Firmus Apollo "Nexu" Piett was a Human male who was the last admiral of the Imperial Navy's Death Squadron, Darth Vader's personal fleet of Star Destroyers.
Early life[]
Don't force our child into anything when they turn eight. If he or she chooses to join the Jedi, I'll support their decision. But please, I'm begging you all, on my knees, for my sake and the sake of the Force, don't force them into it. It should be my child's decision, not anyone else's."
—Qui-Gon Jinn (LadyVader) to the Jedi Council
Coming from humble beginnings, Firmus was born Firmus Apollo Jinn in 39 BBY to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (LadyVader) and Kaida Piett. Little Firmus, empathetic since birth, always had a love for animals, a love his paternal grandmother had shown as well. His middle name was in honor of his grandfather, Apollo Jerec Piett.
Firmus inherited many things from his father. He had his father's stubbornness, which had always been there and shown, his kindness, his humility, his wisdom, his strength in the Force, and his strength of heart. Like his father before him, Firmus was protective of his loved ones and friends and had no qualms about fighting to keep them safe, was fiercely loyal, cautious about who he trusted, courageous, and, in rare moments, a little reckless.
A father's death[]
Qui-Gon's death devastated his son. Firmus always remembered the pain he felt the day his father died. . . . he felt the mortal blow as though he'd been stabbed through the chest himself. He heard his father's voice in his head before he felt the Force-bond snap.
Firmus, my little one. . .I'm so, so proud of you. . . . I love you both, always. . . . .
—Qui-Gon Jinn (LadyVader)
Kaida said she heard Firmus scream like he was dying. When she got to him, he was unconscious.
Firmus sank into depression and went dangerously close to the Dark Side in his grief. He wrote in a journal about wishing he had the nerve to take his own life and join his father. As though knowing what he'd written, Firmus' womp rat companion, Aemira, nuzzled his hands and laid over the journal, whimpering at him until he put the journal down and hugged her close, crying into her fur.
A name change and slavery[]
During Order 66 (LadyVader), Kaida gave her son the Piett family name to protect him and went into hiding with him, listing his name as Firmus Piett, a name he would keep after her death to honor her memory. In his heart, he always kept his true name. Not long after this, the Piett duo were captured and taken into slavery in a compound on Tattooine. This was another incident that affected Firmus for the rest of his life. He later wrote in his journal, beginning his autobiography:
If I hadn't been taken into slavery, I would never have met my brother. For that, I'm thankful. I know it was the will of the Force.
—Firmus Piett (LadyVader)
His Force-bonded brother and closest friend all his life was a fellow slave from the compound, a part- Xavad by the name of Remus Fairfax.
Academy Days[]
Firmus was mainly shy and quiet during his first three weeks at the academy. One of the two rare joys of his included swoop racing. He would frequently ride and race a modified Aratech Nightscythe speeder bike. While racing, he made a friend in the sport, Thel Firin.
He began making daily notes in a diary that turned out to be blueprints for a Super Star Destroyer
[]
His first position in the Republic Navy was aboard the Nexu's Nemesis under Margo Holland. He served as the Nemesis' main helmsman. The Nemesis came to be a special place for her crew, where they discovered their abilities, understood their potential and forged unbreakable friendships.
One night the bridge crew decided to get different nexu-related tattoos to commemorate their years of friendship and service aboard the Nemesis. The tattoo Firmus chose was a rather risqué one for his upper right shoulder involving an acklay and a nexu.
Captain Holland personally gifted each of her officers with a duranium bracelet as a symbol of gratitude for their service under her.
Firmus was close to Vrix, the Nemesis' unofficial mascot, a living nexu. Vrix wasn't a vicious beast like his wild brothers or the others who were enslaved and mistreated; he saw the crew as fellow nexu, he respected and trusted them. Holland had rescued Vrix as a cub from a "breeder" on Coruscant and raised him herself.
What was a sign of trust terrified the rest of the crew the first time they saw it: Vrix pounced Firmus, knocked him over on his back on the deck and looked him in the eyes, Firmus leaned his head back, baring his throat to the nexu, and Vrix gently took the helmsman's neck in his mouth. No one breathed for a moment. Holland had a blaster on Vrix and was aiming at the back of his head when Firmus told her to stop.
"Captain, drop the blaster, sir! I'm fine. He's not even drawing blood. He's done this to me before, once when I met him. He's showing me he won't hurt me. Look at his paws."
Holland obeyed. . . to her surprise, Vrix was kneading the human's shirt with gentle claws. A rumbling purr rose until every officer could hear it. Vrix let go and swiped Firmus across the face with a raspy, damp tongue.
Surrender to the Empire[]
Captain, your orders. . . Sir. . . Are to get the Nexu's Nemesis out of here. As soon as I go aboard, you order Namillus to haul choobies out of here. Please forgive me for giving you orders. . .
—Firmus to Margo Holland
During part of their mission, the Nemesis was cornered by two destroyers and threatened with destruction until they surrendered one of their crew to the newly-formed Galactic Empire (LadyVader). Firmus thought quick, 'What would my father have done in a situation like this' and ordered Captain Holland to get the ship out of there as soon as he boarded, telling her that her place was with her ship.
Imperial Service[]
Firmus met Remus' other brother, Romulus, when he transferred over from the Accuser to the Executor. He mentioned he never thought he'd be walking the decks, for so long they only existed in his mind.
He was always at odds with fellow crewman Kendall Ozzell (LadyVader)
Firmus was Force-Choked only once in his life, when Vader found he had aided a Rebel captive's escape from the Executor. He was asked if he turned traitor, to which he refused. He managed to get out that he loved her and was dropped to the deck.
Psychological[]
Firmus suffered from a hidden, deep-seated depression that stemmed from grief and guilt over his father's death.
Dad, I'm so sorry. . .If I had been there, you wouldn't have been killed.
—Firmus Piett (LadyVader)
From the time he first went to Dathomir to take Avaria Beillane home, he felt the Force guiding him there. He felt more at home there than anywhere else.Other beings might have felt fear when approaching the planet but Firmus felt Dathomir was where he belonged.
He knew he didn't have to, but he agreed to undergo the Selection willingly for Avaria.
—“Mother Vyshara, the Force mentions constant change, but one thing will never change, which is. . . I cannot imagine a greater fear than waking up in the morning and Avaria not being here. Though the suns would continue to rise and set, the worlds spin on their axes. . . . The stars continue to shine, my universe would mean nothing without her, for she means everything in it to me. That's why I undergo this Selection. For her.
Firmus and Avaria had two children together, their greatest treasures. He learned to speak Paecian for her, so he could tell her the most important words in any language in her own.
Family Life[]
When his son Qui-Gon was little, Skye Vin Annix kidnapped him and took him to Garion II to hold him for ransom. She didn't know that both Firmus and Avaria had set a blood trail on him to track him.
The one time Firmus almost, almost turned to the Dark Side was when he saw Vin Annix slap a crying Qui-Gon. Like Force Lightning, he flew across the room, knocked the blaster out of the smuggler's hands with a clenched fist and took her throat in a Force Grip, threatening to kill her. Qui-Gon managed to get through to him, telling Firmus he didn't want him to be like her. He begged Firmus to come back, told him he loved him. Firmus was shaking as he dropped Vin Annix to the ground and threw her blaster as far as he could. Scooping his son up, he hugged Qui-Gon close and ran to his shuttle. Neither of the Piett males ever forgot that incident.
Backstory[]
This idea came to the author in a dream she had one night, where Firmus turned out to be Qui-Gon's son by blood.
Appearances[]
Quotes[]
Academy Years[]
"Are you always so stupid or is today a special occasion?"- Firmus to Wilhuff Tarkin
Tarkin: "You're dead, Piett." Firmus: "Funny, you'd think I would have stopped walking around. . . ."
Tarkin: "Are you always a smart mouth?" Firmus: "No, sometimes I'm asleep."
Tarkin: "What an unpleasant surprise." Firmus: "I aim to please."
Tarkin: "I didn't come here to be insulted, Piett." Firmus: "Oh? Where do you usually go?"
Firmus: "Let me make this as...monosyllabic as possible. I think Tarkin's a. . . . how did I explain it this morning before a caf break? A ludicrous galoot. There it is, sheer poetry."
"I'm so tired of slitting the throats of beings who say I'm a violent psychopath." - to Tarkin
"I don't hate them, I'm just not necessarily excited about their existence"-- about Lorth Needa and Tarkin
"Who left the bag of idiots open?"
"Congratulations! You’ve managed to make me feel like poodoo again. Would you like an award for that!”
"Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving."
"I don’t understand your specific kind of crazy but I do admire your total commitment to it.”
"I’m allergic to stupidity. I break out in sarcasm.”
"You are either on my side, by my side, or in my karking way. Choose wisely.”
"Don’t ever mistake my silence for ignorance, my calmness for acceptance and my kindness for weakness.”
"Some days I really believe that my horoscope is going to say: 'Just don’t karking kill anyone today”.
"Pardon me, but you're obviously mistaking me for someone who gives a kark."
"If you want a high performance bastard I can go from zero to 100 in one point two seconds."
"I don't mind you talking so much as long as you don't mind me not listening . . ."
"I have a firm grip on reality. . . by the throat."
"There's no need to repeat yourself, I ignored you just fine the first time."
"My moods don't just swing, they bounce, pivot, recoil, rebound, oscillate, fluctuate and occasionally pirouette."
"Just checking on you. I was passing by, heard a loud pop and thought you may have removed your head from your choobies."
"When you want to hit someone but can't decide which face to hit. . . "
"Sarchotic. When you're so sarcastic beings aren't sure if you're joking or if you're just psychotic."
Military Service[]
Off-Duty[]
"I'm multi-talented: I can talk and anger you at the same time."
"I'm smiling. This should scare you."
"If I want your opinion, I'll read it in your entrails."- to Ozzel
"Sometimes I need what only you can provide. Your absence."
"I am currently experiencing life at the speed of fifteen what the karks per hour."
I love everybody. some i love to be around, some i love to avoid, and others i would love to punch in the face with a smile.
"Oh kark!"
"Looked like he got kicked in the knee!"
"Nope."
What's wrong, Firmus?"
"That wasn't his knee. . . not every being keeps their genitals in the same place."- Firmus and Remus, after witnessing a barfight
Surrender To The Enemy[]
Aboard The Lady Ex[]
There is only one question that comes to mind when I see him."
"Only one?"
" Yes... is anal retentive spelled with a hyphen?"- Firmus and Remus, referring to Tarkin
Piett and Veers on Hoth
"You know, Firmus, there are beings out there that suffer from cranial-rectal reversal syndrome, crap for brains and talk out their choobies." --Malcolm
"Everyone has the right to be stupid, but kark, he's abusing the privilege."
"He's not abusing it, he's molesting it." Firmus and Malcolm on Tarkin
"Whatever it is that's eating you. . . must be suffering horribly."
"When I woke up this morning I had one nerve left and someone's got on it already."
"I’d insult you, but the sad truth is that you wouldn’t understand and if I tried to explain it to you, your brain might implode from information overload."
"I'm multi-talented: I can talk and infuriate you at the same time."
"I'm smiling. This should scare you."
"I am currently experiencing life at the speed of fifteen what the karks per hour."
Firmus and Kendall Ozzel in an insult war[]
"I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you're unarmed."
"If I want your opinion, I'll read it in your entrails."- to Ozzel
"Sometimes I need what only you can provide, Piett. Your absence."
"I'm not listening but keep talking. I enjoy the way your voice makes my ears bleed."
"This is my cup of I give a kark… Oh! Would you look at that, it’s empty!"
"If I had a credit for every smart thing you said, Ozzel, wait no, then I’d be in debt!"
"Don't insult me on the bridge, Piett . ."
"Then go somewhere else and I'll do it there!"
"Scientists are trying to figure out how long humans can live without a brain. You can tell them your age."
Unless you're a pair of saggy pants, stop riding my choobies. . ." *pause for ten beats* "Sir."
"Some babies are dropped on their head at birth but you were thrown out the window and hit every branch on the ugly tree on the way down."
“I hate you.”
“That’s good, Piett. Hate is a passionate emotion.”
“I’ll give you passionate. . . . Murder, the ultimate crime of passion.”- Firmus and Ozzel
"Some people were dropped as a baby. You were clearly thrown in the air, smacked by an oscilllator, bounced off a wall, and thrown out the window."
Firmus and Anakin[]
"I want to get this datacrystal to Lady Mothma myself."
"Surely you can't be serious sir!"
"I am serious. And don't call me Shirley."- Anakin
Married Life[]
When explaining to Mother Kurzhal Vyzhara and Alcina Beillane how he felt about Avaria Beillane, Firmus referenced the pits.
"You asked me what the most important thing in my life was the day of the Selection. . . I can answer in one word: Avaria. She's the other half of my heart. She's not just my first love, she's my first, last and only. Her presence alone is exhilarating—breathtaking—amazing. She's my oxygen, the gush of air that keeps me thriving, my heart beating and pumping. Alcina. . . I'm nothing without your daughter. I'm not just saying that. . . I mean it! If Avaria were to join the Force before me, my universe would shatter. Stars would burn out ... My life would be and mean nothing without her. I would soon join her: I would go to the closest tar pit, walk out into it and wait until it took me. There'd be no more pain and my heart wouldn't hurt . . . We'd be together again. I would do this. . . if she were to go before me."
Kurzhal had a nightmare that night that was so intense she mistook it for a Force-vision; she witnessed Avaria's death and saw a heartbroken Firmus take his own life in a tar pit.
Avaria was my life, my soul, my everything, my only reason for living. I've been just existing up until now. . . but no more. I've chosen to rejoin the Force and the other half of my heart. I put an end to the shell that remains. My body will be found in the tar pit north of Dreaming River Valley; my lightsaber will be found on the ground near the place I went in. I ask that when it's recovered. . . that I be given a Dathomiri funeral and laid to rest beside Avaria. Bury me in my old uniform. Nexu out."
It's magic each time we hold each other, each time we cuddle, and each time we kiss. I feel goosebumps all over again. I never want to let you go for fear of losing you, so I just hold on a little bit tighter each day, refusing to let go. You will never know the warmth I feel inside me when I'm with you. You're all I ever wanted."- Firmus to Avaria
Firmus quoted his version of Robert N. Test's poem "To Remember Me" to let his family know what he wanted done after he joined the Force.
The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital; busily occupied with the living and the dying. At a certain moment a healer will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.
When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don't call this my deathbed. Let it be called the bed of life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.
Give my sight to the being who has never seen a sunrise, a youngling's face or love in the eyes of a loved one. Give my heart to a being whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.
Give my blood to the being who was pulled from the wreckage of their speeder, so that they might live to see their grandchildren play.
Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.
Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled youngling walk.
Explore every corner of my brain.
Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday a deaf youngling will hear the sound of rain against a window or a voice telling them they're loved.
Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.
If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weakness and all prejudice I may have against my fellow beings.
Give my soul to the Force.
If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to a being who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.
His lungs saved a Cathar father, Horbyn Norgas. Horbyn named his first son in honor of the human who saved his life.
Firmus Norgas was Qui-Gon Piett's padawan