| Karia Jalba
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Sepros
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2 ABY (Age: 32)
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N/A
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Zabrak
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- Retribution Wing Commanderr
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Karia Jalba is the current Wing Commander of the MJHC Retribution of House Marka Ragnos.
Character History
Little in life came easily to Kaira Jalba. Born in 2 ABY on the planet of Sepros she was raised in an orphanage after her parents simply abandoned her. Unwilling to look after her they figured the best life she could have would not to be with them. It turns out when she looked into it as she aged that her mother had been a streetwalker and her father some drunken pilot who was out with his friends and got dared to buy her services. It wasn’t really the start in life any child wanted and what made it more difficult was the fact she was born a Zabrak.
Now it's not to say the Zabrak were disliked but she got a fiery temper and scrapping skills to match and every time new parents came to the orphanage to adopt she was always overlooked. The little girl with horns, covered in bruises and cuts from her misadventures was never anyone's cup of tea. The pretty girls or handsome boys were always the first to be taken and so she would sit in the rooms, alone and just wait for the day her life might change. It never did and it’s not to say she didn’t try. She would be the first in line to get tidied up, fresh clothes put on and always paraded nicely when they came but there was always something about her that put the prospective adopters off. Always just that niggling doubt in the back of their heads that she may be a problem child and not really worth the effort.
It made her worse and in truth, the orphanage staff struggled to look after her and finally kicked her out on the streets on her 15th birthday when she nearly beat another child into a coma for making fun of her ribbons, claiming they clashed with her horns and couldn’t hide the ugly things. She broke three ribs, his nose and a fractured his collar before they managed to sedate her and lock her in one of the safe rooms. So they kicked her out and like any young rebellious child with nowhere to go she hooked up with one of the local street gangs and that's when things got worse.
They were all young, intolerable street rats who had either lost everything or had nothing much to lose in the first place. She wormed her way in then wormed her way up by using her fists and no one wanted to mess with her after a while so she became their de facto leader. The fact she broke the last one's neck after insulting her kind of gave her the edge of course. They raided shops, stole food from the local bakeries and generally caused mischief and mayhem. No one bothered them and the bakers soon began leaving food outside the shop for the kids so they’d stop stealing. The fun began to dissipate and so she kept pushing them and pushing in order for the stakes to rise.
Kaira pushed them into numerous street wars, taking over other gangs and building her own little empire of dirt. In truth none of it mattered to her, none of it made her feel alive and free. She felt confined by the rules, by the buildings that arced up into the sky around her. She turned to death sticks after a time to disguise the self-loathing she felt for her own situation. She wondered what she had become and why she had no friends. Everyone she knew feared or had gone away in the end. She hated it and by the end, it was nearly being killed and hurt that saw her give it up.
During one of her numerous street brawls her opponent took out a vibroknife and shoved it into her eye. The blade cut deep and she pulled her head back in agony, grabbing the man's head and smashing her knee into his face over and over until she felt hands pull her away. She was rushed to the local hospital and treated but as she was there armed guards entered and incarcerated her. No one came to see her, no one came to help. She was alone and her empire of dirt had vanished into nothing.
She was in prison for a couple of years and upon her release she yet again had nothing. She had spent time inside working on her reading and writing and so one of the guards helped her get back on her feet. She was led to the Naval recruitment office, and though it had never been her idea of a future she went willingly realising she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. She was checked for fitness, her criminal record was overlooked on the strict notice that if she caused trouble she would be back inside. So she behaved and she found she actually enjoyed it, she struggled with the reading and writing part but her classmates assisted her. She had friends for once and she enjoyed life.
Kaira decided to take her chances one day and walked into the class for pilots. She had never flown before so was half expecting herself to be kicked out of the session but the instructor simply looked her over, pointed to a simulator and told her to get in it. She was lost, had no idea what she was doing and began to unbuckle herself when the same instructor walked over and began talking her through it calmly and respectfully. After a few false starts she soon found her feet and though she wasn’t perfect she managed to complete the program with minimal damage. As she made to leave the class she was asked to return that afternoon and so she did, and she was asked back again and again. She improved over the classes and soon sat the entrance exam for the pilots school. She passed, just, but it was still a pass and she swore she wouldn’t give up until she was the damn best pilot in the Warhost.
She spent the next year running countless simulations and exercises alongside her classmates, who soon became her flight mates. She enjoyed the thrill, the rush, the adrenaline and began to realise this is what she was made for. Not the fights, the scraps and pain she used to cause but to turn all that into something as beautiful as flying. She had only just passed her course and gotten her wings when the 11th Great Jedi War broke out. She survived by the skin of her teeth but some of her flight mates were not so lucky and she realised she cared, she would awake at night after nightmares and find herself in tears as she remembered her friend's final screams of agony blaring into her headset. It didn’t stop her, it drove her to be the best and she earned it.
After the end of the war and the ascension of Pravus to Grand Master, the Brotherhood began to change. She no longer saw the right in the darkness and began to question the moral choices of some of her superiors. Surely senseless murder and death weren't the only answer even for a Clan like Naga Sadow. She began suffering from a crisis of faith but kept it to herself even when she was promoted to Wing Commander. She worked out of Sepros for a while until she had a nervous breakdown in front of the House Marka Ragnos Aedile. The young Twi’lek took her by the arm and led her to a room where they sat and chatted.
The next day Kaira was informed a transfer request had come through and she had been assigned to a new ship, the MJHC Retribution. She packed her bags and moved upto the Cruiser, unsure of exactly what was going on until she met face to face with Captain Videk. As she was guided around the ship she began to realise a lot of the personal were those being labeled as undesirables and potential dangers to the Brotherhood. She was confused until she was led to an office and behind the desk sat Sanguinius. She had heard of the Jedi, to be honest, most had by this point. She began to understand very quickly why she was there and realisation dawned on her before the human even spoke.
She broke into laughter and simply nodded drawing confused looks from the Captain and human. She explained simply she knew why she was here and that she agreed to work on the ship happily. If the ship was to be a haven for those that defied the Grand Masters edicts then she was more than willing to be a part of it. After all, that was the point in fighting if she had no one to protect and everyone she wanted to protect was being labeled undesirable and scum. She shook the Questors hand, saluted proudly and left the office heading to the flight deck to brief her new wings.
Positions Held
- Retribution Wing Commander