Model Write-Up #35 - Thasaj Syr

(with help from Vlad Draghici)

"Thasaj Syr was born the son of a scrapyard sorter - his father - and a capable freelance engineer - his mother - around fifteen years before the declaration of Order 66. The conditions surrounding his birth were unfortunate, and he would have been stillborn had it not been for emergency cybernetics applied to his infant body. These implants kept him alive but otherwise gave him no additional abilities, and were entirely impairments. His lesser physical conditioning, impeded by the implants, meant he could not go into his father's business, and he instead learned engineering from his mother. Unlike his mother, who had most of her materials provided by firms she was hired by, Thasaj got the majority of his tools and raw materials from the scrapyard his father worked. He was not strong enough to carry all of the goods he wanted, but his father's friend's son was much bigger than Thasaj and, inspired by the odd trinkets he made throughout his childhood, he helped Thasaj carry his parts. The two became close friends, and this friendship lasted into adulthood. Thasaj built a functioning droid at the age of nine, although it was horribly murderous and incredibly unstable. Nonetheless, it had a strong inclination to protect him, and many a mugger found a brutal end at its hands during Thasaj's childhood. When he was thirteen, Thasaj's father told him about his lineage - his great, great grand-uncle had once served with Maltemus Gaza - the Gaza clan leader at the time - as his chief engineer, and the Syr family had always had a tradition since then of sending their sons to work with Gaza in learning the ways of the Mandalorian, and how tradition can merge with modern ideas about technology to be better overall. Thasaj was sent off in a shuttle to meet the leader of Gaza Clan - Terroid Gaza - and to learn from him as his apprentice. Thasaj found he did not possess the necessary physical clout to handle some of the extremely gruelling physical tasks required of him, but Terroid said there was more to engineering than moving things. It was about creation, and so Terroid redirected Thasaj's focus to creating new and innovative technologies. By the time he was fifteen, Thasaj had revolutionised the power systems of the Gaza Clan fleet - with Terroid's tutelage, of course - which allowed them to function much more efficiently. For this aid, Terroid offered Thasaj a place in Gaza Clan as a junior engineer, with the expectation that he would one day take the mantle of Chief Engineer. He would be given the Gaza Clan Mandalorian armour, and would stay with them for life. Thasaj was initially tempted, but remembering his childhood friend, mother, and father, he declined Terroid's offer, asking for a suit of plain Mandalorian armour as his reward instead. Terroid graciously obliged, but before Thasaj left, he said that should Gaza Clan ever require need of him again, he would answer. Terroid extended the same courtesy to Thasaj, and he left for home. When he arrived, he painted and weathered the armour as he had pictured his uncle looking, and fitted his backpack to the back, as well as other utility pouches and bindings which would prove useful for him in the scrapyard. His physical strength enhanced by the suit, he helped his father and mother in sorting scrap and finding useful materials. When Order 66 was declared, Thasaj's parents were worried, but their junk recycling world was of little interest to the Empire; mercifully, they were left alone. Five years later, when Thasaj was twenty, Gaza Clan called for him to meet Terroid personally. He met him, and Terroid stated that he had received a call from Mandalore the Crsuader. He needed to marshal his forces - recognising this could be the only good chance there would be to destabilise the Galactic Empire - and that Maladan Victus and the rest of Victus Clan had already set off. Terroid wanted Thasaj Syr to come with him, and to take up a position, for the duration of the crusade, as one of Terroid's engineers aboard his Keldabe battleship. Thasaj swore his allegiance, and he left with Gaza Clan to Mandalore the Crusader's fleet. Whilst waiting in the hangar bay - he was not required aboard the battleship, so Terroid had given him leave to scout out their dubious allies - he purchased scrap parts he thought might be useful from a trader. Then, the Hyperspace Malfunction occurred, and Thasaj was almost crushed by his starfighter. He managed to get out of the way, but the vessel was damaged beyond repair. It was then that he made an agreement with Brox Arrun to repair his vessel in order to escape the damaged vessel. Thasaj had received a communique that Gaza Clan's remains of their fleet had left the area at maximum available speed in order to escape the carnage that was beginning to erupt, and so he instructed Brox, when his ship was repaired, to follow their engine trail. When they discovered Adrick, he convinced Brox to allow him to stay aboard and help them. They now search for the fleet of Gaza Clan, with the intent of meeting Terroid Gaza to plan their response to the malfunction..."

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