I am Jedi General Viera Cacete of the Jedi Order.
—Viera Cacete to Irella Wain during the Battle for Balmorra
Viera Cacete was an Asheran female Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars that served as General of the 56th Battalion. Molding herself into a competent leader, Viera fought in various engagements of the war alongside Commander Dodge.
Born on Ashera in 45 BBY, Viera was the only known Force-sensitive of her species, and was therefore tracked down by the Jedi to be taken to train on Coruscant. She eventually came under the tutorship of Master Kian Jirra as a Padawan learner. At some point during her Padawan days, she underwent a mission to the world Malum that ended up changing her life for several years up until the onset of the Clone Wars.
Viera's first engagement during the war was on Balmorra. Having been recently knighted out of desperation for more Jedi Generals, Viera was quickly assigned to the 56th Battalion, currently led by Clone Commander Dodge. Initially uncertain of her newfound leadership position, Viera was forced to quickly come into her own through the course of the Battle of Balmorra under the Dodge's guidance.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Viera Cacete was born in 45 BBY on the world Ashera to Ralith and Ara'dis Cacete. After her birth, Viera was proclaimed as Ashera's prophesized chosen one, the Toras'yin, and she was raised normally until she would be of age to learn to embrace her destiny. However, she was also born a Force-sensitive, unbeknownst to those around her, which drew the attention of the Jedi; the Jedi Master Kian Jirra arrived on Ashera to collect her and take her to Coruscant to begin her training.[1]
During her first years as a youngling there, she was a member of the Danorian-wolf Clan, where she befriended Garahum Helion, Jenira Kiram, and Zay Arlenn.[1]
Genesis[]
By 30 BBY, Viera's adeptness due to her strength in the Force allowed her to become a Padawan learner at a young age. Under the tutorship of Master Kian, Viera became rather skillful in several aspects of being a Jedi, especially excelling at lightsaber combat. However, her cockiness became a major obstacle in her training; in spite of this, Viera was handpicked by the Jedi Council to undergo a diplomatic mission to the world Malum. She, alongside Garahum and Jenira—the former of which she had engaged in an almost-romantic relationship with—traveled together to Malum, with the objective of uniting two warring factions.[1]
The Clone Wars[]
Battle of Balmorra[]
Shortly after the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Viera was knighted in the Jedi Temple. Almost immediately she was deployed to the front lines and given command of the 56th Battalion, a clone unit currently under the leadership of Commander CC-1211. As soon as she arrived aboard the Valiance, the 56th was assigned to Balmorra with the purpose of reclaiming it from the Separatists.
En route to Balmorra, Viera discussed the mission with Commander Dodge, and its importance to the Republic's war effort. She also acknowledged Dodge's prowess in military leadership, a trait that she did not possess; Dodge responded by saying the ARC Training Program turned him, and several other clone officers, into the leaders they were now. When they dropped out of hyperspace, they were met by a single, passive Separatist frigate. They sent a small starfighter squadron to Balmorra's surface to perform reconnaissance in order to better figure out their situation, however two more frigates dropped out of hyperspace and the Separatists opened fire on the Valiance. The 56th's infantry units immediately prepared to deploy to the surface; during the next few minutes, Viera was properly introduced to the members of Wraith Squad, the 56th's most elite group of clones. Soon, their gunships were leaving the hangars and making their descent to the planet's surface, with cover provided rather loosely by Crow Squadron.
Separatist anti-aircraft units forced their gunships to land in the mountains, however Wraith Squad's ship was shot down, and they crash-landed in a valley. The group was pinned down by Separatist ground units positioned on a nearby mountain, however their heavy weapons specialist, Charger, managed to take them out by shooting a rocket launcher at the peak of the mountain, causing an avalanche to decimate their forces. After this skirmish, the rest of the 56th's forces rendezvoused at Wraith Squad's location and set up a perimeter. It was not long before the Separatists returned and counterattacked; during the encounter Viera caught a missile in midair using the Force in order to save members of the 56th, however it ultimately blew up a group of Separatist Balmorrans - the Republic had hoped to minimize Balmorran casualties. As all things seemed grim for the Republic's forces, the Balmorran Defense Front intervened and drove back the Separatists. The 56th's leaders were introduced to General Irella Wain, the belligerent leader of the Balmorran rebels that sought to have the head of Torm Amadis, the head of the Balmorran state, on a pike.[2]
The Separatist forces were quick to assault the Republic's forces once again, however this time managed to enclose them, pinning them down with no cover except that provided by their gunships. Following hours of fighting, Dodge organized a plan to use their remaining thermal detonators to destroy their gunships and use the inferno caused by them as cover during their retreat. Viera provided the go-ahead for this plan, which ended up being a success as the 56th and Balmorran Defense Front forces fell back to a nearby gorge to briefly recuperate.[4]
Personality and traits[]
Viera stood as a symbol of courage and hope for her men in the 56th during the Clone Wars
Learning at the Jedi Temple through her childhood and teenage years taught and developed a compassionate personality in Viera, typical of a Jedi. Although a full-fledged Jedi Knight, Viera always tended to stray away from the initial teachings of the Jedi Code, generally allowing her emotions to flow freely. This was especially prominent during her Padawan days when she was engaged in a secret, forbidden relationship with fellow Padawan Garahum Helion. After the unfortunate events on Malum resulting in Garahum's death, Viera carried a hidden sorrow with her through the remainder of her training up until the dawn of the Clone Wars.
During the Clone Wars, Viera was able to quickly develop an intimate relationship with Commander Dodge, viewing him as a brother figure that guided her through the horrors of war. During the Battle of Balmorra, Viera's initial lack of confidence was shattered by Dodge, who took the liberty of showing her the reigns of being a leader in the midst of conflict. This enabled her to build a reputation for herself by standing as a beacon of hope and courage on the battlefield as she led the 56th Battalion across various fronts.
Although an Asheran, Viera was never able to embrace her people's traditional culture as she lived the majority of her life on Coruscant. In fact, Ashera had little relevance to her other than it being her homeworld. Furthermore, she never learned the prophecy of her people, in which she is Ashera's chosen one, Toras'yin.
Skills and abilities[]
Viera had a particular adeptness in physical agility, a natural trait of any Asheran; this made Viera a swift combatant, paired with her usage of the Force. Although agile, Viera was a somewhat average swordsman by the beginning of the Clone Wars, generally relying on the basics of the seven lightsaber forms in combat. To compensate, she also relied on her heightened Asheran senses, further strengthened by her strong utilization of the Force.
Equipment[]
As a Padawan learner, Viera commonly wore a dark leather vest and belt, on which hung her elegantly-designed, silver plated lightsaber. Her hair at the time was worn in a braid, indicating her status as a Padawan. Come the Clone Wars, Viera equipped a brass-colored chestplate beneath a leather vest and utility belt, similarly to her Padawan garb. For further protection, Viera wore basic clone trooper gauntlets and boots, painted blue to signify her affiliation to the 56th Battalion.
Behind the scenes[]
Viera Cacete was confirmed to be a main character of Clone Wars: Adventures when the series was first announced as The Clone Wars: Ultimates. She was first mentioned in the original series' pilot episode, "End of Peace," and later made her official debut in the series' third episode, "Civil War", first published on December 9, 2016.
Appearances[]
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