Mera Tilis
Brief Overview
Mera Tilis is a Mon Calamari, and flies pilot 3 in the Corsair Squadron. Hailing from from the planet Dac, she was raised in a society dominated by culture and good taste, and though she was as protected as possible from the dangers and influence of politics, it was impossible to stop the flow of (dis)information, and eventually, she joined Fleet Command and the Rebel Alliance as a trained pilot. Her sharp skills and lithe instinct as a ballerina serve her well in her X-Wing, as well as hand-to-hand combat.
On Her En l'Air
While the general principles of politicking came apart not only on the Dac homeworld but across the systems, a faction of negligence persisted amongst the scared--a tragic stance that poisons youth. Instead of growing up with the sincere distaste of repression, Mera grew up embracing it: a tactic that her family and close friends developed in line with the Quarren line of thought.
Under the acquiescence of her family and peers, Mera had the freedom of ignorance, and used it to study art intently. Schooling took place privately, under the tutelage of her mother, and continued well into her mid-twenties: her mother was, and remained, a ballerina, dragging Mera across the universe and hiding her backstage.
While this sort of cultural suppression gave Mera a fine handle of the art of ballet, and a distinguished equanimity among her peers regarding practice and performance, she had little sense and grounding in reality. The training in dance and theater left her unparalleled as a performer, and incompetent as a member of her species, and the galactic community.
Plie Bargain
After a long run of shows, culminating in a 4 month tour of the Mon Cal classic 'Le Siège de Pouvoir', one of the title cavaliers of the show snapped. A man of great strength and poise, he exploded at Mera for her lack of insight and involvement. Bewildered and frightened by the words and suggestion of events, Mera escaped the stifling blanket of her mother's dominance and roamed the streets whenever possible--on any given planet--and for the first time, found that she was missing the beauty of life.
It was with great pain in her heart when she left for the last time, but she found that her lithe movement and quick responses lent themselves easily to combat, though her countenance did not. Despite her strong body, she was too flighty to keep quiet in the field, too curious to let well enough alone. Fleet Command snapped her up; there was nothing subtle about a laser bolt to the cockpit, and you didn't need to stop talking to squeeze off a couple concussion missiles.
Mera eventually found her home in an X-Wing, and in Corsair Squadron, under Captain Saal Avalar.
