| abstract
| - Rheisa Dirleel was born in the year 1085, 14 years after the definitive Battle of Yavin. One of three children born to her mother’s (Uoda) union with her father(Kosys), Rheisa did also have two older siblings, sired by a previous father. As the second-born of her full-blooded cohort, little Reheisa was frequently caught between patterning after her older sister(Nesaa) and toying with her younger brother(Ahudeek). Her tribe was sizable enough, rarely lacking for able-bodied hunters and doers, and had long-ago established a semi-permanent settlement in the forest valley, near the brushy rim of the grasslands. It was a risky location, particularly during Akul breeding seasons, when the beasts roamed their foul temperaments further than usual. A secondary village was constructed as a fallback option, deeper into the heart of the forests. Her mother’s uncle(Dakryn Vi) was pack leader at time of her birth, and while this band of Togruta tended to eschew favoritism, as is customary, having such a close blood tie to pack leader may have gifted, at least for a time, one advantage to little Rheisa. The gift of unity and prolonged chance of life. It was clear not long after her birth year that Rheisa faced a difficult road to adulthood – if it could be reached at all. She was a bit slower to grow, despite healthy appetite, and tired more easily than the other children. She underwent mandatory familiarization with traditional weapons and their uses, as her size permitted, but spent a greater deal of time contributing her share of work towards tasks less physically demanding. Tending the younger children, weaving stories and songs to keep them amused and out of trouble. She also showed great craftsmanship when helping to repair village structures, traps, and dared to dabble in the arts, often responsible for adorning the garments of others. Her mother’s hope – and hers – was that by committing her usefulness elsewhere – pottery, mending, and childcare – she may be judged less harshly if unable to perform at high endurance during the longer, more tedious hunts. The culprit to blame for her decreasing stamina was her heart. What began as an innocuous, congenital murmur worsened as she aged. The weakened muscle struggled to keep pace with her body’s growth and activity levels, often leaving her short of breath and easily tired. Her frail constitution earned her permanence of an infantile nickname, “Tazi”, meaning ‘baby’ or ‘little one’. Rheisa’s passing through adolescence and into adulthood was not easily achieved, but her adeptness with snares and trap design, as well as with the bow, allowed her to skirt by on hunts with less brawn and conserve energy. Her participation in the larger hunts was primarily limited to the staging of ambush points. Still, adopting this more passive predator’s strategy was not without its own inherent risks. While setting a snare in a grass run between thimiar nests, the teenage Togruta suffered injury to her left eye. The contraption triggered prematurely in a movement too quick for even nimble little Rheisa to avert, and in an instant the damage was done. The cut was shallow and healed with little disfigurement to the eye, but the scarred tissue would be permanently changed, hazy, and difficult to see through. Limited vision did not seem to hinder her, fortunately, since the greatest sensory asset of any Togruta is use of their montrals. Rheisa still felt that her luck and standing within the tribe was wearing thin. Familial ties and willingness to overlook the obvious had carried her so far, but the current pack leader who permitted her continued travel with the tribe was aging and ill. The time for a new leader would soon be at hand, and the strongest candidate, she sensed, was not to be her ‘ally’ in the silent debate. A devout traditionalist, Asusir didn’t hide his disdain for Rheisa’s debilitating defect, or the history of leniency. Once ascended, he’d use the tiniest of stumbles as reason to cast her out – no doubt – as would be his right and the logical decision. Possessing a witty personality and nurturing instincts were desirable enough traits for a Togruta woman to have, but did not make up for genetic weakness. He, as did Rheisa and the rest of the tribe, knew she’d never be chosen for mating. Even if someone did risk binding to her, she’d surely not survive the creation of offspring. Her two decades of life had been wasted time and resources, trying to thwart what nature had decreed. When Asusir did assume leadership over the tribe, his first act was to organize another hunt, and thought it’d be the perfect opportunity to showcase Rheisa’s weakness. Rheisa viewed it as her final chance to prove mastery over her body and defy the faulty ticker inside her chest. To fail meant being left behind and being left behind meant death would come for her. If she did succeed, then mayhap she deserved to spend more time among the living and keep the spirit world at bay just a little longer. Rheisa devised a plan she felt was accomplishable – a way to bait and conquer an Akul without having to battle the beast toe-to-toe. A simple pitfall trap could do the trick. The method had been used to hunt or corral large beasts before. Her proposition was accepted, with the condition that it be her turn to guide the akul – keep its interest and lead it into the trap. She’d have to rely on her same two legs to keep herself out of harm’s range, too. One way or another, Asusir felt this plan would free the tribe of its weak link. Rheisa hoped it’d only forge her place. In the end, Rheisa’s intentions were in vain and nature dictated as it always does – the weak shall be culled. The pit used was an old one, simply refortified and furnished with newly shaven stakes. Once the akul was lured in – an easy task – it didn’t take much convincing for the beast to give chase. It was Rheisa’s time to shine. To the haunting tune of her own, arrhythmic heartbeats she ran as she’d never run before. Long legs stretching, breast heaving, cheeks puffing and wide eyes focused on the nearing chasm, she counted down the steps to the thinly veiled trap. The pounding of blood in her ears and the gnashing teeth at her heels became a haunting reminder that time would soon run out… She leapt, thrusting off the ground with the last ounce of her strength before her weary legs could give way. Her fingers splayed to their fleshy limits, trying to bridge the gap to the other side before gravity became her undoing…but it was not enough. Both hunter and hunted crashed through the fragile mats and into the momentary abyss. Rheisa struck bottom first, managing to avoid /most/ of the skewers. The rip of her flesh and shattering of bone was muted by the symphony of screams emanating from her and the akul. The beast was impaled thrice over upon its landing, side and hip pierced through and through. Rheisa did manage to break her own leg free of its impalement and, by the grace of something greater than her, dodged enough of the swiping claws to drive a few broken arrows through the akul’s skull before slitting its throat. The hunt was over, but so was Rheisa’s time as a viable member of her tribe. As anticipated, the hunt left her with grievous wounds and while not dead yet, it was only a matter of time before she’d be reabsorbed into Shili’s womb. The group moved on two days later. Rheisa was left with a small shelter and gifts of food and water – more ceremonial than practical. Little more than 48 hours passed before an unexpected visitor interfered with Rheisa’s passing. A young Jedi sent on brief assignment to Shili experienced a little mechanical malfunction upon landing. Maybe was as simple as faulty tech, but maybe was something more mysterious at work. Whatever the case, Jarin discovered the wounded Togruta in time to reverse her journey towards death and ferried her off world for treatment of the worst affliction – her heart. While stopped on Nar Shaddaa so that the crew on board the Republic transport could keep schedule for a rendezvous with a planted Jedi, investigating some underworld dealings of darker origins, Rheisa became separated from her new keepers. An outburst of violence at the market caused the crowd to erupt into chaos and she was swept off to safer grounds by the vendor she was visiting. The rookie officer tasked with keeping an eye on her lost sight of his charge not long thereafter. When their information exchange was complete, NR Intel and the Jedi went their separate ways, and the transport was forced to return to base after just a short time looking for the female they were tasked with ferrying. Eyes on the ground continue to keep a look out for her, but they've more important matters to tend to, like slavery rings. She now resides with artists Qo and Veela, a gifted pair of near humans with a small brood of blended family.
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