Tahiri Veila
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Green[1] |
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Light[1] |
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- "I know something about pain you don't. Pain drowns other people. I just swim in it."
- ―Tahiri Veila, to Lord Nyax
Tahiri Veila, a Force-sensitive Human female, was a Jedi Knight of the New Jedi Order. During the Second Galactic Civil War, Veila became the Sith apprentice of Darth Caedus, the Dark Lord of the Sith who seduced her to the dark side of the Force. The granddaughter of a Jedi of the Old Order, Veila was born on the planet Tatooine to a pair of moisture farmers, Tryst and Cassa Veila. After the deaths of her parents, an orphaned Veila was adopted by the leader of a Tusken Raider tribe who raised her as one of the Sand People. Around 22 ABY, Jedi Master Tionne Solusar discovered Veila's connection to the Force and brought her to the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4. She then formed a friendship with a fellow Jedi Initiate named Anakin Solo, a grandson of the Jedi Chosen One Anakin Skywalker who was also remembered as the Sith Lord Darth Vader.
In the second year of the Yuuzhan Vong War, Veila was captured by the invaders during the attack on the Jedi Praxeum. She was then "shaped" by Mezhan Kwaad and Nen Yim to be a Jedi/Yuuzhan Vong hybrid. After her rescue, Veila became an asset to the Jedi as the procedure gave her the ability to speak and understand the enemy's language. In 27 ABY, Veila participated in the ill-fated Mission to Myrkr to remove the threat of the Jedi-hunting voxyn and witnessed the death of Anakin Solo, whom she had begun to think of as more than a friend. Due to the emotional pain caused by his death, her Vong-implanted personality Riina Kwaad resurfaced and attempted to control Veila's mind.
After successfully unifying both personalities, Veila traveled to Zonama Sekot with Corran Horn and the Yuuzhan Vong Nen Yim, Harrar and a disguised Nom Anor. She aided Nen Yim in discovering the relation between the Yuuzhan Vong and Zonama Sekot, which proved vital in ending the war and forging a peace with the Yuuzhan Vong. There on Zonama Sekot, she learned that the Yuuzhan Vong personality imprinted upon her by shaper Mezhan Kwaad, was in fact the personality of Nen Yim, complete with memories. At that point she came to peace with the surprising truth just before Nen Yim's death by Nom Anor. Veila fought in the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar and by the war's end, she stayed on Zonama Sekot with Danni Quee and Tekli to assist the Yuuzhan Vong with adjusting to peace.
During the Dark Nest Crisis, Veila was banished to Dagobah for revealing Jedi confidential information, but later became an active member of the Jedi Order again by 40 ABY. Ultimately, she severed her ties to the Jedi during the Second Galactic Civil War and joined Darth Caedus—formerly known as the Jedi Jacen Solo—the older brother of Anakin Solo. Veila was seduced by the dark side of the Force through Caedus' promises of revisiting the late Solo from the past via an ancient technique called Flow-walking. After assassinating Imperial Head of State Gilad Pellaeon—by order of Darth Caedus—at the Second Battle of Fondor, Veila became the official apprentice to the Dark Lord of the Sith. She later renounced the Sith Order as well, shortly before Caedus' death during the Battle of Shedu Maad in 41 ABY.
Over the next three years, Veila lived as a virtual outcast, having renounced her allegiance to the Jedi, the Sith and the Galactic Alliance. During her time as a bounty hunter in 43 ABY, she assisted the Jedi Order against the machinations of Chief of State Natasi Daala, the Alliance's anti-Jedi leader who plotted against the Order by taking advantage of a Force psychosis phenomenon that plagued some of the Jedi such as Seff Hellin. Veila was later placed on trial for the assassination of Gilad Pellaeon, but then escaped in 44 ABY. She then turned to Leia Organa Solo and Han Solo for a short time. Later she became the Imperial Hand of Pellaeon's successor, Jagged Fel after being turned over to him by the Solos. Her service to the Empire was brief, ultimately leading to her return to the ranks of the Jedi Order during their conflict with the Lost Tribe of Sith and the Force entity known as Abeloth.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Early life (13 ABY–22 ABY)[edit | edit source]
Tahiri was born on the planet Tatooine.[1] Like many of the planet's other settlers, her parents Cassa and Tryst Veila had a moisture farm where she spent her early years. She was orphaned at the age of three during a Tusken Raider raid though she was adopted by the tribe's leader Sliven in return for the kindness shown to him by her parents.[13] Tahiri was raised as a Tusken Raider and had a pet bantha named Bangor. She was skilled in the Force and was later found by Jedi Master Tionne and brought to Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 at about nine standard years old in 22 ABY.[1]
Jedi training (22 ABY–25 ABY)[edit | edit source]
- "You are not going to leave me alone no matter what I say, are you?"
- ―Anakin Solo, to Tahiri, 22 ABY
There she met the youngest of the Solo children, Anakin, and they quickly became close friends. Around the Academy, Tahiri refused to wear shoes and would go everywhere barefoot because she liked the coolness of the floors, which contrasted pleasantly with Tatooine's hot sands.[1]
On one adventure with Anakin, they came across the crumbling Palace of the Woolamander and discovered the Golden Globe and the ancient Kushiban Jedi Master Ikrit. Later, Ikrit also informed the pair that the Golden Globe contained countless trapped souls and that he had tried to break it before and failed.[1]
Following that, Tahiri and Anakin accompanied the Melodie Lyric to her homeworld of Yavin 8 where she was to undergo an important form-changing ritual known as the Changing Ceremony. Shortly after the trio's arrival, they fell under attack by several native predators including an avril, a reel, several raiths, and a purella. However, Anakin fought and killed them all. During the journey, the pair also discovered ancient carvings deep within a cave on the moon which matched those found at the Palace of the Woolamander. From these carvings, they learned that Golden Globe contained the souls of the children of the Massassi that had been imprisoned by the Dark Lord Exar Kun in 3997 BBY. They also learned that it was held together by Sith magic that could only be broken by Force-sensitive children.[12]
However, before Tahiri and Anakin could do so, Sliven demanded that she return to Tatooine. Tahiri was accompanied by Anakin to Tatooine where she rejoined her people and discovered that her real parents were Tryst and Cassa Veila, also Force-sensitives like their daughter, though they had been accidentally killed in a raid by the Sand People. The two young Jedi also had to use their Force abilities as never before including surviving the harshest deserts of the Dune Sea, evading a sarlacc, befriending a Jawa clan and defeating a krayt dragon. Following this ordeal, they returned to Yavin 4 and freed the trapped souls within the Golden Globe.[13]
Despite this, her friend Anakin remained troubled by visions of himself as a Dark Jedi, by his heritage as the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, who had become the infamous Darth Vader. Also, the reborn Emperor Palpatine had once attempted to enter him as an infant. To ensure he had no potential for evil, the young Jedi asked if he could go to the very same cave on Dagobah that Luke Skywalker had gone years earlier, and face himself.[14]
However, before arrangements for the trip could be made, a youth named Uldir Lochett was found stowed away on one of the supply ships to the Praxeum Lightning Rod. In spite of his optimism, he lacked obvious Force sensitivity—in his own later, rueful opinion, all he had were good hunches, a whisper-like ability to sense when the Force was being used, and a habit of causing trouble. Later, Tahiri, Ikrit, and R2-D2 accompanied Anakin to Dagobah. There, they discovered that Uldir had stowed away on their transport and encountered several swamp creatures before finally reaching the cave where Skywalker had faced his own dark side years earlier. There, Anakin faced the manifestations of his own doubts though he emerged victorious in the end.[14]
Later that year, the Jedi historian Tionne discovered that Darth Vader had saved Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber after their duel on the first Death Star in 0 BBY and kept the captured artifact at Bast Castle on Vjun. Since an information broker had sold this information to them, she feared that others may have gotten to it first and quickly informed Master Skywalker at the Jedi Praxeum. Thinking it was just a simple trip and time for training, Tionne allowed Tahiri, Anakin, Uldir, and Ikrit to accompany her to Vjun on her personal transport Lore Seeker.[15]
Having arrived on Vjun, they discovered another vessel and feared another group had reached it first. Having survived Bast Castle's automated defense systems and booby traps, they discovered the lightsaber in display in a protected alcove. Unfortunately, a group of mercenaries and pirates under a cloaked man named Orloc arrived. Orloc claimed to be a mage who possessed great powers and his henchmen also stole Kenobi's lightsaber.[15]
In response, the Jedi pursued Orloc and his henchmen on a chase through Bast Castle. During a confrontation, Orloc easily defeated Ikrit with a lightsaber since the Kushiban was without one. He also deceived Uldir by claiming to train him all the Force skills he desired. However, the other Jedi managed to rescue Uldir and escape Bast Castle, along with Kenobi's lightsaber and the holocron of the ancient Jedi Master Asli Krimsan.[15]
Despite having escaped Orloc, Uldir was now obsessed with what the Mage had told him and still believed that the Mage would be able to awaken the Force powers within him, which nobody at the Jedi Praxeum had been able to do. Uldir then stole Ikrit's ship Sunrider (named after Nomi Sunrider) and the two Jedi artifacts recovered during the previous adventure at Bast Castle.[16]
Uldir eventually found Orloc at an abandoned space station called Exis Station, where Tionne had met Luke years earlier in her search for relics. Having arrived at the derelict space city, Uldir found Orloc whom took the youth as his student. The Mage had already set up his base on the moon and planned to create his own Jedi Order. In reality, Orloc had no Force powers but had actually used high-tech gimmicks to deceive others with demonstrations of so called "Force power." Uldir did not realize it.[16]
Tionne, Ikrit, Anakin, and Tahiri set out to find Uldir on their transport Lore Seeker and eventually found Exis Station. Having arrived, they tried to tell Uldir that Orloc was a fraud and that he had been deceived. The Mage attacked the four Jedi with his high-tech gimmicks, who fought back by using the Force.[16]
During the duel, Tionne was wounded and Ikrit—who had sworn not to wield a lightsaber until he had found worthy students—made his decision and join Anakin and Tahiri in their fight. Uldir then saw that Orloc was little more than a charlatan who used technology to deceive others with demonstrations of power. Together, the Jedi defeated Orloc, thus removing a threat to the growing New Jedi Order. Tahiri and her companions would return to the Jedi Praxeum. Whenever Tionne was not teaching classes, Tahiri had her full attention.[16]
Yuuzhan Vong War (25 ABY–29 ABY)[edit | edit source]
- "They will not break your Jedi; they will remake her."
- ―Vua Rapuung, to Anakin Solo
During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Jedi Praxeum was targeted for destruction by the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong. When the Yuuzhan Vong attacked in 26 ABY, Tahiri had just turned fourteen standard years. Shortly after the Battle of Duro, Anakin came to Yavin IV to warn of an attack, only to find the Peace Brigade had started an invasion. During the Yuuzhan Vong assault, she stayed at the Academy to fight alongside Anakin and Ikrit, while the other children went to hide. However, Tahiri was captured and Ikrit was eventually killed while trying to defend her and her friends.[2]
Once the Vong had taken over the planet, they began to shape the area, which included Tahiri. Master Shaper Mezhan Kwaad and her assistant Nen Yim performed heretical acts and began shaping Tahiri to be closer to Yuuzhan Vong, creating a new personality called Riina Kwaad. She became fluent in their language and desired to fight on their side. Her shaping was almost complete when Anakin interfered. Tahiri ended up killing Mezhan Kwaad and the two escaped to Coruscant.[2]
Tahiri became an asset in the war and the Jedi's understanding of the Vong because of her shaping, she was also one of the few fluent in their tongue. On 27 ABY, she, alongside Anakin and Jaina Solo, supplied a "know-your-enemy" briefing to the Corellian Security personnel at the request of retired CorSec director Rostek Horn, in part due to her experience at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong's braintwisting methods.[17]
On Tahiri's next adventure, she, Anakin and Corran Horn traveled to Eriadu. She and Anakin came to the aid of the Rodian Jedi Kelbis Nu who was being attacked by a group of Peace Brigade agents. Kelbis told them that the Yuuzhan Vong would target Yag'Dhul next since it was located on where the Corellian Trade Spine and the Rimma Trade Route met.[18]
Unfortunately for them, they were arrested by the Eriaduan judicials under a Human male named Lieutenant Themion. During their incarceration, he had them kept in separate cells and then interrogated each one of them. When interrogating Anakin, he assaulted the young Jedi after Anakin refused to cooperate with him. This angered Tahiri whom sensed this through the Force. She then used her Force powers to break out of her cell before proceeding to storm Anakin's cell.[18]
With a blaster in one hand and under the influence of the Riina Kwaad personality, Tahiri shouted Do-ro'ik vong pratte before hurling Themion against the wall. Tahiri then handcuffed him with his own stun cuffs. Another guard entered the cell though Anakin threw him against the corridor wall as well, knocking him out and giving the two Jedi enough time to escape and reclaim their lightsabers.[18]
This involved fighting through more judicials outside the prison and hijacking a police speeder though the two Jedi eventually reached the spaceport and escaped off-world with Corran Horn on their transport Lucre. During the journey to Yag'Dhul, the three Jedi swapped the Lucre for a stolen Yuuzhan Vong Yorik-stronha (spy ship-analogue) which was christened Stalking Moon. Having arrived at Yag'Dhul, they succeeded in warning the native mathematical Givin of the impending invasion of their planet. Because of the threat, the Givin decompressed the space station to kill the Vong, which forced Tahiri and Anakin into a storage locker. Feeling the end was near, the two shared their first kiss, completing the development of their friendship into something more. They were later rescued by Corran while the combined Givin/New Republic fleet drove back the extragalactic invaders.[18]
One of the most important of Tahiri's missions was the one she went on with other Jedi Knights to Myrkr to destroy the voxyn queen. Here, she was faced with seeing her love Anakin killed. She was devastated and fell into a deep depression.[19]
Despite this, Tahiri went with Masters Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker to a Yuuzhan Vong-occupied Coruscant, and played a crucial role in taking down the dark side being going by the moniker Lord Nyax.[20]
Tahiri was deemed a Jedi Knight in a ceremony on Mon Calamari before the Battle of Ebaq 9.[21] She was also the leader of her own X-wing squadron, the Barefoot Squadron.[22]
Yet her greatest trial with the Yuuzhan Vong was not to be on the outside, but from within. When Han and Leia Organa Solo took her and Jaina Solo with them to reestablish communications with regions of the galaxy the Galactic Alliance had lost contact with, the Riina personality began to resurface.[23] The mental turmoil caused Tahiri to enter a catatonic state, where the two personalities battled for control. Eventually, both personalities realized that the only way for both to survive was to merge together, essentially creating a new person. However, her loyalty was still to the Galactic Alliance.[24]
Following this, Tahiri teamed up with Corran Horn in extracting Nen Yim, the priest Harrar and the prophet Yu'shaa from Coruscant and bringing them to Zonama Sekot. During this time Tahiri asked to be Corran's Jedi apprentice to help complete her training. He agreed on an interim basis until they could get Luke Skywalker's approval.[3] She also participated in the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar at the end of the war, having mastered the Vongsense, that was taught to her by Jacen, and using it to help the Galactic Alliance.[25]
Dark Nest Crisis (35 ABY–36 ABY)[edit | edit source]
- "I'm half Yuuzhan Vong inside. The only thing pain would cause me is a religious experience."
- ―Tahiri
After reclaiming Coruscant and once the Yuuzhan Vong had been relocated to the living world Zonama Sekot, Tahiri decided on staying on the planet, along with Tekli and Danni Quee to help the Vong adjust to their new home.[25] However, while attempting to mediate a conflict between the Extolled and Warriors in La'oiko, she received a strange Force-call from to the Unknown Regions.[4]
Along with other survivors of the Myrkr strike team, Tahiri set out to discover the source of the call, and found that it was the creature which had once been their fellow Jedi Raynar Thul, believed slain at Myrkr, but now transformed into the Prime Unu of the hive-minded Killik species. Along with Tekli, Jaina Solo, Alema Rar, Zekk, Lowbacca and Tesar Sebatyne, she was coerced into joining the Killiks by the Prime Unu's exploitation of the Myrkr battle meld, and she became a "Joiner"—someone who was influenced and was subject to the control of the Colony, subjected to Force and pheromonal manipulation so profound as to physically affect brain-structure.[4]
Just as Jaina and Zekk came to form a dyad within the Joiner meld, Tahiri appeared to have bonded with Tesar Sebatyne and Lowbacca. During the closing months of the Killik conflict, Tesar and Lowbacca revealed Raynar's survival to Aryn Dro Thul, his mother and owner of the powerful Bornaryn Trading company. Luke Skywalker viewed this as a betrayal of the Jedi Order, undermining his attempts to impose unity on the Knights as Grand Master, and exiled all three of them to Dagobah in order to meditate on what it meant to be a Jedi. Luke told them that he would call them once he felt they were ready to rejoin the order, and that they were not to leave until they felt that call. Jacen accidentally revealed his knowledge about Tesar and Lowbacca's actions in a later conversation with Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker when he learned that Tahiri had been exiled too, even though Luke had kept the cause of the trio's exile secret. Jacen confessed that Tahiri had told him about what Tesar and Lowbacca were doing, which led Luke to accuse him of using her to spy on fellow Jedi.[26]
Second Galactic Civil War (40 ABY–41 ABY)[edit | edit source]
On the path to the dark side[edit | edit source]
- "Do you think about the living beings in those fighters, or do you think about us in this ship, and can you ever be sure you took the only reasonable path open to you. I can't answer that. To become my apprentice, you have to be able to answer that in your own mind and live with the answer."
- ―Darth Caedus, while testing Tahiri Veila
Tahiri Veila returned from exile in 40 ABY, just as the galaxy descended once more into another civil war when a Corellian-led secessionist movement threatened the primacy of the Galactic Alliance. In an attempt to counter the increasing threat of the Corellians and their fellow subversives, Veila was placed in command of Team Tauntaun, which consisted of Tiu Zax and Doran Sarkin-Tainer, with orders to remove the Corellian Head of State, Thrackan Sal-Solo, from power by force. At the same time, Team Purella attempted to apprehend Five World Prime Minister Aidel Saxan. However, the mission was compromised when an unknown traitor leaked information about the Alliance's plan to the Corellians. With foreknowledge of the Jedi's objectives, YVH droids were placed in defense of Corellia's secessionist leaders. Despite the unexpected setback, the Veila's team succeeded in turning a major defeat into a minor victory when Tiu remained behind in Sal-Solo's mansion in order to feed the Alliance valuable intelligence from behind enemy lines. Although Veila was reluctant to leave Tiu behind, the Jedi were forced to cut their losses and withdraw back to Coruscant.[6]
Unknown to the Jedi Order at the time, Jacen Solo pledged his allegiance to the Sith after submitting himself to the teachings of the self-proclaimed Dark Lady, Lumiya. At the time, Solo believed that Veila would serve him better as an apprentice than his younger cousin, Ben Skywalker. Unlike her protégé, Lumiya was not convinced that Veila would be able to commit herself to the Sith cause in the long run. Thus, she argued that Grand Master Luke Skywalker's son would make a far more suitable disciple to Jacen Solo.[27]
After killing his aunt, Mara Jade Skywalker, which then led to the death of Lumiya at the hands of Luke Skywalker, Jacen fulfilled his training and recreated himself into Darth Caedus, the new Dark Lord of the Sith.[28] Despite his master's lack of confidence in Tahiri Veila, Caedus still believed that Veila could be useful to him in other capacities, but only if he could convince her to sever old loyalties to the Jedi Order. Thus, he approached her on the anniversary day of Anakin Solo's death, knowing that she would be in an emotionally vulnerable state because of the love she still felt for his dead brother.[29]
Through a rare Force technique known as Flow-walking, Darth Caedus enabled Tahiri Veila to witness a certain point in their past—more specifically, her experience on the Baanu Rass during the Myrkr mission and the last time she ever saw Anakin Solo. Caedus explained that he wanted to provide Veila with a second chance to give Anakin the final kiss that she had denied him, though he also claimed that to tamper with time itself could pose a threat to the integrity of reality as well. In actuality, however, Caedus' intentions were far less altruistic. But just after she nudged her past self to give Anakin a farewell kiss, Caedus intentionally caused her to experience even greater anguish when he ended the flow-walking session. He then added to her emotional pain, knowing that it would lead her down the path of the dark side, by reminding Veila about how she allowed Anakin to die without ever hearing her admit to loving him.[29]
Darth Caedus' ploy played out to perfection, just as he anticipated. Driven by an addiction to see Anakin once more by flow-walking into the past, Veila was determined to ingratiate herself to the Dark Lord in every possible way. Hence, she willingly submitted herself to Caedus, who succeeded in corrupting her to become his spy within the ranks of the Jedi Order. In return for her services, Caedus agreed to more flow-walking sessions so that Veila could see Anakin again and again. At the same time, he carefully nurtured Veila's addiction by never leaving her fully satisfied, thus intensifying her reliance on him—as well as her willingness to do his bidding.[29] Throughout their time together, Darth Caedus and Tahiri Veila grew closer and were possibly engaged in a physical relationship, albeit without any romantic attachments towards each other.[30]
Tahiri Veila proved to be a useful asset to Darth Caedus, especially in her capacity as his spy within the Jedi Order. She was among the seventy Jedi StealthX wing pilots that Luke Skywalker organized after he decided to commit the Order to fighting on behalf of the Galactic Alliance against the Corellian separatists. Flying with Saba Sebatyne's squadron, the Night Blades, Veila fought in the Second Battle of Balmorra and the early stages of the Battle of Kuat. At the same time, she made good use of her role as a spy by relaying information on Jedi activities to Caedus. Before accompanying the Jedi to Kashyyyk, she informed the Dark Lord about Skywalker's intentions to withdraw the Order from the conflict, due to his disillusionment with the Galactic Alliance's conduct in the war.[29]
During the Battle of Kashyyyk, Veila witnessed the early stages of Caedus' orbital bombardment on the Wookiee homeworld. She left while the battle was still in progress to pursue Caedus' parents, Han and Leia Organa Solo, as the duo traveled to Hapes. When she attempted to arrest the two as traitors to the Galactic Alliance, Veila engaged Leia in a brief duel until they were interrupted by the Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo. As a result of her actions, Veila unintentionally turned Tenel Ka and the entire Hapes Consortium against Darth Caedus. Before being unceremoniously shuttled off-world by the Hapans, Veila was placed under arrest, in spite of her protests, and her StealthX was confiscated by Hapan authorities.[29]
Caedus knew perfectly well that Veila's loyalty to him was caused more by her obsession with flow-walking—and by extension, Anakin Solo—as opposed to any genuine commitment to his personal vision of the future. Nevertheless, her dependence on Caedus generally worked to his advantage, mainly in the sense that Veila worked harder to win the Dark Lord's approval by taking initiatives without his direct orders.[29] After her return to the Galactic Alliance, Caedus continued to flow walk with Veila back to key moments in Anakin's life as a means of further ensuring her loyalty to him. Although he still hoped to use her as a spy within the Order, the Jedi eventually became aware of Veila's new allegiance, which effectively ended her role as an undercover agent before she could discover the location of the Jedi's secret base.[31]
Sith apprentice[edit | edit source]
- "Tahiri, in the long term, it's easier to kill a powerful enemy than it is an apparently weak one. If you bring down a giant, you're a hero. If you kill something weak—even if it has to die—then you endure contempt. Being willing to be despised to serve the common good…that's the mark of a true Sith. You're going to make a fine apprentice for me, Tahiri."
"Oh, I'm…official, then." - ―Darth Caedus and Tahiri Veila, confirming their relationship as master and apprentice
After failing in his attempts to convert Ben Skywalker into a Sith apprentice, Darth Caedus invested more of his time and focus on Tahiri Veila, who quickly succeeded Skywalker as Caedus' right-hand subordinate. To Veila's credit, Caedus found her to be intellectually cunning, competent for the most part, and someone whom he could confide in. Veila made an effort to behave more formally around the Dark Lord, who became a Joint-Chief of State alongside Admiral Cha Niathal, and began providing her own input when ever the two discussed their strategy in regards to the war. Furthermore, Caedus even admitted to himself that he enjoyed Veila's company far more than Skywalker's.[8]
Together, the Sith Lord and his prospective apprentice traveled to Fondor on the Anakin Solo, a GAG Star Destroyer that was named in honor of Caedus' late sibling. The purpose of their visit to Fondor, a world that deserted the Galactic Alliance in order to join the rebellious Confederation, was for Caedus to personally see if Veila had the resolve and strength of will to make a proper Sith. By that time, he had grown sick of her stubborn refusal to leave Anakin Solo in the past. He was also disdainful of her for making him indulge her childish romantic fantasies with Anakin for the sole reason of securing her loyalty. Thus, Caedus was more determined than ever to break Veila's incessant longing for a dead boy that she could never have.[8]
As a squadron of Fondorian starfighters approached the Anakin Solo, Caedus ordered the shields to be deactivated, thus leaving his flagship, including everyone on board, in a very precarious situation. He then told Veila that the fate of their Star Destroyer and all of the lives within it were in her hands; she alone had to decide whether to fire on the Fondorians or risk allowing them to attack first. Though there was a good chance that the Fondorians were only cautiously investigating the Alliance vessel, rather than intending to make the first strike, Caedus made sure that Veila was aware of the fact that hundreds of the Anakin Solo's crew were in danger of being killed if the Fondorians decided to open fire on their vulnerable target. Although she hesitated during a few moments of indecision, the Fondorians' increasingly close proximity to the Anakin Solo caused her to order the destruction of the starfighters. With Veila's decision made, Caedus ordered a hasty withdrawal to Coruscant. Even though she potentially saved many lives aboard the Star Destroyer and further impressed Darth Caedus, Veila was haunted by her choice since she killed an entire squadron that did not provoke an attack by striking first.[8]
Upon their return to Coruscant, Caedus decided to test Veila even further to see if she would make a worthy apprentice. At Niathal's insistence that military assets should only be used only by enlisted personnel, Caedus formally recruited Veila as a junior lieutenant within the Galactic Alliance Guard. Due to her new role, Lieutenant Tahiri Veila wore a dark blue uniform with black military-issued boots, despite her personal discomfort with footwear. She even had her hair pinned up to better match her conversion to military uniformity. Although she had not yet convinced Caedus that she could make a better apprentice to him than Ben Skywalker, she did earn enough of his confidence to be entrusted with new responsibilities. In addition to her role as his spy, Veila also became Caedus' representative to the Imperial Remnant.[8]
After traveling to Bastion, Veila personally met with Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon at the Imperial Palace of Ravelin. Though she personally believed that her master should focus more on gaining the support of the Moff Council, Caedus knew that he needed to convince Pellaeon since the Moffs were unwilling to act without his approval. Despite the fact that Pellaeon loathed Darth Caedus and the Yuuzhan Vong, which Veila unintentionally reminded him of, he was pleasantly surprised to see the young woman hold her own in a conversation with him. Her strategy was simple and to the point—discuss the advantages that the Imperials' little Empire could gain in the long run by joining forces with the Alliance. Both Veila and Pellaeon knew that the Moffs wanted to accept Caedus' offer, and it was only a matter of time before even the Grand Admiral himself would have to relent to their wishes. When Pellaeon asked for more details about the proposed arrangements between the Alliance and the Remnant, information which Veila did not possess, Veila quickly recovered by reminding the Grand Admiral that she was only on Bastion to propose the initial offer; the details had to be worked out with the two Joint-Chiefs of State. Though it would be a while before Pellaeon agreed to unite the Remnant with the Alliance as an allied force, Caedus was well pleased with Veila's performance on Bastion and even congratulated her.[8]
Though she disappointed Caedus with her inability to locate the Jedi's secret base, Veila continued to devote herself to the task. Ironically, she made a correct educated guess that Luke Skywalker would settle on his old base at Endor, Caedus refused to believe that his uncle would risk being so obvious, and thus he missed his opportunity to eliminate the Jedi in one swift stroke by failing to take Veila's opinion seriously. As time passed, Veila grew closer to Caedus as his right-hand and sole confidant. She came to witness more interactions between Caedus and Niathal, which baffled her at first given the obvious contempt that the two Joint-Chiefs of State felt towards each other; she became privy to more of the Dark Lord's plans and inner thoughts, all of which he confided in her; she also practically served as the gatekeeper for access to Darth Caedus, at least when he was off in seclusion. Some of the Anakin Solo's crew began to suspect that Caedus and Veila were romantically involved with each other; Niathal saw their relationship as more of a "gang boss and junior henchman" nature. In Niathal's eyes, Darth Caedus was a natural leader on the battlefield and in politics; Tahiri Veila served as his fixer, messenger and spy.[8]
Just before the commencement of the Second Battle of Fondor, Darth Caedus boarded the Imperial Star Destroyer Bloodfin for a senior staff session with Niathal and Pellaeon; Tahiri Veila remained close at his side. Due to the enmity that he sensed from his two "allies," Caedus felt that it was imperative to keep a close watch on the activities of both Niathal and Pellaeon. But since his focus would have to be completely directed at Fondor for the battle, he would have to rely on Veila to act as his eyes and ears. As Joint-Chief of State and a popular leader within the Galactic Alliance, Caedus could count on the loyalty of his own people, more so than he could with the Imperial Remnant, especially when it was under the control of a man who utterly loathed him. Thus, he decided to leave Veila in the Bloodfin where she would serve as a liaison while also spying on the Alliance's Imperial allies. Pellaeon grudgingly acquiesced to allowing Veila to remain on his flagship, but was nevertheless mistrustful of the woman he regarded as Caedus' own personal villip. Before returning to the Anakin Solo, Caedus discreetly instructed Veila to remain vigilant of the Grand Admiral's actions. If Pellaeon interfered with Caedus' plan in any way during the fighting, then Veila was required to stop him by any means necessary—including lethal force. Veila felt slightly averse to a seemingly callous order, yet she remained committed to the Dark Lord's cause and assured that she would do her duty to the extreme when absolutely necessary.[8]
In a last ditch attempt to ensure that Veila was truly dedicated to his side once and for all, Caedus stated that all of his actions, including the morally questionable ones, were aimed at forging a galaxy where heroes like Anakin Solo did not have to die long before their time. Under his guidance, the Galactic Alliance would become a force that was so powerful until no enemy could ever unleash the same level of devastation that the Yuuzhan Vong brought to the galaxy. As Caedus left to return to his own Star Destroyer, he was slightly disturbed by the parting shot that Veila gave him. He was disturbed when he realized that Veila was far more aware than he originally believed; she knew that he was manipulating her fixation with his brother. Although he was unsure as to whether Veila truly believed in a Sith government, or if she was more ambitious than he thought, Caedus was pleased to see that his prospective apprentice finally developed the cunning intellect of a Sith—an advantage at his complete disposal.[8]
When Niathal betrayed Caedus in an attempt to undermine his authority by unilaterally declaring a cease fire with Fondor, without even consulting her own colleague first, the Galactic Alliance Defense Force became literally split in two when its personnel were forced to choose sides between the two Joint-Chiefs of State. But since Caedus was far more popular with the soldiers, as opposed to much less charismatic Niathal, the Dark Lord retained the greater half of the Galactic Alliance's war fleets, thus leaving Niathal with only a small minority of supporters. Even though Caedus preserved the official Galactic Alliance under his control, Pellaeon allowed his personal opinion of the Dark Lord to influence his decision to support Niathal and her fellow traitors. The senior Moff commanders on the Bloodfin strongly objected to Pellaeon's betrayal of Darth Caedus; Veila shared their concerns and became determined to convince the Grand Admiral to re-commit the Remnant to Caedus' cause.[8]
When Pellaeon retired to his personal cabin, leaving a seething group of Moffs quietly outraged over his decision, Tahiri Veila followed him in a final attempt to change the old Imperial's mind. She argued that the suffering in the war would increase to unprecedented levels if the Alliance was allowed to destroy itself from within. If Darth Caedus was removed from power, than the Alliance would revert back to its self-destructive nature that enabled the Corellian secessionist movement to get out of hand in the first place. When Pellaeon refused to listen to reason, a frustrated Veila drew her GA-issue officer's blaster and implored him to reconsider his decision. At that moment, she finally admitted to her faith in Darth Caedus and his ability to bring absolute victory to the Galactic Alliance. Like him, she also believed that Fondor had to be made an example of in order to show the rest of the galaxy just how committed the Alliance was to establishing a firm government of order and unity. In order to do so, all threats to the Galactic Alliance had to be neutralized for good, starting with Fondor. Though she knew that the Moffs would be glad to be rid of such a thorn in their side, Veila felt obliged to offer the Grand Admiral one last chance to live in exchange for joining Caedus. When Pelleaon gave his answer by signaling the Imperial fleet to side with Niathal, Veila shot him through the chest without hesitation. As she and the Moffs watched him slowly succumb to his fatal wound, the Moffs quickly assumed overall command and directed the Remnant back to Caedus' side. With the exception of the Bloodfin's crew and the Maw Irregular Fleet of Admiral Natasi Daala, the vast majority of the Imperial Remnant ignored the Grand Admiral's dying wish and threw their support behind the Dark Lord of the Sith.[8]
As soon as Veila contacted the Anakin Solo to reassure her Dark Lord of the Imperials' continued allegiance to the true Alliance, Darth Caedus congratulated her on saving for saving the entire Galactic Alliance from collapse and ruin. He was also pleased with her lack of enthusiasm over killing an old man like Pellaeon, even if it was a heroic act of sacrifice that was aimed at saving many more lives in the long run. It also showed him that Veila killed out of necessity rather than pleasure, a quality that was essential for any Sith to avoid becoming the same megalomaniac as Darth Sidious. Aside from retaining control over the Alliance, Caedus also won another personal victory—his strenuous search for a worthy apprentice was finally at an end. After mentally assessing Tahiri Veila one more time, Darth Caedus judged her to be ready to stand at his side and officially acknowledged her as his apprentice. With the Sith Order restored to two active Sith Lords, in accordance with Darth Bane's Rule of Two, Caedus promised to rescue his new disciple, even at the risk of his own life.[8]
- "It's okay, Tahiri. We're going to live to fight another day. It's our destiny."
- ―Darth Caedus, to an unconscious Tahiri Veila
Upon returning to Coruscant, Darth Caedus secured his new role as the sole-ruling Chief of State of the true Galactic Alliance while Niathal and her supporters were officially recognized as traitors by the government. As the Dark Lord consolidated his rule on Coruscant through the secret police activities of the Galactic Alliance Guard, his apprentice resumed her search for Luke Skywalker and his fugitive Jedi. Veila once again seized the initiative when she disobeyed her master by searching Endor. Her suspicions that Skywalker would utilize one of his old bases from the Galactic Civil War turned out to be correct, contrary to Caedus' original belief, but she had arrived too late. The Jedi had already relocated to a new clandestine site, and thus she resumed the hunt for her former comrades.[8]
The enforcer of Darth Caedus[edit | edit source]
- "My Lord Caedus, I disobeyed your instructions about where to search for the Jedi Council, and went back to the locations where Luke Skywalker had hideouts in his Rebel days. I'm now on Endor. There's an old Imperial base here, just full of Force energy, even though the camp's been abandoned. The Jedi have been here very recently, but I don't know where they've gone—yet."
- ―Comm message from Tahiri Veila, Sith apprentice, to Darth Caedus, Dark Lord of the Sith and Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance
In order to discover Darth Caedus' whereabouts, Ben Skywalker led a Jedi team to Coruscant to meet with his contact in person. Captain Lon Shevu, Skywalker's friend and spy within the Galactic Alliance Guard, discreetly revealed to the Jedi that Caedus was located on Nickel One. At that point, however, Skywalker realized that he had been discovered by the Guard's spies. In the ensuing skirmish in Galactic City, Skywalker and Shevu pretended to fight each other in order to protect the captain's cover. Their act was interrupted, however, when Lieutenant Tahiri Veila charged at them while armed with her lightsaber; a squad of GAG troopers and commandos followed closely behind her. When Skywalker tried to defend himself against the Guard's shock troops, Veila took advantage of the young Jedi's distraction and incapacitated him. Shevu, who had also been rendered unconscious during the fight, was loaded onto the Doomsled along with Skywalker. Leia Organa Solo and her daughter, Jaina, attempted to rescue Skywalker by pursuing the Doomsled, but Veila anticipated their move and voice-activated a gas trap to halt her master's mother and sister. Though they were able to survive an ambush by GAG troopers, the two Solos were forced to break off their rescue attempt in order to escape from Coruscant.[9]
As Darth Caedus oversaw the progress of the war from the front, Tahiri Veila remained on Coruscant where she proceeded to interrogate her Jedi prisoner. In an attempt to gain information on the location of the Jedi Order's secret base from Ben Skywalker, Veila resorted to torture in order to force Skywalker's compliance. When torture failed to produce the desired result, she settled on another interrogation technique—seduction. But when Skywalker resisted Veila's charms, the female Sith Lord revealed that she had one more card to play—Lon Shevu. She had already known for some time that Shevu was a traitor who was in league with the Jedi, and thus she used him as a pawn to capture Skywalker. When Veila threatened the life of Skywalker's friend, however, she accidentally overused her powers—enhanced by the dark side—by electrocuting Shevu to death. Veila was shocked by her actions and tried unsuccessfully to revive the captain. Skywalker used Veila's distraction to his advantage by breaking free of his restraints, and then incapacitated the Sith long enough to escape from Coruscant.[9]
Shortly after Skywalker's escape, Veila left Coruscant to return to her master, who had been in the middle of interrogating the Mandalorian prisoner Mirta Gev on the Anakin Solo. Although she was forced to report her failure to discern the location of the Jedi Order's secret base, Veila was pleased to reveal that Prince Isolder had been captured and could possibly possess the knowledge of where the Jedi were hiding. Much to her surprise, however, Caedus explained how he succeeded where Veila failed. Through a blood trail that was secretly planted on Jaina Solo during the First Battle of Roche, Caedus discovered that the Jedi had relocated their base of operations to the planet Shedu Maad.[9]
Regarding Caedus' desire to learn which Jedi were part of Gev's strike team, the Dark Lord inquired his apprentice's input on how to make the prisoner more cooperative. Thinking pragmatically, Veila understood that torture and death threats were unlikely to succeed on Gev, mainly due to the weakness of pride that Mandalorians possessed in abundance. However, she also realized that such ego, further magnified by Gev's physical-based vanity, was also a useful asset, and thus she suggested that disfigurement could have the desired effect on Gev. Yet simple humiliation would not suffice; Veila explained that Gev would have to be utterly mutilated in order to destroy her beauty so that she would be pitied by anyone who saw her. Although Veila's suggestion installed a great deal of dread within Gev, the Mandalorian refused to cooperate, thus causing Caedus to realize that the threat of disfigurement alone was unlikely to work.[9]
The Sith Lords' interrogation of Gev was disturbed by the arrival of a female Human lieutenant, who wore a medic uniform with a Remnant insignia, escorted by a GAG trooper. Although Caedus ordered the Imperial officer to leave until he was finished examining Gev, Veila inquired as to why she wanted to see the prisoner. After briefly struggling to contain her fear of Caedus, the lieutenant explained that the Moff Council wanted her to collect a sample of Gev's blood so that the Remnant could fashion a nanovirus that would target and kill everyone who was connected by blood to Boba Fett and his family. Veila's inquiry to the lieutenant's intentions succeeded in breaking Gev's silence and she agreed to cooperate if Caedus promised to heal her and prevent the nanovirus's creation.[9]
Although Veila sensed that Gev was being truthful when she said that Jaina Solo was the only Jedi in her strike team, Caedus refused to believe that Luke Skywalker had not been present during his duel with Solo as well. Unaware of the fact that Skywalker used the Force to deceive Caedus, Gev was unable to convince the Dark Lord that only Solo was the only Jedi who was physically present during the battle. As a result of Gev's initial honesty, Caedus agree to heal her injuries, but also allowed the Imperial lieutenant to draw a blood sample from Gev. The lieutenant then stated to the two Sith Lords that the nanovirus would be completed in one to three days before being deployed to Mandalore, thus ensuring that neither Fett or his progeny would ever be able to return to the Mandalorian homeworld. Caedus, seeking to strengthen his influence over the Imperial Remnant, ordered Veila to tell the Moff Council to create a command committee that would operate under his guidance so that they could better coordinate Alliance and Remnant forces.[9]
Discontent[edit | edit source]
- "Tahiri, you don’t wanna do that. I know you don’t, because you’re no better suited to be Sith apprentice than I was."
- ―Ben Skywalker, attempting to redeem Tahiri Veila
Shortly after Ben Skywalker's escape from Coruscant, Tahiri Veila left the Galactic Capital and rendezvoused with Darth Caedus as the Second Galactic Civil War drew closer to an end. Due to a blood trail that Caedus discreetly planted on Jaina Solo at the Second Battle of Roche, he succeeded in discovering the location of the Jedi Order's secret base by following his twin sister to Shedu Maad. With a mixed fleet of Alliance and Imperial starships, the Dark Lord and his apprentice both oversaw the assault on the Jedi and their allies from the bridge of the Anakin Solo.[9]
Although the Jedi squadron of StealthX fighters failed to eliminate their main target, Darth Caedus, the Anakin Solo sustained extensive damage to its hull and structural integrity; the bridge itself was nearly destroyed by a powerful shadow bomb. During a meeting between the two Sith Lords and the Moff Council, Alliance and Imperial commanders became increasingly alarmed by the enemy's strength and resistance against their attack. However, Caedus assured them that their losses were of no concern since the war would ultimately end in their favor—a result that he personally foresaw in a vision of his daughter's future. Nevertheless, Veila suggested that her master could prevent such losses by altering the past through the flow-walk ability.[9]
Caedus, having already achieved his goal at converting Veila to the dark side, revealed the true nature of flow-walking to his apprentice—the technique was incapable of time alteration. He merely allowed Veila to believe that the past could be changed through flow-walking, and even encouraged her misconception, so that she would willingly submit herself to his service. Even though Veila had influenced her younger self to kiss Anakin Solo just before his death, the altered event did not actually occur in the timeline. The flow-ability only allowed Veila to alter her perception of the past, but to change anything that had already come to pass was an unattainable goal.[9]
Veila was completely shocked and outraged by Caedus' betrayal of her trust. From the very beginning of their involvement with each other since Caedus turned to the dark side, Veila's support for him was primarily motivated by her belief in the possibilities of the flow-walking. By serving Caedus with loyalty and devotion, she had hoped to eventually learn the technique so that she could return to the past on her own and prevent Anakin's death. The revelation of her master's deception left Veila embittered and hateful towards Caedus. She had abandoned her life as a Jedi, betrayed the Order and committed murder, all on behalf of her Sith Master. Yet her main reason for doing so had been built on a lie. Despite the obvious rift that had just grown between the master and apprentice, Caedus simply told Veila to embrace her anger and hatred in order to become even more immersed within the power of the dark side. Though Veila ultimately remained loyal to Caedus, her commitment to his cause was severely undermined and her resolve as a Sith weakened.[9]
Duel with Ben Skywalker[edit | edit source]
- "I think it's time to leave the lies behind. It's time to leave a lot of things behind."
- ―Tahiri Veila, disillusioned with herself and what she had become
While Darth Caedus remained aboard the Anakin Solo with the Moffs, Tahiri Veila was dispatched to the surface of Shedu Maad with stormtroopers of the Imperial Elite Guard. Their mission objective was to infiltrate and destroy the Jedi base with a baradium bomb. However, she and her troopers were intercepted by Ben Skywalker, Taryn Zel and a squad of elite Hapan soldiers. Her stormtroopers were able to distract their opponents long enough for Veila to escape into a tunnel where she proceeded on with her mission; Skywalker pursued her in order to spare the base from destruction.[9]
As the Grand Master's son and the Dark Lord's apprentice fought each other, Veila's concentration wavered and her attacks were ineffective at causing any harm or injury to Skywalker, who began to suspect that Veila was simply trying to get herself killed. Sensing Veila's doubt and uncertainty, Skywalker capitalized on an opportunity to reason with the emotionally disturbed Veila. Thus, he tried to turn her against Darth Caedus, first by imploring Veila to reconsider her decision to detonate the bomb. He also argued that, despite all that she had done in service to the Dark Lord, Veila was not a Sith in her heart. Veila, emotionally and spiritually exhausted, relented to Skywalker's psychological warfare and ceased her attack.[9]
Due to the guilt she carried over her actions as Caedus' spy and apprentice, combined with her disappointment with the true nature of the flow-walking technique, Tahiri Veila renounced her allegiance to Darth Caedus and the Sith. However, she also refused to return to the Jedi Order and considered disappearing from public life. But when Skywalker sympathetically offered to lie on Veila's behalf to cover her escape, she suddenly changed her mind and rejected Skywalker's offer. It was her master's lie, along with her lingering emotional attachment to Anakin Solo, that led her down the path of the dark side in the first place. Instead, she surrendered unconditionally and, prepared to face the consequences of her actions, was taken into Jedi custody.[9]
Around the same time, Jaina Solo infiltrated the Anakin Solo and engaged her twin brother in a final duel. Although she suffered her own near-fatal injuries, Solo eventually killed Darth Caedus in cold blood by stabbing him through the heart. With the master's death and the apprentice's rejection of the dark side, Lumiya's Sith Order was dissolved and the Second Galactic Civil War came to an end. Through a combination of negotiation and a strong show of force, both the Imperial Remnant and the Confederation agreed to end the conflict. The Galactic Alliance retained its primacy throughout the galaxy and the Jedi's fugitive status was revoked, thus allowing the Order to reestablish its main presence on Coruscant.[9]
During her time in custody, Veila provided the Jedi and their allies with information regarding the final actions of Darth Caedus and the Moffs just prior to the war's conclusion. Through the former Sith apprentice, the Jedi learned that Mandalore had been infected with a planet-wide virus of nano-killers. The virus was programmed to target and kill anyone who was connected by blood to the Fett genome. Thus, neither Boba Fett or his granddaughter, Mirta Gev, would ever be able to return to the Mandalorian homeworld without risking certain death.[9]
Bounty hunter (41 ABY—43 ABY)[edit | edit source]
Rebuilding an identity[edit | edit source]
- "I've been broken. I was broken by the Yuuzhan Vong. I broke when Anakin died. And again when I learned that I could see him again, in little moments. Every time you break, outside forces can shape you, and you can't do anything to stop them. No, I don't think it matters when Jacen became a Sith. I think it matters when he broke."
- ―Tahiri Veila
Two years after the death of Darth Caedus, his former Sith apprentice, Tahiri Veila struggled with indecision and uncertainty over her purpose in life. She had lost Anakin Solo, abandoned her life as a Jedi and betrayed the Order; she fell to the dark side and became a disciple to a Sith Lord, killing many people in his name. Her guilt ultimately drove her to reject the thought of rejoining the Jedi Order since she felt neither worthy or truly redeemed. Instead, Veila chose to pursue the life of a bounty hunter, thus taking the time that was necessary to come to terms with her actions in the Second Galactic Civil War.[10]
Around the same time, however, the Jedi Order was gradually threatened by Caedus' successor, the openly Anti-Jedi Natasi Daala. As the new Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance, Chief Daala's administration relentlessly pursued policies that hindered the Order's freedom. When political pressure forced Luke Skywalker to abdicate his title as Grand Master before leaving Coruscant in exile, the Jedi sought to discreetly retaliate against Daala in order to protect themselves from her draconian measures. Thus, Jaina Solo founded the clandestine organization known as Darkmeld, composed of several members of the Order. Among the Jedi asked to join, Solo sought to recruit the former Jedi Tahiri Veila in person.[10]
Although Veila agreed to join Darkmeld, she adamantly rejected Solo's attempts to convince her to return to the Jedi Order. Even though she was no longer an official member of the Order, the Daala administration sought to attach an observer to her, mainly because of Daala's plan to monitor Jedi activities through government-appointed observers. When she rejected to having Trinnolt Makken, or anyone else, as her observer, Veila was put on trial in the Ninth Hall of Justice to defend herself against the Anti-Jedi laws.[10]
Nawara Ven, a former pilot of Rogue Squadron and Veila's attorney, argued that his client was not bound by the restrictions on the Jedi Order just because of her connection to the Force. The Court of Justice, headed by Chief Justice Uved Pledesin, ultimately sided with Veila, citing that it was not feasible to monitor the entire Jedi Order, its former members, and everyone else who possessed strong affinity to the Force. The outcome of Veila's trial, combined with the Court's rejection of Daala's attempt to impose limitations on ex-Jedi through "guilt by association," was hailed as a victory for the Jedi Order. It also proved that Daala had not yet gained absolute control over the legal system. Shortly afterward, Veila became reacquainted with Dab Hantaq, a fellow veteran of the Yuuzhan Vong War and an observer assigned to Jaina Solo. She was visibly disturbed to see the Hantaq, who was secretly infatuated with her, after so many years, due to his surgically-influenced resemblance to Anakin Solo.[10]
When Seff Hellin, a renegade Jedi who was suffering from Force psychosis, attempted to infiltrate the Armand Isard Correctional Facility in order to rescue Valin Horn, Veila accompanied Jaina Solo and a team of Darkmeld agents to capture Hellin. Their goal was to apprehend an infected Jedi in order to learn the cause of the mysterious disease before hopefully developing a cure. After painstaking efforts, Veila and her team succeeded in their mission, though not without arousing the suspicions of the Daala regime.[10]
Arrest and trial[edit | edit source]
- "So explain it. They arrest me on charges of complicity and murder, crimes of which I'm clearly guilty—"
"Don't ever say that. Not out loud, not to yourself, not when you're alone, not even when you're asleep. You're not qualified to judge whether you're guilty." - ―Tahiri Veila and Mardek Mool
Shortly after recovering Seff Hellin, Tahiri Veila resigned her membership to Darkmeld. When Jaina Solo was forced to makes compromises with Chief Daala, such as revealing the members of her secret organization within the Jedi Order, Veila's name was left out since she was no longer a member of Darkmeld. However, while residing in her apartment, Veila was confronted by Alliance military officers, who arrested the former Sith apprentice after charging her with the murder of the late Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon two years earlier.[32]
She was brought to trial in the Court of Jedi Affairs, where Galactic Alliance Judge Arabelle Lorteli presided over the case. Lorteli prohibited the Twi'lek lawyer Nawara Ven from continuing to aid Veila in the case as he had in a previous trial.[33] Ven's role was briefly filled by the Bith Mardek Mool, who sought to defend his client on the grounds that she was following orders from Darth Caedus. But when Mool attempted to convince Veila to spy on the Jedi Order for Chief of State Natasi Daala in exchange for leniency, Veila fired her lawyer, thus refusing to betray the Jedi a second time.[34]
Ironically, Daala's attempts to convict Veila on the basis of her assistance in Caedus' rise to power was seen as a double standard; military personnel like former Admiral Cha Niathal were not being targeted despite their cooperation with the late Sith Lord, thus revealing much of Daala's Anti-Jedi sentiments. Daala attempted to counter the rising criticism against her by arresting Niathal, which in turn led to the Mon Calamari's death by suicide.[34]
Meanwhile, Jaina Solo persuaded Imperial Head of State Jagged Fel to hire a more efficient defense attorney for Tahiri Veila. Hence, Fel arranged for the Bothan Eramuth Bwua'tu, uncle of Admiral Nek Bwua'tu, to defend Veila against the Daala-influenced court. The Chagrian lawyer represented the Galactic Alliance as the prosecutor in the case, and after Lorteli was dismissed by Daala due to the Jedi Order's considerable public support, the Falleen Judge Mavari Zudan was appointed to preside over the rest of the trial.[30]
With Bwua'tu as her lawyer, Veila began to make progress in the court. Throughout the trial, the Jedi Order stood steadfast in support of their former Knight, regardless of her former allegiance to Darth Caedus and her betrayal of the Jedi. But even with the support of her former comrades and Jagged Fel, Veila felt worried about her position, especially when Bwua'tu informed her that the prosecution had a strong case against her. Hence, unable to deny that she had indeed murdered Pellaeon, Veila's defense had to be based on the argument that she was not in the right state of mind during her time as Caedus' protégé. Like his predecessor, Bwua'tu asserted that his client was bound by military duty to obey her superior officer's orders. In order to evoke an emotional response from Veila, he contacted Dab Hantaq to make an appearance at the trial. Even though she was unsettled and upset to see the man who resembled Anakin Solo, her lawyer's plan succeeded in garnering the sympathy of the jury.[30]
However, an audio recording was eventually recovered of her final conversation with Pellaeon right before she killed him, again turning the jury against her.[30] Meanwhile, after an attack on Nek Bwua'tu left the Admiral in a coma, Veila began to fear that Eramuth was too distracted to properly carry out her defense, and, despite Eramuth's insistence to the contrary, took on the support of an additional lawyer, Sardonne Sardon. Bwua'tu attempted to withdraw from the case, but Judge Zudan denied him; Bwua'tu then became increasingly disinterested in the trial. The addition of a second attorney ultimately harmed Veila's case as her two lawyers' different methods impeded her chances of passing the trial on the pretense of obeying orders. She then fired Sardon after realizing that Bwua'tu worked better alone. She soon learned that his acts of incompetence were to make Veila look good and not so much like a fool. He then released a holovid recorded on the Bloodfin as evidence to prove that Veila had indeed acted on a direct order from her master when she executed Pellaeon during the Second Battle of Fondor.[35]
Coup d'état and escape[edit | edit source]
- "So. Death."
"You first. Comm me and let me know what it's like." - ―Natasi Daala and Tahiri Veila, shortly after the former's fall from power
As Tahiri Veila's trial came to a close in 44 ABY, she awaited a verdict from the jury. Around the same time, the Acting Grand Master Saba Sebatyne and the Jedi Council formulated a plot to overthrow Chief Daala before her regime could fully turn against the Jedi Order. With Plan Delta in effect, the Jedi stormed the Executive Building and promptly arrested Daala before her security forces could react to the coup d'état. After formalizing an arrangement with the elected officials of the Galactic Alliance Senate, most of whom were glad to be rid of Daala and her draconian style of leadership, the Triumvirate was created as a temporary constitutional replacement to the executive office of the Chief of State. Once the transition of power had been secured with Daala's fall and Master Sebatyne's appointment as one of the three ruling triumvirs, the Council originally hoped to rescind the Galactic Alliance's case against Veila by utilizing its new executive authority. However, Sebatyne was reluctantly persuaded to leave Veila to her fate, mainly because of the extremely compromising position that the Jedi Order had been placed in because of the coup.[36]
The Jedi Council was well aware that it could not sustain its control over the Alliance without the support of the Senate, the military or especially the people. The Jedi knew that if they showed favor to Veila, whose murder of Pellaeon was a known fact, they would be accused of favoritism and lose their legitimacy as rulers of the new government. By taking a neutral position on Veila, they could diffuse much of the arguments of their critics. Thus, Sebatyne reluctantly discarded her initial intentions to free Veila through an executive order. Without the aid of the Jedi triumvir, Veila was left at the mercy of the court, which came to regard the Order with suspicions of attempting seize permanent control of the Galactic Alliance. Even after the revelation of the fact that most of the prosecution's evidence had been tampered with in some form, the jury became heavily biased against the defendant. Upon finding her guilty of the murder of Gilad Pellaeon, the jury sentenced her to death. Veila was then deposited into the Armand Isard Correctional Facility, where she briefly encountered Daala, the deposed leader of the Galactic Alliance and the primary cause behind Veila's trial and conviction.[36]
In response to the overthrow of the Daala administration, the Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett infiltrated the facility and retrieved Natasi Daala in order to use her against the Jedi Order. In the ensuing confusion, Veila used the opportunity created by her enemies as a chance to escape from prison. Though she successfully disappeared in the chaos, Veila effectively became a homeless fugitive. As a wanted criminal in the heart of the Galactic Alliance, Tahiri Veila was unable to flee from Coruscant. Hence, she took refuge in a random apartment building to avoid being discovered by Alliance authorities. Since most of the Jedi were away from the Temple, and unable to count on the support of the Council for the time being, Veila understood that she would have to live as legitimate fugitive for a while. However, despite her precarious situation, Veila took comfort in two outcomes of her escape—she was free and barefoot once more, and the realization of both facts brought her some measure of comfort and relief.[36]
Atonement[edit | edit source]
- "Oh, hey. I can kill with a lightsaber when I'm halfway across the galaxy. I think you should double my pay, Jag."
- ―Tahiri Veila to Jagged Fel, in the Meridian sector, upon hearing that she has been blamed for a murder on Coruscant
Shortly after her escape, Veila turned herself over to Han and Leia Solo asking for their help. Despite avoiding execution under the custody of the Galactic Alliance, however, Veila had apparently given up her short-lived life as an escaped convict. The Solos later turned her over to Head of State Jagged Fel, the leader of the Imperial Remnant. By this time, Veila was resolved to atoning for the actions she committed under the reign of Darth Caedus, specifically the assassination of Gilad Pellaeon during the Second Battle of Fondor. Yet Fel had no wish to harm or kill the former Jedi Knight. Due to the fact that his safety was under constant threat against the Moffs who opposed him, Fel recruited Veila to serve as his personal Force-sensitive bodyguard.[11]
Shortly afterward, the Imperial-Alliance conspiracy was undermined and ultimately destroyed by the Lost Tribe of the Sith as they infiltrated the Galactic Alliance government. In the process of the covert Sith takeover, Tahiri Veila was framed for the murder of Sallinor Parova, the Chief of Naval Operations and a member of the conspiracy. Parova's death was orchestrated by Sith agent Ivaar Workan. Veila, however, was in the Meridian sector at the time, and thus she was no where near Coruscant where the murder of Parova took place.[11]
Around this time, Moff Tol Getelles discovered Natasi Daala's plot to usurp control of the Imperial Remnant. After feigning loyalty to the former Chief of State, Getelles fooled Daala into believing that he had assassinated Fel. Instead, he informed the High Moff of both the conspiracy and the secret location of Daala's Maw Irregular Fleet. Tahiri Veila then accompanied Fel, who led an armed force of Remnant loyalists and a vanguard unit of the Empire of the Hand, to the Exodo system. The first phase of the battle worked in the Remnant's favor, until Moff Drikl Lecersen's forces succeeded in reinforcing Daala's position in the battle. As Fel abandoned his flagship Gilad Pellaeon with Veila and his Chiss aide, Ashik, the battle continued between the Imperial Remnant and the Maw Irregular Fleet.[11]
Return to the Jedi[edit | edit source]
- "Go…be a Jedi. You weren't cutthroat enough to be an Imperial Hand anyway."
- ―Jagged Fel, to Tahiri Veila
Though technically a prisoner of the Imperial Remnant, Veila was given considerable freedom in her unofficial capacity as Head of State Fel's personal bodyguard; she also served as an adviser and confidant to a certain degree. When Fel concluded that the Remnant could not sustain a civil war between his faction and Daala's, he decided to use the conflict as an opportunity to reform the Imperial authoritarian state into a society governed by democratic ideals and institutions. At the same time, Veila was dispatched on a mission to Hagamoor 3 to investigate Abeloth's connection to Daala's forces. Boba Fett traveled to the same location in search of a way to neutralize the Imperial-engineered nanovirus that kept him away from Mandalore. Although reluctant to work alongside a former Jedi and Sith apprentice of Darth Caedus, Fett ultimately aided Veila in her fight against Abeloth, who inhabited the body of Imperial Lieutenant Lydea Pagorski, one of Daala's allies, at the time. In return, Veila presented Fett with information that could potentially reverse the effects of the nanovirus.[37]
After Jagged Fel removed himself as Head of State, thereby allowing Admiral Vitor Reige to secure the election against Daala, he and Tahiri Veila rendezvoused with Luke Skywalker's Jedi Order on Coruscant during their final confrontation with Abeloth. By that time, Fel released Veila from her obligations as the Remnant's prisoner and Imperial Hand, imploring her to fully rejoin the ranks of the Jedi Order. Prior to Abeloth's defeat, Veila fought alongside Saba Sebatyne, who welcomed her former comrade as a member of the Order once again. In the aftermath of the Jedi victory on Coruscant, Veila attended the wedding of Jagged Fel and Jaina Solo.[37]
Personality and traits[edit | edit source]
- "Eventually, we all betray something, Tahiri. It's what you stay true to that counts."
- ―Ben Skywalker, to Tahiri Veila
As a child, Tahiri Veila was an optimistic and free-spirited youth. Although she was rather fond of the time she spent being raised amongst the Tusken Raiders of Tatooine, Veila was fascinated by the Force, as well as her own connection to it, and was eager to be inducted into the ways of the Jedi Order. Even at a young age, she paid close attention to detail and was able to recall specific features of anything that interested her. Shortly after beginning her life as a Jedi, Veila was able to recall several facts about Banthas, such as their physical aspects and their usefulness in transportation on desert terrain.[1]
Yet despite her fondness for Tatooine and the people who raised her, the harsh and nomadic lifestyle of the Tusken Raiders, combined with the desiccated atmosphere of Tatooine, led Veila to feel a certain degree of animosity towards the cultural aspects of the Tuskens. Not only was she irritated by the requirement of covering her entire body in long robes, she hated the fact that she had to cover her face in accordance with Tusken tradition. The experiences of her childhood on Tatooine ultimately caused Veila to develop a particular trait that she retained well into adulthood: a phobia for footwear. After spending her first years on a surface covered mostly by hot sand, Veila reveled in her new-found freedom as a Jedi to walk barefoot whenever she pleased. She loved the sensation of feeling the cold surface of the Great Temple on Yavin 4 with her feet. With few exceptions, Veila spent most of her young life without shoes.[1]
Upon beginning her initiation into the ranks of the Jedi Order, Tahiri Veila was instantly drawn to another young initiate named Anakin Solo, the grandson and namesake of the fallen Sith Lord Darth Vader. The two eventually developed a friendship that continued into their adolescence. Throughout their journeys together, Veila became Solo's best friend and confidante, whom she sometimes consoled by assuring him that he was not destined to fall to the dark side like his namesake.[1]
Tahiri Veila's youthful naiveté and happy-go-lucky outlook was virtually destroyed by the events of the Yuuzhan Vong War. Shortly after falling into enemy captivity, Veila was subjected to experimentation by the Shaper Mezhan Kwaad, thus causing her to develop an artificial Yuuzhan Vong persona known as "Riina Kwaad," which was based on the memories of Nen Yim. Although Veila's personality maintained its dominance, the Riina identity sought to control her body by manipulating Veila into embracing the dark side. Veila was ultimately able to force a merge between herself and Riina, and thus ensured her continued control over her own body.[2]
The Riina Kwaad personality was the first of two major factors in the war that ultimately changed Tahiri Veila; the second factor was the death of Anakin Solo. For years, she mourned the death of the boy she came to love and regretted the fact that she denied him a kiss before his death. Without Solo, Veila steadily became more withdrawn, sullen and pragmatic. The years between the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War and the beginning of the Second Galactic Civil War brought an end to the idealistic young girl that once was Tahiri Veila, who slipped further into depression as she never recovered from the devastating loss of her closest friend.[19]
Her lingering attachment to the late Anakin Solo was the primary factor behind her fall to the dark side of the Force. Darth Caedus, the older brother of Anakin and the first active Dark Lord of the Sith since the reign of Darth Sidious, eventually settled on selecting the emotionally compromised Tahiri Veila as his apprentice. Although he initially only sought to use her as a spy in the Jedi Order, the failure to corrupt Ben Skywalker elevated Veila as the next most appropriate candidate. After experiencing Caedus' flow-walking ability first hand, Veila immediately became addicted to the technique that allowed her to visit past events where she could see Anakin before his death. But due to the short amount of time in their flow-walking sessions, as well as her false belief that the past could be altered, caused Veila to develop a strong addiction to the flow-walking ability. As a consequence, she also became incredibly dependent on Darth Caedus to the point where she renounced her allegiance to the Jedi Order with little hesitation or regret.[29]
The time that she spent in the Dark Lord's company caused Veila to gradually adopt several of Darth Caedus' traits, such as ruthlessness and the willingness to save the Galactic Alliance by embracing pain and sacrifice. As she delved deeper into Caedus' teachings and the ways of the Sith, Veila became increasingly devoted to his cause and often attempted to ingratiate herself to him. She willingly aided her new Master in several ways, such as by hunting down the fugitive Jedi and through initiating a pact between the Galactic Alliance and the Imperial Remnant. Though she disappointed Caedus by failing to discern the location of the Jedi Order's secret base, as well as by continuously clinging to her attachment to memory of Anakin Solo, Veila succeeded in pleasing him through other ways. By spying on her former Jedi comrades, she developed a talent for deceit and treachery; she showed the promise of becoming a shrewd manipulator by enticing Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon to support the Alliance's war effort. Most importantly, however, she was willing to kill even to the point of murder, but never reveled or found any pleasure in it. Caedus considered Veila's disgust and remorse with killing to be an essential trait for a Sith Lord, especially given his desire to avoid the common setbacks of slipping into vanity, greed and extreme psychotic behavior; the typical behavioral patterns of past Sith Lords.[8]
From launching a first strike on Fondorian starfighters to executing Pellaeon for treachery, Tahiri Veila proved to Darth Caedus that she would not hesitate to take the lives of others whenever it was absolutely necessary, even though she personally detested such actions. Further signs of proof in her loyalty and devotion to the Sith cause were seen by how hard she tried to cast off her ties to the Jedi by emulating the Dark Lord. After she became an enlisted officer in the Galactic Alliance Guard, Veila donned a smart blue uniform with - much to her discomfort - black military-issued boots. She even wore her hair up to add to the appearance of a proper female officer in the military.[8]
Once she officially became Darth Caedus' apprentice, Tahiri Veila made great strides in embracing her new Sith identity.[8] She actively participated in the Galactic Alliance Guard's secret police activities, became the Dark Lord's chief enforcer, and endeavored to win the Second Galactic Civil War by annihilating the enemies of the Galactic Alliance and Caedus' New Order. Furthermore, she sought to imitate her Master in both behavior and appearance, mainly by wearing a GAG uniform, complimented by a black robe. As Caedus bitterly lamented the betrayals of his closest friends and loved ones, Veila became the only person whom he could—to a certain degree—trust and confide in.[9] As a result, Veila may have been engaged in a physical relationship with her Master, though there was never any illusion of love between them.[30]
Powers and abilities[edit | edit source]
Lightsaber skills[edit | edit source]
As a trained Jedi Knight, Tahiri Veila was skilled in both Force-based techniques and lightsaber combat. When necessary, Veila combined her swordsmanship with hand-to-hand combat skills, which she demonstrated in a duel with Leia Organa Solo during the Second Galactic Civil War.[29] Like many modern Jedi, and thus in contrast to the original Order, Veila carried a blaster pistol as a sidearm in addition to her lightsaber.[8] During her duel with Ben Skywalker, Tahiri Veila used Tràkata to great effect. Skywalker forced her lightsaber aside, so Tahiri switched her lightsaber off and on so fast Skywalker barely had time to react, allowing her to extend the blade to where his throat had been just moments before.[9]
Force powers[edit | edit source]
As a Jedi Knight[edit | edit source]
As a Sith Lord[edit | edit source]
- "Tahiri, I'm going to tell you something that's going to make you very angry. I want you to feed on its power, because you're going to need it before this last battle is over."
- ―Darth Caedus, to Tahiri Veila, regarding the power of the dark side
Lumiya believed that Veila was not worthy of becoming Darth Caedus's apprentice simply because she was not a descendant of Darth Vader.[27] After the Dark Lady's death, however, Caedus proved her wrong.[8]
After becoming the apprentice to Caedus, Veila's abilities as a Force-wielder and a lightsaber duelist were enhanced by the dark side of the Force. Her aggression in combat increased, as demonstrated in her duels with Ben Skywalker on Coruscant and Shedu Maad. Veila's conversion also benefited her with new Force abilities that were generated by dark side-related emotions, such as hatred and anger. Though she succeeded at wielding the Sith signature attack known as Force lightning, her control over her new dark powers was not fully developed. When she electrocuted Captain Lon Shevu, intending only to cause him pain, Veila accidentally killed Shevu by increasing the lightning to a degree that the former GAG officer's body was unable to withstand.[9]
As a combatant, Tahiri Veila was strong enough to tolerate a significant amount of physical pain while remaining capable at continuing a fight. She demonstrated her ability to absorb pain without losing consciousness during a failed attempt to arrest Leia and Han Solo.[29] Veila also sustained severe damage on the Bloodfin during the Second Battle of Fondor, yet managed to withstand her injuries long enough until she was rescued by her Master, Darth Caedus.[8]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Tahiri made her first appearance in Junior Jedi Knights: The Golden Globe, and played a role in the New Jedi Order, Dark Nest, Legacy of the Force, and Fate of the Jedi series. Early on in the conception of these storylines, Master Ikrit prophesied that Tahiri and Anakin would birth something great. However, at that time, it was planned that Anakin, not Jacen, would be the Solo son who lived to become a great hero.
During Tahiri's trial in Fate of the Jedi: Allies, it was implied that Tahiri and Jacen were involved in a purely physical, non-romantic relationship, causing questions among fans. In an interview, Aaron Allston told fans, "Didn't happen in my book," but Troy Denning stated that whether or not this had occurred was subject to interpretation by the reader.[38]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
Sources[edit | edit source]
"The Women Of Star Wars"—Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 12
"Use the Force: A Novel Trivia Quiz"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 5- The Essential Chronology
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition (Under Tahiri)
- Who's Who in the New Jedi Order
- Power of the Jedi Sourcebook
- The New Jedi Order Sourcebook
- The New Essential Guide to Characters (Appendix)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 135
- The New Essential Chronology
"Blaster"—Star Wars Insider 101- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Fate of the Jedi: Dramatis Personae
- The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force
Fett, Boba in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link not verified!)- Pellaeon, Gilad in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link not verified!)
- Skywalker, Ben in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link not verified!)
- Vjun in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link not verified!)
- Template:Topps
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
- "10 Key Battles"—Star Wars Insider 133
- The Essential Reader's Companion
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
See also[edit | edit source]
This page was moved from wook:en:Tahiri Veila. It's edit history can be viewed at Tahiri Veila/edithistory
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