It is not lost on me that every soldier under your command is a living, breathing person who deserves to not be wasted on fruitless missions. Don’t mistake that for a second.
—Roxana Taskien
Roxana Taskien was a Human woman originally from the Mid Rim world of Kalarba. She was born in 45 BBY and raised by a single mother. She never knew her father. Her mother worked as a housekeeper for a wealthy Kalarban politician. Roxana happened to befriend the politician's daughter, a girl named Maleah about her own age. Roxana convinced Maleah to share her schoolbooks with her, and thus was able to gain more of an education than possible for someone of her social stature. Curious, highly-intelligent, and determined, Roxana quickly learned how to manipulate Maleah while still appearing subservient.[1]
Her mother taught her to look out for herself, and use whatever she could to get ahead. At the age of 13, Roxana had no qualms about faking her identity to gain entrance to the more prestigious Attritia Academy. It took several months for the government to realize that she wasn't Maleah, but by that time, Roxana had uncovered a secret spice-using and child exploitation ring inside the administration. When threatened with expulsion, informed Maleah's father of her discovery, as several higher-ranking administrators involved in the plot were political allies of his. He threatened to have her killed, but she had arranged for the story to be sent to Maleah and the press in the event of her death. In exchange for her silence, her father promised she would get the education she wanted.[1]
Roxana was true to her word, graduating with honors from Attritia. She earned an interview with the Senate Bureau of Intelligence, during which she revealed the existence of the ring. The agents interviewing her were impressed and she was promptly offered a job. At the tender age of 22, she began her career with the Senate Bureau of Intelligence. Her natural drive, perception, and even her ability to understand people helped her excel at field work, which she relished. However, bureaucratic bungling at the political levels above her frustrated her. Though adept at playing the political games, Roxana hated doing so. Though she had no qualms about using people, she much preferred to do so for a meaningful purpose. In 28 BBY, as the Separatist Crisis deteriorated, she obtained a transfer to Republic Intelligence, a military agency. Her superiors were glad to see her go—Roxana was not above uncovering their side businesses or oversights and using them as leverage, while courting powerful allies to keep herself safe. She would also resort to subtly pitting her superiors against each other and then offering a mutually beneficial way out, provided it benefited her interests or the interests of her mission. While devoted to the Republic, Roxana also understood that it was a flawed organization made of flawed individuals—she had to take care of herself while operating within the bounds of the law.[1]
When the Clone Wars broke out, Roxana was a well-respected field agent. Her effectiveness in human intelligence was appreciated by the military. Roxana was willing to take the time and build relationships with informants and assets, and as long as her interests were taken care of, devoted to the Republic cause. While other Republic Intelligence agents were less effective due to focusing more on the technicalities of espionage and seeking the higher-placed agents, Roxana was a pragmatist. Her upbringing taught her that the weak link in any organization was its people, and that those of seemingly lesser stature were often more in the know. Her approach, combined with a healthy dose of intuition, earned her many successful missions—though not all of them succeeded. Her air of invulnerability was shattered on her fifth field mission for Republic Intelligence, when her asset panicked and flipped back to their previous employer, the Zygerrian Slavers. Taskien's intelligence office was sent a holo-recording of the man being slowly roasted alive for his treachery. She watched every minute of it so that she fully appreciated the consequences of her actions, of her failure to anticipate every possible outcome. Henceforth, she developed a more cynical outlook on life, and was personally willing to place herself in danger to protect others from a similar fate.[1]
Taskien earned herself several awards for bravery, valor, and her quick-thinking. She was known for being perceptive, but was often not careful in how quickly she formed emotional attachments to allies. Her career had more than a couple fiery romances that quickly burned themselves out, and sometimes grew entangled with her job. Taskien was not callous enough to solely pursue someone for her career advancement, but her career and identify were so closely-tied that any of her relationships that could not survive her job's demands didn't last either. She did not enjoy constantly having to rebuild her identity and seeing relationships be torn apart, but she did accept it as her lot in life. Taskien lived dangerously and she was okay with that.[1]
In 21 BBY, Taskien uncovered a plot to assassinate a high-ranking Republic ambassador during a mission with the Mining Guild on Orrin. Her superiors were uninterested, so she bypassed the normal chain of command to speak with Kinman Doriana, a highly-placed aide to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Doriana met her at a café on Coruscant, and after seeing her evidence, assigned her to lead a team to Orrin to help protect the ambassador. While there, she met Alpha-28, a Republic ARC trooper also assigned to protect the delegation. Though curious as to why one of the Republic's most lethal soldiers would be assigned a protection detail, Taskien found plenty to do in bolstering the security on the remote event center where the negotiations were to take place. Upon learning of minor sabotage in the speeder pool, Taskien recommended canceling the conference since it was clear their discreet negotiations were already known to their enemies. She was overruled, and the event continued as the ambassador arrived.[2]
Discovering a discrepancy in the outgoing signals during a routine sweep, she found a conference room in use that wasn't supposed to be. Confronting the guard posted at the door, she bullied her way inside, only to find the ambassador closeted with several of the mining guild representatives, participating in unofficial negotiations around a feast and sleazy entertainment. Ambassador Rayees sought to placate her, assuring her that the unofficial gathering would help win the miners over to their side. He even tried to solicit her, but she rebuffed his advances, disgusted.[2]
Frustrated by the low moral character of the ambassador, she decided to visit the gym to work out her frustrations. She met the ARC trooper Alpha-28 again. Just before the morning shift started, main power was lost at the event center, leading Alpha-28 to conclude they were under attack. With the ARC leading the way, Taskien and Alpha-28 fought their way back through the event center. Much of the event staff and security had been taken by surprise during the attack. Taskien was able to rescue several other agents while Alpha-28 held off a sniper. The ARC dove into a field of smoldering lava vents and scree, crossing the caldera to eliminate the sniper. The facility was secured, and Taskien offered to help treat the ARC's minor injuries. During the process, she dubbed him "Spectre" for his stealthy habits. She developed an increasing appreciation of the ARCs and the clone army after seeing him in action, but in particular Spectre, who was surprisingly intelligent and thoughtful for an army soldier.[2] Republic Intelligence often stereotyped the clones as toy soldiers who only knew warfare, but Taskien saw first-hand that wasn't true.[1]
As the Republic prepared to evacuate the ambassador on a ship provided by General Venasee, Taskien busied herself trying to identify the attackers by tracing their comm signals. Just then, a call from Doriana came in for her, informing her that General Venasee was the traitor. Furthermore, she learned he was connected with a Separatist leader named Ardo Romierr, who had provided the mercenaries for the attack on the event center. As the call finished, Taskien was informed that an encrypted comm channel used by the mercenaries was still active and had been used by the ARC as well. Taskien realized that Spectre was also working for the general and quickly headed to where the comm trace said he would be: across the rim of the caldera at the sniper's perch. She was able to persuade him that the general was actually the traitor. He had been given secret orders from Venasee to covertly eliminate the ambassador, but realized she was correct. The general chose that moment to reveal himself, attacking the event center with a LAAT/i gunship. However, Spectre shot it down, preventing the general from escaping[2]
Taskien was obliged to take him into investigative custody for around a month, but promised it would be somewhere enjoyable.[2] They spent the time on Alderaan, where Taskien and the ARC worked to quickly clear his name so he could return to duty. A furious romance blossomed between them once he was cleared—Spectre did not want to jeopardize her impartiality—but when his leave was over, he told her that she should forget about him. Spectre fully believed the war would kill him and didn't want Taskien to constantly be worrying about him when her own job was so dangerous. Though saddened, Taskien agreed and they parted amicably.[1][3]
Taskien continued her career when the Republic fell and was replaced by the Empire. She was just below the political level, and her personal philosophy was largely ambivalent in terms of who ran the government. Either way, Taskien figured that opposing the Empire was pointless, and serving it would help bring order to the galaxy as well as bring her advancement and recognition. She quickly became a believer as the Empire proved more efficient and less corrupt than its predecessor, and as she found swift advancement from serving the New Order.[1]
In 16 BBY, Taskien was sent to the Separatist hold-out world of Zeru Neimoidia after having persuaded Advisor Kinman Doriana of her hunch. Once a purse-world of the Neimoidians, who were major backers of the Separatist movement, the planet harbored a stubbornly-fierce insurgent movement resisting Imperial occupancy. Taskien landed with a small team and made contact with the Imperial Army commander, CC-3433. At first, the clone trooper was reluctant to cooperate with her, but Taskien's confidence and her personal valuation of his soldiers' lives made him more sympathetic.[3] Taskien had heard rumors of her old enemy Ardo Romierr linked with this world, and Romierr's penchant was for weapons technology and mercenaries. She hoped to find both, and possibly a group of Xi Charrian engineering savants who were unaccounted for.[1]
Taskien directed an operation to lay a large number of mines around a convoy route that Imperial supply trains used to resupply the soldiers fighting deep in Zeru Neimoidia's hinterlands. Knowing that the insurgents had previously disarmed several Imperial minefields, Taskien directed that the newly-laid minefields be bombarded ten minutes after secondary surveillance detected insurgent activity. Other mines had been seeded with secondary trackers. The operation was somewhat successful, killing several insurgents and gathering valuable intelligence at the cost of numerous Imperial losses. However,, the trackers in the mines were ineffective, stymieing Taskien temporarily.[3]
Over the next month, Taskien spent much of her time analyzing data from Neimoidian estates seized by Imperial troops. The war was a brutal, grinding campaign that proved costly in Imperial losses. The casualties wore on Taskien, who devised a reckless plan in response. Disguising herself as an insurgent, she was inserted by means of having stormtroopers fake a chase near a known insurgent activity zone. The plan succeeded in that she was rescued by a group of insurgents, who after three weeks brought her back to the main rebel base after she helped them with a raid on an Imperial outpost to destroy a pair of assault vehicles. Arriving at the base, Draskell, Taskien soon confirmed her hunch when the insurgent leader revealed himeslf to be Ardo Romierr. Furthermore, Romierr had another trick up his sleeve: stealthy long-range Shadow Hawk missiles with baradium warheads. Taskien was able to modify one of the insurgents' droid fighters to launch and signal the Empire of their location. A second fighter was programmed to explode, damaging the other droids in the hangar. She had almost escaped the hangar when a stun bolt hit her.[3]
Captured, Taskien was tortured by several mercenaries before Imperial forces under CC-3433 arrived and stormed the mountain, rescuing her shortly before one of the insurgents shot her. She was injured, but was pleased to hear that they had captured the base as well as Romierr. An Imperial ship under the command of Advisor Kinman Doriana, her old contact from the Clone Wars, now her superior, arrived and picked up the prisoners as well as CC-3433's contingent of soldiers and Taskien on his ship, the Griffin. Doriana also brought a skilled physician, Doctor Rothery, to treat Taskien, after learning of her risky plan. The soldiers were needed to guard the Xi Charrians, expert engineers and technologists who had been serving Romierr. Doriana hoped to deliver them to the Emperor as a prize. Taskien convalesced on the ship, slowly building a relationship with CC-3433 as she did so. She confronted Ardo Romierr, but the insurgent leader wouldn't give her the satisfaction of humility, even from a holding cell. With the trauma of her recent captivity still fresh, Taskien's emotional control began to slip, leaving her raw and less stable.[3]
Doriana diverted his ship towards a secret project of high importance to the Empire, but amidst a ceremony to honor the soldiers who had fought on Zeru Neimoidia, the ship was hijacked. Romierr's group had infiltrated the crew and staged an escape, imprisoning all the Imperials. Taskien found herself singled out for Romierr's ire, but weak as she was, wasn't injured too much. Romierr planned to sell them all to criminal organizations who could enslave or pry their secrets from them, setting up an auction on Darlyn Boda.[3]
They arrived on Darlyn Boda without incident, and several of the prisoners, including Taskien, were herded into a speeder truck. En route, several Imperial fighters flew overhead, as an Imperial Star Destroyer was in orbit on an unrelated mission. Taskien seized the opportunity to direct an escape. Several clone troopers were killed or injured, but the doctor was able to send a transmission before Romierr and his guard stunned the lot of them. They were quickly hustled back to the ship, where Romierr executed twenty-four clone troopers in retribution.[3]
However, Imperial forces from the Star Destroyer had received her transmission and counter-attacked, boarding the Griffin. They freed Taskien and the others, who fought their way to the bridge. Taskien devised a reckless stunt to clear the bridge of mercenaries, and personally threw the grenade that mortally wounded Ardo Romierr. When droidekas attempted to sweep them off the bridge, she disguised herself as a mercenary and was able to get close enough to plant explosives. A mercenary then shot her through the leg, and a stricken CC-3433 carried her to the infirmary.[3]
Arriving at the infirmary, CC-3433 was surprised by an ex-ARC—none other than Spectre—who had joined a fugitive-Jedi-turned smuggler named Selu. The Star Destroyer Taskien had alerted had been at Darlyn Boda in pursuit of Selu and his friends. Joined by a common enemy, Spectre and Selu had forged a hasty alliance with Romierr's mercenaries. Spectre temporarily subdued CC-3433 and Taskien was in no shape to fight. Spectre attempted to compel the Imperial doctor, Jana Rothery, to treat a wounded compatriot of his, an Echani woman named Milya Tayrce, but Rothery held a laser scalpel to Milya's throat. Milya knocked the scalpel away, which freed up Spectre to fight CC-3433. The two fought in brutal hand-to-hand combat but eventually Spectre prevailed, shooting CC-3433 fatally. Taskien managed to recover near the end of the fight and witnessed Spectre killing CC-3433. Enraged, she drew her blaster and though initially confused by seeing Spectre again, prepared to pull the trigger. He attempted to persuade her to desert the Empire, but she was nonplussed. However, before Taskien could shoot him, Milya intervened again, knocking the Imperial agent out. Spectre saved her life, preventing Milya from killing Taskien, as he was still conflicted and had lingering feelings for her. Selu and allies successfully seized the Griffin, and Doriana perished in the process.[3]
Taken prisoner by Romierr's men and their Jedi allies, Taskien was nevertheless well-treated this time. Spectre once again came to her and tried to convince her that the Empire was unjust, but Taskien was unmoved. She told him he was a traitor and that he was dead to her. She vowed to bring them to Imperial justice. Selu deposited her and the other Imperial prisoners on Anoat, where she was retrieved by the crew of the Star Destroyer Corrupter, which had been responsible for their rescue over Darlyn Boda. After her initial rescue, Taskien was surprised to find herself in the clutches of the Inquisitor Ajaur. Far from viewing her as an ally, Ajaur took her to his private quarters and proceeded to interrogate her harshly, hoping to extract more information from her than she was consciously aware of. His harsh ministrations were interrupted by Imperial Captain Nebulax, who had received orders to subdue Ajaur from the admiralty. Ajaur had gone too far, and even Lord Vader had learned of his dealings. Taskien was relieved to be free from his clutches, but her faith in Imperial justice was shaken.[3]
Taskien was present on the Corrupter when Ajaur, who had escaped en route back to Coruscant, clashed with Selu again on Commenor. An Imperial bombing raid leveled the building where they were fighting and the ship the Jedi fled on was presumed destroyed in an explosion. However, Taskien had her doubts that they had been completely eliminated. It seemed too easy. Still, with Ajaur and the Jedi gone, she allowed herself the satisfaction of knowing that the Empire had won—but at deep personal cost for her. Doriana, whom she had valued and respected as a superior, was dead, and she never would get the chance to find out what could have been between her and CC-3433. Moreover, the trauma and loss buckled her composure in a way that nothing had ever achieved until then.[3]
The following years saw Taskien continue her career in Imperial Intelligence. On one mission, she infiltrated the Red and Black League, a criminal syndicate based on Herstell V. Posing as a singer in a club owned by their leader, Janstren Brell, Taskien hoped to access and steal his sizable collection of underworld contacts. Brell was a known credit launderer and his connections spanned the galactic underworld. However, her identity was compromised when she was framed for stealing a datacard from Brell by a group of Yanibar Guard commandos who had reasons of their own to cross Brell. Brell sent six enforcers after her, but Spectre, who had accompanied the commandos, intervened, saving her life without revealing his identity. Taskien was suspicious and demanded to know who he was, but Spectre evaded her questions and left, telling her to get offworld. He also told the last of Brell's enforcers that she had been framed. Taskien left offworld, slipping aboard an automated carbonite freighter to escape Herstell V. What she didn't know was that another Yanibar Guard operative had watched her encounter with Spectre from afar, deemed Taskien a threat, and sabotaged the engines to leave her ship stranded in deep space.[4]
Behind the scenes[]
The character of Roxana Taskien was created for the rewrite of Force Exile III: Liberator in part to give Milya a better foil as well as flesh out Spectre's backstory. Her role was greatly expanded in the novel once Atarumaster88 saw the opportunity to use her to bring together the character of Ardo Romierr, who had originally been written solely as the antagonist for Second Guessed, and Selu as well as Spectre. Taskien's story arc ended up as one of the more significant ones of the novel. Her character brought a more personal connection for Spectre in the story, though they did not meet until late in the novel. Atarumaster88 also planned to write a story about Taskien and Spectre's prior history together that would explain how he earned the moniker "Spectre." That story, The Cauldron, was not finished until 2017. Atarumaster88 also wrote a follow-on story to tie off the plot thread about Taskien and Spectre, The Price of Loyalty. However, Taskien's ultimate fate was left dangling in that story as well.
When writing Taskien, Atarumaster88 sought to write an Imperial officer who was more sympathetic. Her characterization was influenced by the Legends character Juno Eclipse, as well as Annie Walker from the cable television series Covert Affairs. Taskien's character was intended to be passionate but intelligent, cunning and ruthless while empathetic, and quick to entangle herself in relationships while still remaining loyal to her employers. Atarumaster88 chose to have her loyalties ultimately stay with the Empire to illustrate that some people with positive attributes like loyalty and justice would still choose to serve the Empire despite seeing some of its flaws.