Caitlyn DeVries

=Description= "You're not going to start crying, are you? I hate it when people cry."

- Caitlyn DeVries

Caitlyn DeVries (0 BBY) Caitlyn is a headstrong, compassionate young girl. Having grown up on the streets of Coruscant an orphan after the death of her parents she has lived her life according to one philosophy; if you don't have the will or the strength to make it on your own then you're better off dead. She's dedicated her life to this credence and it was her strength of will that allowed her to survive the many hardships she's faced.

However, Caitlyn does credit her remarkable endurance partly to her 'gift'. She has always been aware of her connection to the Force since before she could even form words in her mouth. From a young age she came to consciously realize that her seemingly quick reflexes and incredibly good luck were not entirely her own. But, instead of embracing her power she became afraid of it. Not because of its potential use but because of the effect it might have on her.

Caitlyn has always believed that power corrupts and that people with power are inherently evil. This philosophy is partly influenced by stories her mother used to tell her about her ex-husband, Rodrick Sinclair, and partly because of her strong belief that Sinclair was somehow involved in the death of her parents. But other influences may have been involved, such as the Empire's hostile take over of Coruscant and the devestation it wrought.

=Skills=

Force Powers
The most interesting thing about Caitlyn's connection to the Force is that her powers often respond to a need rather than a desire. At times during their training Jedi Master Leidas has noticed that Caitlyn has difficulty controlling her powers (and often with explosive results), but under great duress her mind becomes focused and her power increases. Just how much it increases by, however, is entirely dependant on her body's limitations. Because of her strong survival instincts she is already capable of pushing herself far beyond her normal limits, but excessive use of the Force is still damaging to her body. Fortunately, she does have a heightened resistance to the decay that is often caused by using the Force excessively, but it wouldn't make much of a difference if she pushed herself too far. If that were the case then once the surge of power was over Caitlyn would either fall into a coma-like state or die from overexertion.

Unfortunately, there is one problem. Because of her gentle nature and fear of her own destructive abilities her powers never last for very long. She has the potential to become a powerful Jedi but an unwillingness to harness her abilities (either consciously or subconsciously, it's difficult to determine) and it is these doubts and fears that limit her power. Ironically, though, it is for this very reason that Caitlyn DeVries is a dangerous and highly unpredictable opponent, both to her enemies and to her allies. After being pushed to the brink of death in their final duel Caitlyn's sudden increase in power disoriented the Dark Jedi Marrek and ultimately led to his demise. However, the damage to the building surrounding them was extensive and almost left her, her sister Isis Sinclair, and Akain Karna buried under a pile of rubble.

Lightsaber Forms
Caitlyn's strengths lie in physical enhancement, calling upon the Force to increase her speed and mobility. This use of the Force fits well with Form IV: Ataru and allows her to virtually surround her opponent and attack him from any angle. However, the aggressive nature of this form and its space requirements leaves her vulnerable, particularly to attacks aimed at her appendages. Not one to limit her expertise to just one style Caitlyn does spend time studying other forms of saber combat, focusing mostly on their strengths and weaknesses. She utilizes this knowledge in her battles, creating a style of saber combat that is entirely her own. It's amatuerish and unpolished, but with time and practice it can be turned into a feasible fighting style.

In an encounter with her parents' killer and acting completely on instinct she employed the use of a form of saber combat similar to Vaapad, striking her opponent multiple times simultaneously from many different angles. However, this is the only time she has ever been seen using this form.

Weapons

 * Singlebladed Lightsaber

Caitlyn uses a singlebladed Lightsaber crafted similarily to her Master's. Her saber uses a common Mephite Adegan crystal but lacks the same artistic touch, crafted more for combat than for looks.

=History=

Humble Beginnings
"Street kids like me usually never have anyone to depend on but ourselves and we're very distrustful of people with--better standing."

- Caitlyn DeVries

Caitlyn grew up on Coruscant with her parents, Felicia Marik-DeVries and Devlin DeVries, until the age of seven when her parents were murdered. The assassin, sent by Felicia's ex-husband Senator Rodrick Sinclair, brutally slaughtered the couple in front of their seven year old daughter, taking joy in emphasizing every excrutiating detail. Instead of killing her he decided to leave the girl alone in her apartment figuring she was no threat to either him or his employer. In spite of this experience Caitlyn found it difficult to give up, even at such a young age. She lived on her own for several months, scrounging around in dumpsters for food and stealing in order to survive until she joined a gang of street kids. From there she wound up involved in a number of other gangs, moving from circle to circle whenever it suited her needs. Eventually she managed to acquire enough credits (illigitimately, of course) to barter passage off-world and thus began her search for her half-sister.

Her mother had told her once before that she had a sister and that her name was Isis Sinclair, but even without this information Caitlyn had known she existed. She discovered this through the Force, through the connection they both shared together. She could feel her presence and her pain, but she could not pinpoint her location. Her search for her sister led her to Nexus Station where the trail suddenly grew cold and all trace of her sister disappeared. Emboldened by her determination never to give up Caitlyn made a difficult decision. She traveled to the planet Onderon, the location of the Jedi Temple where she hoped to further develope her awareness of the Force and her connection to her sister...

A Dark Encounter
"You are weak, too weak to face me. Killing you now would be mere child's play."

- Marrek

Not long after being accepted into the Jedi Order Caitlyn found herself heading back to a familiar place. She arrived on Onderon just after a Council meeting concerning peace talks with the Empire. Her first impressions with many of the Jedi were quite frankly less than stellar. In spite of that Jedi Master Kalja Sairu Leidias took Caitlyn as her second Padawan learner, a surprising move considering Jedi traditionally only take on one apprentice. However, given the circumstances and the strain placed on the new Jedi Order those traditions have been set aside for the time being.

Immediately afterwards Caitlyn discovered that she would be returning to Nexus Station with Kalja for the peace talks. Caitlyn had already been there once before and was a bit nervous about going back. As it turns out her fears were well founded. Not long after arriving on Nexus she was attacked in the 'fresher by an assassin sent to kill her sister. Acting on instinct she repelled her attacker with a massive energy surge that shattered mirrors, toor the bathroom stalls off their hinges and sent her attacker flying. The assassin soon realized his mistake and disappeared through the same vent that had granted him access.

This was just the first occurence. The second came at the Highwind's Casino when two hitmen opened fire in the crowd. The frenzy they started caused Caitlyn to become separated from the other Padawans, but it didn't take long for Akain Karna to find her. He interposed himself between her and her attackers, but Caitlyn saw there were too many people around for him to use his weapon effectively. Using the Force she knocked over a row of slot machines separating them from the hitmen, then she grabbed Akain by his arm and told him to run. They had almost made it to the exit when they quite literally bumped into Master Jola'Edana who protected them from the hitmen.

Soon after Casino security surrounded them, accusing them of instigating the fight. The Casino's owner, Dorval Trinivii Jian, requested an audience with Caitlyn, to which she reluctantly agreed. As it turns out the Hutt merely wished to contact her sister, Isis Sinclair, and in exchange he would vouch for the Jedi and assure the Tasiv of the station that they had nothing to do with the attack. Dorval was as good as his word, but Caitlyn was left wondering if there were any other conditions he may have left out. Only time would tell.

Just when Caitlyn was beginning to think she'd had enough the group were confronted again, this time on their way back to the Summit. A Dark Jedi by the name of Marek blocked their path and wished to speak with Caitlyn, assuring her that there would be no more attacks. When Caitlyn demanded to know his identity he joined his mind with hers and forced his memories into her brain, revealing himself to be the same man that killed her parents eleven years ago. His work done, Marrek left the group to their own devices, but not before giving Caitlyn a warning. The two of them were destined to meet in battle, but Caitlyn was far too weak to match his skills. She needed to become stronger and when the time was right he would seek her out.

The Search for Kalja
"Where's the button that turns this damn thing on?"

- Caitlyn DeVries

Coming soon...

Revelations
"Her innocence belies a hidden strength. To underestimate Caitlyn DeVries is to welcome death."

- Marrek

Coming eventually...

=Active Threads=
 * SfS III - The Winds of Change
 * Nexus at Nexus