Image: 
Player: Devin/Geo
Character Name: Sokou-Dur
Species: Zabrak (Iridonia/Echani Descent)
Age: Adult, 39
Gender/Pronouns: Female, She/Her
Homeworld: Telos IV
Desired Faction Affiliation: League of Free Planets
Desired Occupation: Foreign Ambassador
Force Sensitivity: Latent
Biography:
Sokou-Dur hails from a storied line of successful and politically minded Zabraks on the planet Telos IV, a world found deep within the New Territories of the Outer Rim. Her family claims they were among the first to resettle on the planet after the successful Republic-sponsored Telosian Restoration Project that repaired the planet’s failing ecosystem after it had been ravaged by the Jedi Civil War millennia ago. Regardless of whether her family’s origin story is true, there is no doubt that the Durs have held sway on the diverse world for generations.
From their home world, the Dur family has built an industrial and political dynasty, one that has gained them wealth, clout, and enemies. Over the generations, the Dur have become obsessed with legacy, none more so than the current family matriarch, Kvodra-Dur. Following in her own mother’s footsteps, Kvodra witnessed the waning of the Republic – weakened trade, shrinking borders, petty squabbles, and rot – but saw in that decay opportunity. By the time the War came, the Durs of Telos had long been ready to seize the opportunity.
Kvodra was an outspoken proponent of the Council of Neutral Systems, and she used her influence to push Telos to join the Council, a move that would ultimately convince many New Territory systems to follow and forsake both Separatist and Republic causes. When Duchess Satine Kryuz - leader of the alliance and the planet Mandalore - was killed, it was Kvodra who exposed the Separatist and Republic meddling in Mandalorian affairs that ultimately sparked the violence on that peaceful world. And, by the War’s end, it would be Kvodra who helped pen the Articles of Non-Interference, the founding documents of the New Territory’s future government, the League of Free Planets. Kvodra-Dur would not, however, accept Telos’s seat on the Free Planet Security Council, instead choosing to continue to exert her power as an Advisor, a position of greater comfort and privilege that would keep her public image unsullied with the difficulties of ruling.
One of Kvodra’s other pet projects has been her three children; Koripsyon-Dur, the eldest son; Sokou-Dur, the middle daughter, and Nezya-Dur, the youngest daughter. Raised on the family estate, each has been provided the best education, the best opportunities, the best connections - in what, where, or with whom Kvodra has seen fit. Koripsyon has made his name as a military officer, first helping protect Telos’ precious trade routes as a member of the planetary defense force, and now, a Commander in the Free Planets Navy, with a promising career ahead of him. Sokou-Dur was raised as politician, to follow in her mother’s footsteps. And young Nezya – Kvodra’s plans for her remain unclear.
Sokou-Dur was a difficult, fiery and rebellious middle child – a tendency her mother worked hard to smooth out of her, though ultimately her success was only superficial. There was, however, no escaping the role her mother had laid out for her, no matter how hard Sokou tried, and she grew up in the halls of the Telosian Capital Center on Citadel Station as much as her own home planet-side. Unlike her elder brother, Koripsyon, who seemed to make every move, every tactical play their mother suggested with little question, Sokou made a point out of finding little actions of rebellion, gaps in the instructions, loopholes to get out of or hinder her mothers plans. As an adult she was filled with both fury and grudging respect when she realized this was another lesson in politics orchestrated by Kvodra. Despite her resentment, Sokou would prove to be a cunning politician, and would relish in outmaneuvering her opponents.
In her first notable political involvement on the galactic stage, Sokou-Dur helped negotiate generous trade agreements between Telos IV and the newly formed Corporate Sector Authority, an arrangement that secured Telos’s continued economic dominance in the region and gained her favor with Councilor Gillom, the Telos IV representative to the League of Free Planets Security Council. After working closely with Gillom for the last 3 years, the Councilor saw that Sokou-Dur was posted to the Office of League Ambassador, for her continued work on behalf of Telos IV and the Free Planets – an offer Sokou accepted despite Kvodra’s insistence she needed to remain involved locally.
Sokou-Dur has attacked her new duties in her new role with vigor, not only seeing that wealth from the Corporate Sector Authority continues to flow to the Free Planets, but also aiming to sway the minds of the citizens of the Empire: particularly, to improve the image of the League of Free Planets and to cement their legitimacy in the eyes of the Galaxy. Sokou has yet to truly gain her own freedom from Kvodra, however – the fate of her sister, Nezya, is constantly on her mind, and remains the final yet powerful means of control her mother holds over her.
Personality:
Sokou-Dur is fierce, confident, and could never stand to do anything halfway – the result of her strict upbringing, but also the fiery blood in her veins. Zabraks are notorious for the self-confidence and passion, though rumors which permeate her homeworld say her lineage includes Echani ancestry – resulting in their ice-white skin and martial attitude. Whatever the truth, the Dur Clan are secretive and reclusive, and are among the few who own private property on the planet’s surface.
Sokou rejects the family desires for legacy – but her privileged history and Zabrak blood have given her an overdeveloped sense of pride in her accomplishments, even though these feelings are often deeply tied to shame.
Whether out of true belief or defiance of her mother – Sokou herself is unsure – she has rallied behind the Free Planets cause and sees it as more than a means to an end for familial clout and gain, but a true contender and future for the galaxy. She still lives in her mother’s shadow, however – Sokou’s attachment to her younger sister Nezya, and concerns for her mother’s plans for her, has kept her in line - for now.
Important Assets:
Access to the ancestral Iri-Dur Family Estate near the icy Telosian pole, including the status, luxuries, and amenities that it brings; high level political clout within the League of Free Planets as granted to her by the title of Ambassador, including a staff and a star cruiser provided by the state to carry out her mission; and Ambassadorial-level access to the League, Hutts, Empire, and Corporate Sector Authority.
The Iri-Dur Estate on Telos's surface, located near the planet's frozen pole
The Adjudicator, a Telosian Starworks Model B84 Legate-Class Diplomatic Cruiser, adorned with Free Planets gold livery denoting its diplomatic status
Other:
Sokou-Dur will introduce with her application a large amount of both modified and completely new lore, which mostly deals with her homeworld of Telos IV and her faction, the League of Free Planets.
Telos IV:
The planet Telos IV, green after the Restoration, dotted with the light of the various rural establishments on her surface, and orbited by the gargantuan Citadel Station
Telos IV, often simply referred to as Telos, is uniquely situated near the terminus of the Hydian Way, the longest and possibly oldest hyperspace lane in the galaxy, which led to many Republic-aligned sentient species co-colonizing the world millennia before many of its neighbors in the Sector. Telos has had a mixed relationship with the Republic and its Jedi, however; millennia ago, they bombarded the planet’s surface to dust after a terrible Civil War. The Old Republic ultimately paid reparations to the war-torn planet via a long and costly Restoration Project which restored the world’s ecosystem and made its surface habitable again, but relations never fully healed.
Humans, Ithorians, and Duros are among the most populous species on Telos, but countless other forms of sentients from both the Core and Outer Rim can be found there. Telos has long enjoyed the economic benefits of its proximity to the remote, Republic established Free Trade Zone, a relationship which grew stronger once the Imperials “gifted” the region to the independent Corporate Sector Authority – a development the Empire was not happy about, as they had hoped the political maneuver would sow strife, not prosperity. Telos was a major proponent of the Council of Neutral Systems during the Clone Wars and became one of the founding member-worlds of its successor organization, the League of Free Planets, earning it a permanent seat on the Free Planet Security Council. Telos has since been a champion of the alliance, and central to bringing countless worlds under their banner.
A mega-construction called Citadel Station orbits high above the Telos, and spans nearly quarter of the planet’s surface. It is home to most of the world’s population and facilitates massive amounts of trade between Telos and the galaxy's major players, particularly the Empire, Free Planets, Corporate Sector Authority, and even the Hutts. Citadel Station is also home to a large sector of orbital manufacturing and other industries that would be more difficult to conduct on the surface of a planet, such as the large starship construction yards of Telosian Starworks. The megastructure is a relic of the Telosian Restoration Project, and is considered one of the ancient wonders of the Outer Rim. While a few homesteads, estates, trading outposts, lodges and resorts can be found planet side, these structures are required by the Telosian government to provide secondary environmental controls for the planet's ecosystems, all at the owner's expense, making actual private land ownership very rare. The majority of the world’s surface has been maintained as uninterrupted nature sanctuary, an achievement the Telosians are unequivocally proud of.
Telos is a well-developed and civilized planet, particularly by Outer Rim standards. On the surface, Telosians extol the virtues that settlers admire across the New Territories; self-determination, rugged individualism, and social mobility based on one’s individual merits, and is often help up as an example that the League is not a collection of backwards worlds like the Empire claims. However, as with any loosely regulated society, many fall through the gaps, and the upper class of Telos have slowly but surely incorporated themselves with all facets of wealth production across the world, tipping the scales in their favor. Murmurings of resentment exist beneath the surface, but as long as the wealth keeps flowing it is unlikely the balance of power will change.
The League of Free Planets:
The Free Planets flag, 'Planet Rising'; gold on a field of black and dark azure
(Expanded from the Game Setting post)
The League of Free Planets is a loose assemblage of independent worlds and star systems in the Outer Rim which is comprised of a number of member worlds that have signed pacts of mutual defense and trade between themselves. The League can trace its lineage back to the Council of Neutral Systems, a faction that had garnered public support in the region early in the Clone Wars under an agenda of non-involvement.
An emerging power on the galactic stage, the denizens of the Free Planets rally to its frontier culture and homesteader's spirit, though the faction's weak centralized administrative structure has lead many to question the League's ability to effectively mount a defense of its territory.
Decisions facing the League are arbitrated by the Free Planets Security Council (FPSC) which consists of eleven members, five of whom are permanent, and six of whom rotate biennially. The worlds in this region of space have a reputation for being sparsely populated and underdeveloped agrarian bread baskets - an image not helped by the choice of Dantooine as their capital - but several economic, industrial and military powerhouses stand among them, including the planets Mandalore, Muunilist, Telos IV, Botajef, and Mon Calamari, who hold the five permanent security council seats. Mandalore, Telos IV, and Botajef were the founding members of the League, with Mon Calamari, then Muunilist joining later after difficult negotiations shortly thereafter. The addition of Muunilist, with its legacy of both Confederate and Republic sympathies, was a derisive one, but with its powerful ties to the galactic economy, history with the Banking Clan, and possession of currency mints, proved the final step in transforming the League into a viable faction.
When the League of Free Planets ratified their first treaty in 3634 ATC, the Imperial Senate - focused on restructuring, tired of war, and fearful of revolts in their own territory - decided to both appease and cordon off the new power by establishing the Imperial Demilitarized Zone - a strip of space that neither faction could patrol or station warships in. However, the Imperials fears were ultimately unfounded: widespread revolts in their territory never came. The Empire's attention was ultimately drawn away by Separatist insurgency in the Western Reaches, but they came to greatly resent the security and legitimacy they had offered the fledgling Free Planets government. Today the Empire does little to conceal its distain and ultimate desire to subjugate the region, and has already begun to rally public support for a future occupation of the League through widespread propaganda campaigns.
The League is protected by the Free Planets Navy – a force built, maintained and operated by the five permanent member planets, with input from the current sitting non-permanent members. The Five – Telos, Mandalore, Botajef, Mon Calimari, and most recently Muunilist, each operate expansive shipyards and contribute handsomely to this force. Member star systems may also construct and operate their own planetary defense forces, though these must answer to the Navy during times of war or in matters of border defense.
Trade between the Free Planets and the Empire continues, but the Imperials repeatedly attempt to try and stifle the fledgling power economically by restricting certain exports and imports, placing tariffs on Free Planets goods, and banning Imperial citizens from emigrating to the League. Only the latter strategy has seen much success, however, as screening Free Planet goods out from Corporate Sector Authority shipments has proved impractical, and the League has simply shifted to trading goods with the Hutts at the threat of bans or tariffs. Some Imperial Citizens with the monetary or transpiration means to have been able to skirt the travel restrictions by making their way around Hutt Space and north through the Umbral Zone, but this is a harrowing and well outside most individual's capacity.
