Renata Avanti

"I am a Jedi. I'm not afraid to die."


 * - Renata Avanti

Renata Avanti was a Human female Jedi Sentinel born on Dathomir in 40 BBY and raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. She was trained as a Padawan by the Arkainian Jedi Essa dan Farr, and later graduated to the rank of Jedi Knight. Durring the Clone Wars, Renata became an opperative for the Senate Beaureau of Intelligence, and was given command of a Clone Commando Squad. Her fate after the Jedi Purge is unknown.

Early Life
Renata was born on the rimward world of Dathomir, the daughter of one of the Force-wielding Witches of the Misty Falls Clan. Determined to be exceptionally gifted in the Force, Renata's mother chose to send her to the care of the Jedi Order on Coruscant, where her gifts could be honed to make a difference in the galaxy. The Master who took her allowed her mother to give her one token to keep with her: a small wooden bead bearing the carved crest of the Misty Falls clan.

Once on Coruscant, the process of Renata's training began in ernest. She was placed into Squall Clan, along with a half-dozen other beings, all from worlds completely unknown to her. While they were never openly hostile to her, Renata found it difficult to bond with her clanmates, which was noted by the overseeing Master. She also proved to a a slow but willing learner, and developed a keen insight that would serve her well in Knighthood.

Renata took the Initiate Trials three times, failing both her first and second attempts. She petitioned the Council to allow her a third, which she was granted after a long debate. She passed, and her performance attracted the attention of the recently-knighted Essa dan Farr. After the test was concluded, dan Farr approached Renata and asked her to consider becoming her Padawan. A few days later, the Council gave their authorization, and Renata's time as an Initiate was officially ended.

Padawan

 * "That was the most reckless display that I have ever seen in these trials. I like you!"


 * - Essa dan Farr, to Renata Avanti

Essa dan Farr proved to be a challenging master. Renata often found herself swept off into exotic worlds and dangerous situations. Dan Farr worked very closely with the Exploration Corps, an arm of the Jedi Service Corps where those who had not passed their Initiate Trials would sometimes be assigned. Due to this, her work took her deep into the fringes of space, sometimes to the very edge of the Outer Rim. Wherever she went, Renata followed, despite the danger. She very quickly learned what the other Jedi she had spoken to meant when they told her that dan Farr had an unorthodox method of teaching. Under her tutelege, however, she found herself learning more about the Force, the galaxy, and the beings that inhabited it.

Encouraged by her Master, Renata sought out information on every aspect of being a Jedi that the galaxy had to offer. They sparred daily in both lightsaber combat and mental fortitude, and dan Farr was constantly testing her insight and knowledge. It was during this time that she began to display a considerable aptitude for subtlety and stealth, using these skills to their advantage in the field. It was also around this time that her interest in exotic martial weapons grew. This would later lead her, with her Master's guidance, to the construction of her double-bladed lightsaber.

Sriluur
In 36 BBY, Renata became seperated from dan Farr while on a scouting mission on the desert world Sriluur by a vicious sand storm. Wandering lost in the wastelands, she was found by a Weequay politician, Ramok Marn, who had spotted her from his airspeeder as he passed overhead. Marn rushed her to a hosipital a few dozen kilometers away, where she was able to heal. Marn made sure that when she had recovered she was reunited with dan Farr and was able to complete their mission.

Geonosis
While neither Renata or dan Farr participated in the ground battle at Geonosis, both flew in the battle above the atmosphere. Renata herself served as fighter escort for one of the strike teams of Jedi that infiltrated the Droid Control Ships, and managed to shoot down what her Master later called a "sufficiently impressive" number of Droid Starfighters before the battle was won.

The Clone Wars

 * "And here we find ourselves on opposite sides of a war the like of which the galaxy hasn't seen for hundreds of years. I'm starting to think our friendship is solely based on life-threatening situations."


 * "That does seem to be the way we keep meeting, doesn't it?"


 * - Ramok Marn and Renata Avanti

After Geonosis, Renata and her Master found themselves fighting on many of the worlds they had visited in the years before, sometimes against the very people they had counted as friends. The battles took thier toll on both, but strengthened their bond at the same time. They participated in opperations on several key battlegrounds, including Felucia and Rhen Var. Renata continued to nurture her talents under dan Farr's careful guidence, not knowing that her Master was in fact grooming her for the Trials of Knighthood.

By the time that they returned to Coruscant for the Trials, Renata and dan Farr had forged a relationship that was more sisterhood than Master and Padawan. Dan Farr watched proudly as Renata, once awkward and unbalanced, passed each successive test with grace and control. The process took months, as she was only one of dozens of Padawans all rushing to become Knights after the outbreak of the war. Finally, in the early months of 21 BBY, Renata was knighted by a group of Knights and Masters, including dan Farr.

Agent of the Republic
Now a Jedi Knight, Renata set out into a war-torn galaxy. It wasn't long before her particular talents of infiltration and subtlety, and her record of success, gained recognition with the Republic. Before the year was out, she was contacted by Armand Isard, the director the Senate Beaureau of Intelligence, as well as Jedi Master Mace Windu. They offered her a rare opportunity: command of a highly trained squad of Clone Commandos, and select missions provided by the SBI itself. At the urging of her former Master, Renata accepted.

The missions she was given proved to be the most challenging that she had ever encountered, even with a team of four Commandos at her back. More than once, her life was perilously close to being cut short, but she continued to produce results that pleased the SBI greatly. Though not a full agent, she was given access to all relevant resources for her given assignment, as well as any choice pieces of intel that came through the pipeline. It was one of these bits of information that gave her what would become the most important mission of her career.

An Old Friend

 * "Master Skywalker, I was just thinking that perhaps there's another possibility we might consider. Marn might be trying to defect."


 * - Renata Avanti, to Anakin Skywalker

When the SBI recieved word that a Seperatist Recusant-Class starship was underway from a secret base, and headed straight for Republic territory, they dispatched Renata and her squad to assess the situation and, if need be, intervene. Also on the mission, at the insistance of the Jedi Council, were Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Renata and Anakin clashed over the best course of action for the situation, with Anakin inisisting he take command once he discovered Renata's personal connection to the Commander of the warship: none other than Ramok Marn. Renata, however, remained insistant that Marn's intentions were to leave the Seperatists

When they at last caught up with Marn's vessel, Renata's predictions were verified. By that time, the Seperatists themselves were in hot pursuit, and a small muntiny within Marn's own crew complicated matters even more. A sabotage attempt ended in disaster when a premature detonation killed two of the saboteurs and one of Renata's Commandos. When the Seperatist fleet arrived, Marn's First Officer Jaddas attempted to turn him over. Renata intervened, and in the ensuing fight, Jaddas was blown out an airlock into the vacuum of space. Evading the Seperatist fleet, they returned to Republic space, where Renata and Marn parted company once again.

Personality and Traits
Renata never quite found the same serenity as many other Jedi. She practiced moving meditation, and always seemed most at home on her feet. Her Master, Essa dan Farr, believed that she was restless, and took her through several exercises meant to ground her, but to little effect. Despite this, she was a clear thinker, and was often able to offer perceptive insight into the matter at hand.

In combat, Renata wielded a double-bladed lightsaber with a purple crystal she discovered in the Outer Rim. While she preferred this weapon above most others, she was competent with a blaster as well. Her role as in infiltrator often meant that bringing her lightsaber on a mission was not always possible, so she recieved training in a wide variety of techniques. She often used the Force to great effect, both to disguise her presence and denfend herself if discovered.

Even after achieving knighthood, Renata remained very close to her former Master. She and dan Farr would often take evenings in the Galactic City's Esplanade, discussing their respective assignments, or simply sharing a meal.

Behind the Scenes
Renata Avanti is the original character of Contessa Rina, created for the Clone Wars Adventures online game. Her story has expanded greatly since then, including several short pieces of fiction written by Rina under the pen name Cassandra Wright.

Her story involving the defection of the Seperatist Commander Ramok Marn is largely based on the 1990 film adaptation of Tom Clancy's novel "The Hunt for Red October". Similarities to the film previously appeared on The Clone Wars Television Series in Season Two's "Cat and Mouse".