Post by Gamov on Sept 3, 2012 20:29:05 GMT -5
Name: Decon Cross
Class: Consular
Title: Apothecary
Age: 38
Sex: Male
Height/Weight: 5'11”/165 lbs
Species: Lorrdian
Appearance:
In a word, Decon is a fairly average guy. Nearly middle aged with short black hair, dark stubble shadowing his chin and jaw line, blueish-green colored eyes and an average build, he is very unassuming to the casual observer – and certainly not what one may expect of a Jedi. His expressions paint the picture of a stoic man who has an innate sense of the world around him and the impact his actions, as well as those of others, can have on it.
For clothing, Decon trends more towards the untraditional side and is rarely, if ever, seen wearing the ubiquitous Jedi robes that many find indicative of the Order. He prefers to remain casual when he can, wearing a slate colored shirt, a light gray overcoat with a pinstripe pattern, matching pants that sport the same pin striping as his coat, a pair of black shoes and a long, charcoal colored overcoat. To Decon, this attire is more modest (and thus, more fitting) in presentation than the almost “lordly” cloaks favored by most Jedi.
History:
Unlike many of his fellow Lorrdians who had been forced into slavery at the start of the Kanz Disorders, Decon was spared such a fate. Perhaps it was by the benevolent grace of the will of the Force, or by simple dumb luck, but his family had manged to flee from the Redoubt and escape captivity at the hands of the Argazdans to begin their lives anew on the distant world of Eriadu. Settling in the port city of Phelar, Decon would enjoy a modest childhood despite the humanocentric views of the native Eriaduans. Luckily enough for himself and his family though, Lorrdians bear such close resemblance to base line humans that few hardly noticed their status as “aliens” and made no strides to bring undue attention to the fact.
As a young boy, Decon was adventurous and somewhat mischievous. These personality traits often landed him in trouble and tended to get him in with the wrong kinds of crowds, both accomplishments that neither of his parents were all that pleased with. By a mere twist of fate though, it would be this same carefree and cavalier attitude that would eventually bring Decon into contact with the Jedi and put him on the path towards a new life beyond his wildest dreams.
One particular day, a day like any other really, Decon and his friends had set out into the wilderness around the city in search of a storied cave that was rumored to be the den of a fierce beast. The cave was a well known spot among most children in the city, and a popular gathering place for the bolder individuals among them who would often dare one another to go into the cave in search of the creature.
As fate would have it, Decon was “elected” by his friends to enter the cave. He did so with an air of confidence that was actually a fairly poor mask for his apprehension. Once inside the cavern though, he quickly became lost and disoriented in his dismal surroundings. Panic set in fairly quickly and before long he found himself scrambling blindly for the way back, all to no avail. Hours must have gone by before Decon had lost the strength to press on, eventually collapsing from sheer exhaustion. Alone, cold, frightened and with little hope of rescue in sight, Decon did not expect to ever see the light of day again and had all but consigned himself to his fate as he drifted off to sleep.
Of course, it came as a great shock, and an even greater relief, to young Decon when he was greeted by the shimmering rays of the morning sun the next day. He woke not to the cold, damp floor of the cave, but to his own bed, warm and comfortable. How did he manage to get here? Perhaps the whole thing was just a horrible dream. A mixture of confusion and joy flooded his mind as he threw the sheets off and ran out of his room in search of his parents. He easily found them, sitting together at the kitchen table as always. Only this time, there was someone else with them.... a woman draped in a dark brown cloak and white tunic.
Confusion returned as Decon slowly approached the table. His parents both greeted him with open arms and wide smiles before introducing their guest. The woman was a young Echani Jedi Knight named Erika Tannis. She had been responsible for rescuing Decon from the cave and returning him to his home.
Shortly afterward though, she had had a lengthy discussion with his parents about the latent Force powers she had sensed in him. Decon's parents were aware that the Force did run through their family and had wondered if their son was attuned to it as their own relatives had been. They certainly could have had test done to verify it, but it was their own reservations that prevented them from doing so. Understandably, when Erika confirmed Decon's Force affinity, they were initially resistant to the idea of their son becoming a Jedi.
Erika was eventually able to convince them otherwise though and they gradually became more open to the idea. Even so, the choice was not theirs to make and they made the decision to let young Decon decide for himself.
When presented with his options, Decon was dumbstruck. Himself as a Jedi? Surely this was the dream now. Accepting the offer meant leaving the life ha had come to know behind. His parents, his friends, his house, his very way of life, all gone and changed forever with one little word. It was a weighty decision to be thrust upon such a young mind to be sure, but Decon at least went into it knowing that he would be supported by his family no matter what choice he made. It took him several more days to come to terms with the choice in front of him, but Decon eventually chose the life of a Jedi.
It was a bitter-sweet moment for his parents as they saw Decon off for the last time, but they managed to cope knowing that they did so sending their son off to a better life than they could have ever hoped to provide for him. Decon would return to Coruscant with Erika to begin his training in the halls of the Jedi Temple.
His first impressions among the other Jedi were mixed as some though him too brash and impulsive to become a Jedi. Despite this though, Decon's blend of skills and loyalty made him a promising candidate in Erika's eyes. The young Echani, herself an unconventional and somewhat controversial member of the order, immediately took a great deal of interest in Decon's latent Force abilities when she first encountered him on Eriadu. Among the young boy's traits of loyalty, trustworthiness and responsibility, Erika was deeply impressed by Decon's skills, admiring his rational approach to his assignments and his humility when seeking advice from his seniors.
Although he possessed the talents to become a powerful warrior by Erika's own estimations, Decon tended to keep a low profile and preferred to study philosophy and the Force over combat techniques. His initial training with the Force not only introduced him to his true potential as a Jedi, but also the trappings of the Dark Side. As an unintended result of this, Decon began to fear his own potential fall to the Dark Side and became far more stubborn and reserved. Eventually though, thanks to guidance offered to him by Master Tannis, he came to accept his destiny as a Jedi Knight and overcame his fears of the Dark Side.
In his later years, rather than allowing himself to be ruled by his fears, Decon undertook a personal quest for understanding – believing firmly that if he were to be able to better understand and identify the Dark Side, then he could train himself to avoid its corrupting influences. With this knowledge came confidence, and eventually whatever hesitancy he may have once had was long since gone. Thanks to Erika's influences, Decon also became a staunch supporter of the Living Force concept and came to support the philosophy that no Force power is inherently dark or light, but that it fully depends on how and for what purpose one uses it.
Though this view was considered to be in direct conflict with the core beliefs of the order, Decon felt that it was (and still is) an appropriate view to hold and continued to practice this belief despite its unorthodox nature. For all of his new found confidence though, Decon would continue to maintain a low profile even after his promotion to the rank of Jedi Knight. Following the loss of his master during a raid on a Sith stronghold though, Decon's personality shifted and he became a bit more introverted, adopting a more pacifistic approach. Direct action became a means of last resort and Decon prefers to handle situations as non-violently as possible.
After Erika's death, Decon strayed from the order somewhat and became a man who was a law unto himself. He rarely has direct dealings with other members of the order anymore and does not allow himself to get caught up in the passions of his fellow Jedi. On the occasions when he did again feel compelled to interact with the order and offer his own insights though, Decon's comments and views were usually described as being “like a punch to the gut”, in terms of how on point and honest they were.
Decon has never adopted an apprentice or Padawan, though he wagers that he will need to at some point in order to fulfill the sense of obligation he holds within himself. For the moment though, he is perfectly content where he is – living his own life on his own terms, traveling across the galaxy and plying his skills as a negotiator and peace maker in an attempt to mend the wounds of a stricken galaxy.
Base Stats:
Strength: 5
Speed: 5
Stamina: 5
Force Stats:
Control: 3
Sense: 2
Alter: 15
Combat Stats:
Lightsaber: 3
Unarmed: 0
Melee: 2
Range: 0
Force Powers:
Telekinesis
Force Sense
Force Blinding
Force Veil
Cure
Skills:
Shii-Cho
Jar'Kai
Force Focus
Two-Handed Specialist
Personal Items:
Lightsabers
Decon makes use of two lightsabers due to his preference for the Jar'Kai fighting style. Each hilt is basically identical in design save for the kinds of focusing emitters and blade crystals he has placed in them. His dominant blade (his right handed saber) was constructed with a Rubat crystal to sharpen the definition of the blade's edge, allowing Decon to more easily track it and strike at opponents with a greater degree of accuracy. The blade glows in a deep emerald green – the color indicative of most Consulars.
In contrast, his off handed saber was constructed with an extremely rare Lorrdian gemstone that is imbued with the Force and connected to Decon by way of a deep mystical bond. The gemstone is a family heirloom handed down through the years from Decon's ancestors who had been enslaved by the Argazdans and forced to labor tirelessly mining such gems. It was a distant relative on his mother's side who first attuned the crystal with the Force and began the tradition of handing it off to each new generation for safekeeping.
When Decon's parents came into possession of the crystal, they gave it to him as a gift in the hopes that he would continue the tradition and one day hand it down to his own children. When Decon joined the Jedi Order though, the crystal went with him and became one of the few personal possessions he kept for himself. Using the crystal to construct his lightsaber, Decon learned to tap into his bond with it in order to better read his opponent's moves and deflect their attacks with greater ease. The blade glows a fiery orange in contrast to the verdant green of its twin – symbolizing the strength and passion of his ancestors.
Lexi
An A.I. program built by Decon for the Gladius. At first her programming was limited and she was used primarily as a navigator. Since some recent upgrades though, her memory has expanded almost exponentially and Lexi has taken on a personality all her own.
Capable of making calculations on an astronomical level, she can absorb new information almost instantaneously and provide up to the minute updates to the ship's crew. Due to her expanded intelligence, Lexi can interact with any system on the ship and is also capable of projecting herself onto any number of personal devices – such as datapads, computer terminals and holo projectors. She also possesses an extensive database on alien languages, cultures, religions and societies and can stream this data to any member of the crew who requests it.
Far from being an over glorified protocol droid though, Lexi is also programmed with a highly sophisticated electronic warfare suite that allows her to defend the ship and its crew from cyber attacks. Should the Gladius be attacked by a hostile computer program or virus, Lexi is capable of isolating and removing the threat while continuing to aid the crew by maintaining critical systems or providing seamless tactical analysis.
While she generally interacts with the crew as a disembodied voice, she has adopted a physical appearance as well and chooses to present herself as a transparent, blue colored woman with short dark blue hair and lines of binary code that stream in geometric patterns along her arms, legs, chest and back. Even as an A.I., Lexi is known to be somewhat quirky, possessing a fairly quick wit and an almost mischievous sense of humor.
She is also infinitely fascinated by organic life and often questions the crew about what it is like to “alive”. Of particular interest to her though is Decon's affinity with the Force. Her curiosity does tend to lead to some rather uncomfortable lines of questioning at times given that she is not as well versed in social tact or notions of modesty. Nevertheless, she has proven to be an invaluable asset to the Gladius and its crew.
Starship:
Gladius
Class: Defender-class Light Corvette
Length: 50 meters
Crew: 8
-- Pilots: 2 (or 1 A.I.)
-- TacOps Officers: 2
-- Engineers: 2
-- Navigators: 1
-- Gunners Mates: 1
Weapons:
-- Dual Turbolasers: 2
-- Concussion Missiles: 10
Hyperdrive: Class 3
Accouterments:
-- A.I. Interface
-- Meditation Room
-- Medical Bay
-- Armory
-- Common Room
-- Crew Bunks
-- Galley
-- Briefing Room
-- Observation Room
Gladius
Class: Defender-class Light Corvette
Length: 50 meters
Crew: 8
-- Pilots: 2 (or 1 A.I.)
-- TacOps Officers: 2
-- Engineers: 2
-- Navigators: 1
-- Gunners Mates: 1
Weapons:
-- Dual Turbolasers: 2
-- Concussion Missiles: 10
Hyperdrive: Class 3
Accouterments:
-- A.I. Interface
-- Meditation Room
-- Medical Bay
-- Armory
-- Common Room
-- Crew Bunks
-- Galley
-- Briefing Room
-- Observation Room
