Evaan Verlaine

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**Evaan Verlaine** was a Human female pilot who served in the Rebel Alliance and later the New Republic during the Galactic Civil War. Born on Alderaan, she became one of few among the youth of Alderaan to be mentored by the Queen, which cultivated a deep respect for the House of Organa. Verlaine, a committed royalist, followed in the footsteps of the Alderaan leaders and became a member of the Rebel Alliance, serving as a pilot. After the Galactic Empire's planet killer the Death Star, destroyed Alderaan, she heard whispers that the Empire was hunting down any surviving Alderaanians. Following the Battle of Yavin resulting in the destruction of the Death Star, Verlaine pledged her loyalty to Princess Leia Organa, and the two defied the orders of the rebel leadership and set out on a mission to find and protect the surviving Alderaanians from the Empire. The two first made their way to the planet Naboo, where they took on a small group of Alderaanian citizens and had to inform them of the disaster of the loss of their world.

## Biography

### Early Life

**Evaan Verlaine** was born many years before the beginning of the Galactic Civil War on the planet Alderaan. At a young age, she became one of few Alderaanian youths to be mentored by ruling Queen of Alderaan, Breha Organa, monarch of their homeworld. Through her time with the queen, Verlaine learned much about the culture and heritage of her planet and formed a life-long respect for the House of Organa. She then became a committed royalist, believing in the Alderaanian monarchy, and followed in the footsteps of the planet's leaders by joining the Rebel Alliance As a member of the Rebellion against the rule of the Galactic Empire, Verlaine became a rebel pilot.

### Pilot for the Rebellion

Verlaine participated in the Battle of Scarif as Gold Three of Gold Squadron as part of the rebel support forces attacking the Shield Gate above Scarif. She assisted in the battle as the fleet attacked the Shield Gate, Gold Squadron conducted several attack runs on the Shield Gate in an effort to weaken the shield. After a few runs against the gate, the Squadron redirected their efforts against a couple of Star Destroyers. Later, she served in the Great Temple of Massassi, the Rebel base on Yavin 4, when Alderaan was destroyed. The destruction, known to Alderaanian survivors as the "Disaster",was carried out by the Death Star, the Empire's deep space mobile battle station, and led to the death of the Queen Organa and her husband, Bail Organa, some of the earliest members of the Rebel Alliance. The rebellion gained a quick victory, however, when Princess Leia Organa, the queen's adoptive daughter, brought the stolen Death Star schematics to Yavin 4. Once the plans were studied and a weakness in the battlestation was found, a fleet of starfighters launched the Battle of Yavin and destroyed the Death Star. Verlaine participated in the battle in Gold Squadron, eight Y-Wing bombers led by Jon "Dutch" Vander, and was able to successfully make her way back to the base, unlike the rest of her squadron.

### Fighting for Alderaan

#### Leaving Yavin

After the Battle of Yavin, only a small group of the initial task force returned. Luke Skywalker, the pilot who fired the shot that destroyed the Death Star and Han Solo, a smuggler who helped Leia bring the battlestation plans to the rebellion base and aided Skywalker in the battle, both received medals in a ceremony held in the Great Temple of Massassi. Verlaine was in attendance at the ceremony. After the medals were presented, Organa said a few words in remembrance of her parents and her homeworld. Her words were measured and lacked emotion, leading some of the assembled Rebels to refer to her as the "ice princess". When the ceremony ended, Verlaine remained behind and paid her respects to Queen Organa and Viceroy Organa at a memorial. Because the Empire learned of the location of the Rebel base before the Battle of Yavin, General Jan Dodonna ordered the evacuation of the Great Temple. Verlaine and some of her fellow Rebels packed supplies in the base's hangar that would be loaded into the Rebel fleet that arrived at Yavin 4. While working, she and another Rebel discussed Organa's cold demeanor.

The princess overheard them and approached, at which point the other Rebel quickly left, leaving Organa and Verlaine to talk on their own. Verlaine explained her loyalty to House of Organa and to the late Queen, and she pledged her service to the princess, despite her initial reservations about how the princess was handling her duties in the aftermath of Alderaan's destruction. Verlaine also told Organa about rumors suggesting that the Empire was hunting down all surviving Alderaanians, rumors that Verlaine believed. Between Verlaine's concerns about Organa's leadership and the rumors, Organa decided to leave the Rebel base without a Rebel escort, in defiance of General Dodonna's orders, and find the surviving Alderaanians to protect them. Verlaine agreed to go with her in order to preserve their planet's culture. Verlaine, Organa, and the astromech droid R2-D2, left Yavin 4 aboard a T-1 shuttle, which Verlaine piloted. Before they left, Organa sent a holographic recording to General Dodonna informing him of why she had to leave the Rebel base in violation of his orders.

Verlaine disagreed with sending the message as she believed it would lead the Rebels to send their forces to stop them from leaving, a concern that was proven right when Skywalker and Wedge Antilles intercepted the shuttle and ordered them to turn back. Verlaine and Artoo quietly worked out a strategy in which they would lead the X-Wing pilots to believe that they had intercepted the shuttle and then release a part of the ship that the pilots would believe was an important part of the hyperdrive, but that was in actuality a decoy. They did not tell the Princess, as the pilots were listening into their conversations. Organa was irate once the plan was enacted, believing that Verlaine had recklessly compromised the mission by damaging the ship when it struck Antilles' X-Wing. However, when the fighters backed off to avoid the presumed damage, Verlaine jumped the ship into hyperspace. Once the ship was safely in hyperspace, Verlaine admitted to the Princess that the maneuver was a trick. Organa thanked her for her efforts and the two made their way towards the planet Naboo.

#### Trouble on Naboo

During the voyage, Organa and Verlaine briefly debated the latter's role in the Princess' mission, with Organa making it clear that she wanted Verlaine to be an accomplice rather than a servant. Once the shuttle arrived over Naboo, Artoo sent out a signal that falsely identified them as Imperial auditors, as Organa believed that no authorities would question them due to not wanting to interact with auditors. Verlaine was skeptical of the plan, as there was a bounty on the princess' head and Naboo was the homeworld of the Emperor, Sheev Palpatine. Organa felt it important to try anyway as there was a cloister of Alderaanian musicians known as Melodic Order living on the planet, and she believed that the Empire would start the eradication of surviving Alderaanians with that particular group. The shuttle landed at a dock in Theed, the capital city of Naboo. Organa identified herself under a false name, First Minister Solo, and demanded that all fees be charged to the Imperial Advisor's Office. Verlaine questioned this approach, wondering if it would have been simpler to pay cash credits and avoid attracting Imperial attention, but Organa told her that they did not have any money on them and would instead have live by their wits. The princess abruptly stopped talking upon seeing a mural of the late Padmé Amidala, who served as Queen of Naboo and later as its Senator during the Clone Wars.

Organa recognized Amidala somehow and Verlaine asked who it was, but the Princess brushed it off. The group made their way through the streets of Theed, where they were spotted by Lord Junn, an old friend of the Princess who was secretly working for his own benefit, and had recognized Artoo's signal as a plant that effectively alerted the Imperials that the princess was on the planet. Organa introduced Verlaine to the man, and the Rebel pilot was cautious about the encounter, particularly with the Princess having taken off the hood that had been obscuring her face from those who might have recognized her. Junn led the group to his palace, where he revealed that he knew why Verlaine and Organa were on Naboo and offered to put them into contact with the owner of Club Deeja, Mul Sanaka, where Melodic Order performed via hologram. Junn left the area to speak with Sanaka and quietly inform him of the Princess' identity, and Verlaine took the opportunity to make her suspicions known and tell the princess that she was still worried about the bounty on Organa's head. Organa pressed Verlaine to trust her, but the pilot still had her doubts. When Junn returned, he told them that he had been in contact with Sanaka and that they could proceed to the club.

Verlaine and Organa made their way to Club Deeja in the Marina District of the city Keren. Their arrival attracted considerable attention and concern amongst the locals, who believed it to be an Imperial shuttle. Verlaine and Organa attempted to enter the club but were stopped by Sanaka, who claimed to believe that Organa was First Minister Solo and was there to collect the Alderaanians for the Empire. Snes, the club guard, forced them to hand over their weapons, at which point he revealed that he knew who Organa really was and ordered Verlaine and the princess to enter the club. Rather than comply, the princess attacked Snes, leading to a brawl in the club's entrance between Verlaine, Organa, and the guards. The two took out the guards and Sanaka nearly shot the princess, before a fellow Alderaanian, Uwa Pareece, knocked him unconscious and revealed that she too knew who the princess was. Pareece, who had kept the news of the Disaster from the collective of Alderaanians she protected, led Verlaine and Organa into the club. Verlaine watched as Pareece revealed the truth to her people, and as Organa promised to protect them.

#### Trouble on Sullust

The Alderaanian cloister agreed to join them, and Organa was able to barter a ship, named Lord Junn, from Junn in exchange for letting him live after his betrayal. The cruiser, big enough to carry the Alderaanians, followed Verlaine and Organa's shuttle as it made its way towards the planet Sullust in the Outer Rim Territories. Verlaine and Organa were then taken to Sullust's Alderaan Enclave by a smuggler, Tivvy. There, they were taken to Preserver Jora Astane. Astane was at first suspicious that the Princess was going to turn them to the Empire but Organa told her about her ship in orbit and how they were rescuing Alderaanian survivors. Astane ordered Clovis to scan the ship, ignoring Veraine's comment to trust their princess. As Astane toured them the Enclave, they got into an argument. Verlaine accused Astane of being a hypocrite and ravaging what was left of Alderaan's culture. Their conversation was interrupted by the replay of a transmission between Lord Junn and an Imperial cruiser.

Verlaine and Organa realized that there was a traitor in their midst aboard the ship but Astane accused them of being traitors, as they found out that the cruiser had entered the orbit. Astane's troops open fired on them and Verlaine protected Organa as they made their way to a computer to warn Lord Junn of the incoming Imperials. As more troops fired upon then R2 saved them and they escaped into a waterway. As they were studying the map Verlaine insisted Organa to not blame herself for what happened to Alderaan. The group then encountered Rockrenders who fed on dense minerals. R2 led the creatures to the stormtroopers who had infiltrated the enclave and were firing upon the Alderaanians. With their forces combined, all the Alderaanians defeated the Imperials and on Astane's command knelt before their princess. Nien Nunb, a Sullustan smuggler, transported the Alderaanians off Sullust.

Verlaine later oversaw supplies and weapons being bought from Nunb's ship, the *Mellcrawler*, to the *Lord Junn*. She then took Nunb to meet with Organa, to express their gratitude. Leia Organa awarded Nunb the Chalcedony waves from her late mother, Queen Breha Organa. Verlaine then rescued Organa from Dreed and his Stormtroopers using Nunb's ship to past the Star Destroyer. Verlaine was then ordered by Organa to warn the *Lord Junn*of the Star Destroyer's coming. Verlaine and Organa were joined by thousands of other Alderaanian survivors. Verlaine and Organa then brought Tula back to her sister Tace. Verlaine then encouraged Organa to continue leading her people with Verlaine as her friend. Following their victory over the Empire, Verlaine celebrated alongside, Nunb, Organa and other Alderaanians. Before Organa left to return to the Rebel Allliance, Organa recommended that the Alderaanians elect a new Princess to lead them and said that Verlaine should be the one elected.

### Pilot for the Republic

#### Liberation of Kashyyyk

Following the Battle of Endor, Evaan joined the New Republic's Starlet. Months after the rebellion on Akiva, Evaan was stationed at Hanna City Spaceport on Chandrila, the capital of the successor to the Rebel Alliance, the New Republic. After the slicer Conder Kyl informed Princess Leia that the Galactic Empire had unleashed an orbital bombardment of the planet Kashyyyk in response to a Wookiee uprising orchestrated by Leia's husband Han Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca, Leia managed to convince Evaan to fly her on the freighter *Millennium Falcon* to Kashyyyk System by appealing to her Alderaanian patriotism. Evaan served as Leia's co-pilot during a brief space battle with three Imperial Star Destroyers above the planet Kashyyyk. She and Leia were backed by Wedge Antilles' Phantom Squadron and Gial Ackbar's cruiser *Home One*. After Han Solo and Chewbacca managed to hijack Imperial Star Destroyer *Dominion* and destroy the *Vitiator*, the remaining Imperial Star Destroyer *Neutralizer* capitulated to the New Republic which ending the Imperial occupation of Kashyyyk. Evaan and Leia then flew into the *Dominion*'s hangar where Leia reunited with Han.

## Abilities

**Expert Pilot:** Verlaine was a skilled pilot in the Rebel Alliance. She was able to pilot the T-1 shuttle away from Yavin 4 on her mission with Organa, tricking seasoned pilots Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles in the process. The maneuver she used to escape the two X-wing pilots left Skywalker impressed. She also had effective combat skills, demonstrated in such situations as eliminating at least one Besalisk guard outside of Club Deeja on Naboo. Evaan was also a competent co-pilot who once flew the *Millennium Falcon* with Princess Leia.