Lonna Vash was a Jedi Knight, and later a Sith during the Jedi Civil War
History[]
Early life[]
Lonna, you will be a noble woman one day; it's up to you to continue the name of Vash.
Me mama? But... what about Derron?
Derron's not like you! He's more... rebellious.
—Hermina Vash to her daughter, Lonna
Lonna Vash was born on the planet of Onderon, in the city's capital, Iziz, to a rich family of the Onderon nobility. Born to Hermina Vash and Porfo Vash. The second of two children, she was younger than her brother Derron Vash by two years, and she did, and would, idolize him for many years to come. As a child, Lonna saw very little of her parents, as they were normally attending social events reserved for the Onderon nobility, so she and her brother were left in the care of various nurses, who would act as a minder whilst the two children played in the cavernous play room that belonged to their house. Often, the two children would be left to amuse themselves by the maids, and Derron would entertain Lonna by playing games and reading, as well as making up and telling, her stories. In the absence of her parents, it was Derron who Lonna looked up to all throughout her childhood, and they would often engage in playing pranks upon the child minder who had been tasked with caring for them. Lonna's father was a merchant, and was often away on business, whilst her mother was normally away at a social event or other party for the nobility, and this meant that she saw very little of her family. It was at one of these social events that Hermina Vash met another man and, in the absence of her husband, she and he engaged in an affair, which lasted for several months. It was only discovered after Hermina became pregnant once more, despite being thirty three standard years of age, and she incurred the wrath of her husband, upon his return. The father of the unborn child was shot by Lonna's father, and Hermina Vash disgraced. Whilst her father attempted to sort out the matter, Lonna and Derron were sent to live with another relative on the other side of Iziz.
While in the house of their relative, who was their great aunt, on their father's side, they found her to be an austere and harsh woman, and this strengthened the bond between Lonna and Derron. They had little free time in this new house, as their aunt worked them very hard, and they lived, although in a very large house, in little comfort; the rooms where they slept were sparsely decorated and, unlike their great aunts quarters, far from lavishly decorated. It was for three and a half years that Lonna and Derron lived here, before they were recalled to the houses where they had grown up in, when Lonna was eleven, as their mother was terminally ill. Although their parents hadn't glossed over the affair, Lonna's father couldn't bear to be laughed t in public for losing his wife, and he kept her married with him for this reason. However, he now kept her on a very short leash. The baby, Lonna would find out years later had been sold to one of the beast riders of Onderon. In the last month, Lonna's mother had contracted a rare syndrome, leaving her terminally ill, and she had less than a year to live. The syndrome confined her to her bed, and resulted in Hermina Vash being confined to a state of near paralysis. Although Lonna loved her mother, she felt betrayed by the fact that her mother had abandoned her and their family for pure, base lust. Lonna's mother passed away within that year, and she and Derron were left motherless, with only their father.
The house where Lonna and Derron grew up
Porfo Vash, Lonna's father, had turned bitter and sour since the betrayal of his wife, and his children reminded him of her and, although he loved them, he was far less kind than he had been. The two children had to spend more and more time together, but so many years of being together had formed a very close bond between them. But it was at this time the Derron began to become more rebellious; he dreamed of running off and joining the Republic Fighter Corps, the unit of the Republic for space battles, and he didn't want a little sister around to hinder him. By this time, he was seventeen and Lonna fifteen, and he decided that it was time he would go. When he left, Lonna lost a part of herself, and she fell into a psychological illness, being confined to her bed for most of the time. No healers on Onderon were able to heal her, so her father, in desperation, called for the Jedi. A Jedi Knight named Arren Kae came and healed Lonna, despite all of the other healers, and she, finding force sensitivity inside Lonna, offered her the chance to become a Jedi knight, and gain purpose once more in her life. The Jedi Knights were known on Onderon, but not massively so, and so Lonna didn't know what to expect. However, seeing a life confined in a large houses as a noble woman looming ahead, she agreed to join the Jedi Knights, and train as a Jedi on Ossus.
Lonna left in a fighter, and she and Master Kae traveled to Coruscant. When she left, her father lost the last member of his family, having lost his wife to death and his son to the Republic, and he fell into a state of mourning, culminating in a sickness of the mind. Lonna had surrendered her status as a noble woman on Onderon, and the line of Vash was to fall into, in Profo's eyes, less noble blood. Whilst Lonna didn't realize the effect her leaving would have upon her father, she did realize that she would be harming him by leaving, and this would scar her for years to come. When she arrived upon Coruscant, she found it to be a large world, covered with greenery and governed by the Jedi.
Coruscant[]
Focus Lonna, focus! Channel the energy through your body!
Channel... yes... I feel it...
—Master Rodal to Lonna
After arriving at the Jedi Enclave on Coruscant, Lonna was placed before the Jedi Council of that time. After having her status of force sensitivity reviewed, she was allowed entrance into the training academy, where she would learn the ways of the Jedi. Having been discovered late on in her life, she was assigned to one master for specialist training. She was assigned to Master Rodal, a Twi'lek, for training on Coruscant. Master Rodal was a man with an extraordinary reputation, having served for thirteen years as a Beast Rider before fighting in the Precursory Beast Wars for eight years as a Jedi, and had served as a Jedi General in over twenty two skirmishes, and Lonna found him to be an austere and demanding master.
However, under Rodal, she learned much, however she struggled heavily in her younger years. She struggled heavily with the force, fearing it's power, as she had heard tales of it on Onderon. This was a large road block for Lonna, and one that would have large effect upon her later life. Rodal tried to impress upon her that the force was a gift, yet Lonna found this to be very hard to comprehend. Her combat training found little hindrance in Lonna's impressionable mind, yet the force was a fear that Lonna was stuck with.
Master Rodal found this to be a terrible problem, and failed to be able to overcome it in Lonna, despite his years of experience. Lonna failed to connect with the force on all levels, and the Jedi Council noticed this, and were almost prepared to throw her from the Order, believing themselves to have made a mistake. It was only when Master Arren Kae, Lonna’s discoverer, offered to take on the problematic Lonna, that anyone at all paid any attention. Master Rodal surrendered Lonna without a fight; she had been his most problematic pupil, and Arren Kae took her on.