Vos'elk'eetash was a Chiss Centurion of the Order of Keltrayu. She was usually referred to by her core name, Selkee, except by other Chiss.
Biography[]
Early life and family[]
Born on Naporar in 130 ABY, Selkee was a child of the Vos Family, a lesser but formerly influential Chiss Ruling Family. She was the younger sister of Vos'yru'sadan. A precocious and intelligent child, Selkee was very close with her big brother and a source of great pride to her parents. She was popular among her school friends, and exhibited unusually quick reflexes early in life. She also had a peculiar gift for knowing when she was being lied to, even by adults. Her parents were traders who sometimes ventured out of the Chiss Ascendancy, and as a result Selkee learned to speak not only her native Cheunh, but also Basic, Huttese, and some Minnisiat.
Selkee was seven in 137 ABY, when the Chiss Ascendancy was conquered by the Golden Empire. She and her family watched in disbelief as the Chiss forces at Naporar were defeated by the Prime Fleet, and the Ruling Families at Csilla surrendered to Rin Sakaros. Several Centurions were dispatched to oversee the change of government. Though the Vos Family did not provide armed resistance, they were cold, condescending, and entirely unaccommodating, necessitating a visit from the Centurion Sato Raltharan.
Selkee's father was in the midst of an argument with the Basca Centurion when Selkee herself joined them and Raltharan was distracted completely. He could sense the Force in the child; moreover, he perceived that her potential power was greater than any living Centurion, almost comparable to that of Rin Sakaros herself. He offered the girl a place in the Order of Keltrayu on the spot without even referencing the matter to Prefect Tariun Sakaros. Selkee's family were resistant to the idea, but Sato persuaded them with true observations of the girl's staggering potential and notions that the Vos Family might have one of its own serving in close proximity to the Queen of the Empire. Selkee herself was reluctant, especially since her brother seemed so opposed to the idea, but her parents reminded her to place duty before her own desires—they felt that by agreeing to this "duty", Selkee would be in a position to both advance her family and influence the Queen in favor of the Chiss. Coupled with Sato Raltharan's kindness and gentle persuasion, the young girl finally consented.
Bright Eyes[]
Stranger in a strange land[]
The Order is your family now, Vos'elk'eetash. Trust them as such, because they will be your strength when even your incredible power would fail you.
—Rin Sakaros to Selkee
The somewhat reluctant Chiss was taken to the Sith Star and presented to the Sakaros siblings, both of whom were startled by Selkee's potential and impressed with Sato Raltharan's work in recruiting her. Rin welcomed the child graciously to her flagship, and Tariun took her personally to the Citadel.
The first years of Selkee's life aboard the Sith Star were difficult for her. Raised in Chiss society and taught to control and hide her feelings, she felt distinctly uncomfortable when her fellow Novices openly shared their hopes, dreams, and petty frustrations, and even more so when they expected Selkee to do the same. Though she took quickly to the study of the Force, she disliked failure, especially in front of others, and would become easily frustrated when she could not accomplish a task. Many Novices found her cold and unfriendly.
Eventually, Selkee made the acquaintance of the Abstalian Ozkeot Vanil, a Novice two years her senior, but who had been with the Order since infancy. Though his potential was nowhere near Selkee's, Ozkeot was friendly and patient in the face of Selkee's rebuffs. Very slowly, he began to draw her out of her shell, providing her a much-needed friend in whom she could confide. It was Ozkeot who nicknamed Selkee "Bright Eyes", a moniker quickly adopted by Tariun Sakaros and most of the Order. Though initially annoyed by it, Selkee gradually took to it, sensing affection rather than mockery behind it.
Potential[]
Many of Selkee's teachers took particular interest in her, sensing her incredible power and aware that she could be either Rin's greatest servant or a terrible enemy if mistrained. Eskol Kaartinen took an active role in her Force training, and Kieran Sapphire pushed her hard in lightsaber exercises, aware that she might some day be the best of the Order. Even Rin Sakaros herself occasionally took Selkee aside for additional training.
It was Rin's tutelage that helped Selkee unlock the first ability that clearly marked her apart from others. While training to understand the connection between the Force and the body, Selkee began to experiment with manipulating the bodies of others. Rin allowed her access to holocrons detailing Malacia, an obscure but useful Force power which allowed a Force adept to use someone's bodily functions against him, causing nausea and disorientation. Though Rin was delighted with the girl's development, she did eventually intervene to prevent Selkee from practicing on spacemen serving aboard the Star.
As she became more comfortable with life in the Citadel, Selkee began to accept that the Order's values were not as different from those of the Chiss as she had imagined. Both factions stressed duty, self-control, stoicism, and courage in the face of adversity. Though still resentful that her people had been conquered, Selkee grudgingly conceded that Rin's conquests had been relatively bloodless, markedly different from the merciless slave raids conducted by the Vagaari.
The decision[]
In 141 ABY, those same Vagaari attacked what they thought was still the Chiss Ascendancy, only to be drawn into war with the Golden Empire. Little changed for the Novices, although they could occasionally feel the vibrations as the Sith Star, usually present in battle, was struck by turbolaser fire. Rin visited the Citadel often to reassure the Novices that the Armada would do everything possible to keep them safe. Selkee found herself suddenly the target of many questions from other Novices, both older and younger, who wanted to know about the Vagaari. Though initially surprised and a bit put off, she eventually began to reassure the youngest children herself, remembering the nightmares she had had as a child about the Vagaari and how her parents and brother had made her feel better.
Later in the year, the Ssi-ruuk attacked the south of the Empire, and Tariun Sakaros was forced to divide his Armada, sending Sorrik south with Rin, Vem, Breek Zagrev, hundreds of Centurions, and more than half the Armada to repel the invaders. As a result, things became much more dangerous aboard the Star, and the absence of the Queen weighed heavily on the hearts of the Novices. Eskol Kaartinen had replaced Tariun as Prefect of the Order so Tariun could concentrate wholly on the war effort, and though his presence was calming and kind, he did not carry quite the same aura of invincibility that the Queen did. Selkee and Ozkeot took to tapping into the Sith Star's security feed (Ozkeot was a talented hacker and computer specialist) and reading reports from the front.
In 142 ABY, while both fronts were still grinding away at their respective enemies, the Chiss rebelled. With the Armada divided, the Chiss rebels felt the Empire was at its weakest and open to defeat from within. Selkee found herself conflicted, unsure who to support. She knew her family would expect her to be loyal to the Chiss first, but that the Order unequivocally demanded first loyalty to Queen and Empire. Before she could resolve even that, she and Oz discovered that Vos'yru'sadan, Selkee's brother, was serving with the Chiss rebels.
Thoroughly torn and conflicted, Selkee withdrew from her friends, spending all her free time alone and wrestling with her loyalties. She knew the ship her brother served aboard, and that Tariun Sakaros had sent part of his remaining forces to pacify the Chiss. With her connection to the Sith Star's computer, she could track the movement of the Armada, and with a communication suite she could send it to her brother. Selkee suffered over the decision for a week before finally making one.
Employing all the self-control she learned from both the Chiss and the Order, she kept a straight face as she suggested to Oz that he write a program which would allow them to leave the Citadel undetected. Though initially reluctant, he was persuaded by Selkee's coaxing of the adventures they could get into. Taking the datacard, Selkee snuck out of her dormitory one night and left the Citadel. Using her burgeoning Force powers, she knocked out the two Massassi on guard, then hurried through the ship to a communication suite, using her abilities to avoid guard patrols and her datacard to access restricted sections.
Accessing the terminal, she found the codes to access her brother's ship, and prepared to send the data. As her finger hovered over the transmission button, though, she had an attack of conscience. The Order had taken her in and her "siblings" really did treat her that way. Moreover, even after the Chiss rebelled, she had not been treated with any suspicion or hostility by Centurions or Novices. And though the Empire had conquered her people, Selkee was coming around to the idea of Rin's inevitable victory, and even that her victory should be inevitable. Sobbing and shaking, she deleted the message and turned to go.
She made it a few steps before Tariun Sakaros stepped from the shadows. Startled, Selkee thought he was going to execute her, but the Sith admitted he had been monitoring her security breach for some time and known what she was planning. The terminal she had used had been blocked from outward transmissions; even if Selkee had tried to send the message, she could not have succeeded. But because the girl decided of her own free will to be loyal to Rin, Tariun simply escorted her back to the Citadel, confiscated her datacard, and let her go. While he did inform Eskol Kaartinen, Tariun felt strongly that Selkee's potential and demonstrated loyalty had earned her a second chance. Kaartinen was skeptical, but agreed to withhold judgment until Rin returned to resolve the matter personally.
Thoroughly humbled by her experience, Selkee continued to train in the following months, using only official news channels to receive word on the Chiss Rebellion. She was deeply relieved and grateful when the news made a point of mentioning that her brother's ship had been taken intact with crew alive, suspecting that Tariun had made it a point to keep him protected.
When Sorrik and his Legates crushed the Ssi-ruuk and returned to the Prime Fleet, Tariun and Kaartinen took Selkee before Rin for final judgment. The Queen agreed with her brother, that the anguish of having to choose between two families was more than punishment enough, and that Selkee had made the right choice. She warned the girl sternly that any other act of disobedience, completed or not, would be punished as treason, but let Selkee go at that. Relieved to be alive and touched by the Queen's kindness, Selkee returned to the Citadel and rededicated herself to her studies.
Later novitiate[]
In 143 ABY, when the Vagaari had been exterminated, Selkee accompanied Rin to Nar Shaddaa to visit her brother Nagarian, along with Jira Seezhli, Breek Zagrev, and several other Centurions. There Selkee met Senesha'rae, a Chiss who had been a lover of Rin's father, Tak Sakaros. Eagerly sharing information with her new acquaintance, Selkee felt she could admit what she had almost done, and Sen was an understanding and sympathetic friend.
When they returned to the Empire, Rin instructed Kaartinen to allow Selkee to build her own lightsaber. Honored by the confidence shown in her, Selkee dedicated herself to her project for nearly a month. Breek Zagrev took her to Avidich to find a crystal for her weapon. Scavenging through a series of mineral caves on one of the world's high peaks, Selkee finally found a violet crystal. When she returned to the Star, she completed her weapon.
Taking his cue from Rin, Kieran Sapphire began to increase pressure on Selkee in her lightsaber training. She was able to match or defeat her peers, so he placed her in an accelerated lightsaber training class with older, more experienced Novices, including Nairasho. Struggling for a long time to even avoid being hit in practice duels, Selkee grew frustrated, feeling nothing she did was enough for her teachers. However, as time went on she began to acquire tricks and skills from her sparring partners, incorporating them into her own increasingly dangerous style.
At some time late in her Novitiate, Selkee met the Zeyot Centurion Zahyr, Rin's personal assassin. Though Zahyr was reticent about his duties, Selkee managed to piece together what he did. Each was intrigued by the other, Selkee by the Zeyot's abilities at camouflaging his presence and Zahyr by Selkee's gift for swordsmanship. In commemoration of their meeting and new friendship, Zahyr gave Selkee one of his small lightsabers, which Selkee kept as a shoto.
In 145 ABY, Selkee was invited to attend the Wedding of Tariun Sakaros and Breek Zagrev on Sanduluc, taking Ozkeot Vanil as her guest.
Dromund Kaas[]
I am Vos'elk'eetash, of the House Vos. I am a Novice of the Order, heir of Keltrayu, a daughter of Naporar. And I do NOT surrender!
—Selkee, facing death against Saarai
In 148 ABY, Rin Sakaros received a frightening vision of her allies Alluria Solios and Odala Kass`l at the mercy of her own nemesis, Darth Nihl. She traveled to Belsavis with Tarzg Sav'lir, Vem, Rajj-Yo, Aria Nikina, Axelia Solios, and Selkee to investigate. On the way, the Sith witch searched the Force for answers, but it was only upon arrival at Belsavis that she finally determined the Sith had their captives on Dromund Kaas.
Taking Jarek Solios and Reiko Kaytana in addition to her team of warriors, Rin led the party to the Dark Force Temple. Selkee initially went with Jarek and Reiko, but a strong compulsion in the Force led her to depart from them and follow a different path through the fortress. She came upon the Chagrian Sith Saarai in the process of hurling her brother Rajj-Yo through a wall. Incensed, Selkee attacked, but was quickly overpowered by Saarai's telekinesis. Saarai twisted and contorted Selkee's body, torturing the young Chiss as Rajj-Yo lay incapacitated.
Selkee attempted to counterattack, mustering enough power to release herself from Saarai's grip, but she was disarmed and her shoto destroyed. Saarai offered her the chance to join the One Sith or face death, but Selkee refused to surrender. Saarai proceeded to attempt her telekinetic torture again, but now Selkee felt her way through the Force into Saarai's own body, using her knowledge of Malacia to trace the feel of the Chagrian before breaking her index finger with the Force. Incensed, Saarai tried to press the attack, but Selkee lowered herself out of Saarai's levitation, reached into the Force, and broke the Chagrian's neck.
Elsewhere, Alluria was saved while Darth Maladi's poison killed Odala, before Axelia and Aria slew the Devaronian Sith. Tarzg and Vem killed several Sith acolytes while Rin personally destroyed Darth Nihl. Though devastated at the loss of Odala and the pain it would cause Azalyn Kass`l, Rin was not so consumed with her pain that she failed to appreciate Selkee's feat of skill, willpower, and Force ability. Selkee's friend Rayne Turgachia healed her body of the damage it had endured under Saarai's torture, and when the party returned to the Empire, Rin commanded Eskol Kaartinen to allow Selkee to take the Centurion exam.
The Chiss Centurion[]
The Nightmare War[]
Unlikely partners[]
Selkee was commissioned as a Centurion in the first weeks of 149 ABY. Shortly thereafter, she went with Aria, Jadian Star, and Zahyr on the Mission to Dolomir, where they nearly died and where all four first saw the Anzat Dark Jedi Sacco Vyrak. Shortly after, she was dispatched under the command of Luna Raquelsei on the Mission to Irestego to rescue Jira Zaffrod and her family from Veracht assassins. After Irestego, Selkee had one of her first solo missions, taking four Massassi with her to a Chiss world where a Chiss had been convicted of sexual assault on several children, the youngest three. Selkee oversaw Rin's personal sentence—death by crucifixion. She carried out the duty with composure, although she confessed to Rayne that she was shaken when she returned.
In the following weeks, Rin commanded Selkee to tutor Kyriel Jynx Windrunner in lightsaber combat. The two women were deeply distrustful of one other. Selkee, like several other Centurions, did not approve of a Force-sensitive being trained outside the Order, especially not one of Kyriel's power–alone among living beings in the Empire, she was equal to Selkee's potential. Kyriel, for her part, was insulted and hurt by Selkee's cold attitude. Nevertheless, Rin ordered them to train together for an hour every week.
In one session, Selkee applied a Force choke to Kyriel. Losing her control, the Drakonus switched to her dragon form, and a startled Selkee was forced to use Force lightning to incapacitate her. Selkee burned her hands in the process, though they healed over time. She was shaken by the fight, and in the aftermath she and Kyriel both apologized to one another, trying slowly to resume their work.
Alchemy[]
Midway through the war, however, Rin sent Selkee to Kavez Massass, instructing her to board the long-abandoned Vengeance and read its copy of The Creation of Monsters. Selkee was a bit repelled by some of the alchemical techniques described, but fascinated with the potential power. When Rin arrived on the jungle planet with a cargo of vornskrs and tuk'ata, a terentatek corpse, and a pair of Anzati prisoners, she informed Selkee of her plan to forge new and deadly Sithspawn to combat the Reawakened and their army of Vyrak clones.
The following month scarred Selkee. Using the Force, the two women forcibly molded and mutated the vornskrs and tuk'ata into a new breed, the Anzat hounds. They took samples from the flesh of the captive Anzati, programming the hounds to genetically respond to the scent of Anzati blood. Numerous Massassi volunteered for the second stage of the project, being alchemically transformed into the Shadow Massassi. To give them an added weapon, Rin imported a small group of Leik terrorists and murders. The two alchemists removed their barb-lashes and artificially reproduced them, introduing them into Massassi flesh.
Selkee used her hatred of her enemies and her long-stored bitterness over a number of hurts to provide her with the fuel to complete her tasks. She learned to harness and control several dark side powers, including a sudden and complete improvement in her ability to conjure Force lightning. When their labors were completed, the two alchemists took their creations and the Vengeance back to the Prime Fleet.
Isolation[]
Selkee: “Oh don't try to make me out like I'm some sort of hero! I-I know what I am! I know what I've b-become!”
―Rayne fails to comfort Selkee
Selkee was deeply conflicted over what she had done on Kavez Massass, filled with pride and victory that warred with self-loathing, shame, and rage. Her contempt alternated between Rin for asking the actions of her and herself for complying. Whenever she became frustrated in that way, her anger turned inward again at the idea that she simply lacked the fortitude to do what was necessary, and she wondered whether she was willing to let innocent people die for her own sense of self. Even worse, a part of her had reveled in the power, the ability to defy nature and reshape living beings the way she saw fit. That part of her frightened her the most, and she wondered whether she had become a monster, or whether she had always been one and now simply had an outlet.
The concerns went back and forth in her head and heart, and she descended into a brooding melancholy. Selkee became short with her friend Rayne, rebuffing her attempts to comfort her friend's obvious misery. The Chiss spent most of her time alone, brooding or sparring with the Citadel's droids until she had reduced them all to scrap metal faster than they could be repaired and Kieran Sapphire ordered her to stop.
When Rayne and Te`net Organi were infected with the Sickness, Selkee was still too distraught to even be near them. After a week, however, she began to feel a new surge of guilt. Her friend had been dying, and Rin had been unable to help Tillandra heal her for fear of contracting the disease herself. Selkee, the next most powerful being in the Order, had been obsessing over her own problems and thinking about herself rather than doing anything helpful.
Thoroughly ashamed of herself, a penitent Selkee went to see Rayne the same night Rin Sakaros destroyed Kizav. Sensing the destruction, Selkee was the first to realize what had happened, having read the old stories of Naga Sadow while she was on Kavez Massass. She apologized to Rayne for failing to help her, although Rayne did not blame her and refused to even consider the apology.
Guarding the door[]
When the Sith Star was boarded during the Battle of Dolomir, Selkee was late responding to the call to arms. She was making her way to join the fight when Azalyn Kass`l called to her, sitting on Ozkeot's shoulders. The girl shared a vision she had received: the Citadel in flames, with Anzat clones and Dark Jedi killing the Novices. Realizing the enemy had sent an attack force for them, Selkee sent Azalyn and Ozkeot to hide (despite Oz's protests), then informed Kaartinen of the impending attack.
They braced themselves outside the Citadel's door, supported by a squad of security droids and Zyffrylek and Nrrghalan, the pair of Massassi Guard soldiers assigned there. At the last second, a half-recovered Te`net Organi joined them. Knowing he needed all the help he could get, Selkee let him borrow her shoto. The Empire's party faced off against Voara Culee, Charg, and a squad of Vyrak clones. Selkee personally dueled Charg, fighting the Nikto in the midst of the melee of battle. Feigning weakness against his aggressive strikes, she allowed him to batter her into a crouch, then leapt over him in a sai cha vault and chopped off his head in midair.
As Selkee, a wounded Kaartinen, and a half-dead Organi struggled to hold off the surviving Anzati, Tariun Sakaros and Jira Zaffrod arrived to reinforce them, and Tariun called on Selkee to deploy a Force storm. Though she had never done it before, with her siblings in such acute danger, Selkee summoned the focus and unleashed lightning which knocked every Anzat to the ground and even killed two. She was drained by her efforts, but Tariun, Jira, and Kaartinen quickly slaughtered the survivors.
Protégé[]
Looking in the mirror[]
Now, Vos'elk'eetash, you are slowly destroying yourself. And if you don't stop, you will become the monster you dread that you are now.
—Rin Sakaros
After the Nightmare War ended, Rin began to think more on Selkee. She believed the girl was still vulnerable to confusion and corruption from her time on Kavez Massass, and resolved to take a more personal hand in her training. She invited Selkee to join the Royal Guard, and even with her lingering dark emotions Selkee was excited by the invitation. She formally joined the group in the first days of 150 ABY.
Knowing Selkee's emotional state, Rin spoke with her privately, deliberately baiting the young woman's temper to make her lash out. Pushed beyond endurance, Selkee unleashed an emotional tirade, admitting she hated both Rin and herself for what had transpired on Kavez Massass. In a tense and dangerous standoff in the Sith Star's arboretum, Rin forced Selkee to acknowledge and confront the many emotions she had long repressed: her pain and bitterness at her brother Syrus's rejection, her desire for power, and her feeling that she should be the greatest of the Centurions.
The conversation was brutal for Selkee, but Rin slowly guided her toward a Sith state of calm, cool reflection; she acknowledged her emotions, no longer hiding from them, but that very acknowledgment robbed them of their power over her. Rin offered to take Selkee as a personal student, and the still-stunned Chiss agreed. First, however, she made a point of finding Ozkeot Vanil and Rayne Turgachia, admitting to them that she had a brother and that she had feared exposing her weaknesses to them, as she suspected they would be less trusting of her in situations which demanded leadership. Bolstered by their response of solidarity, she found a reawakened eagerness to continue her training.
Juyo[]
Selkee: “Yes, my lady.”
―Rin to Selkee, after defeating Jextar Star in a sparring match
Not long after beginning Selkee's quasi-apprenticeship, Rin had the Chiss spar with Jextar Star. Selkee's Djem So skills were enough to keep the Drakonus Jedi Master on the defensive, but even adding her shoto to the mix was not enough to pierce his Soresu defense. Though frustrated, Selkee was forced to concede the stalemate. It was with awe and no small amount of surprise that she watched Rin proceed to defeat Jex in a second spar, using her Juyo style to force a way through his defenses. Rin offered to teach Selkee, and the Chiss eagerly agreed.
Selkee found Juyo a perfect fit for herself; it was a style entirely built on a calm, controlled outer shell concealing a cascade of emotional power just barely below the surface. Coupled with her new and ongoing lessons in emotional control and Sith technique, her fighting skills increased dramatically. By mid-151 ABY, Selkee had improved enough to defeat Selish Anteran in a sparring match, and she was able to defeat Te`net Organi and Tarzg by the time she left the Guard.
Frenemies[]
Toward the end of her time in the Guard, Selkee went with Rin to Baes, where Kyriel was recovering from being kidnapped, raped, and tortured by Impari terrorists. As the Empire began to plan military retaliation and the defense of its citizens, Kyriel sank into depression and shied away from her warrior nature. Using Dun Moch and flirting with Kyriel's boyfriend, Raynar Tarq, Selkee baited Kyriel into attacking her, fending off the angered Drakonus until Rin arrived to break them apart. Understanding what Selkee had been doing, Rin was pleased with the change in Kyriel.
Shortly after, Rin assigned Selkee as Kyriel's bodyguard while the Drakonus visited Rykar to collect crystals for her new lightsaber. They endured a number of difficulties, including attacks by feral Drakonus, sparse food and bad conditions underground, and a brief encounter with three Drakonus terrorists. They experienced a tense moment when a feral attacked them and Selkee killed her, only for Kyriel to realize by scent that the feral had been her aunt. In the end, however, they worked together as a team, and while they were not friends, they established some mutual respect. On the way back to their ship, Kyriel identified a shapeshifted Impar scout, and Selkee captured him, returning him to the Sith Star.
Field duty[]
Selkee was rotated out of the Royal Guard in early 154 ABY, substantially more disciplined and balanced than she had been upon entering it. Almost immediately after, she and Rajj-Yo were assigned to assist the Royal Corps of Gendarmes's Emergency Response Team in apprehending the Bosh-Garratt slavers on Deshad. She and Rajj-Yo led the charge, sneaking aboard the slavers' ship and killing or maiming a number of slavers.
Shortly after the Deshad operation, Selkee was transferred to Breek Zagrev's command. Breek had assumed control of a fleet in her new role as a Royal Executor, and both Breek and Rin hoped Selkee would profit from exposure to space and ground combat in the wild borders regions of the Empire, where Breek was patrolling. Selkee occasionally fell into the competitive jockeying of Kyriel, still Breek's apprentice, and Aearbo Manitani and Serasuna Yun, Breek's new Royal Guards.
In 154 ABY, Selkee accompanied Breek on her diplomatic mission to the P'w'eck Confederation, then to Klesk when Kyriel rediscovered her homeworld. The strongest Force user among the Centurions, Selkee was able to keep Kyriel focused when the Drakonus drifted into involuntary flow-walking. When she discovered her Clan home, Kyriel added Selkee's name to her clan's genealogy for killing her aunt with honor.
Selkee's father died not long after. She returned to Naporar for his funeral, where she was received with detached courtesy by her mother and cold indifference by Syrus. Vexed, Selkee returned to Breek's fleet. She was stationed aboard the Star Destroyer Assassin, which was commanded by the Chiss Sak'anto'nussos. She was able to discuss and debate aspects of Chiss culture with him, and the two grew close, eventually becoming covert lovers.
Selkee fought in the Battle of Renthiv in 155 ABY. After her transport was hit by blasterfire, Selkee was able to use the Force to guide it to a safe landing, although Nero Tennys saved her life in the process. She fought her way across the battlefield, rescuing Kyriel (now going by her birth name, Jinyx) in the process after Jinyx succumbed to Force Rage. On the third day of battle, Selkee went to reinforce her brother Assayr, although he and his Massassi troops were killed by Garjo soldiers before Selkee arrived. Infuriated, Selkee retaliated by slaughtering dozens of Garjo and forcing their charge back into a disorganized retreat. She had charged into the fight with only her lightsabers and the Force, and the awed handful of Garjo who surrendered honored her with the title zedvyoyen. When Breek went on a mission into the known galaxy, she installed Selkee as Praetor, trusting Selkee's zedvyoyen status to keep the Garjo obedient in her absence.
Emotions[]
For some time, Selkee had grown concerned about her sister Aearbo, who pushed herself recklessly in training and had grown detached from her siblings. When Aearbo compelled Rayne to use her eidetic memory to show Aearbo images of Nairasho in the past, Selkee began to suspect the truth, which grew stronger when Aearbo refused to yield to Jinyx in a sparring match and Jinyx broke her leg. Confronting Aearbo while the Loreskus was recovering, Selkee shared some of her suspicions, but Aearbo rebuffed her. Before Breek returned, however, Aearbo herself sought Selkee out and Selkee nudged her into confessing that she had been in love with Nairasho. The two started to develop a tentative friendship.
Selkee's own love life suffered not long after when Sak'anto'nussos was accused of fraternization, dereliction of duty, and conduct unbecoming an officer for his relationship with Selkee and for sending part of the 3rd Massassi Cohort to rescue her on Renthiv. Selkee was livid, but soon had her own problems as she learned she had been accused of conduct unbecoming a Centurion. Breek sent her to Aria for judgment, and though Aria dismissed any punishment, Selkee was forced to remain out of Breek's fleet temporarily while the whole matter blew over.
Hard work pays off[]
Breek did not court-martial Kanton, but she did relieve him of command of the Assassin and transfer him to a staff position. When Selkee contacted him, his calmly informed her that he could risk no further threats to his career and ended their relationship. Hurt and infuriated, Selkee poured her annoyance into training. She also cut her long hair into a short, spiky style.
Selkee participated in Operation Broken Chain in 156 ABY, and was responsible for protecting Rayne in the field. Rin gave her a set of fractal-pattern armor for the occasion, and the Chiss helped Rayne kill several Blazing Chain slavers. Not long after, she acted as the heavy on the Mission to Korratoa, where she used Force lightning to protect Azalyn and Kavasi from Inarii predators and inadvertently inspired the mythology surrounding "the grove".
When Rin took several of her family members to Belsavis to see Nagarian after the Consular Assembly, Breek was left as Princess Regent, and Selkee was assigned aboard the Sith Star as a heavy in case a crisis arose. She was annoyed at no longer being able to carry her lightsaber in Breek's presence, especially when Jinyx could, but she experienced several personal triumphs during the time. In addition to completing a full marathon, she also defeated both Aria Nikina and Rajj-Yo in sparring.
When Rin returned to the Empire, Selkee took a personal vacation to Mandos to see Zahyr and his family.
Battle command[]
In late 156, Selkee was sent to assist Breek in repulsing an impending attack on Cheff. She was allowed to stop by Renthiv on the way, recruiting a company of a hundred Garjo warriors to form her own personal unit. Knowing the Garjo respected strength above all, she called for a melee tournament among all those who could speak Minnisiat; the victors of the bloody day became her company.
Selkee and the Garjo acquitted themselves well on Cheff, and Rin raised Selkee to the rank of Legate in order to pursue the Lugubraa whence they came. Rin also released Aearbo and Hataphri Rahn Kazot from the Royal Guard to assist Selkee, sent her Rajj-Yo as well, and authorized Selkee to raise her battle guard to a full regiment. She also entrusted the Chiss with the 4th and 17th Massassi Cohorts and a full battle group.
Commanding her battle group from the Chiss Star Destroyer Starhammer, Selkee spent nearly three months tearing through the Stratos Distribution and decimating those who stood against her, though most of the mercenary and pirate fleets involved fled for lack of numbers. During this time she was advised by Ariadne Sonay, the captain of the Starhammer, and Heferkak, the colonel in command of the 17th. Both felt Selkee was an able, if forceful, leader. When she managed to force battle or planetary invasion, Selkee often took to the field herself alongside her Garjo and her siblings.
In the end, the mercenaries joined together against a common enemy and baited Selkee and her battle group into an ambush in an uninhabited system. Rather than try to stand and fight, Selkee ordered her fleet to flee farther in-system as she tried to come up with a plan. Once they were past the last world and closing on the system's primary, in desperation, Selkee ordered all her ships to depower weapons and engines, set life support to minimum, and put all their energy into shields. Her captains protested, but she was adamant, and she reached into the Force, straining and struggling until she managed to cause a solar flare.
Her ships, with all power to shields, took a beating in the resulting electromagnetic storm, but were protected from the worst effects and the radiation. The enemy ships, not having expected the attack, took the full brunt of the attack. Most were destroyed instantly, and those which survived the initial blast were dosed so heavily with radiation that their crews died off within hours. Two of Selkee's captains, dismissing her order as the madness of an unseasoned commander, had refused the order, and a Firebird cruiser and an Iscandar-class frigate were lost with all hands. Selkee was furious at the defiance and angry at the loss of life, but pleased that she had turned the tables on her enemies and ended the war in a single stroke.
However, Selkee's battle group was in no position to conquer and occupy the Stratos Distribution even in the best condition, and so the ships limped back to the Empire for repairs. Sorrik agreed that the two captains who had died had only themselves to blame, and Rin praised Selkee for her solution. Once the ships were back in fighting trim, Selkee took her battle group to an unoccupied planet between the Empire and the Distribution. Naming it Ord Vos, she colonized it and left her battle guard and a Royal Army garrison there as a first line against subsequent hostility from the Lugubraa and a launching point for both scout missions and retaliatory strikes.
Most Centurions hailed Selkee as a hero upon her return to the Order, largely because Hataphri and Rajj-Yo spoke openly of her achievements; Rajj-Yo particularly praised Selkee's slaughter of the Lugubraa at the Scouring Star, though he was often heard to say that "she cheated". Most Centurions felt amusement rather than concern at Selkee's decision to name a planet after herself, particularly when Rin let the name stand.
Mind games and mourning[]
Reiko Kaytana, Nagarian Sakaros's mother, was assassinated by Imperial Knights in mid-157 ABY. Rin had shared a telepathic link with Reiko, and the resulting psychic trauma caused her intense agony and left her catatonic. At Tariun's order, Selkee tried to get a read on Rin's thoughts, but found it increasingly difficult. It was she who first deduced that Reiko had died, assuming only someone who had a direct link to Rin's mind could get past the Queen's defenses. Despite Selkee's efforts, along with those of Souv Tanake, Rin's mind became increasingly hard to sense until she was walled off from telepathy entirely—no one could read her thoughts or sense her presence, and she could not read or sense anyone else.
In late 157 ABY, Te`net Organi returned to the Sith Star from his years-long mission, bringing with him Chindal and the body of Eskol Kaartinen. Selkee was among the Centurions in the honor guard which escorted Kaartinen's body to the Citadel; she maintained her composure in front of her siblings, but once she had done her duty, she locked herself in her quarters and sobbed—Tariun and Eskol together had been instrumental in her getting a second chance after her abortive betrayal during the Chiss Rebellion, and his loss was extremely painful for her. In the days following his death, Selkee stood one of the Centurion's vigils for Kaartinen.
When Kaartinen's body was interred in Keltrayu's Tomb, Tarzg Sav'lir acted as one of his pallbearers and delivered one of his eulogies. To do so, he stood down temporarily from his role as a Royal Guard, and asked Selkee to take his place, entrusting Rin's safety to the most powerful Centurion in the Order in his absence.
Telekinesis[]
After the New Year Fete of 158 ABY, Rin, frustrated beyond all bearing at her continuing telepathic muteness, decided to go on a quest to get her telepathy back. She took Tarzg and Azalyn with her, leaving Breek as Regent. At the same time, Praetor Hethri Yinsaad was growing increasingly frustrated with Amina Sakaros, and Rin suggested she return to field work, which the Ufali accepted without much protest. To continue developing Selkee's skills, give the Novices a worthy teacher, and keep Selkee's power close to Breek if needed, Rin prevailed on Aria to appoint the Chiss as the new Praetor-Instructor for telekinesis.
Selkee emerged as a firm and demanding but innovative instructor. She continued her lightsaber training as a Praetor, and by the mid-year Consular Assembly had at last defeated both Breek and Tariun in sparring matches, emerging as the Order's greatest lightsaber combatant at the age of twenty-eight. During Rin's absence, it fell to Selkee to attempt to help Jinyx sort out visions she had received of Draze Tynblade's future; Selkee tried to divert Jinyx from realizing the true source of her concerns, and worked to muddle some of Jinyx's visions when she could get away with it. When Rayne increasingly became despondent after Te`net's resignation from the Order, and Selkee and her other friends were unable to shake her despair, Selkee finally coaxed Tariun to send Rayne after Te`net, hoping to kill two birds with one stone.
In her off time, Selkee created a holocron for Jyzelle in which she recorded over a hundred hours' worth of lessons, mostly about Form I but also applying lightsaber combat skills and teaching some Force powers. She also began dating a Chiss Intelligence officer named Keny'essa'nuruodo. When Rin finally returned to the Empire over seven months after her departure, Selkee journeyed to Mandos to present Jyzelle her holocron. There she was stunned to discover Zahyr's newborn daughter Zeanna, whose natural gifts with Force cloak were so profound that Selkee was initially ignorant of her presence at all and, even concentrating with all her power, Selkee could only sense a faint outline of the girl's location.
Masterminds[]
Selish Anteran came to Selkee in 158, asking her perspective on a series of armed robberies. Selkee lent him her insights, but found herself more intrigued by the reports than Selish himself. Convinced there was a pattern among them, she began a broader study of the Mezlag sector's crime patterns, looking for similar events. With Aria's consent, she took to occasional days of field work to investigate in person. Aria's condition was that Selkee take Azalyn along; correctly deducing that Aria was looking at Azalyn as a possible candidate for Centurion examination, Selkee tried to give Azalyn a broader perspective on Centurion duties in the midst of analyzing evidence.
In 159 ABY, Selkee found a new opportunity to intervene on behalf of a friend. Jira Zaffrod was installed as Consul of her homeworld, Iomis. Jira, who had always been very open with her Order siblings, had once described her sisters Miella Tashlin and Kyra Seezhli to Selkee, and mentioned offhand that Kyra was a lesbian. Selkee remembered Kyra as an attractive woman, and so she schemed to help Aearbo move on from Nairasho by giving her someone to move on to. She convinced Rin to send Aearbo to bear a message to Jira on Iomis while simultaneously contacting Jira and advising her of the news, as well as suggesting Jira invite Aearbo to dinner with her family as a way to help their sister come out of her shell in an environment of kind people. Jira took the suggestion at face value and, to Selkee's satisfaction, got Kyra and Aearbo in a room and talking. When Aearbo returned a little bemused by the whole experience, Selkee believed her plan was showing signs of fruition.
Toward the end of that year, Nyessan took leave to return to Naporar without Selkee. Suspicious of his decision to visit their homeworld without her, she suspected he was meeting with the other members of the Nuruodo family to discuss marrying Selkee. Selkee was initially conflicted, unsure she could be happy forever with a non-Force-sensitive and especially worried that their children might be born without Force sensitivity. Rayne, however, encouraged her to think with her heart despite her Chiss nature. For the 160 ABY New Year Fete, Nyessan took Selkee on a cruise, proposing to her on the last day. Opting to take Rayne's advice, she accepted.
Powers and abilities[]
After Rin Sakaros, Selkee possessed the strongest connection to the Force in the Golden Empire in terms of midichlorian potential, equal to such beings as Yoda and Revan and matched only by Kyriel Windrunner. As a result, she was capable of many feats of the Force which her fellow Centurions could not equal.
Selkee was considered by other Centurions to be among the most powerful masters of telekinesis in the Order of Keltrayu, capable of lifting great weights and crushing the bodies of others. She demonstrated atypical mastery of the power early in life, killing the similarly powerful Sith Saarai by breaking her neck with the Force when Selkee herself was only eighteen. She could conjure and control Force lightning and even lightning storms, though by 150 ABY she was still working to control the latter to strike only her intended targets. By the age of twenty-four, she could deflect both lightning and blasterfire with the Force. She was working to absorb blaster shots in 154 ABY with both Kyriel Windrunner and Aearbo Manitani, but though she could briefly absorb the energy, she could not hold it or dissipate it into the Force and had to release it in the form of heat or even reflected blasterfire.
Even in her youth, Selkee displayed a gift for Malacia. Mastery of this ability also helped her develop a strong understanding of how the Force and the body worked together, and she was able to channel the Force through herself to increase her strength and speed. On Renthiv, she used a dark version of Malacia to boil a Garjo's blood, eventually killing him as air embolisms formed in his bloodstream. Selkee was also adept at mind tricks, able to distract others and divert them from noticing or dwelling on her presence, and eventually able to control minds entirely. She had great difficulty suppressing her Force signature, and could often be sensed by her siblings from kilometers away when in a fleet.
Though she initially favored a high-speed Djem So, Selkee was capable of acrobatics and Force-powered gymnastics, and sometimes incorporated the whirling techniques of Ataru into her personal style. After she began training with Rin privately, she adopted Juyo as her favored style, although she continued to work in elements of other forms. She was also an adept of Jar'kai, training to use a shoto in her off hand in addition to her lightsaber. By the age of twenty-eight, she was the greatest swordfighter in the Order of Keltrayu, able to defeat even Kieran Sapphire and Tariun Sakaros. She could hold her own against Rin Sakaros longer than even groups of other Centurions. Aside from Rin, eventually only Kyriel could match Selkee in single combat with a blade.
On Kavez Massass, Selkee learned Sith alchemy and successfully assisted Rin in creating the Anzat hounds and Shadow Massassi. An accomplished polyglot, Selkee could speak Orhyo, Basic, Sith, Cheunh, Minnisiat, and Huttese through her own study; when she was assigned to Mandos to protect Zahyr's family, Rin installed Ti`kaaz, the Zeyot tongue, in her mind as well.
Appearance and personality[]
Selkee possessed the blue skin and glowing red eyes of all Chiss, and shiny black hair. She stood 1.70 meters (5'7") tall; in youth she was somewhat lanky, though as she matured she acquired a more athletic build. She carried a standard lightsaber with a violet blade, as well as a shoto. Her first shoto, a gift from Zahyr, had the same blue blade as all of his weapons; when it was destroyed by Saarai and Selkee built her own shoto, she gave it a red blade as an homage to Tariun Sakaros and Breek Zagrev.
Fully aware of the high expectations placed on her for her incredible power, Selkee spent much of her time as a Novice stressed and frustrated, feeling her mentors demanded the impossible of her and were unfairly asking more of her than other, even older trainees. As time went on, she began to see that the intense pressure placed on her forced her to improve and become more skillful.
Quick-witted and intelligent, Selkee had a gift for seeing patterns and putting pieces of information together to interpret or identify the whole; Tariun Sakaros described her as having a "clockwork mind". She was brave in battle and committed to doing her duty, even when she had private reservations. Though she normally tried to present the stereotypical Chiss appearance of cool, stoic reserve, she eventually became more open with her friends in private. She was also more open than most Chiss in general, due to being raised largely in the Order of Keltrayu.
A bit hot-tempered, Selkee could become angered if she was not careful. Like most Chiss, she was deeply xenophobic; though the fair, patient, and welcoming aura of her siblings in the Order eventually eased her Chiss-centrism, she wound up instead adopting an Order-centrism, and was instinctively distrustful of those outside the Order, especially other Force users, such as Jinyx Windrunner. Those who did not know her well (and even some who did, such as Jinyx) found her haughty and prideful.
Selkee had no hesitation about engaging in combat, enduring mud, blood, gore, and swamps without complaint. However, she was equally comfortable in high society, and owned a collection of dresses and jewelry for fancy engagements.
Juyo is like Sith magic—like there's a monster chained in you, and you give it some slack in the leash to make or destroy at your will. But it isn't a pet, Jinyx, it's always a monster. Give it too much slack, and it gets leverage on the leash and turns on you.
—Selkee to Jinyx Windrunner
As she matured into her power, Selkee came to enjoy being powerful, and was glad to have the ability to protect the people she cared for and triumph over her enemies with less effort than her siblings had to put forth. Having been constantly told about her potential as a child, she eventually came to believe that she should be a leader among Centurions. While training with Rin, she recognized that her power did put her in a better position to lead and to be the best, but also became more wary about what she was capable of, especially after her experiments with Sith alchemy.
Relationships[]
Rin Sakaros[]
Selkee and her queen had a complex relationship. As a child, Selkee was taught deference and respect for Rin, which contrasted against what her parents and brother had told her about the Empire as a villain. After she was pardoned for almost betraying the Empire to the Chiss rebels, Selkee grew to respect Rin and form a more personal connection with her.
The Nightmare War strained that relationship. Selkee alternated between hating Rin and hating herself for what she had done to perfect Sith alchemy and create the Anzat hounds and Shadow Massassi. Rin installed Selkee in her Royal Guard to keep them close, and finally confronted Selkee on her emotional denial, forcing her to acknowledge her desire for power and her belief in her own natural superiority. Though slightly hollowed by the experience, Selkee came out of it much more self-possessed. Over the next four years, she became a protege of Rin's, and the two became much closer. Selkee was closest to Rin's level of power, and thus could understand some of Rin's struggles better than other Centurions, although the future they together foresaw for Tenebrous and Draze Tynblade was a hard-learned lesson in the burdens of power.
Tariun Sakaros[]
After Tariun forgave Selkee for her near-betrayal during the Chiss Rebellion, she developed great respect for him, as well as something of a mild crush on him. Though she got over that quickly, she remained a favorite of Tariun's throughout the years. When Tariun worried about the potential of Selkee and Jinyx together being able to combine their strengths to overthrow Rin, he always sought ways to weaken or eliminate Jinyx, never Selkee.
Breek Zagrev[]
Breek and Selkee started with a rough relationship; they encountered one another close-up when Breek was still smarting from Tariun rejecting her and lashing out at everyone around her. After Jira set Breek straight, though, the Human apologized for her behavior, and even took Selkee to Avidich to find her lightsaber crystals. Selkee was a guest at Breek and Tariun's wedding, and Breek often spoke and thought highly of her. Selkee and Breek again worked closely together while Selkee was attached to Breek's fleet.
Other Centurions[]
I asked Selkee the Orhyo word for "friend". She asked a translator droid.
—A common joke among Novices during Selkee's youth
Selkee's first real friend in the Order of Keltrayu and the man who gave her the nickname "Bright Eyes", Selkee considered Ozkeot Vanil her best friend, and was very protective of him when they were full Centurions, as she knew she was much more powerful and a better fighter.
Rayne Turgachia worked persistently to bring Selkee out of her Chiss emotional shell. Although Selkee sometimes found the efforts vexing, she considered Rayne her second best friend and made time to see her whenever she was in the Citadel.
Selkee was one of few Centurions aware of Zahyr's existence, let alone his role as Rin's assassin. The two struck up a friendship while Selkee was still a Novice which continued throughout their lives. Though Selkee's relationship with Zahyr's wife, Tahlia, was cordial at best, she was fond of their children, Jyzelle, Tariq, and Zeanna. Jyzelle wound up having a special place in Selkee's heart, the only being outside the Order of Keltrayu she called her sister.
Selkee and Aearbo Manitani started a tentative friendship in 155 ABY; Aearbo had come out to Selkee, sharing her secret love for Nairasho, and Selkee had worked to help her sister heal emotionally. Selkee frustrated Aearbo at times, especially in consistently discouraging Aearbo from viewing Rayne's eidetically preserved memories of Nairasho. Over time, however, Aearbo became one of Selkee's most loyal partisans, and Selkee worked to manipulate circumstances to set Aearbo up with Kyra Seezhli.
Jinyx Windrunner[]
Jinyx and Selkee started with a rough relationship, which improved only slightly when Jinyx became Breek's apprentice. As Selkee's instructors had held her to the highest standards, so Selkee demanded the same of Jinyx, the only Force user in the Empire (apart from Rin) who could match her own potential. For her part, Jinyx was frustrated by Selkee's attitude.
Over time, however, the two found themselves working together often. Selkee served as Jinyx's bodyguard when Jinyx sought out new lightsaber crystals, worked with her to unravel the history of Klesk, and came to her rescue during the Battle of Renthiv. Selkee also earned Jinyx's ire by tapping into her thoughts on Klesk and being constantly critical. Selkee did, however, try to share the lessons she had learned about self-control with Jinyx, wary of what Jinyx could do if she lost control. Rin Sakaros, observing them both, felt a lonely sort of irony at how much the two women hand in common.
By the time Jinyx graduated from her apprenticeship with Breek and became a Royal Emissary, she and Selkee had settled into a professionally courteous relationship, each respecting the other's skills while acknowledging that they were likely too different to become friends.