Wyro Zaffrod was a Kasci spaceman of the Royal Navy of the Golden Empire, and the husband of the Centurion Jira Zaffrod.
Biography[]
Early life and service[]
Born on the Kasci homeworld of Iomis in 120 ABY, Wyro was the second of two brothers, with one younger sister. Growing up, he was considered a polite, respectful young man by his teachers. He attended private school up through the age of seventeen, when he applied for admission to the Royal Military Academy at Iscandar. He spent the next four years there, training to be an officer in the Royal Navy. Commissioned in 141 ABY, his high test scores earned him a prestigious early assignment aboard the Empire's flagship, the Sith Star, as an Engineering officer.
Mere weeks after his arrival at that first duty station, the Empire became embroiled in the Vagaari War with the capture of Tenupe and the murder of the Centurion and Consul Tesshen Manytrek. Under the watchful gaze of his section's Lieutenant, Wyro and the enlisted spacemen under his command shared responsibility for the smooth maintenance of the massive war galleon's engines. He and other junior officers also received exposure to the complicated interrelationships between shipboard areas, as the Star was regularly in combat and damage or compromised function in one area could quickly affect others as power or personnel were rerouted.
Jira[]
Tasked once with carrying a report personally to Prime Legate Tariun Sakaros, Wyro was immediately struck when he encountered the golden Kasci Jira Seezhli. Like all Kasci, he had been raised with the quasi-superstition that gold-skinned Kasci led unusually fortuitous and successful lives, but far beyond that, Jira's overwhelming beauty left Wyro nearly speechless, not even noticing that Tariun had dismissed him until the Sith Lord repeated the command.
After that fateful meeting, Wyro carefully sought excuses to take messages up to the command bridge, volunteering to ferry anything personally. His officers were confused about an officer performing work than could usually be entrusted to an enlisted spaceman, or even to the Sith Star's own computer relay system, but every month or so Wyro managed to find his way to the bridge and get a moment or two with Jira. Though nervous, he struck up a few conversations with her, and found the Kasci Centurion to be engaging and friendly. Wyro even managed to bump into Jira while she was with Queen Rin Sakaros, who studied the ensign for a moment with a knowing look that left him feeling distinctly exposed.
Light in the darkness[]
Shortly after the onset of the Ssi-ruuvi Incursion, Sorrik and the Queen went south with more than half the Armada to repulse the invaders, and duty in the Prime Fleet became much more difficult, as every battle became a struggle for survival. By far the largest ship in the fleet, the Sith Star was a regular target, and despite its fearsome arsenal it took its fair share of damage. Wyro and his Engineering team were hard-pressed to keep up with repairs and the regular commands to divert power to keep the Star in fighting trim.
Still finding excuses to visit Tariun (and, through him, Jira), Wyro eventually penetrated even the grim obsession of battle that dominated the prince's mind, and Tariun sarcastically ordered Wyro to ask Jira out so the two of them would stop being a distraction on his bridge. Though both Kasci were embarrassed, Wyro took a deep breath and asked Jira to dinner in the Star's galley.
The two Kasci began to spend as much of their free time together as possible, though the strains of their various duties made this difficult. With the Chiss having rebelled, the Prime Fleet grew ever more strained under the constant demands of battle, and Jira had unearthed a gift for Battle Meditation, which made her indispensible to Tariun. However, even in the depths of war, the two found time for each other, quickly becoming friends, and shortly after that becoming more.
Changes[]
Jira and Wyro grew continually closer during the Vagaari War. When it at last came to a close with the decimation of the Vagaari species, the two had more time to spend with one another while the higher powers of government oversaw the rebuilding and expansion of the Empire. Over an expensive dinner on Kinoss, they discussed their future together, now that the possibility of one seemed more likely.
Both were transferred thereafter. Now a midshipman, Wyro was sent to the Imperial Star Destroyer Keltrayu to serve as a gunnery officer, while Jira became the Consular Aide to the Consul of Bolera. Given strong recommendations by both his commanding officers and Tariun Sakaros, Wyro was given great responsibility for so junior an officer, which both gave him unusual experience and put heavy demands on his time.
In what free time he did have, though, Wyro kept in regular holocommunication with Jira, and both began to see that their lives would be incomplete without each other. Summoning his nerve, Wyro took leave to return to the Sith Star and speak to Rin herself, asking her permission to marry Jira. Though Rin again gave the disturbing impression of being able to see into his heart, she eventually agreed, and even gave a flabbergasted Wyro the diamond of Iomis from her crown for Jira's engagement clasp. Wyro went to Bolera to propose to Jira, who accepted delightedly.
Planning a wedding from a distance while serving on active duty was challenging, but Wyro managed to keep up his end of the plans, and even took Jira to meet her biological family on Iomis the week before the wedding. With his closest friend from the Star as his best man, Wyro married Jira in the ninth month of 144 ABY. The two had planned a weeklong honeymoon on Iomis before returning to duty, but were surprised when Tariun and Rin each gave them another week; Tariun had bought them a luxury cruise on a starliner, while Rin gave them the rare privilege of a week on her private retreat world, Queen's Garden.
Perfection[]
Jira and Wyro did not live together, as their duties to the Empire kept them apart, but they saw each other as often as possible. Both began to nurse suspicions that Rin and even Sorrik were arranging circumstances so the two Kasci could see each other. When Jira's assignment on Bolera ended, she was also given much more latitude in her movements when not on assignment. Wyro attended the wedding of Tariun Sakaros and Breek Zagrev in late 145 ABY; his marriage to Jira led Breek to invite him to the exclusive reception late in the evening, where Wyro met Nagarian Sakaros and his extended family.
In 147 ABY, Jira gave birth to their first child, a girl they named Terra. Though she inherited her father's silver skin and hair, baby Terra also had her mother's golden eyes, a rare blend of inherited characteristics. Both parents thought their daughter was perfect, and though Terra was usually with Jira when she and Wyro were apart, Wyro regularly kept in touch with his wife and daughter through holo communication.
Guarded[]
In 149 ABY, Wyro, now a lieutenant, took Jira and Terra for a vacation on Irestego. The onset of the Nightmare War was beginning to be felt, and both knew they were likely to be called into active service against the new enemy. They hoped to enjoy a brief time together with their child before the war pulled them apart again.
The war, however, tracked them to Irestego. Having learned of Jira's Battle Meditation abilities and Wyro's location from a captured Royal Navy officer, Ador Hentral sent a squad of Veracht assassins to Irestego to kill her. The Veracht killed all the other guests at the resort, but Jira sensed the danger. While she fought the assassins with her lightsaber in one hand and Terra in the other, Wyro attacked them with a blaster rifle. They were saved by the intervention of the Zeyot Centurion Zahyr, and evacuated from Irestego by a squad of Centurions led by Luna Raquelsei.
In order to protect them and free Jira's concentration for the war, Rin had Wyro and Terra transferred into protective custody on the Sith Star. Terra was kept safe in the Citadel, but at his request, Wyro was returned to duty aboard the Star to aid in the war effort. He often had Terra sleep in his crew quarters on the Star, though he kept her safe in the Citadel when he was on duty. When the Sith Star was boarded during the Battle of Dolomir, Wyro remained on duty, sealing off his crew's compartment against the invaders and continuing to direct the guns against the Dark Jedi fleet. He, Jira, and Terra all spent most of their time together in the aftermath of the battle until Wyro was transferred back to normal duty on another ship.
Ever onward[]
As a lieutenant, Wyro went on to a staff position as an aide to a full commander, working to expand his knowledge of higher command practices and staff work. In 153 ABY, he was rotated to a more senior staff post aboard a Resolute-class destroyer and promoted to lieutenant commander.
Shortly after, Jira gave a concert at the Samayus Palace of Opera, and Wyro took a week off to spend with her and Terra. During this time they conceived their second child, and Siobhan Zaffrod was born aboard the Sith Star in 154 ABY. Unlike Terra, she grew up in the Citadel; Wyro visited as often as he was able, while Jira was serving as Praetor-Instructor.
In late 155 ABY, Wyro assumed an executive officer position aboard the Firebird-cruiser Sairochelle. With their mutual consent, Jira was assigned aboard when she was transferred to a Praetor-Recruiter role. The Zaffrods worked to balance their professional duties—it was clear that Wyro was assigned as XO to determine his fitness to command a ship of his own—with their much-needed time together.
As the spouse of a Centurion and father of two Novices, Wyro was allowed to be present for the funeral of Eskol Kaartinen and his subsequent interment in Keltrayu's Tomb in 157 ABY.
In 158 ABY, Wyro was transferred off the Sairochelle into a staff position with the Navy's Training Command, temporarily filling a billet for a full commander. He concurrently served as a board member for an officer selection board. In 159 ABY he attended Jira's installation as Consul of Iomis; Wyro himself received his promotion to commander four months later.
Dates of Rank[]
| Rank | Date |
|---|---|
 Commander |
4:73 |
 Lieutenant Commander |
2:67 |
 Lieutenant |
3:60 |
 Midshipman |
2:57 |
 Ensign |
1:55 |