OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Codify an NPC established in rp.
Image Credit: Created via AI Creator Studio. The links do not seem to lead directly to the created images, just to the tool. Prompt: 'Elf female, long pointed elf ears, long black hair, tanned ebony skin, persian robe sari, middle aged, formal clothes, headshot and torso'.
Role: Shadow Knight Councillor, Qadiri leader.
Permissions: N/A.
Links: Kaida Taldir, Court of the Shadows, Court of the Four Elements, Eldorai, Qadiri, Vashyada, Sciiac Guardians, To Hell and Back, Kar'zun, Eldorai Exodus, Twin Exiles, Xioquo, Siobhan, Firemane, The Angelii, Shadow Knights (lore submission), Bharria Jai Ahquala.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Age: 63. Qadiri age and develop at a slower pace than humans, so she is actually the equivalent of a woman in her early thirties.
Force Sensitivity: Untrained Force Sensitive
Species: Qadiri
Appearance: Lakami is of average height for a Qadiri, with dark hair, pointed ears, tanned skin and a well-formed, athletic physique. She has a commanding presence that served her well when she was impersonating her dead queen. She carries herself with a confident, regal demeanour. She will often don an officer's dark blue uniform while carrying out her official duties. This is not unusual for Shadow Knight Councillors, since they are all required to be veterans, and she has a reserve officer's commission in their armed forces. She also often wears an intricately hand-woven Khajwari sari, along with a full-sleeved, embroidered blouse. She is fond of wearing a turban on her head. This is common for Khajwari women. As a mark of her rank, she carries a blade in her scabbard.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Name: Lakami Jai Jhansal/Nahana Jai Gwaliora
Loyalties: Shadow Knights, Qadiri, Court of the Shadows, Exodite Asurans, Citizens' Council.
Wealth: Moderate. Despite being a queen in all but name, her people are not wealthy and furthermore have been forced to seek shelter on the ark ships of their 'cousins'. Moreover, Exodite Asuran culture frowns on excessive displays of opulent wealth, though she is not without means. She likes pretty things when not on duty and has some loot stashed away for 'rainy days', but it is not excessive.
Notable Possessions: A now archaic flintlock pistol engraved in silver. It was gifted to her by the real Lakami. A collection of rubies, rare emerals and diamonds that used to belong to the royal family of Gwalior. Most of 'her' jewels were lost to Firemane looting or had to be sold off by her, but she keeps some stashed away. She owns a Force imbued scimitar given to her by the real Lakami, and is trained the use of the curved blade. Owns a ring bearing the symbol of an eagle. This is the mark of her leadership role among the Shadow Knights. She has been awarded a Sarix for her service to the Shadow Knights. Her melee weapon of choice is a vibro-spear that has been imbued with the Force.
Skills: As the handmaiden, bodyguard and double of her liege lady, Nahana was trained in a variety of skills, including disguise, mimicry, Yazgid riding, fencing and the use of ranged weapons. By now flintlock pistols and muskets have been replaced by blasters, and the traditional scimitar and spear have been upgraded with vibro-weapon technology, but the basic principles remain the same. She practices regularly with blade, spear and pistol.
Trained to serve as a decoy to her lady, she is a highly talented impersonator. The physical resemblance between the two is uncanny, and she is able to perfectly imitate the true Lakami's voice, mannerisms and fighting style. This role has become her life, and it is one she plays to perfection. She and her mistress devised a set of hand signals that facilitated communications between the two when playing their switched roles. She has been schooled in courtly etiquette, and is a capable administrator with an understanding of trade and logistics, as well as a commander on the battlefield.
Languages: Due to her species, Zandri, which is the main Qadiri language, is her mother tongue. 'Lakami' knows Basic, but refuses to speak it though she is able to. She has learned Eldarai, which is the Eldorai language. She speaks Eldarai with an accent. She also knows some Xio, the language of the Xioquo, and has picked up a bit of Huttese during her time in exile. Moreover, she has picked up a few words of the Kar'zun language. Not enough to hold a proper conversation, but enough to introduce herself, and say some basic phrases.
Personality: Lakami is not who she appears to be. As far as the general public is concerned, she is a Qadiri heroine, the former ruler of Gwalior. Born the daughter of a courtier, she was raised to lead. When the king's wife passed away without a child, she was wed to the king. Lakami was popular with the people for passing laws that benefited commoners, and the king decreed that she would be be regent after his death. The queen introduced a new land revenue system, which stimulated the growth of the Gwalorian silk industry, and was a patron of infrastructure development. However, after the king died, the Firemane ambassador conspired with his relatives to take control of the regency since the heir was a child. Under the banner of suppressing slavery, Firemane sought to take control over the realm and trap its people with the collar of debt. But Lakami refused to yield. Fearing her popularity, Firemane launched an invasion.
Lakami fought valiantly against Firemane and their native allies, scoring a crucial victory over them. But it was for nought. She was mortally wounded in battle and the revolt was crushed. However, then she reappeared in the deep jungles. Now she is with the Shadow Knights.
However, Lakami is not who she appears to be...because the real Lakami is dead. The woman who wears her face is actually called Nahana Jai Gwaliora. Born a bastard to a low caste peasant woman, she used to tend cattle and collect firewood before she was taken into the queen's service as one of her servants at an early age. It was an honour for someone of low caste background, and one of the few ways of social advancement open to her. She became the queen's bodyguard, decoy, handmaiden, advisor and eventually her lover. During the rebellion, she often disguised herself as her mistress and fought on her behalf, commanding a portion of her army.
Now the decoy has become her mistress out of loyalty and love and to carry on her legacy. Nahana always bore a striking resemblance to her dead queen and had a talent for mimicry. She has used cosmetics and surgery to blur the distinction even further. In some ways, she fits the image of the 'queen of the people' better than the actual monarch. Unsurprisingly, 'Lakami' is resolutely opposed to conciliating the invaders, for whom she feels nothing but scorn. She pities the Qadiri who have been duped into thinking the sky people are saviours and wise bringers of knowledge who are there for their benefit. She is deeply suspicious and xenophobic towards humans and detests the Eldorai Matriarchy. She knows Galactic Basic, but refuses to speak it.
The lines between the mistress and the servant two have blurred. Nahana has spent so much time walking in the shoes of her dead mistress that it is difficult to determine when one ends and the other begins. She is proud, devoted, and full of anger against Firemane and its collaborators. Deception is a survival mechanism and a necessity for her. She puts on a performance to provide leadership to her people in exile...and to give meaning to their sacrifices, and her own. Yet her assimilation of the real Lakami's identity has not been a one-way street, for she has put her own spin on things.
Given her past, both the false and the real one, it should come as no surprise that Nahana has acquired a rather pragmatic, even cynical view of the world. Trust is not something that comes easy to her. And once her her trust has been betrayed, it can never be regained. She has the regal bearing of a noble, but is more than willing to throw down.
Living among the Exodites has been a big adjustment for Nahana. Until fairly recently, she and her people knew nothing of spaceflight, now starships and space stations are her home. She has assumed the identity of a deposed queen and is seen by many of her people as their monarch, but the Shadow Knights are republicans. However, while they are anti-monarchist, they are very comfortable with oligarchic strongwomen. So she plays her role.
She has imbued her interpretation of Lakami with a populist streak, building up on the image her queen's propaganda sought to convey. She makes trade deals with the representatives of other Exodite vessels as well as foreigners to stimulate the economic development of her colony ship. She hears petitioners on a regular basis, for many constituents still turn to her to seek redress as if she truly were a queen. Wherever feasible, she makes a point to personally respond to petitions and correspondence from constituents. A seventeen-hour work day is no rare occurence for her. And she keeps a close eye on all major appointments on 'her' colony vessel. Theoretically, she is only the representative, not its captain, but in practice she is a lot more than that for the community. As Councillor, she has worked hard to improve care for Khajwari veterans. She continues to serve as a reservist while holding in the Council, though there is a limit on how much time she can spend on active duty so that military obligations do not hamper her legislative duties.
One of the many crimes committed by Firemane and other foreign corporations against the Tygaran people is the theft of artefacts and relics. It is personal for her because Firemane troops looted her country, burning temples and palaces and stealing items that have a deep spiritual meaning for her people. Now they are put on display in foreign museums or the galleries of rich foreigners or sold in auctions. 'Lakami' is very dedicated to reclaiming these relics, and has sponsored heists to that end.
'Lakami' still has family...both her true biological family and the family of the Queen whose guise she has assumed. Nahana's mother and younger siblings are still alive. Nahana was forcibly separated from them when she became the Queen's servant, but was able to send them money and protect them from abusive officials. However, visits were extremely sporadic and have ceased completely ever since she became her mistress. She was able to give them some money so they could help flee the fightning, but has lost contact. Privately, she feels a lot of guilt.
The real Lakami had a son called Damodar Jal Jhansal. Ever since his true mother's demise, the faux 'Lakami' has become his caretaker. He looks a lot like his father, the husband of the real Lakami. By now the boy is old enough to know that 'Lakami' is not his real mother. But he is perceptive enough to play along because she is the closest thing to a mother he has. His new mother is protective of him.
COMBAT INFORMATION
Weapon of Choice: 'Lakami' always carries a blade and a pistol at her side. Generally she also has a concealed holdout blaster. She is also good at using a vibrospear. Beyond that she has minions to do the fighting for her.
Combat Function: Before she assumed the identity of her liege lady, Nahana was a bodyguard, body double and a commander. Moreover, she became a skilled Yazgid rider. Skilled with melee weapons, bow and firearms, she was trained to defend her queen as well as assume her identity.
Sometimes this involved seemingly taking command of part of her army to deceive her foes. Though this was initially only a masquerade, with the real work being left to professional commanders, she took an interest in military matters. She is no savant, but a capable commander. Though fighting is not her job, 'Lakami' is no coward or slouch in battle. She is brave, sometimes to the point of recklessness. If she cannot participate directly in battle, she does believe she should at least inspire her soldiers.
Force Abilities (Force Users Only): She is lightly Force-Sensitive, receiving some flashes of precognition as well as insight into people's behaviour. Nothing she can especially control, but a 'gut instinct' essentially.
Strengths:
- Qadiri Strengths. Like all Qadiri she is a balance between Eldorai and human in strength and agility and has an instinctive skill of navigation.
- Though her role is primarily political, she is no slouch in the art of combat. She is trained in the use of a variety of ranged and melee weapons. For melee she favours a vibro-spear.
- Command experience. Her experience relates more to ground warfare, but she is learning. She is particularly experienced in asymmetrical warfare.
- Pride. Her headstrong and wilful nature makes her stubborn. She is proud of herself and her people and will not allow anyone to enslave or overawe them again.
- Limited Force connection. Her abilities are limited to flashes of precognition and insight.
- Limited experience with galactic technology.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Once, there was Lakami the queen regnant and partisan warlord, and Nahana the handmaiden, bodyguard and shadow. Now, Lakami is dead, and Nahana wears her face. Two have become one. To tell the story of one is to tell the story of other. Nahana was born into a low caste family among the Qadiri of southern Khajwar. The perennially divided Qadiri of her homeland were split into various city-states, queendoms and other polities that vied for supremacy. She was born in the small village of Bolja, which lay near the city of Gwalior, whose monarch held sway over these lands. Of course, she and her people saw little of their 'most noble sovereigns'. They did, however, see tax collectors who came to demand tithes, and recruiters who pressganged villagers into joining the royal army.
They were simple people who prayed to be left alone, and spared the attention of marauding soldiers and slavers. Her mother was a peasant woman from a low caste. Her father's origins are obscure. Given the rigid caste barriers, Nahana would have likely lived a life as a peasant or a huntress. Perhaps she would have been conscripted into the royal army to fight a monarch's wars or been abducted from her home by slavers. However, fate had different plans. One day the young queen Lakamai happened to pass by the village while on a royal procession. Whilst hunting the queen was separated from her group and injured by a ferocious Yazgid. Then suddenly a poor peasant girl threw a fallen spear at the fearsome predator, then charged in and cut off the Yazgid's head with an axe, though she was injured herself.
The girl's name was Nahana. She had been looking for livestock with her younger brother when she noticed the commotion, and saw the well-dressed visitor was in peril. The young queen was grateful for the unexpected rescue, but also saw the uncanny resemblance. It would give rise to rumours that Nahana was a bastard sister, though it is more likely that her father was simply a common soldier. Regardless, the queen ordered that Nahana be taken to the palace in a veil to preserve her secrecy. Thus the young peasant girl was torn from the only home she had known. She was forbidden from taking off the veil, under threat of harsh punishment. She could not even say farewell to her brother, who was forced to hide from the royal guards.
Young Nahana had never travelled this far from her village. Going from humble Bolja to Gwalior was quite a shock. Of course, Qadiri technology was far less advanced than that of much of the greater galaxy. The Qadiri knew nothing of spaceflight and blaster weapons, though they had harnessed gunpowder. But the grand temples and palaces were magnificent and intimidating. She was surrounded by strangers, many of whom mocked her 'rustic' mannerisms, and at the mercy of the queen. Lakami made her rescuer an offer she could not refuse. She could serve as her bodyguard and decoy or be exiled forever as she could be used as a pretender.
Nahana was uneducated and illiterate, but though snobbish nobles thought otherwise, lack of education does not equate to lack of intelligence, and the girl was far from stupid. She accepted the queen's offer, though she missed her family greatly, and was presented to King Gangadhar. But cold treatment she received from many at court upset her. Even the way she worshipped the goddesses and gods was 'wrong', for the folk religion of the peasants was highly syncretic, worshipping all manners of nature spirits alongside the official pantheon. Her mistress was unsympathetic to her plight, and denied her permission to see her family or even have a courier send a message to them saying that she was alright. For all her mother knew, she had been abducted by slavers.
A group of courtiers tried to take advantage of this. One courtier tried to take advantage, attempting to talk Nahana into becoming part of a cabal that aimed to unseat the queen. Lakami was known to be a willful queen - too willful for some. Thus the courtiers schemed to replace her with someone more manageable, and talk Nahana into seducing the king and taking her mistress' place. However, though unused to the intrigue of court, Nahana was no fool. She recognised that this was a trap. Despite being threatened, she kept her cool and reported the matter to the queen. Lakami appeared to thank her for maintaining her loyalty. Only now was it revealed that it had been a test of character. Nahana was a bit hurt by this, but recognised that she had passed. Subsequently, Lakami began to treat her servant better, and grant her greater freedom of movement.
The tutelage she underwent was intense. She learned how to fight in the manner of the mamluks and palace guards, and was educated in the finer points of courtly etiquette. As she soon learned, at court words could be weapons as sharp as any blade or axe. Mere insinuations could make or break people.
Most importantly, Nahana was educated in the art of mimicry. She and Lakami developed a coded language of sorts, which allowed them to secretly communicate. She was also taught how to modulate her voice so that she sounded more like the queen. However, being the queen's shadow was a lonely, isolated life. She lived in the palace, and was privileged compared to a simple commoner. But when she was not serving as a decoy, her features had to be obfuscated. And she had to be at the beck and call of her mistress whenever her queen had need of her.
However, she was able to provide for her family by sending money back home to her mother. They were able to exchange some letters, though Nahana's were censored. As far as her mother knew, she was a servant at the palace. When she learned that her mother was being bullied by abusive tax collectors and her livestock was being stolen, Nahana was able to intercede and have the evildoers punished. One of them was publicly whipped to make a point. Her family's circumstances improved significantly because it was taken as a sign that they possessed royal favour. Their stolen livestock was returned, and they even received additional animals and some land. However, Nahana was still barred from returning home. She belonged to the queen, the royal court and their intrigues.
Her first test came during a public festival held in the honour of the water goddess Nanshe. Dressed in royal regalia, Nahana had to play the queen alongside the King while the real one was mingling with the crowds. However, all was not well. An assassin struck during the festivities and tried to kill the 'Queen'. However, using her martial training, Nahana was able to overcome and defeat the assassin in mortal combat, though she was injured by a blade stab. It earned her the queen's trust. Lakami sent her personal physician, a priestess of Myrkash, to tend to her decoy. The assassin had died in the melee, but an alleged helper was arrested and 'put to the question' to force a confession from him. Other arrests and interrogations soon followed.
The King's cousin Myra Jai Sharma was accused of complicity. She and the queen were known to be rivals, for Myra believed she deserved the position of Vizier. However, Lakami had managed to persuade the King to give it to her uncle instead. Myra accused him of being a corrupt stooge. Claiming that her life was in danger, she went into exile. This would have dire repercussions, for when Firemane, ever greedy for resources and people to exploit, cast its covetuous eye to southern Khajwar, Myra offered her support. By now Lakami was with child, securing her position as queen consort. Nahana was there, standing guard in disguise, when her liege lady gave birth to a boy. Though affairs of state kept her busy, Lakami was an affectionate, albeit strict mother.
When Firemane arrived in southern Khawjar, the Qadiri were divided on what to do. The humans of Firemane promised technology that would allegedly allow the Qadiri to not only defeat their enemies, but reach the stars. However, they also demanded economic concessions. To them, the resources of Khawjar were theirs to exploit. Once one stripped away the flowery rhetoric, Firemane's agenda was to enrich a small oligarchy centred on Siobhan Kerrigan, Tegaea Alcori and their cronies. To build 'trust', a Firemane representative organised a get-together of local nobles on a grand Firemane yacht at the coast. It just so happened to be accompanied by surface warships.
The monarchs or their ambassadors were received with much fanfare. The Firemane representative gave a speech, promising protection, technological advancement and peace. Refreshments were served, while gunships flew overhead. Then the humans invited the Qadiri to 'see the future, see what Firemane could offer them'. It was clearly an offer they could not refuse. The Qadiri were led into a luxurious shuttle, and then it suddenly took off into the sky.
Immediately, Nahana tensed and was ready to draw her weapon, suspecting a trap. King Gangadhar shut her down, realising it would only provoke their hosts. Outwardly he remained as calm as he could, joking with their hosts and expressing an ostensibly naive interest in their technology. It seemed to amuse the humans to show the 'primitive' the ins and outs of their skyship. However, when they finally reached the void even he reacted wih with barely concealed unease, both from the new experience...and the fact they could be seized or killed at any moment. It was a harrowing experience Nahana would never forget. Even the mightiest Qadiri nations did not possess such technology. In the stars they saw big warships and a massive space station. Somewhat poetically, she would later say that it blackened the sky of Tygara.
When they were finally returned home, the Qadiri deeply shaken by their experience. The royal couple got some baubles from Firemane - new technology such as datapads, a couple blasters and a few droids to 'help them out'. The machines were secretly there to spy on them for the humans. One of the machines, a protocol droid, became a royal secretary. The King tried to play politics to appease their new foreign overlord, hoping he could keep their ambitions at bay.
Firemane also began setting up 'trading outposts' on the coast. Ostensibly, they were just there to facilitate trade, but they soon grew, as Firemane purchased land to build factories and plantations, which were guarded by heavily armed paramilitary security forces. On a mission, Nahana discovered that certain government officials were taking bribes to seize village land. Firemane, of course, denied any involvement. Nahana was uncomfortable around the droids Firemane had gifted them with. The devil-machines seemed to be everywhere, know everything and anticipate their wishes. Lakami suggested a test to see if their concerns were just superstition. The royal couple, increasingly distrustful of their foreign 'benefactors', had a 'private' meeting about cancelling a mining project but did not actually go through with it. Naturally a protocol droid was there. Later a Firemane representative brought it up, singing the project's praises and speechifying about how it would enrich the realm and aborting it would cause 'grave concerns' in Firemane.
At the same time Firemane tried to use the issue of slavery as a lever. Officially Firemane was committed to abolitionism. However, the commitment of the 'women on the spot' only went skin-deep. Thus Firemane used the prospect of emancipation to claim the moral high ground and encourage revolts agains rulers who opposed its interests, since this horrible practice was present in all Qadiri states to varying degrees. However, at the same time the Firemane representatives at the court of King Gangadhar assured the monarchs that there were ways to 'ease the labour transition' so that, in effect, little would change, and secretly procure more advanced weapons through contact with Khaimari traders.
The former slaves would be trapped by debt, and spend a lifetime working it off. As a show of 'good faith', the human ambassador provided the monarchs with intelligence on rebellious slaves who had been deceived by Firemane's and sought refuge. The ambassador claimed the expansion of Firemane factories and vocational training centres would allow Gwalior to profit. The King knew all too well that Firemane was in the process of making those same deals with his neighbours...who might well harbour ambitions for his territory. His efforts to reach out to other rulers such as the Queen of Surani produced little success. However, he was able to secure a non-aggression pact with nomadic raiders who had plagued his realm in the past.
In the aftermath of the droid spying incident Gwalior became more distant and more stubborn to give concessions. Firemane sent some delegates to flatter, and then others to intimidate when that did not work. When Gwalior refused to send troops to help 'pacify' an ally who was opposing the foreigners' 'freedom agenda', Firemane gave an ultimatum. Already ill, the King died soon after from a stress related heart attack. Lakami, shaken by her husband's death, had no time to properly mourn. With Nahana standing at her side, she took the reins as her son's regent. She also got rid of the remaining droids.
It was then that Myra made her move. The exiled cousin went to Firemane and offered them all the concessions they demanded, plus more, in return for being made ruler. Firemane demanded that Lakami stand down as regent and let Myra take power. Angrily, the queen regent refused. When she was informed of this she cried out: "I shall not surrender my Gwalior. I won't be parted from my child." At Nahana's urging, Lakami walked among the people of the city, who greeted her with a massive paradise organised by her handmaiden. She read out the Firemane proclamation, then tore it up. Firemane gunships flew overhead, scaring the population and dropping leaflets that accused Lakami of having poisoned her husband and urged the people to rise up and 'liberate' themselves.
Their shared revulsion for the invaders brought Nahana and her mistress closer. It was then that Lakami finally relented and allowed Nahana to visit her home. As a matter of fact, she went with her. The villages in the area had been badly affected by ecological damage caused by Firemane. Deeply emotionally affected by this, Lakami had native officials who had accepted bribes from Firemane executed. Finally, Nahana was able to meet her family again. Her stepfather had died from poisoning caused by frakking, and she had a younger sister. However, the emotional reunion was short-lived.
During an inspection tour of the frontier district, Firemane struck, using Qadiri auxiliaries led by foreign officers and backed up by battle droids. When the hammer blow came, Nahana and Lakami had been separated. The queen was elsewhere, meeting with local leaders. And when the bombs fell, Nahana had no way of quickly getting in contact with her. The fog of war shrouded the truth, and from afar she saw the building her queen was in consumed by fire.
Some believed the queen was dead. The strange war machines of the humans unsettled the native warriors, and they fled...until suddenly 'Lakami' appeared in their midst, steeling their hearts and rallying them. Except it was not the real Lakami, but her handmaiden. Faced with the brutal and unjustified human onslaught against her home, Nahana had donned the queen's outfit. She was no general, but she could fight and knew the part the queen was meant to play. The warriors and militia took heart at the sight, fighting fiercely despite being outmatched in terms of weaponry and armour.
The Gwaliorian soldiers and militia used rolling barrels of flammable chemicals from the Firemane mining operations to throw foreign mercenaries and droids into disarray. Several Sepoys defected, allowing them to overwhelm the enemy. The injured 'Lakami' was hailed by the warriors...and found herself wondering what next. She issued orders she believed the queen would make, telling the warriors to take the dead foreigners' weapons and herd the captives for questioning, then one of the queen's bodyguards rather insistently led her to a building where she could be treated. There she encountered the real Lakami, but covered in blood and dressed as a common soldier. Lakami had survived the initial attack and quickly donned the armour of a fallen soldier and joined the fight. She was injured, but alive.
Nahana expected the true queen to be angry with her. The spectre of the double becoming an usurper loomed larger than ever. Instead Lakami asked her about the battle, commented calmly on her actions...then hugged and kissed her. After some hesitation, Nahana returned in kind. Their relationship would not be the same again. Then Lakami came out into the open, dressed as herself, with Nahana by her side. The warriors hailed her. But after the high came the realisation that war had begun. Firemane would not relent, or show mercy to those who defied it. Nahana gave her family money, and told them to flee. As a favour to her bodyguard, Lakami arranged for some travelling merchants to helpt hem get out.
Swiftly, the pair returned to the capital. Word of the Firemane attack soon spread. A Firemane contingent and their native allies tried to seize the palace, but the city erupted in fury. Firemane officials and soldiers barricaded themselves in their special district. However, their Sepoys mutinied after Nahana was able to make contact with them, and the garrison was overwhelmed. The arrogance and cruelty of the Firemane managers and their minions reaped what it had sowed, for Firemane officials and their families were massacred by the enraged mob. Lakami was not involved in the massacre, though she did not punish it either. Firemane would use it to vilify her as a bloodthirsty tyrant.
The queen, her handmaiden and her advisors mobilised for war. The two's relationship had irrevocably changed. Beneath the queenly mask, Lakami felt daunted by the responsibility thrust upon her...and so she turned to the one person who knew her better than anyone else, and whose duty was to walk in her shoes. It was the one person she could confide in. It was at Nahana's urging that Lakami decreed that slaves and mamluks who fought in the war of resistance against the invaders would be manumitted. Lakami was not the great emancipator. To her slavery was a natural part of life, and so her measures stopped short of abolition. But she was pragmatic enough to compromise. Besides, being served by people in chains upset her lover.
And Lakami entrusted Nahana with her own command. At first her position was more symbolic. Nahana had no experience in military leadership, so veterans guided her while she inspired warriors and provided a distraction from her liege lady. But she soon grew into the role, and won her warriors' respect by leading daring raids and punishing abusive officers and Firemane aggressors. And Gwalior received some foreign aid. The Shadow Knights, a nomadic group of Eldorai exiles with a grudge against Firemane, provided them with weapons and advisors.
At the peak of the war, before Firemane became completely dedicated to crushing the natives, the pair won a big victory at the Battle of Kannauj, popularly known as the Battle of the Red Cloud. Expecting a lightning victory over the 'primitives', Firemane deployed a battalion tactical group. At first all went well. The lightly armed militias could not match the humans' firepower and had to retreat. However, the humans of Firemane grew overconfident. Nahana, in the guise of the queen, led a mobile unit of Yazgid cavalry and warriors on stolen speeders that harrassed Firemane troops and caused the commander to split off some of her forces to give pursuit and capture the 'queen'.
Lakami had aeromancers summon a massive dust storm to isolate and blind the Firemane troops, and then attacked their encampment at night in the chaos. The humans had been thrown into disarray, and the cover provided by the storm and the darkness enabled the Qadiri to get in close. The Qadiri losses were heavy, but the Firemane forces were broken, and at this moment Nahana's flying column returned to strike them in the rear. When the Firemane commander ordered a general retreat and tried to get her reserves into position, their lines were broken by a storm of fleeing Firemane mercenaries and auxiliaries. Thus the reserves could not muster a coherent defence and were overwhelmed. Nahana and her riders pursued the fleeing invaders. Wild with enthusiasm, they fell upon them. The Firemane commander and almost all of her officers were cut down, and Firemane weapons were seized.
A Firemane column that had been delayed by the dust storm went on a forced march, but was too late, and pulled back. With their stolen weapons, the Qadiri harried the invaders for several miles before giving up pursuit after an assault produced heavy losses. Fires were lit on the highest hilltops to signal local peasant militias to assault Firemane and Sepoy stragglers. The Gwaliorian soldiers looted the Firemane encampment, hailing their queen. Amidst cheers, Nahana presented her lady with the sword of the dead Firemane commander. The defeat was a big humiliation for Firemane, which made the megacorp all the more dedicated to crushing the 'insurrection' - and recouping its losses by plundering Gwalior. Firemane made deals with the state of Surani, and even brought in Khaimari mercenaries and troops on loan from an Eldorai noble who hoped to share the spoils. The governor's reputation and career was at stake, and so a full army was deployed to attack Gwalior.
The Gwaliorians fought relentlessly, with Lakami, Nahana and their allies rallying them to defend their city. The Firemane general demanded their unconditional surrender, threatening to destroy the city if they refused. Lakami allegedly said: "We fight for independence. In the words of the Great Goddess Kashara, we will if we are victorious, enjoy the fruits of victory, if defeated and killed on the field of battle, we shall surely earn eternal glory and salvation."
The defenders appealed to Nawab Bharria Jai Ahquala, the de facto ruler of Surani, to help them, but the Nawab refused. The Shadow Knights could provide some operatives and intelligence, but dared not go to war for them. Firemane troops relentlessly bombarded Gwalior. They faced heavy resistance from the defenders, and the Shadow Knights deployed some armed freighters and starfighters to help. But the Firemane troops broke through, advancing in four columns. A relief effort by a Nawab loyal to the queen failed when his troops were cut off and defeated by Firemane allies after being betrayed by officers who had taken bribes by Myra.
Back in Gwalior, the invaders faced resistance in every street, and soon resorted to systematically levelling entire city blocks, causing countless civilian deaths. In the words of an Eldorai Firemane officer, "No maudlin clemency was to mark the fall of the city." Nahana and Lakami fought against the enemy, again and again inspiring their warriors with deeds of valour. But there was no help forthcoming. With the palace badly damaged by shelling, Lakami withdrew to the citadel and after taking stock of the situation concluded that further defending the capital was futile.
But before Lakami could put her plan into action, she was ambushed. Using passages revealed to them by Myra, Firemane sent an Order of Fire adept and some operatives to kill her. Lakami fought relentlessly, but was mortally wounded. Nahana, who had been holding off another assault, arrived too late. Stricken with grief and rage, she managed to slay the Order of Fire adept, though she herself lacked the Force. But it was too late for Lakami. Her former mistress died in her arms, pleading with her to take care of her son - their son in fact if not law, at this point.
The battle was lost. The fort's fall was only a matter of time. Nahana had the warriors lay explosives at strategic points in the fort. With Damodar on her back, Nahana jumped on her Yazgid Baadal from the fort. Against all odds, the pair survived, though her faithful mount perished. Above them the explosives were detonated, bringing down the building Lakami had died in on top of her as a battlefield cairn. They also took out several enemy soldiers who had stormed the building.
The handmaiden turned general escaped into the night with the queen's guards and servants. They fled into the forests, seeking refuge with a tribe sympathetic to their cause. Firemane proclaimed Lakami dead and made Myra queen. The puppet queen's first order of business was to give Firemane and their Eldorai lackeys any concessions they wanted, effectively signing away Gwalior's future. There would be no barriers against relentless exploitation of the nation's resources and people at the hands of the foreigners. Even Myra, though fairly unscrupulous, was shocked by the scale of their demands and tried to negotiate, since she knew she have no legitimacy...only to be informed that she only sat on the throne because foreign troops had put her there.
Lakami was dead...except not. It was with a heavy heart that Nahana decided to cast aside her own face for good, and take Lakami's forever. For her there was no going back. And so, after a night spent alone in deep meditation, she ordered the outriders to spread word to the chiefs, nobles, priestesses and commoners that their queen lived. Her faithful handmaiden had bravely sacrificed herself in that fort. She donned the mask and never looked back, taking Damodar as her son.
What followed was a period of insurgency and brutal 'counter-insurgency'. 'Lakami' and her warriors launched on the estates of landowners who collaborated with Firemane, as well as Firemane industrial sites and outposts, blew up infrastructure and assassinated collaborationist chiefs and Firemane officers. The warriors took blood oaths, binding them to the cause. They scored a number of tactical successes over the occupiers. But Firemane used oppressive violence to control the population, empowering a collaborationist 'royal army' set up by Myra as well as militias such as the Home Guard. They were allowed to pillage the property of those natives deemed sympathetic to the 'rebels'. Moreover, the occupiers interned tens of thousands without trial, subjecting them to abuse, torture and malnutrition.
To deprive the insurgents of the ability to blend in among the population and enlist support, the occupation government also carried out a policy of forced villagisation. Locals in areas deemed 'bandit-infested' were forced to leave their homes and 'settle' in villages surrounded by barbed wire, where they were at the mercy of the 'Home Guard'. The situation grew desperate for 'Lakami'. For all her efforts, the ranks of the rebel army were being whittled down by disease, hunger and increasingly desertions. The insurgents had to turn to banditry to survive. A petition to the Star Queen of the Eldorai for mediation went unanswered. After all, Eldorai nobles were among those profiting.
It was then, when she and her surviving followers were hiding in the hills, that the Shadow Knights came to her with an offer. They could not fight a war of liberation to drive the invaders out of Gwalior. But they could provide the loyalists with a way off-world. Naturally, they did not extend this offer purely out of solidarity. It would be a propaganda coup for them if they could persuade the rebel queen who had resisted Firemane while the great queens of Tygara all bowed to the humans to join their ranks. Lakami/Nahana was deeply conflicted, for it meant admitting defeat and abandoning her people. To her it felt like a betrayal, but there was also no path to victory.
She accepted after the Shadow Knights helped her liberate a prisoner convoy. The Shadow Knights provided transports to evacuate her people. So Lakami/Nahan ventured into the void of space - for the second time in their combined lives. It was a deeply disconcerting experience, especially since she was completely dependent on her new 'hosts'. But she refused to come as a mere supplicant. Thus from early on she did her best to learn all she could about the strange sky-ship she was staying on, and insisted that her people be given the chance to learn and earn their keep.
And she insisted that she should be the one giving orders to them and be seen as doing so. She also travelled frequently between the ships of the motley evacuation flotilla, and took her son with her. More than a few Shadow Knights accused her of monarchist agitation. When confronted and asked why she thought she should be in charge, Lakami said 'because of my scars' and displayed the many wounds on her body. They had to make several jumps to avoid potential pursuers.
When they finally reached the nomad fleet, she was escorted to the Shadow Knights' worldship. There she was received by senior dignitaries and Archon Naesala Faethyra, the elected leader of the Shadow Knights. Her reception was pleasant. The Shadow Knights held a feast for her people. They had to live in improvised accommodations until a vessel could be found for them. Realising that their new hosts had a thing about aristos, Lakami insisted on sharing the simple living conditions of her people.
At first she tried to lobby the Shadow Knights to fight Firemane. To that end she appeared before their Council to give a speech and tried to network with political and military leaders. However, she was left disappointed as the reality of the situation became clear. Until Firemane was distracted by other concerns, the Shadow Knights could not fight and win a war. So instead Lakami threw herself into her work. There had been talks about spreading her people across different ships or keeping them on the worldship, but she pushed for their own vessel. From early, she tried to galvanise support by making her people useful, making sure they signed up for important duties in the fleet, even less than glamorous ones...as long as they stayed together.
After much lobbying, her request was granted, though she had to formally renounce 'her' crown. She did so at a rally, which allowed her to turn it into a propaganda opportunity. The new vessel was called the Pride of Gwalior. There were not enough of her former subjects for a colony ship, but other Qadiri and even Vashyada from her region had been brought into the fold during the recruitment drive. In Shadow Knight society, service guarantees citizenship and is required to vote or run for office, but her struggle against Firemane was essentially grandfathered in so that she could run for election. This move had its share of critics, but she had street cred fighting the imperialists. Officially, Lakami was an elected leader now, not a monarch. However, democratic norms are a tricky thing. She was the leader her people knew and had won the respect of many. Moreover, she held a large number of electoral clients who would vote the way she asked in return for benefits. As such while there was opposition to her elevation among her people, it found it difficult to get organised and spread its message.
After a period of service as the vessel's captain, she was elected as Councillor, taking a seat in the central parliament on the worldship. However, she continued to control affairs on her vessel via proxies. This was not really in keeping with the spirit of the constitution, but a far from uncommon practice. As Captain and later Councillor she worked long hours, 'working like a Ghoush'. Her people needed accommodations, education, and food and they needed to maintain their pride in themselves and their heritage in the dark void of the sky-ocean.
The adjustment period was not easy for Lakami, but learn she did...and she never forgot what she and the real Lakami had sacrificed. She soon made friends among the war hawks in the nomad fleet, pushing for a more aggressive course against Tygara's colonial overlords. Detractors accused her of wanting to compromise the fleet's future because she was obsessed with regaining 'her' crown. But now she has finally gotten her wish. Firemane is in a crisis. Its leaders are squabbling oligarchs, and the military is divided among would-be conquistadores. Its stock has taken a sharp hit after its indentured servitude programme was leaked. Faced with domestic pressure, the Shadow Knights have committed to war against the exploitative and speciesist corpo-state. Elevated to the war council, a special committee that is supposed to coordinate the work of the Shadow Courts, the Council and the high command, Lakami intends to be at the forefront of the conflict.
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