Nizenya Sapphire

Nizen'yasalaam, Basicized as Nizenya Salaam, was a female. She eventually became the ward of the Nei Centurion Kieran Sapphire.

The camp
Nizenya was born on in 150 ABY. When she was three, she and her parents were aboard a starliner attacked by an offshoot branch of. Nizenya's father was killed in the struggle, and Nizenya and her mother were taken as slaves.

In the slave camp, Nizenya's mother sought to care for her daughter, explaining that her father was gone because, "Daddy protected us." Eventually, Nizenya's mother was killed in the camp, leaving the girl alone. Other prisoners attempted to look out for her as much as possible, but they were kept physically separated from one another and their influence was limited.

Ashop
The next year, 156 ABY, the Golden Empire attacked the compound with a force of Centurions. Nizenya and several other slaves were herded onto a waiting transport; Kieran Sapphire boarded it while its repulsors were still warming and confronted the slave traders in the hold. One held a blaster to Nizenya's head; Kieran asked Arcantha Syr to bring down the ship, then laid down his lightsaber. As the pirate took aim, Arcantha's cut out the ship's repulsors and sent it into a dive. Kieran recovered his lightsaber and killed the pirate, warning the slaves to brace themselves. Nizenya was in the middle of the hold, paralyzed with fear, and rather than anchor himself, Kieran picked her up, shielding her head and body with his arms. In the ensuing crash, he was thrown against the wall and broke his shoulder and several ribs, but Nizenya escaped mostly unscathed.

The slaves were taken into the Empire's protective custody for treatment and counseling, but Nizenya screamed and cried when they tried to take her away from Kieran, wailing until Selish Anteran and Luna Raquelsei intervened and let her stay with their brother. Nizenya waited in the Citadel's while Kieran recovered in a, afraid of both Tillandra Moraes and Rayne Turgachia but more afraid to leave Kieran. When he recovered and emerged, she stayed close to him, following him through the Citadel wherever he went and often holding onto his tail.

With Aria Nikina's consent, Kieran was allowed to keep Nizenya nearby; he was aware that he was the only person she trusted and did not want to traumatize her further. He slowly nudged her out of her shell, getting her to reluctantly interact with some of the Novices of the Order of Keltrayu; Nizenya was afraid of Amina Sakaros and her loud, boisterous personality, but Amina's older sister Nike was very patient and affectionate with Nizenya. The Twi'lek gradually came to have some trust for Tillandra and Rayne as well.

Nizenya picked up the habit of calling Kieran "ashop", which no one understood, although Kieran could sense the affection and trust behind the term. In addition to encouraging her interaction with other children, Kieran also had Nizenya visit counselors and psychologists aboard the Sith Star. They reported Nizenya had age-appropriate mental and coordinative development, but drastically reduced verbal expression, as well as extreme separation anxiety. Queen Rin Sakaros, reviewing the results and a series of pictures Nizenya had colored, was floored when she found a drawing of Kieran and Nizenya holding hands, with ashop written under Kieran. Though she did not speak, she knew a few words from her father, and informed both the psychologists and Kieran that ashop was a Ryl for father, meaning "daddy".

Appearance and personality
Like all Lethan Twi'leks, Nizenya had vibrant red skin. It had lost some of its luster during her enslavement, but she recovered her natural color aboard the Sith Star. She had bright yellow eyes.

After being freed, Nizenya evidenced intense psychological trauma from her experience in the slave camp. She became deeply attached to Kieran Sapphire and was often terrified to be away from him, and she spoke as little as possible, often only a word at a time. Through counseling and Kieran's patient encouragement, Nizenya slowly began to interact with others, although she remained frightened of the imposing Massassi and Rajj-Yo.