Biographies Archive

Character Name: Jenai Derlaash

Character Physical Description: Derlaash is of a medium height, and has a build best described as wiry. His facial features are marked by a life spent out of doors, weathered and deep lined, with a countenance that is rarely anything except stern. His favoured clothing scheme is practical, Uniforms or fashion will always give way to sensible boots, warm coats, outlandish dark goggles, swirling robes or any other environmental protection that Derlaash might deem necessary. As Derlaash is also pragmatic about any outlay of currency this can mean that he often presents a less than impressive appearance - often clad in worn, battered clothing that - in Derlaash’s words - does what it needs to do, but one of the things Derlaash never worries about doing is presenting a good appearance.

Character History: Derlaash was born on a world in the outer rim, Arden, that had advanced to a technological and sociological stage in which the old order of aristocratic hereditary based families was coming under question, but Arden itself had not yet been contacted by other races or civilisations (The Ardenese are Human basic in appearance and physiology, possibly a degenerate colony).

He had the good fortune to be born the second son of one of the most important noble families on this world of Arden, but his privileged upbringing meant he never realised his good luck. Instead he developed an intense dislike of his elder brother, who through the laws of primogeniture stood to claim the whole family estate, whilst Jenai would have to find a rich bride or make a living in a profession. To his fathers disconcertment Jenai never made a name for himself at the expensive school he was sent to. Occupations considered suitable for sons of gentlemen were always in short supply on Arden, and Jenai was obviously not suited for the Law, or the Church, so his father pressured him into joining the army. Like everything Derlaash involved himself with he did it half heartedly. Despite not appearing as bright, or as strong as many of the other officer cadets Derlaash scored highly consistently, and it was only after several years Derlaash realised that it was his name that was propelling him through the school. None of the tutors who tested him wanted to be the man who failed a Derlaash, given that the Derlaash’s were amongst the most important families on Arden. When Jenai realised he was living off a name that he considered belonged to his older brother, whom he despised for being ’The Derlaash’ it filled him with fury. He had always considered that he made his way through life on his own initiative, and realising that he couldn’t escape his heritage affected him deeply. For the first time in his life he began to apply himself, and in his last year at academy scored moderately highly on his own merit, although he could never make up for his own negligence in his earlier years. Eventually he qualified as a reasonable Infantry commander - but in the year that he qualified military school - The Nervardii arrived.

The Nervardii ware an Hive/Insect like race, interested mainly in profit and exploitation, and when they realised that Arden had not yet been contacted they quickly isolated it and began infiltrating its government using every technology available to them. They began introducing new technologies to Arden and presented themselves as the only other race in the galaxy, setting up factories all over Arden in which the Ardenese could labour for wages. In the beginning this suited the city working classes better than working on the estates of the nobles.

Whilst this was happening Jenai was establishing himself as a competent staff officer, working at military HQ, and he married a suitable wife, whose name was Miriamele, in a marriage arranged between their families. The beginning of their marriage was awkward, but they were both practical people and accepted the situation they were in, and if they never loved each other passionately they came to appreciate each other’s qualities. A son and a daughter were born in the five years of their marriage, and both their parent doted upon them, and appreciated each other more because of their children. Jenai concentrated on his army career in this period - he had been given a purpose and strove to ensure the best living he could for his family.

Meanwhile Jenai’s elder brother, and heir to the Derlaash estate, Tiberius, organised a resistance against the Nervardii and their puppet government which Jenai served. Jenai, who had always hated his Brother had no qualms against siding with the Nervardii against his family as a brutal civil war broke out. The war raged for nearly a decade until the last rebels were crushed, and Jenai was nearly always in the frontline, until at the end he was sent to speak with his brother about terms of surrender for the anti-Nevardii forces. Speaking for the Pro-Nevardii forces (The Nervardii in accordance with New Republic law had not intervened, but supplied Jenai’s side with weapons secretly whilst cynically not announcing their discovery to the senate) Derlaash talked about how Arden could be helped by their new insect masters. His brother simply smiled as Jenai left the room, then committed suicide, utilising a pistol in his desk drawer. Jenai heard the shot but kept walking, and has been hearing it ever since.

Once the resistance was crushed the Nervardii moved in and removed everyone who was a threat to their business interests, turning Arden into a sweat shop for their own profit. After seeing the skies of his world darkened by the smoke of the industries set up by the Nervardii, Jenai began to feel increasingly unhappy with his worlds new government, it took him a long time to realise he had put simple sibling rivalry before the best interests of both is Family and his race. The final revelation came on the day that the government decided he was ‘unreliable’ on account of his brother being the leader of the revolution. Jenai was working late that night at staff HQ, but the secret police descended upon his home and executed his family in cold blood, whilst at staff HQ Jenai only escaped when loyal subordinates deliberately misdirected the agents of the security forces and warned Jenai he was in danger.

Jenai fled into the underclass that had been created by the actions of the Nervardii controlled government, eventually scratching out a living as an anonymous presser in a steel mill until one day he found himself caught up in a resistance cell. Many years went past of simple work, which taught Derlaash that those who press steel frame patterns are not so different from the high and mighty - but one thought burned on his mind - he had been blinded by hatred for his brother, and had fought for the wrong side in the civil war. Jenai swore to make things right. Eventually Jenai and others began a revolution but when the workers rose up and attempted to overthrow the government they were hit from orbit by a few Nevardii cruisers that ended their efforts promptly.

Derlaash looked around at the wasteland produced by the revolution and decided he must flee this planet or die of a broken heart on it. He realised that up until the end of the civil war he had been fighting not for a belief, but just against his brother. When he had defeated his brother the Nevardii had seized control, and the revolution against them had been a pointless massacre. A few desperate revolutionaries escaped and (Jenai amongst them) seized a Nervardii freighter, and after a desperate, lengthy, hungry and thirsty experience managed to pilot it to a Hutt world (With the help of a confused Astromech droid), where they sold the freighter and split the profits.

Derlaash, despite his spoiled upbringing, had spent many years as a soldier in a brutal civil and working in an industrial centre, before taking part in a savage revolution and so bought some simple weapons with his share of the funds, and began looking for the only sort of work that he knew…