Kyrin Sh'vani

Kyrin Sh'vani is a winged near-human from the planet Chylene. A society overly-fond of rituals and trials by combat, Chyleni are extremely rare amongst galactic gatherings. They had a back bench senator in the Imperial Senate (and one during the days of the Old Republic), and their senator these days is someone who isn't very fond of the more open society of the New Republic, despite the release from the Empire. The typical Chyleni has a pair of leathery wings, pointed ears, a tail, and a physique that is not quite human, hunched over slightly, their skin varying shades of dark and cool colors. Kyrin herself has dark blue skin, grey eyes, and silver hair, a very common aspect amongst her people.

Chylene is out in the galactic boondocks, and they don't have anything much to contribute to galactic trade, so it's rare that anyone comes to visit. The winged people live in trees and are hatched from eggs like birds or lizards, and it's an extremely taboo subject (often resulting in fisticuffs and/or duels of honor) to question which the sentient race actually came from. The Empire used to visit Chylene for the sole purpose of using the winged people as target practice, as one of the people's favorite things is aerial combat... using blasters and more or less mimicking dogfights very much like starfighters do. The most skilled Chyleni warriors can admit to taking on TIE fighters and winning through careful shots into the cockpit in flight.

Kyrin herself is young, enough to be a bit rebellious, yet devoted to her father. Her father was accused of treason by a political opponent, which of course led to a trial by combat. Her aging father lost the trial, and Kyrin's actions afterwards led to her Exile from home, truly a fate worse than death for one of her people. Cut off from her people and its rituals, she wandered the galaxy until she ended up enlisting in the New Republic military, simply to have something to do and people to be around, even if there was a mutual learning curve going on. With a Chyleni's formal phrasing (they don't use contractions in speech, for example), she was able to gain employment as a pilot, seconded to Ghost Squadron as a Flight Cadet when she showed some promise in flying an X-Wing.

Kyrin was present when Ghost Squadron, some flying Y-Wings, destroyed the Dauntless and severely crippled the Predator. She also helped protect fleeing Republic ships when the Empire made an example of Cochran. Her pet project is one geared toward improving the speed of the aging X-Wing, although her recent involvement with the Y-Wing leads her to believe that perhaps they could use a speed boost as well. Whether NR R&D will agree with her is another matter. She has recently formed a romantic relationship with one of her colleagues on the Reprisal.