Brianna

"When you risk pain or death for another, there is no truer test of your beliefs and strength."

- Brianna

Brianna, also known as The Last Handmaiden, or just Handmaiden, was a half-Echani fighter who was the daughter of the famous Echani general Yusanis and Jedi Master Arren Kae, who both fought in the Mandalorian Wars. While serving as a handmaiden to Jedi Master Atris, she met the Jedi Exile when she visited the Jedi Academy on Telos IV and was subsequently ordered by Atris to accompany and aid the Exile in her mission to seek out the surviving Jedi Masters of First Jedi Purge. Brianna would eventually receive Jedi training from the Exile and become known as one of the Lost Jedi, resulting in a forced fight between Brianna, her sisters and former master. According to the final predictions of Darth Traya, Brianna became instrumental in the reconstruction of the Jedi Order and succeeded Atris as Jedi historian.

Early life
"I knew her mother. She was a Jedi Knight&mdash;a master, named Arren Kae. Jedi are forbidden to have children, and when the crime finally came to light almost a decade later, Kae was exiled. She joined the Mandalorian Wars after the shame of her birth was revealed."

- Kreia

Brianna was the daughter of the Echani politician and master combatant Yusanis, who fought in the Mandalorian Wars alongside her mother, Jedi Master Arren Kae. According to Kreia, Brianna was the result of a forbidden love affair between the two. Eventually the Jedi Council found out about the affair, and Kae was exiled as punishment. She would go on to join the Mandalorian Wars, where she fell in battle, leaving Brianna with no memories of her mother. Sometime after the affair was discovered and Kae's exile, Brianna and her five half-sisters were brought under service to Jedi Master Atris who had established a secret academy on Telos IV, earning them their titles as handmaidens. At some point during their service, Brianna and her half-sisters all swore an oath to Atris that they would never study the teachings of the Jedi, or receive any instruction from one, although only Brianna had any potential as a Jedi due to her heritage. The offspring of Echani parents were perceived as being identical in appearance to anyone who was not of the Echani, presumably favoring the physical characteristics of their parent of the same sex. Because of this Brianna looked different from the other handmaidens, taking the genetic characteristics of her Jedi mother, Arren. Her father's infidelity had brought shame on himself, and after his death at the hands of Revan that shame was thrust upon her as well.

The Echani believed that things like betrayal were passed down through bloodlines. Despite Brianna working hard to disprove this stigma that followed her all through her young life, her sisters still branded her the "Last of the Handmaidens," meaning she was the least of them, in terms of worth and combat ability.

Serving as an agent and spy for Atris, Brianna snuck onto Citadel Station and stole the Ebon Hawk when it docked at the space station shortly after the destruction of Peragus II while it was still quarantined by the Telos Security Force, bringing it back to the hidden enclave. When the Jedi Exile, along with companions Kreia and Atton Rand, located the starship and entered the academy, Brianna, flanked by two of her sisters, advanced on the trio and demanded their surrender. The Exile agreed to Kreia's request so as to avoid a conflict, and she escorted the Exile to meet with Atris. After a charged exchange between them, the Exile left. Brianna was startled to have seen her mistress become so volatile, strengthening her growing belief that the Jedi were not the passionless beings Atris said they were and pretended to be.

Before the Exile departed Telos, Brianna was able to speak to her in private. She confessed that she was the only one of her sisters who didn't doubt the Exile's battle prowess and that she was often distracted by the Jedi teachings Atris had rescued and stored at the academy. She also informed the Exile that she always trained to better herself. As one final question, Brianna asked what it was like to feel the Force; she was curious about its ways despite her oath.

Travels with the Exile
"I want to fight with you side by side, for as long as there are enemies that threaten you. You are a leader - your stance, your every action proves it."

- Brianna to the Jedi Exile

Brianna was ordered by Atris to sneak aboard the Ebon Hawk and aid the Exile in her mission to find the missing Jedi Masters, as well as to monitor the Exile's activities. While Atton vocally objected to allowing a spy to travel with them, the Exile welcomed Brianna to the crew. At this point however, Brianna was still wary of the Jedi Exile, as Atris had warned her not to trust them. She secluded herself inside the cargo bay so that she could hone her fighting style, while keeping herself separate from the rest of the crew.

When the Jedi Exile eventually attempted to get to know her; Brianna didn't trust the Exile at first, but through acts of kindness and charity during their journey, Brianna finally believed that Atris had been wrong in her judgments. Brianna occasionally clashed with Visas Marr, not trusting the latter due to Marr's ties to the Sith, but after some convincing from the Exile, learned to accept her presence, although she still kept an eye on the Miraluka. Kreia would eventually inform the Exile of Brianna's heritage, but cautioned her against training the handmaiden.

During their travels, Brianna agreed to teach the Exile Echani fighting techniques and after she had passed her knowledge onto the Exile, the Exile offered to teach her the ways of the Force. By this point, Brianna greatly trusted the Exile, and realized that she had hoped to follow her mother's path her entire life, and accepted the offer. The Exile warned her she would be breaking her oath to Atris, but Brianna was committed, feeling that she would be betraying her heritage if she didn't accept the training. With her acceptance, the Exile passed on her knowledge of the Force to Brianna, and trained her to become a Jedi Guardian, breaking her oath to Atris. During this time, Kreia sent a message to Atris through the Force telling her of Brianna's choice to become a Jedi. As a Jedi, Brianna continued to aid the Exile, who eventually succeeded in gathering the Jedi Masters on Dantooine. Unfortunately, when the Masters revealed their intentions to strip the Exile of the Force, Kreia was forced to act, and killed the Jedi.

After Kreia slew the Jedi Masters gathered on Dantooine and revealed her ultimate goal to destroy the Force itself, Brianna, believing the Exile to be dead, took Kreia directly to Atris, knowing that her mistress would execute any Sith. However, Atris's belief in the Jedi Council's decision during the Mandalorian Wars, as well as her belief in the Order itself had been shaken after she observed the Exile's conviction, and she had been slowly corrupted by her collection of Sith holocrons.

As a result, Atris's conversation with Kreia, who announced her title as Darth Traya, caused her to finally give in to the dark side, and during this time, Brianna's sisters confronted her. She learned that Atris had told her sisters that Brianna had fallen to the dark side and joined the Exile against Atris's wishes. Brianna could not convince her sisters to hear the truth, and was forced to fight them. Brianna proved herself to have surpassed her sisters in ability, and managed to defeat them all.

Shortly after, Atris arrived and attacked Brianna. Though Brianna was able to keep the corrupt Jedi Master at bay at first, she was eventually overwhelmed. Atris began torturing her with Force lightning, but before she could deliver the final blow, the Exile arrived defeated Atris in a duel. After the duel, Brianna pledged undying allegiance to the Exile, renouncing her title of Last of the Handmaidens, and embracing her true name. She would then accompany the Exile to Malachor V for the final confrontation with Kreia.

Kreia, shortly before her death on Malachor V, looked into the future, and told the Exile that Brianna would give up her ways of battle, and would play a vital role in rebuilding the Jedi Order, taking Atris's role as historian and teaching future Padawans of the Jedi who gave up the Force, and became better for it.

Personality and traits
As the daughter of Yusanis and Arren Kae, Brianna bore the shame of her parents' forbidden affair, and as a result strove to prove her worth to her sisters and Atris. Her shame and position as the least worthy among her sisters led her to adopt a style of thinking in which she placed the greater good and her oaths to Atris before herself, forsaking her name and identity. It was not until she finally defeated her sisters in combat and confronted Atris that Brianna fully gained a sense of self-worth, and finally embraced her name. She believed that combat was one of the purest ways of expressing oneself, and that a person's fighting style accurately displayed what kind of person they were.

Brianna was steadfastly loyal to her superiors, and was completely devoted to Atris before the Jedi Exile earned her trust. She was initially very slow to trust the Exile due to the warnings Atris had given, but the Exile's kindness, as well as Brianna's reading of her through combat caused her to slowly open up, and when the Exile saved her life, she completely renounced her ties as a handmaiden and embraced her true name, finally setting her shame aside. Her trust did not extend to the Exile's other companions, however, and she remained wary of both Kreia and Marr for the extent of their journey.

In addition, despite being criticized by her sisters for her passion, Brianna was typically very reserved and did not interact much with the crew, choosing to seclude herself in the cargo bay instead. Despite this, her irritation with her fellow crew members occasionally showed, typically with Rand and Marr. She expressed her passion through combat, and developed a yearning to feel the Force, eventually receiving Jedi training from the Exile. This curiosity stemmed from her having examined some of Atris' Jedi holocrons, and her interest in these artifacts eventually led to her taking the position of Jedi historian.

Having lived a relatively sheltered life in the secret academy on Telos, Brianna displayed some naivety towards the workings of the galaxy, a fact commented on by Atton Rand. She also failed to grasp jokes made by the Exile and Mira, as well as Rand's sarcasm on occasion. She did possess a sense of humor however, at one point suggesting Rand use a strike to the neck rather than a blaster to incapacitate someone without causing lasting harm, although whether she was being serious or not is debatable. Brianna tended to view things in terms of black and white, potentially arguing with the Exile over some decisions.

Powers and abilities
"She has always brought shame upon us. In terms of combat, she is the least among us. Her stance always had too much passion about it."

- Handmaiden Sisters of Atris

Despite the title of the "Last of the Handmaidens" given to Brianna by her sisters, she was proficient in combat with Echani martial arts, and was able to successfully instruct the Jedi Exile, showing extensive knowledge of the style. In addition, Brianna was skilled in the use of Battle Precognition, and passed this ability on to the Exile as well. Her combat prowess extended to numerous weapons including Force pikes and blasters.

As the daughter of a Jedi, Arren Kae, Brianna was Force-sensitive and eventually accepted Jedi training from the Exile, becoming a Jedi Guardian. As a Jedi Guardian, Brianna focused on the combat and lightsaber abilities of the Jedi, and supplemented her skills with powers such as Force Jump. With Jedi training, her combat proficiency increased to the point where she surpassed even her sisters in skill and managed to defeat all of them together in combat. Brianna was even able to fight evenly against Jedi Master Atris for a while before being overwhelmed by Force Lightning.

Behind the scenes
The Handmaiden is a non-player character who joins the player's party in the computer and video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. She is only available to join the player's party if the main character is male, though she appears in cutscenes on Telos regardless of the player's gender. Female Exiles are eventually joined by Mical, "the Disciple," instead. She was voiced by Grey DeLisle, who also voiced Padmé Amidala, Asajj Ventress and Shaak Ti in the Star Wars: Clone Wars cartoon.

Despite numerous in-game references to Brianna looking different from her sisters, and "honoring the face of her mother," Brianna's character texture is identical to her five sisters though her head model does have beaded strands of hair on both sides.

When Leland Chee was asked if, with the Jedi Exile being a female, Brianna still traveled with the Jedi Exile, he answered with a simple "maybe." A recent preview for the upcoming Star Wars Miniatures Knights of the Old Republic set confirmed that Brianna did indeed accompany the Exile.

There were records that indicated she slew Darth Nihilus although the accuracy of these records is questionable, as Nihilus is fought and killed in the game by the Exile, Marr and Mandalore. This inconsistency can most likely be attributed to the Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force being written from an in-universe point of view, with the New Jedi Order's records on the battle being inaccurate. This the most likely explanation as the guide also references Visas Marr as another possible slayer of Nihilus.

Gameplay
There is a glitch in the game which allows a Male Exile to accidentally kill Brianna during her training. Upon opening the character selection screen, her space will have no picture, and the name will be replaced by the words 'I am so very very broken.' If Brianna joins the Exile and then falls to the dark side, Darth Traya predicts that she will stop looking up to the Jedi and give herself to battle completely. She abandons her Force training and instead will punish the Jedi for being too emotional. Should Brianna fall to the dark side and become a Dark Jedi Guardian, she also replaces her pure white clothing with a similar looking garment that is completely black and fastened with leather.

Playing as a male Exile
"I wish to see what the Handmaiden sees when she looks at you that causes her heart to race, and her tone to change."

- Visas Marr

Although it was confirmed to be canon that Brianna accompanied the Exile during her travels, in the game itself, she would only accompany the Exile if the player was male. Otherwise, she would be replaced by Mical.

After the Ebon Hawk departed Atris's hidden enclave on Telos, the Exile and the crew witnessed a secret recording of the Exile's trial, and a shady conversation between the Masters afterwards, which was taken by T3 when Atris attempted to forcibly download his data. Brianna surprised the crew by suddenly storming into the room, indignantly accusing them of stealing Atris's records. She then revealed that she had come to aid the Exile's search for the missing Jedi, by order of her Mistress Atris. The Exile and the rest of the crew were hesitant at first about accepting an obvious spy into their group, but Brianna was adamant about staying, and since she would not divulge the codes to disable the security around the hidden enclave, it was impossible for the Exile to return her. The Jedi Exile ended the debate among the crew by welcoming her, and she added her Echani combat skills to the group's diverse talents.

At this point however, Brianna was still wary of the Jedi Exile, as Atris had warned her not to trust them. She secluded herself inside the cargo bay so that she could hone her fighting style, while keeping herself separate from the unsavory crew. Eventually the Jedi Exile took the initiative to get to know her; she didn't trust the Exile at first, but through acts of kindness and charity during their journey, Brianna finally believed that Atris had been wrong in her judgments.

When Visas Marr stole aboard the Ebon Hawk, and was subsequently defeated by the Exile and became a member of their party, Brianna was suspicious of her because of her previous Sith ties – afraid that she could lead the Sith to the Exile, Atris and the other Jedi Masters the Exile sought – and a little jealous that the Exile had welcomed another woman so readily. In anger, Brianna confronted Visas, but the Miraluka managed to calm her. She convinced Brianna that she sought only to serve the Exile and protect him from harm, but Brianna remained wary of her intentions. At some point the Exile asked Brianna to teach her Echani fighting techniques, and over the course of their journey they sparred three times, each time learning more about each other and became closer, to the point that both Atton and Kreia would notice and comment on it.

During that time the Exile challenged her traditions about sparring without clothes, and she conceded that bulkier clothes would be more practical. She surprised the Exile by then changing into a heavy set of grayed robes, the style associated with a Jedi Master. When asked, she finally revealed that they were the last keepsake of her mother that she had never known, the exiled Jedi Master Arren Kae. She opened up to the Exile and revealed the story of her past, but she asked that it be kept secret from the rest of the crew, as she had come to trust the Exile over everyone else.

Unexpectedly, after their private discussion, the Exile was approached by Kreia. She was suspicious that the Exile was growing too close to Atris's servant, and then revealed that she knew her mother Kae as well. Kreia speculated that because Kae had been strong in the Force, that the potential to become a Jedi also lay within her daughter. Kreia discouraged the Exile from training her as a Jedi, because it would mean breaking her oath to Atris to not learn the ways of the Jedi. However after reading between Kreia's words, the Exile realized that one did not need to learn the ways of the Jedi to learn about the Force.

After their third sparring session, Brianna stopped their training because she had nothing left to teach the Exile. The Exile then revealed to Brianna that she, like her mother, was strong with the Force, and that she could be taught to use it. Brianna was hesitant at first, but when faced with this revelation she finally confessed that it had always been her wish to learn the ways of the Jedi, to understand the Force, and discover what had made her parents turn away from their own oaths to be together. In that moment, Brianna renounced her oath and pledged herself to the Exile's training and service, for as long as they would be together.

After this happened, Kreia, deep in meditation, reached through the Force and touched Atris's mind with a vision of Brianna's betrayal, enforcing it with a single word: "Betrayal!"

As they traveled and fought together, Brianna learned to integrate her Echani training with her new Force training in becoming a Jedi Guardian. When their journey was almost done she accompanied the Exile and Kreia to the ruins of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, for the Exile to meet and align with the remaining Masters. However when Kreia surprisingly slew all three masters with Force Drain and left the Exile supposedly dead, her anger overwhelmed her judgment, and she stole a shuttle to take Kreia before Atris, for she knew that Atris would execute any Sith.

However this turned out to play into Kreia's hands; once inside the hidden enclave Kreia spoke to Atris alone, and Brianna was suddenly confronted by her five sisters. They accused her of breaking her oath by abandoning them, and becoming corrupted by the dark side and the Exile's training. Brianna realized then too late that Atris had betrayed her and lied about her mission to her sisters, but she could not convince them of the truth. The five handmaidens surrounded her and pronounced a judgment of death on her, and despite her pleas she was forced to do battle with them all, using the Force to incapacitate them all at once. Against her wishes, she finally proved she was the “Last of the Handmaidens” no longer, when she single-handedly defeated them all.

Moments later, Brianna was bewildered to see Atris enter the room amidst the fallen bodies and feign concern for her. Hurt and confused, Brianna asked that she explain herself, and then the Jedi showed her dark side corruption and attacked her. The two of them did battle in the council chamber, and despite her ever-growing combat skills, Brianna was outmatched by the veteran Jedi. Atris quickly lost her temper and put an end to the duel, unexpectedly drawing upon the dark side and unleashing the Sith technique of Force Lightning.

Brianna was unprepared and thrown to her knees after one hit, but the spiteful Atris tortured her with another round of lightning, her jealousy burning over her closeness to the Exile and accusing her as Brianna laid writhing in agony. Rendered hurt and helpless, it seemed Atris was going to finish her off, when suddenly the Jedi Exile appeared at the last second, and challenged Atris to fight and leave Brianna alone. Only further angered by the Exile's display of concern, she struck Brianna one last time with lightning and, leaving her for dead on the floor, retreated to her chamber to do battle with the Exile.

After the Exile dueled with Atris, Brianna surprisingly managed to survive the vicious assault, and now without the oath to her sisters or her mistress to hold her there, she once again pledged herself to the Exile in gratitude. This time she would never let the stigma of her family hold her back from following her heart again. She renounced her title as Last of the Handmaidens, and accepted her true identity for the first time, as well as her name (which up to this point, she had kept secret even from the Exile).

Their alliance would be short lived however; soon afterwards the forces of Darth Nihilus and his Sith armada attacked the planet, and they would be separated when the Exile invaded his ship, and she stayed behind. Though it is likely that the close friends would never meet again as the Jedi Exile followed Revan's path into the Unknown regions; before her death Kreia looked into the future and revealed that Brianna would leave battle behind her forever as her father had done. Instead she would play a pivotal role in rebuilding the new Jedi Order, taking Atris's place as chronicler and historian of Jedi lore, and that for as long as she lived she would teach young Padawans about the Jedi who gave up the Force, and became better for it.

Cut content
In an earlier version of the game, Brianna was originally meant to join the Jedi Exile regardless of gender, so long as the Exile was light-sided (dark sided players would have been joined by Visas Marr instead).

Brianna was intended to fight her sisters in the Telos Academy, either to kill them or to stun them, letting them live. In the official release, when her sisters act hostile and it appears a fight is about to begin, the scene instead fades to black, fading back in later to show all the handmaidens save Brianna prone on the ground.

Brianna had a couple of scenes that were eventually cut out of the game: If the player had more influence with Visas Marr than the Handmaiden, or the PC was dark-sided, then Brianna would attack Marr in the Trayus Academy on Malachor V, accusing her of seducing the Exile. Should the PC be dark-sided and have more influence with Brianna than Visas, then the PC would leave her in the Trayus Core to wait for others and to teach them. Like Mira, Rand, and Marr, Brianna would be one of the members to confront and attack Kreia at Malachor V only to be defeated and imprisoned by Darth Sion. Rand would be the only companion to escape.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

Notes and references
Brianna Брианна