The Essential Guide to Force Exile/Qedai Sherum

Qedai Sherum was the daughter of Twi'lek Elite Guardians Kacheen and Daara Sherum. A talented Force-sensitive in her own right, Qedai was raised as a proud heir to her mother's Zeison Sha heritage. She was a renowned athlete and known for her skill in telekinesis and combat.

Born in 2 ABY, Qedai was the only child of her parents. She was a wild, rambunctious youth was a predilection towards outdoor activity and sports. Her mother encouraged these pastimes, just as she had been encouraged by her own mother. Her parents also taught her how to develop her own Force talents and she was drawn to the Zeison Sha Force-using tradition of her mother. Qedai enjoyed a close relationship with her mother, even though Daara's duties often took her far from Yanibar.

It was thus no surprise when Qedai decided to follow in Daara's footsteps and sign up for Elite Guardian training. However, her headstrong and independent nature earned her several reprimands and she was held back a year after disrespecting one of the teachers. A two week-long vacation in the desert with her mother allowed the two to discuss and settle the issues she had with authority and Qedai returned with a more teachable attitude.

She did well and by 16 ABY was selected based on her accomplishments and athletic prowess to join Ryion and Zeyn Kraen and Ariada Cerulaen in one of the new four-man Elite Guardian teams being trained by the Yanibar Guard. As the oldest and most experienced, she was chosen as the leader of the team. Their trainers worked them hard, teaching them in the ways of the Force as well as providing military and intelligence skills that they would need. Qedai's specialty was weaponry and demolitions and she excelled at her role.

One of the hardest challenges for the trainees was being captured by Jalsinnare Mercenaries in 19 ABY while on a training exercise out in Yanibar's desert. After detecting their presence, Qedai led the others in an evasive journey, but their efforts were ultimately fruitless. They were captured after Qedai refused to abandon an injured Ariada. Brought to a Jalsinnare ship, they were shown holos of the capture of the Yanibar Guard's orbital facilities, as well as the death of prominent Force exile leaders, including her mother and Master Selu Kraen. The Jalsinnare ship was equipped with Force-dampening ysalamiri, so Qedai was unable to warn her friends.

They were then interrogated harshly for several weeks on end in order to determine the location of the Yanibar colony. The Jalsinnare made use of a device which would prompt users to think they were experiencing their worst fears. The inability to escape and strike back wore away at Qedai, but she refused to give in to her dark urges. She made thirteen escape attempts and was severely beaten for her audacity, but her example inspired the others to remain unbroken. Afterward, it was revealed that the entire capture-and-imprisonment experience was an elaborate test devised by the Yanibar Guard&mdash;the Jalsinnare Mercenaries had been recruited into the Yanibar Guard prior to this test, but that had been a highly-classified secret. The attack on Yanibar was a deception designed to help break trainees or push them toward the dark side. Qedai resented the Elite Guardian leadership for subjecting them to the ordeal, though she accepted that it was effective at judging their character and loyalty, proudly noting that none of her team had cracked. Like the other trainees, she never spoke of what the interrogation device made her experience.

It was later revealed that their escape, evasion, and interrogation training had been moved up because they had been selected for a top-secret mission pending successful passing of the test. They were assigned to train as competitors for the reinstated Pan-Galactic Games, held on Coruscant. Each member of the team was assigned to compete in two different events and had to train for both alongside their other studies.

Qedai's events were doubles wave-dancing alongside Zeyn and scoopball with Ariada. She much preferred scoopball, but was kept hard at work training for both events. The preparation was grueling, but Qedai and the rest of the team persevered. They won their events handily at a local sector competition and received the right to represent Yanibar on Coruscant in 22 ABY at the Galactic Games.

However, after arriving on Coruscant, tension arose between Qedai and Zeyn. Her natural impatience and frustration had been pent up for too long and she exploded angrily during a wave-dancing practice session. Assigned some time away from practice to calm herself down, she was approached by Zeyn, who apologized for his part in their argument.

In her first scoopball match two days later, Qedai and Ariada matched up against a pair of Zabraks and lost, though they beat the expectations given to them by the analysts. Qedai did not handle the loss well, knowing that she had been defeated in front of millions of people. She was surly towards her teammates and stormed off.

That evening, she was summoned to a team meeting organized by their chief trainer, Morgedh clan Kel'nerh and Ryion. Morgedh chastised them for their lack of unity and told them to settle their differences. Qedai apologized for her irritation, but her quick temper flared again when Ryion revealed he had been behind the meeting. However, after Ariada reminded them that they were bickering again, the team was able to overcome their frustration and move forward united.

The next day, Qedai and Zeyn went out and performed their wave-dancing routine, earning a third-place medal. It was the only medal won by the Yanibar team and Qedai was proud of what she and her team had accomplished. However, following the competition, Qedai decided to relinquish her role as team leader to Ryion based on his leadership and exemplary teamwork.

They returned to Yanibar and completed their training. For their two years of required military training, Qedai opted to go with YGA. She was put through basic training while under strict orders not to reveal her identity or her Force powers. It was a humbling experience, being treated like just another potential soldier. She had to earn her respect all over again, but again, persevered.

By 26 ABY, Qedai and the rest of her team were fully-qualified and cleared to handle missions offworld, which was just as well, as the Yuuzhan Vong invasion had begun to threaten the entire galaxy by that point.

Appearances

 * Champion of Yanibar