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Iskat Akaris, also known as the Thirteenth Sister, is a minor antagonist in the epic space opera franchise Star Wars, appearing as the titular main protagonist of the 2023 novel Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade and a minor antagonist in the the 2017-2018 comic series Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith.
Iskat Akaris was a Jedi Knight who fell to the dark side of the Force at the end of the Clone Wars and became the "Thirteenth Sister," an agent of the Galactic Empire's Jedi-hunting Inquisitorius. She was the lover of a fellow Inquisitor once named Tualon Yaluna, whom she had grown up with in the Jedi Grand Temple on Coruscant.
Appearance[]
Iskat Akaris was a young female member of the humanoid Pkorian species with a slender, athletic build. Pkorians had a few visual features that set them apart from humans, the most notable of which being bright red skin and long fingers. Akaris had bright blue eyes and long brown hair which she tied neatly into a braid.
Synopsis[]
Early Life[]
Iskat Akaris was a Pkorian born around the year 40 BBY on the planet Pkori, a planet in the backwater Wild Space region of the known galaxy. The Pkorians were a civilized yet relatively primitive people isolated from the rest of galactic society. At the time of her birth the galaxy was in the Republic Era, during which the predominant power in the galaxy was a democratic government known as the Galactic Republic. She was Force-sensitive, meaning she had a strong connection to the universal energy field known as the "Force." Akaris inherited her Force-sensitivity from Feyra Akaris, her mother, who was a former member of the Jedi Order.
The Jedi were a religious order who wielded the light side of the Force, using its power to ensure peace and harmony throughout the Republic and beyond.
This section is incomplete.
Advent of War[]
Encountering the Dark Side[]
In 22 BBY, Akaris accompanied her master on one of their missions to retrieve Force artifacts. One of their destinations was a shop on Ringo Vinda, a planet in the Mid Rim Territories. The shopkeeper had an ancient text that Vey sought to procure. When the Jedi were shown the artifact, Vey instructed Akaris to appraise the text. Though she couldn't decipher the language, the Padawan realized that the text was actually an ancient Sith text rather than a Jedi one. Akaris had never encountered a Sith artifact during her missions with her master, and felt how much the darkness surrounding it yearned to spread its knowledge.
Although she was supposed to observe her master's haggling techniques, the Padawan's attention was drawn by the Sith text. When they returned to their ship, Akaris asked her master if she could read the text. Vey warned her apprentice that Sith artifacts, unlike Jedi artifacts, should be contained rather than studied, and that she had only let Akaris observe the text so that she would be able to recognize and counteract the feeling of the dark side in the future. The two Jedi then set course for the planet of Bar'leth in the Core Worlds, where a close associate of Vey's, a trader named Gamodar, had promised a unique find.
During the journey, Akaris was given basic lightsaber drills and research to do by her master, who spent most of her time studying the artifacts they had acquired on their trip. When it came to meditating, Akaris felt slightly offput by the Sith text, which she could still feel calling out from the safe that Vey had locked it in. They reach Bar'leth days later and instantly received a transmission from Jedi Master Mace Windu, the leader of the Jedi High Council, informing them that all non-essential missions had been put on hold due to an emergency and that all Jedi were to return to the Jedi Grand Temple on Coruscant immediately.
Upsetting Reunion[]
| “ | Duels often bring out emotions that can otherwise be kept at bay. A fight, even if a playful fight, is still a fight. It is a dance between life and death. We are all given unique gifts and challenges, and it just so happens that yours are one and the same. Your connection with the Force is both powerful and hard to control, but it is not insurmountable. Mastering yourself is the work of a lifetime. You have grown so much, but you are still in many ways a child. | „ |
| ~ Sember Vey reassuring Akaris after her duel. |
Though they didn't know what the emergency was, Vey and Akaris set course for Coruscant, which was close to Bar'leth. When they reached the temple hangar, they had to wait for an open landing space due to the unusual traffic. After landing, Vey told her Padawan to go practice her dueling while she reported to the Jedi High Council, as she felt the emergency they had been called back for was something big and that they needed to be as prepared as possible. As instructed, Akaris headed over to the training room favored by the Padawans of her age group. She was anxious about meeting her old clanmates, many of whom she hadn't seen in years.
Count Dooku, leader of the Separatist Alliance.
When she entered there were several duels commencing, including one between Plaka and Fvorn. Akaris struck up a conversation with Yaluna, who revealed that his master had told him that the emergency they had all been called back for was related to the Separatist threat. The Confederacy of Independent Systems, colloquially known as the Separatist Alliance, was a widespread political movement comprised of various star systems that sought emancipation from the Republic due to its systemic corruption. The Separatists were led by a wealthy nobleman and former Jedi Master named Count Dooku.
As Yaluna predicted, Plaka won the duel. Akaris felt a pang of jealousy rise within her towards the adoration Plaka received, and challenged her to the next round. As the duel commenced, Akaris goaded Plaka into making the first move because she knew Plaka was more comfortable with defense. She easily parried all of her fellow Padawan's strikes. Plaka tried to get under her guard, so Akaris leapt over her and slashed her on the head. Plaka tried to protest the victory until Akaris reminded her that if they had been using real lightsabers instead of training sabers she would be dead.
Onielle stepped up and put herself forth for the next round. Onielle was far more aggressive and had a longer reach than Plaka, and so it took Akaris a few moments to find her footing and gain the advantage. As she duelled, she overheard the Padawans around her talking about her. Though they praised her skill, they started talking about the column incident. Being reminded of Tika, Akaris lost her composure and aggressively slashed Onielle's chest after kicking her to the floor. Yaluna grasped her shoulders and pulled her away. Filled with shame, Akaris apologized to Onielle and thanked Yaluna for intervening. She then left the room in a hurry.
Battle of Geonosis[]
Akaris headed to her master's chambers and told Vey about what had happened, though she omitted the fact that she had challenged Plaka out of jealousy and had deliberately provoked her. Vey assured her that duels brought out emotions for everyone and that she still had her whole life ahead of her to find true harmony. Akaris's master then briefed her on the emergency they had been summoned for. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was awaiting execution after being captured by Separatists on the Outer Rim desert planet Geonosis, which was home to a hivemind species of intelligent insect-like humanoids known as the Geonosians.
Count Dooku and his lackeys had aligned themselves with numerous corporations, including the Trade Federation, and constructed a massive army of battle droids in factories on Geonosis. It was believed that the Separatists intended to wage war on the Republic with their army. The Republic also had a fresh army of human clone troopers. The creation of the clone army had supposedly been commissioned in secret a decade prior by the late Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, who had foreseen the Separatist threat. The Republic and the Jedi were initially unaware of the existence of the clones, until Kenobi discovered the army just before being captured.
The Jedi were putting together a task force to rescue Kenobi from Geonosis, of which Iskat Akaris was a part of. Akaris was happy to rescue Kenobi, whom she had fond memories of, but was also nervous of participating in real fighting for the first time. Akaris and her master were assigned to a team consisting primarily of her clanmates and their masters, as well as Master Klefan Opus. After reaching Geonosis via a Republic cruiser, Akaris's team was flown down to the surface of the planet aboard a clone-piloted gunship. She briefly chatted with Yaluna about their lack of combat experience until Vey silenced them.
Upon reaching the surface, Opus, the team leader, received a transmission from Master Windu detailing their orders for the operation. Windu revealed that Kenobi's Padawan Anakin Skywalker and a Republic Senator named Padmé Amidala had also been captured by the Separatists, which surprised Akaris and the other Jedi. The prisoners were being put to death in a Geonosians gladiator ring called the Petranaki arena. Windu instructed Opus and his detachment to infiltrate the upper stands of the arena and take out any defense cannons or long-ranged weapons that could cause problems for the main Jedi assault team.
As ordered, Akaris and her team snuck into the mountain in which the arena was encased. After heading up a long, spiral staircase, the Jedi came across a droid factory which had been abandoned so that its Geonosian workers could watch the execution. They next went single file through a long tunnel that had murals of Geonosians on its walls, which led to the arena outside. All of a sudden, Fvorn was impaled by a pike held by a Geonosian. Zeeth, Fvorn's best friend, mournfully clutched the fallen Jedi. The murals hadn't actually been murals, but Geonosians lying in wait with pikes. One Geonosian flew at Akaris, who instinctively cut it down.
Akaris had taken a life for the first time. Although she rationalized it to herself, she also thought about how the Geonosian must have had loved ones as well. The Jedi hurried towards the arena outside, fending off Geonosians along the way. Vey told her to hurry up, but Akaris noticed Zeeth still cradling Fvorn's body further down the tunnel with only Master Opus to protect him from scores of Geonosians. Disobeying her master, she ran back down the hall to help her friend. Letting go of her guilt and her doubt, she focused purely on killing and unleashed herself on the Geonosians, cutting through them with lethal efficiency.
Soon enough, a dozen corpses laid at her feet and there were no enemies left. Despite her brutality, she felt a sense of assuredness that she had never felt before. Akaris and Opus took Zeeth away from Fvorn's body and down the hall. Opus assured Zeeth that Fvorn was one with the Force now, which the Padawan took solace in. They regrouped with the rest of the team in an antechamber that led out into the arena and waited for the signal from Master Windu to begin their disruption of the cannons. As they waited, Akaris overheard Plaka disapproving of her brutality. Yaluna and Master Ansho defended Akaris's actions, which she appreciated.
Opus finished speaking with Windu and informed the others of their objectives. He explained that the captives were currently fighting for their lives in the arena below against massive predators. The spectators would be mostly unarmed, but might still attack. The Padawans would follow their respective masters and assist in the dismantling of the cannons. After the briefing, Akaris ran into the arena behind her master and snuck through the Geonosian crowds. Windu and the rest of the Jedi strike team made their presence known on the lower levels and began battling the Geonosians and battle droids on the arena floor.
As the spectators fled, Akaris and Vey attacked and destroyed a Geonosian sonic cannon and then slinked back into the shadows. The other members of the detachment did the same. On the ground below, the Jedi strike force was quickly being overwhelmed by the droid army. Akaris felt frustrated watching her comrades being slaughter below, believing she could do something to help them. Opus ordered their team to retreat, prompting Vey to step out of their hiding spot and begin running. Iskat Akaris noticed a Geonosian in the skies and tried to warn her master. It was too late, however, and Sember Vey was struck down by a sonic blast.
Akaris sliced the Geonosian out of the air with a lightsaber throw and rushed to her master's side. Delirious and dying, Vey mistook Iskat for Feyra and told her that she had tried to help Iskat and that she would be proud of her daughter. Akaris didn't know who Feyra was, or who Vey had promised to help. Before Iskat Akaris could get any answers, Sember Vey succumbed to her wound. Akaris didn't want to leave her master behind, but Opus warned her that they had to retreat before their gunship left. As they fled to the transport, countless clone gunships descended on the planet to reinforce their Jedi leaders.
The Clone Wars[]
Seeking a Purpose[]
Once they were on the shuttle, Master Opus gave his condolences to Akaris and told her that she should rejoice as her master was now one with the Force. Akaris knew his words were empty platitudes, as she saw that he too mourned her deeply. She looked around the shuttle and found that most of the Jedi didn't seem as upset at the loss of life as she did, which made her feel isolated. Noticing her uneasiness, Opus suggested that she should carry on with her meditations so that she could find inner peace. She didn't feel like Opus's prescribed treatment would work. Instead, she turned her mind to who Feyra was.
The shuttle returned to the cruiser above Geonosis, and from there Akaris and her fellow Jedi returned to the Jedi Grand Temple. In the end, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Amidala had all been rescued. However, only a few of the two-hundred and twelve Jedi that went to Geonosis survived the battle. Though Geonosis was captured, Dooku and the Separatist leaders escaped. The Republic and the Separatists were now officially at war, and the conflict was being dubbed the "Clone War." Iskat Akaris was utterly unsure of what to do next. Opus told her to continue her schedule, train with her fellow Padawans, and wait for further orders.
Akaris immediately went to her favorite meditation garden, but found no harmony there. She cleaned out her lightsaber and ate at the cafeteria, but otherwise spent the rest of the day walking around aimlessly. The following day, the Padawan was put to work clearing out her master's old possessions. Among Vey's modest possessions, she found a plain lightsaber perfectly fitted to a member of her species. It had a yellow blade, a rarity outside the Jedi Temple Guards. Though personal belongings were frowned upon in the Jedi, Akaris felt as though she was meant to have the weapon and so decided to keep it.
A few days later, Akaris attended the funeral in commemoration of those who fell at Geonosis, though it didn't bring her any comfort. A few more days later, Akaris's curiosity about Feyra led her to the Jedi Temple Archives. There was a file named Feyra, though it was incomplete and contained no useful information. She queried Jedi Master Jocasta Nu, the Chief Librarian of the Archives, on the missing data. Nu told her that missing data was highly irregular and that Vey would've had the permission to delete it. Nu also recalled that Vey had once had a friend name Feyra who had left the Jedi Order.
After a few weeks of receiving no assignments or no new mentor, Akaris grew impatient and decided to press the issue with Klefan Opus. Before she could even ask, Opus rejected any chance of her being his Padawan and suggested that she should go to Jocasta Nu, as Vey had hoped that Akaris would follow in her footsteps and become an archivist. Akaris also tried to ask him if he knew about Feyra, but he brushed off the question and left in a hurry. Annoyed at being rejected, Akaris decided that she should go to Yaluna's master Bavoc Ansho, whom she had always admired, and see if he could give her the direction she sorely lacked.
Knight of the Jedi Order[]
Akaris found Yaluna and Ansho sparring in a small training room and asked the master for guidance. Ansho suggested seeking out Master Opus, to which she explained that he had told her to seek out new mentors. Ansho offered for Akaris to join them as they did maintenance on their lightsabers, and although she had already worked on her lightsaber since Geonosis, the Padawan was happy to be included in something. Before they could begin however, a bell rang directing all Jedi to head to a courtyard. When everyone had gathered, Mace Windu and Yoda began a speech congratulating the Padawans who had proven themselves in the field.
The masters announced that due to the urgency of the war, a select number of Padawans would be promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight without needing to undergo their formal Jedi trials. To her elated shock, Iskat Akaris's name was the first to be called out. She briefly couldn't believe it, only moving up to the stage after an encouraging push from Master Ansho. Many of the Padawans she had grown up with, including Zeeth, Plaka, Yaluna, and Onielle, also had their names called out. Anakin Skywalker was also called forth. Akaris was intensely proud of herself, and only wished her late master could've been there to see it.
Master Windu removed the Padawan braids off of those chosen, and anointed them as Jedi Knights. As the ceremony concluded, Akaris was approached by Master Kenobi. He asked her to take a group of younglings back to their crèche for him, and made a friendly joke of the fact that her first mission as a Jedi Knight would be to look after a group of children. Kenobi also gave Akaris his condolences, and told her that Vey had always spoken highly of her. Akaris brought the younglings back to their crèche and gave them some pointers on how to deal with training remotes while she waited for their designated mentor to return.
Mission to Thule[]
This section is incomplete.
Meeting the Supreme Chancellor[]
| “ | We are peacekeepers, but peace cannot be earned solely through defense. The Jedi—some of the Jedi—have untapped abilities that could be honed to serve the Republic. We could take a more assertive role. Diplomacy is well and good, but the High Council insists that we remain passive when we can do more. | „ |
| ~ Akaris revealing her misgivings regarding the Jedi's war attitude to Sheev Palpatine. |
After the events on Thule, Akaris replayed the mission in her head to see what she could've done differently. She thought of a number of scenarios which would've lessened the harm done, and hoped her reflections would please the Jedi Council. She was soon summoned to the High Council spire, where Masters Windu and Adi Gallia were waiting to pass judgement on her. Though they were both pleased by Akaris's reflections, they nevertheless assigned her to take care of the temple's younglings in the hopes that it would better attune her to the Force. Akaris was upset by the placement, as she believed she'd be better off in the field.
The Masters didn't listen to her protests and ordered her to collect Sheev Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor, who was scheduled to attend a meeting with the High Council. Though nervous, Akaris met the chancellor in the temple's seventh hangar. As they took the turbolift to the council chambers, they spoke of the mission to Thule. Palpatine disagreed with the council's assessment on the mission, seeing it as a success due to the destruction of the factory, and agreed with Akaris that a harsher attitude needed to be taken against the Separatists. Akaris felt self-assured that the chancellor approved of her even though the council didn't.
Death of the Inquisitor[]
Hunt for a True Master[]
The Thirteenth Sister and her fellow Inquisitors receiving orders from Darth Vader.
Five years after the formation of the Empire, the Thirteenth Sister accompanied Darth Vader and her fellow Inquisitors Fifth Brother and Yaluna in confronting the former Jedi High Council member Eeth Koth. In the time since the fall of the Jedi, Koth had married and had a daughter who was born just before the arrival of Vader. Koth, unaware that the Inquisitors had accompanied the Sith Lord, instructed his wife to escape with their newborn while he distracted Vader. Upon Vader's instruction, the Thirteenth Sister and the other Inquisitors began pursuing Koth's wife through the city in the hopes that they could acquire her Force-sensitive newborn.
The Thirteenth Sister used the Force to sense the location of Koth's child, which led her to a spaceport where Koth's wife was attempting to board a transport. The Sister intercepted her, but decided to let her go after the woman begged her to. As Koth's wife and child boarded the transport, the Fifth Brother arrived. Not wanting to receive punishment, the Thirteenth Sister pretended that she had allowed the mother to go to sadistically give her a sense of hope. The Sister used the Force to yank the baby out of her mother's arms and into her own possession. She then brought the baby to Vader, who was able to defeat and kill Eeth Koth.
Duel with Darth Vader[]
The Sister returning to Coruscant with Vader and the Inquisitors. Having successfully completed their assignment, Vader and the Inquisitors returned to the Inquisitorius Headquarters and handed the baby over to a pair of nanny droids. Vader provided compliments to the Grand Inquisitor on the performance of the Inquisitors. The Sith Lord's comment angered the Sister, as she believed she exclusively should've received praise on account of her being the one to capture the child. Heading inside, the Inquisitors present all convened in the common room on the orders of the Grand Inquisitor for a celebration of sorts. Like usual, the Thirteenth Sister and Yaluna celebrated with a local drink.
The libation on that occasion was was an unpleasant-tasting concoction known as "dust juice." As the two Inquisitors continued drinking, they grew steadily more inebriated and began speculating on what Vader would do once all of the Jedi were dead. As if on cue, the Sith Lord approached their table and drew his lightsaber. The Thirteenth Sister wasn't sure whether the Sith Lord was testing them or not but was worried that Yaluna would act on impulse due to his intoxication. Vader confirmed to the Grand Inquisitor that he was in fact not testing them and then moved to strike the Thirteenth Sister down.The Thirteenth Sister fleeing as Yaluna defended her from Vader.
Yaluna drew his own blade and clashed with the Sith while frantically telling the Thirteenth Sister to run. As she fled the room, the Sister heard Vader telling Yaluna that he had sensed a connection between the two of them that needed to be snuffed out. After being slammed against a wall, Yaluna ran and caught up with the Thirteenth Sister. No one gave immediate pursuit, so Yaluna took a moment to ask her why Vader would want her dead as they ran. She dodged the question, privately believing that Vader wanted her death due to her love for Yaluna and her growing dissatisfaction with the Inquisitorius.
The rogue Inquisitors exited the building and ran down a catwalk. Yaluna told her that he'd proven how he felt for her by protecting her, which brought joy to Iskat Akaris's heart. Akaris reminded her lover that they would need to kill Vader if they wanted any hope of surviving, and then jumped with him onto a speeder on the Coruscant highway and commanded the pilot to keep driving. Despite the situation they were in, Akaris was excited by the prospect of being free from the Inquisitorius. It didn't take her long to notice Vader prowling the highway aboard a speeder piloted by Imperial troopers.
Vader flinging a speeder at the rogue Inquisitors.
Akaris used the Force to fling the engine of a nearby speeder at Vader's vehicle, though the Sith was able to leap off the speeder and land on another with ease. The former Inquisitors then threw their lightsabers at Vader's new speeder, destroying it. Vader fell clumsily but was able to recover and land on another new speeder. Yaluna told Akaris to throw a whole speeder at the Sith Lord, which she did. However, Vader simply flung it right back at them and began drawing closer by leaping from speeder to speeder. Akaris grew worried as she began to recognize that the gap in power between the Inquisitors and their prey was exponential.
Believing they could triumph if they worked together, the former Inquisitors combined their power and threw a pair of speeders at the Sith. Though Vader countered the first, the second struck him head on and sent him plummeting onto a nearby balcony. Seeing that their master was badly damaged, Akaris and Yaluna moved in for the kill. As she loomed over the Sith Lord, preparing to deliver her killing blow, Akaris told him that the only thing she really knew about him was that he deserved death. However, before she could bring her blade down, Vader used his pain to fuel himself and freeze the Inquisitors in place with the Force.
The death of Iskat Akaris and Tualon Yaluna.
Iskat Akaris tried to call upon the Force to free herself, but realized that the gap in power between herself and Vader rendered her helpless. Realizing that it was the end, she wanted nothing more to reach out and touch Yaluna who was just out of reach. Not wanting to declare her love for him in front of Vader, she instead apologised for everything. Yaluna reassured her that he had never expected to die in bed, and that they would at least be free of their torment. Vader used the Force to ignite their blades and forced them to run each other through. Iskat Akaris died peacefully, looking into Tualon Yaluna's eyes and content that she was finally free.
Powers & Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Force Manipulation
- Emotion Detection: Most Force users were able to use the Force to somewhat perceive the feelings of those around them beyond simply being able to read a person's emotions through their actions. However, some emotionally guarded or deceptive individuals were able to keep their true feelings protected from Force empathy. Like all Force abilities, Force empathy could be honed and there were some wielders who were more naturally gifted with the power than others. The Thirteenth Sister was innately talented at reading the emotions of others, even her fellow Jedi. The emotion she was best at detecting was anticipation, which helped her predict the actions of her adversaries.
- Telekinesis: Force-sensitives could use the Force to move matter without making physical contact with it. The amount of matter a Force user could move, as well as how precisely they could move matter, varied on how talented or practiced the user was. Due to her latent strength in the Force, the Thirteenth Sister was able to move large objects and produce powerful waves of telekinetic energy capable of completely destroying entire squads of battle droids. Though she struggled to keep the strength of her telekinesis in check when she was younger, she eventually developed fine control of her power. With precise control, she was able to throw her lightsaber at targets and recall it with telekinesis, and was able to safely pluck a baby out of her mother's arms.
- Pkorian Physiology
Abilities[]
- Expert Duellist
Equipment[]
- Lightsabers: The primary weapon of the Jedi and the Sith were "lightsabers." A lightsaber was a melee weapon which consisted of a handheld hilt that emitted a controlled blade of plasma when activated. Lightsaber blades were powerful enough to pierce or slice through almost everything, save for other lightsaber blades and a small selection of alloys. Lightsabers were powered by kyber crystals, a type of sentient Force-attuned crystal that were housed in the hilt. Iskat Akaris's first lightsaber was green-bladed and was designed to accommodate for her longer fingers, featuring a hilt shorter and thicker than the average. The lightsaber's hilt was crafted out of polished burgundy and had the tooth of a Firaxan shark adorned on its end. Her second lightsaber, which had originally belonged to her mother, produced a rare yellow blade and was similarly designed to accommodate for the long fingers of her species.
Trivia[]
- The Thirteenth Sister's eyes were erroneously presented as green in a single panel in the nineteenth issue of the Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith comic series.
