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Do you want the truth, whether or not it is comfortable?
Or do you want comfort, whether or not it is true?
Or do you want comfort, whether or not it is true?
Name: Zef Manten
Age: 28
Affiliations: None (ex-Jedi)
Physical features:
- 1.87-metre-tall, 193lb human male
- dark brown hair, vivid green eyes
Biography
From what he could remember of his childhood, Zef Manten had been content; his father was a technician on their volcanic home planet of Kabaira, his mother a medic. Life was peaceful until he found himself outside the Cantina at Eponte Spaceport at the age of 5, watching hooded men mow down human and Twi'lek alike with red, shining blades - and watching his mother fall to one of the dark-robed attackers as she tried to help up wounded Twi'lek. Struck dumb by shock and swept up in the confusion, he was found by a pair of Jedi Knights who had arrived to halt the violence, and, before he could stutter out his father's name, taken aboard their ship to go back to Coruscant.
The dark-robed men had been cultists seeking to wield some ancient power, said the masters; they had been consumed by their violence and hatred, had sought to burn the world with their fury. Though the evil men had posed little threat, they advised, Zef must not feel hatred toward them for killing his people and his mother, for it would take him down a path to destruction. But he did not feel anger, or hatred, only confusion and a sense of loss; a sense that would only grow in time.
Training went well for Zef; the same innate force-sensitivity that had drawn the Jedi to him helped guide his hands as he weaved through the folds of the Force to control his environment. He was not the best of his class, but among the best; he was not too proud or too boastful, but he was studious and respectful.
Teenage years brought much change; new emotions, new feelings, and new training, and he began to forget his original misgivings and hesitation. His natural agility gave him great success in lightsaber combat as he moved about his opponents in a blur, and helped his study of Form IV, Ataru. But his speed could not match the precision and grace of fellow student Takasha Thrall's Form II prowess, who was one of the only female students in his class; they developed a rivalry, but a friendly one, eventually becoming close friends.
His training served him well, and by the age of 18, he and his friends had matured into well-rounded Padawans, shining examples of patience and understanding; there were even rumours that the Padawans' next mission would be that which would test their readiness for Knighthood! The mission was to involve Zef, Takasha and three other Padawans, accompanied by a Master and two Knights; they would be investigating a distress call from a shuttle not far from the Teilcam system, Zef's home.
The mission happened too quickly to even process. They had docked, boarded and found a ghost ship - none of the cargo that was on the shipping list was there, none of the supplies, and, most-hauntingly, none of the crew. Upon splitting up into teams to investigate, everything had seemed undisturbed until Padawans Yan and Tasul stopped responding over their comm gear; the group would find only their headsets. Then Knight Damian and Padawan Krow went silent. By the time they had regrouped, it was down to Takasha, Zef, Master Sanj and Knight Leknu, backs to each other and lightsabers drawn as they slowly moved toward their ship to escape. Leknu couldn't even see the red, shining blade as it swiped down from above and cleaved his head in two; Master Sanj used the last of his strength to hurl the two Padawans towards their ship before he was set upon by a dozen angry lightsabers, their wielders cloaked in a dark mist of crackling Force energy.
The two Padawans made it back to Coruscant emotionally wrecked. Takasha couldn't speak and would spend the next months curled up in a ball, whimpering; Zef had no description for the feelings inside him aside from pure, utter emptiness. The years of training, of reciting the tenets; they had still failed to prevent the loss from returning. He only half-listened as the Jedi Masters told him to meditate on this and prepare for his entrance to Knighthood; he barely even registered packing his few possessions and rocketing away on a rusty old ship he had bought from a local trader. By the time he reached his homeworld, he was a zombie, walking only with one purpose - to find himself again and live.
His father could not even tell who the slender, athletic youth standing at his doorstep was. The older Manten asked the "Master Jedi" if everything was alright, and offered for him to come inside the house. He asked him what had happened, if he brought news of Zef, his dearest son. His queries were met with a blank stare from Zef. He left, telling his father that Zef was not able to come that day. He wandered back to his shuttle, leaving only after paying the nearest mercenary to take all of the forsaken Jedi possessions, now sealed inside a secure container, and dump them over the nearest volcano.
With what savings he had, he patched up the old ship and lived on the move, dwelling in the cantinas and on the streets amongst the scum of the galaxy. Over time, he discovered that the illegal art of slicing suited his quick reflexes and natural agility quite well; it was only a matter of time before he became good enough to charge a substantial amount for his services. He lived aboard his ship, moving regularly to meet clients and just out of restlessness.
Jedi Padawan Zef Manten disappeared over the next few years. The Masters understood that they could not take him back; they would simply sigh at the loss of a fine student. Ultimately, even they could no longer find him, as he disappeared into the crashing waves of the galaxy, a single ripple undetected amongst the turmoil surrounding.
From time to time, there would be whispers of a mysterious slicer on the HoloNet, a professional who rarely spoke to others except to finalize business deals; nobody really knew where he was from, though nobody cared. He was a man with no friends and no enemies, a ghost walking among the living. Just as it had always been.
Appearance
One thing that you will find on any populated world, Republic or not, are crowds; the faceless, unnamed masses who walk about their daily business. They could be assassins, or perhaps doctors; they could be farmers, or perhaps bounty hunters. They all shuffle along, some more furtively than others. However, there are some individuals who are not part of this crowd - yet they are the crowd - they become one with it, moving and breathing in unison yet of their own separate agenda. Zef is one of these individuals. His green eyes betray a greater intelligence, his shaggy hair and beard stubble a carefree personality. He can be standing in an alley one second, only to turn around and vanish amongst a sea of people, one forgetting completely what he looks like - or even that he was there at all. Zef is good-looking, but not overly-so as to be intimidating; noble, but not overly-so as to make criminals distrust him. He is, and will always be, extremely adept at blending into the surroundings just enough to make an impression but not a dent.
Skills and abilities
Through years of training and failed attempts, Zef is now an expert slicer, able to penetrate even the most secure technology if given enough time (which, generally, isn't an issue). This allows him to commandeer security systems, turning them to his (or his allies') advantage; he has worked with mercenary teams on multiple occasions as the tech who gets them through their target's mechanized defenses. Due to his sometimes-illegal activities, he has stayed physically fit, as well as learned multiple forms of martial arts to defend himself; on top of this, he is fairly hardy, both due to his past training and further self-improvement. However, he is a rather poor shot with a blaster, and tends to eschew ranged weaponry; he does not have the knowledge to wield or disarm explosives, either.
Given his profession, Zef has dealt with a wide range of machinery, and as a result is a skilled pilot, be the craft space-faring or a swoop bike.
Force abilities
Zef has abandoned the Jedi ways and lost almost all of his contact with the Force - he can only feel the faint, distant echo of its whispers sometimes as he falls asleep, and even then it is a horrible reminder of the past that haunts him daily. He has not fallen to darkness, but to a place even more unimaginable; he is a being that has felt and been one with the Force, only to willingly strip himself free of it, just as one would peel off their own skin. Due to the length of time that has passed since he used the Force, he has lost the ability to command it at will; he is still a force-sensitive, but he cannot, and will not, readily call on it. However, it still lingers within him, and he sometimes feels he has just a bit more luck than those he associates with.
Formerly, Zef possessed an above-average grasp of the Force, which he used to improve his usage of Form IV; in his prime, he could deflect all incoming blows from a single opponent for a good ten minutes. His lightsaber abilities alone were not formidable, but not sub-par; this is why he stuck to defense and worked with teammates to overcome opponents. He was to become a Jedi Knight when most of his friends and team were killed, so his training is fair but not nearly complete. At most, he could levitate small-to-medium-sized objects, channel his power into his lightsaber for short periods of time, and envelope other Force-users of equal or lesser power with his mind in order to slow or immobilize them.
Personality traitsZef has abandoned the Jedi ways and lost almost all of his contact with the Force - he can only feel the faint, distant echo of its whispers sometimes as he falls asleep, and even then it is a horrible reminder of the past that haunts him daily. He has not fallen to darkness, but to a place even more unimaginable; he is a being that has felt and been one with the Force, only to willingly strip himself free of it, just as one would peel off their own skin. Due to the length of time that has passed since he used the Force, he has lost the ability to command it at will; he is still a force-sensitive, but he cannot, and will not, readily call on it. However, it still lingers within him, and he sometimes feels he has just a bit more luck than those he associates with.
Formerly, Zef possessed an above-average grasp of the Force, which he used to improve his usage of Form IV; in his prime, he could deflect all incoming blows from a single opponent for a good ten minutes. His lightsaber abilities alone were not formidable, but not sub-par; this is why he stuck to defense and worked with teammates to overcome opponents. He was to become a Jedi Knight when most of his friends and team were killed, so his training is fair but not nearly complete. At most, he could levitate small-to-medium-sized objects, channel his power into his lightsaber for short periods of time, and envelope other Force-users of equal or lesser power with his mind in order to slow or immobilize them.
He is personable and friendly, with a quick smile and charming manner; though he does not flirt regularly, women are drawn to his aura of mystery, and men come to trust him quickly. This, combined with his tactical selection and denial of clients, is the basis of most of his business dealings, and the reason he has not made enemies. He says few words but they speak volumes, making dumb thugs appreciate his directness, nobles his tactful precision; one gets the feeling that this is a man who knows a lot but says little. He rarely works for the same client twice, preferring to leave a system as soon as he has been paid.
Morality
Zef is, if anything, a neutral good character. He believes in justice and the sanctity of life, but does not apply this outwardly; he has worked for the Hutts and Republic before in equal capacity without feeling morally wrong. He will do what good he can if it's pressing, but he does not go too far out of his way; he is not a bad person, just apathetic and nihilistic. The tenets of the Jedi code did not stick with him, but did leave a space for echoes to form, and he has self-doubt at times about whether or not he is doing the right thing; however, the right thing, as far as most of his mind is concerned, is making a living, staying out of custody and finding himself. The Jedi, and what is left of his past, can wait.
PossessionsZef is, if anything, a neutral good character. He believes in justice and the sanctity of life, but does not apply this outwardly; he has worked for the Hutts and Republic before in equal capacity without feeling morally wrong. He will do what good he can if it's pressing, but he does not go too far out of his way; he is not a bad person, just apathetic and nihilistic. The tenets of the Jedi code did not stick with him, but did leave a space for echoes to form, and he has self-doubt at times about whether or not he is doing the right thing; however, the right thing, as far as most of his mind is concerned, is making a living, staying out of custody and finding himself. The Jedi, and what is left of his past, can wait.
Aside from basic clothing, which involves his trusty cargo pants, duster top and pilot's vest, Zef does not own many worldly goods, but the few things he has happen to be high-quality and rare. He keeps everything on his second ship, the Weaver; his first, Simplicity, was abandoned on a previous mission that went bad. He owns a swoop bike, preferring its speed to the comfort of a landspeeder, but prefers to travel on foot above all due to ease of concealment. In terms of weaponry, he possesses only melee knucklers and electronic-disruption tools which he can use to a variety of effects. For slicing, he uses a compact solid-state computer which is loaded with custom intrusion and counter-security protocols; the computer also takes the unassuming form of a worker's notepad if accessed by anybody other than an approved user. Monetarily, Zef gets by; most of his money goes into paying sources to keep quiet about his involvement in certain jobs, living supplies, and his ship. He would start out with 650 credits due to a recent upgrade of his swoop.
Ship
The Weaver is a high-end customized Seinar Fleet Systems (SFS) patrol craft. She runs on twin GV-sx3 'Starburst' engines, ideal for quick getaways, and is equipped with a hyperdrive; her colour scheme is of an alternating dark grey/black. The ship possesses no armanents aside from countermeasures in the aft section, though Zef has never been in a situation to need blasters, and never plans on finding himself in one. The navigation computer, also of SFS make, has been modified to accept Zef's own counter-intrusion software, making his ship an electronic fortress in case of snooping eyes; it also fulfills its original function of storing every client's geo-coordinates and useful hideouts or trading posts. Due to the lack of weaponry and, henceforth, a targeting computer, Zef has packed his ship with countermeasures, both against external intrusion and capture; aside from missile-redirecting flares and scanner-disrupting drones, he has loaded one portable gravity well projecter as a last-ditch immobilizer if he ever finds himself needing to lose a tail.
OOCThe Weaver is a high-end customized Seinar Fleet Systems (SFS) patrol craft. She runs on twin GV-sx3 'Starburst' engines, ideal for quick getaways, and is equipped with a hyperdrive; her colour scheme is of an alternating dark grey/black. The ship possesses no armanents aside from countermeasures in the aft section, though Zef has never been in a situation to need blasters, and never plans on finding himself in one. The navigation computer, also of SFS make, has been modified to accept Zef's own counter-intrusion software, making his ship an electronic fortress in case of snooping eyes; it also fulfills its original function of storing every client's geo-coordinates and useful hideouts or trading posts. Due to the lack of weaponry and, henceforth, a targeting computer, Zef has packed his ship with countermeasures, both against external intrusion and capture; aside from missile-redirecting flares and scanner-disrupting drones, he has loaded one portable gravity well projecter as a last-ditch immobilizer if he ever finds himself needing to lose a tail.
So there's a concept I've been working on for the last few days; I've always been interested in roleplaying this sort of character. Think if Superman was always just close enough to kryptonite to be weakened, but not enough to be disabled; or if you were forced to do your daily work with an ever-present weight on your shoulders. Normally, just knowing that you had greater power once would be a nightmare, but having to face the fact that you willingly stripped yourself of your upper hand would mess with all but the most sturdy psyches.
Oh, one thing; Zef has not lost his command of the Force permanently. Depending on what happens, he may choose to face his demons and see whether he can coax it back. That being said, I'm not going to bust out a Plagueis-made-out-with-Bane-and-made-the-most-uber-hax-force-power-ever Force-rebirth where I rip through space and time to extinguish my enemies' child's life upon being provoked by a quadriplegic Bothan holding a toothpick in his teeth; regaining the Force would be like learning to walk again, only your legs aren't connected to your body and have a will of their own. It would take time.
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