Baroness Chay Cortess was the wife of Baron Peyar Cortess, lord of House Cortess, one of the noble families of Alderaan. Her House was an ally of House Thul, and thus of the Sith Empire. During the Cold War, Imperial Intelligence dispatched their rising-star agent, code-name Cipher Nine, to search for information regarding a financial backer of the terrorist leader known as "The Eagle", responsible for the assassination of Darth Jadus, a member of the Dark Council. The Baroness initially responded with hostility, barring the Agent from entering the estate. In time, however, the Cipher Agent was able to secure an audience with the Baron and Baroness, explaining the mission: to locate the Eagle's financial backer on Alderaan, former nobleman-turned-mediator Denri Ayl. After defeating Ayl in