Leonia Tavira

Leonia Tavira was a Human female who became the youngest person to achieve the rank of Moff in the Galactic Empire. Born into poverty on the planet Eiattu 6, Leonia became the mistress of the planet's Imperial governor, Moff Tharil Tavira, at the age of sixteen. After Tavira's wife died under mysterious circumstances, he took Leonia as his wife. Shortly before the Battle of Endor, Tharil suffered a stroke and was paralyzed. Leonia took over as de facto governor while her husband recovered and, when he subsequently took his own life, declared herself Moff of Eiattu. Following the death of Emperor Palpatine at Endor, Tavira entered into a relationship with Harrandatha Estillo, the presumed heir to the throne of Eiattu, through whom she controlled the People's Liberation Battalion in order to play them off against the aristocratic ruling council, the Priamsta. In fact, the putative "Prince Harran" was an impostor and Imperial agent; the true heir was Rogue Squadron pilot Isplourrdacartha Estillo. When the princess returned to her homeworld, the impostor's identity was revealed, and Tavira fled the system.
Although Tavira retained some influence on Eiattu through leading Priamsta member Count Arian Laabann, she lost control of her former forces and allied herself with Kavil and his pirate organization, Kavil's Corsairs. Through Laabann, she hatched a plan to capture Princess Leia Organa during a visit to Eiattu. Tavira hoped to use Organa's capture to force the New Republic to assist her in overthrowing Kavil and establishing herself as a warlord. However, her agents inadvertently captured Organa's decoy, Winter, who later escaped Tavira's custody. Tavira subsequently assisted Grand Vizier Sate Pestage's flight from the Imperial capital world of Coruscant; unhappy with her payment, however, she unceremoniously abandoned him on Ciutric IV and sold his location to Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard.
At some later point, Tavira joined forces with High Admiral Treuten Teradoc, from whom she acquired her flagship, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Invidious. Centered around this, she formed and led the Invids, a loose coalition of pirate bands, from around 10 ABY. Operating out of the moon Susevfi, Tavira coerced the native Force-sensitive Jensaarai sect into working for her by threatening to destroy their people. The Jensaarai used their precognition to alert her of any threats and thus enable her to avoid capture, making her raids all the more successful. In 11 ABY, the Jensaarai kidnapped Mirax Terrik Horn, the wife of Rogue Squadron pilot and Jedi Corran Horn, when she began to investigate the Invids on behalf of the New Republic. This led to Corran Horn initiating a search for his wife, during which he went undercover among the Invid pirates based on Courkrus and there began a campaign to disrupt Tavira's operations. Eventually, Horn and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker launched a raid on Tavira's palace on Susevfi, where Mirax was being held. As her enemies closed in, Tavira fled to the Invidious and turned it against her own headquarters. However, Horn used a powerful mind trick to frighten Tavira into believing that a large New Republic fleet was on its way and she fled to hyperspace.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Leonia was a Human female born into the common population of the planet Eiattu 6 in the Ado sector of the Mid Rim during the early years of the Galactic Empire.Star Wars Handbook 1: X-Wing Rogue Squadron states that Tavira was still a teenager at the time of the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron comic series in 4 ABY, placing her birth in the years following the rise of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY. Her homeworld had long been ruled by a royal family, but when they failed to prevent the Empire from establishing a garrison on the planet, the nobles rebelled and overthrew their rulers, leaving the newly appointed Imperial governor, Moff Tharil Tavira, to rule Eiattu 6.X-Wing Rogue Squadron 13 When she was sixteen standard years old, Leonia attracted the attention of Moff Tavira and the two began an affair. Soon after, Leonia arranged the "accidental" death of Tharil's wife and later married him herself. The loveless marriage allowed Leonia to escape the poverty of her youth and she soon became accustomed to her new lifestyle.
When Moff Tavira was struck down by a stroke which left him speechless and paralyzed, Leonia took over his duties as de facto governor while he recovered. Her husband's allergy to bacta made his recovery difficult, but he committed himself to physical therapy and eventually regained the use of his hands. However, upon learning of the death of Emperor Palpatine at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY,The New Essential Chronology Tavira turned a blaster upon himself and committed suicide. The New Republic later suspected Leonia's involvement in the deaths of both her husband and his first wife, but were unable to find any evidence to prove her culpability. In the chaos that followed Moff Tavira's death, Leonia assumed his rank and duties, appointing herself as Moff of Eiattu while still a teenager, making her the youngest Moff in the history of the Empire. The new Moff Tavira never reported her husband's death to the Empire and her ascension consequently went unnoticed on the capital world of Imperial Center.
===The phony prince===
As Moff, Tavira found that she had to share power with the Priamsta, the aristocratic ruling council, and had little control over the sovereign world's wealth. She decided to seize full control of her wealthy homeworld by turning the political unrest between the Imperials, the nobles, and the common population to her advantage. All of the royal family had long been believed to have died during the noble rebellion years earlier. In 4 ABY, however, it appeared that some of the royal family had survived when Prince Harrandatha Estillo returned to his world and formed the People's Liberation Battalion, commonly known as the PLB, with the goal of establishing a new government. In truth, Estillo had died along with the rest of his family; the putative prince was an impostor who had been conditioned by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader to take the place of the real prince. Tavira entered into a relationship with Estillo and, through him, gained control of the PLB, which she turned against the aristocracy. Estillo's attacks helped to destabilize the planet's government, and also allowed Tavira to begin stealing her world's riches and blame the thefts on the rebels.X-Wing Rogue Squadron 15 When the Priamsta was defeated, Tavira would be in a position to either marry Estillo, kill him and take her place as sole ruler of Eiattu, or flee with enough wealth to start a new life wherever she chose.
In an effort to ensure peace between the nobles and the people, Grand Duke Gror Pernon tracked down the only true surviving member of the royal family, Princess Isplourrdacartha Estillo, who was serving as a member of the New Republic's Rogue Squadron. Knowing that the prince was an impostor, Estillo returned to Eiattu, accompanied by the rest of Rogue Squadron, to end the fighting and take her place as ruler. Soon after the princess's return, Imperial forces captured a soldier from the PLB. Tavira personally tortured the prisoner; when he revealed nothing she had the fake Harrandatha execute him. Around the same time, an Imperial patrol captured several members of Rogue Squadron and brought them to Tavira. When she learned that the stormtroopers had failed to bring back Nrin Vakil, a member of Rogue Squadron who was wounded during his group's capture, she executed their leader and dispatched troopers to retrieve Vakil's body while she interrogated her prisoners. Although she considered the prisoners to be of little use, Tavira decided to keep them alive as hostages in case her plans to seize control went awry.
Following a raid in which Tavira seized 370 kilograms of precious metals, 2.5 million credits in Imperial notes, and 1.5 billion credits worth of Imperial bullion, she ordered all wealth stored at the three remaining royal repositories to be moved to her citadel in the planet's capital city, ostensibly to protect it from the PLB and draw them into a trap. As planned, Harrandatha's forces soon stormed the citadel. As the intervention of the remaining members of Rogue Squadron helped the rebels to overcome the Imperial forces defending the citadel, Princess Estillo exposed Harrandatha as an impostor. With her plotting exposed, Tavira attempted to take her stolen riches and flee. However, Nrin Vakil had survived and managed to rescue his imprisoned wingmates. Pursued by Rogue Squadron, Tavira fled the system in a single Lambda-class shuttle with only a fraction of the stolen wealth. The action created difficulties for the New Republic on the planet.X-Wing Rogue Squadron 23
===Kavil's Corsairs===
Tavira retained some influence on Eiattu through continuing contact with Imperial agent and leading Priamsta member Count Arian Laabann, but she lost control of her former forces, and was forced to ally herself with Kavil and his pirate organization, Kavil's Corsairs. Kavil was satisfied with working as a privateer for the Empire, but Tavira planned to take control of his forces and establish herself as a warlord. Her opportunity came later in 4 ABY, when Count Laabann provided information that New Republic Councilor Leia Organa was attending a diplomatic summit on Eiattu. Tavira hoped that, if she captured Organa, she could ransom her to the New Republic in exchange for their help in overthrowing Kavil. However, Tavira's agents inadvertently kidnapped Organa's decoy, Winter, bringing her and Rogue Squadron pilot Tycho Celchu to Tavira aboard her pirate cruiser.
Believing her prisoner to be genuine, Tavira took her and Celchu back to the Corsairs' base on Axxila while she made contact with New Republic Chief of State Mon Mothma. News of Tavira's involvement in Organa's apparent kidnapping soon reached both Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard and Imperial Grand Vizier Sate Pestage.X-Wing Rogue Squadron 30 Isard was impressed with Tavira and dispatched Admiral Delak Krennel to Axxila aboard the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Reckoning to bring her both Organa and Tavira. Pestage, meanwhile, was secretly on Axxila to negotiate his defection to the New Republic with the real Organa. The Grand Vizier contacted Kavil personally to ask that the prisoners be turned over to him. However, both Winter and Celchu managed to escape from the pirates and make contact with the rest of Rogue Squadron, who had escorted Organa to Axxila. With her prisoners gone and the arrival of the Reckoning, Tavira contacted Pestage and offered to sell him her services. Pestage agreed and used his influence to ensure that Krennel allowed Tavira's cruiser to safely leave the system. Once away from Axxila, Tavira set course for one of Pestage's hidden caches to collect her payment.X-Wing Rogue Squadron 31
Pestage's duplicity was later exposed by Isard and he was forced to flee Imperial Center to avoid arrest. Pestage contacted Tavira to request her help in seeing him safely to Ciutric IV. Tavira took her cruiser to the Coruscant system, where Pestage transferred aboard from his private yacht. To Tavira's annoyance, Pestage turned the yacht over to its captain rather than her; as a result, upon reaching Ciutric, Tavira declared her arrangement with Pestage to be at an end. Leaving him to be arrested by the local Imperial authorities, Tavira departed the planet, telling Pestage to contact her when he was willing to pay a fair price for his freedom.X-Wing Rogue Squadron 32 She later contacted Isard via holocomm and revealed Pestage's location, requesting a fully equipped and staffed Star Destroyer and a guarantee of no Imperial interference for the rest of her life in exchange. Isard did not believe Pestage to be worth such a high price, and instead offered 100,000 credits. Despite Tavira's protests, Isard informed her that her payment would be waiting on the planet Commenor in twenty days time, for one day only, and only if Tavira's information led to Pestage's capture.X-Wing Rogue Squadron 33 Ultimately, however, Pestage was killed by Admiral Krennel, who turned his back on Isard and established himself as a warlord in the Ciutric Hegemony.X-Wing Rogue Squadron 35
===The Invids===
At some point during her early pirate career, Tavira allied herself with Zsinj, Grand Moff of the Quelii Oversector who had broken away from the Empire to establish his own dominion. After Pestage's fall, Tavira joined forces with High Admirals Treuten and Kosh Teradoc, sibling warlords whose factions operated in the Mid Rim and Deep Core. Tavira's flirtations turned the competitive brothers against each other, but the relationship proved profitable for Tavira, who acquired the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Invidious from Treuten around 5 ABY. She subsequently went into hiding, emerging only for the occasional supply raid. During Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic in 9 ABY, Tavira's raids started to become more bold and, by the time Emperor Palpatine returned in a cloned body to lead a new offensive in 10 ABY, Tavira had begun to assemble a loose coalition of pirate bands around the Invidious. The group, which included the Khuiumin Survivors, the LazerLords, Riistar's Raiders, the Blackstar Pirates, Shala the Hutt's gang, and the crews of the pirate ships Red Nova, Fastblast, and Booty Full, collectively became knows as the Invids after Tavira's flagship.
Adopting the title of Admiral Tavira, Tavira provided planning and coordination for the pirates' raids. In exchange for fifty percent of the profit from raids, Tavira would select suitable targets and times and arrange for one or more of her gangs to take part, rotating them in order to keep each group sharp and to demonstrate that none were indispensable. On the bigger missions, Tavira would personally lead from the Invidious, using its firepower to suppress planetary defenses and defend against New Republic reprisals before departing with her share. Tavira ensured that none of the pirates could betray her by keeping her allies at arms reach, contacting them when she was planning a raid, but giving them no way to make contact with her. None of the pirates knew where Tavira took the Invidious between raids except for those recruited into its crew based on their performance in missions. Once pirates joined Tavira on the Invidious they were not allowed to leave. In addition to the pirates, numerous Imperial personnel served aboard the Invidious, including stormtroopers and former members of the 181st Imperial Fighter Group in the Destroyer's three Clutch starfighter squadrons. Those who served directly under Tavira became known as True Invids among the other pirates.
By 11 ABY, the Invids had become a major concern for the New Republic, which assembled a task force—including Tavira's old adversaries in Rogue Squadron—to put an end to the pirate attacks. However, Tavira evaded their best attempts to capture her, leading New Republic Intelligence to suspect she had a spy within the New Republic. When she learned that Captain Phan Riizolo of the Booty Full was planning to sever ties with the Invids and had stolen plans from her computer for a raid on the luxury liner Glitterstar as it left a resort on the moon Alakatha, Tavira decided to turn her pursuers to her advantage, leaking information to the New Republic about the raid. Hoping to catch Tavira, the New Republic set a trap but succeeded only in capturing Riizolo.
Much of Tavira's success was due to her use of the Jensaarai, an order of Force users from Susevfi, a moon of the planet Suarbi 7 in the Quence sector. She first encountered the group when the Invidious jumped to the Suarbi system to escape a New Republic task force. When the local Imperial governor rebuffed her advances, Tavira had him executed and took control herself. Tavira met with the Saarai-kaar, the leader of the Jensaarai, and gained her trust with promises of freedom from the oppression of both the Empire and the New Republic. She later betrayed the Jensaarai's trust and forced them into her service with threats to annihilate Susevfi's population if they failed her. The key to Tavira's ability to evade the New Republic was the Jensaarai's use of precognition to sense potential threats to her. With her Jensaarai advisors aboard the Invidious, Tavira was alerted in advance to any attempts by the New Republic to ambush her forces and, on a number of occasions, called off raids to avoid a New Republic trap. The Jensaarai also acted as bodyguards for Tavira when she chose to go planetside after a raid to personally inspect the work of her pirates. Susevfi served Tavira well as a base of operations and the ring of asteroids around Suarbi 7 provided a location to hide the Invidious between raids.
===A Jedi enemy===
In an effort to track down Tavira, New Republic Intelligence General Airen Cracken enlisted the help of the smuggler Mirax Terrik Horn. An antique collecting client of Horn's had lost some valuable items during a recent Invid raid and Horn had agreed to make some inquiries to help retrieve them. Due to her independence from the authorities, Horn could travel without attracting undue attention and offered to share what she found with Cracken. Although the New Republic had been unable to locate Tavira's base, they were aware that many of Tavira's pirate groups operated out of the Hutt homeworld Nal Hutta and Horn began her search there. When the Jensaarai sensed her intentions, they kidnapped Horn and took her to Tavira on Susevfi. Tavira saw little reason to keep the prisoner alive, but the Saarai-kaar disagreed; Horn was the wife of Rogue Squadron pilot and Jedi trainee Corran Horn, the grandson of the Corellian Jedi Knight Nejaa Halcyon, who had killed the Jensaarai's founder, Nikkos Tyris, when he fell to the dark side of the Force during the Clone Wars. As the Saarai-kaar expected, Corran Horn soon began searching for his wife. Meanwhile, the capture of a New Republic agent on Nal Hutta demonstrated that the Invids were no longer safe there and the various pirate groups started to relocate to Courkrus in the Khuiumin system.
Two months after Mirax Terrik Horn's capture, Tavira attacked the Tinta Lines starships Tinta Rainbow and Tinta Palette. Invid pirates had already infiltrated the crews of the target ships and were expecting little resistance. However, Corran Horn, traveling aboard the Tinta Palette, killed two of the pirates before departing with several passengers aboard the shuttle Tinta Blue Seven. Three of the Invidious Clutch starfighters broke off from the main attack to intercept the shuttle as it fled and Tavira personally hailed the shuttle to order its crew to surrender, but the New Republic pilot was able to evade the pirates long enough to jump to hyperspace. The sensor data from the stolen shuttle allowed Horn to identify one of Tavira's support ships as the Backstab, which he was able to trace back to the Khuiumin Survivors, leading him to the Khuiumin system. Once there, he joined the Survivors under the alias Jenos Idanian in an effort to get close to Tavira and learn where his wife was being held.
Tavira led the Invids on several more raids over the next few months. On one occasion, Tavira assigned Shala the Hutt's gang to retrieve a shipment of spice from the planet Kessel while the Invidious and the Khuiumin Survivors attacked another target. Shortly after arriving, however, Tavira's Jensaarai advisors sensed a threat to Shala's forces. With only minimal opposition at her target, Tavira decided to go to Shala's aid and leave the Survivors to deal with any local resistance. The Invidious arrived in the Kessel system shortly after Shala was engaged by a patrol of three New Republic corvettes. The Star Destroyer's arrival turned the situation in the Invids' favor and the pirates inflicted massive damage to the corvette Freedom of Sullust before the New Republic ships fled the system. The split second rescue of Shala's forces from a chance encounter with the authorities increased Tavira's reputation with both the pirates and the New Republic.
===Xa Fel and Kerilt===
Tavira later led the Invids in an assault on the planet Xa Fel in the Kanchen sector, the site of a facility manufacturing starship hyperdrives for Kuat Drive Yards, which Tavira hoped to steal and sell to her contacts among the Imperial warlords. Taking no chances, Tavira assembled a large task force for the mission, with corvettes, bulk cruisers and several Clutch starfighter squadrons accompanying the Invidious. To bolster her starfighter squadrons, Tavira allowed the Khuiumin Survivors' Bolt, Hawk, and Rock Squadrons to travel aboard the Invidious and paired each up with her own Blade, Saber, and Pike Squadrons. Unknown to Tavira, the New Republic was also sending a task force to Xa Fel, consisting of a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, a Victory II-class Star Destroyer, an Interdictor-class cruiser and several support ships, including Rogue Squadron's X-wing starfighters, on a surprise raid aimed at punishing Kuat Drive Yards for their failure to cut pollution from their facility. Since the New Republic forces were not waiting for the Invids, the Jensaarai failed to sense the threat and Tavira had no warning before her ships were pulled out of hyperspace prematurely by the Interdictor's gravity well projectors. The New Republic forces responded quickly and moved to intercept the pirates. With the Interdictor preventing them from returning to hyperspace, Tavira launched her starfighters to provide cover while the larger ships withdrew to a safe distance. The Survivors avoided the elite Rogue Squadron and utilized their ion cannons to disable the other New Republic fighters, but Colonel Lamner, commander of the Invidious squadrons, chose to engage Rogue Squadron directly, resulting in heavy losses among Tavira's pilots, including Lamner himself. The Invidious eventually cleared the gravity well and Tavira recalled the remaining fighters before jumping out of the system.
Following the battle, Tavira inspected the surviving pilots in the Invidious hangar. She congratulated Captain Tyresi Gurtt of Bolt Squadron for disabling the New Republic fighters, a strategy which had forced the New Republic capital ships to stop to retrieve their pilots rather than pursue the pirates, and promoted her to colonel to replace Lamner. Gurtt informed Tavira that the strategy had originally been suggested by Rock Squadron pilot Jenos Idanian, who had also been responsible for shooting down a pair of torpedoes that had been heading for the Invidious. Tavira was impressed by Horn's performance and, unaware of his true identity, appointed him to replace Gurtt as captain of Bolt Squadron. This drew an objection from Bolt Squadron pilot Remart Sasyru, who informed her that the Survivors required pilots to be voted into Bolt Squadron and suggested himself as a candidate to lead it. Tavira responded with a quick lash from her quirt and suggested that she had a better use in mind for Sasyru. Deciding to humor the pirates, she allowed a quick vote, in which Horn was unanimously selected to lead the Bolts, before departing with Gurrt.
During the Xa Fel engagement, the Jensaarai aboard the Invidious sensed the presence of another Force user. During the month that followed the battle, Tavira and her advisors visited Courkrus several times to question the pilots involved in an attempt to uncover the identity of a potential Jedi spy. When she and Jacob Nive, leader of the Khuiumin Survivors, questioned Horn, the Jedi redirected her suspicions away from him by suggesting that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, a former member of Rogue Squadron, may have been present with the squadron at the battle. The pilot's knowledge of Rogue Squadron's history impressed Tavira and the two began to flirt. Although Tavira was attracted to Horn, when he put a stop to her advances, saying he wanted to focus on his flying, she struck him with her quirt for his presumption. The Jensaarai failed to detect any duplicity in Horn and the pilot was allowed to leave. While still on Courkrus, Tavira decided to make Horn jealous by making it known that she planned to take Sasyru as her new lover following the pirates' next mission.
Tavira's next target was Kerilt, the innermost planet of the Algaran system and home to one of the largest Caamasi Remnant communities in the galaxy. The Invids arrived in the system to find the Thalassian slaver Kaloth-style battlecruiser Harmzuay in orbit of the planet on a raid for slaves from the colony below. Unwilling to let the slavers steal her prize, Tavira opened fire on the slaver vessel. The Thalassians soon realized that they were no match for the Invidious and attempted to run, but Tavira showed no mercy and destroyed the Harmzuay in short order. As the Invid fighters entered the planet's atmosphere, Horn reported to Tavira that the planet's warehouses were full and the natives appeared to have fled. Tavira was happy to leave the Caamasi alone provided they did not interfere and dispatched assault shuttles to start loading the cargo.
While on Kerilt, some of Bolt Squadron, including Sasyru, attempted to steal from a group of Caamasi. They were interrupted by Horn, resulting in a fight in which Horn badly beat Sasyru and, inadvertently, acquired the services of the Caamasi Elegos A'Kla as his servant. Following the fight, Tavira's security officers separated the participants and brought them aboard the Invidious for interrogation. When her interrogators had spoken to both sides, Tavira had Sasyru executed for disobeying orders and striking a superior officer, then went to see Horn. Tavira had expected Horn to kill Sasyru to eliminate a rival for her affections. However, she now believed that he had goaded Sasyru into a fight, knowing that she would be forced to kill him, in order to punish her for choosing Sasyru over Horn. Although Horn denied this, Tavira was convinced and offered him the chance to become her new consort, giving him a month to decide and to come to her willingly.
===Downfall===
Horn, however, had other plans. Disguising himself in Jedi robes, he began a successful campaign of terror aimed at driving Tavira's pirates away from Courkrus. Tavira's insistence on one-way communication with the pirates left her blind to events on Courkrus for extended periods. By the time she next sent a ship to the planet, three weeks after the raid on Kerilt, Shala the Hutt was dead, the Fastblast had fled and desertions had left the Blackstar Pirates, LazerLords, and the crew of the Red Nova significantly undermanned. The presence of a Jedi on Courkrus convinced Tavira that the New Republic was making a major push to stop her. Within a day of the messenger's return to the Invidious, she traveled to Courkrus to assess the situation. After locating Horn, she gave him one week to take charge of the situation and rally the pirates against the Jedi. She also instructed him to kill Jacob Nive, whose confidence had been shaken by the Jedi's attacks, and to take personal command of the Survivors.
Tavira returned to her headquarters in the former governor's palace on Susevfi, leaving a group of Jensaarai on Courkrus to hunt for the Jedi. After she departed, Horn managed to capture one of the Jensaarai, who revealed that Horn's wife was being held in Tavira's palace. Enlisting the help of A'Kla, Luke Skywalker, and Rogue Squadron pilot Ooryl Qrygg, Horn infiltrated the palace and rescued Mirax. Upon learning of the intruders, Tavira used a near-life-size hologram to confront them as they made their escape. The admiral was furious to realize that Idanian was really Horn and that he had been responsible for the events on Courkrus, but Horn threatened that they would be coming for her next. Having lost control of the situation on the moon, Tavira fled in a shuttle before her enemies could reach her and returned to the Invidious, intending to use it to destroy the palace in order to prevent Horn's escape. However, the Star Destroyer was intercepted by Rogue Squadron, the Khuiumin Survivors—who had agreed to help Horn in exchange for a fresh start in the New Republic—and Mirax's father, Booster Terrik, aboard the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Errant Venture. As the two sides fought in orbit, Horn used a powerful mind trick to frighten Tavira into believing that a large New Republic fleet, including the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Lusankya and the recently destroyed superweapon, the Sun Crusher, was arriving in the vicinity. Believing that the Jedi had lured her into a trap, Tavira fled into hyperspace. Although Tavira escaped, the Jensaarai were freed from her service, leaving her without her ability to evade the New Republic.
==Personality and traits==
As a young woman, Leonia Tavira was slender with short, black hair with silver highlights—cut raggedly during her early pirate career—and piercing, violet eyes. By the time she was leading the Invids, Tavira wore her hair longer and had a more rounded, though still petite figure. Her small stature and taut, pale flesh gave her a youthful appearance, but she moved with a confidence that made her appear older. Tavira was well aware that she was considered attractive and frequently used her looks to manipulate men to gain power and wealth. She was just sixteen years old when she began an affair with Moff Tharil Tavira, and was content with the subsequent loveless marriage that brought her an opulent lifestyle and an escape from the poverty of her youth. She later manipulated the false Prince Harrandatha Estillo, promising her love to him while using his People's Liberation Battalion to attack the Priamsta and allow her to steal much of Eiattu's wealth. Tavira was long suspected to have been responsible for the death of her husband—as well as his first wife—and contemplated marrying Estillo and killing him in order to rule as his widow. After fleeing to Susevfi, Tavira attempted to seduce the local Moff and killed him when he rejected her.
Tavira's appetite for male company was well known among the Invids and becoming her consort was one of the few ways to become part of the Invidious crew. When Corran Horn infiltrated the Invids, Tavira found herself attracted to him. However, she instead named Remart Sasyru as her next consort, expecting Horn to find some way to prove his worth to her. After Horn fought Sasyru on Kerilt, Tavira executed Sasyru for insubordination and believed that Horn had turned her manipulation around, forcing her to eliminate his rival for him. Tavira contemplated threatening the Khuiumin Survivors to compel Horn to join her, but instead promised to help him avenge a fictional former lover if he would give himself freely to her.
Tavira was an intelligent woman, who was also ambitious, opportunistic, and deceitful. She never plotted against her husband, but was quick to take advantage of his stroke to take control of Eiattu. When she realized that Imperial power was waning during her time as Moff, Tavira manipulated both the Priamsta and People's Liberation Battalion to retain control. She planned to ransom Leia Organa and Tycho Celchu to the New Republic to secure their support in overthrowing Kavil as leader of the Corsairs and later betrayed Sate Pestage to Ysanne Isard when his payment for her services did not meet her expectations. As leader of the Invid pirates, Tavira first gained the trust of the Jensaarai, then forced them to serve her by threatening the people of Susevfi. Tavira did not like being crossed; she held a longstanding grudge against Rogue Squadron, who she blamed for her downfall on Eiattu, and she betrayed Phan Riizolo to the New Republic when he tried to break away from the Invids. She was also known to personally torture prisoners.
While leading the Invids, Tavira quickly learned how to manage her pirate fleet. She recognized talent among those who served her and handed out promotions based on skill and initiative. She ensured that her pirates could not lead the New Republic to her by initiating all contact and not revealing her location, although Corran Horn was able to exploit this one-way communication to scare away many pirates on Courkrus before she could respond. Tavira saw herself as a major threat to the New Republic and believed that they would be willing to use all the resources at their disposal to stop her. Horn ultimately played on this belief, using the Force to convince her that a large New Republic fleet was present at Susevfi, convincing her to flee.
==Behind the scenes==
Leonia Tavira was created by Michael Stackpole for the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron comic series. She first appeared in the second issue of The Warrior Princess story arc, published on December 1, 1996, and subsequently appeared in 1998's Masquerade and Mandatory Retirement story arcs. Tavira's story was further expanded in Stackpole's 1998 novel, I, Jedi.
In the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron series, Tavira is said to hold the rank of Moff, but depictions of her in The Warrior Princess and Mandatory Retirement show her with the rank insignia of a Grand Moff, as worn by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. In Star Wars Handbook 1: X-Wing Rogue Squadron, Tavira is depicted with the rank insignia of an Imperial admiral, the rank which she uses during the events of I, Jedi.
==Appearances==
*X-Wing Rogue Squadron 14 
*X-Wing Rogue Squadron 15
*X-Wing Rogue Squadron 16 
*X-Wing Rogue Squadron 23 
*X-Wing Rogue Squadron 29
*X-Wing Rogue Squadron 30 
*X-Wing Rogue Squadron 31
*X-Wing Rogue Squadron 32
*X-Wing Rogue Squadron 33 
*X-Wing: Isard's Revenge 
*X-Wing: Isard's Revenge abridged audiobook
*I, Jedi 
*I, Jedi abridged audiobook
*Union 3 
==Sources==
*
*Star Wars Encyclopedia
*Star Wars Handbook 1: X-Wing Rogue Squadron
*The Essential Chronology
*A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded
*The New Essential Guide to Characters
*
*The New Essential Chronology
*Star Wars: The Comics Companion
*The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
*
*The Essential Guide to Warfare
*The Essential Reader's Companion
*
==Notes and references==
Category:Eiattuans
Category:Females
Category:Humans
Category:Imperial warlords
Category:Invids
Category:Moffs of the Galactic Empire
Category:Personnel of Zsinj's empire
Category:Privateers
Category:Torturers and interrogators