Difference between revisions of "Owen von Ismay"

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Owen von Ismay
Biographical Information
Race	Human
Homeworld	Corsin
Mother	Kate Elden
Father	Victor von Ismay
Spouse	Caitiri Ja'Brai
Siblings	Wilhelm, Vlademar, Asarya, Alexander, Terence, Jessica, others
Children	Raina, Aiden, Lucas, Lusira, Wilhelm II
Born	Year -21 Day 110
Imperial Service
Branch	Regional Government
Positions	Sector Adjutant, Corporate Oversector Chief Editor of the Imperial Archives, IIS
Prior Service	Commander of the Imperial Army Imperial Army Executive Officer Director of Imperial Intelligence
Awards

"Absolute power is the ability to make two plus two equal three"

— Owen von Ismay

Owen von Ismay, sometimes known under the nom de guerre Raider Aspect, is the incumbent Sector Adjutant of the Corporate Oversector, as well as a former Director of Imperial Intelligence and Commander of the Imperial Army.

Having enlisted in the ranks of the Imperial Army, Owen von Ismay saw action at the Battle of Beta and subsequently rose swiftly through the ranks. However his time on Imperial High Command was marked by an ever worsening quarrel with Grand Moff Daelin Zerk and Emperor Vodo Bonias. After leaving the Galactic Empire he held high office within the New Anzat Order, New Republic and Black Sun. One of the numerous illegitimate offspring of Imperial Moff, Count Victor von Ismay XVI, much of his professional life was marked by collaboration with his now deceased half-brother Wilhelm von Ismay.

Having spent the better part of a decade wanted by the Galactic Empire, he received a pardon from Emperor Guinar Ndengin in Year 14 and returned to Imperial service as a Regional Government official. In addition to his other activities he has worked as a historian and presently serves as Chief Editor of the Imperial Archives.

History

A Violent Beginning

"Few things are as sweet as discovering what you were meant to be, or as bitter as losing that."

— Owen von Ismay

Born on Corsin, Owen von Ismay was given up for adoption almost immediately after his birth. At eighteen he enlisted in the Imperial Army under the pseudonym Raider Aspect, coincidentally joining on the same day as Emperor Charon fell and was replaced by Greyson Uebles.

The Imperial Academy was closed due to countless resignations in the wake of the coup and as a result Aspect was assigned directly to a unit. The first three months of his career were spent as a Recruit until a basic training programme was organised by the Imperial Army that he took simultaneous with a number of other recruits. To his own surprise Aspect obtained a perfect result, the only soldier to do so, and was rewarded with promotion directly to Sergeant.

Following this success his career began to take off. Finding opportunities in the then-depleted ranks of the Imperial Military, Aspect became a protégé and favourite of Brigadier General Durand, the Army's Commander. As part of the latter's reorganisation of the Imperial Army Aspect became Commanding Officer of the Army's Special Forces Battalion.

During the Battle of Beta Aspect took part in Operation Cover of Darkness, a joint Sith-Army commando raid that destroyed the shield generators on the surface of the planet. Returning with the victorious task force he was rewarded with a number medals for his efforts. Despite losing his patron following Durand's resignation and coming close to serious disciplinary sanction he rose to the post of Imperial Army Executive Officer in record time.

After transferring to Imperial Intelligence in the wake of the death of Victor von Ismay, Aspect pieced together his heritage, discovering the murdered Imperial Moff was his father. As Director he revived the moribund agency but clashed with Emperor Vodo Bonias over resources and his desire for greater power within the Empire. Following the assassination of Grand Moff Kirov Quel-Droma by Jacen Boshuu, a close friend of Ismay's, he symbolically offered his resignation as Director of Imperial Intelligence, only to be shocked when the Emperor accepted it.

Being retained as Deputy Director of Imperial Intelligence and restored to his old post of Army Executive Officer only fuelled his sense of being made a scapegoat. Along with his protege and successor as Director, James Turner and his elder brother Wilhelm von Ismay, he plotted to defect from the Empire with his supporters. News of the plot was leaked and Ismay was confronted by Vodo Bonias, who offered a carrot or a stick. If Owen von Ismay and his supporters remained in the Empire they would be rewarded, and Owen himself would be made Commander of the Imperial Army. If they refused, Imperial agents were already on their way to execute several plotters who remained on Imperial ships.

Initially at least, the arrangement worked surprisingly well. As Commander of the Imperial Army he conducted a reorganisation, bringing together the scattered garrisons and forming them into two large Brigades that would prove one of his few enduring legacies. Ismay formed an unspoken alliance to limit the influence of Grand Moff Daelin Zerk with his naval counterpart, Admiral Angelus Goth and the supervisor of the Empire's intelligence and security agencies, Admiral Frank Bach. Admiral Goth's tenure in command of the Imperial Navy was brief though, and upon his retirement, Zerk was given temporary command while retaining his position of Grand Moff. Despite enjoying little in the way of Imperial favour, Ismay attempted to oust Zerk. Vodo Bonias dismissed the ultimatum out of hand and Owen von Ismay resigned his commission, publicly denounced the Emperor over the Galactic News Service and left for the New Anzat Order with his supporters.

The Lords of Anzat

Wilhelm von Ismay had seized control of the New Anzat Order from the Empire and his younger brother was soon installed as his right hand man. But while the Anzatan ranks had been swelled by defecting Imperials, the state remained an economic basket case; it possessed no nationalised corporations, a tax base that barely paid wages and only a shaky hold over its planets. Despite having no experience in finance or economics, Owen von Ismay was put in charge of trying to find a solution. Although he had some success with construction programmes, lack of funds continued to hamstring the New Anzat Order; even mortgaging two of the fleet's Guardian-class Cruisers was not enough to keep pace with the other galactic powers. Anzat's economic problems were further heightened by disagreement between Wilhelm and Owen over strategy, with the former desiring to secure their planetary control, while the latter sought to increase revenue.

Neither the Ismay brothers or Emperor Vodo were willing to forgive and forget their previous disputes. Both Wilhelm and Owen received Imperial Bounties worth fifty million credits, making them the most wanted individuals in the galaxy.

Amongst the Imperial personnel who ostensibly followed him to Anzat was Max Power, one of his senior deputies in the Imperial Army. In fact Power was a Sith appprentice who had been dispatched by Vodo Bonias to execute Owen von Ismay. Having laid low for many months, Power eventually struck. While unable to kill his target, Power did successfully force Ismay onto his ship. While Anzat and its sympathisers scrambled their forces in an effort to rescue him, Owen von Ismay was brought before Emperor Vodo onboard the Widowmaker (ironically the same vessel that he they had both travelled on to Beta). Precisely what occurred remains unknown. Amidst chaotic scenes onboard the Star Destroyer, Ismay managed to escape and was rescued by his subordinate, Michael Turner.

The burden of leadership weighed increasingly heavily on Wilhelm and he began to delegate steadily more of his duties to his younger brother. On Day 225 Year 7, he finally stepped down, handing the Regency over to Owen von Ismay. The transition lay on unsteady foundations from the very beginning however; Wilhelm regarded the arrangement as an temporary measure, while Owen was intent to break away from his predecessors control. Tension between the pair came to a head during a border skirmish with the Falleen Federation. Owen considered the New Anzat Order's economy too weak to sustain them through a conflict and chose to accept the Falleen Federation's demands. Wilhelm disagreed violently, viewing the decision as a shameful surrender, and sought to retake the throne. In response Owen exiled his brother.

Although ostensibly now the master of Anzat, Owen von Ismay soon found himself under siege. Many officers remained loyal to Wilhelm as the founding father of the modern New Anzat Order. Owen's efforts to crack down on dissent merely increased sympathy for the exiled leader and his policy of filling high offices with foreign experts spawned resentment. Increasingly isolated and frustrated by his inability to solve Anzat's persistent economic problems, Owen finally agreed to an election between himself and Wilhelm to resolve the situation. The ensuing campaign was dirty and bitter. When it became apparent Owen would lose, he toyed with launching an Imperial-backed coup d'etat but ultimately accepted the result. Furious with his brother, Owen went into self exile. After a brief period as an advisor to the Trade Federation's Ministry of Defense he retired to private life.

Meanwhile, elements of the Anzatan government began to lose faith in Wilhelm's leadership. A year of retirement had done little to cool Owen's desire to avenge his defeat and it took little effort for the group to entice him back. Claiming to have forgiven his brother for their past disagreements, Owen took up the office of Military Executive Officer. Wilhelm remained wary however and refused to permit any further extension of Anzat's democratic experiment. The pair soon fell out publicly and Owen left for good, along with a number of Anzat's old guard.

Cutting his ties with Anzat allowed Owen von Ismay to realize that he had lost sight of his original goal. He had left the Galactic Empire intent on destroying Vodo Bonias. Swearing that he would do whatever was necessary to bring down the Sith Lord, Owen set his attention on the Emperor's greatest enemy; the New Republic.

Shadows over Republica

"I am here because I dream of changing the Galaxy."

— Owen von Ismay

Owen von Ismay was directed to Riviera Ship Shop where he took up the role of Supply Manager. One of the largest shipbuilders in the Galaxy at the time, Riviera operated dozens of shipyards principally producing Mon Calamari Cruisers as well as BFF-1 Bulk Freighters. The then lucrative Heavy Freighter market made Riviera enormously profitable and astounded him after years in the struggling New Anzat Order.

The New Republic had been founded mere months before through a merger between the Rebel Alliance and Sorosuub Corporation. On paper the resulting juggernaut possessed an unprecedented combination of economic and military might. However behind the scenes there was scant trust between the constituent parties' leaders. The first Chief of State of the New Republic, Maradin Skywalker had proven unable to meet the heavy demands of office and disappeared from the Galaxy.

Service Record

Galactic Empire

• 3rd Battalion, 1st Assault Regiment, Imperial Army (Recruit, Sergeant)
• Executive Officer, 3rd Battalion, 1st Assault Regiment, Imperial Army (Sergeant First Class)
• Army Staff, Operations Officer (Sergeant First Class, Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Captain, Major)
• Commanding Officer, 1st (Special Forces) Battalion, 2nd Regiment (Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Captain, Major)
• Imperial Army Command and Coordination Officer (Lieutenant Colonel)
• Commanding Officer, Armoured Divisions (Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel)
• Imperial Army Executive Officer (Colonel)
• Director of Imperial Intelligence (Chief)
• Deputy Director of Imperial Intelligence (Plexus Attache) and Imperial Army Executive Officer (Lieutenant Colonel)
• Imperial Army Chief of Staff (Colonel)

New Anzat Order

• Consul
• Chancellor and Head of Government
• Regent and Head of State
• Military Executive Officer (Grand Admiral)

Trade Federation

• Advisor to the Minister of Defence (Centurion)

New Republic

• Supply Manager, Riviera Ship Shop
• Chief Executive, Riviera Ship Shop
• Associate Minister for Shipbuilding
• Speaker of the Senate
• High Ambassador

Black Sun

• Shadow
• Advisor to the Prince
• Prince Regent

Galactic Empire

• Staff Member, Regional Government
• Chief Editor of the Imperial Archives, Imperial Information Service
• Sector Adjutant, Corporate Oversector

Notes

• As a junior officer, Owen von Ismay researched a list of past Commanders of the Imperial Army, which marked the beginning of his work as a historian.
• Owen von Ismay is so far the only individual to have served on both Imperial High Command and the New Republic Advisory Council. A similar feat was completed some years before him by Cyrus Cloudwalker, who led the Rebel Alliance, then went on to serve as Director of Imperial Intelligence twice.