Xyra Sizhran

Xyra Sizhan was a Human female that served the Galactic Empire in special operations. 
==Personality and traits==
On the surface, Xyra tends to be a little rough around the edges. Her sense of humor vacillates between subtle and heavy handed, usually relying on dry sarcasm, crude observations or deadpan impossibilities. She doesn't waste a lot of time on social niceties, preferring to get it over with and moving on to whatever is next. She is not a people person, making the choice of solitude whenever it is offered to her. There is no time, and no patience, for idiots or naivety in her life, and people she has dubbed as one or the other will get little more than irritation and indifference thinly veiled behind the minimum amount of politeness necessary to deal with them. People who have gained her trust and respect however hold a high place in her regard, and will be treated as such, though it takes even more than that to become 'friends' with her, as Xyra seems to have erected permaconcrete walls a kilometer thick around her heart and most aspects of her personal world. She takes her superiors in the military tradition very seriously, though has from long experience less respect for the naval side of it. With that knowledge taken under consideration, she tries not to let it interfere with her work. She does not smile frequently, and when she does it is usually a tight, fleeting expression, barely making an impression on her face before it is gone. Her laughter is equally tight, usually a single bark of sound or a low chuckle, but rarely letting go in to a full throated sound made simply for the joy of it.
Beneath the surface, Xyra can be surprisingly empathic and sensitive, especially to those with whom she feels a particular kinship with or who have gained her trust (as difficult as the later tends to be). She has what seems like nearly infinite patience for children, and her hard, stony exterior melts away when faced with the needs of a child. She takes the safety of civilians in to utmost consideration when planning any operations, and the lives of the men and women under her only slightly second to that. While failure is not preferred, she has a healthy respect for the lives around her. Contrary to that however, she seems to be almost frivolous with her own life, though a closer inspection would reveal that she frequently has a secret or secondary agenda that keeps her safer than it would appear. She can take the death of a squad mate with a heavy gravity, but does not allow it to cripple her, either during, or after a mission. Typically, she doesn't allow herself to get close enough to anyone to feel the keen loss as others might, though on occasion, a death surprises her with the sharpness of it. Especially if it didn't need to happen that way. Though she may not become friends with her squadmates, she takes the time to learn about them, their lives, their families, as if storing the information away for the inevitability of all of their deaths. When a member of the squad does pass, it is often Xyra, the least likely in the aspect of friendly overtures, who speaks on their behalf after the fact, holding a keen and often unnerving clarity of vision about the life lost, the stories untold, and the dreams unrealized. Somewhere inside of her, though she would never admit it, she wants someone else to be able to do the same for her. She has no illusions of a long life, and a particularly cynical expectation about the time she probably has left, due to her career choice, and knows that it's only a matter of time, fate, or luck, that will kill her. But the inability to admit to herself how much she wants, even needs, to let others in, keeps her from ever really opening up with those around her. Somehow, she thinks that if she can get to know them, without giving any of herself away, she'll be able to see their deaths from the outside, and not lose the part of herself she shared.
She doesn't believe in beating around the bush. She'll tell you, quite bluntly, what she thinks of a situation if asked for her opinion. Though her humor is couched in sarcasm, she has a certain dry and brutal honesty that people either find refreshing, or are offended by. She prefers listening to speaking, but will not listen nicely just because it is the polite thing to do. You can be sure that if she is paying attention and listening, she is interested in what you are saying. Xyra values her own privacy, and respects that of others, rarely prying unless there is a darn good reason, and if there is, she will clearly inform you of just why yes, she does need to know. She can be extremely intense at times, not always knowing how and when to relax, especially around other people. She can be very stiff and formal, or too laid back and sarcastic, not always accurate to the situation.
Xyra doesn't look at the galaxy around her in terms of good and evil. It is rather a matter of what is necessary versus what is not, and what is necessary to tolerate versus what is not. She doesn't tolerate casual cruelty, but doesn't believe it is possible to live your life without hurting someone, it's just a matter of whom. A bit of a contradiction, she proclaims a need for order and discipline in the world around her, but thrives and shines in chaos and adversity.
Raised by her father, she tends to relate to men better than women. She's never struggled with her identity, though on occasion does just think it would have been easier if she'd been born with a penis. She pushes herself harder and expects more from herself than anyone else, knowing that it's not enough to be as good as the men around her, she has to be better. It has not, however, engendered any ill feelings, and the rivalry is with herself, more so than with the opposite gender. She's most comfortable when being treated like 'one of the guys', and though new people may take a bit to get used to it, it's not a stretch of the imagination, and after a time, few of them see her as any more feminine than they might see a sister. An older sister who could probably rub their faces in the dirt.
Likes: Spicy foods, black caf (sugar, no cream), a quiet place to think, a good mystery novel, late night walks, swimming, a good joke, a bad joke, late nights with the usual bar crowd, the smell of raw vanilla, tinkering, fresh bread, jazz, sad songs.
Dislikes: Feminine clothing, bland food, bland people, morons, dancing.
Quirks: On occasion she comes out with aphorisms and sayings (typically from her Father, though some gleaned from a variety of places) that seem to have no bearing on the situation. She also seems to get some perverse pleasure out of mixing metaphors, especially if it irritates someone else. 
==Abilities==
The martial paths have been part of Xyra's life from childhood, and she knows her way around most firearms the way other people know their home town. She is also well trained in hand to hand combat, though relies heavily on speed and leverage. Though she is strong for her size and gender, she could not (and would not) go punch for punch with someone much larger than she. She is also a fair hand at mechanics, though it never went beyond the self taught stage. She enjoys tinkering, but would rather leave the real fix-its to a professional, unless one is not available.
She thinks quick on her feet, believing in decisive action rather than sedate reaction (likely as much a weakness as a strength). She had an uncanny ability to remain calm in a crisis situation. An extremely good memory, she can recall places and names very well, and can commit most of what she sees or reads to memory. Xyra doesn't dwell on her own mistakes. She recognizes them for what they are, studies in retrospect where something went wrong, and then does not allow it to happen again. This can also be a weakness, in that she applies it to social and personal matters as well, and it makes her extremely unlikely to let people in.
Unexpectedly, Xyra can juggle rather well, a skill she taught herself as a child, and kept up ever since. She is a decent cook, nothing fancy but more than capable in the kitchen, and can mix almost any drink you can think of. She also has the ability to tell a good joke or funny story, bringing the audience (usually on late nights at the bar) in and leaving them rolling.
Weaknesses/Limitations: She tends to be uncomfortable in social situations, and is not a good choice for delicate, diplomatic events. In general, she comes across as a little chilly and aloof, making friends with great difficulty, and moving beyond that level seems impossible.
Though she handles her mistakes well, she does not handle grief well. Few things reach the point of personal sorrow through loss, but when they do she only appears calm and collected on the surface, usually a roiling storm of emotions internally that will inevitably come out sideways when least expected. As a general rule, she bottles up her emotions until they reach a breaking point, and the way she will react when that bottle shatters is largely unpredictable. However, few see that side of her, as she frequently seeks out solitude the more troubled she is.
Xyra occasionally suffers from nightmares, and bouts of insomnia usually brought on by them. She is particularly irritable and waspish when that occurs. She has never learned how to dance. 
===Languages===
Basic
Rodian 
==Appearance==
Xyra is short and slender, but not skinny, having a healthy and active muscle tone, perhaps a little over what most would consider appropriate for an athletic woman, but certainly not over the top. She has a boyish figure, but has never particularly despaired over the fact that her curves are a little more subtle and less pronounced than most women would prefer their bodies to be. She is not beautiful, her features are a little too sharp to be truly beautiful, but to some people perhaps pretty, though in no particularly stunning way. She is however, comfortable in her skin, and that self assurance and general athletic nature is more attractive than she gives it credit for.
She keeps her blonde hair cropped fairly short. No muss, no fuss and above all out of her face. Little time is put in to it (or the rest of her appearance for that matter) beyond keeping it clean and neat (though due to her profession and active lifestyle, the neat seldom stays, and she seems to be in an almost perpetual state of disarray when it comes to her hair and clothing). Her eyes are hazel, an equal mix of grey and green, and seem to miss nothing. If she lived an indoor, sedentary life, her skin would be rather pale, but due to the amount of time spent outdoors it has a healthy golden tan.
She prefers to dress casual, and disdains any official uniform, though will wear hers on the rare occasion it is warranted. The average day will find her in cargo pants in shades of black, grey or green, a black or grey tank top, and combat boots, whether on or off the field. If cooler, Xyra will wear a faded black canvas jacket, obviously several sizes too large for her, and well mended.
Category:Active Character
Category:The Galactic Empire
Category:Character
Category:Human
Category:Trainee
Category:Elites of The Galactic Empire
Category:Elite