Rush Kiyanu is the name of a Human assassin roleplayed by Chance Wen in the Edge of the Empire campaign. The character was created specifically for roleplaying scenarios.

Characteristics

Rush Kiyanu
Species	Human
Language	Basic
Age	32, Born 37 BBY
Height	5'11"
Career	Assassin

Rush is a 5'11" human male with unkempt, short black hair and brown eyes. He has a sturdy, muscular, lean build; a result of his years in the Imperial army. His general attire doesn't change much from day to day, consisting mostly of utilitarian clothing like his weather adverse clothing. He also carries a backpack and a utility belt.

Personality

Rush is a generally cordial man with an honest and upfront personality. Rush's earnestness is partly a reaction to his years in service and the following time as a hired gun. Rush suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which comes in bouts at random times. Various things can trigger an episode.

Rush does not drink alcohol while working. Part of this is through discipline and training in the Imperial Army, but one of his hidden reasons is that he is very weak with alcohol. When on an empty stomach, a simple bottle beer can be enough to send Rush into an inebriated state. When drunk, Rush has a tendency to stammer while going on long speeches or tirades; oftentimes complaining or recalling the past. During this time, Rush's emotions become heightened and he can become more irritated. In the worst, he can start brandishing his weapons.

Backstory

Rush was young (19 BBY, 18 years old) when he was pulled into the Empire where he became a trained Imperial Army Trooper. He was taught the ideals of the Empire early on and was a believer in the cause. He later graduated from his life as a low-level trooper when he joined the Imperial Army Special Missions Troopers. During his tenure with the Special Mission Troopers, he learned many of the skills he knows now.

Invasion of Tervissis

Rush's first taste of real combat came in 13BBY with the Invasion of Tervissis. Rush was assigned to Squad 7 of the Special Mission Troopers, a precision tactical attack squad of the larger Imperial Troopers division. His squad consisted of 5 other men, all around the same age as Rush. Rush would go on to form a meaningful relationship with many of compatriots in the following days, weeks, months and years. Two of Rush's closest squadmates were Pax Rekkon and Lucius Tersu who fought along with the young Rush on the planet.

After the Invasion of Tervissis in 13 BBY, Rush came back shaken from the encounter. Though the battle was won, an inordinate amount of casualties were sustained. Half of Squad 7 was lost during one of the battles, including Lucius. The loss of Lucius and two other members of Squad 7 did not reinforce the drive to fight for the Empire. The constant battles, catastrophic loss of life, and lack of willpower among the shellshocked troopers began to erode the ideals that were at the core of Rush’s beliefs.

Rush took some time to recuperate from the events on Tervissis. During this time, he formed an inseparable bond of brotherhood with Pax who had also survived the hardships of Tervissis. In the months following Squad 7's return from Tervissis, new members were added to the squad including a female trooper by the name of Vera Forr. She was a young and bright trooper that caught the eye of Rush and the two developed a master-disciple bond that slowly grew into a romantic relationship over time.

The Mimban Campaign

After a period of rest and recuperation, Squad 7 and Rush found themselves deployed in another confrontation, the Mimban campaign in 10 BBY. During the battle, Rush was a central witness of the atrocities that were carried out on the planet by the hand of the Empire; specifically the Battle of Vanta.

Battle of Vanta

The Battle of Vanta was an offensive battle fought in the small town of Vanta on the planet Mimban. Imperial Captain Bartar Agon, a corrupt and ruthless high-ranking officer in charge of a regiment of Special Mission Troopers, led the attack. The invasion was deemed a strategic necessity by Captain Agon as it would be the lynchpin in a multi-pronged offensive to capture the planet. The orders were for Squads 6, 7, 11, and 14 to lead a vanguard attack and establish an entrenched foothold on the main roads for the main force. Agon told the vanguard force that enemy forces were light and that the Special Mission Troopers would have 'An easy ass time taking care of the locals'.

This, however, was not the case. Vanta's defensive forces were far more sizable than what Agon predicted and their resistance to the Trooper's attacks were fierce. As the resistance mounted, the Special Mission squads were overwhelmed and heavy casualties were sustained, including the death of Vera. As the squads withdrew, Rush and Pax discovered that the main force was never following them. With further investigation, the two realized that the main force was diverted to a nearby industrial facility. The invasion was in actuality a distraction so Agon could raid mines that contained rich reserves of Frasium that would later be sold off to many of the Captain's close connections for his own financial gains. Some of these connections included Teemo the Hut.

Following the raid, Agon ordered the remaining Special Mission Troopers to quell the native resistance with the aid of the main trooper force. To help secure the town, Captain Agon ordered the mass slaughter of the Vanta residents by any means necessary. This included the mindless slaughtering of women and children by grossly unconventional and unethical means. The gruesome massacre, death of Vera, and revelations of Captain Agon's true intentions, along with the shellshock, disillusionment, and disgust for the Imperial occupation of Mimban effectively shattered Rush’s long-held beliefs and ultimately pushed him to the point of desertion.

Desertion

Almost immediately after the events of Mimban, Rush planned his desertion. Rush told Pax about his plans and invited him to come along. While Pax had witnessed many of the same things that Rush did, Pax was hesitant and his loyalty kept him bound to his duty. However, he was sympathetic to Rush's anguish and ultimately decided to help him.

On one seemingly routine day, with the assistance from his long-trusted comrade, Rush managed to dupe the guards and command at his base by using his rank and reputation. He then stole a Zeta-class transport and disappeared right as the base operators got wind of his actions.

Following Years

Since then, Rush hitchhiked across the galaxy; getting as far away from the Empire as possible. He took on odd jobs just to get by and quickly became accustomed to the transient and rouge lifestyle. Soon after, he found himself on his first mercenary assassin job where he quickly got a name for himself as an effective hired gun. As time passed, the idea of being a tool of murder began to wear on Rush. He began to wish for a more tranquil life, outside of all the action and murder. However, whenever he tried to distance from all of this, something would always come to pull him back.

Events of Edge of the Empire

Trivia

Chance noticed when writing the back story for Rush, that the later portion of Rush's history seemed to sound a lot like the movie character John Wick. The first name of the actor who played John Wick, Keanu Reeves, by pure coincidence phonetically matches Rush's last name, Kiyanu.

Rush Kiyanu

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