User:Harrar/Workbench2

"My true name is Shira Brie.''" "But you're better known as Lumiya." "''Yes."

- Lumiya reveals herself to Jacen Solo

Early life
"Graduated with top honors in history of academy. Record unequaled since."

- Excerpt of Brie's Imperial dossier from the Krake Data Vault

Shira Elan Colla Brie was a Human female born on Coruscant, then known as Imperial Center, at the height of the Galactic Empire. A Force-sensitive, Brie's childhood was spent in the Imperial Palace of Emperor Palpatine as an experiment conducted by the Emperor's foremost servant, Darth Vader. Brie's conditioning led her to accept the New Order doctrine of Palpatine's Empire and, with Vader's influence, Brie was fast-tracked for training in the Imperial Intelligence division. She excelled in all aspects of her training, becoming proficient in a variety of exotic martial arts, such as Echani and Noghri Stava. Brie's body was also biologically enhanced; furthermore, her mental faculties were improved by means of mnemonic drug training.

As part of her training in Imperial Intelligence, Shira Brie was enrolled in the Coruscanti Pilot Institute in 2.5 BBY. Holding the rank of cadet, the young Force-sensitive underwent training under Commandant Mogurk. Brie struck up a friendship her fellow trainee and bunk-mate Cadet Myrette Davani, and soon rose to the top of the class. Throughout her three years of training, Brie's instruction under Darth Vader also took place, occurring at night and in utmost secrecy. The Sith Lord's tutelage wearied Brie, but she was able to maintain her position as the best cadet.

Training on Carida
"Shira still hasn't discussed the bug walker incident, and I've stopped pressing her. Nothing like it has happened since. She still spends a lot of time in "private tutoring" that she won't tell me about, though. Frankly, I think she's heading into intelligence. It would explain why more of a stink wasn't made about the accidental deaths of six students, and it would explain her mysterious private training, which always happens at night. Yet in many ways, she's still the same woman I've known for years. Same sense of humor, same brilliant mind, and the same love of practical jokes. But that darkness inside her keeps growing."

- Myrette Davani, who trained alongside Brie

Circa 0.5 ABY, Brie's flight school class transferred from Coruscant to Carida for one last year of study at the Imperial Military Academy. There, Brie and her fellow flight school classmates would undergo one term of stormtrooper boot camp, followed by a further two terms of strategy, survival and tactics. As the school's finest pilot, the role of flying the personnel shuttle from Coruscant to the academy fell to Brie. The cadet refused, however, and her superiors instead selected Davani. The class arrived safely at Carida, a high-gravity world, and settled in to prepare for boot camp. The training began with two days of arduous physical conditioning in the barracks, before the cadets were dispatched on a 200 kilometer hike across one of Carida's deserts on the third day. Brie and her fellow classmates were told by the instructors that they could pack however many supplies they wished, but the young woman perceived the exercise's true purpose. She explained to Davani that the instructors were waiting to see if the cadets would foolishly weigh themselves down with extra water and other supplies; any cadet who did would perish on the hike due to the world's high gravity. Taking only the standard supplies, Brie and Davani completed the hike together&mdash;two of twenty trainees to survive out of two hundred.

The hikes proved to be a staple of the boot camp training, along with war games and long hours honing their pilot skills in the simulator. Together with Davani, Brie also used simulators to put in extra practice, especially for one upcoming war game against Bantha Squad, in which the two cadets would be operating the new Mountain Terrain Scout Transports&mdash;the war games at the academy often served as field tests for new technology. Brie's training under Darth Vader, however, continued to take a toll on the young woman's mental state. In 1 ABY, six months into the final year of the military training, the Mountain Terrain Scout Transport war game was carried out. Brie and her fellow cadets were dropped into a mountainous area known as Tarkin's Teeth, some 300 kilometers outside the academy proper. There, they boarded their MT-STs and began the exercise. While the rest of the squad formed a perimeter, Brie and Davani undertook separate reconnaissance missions in their individual walkers. Brie soon encountered the Bantha Squad walkers and opened fire&mdash;her vehicle, however, had been fitted with live weapons rather than the training lasers employed by the other cadets.

In moments, Brie had destroyed twelve MT-STs and killed six cadets. The Force-sensitive woman was laughing when Davani arrived. Due to pressure from above, the live weapons were blamed on "instructor error" and the deaths passed off as training casualties. Although Davani pressured her to discuss the incident, Brie refused to do so. She trained at the academy during the day and with Vader at night, earning consistent high marks from her military superiors and developing new powers under the Sith Lord's tutelage, which continued to affect her psyche. A short time before circa 1.5 ABY, to celebrate their upcoming graduation ceremony, Brie and Davani headed out into the local Caridan district on their two-day leave passes. The two cadets began a cantina crawl, heading through several establishments in short order and drinking at each one. At the first bar, Brie used the Force to exert influence over the Caridan bartender so that she and Davani could enjoy certain perks unavailable to regular customers, such as discounted drinks.

Four bars later, when a group of Caridans offered to buy the two women a drink, Brie once again made use of her abilities. She used the Force to immobilize one of the Caridans and then telekinetically flattened him to the floor. Soon after, Shira Brie graduated from the Imperial Academy with top honors, an accolade which had been achieved by no other student as of 3 ABY. Lord Vader granted Brie the rank of a major in Imperial Intelligence. Following Brie's graduation, Darth Vader and Director Ysanne Isard of Imperial Intelligence arranged for the young Force-sensitive to be dispatched on a solo mission. Brie proved herself able, encouraging Vader to field her as an operative personally in his attempts to rid himself of the threat of Rebel Alliance hero Luke Skywalker.

Joining the Rebellion
"Wasn't it nice of Shira, asking to help like that? She's such a thoughtful person.''" "Yes. Isn't she." "''And cute, too&mdash;for a Human."

- C-3PO, Leia Organa, and Plif

Shira Brie was thus soon given a new assignment by Darth Vader; she was to be installed a counterspy within the Rebel Alliance, with instructions either to cause Skywalker's death, or to severely tarnish his reputation, thereby discrediting him in the eyes of his fellow rebels. To this end, a plausible back story was fabricated for her which stated that Brie was from the city of Chinshassa on Shalyvane. Though the planet was home to the native Em'liy species, Brie's cover story falsely identified Humans as the domestic race; the Em'liy were instead cast as oppressors to the Humans who warred with them and destroyed the society to which Brie supposedly belonged, killing her family in the process. This pseudo war between the Humans and the Em'liy lasted for years until they two species cast their differences aside to make peace with one another. All of Shalyvane's natives then gathered together at the Circle of Kavaan to solidify their new conciliation under the guidance of ambassadors contracted by the Em'liy, but they were instead attacked by these offworlders, who proceeded to massacre all those present. Brie, a little girl, managed to escape the slaughter and was left to survive by her own faculties. Many years passed before she learned the "truth" of Shalyvane's destruction from a drunken ex-fighter pilot; the Em'liy had allied with the Empire and also lied to them, claiming that Brie's people were members of the Rebel Alliance. Enraged with her new-found knowledge, Brie sought out the Alliance and decided to join.

With Brie's cover in place, Darth Vader bolstered its verisimilitude by ordering for Chinshassa to be completely razed. Shalyvane would also serve as the secret location by which Brie would report her progress to Vader; a personal means of contact was furnished by the Dark Lord that was activated when her unique blood chemistry came into contact with a transmitter embedded within the Circle of Kavaan. She then posed as a Shalyvane refugee and successfully infiltrated the Alliance, due in part to their immediate need for fighter pilots following the Battle of Hoth. Brie engaged in several rebellion campaigns, including work alongside Kyle Katarn, Corwin Shelvay, and fellow Force-sensitive Erling Tredway on a mission to D'rinba IV to disable the superlaser of the second Death Star. They accomplished their mission, even though Brie covertly attempted to sabotage their efforts in accordance with Lord Vader's will. Shira was next assigned to Rogue starfighter squadron and served at Haven Base on Arbra, where a combination of beauty and intelligence quickly gained her popularity among the members of the Alliance. There she met and also began a friendship with Luke Skywalker, and made it obvious that her interests were leaning towards a more romantic nature&mdash;feelings that Skywalker seemed to reciprocate. When Skywalker traveled to Bespin in search of Lando Calrissian, who had not yet reported back to Arbra since he returned to Cloud City, Shira volunteered to join him.

'''Tommy, this boardgame stuff confuses me. From the article it suggests that Vader controls one of the players at random, so where does the information that it's specifically Shira come from? It's not in the Dark Forces Saga, which merely states "Kyle also took part in a SpecForce mission put together by Rebel operative Corwin Shelvay, in which he teamed up with Force-sensitives Shira Brie and Erling Tredway to render inoperative the superlaser of the second Death Star en route to D'rinba IV. I also would ask where the info that she engaged in "many" rebellion campaigns comes from, as well as the chronology of her service, more out of interest that any worries. The Coffin in the Clouds section also bears close similarities with the mainspace article; I was wondering if there was any more detail to be had." -- —Harrar  ( Cut the comm chatter ) 09:08, September 24, 2009 (UTC)
 * Changed the "many" to "several", though as her appearances in the MSW comics progress, she does partake in quite a few situations.. The Coffin in the Clouds section is mainly from the mainspace article, and don't worry because it's not staying here for long in that form. I only used it to get an idea of how I wanted to proceed with that section. The boardgame stuff confuses me a tad bit also, and like the Coffin in the Clouds part, came from the mainspace until I can sort things out. If you have any personal knowledge of this boardgame stuff, then by all means clean that bit up. Otherwise, I'll have to find someone with some firsthand knowledge of the game to give me some insight. We are moving along smoothly, so don't fret, my friend. ;) —Tommy9281 Dark side Master SWGTCG.jpg ( No truth in me ) 13:01, September 24, 2009 (UTC)

Emperor's Hand
"Come Lumiya. You will be an extension of my will&hellip;"

- Darth Sidious

Dark Lady of the Sith

 * Discuss how Lumiya recovered Sith lore and Adas' holocron from the Mecrosa Order.

Upholding the traditions

 * Discuss Flint & Carnor Jax.

Invitation to the New Order
"Our apologies for the brevity of your journey. Had we foreseen the speed of the invaders' advance, we would have sent a more sizable escort. Should you survive and care to reach us on your own, the navigation string attached to this message will guide you&hellip;once."

- White Eyes invites Lumiya to parley with the One Sith

In 25 ABY, the galaxy was invaded by a war-faring race known as the Yuuzhan Vong, who intended to eradicate all technology and either convert the inhabitants to their own religion or annihilate those who stood in their way. The New Republic suffered heavy losses in the opening months of the war. That same year, Lumiya learned that though she was without an apprentice to perpetuate the legacy of the dark side, she was not alone in its practice; a fledgling Sith order had taken up root on their namesake's ancestral grave world of Korriban. The attention of the One Sith had fallen upon Lumiya, and she was invited by their leader to consort with them. An escort in the form of the Sith Master Lomi Plo and her apprentice Welk was sent for the Dark Lady, but on the return journey, they were intercepted by the Yuuzhan Vong. Though her chaperons were captured by the extra-galactic invaders, Lumiya eluded them and escaped to plot her next course of action.

Lumiya first decided to strike against the Yuuzhan Vong. The New Republic suffered a defeat at Ithor in 25.3 ABY when Yuuzhan Vong forces laid waste to the planet. It had been discovered that the pollen of Ithor's native Bafforr trees was lethal to the living armor worn by Yuuzhan Vong warriors. The New Republic had allied with the Imperial Remnant to defend the world and its valuable military asset, but to no avail. Determined to secure a sample of the now rare Bafforr pollen, Lumiya elected to strike at Yaga Minor, a fortified Imperial Remnant world that housed some of the last pollen in the galaxy. The Sith Lady penetrated the world's defenses and arrived at the laboratory in which the samples were located, but was confronted there by a band of Yuuzhan Vong who had infiltrated the facility themselves and destroyed its large munitions dump.

Several months later, Lumiya met Vergere, who was a member of the Fosh species and a Sith. The Fosh explained herself to Lumiya; a rogue student of the Force, she had rebelled against the orthodox teachings of the Jedi Order and sought out new knowledge. In her quest, she had come across Count Dooku, a former Jedi Master and the Sith apprentice to Darth Sidious. Sidious subsequently accepted Vergere as a Sith candidate, but when the Fosh learned of his desire to dominate the galaxy she tried to strike him down. Sidious survived the assassination attempt and sent killers after Vergere, who took a Jedi mission to the living world of Zonama Sekot in 30 BBY, which was under siege by a Yuuzhan Vong advance force. Vergere surrendered herself to the Yuuzhan Vong that same year, and spent decades living among the extra-galactic species. It had been Vergere herself who had encountered A'Sharad Hett, a former Jedi of the Old Republic, when he had been captured by Yuuzhan Vong scouts in the Unknown Regions. Vergere had imparted her Sith knowledge to Hett, who had returned to Korriban and founded his One Sith. Apparently unaware of her survival, Hett's agents fashioned another invitation for Lumiya to ally herself with their Order. The message from the spokesman of the One Sith, a man with glowing white eyes stated that another escort would not be arranged, but directions were provided on the navigation string included with the message should Lumiya decide to answer their summons. Lumiya came to believe, however, that the One Sith's methods were too slow; by the time the Order on Korriban had moved beyond its fledgling status, the Dark Lady felt that Skywalker's Jedi would be too powerful. Lumiya, however, encouraged the Fosh Sith to appreciate that Hett's plan was a long-term affair.

A plan for the galaxy
"There is a plan&mdash;a plan that will be carried out whether or not I survive."

- Lumiya

Vergere imparted her own Sith wisdom to Lumiya as well. The Fosh finished the Coruscanti's training, which had begun so long ago under Darth Vader, and enabled her to ascend to the rank of a true Sith Lord. Nevertheless, both Sith knew that neither could restore peace to the galaxy. Vergere was tainted by her collaboration with the Yuuzhan Vong, and Lumiya's cybernetic implants limited her Force potential. The Sith Lady became willing to surrender her own desires in service of a Sith destiny. Together, Lumiya and Vergere decided to select a new Sith champion, one who could rise to control the galaxy and preside over a reign of peace and stability as a benign dictator. The question of who would be chosen as the new Sith Lord was one of great importance; many candidates were considered, and many discarded. Kyp Durron, a powerful Jedi Master, was considered too volatile and obstinate, while Lumiya's old rival Mara Jade Skywalker was felt to possess too many attachments. Jaina Solo, the daughter of Leia and Han Solo, was dismissed as too emotional, while Leia herself was bypassed as too fearful of Anakin Skywalker's legacy. Even Luke Skywalker was considered, but Lumiya declaimed him as too bound in the dogma of the Jedi Order.

It was Jacen Solo, the brother of Jaina, who fell under observation. In 25.7 ABY, Solo had proven his ability to wield power responsibly when he had refused to fire Centerpoint Station, an ancient space station capable of firing vast energy beams, against the Yuuzhan Vong, due to his belief that it would be an overly aggressive action. At the beginning of the war's second year, during the Battle of Duro, Solo defeated Warmaster Tsavong Lah of the Yuuzhan Vong in personal combat, which demonstrated to Vergere and Lumiya that the young Jedi could use his power when necessary. Jacen Solo was selected as the best candidate; his close relationship with his uncle Luke Skywalker, however, posed problems. It was decided, therefore, that Vergere would return to the Yuuzhan Vong and facilitate Solo's capture by the aliens, whereupon she could train him without interference. In 26.5 ABY, the Fosh Sith made her way back to the Yuuzhan Vong, whereupon she inveigled her way into the confidence of Tsavong Lah himself. Vergere abducted Jacen Solo during a Jedi mission to Myrkr, and exploited the young Jedi's isolation in Yuuzhan Vong captivity to begin his training.

Biding time
What we need for this section:

Discovery of the Home, Darth Vectivus etc. Vergere's death; end of the war. Solo's disappearance, subsequent conflicts. Lumiya decides to re-emerge and facilitate Solo's Sith teachings by means of instigating the Second Galactic Civil War. Creates the tassels, manipulates Klauskin.

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

- Luke Skywalker

Powers and abilities
Just a bit sketchy at the moment; will make it cohesive over time.

Brie's early training under Darth Vader enabled her to wield the Force with proficiency. She used mind tricks and telekinesis while on Carida.

A fine pilot, Brie was top of her class during her training at the Coruscanti Pilots Institute and maintained a consistently high record throughout her time at the Carida Academy. Practice on simulators enabled Brie to hone her skills and gain proficiency at piloting a variety of vehicles, such as the MT-ST.

Lumiya was proficient at Echani and Noghri Stava. In addition to Galactic Basic Standard, Lumiya could speak Huttese, Mon Calamarian and Bothan.

Behind the scenes
The final duel between Luke Skywalker and Lumiya, which took place on Terephon, was illustrated by artist Tommy Lee Edwards for Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force. In Edwards' depiction, Lumiya is still wearing her headdress, whereas Sacrifice states that the Sith Lady removed it before the duel took place.

On Edwards' blog, another illustration of the duel is shown. In this unpublished drawing, Skywalker is shown decapitating Lumiya, although the events of the duel in Sacrifice are once again contradictory. Link to Lee Edwards' blog http://web.mac.com/tommyleeedwards/iWeb/Site%202/TLE%20BLOG/78EA8B5A-57FA-4106-8625-028D707BD0E0.html

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
 * Invincible
 * Outcast
 * Star Wars Legacy 18: Claws of the Dragon, Part 5
 * Star Wars Legacy 18: Claws of the Dragon, Part 5