawan during the three years after her duel with Jacob. The memory of that failure was still too fresh, the look in Jacob's eyes still too memorable.
Reè during this time spent most of her days studying and meditating. She advanced quickly in her studies of Soresu and Makashi, which she had also taken up as a side-study, but more important to her were the Force studies she undertook. She concentrated mainly on skills of the mind and sense, going more in depth on studies like Force Meld. She accepted several missions, often accompanied by a young Knight, in lieu of a Padawan. She had gone almost entirely to diplomatic missions, finding the nature of such quests still interested her far more than more combat-oriented ones.
A year, two years, three...they passed with regularity. The slow pace of her days and weeks gave her ample time for meditation and even time for her to begin a manual (a strictly personal project) in the form and usage of Niman.
During this quiet time of her life, Reè lost the second person she had come to implicitly trust- Dorset Chaan passed into the Force. Like Kuam, he died because of natural causes, an old man of 89. Dorset's death, mourned though it was, created a situation which would come to profoundly effect Reè. Dorset, a member of the High Council for ten years, left a seat open. Reè was surprised when she was called before the Council, and offered his seat. The Council found that her strict adherence to Jedi principles, even in the midst of upheavel in her life was a valuable trait to have. She accepted the post, and became the newest member of the Jedi High Council at the age of 47.
Lightsaber: single blade, single-phase
Color: light blue, almost silver
Practiced saber forms:
Shii-Cho: 5
Niman: 5
Soresu: 3
Makashi: 2
Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:
Telekinetic: 5
Telepathic: 8
Body: 6
Sense: 7
Protection: 5
Healing: 4
Destruction: 1
Specialized Skills:
Force Meld
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 4
Intelligence: 6
Speed: 3
Leadership: 5
Unarmed: 6
Melee Weapons: 0
Ranged Weapons: 0
Force Attunement: +6
RP Sample:
Reè uneasily shifted. Her boots softly scraped on the concrete floor of the kolto storage facility, and Reè folded her arms as Master Kuam glanced at her, silent reproach in her look. Reè gave her a bright smile, indicating she understood, then slumped back against the storage tank behind her. This was boring. And she couldn't even practice Force tricks. Well, except quiet ones. Reè closed her eyes and turned inward, experimenting with her own mind. Focus on a thought, and release, then repeat...
Things happened quicker than Reè could follow them. One moment, they had just been sitting there, then the pressure of Master Kuam's hand on her arm told her to remain completely still. Reè snapped out of her meditation, straining her ears to listen. A whisper of boots against the stone floor, a low hiss of breath. Master Kuam's hand left her arm, drifted to her saber. Reè grasped her own saber, clenching it tightly.
A soft click came as the tap on a kolto storage tank was opened, the slight scuff of something being set against it, the whoosh of kolto draining. Kuam stood silently, and flitted across the gap between two tanks, nothing but a dark shadow. Her hand motioned Reè to follow, and the teenager stood, walking cooly across the gap, using the Force to muffle her footsteps. She was almost to the other tank when her foot knocked against something- a stone, it sounded like- and sent it skipping across the floor.
Reè berated herself as she covered the space between she and Master Kuam in one long stride. The sound of draining kolto had stopped, and voices could be heard, fiercely whispering. Reè felt something- images from Kuam. A plan. Reè processed the telepathic images, then squeezed her Master's hand to indicate she understood. At the count of three, the two jumped out, running soundlessly towards the thieves. There were three of them- two men and one woman. They stared at the Jedi, eyes wide. The woman gave a muffled scream and turned to run, but one of the men grabbed her and growled something. "Halt." Kuam ordered, slowing to a walk. "You are under arrest, by order of the Thyferra authorities."
It happened so fast, Reè had no time to react. The man who had been draining the kolto threw the storage tank at her, then turned to run. The storage tank hit her before she could even shield herself with her hands, throwing her backwards. She landed on her bottom, covered in gooey kolto. Reè wrinkled her nose in disgust. Great.
Kuam was calling urgently to her, and Reè could hear the hum of her Master's lightsaber. She tried to scramble to her feet, but slipped on the kolto, falling back down. She felt kolto squish between her fingers. Using the Force, she propelled herself upward, flipping and landed solidly on her feet- sort of. She slipped a bit as her kolto-coated boots sought purchase on the ground. She found it, and ran after Kuam, pulling her lightsaber out of her belt as she went. She burst out into the front lobby of the kolto facility, and saw Kuam standing against the front desk, lightsaber held out in a defensive maneuver as she propelled blaster bolts away from herself.
Reè ran towards the thieves, spinning her saber in preparation for an attack. Only one of them was armed, and he was apparently unnerved by the sight of a dripping Jedi coming towards him. He squeaked, and all three of them ran for the door. Kuam followed, and Reè ran after them. Outside, one of them ambushed her by the door. Slipping behind her, past her saber, he kicked her behind her knees, sending her sprawling into the dirt. She rolled, coming up on her knees, and pointed her saber at where he had been. He was gone. She jumped up, and ran towards their speeder. She caught it. One of the men- the blaster-wielding one, apparently- was caught in a conflict with Kuam. These two were up to her.
Reè jumped onto the hood of the speeder and plunged her saber into it, cutting a wide swath, hoping to cut something vital. It must have worked, because the speeder's engines died with a sickly-sounding wheeze. Reè felt grease bleed out onto her boots. She pointed her saber at the two. "You are under arrest." she announced quietly.
*********
"What happened to you?" Kuam's voice was amused. Reè glared at her Master, and tried- unsuccesfully- to wipe her hands off on her robe. She just got her robe dirty, and smudged it all over her hands. "Don't glare at me, little one. I'll put you on your back." Kuam joked.
Reè just huffed, and turned to glare after the police transport. "I hope they get life." she grumbled.
"Why? Because they got your tunic dirty?" the warning note in Kuam's voice made Reè turn back to her. Kuam's eyebrows were raised, her eyes serious now. Reè, ashamed, scuffed the dirt with her grease-and-kolto-smeared boots. "Sorry." she muttered.
Kuam nodded, then looked Reè up and down. "I hope we have an extra tunic in the ship. If not, we'll just have to strap you onto the outside of the ship so you don't get it dirty." Reè gave her a distasteful look, and Kuam walked away. Laughing.
