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Rise of the Empire eraRebellion eraNew Republic eraNew Jedi Order eraLegacy era

Feelings? Look here, Jedi. You know who has a lot of feelings? Civilians, who bludgeon another civilian to death over some trivial matter. Professionals have standards. Be efficient, constantly vigilant, and never let emotions seize control. Those incapable of adhering to these standards are simply not professionals. They are thugs with lightsabers and fancy cloaks.
—Mysha Zhao to Anastasia Celestis

Mysha Zhao was a legendary Ash'rak Naagloshii Elder who defeated the Sith Lord Darth Azazel, and helped bring the Great Purging to a peaceable conclusion and established an essential coalition with the New Jedi Order. Fabricated in 7 BBY and instructed to become a bodyguard and military advisor to his creator, he was raised on Paschendale by the Sith Lord himself, whose side at which he would remain throughout both his childhood and early adulthood. In 22 ABY, at which time Azazel had began to display dementia, Zhao's life would be altered forever when he was captured and than befriended by the Jedi Knight Anastasia Celestis. When Celestis subsequently proved herself to him by besting him in personal combat, the two became involved and proceeded to develop a close bond. Zhao later rejoined his master on the front lines, to whom he was ostensibly still loyal, while he cooperated with Celestis to assassinate Azazel.

Over the next few years, he fought alongside Azazel in some of the most important battles of the Great Purging. Occasionally, he was able to preclude certain events from materializing, but his closeness to Azazel and his ultimate endgoal prevented him from truly interfering in anything. In 26 ABY, he single-handedly obliterated Azazel's efforts to produce a devastating biological weapon, which the Sith planned to unleash against the entire galaxy. One year later, he fought in the Battle of Anakaa, where he finally succeeded in his ultimate goal. Imputable to Zhao, Azazel was killed, and his forces were dealt a crippling blow. One year later, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances was established. Over the next decade, Zhao helped keep peace throughout the galaxy, as he endeavored to straighten out his fellow Ash'rak. In 30 ABY, he became Elder of the Naagloshii, and later assembled a coalition with the New Jedi Order, becoming close allies with the Jedi Grand Master in particular. In 39 ABY, he married Anastasia Celestis, with whom he had fallen in love, and convinced her to leave the Jedi Order and lead the Naagloshii, and through him the Ash'rak people, by his side.

When the Second Galactic Civil War broke out, Zhao had successfully eliminated practically every Ash'rak whom still believed in the old ways. By the time Jacen Solo assumed control of the Galactic Alliance, Mysha had sired a son with his wife, whom he would proceed to train as his successor. Although he assisted the New Jedi Order on several important missions, he was reluctant to involve his people in the conflict, and so did not truly support either side. After his Celestis was killed by Alastair DuMorne when the Shadow Marshals attempted to assassinate him, Zhao disappeared into the Unknown Regions in pursuit of DuMorne and was presumed lost to the dark side by his previous allies.

Personality and traits[]

The outcome justifies the deed, Jedi.
—Mysha to Anastasia Celestis

Standing at a modest one point seventy-two meters and weighing barely eighty kilograms, Zhao was considered to have represented neither an imposing nor threatening figure, especially for a male of his species. His thin body and quiet demeanor caused many to believe him to be an unassuming and meek individual, which was exactly what he desired. His wheat colored hair generally hung loose with little regard for military protocol, and his eyes could glow pale yellow when they reflected sources of light. His skin was naturally bronzed from considerable time spent outdoors and his hands bore the marks of hard labor. Numerous scars and gashes littered his body, results of both battles past and disciplinary action incurred on him throughout his time as Azazel's apprentice. Dissimilar to Azazel, he favored dressing casually and enjoyed being directly involved in day-to-day matters.

Though he seemingly was a quiet and stoic person, Zhao possessed the ability to command troops into battle through force of will alone. When situations demanded it, and when he felt it was necessary, he could become an invigorating leader, a trait that had served him well in his years of combat service as Azazel's second-in-command. However, he did not enjoy the responsibility of command as his father did. Rather, he accepted his assigned status because he felt it put him in the best position to ensure the safety of his troops. When off the battlefield, Zhao's true self was generally shown; compassionate and merciful, he endeavored to understand his troops and help them with any problems, either perceived or otherwise. Though fully accomplished in torture, he never wished to draw out another's death. Indeed, he often left such a duty to others, but he would never ask his soldiers to do something he himself would not do, even if it was necessary to complete a mission.

Nevertheless, as a fully trained Shadow Marshal, Zhao could be vicious; willing to kill innocents if necessary. Similar to every Shadow Marshal, however, whenever he did kill, he always attempted for the most instantly fatal blow, both for the shake of efficiency and because of his own morality. He held complete loyalties to few, but to those few he was a trustworthy companion. In fact, he made a point of never making a promise unless he intended to hold it. He would reverse this disposition when it was necessary to mislead to complete a mission, but he did not enjoy doing so and would make attempts to avoid prevarications, as he held little patience for such things.

Zhao was considered to be extremely cunning, if not especially intelligent. He would commonly exploit the assumption of those prejudiced against his kind that he was a remorseless killer, and he even strove to strengthen such gossip at times. Several foes underestimated him, but to pay for that mistake later in blood. Against those who were able to best him, he did not hold grudges; rather, he respected such redoubtable battle prowess. He did, however, hold the Jedi in little regard. Though he honored the Jedi's prowess as warriors, he considered them as a whole to be foolishly naïve, because of the perceived idealist impulses of most of them.

Zhao also displayed a powerful wit, much as his father had before him. Frequently laughing at tense situations, he would combine jokes and innuendo to calm his forces in combat. Even when dealing with death, his mannerism held a subtle amount of comedy. At briefings, he was a favored sight by most soldiers, because of his calm, decompressing sense of humor. Some criticized the ways he trusted to command troops, but this rarely kept him from accomplishing missions as he saw fit, usually with outstanding results.

Over the years, Mysha was frequently challenged by a legion of hostiles. These chellenges included clashes with other Ash'rak, both Dark Jedi and Jedi alike, and even the central ruling body of the given era on occasion. He has even stated once that he seemed to be a "magnet for trouble". Though he did not always prevail in these encounters, he did endure through every hardship and emerged beaten, but not demolished. Despite the extreme peril he persisted through on almost a daily basis, however, his enthusiasm for his duties had never been deminished. His galaxy made sense when he was enshrouded within his armor, with a lightsaber in his hands, a trusty pistol at his side, and plenty of possible enemies standing in his way.

Behind the scenes[]

Mysha Zhao's first name was an intentional reference to actor Misha Collins. As a fan of what he believed is Collin's talent, Darth Trickster thought it would be endearing to associate his character here at Star Wars Fanon to who he felt is a gifted actor. Despite Mysha being spelled differently, Zhao's first name was most definitely meant as a homage to the actor.

When first establishing this article, Darth Trickster began by crafting what he felt to be a stereotypical soldier. Otherwise a large, powerful, and antagonistic person.

However, after some calibrations were done, the character's present state as what he currently is became clear to Trickster as his favored version. For classification purposes, Trickster felt that Zhao would be most clearly defined as a Byronic hero, or something very similar. For Trickster, the antihero concept also played a part in the construction of this article.

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