Ysanne Isard

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**Ysanne Isard** was a Human raised to serve the Empire as a member of their Imperial COMPNOR, following in her father Armand's. Ever since her youth, Isard had shown her talent as a model agent. Devoted to the Emperor due to his power and attractive charisma, Yssane would develop a great love for him. By the time Ysanne reached her twenties, Isard had become one of the best agents among any of the branches of Intelligence. In fear of Ysanne's rise to power threatening his position, Armand then tried to force upon his offspring a failure that would ruin her career. Though in the end Ysanne was able to pin the blame on her father, accusing him of the treason and having him executed, taking Armand's place as the new Imperial Director of the COMPNOR in that process.

Isard was close to Palpatine much like her father before her, so much so that she was given an top secret unlisted Super Star Destroyer, the *Lusankya,* a ship that would become her own secret prison and brainwashing facility specializing in a acquiring of secrets and turning even the most loyal among the Rebel Alliance members to serve the will of the Galactic Empire. Director Isard's reputation of the cruel acts through torture of the highest levels earned her unofficial codename of **IceHeart**. Being Cold-blooded beyond belief, with a side of vileness left over. The Director has one chilly ice blue eye which can freeze the warmest of souls, along with a fire red eye, that can burn through the steel hardened nerves of the most committed warriors or officers of enemy rebel groups.

## Biography

### Early Life

#### Raised by the Imperials

**Ysanne Isard** was born into the wealthy and influential Isard family on planet Coruscant, during the waning days of the Old Galactic Republic. Her father, Armand Isard, was the Director of the Commission for the Protection of the Republic, becoming the Director of the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order when the Republic was formed into the First Galactic Empire. The Isards flourished under Palpatine's rule, possessing far more power and prestige than during the era of the Old Republic. Ysanne was born with heterochromia iridium, possessing one red and one blue eye, though her features were said to be otherwise attractive. Isard was raised on Coruscant and grew up in the Emperor's Court; as a young child, she idolized her father, boasting of his power to anyone that would listen. Armand Isard saw fit to allow a young Ysanne to accompany him to work, and had no qualms about the child being among some dangerous individuals such as a Imperial Inquisitor; others did, however, and questioned the presence of a child in high-security areas. During the Great Jedi Purge, Ysanne went with her father to Imperial facilities on Coruscant often, where he aided Palpatine in his attempts of hunting down Jedi fugitives, even though Ysanne had displayed at that time little awareness of his work.

### Service to the Empire

#### Aspiring Imperial Officer

She was also known to attend the Imperial party receptions with her father Isard, rarely having left his side. Any naïveté present in Ysanne Isard was gone by the time she reached adolescence, when the coldness and ambition she inherited from her father began to manifest itself. Armand began training his daughter from a very young age as an field operative of the Imperial Security Bureau, hoping for her to follow in his footsteps and gain a position which would afford Isard the chance to preserve the ways of the Empire. Ysanne was incredibly ambitious, and, after flourishing and growing into an expert operative, she began to plot her ascension behind his back. Isard did not take advantage of her father's position, rather Isard used her own talents which had been augmented by her vigor and ruthlessness when dealing with enemies of the Empire to rise above her peers. She built up a plethora of contacts and alliances within both COMPNOR and their various branches of Imperial Intelligence, who were able to assist her in acquiring information that her rank did not allow her; despite the most stringent of the security procedures, she managed to discover the Imperial project designated the Death Star before most knew of its existence. Nearing the time of the dawn of the Galactic Civil War, Ysanne was one of the foremost Imperial agents of her time, and Imperial Director Armand Isard was proud to have Ysanne as his daughter.

Armand nevertheless was threatened by her ambition, especially due to her departure from his own policy of subtle and civilized ruthlessness. Fearing that she would attempt to overthrow him as director, the elder Isard decided to rid himself of her threat. In order to rid himself of a threat Armand Isard sent his daughter on a mission to recover the stolen secrets of Imperial intel as a means of getting rid of her, convinced that she would be unsuccessful and would be executed for a disastrous failure. Much to his surprise, she deduced his motives for sending her on that assignment and then made her plans to retaliate against her father. Upon the failure orchestrated by her father Isard, she made her return to the Imperial capital Coruscant where she feared the worst. The prospect of losing considerable deal of face back on Imperial Center infuriated Isard, so she instead found a way to pin the blame on her father, putting in place a trap she had been planning for a time. She eventually found her chance when she launched a stinging attack against Armand Isard, claiming that he knowingly sent her on a mission where her chances of survival were minimal at best, that he was a member of the Rebel Alliance, and that he had been planning to betray and overthrow the Emperor. Backed up by the Royal Guard, she made her accusation of his treason, and then had her father be sentenced to die, rumored to be carried out by Ysanne herself.

#### Taking Armand's Place

Armand's heart in the end heart swelled with a twisted sense of pride, knowing he'd raised his daughter right, knowing that if she had the will to have her own father executed, she would most surely make a proud and outstanding Imperial leader. Isard almost immediately took the reins of COMPNOR from her father, replacing him as Director. Now that Isard had finally achieved the power she craved, she put all her effort into pleasing a Emperor Palpatine, the only person who mattered. Isard ruled through the careful use of fear, making sure to let her subordinates know that if they failed Ysanne would have them severely punished. While this did not engender loyalty, it helped keep her minions in line. Sometimes, though rarely, Ysanne used rewards for good performances as a way to motivate those under her command. She was rarely able to keep her anger under control, however, and any promotions handed out were frequently rescinded. Isard made many suggestions to the Emperor about how he might rule his Empire more effectively, and he provided her with whatever resources were necessary to achieve her means. One of her suggestions was to build a prison center which could also act as a facility capable of brainwashing the prisoners, particularly rebellion soldier prisoners who then could be made into Empire sleeper agents, and send them back to the superiors, awaiting the right moment to activate them.

The Emperor was impressed by her ideas, so much so that he and his protege Gallius Rax chose to use some concepts Ysanne Isard had envisioned and use them in the potential Contingency plan. This would come to be a reality when the prisoners of the facility designated *Ashmead's Lock* had biochip implants forcibly inserted into their heads by Rax, who wanted to use the prisoners as unwilling drones to assassinate the leadership of the New Republic. As a reward for her contributions to the Empire, Palpatine gave her an *Executor*-Class Star Dreadnought, which would be equipped with the resources to act as Ysanne's private prison. While Darth Vader's flagship *Executor* was nearing completion, its twin was constructed at Kuat and was also originally named *Executor* to conceal the existence of a second ship, a ship that Isard would eventually re-christen as *Lusankya*. In order to conceal the existence of the ship, Palpatine had ordered that it be hidden away from any prying eyes unless deemed necessary. Her power steadily increased until she effectively was the entire Imperial security apparatus, suppressing elite intrigues and civic unrest alike. Several months after the destruction of the Death Star, Palpatine confided the location of her new facility to her, at the same time that Lord Vader's personal flagship *Executor* was functional. Overall, the Super Star Destroyer took millions of inmates, and served a purpose well.

### Collapse of the Empire

The thought of the mysterious "Lusankya" facility struck fear into rebels' hearts, with sleeper agents being deployed into the ranks of the rebellion. Ysanne had taken the rebels far more seriously than Palpatine did, but was unable to bend his opinion on the matter. Although Isard was feared by many, ultimately most carried out her orders out of respect, and not simply of fear. While most of her work was done in secret, Ysanne was occasionally called by the Empire to perform the more public actions. On at least one occasion, she personally thanked civilians on behalf of the Empire. Sheev Palpatine also had her spy on close confidants to gauge their loyalty at some of Palpatine's elaborate parties, which she regularly attended. Although she was no longer an active field agent, Isard kept herself in good physical condition, often working out while undergoing holographic training exercises, which allowed Ysanne to express her temper against a holographic enemies in a less volatile environment. Four years after the start of the war, the Rebel Alliance would manage to destroy the second Death Star, taking with it the Emperor and Vader. The Empire was left in despair, and a vacuum was left with Emperor Sheev's death, one many sought to fill. she was infuriated with the Emperor's demise and the celebrations that followed, After evaluating other leaders, she saw that they were made of opportunists incapable of leading their Empire.

Because of her ideals and dedication to the preservation of the New Order, before he died, Sheev Palpatine had labeled her as one of the few that could be apart of the Contingency plan, believing she could prove important in the future of a new Empire. Gallius Rax followed the Emperor's request and established contact with Yssane, leading to a alliance that would work to ensure the downfall of various Imperials hoping to seize power for themselves or any that might threaten the future of the Empire. After overcoming the initial shock of the death of her idol, she saw how things could be used to her advantage. Sometime after becoming an adviser to Imperial Ruling Council member Sate Pestage, Isard was visited by several droids sent as part of the Contingency. Sate Pestage had taken a place in the Imperial Remnants, though his paranoia and stress made him a weak ruler, something that Ysanne would take advantage of, acting as the neutral party between Pestage and other members of Imperial Ruling Council who sought to claim power for themselves but to a little success. Over months, Isard made Sate look inferior to peers in the Ruling Council, giving bad advice then undermining authority, while sewing seeds of downfall and causing the discord in remnants through manipulating both parties. When Sate died, she did make enough "friends" to take control and kill most members of the entire circle in the span of a day.

#### Assisting the Rebuilding Order

She did gain much from her endeavor with the remnants of the Ruling Council, yet the once endless Imperial power was dwindling fast when the rebels began to chip away at what remained, all happening in the months after the Endor battle. Isard proved tenacious, and manipulated the tragic and blood stained downfall of many Imperial traitors. With the power she acquired during her dealings with the remnants of the Imperial Ruling Council, she had then gained influence to help make months after the death of Palpatine an Office of Imperial Promotion, Galactic Truth, and Fact Correction or OIP for short, an organization which sought to counter the ideals of the New Republic. She kept her secret Super Star Destroyer hidden somewhere in the Inner Rim from prying eyes, where it would serve as a undetectable base where Ysanne could store some of her most personal prisoners. Months after her dealings with the Ruling Council, Isard managed to capture one of the most elusive and talented members of the Rogue Squadron, Tycho Celchu. She transferred him to her private base where she could torture him, but his will was mighty and he would not break. Even as the Contingency was nearly complete, Isard suspected that Gallius was plotting against her. Fearing Gallius might kill her as part of the Contingency, Ysanne made contact with Rae Sloane, who was falling out of Rax's favor, so to secure her future if she'd defeated Rax.

It was only several months before the Battle of Jakku that the New Republic would learn the existence of Isard's secret Super Star Destroyer not mentioned in any Imperial records, thanks to prisoners from the ship that managed to escape and establish contact with the Republic. With her cover blown and their base ousted, a battle would soon follow on the planet Thyferra in the Inner Rim. Rogue Squadron was then dispatched by the New Republic forces to participate in an planetary battle for Thyferra and capture Ysanne Isard. After months of war, defeat seemed to be at hand, forcing Isard to make drastic decisions and her final preparations, such decisions as the scattering of all Isard's *Lusankya’s* prisoners. With the ship all but lost, Isard initiated a self destruct sequence and arranged to have every record of their Contingency and data of the Unknown Regions deleted. The New Republic was successful in seizing the battle torn planet, and after sought to take control of the Super Star Destroyer. Before they could attempt to seize control of the *Lusankya* however, the ship exploded as per Isard's plan of ensuring that it would not fall into the hands of the Republic. With Ysanne Isard and Gallius Rax's defeat and the signing of the treaty which brought about the defeat of the Imperials, the Republic was left to believe the last struggling remnants of the Empire were now snuffed once and for all, but the Republic was wrong.

#### Constructing of the First Order

To escape the clutches of the New Republic, Isard faked her death with the destruction of the *Lusankya*, and while some in the Republic second-guessed her demise, there was no follow up with an investigation. Ysanne Isard knew she could search for and assemble various loyalists and warlords that continued to advance against New Republic forces, but she preferred to bide her time and brood over past mistakes. Eventually, she'd recovered from the trauma of the *Lusankya's* fall, and was again able to think without being misguided by a lust for her vengeance. At this point, she had realized that the Empire which she held so dearly was dead, and, rather than enter yet more battles, she simply observed as the New Republic almost collapsed. Several Months after her supposed death, Isard had managed to make her way to the secret Imperial rally point with the *Eclipse* Super Star Destroyer, where she would be apart of the efforts to create a new reborn Empire. Eventually, Ysanne Isard would become a member of the first leaders of the dominant Imperial faction called the First Order. Ysanne's role in the spawning of this new galactic power was helping to forge the new intelligence divisions, like the First Order Security Bureau. While in the eyes of the First Order Isard was a hero, in the eyes of the Republic she was regarded as no better than the likes of Palpatine and Vader, due to the vast number of atrocities Ysanne committed.

## Abilities

**Expert Interrogator:** Ysanne was a master of the arts of interrogation and torture, using a variety of methods to get the information she craved. Their droids she used were equipped with a variety of their torture and interrogation equipment, though Ysanne Isard always oversaw proceedings herself, she preferred to torture the prisoners personally, forcing any information out of them. Usually, Ysanne Isard was able to get a full and clean confession out of subjects within the day; which allowed the Empire Intelligence to use individuals as public scapegoats for something, while the real conspirators were dealt with behind closed doors. Isard was also known to use several truth serums in her questionings. When Isard wasn't looking for specific information or a confession, but when she was looking for information in general from one of the prisoners, Ysanne was able to force from most subjects all sorts of personal and private information and memories. She would use this information against the prisoner, goading and taunting them over past mistakes or horrific memories.

**Expert Manipulator:** She was adept at making her subordinates do what she wished. During the Emperor's time, offers of promotions were usually enough to buy one's cooperation, though after Endor, Ysanne had often resorted to offering some people a position in her faction, sometimes even as Emperor. She was not above using her good looks to seduce people, though this was usually driven by her own agenda. She also used personal grudges or life-long hatred between people as another means of motivation, hoping that it would give her people more focus. Ysanne frequently had people perform extremely unsavory tasks, such as killing a family member, executing families of traitors, or razing undefended planets which had opposed her rule, as a means of testing their loyalty and dedication to a Imperial cause. In *Lusankya*, Isard subjected a great many of her prisoners to all sorts of mental trauma. Ysanne Isard also found a way to keep most of the prisoners in line, punishing all of the members of a particular group if just one individual were to step out of a line.