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| Zealos Reil (with Cali Bellum) | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Homeworld | |
| Born | |
| Physical description | |
| Species | |
| Gender | |
| Height |
5' 8 |
| Hair color |
Black |
| Eye color |
Blue |
| Skin color |
Pale |
| Chronological and political information | |
| Affiliation | |
- "'Zealos Reil thought he was hot,
so he left the sim-pod cold.
on his eighth mission he got shot,
and that's all there is to be told.'
Draw your own conclusions, rookies." - ―Rebel pilot trainers' proverb
Zealos Reil is not your typical holovid Rebel pilot. He was never orphaned by the Empire, or had friends dragged away by stormtroopers for "interogation"; his planet wasn't destroyed by the Death Star; he is not a secret Jedi Knight, nor were any members of his family; and he certainly isn't one with a strong sense of idealistic justice. The worst thing he has ever experinced at the hands of the empire was a parking ticket (nevertheless it remains unpaid).
Instead Reil is a strange combination of burning ambition and cold calculating practicality. Born on Tanaab and raised on stories of daring heroics by his grandfather during the Clone Wars (mostly fabricated by the old man himself), all his life Zealos has wanted to be a starfighter pilot, and fight in heroic battles that would decide the fate of the galaxy. Luckily for him the galaxy had been a turbulent place as of late, breaking out into all-out civil war.
When the time came for him to pick a side, he carefully weighed his options before commiting to a side. He could join the Imperials, who fly cheap disposable fighters in mass numbers to overwhelm an enemy they have trouble locating and engaging, or he could join the Rebellion, who, for a band of undisciplined terrorists, flew cutting edge fighters and engaged in strategic strikes and daring last minute withdrawls.
Reil is now a flight officer in the Rebel Alliance, and has flown seven successful missions, with four kills and 5 assists.
He has also flown one very unsuccessful mission, which landed him in his current situation. Ambushed by Imperials, Reil was forced to crash land on Tatooine. Stuck on an Imperial world with no chance of rescue, Reil hooked up with Fiola Shaku, Luis Santiago, Tey Spires and a slave girl named Cali, who were in a somewhat similar situation. After killing Cali's owner, and blundering through a bounty hunter ambush, they found themselves persued by Imperials. Luis sacrificed himself to throw the Imperials off their trail, as the rest of the group linked up with Koro Bolera and Tarynn Gray to make their escape off planet in the Long Shot.
After fleeing Tatooine, the group made a brief stop on Ryloth, where they all separated for some downtime planet side. Reil and Tey's R&R however was interrupted by a distress call from Fi and Cali, who had run into trouble with slavers. Reil and Tey launched a half-baked rescue operation that ended up reuniting the group with Tam, and causing a shootout in the slaver's base. In all the confusion, the group managed to hijack the slaver transport Emigrant, and attempted to flee the planet. Unfortunately they were intercepted by an Imperial blockade when they cleared the atmosphere. However, due to the timely intervention of the Nova Viper crew, and Tam's frightening powers, they managed to escape.
They then landed on Gamorr to recuperate, but that was not to be. Enticed by rumour's of a Sith Academy, Reil led Tam, Fi, and Cali on an expedition to explore it. The Jedi Athelias, unable to persuade them to stay, instead offered to be their guide. Worried about their friends, Damon Aligeri, Mir'isha, Elayne, and Tey all followed shortly after. Inside the temple, the group was spilt apart by the traps and obstacles in the Temple, and Reil, Tey, and Cali ended up lost together, forced to wander the catacombs. They finally managed to reunite with the others, only to find Damon in critical condition, and Sith Hydras preparing to attack. As they fled back to their ships, Athelias stayed behind, sacraficing himself so that the others could escape the planet.
After Gamorr, Tey decided that it was time to make his own way, and refocus on clearing his name. Following a lead he discovered on the Emigrant, he requested to be dropped off on the planet Rothana. The crews of the Emigrant and the Nova Viper agreed to his request, landing on Rothana and throwing a farewell party for their friend at a rural resort. As the celebrations wound down, and Tey prepared to leave, Fi also used this as a chance to quietly strike out on her own, abandoning her friends for her own reasons. The others did not learn of her departure until they returned to their ships, and found a brief note for Tam. Though the group was affected in varying degrees by Fiola's departure; Tam took it the hardest, and reacting to his emotional state, Elayne used the force to knock Tam unconscious. As Elayne tried to load Tam onboard the Nova Viper, Zealos intervened, concerned for the boy's safety. Damon tried to resolve the issue, and though tensions were high, it was ultiametly decided that Tam should decide who to travel with now. Upon recovery Tam decided to fly with Damon, and with no clear plan in mind, Zealos and Cali decided to join Damon's crew onboard the Nova Viper as well. They consolidated resources by stripping the Emigrant of supplies, and rigging the ship to remotely fly into a star.
The Nova Viper was renamed the Nexu's Fang and sent to the planet Rishi, a smuggler haven in the hopes of discovering more information on Damon's brother Verik Aligeri. As soon as they hit atmosphere however, they were attacked by smugglers who recognized the Nexu's Fang for the Nova Viper, which had previously been a Bounty Hunting ship. In the middle of the dog-fight, an ancient vessel named the Archaeologist intervened. The smugglers, shocked at being repulsed, opened communication channels, and discovered that the Nexu's Fang was under new ownership. Though far from friendly, the smugglers did allow the Fang to land. Before landing, the Fang docked with the Archaeologist to thank their rescuer. They discovered that the sole being on the ship was the droid Proto, who had been serving his late Jedi master on a mission beyond the Outer Rim, and had not been in contact with the galaxy for five hundred years. Having taken the mantle of Jedi upon himself, the machine was trying to return to Coruscant. Though there was some disagreement on whether or not a droid could actually be a Jedi, Proto put paid to most doubts by levitating the crew of the Nexu's Fang. In an effort to learn more about Galaxy since he'd been away, Proto joined the crew of the Fang in their search groundside.
Once on Rishi, the group went to a tavern to recuperate after the skirmish. There, Morec Birtrok , a crewman from another vessel, the Second Chance, joined them for drinks. After sharing stories of their own adventures, it was eventually learned that a man who might be able to tell them more about Damon's brother, Rennu Tor, had disapeared on the planet Owara. Before Zealos could hear the whole discussion however, Cali insisted that Reil take her into the main market, to buy her a blaster among other items. Damon gave them leave to go, and Proto joined them. On their way to the market, Proto inquired on the state affairs in the galaxy, and when told of the recent destruction of Alderran, decided that he would be better off making his own investigation. Once in the market, Cali insisted on getting her weapon first, and settled on a pair of Echani pistols that the owner had refused to separate. Shortly after, Cali was caught trying to steal from an Aqualish pirate who then tried to cut off her thieving hand. With no other option, Reil shot the pirate, earning the ire of the rest of the community, and causing the Nexu's Fang to be stripped of its landing permit. Reil and Cali joined up with Proto and the rest of the crew onboard the ship, as they peacefully left Rishi.