Talitha

"On this ship of the damned, I am the damnedest of them all."

―Talitha, introducing herself to Anshar

Born centuries ago, Talitha has forever retained her youthful appearance, having stopped aging somewhere around the age of twelve. Once a powerful Force user, her power has dwindled to where its mere use, save in a few ways, poses a substantial burden on her mind and body. She has been reborn countless times, but has never physically aged beyond the approximate age of twelve. Once living alone and watching events from afar, Talitha was brought into the Keepers fold due to her unique condition and the insight that she might be able to provide.

In reality, Talitha is a true Keeper, though she does not know this. In particular, Talitha has demonstrated a great affinity for communicating with ghosts and spirits, even those in the deepest reaches of the Force.

Invisible

"On that day, I became invisible to the galaxy."

―Talitha

Though Talitha was born centuries ago, not even she knows a specific date. Bits and pieces of conversation from her indicate that she is at least old enough to have personally witnessed the Dark Age of the Republic.

The Battles on Ruusan occured during the early part of Talitha's life

Her parents both died from the Candorian Plague, and she saw her brother taken off to war. The orphaned girl was left alone, ignored by those around her. Whatever her exact connection to the Force is, it appears as if she manifested and developed it entirely on her own.

Unknown and unnoticed, the ageless girl continued to live alone, neither seeking nor desiring contact with others. It appears as if she moved to Coruscant at some point around the Clone Wars. During the Battle of Coruscant, there were rumors of a ghostly child-like apparition from many Republic troopers. However, the accounts were ignored and chalked up to the shock of battle.

Though Talitha has confirmed that she was on Coruscant during the Clone Wars, she has never confirmed that she was the apparition that so many claimed to have seen.

Hunted

"I am hunted by that which I should know but do not."

―Talitha

One possible depiction of that which hunts Talitha

Talitha never drew the attention of the Sith or the Jedi, but she still feared what the new Empire might do to her.Though she had never been trained, she knew what she was and that should anyone ever take notice of her, they would seek to either enslave or destroy her. Unfortunately, she was proven right, but the threat came not from Darth Sidious or Darth Vader, but rather from an unknown force capable of controlling the undead. Talitha fled from the Hunter. She was incapable of truly fighting back as her powers had since dwindled to the point of being nearly unusable. Eventually, she found herself aboard the decommissioned MC80 Renegade, discovering the vengeful spirits still connected to the vessel. As with everyone else she had ever encountered, the spirits seemed to ignore her and she roamed the ship as it made its way through space, seeking out the targets the spirits desired their revenge upon.

The MC80 Renegade was Talitha's home for a short period of time

Talitha’s residency aboard the ship leant to its status as a ghost ship, as at least one adventurer was able to board, and subsequently escape, the ship alive. Few believed him about the ship, however, and fewer still believed his tales about a strange young girl. Eventually, the adventurer managed to publish a holo-novel about it. He never spoke about it again.

Into the Asylum

"They claim they know me"

―Talitha

Virtually nothing has been revealed about Talitha’s entrance into the Asylum. It is known that upon her arrival on Yridia II, she was met by one of the other Keepers, most likely Master Shade. Other than that, nothing more is known to the clan membership.

Rebirth

"All I remember is someone telling me ‘Awake, my silent girl' and I do. He is the one I seek; the one who commands me to awake."

―Talitha

Talitha, as noted, does not physically age past twelve. However, she has been reborn mentally countless times over with each rebirth sparked by her recovering her memories of being a true Keeper.

Though her rebirths eliminate all memories of her being a true Keeper, she does retain the memories of the previous physical life times, which themselves may span hundreds of years. This can include those events that sparked her memories of being a Keeper, which may eventually lead to the shortening of her “lives.” It is theorized that if she can revert to her true form permanently, she may be able to contact the legendary Phalanthus. For now, however, she remains cut off from that part of her past.

When being reborn, Talitha enters a coma like state (she does not die) wrapped in a strange green energy field.

Personality and Powers

Talitha is quiet and reserved and many mistake her as being depressed. In reality, she is not depressed, but she has lived so many lives that she no longer experiences any great deal of emotion. However, she does still have a bit of child-like curiosity relating to her own history and how she has managed to remain alive. Unlike all the other Keepers in the Asylum, Talitha does not have an overbearing presence. Whereas the others will be noticed, Talitha is more likely to be overlooked and ignored. Very rarely does she answer a question directly.

Talitha’s powers are extremely limited in modern times. Whether a by product of her continual rebirths or simply having been alive for so long, she simply cannot do very much. While capable of using common Force powers (push, heal, enhance speed, etc), these uses of the Force seriously weaken her, and take a good deal more effort to be effective. However, she has shown some remarkable abilities that do not seem to strain her:

• Phasing: she apparently can alter her body from solid to ghost like, allowing her to pass unhindered through walls and other obstacles. This has led to her reputation as a ghost, especially in the holo-novel.
• Telepathy: she can carry on conversations over great distances, even greater than most Masters.
• Concealment: It is not known whether this is a conscious choice or not, but the leading theory for (almost) everyone ignoring her is that Talitha is concealing herself.
• Rebirth: when entering her rebirth, and the subsequent energy field, it does not seem to be affected by her otherwise diminished powers.
• Spirit Communication: she can communicate with spirits regardless of whether or not they were Force sensitive in their lives.
• Deflection: she can block a good deal of attacks, especially those on a spiritual plane.

Trivia

• Talitha's name is Aramaic for "little girl."
• She is inspired by a wide range of other fictional characters