Kaine Aran

> "*Beneath that tough exterior is a heart of gold.*"
> ― Kami Aran
>
>

**Kaine Shepard Aran** is a Hutt Cartel Investigator, currently contracted to assist a New Republic Exploratory Force on Odessen. He is the only son of Khada and Kami Aran, two renowned business persons with close ties to the Hutt Cartel and Crimson Dawn, and the only (adopted) grandchild of CC-6410, designate Shepard, an aged veteran of the Clone wars.

Kaine began to take jobs from the Hutts at a young age, starting off with grunt work. Through the years, his dedication and work ethic landed him promotions within the Cartel, giving a wider range of tasks and assignments, the importance of each steadily rising. The Hutts finally determined that Kaine had done well enough to have him investigate some of their business anomalies, sending him to gain information on anything they deemed necessary. Completing these investigations landed him a negative standing with the New Republic, and rightfully so.

## Biography

### Early Life

Kaine was born in a luxury area of Nar Shadda and was raised by his mother, father, and grandfather. From birth, he was surrounded with many different types of people, all giving him different life lessons and advice. His lack of standard school education is compensated for by his expansive street smarts. He was raised to be a charismatic individual with acceptance for all types, and to be uncompromising in his actions.

At the age of thirteen, he was given his first personal blaster, an A-180. Khada and Shepard would set targets for him to train on, and every day he'd train and hone his skills with the blaster. Khada would teach him how to maintain the blaster, modify it, and how to get the most use out of it. Shepard would run him through vigorous physical conditioning, teach him the basics of close quarters combat, and how to treat his own wounds when the problem arose.

Kami's teachings were more centered on being personable, welcoming, and how to get your point across early. She taught him that assertion of self, confidence, and humility would show others that he was a mature, collected individual. He used everyone's teachings consistently, not allowing himself to become complacent or arrogant.

### A Thriving Career

At the age of fifteen, Kaine began employment with the Hutt Cartel, running short hop grunt work for small change, taking multiple jobs per week. He worked diligently, following orders to the letter and never stepping out of line. His parents gave him no assistance during his employment, stating that they wanted him to work hard for his keep.

From sixteen to eighteen, he became a pretty popular face in the Cartel's ranks, continuing to gain reputation through his stellar work ethic and mindful disposition. He began to run with some of the debt collectors and bounty tracking groups in the Cartel, gaining a crucial insight on how the galaxy works. It was in this period that he began to think independently during his jobs, making decisions that ultimately bettered the outcome of each mission, and making some that actually saved lives and increased payouts. More and more often, he'd be approached with new jobs and assignments, and the credit sums became more and more difficult to decline.

The jumping point in his career occurred on Corellia, when his bounty hunting team was ambushed by its quarry in a small space. All but Kaine and the most veteran of the group were killed, the latter two surviving when Kaine's quick thinking and close quarters experience ended with the quarry group's leader in a hostage style lock, with the duo taking advantage of the surrender to stun and capture the rest. When they both returned to Nar Shadda, the veteran attempted to defame Kaine and claim the entirety of the bounty to himself, but those who had worked with him before sided with the lad and called the elder on his lies. The veteran turned his blaster on Kaine, who in turn added a burning hole to the center of the assailant's forehead. He collected the entirety of the bounty, six men in total, and was approached by a direct representative of the Hutts.

### The "Quiet" Days

The representative brought Kaine before the Hutt Council themselves, and he was offered a position as an investigator of their affairs. He accepted, and was given standard inspection, repossession, and aquisition of Hutt interests as a beginning step. This went on through the entirety of age nineteen. He began to develop a style of killing, moving to a preference of silent takedowns. He began carrying a vibroknife, decorated by his father, and would stab targets from behind. In the occasions that stealth was not an option, he would execute his targets from close range with his sidearm.

His experience furthered, and his reputation grew. If you'd heard that Kaine was looking for someone in the area, you knew that person was fucked. If you heard that person was you, you'd be dead within a few hours. If you were a friend to Kaine, he'd be as open and supportive as was possible. If you became an enemy, your lifespan would shrink at a rate of about 30% per second. After only a year, not too long after his twentieth birthday, he was promoted to Senior Investigator, where he gave direction to a group of lower ranking members, and took on more sensitive assignments, many delving into the territory of law and order: The New Republic.

### An Unfortunate Rescue

A year and a half after his promotion, he was sent on an assignment near Corellia. A handful of newer Cartel contractors were reported to have stolen assets that belonged to the Hutts, and there was much evidence to support it. Kaine was to either capture or kill the crew and recover the assets. After digging around in a few spots, Kaine ended up stowing away on a New Republic transport vessel, which happened to be carrying not only the cargo and the targets, but a group of political figures (including representatives from different banners under the New Republic) that were heading planetside.

As it turns out, Kaine's quarry took control of the ship, taking it's Captain and crew hostage. Kaine decided that their numbers were too great to warrant a nonlethal group takedown, so he decided to work the old-fashioned way. He snuck behind the leader of the group and slit his throat with his trusty vibroknife, then sent three well-placed shots into the skulls of the suspects. The security of the ship joined Kaine in killing the assailants, and the combined forces finished the group quickly.

After a quick introduction and explanation of his presence to the Captain of the vessel (who really had no problem and was more than grateful for his assistance after his life was saved), a young and hot-headed representative decided to flex his power by having security detain Kaine for unlawful conduct against the New Republic, to which they begrudgingly obeyed. A flurry of stun bolts and a few friendly-fires later, Kaine ended his arguably successful mission in a cell on Corellia.

### Welcome to The New Republic, Enjoy Your Stay

A mass of negotiations between New Republic courts, Kaine himself, and Kami acting as an attorney in the interest of the Hutt Cartel occured with many heated debates, eyewitness accounts, and very businesslike threats being thrown around. While the Republic wanted to prosecute Kaine for his crimes, he had saved a handful of influential figures to their governments, as well as the Captain and crew of one of their vessels, and that was a very large impact to his defense. In the midst of one Republic-sided meeting, the possibilities of parole were thrown around, and the mention of exploratory groups were added to the fray.

The final meeting between the two parties ended with terms that were deemed fair by everyone. Kaine was to be pardoned of all non-misdemeanor infractions that were involved with his work in Republic space.The incident in the space above Corellia was to be wiped from the books, and was to be treated simply as a civilian intervention during a hostage situation. Kaine was to pay a fine of 250,000 credits for unlicensed investigations in New Republic territories, and he was sentenced to a minimum of two years service to the New Republic, in the form of a Liaison to the New Republic Exploratory Force expedition on Odessen.

This is where Kaine now currently resides, serving as security, counsel, and labor for the Exploratory Force.