- "On this ship of the damned, I am the damnedest of them all."
- ―Talitha, introducing herself to Anshar Kahn Tarentae
Born centuries ago, Talitha forever retained her youthful appearance, having stopped aging somewhere around the age of twelve. Once a powerful Force user, her power had dwindled to where its mere use, save in a few ways, posed a substantial burden on her mind and body. She was reborn countless times, but had 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 may have been able to provide.
In reality, Talitha was a true Keeper, though she did not know this. In particular, Talitha had 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 knew a specific date. Bits and pieces of conversation from her indicated that she was at least old enough to have personally witnessed the Dark Age of the Republic.
The Battles on Ruusan occurred 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 childlike apparition from many Republic troopers. However, the accounts were ignored and chalked up to the shock of battle.
Though Talitha confirmed that she was on Coruscant during the Clone Wars, she 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 was revealed about Talitha’s entrance into the Mystics 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, did not physically age past twelve. However, she was reborn mentally countless times over with each rebirth sparked by her recovering her memories of being a true Keeper.
Though her rebirths eliminated all memories of her being a true Keeper, she retained the memories of the previous physical life times, which themselves spanned hundreds of years. This may have included those events that sparked her memories of being a Keeper, which would eventually lead to the shortening of her “lives.” It was theorized that if she could revert to her true form permanently, she could have been able to contact the legendary Phalanthus. For the rest of her existence, however, she was cut off from that part of her past.
When being reborn, Talitha entered a coma like state (she did not die) wrapped in a strange green energy field.
Death
Talitha, as a newer Keeper, was naive and unknowing of the other Keepers' true intentions for the clan. Her belief in King Phalanthus would soon plague her, and she was granted the power of a weapon known as the Obsidian Blade, to further unlock her necromantic powers. As a result, her sanity was strained by the weapon, and when confronted with the truth that her king was in fact a fabrication, she grew violent. She was personally responsible for the death of Tel'Ratha, impaling him on the Obsidian Blade, especially after he had allowed Shade to be brutally killed by members of Tarentum.
She then turned the blade on herself, taking her own life in the name of her king. She therefore died still believing that she would be with Phalanthus even in Oblivion. She would appear one more time to Anshar in 33 ABY, using the last of her power on the plane of Oblivion to restore his spiritual connection with his flesh.
Personality and Powers
Talitha was quiet and reserved and many mistook her as being depressed. In reality, she was not depressed, but she had lived so many lives that she no longer experienced any great deal of emotion. However, she did still have a bit of childlike curiosity relating to her own history and how she had managed to remain alive. Unlike all the other Keepers in the Asylum, Talitha did not have an overbearing presence. Whereas the others would be noticed, Talitha was more likely to be overlooked and ignored. Very rarely did she answer a question directly.
Talitha’s powers were extremely limited in modern times. Whether a by product of her continual rebirths or simply having been alive for so long, she simply could not do very much. While capable of using common Force powers (push, heal, enhance speed, etc.), these uses of the Force seriously weakened her, and took a good deal more effort to be effective. However, she was shown some remarkable abilities that did not seem to strain her:
- Phasing: she apparently could alter her body from solid to ghost like, allowing her to pass unhindered through walls and other obstacles. This had led to her reputation as a ghost, especially in the holo-novel.
- Telepathy: she could carry on conversations over great distances, even greater than most Masters.
- Concealment: It was not known whether this was a conscious choice or not, but the leading theory for (almost) everyone ignoring her was that Talitha was concealing herself.
- Rebirth: when entering her rebirth, and the subsequent energy field, it did not seem to be affected by her otherwise diminished powers.
- Spirit Communication: she could communicate with spirits regardless of whether or not they were Force sensitive in their lives.
- Deflection: she could block a good deal of attacks, especially those on a spiritual plane.