The Abiding Force

Tsio

Keeper, confidant, guide — so named according to an old Alcedian tradition, Tsio walks a path of insincerity; for in a galaxy steeped in turmoil, the Force seems all the more illusive.

Having thought her part played in establishing a New Republic, Tsio now finds herself fighting to preserve it against forces beyond her reckoning. Brought back into the fold by Ceth Desulo, she must quickly learn to navigate this new, intricate landscape; all the while seeking to better understand her place in the galaxy.

Latent is the knowledge kept from her by prejudice, however. In another life she may have travelled a different path, that of the Jedi. But her perception of that ancient order has long been tainted; so she forges ahead in ignorance, looking only to the Force to guide her.

Early Life

Mikkia

Tsio was born Hywnebai Radeivi, to Pallabai and Ahkin Radeivi, in the city of Hameir on the planet Mikkia, 40 BBY. Her parents were affluent upper-crusters: her father was a well-regarded prosecutor, and her mother Portmaster of the Hameir Spaceport. By all accounts they were more than content.

But in 34 BBY they suddenly abandoned this life; and for the next nine years bounced between various Outer Rim worlds, before settling in the city of Norupo on Raxus Secundus, in 25 BBY. Ostensibly they did this out of disdain for the Galactic Republic, which they saw as terminally corrupt, and a blight on its constituent systems. The greater truth of it however, is that Pallabai had discovered her daughter’s Force-sensitivity; and out blind fear for the Jedi, acted as best she could to protect Tsio from them. By the time Tsio and Akhin learned of this, too long a time had passed, and both could do naught but settle into their new life on Raxus.

Born:

40BBY, Mikkia

Species:

Mikkian

Relations:

Pallabai Radeivi (Mother)

Ahkin Radeivi (Father)

Bol Vangh (Friend)

Taerezh Büyük (Friend)

Titles:

Captain (Alliance, Formerly)

Fall of the Republic

Tsio’s parents — Pallabai especially — were emboldened by Count Dooku’s speech in 24 BBY, wherein he declared the establishment of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, to stand in opposition to the corruption of the Republic. And when war broke out two years later, they thought that the end of the Republic might finally have come.

Tsio meanwhile sought to insulate herself from galactic politics, and found a kindred spirit in Bol Vangh, the son of a wealthy arms trader from Valo.

Every year in Norupo, the Vangh family organised a fair for the townsfolk: with food, music, parades, and assorted other things. In 22 BBY — shortly after the outbreak of war — Bol asked Tsio if she would participate in this year’s parade; specifically as a member of his ceremonial guard, part of an old Alcedian tradition. She agreed — though much to his ire, she was not chosen to be the head of the guard: a position referred to as the ‘Tsio’.

During the parade, pro-Republic insurgents made an attempt on the life of Bol’s father. Bol and Tsio were caught in the blast, with the former being seriously injured. In the immediate aftermath, the Vangh family left Raxus, and Tsio never saw Bol again.

Any notions she had to follow him would be dashed: first when the CIS Navy instituted a blockade of Raxus; and later when the Empire consolidated their grip on the planet following the Antar Atrocity. For the sake of her parents, she decided to stay on Raxus for the foreseeable future.

Pallabai and Ahkin passed away quietly some time after, defeated and despondent.

Age of Rebellion

Magpie

One year before the Battle of Yavin, Tsio was found drifting through space near Mon Cala by a Rebel patrol. She was alone, in a ship that had long since run out of fuel; and when prompted, could not recall how she came to be there. After a period of time in custody of the Rebellion, she was given a choice: join the Rebellion in its fight against the Empire, or live out the rest of the war in Sunspot Prison.

Trusting it to be the will of the Force, she elected to join the Rebellion.

Tsio — as she thereafter made herself known — joined a Rebellion intelligence program called Magpie, which sought to identify and extract defectors of value from Imperial worlds. Her most notable success came in 3 ABY when she facilitated the defection of Ieni Bir, a high ranking instructor at the Imperial Naval Academy on Raithal — and mother of Mizhoti Bir-Büyük.

Concordance

With the end of the war, Tsio — who by then had attained the rank of Captain — left the Republic behind, and returned home to Raxus. There she lived in solitude, until she was one day contacted by a former associate — Ceth Desulo. Believing this to be part of some grander design, she answered his call and returned to the fold. And after recruiting Mizhoti Bir-Büyük on his behalf, now finds herself embroiled in a crisis, the breadth of which she has yet to fully grasp.

Tsio & the Force

Tsio has known she was Force-sensitive since she was a child. However, at her mother’s urging she kept it suppressed; and for a time, lived fearing that the Jedi were hunting for her. Indeed, much of Tsio’s early understanding of the Force was tainted by her mother’s prejudice towards the Jedi, who she saw as inextricably tied to the corruption of the Republic — in spite of Mikkian society’s general deference to the Force.

Her father, Ahkin, would temper this fear in time; despite his own misgivings for the Republic and the Jedi, he had always been amenable to Mikkian tradition, and wanted his daughter to find her own path, free of interference. But by then the damage had been done, and it would not be until Tsio was near forty years old that she began to explore the Force in earnest.

Not wanting to draw undue attention, Tsio rarely utilised the Force in pursuit of her mission during the Galactic Civil War. Instead, she took to private meditation; which, without any tutelage, was slow to reward.

Her efforts over the next ten years did more to shape her philosophy of the Force, than it did her capacity to wield it. Tsio came to the conclusion that there must be a path she was following: an unknowable road, of indeterminate scope, laid down for her to walk. Each step then, became an exercise in faith. And this she believed, because of how she had come to join the Rebellion in the first place; for why else would she have found herself astray in the depths of space, with no means of saving herself?

Deriving from that then, Tsio realised that her fears were only burdens. If she gave herself over to the Force, then fearing death, failure, or loss was antithetical; whatever happened on the path must be will of the Force. She was quick to make peace with that reality.

However, recent events have made Tsio doubt the veracity of her convictions. She wonders if her idea of the Force is naive, that she does in fact have the agency to find her own way forward; or if in trying to forge her own path she will inevitably lead herself astray. Only time will reveal the truth of it.

Relationships

Bol Vangh

Bol Vangh (born 39 BBY) is an Alcedian from the planet Valo, in the Outer Rim. He is the son of Rag Vangh (68 BBY - 22 BBY), an arms trader active on Raxus Secundus during the latter years of the Old Republic.

Bol became friends with Tsio shortly after her arrival in Norupo in 25 BBY. Both sought to assuage themselves of their parent’s politics, and found solace in each other’s company.

In 22 BBY, Bol was seriously injured when a pro-Republic insurgent group used a bomb to assassinate his father during a public parade. After he had recovered, he left Raxus with his mother; presumably returning to Valo. He and Tsio have not seen each other since.

It’s not known whether either of them sought something more from their relationship. But by all accounts, they were each other’s only friend.

Ieni Bir

Ieni Bir (born 44 BBY) is a former Professor at Raithal Academy, and Imperial defector from Thyrsus.

During the Clone Wars, Ieni instructed on the subject of astrogation at the Republic Naval Academy on Raithal. With the rise of the Galactic Empire, she elected to retain her post, now under the purview of the Imperial Navy. This put her at odds with her husband and son; who shunned her, and later joined the rebellion against her masters.

Her decision weighed heavy on her, however, and in 2 ABY, she secretly contacted the Rebellion, making it known that she wished to defect. Several months later a plan was set in motion, which saw a team of ‘Magpies’ infiltrate the Raithal system, and extract her from the planet’s surface. Among those who rescued her was her own son, Mizhoti Bir-Büyük.

At the end of the war, Ieni returned home to Thyrsus with her husband, Taerezh, with the hope of reconciling the past thirty years with him.

Ieni was recently recruited by the New Republic Defence Forces under the auspices of the New Republic Amnesty Program, to assist in instruction at their flight school on Coruscant.

Tsio and Ieni have an adversarial relationship. Their contention does not stem from Ieni’s Imperial service, but from the fact that she betrayed two people Tsio has come to consider close friends: Taerezh and Mizhoti. She does not regret rescuing Ieni, but neither will she applaud her decision to defect in the first place. Tsio is simply not prepared to consider any kind of rapprochement. She cannot deny, however, that she has a vested interest in Ieni’s rehabilitation.

Taerezh Büyük

Taerezh Büyük (born 43 BBY) is a former Echani freighter captain, turned flight instructor for the New Republic on Coruscant. He is the father of Mizhoti Bir-Büyük.

Taerezh joined the Rebellion with his son shortly before the Battle of Yavin — but did not participate in it. Instead, he used his experience as a freighter captain to help smuggle weapons and supplies to Rebel cells inside Imperial territory. Attaining the rank of Captain, he retired from the Navy at the end of the war, and returned home to Thyrsus, where he hoped to reconcile with his wife, Ieni Bir.

With the rise of Sevrann’s Imperial Remnant, Taerezh felt compelled to follow his son’s example, and re-enlisted in the New Republic Navy. He now serves under General Madine as an instructor at the New Republic Defence Fleet flight academy on Coruscant.

Taerezh first encountered Tsio during the war, when she approached him on the topic of his wife, Ieni Bir, who had made known her intention to defect. Over the course of many conversations, a close friendship was struck. Tsio now considers Taerezh her closest friend and confidant.

Google Sites

Report abuse