Katarzyna Panteer wrote: ↑Fri Sep 09, 2022 10:25 am
It seems like Zakuul will lose, so Aphr will have to work on some stuff I guess?
Did Aphr have concerns about Zakuul since it was something created by the Sith Emperor? When did she decide that it would be best for her to join with Zakuul over a potential alliance with Republic and Sith Empire?
Remmington Balmung wrote: ↑Fri Sep 09, 2022 11:05 am
I'm a bit interested to hear about Aphr's involvement and decision to jump over to the Zakuul side. Aside from that, what's been going on with her since Nar Shadaa... I don't remember if she was in Ziost or not.
Seeing as these are both kinda covered under the same thing i'll cover it in one and it kinda turned into a wall of text. Sorry!
Aphr kind of came into this game jaded. As a certain someone said in Q&A back in Nar Shaddaa
Shaisha Vreysk wrote:Even Shaisha would say you'd be miserable as a Sith. That life is just not cut out for you.
And you would be correct! Aphr is really not cut out for the Sith. She isn't cutthroat, she isn't cruel. She cares too much, and rather than use fear to fuel her she's more just afraid. She was afraid as a slave, she was afraid when Zhorrid first turned up with Moyr. She was afraid when making her own saber. When she learnt her visions that she'd had for a long time were part of the force she became heavily reliant on the force, and her visions, because it allowed her to find a way to not face someone on an even footing. She used it in her brief stint on Korriban to stay ahead without having to actually outdo someone because she knew she was not a strong fighter. She used it post that to try and predict what was going to happen so she could either avoid facing it (which rarely happens) or be one step ahead - much like she did in Nar Shaddaa to ensure that her and Galen didn't die. So coming into this game, even though she knew it was 'expected' of her to do something about Zhorrid, she wouldn't have ever really had the ability to do it.
The visions from before the game (plus the foresee) gave her something else to focus on; maybe something big was coming that would destroy the current world, and thus allow her to break free from the Sith. She didn't see the Jedi as an option, although seeing the Jedi in this game it was much more of an option if she'd spent more time with them because while NS was 13 years ago that interaction where she was drugged is still in the back of her mind due to living behind a veil of fear (even if she does a good job hiding it). I actually pictured Aphr going to the Jedi before the game evolved onwards with Zakuul.
Then the D1 vision happened, and Vaylin happened. Another terrifyingly powerful person, strong enough to actually break through a vision, but not linked to the Sith or Jedi! She reverted to what she often does when she's the weakest person in the room; get the strong person on side so that said strong person doesn't kill her. So she was more than happy to be the part of someone who just finds the target then stands back and stays out of the way; she'd happily have handed Senya over to save herself. Cowardly? Yes, but she wasn't going to face down Vaylin on her own and she wasn't sure she had anything to give anyone else. Maybe if she hadn't found Senya day 2 she'd have brought someone in, but then she found Senya (and Tethys & Galen who found out as well) so she was fine with that. Galen was always so strong in her view, and Tethys seemed strong, so they could face down the scary Vaylin and she wouldn't be alone dealing with the powerful force user.
Over the course of the game she learnt more about Zakuul in general, but as we know the Force often has a way of just showing you what you want to see, so Aphr saw a world where everyone seemed to be free from slavery and free to do as they wanted. No slavery, no menial pointless jobs, no fighting. It appealed to her as someone who was often afraid because it was a world where she didn't have to be afraid. The basewide call to arms for Senya caught her by surprise and she had to adapt to stay involved because she knew if she was to find more about Zakuul she'd have to face her fears. She didn't believe it was the actual real Sith Emperor still at this point, she couldn't see how they were the same person - and really the Sith Emperor is something far beyond anything Aphr can imagine when even normal Sith Lords are (in her view) beyond her.
The turning point that made her decision was the events from D7 but there were points before it. The trial on D4 was a starting point; it made her realise just how divided the groups were even here where they had to survive together. How the plan of action arrangements went for going back into Senyas memory also showed this. Then three separate incidents on D7 made her mind up entirely:
1) The person selling intelligence. The whole galaxy was going up in flames and this person was looking for a free ride to a burning house and money that could be worthless in a new world, followed by
2) Baras not caring that 5 million credits were being spent, only that the Republic were getting it for free - and finally
3) Riss's speech. That a speech of unity still managed to only be a stare at the sith and not even mention them when talking about unity was the last straw in her mind. She already lacked faith, but she couldn't see any way the galaxy would survive because they would destroy each other before they stood together.
So she took a gamble, and used her still linked connection to Vaylin and the hopefully good will built up. It still took a huge amount of guts because she was afraid of taking the step. But with everything she had seen, it was the only way for the galaxy to become a place for a small Twi'lek slave who was afraid to be free, to actually be free. She wants it to be a place where she could visit her sister Moyr and her brother Galen without suspicions. Somewhere that her sister could create more amazing tales (because Aphr admired Moyr for so many things). She truly believed that Zakuul could remove all the divides. They would all be under the banner of Zakuul, but in her mind being under a banner that unites people is better than being under fractured banners where you didn't really have any choices to begin with.
So I guess tldr is Aphr is small and afraid, and Zakuul seemed like the best way for the galaxy to be a place where people like her would be as afraid to just live and be free. She's just someone who knows how to talk and how to be the smallest person in the room.
