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Liandry Cataa is a female Pantoran ex-criminal in the service of Plagueis. A newcomer to Plagueis and the Brotherhood, Liandry is industrious and manipulative, fitting in perfectly with the ranks of the Ascendant Clan.
Character History
A Flower is Born
Liandry's mother, Morella was the daughter of a former member of the Pantoran Assembly and his secretary. Her father would cheat on her mother, prompting Morella to act out frequently. One notable incident involved Morella spending a night buying drinks for the patrons of a bar. When her father found out, he cut Morella off and tasked her with finding her own way in life. Desperate to find employment, Morella got a job at the bar that had caused the incident and started growing closer to an off-worlder who was studying at the local university. Morella would never really speak to her parents again. The two would begin a relationship and go on to have a single child together.
Liandry was born on the moon of Pantora in the year 17 ABY to a working-class Pantoran woman and her husband, who wasn't a native of the moon. The couple doted on their daughter, an only child, for much of the early years of her life. If Liandry wanted something and it was affordable, she would get it. Her father worked as a teacher in one of the local schools while her mother was primarily responsible for caring for the young infant while her husband was at work.
As the girl aged and started to socialise with other children her age, Morella and her husband noticed how well their daughter was able to befriend the local children, much to their delight. The girl would have a bright future on Pantora, maybe even become a member of the assembly. Morella especially was proud of this and encouraged her daughter's social activity early on.
The start of school was an interesting time in Liandry's life. Her father being a teacher at the school meant she often caught flak, even though her father never taught students of her age group. This experience lead to the girl reducing the size of her social circle, deepening the bonds she shared with each of the people who remained close to her. In fact, this would be an almost annual occurrence, as she picked up friends throughout the year and then shed some once the new academic year started. It was never malicious, more because Liandry was aware that children's social circles could be every bit as political as running a planet.
The Flower Corrupted
The Poison Appears
As Liandry reached her teens, she noticed that things were changing, more and more things were becoming unaffordable. Her parent's income had been keeping up with any price increases, but it was things Liandry wanted that were being cut. She noticed her parents were also acting differently, being more secretive around her, not being the kind, loving parents she had grown up with to that point, they seemed to be more pragmatic and distant.
Unknown to Liandry, her parents had started to dabble in drugs. It was just a little at first, nothing so noticeable to their daughter. But a chain of events had been set in motion that would go on to shape Liandry's future. As time went on, they changed more and more, Morella seemingly lost interest in grooming her daughter to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather, even though the girl clearly still had the talent for it. Liandry's father's performance in his job was starting to suffer, arguing more with colleagues and even students from time to time.
The Poison Festers
After a number of months, things were starting to get serious. Strange men were turning up at Liandry's home and having conversations in hushed tones. Her parents were becoming more distant as time passed, even to the point where Liandry could tell something was seriously wrong. She didn't want to raise the issue and so kept quiet, they were her parents, after all, they were supposed to be responsible and raise her to be the best woman she could be. But deep down, she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it down forever.
Liandry's friends couldn't help but notice that something seemed to be weighing on her mind and they told their parents, who had suspicions about what it could be that was but didn't confide this in their children, not wanting to bring them down or risk their friendship with Liandry. So it was something of an open secret that nobody would talk about. Liandry's father was the most visibly affected, being more publicly visible than his wife. He would row with students and colleagues, take more time off than was normal, sometimes show up unfit for work.
One incident involved Luden attempting to explain a subject to a class and one of the students pushed back on what was being taught. This wasn't an uncommon occurrence but something about this time set him off. He violently slammed his fist into the student's desk, much to the surprise of the classroom. They had known him to get irritable sometimes and maybe even shout at his students but this was something else. Eventually, the trouble got so bad he was sent home. Now the family had little income and two drug habits to support. Liandry needed to do something, despite the fact she was still just a teenager.
The Black Rose
The Black Seed Planted
As Liandry was walking home from school one day, she was approached by a woman who asked in the young woman would be interested in earning a little money for a simple delivery job. With her parents frivolously throwing away money on drugs, Liandry decided to accept the offer so that she could at least have something of her own that they couldn't take from her. The older lady handed Liandry a package, told her where to go and what to say to the people she was delivering it too. It was a nice and simple job and Liandry did it well. As time went on, the woman would come by once a week, maybe twice on a good week, and give Liandry packages to deliver to various points of the city. Each time, the industrious Liandry would achieve her task and be paid accordingly. The responsibility felt good like she was contributing to something larger, and she was.
The woman seemed to act as almost a second mother for Liandry, making sure she was ok, asking if she had any issues that needed solving and this pleased Liandry. With her home life showing no signs of improvement, it was nice to have someone to talk to who seemed to genuinely care about her. Liandry's friends thought it was weird, but they didn't say anything as they were just happy that she was returning to the girl they had known before her parents had got involved with illicit substances. Those who had only known Liandry during the dark times were pleased to see her perking up and being more open and lively.
Eventually, Liandry's parents found out about what she'd been doing and lectured her about how she shouldn't talk to strangers and especially move packages for them without knowing what was inside. Luden told Liandry that if she wanted to waste her life she could do it once she'd moved out. That remark sparked something in Liandry, she broke from her usually calm demeanour and shamed her parents for their drug habit, saying she wouldn't have to do what she was doing if her parents weren't spending their money on drugs, that she hated them and as soon as she could afford to she would be moving out.
Dark Germination
When she turned 16, Liandry's adult friend had a different kind of request. She wanted Liandry to come with her and observe a meeting she was having with some of her friends Liandry had been delivering packages to for the past few years. Liandry was thrilled by this, not the idea of meeting these people, but that she was being trusted with more serious work and with it likely more serious pay. The woman took Liandry to one of the buildings Liandry often delivered packages to, only this time she went inside. Everyone inside the building was well-dressed, much more so than the area of the city that they were in. Liandry didn't know what was in the packages she delivered but was sure that these people could afford as much of it as they wanted.
Liandry was guided to a room where a man who was more well-dressed than most of the building's occupants, and that was saying something, sat on a throne-like chair. The woman she'd been liaising with seemed to show extreme deference to this figure, and Liandry played along too. She didn't know who he was or what he'd done to deserve such treatment, but she knew that he was important and that he likely controlled the work she could get.
The man chuckled at Liandry's show of respect, he asked her to come closer and she obeyed, after being reassured by her friend. He took a long look at Liandry and asked if this was the runner who had been so dutiful, which her friend confirmed. A smile spread across his face and he introduced himself as the leader of the gang. He told Liandry that she'd been delivering spice and one of the most reliable people he had. The gangster asked Liandry if she liked the money, to which she quipped it was fine, but nothing spectacular. The room was stunned, but the one person whose opinion mattered was impressed with Liandry's honesty. He told her that if she was willing to join the organisation there would be more jobs, jobs of a higher level and more credits. She would be able to advance as she succeeded and gain the financial independence she so craved. Once Liandry had accepted the offer, the man introduced himself as Runaan.
Liandry would work for Runaan and his gang, gradually familiarising herself with the culture, norms and names of the people in power as she immersed herself in the gang life, gradually rising through the ranks with the assistance of her mentor. During this time, she lived with her mentor and the two grew close, they became almost like a mother and daughter.
The Black Rose Blossoms
When she was 18, Liandry received a disturbing message from Runaan, her mentor had turned on the gang and had been killed making an attempt on his life. Liandry was summoned to meet Runaan at the gang's hideout to discuss the event. Liandry wasn't sure why this had happened or what would happen if she didn't show so she met Runaan as he had requested. A relatively polite interrogation took place, Runaan attempting to discern whether Liandry had any knowledge of the plot against him and had hidden it, or if she was just as unaware as he was. After several hours, he determined Liandry hadn't known of the plot and was loyal to Runaan. Then he did something Liandry wasn't expecting, he asked her to become his second-in-command.
Liandry was shocked but knew the opportunity came with power and influence so she accepted. Runaan reacquainted Liandry with the story of Qi'ra, the woman who had risen from the Corellian slums to lead the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. She responded well to this, becoming a much more elegant and refined woman than the practical approach she had preferred before. She became cold and manipulative, which suited Runaan and his aims perfectly. The two formed something of a relationship outside their work, understanding that because of her loyalty to him, Liandry's fate was tied to Runaan's. He called her his Black Rose and some of the other members of the gang caught on and it became a kind of title for Liandry.
It was at this time that Liandry developed Imperial and Republican personas with which to deal with more legitimate groups to spread the gang's influence beyond Pantora. Runaan found himself feeling vindicated in what had been an unpopular choice, many had assumed Liandry's guilt and called for her to be killed or at the very least excommunicated. However, the pair were finding themselves clashing on balancing their professional and private lives. Liandry would often act flirtatiously around clients and negotiate her own reward for connecting people with her boss. Liandry assured him that this was just business and that if she cared for anyone it was him. Nevertheless, the two started to gradually drift apart privately, while maintaining a veneer of professionalism.
The Black Rose Scatters
Liandry had only recently turned 21 when Runaan was assassinated. Though they hadn't been truly close for more than a year, Liandry knew this meant she would have to leave Pantora. Anyone who was able to muster the support or at least indifference of enough people to be able to murder Runaan would surely be coming for her next. Liandry had now inherited Runaan's ship, the Euphoria. Liandry took the ship and departed for the stars.
Liandry would first spend a some time using her Imperial-friendly persona on worlds that had enjoyed the benefits of the Empire, doing jobs for former high-ranking Imperials in return for credits while she stayed on her ship as accommodation. It was a far cry from life on Pantora, and that was what she needed in order to keep prying eyes off of her. It wasn't ideal, but Euphoria was able to provide a safe haven while moored on planets with good security and her knowledge of the smuggling trade meant she could get things where they needed to go without being detected. After a couple of months, Liandry decided that she would see how New Republic-aligned worlds would compare.
Upon arriving on her first planet formerly controlled by the New Republic, Liandry found it to be a lot more suffocating. Republic legislation was just as strict, if not stricter than Imperial law, but the average person on the street appeared to be a lot more holier than thou. Of course, this just meant that the Pantoran would have to use all of her skills to get away with jobs and that Euphoria served as a much larger portion of her income as it hosted a variety of functions, both legitimate and illegitimate. Liandry would only stick around in Republic space for a couple of months.
Physical Description
Liandry is slightly taller than the average Pantoran female with long light-purple hair side-parted. Liandry shares her race's trademark gold-yellow eyes, pastel purple skin, and yellow tattoos in the form of a crescent moon with the points facing downwards on both cheeks. Her hips and bust are nearly equal in size and she has a well-defined waist that’s narrower than both, her limbs and upper body are proportionate.