Kerri Lessev

< Kerri Lessev
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"Major Lessev is in a period of emotional turmoil, torn between right and wrong. The Empire she had sworn loyalty to has, in fact, one much to destroy her life. For the first time, she has seen the Empire for what it truly is."
―Personal addendum by General Airen Cracken to a datafile detailing Rebel Alliance operatives[1]

Kerri Lessev was a Human agent of Imperial Intelligence.

Biography

Meeting Palpatine

Kerri Lessev was born[1] around 29 BBY[2] on[1] the Core Worlds planet Alderaan.[3] When she was an infant, Lessev's parents, who were diplomats, moved the family to Coruscant,[1] the capital world of the Galactic Republic. The girl grew up in the peaceful, safe, and harmonious environment offered by the life of upper-class bureaucracy and attended classes together with the children of other delegates.[3]

At some point after the establishment of the Galactic Empire[1] in 19 BBY,[4] Lessev's parents, along with multiple other delegates and their subordinates who were opposing the actions of their former colleague, Galactic Emperor Palpatine, were arrested. Although the latter claimed that they had been placed in protective custody, after that point Lessev never saw her parents again.[1]

As part of a carefully staged media event that was transmitted galaxy-wide on the Imperial News Network, Lessev and the other children were then brought before Palpatine. The Emperor announced to them that their parents had been killed by "terrorists" who had supposedly been protesting against his reign. Lessev, who—like many others—was fooled by Palpatine's insincere sympathy, was awestruck in the ruler's presence and withheld her grief at the news.[1]

Ward of the Empire

Lessev and the children of the other delegates subsequently became wards of the Empire. At the insistence of[1] the Imperial advisor[5] Crueya Vandron, the young orphans were made members of the Sub-Adult Group of[1] the pro-Imperial volunteer organization Commission for the Preservation of the New Order,[5] where they were given year-round education in Imperial bureaucracy and culture as well as military operations and the methodology of Imperial Intelligence.[1]

The students of the Sub-Adult Group, including Lessev, performed various tests that trained each of them according to their natural talents and traits. After she was recommended for the Destabilization branch of Imperial Intelligence—which specialized in disrupting the existence of societies, governments, and entire civilizations—Lessev was placed in an experimental Infiltration training program. At the end of the program, the trainee was reassigned to Intelligence. There, Lessev underwent a period of indoctrination and thereafter training for double-agent duty, after which she was finally transferred to Destabilization.[1]

The turning point

"She helps the Alliance in her own way — by causing internal dissension and conflict. While the Emperor's intent was that she would help expose those who would oppose him, Lessev has also helped eliminate some of the Empire's most competent and capable officers."
―Personal addendum by General Airen Cracken to a datafile detailing Rebel Alliance operatives[1]

Not long before Lessev was sent into the field as a Destabilization agent, she finally had an opportunity to review the propaganda of the Rebel Alliance. After viewing numerous speeches by[1] the Alliance's leader,[3] Mon Mothma, and Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan's royal family, the agent came to believe that the Empire was cruel and evil and realized that the Emperor had arranged for her parents to be killed.[1]

tasked with preventing high-ranking Imperial personnel from posing a threat to Palpatine's reign. Lessev was also secretly an ally of the Alliance seeking to weaken the Empire by causing the elimination of some of the most competent and capable Imperial figures.

Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, by which time Lessev held the rank of major, the Mid Rim celestial body Ank Kit'aar was noted as her last known location in Alliance general Airen Cracken's datafile detailing various Rebel operatives.[1]

Skills and abilities

Kerri Lessev was a skilled Imperial Intelligence agent. Her repertoire of skills included the abilities of command, stealth, and perceptiveness as well as the skills of forgery, gambling, and pickpocketing.[1]

Equipment

Kerri Lessev possessed a wardrobe of shimmersilk gowns. At one point, she also wore an outfit consisting of a light-colored jacket over a darker shirt and dark skirt, accompanied by a pendant necklace. Her equipment also included a comlink, datapad, and an unlimited Imperial Cash Voucher. Lessev wielded a DL-44 heavy blaster pistol, a Model 6 "Quick-6" hold-out blaster, and a vibro-shiv.[1]

Behind the scenes

Kerri Lessev was created by David R. Tulo, Jr. and was introduced in Cracken's Rebel Operatives, a 1994 West End Games sourcebook published for use with Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. She was illustrated by Mike Vilardi.[1]

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 Cracken's Rebel Operatives
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cracken's Rebel Operatives, which is set shortly after the Battle of Yavin, establishes that Kerri Lessev was born on Alderaan twenty-nine years prior, which corresponds to approximately 29 BBY per The New Essential Chronology.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Essential Atlas
  4. ↑ The New Essential Chronology
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 SWInsider "Republic HoloNet News Special Inaugural Edition 16:5:241" — Star Wars Insider 84
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