The Essential Guide to Force Exile/Ariada Cerulaen

Ariada Cerulaen was the daughter of a Wroonian woman named Sylexa and Imperial Colonel Ios Meongula, conceived as part of a experiment by the Imperial Department of Redesign. After taking a number of Wroonians to serve as test subjects in a hidden laboratory on R'alla, Meongula used them to develop a virus that would alter the Wroonian genetic code and turn them into humans.

As part of his experiments, he raped Sylexa, intending to use the resulting child as the final piece he needed to complete his virus and infect the general Wroonian population. However, he was stopped by a group of Force exiles, including Selu and Milya Kraen. Both Meongula and Sylexa perished in the attempt, though their child was successfully delivered and was named Ariada by her mother before she died. Ariada was adopted as an infant by another group of Wroonians, Birael and Dyriad Cerulaen. She took their surname and was raised on Yanibar after the freed Wroonians sought shelter.

After it was discovered she was Force-sensitive, she trained under Selu and Milya Kraen alongside their son Ryion. Ariada was a quiet, reclusive child. Her adopted parents were quite aged and were not used to dealing with children, particularly one so introspective and talented. While the circumstances of her conception and birth were largely kept a secret, she found it hard to fit in either with Wroonian children or with the other young people in the colony. She instead devoted most of her time into learning how to work with computer systems and slicing. While Milya Kraen was pleased to see her protege's talent, she also had to lecture Ariada about attempting to slice into secure areas or files on numerous occasions.

When she was 13, a Wroonian elder made an offhanded remark about her being a halfblood. Hurt and yet morbidly curious, Ariada attempted to slice into the files that detailed how the Wroonians had come to live on Yanibar. She was caught in the act by Milya Kraen, who instead of disciplining her, took Ariada in arm and told her both the story of Ariada's birth as well as her own troubled past. She then reassured Ariada that both she and Ariada's adopted parents would always love and accept her.

Ariada was initially horrified and struggled for several years to accept her past. The revelation also prompted her to explore medicine and genetics as well. She joined the Elite Guardians in 16 ABY after deciding she wanted to help stop people like Ios Meongula and was paired with her childhood friends Ryion and Zeyn Kraen, as well as a Twi'lek named Qedai in one of the new four-man teams being created in the Elite Guardians.

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. Ariada was the most technically gifted of the group, excelling in slicing and security systems, while she also served as the team medic. She excelled at her roles, but struggled to master the combative aspects of her training. She was by far the worst of the team when it came to weaponry and unarmed combat, despite the attempts of her trainers and teammates.

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 Qedai detected their presence, she led the others in an evasive journey, but their efforts were ultimately fruitless. While attempting to scramble up a steep ravine, Ariada lost her footing and fell several meters, severely spraining her ankle. Qedai and the rest of the team refused to leave her and they were captured. 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 Milya and Selu Kraen. The Jalsinnare ship was equipped with Force-dampening ysalamiri, so Ariada was unable to warn her friends of the danger.

They were then separated and 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 Ariada and she nearly despaired. However, Ryion found a way to slip her notes, which encouraged her to persevere and Qedai's persistent escape attempts pushed her to show the same resilience. Ariada performed admirably, refusing to divulge any vital information. 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. Ariada became more withdrawn after the ordeal, noting that she had needed a lot of help to endure. Her own inner demons continued to haunt her from the emotions that had been traumatized during interrogation. 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.

Ariada's events were scoopball with Qedai and doubles low-g gymnastics with Ryion. She was the least athletically-gifted member of the team, but worked extremely hard so as not to disappoint her team. The preparation was grueling, but Ariada 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.

Having sensed an unnatural protectiveness from Ryion over the last year, she feared that he didn't trust her as a valuable member of the team and became more reclusive while she struggled with self-worth. Ryion noticed this and confronted her about it shortly after they arrived on Coruscant. She pointed out his protective tendencies and asked him if he thought she was weak. She was surprised when he replied that his attention toward her was of a romantic nature instead. At a loss for words, she did not give him a reply when he asked how she felt.

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 was irritated by the outcome, but Ariada did not say a word to her team after the loss. She merely collected her equipment and left.

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.

When Ryion was forced to cease using the Force in his other event to avoid giving away information to attending Jedi, he was severely beaten in the galactic octathlon event. Ariada visited him to try and dissuade him from competing in the low-g event, but he stubbornly refused. He asked again about her feelings towards him and she told him she was conflicted, concerned that a relationship with him would complicate their professional career as Elite Guardians.

During their warmup and initial rounds for the gymnastics event, Ariada had as little contact with Ryion as possible due to the unresolved tension between them. They were competing well, but barely spoke. Before the parabola portion of the gymnastics event, Ryion asked her to open the mental link between them fully and she complied reluctantly. Ryion had sensed malevolent intent and, with Ariada's help, was able to thwart an assassination attempt on New Republic Chief of State Leia Organa Solo, who had been watching the competition. In the process, Ryion was severely injured. Ryion was taken to receive medical treatment and Ariada rejoined him as quickly as possible.

On the flight back to Yanibar, Ariada confessed her own feelings to Ryion and the two began a relationship even as they continued their training. For their two years of required military training, Ariada chose to join YGI, while Ryion went through YGF training. 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 agent, but she was studious and learned well. She had a natural talent for her cracking into secure systems and was highly praised for her diligence, subtlety, and attention to detail.

By 26 ABY, Ariada 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

 * Deception on R'alla
 * Champion of Yanibar