Senator Selena T’eeda
Name Selena T’eeda HRH
Position Senator
Rank Senator
Also Written by This Writer
Biographical Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Species | Arkanian | |
| Alias / Known As | Tempest | |
| Age | 21 | |
| Homeworld | Arkania | |
| Occupation | Senator |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5f7 | |
| Weight | 110lbs | |
| Hair Color | Red | |
| Eye Color | Blue | |
| Physical Description | Selena possesses the pale complexion associated with her Arkanian heritage, striking blue eyes, and naturally red hair. She generally wears her hair long, although she occasionally changes its length and style depending upon circumstances. During her years in the Senate it was usually arranged formally for official sessions, diplomatic functions and appearances at court. Her vivid red hair became something of a visual trademark during her political career. Combined with her reputation for fiery speeches, it only helped reinforce the nickname “Tempest.” She dresses well when circumstances allow, favouring elegant clothing appropriate to her royal and diplomatic status without being overly ornate. Since her imprisonment, however, Selena has become far less concerned with luxury and considerably more appreciative of practical clothing, comfortable boots and anything that allows her freedom of movement. The most obvious physical consequence of her past is her left leg. During Prince Keith's attempted assassination of Empress Illana, Keith severed Selena's left Achilles tendon. Although extensive treatment saved the leg and restored much of its function, the damage was permanent. Selena walks with a pronounced limp and is considerably slower than most able-bodied people. She cannot run effectively, and prolonged periods on her feet cause increasing pain and weakness. She intensely dislikes appearing helpless. Consequently, Selena avoids using a cane whenever possible, even when doing so would be sensible. During formal and ceremonial occasions she does use one, treating it as part of her royal presentation rather than allowing others to regard it purely as a medical aid. |
Family
| Spouse | His Royal Highness Prince Keith Luca T’eeda — Deceased | |
| Father | Sian T’eeda — Status Unknown | |
| Mother | Tianna Lith-T’eeda — Status Unknown | |
| Brother(s) | De’rian T’eeda — Living on Nar Shaddaa | |
| Other Family | Empress Illana T’eeda — Ruling Mother: Tianna Lith-T’eeda — Status Unknown Father: Sian T’eeda — Status Unknown Brother: De’rian T’eeda — Living on Nar Shaddaa Paternal Aunt/Foster Mother: Empress Illana T’eeda — Status Unknown Husband: His Royal Highness Prince Keith Luca T’eeda — Deceased Selena was born into a minor branch of House T’eeda, but her relationship with Empress Illana radically altered her position within Arkanian society. Although born merely a distant member of the extended royal family, she was eventually elevated first to Princess and later Crown Princess. Her relationship with her birth parents has always been complicated. Tianna and Sian loved their daughter, but from Selena's earliest childhood they regarded her intelligence and political potential as something that needed to be cultivated. Selena consequently sometimes wonders whether they raised a daughter or constructed a future senator. Illana became something different. The Empress was mentor, teacher, surrogate mother and eventually the person Selena was prepared to bleed for. |
Allegiance & Status
| Affiliation | Imperial Senate | |
| Affiliation Type | Senate / Political | |
| Political Alignment | Rebel-aligned / Diplomat | |
| Chain Code | 585-9869-52237-A | |
| Rank/Position | Senator |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | There are two Selena T'eedas. The public Selena is confident, articulate, stubborn and occasionally spectacularly confrontational. She learned young that a quiet young woman—particularly one surrounded by older politicians—could easily be ignored. So she made herself impossible to ignore. Her arguments in the Senate became famous for their passion. Selena rarely raised her voice without reason, but when sufficiently provoked she could deliver devastating speeches and had little regard for whether the person receiving them was a senator, governor, military officer or bureaucrat. This earned her the nickname Princess Tempest. It was originally intended as an insult. Selena eventually adopted it. The private Selena is considerably quieter. She is studious, observant and happiest with a book in her hands. She enjoys reading almost indiscriminately: history, politics, fiction, technical manuals, biographies, philosophy and even dreadful romance novels she would deny owning if questioned. She is naturally introverted and learned extroversion as a political skill. Selena is compassionate, but she is not naïve. Her experiences with Keith, the Empire and six months of imprisonment have stripped away much of the sheltered idealism she possessed when she first entered the Senate. She still believes people can build something better. She simply no longer believes that good intentions are enough to accomplish it. Selena has an intense dislike of bullies and people who abuse authority. Threatening her personally will often earn little more than contempt. Threatening someone she considers under her protection is considerably more likely to unleash the Tempest. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | Selena is exceptionally well educated and has been trained in politics, diplomacy and statecraft almost her entire life. She is an accomplished public speaker and negotiator and has a remarkable ability to remember names, faces and seemingly insignificant details about people she has previously met. Her greatest political talent is reading a room. Selena watches reactions closely and is often able to recognise when someone's stated position differs from what they actually want. She is stubborn enough to continue fighting long after more sensible people would have surrendered. This is simultaneously one of her greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses. Flaws Selena has a temper. Although years of diplomatic training have taught her to control it, when she finally loses that control she can become cutting, sarcastic and extremely difficult to reason with. She swears when angry, something that caused several memorable incidents during her Senate career. When furious, Selena has a habit of simply ignoring people she does not wish to deal with. This can range from refusing to acknowledge an aide attempting to calm her to walking—slowly and pointedly—away from someone who has offended her. She is also exceptionally stubborn about her physical limitations. Selena hates asking for assistance and will frequently push herself beyond what her damaged leg can comfortably tolerate rather than admit she needs help. Her imprisonment has also left her wary of confinement. Locked doors bother her far more than she admits, and she dislikes entering rooms where she cannot immediately identify another exit. |
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| Hobbies & Interests | Likes and Dislikes Selena loves reading and will read almost anything available to her. Her favourite flower is the Sparkle Lily, a crystalline-looking flowering plant native to Arkania. It reminds her of home and of the gardens surrounding the royal residence. She enjoys flying, quiet conversation, historical mysteries, strong tea and places where nobody expects her to make a speech. She dislikes deliberate cruelty, dishonesty used to exploit others, political corruption and people who mistake authority for moral superiority. She has developed a particular hatred for show trials and carefully manufactured Imperial propaganda. |
Personal Dossier
| Personal History | A Child Raised for Politics Selena T'eeda was born on Arkania into a comparatively minor branch of the extended T'eeda royal family. Her parents, Tianna Lith-T'eeda and Sian T'eeda, recognised their daughter's intelligence almost immediately and decided that Selena's future would lie in public service rather than in the comfortable obscurity available to lesser members of the royal household. Her education began almost as soon as she could speak. Tutors taught her languages, history, etiquette and rhetoric. By the time other children were learning basic lessons, Selena was being taught how to address dignitaries properly and why apparently insignificant differences in diplomatic terminology could start wars. Politics followed. She learned the structure of the Republic, the history of Arkania, economics, diplomacy and the complicated relationships between the great families of her homeworld. It was not a normal childhood. Selena never realised how unusual it was because she had nothing else with which to compare it. At twelve she was formally presented at the Imperial Court of Arkania. Empress Illana T'eeda expected little more than another ceremonial introduction to a distant young relative. Instead, Selena impressed her. The girl answered questions she had not been expected to understand, respectfully challenged one of Illana's assumptions and then proceeded to explain her reasoning. Illana was delighted. She offered to foster Selena at court. Her parents immediately accepted. From that moment Selena's life changed forever. The Empress's Ward At court, Selena became far more than another young noble. Illana took personal responsibility for her education. She brought Selena into meetings, allowed her to observe negotiations and afterwards questioned the girl about what she had witnessed. Who had lied? Who had been frightened? Who wanted something they had never actually asked for? Selena learned that governing had surprisingly little to do with giving orders. It was about people. Illana eventually granted her the title of Princess, publicly acknowledging Selena as a member of the senior royal household. Not everyone welcomed the decision. Least of all Illana's son, Prince Keith Luca T'eeda. Keith regarded Selena as an interloper. Selena regarded Keith as an arrogant bully. Their relationship deteriorated from there. The Betrothal When Selena was fifteen, Empress Illana announced the betrothal of Selena and seventeen-year-old Keith. Politically, the match was excellent. It reunited competing branches of House T'eeda, secured Selena's position and seemingly guaranteed a stable succession. Personally, it was disastrous. Neither wanted the marriage. Keith blamed Selena. Selena blamed everyone. With tensions increasing, Illana found an elegant solution to the immediate problem: she sent Selena to Coruscant. The young princess was appointed Junior Senator representing Arkania's interests in the Galactic Republic. Selena threw herself into the work. Coruscant opened an entirely different universe to her. Thousands of cultures collided within the Senate, and Selena discovered that politics on Arkania had barely prepared her for the Republic. She also discovered she loved it. For the first time in her life, Selena felt she was doing something because she wanted to rather than because someone had planned it for her. Marriage and Blood At seventeen Selena returned home to fulfil the obligation she had spent two years trying not to think about. She married Prince Keith. The wedding was magnificent. Neither bride nor groom was happy. Keith spent their wedding night drinking with friends rather than joining his wife. Selena was privately relieved. The following morning, Empress Illana summoned the royal court. Before assembled nobles and officials, she proclaimed Selena Crown Princess of Arkania. Keith would not inherit. Selena would. Keith snapped. He attacked his mother. Selena intervened. During the struggle, Keith slashed deeply across the back of Selena's left ankle, severing her Achilles tendon. She went down immediately. Royal guards subdued the Prince before he could kill either woman. Three days after his wedding, Keith Luca T'eeda was executed for attempted regicide. Selena did not attend. She was still confined to bed. Her feelings about Keith's death remain complicated. He had tried to kill Illana. He had crippled Selena. She knows precisely why he was executed. But somewhere beneath all the anger remains the memory of two teenagers being informed that they would someday marry because their families had decided it would be politically convenient. Selena has never completely decided where Keith's choices began and the failures of the adults around them ended. She does not speak about it often. The Widow Princess Selena's recovery was long and painful. Doctors restored much of the function in her leg, but they could not repair all of the damage. She would walk again. She would never walk normally. She returned to public life with a cane and an increasingly short temper toward anyone who looked at it with pity. Her status also created another problem. She was seventeen, Crown Princess, and technically a widow. Suitors appeared almost immediately. Selena rejected all of them. Eventually she bluntly informed Illana that despite her marriage she remained untouched. Keith had never entered their marital bed, and Selena had absolutely no intention of rushing into another marriage simply because the court found her newly available. Illana surprised her by agreeing. The Empress promised Selena that the next person she married would be someone Selena chose herself. Selena returned to Coruscant. Senator Tempest Following the death of Arkania's senior senator, Selena assumed the position. She was eighteen. Many senators initially dismissed her as a royal child playing politician. They stopped doing so remarkably quickly. Selena worked obsessively. She read legislation herself rather than relying entirely upon aides. She attended committee meetings other senators ignored. She remembered promises. She noticed contradictions. And when she believed someone was abusing their authority, she said so. Loudly. One particularly heated Senate session ended with Selena swearing at another senator on the chamber floor. The resulting gossip referred to her as Princess Tempest. Selena hated the name for approximately two weeks. Then she started signing private messages to friends: —Tempest Her staff followed. Eventually even Selena smiled when someone used it. She assembled a small household around herself: three trusted bodyguards, an aide and a personal attendant. They became more than employees. On Coruscant, far from Arkania, they became her family. Selena purchased the Hirr'tak, a private vessel that allowed her to travel without depending upon Republic transportation. Her bodyguards also decided that their stubborn princess needed to know how to survive without them. They taught her to shoot. They taught her to fight. They taught her to fly. Selena complained throughout most of the lessons. She learned anyway. The Empire The Republic died around her. Like many senators, Selena initially hoped the institutions of government might restrain the newly proclaimed Emperor. Current Status At twenty-one, Selena remains the senior Senator representing Arkania and its interests within the Imperial Senate. The transition from Republic to Empire has changed the Senate dramatically, and Selena has found herself increasingly frustrated by the erosion of its authority. Where debate once mattered, more and more decisions are now presented as faits accomplis by Imperial officials. Governors, military officers and bureaucrats increasingly act first and expect the Senate to approve their actions afterwards. Selena has not adjusted quietly. Her reputation as **Tempest** has only grown. She continues to challenge legislation she believes unfair, questions Imperial officials who would rather avoid scrutiny and has become increasingly outspoken whenever planetary sovereignty or civilian rights are threatened. This has made her popular with some senators and deeply unpopular with others. More importantly, it has begun attracting Imperial attention. Selena is not presently a member of the Rebellion, nor does she consider herself an enemy of the Empire. She still believes that remaining within the Senate allows her to protect Arkania and influence events in ways she could not accomplish from outside it. For now, she works within the system. She maintains relationships with senators from across the galaxy, cultivates contacts among diplomats and planetary governments, and carefully watches the growing divide between those who genuinely support the Emperor and those who merely pretend to. Her royal position complicates matters further. Selena is not simply a senator who can disappear without consequence. As Crown Princess of Arkania, anything done to her could have significant political repercussions. She knows that offers her some protection. She is beginning to realise it may not offer nearly as much protection as she once believed. Selena has also begun noticing things she cannot easily explain. A sudden certainty that someone is lying. An inexplicable feeling of danger moments before something happens. An instinct to look toward a doorway just before someone enters. She has always considered herself perceptive and assumes these moments are simply the product of years spent studying people. For the moment, she has no reason to believe otherwise. Her life therefore remains divided between Coruscant and Arkania: Senator, Crown Princess, diplomat and reluctant symbol of a political order that is rapidly disappearing around her. Selena still believes the Senate can matter. The question is how long the Empire will allow her to keep believing it. |
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| Service Record | Special Skills Diplomacy: Selena has received almost two decades of political and diplomatic education. Negotiation: Particularly skilled in finding compromises between parties who claim no compromise exists. Public Speaking: An experienced political speaker capable of addressing everything from small diplomatic meetings to the Galactic Senate. Politics: Extensive knowledge of Republic political procedure, senatorial politics and the developing Imperial governmental structure. Royal Protocol: Selena understands court etiquette, noble hierarchies and ceremonial diplomacy. Pilot: A capable civilian pilot trained on several small craft. Blaster Proficiency: Competent rather than exceptional. Staff Combat: Trained, although her damaged leg limits her mobility. Languages: Selena speaks several languages as a consequence of her diplomatic education. Force Sensitivity Selena is Force-sensitive but has never received Jedi training and does not understand the true nature of what she experiences. For most of her life she has regarded it as instinct. Sometimes she knows someone is watching her before she sees them. Occasionally she moves moments before something dangerous happens. During negotiations she can sometimes sense fear, anger or deception with an accuracy that has contributed considerably to her reputation as a formidable diplomat. There have also been rare moments when Selena has known something she could not reasonably have known. She does not consciously move objects, perform mind tricks or wield the Force as a trained Jedi would. To Selena, these experiences are simply unusually strong intuition. For now. |
Skills and Equipment
| Personal Weapons | Weapons and Combat Training Selena has received practical self-defence training from the royal household and later from her personal security detail. She is proficient with a standard blaster pistol and normally carries one when circumstances permit. Before her injury she was an accomplished staff fighter. Following the damage to her leg, her instructors modified her technique to compensate for her reduced mobility. She now fights defensively, keeping opponents at range and forcing them to come to her. Selena is not a soldier and would never pretend otherwise. Her objective in a fight is usually to survive long enough to escape or for someone more qualified to intervene. | |
| Force Sensitivity | Yes- Untrained | |
| Force Powers | untrained |