- "I know I have a chance of re-uniting with my father though I'm not sure he'll even remember me since it's been so long since I saw him."
- ―Kelly Mendes, to unknown Jedi
Kelly Mendes is a human female of average height and weight currently serving in Clan Plagueis as a Seer. She hails from the desert world of Tatooine where she lived with her mother as well as her older brother Lucius and for a time her father but her father was absent for most of her childhood. This was a major source of frustration, anger and self-loathing that have driven her through her childhood to excel in academic studies as it was often the only thing she could do alone and drives her service of Clan Plagueis.
Character History
Early Life
Kelly Mendes was born in the year that marked 11 years after the Battle of Yavin on the dusty world of Tatooine to a pair of Humans who were on a business trip at the time she was born, though her parents were forced to live on the planet as their ship was attacked and disabled in a furious pirate attack in the planet's orbit and had to be towed to the surface. However with her and her older brother Lucius they settled on Tatooine her father traded with the Jawas frequently for what Kelly can remember and their mother was hardworking, she held a job but Kelly never actually knew what it was. When she looks back, Kelly thinks that perhaps it was better that she not know what her mother did as she may not have understood it.
Unfortunately for Kelly, her father wasn't there for most of her childhood, leaving her mother to take on an extra job just to get her daughter a standard education so that she could read and write and learn basic life lessons. The lack of her father in her life was a source of great anger for Kelly, who wanted to know who or what had taken her father away. Kelly did have an older brother so she had some male role model to look up to and she spoke with him a lot about all sorts of things and when Kelly asked about their father he would always avoid answering her question. One day, however, he revealed the answer. But that day was not until he felt her mature enough. That day would not be until after she had turned 16 when she was already acting mature like a woman of possibly ten years more than her age showing how she had adapted to the world's expectations of her and not prone to lashing out over trivial matters.
The Jedi
At 16 years of age Kelly finally received some surprising news. Her father was taken to be trained as a Jedi and that's why he never came to visit and missed out on her upbringing, making her mother suffer. Kelly had felt something inside her when her father left and asked her mother what the power inside her she had never felt before was and her mother told her it was the Force, that her father had been using it, and that's what brought the Jedi, which had caused her father to leave her to become a Jedi, in a way she felt good about this, she had power but would need to be shown how to use it properly.
As with any discovery of a Force Sensitive the Jedi came not too long after Kelly had realized her power, desperately seeking a reunion with her father she agreed to become a Jedi, however there was something else tugging at Kelly, this was the first sign of the Dark Side and definitely not the last.
Kelly had found her brother before she left to begin her Jedi training, she felt she needed to say goodbye but also didn't want everyone knowing what she was doing so they met at their home and had a conversation where the brother and sister talked about how her brother had to stay on planet to help their mother and how they'd react upon one of them meeting their father.
With that Kelly left the house and took a slow walk to the Jedi's ship, stopping every few seconds and looking around, seeing all the fun times she had as a child in the area and wondered if she would come to regret leaving the sands for the stars. She boarded the ship, and it took off Kelly wondered how many before she had made this choice and regretted it. She knew it must be a lot as she knew of a darker side where Jedi would fall from the light and be consumed by emotion.
Once on the Jedi's ship she navigated her way to the cockpit with some difficulty, this being her first time on a starship and she asked the Jed, who found her where they were going, he did not give her an answer for quite some time as he was focusing on flying the ship. It wasn't until the ship had ascended past the atmosphere and orbit of Tatooine then reached a distance safe to initiate the hyperdrive and then doing so that she got a reply. They were going to a Jedi training base where she would have the chance to see her father and maybe even be his Padawan, but that was not to be.
With this the Jedi urged her to get some sleep as the journey would take many days so the ship would be a temporary home, he left the command chair and showed her to her room where she was told to meditate as it would bring her closer to the Force. Kelly did contemplate, but thoughts of her father kept creeping in and as a result, she felt no closer to the Force. She tried to not get frustrated with herself as the Jedi had told her frustration leads to the Dark Side, and he had told her about Jedi who had done so and ultimately fallen to the Dark Side and ended up being cut down by Jedi and mentioned how the Jedi hoped to redeem a fallen brother but would kill them if necessary. However frustration slowly crept in, and the Jedi seemed to pick up on this without being too concerned as if he went through a similar process.
Fall to the Dark Side
Eventually, Kelly told the Jedi that this was not her path and asked to be dropped off back at Tatooine; the Jedi took some time to consider her proposal before he reluctantly agreed but told her she was not to use the Force as the Jedi would once again come for her. Kelly enjoyed the flight back to Tatooine it only seemed to last little over a day despite it being longer.
Kelly reached her home once more to find another man in her home a few days after her return this one had a dark energy about him; he demanded Kelly come with him, or her family would be killed. Kelly had no choice but to agree; she was told she was going to be taken to Korriban to be trained as a member of the Order of Krath in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. The journey was full of physical tests the most common of which was lightning being fired at her and Kelly learnt the ability to project it from her fingertips on the final day of the journey to Korriban, where she and a few others were forced to fight each other to the death with Kelly coming out victorious, she had somewhere along the line developed a satisfaction in taking lives and reveled in the power of the Dark Side.
Knighthood
Kelly knew that she was progressing well enough that soon she would receive the recognition she deserved before one day she was called before the Dread Lord at the time Vivackus Kavon di Plagia where she was knighted. Kelly would go on to redefine herself as her new rank symbolised her rebirth as someone who held power. She had already been appointed to lead the Apostles of Syn battleteam which was the great honour to her with Sorzus Syn being an inspiration to the Dark Jedi.
Upgraded Weaponry
With her new rank Kelly was allowed to wield a proper lightsaber, she promptly returned the armoury saber and began dreaming of what her own weapon would look like. The hilt would be curved and fashioned out of the wood of the Brylark tree and would be curved for the elegance and the unpredictability it added. The crystal was a standard red synthetic crystal.
New Force Approach
Upon her knighthood Kelly had been evaluating her approach to the force and decided that she needed to change a few things around. Her skill with Force Lightning slightly increased but instead of her previous focus on illusions, mind tricks and manipulating fear through the force, the new knight changed her priorities and instead intensely trained her abilities at concealing herself, even learning the famed technique of Quey'Tek Meditation which enables her to appear to others as either a light side or dark side adherent. The other power she became exquisite at was the practice of using the force to augment her own natural abilities such as speed and strength. Her impressive and versatile arsenal also featured the use of telekinesis, controlling beasts, deflecting force or energy based attacks and being able to sense other force users. Other unique things Kelly can do with the force is using her telekinesis in a similar manner to a blunt weapon, tracking with the help of an object owned by the person she's chasing, be able to draw on the Living Force to be able to re-use attacks sooner. As well as attack from further away and form a permanent bond with a creature.
New Attire and Personality
Kelly began to wear a new set of clothing, a clan uniform of sorts. Not everyone wore it but to Kelly, it showed her loyalty even if she did disagree with the clan on somethings. She began to keep to herself even more, similar to when she was a young girl. She was also looked up to more and publicly displayed an air of confidence about her. Her non-Force skills had also slightly changed. She had developed decent enough piloting skills mainly in starships for navigation but also single pilot ground vehicles. She was now more manipulative and durable. She was more athletic and strong as well as venturing into slicing and diplomacy alongside beast riding.
Notable Allies
Blair Augusta Dearg
Kelly met Blair Augusta Dearg while on a visit to the planet Concord Dawn. Blair worked in security on her home planet and ended up providing security for the Dark Jedi. Kelly was visiting a source she had and needed to conceal her nature as one gifted with the Force. To that end, she arranged to have Blair accompany her for the length of her visit. One day things got messy, as a transaction went sour and Blair had to gun down the other side. Noticing the considerable skill in Blair's use of a blaster, Kelly arranged for Blair to join up with the Brotherhood. After Dearg's training, General Ranthe Benzayn came to Kelly requesting she ask Blair to join up with Plagueis as he had heard reports of her skill and needed some new blood. Kelly obliged and Blair has remembered what the Dark Jedi has done for her career. The two are now close friends.
Taranae Rhode
Taranae Rhode was the first person Kelly encountered within Plagueis. The two would work together often, with Rhode feeling like a second Master at times. As time would go on and Kelly became more powerful, Taranae urged her to consider the position in Battleteam Leader for the now defunct Apostles of Syn. After struggling to decide if it was for her, Kelly took the plunge and got the position. Working under her Master and Rhode the friendship between the two women would continue to blossom. Their lives would often intertwine, with a notable example being when Mendes approached Rhode for guidance upon her ascendance to the Rollmaster position. The pair would engage in full contact sparring afterwards, exposing a previously hidden rage-filled side of the older woman. The pair would once again clash on Kamino, where Kelly almost lost her life. The two kept in constant contact and after a series of visions, Kelly made a move on her friend. The feeling was mutual and the pair can often be seen holding hands or enjoying the company of the other.
Physical Description
Kelly is of average height for a human at 5ft 10inches with what most would call an athletic build weighing only 110lbs; this is due to taking care of her body particularly well throughout her life as well as the rigorous nature of the training she underwent. Her skin is pale which contrasts with her dark brown hair flowing down beyond her shoulders; her eyes are emerald green.
Trivia
- Kelly didn't spend much time outside resulting in her pale skin.
- People were attracted to her though she shunned anyone who wasn't family or a teacher, as she saw them as the only people she needed to interact with.