Lana Beniko

"I've always had a strong affinity with the Force. It's what set me on this path to begin with, led me to forge a certain alliance all those years ago."

- The Outlander and Lana Beniko

Lana Beniko was a Human female Sith Lord of the Sith Empire. During the Galactic War against the Galactic Republic she served as a key advisor to Dark Council member Darth Arkous. Investigating Arkous' unusual activities in the wake of the Korriban Incursion, Beniko discovered that Arkous was a traitor, secretly working for the Order of Revan. To expose Arkous, Beniko teamed up with some unusual allies, which included Republic SIS agent Theron Shan, a Wookiee smuggler named Jakarro, and other figures of importance on the galactic scale. The group tracked Arkous and his Revanite ally Rian Darok to Rakata Prime, where both were killed, only for Revan himself to enter the scene and attempt to kill Beniko and her allies. Proclaimed a traitor to the Empire, Beniko was forced into hiding along with Theron Shan and Jakarro. The three eventually tracked Revan and his allies to Rishi and with the help of their allies were able to expose the conspiracy to Darth Marr. To stop Revan from resurrecting the Sith Emperor, Beniko and Marr joined forces with Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan and traveled to Yavin 4, forming a temporary coalition between the Republic and the Empire. After it became clear that the Emperor was planning on consuming all life in the galaxy, Beniko stood against Revan himself alongside Darth Marr, Satele and Theron Shan, Jakarro and Shae Vizla. Though Revan was defeated, the Emperor nevertheless returned to life. In the aftermath of the confrontation, Darth Marr appointed Beniko as the new head of the reformed Sith Intelligence. As the new Sith Intelligence Minister Beniko opposed Vitiate's resurgence on Ziost, working with her assistant Rane Kovach and her partners from the Yavin Coalition on a plan to stop the rampage caused by the former Emperor's puppets. Though Theron Shan and Beniko were able to shock a large number of Vitiate's victims unconcious and remove Sixth Line Jedi Master Surro from the planet's surface, Vitiate still performed the ritual that wiped out all life on the planet.

Later that year, the galaxy was invaded by the Eternal Empire of Zakuul, which overwhelmed both the Republic and the Sith Empire, causing massive casualties to high-ranking Sith of the Dark Council. The Sith Intelligence effectively ceased to exist and Beniko ventured into Eternal Empire space, looking to find her partner from the Revanite crisis, believing that person to be the galaxy's last hope of defeating the Eternal Empire. Over five years Beniko made multiple underground contacts, such as a former Knight of Zakuul Senya Tirall and exiled Zakuulan naval officer Koth Vortena, with whom she eventually managed and free the one Zakuulans took to call the Outlander from being frozen in carbonite. While escaping the pursuit, Beniko's group located and repaired the Gravestone - a legendary vessel that could rival the might of the Eternal Fleet. Beniko called her multiple contacts from the Sith Empire, the Republic and the criminal underworld to converge on a remote planet Odessen, where she laid the foundations of an Alliance dedicated to defeat Eternal Emperor Arcann, becoming the right hand to her old associate, who led the new Alliance as its Commander and a public face. The new Alliance made several bold strikes against the Eternal Empire, which attracted multiple new contacts and recruits, who brought with them starships, weapons and ammunition, allowing the Alliance to grow into a power that could threaten the Eternal Empire. In a bid to remove the advantage of the Eternal Fleet, the Alliance agreed to SCORPIO's plan to remotely take control of the GEMINI captains, unaware that SCORPIO followed her own agenda and used that opportunity to claim the Eternal Throne for herself. In the resulting battle of Odessen Beniko accompanied the Alliance Commander up until their duel with Arcann, which resulted in him defeated and taken away by his monther Senya Tirall into hiding. Arcann's sister Vaylin allied herself with SCORPIO and proclaimed herself the new Eternal Empress and Beniko stood by the Alliance Commander's side as they battled her forces on Voss. At attempt by Vaylin to take control of the Gravestone led to the discovery of a hidden artifical world called Iokath, which the Alliance forces had to temporarily abandon when it was covered by deadly radiation. Beniko then assisted the Alliance mission to sabotage the Grand Festival of Empress Vaylin and accompanied the Commander to Nathema, where she strongly felt the abscense of the Force on the dead world. Vaylin soon launched another assault on Odessen where Beniko again fought on the front lines and which led to Vaylin's death at the Commander's hand. Subsequently, the Alliance forces traveled to Zakuul where the Commander claimed the Eternal Throne and took control over the Eternal Fleet, transforming the Alliance from an anti-Zakuul insurgency into the Eternal Alliance.

As one of the higest-ranking members of a new galactic powers, Beniko had to contend with new threats from the earliest hours of its existence. She identified and ordered to neutralize several local uprisings against the Alliance and personally led a mission to Iokath once its radiation levels had subsided. Faced with both the Republic and the Sith Empire fighting over control of an Iokath supwerweapon, Beniko followed the Commander's decision to side with one galactic power against another. Beniko soon discovered that the battle for Iokath was orchestratedby an unknown outiside party, which leaked information to all three major galactic governments, hoping to start a war between them over control of Iokath. Beniko began for a traitor inside the ranks of the Eternal Alliance, which eventually gave a led to the shadow-world of Umbara. Beniko, Theron Shan and the Commander traveled there to intercept and stop the traitor, only for Theron to reveal himself as one and sabotage the Hovertrain the Commander and Beniko were on, announcing his plan to kill them. Escaping the train before the crash, the Commander and Beniko were unable to stop Theron before his shuttle left Umbara and returned to Odessen empty-handed, where Beniko was ordered to use every resource at her disposal to locate Theron's whereabouts.

Early life
"No one survives the trials unmarked"

- Lana Beniko

Lana Beniko was the daughter of Kelsa and Jaren Beniko, one of her parents being one of the most celebrated entrepreneurs on Dromund Kaas. Her Force-sensitivity meant she was to undergo training in the Dark side of the Force by the laws of the Sith Empire. Lana became an Acolyte in the Sith Academy on Korriban, training under Overseer Harkun, who took sadistic pleasure in demeaning his Acolytes. As part of her final trial Beniko was sent into the Valley of the Dark Lords to retrieve the helm of Tulak Hord along with a group of other acolytes, which included Greck, Kagan and Bensyn. Knowing that Harkun deemed the task before them impossible, Beniko told the other acolytes that they could only survive by working together. Upon entering the Tomb of Tulak Hord the group was overwhelmed by k'lor'slugs, which left Greck dead and Kagan severely wounded. Beniko eventually found Tulak Hord's helmet among the rubble, but before they could leave, Kagan was killed by an insane Zabrak acolyte. Beniko and Bensyn were the only two acolytes to survive the trial and leave the tomb alive.

Sometime during the Treaty of Coruscant, Lana Beniko was stationed on Hoth when an unexpected skirmish broke out between Republic and Imperial forces. She called for an end to hostilities, but when an Imperial commander refused to obey, she responded by chopping off his right hand.

Advisor to Darth Arkous
"There's something in the Force that I've never felt before. It exists nowhere and everywhere at once, writhing, growing."

- Lana Beniko

Lana Beniko was eventually given the title of a Sith Lord and was hand-picked as his new advisor by Darth Arkous, a member of the Dark Council and the head of the Sphere of Military Offense since the death of Darth Arho during the Battle of Ilum in 3641 BBY. Beniko accepted the offer despite not being impressed with Arkous, her initial impression of him being that of a vain and pompous statesman. Her first military engagement in a new role was the Imperial invasion of Talay, a major Republic outpost and communications hub. Arkous' plan was to minimize resistance while maximizing confusion amongst the locals, but the Talay initiative was endagered when the Republic send a team of Republic Strategic Information Service agents to infiltrate his ship as it departed from Dromund Kaas. Meditating aboard the ship, Beniko sensed four individuals using mind-shielding techniques commonly taught to spies and confronted one of them. The interrogation revealed to her their plan to slice all possible data and then detonate a hidded explosive device from the safety of an escape pod. Beniko informed only the Arkous of the danger to avoid alerting the other three spies and two Sith managed to silently eliminate two of them. The final SIS agent had surgical enhancements that allowed her to escape from Beniko when the Sith found her priming the explosive device. Beniko sounded the alarm but had to stay to disarm the bomb, allowing the SIS agent the reach and launch the escape pod, from which she detonated a secondary device hidded inside the ship's electrical hub. Without weapons or jamming devices the Imperials were unable to stop the agent from broadcasting their plans to the Republic, but Darth Arkous himself put on a spacesuit and rocketed towards the pod, where a single plunge of his lightsaber was enough to decompress the pod and kill the agent inside. That act made Beniko respect Arkous for his service to the Empire, no longer doubting her choice to become his advisor.

Beniko spend a considerable time as Arkous' advisor, during which she had no reason to mistrust him. This changed in 3638 BBY, when she assisted Darth Arkous and Lord Goh in planning the Assault on Tython's Jedi Temple. Arkous recruited a promiment Imperial figure to lead the first wave of the attack, whom Beniko met on the Vaiken Spacedock and remotely guided as they progressed from the landing point in the Gnarls to the Jedi Council chamber. Lord Goh stayed behind to search for additional hidden stores and Beniko learned that the goal of their attack was to retrieve an artifact from the Temple. The fact that Arkous hid the true objective from her, made Beniko lose his trust in him, which was only compounded by a growing presense she felt in the Force. As Arkous' chosen figure returned, he and Lana were informed by Sergeant Tarsten about the Republic's Korriban Incursion, in which they took the Sith Academy and killed Dark Council member Darth Soverus. Furios, Arkous ordered a retaliation strike and Beniko again guided her new acquitance through the Lower Wilds of Korriban, barely hiding her anger at the audacity of the Republic's invasion. After the Dark Council Chambers were reclaimed, Beniko again congratulated the Imperial on their service, asking them to meet in private, she was away from Arkous' ears. There, confided in her Imperial ally about her suspicions regarding Arkous' motive for the attack on Tython, revealing that in her mind the simultaneous timing on two attacks was neither conicidence, nor retaliation for one another, but instead planned from the beginning. Believing that Darth Arkous was involved in a conspiracy that could threaten the entire Sith Empire, Beniko put the trust in her new ally, asking them to stay alert and promising to file report regarding Arkous' activities. Pretending everything was business as usual was not easy, as Beniko was now concerned her the man she once trusted was now lying when talking to her and she was no longer given a reason for why she was not privy to some of his activities. Eventually, her suspicions proved correct when Arkous made arrangements for a shuttle trip to Onderon, but traveled to Manaan instead. She secretly followed her superior to the planet's surface, where she learned from a Selkath customs official Varko that Arkous obtained a travel permit to the underwater Genetics Laboratory G-1.

Revanite conspiracy revealed
"I've met our potential ally, who already proved quite resourcesul."

- Lana Beniko

Beniko urged her astromech droid A7-M1 to alert their Imperial ally to the new development and come to Manaan at once. Revealing her discovery that Colonel Rian Darok, the Republic commander who had overseen the attack on Korriban, had traveled to the same location as Arkous, Beniko send her ally to investigate. Meanwhile, she came in contact with with Republic SIS agent Theron Shan, who was investigating a similar ploy on the part of of Darok. Shan alerted Beniko's associate to the location of Jakarro, a Wookiee smuggler imprisoned by the Selkath geneticist Gorima. The Imperial freed the Wookiee and his droid C2-D4 and together they discovered that Gorima had received Rakata technology from Arkous and Darok, and was using them to build self-repairing cyborg warriors for an "Infinite Army". Arkous and Darok revealed themselves to be working together and escaped in a submarine, detonating a bomb intended to sink and flood the facility, though Beniko's new allies managed to make it to the surface. Meeting them together with Shan, Beniko revealed their joint discovery that Arkous and Darok were both members of the Order of Revan, once believed to be a minor cult operating in the Empire, and now seeking to destroy both Republic and Empire to establish a new order. Unable to return to Arkous' side and lacking the evidence to expose him, Lana agreed to pursue leads within the Empire while Theron, Jakarro and their ally went to pursue different leads.

Beniko soon received a message from Arkous, who revealed that he saw potential in her and was planning to recruit her into the order, changing his mind only when Beniko started investigating him. Continuing her collaboration with Shan, Jakarro, and C2-D4, Beniko uncovered a number of other Revanite traitors within the ranks on the Empire, while Shan and Jakarro tracked Arkous and Darok to Rakata Prime, the homeworld of the Rakata and capital of their Infinite Empire. The Revanites were building their new Infinite army there based on Gorima's research and to stop them Shan and Beniko arranged for Jakarro and their other ally to assault the Temple of the Ancients, while they provided tactical intel from onboard Jakarro's XS stock light freighter. Asking Theron Shan to leave the cockpit and check the ship's sensors, Beniko secretly asked her Imperial ally to retrieve the data on the Infinite Army cyborgs from a Rakata console for further study. Jakarro and their ally confronted the Revanite leaders on the roof of the Temple and were forced to kill them when it became clear they would not cooperate. It was then that the true leader of the conspiracy revealed himself - none other than Revan, the "growth" in the Force that Beniko had sensed. His Harrower-class dreadnought dropped out of Hyperspace and bombarded the Temple of the Ancients, though Beniko's allies made it out alive in Arkous' shuttle.

Going off the grid
"Jakarro's had twelve death sentences declared on him, Theron's been diawoved by the SIS... and the Empire placed a bounty on my head for the murder of Darth Arkous."

- Lana Beniko

Regrouping with her allies on Manaan, Beniko discovered that the Revanites had used their influence in the Empire to place a bounty on her head for the murder of Darth Arkous, a charge she could not contest unless the Revanites were exposed, while it had become clear that their influence would not make it easy. She was forced to go into hiding along with Shan and Jakarro, who faced similar charges. Beniko advised her Imperial ally to go on with their life, but to remain on the watch for the Revanites and above all avoid contacting her. In an attempt to find lodging, Beniko and her companions traveled to Tatooine. However, Beniko sensed Imperial agent Sharack Breev attempting to shadow her and thus returned to Jakarro's XS stock light freighter to depart the planet.

Eventually, the trio discovered that the Revanites had allied themselves with the Nova Blades pirate gang based out of Rishi, having them target key hyperlanes. Requiring their ally to find out what the Revanites were up to without being revealed, Beniko made contact with Corellian Run Scoundrels leader Kai Zykken, using a mind trick to persuade him to spread rumors that their ally was a fearsome leader of a pirate gang, while Theron Shan remotely sliced their ally's ship navicomputer to draw them to Rishi. After their associate followed the trail of breadcrumbs left by Lana and Theron to their safe house, the duo revealed themselves and explained their current situation. They needed to manually slice the files on the Nova Blades' base of operation while avoiding drawing the Revanites to themselves, hence the masquerade to make it look like a common pirate rivalry. Theron and Lana sent their ally, masquerading as the faux pirate gang, out to harass the Nova Blades, attacking their operations and slave camps, threatening the pirate' alliance with the Revanites. Eventually, they targeted the Blades' base at the crashed Aggressor, killing Commodore Dael Margok and recovering intel on Revanite agents. While Theron got busy decoding the intel, Lana sent their ally to meet with Shae Vizla, whose Mandalorian clan was formerly allied with the Blades and Revanites, to acquire more information. Meanwhile, Lana joined Jakarro and Theron in infiltrating a Revanite safehouse in Raider's Cove, but their attempt went sour and Theron was spotted. Lana allowed Theron to be captured and restrained Jakarro from intervening and revealing themselves, judging that Shan could gain more information in captivity and wouldn't betray their secrets - she herself had previously probed his mind with the Force to no effect.

When their ally returned, Beniko and Jakarro were told that the Revanites had a fleet waiting somewhere on the planet. Beniko then realized that by changing the hyperlanes the Revanites were drawing the Empire and Republic fleets to Rishi, luring them both into an ambush. Thankfully, by that time C2-D4 decoded that the Revanites were based on the Sky Ridge Island nearby and suggested taking up lodging with the Rishii village based there. The trio traveled there and met with the local Chieftain named Arankau, who allowed them to stay in the village. Beniko stayed behind to help with slicing, sending her ally to scout the Revanite camps. Learning that Theron Shan was being kept at their main base, Beniko's ally went on the rescue mission, though Shan was able to escape the captivity by himself. He then revealed Revan's plan - upon both fleet's arrival at Rishi, Revanite sleeper agents on both sides would sabotage key systems while the signal jammer on the ground would prevent the fleets from coordinating, at which point the Revanite fleet would move in and massacre the survivors. With his plan exposed, Revan set his stronghold to self-destruct, but Lana was able to remotely abort the sequence thanks to the slicing tricks she picked from Theron.

The Yavin Coalition
"Our lives have been on the line before, but this is different somehow. It feels more immediate. More... final"

- Lana Beniko

With the signal jammer protected from slicing and aerial bombardment, Beniko's ally quickly moved in to deactivate the signal jammer, enabling communication with the fleets and revealing to them the Revanite conspiracy. Theron Shan uploaded the identities of double agents, resulting in their impromptu detainment. Grand Master Satele Shan and Darth Marr who commanded both fleets agreed to meet in Raider's Cove to discuss a temporary truce so they could deal with threat posed by Revan. With the order exposed, Beniko='s name was cleared and she once again answered directly to a Dark Council member. Both Republic and Imperial sides agreed to form a temporary truce to stop Revan from resurrecting the Sith Emperor, who was intent to consume all life in the galaxy. The coalition made their way to Yavin 4, where Lana lamented that what trust she had in common with Theron was gone after he learned that she was the one who allowed him to be captured.

The coalition forces established a staging area on Yavin 4 and were able to apprehend the Imperial Guard Commandant Iven. As their situation became clear and the time drew to a close, the coalition forces were able to overcome their vast differences and worked together to storm the Temple of Sacrifice and stop Revan's ritual. To deal with Revan himself, Beniko stood side by side with Darth Marr, Satele and Theron Shan, Jakarro and Shae Vizla, confronting him at a forgotten temple terrace. After a prolonged fight, Revan was defeated, though the Sith Emperor was nevertheless able to return to life, feeding off the lives taken by Coalition forces during the fighting on Yavin 4. To the confusion of Darth Marr, the Emperor left without possessing a body or taking a physical form, while Revan finally became one with the Force. In the aftermath of the battle, Darth Marr appointed Beniko as the new head of the reformed Sith Intelligence. She said goodbye to Theron Shan, Jakarro and her ally, before departing the jungle moon alongside with Marr. She later sent a mail to her ally, commenting on her new job as the Sith Intelligence Minister.

Leading the Sith Intelligence
"I'm needed everywhere, all at once. I've already lingered too long."

- Lana Beniko

Beniko's responsibilities as the Minister of Sith Intelligence were soon put to the test on Ziost. The now-former Emperor Vitiate resurfaced on the ancestral world of the Empire and extended his influence across the globe, controlling the planet's population and feeding off of the chaos and death that his puppets caused. Despite possessing both Imperials and Sith alike, Vitiate gave up trying to possess Beniko due to her mental defenses, making her suspect that the former Emperor was not as strong as he once was. Beniko opposed Vitiate's chaos, working with her assistant from the Intelligence Rane Kovach and sent an emergency alert for her Yavin Coalition partner to arrive as well. Introducing her old associate to Kovach, Beniko went to deal with growing crisis in New Adasta, where she became aware that Theron Shan was also on Ziost just as Republic Supreme Chancellor Leontyne Saresh launched an invasion of Ziost, giving Vitiate hundreds more puppets to control. After warning her ally about the Monoliths, Beniko explained her plan to hinder Vitiate's puppets. Theron had previously discovered that shocking Vitiate's thralls into unconsciousness broke his control over them. Thus, he modified New Adasta's electrostatic weapon, originally designed to counter major civil uprisings, to be non-lethal, while their ally taunted Vitiate over the hologram, causing his puppets to swarm the People's Tower in New Adasta. There, Theron fired the weapon, incapacitating all Vitiate's pawns except Jedi Master Surro, Sixth Line commander, who subdued Lana and Theron, only to be defeated by their ally. Beniko later evacuated Ziost before Vitiate performed his ritual that consumed all life on the planet. Despite failing her first major crisis as Sith Intelligence Minister, Beniko resolved to carry on.

The Eternal Empire's invasion
"Everyone who had felt the Sith Emperor's presnse in the past... on Ziost, on Yavin Four... we all sensed what had happened."

- Lana Beniko

At the same time Vitiate fled from Ziost towards Wild Space, a pair of twin conquerors of a mysterious faction launched an attack on Korriban before disappearing into the Unknown Regions. Darth Marr led a joint Imperial-Republic fleet staffed with former members of the Yavin Coaltion and accompanied by Beniko's ally into the Wild Space in pursuit of Vitiate, unintentionally encroaching on the territory of the invaders, the Eternal Empire of Zakuul and triggering first skirmish with the Eternal Fleet. Beniko felt Darth Marr's death through the Force, soon followed by a ripple in the Force felt by everyone who came in contact with the former Sith Emperor, who secretly created and ruled the Eternal Empire under the name of Valkorion until the assassination of his physical body. His son Arcann claimed his father's Eternal Throne and claimed that Beniko's ally whom he called an Outlander assassinated his father. In retaliation, he launched a full-scale invasion on the Core Worlds, though Beniko, among others, discerned the truth of Arcann's treachery. Within a year, the Empire and Republic had all but fallen to the Eternal Empire and were forced to pay heavy tribute to Arcann. Most of the Dark Council was dead or in hiding and rule over Sith Empire was assumed by Darth Acina. The Sith Intelligence effectively ceased to exist and Beniko ventured into Eternal Empire space, looking to find her allyfrom the Revanite crisis, believing that person to be the galaxy's last hope of defeating the Eternal Empire.

Years in Wild Space
"If Darth Arkous could see me now."

- Lana Beniko

Beniko spend the next several years travelling the Wild Space, trying to learn the fate of her ally, whom Zakuulans took to call the Outlander. Suspicious on why the tribute demanded by Zakuul was more than what was necessary for the Eternal Empire, Beniko dedicated some of her resources to finding out Arcann's plans for it. Early on, she met and exchanged information with Senya Tirall, a former member of the Knights of Zakuul, who resigned after Arcann ordered the massacre of the Scions of Zakuul, who used to serve alongside Knights as brethren. She later encountered an exiled Zakuulan naval officer Koth Vortena, who defected following the Occupation of Denon along with his crew. Beniko and Vortena spend a lot of time opposing the Eternal Empire together, growing to trust each other during their shared experiences on planets such as Arron Prime and Altair 3. Beniko also continued to build a networks of contacts of those determined the oppose the tyrranny of Zakuul from both the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic and obtained a bodyguard droid HK-55 and an astromech droid T7-O1.

Rescue of the Outlander
"The Empire and Republic have all but fallen to the man who imprisoned you. You're our last hope."

- Lana Beniko

Five years after the Assassination of Valkorion Beniko was finally able to learn that her ally who accompanied Darth Marr was frozen in carbonite and kept by Arcann in a secured vault that housed his most prized possessions. Beniko mounted a rescue mission and in 3632 BBY she and T7-O1 infiltrated the Spire while Vortena and HK-55 waited in the shuttle that served as their escape route. Locating her old ally inside Arcann's vault and unfreezing them, Beniko quickly noted that the carbonite freezing process was imperfect and poisoning the Outlander, and quickly administered an antidote just as her ally was thawed out. Almost immediately they were attacked by Skytrooper guards and with no time to explain the full situation, Beniko proceeded to escort her ally to the extraction point while T7-O1 went a separate route to generate false alarms in other sectors. Their escape discovered, the two here pursuited by High Justice Vaylin, Arcann's sister and an extremely powerful Force user. Attempting to cut off their escape route, Vaylin destablized a Sun Generator, forcing Beniko and the Outlander to make their way through a Skytrooper factory. The generator threatened to explode taking innocent lives and the Outlander took a detour to disable it despite Beniko's protests. With Vortena having problems with their escape shuttle, Beniko and the Outlander had to hold their ground against a couple of Knights of Zakuul and were eventually cornered by Vailyn. Beniko prepared to sacrifice herself to buy the Outlander time for escape, but instead they were picked just in time by HK-55 and Vortena in their shuttle.

Vaylin caused damage to the shuttle as it escaped, which required Vortena to put in down, crashing in the Endless Swamp. Beniko stayed behind with Vortena to hide evidence of their crash-landing while the Outlander and HK-55 went ahead to investigate a large technological object. When Beniko and Vortena caught up to their companions, HK-55 informed them that the object was not native to Zakuul and Vortena quickly identified it as the Gravestone, the legendary starship that singlehandedly stood up to the Eternal Fleet. Vortena was convinced that the recent events were a sign that they would beat Arcann, though Beniko disagreed. Leaving Vortena to work on the ship, Beniko and the Outlander ventured back into the swamp to locate fresh drinking water. Beniko used this opportunity to bring her ally onto speed on the past five years of galactic events and the current state of the major organizations. She also confessed that she felt an unfamiliar presense within the Outlander, who shared the suspicion that Emperor Valkorion was still alive within his mind, an act of honesty which Beniko appreciated.

The two then returned to the Gravestone and got working alongside Vortena to repair it, eventually restoring major systems to working conditions. At some point Beniko sent a message to Senya Tirall asking her to join them and provide backup, which proved helpful when their position was discovered by Skytroopers and Zakuulan Knights. Senya arrived to join the defense of the Gravestone mid-fight, in which the Knights used Zildrog's Wedge to isolate Beniko, managing to land a blow on her. Koth and HK-55 arrived to finish off the last of Zakuulan forces and immediately showed hostilities upon spotting Senya, as she had spent years hunting him down back in her days as Knight of Zakuul. With more Zakuulan forces on their way, the group set to getting the Gravestone off the ground, with Beniko and Tirall using the Force to raise the ancient ship from the swamp. As everyone got onboard and the ship left the atmosphere, the Eternal Fleet appeared to intercept them, only for the Outlander to fire the Gravestone's omnicannon, destroying more than two dozen Eternal Fleet warships in a single shot, enabling the Gravestone to jump into hyperspace. Hostilities soon erupted on the bridge as Koth and Senya's past history prevented them from working towards a common goal. Beniko used this time to test her strenght and tend to her wound, asking the Outlander to seek common ground with both Vortena and Tirall. The vessel suffered damage, so the group decided to make a stop at the Asylum shadowport for repairs.

The Asylum
"That shadowport isn't on any chart. It's a haven for refugees fleeing Arcann's forces."

- Lana Beniko

The Gravestone managed to limp and to the shadowport and dock as the Asylum, where Vortena's crew of Zakuulan exiles joined him to work on the ship, while Beniko went to a contact her network by herself. On her way back to the Gravestone she found HK-55 wandering the streets with his most recent memories missing. Vortena informed her that the droid was accompanying the Outlander to a rendezvouz with Tirall's allies and assumed that the turncoat Knight had betrayed them. However, Beniko suspected that the mystery contacts were the most present danger and asked HK-55 for his last location before the memory gap. Beniko rallied Vortena and his crew to that spot, locating a concealed entrance to a hideout of the Scions of Zakuul, where they found the Outlander and Tirall in a standoff with the Scion leader Heskal. Beniko demanded for Heskal and his Scions to out away their lightsabers, which they did as Heskal had no further information to learn from the two, revealing to everyone that Valkorion still lived within the Outlander's mind. Vortena believed that Valkorion's survival meant hope for Zakuul and was excited, while Beniko replied that the Immortal Emperor was a threat to all life in the galaxy and vowed to find a way to extract him from the Outlander's mind. At this revelation, Senya Tirall also confessed that she was Arcann and Vaylin mother, of which Beniko was previously anaware.

Returning to the Gravestone, Koth again expressed hostility at Senya for withholding information. He expressed that restoring Valkorion to the Eternal Throne should be the group's primary goal, to which Beniko again countered that Valkorion was a world devourer. The argument was interrupted by HK-55, who relayed a message from T7-O1 on Zakuul, informing them that the information broker known as "Lady of Sorrows" wished to have a dialogue with the Gravestone's computers. Beniko deemed bringing the "Lady of Sorrows" worth the risk and Senya Tirall volunteered to accompany the Outlander back to the Old World of Zakuul in a shuttle. Before they departed, Beniko asked the Outlander to act as an example for Koth and Senya to cooperate.

Koth Vortena followed Senya Tirall and the Outlander to provide backup and the group successfully made it back, along with T7-O1 and the "Lady of Sorrows", who revealed herself as SCORPIO, an advanced artificial intelligence who was familiar to Beniko from her past work for the Imperial Intelligence. While SCORPIO set to work on the Gravestone, Beniko informed the Outlander of her Imperial and Republic contacts, who were willing to join their resistance against the Eternal Throne. The Outlander was then summoned by Heskal bacj to the Scions' hideout, and Beniko advised her ally to be cautious around Scions, calling the zealots unpredictable.

It turned out that Heskal revealed the Outlander's location directly to Arcann in accordance with a prophecy that he had. The Eternal Fleet emerged from hyperspace and opened fire on the shadowport, and Beniko called the Outlander, who had just escaped a confrontation with Arcann himself in the hideout. Beniko defended the Gravestone alongside Vortena's crew until the Outlander and T7-O1 returned, then informed them that Arcann's forces had taken control of docking clamps keeping the Gravestone in place. The group was ambushed by Vaylin, but her Senya Tirall intervened and engaged her daughter, allowing Beniko and the Outlander to retreat and reunite with Koth Vortena. Beniko volunteered to hold a choke point so that Vortena and the Outlander could reach the Control Spar and disable the docking clamps. There, the Outlander was confronted by Arcann again, who destroyed HK-55 seemingly beyond repair. Despite suffering a great physicall toll, the Outlander managed to release the clamps keeping the ship grounded and escape the confrontation with Arcann alive, returning to Gravestone by shuttle just as the vessel was taking off. The ship escaped from the Eternal Fleet to hyperspace, just as the Outlander collapsed from sustained injuries. Beniko was at her ally's side when they woke up and confirmed HK-55 fate, mourning his loss and threatening to deactivate SCORPIO for demeaning his mode.

Early victories
"It's quite something, isn't it? So much more than the last Alliance we formed. What I suspected when we aligned with Theron, Satele and Darth Marr has borned out."

- Lana Beniko

The Battle of Asylum served as a rallying cry for those who wished to oppose Arcann, and Lana called her multiple contacts from the Sith Empire, the Republic and the criminal underworld to gather on the planet Odessen, a remote and unsettled world which she hand-picked herself for its strong connection to the Force. There she laid foundation of an Alliance against the Eternal Empire, putting aside the past hostilites of the Galactic War to free the galaxy of Arcann's tyranny. Beniko publicly made the Outlander into the Commander of the hew Alliance, herself becoming the Commander's right hand and most trusted advisor. Some of the most prominent faces who decided to join the new Alliance included former Republic Admiral Bey'wan Aygo, a legendary smuggler Hylo Visz, a Hutt scientist Juvard Illip Oggurobb and her old associate Theron Shan, who by that point had broken ties with the Republic SIS. Lana and Theron took time to reminiscense on their past together, with Theron jokingly offering to recruit the Order of Shasa, while Lana stated that she would rather let galaxy fall than ally with Rishi's Corellian Run Scoundrels. Lana personally asked the new Commander to recruit Sith Empire's Major Pierce, whose talents were wasted at his current posting on Dromund Kaas.

The new Alliance made several bold strikes against the Eternal Empire, which attracted new members and volunteers. On Theron Shan's suggestion the Commander recruited Kaliyo Djannis, an experienced anarchist known as "Firebrand", who survived on Zakuul for two years. The Commander also assisted Republic Special Forces Division Havoc Squad under Major Aric Jorgan in wire-tapping a Zakuulan listening post in the Eternal Swamp, a missing for which Lana and other Alliance members provided a major distraction. Combining the information from the new sources allowed SCORPIO to reveal the existence of the GEMINI frequency, by the means of which Arcann controlled the Eternal Fleet. The Alliance planned an attack on the Hyperwave relay station hidden ten kilometers beneath the Spire on Zakuul and connecting the Eternal Throne to the Eternal Fleet, sending the Havoc Squad and Kaliyo Djannis on the mission, one of them providing a diversion for the other's main objective. Before the Commander could depart to lead them, Beniko suggested to contact Valkorion on how to best infiltrate the facility he had build. Unfortunately, the Commander decided to do so in Odessen wilderness, where Valkorion tested them for a prolonged period of time before the Commander could return to the Alliance base. The Alliance had no choice but to proceed with the mission regardless and in the process the contact with the infiltration team was lost, prompting the diversion team to attempt a rescue. At that point, the Spire went into full lockdown with no tranmissions coming in or out, making any rescue attempt all but impossible and leaving the Alliance leadership no choice but to wait.

Relaxing in the Alliance cantina, Lana Beniko engaged in a game of Holo-Sabacc with Theron Shan, Koth Vortena and Gault Rennow, a former partner of Hylo Visz. Beniko attempted to read the Devaronian's mind but all she saw was a series of clouded images, enabling him to beat her at cards. Gault then approached the Alliance leadership with a proposition to raid the Gilded Star, an Eternal Empire treasury ship hiding in the atmosphere of the gas giant Vandin. Strained for funds, the Commader agreed to the plan and accompanied Gault to Vandin along with Lana Beniko, Theron Shan, Senya Tirall and SCORPIO. Bringing in his partner Vette and an identity slicer Dretcher, Gault outlined his plan to infiltrate the ship and sabotage a warhead inside its reinforced vault, vaporizing its contects so that they could be siphoned away from the ship. The heist went mostly as planned, as Lana and Theron piloted the tanker ship and made a safe getaway, while those aboard the Gilded Star itself were picked up by Hylo Visz. Returning to Odessen, Gault and Vette expressed their desire to join the Alliance, but the celebration was interrupted by the return of Aric Jorgan and Kaliyo Djannis, who managed to escape Zakuul with a database on the GEMINI droids, although four of Havoc Squad's six members were lost in the process. Hoping to salvage this fiasco, Beniko ordered SCORPIO to analyze the data archive.

The GEMINI trap
"It is your destiny to defeat Arcann. Mine is to get you there."

- Lana Beniko

SCORPIO revealed to the Alliance leadership that the GEMINI droids were produced from a template called GEMINI Prime in a weapons factory on Darvannis. Obtaining the Prime could be the key to take over the GEMINI and the Eternal Fleet, but Beniko noted that the factory had tunnels running kilometers deep and the Alliance did not yet have enough forces for a major assault. Theron Shan responded by calling in a favor to Shae Vizla, now holding the title of Mandalore the Avenger. Vizla's Mandalorian clan was itching for both payback against the Eternal Empire and a chance to re-arm themselves with the spoils from Darvannis factory and provided enough distraction for Commander to infiltrate the factory and retrieve the Prime. During the raid on Darvannis Beniko contacted the Commander and passed on detailed schematics of the factory obtain by Theron to help with the assault, while also cautioning the Outlander regarding a long-term alliance with the Mandalorians, comparing them to wild animals craving violence.

With GEMINI Prime in her possession on Odessen, SCORPIO was able to analyze the template and easily crack the droid's internal protocols due to their similar designs. SCORPIO explained that by plugging the Prime into the captain's console on any warship in the Eternal Fleet, she would be able to take control of the entire network, and with it the Eternal Fleet. Identifying a lone warship scheduled to recharge its hyperdrive as their target, the Alliance leadership moved to intercept it. Koth Vortena piloted the Gravestone to the location of the Eternal Fleet warship and SCORPIO confused its targeting systems while Theron Shan piloted a shuttle inside its hangar. Inside, the GEMINI captain noted their presense and separated the Commander and SCORPIO from Lana, Senya and Theron. While making their way to a rendezvous point, the three found that the ship was transporting prisoners for Arcann to interrogate - Imperial Admiral Zasha Ranken, Republic Senator Tai Cordan and Zakuulan holostar-in-exile Malita Tal. By the time the Commader could rejoin them, SCORPIO apparently was destroyed in her attempt to override the GEMINI captain. Lana and Theron escorted the freed prisoners to the escape pods, as Senya and the Commander confronted and defeated the GEMINI captain. The GEMINI however, revealed their sabotage to Emperor Arcann and transferred her conciousness into the frequency, triggering the ship's self-destruct. One of three escape pods was destroyed and the Alliance could barely manage to escape the destruction in time. As Arcann and Vaylin arrived with the Eternal Fleet, the Gravestone managed to escape to hyperspace, while GEMINI Prime has completely shut itself down. SCORPIO then contacted the Alliance and revealed that she faked her death, using the GEMINI network to transport herself to Zakuul, where she took control of the Eternal Throne.

Returning to Odessen, the Alliance learned that a portionf of the Eternal Fleet remained under Arcann's control and that SCORPIO revealed to him the location of the Odessen base. With Eternal Fleet on its way, the Commander left behind some forces in case of a ground assault, while taking the fight to Arcann from the Gravestone. As the battle of Odessen began, Beniko determined that the only way to ensure safely of the Alliance was to annihilate Arcann's Eternal Flagship. Lana, Senya and some others accompanied the Commander in the infiltration of the flagship, where Senya was separated from them by Vaylin. As they made their way to confront Arcann on the bridge, Lana was informed by Theron that the rest of the Eternal Fleet had turned on Arcann as well, targeting the Arcann's flagship to eliminate both him and the Commander in one fell swoop, which Lana recognized as SCORPIO's true plan from the start. Reaching the bridge, Beniko stayed behind to deal with a squad of Zakuul Knights, leaving the Commande to confront Arcann alone. By the time Commander informed her that Arcann was finished, Beniko and the rest of the infiltration team were in the hangar prepared to leave, though there was no sign of Senya Tirall. As the ship was coming apart, Beniko and her team commandeered a Zakuulan shuttle while the Commander narrowly escaped in a Zakuulan starfighter. On their way back to the Gravestone, Senya contacted them and revealed that she was alive and so was Arcann, whom she was taking away in the hopes of redeeming, before she escaped into hyperspace aboard Arcann's personal shuttle. With little time to focus on Senya's betrayal, Lana reminded eevryoone that the Eternal Fleet was still their primary concern, at point which the Gravestone fired the omnicannon on the Eternal Flagship, creating a massive explosion that wiped out the present portion of the Eternal Fleet. Back on Odessen, Beniko assured the Commander that despite the betrayals they've endured, the Battle of Odessen had become the rallying point the Alliance needed for all the forces seeking to oppose the Eternal Empire, swelling their ranks and giving them the capability to repel future invasions.

The continued fight
"Alliance Intelligence won't stop hunting Arcann. We will find him."

- Lana Beniko

With Arcann gone, his sister Vaylin allied with SCORPIO and proclaimed herself the new Eternal Empress, carving a path of destruction across the galaxy in search of her family. Her search led her to Voss, where she launched an all-out attack to draw her family out of hiding. The Alliance fleet moved to intercept and engage the Eternal Fleet, while Beniko piloted a Zakuulan shuttle carrying the Commander and Torian Cadera who led a squad of Mandalorian warriors down to the planet surface to break the siege of the capital city of Voss-Ka. Engaging Skytroopers throughout the burning city, Beniko and the Commander attempted to beach the northern city plateau before it was completely destroyed, then made their way to the Tower of Prophecy, where Theron Shan had been waiting for them. After defending their position from Vaylin's Horizon Guard, they received a holotransmission from Senya, who was at the Shrine of Healing hoping the Voss Mystics would heal her son's body and spirit and pleaded for the Alliance's aid, believing Arcann would join their fight. Agreeing that Arcann had to be neutralized one way or another, Beniko led the Mandalorians towards the Shrine while the Commander and Theron separately rode Torian's walker Storm Rider through the Old Paths. By the time they reached Senya's position, she had already ordered the Mystics to use her strength to heal her son in a Voss healing ritual, which let her comatose. The Commander and Beniko chased escaping Arcann to his shuttle, but were too late to stop his departure. By this point Vaylin has ordered the Eternal Fleet to burn her family regardless of casualties on Voss, but the battle was turned by the arrival of the Imperial fleet, which turned the Eternal Fleet away.

Sith Empress Acina then greeted the Alliance Commander and invitied them to Dromund Kaas to discuss a potential alliance against Vaylin. Beniko deemed that the trip should be interested in any case, as she was away from the Sith Capital for a number of years by this point. On Dromund Kaas the Commander, Lana Beniko and Theron Shan were greeted by Gelmid Lorman, who introduced himself as the new Minister of Logistics when Beniko addressed him by his old title of Moff. Lorman escorted them to Acina, who insisted on speaking with the Commander privately on her personal shuttle. The Commander agreed, leavingLana Beniko and Theron Shan behind to keep an eye on Lorman. Beniko set to meditate while Theron sliced the Imperial databanks and later told him to stop when she sensed someone approaching. Lorman informed them that the Empress's shuttle had crashed in the wilds and was possibly vaporized, with its emergency beacon not responding, coming to the conclusion that both the Empress and the Commander were dead, which Beniko found to be impossible. Though the two advisors decided to investigate the crash, Lorman insisted that a hazardous storm in the vicinity of the crash that would make that impossible. As they waited, Lana and Theron were contacted by former Republic Supreme Chancellor Leontyne Saresh, who expressed her condolences and offered to take over the leadership of the Alliance. Lana reminded the Twi'lek that her term as a Chancellor was already over, while Theron insisted that the Commander was still considered missing and thus refused her offer. After Saresh signed off, Beniko decided to forgo the risk of traversing the storm and go search for the Commander. On their way there were informed by Bey'wan Aygo that Saresh had already arrived on Odessen, taking advantage of the disarray among the Alliance forces over the Commander's supposed demise. Leaving the turbolife, the two were held at blasterpoint by a trio of Imperial troops sent by Lorman to stop them. Beniko and Shan easily took care of them before answering a call from a holotransmitter on one of the troopers. On the other hand was Lorman, who was working alongside Saresh and the GenoHaradan in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the Commander and the Empress, who by now had cornered their pursuers. After quickly informing them about Saresh's machinations, Lana and Theron quickly followed the Commander to Odessen, Saresh was making a speech in front of the Alliance personnel. Beniko personally cut off her way of escaping and the Commander ordered her imprisoned, to Theron's approval.

Re-discovery of Iokath
"Despite all we've endured, we're stronger than ever."

- Lana Beniko

However, even though Saresh was neutralized, the chaos she caused was used by SCORPIO and Vaylin to secretly board and take over the Gravestone. Koth Vortena escaped capture and provided the Alliance base to his coordinates, with the Alliance fleet moving to intercept. Beniko accompanied the Commander to the Gravestone in a boarding pod and helped dispatch skytrooper patrols along their way to Vortena. Koth revealed that Vaylin's forces took over the bridge and now risked triggering the quantum bomb that he installed as a precaution against SCORPIO. Lana let Koth and the Commander disarm the bomb fuses, while she went to distract Zakuulan patrols throughout the ship. Figuring that Vortena was not alone, Vaylin went ahead and cornered Beniko in the Dark Sanctuary section of the ship. The Commander and Vortena arrived in time to save Beniko from Vaylin's lightsaber, but their fighting still triggered the bomb. About to strike the Commander, Vaylin suddenly turned and fled, giving Vortena the necessary time to disarm the bomb. Vortena ordered his crew to evacuate in an escape pod, just as Theron Shan brought Kaliyo Djannis, Aric Jorgan, Torian Cadera and Vette as reinfocements by landing an Alliane shuttle inside the hangar. At this point, SCORPIO took over control of the Gravestone, sending it towards an unknown location and locking the hyperdrive. Converging on the bridge, Alliance forces witnessed as the vessel jumped out of hyperspace in an unknown system, surrounded by the entirety of the Eternal Fleet. SCORPIO left the ship in her shuttle and Vaylin threatened the lives of the crew again, but could not nothing as a blinging white light engulfed the ship.

Alliance members found themselves on the surface of the strange world that computers called Iokath, separated from each other and placed in scenarios that resembled combat simulations. Theron Shan managed to get his cybernetic implant working, contacting everyone and directing them to a structure called the Tributary, as they became aware that not only Vaylin, but every Zakuulan and GEMINI droid from the Eternal Fleet found themselves in a similar situation as well. When every Alliance member from onboard the Gravestone got back together, their position in the Tributary came under attack from local hostile droids, forcing them to find another way out of it. The Commander and Vette went ahead, while the rest eventually followed, meeting them at a disabled colossus droid. There, Theron realized that even though he was unable to locate the Gravestone, he could still use his implant to remotely polit the Alliance shuttle that was left in its hangar. To provide themselves with a distraction from the droids outside, the team repaired the colossus droid, leaving the Commander to pilot it against its much weaker, but more numerous brethren. With everyone safely onboard, the shuttle that Theron landed on the Tributary roof took off. However, before they could leave, SCORPIO contacted the group and revealed that ARIES, the droid that controlled Iokath, raised an energy shield that would destroy any vessel attempting to leave. With ARIES re-charging the weapon that incapacitated them to begin with and promising to use on a lethal setting, the only way out was to stop ARIES. SCORPIO revealed that ARIES base was located in the southern hemisphere and Theron dropped off the Commander and Vette there to deal with ARIES, while the rest went to reclaim the Gravestone based on the shuttle's last known location. SCORPIO herself arrived to help the Commander defeat ARIES, who repaid her by letting her conciousness merge with Iokath, removing her from a list of galactic threats. However, the capacitors on ARIES' weapon overloaded, threatening the cover the entire world with a pulse of deadly radiation. The Gravestone just barely managed to escape to hyperspace, as did Vaylin with most of the Eternal Fleet, but Iokath remained inaccessible for the time being.

Returning to the safety of Odessen, Beniko assured the Commander that the Alliance was sronger than ever, with Gravestone secure and SCORPIO out of the picture, though she transmitted schematics on further upgrading the Gravestone with Iokath technology. Alliance Intelligence continued to search for Arcann, but was unable to locate a solid lead amidst the numerous rumours. Beniko also finally asked the Commander what exactly caused Vaylin to flee back onboard the Gravestone, to which the Commander replied that Valkorion shared him them a code phrase "Kneel before the Dragon of Zakuul" that when spoken triggered Vaylin's conditions and made her powerless to strike.

Moving against Vaylin
"This world is unnatural. Like the Force is hollow."

- Lana Beniko

An opportunity to use Vaylin's newfound weakness presented itself when Indo Zal, an Alliance sympathizer who previously helped T7-O1 contacted the Alliance and informed them about the upcoming Grand Festival of Empress Vaylin, where the Empress planned to execute a host of Zakuulan rebels. Indo proposed to provide disguises for the Alliance to infiltrate the party, then cause a revolt among the prisoners, causing enough chaos for the Commander to get close to Vaylin and activate her conditioning. Theron Shan vouched for Indo and volunteered to accompany the Commander inside the Palace of the Eternal Dragon, while Lana Beniko and T7-O1 provided remote support from a shuttle that served as their getaway vehicle. The Commander's confrontation with Vaylin was interrupted by Arcann, who arrived with a group of his loyalists, intending to reclaim the Eternal Throne from his sister. However, the Commander found that Arcann was indeed healed on Voss, no longer consumed by hate and anger he offered to join the Alliance and attempt to atone for his crimes. Though Vaylin escaped to her flagship and ordered the Palace bombarded to rubble, Beniko arrived with the shuttle just in time to get the Commander, Theron Shan and Arcann to safety.

Upon their return to Odessen, Arcann was initially treated as enemy by the Alliance personnel, many of whom suffered under his rule for years and joined the Alliance to oppose him in a first place. However, the Commander insisted that having the former Eternal Emperor on the side was good for both the morale and for putting additional pressure on Vaylin. The Commander soon learned from Valkorion of Nathema, a dead world where Vaylin's conditioning took place and where she was now returning to break it. Theron piloted the Commander's shuttle to Nathema, and Lana began feeling the effects of the Force void before even setting foot on the planet. Even Valkorion found his power diminished in this place, though he promised to shield the Commander and Beniko from its worst effects. Making their way through the planet's surface, left lifeless ever since the Ritual of Nathema over a millenia ago, the Commander and Beniko reached the Sanitarium, the only structure still showing sings of life on the planet, with Vaylin already inside. Dispatching several Horizon Guards, Nathema Zealots and Keepers, the two explored the inner workings of the Sanitarium, learning about Vaylin's past there from holorecording left by Anomid named Jarak. Meanwhile, the ritual to break Vaylin's bonds when out of control, with Vaylin's power vaporising those in her vicinity. Beniko and the Commander came upon Jarak, who offered to take them to a place where they could take shelter. In the Sanitarium's lower levels they reached an Immortal Emperor's vault, where Valkorion stored artifacts even he deemed to dangerous, and barely managed to get inside in time. With not even Valkorion having a power inside and finding the door stuck, Beniko and the Commander went to activate the backup power generator, while Jarak was killed by a vault guardian. Inside, the two made an important discovery of Dramath's holocron, which still housed the essense of Valkorion's father that he killed over 1300 years ago. Dramath told them that the holocron held the power to destroy Vitiate once and for all and the Commander ordered Beniko to take care of it, as soon as they stepped outside Valkorion would have access to his body once again. Eventually unlocking the door that trapped them inside, the two learned from Theron that Vaylin has already left the surface and escaped the Sanitarium so that Theron could pick them up. Before they could rest, they learned from Bey'wan Aygo that Vaylin launched another assault on Odessen.

Returning to Odessen, the Commander, Theron and Lana found the battle already raging on multiple fronts. Theron volunteered to sneak behind the enemy's lines, while Lana and the Commander made their way to the Gravestone, which was still in dry dock, unable to take off until the Iokath upgrades were completed. Commandeering an Eternal Empire Walker, the two made their way through the front lines, eventually meeting Arcann and awoken Senya Tirall at the Gravestone, as it was finally able to take off. Lana went to join the open battle, while the Commander, Senya and Arcann confronted Vaylin at the Alliance base, where Commander was able to land a killing blow on her, though at the cost of one Alliance member's life. The fighting on Odessen was over as Zakuulan forces surrendered en masse, but the war was not, as with Eternal Throne empty the GEMINI Captains have gone rogue, bombarding the capital worlds of Coruscant, Dromund Kaas and Zakuul into rubble. With claiming the Eternal Throne as the only way to stop the destruction, the Alliance leadership departed for Zakuul.

The end of Valkorion
"Empress Vaylin has fallen. In her absence, the Eternal Fleet rampages across the known space, threatening to wipe out all life in the galaxy. There's only one way to stop them: we must seize the throne."

- Lana Beniko

Dropping out of hyperspace, Beniko and the rest witnessed the Spire blockaded by the Eternal Fleet, though Iokath upgrades allowed the Gravestone to breach it. Senya and Arcann volunteered to accompany Commander and the three traveled down to surface in a boarding pod. Making their way to the Spire, they reached the Eternal Throne room, where the Commander claimed it and pacified the Fleet. Valkorion attempted to take over the Commander's body, but with the help of Arcann and Senya and the use of Dramath's holocron he was defeated once and for all, putting an end to his millennia-long existence. The Commander then proclaimed the age of the Eternal Alliance, unifying the military of Zakuul and the Eternal Fleet with the cause of the Alliance as one under their leadership.

The Eternal Alliance was now one of the biggest galactic powers, and as one of its highest-ranking members, Beniko had to contend with new threats from the first hours of its existence. Anti-Alliance uprisings sprung across the galaxy, with Beniko identifying and ordering to neutralize such new threats as Renegade Sith Lords Adacin and Zanisk, former Imperial Intelligence Major Korven and exiled Zakuulan Battalion Commander Tassar.

A traitor close to home
"The choice is your, Commander. Who shall we side with?"

- Lana Beniko

By the time the radiation levels on Iokath had subsided, Beniko personally led an Alliance team to map and claim it for the Alliance. She contacted the Commander and Theron with a status report, which was interrupted by her discovery of Imperial and Republic forces on Iokath, who shot her droid C6-X and appeared to be fighting for control over the superweapon. Beniko established a secure area with the Alliance forces at her disposal and detained two emissaries send by the Republic and the Empire - Captain Elara Dorne and Major Malavai Quinn. The Commander and Theron soon joined her on Iokath, though an unknown interference left the Eternal Fleet, now controlled from Odessen, unable to assist. Beniko greeted the Commander back to Iokath and let her captives introduce themselves, before joining in a holoconference with Sith Empress Acina and Republic Supreme Commander Jace Malcom, Theron's father. Both sides arrived on Iokath looking to claim the superweapon and both pleaded the Alliance to join forces against the other. She followed the Commander in the decision that was made, though she was ordered to guard the base, while the Commander and Theron went on the offensive. However, Beniko soon discovered that the ongoing battle for Iokath was orchestrated by an unknown outside party, which leaked identical data regarding the superweapon to all three parties, hoping to lure them in the same place and the same time and restart the Galactic War. Since the Eternal Throne's control over the Eternal Fleet could only be sabotaged by an Alliance member, Lana suspected a traitor in their ranks. The Commander and Theron moved to prevent the superweapon activation and though they were unsuccessful and the legendary Six Gods were awakened, the control over the Eternal Fleet was restored, allowing to push the first of them, Tyth, back. With no way to narrow down the suspects from almost half of the Alliance personnel Beniko asked the Commander to approve full-time surveillance by an independent party, and even though this was denied to her, she promised to find the traitor.

Eventually she found a trail that led to the shadow-world of Umbara, where a transmission with the same encryption as the one from Iokath was detected from a Hovertrain with a large stockpile of Adegan crystals. Lana Beniko, Theron Shan and the Commander traveled there and boarded the train to intercept and stop the traitor. After defeating an Umbaran Shadow Assassin the three reached the empty cockpit of the train, where Theron revealed himself as the traitor, locking the Commander and Lana inside and sabotaging the train to crash before escaping. Managing to bail before the impact and survive the crash, the Commander and Lana pursuit Theron on foot, while also fending off local wildlife. They caught up with Theron, but were unable to stop him before his shuttle left Umbara. Returning to Odessen empty-handed, the Commander ordered Beniko to use every resource at the Alliance's disposal to locate Theron's whereabouts.

Personality and traits
"You're unusual for a Sith. You don't even have a title.''" "Knowledge, answers, truth, the Force: these'' are the things I hold dear. Titles don't interest me."

- The Outlander and Lana Beniko

Lana Beniko had a very unusual personality for a Sith Lord. She spoke in a very serene and considerate manner, and possessed a keen mind with a preference to analyze the problem rather to charge it head on. She was a patriot of the Sith Empire and seemed to care more about its safety than her own goals or achieving new titles. She frequently used the saying "May the Force ever serve you (sever you well)" when addressing people she respected. As the advisor to Arkous, she felt bad when her suspicious of him turned true, and even years later would remember him, wishing that Arkous could see what she had become. Her patriotism made her pragmatic enough to ally with unlikely individuals against the threats to the Empire. She genuinely grew to care for her friends on both sides and would show worry when they were in danger. Unlike practically every other Sith, Beniko held no disdain for non-Humans, people without Force-sensitivity and even loyal citizens of the Galactic Republic, neither did she have the urge to remind them of their place. Her outward appearance showed little to no effect of Dark Side corruption apart from the yellow eye irises and she possessed a healthy sense of humor, free from sadistic tendencies typical of Sith. She easily fit with unlikely companions for weeks, it took the combined force of an extremely stressful situation and constant annoyance to get her to even raise her voice; a situation most Sith would choose to settle with either a Force-choke or their lightsaber. Despite all this, Beniko was able to make hard decisions and remained a loyal Imperial even after she was branded a traitor and refused an offer to defect to the Republic. Beniko sincerely regretted when Theron lost his trust in her after Rishi, she parted with him on good terms though she already prepared to made his life difficult in her new role at the Sith Intelligence. Her calm outward demeanor was also contrasted by her prowess in combat, and she had no qualms of using Force lightning against Revan during the fight.

The stress of her new post as a Sith Intelligence Minister combined with the power Vitiate displayed on Ziost took a tool on Lana, visibly wearing her out. She put her trust in Rane Kovach and when his betrayal was revealed to her, immediately ordered his death, attempting to Force-choke him when her order was denied. Though Theron still mistrusted her, she had no problem working with him to stop Vitiate. She became angry when he refused to let her experiment on Master Surro, though only because she believe sacrificing her life could help save the entire galaxy from annihilation by Vitiate. Despite being a patriot, she abandoned the Sith Empire after the Zakuul–Imperial treaty and went to search for her old ally in the Wild Space, believing from their past efforts that they were the only person capable of stopping Arcann. She made multiple friends and contacts during her years in Zakuulan space, enough that when called upon enough showed up to start the Anti-Zakuulan Alliance. Lana worked alongside Koth Vortena for years, growing to genuinely like and trust him. Although not violent or cruel by nature, she was prepared to sacrifice the innocent when she believed the fate of the entire galaxy to be at risk, at evidenced by her desire to experiment on Master Surro and to let the Sun Generator on Zakuul explode to cover their escape. Despite leaving the Sith Empire behind, she still thought of herself as Sith, taunting the Zakuulan Knight Tanek that the Knights were never taught to properly channel their anger like she was. After becoming the master of HK-55, Beniko had become quite attached to the bodyguard droid and when SCORPIO insensitively labeled the HK-series droid to be inferior, she threatened to deactivate her. Beniko was initially saddened to see HK destroyed during the Battle of Asylum, but happily embraced its ultimate reconstruction at the hands of Juvard Illip Oggurobb.

In the early days of the Alliance, Lana acted as a voice of reason, trying to settle the petty disputes and past grievances, such as those between Koth Vortena and Senya Tirall or between Theron Shan and SCORPIO. She was always wary of SCORPIO and showed no sign of sorrow at her supposed death, but was nevertheless unable to foresee the depth of SCORPIO's deception. Putting her trust in the Commander, Beniko expected trust in return and did not take lightly to being lied to. Protective of the Commander, she promised to tear the Scion Sanctuary should something happen to him and was extremely worried when the Commander was trapped in Odessen wilderness by Valkorion. When the Commander took harsh actions against the traitors, Lana always stood by their side, even if she brought the people in question in to begin with. She tolerated ruthless decisions only if they were pragmatic, and was quick to point out when mindless violence only led to more problems down the line.

Behind the scenes
Lana Beniko is a character in Star Wars: The Old Republic voiced by English actress Lydia Leonard. First appearing as part of the Forged Alliances storyline in game update 2.7, released in April 2014, she played a major role in every subsequent expansion and story update, becoming one of the most prominent NPCs in-game. She serves as the mission control for the player during the four Forged Alliances flashpoints, the Temple of Sacrifice operation, three Uprisings introduced in the Knights of the Eternal Throne and the Odessen Proving Grounds warzone. Lana becomes a companion for the player in the Knights of the Fallen Empire expansion, which signifies the five-year time skip by changing her character model, outfit and hairstyle.

Both male and female player characters of the Republic and the Empire factions have the option to flirt with Lana on several different occasions during the Forged Alliances storyline, potentially leading to a more developed romance and culminating in a passionate kiss at the end of the Shadow of Revan expansion. The player can resume the romance or initiate it from clear slate during the Knights of the Fallen Empire storyline.

Lana remains a critical character throughout the Knights of the Eternal Throne being the Outlander's most frequent companion, particularly on Nathema. In the Light Side path her prominence diminishes slightly during the last two Chapters as Senya Tirall and Arcann accompany the player in the fights against Vaylin and Valkorion. However, if the player follows the Dark Side path, both Senya and Arcann die prior to that and their roles are assumed by Lana and Theron, who will remain by the player's side throughout the showdown with Vaylin and during the final push to the Eternal Throne, and will be the one to broadcast the Outlander's ascension on the HoloNet.

Gameplay alternatives

 * During Legacy of the Rakata flashpoint Lana will ask Imperial players to collect data on the Infinite Army cyborgs for the Empire. If the player refuses, she will lament that it did not matter, as she is now a fugitive and could not hand over the data anyway.


 * On Ziost the player can force Rane Kovach to reveal himself as a mole Leontyne Saresh and either kill him themselves, let Lana Force-choke him or order him to flee. If the player maintains Kovach's identity on Ziost, he can later reveal it to Lana on Vaiken Spacedock after Ziost is destroyed, undermining her faith in her abilities. Player can also let Lana take Master Surro to Empire for experimenting on her brain, to Theron's disapproval.


 * In Fallen Empire Chapter III Lana will insist on leaving the Sun Generator to explode, killing thousands of Zakuuals. If the player picks this Dark Side option, it will affect his conversations with Koth Vortena later on. Player can also let Lana kill Tanek, or order her to let him go, in which case Vaylin executes him for his failure.


 * In Fallen Empire Chapter IV, the player can choose whether or not to tell Lana that Valkorion continues to exist their mind. If the player withholds this information, the truth comes out during Chapter VI, which affects Lana's approval with the Outlander.


 * In Fallen Empire Chapter V, the player can choose to use Valkorion's power and save Lana from a seemingly fatal blow by a Zakuulan Knight. In this case, Lana become greatly concerned by the display of such power, while if the player refuses, she survives with only a minor wound.


 * In Fallen Empire Chapter VIII either Lana or Koth will come to Outlander's aid during the second fight with Arcann, depending on who is romanced or has higher affection. She is alarmed if the player uses Valkorion's power to defeat Arcann or saves the player after being stabbed if the offer is refused.


 * In Fallen Empire Chapter VIII player has to choose between initiating a romance with either Lana, Theron and Koth if they have enough [Flirt] options. Should the player later resume their romance with a returning original companion, they will have to break up with Lana.


 * In Fallen Empire Chapter X if player alienates Koth Vortena into abandoning the Alliance, Lana will attempt to persuade him to stay.


 * In Fallen Empire Chapter XV Lana will become angry if the player lets Zasha Ranken die in favor of saving Malita Tal and Tai Cordan.


 * In Fallen Empire Chapter XVI if player previously alienated Koth Vortena, he will return and steal the Gravestone. Lana will put out a search for him.


 * In Eternal Throne Chapter I player can remain hostile to Senya Tirall. In this case, instead of providing her cover, Lana and the Mandalorian forces will attack Senya, only for the player to arrive and finish her off.


 * In Eternal Throne Chapter III if alienated Koth Vortena tries to make amends, Lana will reply that whatever was between them was over. She will whisper Koth goodbye if the player decides to kill him.


 * In Eternal Throne Chapter VII Lana will strongly suggested player to keep Dramath imprisoned in the holocron. If the player makes this Dark Side choice, the final fight against Vaylin in Chapter IX will be made much easier.


 * In Eternal Throne Chapter VIII if Senya and Arcann were previously killed, Lana will accompany the player all the way through, up to the fight against Vaylin.


 * In Eternal Throne Chapter IX if Senya and Arcann were previously killed, Lana and Theron will accompany the player to the Eternal Throne. They will then hold off the Skytroopers as the player fights Valkorion in their mind, sharing a tender moment when they believe they are making their last stand.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic