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Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? This article details the history of a character who no longer actively takes part in current events.
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- "It's not personal, it's business."
- ―Ishanta
Adept Ishanta (Yri'shanta'maem) is a Grand Inquisitor in direct employ of the Voice tasked with hunting down the leaders of Clan Odan-Urr and the Resistance.
Biography
Very little is known of Ishanta’s life prior to arriving at the Shadow Academy in 29 ABY. Shadow Academy records from the time state she was discovered by a Voice agent serving as a performer in a Coruscant gentleman’s club. Even untrained she demonstrated a strong Force sensitivity and aptitude for manipulating others. Ishanta’s natural talents flourished under the careful tutelage of the Shadow Academy instructors and she was eventually assigned to Clan Arcona as a member of the Sith order.
Ishanta faced a trial by fire in GJW XIshanta arrived on Selen just prior to the outbreak of the Tenth Great Jedi War. She cut her teeth as a Journeyman on the battlefields of New Tython, proving to be exceptionally gifted at infiltration and intelligence gathering. For her actions during the war she was Knighted and slated to be groomed for future leadership.
It wasn’t to be, Ishanta’s former benefactors in the employ of the Voice recruited her out of the Clan to serve as a Voice agent. This proved to be her saving grace as she avoided infection of the Horizons plague that inflicted many of her Journeymen peers while on Voice missions outside of Brotherhood space. As a direct agent for the Voice, Ishanta spent a great deal of time gathering intelligence in the former Sith Worlds for what would eventually become known as the Dark Crusade.
Ishanta quickly rose through the ranks of the Voice’s agents as she racked up successful mission after successful mission throughout the Dark Crusade. Much of her war records are sealed but what few are public knowledge show her to be a cunning and ruthless agent and saboteur. Mid-way through the Crusade she was transferred from infiltration missions to counter-intelligence (CI). It was in the CI role that her talent for interrogation and extraction of information became apparent. Few agents of the Iron Throne could match her ability to ferret out enemy agents and unlock their secrets. By the end of the Crusade, Ishanta had risen to senior Equite status.
Ishanta lost her long time partner during the battle in the Valley of the Dark LordsToward the end of the Dark Crusade Ishanta had begun to work exclusively with a Mirialan slicer named Diane. Fragments of personnel files from the period indicate that the two were lovers. The pair began to take missions behind enemy lines for the loyalists during the Eleventh Great Jedi War. Diane is listed as killed in action during one of the later engagements of the war. The slicer’s death had a profound effect on Ishanta as she renounced her affiliation with the Sith order following the war. She is currently listed on the official rolls as an unaffiliated dark path Jedi.
Ishanta reemerged following the formation of the Inquisitorius in 33 ABY. As a former Voice agent of some renown and an Elder level Force user she was quickly recruited as a senior Inquisitor. She participated in the scourging of Temple Boyna and again applied her talents to ruthlessly hunting down the remaining Obelisk holdouts. In the months following the destruction of New Tython she was personally assigned by the Voice to hunt down the leaders of Clan Odan-Urr and the growing Lotus movement.
In 35 ABY Ishanta intercepted a transmission from a Sentinel Network asset code-named "Chariot" which seemed to indicate that the crew of the Herald's vessel, the Godless Matron, had been infiltrated by SenNet. Following the coordinates from the intercepted transmission, Ishanta landed on Paragon Colony on the former Taldyran moon Alturis in an attempt to capture and interrogate "Chariot" before he could be extracted by his comrades. The mission was a colossal failure for the Grand Inquisitor. Not only did Ishanta leave without evidence she could use against Morgan B. Sorenn or the SenNet agents, she ended up taking most of the blame for high-profile Lotus members Turel Sorenn, V'yr Vorsa and Alethia Archenksova escaping the colony as well as Darth Necren getting gravely injured. The entire escapade left the Chiss with serious grudges against the Herald and Alethia.
Over the course of the following two years, Ishanta's grudge would fester in her mind. Even as the Collective revealed itself and the Brotherhood was forced to focus its efforts to counter new foes, Ishanta remained focused on bringing Clan Odan-Urr to justice. Operating largely in isolation, she was able to track down the Jedi to their new home in the Kiast system, and even confirmed the locations of their major strongholds. However, every act conflicted with the wishes of her superiors. Without Darth Pravus' obsession justifying all actions in annihilating those that did not immediately bow before his will, Ishanta found herself lacking the same freedom as before. As the new Grand Master, Telaris Cantor, proved to be far more mentally stable than his predecessor, he was able to recognize that antagonizing the very subjects he sought to rule would only lead to his downfall. Matters finally came to a head when Ishanta's personal crusade led to her being reprimanded, and a warning that any further efforts to attack Clan Odan-Urr would be met with a harsh punishment.
Opting to instead act through others, Ishanta contacted the Vauzem Dominion and brokered a deal with its leaders. Her efforts assisted the Dominion with its invasion of the Vatali Empire, and the poisoning of Empress Kaltani. A faked decree further pushed a wedge between the Odanties and their patrons when it announced Archenksova as the new regent, leaving enough hints to imply that the Jedi were attempting to seize power for themselves. However, this act did not play out as intended. The Odanites were able to counter a number of assassinations and false flag operations intended to turn public opinion against them, while the Empress herself was merely put into a coma. The region was stabilized during this period, and the Odanites were able to maintain peace.
With her main gambit foiled, Ishanta was unable to act during the following months, and a joint operation against Meridian Prime space station allowed for talks to open up between the Brotherhood and those that had opposed them. A secret pact was brokered between the two groups, agreeing to both a ceasefire and a joint effort to wipe out the Collective. In order to coerce the former Lotus Resistance to accept this deal, several concessions were given by the Brotherhood. One of these was Ishanta's current location. A small band of Jedi and mercenaries stormed her hiding place and, after a brief fight, succeeded in taking the Inquisitor alive. As the Vatali Empire itself declared open war on both the Dominion and Collective, and Archenksova abdicated her position as leader, Ishanta was held prisoner on one of their ships.
Ishanta was greeted by both Turel Sorenn and Archenksova. After displaying both defiance and open contempt, she was quickly given sentence for her crimes: Exile to the very world that she had helped bring to ruin. The last either Odanite saw of Ishanta was her bound and held in an escape pod, screaming as she was dropped toward the now lifeless planet below them.
Physical Appearance
Ishanta is a Chiss female in her mid-thirties. She is slightly taller than the average female with a lithe frame. She walks with a graceful confidence that draws all of the eyes of a room to her. Her cerulean skin, glowing ruby eyes and short black hair come together in a face that is attractive by most galactic standards. Her demeanor is generally positive as she also strives to appear calm and in control of all situations.
Ishanta serving as a scout during GJW XIshanta is extremely fashion-conscious and will often wear custom tailored outfits in field work that combine functionality with style. Her overall image is carefully managed so she will avoid overly revealing clothing while conducting operations in order to command respect. Off-duty she can be seen at the most elite nightclubs donning the trendiest outfits from Corellia, Coruscant and other core worlds. Her outfits range from galactic nobility to underworld mistress depending on the venue and her mood.
Personality
Ishanta is confident to a degree that borders on arrogance or narcissism. Analytical and goal driven, she rarely misses a target she aims for and takes great personal affront when she does. The Inquisitor hates to lose and will become obsessed with settling the score with whoever manages to best her. She has an almost pathological tendency to underestimate the intelligence of those around her, often to her own detriment. Unless she is attempting an infiltration or evasion, she has a need to be the center of attention.
She rarely shows anger or frustration, instead, Ishanta strives to project a cool demeanor that suggests everything is happening according to her plan. She usually doesn’t resort to threats or intimidation to motivate those around her, instead, she skillfully manipulates whatever drives that individual.
Philosophy
Ishanta briefing her Inquisitorious lieutenants on the bride of the Scorn
- "The Brotherhood could be so much more than it is, all it lacks is the right leader to bring the Clans to heel and unify us."
- ―Ishanta
After GJW XI, Ishanta became disillusioned with traditional Sith philosophy and the pointless inter-Clan squabbles which had caused so much waste in lives and resources. She deeply believes that she can succeed where Pravus and others have failed in uniting the Clans and making the Brotherhood a force to be reckoned with in the galaxy similar to the First Order. She views the Inquisition as a means to an end, namely her rise to the Dark Council and eventually the Iron Throne itself. She agrees with the need to purge rogue elements such as the Jedi and former Krath and Obelisk orders but believes Pravus is dangerously unstable and Marick Arconae is a traitor.
She embraces her passions and the Dark Side of the Force but has lapsed in her adherence to Sith dogma.
Powers and abilities
- "Why fight the body when you can dominate the mind that rules it?"
- ―Ishanta
Ishanta specializes in mental abilities such as Illusion, Mind Trick and Force Interrogation. She combines these abilities with her years of experience in field interrogations to great effect when extracting information from a subject. In combat the Inquisitor will distort her opponent’s perception of reality to the point they either eliminate themselves in some environmental hazard or become vulnerable. If an opponent is able to somehow resist her mental intrusions they can engage her with physical attacks which she is more vulnerable to.
Ishanta is also accomplished with Telekinesis and Barrier, though she cannot defend against physical attacks and maintain her mental assaults at the same time.
Ships and equipment
As a Grand Inquisitor tasked with hunting down the leaders of an entire Clan, Ishanta has been giving a certain amount of requisitioning authority within the Iron Legion to build her task force. Despite carrying the blessing of the Voice in her mission, Ishanta's tasking authority is limited by the Fist and she must make the most of what few forces she is granted. Most of the task force is built from Inquisition personnel with limited military support.
The Scorn
The Scorn
A modified Marauder-class corvette, The Scorn is Ishanta's flag ship and main headquarters. It is also the only vessel permanently assigned to her, all others are temporarily attached to her task force.
The Scorn has undergone extensive modification to suit its mission for the Inquisitorious. The vessel has enhanced sensor and communication suites as well as an illegal sensor jammer acquired from the black market. The Scorn has also had its interior modified to include a series of interrogation cells with accompanying medical and intelligence specialists on the crew. Her crew also includes slicers, analysts and a small security detachment of Iron Legion.
Ishanta also keeps a personally owned Solar Sailer in the Scorn's hanger for movement to and from orbit or for undercover operations.
L30-NA
Droid L30-NA aka "Leona" is a BT-01 assassin droid assigned as Ishanta's assistant and bodyguard. Upon acquiring L30-NA Ishanta personalized the droid by giving it the name "Leona" and referring to it by female pronouns. She also added certain quirks to Leona's personality matrix to make the droid think of itself as female and respond negatively to those who refer to it with male pronouns. Leona is also programmed to be exceptionally loyal to Ishanta and hostile to those who disrespect or mean harm to the Inquisitor.
Leona is equipped with the various heavy weapons and flamers common to the BT-01 droid line with some of the weapons swapped out for non-lethal munitions for capturing high-value targets. The droid is also programmed and designed to pass as a normal astromech in most situations, revealing its deadly payload only when necessary. Ishanta often uses Leona as mission support for slicing and backup when conducting solo operations. Leona is more than capable of operating independently and protecting critical objectives.