- "That's interesting..."
- ―Atra Ventus, usually before something bad happens
Atra Ventus (pronounced at-tra) was born on Corellia, where he spent most of his youth getting in trouble. A bit of a smart-Alec he tended to open his mouth when he shouldn't. Gaining the reputation as a hooligan the authorities weren't overly surprised to be called to the home of the Ventus family, yet they were surprised upon arriving. As the only survivor of the bloodbath one would think he'd be at the center of the media. This was not the case, in fact he fell off the grid completely. At least, until he woke up in a holding cell staring at Methyas and Locke.
History
Growing Up
We All Start Somewhere
The Ventus family comes from humble origins on Corellia. While their name had not become known outside their small community they were still well loved. Always taking time to help out their neighbors, Liam Ventus and his wife Aryanna seemed to have the golden touch. It was into this world that Atra was born. Even as an infant his parents already knew he was bound to rebel. Bed times were more a suggestion than actual guidelines, food became anything he could get his hands on, and authority was something he all together ignored. Even still, his parent's good nature came out from time to time as he helped the other children out.
Due to his rebellious streak, Atra became known to local law enforcement as readily as he was known by his neighbors. If something went awry, usually Atra would be involved somehow. Still, he payed attention in classes and was an avid learner; it was as if his mind had an unending appetite. Among his studies were the basic tenants of self defense. It was from his father that he learned this. Despite the relative peace of their society, Liam knew the dangers of the world, and more notably of just about any experience to be had off-world. Through this father-son training Liam imparted his beliefs and his ways unto his son.
In 28 ABY, CorSec received complaints from the locals and made their way to the Ventus grounds. Far from their first journey, CorSec officers expected to find Atra up to no good again. Instead, as they arrived, they found the power grid shorting out and an eerie silence. No longer certain as what to expect the officers made their way warily to the entrance. Keying in the security override the door slid open with a hiss, revealing the contents inside. It was hard to see at first but as the lights flickered and sparked they were granted flashes of crimson. The first officer couldn't stomach what he saw and collapsed to the ground heaving. Activating a flashlight another of the officers did a quick scan of the room. In terms of the room, nothing was stolen or damaged, but that was the end of the normality. The crimson stain of blood coated the floor, splattered upon the walls, and filling the nostrils of the officers. In the center of the room lay three limp forms, their clothes torn and bloody.
The officers already knew by the amount of blood that survival was unlikely, if not impossible. As they carefully entered the room they reached down and rolled the still form of Liam face up. It was with heavy hearts that they did the same for Aryanna. Finally they came to Atra, wearing only his sleeping pants. Even at 16 his stature was immense, easily confused with someone older and all muscle from his work as a farmer. His back was covered in burns, possibly from a blaster but the officers couldn't be sure. Flipping him over the first officer almost heaved again. Atra's torso was split open from the upper left of his chest to the lower right. White bone glistened from the ribs of his chest through the crimson of his blood. The officers nearly jumped out of their skins as a weak cough escaped his lips.
Born of Blood
Moving fast CorSec was able to bring Atra to the nearest medical facility, which managed to save his life. His recovery was long, physically, but longer still mentally. Even after two years, as the scar on his chest bore a grizzly reminder to his fate so too did the mental scars he didn't bother hiding. Often he was found in the center of cantina brawls, whether he started them or finished them. It was in this way, in 30 ABY, that Atra disappeared from common record. It is unclear who started the brawl, but what is known is that a high ranking member of CorSec was killed during the fight and blame rested with Atra. As CorSec officers arrived Atra was questioned by a single officer. The conversation consisted of hushed tones and finally an acknowledgement from Atra. Shortly after Atra and the officer departed another detachment of CorSec officers arrived. When asked where Atra had gone, they were surprised to hear about the officer. This was the first official tangent of CorSec to arrive, and there had been no officers sent ahead. Atra has not been seen since then.
Breaking the Chains
Atra was discovered amongst the ruined chambers of a prison break in the Cenota Facilty by Methyas and Locke whilst they were investigating. Immediately the unknowns of the situation put Locke and himself at odds. Methyas intervened and took the Corellian to be his apprentice. As a group, they moved through the facility to find the Alchemic horrors within, and Tsainetomo Keibatsu Sadow. The warrior made short work of the two Dark Jedi, for some reason leaving Atra alone as he passed. In a great deal of pain, they made their way to the Marakith Skyhook where they could re-evaluate the situation.
On the Skyhook they made plans to blend with the crowds of the Kel Rasha Spaceport with the intent of discovering the Terrorists before they could make their move. This bid was fruitful as they discovered more than they bargained for, Locke and Atra getting wounded in the process. They were able to track the Terrorists to a base hidden on the seventh moon of Inos.
Within the facility, they discovered the presence of the Organization, and evidence of a super soldier program. These soldiers made an appearance as they brought their as of yet unknown strength to bear upon the Dark Jedi. Locke and Atra were once again wounded in the encounter, something Atra was beginning to begrudge.
Upon returning to the Marakith Skyhook with their newfound knowledge a coup d'etat was performed upon Macron, the man who was behind Atra's five year imprisonment and experimentation. During the battle Macron nearly fatally wounded Atra, leaving his mark upon the Corellian's chest. In the aftermath, Atra was appointed Quaestor of House Shar Dakhan, a position he had no previous knowledge of. After receiving medical treatment, the Corellian was sent off with Mirado, his master's brother, for more personal combat training.
Ambition is the Ladder we Climb
During training Mirado and Atra received notice that they were to travel to Kar Alabrek and hunt down Tsainetomo. This was a task Atra did not revel, having seen the Son of Sadow fight once more. Still, they followed their orders. Shortly after arriving they encountered members of Arcona already engaging Sai. After interfering, the pair discovered there was far more going on than they first realized.
Tsainetomo was making the ultimate sacrifice, giving up his home and family to become the enemy to unite the clan. Atra respected the man all the more for it, developing admiration for the wayward warrior. In addition, it was Sai's goal to put an end to one of his greatest mistakes, the clone Orenth. Developing the plan, a temporary alliance was forged between Sadowans and Arconans as they worked together to end this threat.
Atra became a temporary partner with Marick, the Proconsul of Clan Arcona. Together they were able to track down and confront Orenth. During this encounter, Atra and Mirado became privy to the Arconan's Force Wraith, witnessing it first hand. In the following encounter the group was separated, leaving Atra broken and alone with the clone, Orenth. Seemingly defeated, Atra's hidden persona took over, betraying the hidden truth behind the experiment. He was deemed a failure because the extent of the experimentation performed by Macron had shown no effect, but the true face of the experiment belied the effectiveness of them. Orenth was left crushed and defeated, no longer a threat to anyone.
Upon returning, though their initial mission was a failure, Atra was annointed with Knighthood, his newfound skills and adeptness recognized by the Summit he now served.
Equipment and Inventory
Atra is extremely humble in terms of the equipment he brings to bear. His ally is the Force, and beyond that anything he needs can be acquired on site.
Weapons
He has an affinity for staff weapons, primarily the quarterstaff, as this was the weapon taught to him by his father. Still, he prefers hand-to-hand combat but will use a weapon when necessary.
His lightsaber possesses a cyan-hued blade, the hilt designed to be slender and light.
Attire
In order to meld with his chosen form of combat, Atra has chosen to wear more simple robes. He has black boots with a firm tread, with black cargo pants as well. For a top he has chosen a sleeveless, dark grey, zip-up collared shirt adorned by a black with grey trim tabbard. His forearms and hands are covered in grey cloth wraps and black bracers over top.
Accessories
Atra's utility belt is the only accessory he has, carrying the fundamentals of survival for worst case scenarios.
Traits
Personality and Phobias
Due to five years of experimentation Atra has developed a deep seated phobia of lab and medical facilities. When confronted by this phobia he is overcome by memories and terror so great it puts him instantly into flight mode, or stuns him completely.
Atra is a split being. Normally, he can be seen to be naturally care-free and devoid of any sort of mental filter. He will say whatever he is thinking, often before he thinks it. He will often make jokes, though he has mellowed out over time as the harsh reality of the world he had longed for took hold. This version of Atra is a facade, a shell covering the core being. In order to survive the insanity of his long-term experimentation he took his core self, his true being, and locked it away. When Atra unveils his true face, it is one of terror. Lightning-like Sith Tattoos slither to the surface, covering his skin as the gold starburst of his iris consumes the grey. His true self takes over and he becomes utterly passive. His features betray no emotion, only a cold, calculating being. He becomes a conduit for his emotions, letting them fuel his power but never remain within him long enough to encroach upon his mentality. It is not the angry Atra that should cause fear, but the utterly calm being he becomes.
Authority is something that Atra generally does not recognize. He will give respect when it is earned, not on basis of title. In this way, he often will not refer to others by their title until that respect has been earned; this fact caused his Master endless grief.
Abnormalities
Atra was targeted for experimentation for a very specific reason. Completely unaware of it himself, at least initially, Atra is what can only be described as a conduit within the Force. This is a stark contrast to his master, Methyas, who emits a fountain of Force energy. Where it is of the norm for a Force User to generate and add to the Force surrounding them, Atra's physiology absorbs it. He is a constant drain on the Living Force around him, pulling it in from any source including people. This pull on the Force is what creates his Force Pool, fuelled not from within but from without. The side effect of this abnormality is that he is naturally more susceptible to Force assaults, as his body is designed to receive the Force instead of blocking it. In addition, his latent Force Pool is less than average. It is this trait that made him more susceptible to Sith Alchemy, and a perfect test subject for Macron.
Combat Style
Atra, despite his size, is an extremely agile and elegant combatant. He relies less on physical contact with his opponent, instead using the Force to amplify his strikes and attack through invisible concussions of power based around his movements and strikes. To watch Atra fight is like watching the wind, graceful and flowing. His movements are like a dancer, avoiding strikes as opposed to blocking, getting close enough to strike with his deceptive range. Getting caught in one of his "combos" is like falling into white water rapids. He will catch you in the Force and pound at you from all directions, utilizing the very objects around you as tools for your pain.
Trivia
- Atra's eye colour often changes depending on his surroundings, though the most common of which is grey. He has been known to possess green and blue eyes, but the gold star burst always remains.
- Atra does not possess a knack for subtlety, resulting in his emotions being easily read. When it comes to anger, the time to get scared with Atra is when his emotions disappear and he becomes dead calm.
- When Atra's personality shifts his eyes become solid Gold, besides his pupils, and Sith Tattoos cover his flesh like forks of lightning giving off a faint blue glow.