Mae-ho Aniseya
Mae-ho "Mae" Aniseya was a human female, exceptionally sensitive to the Force, and a former Sith acolyte turned assassin during the High Republic Era. Her mother created her using the Force at a vergence point on Brendok. She is the spitting image of her twin sister, Verosha Aniseya, who used to be a Jedi Padawan. After starting a fire to stop her sister from becoming a Jedi, she was believed to have perished when she fell into a mine shaft. However, she survived and eventually crossed paths with a mysterious Sith, known only as "the Master", and became a potential apprentice of his.
In the year 132 BBY, Mae resurfaced on Ueda and murdered Jedi Master Indara, prompting an investigation by the Jedi Order. Initially, the Jedi incorrectly accused Mae's twin, Osha, of the crime. The twins were reunited on Olega after Mae assassinated Master Torbin, who had undertaken the Barash Vow. Upon discovering that Osha was still alive, Mae decided to surrender herself to the Jedi on Khofar. This put her at odds with her Sith Master, who swiftly killed all the Jedi present, except for Master Sol, the one responsible for their mother's death. He then turned his attention to Mae for her betrayal.
To get away, Mae disguised herself as her twin and secretly boarded Sol's ship. Her ruse was discovered, and Sol captured her. The Jedi brought her back to Brendok, their homeworld, hoping to prove to the Order that the twins were created by their coven using the planet's vergence. After Osha killed Sol, Mae's former master voluntarily erased her memory, allowing Osha to take her place as the Sith's acolyte. Now an amnesiac, Mae was taken into custody by a Jedi investigation team and recruited by Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh to track down her former Sith Master, who was also Rwoh's former student.
Biography
Early life
Mae-ho Aniseya was the twin sister of Verosha Aniseya and the daughter of Mother Aniseya. Aniseya used the Force to create her, and Koril, a member of the coven, carried her and her sister until she gave birth around 156 BBY.
Mae and Osha lived on the planet Brendok within a fortress. The coven had retreated there after being exiled, believing they would be safe from the Jedi Order because Brendok was not under the jurisdiction of the Galactic Republic. The Jedi suspected the coven of training children in 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 reached adulthood. Mae was eager for this, but her independent sister did not share her enthusiasm, leading to frequent arguments between the two. Osha wanted to live her own life in the galaxy.
Ascension to witchhood
In 148 BBY, seven weeks before the ritual, a Jedi starship arrived on the planet carrying Jedi Master Indara, her Padawan Torbin, and Jedi Knights Kelnacca and Sol. They were tasked with studying the planet because its ecosystem was regenerating suspiciously quickly after a hyperspace disaster. The Order believed a vergence was present. On the day of the ritual, coven scouts saw the Jedi moving their starship further inland. Osha Aniseya escaped the fortress to hide under her favorite bunta tree. Mae, knowing Osha's fondness for the location, found her and asked why she was hiding. Osha said she was afraid of the ritual and devoting her life to the coven. Mae, however, found the idea fascinating and began practicing her powers on small insects around the tree. As she was aggressively grabbing them, Osha became upset and tried to stop her. Koril arrived and interrupted them, taking them back to the fortress for their safety. Unbeknownst to them, Sol was hiding behind a tree nearby, observing the girls as they were playing.
Upon returning to the fortress, Koril scolded the girls, threatening to punish Osha for disobeying her mothers. Aniseya intervened, asking a witch to give the girls some spice cream before sending them to prepare for training. During the training session, Aniseya showed the girls the power of the thread of destiny, demonstrating how two witches could overpower even the strongest one using "the power of two." That night, the girls were prepared for the ritual, getting their hair done by two witches as the coven assembled in the Rite of Ascension courtyard. Osha spent that time drawing in her notebook, and Mae asked to see her art, but Osha refused. Mae became upset, asking why Osha never shared her art and tried to run away. Osha explained that she wanted her own life, separate from her sister's, and to explore what was outside the coven. Mae simply replied that she had everything she needed right there.
The ritual began with the coven witches chanting about 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 her daughter the power of many, and the symbol of the witches appeared on her forehead. The mother then turned to Osha, but before the ritual could commence, a scout barged into the courtyard, announcing the arrival of the four Jedi. Aniseya instructed her daughters to hide as she questioned the Jedi about their presence in the fortress. 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 confronted 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 for her Force-sensitivity. Mae tried to get her to refuse, but Osha accepted. The Jedi and Aniseya agreed to let both children be tested the next day at midday.
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.
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 leave 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. 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 return, ordered the coven warriors to arm themselves and be ready.
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 they 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 headed for the fortress to retrieve the girls as proof. Sol followed him on another speeder bike, while Kelnacca and Indara made their way to their starship. Arriving at the fortress, they found the doors inaccessible, as Mae had damaged the access panels. Fearing that the coven had trapped the children inside, Torbin and Sol scaled the walls to reach them. Meanwhile, Mae locked Osha in her room and, despite her protests, 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 placed by the door, she lit the notebook on fire. The fire burned through the pages quickly, hurting Mae, who dropped both the notebook and the candle, causing the door frame and the access electronics to catch fire, which quickly spread out of control. Terrified, Mae ran to get help from her mother, not knowing that Osha had escaped through a vent.
Outside, Sol and Torbin were confronted by Koril and the coven warriors. Sol demanded to know where the children were, but Koril, believing they intended 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 Sol. Mae ran to find her sister, which she did in the fortress' power generator room. The girls ran towards each other on top of a suspended bridge, but the fire 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, but being unable to hold onto both of them, he let go of Mae's side, catching and saving Osha. 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.
Serving "The Master"
Years later, Mae came into contact with the Sith Lord calling himself "the Stranger" and became his Sith acolyte, serving him as a Sith assassin. She referred to him as "the Master." During that time, she met the Stranger's public persona, Qimir, a former Hutt mercenary and merchant of antiquities and unusual items. She began working with him, tasking him with providing various pieces of equipment for a price. Mae was also extensively trained by the Stranger in both the Force and knife-fighting. Despite their relationship, the Stranger was careful not to reveal his identity to her, and Mae, in turn, feared him.
The Master's mission
Murder of Master Indara
In 132 BBY, the Stranger gave Mae a quest: hunt down and kill all four Jedi who were present on Brendok during the fire that destroyed the coven fortress. The Stranger specified that Mae should kill Kelnacca without using any weapons, calling it "the final lesson."
First, Mae tracked down Indara, now a Jedi Master working in a village on the planet Ueda. She provoked Indara into a fight, but Indara refused. Mae then began assaulting patrons of the cantina they were in, forcing Indara to engage her to protect them. The two fought, and Mae tricked Indara into getting close, stabbing her with a dagger and killing her.
Indara's death quickly mobilized the Jedi Order. Jedi Knight Yord Fandar and his apprentice Tasi Lowa visited the bar where the murder occurred and questioned the patrons. The bartender, Cabuck, gave Fandar Mae's description, as the assassin had spared him because he had his child with him. Because Mae's existence was not in the records, the Jedi assumed Cabuck meant her sister Osha, who had left the Jedi Order 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. Osha, perplexed by the accusations, willingly surrendered. Meanwhile, Mae met with her master, who told her that while those 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.
Death of Master Torbin
Meanwhile, Mae tracked down the second Jedi present on Brendok, Torbin. He was 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 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 when her presence was discovered and went to Qimir, who was also in the city, for advice.
Qimir explained 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 arriving on the planet to track her down, Mae infiltrated Torbin's room again and presented him with a choice: admit his crimes on Brendok before the Jedi Council, or drink the poison to redeem himself. Torbin came out of his meditation and drank the poison himself after asking for her forgiveness.
After 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. Confirming her survival for the first time, the Jedi set up a trap for her, as Qimir revealed she would be returning that night.
Reunited with Osha
That night, Mae returned to the store to pick up some things she had left with Qimir. Sol appeared behind her and tried to convince her to surrender, 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. After 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 to conceal herself and escaped through the city.
As she ran away, Mae pretended to be hit by a speeder to incapacitate its owner when he exited to help her, stealing 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. Osha fired two missed shots at her sister, and Mae escaped using the speeder.
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. Mae agreed to let Qimir work with her again, and the two traveled to Khofar on a starship, landing just outside the forest retreat. Qimir explained that he had already discovered Kelnacca's shelter as a favor and offered to lead her through the dangerous woods, which Mae accepted.
On their way to the shelter, Mae questioned Qimir about her sister, calling her "Jedi scum." Qimir urged her to keep walking, as night would soon fall. Mae then mentioned the Stranger's test and how difficult she found it. Qimir brainstormed ideas on possible hidden meanings of his request, such as using the Jedi's own weapon against him instead of Mae's. They 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 reason enough to rest. She then admitted that she thought the Stranger's test was impossible. As their water had run out, Qimir offered to get more from a nearby stream, realizing she was getting nervous and advising her to relax.
Change of heart
As Qimir was collecting water, he heard Mae scream and ran to help. Arriving at a clearing, he fell into a trap and was pulled into the air by a rope tied around his legs. Mae emerged from the forest and explained that, with her sister alive, she no longer felt she had to complete the Stranger's quest and decided to surrender to Kelnacca instead. Qimir tried to tell her that the Jedi would imprison her, but Mae stated that they would be interested in what she had to tell them about the Stranger. She thanked Qimir for guiding her through the forest and left for Kelnacca's shelter.
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 killed Kelnacca himself.
The Jedi arrived and surrounded the shelter, calling for her to come out and surrender peacefully. As they waited, 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 drew their lightsabers, and a battle ensued.
Escaping the Stranger
Despite being outnumbered, the Master defeated Ithia Paan and a human Jedi, simultaneously killing two other Jedi by pulling the latter into his lightsaber, having already impaled the former with it. As the Stranger fought Sol and Osha, Mae grabbed Kelnacca's lightsaber and exited the shelter, running into the forest. Before escaping, however, she was intercepted by Padawan Jecki Lon, who kicked her to the ground and placed magnetic binders on one of her hands. Mae fought off the Padawan by throwing one of her blades at her, and the two clashed briefly before Lon overpowered her and placed the binders on her other hand, subduing her. At this moment, the Master reached them and engaged Lon in a duel, taunting Mae about Lon's loyalty to her Master compared to hers. Mae ran into the forest again, desperate to escape her master's wrath, with the Master abandoning the fight with Lon to pursue her.
Eventually, the Master caught up with Mae in a clearing. Remarking that she was always weak, he cut through her binders and prepared to deliver a killing blow as Mae begged for forgiveness. Before the Master could strike, Sol and Lon appeared and engaged him in another lightsaber duel. When Lon destroyed the Master's mask during their battle, Mae saw his face for the first time, realizing with terror that he and Qimir were the same person. At this point, Fandar emerged, 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 to his back, prompting the moths to grab onto him and lift him into the air, carrying him away.
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 together for the first time in decades, began arguing. Mae begged Osha to join her, while Osha claimed 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 state that Mae had set the fire that destroyed it. Realizing that her sister had made up her mind, Mae desperately hugged her, repeatedly saying that they had both survived and now had 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.
Outraged and desperate, Mae knocked down Osha and held her to the ground, claiming that Sol had taken her away into a life without her family. The two started fighting until 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.
Personality and traits
As a child, Mae Aniseya often practiced her mother's witchery and was deeply loyal to Aniseya's coven. Mae was domineering and possessive towards her sister, Osha, and became so upset at Osha's discontent with her life with the coven and her intentions to leave and travel the galaxy that Mae was willing to kill her if it meant keeping her from leaving. Young Mae-ho Aniseya was also curious and regularly tested her Force abilities, sometimes aggressively, such as telekinetically squeezing a small insect. 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.
Equipment
To hide her identity, Mae Aniseya donned a black mask and a purple cloak. Although she carried several daggers, her master advised against using them to murder Jedi. When engaged in combat, Mae sported black and yellow armor along with black boots.
Behind the scenes
The character of Mae-ho Aniseya was developed specifically for The Acolyte, a live-action series on Disney+. Amandla Stenberg played her, with Leah Brady taking on the role of young Mae. The design of Mae's assassin attire drew inspiration from the armor of samurai and Byzantine warrior; some elements of the costume incorporated actual bamboo.