I regret nothing. Ever.
—Ellé Okrest
Ellé Okrest was a senatorial handmaiden to Padmé Amidala, a mechanic and later a commander in the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and eventually a member of the New Jedi Order, despite her limited Force-sensitivity, and mistress of an enclave for Jedi students after the Yuuzhan Vong war. She was also responsible for the founding of the Naboo Museum of the Old Republic. She was the wife of Noirah Na and the mother of Naboo monarch Amlé Oshina, by rebel pilot Garven Dreis.
Biography[]
Early Life(39 BBY to 20 BBY)[]
Ellé was born in Theed, daughter to a pair of artisans. When she was seven years old, the Trade Federation invasion resulted in her mother's death at the hands of a battle droid. She and her father spent the occupation in a prison camp, during which he went without food, giving all his rations to her. He fell ill, and even after they were freed never entirely regained his health, dying in 24 BBY, when Ellé was only fourteen.
She found work in Theed palace, and in 21 BBY applied to become a handmaiden to then-Princess Apailana should she be elected Queen. She was ultimately chosen as second alternate. She remained in the palace, however, becoming romantically involved with one of the victorious Apailana's handmaidens, Meklé Alaka. Near the end of 20 BBY, however, she caught the eye of Gregar Typho, who submitted her to Motée Sensari and her inactive sister handmaidens to serve Senator Padmé Amidala as a replacement for the recently killed Dormé Costil.
The panel of handmaidens questioned Ellé rigorously, and noting her relationship with Meklé, several of them were against choosing her. However, she had been noticed by Anakin Skywalker, who had detected her as being borderline Force-sensitive, and passed this knowledge on to Ardré Kartik, recommending that she be selected for this reason. Ardré concurred, and she advocated for Ellé, winning over enough of her fellow handmaidens to carry the day.
Handmaiden(19 BBY)[]
Having her lifelong dream fulfilled brought Ellé great joy, though it was difficult for her to leave behind Naboo, and even more so to leave behind Meklé. However, as she properly learned her new profession from Motée, she first developed an intense admiration for the older girl, which eventually grew into an intense unrequited love, which she never spoke of to her. As an active handmaiden to Amidala, she became aware of first her secret marriage to Skywalker, then of her pregnancy, both of which she aided in the effort to conceal.
When the Jedi Order was accused of rebellion and its members massacred bare days from Amidala's predicted delivery date, Ellé spent the first part of following day traveling Coruscant's lower levels incognito, trying to gather information or gain any hint to Skywalker's whereabouts. Mostly unsuccessful, she returned to Motée's company and learned of Palpatine's betrayal shortly before they were summoned by the Senator. They arrived at her quarters to find her there with her former royal handmaiden Coté Lanlin and the bodies of Ardré and her former Master Oné Madierre. Amidala first expressed her concerns that Coté's life might also been in danger, then told all three she was going off on her own with C-3PO, and if she had not heard from her in two weeks, they were to consider her dead and they themselves released from their oaths. They protested, but she left.
Motée immediately expressed suspicions of a nature she refused to define, and a fear that Amidala was going to her death. Two days later, Senator Bail Organa showed up with her body, and official sources started claiming that she had been murdered by a rogue Jedi. Ellé returned with her fellow handmaidens to Naboo, where at Ardré and Oné's funeral Motée put forth the evidence that Amidala had been killed by the Emperor's agents. All of the handmaidens then swore to overthrow him, Ellé included.
Initial Rebellion(19 BBY to 14 BBY)[]
Ellé's role in the rebellion was to carefully spread dissent in the palace, and keep the other handmaidens informed of everything she became aware of there. Her mission became much more difficult after 18 BBY, when Apailana was assassinated, while Meklé died defending her, but she also had the role of keeping contact up with Motée, who was involved in other segments of the resistance and thus was often offworld.
In 14 BBY Motée was arrested, and Ellé implicated in her activities, forcing the latter to flee Naboo and go underground. She struggled to find out what might have happened to Motée, but no one ever found any information on her. She took lessons in mechanics for a brief while, then hearing of Eirtaé Lasara's arrest and the other former handmaidens' flight from Naboo, she went to seek them out, meeting first with Eirtaé's husband Kitpat Arthi and Morenjj Lasara, who gave her further lessons in engineering, until when they met up with the others and Losté Dulks and Ené Vetamoid commandeered a blockade runner, the Padmé Amidala she was able to competently aid Kitpat in the running of the ship's engines.
Mechanic(14 BBY to 0 BBY)[]
Over the next ten years, Ellé got very good at what she was doing, and also developed a skill for repairing Losté and Ené's Y-Wings, to the point that when later they formally joined the Rebel Alliance, both women would refuse the service of all other mechanics. She also engaged in many brief romantic liaisons, both with refugee passengers and with people she met briefly on planets. Of these liaisons, three would hold particular significance.
Involvement with Nick Rostu[]
Nick Rostu was a passenger along with former Jedi padawan Entis Loim in 10 BBY, and the two of them quickly developed very strong feelings for each other. They could not see much coming of it, as Rostu felt obliged to leave with his young companion, however, they made a promise to at least try to keep a hold on each other. After he left, Ellé would keep track of his movements for five years and more than once go out of her way in an attempt to see him, but she would not meet with him again until 3 ABY.
Involvement with Noirah Na[]
In 2 BBY the Amidala escorted Haali-Ola-Edi to Mirial to meet with on the agents in her smuggling ring, former Jedi padawan Noirah Na. When Noirah and Ellé met, both would feel the Force speak to them, and a deep and dangerous attachment had formed before they were obliged to part ways. Ellé almost asked Noirah to come with her on the Amidala, but ultimately felt she could not request that Noirah throw her life away.
Involvement with Garven Dreis[]
While the crew of the Amidala were grounded on Yavin very early in 0 BBY, Ellé would meet with Garven Dreis after he had an altercation with Ené, and offered to care for his often broken astromech droid. From there the two of them fell into an affair that lasted longer and led to more reckless behavior than anything Ellé had done since the end of her relationship with Meklé. It would continue until Dreis went down in the Battle of Yavin, unaware that Ellé now believed herself to be pregnant. Indeed, not too long after the rebels were forced to abandon Yavin, she gave birth to their daughter, Amlé.
Command Level(1 ABY to 4 ABY)[]
In 1 ABY Ellé participated in the Battle of Skyrees, where she was nearly killed, and found herself rescued by none other than Noirah Na, who had spent the past year looking for her. The two of them were married immediately after the battle. Ellé was then promoted to Major. She held an important position on the Rebel Base on Hoth and in 3 ABY was among the last of the personnel to evacuate on the Bright Hope. Before leaving, she received a false signal leaving her to believe that the transport with both Noirah and Amlé on it had been destroyed, and her wife and daughter killed.
On the transport she would be reunited at last with Nick Rostu, who brought with him an injured Losté. The two of them nursed Losté back to health as best they could, and in the stress of their environment, as the ship was held captive by bounty hunters, they resumed their old romance. They were on the verge of getting engaged when the Bright Hope reached the rendezvous and there Noirah and Amlé were both waiting, having survived after all. With great reluctance Ellé and Nick again parted ways, this time for good.
Ellé would served as second command of the Mon Naboo during the Battle of Endor, and then again during the liberation of Naboo. She would then retire from the rebel military.
Retirement(4 ABY to 19 ABY)[]
After Sabé Andierre took the throne of Naboo, Ellé offered to serve her as a handmaiden, but Sabé refused to let her take the oath. Nonetheless, both she and Losté would keep Sabé company until a new Queen was elected to the throne. After 4 ABY, Ellé would retire completely to dedicate herself to the care and upbringing of her daughter Amlé.
After Amlé came of age, however, Ellé and Noirah found their thoughts turning more and more towards the growing New Jedi Order. Unsure as to whether they would accept either Ellé or their marriage, they remained hesitant, until finally in 20 BBY the marriage of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade put their fears on the second point to rest. They journeyed to Yavin, and there Ellé met Tionne Solusar, another borderline Force-sensitive, and became her student.
Jedi(20 ABY to 39 ABY)[]
By the time of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, both Ellé and Noirah had completed training and been knighted. Both fought in the war, Noirah more so, and she met her death in 29 ABY. After losing Noirah, Ellé lost her center, and after the war felt the need for a change.
After the war ended, Ellé went to Luke Skywalker and requested that she be allowed to form a small school for the teaching of Jedi on Naboo, where her daughter had just been elected Queen, suggesting students could temporarily be taken to the swamplands for lessons. He agreed, and under her supervision a small enclave was founded in one of the planet's biggest swamplands.
While she was Naboo, Ellé also participated in the planet's reconstruction. Among her biggest contributions was the construction of a the Naboo Museum of the Old Republic in the newly-founded city of Oshina. After 35 ABY, she would meet again on multiple occasions with Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia Organa Solo, this time to talk to them about their mother, a subject on which she had kept silent for years. Shortly before her death in 39 ABY, her work on Naboo earned her the title of Jedi Master.