Five Syndicates Birsk Fan'qeete

[Darth Bonaparte]

Birsk Fan'qeete​

Life​

Birsk was born during a dark time in the history of Bothawui. His father, Girn Fan'qeete, was the leader of a group of Bothans known as the Rejectionists, mostly comprising their own family and a few members of the broader clan. Girn was a philosopher, a prominent one at the time, who preached that the Bothan Way was counter-intuitive to Bothan interests at large, and selfish to its core as an ideology. It gained traction among many young Bothans, eager to make their mark in the history of their species by radicalizing in service to Girn's ideas. Many clans did not like this, as was clear by the use of violence, usually taboo in Bothan society. Most of Birsk's family, including his father, were killed in a series of "accidents", as the Bothan Council ruled them. His mother and he fled the planet when he was a young adult, headed for the Free Worlds in search of a new life.

Though they were offered shelter by old friends on Corellia, Birsk was eventually drawn back to Bothawui, back home. There he made it very clear that he was not his father's son, and would follow the Way as any "good" Bothan should. However, within Birsk's heart lay dormant a burning desire for vengeance, and though he professed loyalty to the Bothan Way out loud, his own ambitions, and indeed hatreds, were foremost in his mind.

Shortly after arriving on Bothawui, Birsk established himself as a skilled orator and a damn good liar, valuable traits in and out of Bothan society. He was recruited into the Bothan Diplomatic Corps, where he served as an aide to the Bothan representative on Chandrila. That was not all Birsk was up to in those days. The Bothan Spynet, an infighting shadow of its former glory days during the Galactic Civil War, contacted him during his time on Chandrila. He was made into one of many moles throughout the Free Worlds Alliance and beyond, as well as one of their top correspondents. Throughout all of his intelligence gathering, Birsk remained in the public eye, well-liked by the Bothan citizenry. He eventually became the Bothans' First Representative to the world of Christophsis.

The infighting between the Bothan clans grew far more palpable in the years after Birsk was recruited by the Spynet. Clans began to vie for authority like no other time before, especially in the faction-laden Spynet. In particular, there was a Rejectionist revival on Bothawui that sold Bothan governmental secrets to outside forces. Birsk was the one the Bothan Council turned on when looking to place blame on anyone but themselves. In order to prove himself loyal, Birsk was to take over the resulting Inquisition designed to find the perpetrators, himself under constant surveillance by the Bothan government. This was a cunning political maneuver by the Bothan Councilors, who knew that regardless of Birsk's anti-Rejectionist rhetoric, there were still many Bothans who questioned the Way because of his father's ideas. Putting Birsk in the position of High Inquisitor would make certain that the Bothan people would loathe him in time.

The Inquisition period lasted five long years. During this time, Bothan civil rights all around the sector were violated again and again, all at the command of Birsk Fan'qeete, nevermind that his orders came down from the Council. Birsk was eventually forced to resign from his position after popular opinion turned against him, and was exiled. He lost his position within the Net early on, as well. The Inquisition remained an institution, but it never held the same influence as it did when Birsk was forced to run it.

Birsk, betrayed and without allies among his own people, returned to the Core Worlds, where he was offered shelter by his mother. Soon after his arrival on Corellia, his mother passed away in her sleep, having reached a venerable age. He stayed long enough to arrange her funeral and burial, then disappeared, seemingly for good. For 20 years, Birsk has gone unnoticed and is now basically forgotten by all involved, only a footnote in the official histories. There were some rumors that he had drank himself to death on Nar Shaddaa, and most Bothans accepted the news and carried on with their lives.

Birsk Fan'qeete is far from dead. His hair may be grayed and his skin wrinkled, but his mind is as sharp as ever. Though Birsk has fallen in with the Five Syndicates for now, he has plans, and he never loses sight of the goal: vengeance.

Personality & Skills​

There has almost always been a dichotomy between what Birsk does and what he feels he should do, as is the case with many in the galaxy. This same malaise permeated his father's thoughts, and his followers as well. It was the center of their entire philosophy, the idea that to good for others and not just for the self, for the family, for the clan, for the council, for Bothans as a species, was just as paramount of a goal if not more so. The silent purge of the "radicals" led by his father, carried out by their own people and then eventually himself, left an indelible mark on the Bothan well into his old age. Despite something deep inside of him wanting to do good not only for himself or other Bothans but for the galaxy at large, his rage at being so thoroughly betrayed drives him to commit actions that are counter-intuitive to his own principles.

Birsk has survived for so long only because he is incredibly adaptable. While not exactly comfortable in any and every situation, he has remarkable control of his emotions, able to stay calm even under the direst of circumstances. This was especially important in his early successes in Bothan politics. He has full mastery of his Wrendui, the subtle body language that Bothans use, shifting their fur in response to emotional states.

Being a masterful liar has its benefits, but also its drawbacks: lies do breed lies, after all, and Birsk has lied for a living for many years. As such, the Bothan is a compulsive deceiver, ever paranoid of revealing the full truth and compromising his position in any exchange, be it business or personal. He would rather die than be humiliated again, even if his lies hurt the few people that he cares about.

Having been a member of the Bothan Spynet for years, Birsk has relatively okay slicing skills, even today. He uses his expertise in information gathering to his advantage any chance he can get, and there are many opportunities in the criminal underworld that he now inhabits. He can pilot a ship that is only carrying himself just fine, but any vessel bigger than that is challenging not only because he is inexperienced with them, but also because he does not trust others to help him navigate.

Threads​

No Rest for the Wicked: After a customary night of losing at gambling, Birsk finds a nice bar full of sleemo to swindle.(in progress)

Galaxy in Crisis: Birsk is caught in a monstrous uprising on Nar Shaddaa. He and the girl he has saved are rescued by one Darro Tane, who Birsk met a few days earlier.(in progress)