Governor Pryce

Arihnda Pryce was a human woman from Lothal, born to Talmoor and Elainye Pryce. Her family owned Pryce Mining on land administered by Governor Ryder Azadi. Though her childhood was happy and full of recitals and debates, she grew to resent Lothal’s quiet pace and dreamed of more sophisticated worlds. When her father discovered a vein of valuable doonium, she inherited the company and found herself in the path of Imperial ambitions.

Azadi’s office sought control of Pryce Mining through an additional share purchase. Arihnda refused, and her mother was framed for embezzlement. With bail denied and visits blocked, Arihnda turned to Senator Domus Renking, who shifted blame to an equipment manager and persuaded her to sign Pryce Mining over to the Empire in return for jobs for her parents at Creekpath Mining on Batonn and a staff post for Arihnda in his offices on Coruscant. She accepted, believing she could protect her family later.

On Coruscant, Pryce proved effective as a citizen assistance officer and earned a promotion to manage an office in the Bartanish Four Sector. During Ascension Week, Renking used her to courier a datacard to Moff Ghadi. Ghadi exposed a planted data trap, sprayed her with illegal polstine spice, and coerced her into returning the card so Renking could be implicated. Renking’s office was then hit with allegations, and he fired Pryce, evicted her, and stripped her of her perks. She refused to be dependent and took a new job at a different assistance office.

Pryce soon befriended Juahir Madras, a martial arts instructor at the Yinchom Dojo, and Driller MarDapp of the Higher Skies Advocacy Group. She joined Higher Skies to work mining issues and uncovered a pattern of Imperial nationalizations of mines. After a dangerous run-in on the lower levels, she began training with bodyguards and crossed paths again with Thrawn, then a rising officer. Moff Ghadi confronted her about Higher Skies spying and pressed her to deliver all of their files, using her as leverage. Pryce quietly sought Thrawn’s advice and then executed a double play. She offered Grand Moff Tarkin proof that Ghadi had solicited stolen data on him and handed over Higher Skies material. In return she asked for Tarkin’s patronage, ship repairs for Thrawn, advancement for Eli Vanto, and the governorship of Lothal. Tarkin accepted. ISB arrests followed, including the capture of Juahir. Pryce spared the dojo’s master due to lack of evidence and completed her rise.

Installed as acting planetary governor after Azadi was imprisoned for treason, Pryce trained on Coruscant, left Minister Maketh Tua to manage day to day matters, then returned to Lothal. She closed the exhausted Pryce Mining site, promised priority reassignment for its workers, and privately allowed an Anx foreman to draw out a hidden doonium seam under Imperial control. Under her leadership the Empire expanded mines, factories, and garrisons on Lothal despite farmer protests. She eliminated Senator Renking by arranging a bribe that ISB later exposed, then ignored repeated prison messages from Juahir.

At a security council, Pryce observed as Thrawn predicted disasters that soon unfolded at Batonn. When insurgents seized Scrim Island and later the Creekpath complex near Paeragosto, Pryce convinced Colonel Yularen to let her enter the mine to retrieve her parents, with ISB Agent Gudry attached to plant explosives. After confirming her parents’ sympathy for local grievances, she killed Gudry in a struggle, seized his detonation triggers, and engineered an escape. She then detonated the cache inside the mine to erase evidence and neutralize the insurgents, an act that killed the rebels, Yularen’s retrieval squad, and many civilians. She blamed the rebels, sent her parents to Lothal, and let Thrawn take the official credit for ending the crisis while offering herself as his political adviser. Thrawn suspected her role but lacked proof.

As sector governor, Pryce sought strategic help against the growing rebellion and secured Thrawn’s Seventh Fleet. At Reklam Station, she coordinated with Konstantine and Kallus but let the Phoenix rebels escape on Thrawn’s order, since he wanted to track the larger movement. At Skystrike Academy she and Kallus identified defecting cadets. During a staged flight she cut power to their TIEs to force a capture. Sabine Wren revealed herself, fought Pryce hand to hand, and escaped with Wedge Antilles and Hobbie with covert help from Kallus.

When sabotage at Lothal’s Imperial Armory spiked accident rates, Thrawn locked down the factory. Pryce enforced his orders as workers were interrogated and a sabotaged speeder test killed Morad Sumar. The rebels still stole starfighter data, which deepened Thrawn’s hunt for a mole. Pryce later joined Thrawn and Yularen aboard the Chimaera to flush out Fulcrum. She confronted disguised rebels in the brig, resisted a mind trick, and dropped Rex before being stunned by Lieutenant Lyste during a misdirection that framed Lyste as the traitor, allowing Kallus to remain concealed.

Tasked with capturing Mon Mothma near the Archeon Nebula, Pryce positioned two Star Destroyers as Skerris flushed the Ghost out of the pass. Hera Syndulla baited them, fired torpedoes into the nebula, and created a firestorm that forced Pryce to break off, allowing Mothma to rally the nascent Alliance on the HoloNet. Soon after, Pryce stood with Thrawn and Tarkin when intelligence revealed Phoenix Squadron and the Massassi Group planned a coordinated strike. Thrawn found Atollon, trapped the rebel fleets with interdictors, and devastated their forces. Pryce commanded the fleet while Thrawn led the ground assault. Mandalorian reinforcements destroyed an interdictor despite Pryce deploying Jumptroopers to protect it, and Kallus escaped in the chaos. The rebels fled, and Pryce was left to reckon with another narrow escape by her enemies.

Appearance: Pryce has fair skin and short, jet-black hair styled in a precise bob cut with blunt bangs that form a clean horizontal line just above her eyebrows. The rest of her hair curves inward neatly around her jawline, tapering evenly on both sides. Her eyes are a striking icy blue, clear and sharply defined, standing out strongly against her pale complexion and dark hair.

She wears a gray Imperial officer’s uniform tailored closely to her frame. The tunic features a high, stiff collar with two small triangular insignia markings at the throat, and long sleeves that fit snugly to her arms. Over her chest is a rank plaque consisting of two rows of colored squares—three blue and three red on the top row, and three yellow and three blue on the bottom—secured directly over the left side of her chest. Two silver code cylinders are slotted vertically into the fabric seams above the chest area, one on each side near the shoulders.

Her waist is cinched by a thick, black belt with a square metallic buckle at the center, and the belt sits above the midsection of her uniform’s tunic. The lower portion of the uniform extends smoothly down the hips into a straight cut that continues the form-fitting, militaristic design. She also wears matching gray pants and black gloves that extend slightly past her wrists, the material matte.

Personality: Arihnda Pryce is calculating, ambitious, and coldly pragmatic. She possesses a sharp political mind and a willingness to manipulate or sacrifice anyone necessary to advance her goals or protect her position. Beneath her refined manners lies a ruthless survivor who has learned to thrive within the Empire’s hierarchy through strategy and opportunism rather than compassion.

She values order, control, and personal advancement above sentiment, believing that stability is achieved through dominance and fear rather than empathy. Pryce maintains an air of composure and professionalism even when cornered, using charm, wit, and subtle intimidation to keep an upper hand. Her loyalty to the Empire stems less from ideology and more from self-preservation and ambition. Despite her detached nature, she is not devoid of pride; she sees herself as proof that determination and intellect can elevate anyone within a ruthless system—so long as they are willing to do whatever it takes.

Unlike many Imperial officials who relied solely on authority or subordinates for protection, Arihnda Pryce was a capable hand-to-hand combatant who received formal martial training and was unafraid to fight when necessary. After a violent encounter with thugs on Coruscant, she refined her combat abilities under the instruction of her friend Juahir Madras and the bodyguard Ottlis Dos. Her training proved invaluable during the Batonn insurgency, where she fought and killed ISB Agent Gudry when he threatened her parents. She demonstrated practical technical knowledge as well, handling communications equipment and explosives with precision. In the same campaign, she killed a Batonn insurgent guard and concealed the act by detonating a nearby bulldozer to cover her tracks.

Pryce’s willingness to engage directly in combat was also evident later, when she confronted the Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren in a physical duel rather than summoning aid or retreating as many officers would have. Though Pryce managed to land several strikes, she was ultimately outmatched—Wren overpowered her, slamming her into an interrogation table and electrocuting her into unconsciousness. Pryce later demonstrated her resilience again when she held her own against the veteran clone trooper Rex in close quarters before being accidentally stunned by Lieutenant Lyste.

In addition to her combat skills, Pryce was a skilled manipulator and information broker. While working with the Higher Skies Advocacy Group, she discreetly collected intelligence on numerous Imperial politicians, information she later used to advance her own position and smooth over political obstacles for Thrawn. Her subtle influence helped him ascend through the ranks of the Imperial Navy despite his lack of political tact. Beyond hand-to-hand combat and espionage, Pryce was also proficient with ranged weaponry and carried an RK-3 blaster pistol, which she knew how to use effectively when direct confrontation became unavoidable.