The Essential Guide to Force Exile/Cassi Trealus Kraen

Cassi Trealus Kraen was born in 42 BBY on the remote Outer Rim world of Bakura to a family of farmers. She was the third of five children in her family, and the second daughter. Growing up, she was a somewhat quiet child, but very bright and adept at bargaining. As she grew older, she watched and eventually began helping her father, Larik Trealus, bargain with merchants over crop prices at the spaceport in Bakura’s capital, Salis D’aar. Cassi soon proved herself as a hard bargainer and her father let her do the talking by the time she was sixteen. However, for much of her youth, while the rest of her siblings largely desired to stay on their peaceful homeworld, she dreamed of wandering the stars, or at least visiting other worlds. Her chance came when she turned eighteen, as her father had become wealthy enough to afford to send her off to distant Coruscant for a university education. Cassi hoped to spend a few years simply exploring the galaxy and then return home to Bakura and become a teacher.

At the university, Cassi soon discovered she had a knack for linguistics, with the Bakuran disdain for droids contributing somewhat to that, as most Bakurans interested in offworld trading had to at least be able to understand a few other languages. However, two years after she started her schooling, the Clone Wars broke out. Cassi’s parents’ home on Bakura was devastated by the war, though they managed to avoid being caught by the Force Harvester employed by the Separatists. The loss was enough to set back the Trealuses financially and her parents implored her to return home, but Cassi refused. Persevering by taking up odd jobs at a local spaceport, Cassi continued to meet and mingle with other spacers and other species, honing her language skills and supervising the transactions of dozens of cargos. She finished her degree in Zabraki two years later after scoring at least “proficient” on several other languages and was prepared to accept a job as a teacher’s assistant at her university. This job would have prepared her for a full-time career as a professor of linguistics, but General Grievous’ attack on Coruscant in 19 BBY changed all that. Cassi wasn’t at the university during the attack, which was fortunate for her, since a crashing Venator-class Star Destroyer obliterated most of it. With the university system in chaos, she quietly departed, returning to the spaceport she knew well, hoping to find another permanent job, or at least a way back to Bakura. The deaths of so many of her colleagues and students had soured her against Coruscant and she desired to be off the galactic capital.

It was during this time that she met R’hask Sei’lar, the Bothan captain of the light freighter Hawk-bat, and his first mate, Jorgesoll Knrr. Cassi helped them out of a tight spot and the Bothan repaid her by offering her a job as cargo master for the ship. She agreed readily and soon had her few belongings packed and loaded on the freighter by the time Sei’lar returned with the ship’s engineer, Sarth Kraen, and the new pilot, Micor Kraen. On their first cargo run, Cassi and Sei’lar had arranged to take a cargo of textiles to Bespin. As one of the first cargo ships from Coruscant to reach the mining world after the war’s end, the crew of the Hawk-bat made a windfall profit. Sei’lar took his crew to a fancy restaurant to celebrate and after dinner, Cassi found herself dancing first with Jorge, and then with Micor. What she didn’t know was that Micor was actually Sarth’s brother, and Sarth had confided to him that he was attracted to Cassi. Micor deftly arranged for Cassi to wind up dancing with Sarth on the next song and although the engineer was less skillful in dancing than his brother, they both enjoyed themselves.

The next trip the crew took was to the Corellian system, loaded with a cargo of Tibanna gas from Bespin to sell. However, in the outskirts of the Corellian system, the Hawk-bat was attacked by pirates; it was Cassi’s first time in combat. Slow to reach her battle station, she fell and sustained a small head wound during violent maneuvering, but otherwise the ship emerged from the encounter unscathed, courtesy of Micor’s piloting skill and some hidden weaponry on the Hawk-bat.

Cassi spent the next several months onboard the Hawk-bat, serving as cargomaster and beginning to casually date Sarth. Although the ship’s crew wasn’t always prosperous, they made enough on their shipments to get by. On one occasion, a cargo of nerf-meat had spoiled due to faulty refrigeration storage units, costing the crew thousands of credits. However, they were able to overcome that debacle and pick up a cargo of metal from Duro. Captain Sei’lar took the ship to Commenor, where he planned on selling it, but he deliberately kept Cassi busy during this time in order to prevent her from investigating the cargo-Sei’lar was actually smuggling weapons to an anti-Imperial resistance group.

Arriving on Commenor, Cassi remained with the ship with the captain and Jorge while Sarth and Micor went to visit Sarth’s parents, who lived on Commenor. They hadn’t been on Commenor for a day when the Hawk-bat received an urgent message from Sarth. Cassi answered the call and learned that the Kraen residence had been attacked. Upon informing the captain, the Hawk-bat immediately journeyed over to the house, where Micor had been badly injured, but both attackers had been slain. Cassi tried to comfort the distraught Sarth, but he was initially closed to her. Pressuring him further, she got him to reveal the nature and motive of their attackers. Sarth told her that he had been involved in weapons research for the Republic during the Clone Wars, but now the Mistryl Shadow Guard, a group of expansionistic warriors, were out to capture him for his knowledge. Though Cassi was shocked by the revelation, she resolved to stay with Sarth and help him as best as she could. Captain Sei’lar ordered him to remain on Commenor while the investigation was carried out; the Bothan was taking Jorge and Micor to New Holstice, and Cassi volunteered to stay behind with Sarth. However, for their own security, Sei’lar arranged for a local company, Durashield Securities, to provide protection for the Kraens and Cassi. However, friction began developing between her and Sarth when he began spending time with a member of the Commenor law enforcement, Annita Daowot, that he had known in his childhood. Cassi found herself growing more than a little jealous and fearful that Sarth was abandoning her for his old friend, who clearly had designs on him. When the Kraen family was moved to a remote safehouse, Annita tried to have Cassi sent to New Holstice to be with her crew, but Cassi refused, insisting that she stay with the Kraens. Annita reluctantly acquiesced and Cassi spent the next several weeks in a remote safehouse along with the Kraen family.

Though the quarters were cramped, she did get to spend some time with Sarth, who took her out for a picnic. The conversation nearly degenerated into an argument over Annita, but Sarth managed to avoid the topic and instead told Cassi that he loved her. However, not three days later, a Mistryl team located and made a night assault on the safe house. Cassi, no warrior, was of little use in the defense and was easily disarmed by one of the Mistryl. However, the Durashield Security employees, specifically two former ARC troopers named Spectre and Twone, came to the rescue and slew the Mistryl, though Twone was fatally injured in the process. Cassi was relieved to find the Kraens were largely unharmed, and the entire group was evacuated back to the city of Munto for medical treatment.

While there, another Mistryl called them, indicating that she had taken Annita Daowot as a hostage and would only let her go if Sarth surrendered. Cassi tried to talk him out of the idea, but Sarth would not be dissuaded, even after talking to Micor, who was returning to Commenor with the Hawk-bat. Micor informed them that R’hask Sei’lar was dead, though, slain by the Empire, and Cassi was grief-stricken to hear of the captain’s death. That event also cost her much of her loyalty to the Empire; having never really been part of the Republic, she didn’t care for the Empire at all in the first place. However, before Sarth could turn himself over to the Mistryl, Micor arrived and took his place, surrendering to the Mistryl in exchange for Annita’s life. Cassi watched as Spectre and Sarth went to retrieve Annita, but the concern Sarth showed for Annita’s welfare caused her jealousy to flare up again. Her emotions burst on Sarth and he tried to assure her that Annita was merely an old friend. The argument turned south, but in the end, Cassi accepted Sarth’s explanation, though she did ask him who a “Selu” that he had been mentioning was. Shocked by his lapse, Sarth swore her to secrecy and explained that Micor Kraen was actually his brother, Selu Kraen, and a fugitive Jedi Knight.

They returned to be with the others, including Jorge and Milya, a stowaway who had helped Selu on New Holstice, at the medcenter in Munto, unsure of what to do next. Milya managed to persuade Sarth, Cassi, Jorge, and Spectre to take the Hawk-bat to the Mistryl homeworld of Emberlene in an attempt to rescue Selu, chiding them for their lack of loyalty, and they agreed, knowing it was a foolhardy attempt at best.

Arriving over Emberlene, the Hawk-bat attempted to disguise themselves as a pirate ship seeking to join the Mistryl, but were unsuccessful. They were pursued by fighters, but managed to lose the hostile craft when a sizable mercenary fleet reverted from hyperspace, bound for Emberlene. In the confusion of the Mistryl forces scrambling to engage the fleet, the Hawk-bat was able to slip down to the surface and find Selu. After sweeping a nearby docking bay clear of Mistryl defenders, Sarth, Spectre, and Milya charged out to go rescue Selu, but Cassi was ordered by Sarth to remain in the ship. The three managed to find him and bring him back to the Hawk-bat in time to escape the blast of a nuclear weapon which had been activated, somewhat unknowingly, by Selu. In the confusion of the battle, the Hawk-bat escaped and returned to Commenor. A week later, after Selu recovered from his injuries, the crew chose him to be the next captain of the Hawk-bat and added Spectre and Milya to their number, as Sei’lar had died and Jorge had decided to leave the spacer’s life. Also during that time, Cassi managed to settle her differences with Annita, soothing the tension in her relationship with Sarth. Under their new captain, Cassi was soon wandering the stars again. She hadn’t heard from her parents for some time, and while she wrote them occasionally, she was careful not to tell them too much, lest they become worried. Her family had become somewhat distant to her since her decision to stay offworld and she drifted apart from them as well, even as she grew closer to Sarth and the rest of the crew.

Over the next year, Cassi continued to serve onboard the Hawk-bat, participating in any number of illegal ventures. She had lost all allegiance to the Empire and simply didn’t care. She also continued to develop her relationship with Sarth. However, when the Hawk-bat found itself pursued by an Imperial Star Destroyer and made a blind jump to hyperspace, Sarth was prevented from asking for her hand in marriage.

The damaged freighter set down on a desolate world to make repairs, but Selu soon sensed a disturbance in the Force coming from a nearby crevice. He resolved to investigate it and the rest of the crew volunteered to accompany him down into the unknown depths of the crevice. Before they left, though, Sarth proposed to Cassi and she accepted, though was unwilling to remain behind with Sarth while Selu and the others explored the crevice. She had given her word, she decided, and would stick to it. The full crew of the Hawk-bat descended into the rocks of the airless crevice. A dislodged boulder nearly proved disastrous for the crew, but Selu managed to catch both her and Sarth in midair while Spectre and Milya took care of themselves. Reaching the bottom, Selu discovered a Force illusion that led to a cavern that contained breathable atmosphere. The crew followed the subterranean passages, which led them to a sizable tower constructed on the floor of a previously concealed crater. As they approached, the spirits of eleven Jedi appeared and bade them enter the tower. Inside, they found quarters had been prepared for them, but few explanations.

Eventually, one of the Jedi spirits summoned them to a room known as the Room of the Crystal Heart, where Cassi and the others learned that the Jedi had lived centuries ago and had allegedly been waiting for them, to help them in fulfilling a prophecy. After seeing a vision of an ancient battle and hearing what they had to say, Cassi was fully convinced of the prophecy’s truthfulness, and while the other crewmembers had to be persuaded by means of visions of their past, Cassi was given a vision of a possible future of marital happiness between her and Sarth as a gift for her belief. The Jedi spirits wanted them to unleash the Force power stored up in the Crystal Heart, and the five Humans did so after Selu overcame his initial reluctance.

Bestowed with new Force potential, Cassi began training under some of the ancient Jedi spirits and Selu as she began working towards becoming the healer she believed the prophecy destined her to be. She exhibited a natural talent towards diplomacy and healing, and often trained with Sarth, as neither of them were skilled in combat like Milya or Spectre. Cassi and the rest of the crew spent eight months on the remote planet, learning the ways of the Force. Eventually, she had a vision that the Jedi would need lightsabers and began scavenging parts from the Hawk-bat to help provide the material to do so, with Sarth’s help. When the time came, she constructed a brilliant blue lightsaber, the same color as Sarth’s, and demonstrated her prowess with the weapon in training.

However, their remote refuge was threatened by the arrival of an Imperial scout ship. Cassi joined with the others in taking the Hawk-bat and boarding the scout ship and they quickly captured the crew. Upon learning of instructions from the Jedi ghosts and combining that information with the ship’s itinerary, they soon learned that the Empire was on the hunt for three other groups of Force-users. The crew decided to split up and journey to each of the groups, in hopes of persuading them to unify, as the Jedi spirits had claimed that was their only chance for survival. Sarth and Cassi took the Hawk-bat to the chilly world of Tokmia, where the Jal Shey, a meditative and philosophical group of Force adepts were located.

Arriving on Tokmia, Sarth and Cassi made their way to the remote Jal Shey refuge and were welcomed warmly. After a few days, they addressed the entire adult Jal Shey populace and presented their warning of impending Imperial attack, as well as the danger. The Jal Shey were somewhat distrustful of them and agreed to listen to them only if they could pass a test, known as the rite of Gnissom maze. Sarth and Cassi worked on the test, a strange metal puzzle, but only by combining their strengths and helping each other were they able to decipher its meaning. Delivering the answer to the Jal Shey, they succeeded in their mission as the Jal Shey then agreed to journey with them to the new refuge of Force users that Selu was planning on establishing. Sarth and Cassi contacted Selu and informed him that they would meet him in the isolated Hoth system. Upon reaching the system, they found themselves in the midst of a space battle between Imperial forces and pirates. Sarth sent the Jal Shey on ahead to the new refuge, which Selu was establishing on Yanibar, but he took the Hawk-bat into the battle to help Selu, who was under attack. However, though they shot off the fighters from Selu’s stern, the scout ship Selu was flying sustained damage to its hyperdrive. Unable to escape, Selu decided to board an already-weakened Imperial transport, which had already been weakened by pirate boarders. Cassi aided Selu and the others, including several Matukai Force adepts, in taking over the ship, which they then used to flee the battle and return to Yanibar. Cassi was now officially a sworn enemy of the Empire.

Over Yanibar, Sarth and Cassi used the transport’s weaponry to destroy an Imperial garrison after it refused to surrender and the new refuge was established. However, Cassi soon realized that the Hawk-bat had received a message reminding them of the impending marriage of Annita Daowot and Jorgesoll Knrr back on Commenor. The five members of the Hawk-bat’s crew returned to Commenor for the celebration, but learned from Annita and Jorge that the Empire had been quietly observing them.

As suspected, the Empire disrupted the wedding, but Cassi and most of her fellow crew were ready for them. Igniting her lightsaber, she sprang to the defense of the wedding party as the guests fled. Holding off the Imperials for long enough, the crew, Annita, Jorge, and Selu’s parents then boarded the Hawk-bat, which Spectre had flown over to their location, and left Commenor permanently. Realizing that she would be equally outcast on Bakura, which long-held a stigma towards Jedi, Sarth and Cassi were married on Yanibar shortly afterward in a double wedding with Annita and Jorge.

About a year later, Cassi and Sarth had their first child, fulfilling the vision she had been given by the Jedi apparitions, and they named their son Akleyn. While Sarth had become the head of a defense company, Kraechar Arms, Cassi was content to have no official role in the Yanibar refuge, simply content with being a housewife, though she was called upon to serve as both teacher and healer. She also served as matron of honor for her friend and former crewmember Milya Tayrce during her wedding to Selu Kraen.

Appearances

 * Force Exile I: Fugitive
 * Force Exile II: Smuggler
 * Force Exile III: Liberator
 * Crossroads
 * Hand in Hand