Runi Verin
Two pounds shy of a bomb.
-
R U N IㅤV E R I N
[ D E C E A S E D ]
[General] [Social] [Physical] [Psychological]
[Traits] [Abilities] [Possessions] [Datafiles]
BIRTH NAME: Unknown
KNOWN ALIAS: Runi Verin, Ru,Duse
TITLES: Captain
CURRENT AGE: Early Thirties
STATUS: Deceased (864 ABY)
HOMEWORLD: Kol Atorn (Presumed); Kanz Sector
CITIZENSHIP: Defunct
AFFILIATION:
RESIDENCE: Transient
FORCE SENSITIVE: Positive
FORCE ALIGNMENT: Neutral
FATHER:Isley Verd (Darth Metus)
MOTHER: (Unkown Zambrano) [DECEASED]
SIBLINGS: Multiple
EXTENDED FAMILY: Large, descended down the Zambrano, Vi’Dreya & Verd family lines.
OTHERS: Jacaro Verin (Foster Father), Rashiz (Informal Mentor), Cerita Sarova (Informal Mentor, Force Bond), Amea Virou (Force Bond)
SPECIES: Near-Human (Kiffar/Mix)
GENDER: Female
HEIGHT: 1.65m
WEIGHT: 61kg
BUILD: Athletic Mesomorph
HAIR: Dark Brown; Long
EYES: Dark Brown
COMPLEXION: Type IV; Warm Undertones
CYBERNETICS: Right Arm, iBorg Spark (Stowaway Module)
DESCRIPTION:
Around five foot four, hundred and twenty five pounds, Runi possesses a rather lean build of athletic muscle, one brought about by an overly actively lifestyle coupled with a sorely basic nutri-ration diet. Those dark eyes of hers are sharp and quick, flitting across a crowd with the suspicion of someone raised on the wrong side of the Outer Rim, never quite settling and never quite seeming to find a way to relax. Her hair extends just below the shoulder blade, tied back messily to reveal features so often covered with grime and engine grease that they’re almost as much a part of her as the distinctive qukuuf and facial tattoos they obscure.
Given that her wardrobe consists almost exclusively of flight suits and threadbare shirts, often as marred as her features, it's perhaps no wonder that she could be seamlessly transported into any spaceport or docking bay across the galaxy without even raising an eyebrow. In fact, the only distinguishing feature about her attire is the presence of a weathered spacers jacket, one so obviously repaired and adjusted over the years that it scarcely resembles the original production model, seemingly held together on a wing and a prayer. A lopsided and burdened utility belt completes the image, with a museum piece of a blaster holstered on the left side of her hip and a plethora of tools on the right.
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
TAROT CARD: The Hermit
PERSONALITY TYPE: ISTJ
STRENGTHS: Confident, Loyal, Resourceful, Perceptive
WEAKNESSES: Blunt, Damaged, Impulsive, Vindictive, Wrathful
TROPES:
Action Girl, Anti-Hero, Artificial Limbs, Brutal Honesty, Combat Parkour, Combat Pragmatist, Covered with Scars, Deadpan Snarker, Dented Iron, Facial Markings, Jerk with a Heart of Gold, Pint-Sized Powerhouse, Street Urchin, Waif-Fu, Weapon of Choice, Wrench Wench
+ Wrench Wench: Runi has always had a natural affinity towards technology, being a veritable artist with a hydrospanner and wrench combo. She’s most at home when she’s stripping down, repairing and modifying vessels and equipment, although a lack of any real formal education in the field can lead to a mixed bag of results. The true testament to her skill comes not from her current salvaging profession, but the fact she’s managed to keep her own ship trucking along against all odds and calamities to the contrary.
+ It Ain’t Magic, But It Ain’t Science: Runi has a decent, yet not particularly noteworthy connection with the force, making up for any shortcomings in raw strength and power with a natural sense of fine control. Trained in the Warden of the Sky tradition by Jacaro Verin, her education has been rocky since his departure, if primarily due to her reluctance to find a new master. It has, however, encouraged her to learn skills outside of her tradition, leaving her with a jack-of-all-trades capability.
+ Scrapper from the Scrapheap: When things go sideways, and they often do, Runi is more than capable of holding her own, having grown up scrapping in every sense of the word on the streets of Kol Atorn. Her time under Jacaro only served to reinforce this, honing the wild brawler she once was into a skilled and competent combatant. Her time with the Mandalorian Crusaders only furthered this skill, making her a (small) force to be reckoned with. True to her duel heritage, she prefers to avoid using a blaster when possible, often leaving it to her beskad or fists to settle things.
- Chop job: Having received treatment from a back alley sawbones with questionable (read: fictional) set of qualifications, the installation of Runi’s first cybernetic arm was something of a botched operation. As a result of which, there was some mild, yet permanent nerve damage that denies her the full use of her dexterity with her right arm, as well as causing her to experience a near constant ache and phantom limb like sensation.
- Size Matters: As skilled as a combatant Runi has become, she is ultimately restricted by the fact she is smaller and a damn sight lighter than most opponents she seems to come across these days. While relying on her speed and agility to quickly overwhelm her opponents with flurries of vicious strikes is all when and good, the tables can be quickly turned when bogged down and forced to find and extended engagement.
- That Winning Personality: Let’s face it, Runi isn’t the type of person you invite to fancy shindigs or bring home to meet the parents. She’s a painfully blunt, forthright person by nature, having never really seen the value in beating around the bush or pulling her verbal punches. She simply cannot shy away from speaking her mind when given the opportunity, even when she probably should, and will not suffer fools lightly. Throw in the fact she has a tendency to nurse grudges for months, even years, and that petty, vindictive temper of hers that Jacaro could never quite smooth out, Runi isn’t the easiest person to get along with.
[■■] = Master [■■] = Expert [■■] = Adept[
■■] = Apprentice [■■] = Novice
NOTABLE SKILLS
APPAREL: Terentatek Duster, Asheran Armorweave, Phrik Bracers, Taak’tabi, Kathol Liberation Ring, Reclaimer Kama, Nwûl
WEAPONRY: Nightbrother Fighting Knife, Akaa’gai, Energy Bola, Vornskr Mk8 Scattergun, Tal Oya’karir, Muun'bajir
PROPERTY: Belt of Arah Shipyards, Ord Mantell Salvage Yards, Kol Atorn Warehouses, Kuat Drive Yard Holdings, SR&L Terminus Sector Holdings, etc
VESSELS: Boracyk (YTA-1300 Light Freighter)
OTHER: Stellarwind Reclamation & Logistics (SEI | SCS)
Prologue: Straight from the Scrapheap
Hailing from the spinning galactic scrapheap that is Kol Atorn, Runi’s earliest memories are of a life on the streets, another guttersnipe in the crowded, twisting alleyways. Given the planet’s somewhat infamous and shady reputation, the kind that attracts all manner of exiles, outcasts and other assorted sentient refuse, it’s probably not too surprising that the chances of having anything remotely resembling an idyllic or well-adjusted childhood were pretty slim back then. But then, it’s the same story all over once you hit the Outer Rim territories. Once you find yourself that far removed from the vaunted civilisation of the core, the word ‘life’ becomes just another synonym for hardship and violence. Its these same conditions, however, that tend to raise a particular brand of people.
Survivors.
As the Mandalorian expats that frequent the backward dives on Kol Atorn are prone to quoting, ‘Mishuk gotal'u meshuroke’. Pressure makes gems. Now few would every confuse Ru as being a diamond in the rough, albeit certainly having the rough part down pat, it was pretty clear she was natural born survivor. She didn’t just hit the streets, she hit them running. Of course, it takes more than just a knack for survival to really make it as a street peedunky on Kol Atorn. It takes a certain amount of smarts and cunning, both of which Ru honed working the salvage yards as a child, etching out a meager living by scrounging for scrap and discarded treasures.
And she was good at it, too. Possessing an almost innate ‘sixth sense’ for navigating the junkyards, locating scrap almost as if she knew where it was in the first place. She knows now that it was her latent connection to the force, something she’s since learnt to keep under wraps and avoid drawing attention over, but back then… Back then she wasn’t nearly as discrete with her talents. And why not? What kid doesn’t wish they were someway special, that they had something extra that put them apart from the crowd, something worth noting and admiring? Unfortunately, standing out is quite possibly the worst thing you can do when you’re a no-hoper from the streets, a place where another poignant adage applies just as well. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
It started out as a simple scuffle at first. A few heated words born from a flash of jealousy turned into a shove or two. Nothing serious or untoward. Certainly nothing out of the ordinary for the slummers. Fierfek, it was positively tame in comparison to some encounters. But like all things, it quickly began to change and escalate as the months and years passed by, with each simple scuffle giving way to a much more heated and violent struggle. Gone were simple bruised egos, replaced in kind with battered and broken flesh. Sometimes Ru would come out on top of these little encounters, while others… Not so much. Worse still, the times when she did manage to earn a victory, pyrrhic or otherwise, seemed to only further exasperate the problem at hand.
It doesn’t take a genius to know how this tale would have ordinarily ended. A thousand like to play out across the Outer Rim every day, all with a rather bloody curtain call. Less a question of if it would happen, more when it would happen. After one particularly bloody disagreement, it was a question Ru resolved not to stick around to see answered, squirreling herself away onboard an outbound freighter the first chance she got.
Cue the happy ending, right? Sadly, not so much. As it turns out, few captains enjoy finding unexpected cargo sitting in their bays, and the captain of the vessel Ru managed to stowaway on was no different in that regard. If it wasn’t for the unlikely, yet timely intervention of the ship’s mechanic, her tale might very well have exchanged the ending of ‘bled out in an alleyway’ for ‘flushed out of the airlock’.
To this day she still isn’t sure what Jacaro Verin saw in her that day. Or what motivated him to speak out on her behalf. Even for a Warden of the Sky, sticking your neck out for some gutter brat seems a little extreme. Regardless, the man saved her life that day, and many times more in the days and months that followed. He took Ru under his wing, educating her in the ways of the galaxy and keeping her nose out of trouble. He also taught her a trade, showing her how to fix and maintain ships, something with her natural force sensitivity the already technologically inclined Ru excelled at and then some.
As the months turned into years, Jacaro began teaching her about the force, the power that both binds and unifies everything in the galaxy around them. He taught her how to harness that power within her and how to use it to defend both herself and others. Perhaps most importantly, he also taught her about the Wardens of the Sky, giving her his own personal take on the history and philosophies that have filtered down since the time of the Great Hyperspace War.
It was a this point the first seeds of conflict began to sprout between the pair, with Ru struggling to meet the increasing expectations Jacaro placed upon her shoulders, both in regards to her training and her own outlook as a person. Her master began to pull away from his charge as the arguments increased, becoming more and more withdrawn and closed off, which in turn only further fed the problem. Ultimately the time came when they simply had to part ways, with Ru leaving Jacaro’s life almost as abruptly as he’d entered hers.
Alone for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Ru quickly found herself drifting from port to port without any real sense of destination or purpose, struggling to find her own balance and path as a Warden. To make matters worse the galaxy was quickly becoming consumed by war and chaos, losing her arm in the strife and carnage that led up to and surrounded the Netherworld and the partial destruction of Corellia. Since then things have only seemed to steadily declined, including (but not limited to) becoming indebted to a certain Kajidic in exchange for enough creds to place a down payment on a YTA1300f. While the vessel was originally intended to give her freedom, it’s become something of an anchor around her neck, threatening to drag her down at any moment as she struggles to makes her way as a salvager.
Chapter I: Once more with feeling
When the salvaging operations ran dry, and the heat from her last smuggling job still burning bright, Runi turned to contract work to keep herself plying the space lanes. Unfortunately, her luck remained true to form, and her first contract with the Carrion Company would lead her into an ill-fated encounter turned raid in Mandalorian occupied space. Less said about that adventure, the better. Still, the experience gained her some valuable contacts within the splintered clans, as well as bringing her to the attention of several disenfranchised individuals that would go on to form the Mandalorian Crusaders. While a far cry from her Warden of the Sky roots, she would find a tentative place within their ranks as they moved from a raiding party into something greater - an Empire.
It was also there that Runi would learn the circumstances of her birth, discovering that not only were here parents very much alive, but far closer than she expected. Isley Verd, the proclaimed Mand’alor of the Mandalorian Empire. Izevel Zambrano, daughter of the Butcher King of Panatha.
The revelation that her new found ‘family’ was comprised of some of the most prolific mass murderers and warmongers to darken the galaxy in recent history was hardly a welcome find. Reeling from the surprise, Runi retreated in on herself and departed Mandalorian Empire space, returning to her life as a drifter and smuggler while she tried to make sense of what this meant for her.
Eventually this would lead her into taking part of the Kathol rebellion, helping liberate the sector from the Black Rose. Their seemingly loose-knit organisation, basking on the fringes of the known galaxy, seemed to be a perfect fit for someone looking to lose themselves for a spell. While never formally accepting a position, she allowed herself to become embroiled in the troubles that arose in the wake of the rebellion, lending aid to their operations and even assuming the mantle of command for a time.
Chapter II: Out Amongst the Black
As a tentative sense of peace settled over the Kathol Outback, with the organisation moving towards becoming the Outer Rim Coalition, Runi found herself drifting back into her own lifestyle as an interrant spacer and taking freelance smuggling jobs between salvage runs. As her bills continued to amount, she quickly turned to alternative sources of income, which ultimately brought her into the realm of Cerita Sarova. A mysterious woman that seemed to know too much, yet reveal too little. In her company, Runi found both fame and fortune with the treasure horde of Kakitai bel Toyouin. She also found her inner darkness, however. Letting the woman guide her down a twisted path that saw her hands stained with blood.
Concerned with what she was on the precipice of becoming whilst remaining in Sarova’s company, Runi once again did what she did best - avoid the issue entirely and seek out another stretch of the galaxy in which to bury her head in. Walking the paths of the old Wardens, trying to find her place amongst them and rebuild her sense of faith in the force.
Chapter III: Return to the Fold
More recently Runi’s path saw her cross paths with an old ally turned foe, crossing blades with Ronan Vizsla while the Mandalorian Empire sought to burn Utapau. While managing to fight the warrior to a draw, the injuries she sustained in the battle caused her to spend several months recuperating and debating her next move. Having spent most of her life constantly on the move, she finally decided it was time to create a stake of her own, using the funds she had secured over a lifetime of salvaging and treasure hunting to establish Stellarwind Reclamation & Logistics.
Chapter IV: Corporation Game
Displaying a surprising knack for business, albeit not the boardroom, Stellarwind quick established itself as a solid logistics operation and quickly began to branch out. The smuggling side operations quickly became the central focus, however, with the funds earned soon dwarfing even her ship production revenues and salvage stakes. While leery of working with Sith, the need for checkpoint passes forced her into bed with the Empire, begrudgingly agreeing to ferry supplies through the core pipelines under her own independent flag. Needless to say, these illicit funds quickly mounted up. Requiring legitimate businesses and fronts to invest in, Runi soon found herself strong arming her way into the KDY leadership, using the recent troubles to grant her shares in return for a favorable dedicated service and repair contract.
R U N IㅤV E R I N
[ D E C E A S E D ]
[General] [Social] [Physical] [Psychological]
[Traits] [Abilities] [Possessions] [Datafiles]
GENERAL INFORMATION
BIRTH NAME: Unknown
KNOWN ALIAS: Runi Verin, Ru,
TITLES: Captain
CURRENT AGE: Early Thirties
STATUS: Deceased (864 ABY)
HOMEWORLD: Kol Atorn (Presumed); Kanz Sector
CITIZENSHIP: Defunct
AFFILIATION:
- Independent
- Spacers Guild
- Stellarwind R&L
- Wardens of the Sky
- Outer Planetary Alliance (Formerly)
- Mandalorian Empire (Formerly)
- Carrion Company (Formerly)
RESIDENCE: Transient
FORCE SENSITIVE: Positive
FORCE ALIGNMENT: Neutral
KNOWN CONNECTIONS
FATHER:Isley Verd (Darth Metus)
MOTHER: (Unkown Zambrano) [DECEASED]
SIBLINGS: Multiple
EXTENDED FAMILY: Large, descended down the Zambrano, Vi’Dreya & Verd family lines.
OTHERS: Jacaro Verin (Foster Father), Rashiz (Informal Mentor), Cerita Sarova (Informal Mentor, Force Bond), Amea Virou (Force Bond)
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
SPECIES: Near-Human (Kiffar/Mix)
GENDER: Female
HEIGHT: 1.65m
WEIGHT: 61kg
BUILD: Athletic Mesomorph
HAIR: Dark Brown; Long
EYES: Dark Brown
COMPLEXION: Type IV; Warm Undertones
CYBERNETICS: Right Arm, iBorg Spark (Stowaway Module)
DESCRIPTION:
Around five foot four, hundred and twenty five pounds, Runi possesses a rather lean build of athletic muscle, one brought about by an overly actively lifestyle coupled with a sorely basic nutri-ration diet. Those dark eyes of hers are sharp and quick, flitting across a crowd with the suspicion of someone raised on the wrong side of the Outer Rim, never quite settling and never quite seeming to find a way to relax. Her hair extends just below the shoulder blade, tied back messily to reveal features so often covered with grime and engine grease that they’re almost as much a part of her as the distinctive qukuuf and facial tattoos they obscure.
Given that her wardrobe consists almost exclusively of flight suits and threadbare shirts, often as marred as her features, it's perhaps no wonder that she could be seamlessly transported into any spaceport or docking bay across the galaxy without even raising an eyebrow. In fact, the only distinguishing feature about her attire is the presence of a weathered spacers jacket, one so obviously repaired and adjusted over the years that it scarcely resembles the original production model, seemingly held together on a wing and a prayer. A lopsided and burdened utility belt completes the image, with a museum piece of a blaster holstered on the left side of her hip and a plethora of tools on the right.
PSYCHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
TAROT CARD: The Hermit
PERSONALITY TYPE: ISTJ
STRENGTHS: Confident, Loyal, Resourceful, Perceptive
WEAKNESSES: Blunt, Damaged, Impulsive, Vindictive, Wrathful
TROPES:
Action Girl, Anti-Hero, Artificial Limbs, Brutal Honesty, Combat Parkour, Combat Pragmatist, Covered with Scars, Deadpan Snarker, Dented Iron, Facial Markings, Jerk with a Heart of Gold, Pint-Sized Powerhouse, Street Urchin, Waif-Fu, Weapon of Choice, Wrench Wench
TRAIT INFORMATION
+ Wrench Wench: Runi has always had a natural affinity towards technology, being a veritable artist with a hydrospanner and wrench combo. She’s most at home when she’s stripping down, repairing and modifying vessels and equipment, although a lack of any real formal education in the field can lead to a mixed bag of results. The true testament to her skill comes not from her current salvaging profession, but the fact she’s managed to keep her own ship trucking along against all odds and calamities to the contrary.
+ It Ain’t Magic, But It Ain’t Science: Runi has a decent, yet not particularly noteworthy connection with the force, making up for any shortcomings in raw strength and power with a natural sense of fine control. Trained in the Warden of the Sky tradition by Jacaro Verin, her education has been rocky since his departure, if primarily due to her reluctance to find a new master. It has, however, encouraged her to learn skills outside of her tradition, leaving her with a jack-of-all-trades capability.
+ Scrapper from the Scrapheap: When things go sideways, and they often do, Runi is more than capable of holding her own, having grown up scrapping in every sense of the word on the streets of Kol Atorn. Her time under Jacaro only served to reinforce this, honing the wild brawler she once was into a skilled and competent combatant. Her time with the Mandalorian Crusaders only furthered this skill, making her a (small) force to be reckoned with. True to her duel heritage, she prefers to avoid using a blaster when possible, often leaving it to her beskad or fists to settle things.
- Chop job: Having received treatment from a back alley sawbones with questionable (read: fictional) set of qualifications, the installation of Runi’s first cybernetic arm was something of a botched operation. As a result of which, there was some mild, yet permanent nerve damage that denies her the full use of her dexterity with her right arm, as well as causing her to experience a near constant ache and phantom limb like sensation.
- Size Matters: As skilled as a combatant Runi has become, she is ultimately restricted by the fact she is smaller and a damn sight lighter than most opponents she seems to come across these days. While relying on her speed and agility to quickly overwhelm her opponents with flurries of vicious strikes is all when and good, the tables can be quickly turned when bogged down and forced to find and extended engagement.
- That Winning Personality: Let’s face it, Runi isn’t the type of person you invite to fancy shindigs or bring home to meet the parents. She’s a painfully blunt, forthright person by nature, having never really seen the value in beating around the bush or pulling her verbal punches. She simply cannot shy away from speaking her mind when given the opportunity, even when she probably should, and will not suffer fools lightly. Throw in the fact she has a tendency to nurse grudges for months, even years, and that petty, vindictive temper of hers that Jacaro could never quite smooth out, Runi isn’t the easiest person to get along with.
ABILITY INFORMATION
[■■] = Master [■■] = Expert [■■] = Adept[
■■] = Apprentice [■■] = Novice
NOTABLE SKILLS
[■■■■■■■■■■] Mechanic Engineering
[■■■■■■■■■■] Zero Gee Acrobatics
[■■■■■■■■■■] Astronavigation
[■■■■■■■■■■] Hand-to-Hand Combat
[■■■■■■■■■■] Swordsmanship: Beskad, Akaa’gai
[■■■■■■■■■■] Style: Mandalorian Shock Combat
FORCE SKILLS
[■■■■■■■■■■] Psychometry (Racial)
[■■■■■■■■■■] Accelerate Healing
[■■■■■■■■■■] Accelerate Another’s Healing
[■■■■■■■■■■] Art of Movement
[■■■■■■■■■■] Breath Control
[■■■■■■■■■■] Control Pain
[■■■■■■■■■■] Force Body
[■■■■■■■■■■] Force Reflex
[■■■■■■■■■■] Force Speed
[■■■■■■■■■■] Tutaminis
[■■■■■■■■■■] Remain Conscious
[■■■■■■■■■■] Resist Stun
[■■■■■■■■■■] Force Sense
[■■■■■■■■■■] Far Sight
[■■■■■■■■■■] Force Track
[■■■■■■■■■■] Technometry
[■■■■■■■■■■] Shift Sense
[■■■■■■■■■■] Instinctive Astrogation (Force GPS)
[■■■■■■■■■■] Force Inertia
[■■■■■■■■■■] Prima Vitae
[■■■■■■■■■■] Telekinesis
[■■■■■■■■■■] Mechu-Deru
[■■■■■■■■■■] Force Weapon
[■■■■■■■■■■] Alchemy
POSSESSIONS
APPAREL: Terentatek Duster, Asheran Armorweave, Phrik Bracers, Taak’tabi, Kathol Liberation Ring, Reclaimer Kama, Nwûl
WEAPONRY: Nightbrother Fighting Knife, Akaa’gai, Energy Bola, Vornskr Mk8 Scattergun, Tal Oya’karir, Muun'bajir
PROPERTY: Belt of Arah Shipyards, Ord Mantell Salvage Yards, Kol Atorn Warehouses, Kuat Drive Yard Holdings, SR&L Terminus Sector Holdings, etc
VESSELS: Boracyk (YTA-1300 Light Freighter)
OTHER: Stellarwind Reclamation & Logistics (SEI | SCS)
DATAFILE ENTRIES
Prologue: Straight from the Scrapheap
Hailing from the spinning galactic scrapheap that is Kol Atorn, Runi’s earliest memories are of a life on the streets, another guttersnipe in the crowded, twisting alleyways. Given the planet’s somewhat infamous and shady reputation, the kind that attracts all manner of exiles, outcasts and other assorted sentient refuse, it’s probably not too surprising that the chances of having anything remotely resembling an idyllic or well-adjusted childhood were pretty slim back then. But then, it’s the same story all over once you hit the Outer Rim territories. Once you find yourself that far removed from the vaunted civilisation of the core, the word ‘life’ becomes just another synonym for hardship and violence. Its these same conditions, however, that tend to raise a particular brand of people.
Survivors.
As the Mandalorian expats that frequent the backward dives on Kol Atorn are prone to quoting, ‘Mishuk gotal'u meshuroke’. Pressure makes gems. Now few would every confuse Ru as being a diamond in the rough, albeit certainly having the rough part down pat, it was pretty clear she was natural born survivor. She didn’t just hit the streets, she hit them running. Of course, it takes more than just a knack for survival to really make it as a street peedunky on Kol Atorn. It takes a certain amount of smarts and cunning, both of which Ru honed working the salvage yards as a child, etching out a meager living by scrounging for scrap and discarded treasures.
And she was good at it, too. Possessing an almost innate ‘sixth sense’ for navigating the junkyards, locating scrap almost as if she knew where it was in the first place. She knows now that it was her latent connection to the force, something she’s since learnt to keep under wraps and avoid drawing attention over, but back then… Back then she wasn’t nearly as discrete with her talents. And why not? What kid doesn’t wish they were someway special, that they had something extra that put them apart from the crowd, something worth noting and admiring? Unfortunately, standing out is quite possibly the worst thing you can do when you’re a no-hoper from the streets, a place where another poignant adage applies just as well. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
It started out as a simple scuffle at first. A few heated words born from a flash of jealousy turned into a shove or two. Nothing serious or untoward. Certainly nothing out of the ordinary for the slummers. Fierfek, it was positively tame in comparison to some encounters. But like all things, it quickly began to change and escalate as the months and years passed by, with each simple scuffle giving way to a much more heated and violent struggle. Gone were simple bruised egos, replaced in kind with battered and broken flesh. Sometimes Ru would come out on top of these little encounters, while others… Not so much. Worse still, the times when she did manage to earn a victory, pyrrhic or otherwise, seemed to only further exasperate the problem at hand.
It doesn’t take a genius to know how this tale would have ordinarily ended. A thousand like to play out across the Outer Rim every day, all with a rather bloody curtain call. Less a question of if it would happen, more when it would happen. After one particularly bloody disagreement, it was a question Ru resolved not to stick around to see answered, squirreling herself away onboard an outbound freighter the first chance she got.
Cue the happy ending, right? Sadly, not so much. As it turns out, few captains enjoy finding unexpected cargo sitting in their bays, and the captain of the vessel Ru managed to stowaway on was no different in that regard. If it wasn’t for the unlikely, yet timely intervention of the ship’s mechanic, her tale might very well have exchanged the ending of ‘bled out in an alleyway’ for ‘flushed out of the airlock’.
To this day she still isn’t sure what Jacaro Verin saw in her that day. Or what motivated him to speak out on her behalf. Even for a Warden of the Sky, sticking your neck out for some gutter brat seems a little extreme. Regardless, the man saved her life that day, and many times more in the days and months that followed. He took Ru under his wing, educating her in the ways of the galaxy and keeping her nose out of trouble. He also taught her a trade, showing her how to fix and maintain ships, something with her natural force sensitivity the already technologically inclined Ru excelled at and then some.
As the months turned into years, Jacaro began teaching her about the force, the power that both binds and unifies everything in the galaxy around them. He taught her how to harness that power within her and how to use it to defend both herself and others. Perhaps most importantly, he also taught her about the Wardens of the Sky, giving her his own personal take on the history and philosophies that have filtered down since the time of the Great Hyperspace War.
It was a this point the first seeds of conflict began to sprout between the pair, with Ru struggling to meet the increasing expectations Jacaro placed upon her shoulders, both in regards to her training and her own outlook as a person. Her master began to pull away from his charge as the arguments increased, becoming more and more withdrawn and closed off, which in turn only further fed the problem. Ultimately the time came when they simply had to part ways, with Ru leaving Jacaro’s life almost as abruptly as he’d entered hers.
Alone for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Ru quickly found herself drifting from port to port without any real sense of destination or purpose, struggling to find her own balance and path as a Warden. To make matters worse the galaxy was quickly becoming consumed by war and chaos, losing her arm in the strife and carnage that led up to and surrounded the Netherworld and the partial destruction of Corellia. Since then things have only seemed to steadily declined, including (but not limited to) becoming indebted to a certain Kajidic in exchange for enough creds to place a down payment on a YTA1300f. While the vessel was originally intended to give her freedom, it’s become something of an anchor around her neck, threatening to drag her down at any moment as she struggles to makes her way as a salvager.
Chapter I: Once more with feeling
When the salvaging operations ran dry, and the heat from her last smuggling job still burning bright, Runi turned to contract work to keep herself plying the space lanes. Unfortunately, her luck remained true to form, and her first contract with the Carrion Company would lead her into an ill-fated encounter turned raid in Mandalorian occupied space. Less said about that adventure, the better. Still, the experience gained her some valuable contacts within the splintered clans, as well as bringing her to the attention of several disenfranchised individuals that would go on to form the Mandalorian Crusaders. While a far cry from her Warden of the Sky roots, she would find a tentative place within their ranks as they moved from a raiding party into something greater - an Empire.
It was also there that Runi would learn the circumstances of her birth, discovering that not only were here parents very much alive, but far closer than she expected. Isley Verd, the proclaimed Mand’alor of the Mandalorian Empire. Izevel Zambrano, daughter of the Butcher King of Panatha.
The revelation that her new found ‘family’ was comprised of some of the most prolific mass murderers and warmongers to darken the galaxy in recent history was hardly a welcome find. Reeling from the surprise, Runi retreated in on herself and departed Mandalorian Empire space, returning to her life as a drifter and smuggler while she tried to make sense of what this meant for her.
Eventually this would lead her into taking part of the Kathol rebellion, helping liberate the sector from the Black Rose. Their seemingly loose-knit organisation, basking on the fringes of the known galaxy, seemed to be a perfect fit for someone looking to lose themselves for a spell. While never formally accepting a position, she allowed herself to become embroiled in the troubles that arose in the wake of the rebellion, lending aid to their operations and even assuming the mantle of command for a time.
Chapter II: Out Amongst the Black
As a tentative sense of peace settled over the Kathol Outback, with the organisation moving towards becoming the Outer Rim Coalition, Runi found herself drifting back into her own lifestyle as an interrant spacer and taking freelance smuggling jobs between salvage runs. As her bills continued to amount, she quickly turned to alternative sources of income, which ultimately brought her into the realm of Cerita Sarova. A mysterious woman that seemed to know too much, yet reveal too little. In her company, Runi found both fame and fortune with the treasure horde of Kakitai bel Toyouin. She also found her inner darkness, however. Letting the woman guide her down a twisted path that saw her hands stained with blood.
Concerned with what she was on the precipice of becoming whilst remaining in Sarova’s company, Runi once again did what she did best - avoid the issue entirely and seek out another stretch of the galaxy in which to bury her head in. Walking the paths of the old Wardens, trying to find her place amongst them and rebuild her sense of faith in the force.
Chapter III: Return to the Fold
More recently Runi’s path saw her cross paths with an old ally turned foe, crossing blades with Ronan Vizsla while the Mandalorian Empire sought to burn Utapau. While managing to fight the warrior to a draw, the injuries she sustained in the battle caused her to spend several months recuperating and debating her next move. Having spent most of her life constantly on the move, she finally decided it was time to create a stake of her own, using the funds she had secured over a lifetime of salvaging and treasure hunting to establish Stellarwind Reclamation & Logistics.
Chapter IV: Corporation Game
Displaying a surprising knack for business, albeit not the boardroom, Stellarwind quick established itself as a solid logistics operation and quickly began to branch out. The smuggling side operations quickly became the central focus, however, with the funds earned soon dwarfing even her ship production revenues and salvage stakes. While leery of working with Sith, the need for checkpoint passes forced her into bed with the Empire, begrudgingly agreeing to ferry supplies through the core pipelines under her own independent flag. Needless to say, these illicit funds quickly mounted up. Requiring legitimate businesses and fronts to invest in, Runi soon found herself strong arming her way into the KDY leadership, using the recent troubles to grant her shares in return for a favorable dedicated service and repair contract.
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