Difference between revisions of "Elvira Falston"

Latest revision as of 04:59, 1 January 2019

Elvira Falston
Biographical Information
Race	Coruscanti
Homeworld	Coruscant
Mother	Silestra Langer
Father	Jordan Falston (Deceased)
Born	Year -19 Day 157
Imperial Service
Branch	Order of the Sith
Positions	Darth Surra
Prior Service	Order of the Sith Dark Lady of the Sith	Imperial Intelligence Director of Imperial Intelligence Chief of Operations
	COMPNOR Director of the Imperial Information Service	Imperial Army Executive Officer, 1st Legion Adjutant, 2nd Legion
Awards

Elvira, also known as Darth Surra, was an ambitious proponent of the New Order, tirelessly furthering its cause and progress - through work she would later become famous for throughout the galaxy. Having served in the Imperial Army, Imperial Intelligence, COMPNOR and the Order of the Sith, Elvira occupied multiple prominent positions; she was generally considered to be capable, if stubborn and zealous. She served in the Empire for many years but rarely mingled with other Imperials, preferring to immerse herself in her work. Serving a critical role in multiple victories claimed by the New Order through her work in Imperial Intelligence, she is considered an expert in galactic politics. Her laborious and impressive career in the Empire culminated with her being granted a seat in the House of Lords, as the Countess of Ottabesk I, by then Emperor Guinar Ndengin.

Personal History

Daddy's Little Girl

Elvira Falston was born on Coruscant into a wealthy Imperial family. Her father was a merchant and her mother stayed at home to take care of her, their only child. Thanks to her stable and rich family, she grew up without having to deal with any big problems or complications, making her a slightly spoiled child, although she did possess a persistent and ambitious nature.

Business went well for Jordan Falston and the first to enjoy his success was his young daughter. Always arriving at school dressed with the latest fashion and equipped with the most expensive school gear, Elvira thoroughly enjoyed the jealous looks of her classmates and all the attention that their jealousy brought. At the age of eight she was already well-known for her meanness. Her father gave her everything she asked for and she often showed up at school with a large box of candy; candy that she would only share with those that often gave her compliments. Slowly, she grew up to become the stereotype of a spoiled girl, often mocking those who weren't as fortunate as her. This behaviour even continued in high school, where she collected a band of admirers around her and only hung out with girls whose parents were just as wealthy as hers.

A Turn for the Worse

At the age of sixteen, Elvira was called out of class one day. One of the teachers told her that she could go home, that her mother had something to tell her. Preparing several excuses to explain her bad results at school on the way home, Elvira was surprised to find her mother in tears. Her father's ship had malfunctioned and crashed as he was on his way to a business associate. Elvira's perfect world collapsed and in a matter of days, the spoiled brat became a reserved, quiet girl. She began to take an interest in the behaviour of those around her and the psychology of sentient beings, dedicating her spare time to study. It was also the year that Hiram Drayson seized control of the ailing Galactic Republic and reformed it into the improved Galactic Empire. The Falston family was one of the first to pledge its allegiance to the new government, although it would not be until several years later that the new galactic superpower would have an actual impact on Elvira's life.

After graduating from school followed by a period of seclusion, Elvira went to the University of Coruscant and studied Imperial Law. During her time at the university, she came into contact with Imperial recruitment officers from the local garrison and was drawn to the promise of stability and order, something lacking in her personal life ever since the loss of her father. She proved to be naturally gifted in combat and gradually learned to open herself up again to her peers. At the day of her graduation, Elvira walked up to her mother and informed her that she had decided to join the Empire's military forces.

A New Life in the New Order

Elvira as a Command Sergeant in the Army

Elvira was brought to the Imperial Academy where she studied under Galdarzz Aalon, one of the heads of the Academy, who would later become a Vizier. She got along well with him and despite some issues in her personal life, she managed to pass every exam and achieved a final result of 90,3%. Training Officer Aalon's dedication to the Empire and its ideology had a profound effect on the young woman, who was still searching for a wider purpose in life after the loss of her father.

The young Private enlisted in the Second Imperial Legion, nicknamed the Hellhounds. She worked hard and quickly caught the attention of the legion's Commanding Officer, Colonel Graeda L'Annan, who offered her the position of History Adjunct, a position that hadn't been filled for some time. Elvira accepted and quickly began to reform the position to suit her, adding a few small responsibilities here and there, as the ambitious Private yearned to prove her worth. She quickly rose through the ranks and became a Sergeant in just three months. Around that time Colonel "Grey" became Executive Officer of the entire Army, becoming the right hand of Major General Bacara Kex. Within the legion, Grey was replaced by her Executive Officer, Lieutenant Gunther Rall. He was only a junior officer and to assist him he quickly appointed Command Sergeant Tremec Basir as the new XO and Command Sergeant Euna Miriel as Legion Adjutant. This meant that the Hellhounds were led by relatively low ranks, the only officer being a Lieutenant. But nonetheless, they proved to be a great team and successfully commanded the legion, constantly improving the performance of their troops. Rall, as Grey's Executive Officer, had also noticed the ambitious Sergeant. When a new Morale Adjunct was needed to make sure the legion was kept in shape, he allowed Elvira to take the position while remaining History Adjunct. As Morale Adjunct, she organised several events and successfully managed to create a group that went past the legion borders and united all of the Morale Adjuncts to organise events together.

At a record speed, Elvira was promoted to Master Sergeant. A few days after this promotion, it was announced that Euna Miriel, Lieutenant by then, was retiring, meaning that the position of Legion Adjutant would become available. As expected, it was Elvira who was contacted by Rall to fill that spot. However, becoming part of command staff meant that she could no longer be History or Morale Adjunct. These positions were given to other Hellhounds, and Elvira was now an official member of Legion Command. She performed admirably and led many projects, making a large impact on the Second Legion. She advanced to the rank of Command Sergeant and earned many awards, including the Army Betterment Award, later reclassified to the Army Medal of Progress, for her new design for squads and her mentoring programme.

The Hellhounds had earned a positive reputation and were often chosen to participate in top priority missions. The Command Sergeant was involved in many operations, like the famous liberation of M`buh from the New Republic and Operation Sneak Peak, a mission that went terribly wrong after the Army was forced to retreat when a volcano erupted and destroyed both the Imperial camp and the target of the operation.

Breakdown

The 2nd Legion's progress came to a halt when Major Rall was forced to step down for several weeks due to health issues and his Executive Officer, Lieutenant Tremec Basir, revealed himself to be a Sith and left the Army to train at the Great Temple on Korriban. The entire weight of running the Hellhounds fell on the young Elvira's shoulders and she slowly began to crack under the pressure. Were it not for General L`Annan herself stepping in as temporary CO, the legion would surely have fallen apart. Luckily, a replacement for Major Rall was soon found in the form of Lieutenant Michael Beckhart, an experienced officer who had just come out of retirement. He approached the exhausted Command Sergeant with the offer of making her his second-in-command, an offer she considered recognition for the heavy burdens she had carried and immediately accepted.

Tensions in the legion rose when only a day later, it was announced that Euna Miriel had returned to active service and would become Executive Officer instead, as was decided by Army Command. Despite having served under Miriel before, Elvira was filled with jealousy and frustration. She now considered Miriel an intruder who had stolen the position she felt entitled to. The opportunity to further realise her ambitions snatched away before her eyes in combination with the inability to earn her officer commission due to the structural flaws of the School of Officer and Command Studies began to leave visible marks on the legion's former rising star.

Beckhart succeeded in reviving the legion's morale and efficiency and managed to keep Elvira in check for a while, but secretly the Legion Adjutant had already made plans to leave the legion behind and pursue a career elsewhere, working for Chief Daelis Stanov of Imperial Intelligence during her spare time. Major Rall returned earlier than expected and Beckhart willingly handed over command of the 2nd Legion to him once more. The return of the man she considered her friend and mentor soothed Elvira, but it would only delay the inevitable.

Only a few days after Rall's return, Elvira was contacted by Califf D`Troit, Commanding Officer of the 1st Imperial Legion. He explained to her that he had lost all members of his command staff and was in dire need of competent officers to take their place. He offered her the chance to become his Legion Adjutant and Elvira immediately saw a new opportunity to claim the post of Executive Officer after all. Out of sympathy for D`Troit and his legion, but quietly also driven by her jealous and ambitious nature, she accepted and was transferred to the Immortals. There, she prospered once more and helped turn the legion around.

One morning, Elvira received a message on her datapad from Grand Moff Orphaea Imperium, who she sometimes had conversations with. He had rerouted many of the Empire's assets and caused chaos on many planets under the control of the Empire, convincing them to support his cause. His demands were simple: Emperor Vodo Bonias had to abdicate and crown his Executor, Thomas Cherokee, the new Emperor. Wishing to avoid a new long-lasting civil war and keep the Empire intact, the Emperor temporarily stepped down and placed Cherokee on the throne, intending to double-cross Imperium as soon as the peace had returned. Several members of the Inner Circle saw this as a great opportunity and rallied behind Cherokee however, confirming him as the new Emperor, the first in many years.

One of the first acts of the new Emperor was to appoint his long-time friend and supporter, Lord Admiral Seele, as the new Military Commanding Officer. Large military reforms were announced and Califf and Elvira worked together to ensure the 1st Legion was prepared. Part of these reforms was the abolition of the School of Officer and Command Studies, allowing Elvira to at last be promoted to Second Lieutenant along with her official appointment to the position of Executive Officer. A change in the rank system automatically promoted her to the rank of First Lieutenant, but the damage had already been done after months of stress and disillusionment. Her new rank meant little to the otherwise so ambitious officer and she saw Lord Admiral Seele as nothing more than a Charonist destroying the Empire with unnecessary reforms, clashing with him on several occasions.

The commanders of the 1st Legion brought in Dragomir Kies to serve as Legion Adjutant and be trained by Elvira to replace her after she announced her intent to transfer to Imperial Intelligence, which had actively been recruiting active and competent officers from other branches ever since the agency was brought back to life by its new Director, Inwe Ventidius. After leading one last mission in the Imperial Army, Elvira officially retired from the military and began her civilian career.

Reinventing Oneself

Elvira was given a desk job with the Bureau of Analysis and signed on as a recruitment officer with the Imperial Centre of Recruitment. The civilian life gave her much room for recreation, but she had already been reduced to a shadow of her former self. She had clung to the Empire to fill the void in her life left by her father, a trauma she had yet to overcome, but she had her moments of doubt about her place in the New Order. She went through a period of depression and neglected her duties, getting caught in a series of abusive relationships and suffering from frequent mood swings. In an attempt to escape from a violent former lover, she even went as far as to surgically alter her appearance and dye her hair black.

The new Agent Falston

Director Ventidius frequently reassigned her to new projects in an attempt to motivate the troubled woman again but to no avail. Surprisingly, it was Lord Admiral Seele who saw potential in the burned out agent and frequently held lengthy discussions with her. His stories of the Empire under Charon before he was betrayed by the Sith and his plans for the future gave Elvira hope again and caused her to let go of her hate for the people she had once considered intruders and traitors.

Although still not returned to her full capacities, the young Imperial was making steady progress and was eventually transferred to the Bureau of Operations where she became the Chief of the Imperial Office of Criminal Investigations. She helped rebuild the department and became involved in the recruiting of undercover assets for the Bureau. Gradually, she took on more and more responsibilities and was the de facto head of the Bureau, although she did not actually occupy the office de jure. When her colleague in the Bureau of Analysis, Cameliar Mordent, was promoted to Bureau Chief, old feelings of jealousy briefly resurfaced. She managed to dispel her negative thoughts however, and for the first time realised that through conquering her depression, she had grown into a stronger personality.

Ventidius had become wary of appointing a new Chief of Operations as the two previous people to hold the position had gone rogue. Seele, the man Elvira had begun to consider her new mentor, pushed for her appointment to head of the Bureau and eventually she was granted official recognition as the new Bureau Chief. Under the guidance of the professional, organised Ventidius and the experienced, visionary Seele, the new supervisor of all covert activities of the Empire grew into a talented spymaster. She was instrumental in the expansion of the intel network of Imperial Intelligence and attracted many new sources all across the galaxy. It is around this time she managed to bring in her first enemy officer, Juraki Takeda, who was involved in the management of illegal business fronts and credit laundering for several rebel groups. It was after Takeda's execution that Elvira developed the strange habit of collecting blood samples from her targets, he becoming the first of her collection.

A young Sith Apprentice

By her first year in charge, every major enemy of the Empire had been infiltrated by undercover agents feeding intel to the Chief of Operations. Elvira began to develop an insatiable thirst for knowledge, desiring to know every little secret in the galaxy. She oversaw many successful operations, including the retrieval of hundreds of stolen ships stored underneath the New Republic's planetary shields and the rooting out of several spies within the Empire. She personally led the operation to capture a New Republic Senator and Brigadier General, Ayy D`oria. Accompanied by a squad of stormtroopers, she boarded the Senator's ship, who was summarily placed under arrest. D`oria was executed a few days later after a speedy trial, the execution being performed by Elvira herself.

It was around this time that an old acquaintance from her days in the Army resurfaced, the Sith Lord Tremec Basir. Ventidius had asked him to investigate all her staff members one by one and sense whether they had any affinity with the Force. Both Bureau Chiefs were discovered to be Force Sensitive, but they would not be presented to the Sith. The Order of the Sith was led at that time by the Dark Lord who would come to be known as the Shamed One, a man who considered himself to be above the Emperor and saw the Sith as his personal army. Ventidius did not trust him and thus kept the identity of any Force Sensitives in Imperial Intelligence from him. It wasn't until the Shamed One was banished from the Empire and Darth Virsunas took his place as Dark Lord that Elvira was granted membership in the Order and became the apprentice of Lord Eric Jackson.

Jackson was known as a modest and calm Force wielder who valued balance and order, in service to the New Order. He taught his apprentice the basics of the Force and lightsaber combat and set his inexperienced mentee on a path of study and practice, honing her skills and continuously expanding her knowledge and understanding of the Force. Although she had great respect for her master, she would eventually come to reject his philosophical teachings and develop a far more practical and darker view on the Force.

Full Potential

The 20th Director of Imperial Intelligence

When asked by the Select Commitee of COMPNOR to take over the Imperial Information Service after the previous Director's retirement, Elvira agreed. She began to redesign and restructure the entire department, only to have nearly all of her work undone when Executor Seele presented her with the Throne's new vision on how the department should be reformed, forcing her to start all over. This once more put her at odds with Seele, considering giving up her new position only a week after receiving it. Eventually, she begrudgingly accepted the decision and reformed the IIS into what it is today.

Meanwhile, a bounty hunter by the name of Fleur`De Rouge had risen to fame through several high-profile arrests. In year 14, the Gand succeeded in capturing the Chief of State of the New Republic, Cheda Quche and delivered him to the Empire. Elvira was one of the few people attending the execution on Day 60 of that year.

During a period in which Director Ventidius was unable to lead, acting directorship was granted to Elvira. She flourished in her new role and proved herself worthy of one day succeeding the woman that many considered one of the best to ever lead Imperial Intelligence. When some time later Grand Vizier Jorus Taidan retired, Ventidius was his chosen successor. The Throne summoned Elvira to the Imperial Citadel on Coruscant, where they announced their intent to appoint her as the new Director of Imperial Intelligence.

Darth Surra is born

Two weeks after becoming the new Director, she resigned from her position as head of the Imperial Information Service, having led the department for eight days short of a year. This allowed her to dedicate more time to her new calling. Inheriting experienced and competent command staff from Ventidius' tenture as Director, Elvira simply followed the path that had been laid out by her predecessor and brought few fundamental changes to the branch. Despite having been mentored by Ventidius and Seele, she was a lot more direct in her approach and this was reflected in the new goals set by Imperial Intelligence. The amount of arrests and executions performed by the agency increased significantly.

Due to her position of influence, Elvira was granted an honourary seat on the Sith Council. She took on the name of Darth Surra and concealed her identity as a Sith by disconnecting her public identity from her new name. When the Lord Inquisitor, her former collegue Cameliar Mordent, stepped down, Elvira was named as his successor in recognition of her service to the Order and experience in the field. This enabled her to use prospective members of the Order as field operatives to collect intel and carry out arrests and assassinations for her. After one such succesful operation, the Krath heathen Nomak Drome was delivered to the Inquisition. At last revealing herself as Darth Surra in the subsequent galaxy-wide announcement, the Sith Master beheaded the former second-in-command of the Krath Dynasty after rejecting his pleas for mercy.

Descent into Darkness

Despite personally overseeing many operations and remaining firmly in control of the largest intel network in the galaxy, Elvira was rarely seen by other Imperials. The Director became more and more reclusive as time went on, delving deeper into the mysteries and science of the Force and working on new ways to wield it as a weapon. In late Year 15, she worked with a defector of the Zann Consortium, an organisation aimed at disrupting galactic order and peace, to root out spies of the criminal organisation, exposing Captain Kos Van`lin as a traitor as well as orchestrating the execution of Sirius Constantine, a member of Zann's inner circle.

Eventually she realised she could no longer dedicate enough time to her duties and stepped down as Director of Imperial Intelligence. Despite this, she still remained closely affiliated with the agency as it enabled her to remain aware of everything that transpired in the rest of the galaxy. Word eventually reached her that Valkiry Fair, leader of a rebel organisation calling itself the Freedom Warriors, was attempting to establish a rival intel agency that would primarily target the Empire. Elvira made contact with an old associate, Jett Blackheart, to learn more. Blackheart had inserted himself in the rebel group and could provide Imperial Intelligence with the opportunity to cut this new agency down before it could grow. The plan turned out to be even more succesful than Surra had hoped, as Blackheart assassinated Wuma Uxal-Lumir, and provided Imperial Intelligence with access to the ship of Valkiry Fair, resulting in his arrest and eventual execution at the hands of Darth Surra. The Freedom Warriors movement crumbled and what little remained of it was reformed into a mercenary group.

In Year 16, Elvira returned to prominence as the mind behind Trellen Conflict, a succesful operation that resulted in the capture of ten New Republic officers and the deaths of four. It would be her final achievement as Chief of Operations before stepping down and moving to Empress Teta as one of the six founders of the Sith's Rule of Six. She seized control of the fabled Iron Citadel and created the Saarai, an enclave of the most zealous amongst the Sith, intent on enforcing a strict interpretation of the Sith Code throughout the Order. Pragmatic as ever, the new Baroness of Saarai cared little for the ancient code, but knew that the old views on the Dark Side of the Force could never be entirely eradicated, merely controlled and forged into a weapon for the Empire. These militants would unite eventually, so better under her leadership. With her apprentice Darth Civir by her side, she maintained an iron grip over the Saarai and the Tetan people throughout the years to come.

When Darth Virsunas retreated into the world of commerce, founding the Galactic Central Bank, a power vacuum was left in the Order. With the support of her cadre of loyal Force wielders and the approval of the Imperial Throne, Elvira claimed the mantle of Dark Lady of the Sith. Although she relinquished control of the Saarai enclave, the Iron Citadel remained her home and seat of power as opposed to the traditional Great Temple of Korriban. Leading the Order to new heights, the reign of Dark Lady Surra is remembered as one of growth, orthodoxy and revitalisation of the Sith.

Imperial Service Record

Elvira Falston

Imperial Army

Grade	Insignia	Rank	Time held (Combine Time)	Time held (Real Time)
[E-1]		Recruit	Year 10 Day 200 - Year 10 Day 203	June 17th, 2009 - June 20th, 2009
[E-2]		Private	Year 10 Day 203 - Year 10 Day 238	June 20th, 2009 - July 25th, 2009
[E-3]		Private First Class	Year 10 Day 238 - Year 10 Day 266	July 25th, 2009 - August 22nd, 2009
[E-4]		Corporal	Year 10 Day 266 - Year 10 Day 300	August 22nd, 2009 - September 25th, 2009
[E-5]		Sergeant	Year 10 Day 300 - Year 10 Day 314	September 25th, 2009 - October 9th, 2009
[E-6]		Staff Sergeant	Year 10 Day 314 - Year 11 Day 40	October 9th, 2009 - January 8th, 2010
[E-7]		Sergeant First Class	Year 11 Day 40 - Year 11 Day 65	January 8th, 2010 - Feruary 2nd, 2010
[E-8]		Master Sergeant	Year 11 Day 65 - Year 11 Day 120	February 2nd, 2010 - March 29th, 2010
[E-9]		Sergeant Major	Year 11 Day 120 - Year 11 Day 174	March 29th, 2010 - May 22nd, 2010
[E-10]		Command Sergeant	Year 11 Day 174 - Year 11 Day 305	May 22nd, 2010 - September 30th, 2010
[O-1]		2nd Lieutenant	Year 11 Day 305 - Year 11 Day 307	September 30th, 2010 - October 2nd, 2010
[O-2]		1st Lieutenant	Year 11 Day 307 - Year 11 Day 330	October 2nd, 2010 - October 25th, 2010

Imperial Intelligence

Grade	Insignia	Rank	Time held (Combine Time)	Time held (Real Time)
[CLASSIFIED]		Agent	Year 11 Day 330 - Year 12 Day 263	October 25th, 2010 - August 19th, 2011
[CLASSIFIED]		Chief	Year 12 Day 263 - Year 12 Day 335	August 19th, 2011 - October 30th, 2011
[C-3]		Bureau Chief	Year 12 Day 335 - Year 14 Day 198	October 30th, 2011 - June 16th 2013
[HC-3]		Director	Year 14 Day 198 - Year 15 342	June 16th 2013 - November 6th, 2014
[C-3]		Bureau Chief	Year 15 Day 342 - Year 16 Day 302	November 6th, 2014 - September 27th, 2015
[CLASSIFIED]		Chief	Year 16 Day 302 - PRESENT	September 27th, 2015 - PRESENT

Positions