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Marines don't have time for regret, Carth. At least, we don't when there's battles to be fought. A rocket-jumper can regret not securing her backup thrusters when her mains misfire, but only for the time it takes for her to get acquainted with the ground. A Mandalorian can regret taking on a Jedi, but only until the Jedi can decap him and kick his bucket.
—Laera Reyolé, to Carth Onasi[src]

Laera Reyolé, service number 6803-2293IT, was a Human female from Agamar who served in the Republic Marines during the Mandalorian Wars and Jedi Civil War. With her family having been left homeless in the wake of an attack by forces of the Krath, Reyolé enlisted with the military in order to provide extra income. She proved to be a dedicated soldier and talented leader, earning her officer's commission approximately four years prior to the Mandalorian invasion. As part of the forces of the Republic that eventually came under the command of Jedi Knights Revan and Malak, she experienced many of the war's harshest battles. At the height of the liberation of Onderon, however, she was killed in action.

This death would prove to be short-lived, as Revan and Malak chose to undertake the considerable expense of reviving the fallen Marine officer through the use of resurrection technology. After months of work, during which the two Jedi Knights succeeded in defeating the Mandalorians at Malachor V, Reyolé was successfully brought back to life. Sent back to the Republic along with Lieutenant Commander Carth Onasi, she arrived on Dantooine only to find out that she was, in fact, Force-sensitive. Reluctantly accepting the offer of Jedi training under Jedi Master Vrook Lamar, Reyolé learned how to use the Force and wield a lightsaber, building her own weapon and passing the tests for full membership in the Jedi Order in time to bear witness to the beginning of Darth Revan's invasion of the Republic.

Returning to duty with the Marine Corps though she retained her role and title of Padawan, Reyolé assumed command of the 3rd Marine Battalion. Determined to lead by example and show that the Sith Empire could be beaten, in 3,958 BBY she planned and helped to execute an attack on the Zabrak homeworld of Iridonia. The success of the battle that followed led to a counteroffensive by the Republic that culminated in the victory at Lannik. By 3,956 BBY, however, the war had taken a turn for the worse and Reyolé, now a Knight, was assigned to take part in an attempt to capture the Dark Lord of the Sith. The mission was ultimately a success but Reyolé, along with Bothan Lieutenant Silas Dan'kre, would not know of the true import of what they had accomplished for some time. Trapped on T'lessia, they became embroiled in Sa'ari politics, only succeeding in resolving the situation there with the help of Luke and Ben Skywalker.

Biography[]

Early life[]

My folks had been among the first wave of new arrivals; my father, Daddi, had been a manager in the multi-sector agricultural conglomerate which had first scouted the world, while my mother, Ceylon, had worked as his executive assistant.
—Laera Reyolé, on her parents' emigration to Agamar[src]
DaddiandCeylon

Daddi and Ceylon Reyolé, Laera's parents.

Laera Reyolé was born on Agamar to Daddi and Ceylon Reyolé in 3,998 BBY, two years prior to the outbreak of the Great Sith War. At the age of two, her home town was sacked in a Krath supply raid that, while causing much structural damage to the town and the destruction of her family's first home, resulted in relatively few civilian casualties. Though the Galactic Republic sent a Jedi-led relief force to assess the situation and pursue those responsible, they were too late to stop the marauders and were unable to provide much in the way of assistance to the local population. This, combined with the general unrest created by Exar Kun's war, caused the Reyolé family to resent the Jedi Order.

For much of her childhood after this event, Reyolé lived with her parents in a series of small apartments in the center of town, along with other families who had also been forced to rebuild in the wake of the raid. During this time, she often played games with the neighbor children, including Troopers and Raiders, a popular form of laser tag that used cheap spotting lasers and target receptors. She proved to be quite good at the game, and was often one of the first to be picked when teams were formed. She also attempted to learn woodcarving during her childhood, however her success at the craft was limited due to her inability to obtain suitable material. She also spent some time with the local branch of the Youth Scouts of the Republic; however, she was summarily dismissed when she was caught flicking the seeds of binka fruits at her troop's scoutmaster.

At sixteen, with both of her parents giving consent, Reyolé joined the military, enlisting with the Republic Marines because the rate of pay was significantly better. On the day of her departure, she resolved to send the credits she earned home to her parents, a pledge she would keep for the rest of her service.

Military service[]

Early career[]

The Republic Marines eventually became my true family, their motto of Semper Fidelis, which roughly translates to “always loyal” in Old Alsakan, became my personal creed.
—Laera Reyolé, on her military service[src]
MarineTraining

Laera trains under GySgt Tuffass.

Reyolé attended the Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot on Corulag her service number 6803-2293IT, training under the supervision of the well-known Gand drill instructor named Tuffass. Though boot camp was a difficult experience for her, she nevertheless proved equal to the challenges set for her, and graduated with good scores. Afterward, she accepted several opportunities for further training, including scout/sniper school, infiltration and close-quarters combat courses, and the Enlisted Leadership Program. High marks in all of these advanced courses resulted in her rapid progression up the enlisted ranks, making corporal within six months of line service, sergeant within another year, and, by the time she had reached twenty-one Standard years of age, staff sergeant. She took these responsibilities seriously, encouraging those under her command to train themselves hard even as she herself worked to hone her own skills. After thirty months of garrison duty in Iziz, the capital and only city of Onderon, she was promoted to gunnery sergeant and assigned to train new recruits at the training depot on the high-gravity world of Carida.

After leading six consecutive classes of recruits through initial Marine training over three years, Reyolé's high rate of success caught the attention of the base's Rodian commanding officer, Captain Teeklak Sookanado, who offered the gunnery sergeant the chance to go through Officer Candidate School. Reyolé accepted and, two years later, emerged as a junior lieutenant. By this time, the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders had begun attacking worlds beyond the Outer Rim that marked the boundaries of the Republic. Because of the threat posed by the Mandalorians should they decide to turn their attention Coreward, Reyolé was assigned to command the second platoon of Cresh Company, 21st Marine Battalion which had been stationed on Bad Alshir, an outpost world not far from Taris. With little else to do but train, the newly-minted Marine officer used every resource at her disposal to drill her troops in defensive fighting, including utilizing the company of Sentinel droids that had been assigned to the garrison in mock battles.

The Mandalorian Wars[]

The fighting that we saw was sporadic but vicious, and I had earned at least two decorations for valor, along with several dunkings in kolto tanks due to battle wounds.
—Laera Reyolé, on her service during the Mandalorian Wars[src]

By the time the Mandalorians brought the hammer down on the Republic itself, Reyolé had earned promotion to full lieutenant and command of the outpost's company. Her garrison was among the first to fall under siege by the invading Neo-Crusaders, but they were given a bloody nose when they underestimated the preparedness of the outpost's Marine defenders. The squadron of Marine-operated Aurek fighters, who had been patrolling the logical hyperspace approaches, intercepted the incoming force and destroyed the Jehavey'ir-class attack ship that had been assigned to escort the invasion force. Alerted to the incoming threat, Reyolé's forces took up defensive positions, holding off the two companies of Mandalorian assault troops long enough to force them to retreat. Harassed by the Marines' starfighters, the surviving Neo-Crusaders fled back to their remaining Q-carriers and left the planet. Reyolé and her company, however, were ordered to abandon the outpoast, their own ships making hyperspace just as a second wave of Mandalorians arrived on the other side of the system.

Reyolé was rewarded for her inspired defense during the Battle of Bad Alshir with a promotion to lieutenant commander and assignment as the commanding officer of the Third Battalion's Besh Company. During the first year of the Mandalorians' invasion of the Republic, Besh Company was shuffled about the planes of contention where they were used mostly as reinforcements for planetary assaults that had bogged down, or else as the vanguards of relief forces intended to evacuate worlds deemed too costly or insignificant to hold. The fighting that occurred was sporadic but vicious, and Reyolé earned at least two decorations for valor along with several for wounds sustained in battle. When the bulk of the Third Battalion was assigned to the fleet that had been placed under the command of Revan and Malak, Reyolé and her company were among those transferred.

When the Mandalorians assaulted the world of Contruum, Reyolé and her company were stationed aboard the defending Republic fleet's flagship. During the fighting in space, the vessel was bracketed by enemy frigates, which launched assault shuttles with the intent to board and capture the larger warship. Taking command of the flagship's security force, she ordered the rest of the troopers to hold key chokepoints while her best Marines accompanied her in hijacking one of the boarding craft. In the action that followed, Reyolé's troops boarded one of the frigates and captured it instead, using its weaponry to eliminate the remaining enemy shuttles and allowing the flagship to withdraw. Some months later, in a ceremony held aboard the Leviathan to honor multiple officers and soldiers for their actions, Reyolé was awarded the Marine Corps Star and a promotion to full commander. It was during these proceedings that she first met Jedi General Vima Sunrider.

Death in battle[]

We're dead if we leave, but just as dead if we stay! D'you want those dogs to sing songs about how they gunned you down?
—Laera's last words at the Battle of Onderon[src]

At the height of the Liberation of Onderon during the last year of the Mandalorian Wars, Laera led a strike team of Marines from the Third Battalion's Besh Company, into Iziz City, with the goal of neutralizing a power station that supplied energy to a key part of the Mandalorian defense network. At the height of this attack, she was killed by a grenade, however, her leadership abilities and suspected Force sensitivity prompted Revan to have her reconstructed, using resurrection technology, which included organic and technological resources and methods, instead of simply cloning her.

The project spanned sixteen months, during which the Republic forces under Revan's command secured final victory over the Mandalorian forces at the Battle of Malachor V. After successfully being revived, Laera was promoted to Captain, and given a month's furlough on Dantooine, to be escorted by then-Lieutenant Commander Carth Onasi. During the flight to the young Outer Rim world, the two officers bonded; with Onasi's help, Reyolé successfully came to grips with what she had gone through. However, as the two arrived at their destination, Laera received a vision of Revan, Malak, and the fleet under their command falling to the dark side of the Force, though she did not recognize it for what it was. After their arrival on-planet, Laera and Onasi spent a day enjoying the sights of Garang, the capital city. That night, they learned that Revan's entire fleet had dropped out of contact. As they attempted to raise someone at Republic Fleet Command, the Jedi Master Vrook Lamar arrived, wishing to confirm what the Order already suspected.

Training as a Jedi[]

Excuse me, Master Jedi, but with all due respect, you are wrong. I fought alongside the Revanchists, yes, but I never fully trusted any of them, except for one. I'm a Marine, sir, trained to fight the enemies of the Republic, of civilization itself, no matter who leads me into battle!
—Laera Reyolé to the Dantooine Enclave Council, about her service during the Mandalorian Wars[src]

With the vanishing of Revan's fleet confirmed by the Republic as well as the Jedi Order, Reyolé, her sensitivity to the Force brought to light, was given the opportunity to train as a Jedi. Though she had distrusted Force-users for most of her life, including after the Jedi involvement in the Mandalorian Wars, she reluctantly agreed to become Master Lamar's Padawan after nearly having to be ordered to do so by the Commandant of the Marines himself, Vice-Admiral Voskel Dun'vei. After the first week, Reyolé grudgingly accepted her role as an apprentice, reading about the history of the Jedi Order and their ways. However, upon learning that the only Jedi she had ever trusted, Vima Sunrider, had been exiled for her participation in the conflict against the Mandalorians, she became extremely upset. Reyolé demanded that Master Lamar explain this action, but he refused. Resigned to the fact that she might never know the true reason, the apprentice calmed down enough so that Lamar was successful in opening her up to the Force.

In the time that followed, Master Lamar helped Reyolé to uncover and nurture her talents, the discipline she had learned through her two decades of military service allowing her to develop these latent abilities despite her age. This training was by no means easy, however, and Reyolé was met with numerous setbacks. Upon learning to focus the Force within herself, she found that she could not project her sense outward, no matter what methods she or Master Lamar attempted. That situation resolved itself in an unexpected way when Reyolé unconsciously fell into a Force-induced trance, reliving visions of her life that she had previously experienced only in part while she had lain on an operating table, undergoing the processes of resurrection. These "death dreams" were punctuated by a revisiting of the vision of Revan and Malak's fleet falling to the dark side. It was in the wake of these experiences that Reyolé discovered her aptitude for Sense Aura, which also proved to be the breakthrough toward accessing the Force in a holistic sense.

ReyoleSaber

Laera Reyolé's personal lightsaber.

With her senses fully opened, Master Lamar began to take Reyolé through training in the physical aspects of the Force. A few days later, she received a significant bruise to her ego after a run-in with a group of Mandalorian raiders that resulted in a thorough beating. Afterward, Reyolé resolved to not let her emotions get the better of her in the future, and continued her training. With the help of her master, in addition to other apprentices at the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine including Aewa, Belaya and Juhani, Reyolé eventually progressed to lightsaber training. Eventually, after having spent nearly a year at the enclave, the Marine officer succeeded in acquiring a focusing crystal and building her very own weapon. As the Dantooine Enclave Council pronounced her training complete, Darth Revan, calling himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith, delivered an ultimatum to the Republic. Coming to grips with what this meant, Reyolé declared that she would defend the Republic the best way she could, by leading its military forces into battle. She then journeyed to Coruscant, where she was given command of the Third Marine Battalion, her old unit.

The Jedi Civil War[]

We Marines, we Jedi, have a new saying. Sic Semper Tyrannis—thus always to tyrants. I will return to the Republic, and bring with me the will to resist the oncoming darkness.
—Laera Reyolé to the Dantooine Enclave Council, upon witnessing Darth Revan's declaration of war[src]

As the new Sith Empire marched on the Republic, Reyolé was quickly able to bring the Third Battalion back up to combat readiness, due in large part to help from Thedus Bimm and Chek Nessai, two veterans of the Mandalorian Wars. Appointed by Reyolé to lead Besh and Dorn Companies, respectively, the two officers played key parts in ensuring the vitality of the battalion. In the wake of the disaster at Foerost, the unit was assigned to the task force of Rear Admiral Kedlis Hetton and stationed aboard his flagship, the Centurion-class battlecruiser Stalwart Defender. Once aboard the massive warship, Reyolé set to work coming up with a way to strike back at the still-expanding Sith. Upon learning of the fall of the Zabrak homeworld of Iridonia to the invaders, she began planning a raid against the forces gathered there, hoping to catch them while they were still vulnerable.

With the success of the diversionary raid aimed at the Sith-occupied Roche asteroids, the plan for the main thrust at the Sith base that Reyolé had scouted was given the go-ahead. During the land and space battle that erupted with the intervention of four Interdictor-class cruisers, fellow Padawan Bastila Shan brought her newly-mastered skill in battle meditation to bear. With the younger woman's abilities bolstering their confidence, Admiral Hetton's task force was able to soundly defeat the new arrivals. At the same time Reyolé herself dueled the Zabrak Dark Jedi Acaadi, who she hand known briefly during their mutual service in the Mandalorian conflict. After a protracted fight that wound its way throughout the base, Reyolé defeated the former Jedi Knight.

Iridonia-Lannik campaign[]

You know, ever since you got back from Coruscant after the fight at Rodia, it's been impossible to keep anything away from you.
—Thedus Bimm to Laera Reyolé, on her growth as a Jedi[src]

The defeat of the Sith forces on the surface and in orbit of Iridonia brought about a change in plans. The attack itself, which had originally been intended to be a simple hit-and-fade supply grab, was so successful that Admiral Hetton chose to deploy his regular Army troopers planetside while negotiating with the Iridonian government to bring their world back into the Republic. Information gleamed during the raid itself, however, prompted further action. At Reyolé's behest a Bothan ensign named Silas Dan'kre, who had been a freelance slicer prior to undergoing officer training at the Marine Corps Academy, had hacked into the Sith computer network. The intelligence he obtained pointed directly to a buildup of Sith forces aimed at attacking the neutral world of Rodia.

Serving under Vice Admiral Forn Dodonna, Reyolé led her battalion throughout the counteroffensive that resulted from the victory at the Rodian homeworld. After participating in actions against the Sith at Mon Gazza and Lannik, she led her Third Marines in several more battles along the frontier. Despite the success of this initial offensive campaign, over the next year and a half the situation became more and more precarious. The fleets and armies under the command of Darths Revan and Malak seemed limitless, and they were being put to effective use against the Republic. However, during this time Reyolé formed close professional relationships with several of those under her command, particularly Lieutenant Dan'kre, even after his promotion and transfer to Republic Intelligence.

Final mission for the Republic[]

Preparations[]

Wouldn't it have made more sense to assemble at Kuat, pick up some heavier ships, and use this intel to set up a showdown fight?
—Reyolé questions the plan to capture Darth Revan[src]

Two years after the Iridonia-Lannik campaign, with the war coming to a head, the Jedi High Council came up with a plan that, ideally, would bring about a quick resolution. The idea itself had been formed by Jedi Master Kavar, who had presented it to the Republic Military High Command for approval. Calling for a force of Republic warships to lure Revan and Malak's fleet into battle, the goal was to land a force of soldiers and Jedi Knights on the Dark Lord's flagship and capture him if at all possible. With little else to go on, the plan was approved and resources allocated toward it, which consisted of a total of seventeen warships. Led by Admiral Dodonna, the force of Hammerhead-class cruisers and Foray-class frigates, accompanied by the Interdictor-class cruiser Battleaxe, was to engage the Sith force while Reyolé was brought in to lead the boarding party.

Though she did not necessarily care for the risky nature of the mission, Reyolé accepted her assignment, taking up the task of training the assault force—which was made up of Republic Army troopers instead of Marines—in how to fight properly aboard a starship. During the journey to Ord Mantell, where the interception was to take place, she also met with the other Jedi who had been assigned to the mission: Bastila Shan, Keeh Rha, Haydin Biddell, Noi-Vas Jenn, and Georg Oakes, in order to ascertain their roles for herself. Though the meeting came to an amicable end, emotions had run high between Reyolé and Shan; this resulted in Kavar, who had accompanied the Republic flotilla in order to lend his experience to the battle to come, engaging the Marine officer in a private conversation. The discussion, at first regarding how Reyolé perceived Shan's development as a Jedi, soon took a more personal turn; Reyolé apologized for her perceived lacking, while Kavar in turn offered his apologies for having failed to give her the right support for the task to come.

The next day, Reyolé nearly died—again—when the cybernetic devices that had been implanted during her resurrection were rejected by her body. After two more days in a coma, she was brought back to consciousness by Dr. Oopal, the Mon Calamari chief medical officer of Vibrosword. The other Jedi, after having hit upon the theory that the rejection had been caused by Reyolé's own Force-sensitivity and its refinement during Jedi training and experience in the field, sought to use their combined strength to bring the Marine officer back to full health in time to take part in the mission that was scheduled to go off after another five days. The marathon healing session was largely successful; in the days that followed, she continued to regain her strength, and was even able to help in training the 1st Marine Strike Platoon.

On the day prior to the mission when the flotilla was scheduled to rendezvous with Battleaxe, Reyolé was present on the bridge of Vibrosword for the expected arrival. The warship was delayed, however; when it did arrive, it also brought along the Interdictor cruiser Wrangler. The other vessel, which Captain Nirkk Tethet had run into during the trip Rimward, was attempting to defect back to the Republic after having served with the Sith from the war's beginning as well as Revan's forces during the Mandalorian conflict. Throughout the rest of that day, Reyolé helped to oversee the integration of Wrangler into the assembled Republic fleet, at the same time confirming that Josef Farfax and Secar Dunnigal, the two senior surviving officers, were also Force-sensitive. Reyolé and Dan'kre were also able to verify their story: that they had hoped to return to Republic service after having suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the warship's commander, the Dark Jedi Xaset Terep, in the wake of a skirmish in the Upestis system.

The battle[]

At the start of the battle itself, Reyolé and her party were aboard their Jarhead-class lander waiting for the order to launch. Thanks to her abilities, which were further enhanced by the effects of Shan's battle meditation, she was able to perceive the two fleets as they converged upon one another and as the lander made its way toward Darth Revan's flagship. Once aboard, she helped the other Jedi in neutralizing the hangar defenses, then split the platoon up according to the three prearranged plans. Leading the second of three squads of troopers, Reyolé and Dan'kre soon arrived at a computer terminal room; after dispatching the occupants, she ordered the intelligence officer to begin his slicing efforts while she herself began to seek other ways to even the odds. After clearing out another room, which contained two dozen Sentinel droids, she had Dan'kre reprogram them to fight the ship's crew. Once the Sith began to mount heavier resistance, however, she ordered the platoon's three squads to disengage and rendezvous at the auxiliary fire control room. Shan and her Jedi, however, chose to press on ahead toward the bridge; instead of trying to coax them back, Reyolé instead assigned four troopers from the first squad to stay with them while the rest fell back.

As the first squad to arrive, Reyolé's people came under heavy fire from both sides; Reyolé herself was wounded when a Sith trooper's blaster shot pierced her left shoulder plate. Ibratu'na and his third squad, however, were able to intervene and drive off the defenders. This rescue was not without cost, as two troopers were dead and several more had been wounded. With Dan'kre seeing to Reyolé's wound while a quartet of troopers held the corridor, the two squads entered the room and eliminated the hostiles. As First Squad arrived, minus the Jedi and troopers assigned to back them up, Reyolé attempted to take stock of the situation. It was at this point that Malak betrayed his master, bombarding the flagship with turbolaser fire in an effort to kill not only Revan, but the Jedi who had confronted him. Realizing that the mission had gone sour, Reyolé chose to try and preserve as many lives as possible and ordered the platoon to make its way back to the docking bay. The survivors were intercepted by a Dark Jedi on the hangar level, however, and Reyolé ordered them to proceed on without her in order to prevent them from being injured in the course of the duel.

The fight that followed was short but violent. Due to her wound, Reyolé was unable to face the unknown assailant with her full strength, and her attacker succeeded in gaining the upper hand. However, as she was about to land the finishing blow, Ibratu'na intervened, striking the Dark Jedi in the back of her head with the butt of his blaster rifle and shooting her once she had landed on the deck. The two officers then made their way back to the hangar where the rest of the platoon was waiting, meeting up with Shan and Oakes and two of the four troopers as they carried the comatose Revan. Upon reaching the extraction point, Reyolé succeeded in making contact with Admiral Dodonna; ordering the party to split up, she had Shan take the captured Dark Lord along with the rest of the platoon back to Vibrosword aboard the lander while Oakes took a KT-400 military droid carrier to Battleaxe, leaving her and Dan'kre to take a Herald-class shuttle on a hyperspace jump Rimward of the battle. Though the other ships were able to successfully arrive at their respective destinations as the Republic fleet withdrew, Reyolé and Dan'kre were not so fortunate; their shuttle was struck by an errant turbolaser blast.

Catapulted into the future[]

Reyolé: “When I think about all that's happened to us in our lives, though, it feels like we're trapped in one big holodrama.
Dan'kre: “Maybe we are. Think about it: maybe some person, sitting at a computer terminal somewhere on a distant world, really is writing out our lives for the entertainment of others.
―Laera and Silas Dan'kre, contemplating their situation[src]
Tlessia

The Sa'ari homeworld of T'lessia, where Reyolé and Dan'kre were stranded after escaping the battle over Ord Mantell.

The resulting damage was significant, however Reyolé felt that the shuttle could still make the jump to lightspeed. Accepting her assessment of the situation, Dan'kre obliged. The hyperdrive had been damaged however, with the primary burning out during the course of the jump, leaving the craft to rely on its backup Class 10 motivator. For the following two weeks the pair were trapped in hyperspace, hoping to encounter a gravity well that would bring them back into realspace relatively intact. This occurred on the sixteenth day, when the shuttle crossed the threshold of T'lessia, a previously uncharted world in Lahara sector, the same area of space where Reyolé's homeworld of Agamar was located. Seemingly cut off from any outside contact, Reyolé and Dan'kre elected to put down on that world, making first contact with the native Sa'ari, a species of sentient Force-sensitive Near-Humans, not long after their crash-landing.

Declared to be the long-prophesied "Starborne Ones" by Eldarch Bellinega T'Ledra, the two were taken to the primary monastery of the Order of the Blue Light. For the next three months, Reyolé and T'Ledra exchanged information and shared insights regarding the Force, the galaxy at large, and T'lessia in general, as well as the history and culture of the Sa'ari and their language. At the end of that period T'Ledra asked Reyolé to address the Lawyteret T'lessia, their planetary government, which she did. Her proposal, that the various Sa'ari republics unify, was initially met with enthusiasm, however there were elements within Sa'ari society that wished to use the occasion to advance their own interests. When the Hiltonian military junta attempted to seize the two visitors, they were forced to flee Tal'adin City and seek refuge elsewhere.

Life in isolation[]

Seeking refuge in the Great Western Forest as winter descended, the two Marines used their survival training and equipment recovered from their shuttle to eke out a relatively primitive existence. Living in "Little Agamar", a small habitat that had been carved into the bole of a particularly tall tuskwood tree, Reyolé and Dan'kre grew closer still, their relationship having sparked as the effort to capture Revan had unfolded. For half a Standard year they lived together, occasionally meeting with bands of forest-dwelling Sa'ari in order to trade with them for needed materials, or to help them with hunting and other tasks. Reyolé crafted a bow for herself and one for Dan'kre, discovering that with the help of the Force, she was quite proficient with the weapon. Also during this time Dan'kre discovered an aptitude for scavenging and cooking, which Reyolé was grateful for.

Legacy[]

Goodnight Brain, wherever you are...
—Marine recruits' blessing

The circumstances of Laera Reyolé's life, in particular her resurrection, service as a Jedi as well as a Marine and later disappearance, would have a profound effect on the cultural ethos of the Marine Corps. Ignited by the officers and soldiers who had served with her in the Third Battalion, tales of her exploits swept through the Old Republic military like wildfire. Though most of these tales were exaggerated, they tended to revolve around kernels of truth; in particular, much was made of how she vanished after the battle that saw Darth Revan captured—this culminated in a tradition that lasted throughout the rest of the Corps' history, whereupon recruits and new soldiers would say "Goodnight Brain, wherever you are" upon retiring for the night.

Other tales and legends also popped up, including rumors that it was not Bastila Shan nor Malak that subdued Revan, but Reyolé herself. Another persistent tale insisted that it was in fact Reyolé who had been the prodigal "Jedi Exile" that ended the Sith Triumvirate and revived the Jedi Order—this was fueled by the fact that the true Exile herself also disappeared at the conclusion of the Dark Wars. Many of the more outlandish tales were put to rest with the publication of a biography by Reeka Chorizzo, who had been a longtime friend of Reyolé, though this also increased her legendary status within the Marine Corps.

Personality and traits[]

You have always put the needs of the unit above your own, and you're probably the finest combat leader I've ever known.
—Silas Dan'kre, to Laera Reyolé[src]

Laera Reyolé was, first and foremost, a soldier of the Republic. As an officer who had risen through the enlisted ranks, she was more world-weary than her contemporaries who had not had such experiences, and possessed a better understanding of what service was like for those under her command. Even upon her acceptance of Jedi training and passing the trials necessary to become a full member of the Order, she remained a staunch defender of civilization as she perceived it. Though she had long been distrustful of Force users and Jedi in particular, she had developed a grudging respect of their abilities during the Mandalorian conflict, and even grew to admire the leadership abilities of Jedi General Vima Sunrider. Because of her spending her life as a Marine, she adapted to the role of the Jedi Guardian with relative ease, though her experience in unconventional warfare led her to embrace aspects of the Jedi Sentinel.

Reyolé was also quite passionate and headstrong; combined with her leadership abilities and keen tactical awareness and mind, this made her a natural field commander. These parts of her personality were put to the test during the Mandalorian Wars, where she personally oversaw several key defensive and offensive battles. Indeed, this willingness to lead from the front was what led to her "first death" during the liberation of Onderon. Her subsequent resurrection and the reevaluating of her life that followed did little to mitigate this, and nearly resulted in her permanent demise during her training on Dantooine when she ran afoul of a band of Mandalorian raiders. Her personality was also at odds with that of her mentor, Vrook Lamar; though both were authoritative when they needed to be, Reyolé preferred to educate by example rather than employ what seemed to be Lamar's preferred method of irritated lecturing.

The cumulative effects of having lived through such traumatic events, of having been scorched by the fires of war on many occasions, eventually wore her down. During the lead-up to the mission to capture Darth Revan, the previous four years' worth of experiences came to a head, and she nearly succumbed to a nervous breakdown. However, with the help of Master Kavar and the other Jedi on the insertion team, she was able to overcome these emotional scars. The Laera Reyolé that emerged still cared deeply about doing her part to help others, but it was with a more focused determination. She realized that she did not need to try to save everyone, only that she needed to do her best with a given situation.

However, not everything had been resolved by this epiphany. The purpose of her resurrection, brought about at Revan's order, was still a mystery to Reyolé. It was not until well after her unintentional journey to the previously unknown world of T'lessia that the final pieces slid into place. As she, Silas Dan'kre, Eldarch Bellinega, Luke and Ben Skywalker, and the lighters Fua T'Ooro and Iper T'Royc were attempting to resolve the Sa'ari situation, Reyolé was finally able to make peace with what had been done to her. By accessing a message encoded into Revan's Jedi holocron, she was able to understand why he had brought her back to life and, finally, to forgive him for all that had happened.

Powers and abilities[]

Upon joining the Marine Corps at sixteen and going through basic training, Laera Reyolé soon learned that she was a natural with blaster rifles, achieving high marks in every course. She further honed her affinity for this type of weapon through scout/sniper training, which she underwent right after graduating from boot camp and the prerequisite advanced courses. Though she was not as adept with pistols, Reyolé was nevertheless a skilled close-quarters combatant in both ranged and melee weapons, particularly with vibroswords. In addition, she was a skilled infiltrator; having learned the essentials during another post-boot camp training course, she practiced them in nearly every harsh-environment posting she was assigned to. She was also a successful drill instructor, serving in that capacity for three years prior to accepting officer training. During that time and her later career as a field commander, Reyolé developed strong tactical planning skills along with a good awareness of fleet operations.

She was not, however, a very good vehicle pilot. Not even bothering to try to learn how to pilot a starship, let alone an airspeeder or speeder bike, the most she was able to do was keep up some semblance of basic landspeeder driving skills. Even then, her talents were not in piloting, or in the construction or maintenance of any kind of complex machinery such as droids or even the inner workings of computers. Despite being uncomfortable with sophisticated electronics and software, Reyolé was highly knowledgeable in regards to weapons and other forms of military equipment; this included the maintenance and use of blasters, armor, field gear and explosives. She was not very skilled with diplomacy, at least during her career as a Marine, only learning the basics of that art during the course of her Jedi training on Dantooine under Master Vrook Lamar. Even then she was no ambassador; this deficiency was most apparent during her time on the Sa'ari homeworld of T'lessia.

Also during her training, Reyolé discovered her talents in Sense Aura. This power was a gateway which allowed her to access higher-tier mental abilities that were otherwise uncommon or difficult to learn, such as advanced versions of Mind trick including Alter Mind. This affinity worked both ways, however; she was also especially vulnerable to disturbances or wounds in the Force. She was also proficient with Control, using it to enhance her physical abilities such as running fast or jumping high, in addition to enhanced strength. In lightsaber combat, she preferred a combination of the Soresu and Shien styles; though she was skilled with blaster deflection, she was not as proficient with blaster redirection. Reyolé also experimented with using the Force to augment her skill with blasters, however she did not see it as practical for anything other than extremely long-range sniping.

Behind the scenes[]

Laera-rough-sketch

Concept art of Laera Reyolé.

The character of Laera Reyolé was first introduced in the short story Star Wars: Death and Life, and her character was greatly expanded upon in the followup novellas A Marine Went to Jedi Camp, Star Wars: Saber Battalion, the novels The Last Full Measure, The Great Leap Forward and Impact Events. Much of Laera's personality, and to some degree her dialogue, were inspired by noted voice actress Jennifer Hale's performance as the female version of Commander Shepard, the main protagonist of the Mass Effect series of computer and video games. Her original circumstances were inspired by the beginning of Mass Effect 2, and intended to explore in more detail the concepts and repercussions of death and rebirth.

At the end of Death and Life, it is implied that Laera's resurrection was planned by Revan and Malak to be more than a simple case of preserving a natural leader. The idea is further explored in her later appearances, and from differing points of view. With the release of The Great Leap Forward, however, that particular question is finally put to rest, though the circumstances of its story leave open yet more possibilities for future character development, possibilities which Nash hopes to further explore. The stories contained within the coherent narrative anthology Tales from the Corps, Vol. 1 build upon themes and character aspects established within Laera's previous stories, establishing her origin and expanding much of her character and personality.

The image of Laera Reyolé was amorphous at first, with only the most basic identifiers known. Gradually, Nash developed a mental image of her that was at first an Asian variation on Jennifer Hale's likeness. However, as Nash further wrote out her character and history and discussed it with fellow Fanoneer and artist Trak Nar, he developed a rather different approach. Laera was instead envisioned with Hispanic features that "vaguely resembled" noted Star Wars heroine Mara Jade Skywalker. Eventually, this culminated in a likeness which also drew inspiration from Chell, the protagonist of the video games Portal and Portal 2. Within his own head, Nash has also imagined Laera as having the voice of Star Trek: Voyager lead actress Kate Mulgrew who portrays Captain Kathryn Janeway.

Appearances[]

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