Lumiya

"I'm actually more machine than organic... There's a point, I think, at which a woman ceases to be a human with cybernetic implants and becomes a machine with organic parts. I believe I've crossed that threshold.  And you know what? I'm not unhappy with that."

- Dark Lady Lumiya

Lumiya, originally known as Shira Elan Colla Brie, was a female Human dark side adept trained by Darth Vader, and, later, a Dark Lady of the Sith. Lumiya was also known for her use of a lightwhip.

Brie was a member of Imperial Intelligence, and on Vader's orders she went undercover to infiltrate the Rebel Alliance and discredit Vader's son, Luke Skywalker. After Brie had suffered serious injuries due to being shot down by Skywalker, Vader rescued her and had her enhanced with cybernetic parts.

Now calling herself Lumiya, she was secretly instructed in some Sith lore by Vader and was offered to Palpatine as an Emperor's Hand. After the deaths of Palpatine and Vader at the Battle of Endor, Lumiya proclaimed herself Dark Lady of the Sith. She went on to turn and train Jacen Solo as a Sith and inflame the Confederation-Galactic Alliance War before falling to the lightsaber of her former lover, Luke Skywalker in 40 ABY, enabling her apprentice, now Darth Caedus, to fully inherit the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith.

Early life
Born on Coruscant, Shira Elan Colla Brie was raised on an estate belonging to Palpatine, and as a teenager lived in the Imperial Palace as part of COMPNOR's adolescent indoctrination program. Shira came to learn and accept the Galactic Empire's New Order doctrine.

Shira began her service to the Galactic Empire as a pilot trainee at the Coruscani Pilot Institute, where she became friends with fellow Cadet Myrette Davani (though Davani's mother thought Shira was "a snob"). Six months after the Battle of Yavin, during her final year, Shira transferred to the Academy of Carida to complete her training. There, Davani was her roommate and underwent much of the same training.

In addition to her field and pilot training, Brie came under the Force tutelage of Darth Vader, who had placed her in accelerated training for Imperial Intelligence after first sensing her Force potential. She was also trained in numerous forms of combat, including Echani and Noghri Stava. In addition, Shira underwent numerous biological alterations to her body's defenses, giving her accelerated healing and a high pain threshold.

While at the Academy, Shira got her first taste of destruction and was given free reign to test her budding powers. An example of this was the incident where, while testing MT-STs, her walker was equipped with actual lasers as opposed to training ones; Brie ended up killing six students and destroying a dozen of the MT-STs, and was never as much as investigated by the Academy staff. In another incident, recounted in one of Myrette Davani's personal letters, the two cadets spent a night on the town to celebrate their impending graduation. Davani claimed that when a Caridan asked to buy them a drink, Shira turned him down and caused the man to fall unconscious without touching him.

Imperial Spy


Following her graduation with top honors from the Academy, Vader arranged with Intelligence Director Isard to send Shira on a solo intelligence mission. She proved herself on that mission, and reached the rank of Major. She was then dispatched by Vader to infiltrate the Rebel Alliance and eliminate Luke Skywalker, or discredit him in the eyes of the Alliance. Imperial forces razed the city Chinshassa&mdash;already resistant to Imperial rule&mdash;on planet Shalyvane to provide a background cover story for her, and she used as her alias the shortened version of her name: Shira Brie. Posing as a Shalyvane refugee, she accomplished her infiltration with ease, due in part to the Alliance's desperate need for fighter pilots following the Battle of Hoth. While serving with the Rebels, Brie would work alongside Kyle Katarn, Corwin Shelvay, and Erling Tredway on a mission to D'rinba IV to disable the superlaser of the second Death Star.

Shira was assigned to Rogue Squadron and served at Haven Base on Arbra. Her vivacious beauty and intelligence made her a popular member of the Alliance. She struck up a friendship with Luke Skywalker, and made it obvious that she wanted to be more than a friend. It was a relationship that Luke, as well, seemed willing to pursue. When Luke headed to Bespin to check up on Lando Calrissian, who had not yet reported back to Arbra since he returned to Cloud City, Shira volunteered to join him.



Once there, the Rebel pilots helped Lando to liberate the city from Imperial forces. On a subsequent mission to Spindrift, Shira remained close by Luke's side. She often called Luke "Ace," her own personal nickname for him.

After the battle at Spindrift, Shira requested leave to return to Shalyvane, ostensibly to honor her family who, she alleged, had been killed in the Imperial attack on her home. As the precise coordinates of Arbra were known only to a few in the Rebellion, she required an escort from Skywalker as well as two other members of Rogue Squadron, Hanc Thorben and Wald. While on Shalyvane in the capital city of Chinshassa, Brie privately approached the Circle of Kavaan to perform what she claimed was a blood-ritual in honor of her fallen family, but her blood was actually a trigger for a hidden communication device; she was secretly contacting Darth Vader. But during the ceremony she and the rest of Rogue Squadron were attacked by a horde of Em'liy, the native species of Shalyvane. Using her knowledge of the underground drainage system, Brie made her way past the Em'liy to her X-wing fighter and piloted it back to the scene of the battle, strafing the attackers from above, and saving her fellow squad members from certain death.



In recognition of her heroic actions Princess Leia Organa presented Brie with the Burdine Cluster and promoted her to the rank of Captain, in a ceremony held in Haven Base's immense Great Hall, with many of the Rebel stationed on Arbra in attendance.

Members of Rogue Squadron were assigned to covertly attack an Imperial fleet and destroy a captured teezl, a luminous being whose special abilities would have given the Empire an advantage in galactic-wide communication. As part of the mission, Brie, Skywalker, Thorben, and Alph were chosen to pilot modified TIE fighters first used at Spindrift and infiltrate the armada. As the final preparations for the mission were made, Shira confided in Luke that she was afraid they might not survive, and surprised him with a kiss.



During the battle, the Imperials used the teezl to prevent the Rebels from signaling each other, thus they were unable to determine friend from foe. As Skywalker approached the primary target, another TIE moved into his line of fire. Unable to use his signaling device to determine if the TIE was a Rebel, he relied on sensing through the Force&mdash;which led to the unexpected result of shooting down Brie. When he returned to base after completing his mission, Leia revealed to Luke that Thorben's fighter camera recorded visual proof that Skywalker had fired on Brie, presumably killing her. Due to the undeniable evidence against him, as well as Brie's tremendous popularity among her comrades, Luke was stripped of his commission until an investigation and trial could be held.

However, Skywalker enlisted the help of Chewbacca and together they secretly went to Shalyvane to determine the truth behind Shira's past. He returned to the Circle of Kavaan to enact the same blood-ritual he saw Shira perform earlier, but when his blood contacted the altar, the communication device displayed a hologram of Darth Vader, who revealed that Brie's true purpose was to kill Luke, or failing that, to discredit him with the Rebellion so that he would join Vader. But, undaunted, Skywalker went to Krake's Planet, home of an Imperial data vault where he was able to infiltrate the vault and obtain proof of Brie's true mission, clearing himself of the charges against him.

Resurrection


"Don't put it past Lumiya to engineer events to serve her purposes."

- Luke Skywalker

It was thought that Brie had perished in her fighter's crash; but she had survived due to her biological modifications and unknown to most, Vader had her damaged body nursed back to life and enhanced with cybernetic parts, giving her the ability to fire energy blasts from her hands. Now, taking the name Lumiya, she was taken further under Vader's tutelage and was instructed by him in the more advanced methods of the dark side and even some of the ways of the Sith. Knowing his master would not approve of him taking an apprentice, he presented her to the Emperor as an Emperor's Hand.

Prior to the Battle of Endor, Lumiya had traveled to the planet Ziost to train further in the dark side. When she had learned both her masters had perished in the Battle of Endor, she vowed revenge and claimed for herself the title of Dark Lady of the Sith. While on Ziost, she had constructed her signature weapon: the lightwhip. Crafted from Mandalorian iron and a shard of the Kaiburr crystal, it resembled a lightsaber, but with the ability to flex and move like a leather whip. Lumiya then set out to take revenge upon the Alliance.

Shortly after, Lumiya begun training a young stormtrooper from Belderone named Flint as her Sith apprentice. She then sent Flint, now calling himself the Dark Lord of Belderone, to oversee the subjugation of the planet Naldar. When Luke Skywalker later managed to turn Flint back to the light, Lumiya was furious enough to order the execution of her former apprentice. When the attempted execution failed, she then decided to cut her losses and set about consolidating her forces.

Nagai-Tof Conflict
Lumiya controlled some Imperial forces (including a contingent of stormtroopers), but initially much of the danger she posed came from alliances she had forged with slavers and alien invaders. She had forged an alliance with the Near-Human Nagai race and set up their mutual headquarters on the planet Kinooine.

"Run back to your friends, little Leia…but you have worse things to worry about than stormtroopers. Before long, you and everyone you hold dear will learn just how 'pretty dangerous' a foe I can be."

- Lumiya

After posing as a cyborg and being assigned as the head of planetary security on Herdessa, she encountered Princess Leia Organa and Mon Mothma and was narrowly prevented from capturing them. She then ordered a kidnapping attempt of a Rebel Alliance diplomatic gathering on Kabray and allowed Luke Skywalker to track her to Kinooine. Upon arriving on Kinooine, Skywalker discovered that Lumiya had allied her forces with the Nagai invaders.



Initially, Lumiya triumphed over Skywalker and his companions Dani and Kiro, and she revealed that the reason for her success was that Skywalker's Jedi training prepared him for energy weapons or solid weapons, but not both. After being rescued by Kiro, Skywalker constructed a shorter lightsaber with a synthetic red blade—a shoto. He confronted Lumiya again and defeated her, shredding her cyborg armor and revealing the scarred face of Shira Brie.

"I will spit on your grave, as I will spit on your friend, Skywalker's, after I have seen him bereft of hope, of even the will to live."

- Lumiya

Luke tried to reason with her, telling her that his father, Darth Vader, had turned away from the dark side and that she could, too. The arrival of the entire Nagai fleet on Kinooine forced Luke to abandon Lumiya, recover Dani and flee the planet.



Lumiya continued to harry the Rebel Alliance, launching a two-pronged assault on their capital world of Endor. Using an inside agent&mdash;the half Nagai, half Corellian Bey&mdash;they gained the Alliance battle plans and engaged the Alliance with a number of fighter squadrons. Lumiya led these forces personally, reveling in her return as a fighter pilot. A ground force composed of Nagai and Maccabree attempted to kidnap the grounded leadership. This ground maneuver failed, and as the Rebels abandoned their flight patterns, the space battle also began to turn. Lumiya ordered a retreat, although their efforts still caused the Alliance to abandon the planet.

After other engagements on Mandalore and Iskalon, Lumiya and her Nagai allies launched an invasion of Zeltros. Unforeseen by Lumiya, and ultimately fatal to her plans, another invasion force of Tofs—mortal enemies of the Nagai—was also launched. The return of their old enemy caused the Nagai to abandon their alliance with Lumiya and instead join with the Alliance, Empire, Zeltrons, and Hiromi Empire to repel the Tofs.

Abandoned by Flint and the Nagai on Zeltros, and with her plans of destroying the Alliance crumbling, Lumiya lent her support instead to the Tofs, convincing Prince Sereno to ally with her using flattery. Pursued by this new coalition however, Lumiya and the Tofs were attacked on their base planet of Saijo. As this battle too, turned against Lumiya, she tried to exert some personal revenge by shooting Princess Leia. Only an unexpected blast from a Tof—Lumiya's former Nagai agent Bey in disguise&mdash;prevented this, and it was Lumiya instead who was left for dead. With the Tofs surrender, Lumiya's second invasion force had failed. Though she managed to escape and survive, the many betrayals she received only hardened her desire for power.

Later activities


Following the failure of the Tof invasion, Lumiya withdrew into the shadows and set about rebuilding her forces. Within a few months, she had a modest fleet under her command, and Ysanne Isard had assigned her a detachment of the Imperial Royal Guard. In return, Lumiya agreed to investigate Rebel infiltration of Imperial Intelligence facilities in the Cron Drift, and to track down Mara Jade. Lumiya discovered Mara Jade on Caprioril and engaged her in a duel; she was apparently defeated, and both the Empire and the Alliance believed Lumiya to be finally dead. Jade survived to join Talon Karrde's organization a few months later. Around this time, Lumiya had also begun training another apprentice in the ways of the dark side&mdash;one of her Royal Guard detachment, Carnor Jax.



After the incident on Caprioril, little is known for certain of Lumiya's activities. She and Jax slew the Prophets of the Dark Side on Bosthirda that had not been killed by Azrakel. In 10 ABY, she may have been the driving force behind the successful coup which briefly saw Lord Jax and the Interim Ruling Council take control of the Empire; but an unlikely alliance of Kir Kanos and the New Republic saw this plan defeated. In 14 ABY, exacting the revenge she promised years earlier, she killed her former apprentice Flint on the planet Belderone. At some time during this period, she also acquired a Sith Holocron. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, she apparently attempted to steal bafforr pollen samples from Yaga Minor to use against the invaders, and used her fleet to battle the attacking Yuuzhan Vong to a standstill.

It is known that, around the same time, a Force-sensitive female Yuuzhan Vong captured Jedi Master Daye Azur-Jamin on Nal Hutta, and temporarily turned him to the dark side. Azur-Jamin was rescued by Kyle Katarn and Mara Jade soon after the end of the war, and though it remains unknown who had trained the Force-strong Yuuzhan Vong, it is possible she encountered and gained knowledge from Lumiya.

Confederation-Galactic Alliance War
"No, I don't miss my beauty, you fool, because it would have vanished by now anyway. Once I understood that my injuries freed me from worrying about such trivia, I realized that I had a task that only I could fulfull."

- Lumiya



Sometime before the Battle of Ebaq 9 (or possibly before the Yuuzhan Vong War itself), Lumiya had somehow entered into contact with Vergere, a former Jedi Knight and Sith apprentice who had been captured by the Yuuzhan Vong prior to the Clone Wars. After this contact was established, Vergere passed on her view of Sith teachings (influenced by Darth Vectivus, Darth Sidious, and the Potentium) to Lumiya. From these lessons, Lumiya accepted that she was incapable of realizing her full Sith abilities due to her cybernetic additions, but also felt that though powerful in the dark side, Palpatine and Vader had not been true Sith either. Lumiya claimed that together she and Vergere decided on who would become the next Dark Lord of the Sith, evaluating such candidates as Mara Jade Skywalker, her husband the famed Luke Skywalker and Jaina Solo, before finally settling on Jacen. During his capture at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong, Vergere began Jacen's training. After Vergere's death, which transpired in order to ensure Jacen fulfilled his destiny, it would be some time before his training could continue. However as well as Lumiya and Vergere, she was involved in an overall Sith plan, of which she admitted to only having a small role in.

Approaching Jacen Solo
"Don't judge me so soon, Jacen. My history is much like your Aunt Mara's…except she received some lucky breaks I didn't. I took longer to straighten out my life."

- Lumiya

For the purposes of engineering a meeting between herself and Jacen, Lumiya utilized her Force ability to sway the minds of those she required in her plans. One such man was Galactic Alliance Admiral Matric Klauskin, to whom she appeared in the guise of his dead wife, Edela. Lumiya influenced Matric into starting the Confederation-Galactic Alliance War. At the threat of peace talks she worked alongside Thrackan Sal-Solo to interrupt them, manipulating security personnel at the Toryaz Station near Kuat. It was here that she left the Sith prophecy, which would eventually lead Jacen to her.

Lumiya tested Jacen on Lorrd, before revealing herself to him as "Brisha Syo". Lumiya took Jacen Solo, her former lover's son Ben Skywalker, and Nelani Dinn, the Jedi stationed on Lorrd, to Vectivus' dark-side-infused residence near Bimmiel in 40 ABY. Acting under the orders of what was apparently an apparition of a future Sith Lord Jacen Solo, she separated current-Jacen from Ben and Nelani and revealed to him her true identity. She also told Jacen that Vergere had sacrificed herself in an attempt to pass the Sith philosophies through him, should he choose to accept that fact. Denying at first what his instincts told him to be true, Lumiya questioned Jacen's purpose, forcing him to acknowledge his disillusionment with his life as a Jedi. Accepting his destiny, Jacen killed Nelani when she tried to arrest Lumiya—receiving a premonition that her survival would inevitably lead to a fatal confrontation with his former master Luke Skywalker—allowing the Dark Lady to go free. He agreed to Lumiya's suggestion that he needed an apprentice who, unlike Ben, could be molded to Sith teachings.

Exactly how much of Lumiya's story about Vergere, Vectivus, and her own limitations as a Sith are true is currently unknown.

Training the Grandson of Darth Vader
After their original encounter, Jacen summoned Lumiya to Coruscant in order to both answer his questions and test her for her true intentions, bringing her into the Jedi Temple on Coruscant in proximity of her enemy Luke Skywalker. Though disguised, Lumiya proved to him her intentions, passing on an easy attempt to attack and kill Skywalker. Little did Lumiya know that Luke felt her presence and was intent on rooting her out. Lumiya also suggested to Jacen that one part of his training required him to become a Jedi Master, albeit to his surprise. It was only later that she explained one of the lines of the prophecy to him; he will immortalize his love. Lumiya did not know of Solo's relationship with the Hapan Queen Tenel Ka, nor of his child with her, Allana. When she told him that he would have to prove his selflessness by sacrificing one he loved for the good of his destiny, Jacen assumed that he would have to kill his lover and daughter. In reality, Lumiya herself had no idea who Jacen had to kill, as she was only following the will of the Force.

Lumiya did not know of all Jacen's enemies, however. When the Dark Jedi Alema Rar attempted to assassinate him in the depths of Coruscant, she was only barely able to save him, although Alema was successful in killing the World Brain. In order to foment discontent among the Galactic Alliance and Bothawui, she agreed with Jacen to assassinate members of the Bothan True Victory Party, including the Bothan ambassador. In truth, Lumiya kept all records of the killings. They would come in useful later. However, her presence on Coruscant had not gone unnoticed; Luke recognized her presence and warned Jacen.

At another meeting with Jacen, during which his apprentice Ben Skywalker was also present, Lumiya was startled when Alema Rar leapt out of the darkness to assault Jedi Master Tresina Lobi, who had eavesdropped on their conversation in accordance to her instructions from Luke. Alema, who was operating on her agenda to cause grief to Leia Organa Solo, wished Jacen's Sith nature to remain hidden, and thus had attacked Lobi before she could warn Luke. Lumiya joined in the fight, but lost her cybernetic arm to the skillful Lobi. Eventually the two women overpowered her, and Rar decapitated the Jedi Master. Alema agreed to partner with Lumiya, to help Jacen become a Sith and preserve the Balance. Jacen furbished Lumiya with a GAG apartment safehouse and access to various GAG resources, which she quickly covered with traps to kill any infiltrators. She then departed for Hapes with Jacen, who was traveling there in order to investigate an assassination attempt on Tenel Ka. Luke and Mara Skywalker discovered the location of her safehouse and drew the link between her and GAG, but it did not occur to them that she was in league with Jacen.

Hapes and the Duel on Roqoo Depot
She met with Jacen frequently on the Anakin Solo to discuss their plans. Lumiya knowingly agreed to go to the Roqoo Depot in the Hapes Cluster in order to collect Ben. In fact Jacen was setting up a duel between his mentor and Luke Skywalker, as it would benefit him for at least one to be taken out of the equation. Lumiya recognized it as a trap, and rigged a proton bomb on her chest to explode when her life signs terminated. Working with Alema, who was also present, Lumiya strapped a detonator onto the Twi'lek girl as well. Lumiya's hope was that if she did die at Luke's hands, her death would also bring about his. In the hangar bay, Lumiya also revealed to Alema that there was a plan in place to ensure Jacen became a true Sith Lord and implied that there were some Sith still active in the Galaxy other than herself.

At the Roqoo Depot Lumiya did engage Luke and Mara Skywalker, drawing them out by attacking patrons in a cantina. Lumiya's actions at this point are somewhat unclear; her violent demeanour towards Luke was in contrast to her later actions at the Battle of Gilatter VIII. Perhaps the best answer was Lumiya intended to make Luke believe she was a vengeful former lover out to hurt the Skywalkers. Whatever the case, her duel with Luke was ferocious; as Alema and Mara battled in the corridor, Lumiya used Luke's inherent good to distract him with the fates of the cantina patrons, whom she utlilized as human shields. In the face of Luke's use of the Jar'Kai style of shoto and lightsaber to combat her lightwhip, Lumiya was lucky enough to see a distraction as Mara's life was threatened by the poison darts of Alema Rar. She struck swiftly and ensnared Luke with her lightwhip, burning his chest and severing his artificial hand. Luke continued to fight by drawing heavily on the Force, but was disarmed by Lumiya. She began to insinuate that it had been his son Ben who was her connection in the Galactic Alliance Guard. Luke was now at her mercy, but,fearing a trap, Lumiya hesitated long enough for him to grab a blaster from one of her victims and use the Force to guide his hand, shooting her five times in the chest. Mara stopped him from finishing her as she had realized what Alema had been attempting with the proton bomb. Luke left her on the cantina floor, and approximately two minutes after the Jedi fled, the bomb detonated.

Survival and Subversion
"You're stalling. You don't know whether he will be fit to become a Sith apprentice. The time to learn that is now, not when you reveal yourself. You must test him."

- Lumiya tells Jacen Solo to test Ben Skywalker

Lumiya survived the Duel on Roqoo Depot, as many of Luke's shots had hit cybernetic parts. She went into a long healing trance however, as her injuries were still severe. As she healed, Lumiya began more machinations to keep the war flowing. She once again approached the now thoroughly insane Matric Klauskin in the guise as his wife and used him to bring Commenor, his homeworld, onto Corellia's side in the war, but not before she furnished Commenor's president Fyor Rodan that the Galactic Alliance were planning an attack on his world by means of the ambiguous Chasin Document. She also posed as a Hapan, using her knowledge of the murders of the Bothans on Coruscant to tip the already Corellia-sympathetic Bothawui fully onto Corellia's side. The planets, allied with Corellia, were able to break the Galactic Alliance's blockade of Corellia.

She again told Jacen that he needed to choose his Sith apprentice, but only after revealed himself to be a Sith Lord and made his sacrifice. Jacen, who after oscillating somewhat between Ben and other candidates, decided on Ben as his apprentice. Lumiya was somewhat skeptical on the subject, although she agreed and decided to test Ben. Now acting as Jacen, she sent Ben on a mission to recover the Amulet of Kalara on Drewwa, oberserved by her contact, the pirate captain Byalfin Dyur. Lumiya tricked Ben into going to Ziost, and continued to manipulate the entirety of his mission. Her fears were soon justified; disgusted with Ben's choice to save the young girl Kiara, she ordered Dyur to kill Ben. To her surprise the young Jedi survived, returned with the amulet and a Sith Meditation Sphere which Jacen would later give to Lumiya. Before this, however, Lumiya traveled with Jacen undercover on a GA mission to the Gilatter system, in order to ambush the supposed Corellian military summit there. Instead they were ambushed. In the resulting chaos, Lumiya again teamed up with Alema Rar to combat the Masters Skywalker, and Han and Leia Solo, who had arrived to help Jacen. Lumiya and Luke entered into another duel as Mara fought off the Corellian guards, and Alema kept both Leia and Han occupied. In the course of the duel, Lumiya told Luke that she didn't hate him and offered him her hand as a peace offering, which he accepted, feeling no ill from her. Her motives were unclear, but she would later tell him again that she didn't hate him at all. In fact, she was rather disappointed by the fact that he presumed her motive to be that of a jealous former lover.

Her and Luke's reunion proved baffling for Mara, who could not understand their actions. Whatever the case, it was cut short when Alema crashed the Duracrud into the resort satellite they were on. Lumiya escaped in the frantic struggle to get out. After the ensuing Battle of Gilatter VIII, Jacen told Lumiya that he was to make his parents his Sith sacrifice. Lumiya questioned if they would leave a hole in his heart, and told Jacen that they might not be a suitable sacrifice. When he made his final choice for his sacrifice, Lumiya said she'd be waiting.

The Sacrifice
"My work and my life are done, Jacen. I'd really welcome a rest."

- Lumiya's admittance to Jacen before she set off to her final duel.

Lumiya was still unsure, however, over the choice Jacen would have to make, and offered to stall Mara Jade Skywalker as her former colleague began to interfere in Ben's tutelage under Jacen. Lumiya flew with the Sith Meditation Sphere Ben had brought back from Ziost, developing a bond with it, even though it only perceived her as an apprentice herself. She left a pair of Ben's boots as a threat outside the Skywalker apartment, fully earning the wrath of her former lover and his wife. Luke allowed Mara to pursue Lumiya, however. Followed by Jade to the Coruscant moon of Hesperidium, Lumiya was seriously injured by her opponent, saved only by the timely actions of the sentient ship, who perceived the darkness in Mara and did not see at as conducive for two apprentices to duel. Meanwhile Lumiya grew worried by Jacen's constant obsession with securing his hold over the Galactic Alliance, although she did aid him in passing the legislature which would allow him to do so.

However there were developments which were unpredicted by both Jacen and Lumiya. Ben overheard one of their conversations and informed his mother. Mara Jade Skywalker confronted Jacen over his Sith training, and following their meeting Jacen traveled to Hapes in order to meet Tenel Ka and Allana. Lumiya in turn followed him, and was shocked to discover that her pupil had kept his secret hidden for so long. It was not a secret her student was willing to have made public knowledge. He fired on Lumiya in the Sith Meditation Sphere, after she had helped him to disable Jade's StealthX. Jacen left quickly to pursue his persistent aunt to the surface of Kavan. Lumiya survived, but soon had to contend with Ben Skywalker, who had followed her to Hapes using his link with the Sith Sphere as a lead. In fact, Skywalker's bond with the Sith ship was so strong that the ship refused to fire on him. She was forced to follow Jacen down to Kavan, shadowed by Skywalker. Thus at the same time as Jacen killed his aunt in the tunnels, Lumiya and Ben landed side by side on the planet.

Following a short discussion with Jacen on Ziost, Lumiya made plans to admit to Luke Skywalker that she had killed his wife, in order to buy Jacen enough time to complete his destiny and shift attention away from his involvement in the murder. After a short dogfight above Terephon, Lumiya was forced down by her former flame. The two left their respective craft and faced each other on a mesa overlooking a Hapan city. Lumiya professed her murder of Mara, citing the oath she had sworn to the Emperor so long ago as the reason for her actions. Luke came at her, with only his lightsaber. It is unclear as to whether Lumiya took her willingness to die so far as to not fight to her full and dangerous ability. Regardless, the duel was brief; Skywalker had soon forced her back to the edge of the plateau, and her signature lightwhip tumbled off the precipice. As she herself fell, Luke took her hand, straining with all his might to lift her back onto solid ground.

"I'd never let you fall."

- Luke Skywalker

Lumiya's gaze was still locked with that of her old love, as he brought his lightsaber blade around to decapitate her.

Final revenge
"Oaths matter, Luke. They're all you're left with in the end."

- Lumiya's last words.

To Luke's horror, his son Ben revealed that Lumiya could not have murdered Mara, as she had been alongside him as he felt his mother's death. Not only did Luke have to deal with the grief over his beloved wife's death, but now he had to live with the realization that he killed the wrong person. The emotional toll from both were enough to push Luke over the edge.

Shortly after her death, Lumiya's final apprentice, Jacen Solo, took up the title of Sith Lord and the name Darth Caedus.

Personality and traits
Starting her career as a double agent, Lumiya was often manipulative and deceitful, leaving her true personality difficult to know. Her indoctrination at an early age left her completely loyal to the Empire. After joining the Alliance as Shira Brie, her gregarious personality and sharp, sarcastic wit made her popular with the Rebels. Her fearless attitude made her a skilled pilot and soldier. Shira was aggressive and outgoing, and made no secret of her romantic interest in Luke Skywalker. However, much of this identity was likely of Shira's own construction. She also seemed to secretly enjoy trying to create a rift in Skywalker and Princess Leia's friendship.

Upon her return as a self-styled Sith after the death of Vader and Palpatine, Lumiya was bitter and angry, plotting revenge against the Rebels, especially Luke Skywalker. While working with the Nagai she was cold and cruel, finding pleasure in others' pain. Her need for revenge outweighed any loyalties as evidenced by her sudden alliance with the Tofs once the Nagai made peace with the Alliance.

After continuing her work with the remnants of the Empire, years of isolation followed. When she reemerged in 40 ABY, Lumiya claimed that she was no longer full of hatred and out for revenge, though Jacen Solo often questioned her motives. Lumiya showed none of the cruel sadism of the past, instead displaying some shadows of her previous love whenever in Luke Skywalker's presence. Working behind the scenes, she remained as manipulative as ever, but said that her only goal was to serve the cause of the Sith by making Jacen the next Dark Lord. After Jacen agreed to being Lumiya's apprentice, she placed his welfare above her own without hesitation when Jacen's life was at risk. She even went so far as to take Luke Skywalker's hand and claim that she no longer hated him. Lumiya eventually sacrificed her own life, allowing Luke to think she had killed his wife, Mara. While this may prove her interest in the Sith Order over her own life, her final lie to Skywalker led him to kill her for the wrong reasons and left him devastated when he learned the truth. Shortly before her death, Lumiya confided in Jacen Solo that she welcomed it. Lumiya's true intentions may never be known.

Abilities
Shira Brie was trained at the Coruscani Pilot Institute and became one of the program's best starfighter pilots. She was skilled enough to join Rogue Squadron once she infiltrated the Alliance. She was also trained in many combat forms, including Echani and Noghri Stava. Biological alterations enhanced her strength, rate of healing and pain threshold. Darth Vader had sensed Shira's Force potential early in her career. Though the extent of the Force powers she may have had at the time is unknown, she once used the Force to knock a man unconscious. Both her altered physiology and ability to enter a Force healing trance allowed Shira to survive her near-death during the teezl mission.



Lumiya displayed many typical Force powers such as telekinesis and Force Grip. Cybernetic enhancements gave her the ability to fire energy bolts from her hands. During her training of Jacen Solo she was able to mask her identity in the Force so that even Luke Skywalker could not recognize her, though he did vaguely sense her presence. Lumiya was also able to cloud minds, as when she appeared to Admiral Matric Klauskin in the guise of his dead wife. Lumiya was also terribly skilled in the creation of Force Phantoms, which she did against Luke, Ben, and Mara Jade Skywalker, as well as her apprentice Jacen and his former apprentice Nelani Dinn. She was one of the few individuals to use the rare Sith weapon, the lightwhip, one of which she herself built.

In addition to speaking Basic, Lumiya had the ability to speak Bothan, Calamarian and Huttese.

Origins
Shira Brie first appeared in the Marvel Star Wars run as a Imperial agent masquerading as a Rebel pilot. She would later reappear after an apparent "death" as the masked Sith Lumiya.

Shira is a Hebrew name which means 'song'. Shira's last name was spelled "Brei" in her first appearance. In all subsequent appearances "Brie" was used.

Legacy of the Force
In the early stages of planning for the Legacy of the Force series, Lumiya was not included. However, after early drafts had a character similar to her, (titled simply "The Wizard") Lucasfilm Ltd. decided to make her into Lumiya.

The name Brisha is an anagram of Shira B. When the Dramatis Personae for Betrayal was revealed, this led to fans correctly predicting that Brisha Syo was Lumiya, who was known to feature in the series but did not appear on the Dramatis Personae. Lumiya has been listed in the subsequent books in the series.

Appearances

 * Star Wars 56: Coffin in the Clouds
 * Star Wars 57: Hello, Bespin, Goodbye
 * Star Wars 58: Sundown
 * Star Wars 60: Shira's Story
 * Star Wars 61: Screams in the Void
 * Star Wars 62: Pariah
 * Star Wars 63: The Mind Spider
 * The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars 88: Figurehead
 * Star Wars 95: No Zeltrons
 * Star Wars 96: Duel With a Dark Lady
 * Star Wars 97: Escape
 * Star Wars 100: First Strike
 * Star Wars 107: All Together Now
 * Betrayal
 * Bloodlines
 * Tempest
 * Exile
 * Sacrifice
 * Inferno
 * Fury
 * Revelation
 * Revelation