Cassandra Worner grew up in a family of mechanics on Nar Shaddaa, and while she disappeared soon after her birth (her parents knew what happened, but refused to talk about it), she showed up again eight years later, and revealed she had a rather incredible talent for working with machines. Her parents taught her everything they knew, with the intent of letting her inherit the family repair business once she was old enough.

In actuality, the real Cassandra Worner died two months after her birth, having been taken by Black Sun for reasons her parents did not discuss. While their old friend, the female Twi'lek Jedi Master Cerri Oshura, attacked Black Sun after learning of the kidnapping, she was unable to prevent the death of the child from stray blaster fire, though Mr. and Mrs. Worner never blamed her, and simply continued on like their daughter was still missing

The real name of the person who now goes by the name 'Cassandra Worner' is Nia Merel, and she was taken from her true parents by the Jedi when she was born, being strong in the Force, and taken to the Temple for training. She proved to be quite precocious, and skilled with computers and machines, and was able to use the Force to help her when working with machines. When she turned six, during the height of the Clone Wars, Master Oshura took Nia as her Padawan, and she began experiencing the greater galaxy at the height of the war. It was at this point when Nia first met Mr. and Mrs. Worner, when Master Oshura [who insisted that Nia call her Cerri] took her to Nar Shaddaa to introduce them to Nia.

When Order 66 went down at the end of the Clone Wars, Nia was only barely able to escape the Clones, partly because she was able to ditch her Lightsaber, but mostly because Cerri sacrificed herself to let Nia get away. She used her skills with machines and computers to smuggle her way to Nar Shaddaa, seeking refuge with the Worners. The two technicians agreed to help her try and find a normal life, letting her take the name of their dead daughter, since she was around the age Cassandra would have been at that time if she survived.

However, while 'Cassandra' loved her parents, and was alright with the idea of inheriting the shop, part of her craved greater challenge. She quickly outstripped her parents' abilities, and began taking Holonet courses from prestigious technical colleges. She also continued her training with the Force in secret, often using her powers subtly to help her mechanical training. She started tinkering with various items in her spare time, both things in the shop and stuff she found in the districts near the shop. There were a few times in her scavenging expeditions where she was saved from thugs by a mysterious, shadowy figure, but she never was able to learn their identity.

One day, when 'Cassandra' was 15, she was working on a large cluster of unassembled parts, and managed to put them together to form what she would learn was a rather rough blaster pistol. She kept it hidden from her parents, since they never worked with weapons, and would frown upon her for having made one. Not to mention they didn't like her using her powers, for fear that the Empire would discover her and take her away. However, a few days later, she was practicing with it in a mostly-abandoned district when someone else found her, and expressed interest in the crude weapon. She learned the other person worked for the Hutt Cartels, and was impressed with her work.

The two got to talking, and she mentioned her home situation. The Cartel henchman asked. "If you could get your parents out of the way, would you be able to make more weapons?" She considered it, and decided that yes, making weapons for the Hutt Cartel would be a suitable challenge. After Cassandra said this, the Henchman left, saying to 'leave everything to him'.

Just two days later, her parents died in a 'tragic accident', leaving 'Cassandra' in charge of the shop. She was soon visited by the Cartel Henchman, who revealed that the accident was no accident—as he had promised, her parents were now 'out of the way'. 'Cassandra' was horrified, but given that the henchman wasn't offering her a choice, threatening to 'expose' her to the authorities as being behind the accident if she refused, she followed through on her part of the 'bargain' and began selling weapons to the Hutt Cartels, though she kept the family business running as a 'legitimate cover'. While she realized that the challenges that the Hutt Cartel offered, such as weapons with concealed illegal modifications, or reprogramming droids as assassins, were making her happier than anything she had ever done in the past, things her parents would never have agreed to let her do, she detested the Cartels for the lengths they went to to secure her services. Furthermore, while she knew she wasn't the one to actually kill them, 'Cassandra' still felt guilty over the deaths of her 'parents', realizing that words she had said without thinking had essentially doomed them. While she would occasionally sell her 'specialty wares' discreetly to common criminals or Black Sun, her primary clients were still the Hutt Cartels, using the threat of 'exposure' to keep her under their thumb.

Today, she still maintains the image of a polite, quiet repairwoman on the outside, while to those who ask for her 'special services' she is practically a mad scientist. The mad scientist image is another facade, however, as Nia is quietly increasing the training of her powers. She chafes under the control of the Cartels, however, and is looking into options to get out from under their thumb and pursue her own path to technological innovation. Furthermore, hearing news reports of the effectiveness of the Rebel Alliance have begun to stir Nia once more, and she is beginning to consider the possibility of 'coming out of retirement' to join the struggle against the Empire...

Innovation/Invention - While working on improving traditional weapons and repairing equipment is what pays her bills, Cassandra/Nia has always sought the Technological challenge of inventing new equipment, especially weapons and droids. While working on Cartel projects, she will often pursue her own personal projects as well, and then might market the result if it's useful enough as a weapon.

Blackmail (15 Points) - The Hutt Cartel killed Cassandra's parents to get her to make weapons for them. However, they have fabricated evidence which would say that Cassandra herself was the one behind their 'accident', which will be released to the public if she ever stops working for the Hutts.

Responsibility (5 Points) - While the Hutt Cartels were the ones to actually kill her parents, Cassandra feels partly responsible for it, as well, given that it was her conversation with a Cartel Henchman that led to their deaths. For that reason, she feels responsibility to maintain the family shop, and has kept it running for her entire career, even if it is mainly a 'legitimate' cover for her weapon production and modification business...

Obligation Total: 20 Points

Cassandra is a 27-year-old Human female, who stands at 5'6" with fair skin and a slender build, possessing short red hair and blue eyes. She typically tends to wear the black mechanics jumpsuit that counts as her 'shop uniform'. Though after beginning to reclaim her old identity as Nia Merel, she has made herself a black suit of armor, with gold trim.