#undercoverfirebender

They do! It happens when Fianya decides to defect to the Republic. She intends to tell Laari the entire truth because she’s tired of deceiving everyone, she wants to be honest with someone she cares about for the first time in her life. She expects that Laari would be disappointed in her. She doesn’t expect that Laari would laugh in her face, but that’s what happens. 

And they realize that they fell in love with each other’s cover identities. Their very real feelings are attached to beautifully portrayed fiction. It’s worse in Laari’s case because she has nothing in common with her cover identity, it’s an entirely different person. Jedi Master Xanaethe is dedicated and honorable, she cares about people a lot and is always willing to help. Imperial agent Laari is a pathological liar who betrays her friends, manipulates her brother, and messes with people’s heads. At least Fianya’s cover is intertwined with her real self because she was raised to be an infiltrator, it’s the only life she knows. Fianya can’t really tell where she ends and her second identity begins, but for Laari it’s like pulling a switch. 

How does your character feel about religion?

Moranai knows only one god ― money. She thinks that religion is a neat way to scam people, but she doesn’t like that scams like that mostly target the poor because she feels bad about robbing those who already have too little. She can’t be convinced that there’s some greater supernatural power. She’s even skeptical about the Force, even though she has seen Force-users at work.

What about political beliefs?

I’m always ready to do any of the stuff I have ever reblogged for OC asks :3

“Hey, why can’t the Twi'leks fight with their lekku?”

The bartender, who happened to be a Twi’lek, turned to Moranai just as he was pouring a drink for a very quiet Rodian sitting next to her. 

“Excuse me?” the bartender asked, and it was surprising that someone in the dirtiest cantina on this level would know such words. Okay, it was the only cantina on this level. It was still dirty and as seedy as it could get, but the drinks were cheap and people were easy to rob. At the moment, Moranai was planning on robbing the Rodian, who had his week’s wages hidden safely in his jacket, but the poor sod wasn’t drunk enough yet. She had to wait a little bit, and she had no patience for waiting. 

“I mean, these things are huge!” she vaguely gestured in the direction of the bartender’s lekku, “If you could only fight with them like with your arms, you’d be able to take someone out just with one hit. Imagine the possibilities!”

Do they know any other in game characters?

She tried to steal stuff from Tharan Cedrax. And since she tries to steal from pretty much everyone she meets, there’s a big chance she might know other characters, so you may have a lot of awkward situations with Moranai as your companion.

What’s their idle chatter like? Do they talk a lot (when you arrive on each planet) or do they suddenly say something in some strange places?

Expect a lot of questions of the kind that only children would usually ask:

“What is the name of the space between the bits that stick out on a comb?”

“How do we know that we’re real and not just a dream of someone else?”

“Are there more leaves in the world or blades of grass? What about trees? Are there more trees than buildings? Are there more bricks in the world or bird feathers?”

Occasionally, important story events would remind her of a joke, and she won’t hesitate to share it: “So, a jawa, a bounty hunter, and a wookie meet in a cantina…”

Are they romancable? Why/why not?

Yes

And it won’t take long, but you’ll need much more time before she starts to treat the relationship seriously. Don’t bring up commitment too soon, she’ll get scared and leave. And she learns what the heck monogamy is only later, so if you expect her to be faithful from the start, you’re gonna be disappointed.

What’s their idle chatter like? Do they talk a lot (when you arrive on each planet) or do they suddenly say something in some strange places?

Oh boy, this one is super chatty. Whenever she can say something, she surely will, have no doubt about that. Snarky comments, rhetorical questions, random observations, sudden insights — you will have it all. You will never travel in silence again.

If they are recruitable in vanillia story, where are they during KOTFE/TET? What are/were they doing?

Her most important weapon that holds a special place in her heart is her first lightsaber. It has been modified and improved for years, but Seidala will never consider getting a new one, it would feel like betrayal.

Sometimes she uses the lightsabers of her fallen enemies when she feels like it — she has quite a collection. In fact, any notable enemy of the Empire would do, she doesn’t have to kill them herself, which is why her siblings always send her the lightsabers of those whom they consider worthy opponents. She would prefer such gifts to any other. Her most prized trophy so far is Malgus' lightsaber.

Her morality revolves around honor and duty. She believes that the Sith are superior, but this superiority is the reason why they are responsible for the fate of the Empire. Since they are strong, they must defend. Since they can survive what others cannot, they should not risk Imperial lives when it can be avoided. She’s not above sacrificing her people when she believes that it’s justified and the Empire will benefit from it, but she despises those Sith lords who would carelessly throw lives away for a whim. Hedonism and selfishness are just as despicable because no one is supposed to place personal concerns and needs above the interests of the Empire. This perspective partly comes from all the patriotic propaganda she has been fed since childhood. But it was her own choice to embrace this propaganda and place it at the center of her decision-making because she badly needed to believe in something. If she doesn’t serve some greater idea, then what’s the point? 

Oh, I'm glad that you asked because I have two plotlines, which also involve lots of other characters, and I've been dying to talk about them. But I'll just stick to the basics here to keep it short

Rebellion!AU She is never sent to Korriban and doesn't get to become a Sith. Instead, she starts a slave rebellion, which inspires other slaves and evolves into a large-scale uprising. As more leaders emerge, the uprising is no longer about slavery, it appeals to everyone who is perceived as inferior in the Empire. Merkara collaborates with other leaders to organize a movement that seeks to topple the government and create a new regime. Eventually, the Republic hears about it and decides to provide secret support to the rebels to undermine the Empire from within.

Escape!AU One of my smugglers, Ylaila, ends up being bought by the same master that owns Merkara. Together these two slaves come up with a plan of escape and succeed, fleeing to the Republic space. It's not all cool and good for both of them because they have no money and no support whatsoever, but at least they're free. They get involved in the smuggling business, but they stumble upon the Jedi during one of their operations. Those Jedi recognize that Merkara is Force-sensitive, so they convince her to come with them to Tython. She's extremely skeptical and suspicious, but she likes the idea of being safe for the first time in her life. However, it’s hard to become a Jedi with a lot of pent-up anger and a long list of the people whom you want dead.