Galadina

Class: Jedi Knight / Guardian Tank Jedi Shadow Tank Race: Miraluka Age: ~ 22 Alignment: Light Crew Skill: Biochem (& Cybertech) Character Concept: A feisty little (blind) girl determined to be a Tank even though she lacks the physical prowess that is traditionally demanded Important Relationships: - Kendsel (a close friend) - Zedemm (he was her lightsaber trainer on Tython) - Dianiss (both were padawans on Tython at the same time) - Nora "I Take Beatings" (her Padawan Master)

Galadina was a young Miraluka orphan on Ryloth who was probably destined to become a slave had she not been discovered by the Jedi. From a very young age, her small size, and the resulting lack of physical strength, along with her misunderstood blindness made her a ripe target for the bullying that is so common among slavers. With no one to really look out for her, she developed a very strong desire to learn to protect herself from harm, which eventually grew into a desire to protect others as well.

When she came to Tython, she made the unusual choice early in her Padawan training to follow the path of the Guardian, against all advice from her masters (save one). Where most Guardians relied on physical size and strength, combined with heavy armor to aid themselves in battle, "Little Dina" had neither of these things. But she insisted that she could still succeed by using her small size to her advantage, by instead relying on Echani combat techniques and advanced saber forms that require speed, reflexes, form, and skill--combined with her unique Miraluka Force senses that allowed her to "see" an opponent's attack before it even begins.

Still, her masters tried earnestly to steer her towards the path of the Jedi Shadow, where most Miraluka naturally gravitated. Only "Padawan" Zedemm saw in her the potential to be something more--someone who would take the Soresu Form in a new, uncharted direction--and took a special interest in her training. To this day, it is the closest he has ever come to taking on a Padawan of his own.

Over time, their unorthodox training sessions started to become a bit of a spectacle, as Zedemm's shout of "Protect Yourself!" to initiate a duel (the sessions later evolved into surprise ambushes) would draw anyone in earshot to want to come and watch as Galadina would try to avoid or deflect his attacks as they became more and more ferocious.

The story of her last training session is something of a legend in the halls of Tython, and the details vary a bit depending on whom you ask. When Galadina's masters revealed to her that she would soon begin her trials to become a Knight, Zedemm conspired with his sister Dianiss (also a Padawan at the time) to sneak into her quarters and steal her training saber. When she arrived for her training session without it, before she could even begin to explain she was interrupted by "Protect Yourself!" and attacked, unprepared and empty-handed, by Zedemm armed with his real lightsabers.

The few that were privy to seeing the fight that ensued described it as nothing they had ever seen before. The first few minutes consisted entirely of Dina running and leaping around the room to avoid him and keep as much distance as possible between them. Soon Zedemm was following her movements and staying close, forcing her to duck and dodge and block using anything she could find in the room rather than just run. The turning point in the battle, however, everyone agrees on: Zedemm stopped his pursuit and instead leaped toward an unsuspecting Dianiss (who thought she was to be only a spectator), stunned her, and lept away as she fell limp to the ground. Zedemm's next words would be remembered by all as he pointed to her and shouted "Now Protect Her!", forcing Dina to stand her ground. He looked angry. There were the tiniest sparks of electricity arcing from his fingertips to his saber hilts. She knew that he was NOT holding back.

It was in that moment that Dina realized that she had few options left, summoned all of her determination, and lunged toward Zedemm in what looked like a low sweeping kick, only to change at the last moment into a leap over his head and around his left side, reaching down to snatch one of her teacher's sabers from his grasp--and feeling the pain of the raw heat it emanated so close to her skin and the jolt of the sparks it conducted from his hand into hers. But she didn't care. The pain didn't matter. What mattered was that someone (but why did it have to be her?) needed her protection.

For the next hour (so they say), she stood over her classmate's body and blocked, deflected, or otherwise pushed back every attempt that Zedemm made at getting close with his remaining saber, knowing that any mistake could be potentially fatal. When Dianiss eventually returned to consciousness and realized what was happening, she used a massive Force Push to get them both away from her--and effectively signaled the end of the battle.

Zedemm stopped and bowed, and then with a nod (and a slight smile) said "Now you're ready." And without another word, he left, leaving his second saber behind in Dina's sweaty and almost-shaking hand.

Dina remembers the "real" Jedi trials that followed as unremarkable by comparison, and she passed them all with what she felt was very little effort, not really knowing why. It was only in retrospect that she understood the truth that only her teacher did at the time: the official trials--for her at least--were only symbolic formalities. It was her dedication to her training combined with Zedemm's constant tests that forged her into the Knight that she was destined to become. And while most Padawans know the day they become a Knight as the day they build their own lightsaber, for her the first real lightsaber she ever wielded was the one she desperately took from her teacher, making that moment a more real graduation into Knighthood than any ceremony or staged test could ever be.

To this day, Galadina still possesses the saber from that final training session, and cherishes it even more than the one she constructed for herself upon "officially" becoming a Knight--a reminder of what it truly means to protect the helpless.

Update:

Galadina was tragically killed while attempting to protect Denevee and Zarvell during a mission on Dromund Kaas to rescue Dianiss from the outside control that had taken her over. As a result of the Sith sorcery that was used to restore her life, a great deal of Force power from Dianiss was transferred to Galadina, which ultimately caused her to decide to retrain as a Consular/Shadow.