Shae always did have a sense of urgency about him; he just didn't listen to it.
—Konopka
Shae was a male Chalactan Sith Lord and a veteran of both the War of Twelve Heirs and the First Sith Civil War. Born Altaïr, on the Chalactan colony of Hashlahan; Altaïr was trained from birth in preparation for his future membership within the Scimitar Guard, and upon membership quickly excelled through the ranks. Taking the age-name Shae on his seventeenth birthday, Altaïr become a full member of the prestigious Order, excelling in his duty to become the youngest Master Assassin in the Order's history. However, the arrival of the Sith Order of Decreto in 3,995 BBY soon saw Shae's highly structured life tare apart as the Scimitar Guard were wiped out and Shae himself, was captured.
Taken to Ni, Shae was indoctrinated into the Sith, becoming an official member of the Order. Within a few years, Shae's mastery over the Force had excelled, although the discontent with the speed of his training was never far from his thoughts. Eventually, Shae left the Order, exiling himself and making an enemy of the Sith. Hunted from the day he left, Shae slowly became infamous throughout the Empire for his supposedly unmatched combat skill and reclusive nature; whilst those that pursued him feared his latent ability to manipulate events to suit his own purposes. Shae's old Sith Master, Konopka, finally cornered Shae in 3,988 BBY on the planet of Lehon and sent a party of Sith Lords to apprehend him. None of the party survived, and Konopka, realizing that Shae would not be brought back to the Order alive, allowed the rogue Sith Lord to vanish.
Many years past before conflict once again engulfed the Empire. Konopka, a leading figure in one of the conflict's suffering factions reasoned that Shae owed him his life, and sought out the recluse. Reluctantly, Shae returned to his Master's side and rejoined the Order; surviving the conflict and cementing his reputation as not only the greatest lightsaber duellist in the Order, but also its greatest assassin.
By the year 3,940 BBY, Shae had taken up residence on Nagi, far from the reaches of the Empire; but with the eruption of a second civil war amongst the Sith, Shae knew it would not be long before his expertise were once again requested.
Biography[]
Early years[]
Born into a prestigious family on the planet Hashlahan in 4,016 BBY, Altaïr's early life was strictly regulated by his predetermined membership into the Hashlahan sect of the Chalactan Adepts. The sect, although closely resembling their parent Order, differed greatly in their actions. Against the norm, Altaïr was permitted to stay with his family during his early training and as such was present to witness the death of his younger sister at the hands of his drunkard farther. Enraged, Altaïr killed the man and fled to Adepts in repentance of his crimes. At the age of just fourteen, Altaïr was promoted into the Adepts' combat training regime, as a means to let his anger flow. After just two years, Altaïr had become the most skilled combatant amongst the Chalactan Adepts and had mastered the vibroblade, and later, on the eve of his seventeenth birthday, was inducted into the prestigious Scimitar Guard. It was during his coming of age ceremony, that Altaïr had his ring finger amputated and a hidden vibroblade device given to him, that would protrude from the gap left by the amputated finger. Altaïr's highly acrobatic fighting style led him to be given the named Shae by his peers within the Guard.
Shae steadily rose through the ranks of the Scimitar Guard, becoming the one of the Guard's most efficient assassins. Tasked with the execution of various enemies of Hashlahan, Shae gained a reputation for his swift strike, ghostly presence and no-nonsense; garnering him the respect of all his peers. And it was during these times that Shae began to question the true source of his skills, dabbling in the mysterious power that granted him his strength and actively searching for the chance to test his potential; in the year 3,996 BBY, he would finally get his chance.
Assassination of Kasar Terinni[]
In the year 3,997 BBY Kasar Terinni found his way onto the Scimitar Guard's list of targets; and Shae was chosen to execute the contract; after just two days of searching, Shae tracked Terinni down and cornered the crime lord in his estate. Terinni attempted to eliminate Shae but was quickly overpowered and mortally wounded. Standing over the dying crime lord, Shae was shot from behind by one of Terinni's sniper guard and subdued. Two hours later Shae finally came around, finding himself inside a cell; stripped of his weapons. Eventually, he learned from his torturers that Terinni had survived and was making a full recovery, although Shae did not share the same fate. For months, Shae was tortured by the crime lords lackeys, Terinni himself occasionally appearing to watch. Unbeknownst to his captors however was that Shae had slowly be working himself free of his binds and was merely awaiting the opportune moment to strike.
Eventually, the moment came when Terinni finally approached Shae inside his cell. Terinni gloated over Shae's failure to eliminate him and the Scimitar Guard apparent lack of interest in their failed assassin, musing that perhaps the Guard had hidden itself away now that their greatest assassin was no more. Shae merely smirked at Terinni, speaking defiantly against him before he freed himself from his binds and struck at Terinni; striking his skull against the solid ferrocrete wall and crushing it with his hand. Shae then blasted his torturer into another wall with such strength that his victim's bones shattered from the force. Free of his cell, Shae proceeded to regain his effects and flee the crime lord's estate.
Shae experiments with the Force.
Escaping from the dungeon, Shae was swarmed by a vast number of Terinni's gang; each wielding their vibroblades and swords skilfully; however it was not long before Shae overpowered and killed many of his attackers, forcing the rest to flee before they were eventually brought down by the assassins throwing knives. Returning to his escape, Shae made his way to the estate's roof top before he was once again being pursued; he brought down two more guards before his throwing knives were spent, and was forced to flee his remaining pursuers.
Leaping from the estate's battlements, Shae dove into the streets below, narrowly avoiding the ground before swinging back up to the rooftops via use of a structural support beam. Shae knew instantly however, that he had chosen the wrong rooftop to land on, and was cut off from any nearby structures to escape too. Trusting in his strengths, Shae leaped from the rooftop towards the nearest structure; and partially destroyed apartment, and felt as if the wind carried his body through the air; before landing and once again fleeing the scene; now free of his pursuers.
Adopting the Sith ways[]
Following the assassination of Kasar Terinni, Shae maintained his perfect record for kills, returning to the Scimitar Guard in earnest. The Guard, although astonished to receive their peer alive, welcomed Shae back into the Order happily. The Master Assassin spent several weeks tending to his wounds before he felt himself fit enough to continue his work, but by this time, Shae begun to believe that things had changed greatly within the Scimitar Guard, and that the Guard were in fact preparing to betray him. Hiding his thoughts, Shae was once again called to duty, although he felt that his assassinations were of little importance to the sovereignty of the realm, and a great distance the Order. Suspicious that he was being kept away for ulterior reasons, Shae speedily removed his last target before sneaking back into the planets capital.
Finally arriving at the headquarters of the Scimitar Guard, he was shocked to discover the bodies of so many of his peers, although not all of them; and reasoned that he had not been the only assassins sent far into the outer reaches of the realm. Shae learnt from a survivor that an internal power struggle had been building up since before his return from Terinni's abode, and that it had recently erupted into a coup d'état by the Scimitar Guard. Shae also learnt that Hashlahan government had a new ally, identifying themselves only as Sith; and that it had been these Sith who had swept aside the assassins so swiftly. Enraged at the apparent treachery of the Hashlahan government, Shae became determined to exact revenge for his Order. It was then that Shae found his skills truly put to the test. Infiltrating the capital building of Hashlahan, Shae made his way towards the central council chamber unchallenged before he was finally confronted. Inside the chamber stood a small but darkened figure, surrounded by the bodies of the Hashlahan government. Assuming the stoutly figure to be of the Sith, Shae attacked, drawing his vibroblade and charging towards his target. Upon reaching striking distance, Shae swung his blade for the neck, but was speedily parried at the last moment; throwing the Master Assassin off balance and causing him to tumble to the floor. Rising to his feet Shae attacked once again, engaging the figure in a duel.
At first Shae held the advantage over the Sith, who's skill with the vibroblade was negligible, quickly overpowering him and ready to strike the killing blow. Before he could land his strike though, Shae found himself being thrown back by a great gust of wind and briefly being knocked unconscious as he hit the ceiling. By the time Shae finally came around, he was surrounded by a number of his Sith enemies. The stout warrior ordered his associates to pick up the assassin and to take him to "the ship", but not before introducing himself as En Tir. Aboard the ship, Shae was administered a cocktail of drugs, and forced into a deep asleep. When he finally awoke from his slumber Shae was welcomed by En Tir to Ni.
Shae was dragged before another Sith Lord En Tir only addressed as "Master", and made to kneel before him. At first Shae refused, but soon found himself being forced to against his will by the same magic that had thrown him into the ceiling on Hashlahan. En Tir soon left, and the tall figure before Shae finally introduced himself as Konopka, an alien. Shae was shocked by the revelation that Konopka was not of a baseline Human species, as although it was known that the galaxy was vast and widely inhabited, travel to other planets was prohibited on Hashlahan. Amused by the assassin's apparent shock, Konopka proceeded to torture Shae; asking him about the Scimitar Guard, the government of Hashlahan, even about the death of his sister. Shae reacted in rage towards Konopka when the subject of his sister was brought up and tried, in vain, the kill the Sith Lord. Konopka picked up on this focal point of anger and exploited it. Succumbing to his wounds after days of torture, Shae was seduced to the dark side with the promise of great deeds and assassinations awaiting him.
Taken as an apprentice by Konopka, much to the anger of En Tir, Shae's training with the Sith begun immediately. Introduced to the Sith weapon of choice – the lightsaber – the Sith apprentice developed his skills rapidly, becoming a master with the lightsaber much like he had the vibroblade. His skill in the Force also strengthened with each passing day, and was capable of learning feats most Sith Lords took decades to master. But as quickly as Shae's mastery over the lightsaber and Force grew, so did his arrogance and his displeasure with the speed of his training.
Five years past before Shae, who had by this point been inducted into the Hand as one of the Empire's assassins, finally decided to confront his Sith Master about how best to leave the Order. In 3,990 BBY, after years of Sith training, Shae asked Konopka how he could achieve this. Calmly, Konopka informed Shae that one could not simply leave the Sith Order, and that Konopka should, by right, strike down Shae for merely contemplating the fact. Shae heeded the warnings, but was not deterred. Only a day later he left Ni, never to return. Hekas-ni, the Dark Lord of the Decreton Empire was enraged to learn of the betrayal of one of his own Sith Lords, and ordered Konopka to apprehend to rogue Sith.
On the run[]
Over the next two years, Shae fled from the Commander of the Home Fleet, travelling vast distances throughout not only the Empire, but the entire Unknown Regions by any means he could. During his journeys, Shae's gathered a vast knowledge of language, religion, medicine, spirituality and loyalty; learning never to trust anyone and to only reveal his presence to those he did not intend to live.
Shae, being engaged by a trio of Sith Lords during his manhunt.
However, despite these precautions, twenty months after fleeing Ni, Shae made the mistake of allowing one who knew his identity to live past the night; his positioned was soon revealed to the Sith and Konopka sent to capture him. Konopka located and apprehended the Sith Lord. Upon the return journey to Ni however, the Dragon-class Decimator Shae was being held on stopped in orbit of Lehon, so as to allow a CEDF warship to pass. Shae took advantage of the situation, and broke out of his cell, into the ships docking bay and hijacked a one man escape pod, revealing the presence of the vessel to the Chiss. It was only by their timely escape that the Sith managed to avoid detection. Konopka waited behind Lehon's moon for the Chiss warship to move on before once again ordering his crew to apprehend Shae.
Konopka ordered seven of his Sith Lords, including Dre'Veis and Taraketh, down to Lehon to apprehend or eliminate Shae. Shae fled to the Temple of the Ancients and sealed himself within, so as to have time to prepare himself for battle. By the time his pursuers managed to override the temple door's security lock, Shae was ready. In the ensuing duel Shae showed his true mastery with the lightsaber, eliminating all seven of the Sith Lords in a grand display of acrobatic prowess and Force energy, although he was knocked unconscious. Impressed with the display, Konopka decided that it would be best to leave Shae on Lehon, and returned to Ni; where he informed Hekas-ni of the deaths of all eight Sith Lords on Lehon. In spite of the official declaration of his death, rumors quickly spread of Shae's survival at Lehon, as well as the details of his victory. Shae became infamous among the general populous of the Empire, as well as the Sith Lords themselves for his victory at Lehon, although it was often the case the details of his victory were highly exaggerated, sometimes to outlandish proportions. Shae left Lehon knowing that he owed Konopka his life, and contemplated repaying it in kind one day.
Shae decided that the time had come to stop running, and that it would be best if he simply settled down under a new name. Arriving on an unidentified Sith world within the realm of the House of Set, Shae took up the alias of Ezio and devoted himself to his studies of language, religion and the likes. The recluse spent the next twenty-five years living a care-free life, raising a family with he loved one. Despite his abandonment of the Sith, Ezio could never fully let go of his Sith past, sometimes resorting to fatal means to secure a future for his family. Regardless, Ezio was free of the trappings of his Sith Masters, and intended to remain so.
War of Twelve Heirs[]
Shae in 3,963 BBY.
Konopka: “The duel on Lehon? I don't know why, but it's a good thing I did.”
―Shalbacca and Konopka, 3,963 BBY
In 3,964 BBY Hekas-ni, the Dark Lord of the Decreton Empire died, and the title of Emperor passed on to his son Setal-ni. Many on the Sith Council were displeased with this shift in power and civil war ensued. What started out as a minor skirmish between the Council members soon erupted into an empire spanning conflict though. On one side, Setal-ni – the Emperor – and his two closest allies, Shalbacca and Konopka, fought to defend Setal-ni's claim to the throne; while on the other, Mythos and his underlings Corae and Korin fought to usurp it. The remaining Council members; Sam Sinays, Taral, Sekal Phasas'a, Kell, Am Lee and Saxa likewise challenged the young Emperor's claim to the throne, but did not actively seek to usurp it.
Ezio did not question the fact that the conflict would spread to every corner of the Empire, and that it would engulf many worlds before it passed, but did not see it as his concern. The attack on Ni and the fall of the House of Set did little to spur Ezio to take up his arms once more. But a chance meeting between the Set Sith Lord Appuchi and Shalbacca following the fall of the House of Set thrust the Master Assassin back into the limelight. Before long, Konopka was once again tracking down the maverick Sith warrior. Ezio, tired of running and seeking to protect his family in the only way he knew how, took up his title of Shae and once again met with Konopka; this time in peace. Konopka offered Shae a compromise on the present arrangement. If Shae would fight alongside the House of Ni, the security of his family would be assured, and following the conflict they would be left to live in peace, without having to hide his presence. Shae agreed, saying he was concerned only for the security of his family; although Konopka doubted this, believing Shae had built up a hunger for conflict once more.
Together, Shae, Konopka and Shae's family made their way to Ni. Ni's family were provided quarters with the royal palace, and Shae was presented to the Emperor and Wookiee bodyguard – Shalbacca.
First Sith Civil War[]
Shae: “If you say so.”
―Sam Sinays and Shae on the death of Anisen
Following the deaths of his family and the close of the War of Twelve Heirs, Shae had once again gone into seclusion, this time on Nagi, far from the reach of the Empire. This time however, Shae declared before he left that any who followed him would suffer the most painful of deaths. Arriving on Nagi, Shae fully expected the Sith to pursue him once more, but was pleasantly astonished when they did not. Twenty more years past, before the aging Chalactan begun to contemplate allowing himself to lose his connection to the force, content to feel free of his Sith enemies at last. It was thanks to this dulling of his connection to the Force however that allowed the whispers of conflict within the Sith Empire to slip by him unnoticed, and before he knew it; the Sith Empire was once again on the brink of civil war. The Dark Lord, Sam Sinays, was determined to avert a full scale civil war by quickly cutting the head of the snake of rebellion; and made his way to Nagi personally to confront Shae.
Confronting Shae, Sam Sinays at first tried to use his authority as Dark Lord to order the aging warrior back into service. When Shae refused Anisen, a member of Sinays' entourage, attempted to strike him down for his defiance but was easily killed with a thrust from Shae's hidden blade. Amused, Sam Sinays offered Shae an unprecedented reward if he would offer his services to Sinays, and eliminate Ater Phasas'a; he would get his family back.
Personality, traits and talents[]
Konopka: “Shae is no hermit, and his skill is unmatched. I doubt very much you could have survived Lehon, Shalbacca.”
―Shalbacca and Konopka, 3,963 BBY
Regardless of the name he took, Shae was a highly skilled and deadly warrior, able to keep his calm in almost any situation and feared among his fellow Scimitar Guards and later Sith Lords for his emotionless demeanour, swift strike and imposing nature. His training with the Chalactan Adepts, the Scimitar Guard and the Sith Order of Decreto all contributed to his attitude towards power, and those who wielded it. He knew that despite his strength, Shae would never be an Emperor, and unless he was careful, his fate would always rest in their hands. This fear of authority, coupled with his apparent lack of speed in training was what eventually led to Shae leaving the Sith Order.
A talented individual, Shae two year travels throughout the Sith Empire gained him a vast repository of knowledge in the fields of language, religion, medicine, spirituality and loyalty. A man who had been broken many times over, Shae placed a priority of becoming became skilled in healing, and achieved this speedily; becoming capable his own wounds not only through the Force, but through conventional means as well. He also learnt to speak numerous different languages fluently including his native Chalactan, Decreton Sith, Galactic Basic and Nagaian; developing his own distinct accents for each language so as to portray a sense of native-ness towards each one. He later learnt the language of the Logi during the Phasasites War.
A skilled assassin even in his later years; Shae was able to infiltrate any facility he needed, carry out his assassination, and escape undetected, and was only ever caught unawares once. His incredible agility, speed, acrobatic skill and knack for subterfuge made him a feared opponent throughout his life, a trait which continued into his later years; if not increased.
Combat skill[]
Shae: “That is because they know that their help is not needed.”
―Kasar Terinni and Shae, moments before Terinni's assassination
Shae's vibroknuckler.
A master of the Force, the lightsaber and the vibroblade, Shae fought in the age old style of Makashi, but was also versed in using the natural terrain to his advantage. Shae's strength in the Force was so great, that by 3,988 BBY, he could Force Puch a B'rknaa a vast distance into the air, whilst holding of a number of attacking Sith Lords. Shae's skill with both the lightsaber and vibroblade were unprecedented and unmatched during his lifetime, a fact that he was proud to admit; and it was considered by many in the Order that it was not until the rise of Darth Abeonis that the order was blessed with an individual so skilled with the blade.
Shae's skill with the vibroblade was born from his combat training on his homeworld of Hashlahan, in which he was tutored in multiple target duelling. However, his later training in Makashi often conflicted with his instinctual fighting style, and it would take many years for the Sith warrior to adapt Makashi to effectively combat multiple opponent. Shae did not only fight with a lightsaber and vibroblade though. The Master Assassin fought with a variety of weapons, including throwing knives and a modified vibroknuckler which was concealed within, and protruded from the gap his ring finger left; allowing for deadly close-quarter strikes. Following his self-imposed exile within the realm of the House of Set, Shae (then known as Ezio) fashioned a biomechanical ring finger to replace the one he had previously had amputated so as to prevent anyone identifying from it. During these years, Shae also took to expanding upon his arsenal; adding a second hidden blade and two concealed daggers within his belt buckle.
Behind the scenes[]
The character of Shae was created to provide the war ravaged Sith Empire of the War of Twelve Heirs/Phasasites War era a tool which could be utilised to secure the timely deaths of a number of the individuals involved; although these deaths have yet to be documented. As usual with the author, as the original story progressed, the characters back story developed so as to separate Shae from his contemporaries, but was designed to be distinctly unique to the equally eventful back story of his other lead characters. Every attempt was made to present a sense of realism in the events that surround the Master Assassin's life, and how he deals with these events in his characterised way. The creation of a family was yet another means for the author to show a sense of realism for the character trying to assimilate into society, whilst remaining free from it.
The name of Altaïr came to the author following the choosing of the Altaïr model from the video game Assassin's Creed, and was used in homage of said character; as was the alias of Ezio, which is taken from the name of the protagonist of Assassin's Creed II, the original games sequel. Whilst Shae's combat prowess was already planned before the Altaïr model was chosen, the adoption of this particular model allowed the author to utilise the many weapons available to Altaïr inside the Assassin's Creed universe; although the idea of having his ring finger removed was one taken with much reluctance, although the revelation that the protagonist of the second game retained all his fingers allowed the author to remove the amputated ring finger from the character's profile.
The creation of the Scimitar Guards, a version of the real-life assassins guild, the Hashshashin was developed to explain many of the characters more advance combat skills and the advantages said skills provided him over his contemporary Sith Lords. Shae's quick ascension through the ranks of the Scimitar Guard shows sufficiently the nature of the character's development – always growing, always changing, and retaining a hatred for any slow down in his growth.