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Mae-ho "Mae" Aniseya was a Force-sensitive human female former Sith acolyte and assassin who lived during the High Republic Era. Created with the Force by her mother with the aid of a vergence on Brendok, she was the identical twin sister of former Jedi Padawan Verosha Aniseya. She was presumed dead after starting a fire to prevent her sister from becoming a Jedi and falling into a mining shaft. However, she survived and eventually encountered a mysterious Sith known only as "the Master" and became a candidate to be his apprentice.

In 132 BBY, Mae reappeared on Ueda and murdered Jedi Master Indara, leading the Jedi Order to investigate. While the Jedi originally blamed Mae's twin Osha for the crime, the twins were reunited on Olega after Mae killed Master Torbin who had taken the Barash Vow. Having learned of Osha's survival, Mae resolved to turn herself into the Jedi on Khofar, putting her in the crosshairs of her Sith Master, who promptly killed all of the Jedi save Master Sol, the man responsible for killing the twins' mother, and began to target Mae for betraying him.

To escape, Mae disguised herself as her twin and snuck aboard Sol's ship, where her deception was uncovered and she was captured by Sol. The Jedi brought her back home to Brendok, eager to prove to the rest of the Order that the twins were created by their coven using the vergence on the planet. After Sol's death at the hands of Osha, Mae's memory was voluntarily erased by her former master, allowing Osha to take her place as the Sith's acolyte. The amnesiac Mae was then brought into custody by a Jedi investigation party and recruited by Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh to hunt down her former Sith Master, who was also Rwoh's former student.

Biography

Early life

Mae-ho Aniseya was the twin sister to Verosha Aniseya and daughter to Mother Aniseya. She was created by Aniseya through the use of the Force and carried by coven member Koril who eventually gave birth to her and her sister^[4] around 156 BBY.^[2]

Mae and Osha lived on the planet Brendok^[1] within a fortress where the coven had taken to hiding after their exile. As Brendok was not under the Galactic Republic's judication, the coven believed they would be safe from the Jedi Order who pursued them on the suspicion they were training children in the use of the Force. Mae and Osha Aniseya were the only children in the fortress, and they were expected to continue the coven's legacy through a ritual practiced by the witches when they came of age. Mae was eager to take the burden, but the excitement was not shared by her independent sister who wanted to pursue a life in the galaxy by herself, leading to frequent fights between the two.^[4]

Ascension to witchhood

In 148 BBY,^[6] seven weeks before the ritual was to take place, a Jedi starship landed on the planet carrying Jedi Master Indara, her Padawan Torbin, and Jedi Knights Kelnacca and Sol. The team was tasked with studying the planet due to the suspiciously fast regeneration of its ecosystem following a hyperspace disaster that had devastated it, which caused the Order to believe a vergence was present there.^[7] On the day of the ritual, the coven scouts observed the Jedi moving their starship further inland, and Osha Aniseya escaped the fortress to hide away and draw below her favorite bunta tree. Knowing her affinity for the location, Mae found her and asked her why she was hiding. Osha explained to her sister that she was afraid of taking the ritual and devoting her life to the coven, although Mae found the idea fascinating and began practicing her powers on small insects around the tree. As she was aggressively grabbing onto them, Osha became upset and tried to stop her just as Koril arrived and interrupted them to take them back to the fortress for their safety. Unbeknownst to them, Sol was hiding behind a tree nearby and observing the girls as they were playing.^[4]

Upon their return to the fortress, the girls were scolded by Koril, who threatened to punish Osha for disobeying her mothers. Aniseya, however, intervened and asked a witch to give the girls some spice cream, before sending them to prepare for training. During the training session, Aniseya displayed the power of the thread of destiny to the girls, demonstrating how two witches could overpower even the strongest one using "the power of two." That same night, the girls were prepared for the ritual, getting their hair done by two witches as the coven assembled on the Rite of Ascension courtyard. Osha spent that time drawing in her notebook, and Mae asked her to see her art, but Osha refused. Mae got upset and asked Osha why she never shared her art with her and tried to run away from her, with Osha explaining that she wanted to have her own life separate from that of her sister's and explore what was outside of their coven. Mae simply answered that she had everything she needed right there.^[4]

The ritual began with the coven witches chanting on the power of many over the power of one. Aniseya then called the children to join the witches in the courtyard. With both girls kneeling before her, Mae excitedly took the oath first, vowing to preserve the secrets of the coven upon Aniseya's death and to continue the witches' legacy. As she completed the vow, Aniseya offered the power of many to her daughter and the symbol of the witches appeared in her forehead. The mother then turned to Osha, but before the ritual could commence a scout barged into the courtyard announcing the entrance of the four Jedi. Aniseya instructed her daughters to hide as she questioned the Jedi on their presence in the fortress, but despite her instructions, Osha came out of hiding as soon as she was called to meet the Jedi. She then called out to her sister, who reluctantly joined her before the Jedi. Accusing the witches of illegally training children, Indara stepped up against them, but Aniseya reminded her that Brendok was outside the Republic's jurisdiction. Sol, however, asked Osha if she wanted to be tested by the Jedi on her Force-sensitivity. Mae tried to get her to refuse, but Osha accepted, with the Jedi and Aniseya agreeing to let both children be tested the next day at midday.^[4]

Tragedy in the fortress

The next day before they were to leave, Aniseya instructed Osha and Mae to lie during the test in order to fail and be rejected by the Jedi. Knowing that her sister wanted to succeed, Mae made her promise that she would indeed lie to the Jedi. When they reached the Jedi camp, Mae entered the starship first and was tested by Indara and Sol. Following her mother's instructions to say the opposite of what she had in her heart, Mae failed the test and was rejected for apprenticeship by the Jedi. Osha, however, confessed her desire to become a Jedi to Sol and told him the truth during the test, passing it.^[4]

After returning to the fortress, Osha confessed her actions to the coven and admitted to wanting to be a Jedi. When questioned, she passionately defended her choice and insisted that she wanted to explore the galaxy and go outside the fortress. Mae, heartbroken, tried to intervene but was taken away by Koril on Aniseya's instructions. Ultimately, Aniseya encouraged Osha to choose her own destiny.^[4] Unbeknownst to her, Koril instructed Mae to follow her heart and, if preventing Osha from leaving was what she truly wanted, she encouraged her to do so. In response, Mae broke down the access panels to the elevator leading in and out of the fortress and announced to the witches that none could leave or enter. Koril, expecting the Jedi to come back, ordered the coven warriors to arm themselves and be ready.^[7]

At the same time, after studying the blood samples they had collected, the Jedi discovered that the two children had been artificially created. Suspecting that the witches were behind their creation using the powers from the Vergence the Jedi were looking for, Padawan Torbin, eager to confirm the theory to complete the mission and return to Coruscant jumped on a Jedi outland speeder bike and made for the fortress to retrieve the girls as proof. Sol followed him with another speeder bike while Kelnacca and Indara made their way to their starship. Arriving at the fortress they found the doors to be inaccessible, as Mae had damaged the access panels, and fearing that the coven had trapped the children inside Torbin and Sol scaled the walls to reach them.^[7] Meanwhile, Mae locked Osha in her room and despite her protests she stole her notebook. Finding it filled with pictures of the Jedi symbol and lightsabers, Mae decided that the only way to get Osha to stay was to destroy it. Grabbing a candle which was placed by the door she lit the notebook on fire.^[4] The fire burned through the pages fast, hurting Mae who dropped both the notebook and the candle, leading to the door frame and the access electronics catching fire which quickly spread out of control. Terrified, Mae ran to get help from her mother, not knowing that Osha escaped through a vent.^[7]

Outside, Sol and Torbin were confronted by Koril and the coven warriors. Sol demanded to know where the children were, but Koril, believing them to intend to take both of them away ordered the warriors to point their bows at them. Just then, Aniseya came out from her meeting with the coven elders, discovering the confrontation. As she was trying to calm Koril down, Mae came running down the stairs and told her about the fire and that Osha needed help. Aniseya turned into a dark mist and started merging with Mae's, but Sol believing her to be harming the child stabbed her with his lightsaber. Devastated, Mae ran to her mother, who told Sol that she would have allowed Osha to leave and become a Jedi, before dying. Furious, Koril ordered the coven warriors to open fire at the Jedi, which Torbin deflected as Koril herself engaged So. Mae ran to find her sister, which she did in the fortress' power generator room.^[7] The girls ran towards each other on top of a suspended bridge, but the fire that was spreading through the building caused the generator to explode, cutting the bridge in half. Just then, Sol reached the room and caught both halves of the bridge before they could fall,^[4] but being unable to hold onto both of them he let go of Mae's side,^[7] catching and saving Osha.^[4] The four Jedi then returned with Osha to Coruscant, where she joined the Jedi Order. Unbeknownst to both Osha and the Jedi, Mae survived the fire and, finding no trace of her sister, presumed her dead as well.^[8]

Serving "The Master"

Years later, Mae came in contact with and became the Sith acolyte of^[8] the Sith Lord calling himself "the Stranger"^[9] and who she referred to as "the Master",^[8] serving him as a Sith assassin.^[5] During that time she met the Stranger's public persona, Qimir, a former Hutt mercenary and merchant of antiquities and unusual items, and she started working with him, tasking him with providing various pieces of equipment for a price. Mae was also extensively trained by the Stranger, both in the Force and in knife-fighting. Despite their relationship, the Stranger took great care not to reveal his identity to her^[8] and Mae, in turn, feared him.^[10]

The Master's mission

Murder of Master Indara

In 132 BBY,^[11] Mae was tasked by the Stranger^[10] with a quest^[12] to hunt down and kill all four Jedi present on Brendok at the time of the fire that destroyed the coven fortress.^[1] The Stranger further specified that Mae should kill Kelnacca without using any weapons, a test which he called "the final lesson."^[10]

First, Mae tracked down Indara, now a Jedi Master on assignment in a village on the planet Ueda, and provoked her to fight. Indara solemnly rejected the provocation, prompting Mae to begin assaulting patrons of the cantina they were in. Indara was forced to engage Mae to protect the patrons, and the two began to fight. Mae was ultimately able to trick Indara into getting closer to her and stabbed her with a dagger, killing her.^[1]

Indara's death swiftly mobilized the Jedi Order, with Jedi Knight Yord Fandar and his apprentice Tasi Lowa visiting the bar where the murder took place and questioning the patrons. The bartender, Cabuck, was able to give Mae's description to Fandar, as the assassin had let him live due to him having his child on his side. Due to Mae's existence being absent from the records, the Jedi assumed Cabuck to mean her sister Osha who had left the Jedi order some years prior. Fandar and Lowa were sent to the WD-2550 Whydah-class yield conveyer Fallon where she was working as a meknek to arrest her with Osha, despite being perplexed with the accusations, willingly surrendering. Meanwhile, Mae met with her master, who told her that though individuals who sought to slay a Jedi with weapons were doomed to fail, an acolyte killed without a weapon and therefore killed the dream that the Stranger declared all members of the Jedi Order lived in.^[1]

Death of Master Torbin

Meanwhile, Mae tracked down the second Jedi present on Brendok, Torbin, now a Jedi Master who had taken the Barash Vow and been in a continuous state of meditation in the Olega Jedi temple for over ten years. While in this state, Torbin was invulnerable to any physical attacks, as Mae discovered after breaking into the temple and attempting to slash him with her daggers as she had done with Indara. Frustrated, Mae left the temple as her presence had been discovered, and she went to Qimir who was also present in the city for advice.^[8]

Qimir explained to her that although Torbin appeared serene, there was always something hidden underneath the surface. With his advice, Mae prepared an alternative plan to kill him using bunta poison which she tasked Qimir with manufacturing. Despite Master Sol, his Padawan Jecki Lon, Jedi Knight Yord Fandar, and Osha having arrived on the planet to track her down, Mae was again able to infiltrate Torbin's room and presented him with a choice; he would either admit his crimes on Brendok before the Jedi Council, or he would drink the poison to redeem himself. Torbin came out of his meditation and drank the poison himself after asking for her forgiveness.^[8]

Following a successful escape, Mae hid outside the city for the day while the Jedi discovered and interrogated Qimir, forcing him to reveal Mae's identity and plans to them. Confirming her survival for the first time, the Jedi set up a trap for her as Qimir revealed she would be returning that night.^[8]

Reunited with Osha

Indeed, the same night Mae returned to the store to pick up some things she had left with Qimir, Sol appeared behind her and attempted to talk her into surrendering, admitting his and his fellow Jedi's mistake of leaving her behind on Brendok. Mae attacked him but Sol managed to take away her knives except for the hidden dagger she had used to kill Indara. Following a brief fight, Mae prepared to stab him with the hidden blade, just as he revealed that her sister, Osha, was alive and with them on the planet. Surprised, Mae hesitated for a second, allowing Yord to pull her dagger away with the Force and jump down to confront her with his lightsaber drawn. Cornered by the Jedi and Jecki, who had arrived on board a Polan-717 Jedi transport, Mae launched a cloud of dust on them to conceal herself and escaped through the city.^[8]

As she was running away, Mae pretended to get hit by a speeder to incapacitate its owner when he exited it to help her and steal the vehicle for herself. At this point, Osha appeared from a side street and pointed a stun blaster at her. As the two siblings came face to face for the first time in years, Sol appeared in the square and prepared to engage Mae again, at which point Osha fired two missed shots at her sister and Mae escaped using the speeder.^[8]

Confronting Master Kelnacca

The following morning, Mae infiltrated the city again and reached Qimir's store, cornering him and preparing to kill him for betraying her to the Jedi. To save himself, Qimir revealed the location of the fourth Jedi present on Brendok, the Wookiee Kelnacca, who was hiding in the forest retreat of Khofar.^[8] Mae agreed to allow Qimir to work with her again and the two traveled to Khofar on a starship, landing just outside the forest retreat. Qimir explained to Mae that he had already discovered Kelnacca's shelter as a favor to her, and offered to lead her through the dangerous woods as her guide, which Mae accepted.^[10]

On their way to the shelter, Mae questioned Qimir on how her sister was like, calling her "Jedi scum." Qimir, however, urged her to continue walking, as night would soon fall. Mae then mentioned the Stranger's test and how she found it very difficult, to which Qimir answered by brainstorming ideas on possible hidden meanings of his request—such as using the Jedi's own weapon against him instead of Mae's. The two walked and ran for three hours, until just before night fell Mae asked for a break. Despite Qimir's protests, Mae insisted that having to face a Wookiee after the trek was cause enough for her to take some rest. She then admitted to Qimir that she thought the Stranger's test was impossible. As their water had ran out, Qimir offered to bring her some more from a nearby stream, realizing that she had started getting nervous and advising her to try and relax.^[10]

Change of heart

As Qimir was collecting the water, he heard Mae scream and ran to her help. Arriving at a clearing, he fell into a trap and was pulled in the air by a rope tied around his legs. Mae emerged from the forest and explained to him that with her sister being alive she did not feel like she had to go through with the Stranger's quest any longer, and decided to surrender to Kelnacca instead of killing him. Qimir tried to tell her that the Jedi would put her to prison, but Mae simply stated that they would be interested in what she had to tell them about the Stranger. She then thanked Qimir for guiding her through the forest and left for Kelnacca's shelter.^[10]

Arriving at the shelter, she fell in front of Bazil, a Tynnan tracker working for a Jedi team led by Master Sol who had come to extract Kelnacca and intercept Mae. As Bazil started shouting to get the team's attention, Mae ran for the shelter to surrender to Kelnacca. Entering the quiet room, she found Kelnacca dead in his chair, having been sliced by a lightsaber moments earlier. Mae deduced that the Stranger had followed her to the planet and had killed Kelnacca himself.^[10]

Right then, the Jedi arrived and surrounded the shelter, calling for her to come out and surrender peacefully. As they were waiting, Mae saw the Stranger descend from the trees behind her sister who had also accompanied the Jedi, and push her away with the Force. The Jedi and the Stranger pulled their lightsabers, and a battle ensued.^[10]

Escaping the Stranger

Despite being outnumbered, the Master managed to defeat Ithia Paan and a human Jedi as well as simultaneously kill two other Jedi by pulling the latter into his lightsaber, having already impaled the former with it. As the Stranger started fighting Sol and Osha, Mae took the opportunity to grab Kelnacca's lightsaber and exit the shelter, running into the forest. Before escaping, however, she was intercepted by Padawan Jecki Lon, who kicked her into the ground and managed to place magnetic binders in one of her hands. Mae managed to fight off the Padawan by throwing one of her blades at her, and the two briefly clashed before Lon overpowered her and placed the binders in her other hand, subduing her. At this moment the Master reached them and engaged Lon in a duel, taunting Mae on Lon's loyalty to her Master compared to hers. Mae instead ran into the forest again, desperate to escape her master's wrath, with the Master abandoning the fight with Lon to pursue her.^[13]

Eventually, the Master caught up with Mae in a clearing of the forest. Remarking that she always was weak, he cut through her binders and prepared to deliver a killing blow as Mae begged for forgiveness. Before the Master could strike her though Sol and Lon appeared from the forest and engaged him in another lightsaber duel. When the Master's mask had been destroyed by Lon during their battle, Mae witnessed for the first time the Master's face, realizing with terror that him and Qimir were one and the same. At this point Fandar emerged from the forest, having lured a pack of umbramoths to the clearing with Osha. The Stranger killed him with his bare hands but Osha, recalling their sensitivity to light, lunged at the Master and attached her PIP droid with the torch activated in his back, prompting the moths to grab onto him and lift him in the air, carrying him away.^[13]

Sister fight

With Sol, Osha, and Mae left alone in the clearing, Sol approached Osha and promised to tell the truth about what had happened in their coven. Before he could speak, however, Mae stunned him with Osha's weapon. The two sisters, alone among themselves for the first time in decades started arguing, with Mae begging Osha to join her and Osha claiming that the Jedi were more of a family to her than Mae ever was. Heartbroken, Mae reminded Osha of the Jedi's invasion of their home, only for Osha to simply state that it was Mae who set the fire that destroyed it. Realizing that her sister had made up her mind, Mae desperately hugged her, repeatedly saying that they both survived and now and each other to rely on. Osha broke free of the hug, threw her sister to the ground and denounced her as a criminal and a murderer, arresting her for her crimes.^[13]

Outraged and desperate, Mae knocked down Osha and held her to the ground, claiming that Sol took her away into a life without her family. The two started fighting, until eventually Mae threw Osha to the ground using the Force. With her sister unconscious, Mae used Yord's lightsaber to cut her hair to resemble her sister's and took her civilian robes. Imitating her, she found Sol and tended to his wounds until he woke up. Sol, believing her to be Osha, took her off-world on board the Jedi ship.^[13]

Personality and traits

Mae Aniseya often practiced her mother's ways in witchery and was deeply loyal to Aniseya's coven as a child. Mae was domineering and possessive towards her sister, Osha, and became so upset at Osha's discontent with her life with the coven and intentions on leaving to travel the galaxy that Mae was willing to kill her if it meant keeping her from leaving.^[4] Young Mae-ho Aniseya was also curious and tested her Force abilities regularly,^[14] sometimes in aggressive ways such as telekinetically squeezing a small insect.^[4] As an adult, Mae harbored much hate towards the Jedi and sought to assassinate the four Jedi who were stationed on Brendok at the time of her mothers' deaths.^[1]

Equipment

Mae Aniseya wore a purple cloak and a black mask to conceal her identity. She was equipped with multiple daggers but was discouraged from using them to kill Jedi because of her master. Mae also wore black and yellow armor and black boots while fighting.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Mae-ho Aniseya was created for the Disney+ live-action series The Acolyte. She was portrayed by Amandla Stenberg^[15] and Leah Brady (as young Mae).^[14] Mae's assassin costume was inspired by samurai and Byzantine warrior armor; parts of the costume were fitted with real bamboo.^[16]

Appearances

• The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi 1 (Variant cover only)
• The Acolyte — "Choice"
• The Acolyte — "Destiny" (First identified as Mae-ho)
• The Acolyte — "Lost / Found" (First appearance, simultaneous with "Revenge / Justice")
• The Acolyte — "Revenge / Justice"
• The Acolyte — "Day"
• The Acolyte — "Night"
• The Acolyte — "Teach / Corrupt"
• The Acolyte — "The Acolyte"

Sources

Notes and references

External links

• THE ACOLYTE Production Brief FINAL 5-01-24 on Getty Images (backup link) (First identified as Aniseya)