Nairasho (/naɪˈrɑ:.ʃoʊ/) was a female Laq Centurion of the Order of Keltrayu. She was considered by her instructors to be one of the Order's most promising adepts before her early death during the Nightmare War.
Biography[]
Born on the Laquil homeworld of Baes in 127 ABY, Nairasho's parents suspected her Force sensitivity early in life when she learned much more quickly than other children and demonstrated unusually fast reflexes. They contacted a Praetor-Recruiter of the Order of Keltrayu, who interviewed Nairasho and confirmed her strength in the Force. The girl was taken to the Sith Star for training in 131 ABY.
As a Novice, Nairasho quickly distinguished herself as one of the best in her age group. She studied and read voraciously, and opted to specialize in Makashi. Praetor-Blademaster Kieran Sapphire thought she had the potential to become the Order's best Makashi practitioner in time. Her command of the Force was unequalled in her peer group. She became something of a friendly rival and a goal to the Chiss Novice Vos'elk'eetash, who had a stronger connection to the Force but whose training had not yet made her Nairasho's equal in combat. Her best friend was the Loreskus Aearbo Manitani, who was her own age; Nairasho and Aearbo sparred and trained together constantly, and though Nairasho was consistently the superior swordsman, she taught Aearbo a number of defenses which made Aearbo's Ataru better defended against Makashi than most other disciples of the style.
By 146 ABY, Nairasho could consistently defeat every other Novice in lightsaber sparring, as well as many full Centurions. Prefect Eskol Kaartinen allowed her to take the Centurion exams in that year, and she passed easily. During her first two years of Centurion service, the Laq continued to distinguish herself, including a law enforcement assignment in which she helped Mir Kaldu`uz's planetary police force break up a drug smuggling ring.
The Nightmare War erupted in 149 ABY, and the entire Order prepared to face the invading Skavik army and the Dark Jedi said to be leading the enemy. A few months into the war, she was dispatched from Breek Zagrev's fleet, along with twin Centurions Kylaea and Malyri Porén, to investigate the source of the enemy forces. The three Centurions traced the Dark Jedi to Awpierh, but they were ambushed by several Vyrak clones and the Dark Jedi Karshi Saan and Charg. Despite their martial prowess, they managed to wound only a handful of the clones and kill one before they were captured.
Tortured and interrogated for days by the two Dark Jedi, all three Centurions refused to talk, using the Force to suppress their pain. Malyri and Kylaea managed to escape the compound and kill the patrols sent to find them, but they did not flee offworld, refusing to leave without rescuing their sister. Nairasho was tortured past the point of endurance, and while she still did not talk, her mental defenses crumbled enough for the telepathic Iktotchi Saan to read her mind and discover information about the Order. Tariun Sakaros dispatched Luna Raquelsei and Elrabin Ralvik to investigate the disappearances, but by the time they and the twins broke back into the facility, Nairasho had died of her injuries.
Nairasho's body was transported back to the Sith Star and received by Tariun himself, along with an honor guard of Centurions. Malyri and Kylaea were consumed with guilt about her death, although both Kaartinen and Rin Sakaros agreed there was nothing they could have done. Nairasho lay in state in the Citadel for three days before she was interred in Keltrayu's Tomb on Keliso. Kylaea later wrote "Lament for Nairasho" in her memory. Aearbo was deeply affected by the loss of her best friend, and became withdrawn and bitter for a long time after the war.
Powers and abilities[]
The best lightsaber combatant of her age group, Nairasho was adept at Makashi and well on the way to full proficiency at the time of her death. Kieran Sapphire felt she had the potential to equal Terran Saul's skills with the form given time, and Makashi specialists Malyri Porén and Jira Zaffrod were both impressed with her skills.
Aside from her lightsaber prowess, Nairasho was adept at other uses of the Force as well. She had the typical Centurion's expertise at telekinesis and telepathy, and her mental defenses and pain suppression were sufficiently powerful that it took even Karshi Saan over a standard week to finally break down her mind enough to read it.
Appearance and personality[]
Tall for a female Laq at 1.70 meters (5'7"), Nairasho had pale blue skin and blue-green hair which she kept chin length. Her gray eyes were the color of steel. She carried a single, curved-hilt lightsaber with a blade a shade lighter than her own flesh.
Studious and hardworking, Nairasho struck many of her fellow Novices as distant and remote. She had a small circle of close friends, but otherwise spent much of her time studying and practicing the Force and lightsaber combat. She could be obsessive about practicing techniques which she had not mastered, but she learned quickly and rarely made the same mistake twice.