Veli Kass`l

Veli Kass`l was a male assassin and Elite Guard of the Merquise Syndicate. He was the husband of Odala Kass`l and the younger twin brother of Broll Kass`l.

Biography
Broll and Veli were born to a Nagai warlord on the species homeworld of in 118 ABY. Rebelling against his stern control over their lives, the twins fled for the known galaxy, seeking work as bounty hunters. They quickly branched out into mercenary work and assassination, working as a team and employing the deadly skills they had learned from their father and his combat instructors.

In 138 ABY, the twins joined the Merquise Syndicate on. Respecting both their lethal teamwork and their resourcefulness, Tak Sakaros personally appointed them to the Elite Guard, where they trained under Alluria Quinn. Veli became friends with Jarek Solios when he joined the Guard the next year, and the two often trained together.

Both Veli and Broll became Odala Van Meer's lovers (separately and together) when she joined the Guard in 140 ABY as part of her apprenticeship to Alluria. Initially not exclusive about her partners, Odala slept around the Guard and neither Broll nor Veli thought much of it. Over time, however, she and Veli became closer, sharing both a taste for adventure and a BDSM streak. Eventually they became exclusive lovers, and Veli taught his girlfriend to fight with his tehk'la blades and in turn practiced strategies for fighting against Force users.

Veli was Jarek's best man when he married Alluria in 142 ABY. Later that year, Odala was from the Force by the Dark Jedi Naiya. She became reclusive, spending most of her time with Veli, who tried to comfort her and helped her adapt her fighting techniques to the absence of the Force. When Odala became pregnant, she was initially irritated with Veli, but the two ultimately became closer as a result.

Rin Sakaros restored Odala's connection to the Force in 143 ABY, earning her Veli's undying respect. The Nagai doted on his baby girl, Azalyn, and married Odala not long after Azalyn's birth. He did not understand the Force connection among Odala, Rin, and Azalyn, but accepted it without much concern.

Fatherhood had a curious effect on Veli. While he had been perfectly content to move about the galaxy from one place to another, fighting and killing for pay without a second thought, his marriage and raising Azalyn forced him to think outside himself. He began to wonder, as Jarek did, whether Nar Shaddaa was the best place to raise children. When Jarek proposed moving the family to in 146 ABY, Veli agreed. He initially feared Broll would remain behind, but the bond between the brothers was too strong, and Broll eventually agreed to come too.

Veli and Odala had a baby boy, whom they named Tae, on Belsavis. He possessed only mild strength in the Force, but looked very much like his father. In 147 ABY, Veli and Odala began to debate Azalyn's future; Odala wanted to send the girl to the Golden Empire to join Rin's Order of Keltrayu, while Veli wanted to keep her with them on Belsavis. Ultimately, moved by his respect for Rin, the knowledge she could keep Azalyn safe, and the fear of standing in the way of Azalyn's growth and development, Veli agreed. When not working on the farm, he spent most of his time with his wife and son.

In 148 ABY, Veli, Tae, Odala, and Alluria went on a brief vacation to. Sensing an impending attack by and, Odala performed a  on Veli, convincing him to leave the planet with Tae, but without Odala and Alluria, who stayed behind to fight the Sith. When Veli returned to Belsavis, he was horrorstruck over what he had done, although both Jarek and Reiko Kaytana sensed Odala's influence and tried to reassure him that it had been out of his control.

Jarek and Reiko, along with Rin and several of her Centurions, went to to rescue Alluria and Odala from the Sith. Alluria was saved, but Odala died under the hand of. After burying his wife in a small grotto across the rift valley where they lived, Veli sank into depression, drinking often and shunning all company. More than once Broll and Jarek brought him home from the bars in the nearest town or found him passed out in alleyways.

Over time, dedicated attention from his brother and best friend, coupled with the knowledge that he was neglecting his son, drew Veli back to himself. Though notably less happy and quieter, he returned to work on the farm and spent much of his time with Tae, as well as getting to know Selina Quinn, Alluria's sister and Broll's new girlfriend.

Skills and abilities
Like Broll, Veli received years of combat training from his father and the warlord's staff of combat instructors. Consequently, he was skilled with the use of in both melee and projectile combat. He was also trained to use a variety of blaster weapons and munitions. During his time with the Elite Guard, he received advanced training in Var Shek from both Tak Sakaros and Alluria Quinn.

Appearance and personality
Veli stood 1.78 meters (5'10") tall and had a lithely muscular build. He had black hair, gray eyes, and white skin so pale it was nearly translucent.  He usually kept his hair collar length, though it grew longer and he grew facial hair from neglect during his months of mourning Odala.  He almost always wore a bandoleer of tehk'la blades, along with a blaster pistol at one hip and a sheathed knife at the other.  He wore snug-fitting combat clothes, though he often wore a loose cloth duster over them.

Veli's few close friends considered him more excitable and adventurous, as well as friendlier, than his brother Broll, but the twins were closer with one another than anyone else. Veli was often described as appearing more "intense" than his more measured older twin. He enjoyed fighting and had no reservation about killing, even killing for money, though he began to think less of his violent life when his daughter was born.

Aside from his connection to Broll, Veli was closest with his wife and children, who became the center of his life. Odala's death devastated him, particularly given how young she was and how little time they had had together. Though he supported Odala's decision to send Azalyn to become a Novice, Veli missed her terribly, especially in the wake of Odala's death.

Veli was Jarek Solios's best friend and on good terms with the rest of the "family" they had compiled on Belsavis. He had great respect for Rin Sakaros, though during his months of depression he blamed her (along with Jarek and Reiko) for failing to save Odala from Darth Maladi when Alluria had been rescued.