- "Whatever you do, don't make me mad."
- ―Syrna Valkiss
Syrna Valkiss, formerly Syrna Bolshev, was a Guardian in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. She, along with Severon Vercingetorix, was born on Alderaan ten years before it was destroyed. She was killed in 35 ABY while trying to avenge her former master, Arturis Schulen.
Childhood
Syrna always had a hard life, living in an orphanage, then school and exile. She always felt the Dark Side pulling at her to join, but never knew what it was. She happily joined the Dark Jedi Brotherhood after Severon had asked her to.
Syrna's Birth
On a cold, dark night, Syrna was born on Alderaan. Her mother was Lady Vessina Bolshev; her father was killed on the Tantive IV after serving as a member of Princess Leia’s staff. Syrna never knew any of her family because her parents put her in an orphanage right after her birth, thinking that a girl would bring weakness to the family. Syrna didn’t have any siblings as far as she knew.
Childhood Destroyed
The orphanage gave Syrna a hard life. They made her do all of the hard work, thinking that she would never learn how to defend herself if they were easy on her. Syrna also developed a decent work ethic while she was there.
Syrna had barely started school when she heard of a person named Semptos. He did very well in everything he did, academic or athletic. After hearing that he was of the line of Bolshev, Syrna immediately sought him out. She wanted to tell him that she was his sister, but he didn’t believe her since she didn’t live with them. As persistent as Syrna was, she kept asking Semptos for help. He shunned her every time.
The students were, in general, mean to Syrna. Most kids made fun of her; some bullied her around. The orphanage was getting stricter, and Syrna started thinking that nobody loved her. In her anger, she ran away at the age of ten. She hopped on a ship heading to Coruscant, looking back one last time only to watch as the Death Star destroyed Alderaan and her childhood. She couldn’t help but grin and laugh at the sight of the planet blowing up.
The captain of the ship heard someone in the room and came in and looked around. When he saw Syrna, he had a sorrowful look on his face. After asking what family Syrna had, he tried to find someone to take her in. However, there was no one. The captain reluctantly let her finish the trip to Coruscant.
Life on Coruscant
When she landed on Coruscant, the first thing Syrna did was look for work. The first place she wanted to get a job at was a weapon factory, where her mathematic skills, strength, and work ethic would be an advantage. However, she noticed that everything was destroyed. The captain of the ship asked her about herself, and thought that she would be a great asset after seeing her work.
For a few years, Syrna served as the right hand woman of the captain. He was the one that taught her the history of the galaxy, helped her develop a better work ethic, and trained her to fight. Syrna did what she was told when she was told to do it. The captain eventually became more of a father figure for Syrna – that is, until she made a mistake. The captain beat anyone that made a mistake; the bigger mistakes called for harsher punishments. All Syrna could do was sit there and take the blows as they came.
Adulthood
Into Adulthood
Syrna’s mistakes were minuscule, but she was still beaten. From the first smallest mistake and the easier beatings came bigger ones, and Syrna couldn’t take it anymore. At age 14, she found a way to escape, and she looked for work. She found a factory, somehow still standing, and got a job there. After earning enough money for her ship, The Phoenix, Syrna once again looked elsewhere for a job. At age 18, she decided to become a bounty hunter and then a mercenary.
No one would hire Syrna for anything because she was still quite beaten up. They thought that she was too weak to do anything. Everyone shunned her, and soon they began to exile her. She was disappointed to say the least - it felt as if she was back in the orphanage and school.
Not being able to communicate with many people, Syrna began to feel alone and needed a companion. While taking a bounty-hunting job on Tatooine, a small droid caught her eye. She asked for the droid in return rather than money. The droid, like Syrna, looked a little beaten, but it was something.
The droid was more than it appeared to be. It could speak many languages, fight decently, and even think rationally. The droid listened to Syrna tell her story and told Syrna its own. After working together for some time, the droid and Syrna would be inseparable. Syrna had everything she needed – or so she thought…
Lost Memories
Soon after finding the droid, Syrna decided to live in her ship for a while. She changed her last name to Valkiss, so she wouldn’t live as the loser everyone saw her as. She wanted to be as far away as possible from everyone. She had time to think about her past, present, and possible future. But no matter what she thought, her mind went back to Alderaan and her family. With the help of her droid, she soon began her search for someone – anyone – in the family line of Bolshev. She asked everyone she ran into, but everyone said that they had all died on Alderaan. However, Syrna felt that there was at least one other that was still alive.
The search continued for many years, and for many years everyone told her that they had all died. Soon, they stopped listening to Syrna, thinking of her as a lunatic. Syrna became frustrated that no one would believe her. She vowed never to talk to many people again, and her ship became her home.
Syrna's Brother
One day, Syrna decided to go out for a drink. She sat at the bar in her favorite pub on Yridia IX, not knowing much about the Dark Side. She asked the bartender about her family. The bartender told her the stories that he heard, and Syrna was saddened by the loss of her whole family. She told the bartender that there has to be one more that’s still alive. The bartender knew of no one but trusted Syrna’s judgment.
Just then, Syrna felt the Force tug on her as someone else walked through the door. Even if she didn’t recognize the tug, she turned to see who had entered. Not knowing who the person was, she thought that it was nothing and continued sipping on her drink. The man sat at the bar next to Syrna, ordered a drink himself, and began to study the girl. He struck up a conversation with her, introducing himself as Severon Vercingetorix and learning a lot about Syrna. After Severon had heard of the Bolshev lineage, he told her that he was her brother. Syrna looked confused because she didn’t know about having any sibling, let alone a twin. Severon told her about his own past and what he’s doing now. Syrna was happy to know that she had that one family member, the one she told everybody about but no one listened. Severon invited Syrna to join the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, and she readily accepted.
As Severon led Syrna to his ship, she couldn’t help but look back at the bartender. The bartender looked bewildered as he wondered how many more Bolshev’s are out there.
A New Life
As soon as Syrna reached Antei, she knew that she had everything she needed. Her brother and her droid were her companions, the remaining Bolshev’s were reunited, and she had a home where she could interact with other people – people that wouldn’t shun her just because she looked weak or acted crazy at times. She almost instantly gained new friends and knew that she would enjoy her time here.
As Syrna’s just beginning in the Brotherhood, she hasn’t done much. Her studies at the Shadow Academy and involvement in one competition were enough to get her promoted to Proselyte. Syrna hoped to do well in the Brotherhood and forget the past that haunted her until her death.
Time Cut Short
Syrna never felt like she was good enough for Tarentum. The feeling was worsened when her brother, Severon, left Tarentum for the new Light-side house Odan-Urr, and Syrna's master Ronovi left for Arcona. She was soon placed under Arturis' leadership and started training right away. It wasn't long, however, before Arturis was kidnapped and allegedly murdered by Syndicates, a group of rebels intent on taking control of the Yridia System. Syrna made a suicidal trip to avenge her former master. Ironically, before she died, she never discovered that her master had been alive the entire time.