Leonia Tavira

"I would apologize for the means used to get you here, but you'd never accept it, and I never apologize."

- Leonia Tavira

Leonia Tavira was the youngest person, let alone woman, to achieve the rank of Moff in the Galactic Empire.

Biography
Leonia was born into poverty on the planet Eiattu VI, sometime between 18 and 12 BBY. The fear of returning to poverty would drive many of her schemes later in life.

At the age of sixteen she became the mistress of the planet's Grand Moff, Tharil Tavira. After Tavira's wife died under mysterious circumstances&mdash;though some rumors claimed Leonia had a hand in those "mysterious circumstances"&mdash;Leonia married Tharil. Shortly before the Battle of Endor, Tharil suffered a stroke. After fighting for mobility to free him of paralysis, he took a blaster to his head, rather than live a pathetic cripple, though again rumors persisted of Leonia's involvement with Tharil's death. Whatever the cause, Leonia readily took her late husband's place as Moff of Ado Sector. Continuing to sign her reports as "Moff Tavira," Imperial Center never realized the transition.

She soon entered into a relationship with Harran Estillo, the presumed heir to the throne of Eiattu, through whom she controlled the People's Liberation Battalion and could play them off against the aristocratic ruling council, the Priamsta. In fact, this man was an imposter, the true heir being Rogue Squadron pilot Plourr Ilo. When Rogue Squadron managed to defeat the Imperial forces on Eiattu, the imposter's identity was revealed, and Tavira fled the system.



Tavira subsequently retained some influence on Eiattu through continuing contacts with Imperial agent and leading Priamsta member Count Arian Laabann, but although she continued to use the Imperial rank of Admiral, she lost control of her former forces, falling in instead with Kavil and his pirate organization, Kavil's Corsairs. Through Count Laabann, she hatched a plan to capture Princess Leia Organa Solo on a visit to Eiattu, who she hoped to use to win favour with Director of Intelligence Ysanne Isard&mdash;though in reality, her agents inadvertently captured Leia's decoy, Winter, who later escaped Tavira's custody. Later, she attempted to double-cross both Sate Pestage and Ysanne Isard, but Isard's intervention foiled Tavira's plot.

At some later point, she joined forces with High Admiral Teradoc, and acquired the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Invidious, which she used as her flagship. Centered around this, she formed and led the Invids, a loose coalition of pirate bands. Tavira was also able to use the Jensaarai to protect and alert her from detection, making her raids all the more successful.

Following the Battle of Dac, Tavira, operating out of Suarbi 7/5, coerced the Jensaarai into kidnapping Mirax Terrik. This led to Corran Horn initiating a search for his wife, and the Jedi trainee soon fell into Tavira's trap. Leonia's actions, including the destruction of Harmzuay, gained the pirate further respect among the Jensaarai, though her Invid operations suffered when Horn disrupted activities on Courkrus. Eventually, Horn and Luke Skywalker launched a raid on Tavira's fortress on the Suarbi moon. No longer able to fully control the situation, Tavira attempted to destroy the moon to kill the Jedi, but her fleet was attacked by the Backstab and Errant Venture. Corran then used a powerful mind trick to frighten Tavira into believing that a large New Republic fleet, including the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Lusankya and the Sun Crusher, was arriving in the vicinity, and she fled into hyperspace.

No longer able to control the now-free Jensaarai (by Skywalker and Horn), it was presumed that her capture was soon to follow, her power now broken.

Appearances

 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: The Warrior Princess
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Masquerade
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Mandatory Retirement
 * I, Jedi