Sera Aleri

Born on Alderaan to a family invested heavily into planetary politics, Sera's early childhood was akin to that of any other little girl in the upper class.  For five years she enjoyed the love and affection of her small, tight-knit family, getting a bit spoiled in the process.  It wasn't to last however, for a few months after the child's fifth birthday, something within her made itself known.  The Force, in the form of knocking over a vase and rattling a couple of windows during a tantrum.  Suffice to say, the revelation chilled the little girl's mother and father to the core.  They knew full well what would become of their daughter if the Imperials caught wind of little Sera's sensitivity, which in itself was a serious concern given the family's influence in Alderaanian politics, and the ever watchful presence the Imperials maintained on the planet itself.  The family wasn't helpless however, there wasn't much love for the Empire to be found on Alderaan, and a couple weeks worth of hushed inquiries amongst a few anti-Imperial inner circles would eventually put them in contact with a man that could help them.  His name was Viccam Cruiway, a Jedi Knight hiding out somewhere in the Dalonbian sector in the Outer Rim, far away from Imperial eyes and ears.  Working through an old acquaintance of the man, whom was responsible for cluing the family in in the first place, the two parties would start to relay messages back and forth to each other.  Correspondence was a slow matter, the risk to both Viccam and Sera's family was great, so messages could only be sent through absolutely secure means, of which their options were limited.  The message put together over the course of the next month was quite clear, twas a plea, a plea to the Jedi Knight to take Sera under his protection, teach her to control her 'gift' whilst keeping her out of danger.  While Viccam was sympathetic towards the family's plight, he was less than enthusiastic about their request, and the family feared that they would be turned away.  One can only imagine the joy they felt when they received word from their 'mutual friend', provided the family was certain of their decision, he was to quietly arrange for Sera to be taken to Viccam.  While this brought hope to the family, it also carried with it a deal of sorrow.  Given their political status, any of them going with Sera was out of the question, it would simply draw too much attention, and Viccam wouldn't risk it.

Within a week, little Sera was on a small starship destined for the Outer Rim.  She didn't quite understand why she had to go away from her family, nor did she particularly like it, but her parents were firm in their decision, and no amount of pouting would sway them.  It didn't take long for home sickness and fear to set in, without the comforts of home and family, the future seemed like a scary thing for the five year old, rather than an adventure to look forward to.  The planet Sera was to call home for years to come, Belkadan, was a far cry from the grand metropolises of Alderaan.  Twas a world of towering trees, swamps, and rainforests, punctuated on occasion by farmland, as the planet was home to a small population of multiple species.  A beautiful place certainly, but one also fraught with dangers ready to fall upon the unwary.  After touching down on the planet's surface, a brisk speeder ride would see the child to her final destination, her new home for many years to come.  Viccam himself was a rather unassuming man, leading a simple life as a farmer.  Settling into the rural lifestyle wasn't easy for Sera, and right off the bat there would be sparks between her and her new guardian.  For the next three years, the little girl would train under the man, but on a seemingly normal day, her life would be changed forever.  It was the day Alderaan was obliterated by the Imperial super-weapon, their so called Death Star.  Billions of lives snuffed out in an instant, an entire world, gone.  Force sensitives the galaxy over felt the massive disturbance, Viccam included.  Even Sera, as untrained as she was, had felt it, and knew something was horribly wrong.  When word finally reached the backwater world of what had happened, Sera, a mere eight years old, was devastated.  Her entire family, her whole homeworld, gone in the blink of an eye.  The despair and sorrow was overwhelming, and all these years later, Sera has yet to experience an emotional pain like she did that day.  The child would also discover a new set of emotions that day, anger, rage, and above all, hate.  Hate for the Imperials, hate for those that had taken everything of importance in her life away from her.  The dissent, turmoil, and general discontent people had for the Empire had seemed so far away before then, and in an instant, the young girl found herself among those craving revenge.  The tragedy also served to forge a closer bond between Sera and Viccam, as he was the only person left in the galaxy that cared about her and her well-being, and this bond would strengthen in the years to come.  Despite this however, even he couldn't douse the fire that had been ignited in her soul.

For the next six years, Sera went at her training with renewed purpose, a purpose Viccam certainly didn't approve of, as he believed the emotions his young charge was embracing were a path to the dark side of the Force.  Her training would continue however, Viccam putting even more effort into guiding Sera down what he believed to be the 'right' path.  This six year period saw much change in the galaxy, the most important being the fall of the Empire, the rise of the New Republic, and the refounding of the Jedi Order.  The day word reached Viccam of the refounding (which had occurred a couple of weeks prior), he told Sera to pack her things, they would be joining their fellow Jedi on Coruscant.  While Sera was happy Viccam was happy, she certainly didn't share his enthusiasm.  Regardless, she obeyed, and within a couple more weeks, Viccam had settled his affairs on Belkadan, and the pair were making their way to Coruscant.  The transition from the one on one tutelage she'd become accustomed to on Belkadan, to the class settings of Coruscant, was not an easy one to make, and arguments between Sera and her instructors and fellow trainees were fairly regular.  Given Viccam's value as an experienced Jedi, he wasn't able to look after Sera as he had these past years, and their relationship suffered for it.  Regardless, the years continued to progress, and while her skills and understanding of the Force would continue to grow, so too did her dissatisfaction with the Jedi Order and their ideals.  That wouldn't stop her from calling herself a Jedi for the next 9 years however, growing from a defiant teenage padawan into a fully fledged, spirited Jedi Knight.  Sera continued to serve the Order with distinction for several more years, she may have not seen eye to eye with the leadership, but she was very good at obtaining results, and while she tried not to make it obvious, Sera relished any assignment that saw her pitted against Imperial forces, though those instances were few and far between.

Finally however, a few years after the Order's relocation to Tython, Sera's relationship with Jedi leadership would reach it's breaking point.  It was obvious that the New Republic was putting great weight on the words of the newly established High Council (though she suspected they'd been listening heavily to the Jedi for years before then), an act that seemed criminal to Sera.  What right did the New Republic have to bypass the senators of it's member planets in favor of the word of the Jedi?  If they wished to have a say in intergalactic politics, they should have been allowed two spokesmen, as every other planet and established government was allowed.  At the end of the day, it wasn't fair, a shining example of inequality and preferential treatment if there ever was one.  The Jedi held sway merely because they were able to wield the Force, and that infuriated Sera.  Of course the Council was more than happy to hold such power, so the Knight finally washed her hands of it all.  Leaving a simple note stating her reasons for leaving the Order, Sera would pack up what few belongings she had and depart with her starfighter without a word to anyone.  The young woman made for the Outer Rim, intent on putting her skills to work for herself.  After using most of her credits to get properly outfitted, Sera would get her first job in her new life, and as luck would have it, she would meet a man that would have a profound impact on her life for the next several years.

Sidnes Venapome was the man's name, a veteran of the battlefield that had first seen action against the Imperials whilst fighting for the Rebel Alliance as a young man.  Despite his service against the Imperials however, Sid was less than enthused by several of the New Republic's finer political points.  His biggest issue was the very reason Sera had left the Order in the first place, and it was this shared ideal of complete equality that made the two hit it off so well in the beginning.  On top of this, the pair performed fairly well together, as unpracticed as Sera was.  For this reason, Sid would invite Sera to be his partner.  She'd get a direct line to many contacts that frequently needed mercenaries, not to mention valuable experience under the watchful eye of an experienced mercenary, where as Sid had access to potent force user with a myriad of helpful abilities, a win-win as they say.  For the next 6 years the pair would work together, Sid imparting a great deal of what he'd learned of combat over his lifetime, and Sera making his life generally easier.  After one particular well paying job however, Sid would finally call it quits.  Getting up there in age, he'd amassed a sizable enough fortune over the years to retire comfortably.  While disappointed, Sera was very happy for the man, and having amassed a healthy list of contacts of her own over the past half-decade, wasn't concerned about her friend's retirement impacting her credit income or ability to find work.  After a particularly rowdy night at the nearest cantina to celebrate, Sera would see her friend off before getting back to business, promising to stay in touch with him.  It's been 3 years now, and Sera has been going strong.  However, unlike her days with Sid, when he specifically refrained from doing work that put them in direct conflict with the New Republic, Sera holds no such qualms, and very frequently she finds herself at odds with them and their Jedi masters, undermining them in some form or other.