Newt Liryas

Newt in an Imperial disguise

Glade cell

**Newt Liryas**, also known by the aliases **Newt Moffan** and **Isaak Serend**, is a Force-sensitive Human male and a Jedi Knight. Newt was knighted during the Clone Wars, and served in a variety of roles in the last year of the war. When Order 66 was issued in 19 BBY, he was on a mission without any accompanying clone troopers, and thus survived the Great Purge. In the aftermath of the Purge, he investigated its cause and tried to learn more about how to defeat the resurgent Sith. Having founded the Glade cell with Thomas Verdi and Aris Sauvet, Newt served as the cell's *de facto* leader, as well as its primary strategist and droid and computer technician, with the callsign **Glade One**. He formerly served as the co-pilot on the *Runner*, and later on the *Glade*, until being replaced in that role by Minho Bohoj. Following her discovery and rescue from the Empire, he took Teresa Kraifech as his Padawan learner.

## Biography

### Early Life

Discovered as an infant on the planet Brentaal, Newt was taken by a Jedi Seeker to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, to be inducted into the Jedi Order, in 41 BBY. He trained for many years as a youngling at the Temple.

In 32 BBY, Newt travelled to Ilum with Grand Master Yoda and several other younglings for the Gathering, during which he had a powerful vision of a great darkness overcoming the other younglings. This vision almost prevented him from finding his kyber crystal, though he was eventually successful, finding a green crystal. After returning to the rest of the group, Newt related his vision to Yoda.

In 29 BBY, Newt was taken as a Padawan learner by Jedi Master Jaro Tapal. As a Padawan, Newt trained and developed his skills in the Force and with a lightsaber. Master Tapal recognized Newt as being particularly skilled with the Force, but relatively unremarkable with a lightsaber. At some point during his training as a Padawan under Master Tapal, Newt adopted the use of a dual-bladed lightsaber, though its green color remained unchanged.

During the First Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY, which began the Clone Wars, Newt and Master Tapal remained on Coruscant at the Jedi Temple. By the end of the year in 22 BBY, however, Master Tapal had been given a commission as a Jedi General, and took part in several campaigns, with Newt accompanying him. These campaigns were largely focused on the Mid-Rim and the Outer Rim. During these campaigns, Newt became particularly skilled at computer work and droid programming. In 20 BBY, after being separated from his Master, and with only four clone troopers, Newt was able to defeat a legion of more than 2000 battle droids, by reprogramming them to fight each other. This victory, and other exploits during the Clone Wars, led to Newt's knighthood by the Jedi Council in 20 BBY.

### Jedi Knight

Newt's first mission as a Jedi Knight was given to him only one month after his knighthood ceremony, at the behest of Mon Mothma, Senator from Chandrila. Several planetary government officials on Chandrila had been assassinated in the previous months, and Republic Intelligence had so far been unsuccessful in identifying the culprits. Mon Mothma believed that a smuggling ring based on Corulag was responsible for the importation of weapons and assassin droids to Chandrila, and deduced that their goals would eventually move beyond the assassinations of local officials. She also believed that the ring had a mole in Republic Intelligence, allowing them to successfully remove any infiltrators. Because the Jedi Order had no moles, she asked that a Jedi be sent to ascertain the motives behind the assassinations.

Arriving on Corulag, and working under the alias Newt Moffan, Newt was able to infiltrate the smuggling ring, Turquoise Horizon, with relative ease. His ability to pass convincingly as a Corulagan, and to influence the minds of those around him, allowed him to uncover the ring's plans within months. In 19 BBY, after finishing his investigation, Newt arranged passage off Corulag back to Coruscant, to report his findings to the Jedi Council and Mon Mothma.

However, shortly before his intended departure, Newt's identity as a spy was discovered by the ring. Because his identity was not known to the ring's mole in Republic Intelligence, it was assumed that he was a spy for a rival syndicate, and so it was arranged that he would be given transport to Coruscant on a freighter loaded with contraband, which would intentionally be delivered into a Republic blockade. The pilot arranged to complete the mission was Thomas Verdi.

### Great Purge

En route to Coruscant, Newt and Thomas were stopped at Alsakan as part of a Republic blockade instigated after the Battle of Coruscant. As part of a plan to extract Newt without alerting Turquoise Horizon of his identity as a Republic agent, Newt transmitted codes intended to instigate an inspection. Shortly after transmitting the codes, Newt was overcome with a sudden surge of pain and loss, and collapsed on the bridge of the Runner. Though he struggled to make sense of the wave of darkness in the Force, he sensed the clone troopers preparing to board the ship were a threat, and maintained his composure long enough to persuade them to leave using the Jedi Mind Trick, though he nearly lost consciousness again afterwards.

## Personality

Newt is a hard-working young man, and deeply spiritual. Once confident, that confidence has been shaken due to the fall of the Jedi Order and the struggles he has faced since. Though he is devoted to the Jedi way of life, his inability to effectively meditate since the Purge has affected his control of his emotions, especially his fear and sadness. His growing attachment to his friends and crewmates and his growing feelings for Thomas are a threat to his light-side orientation and he fears what may happen. He is usually friendly and trusting, even to those he has just met, though that trust does seem selective.

### Aliases

* **Newt Moffan**: Used during Newt's time infiltrating the Turquoise Horizon smuggling ring on Corulag, "Moffan" was a native upper-class Corulagan, skilled in various financial crimes, who assisted the Turquoise Dawn in laundering and otherwise disguising their credits, to allow them to more legitimately move them around accounts in the Republic's financial system.
* **Isaak Serend**: Used several times from 19 BBY to 15 BBY to infiltrate Imperial facilities, "Isaak Serend" was a former-Republic and later Imperial officer with the rank of Junior Lieutenant in 19 BBY, Senior Lieutenant later in 19 BBY and in 18-17 BBY, and Captain in 15 BBY.

## Powers and abilities

As a Jedi Knight, Newt has a connection to the Force, which he can use in various ways to manipulate the world around him, including telekinesis, Force push, and premonition. He has great skill, developed from a natural talent, for the Jedi Mind Trick, which allows him to distract and redirect humans and most other species, including clone troopers; while using this power on more independent or intelligent targets, he is shown to need to focus intensely. Newt can also sense the presence of Force-attuned individuals, including Jedi.

Trained with a lightsaber, Newt is able to easily block incoming blaster bolts, including from several opponents at once. While he usually wields a double-bladed lightsaber, he is also shown to be proficient with a single-bladed lightsaber and with two lightsabers: his own double-bladed and a single-bladed lightsaber, simultaneously. He is easily able to defeat multiple clone troopers on his own, and implies that he is able to defeat a platoon of battle droids alone. Despite its advanced programming, Newt is also able to defeat a MagnaGuard droid in single combat, through use of the Force.

A beginner with a blaster pistol, Newt still shows skill and excellent aim, though he finds the weapon crude and inefficient.

A highly skilled computer technician and infiltrator, Newt has experience in breaking into Separatist computer systems, and eventually becomes skilled in breaking past Imperial security codes and computer systems. He is also a skilled droid programmer and technician, though he struggled to reprogram MagnaGuard droids without assistance.

Newt is proficient in disguising himself as others, perhaps because of his skill with the Jedi Mind Trick to redirect his targets' suspicions. He uses this skill often to infiltrate various Imperial installations, as well as to infiltrate the Turquoise Horizon smuggling ring.

## Relationships

### Thomas Verdi

Thomas Verdi, being the first, and for some weeks the only, contact Newt had following the Purge, has a very close relationship with Newt. As time goes on, Newt develops romantic feelings toward Thomas, feelings which he tries to suppress in order not to become attached and thus vulnerable to the Dark Side of the Force. He and Thomas work well together and have come to trust each other completely.

### Aris Sauvet

Aris Sauvet, being a former Republic officer of the Intelligence Service, has some shared experience with Newt, as well as a devotion to the Republic and the ideals of democracy. At their first meeting, Newt trusted Aris completely, much to the surprise of Thomas. He and Aris eventually become closer as time goes on, as they work together on deciphering and interpreting Imperial transmissions and potential intelligence.

### Winston Fridur

Winston Fridur, being a former officer of the Separatist Army, and a strong critic of the Republic and the Jedi Order, has a contentious relationship with Newt after their first meeting. Though they share skills in droid programming, and bond over their attempts to reactivate the assassin droids stolen from the Turquoise Horizon during Newt and Thomas' escape from Alsakan, they often have philosophical disagreements, as well as disagreements about whether the Republic should be restored.

### Teresa Kraifech

As Newt's first apprentice, Teresa and Newt have a close relationship. Newt serves a mentor and teacher, not only for Teresa's relationship with the Force, but also with the new world they both find themselves in. Newt struggles to help her control her emotions and to meditate effectively, but finds that teaching her helps him to ground himself against the rising darkness he feels around him. They share a desire to rebuild the Jedi Order and to find more survivors of the Great Purge.

### Minho Bohoj

Minho and Newt have a somewhat strained relationship, given Minho's close relationship with Teresa Kraifech. Newt finds Minho occasionally interfering and a distraction and an unhealthy attachment for Teresa.

### Jaro Tapal

As Master Jaro Tapal's former Padawan, Newt's relationship with him was close, though Tapal maintained a significant emotional distance from him. Tapal's death in the Great Purge was felt by Newt as it happened, and caused him to collapse in a fit of fear and pain, indicating a continuing connection between them through the Force. After Tapal's death, Newt continues to regard him as wise and influential, and reflects on his tutelage as a model for his role as Teresa's master.

### Mon Mothma

Mon Mothma was the primary contact for Newt on his mission to Corulag, and one of his earliest allies after the Great Purge. They are not close, and Newt maintains some degree of wary trust of her, though his skepticism is aimed more at her staff than at the Senator herself. After she points him to potential Jedi survivors and Senator Bail Organa, they lose contact for several years, and she is surprised that he is still alive when they encounter each other again. Newt regards her as generally trustworthy, and a potential last-resort for help, should it be necessary.

### Yoda

The leader of Newt's journey to Ilum to find his lightsaber crystal, and his primary tutor during his time as a youngling, Newt has great respect for Grand Master Yoda. After the Great Purge, when Newt finds it impossible to meditate, Grand Master Yoda provides a light which Newt is able to use to focus. Many of the teachings Yoda gave him during his time as a youngling form the basis of Newt's teachings to Teresa while she is his Padawan.