Vergere

"Everything I tell you is a lie."

- Vergere

Vergere was a Jedi Knight and Sith apprentice in the waning years of the Galactic Republic. She was the former apprentice of Thracia Cho-Leem and was instrumental in helping the New Jedi Order defeat the Yuuzhan Vong.

Jedi career
Not much is known of her early life except for an adventure in 33 BBY, when Vergere was part of a Jedi task force sent to Asmeru by Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum to capture the leaders of the Nebula Front.

According to an account given by Lumiya to Jacen Solo in 40 ABY, Vergere was a rogue student, secretly studying sources outside of approved Jedi doctrine. Lumiya claimed that Vergere's studies of other rogue Jedi, including Count Dooku, had led her to Darth Sidious, and at some point between 32 BBY and 29 BBY, Vergere became a student of the Sith Lord. According to Lumiya, Vergere subsequently attempted to kill Sidious when she discovered the extent of his megalomania, but her murder attempt failed, and she was forced to flee from his assassins. It is unknown how much of this account is true, and even if it is broadly accurate in outline, Lumiya may not have told the whole story.

In 29 BBY, the Jedi Council received reports of an attack on a beautiful and mysterious planet called Zonama Sekot which was known for making incredibly fast spaceships. Vergere was sent to investigate by the Jedi Council, a decision she accepted as it would help her escape from Palpatine's killers. When she arrived, she discovered that the alien invaders, the Yuuzhan Vong, who were intent on gaining the secrets of the planet's organic technology, were far stranger than she had expected. The Yuuzhan Vong could not be felt through the Force and like the Ferroan colonists on Zonama Sekot, they used biological technology for ships. On top of that Vergere learned that they were actually from another galaxy.

Vergere learned that the Yuuzhan Vong desired to rule more than just Zonama Sekot: they hoped to control the galaxy. When the Ferroans did not comply with their wishes, the Yuuzhan Vong opened fire on the planet. Realizing that the Galactic Republic and the Jedi were not prepared to fight such powerful creatures, and that she had an opporsunity to escape from Palpatine's grasp forever, Vergere agreed to go with them into their galaxy if they would break off their attack. Amazed by her Jedi talents, which she told them came from Zonama Sekot, they eagerly agreed.

The Jedi Council dispatched Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to Zonama Sekot in an attempt to discover what had happened to her, to no avail. Several years later, the prospect of discovering her whereabouts was part of the impetus that led to the launching of Outbound Flight.

The Yuuzhan Vong
Over the next fifty years, Vergere lived with the Yuuzhan Vong, teaching them about the Republic and the Jedi while secretly building up a collection of information about the extragalactic aliens themselves. Vergere was able to avoid having her Jedi powers detected by the Force sensing Yuuzhan Vong war coordinators, the yammosks, by learning to "make herself small." Vergere would shrink her presence in the Force to a microscopic size, where she was almost undetectable. In this state she could also modify tiny things like molecules. Vergere became a familiar of Yuuzhan Vong priestess Falung, and later of the Priestess Elan. She also destroyed her lightsaber, hiding her affiliation with the Jedi order.

Somehow, during this time, Vergere was able to help train Lumiya in her views of the Sith.

The invasion
When the Yuuzhan Vong decided to begin their invasion of the Galaxy, Vergere traveled with Elan on several missions and continued to aid the Yuuzhan Vong. Vergere was accompanying her mistress on a covert operation wherein Elan allowed herself to be captured by the Republic, claiming that she was defecting from the Yuuzhan Vong ranks, but in reality was preparing to spring a trap on the Jedi. Elan’s fellow Yuuzhan Vong were not informed of her plan and attempted to rescue the priestess.

With her options running out Elan sprang her trap, unleashing a cloud of Bo'tous spores, and adding insult to injury was killed by them. Vergere was able to escape, leaving behind a vial of her tears in the process, which turned out to be successful in slowing the deadly Coomb Spore disease that was affecting Mara Jade Skywalker. One of Vergere’s gifts was the ability to control the molecular structure of her tears, giving her the ability to produce poisons as well as antidotes from her tear ducts.

Jacen Solo
"Vergere sacrificed herself so you could assume the Sith mantle she wanted for you."

- Lumiya

After returning to the Yuuzhan Vong, she rose through their ranks, becoming an advisor to Warmaster Tsavong Lah and an important rival to Nom Anor, whom she was partnered with on a mission to Myrkr to capture the Solo twins. The mission turned out to be only a partial success, as only one of the twins: Jedi Knight Jacen Solo was captured. Vergere took a great interest in the young Jedi, torturing Jacen using the methods of pain that the Yuuzhan Vong had perfected. Through this torture Jacen came to understand the ways and motives of the Yuuzhan Vong. Jacen became Vergere's apprentice, and she passed on to him her unique philosophies and theories in the hope that he would become a Sith who could return true order and stability to the galaxy. Vergere stressed to Jacen the concept that there was no dark side.

The unlikely pair hatched a plan to sabotage the Yuuzhan Vong terraforming of Coruscant. The former city-covered world had been captured by the Yuuzhan Vong and was slowly being transformed into a jungle planet reminiscent of Yuuzhan'tar, the extra-galactic world that the Yuuzhan Vong had originated from. Jacen had established a psychic connection with the World Brain, the controller of the terraforming process, when it had been a seedling. Using this connection the two were able to wreak havoc on the Yuuzhan Vong-held planet and eventually escape Coruscant.

Vergere and Jacen returned to what was left of the New Republic. Suspicious of her motives, the New Republic imprisoned her for a time while they determined whether she was a defector or a spy. During her internment Vergere had several discussions with Jedi Master Luke Skywalker about the nature of the Force and the Yuuzhan Vong. Skywalker wondered why they were seemingly outside of the Force, and whether they deserved the same rights as others. She convinced him that they did, changing some of his opinions concerning the Jedi Order's part in the war. Soon after Vergere was released, she learned of the deadly Alpha Red bio-weapon and destroyed it using the chemical properties of her tears, which led the New Republic to label her as an enemy and force her into hiding.

But Vergere was drawn to Ebaq 9, where Jacen was participating in a hazardous mission against the Yuuzhan Vong. During the Battle of Ebaq 9, Vergere tricked the Yuuzhan Vong into allowing her to get close to their base. Sensing Jacen was in mortal danger she acquired an A-wing starfighter and crashed it on the surface of the asteroid, in the heart of the Yuuzhan Vong’s forces, killing herself along with all of the Yuuzhan Vong, except Warmaster Tsavong Lah, who was defeated in close combat soon after by Jedi Knight Jaina Solo. She appeared to Jacen Solo after her death to comfort him. Vergere and Luke Skywalker believed that he had a special destiny, and that she must aid him in finding it.

Legacy
In 40 ABY, Lumiya told Jacen that Vergere had been a Sith.

Behind the scenes

 * Vergere was created for the NJO, but first appeared in Rogue Planet as a way of linking the Prequel era with the New Jedi Order era.


 * Vergere has become a serious source of criticism over the NJO. Many fans were appalled that a Jedi Knight of the Old Republic would willfully torture anyone, including a fellow Jedi. She has also been criticized over her denial of the dark side, despite what many fans believe is "ample" evidence during the Original and Prequel trilogies. However, Vergere was intentionally created as an unorthodox teacher. Also, many fans point out that she never really encountered an enemy who was truly dark, and that the Yuuzhan Vong, while barbaric, were, at the core, not evil. Vergere herself did regret torturing Jacen Solo, but felt that it was the only way to "teach" Jacen the truth about the Force.

Appearances

 * Cloak of Deception
 * Rogue Planet
 * Outbound Flight
 * ''Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial
 * ''Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
 * Star by Star
 * Traitor
 * Destiny's Way
 * Betrayal