Kol Seraph

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Koltan 'Kol' Seraph
2nd Lieutenant Kol Seraph Brigade Commanding Officer 4th Brigade, the Spectres Imperial Army
Biographical Information
Race	Coruscanti
Homeworld	Coruscant
Mother	Lasha Seraph †
Father	Garran Seraph †
Spouse	N/A
Siblings	N/A
Children	N/A
Born	Year -7, Day 234
Imperial Service
Branch	Imperial Army
Positions	Current: 4BDE Commanding Officer 1IL Signals Officer Scout Trooper Officer Archivist, IIS Recruiter, ICR
Prior Service	Imperial Academy Student
Awards

2nd Lieutenant Koltan 'Kol' Seraph is a 20-year-old Coruscanti male, currently serving as Commanding Officer of the 4th Reconnaissance Brigade, and the 1st Imperial Legion's Signals Officer. He also faithfully serves the New Order in several part time capacities beyond the Imperial Army, namely as an Archivist and Recruiter for COMPNOR's Imperial Information Service and Imperial Centre for Recruitment, respectively.

"DEMISE!"

— The motto of 2LT Seraph's 4th Reconnaissance Brigade, 'the Spectres'

Biography

My Childhood

From what little I can remember, I was born in the district of Sah'c Town, on Coruscant, on Year -7 Day 234. I don't remember too much about my family, but I remember the names of my parents: my father was named Garran, and my mother Lasha. They weren't from the capital or the Core, from what I can recall of their accents, so I suppose they must've been refugees or expatriates from the Colonies or the Rim worlds. I don't recall my parents ever mentioning if I had any brothers or sisters, so I can only assume that I was an only child.

We were never particularly poor, but we certainly weren't rich. When I was three years old, however, my parents became very sick, and they couldn't afford to go to the hospital. Everyone seemed to be falling ill in my neighborhood. I will always remember how hard my parents tried fighting whatever the disease was, how they tried to live a normal life despite the physical and mental toll it took. I specifically remember my mother teaching me how to read and write at the family table while my father was preparing a meager meal for us, while the both of them looked so fatigued and frail. I never understood why I didn't become sick myself, but my parents always told me that I was special, that I was different.

Despite the hazy recollection that I have of much of my early years, I do remember one day clearly, when a group of uniformed men came to our home while my father was away working. My mother told me to go to my room and stay quiet in there until the men had gone, but my curiosity got the better of me. When I poked my head out to get a good look and be able to listen to the conversation the leader of the group was having with my mother, one of his companions noticed me, and my mother began sobbing uncontrollably. I backed into my room and tried to hide from the strangers, but they eventually found me. They dragged me, kicking and screaming, from the only home I had ever known.

As it turns out, the men who had abducted me were employees of something called the "Youth Commission", who had deemed my ailing parents as "persons unable to provide for their offspring". I was taken to the Orphanage and given a number, which I had to memorize, that number was 'B-241-E232'. There I was put into a group of children my age, who had also been 'relocated' from their homes in a similar fashion. As we were the youngest in the facility at the time, both the staff and the older boys would often beat us regularly between the lessons, drills, and meal times that marked our stay in that damned place. Food was always scarce, and fights between groups of children over little more than a scrap of bread were common. The staff explained to us that a hard life was a crucible for us to be broken and remade in a more useful form, and any instance of disobedience or disrespect was answered with harsh discipline.

I had two educations in the Orphanage: the first was the public one, which taught us how to read and write Imperial Basic, how to do math, a little Galactic history, why Humans were better suited to serve the New Order than aliens, and so on and so forth... the standard education for Imperial boys, with very little deviations from what is taught in similar institutions to this day. The second curriculum was more intuitive: to learn how and why people acted the way they did, how to interpret their very nature. I began to watch for the patterns by which the guards moved around the facility, where they neglected to go, and what they failed to see. It didn't take me long to discover that weakness was a thing to be abhorred, and that if one was alone, one was weak; that the strong and the cunning were meant to rule over the weak and the stupid. I also recall the day I discovered that others my age and younger could be made to do whatever I wanted if I at least made the impression of giving them what they wanted, all the while remaining in control. Eventually, there were only two groups of people in my mind: my friends and family, and everyone else. We were visited many times by strangers, but the worst by far were the Doctors. I still don't know what they were doing, but I knew intuitively that nothing good could come from all the needles and probes they jabbed into us, and the pills they were forcing down our throats. Friends often disappeared, and were never heard or discussed again. I ceaselessly planned my eventual escape, but attempted only a few times, my plans growing more and more elaborate with each passing. After a few years, I was finally able to get out and make my way home. What I found was an empty, abandoned complex, condemned by order of the Imperial Medical Authority. There had been a quarantine several months before, and the diseased residents within ended up committing suicide, murdering each other, starving out, or simply allowed the disease to take them. I still don't know into which category my parents fell. Afterwards, in what I can only call a fit on insensate rage, I gathered up some materials on hand, as if by instinct knowing what I would need, and burned the whole tenement hab down. Having nowhere else to go, I waited for the Commission to find me. When they did, they threw me into a dark room for a couple months, and I was beaten regularly. The only thing that kept me going, I came to realize, were my friends and fellow victims.

One day, when I was 12, one of my closest friends was beaten to death by a guard, for sneaking out of the compound at night against my advice. The following evening, I called a meeting of the boys my age, and I told them I would escape. I didn't ask for them to come with me, nor did I ask for their help; I simply knew it could be done, since I had done it before. Most were afraid of the guards, although I suppose my self-confidence made an impression, since the ones with the most potential in my eyes followed me without question. We kept telling each other that just beyond the walls of the compound, there was a whole world for the taking, we just needed to stick together. If we could do that, then we could get anything we wanted. When we at last escaped, they looked to me for guidance. "Where should we go?" and "What should we do now?" were common questions, I can recall. From listening to the guards and the staff, I knew there was only one place in the whole city where we could go, and know they wouldn't follow: the Undercity. So that's where we went... the twilight regions below Coruscant's kilometers-high spires, where neither the sun, the stars, nor the sky were visible... where the both the strong and the weak suffered, although the weak suffered more. I figured it was our turn to prey on the weak.

The Undercity Shades

Life in the Undercity isn't pleasant for anybody, but it sure helps if you're not alone, and you have sharp wits about you. When we realized what we had to be willing to do to survive, I allowed those of us who were less-dedicated to our cause to strike off on their own... a veritable death sentence. Most who left were never seen again, and we'd heard stories of 'Shades', invisible monsters who stalked the depths of the Undercity, snatching away lost souls into the shadows, from which there was no hope of escape. Sufficed to say, none of us went anywhere alone, least the stories be based on some level of truth. Darkness, starvation, and despair breed interesting things in people.

In such an environment, those who are willing to adapt and do whatever necessary to stay alive are the ones who make it at the end of the day, still breathing. We were unbound from the rules followed by those who dwelt above us, and so, united by our shared lot in life, we made ourselves force to be reckoned with. Of course life was never any easier, but all of us knew that if we turned on each other, the losing party in the ensuing fight would face exile. We also learned how effective a weapon fear was, so on my recommendation, we would cover our faces and skin in soot, allowing us to blend into the darkness, from which we could strike on unwary, lost souls to relieve them of their 'disposable income'. Our fear of the Shades made us adopt the name as our own, so that others would feel that same fear. And so our predations added weight to the old Undercity legend.

However, we certainly weren't alone in the dark. There were the 'old guards', brotherhoods that were already well established in the Undercity, who each had grudges, feuds, and claims to 'grounds', areas of the Undercity they thought belonged to them by right of tradition, leading to an endless series of conflicts between them. There were also the 'newbloods', ourselves included, who officially had no grounds to themselves, and whose claims were not recognized. And, of course, there was the Mob, to whom we all had to pay a cut of what we earned... regardless of being Old Guard or Newblood. Both groups, including the feuding brotherhoods that comprised them, were united by one common thing: a hatred of the Mob. We would've loved nothing more than to tear their claims apart, and enjoy the spoils of their demise. They had everything we wanted: money, power, and respect. But the Bosses knew that if we truly united against them, their reign would come to an end sooner or later, so they played us against each other, sponsoring different camps and creating tensions to keep our sights on each other, and away from them.

When we started getting noticed, the Mob, true to form, sent someone to talk. In response to the recognition they gave us, I returned the courtesy by letting the emissary return alive, but not necessarily whole... Predictably, the Mob tried to return the favor by having us promptly wiped out, to preserve their illusory stranglehold on power in the Undercity, and to teach us a lesson in respect. But their enforcers' failure to deal with us galvanized enmity for the Mob that had festered in the hearts of the other gangs. Sensing weakness in a common foe, the brotherhoods began putting aside their differences, and began to talk about how to take back what we thought was rightfully ours.

4 years of fighting a guerilla war against the Mob and their bands of mercenaries passed, with the death of every Shade and Undercity brother only strengthening our resolve to bring the rule of the Bosses down. Our numbers steadily growing along with our notoriety, we Shades became key players in the campaign, as we had nothing to lose and everything to gain, and as we understood the power of intimidation, we did not waver when the Mob attempted to distract us from our purpose. After 4 years of fighting, when the Mob seemed about to be driven from the Undercity once and for all, victory certainly seemed near. However, this was not to be.

I trusted my brothers with my life, perhaps to a fault. I thought I knew them all as well as I knew myself... but in my faith, I had turned a blind eye to their weakness for luxury. And so, when the Mob knew it was living on borrowed time in the Undercity, they approached some of our more worldly leaders, and convinced them to betray the cause in exchange for a fortune in credits, enough for them to live out their lives on the Upper levels like kings.

And so, abandoning their loyalties to their brothers, the traitors our side orchestrated our downfall: we were led to believe that the Mob was on its last legs, and one final, decisive strike would end their so-called reign. Taking the opportunity, all of the brotherhoods prepared for the attack, I myself marshalling the Shades to strike. We were so confident that we all stood in the same camp, confident that our fight would at last be over. Little did I know, however, that we were marching into a trap designed by our false brothers.

The ensuing debacle began when our own turned on each other, throwing us into chaos. With our ranks effectively in disarray, mercenaries hired by the Mob entered the fray, gunning down loyal brothers and traitors indiscriminately. I realized then that ours was a lost cause, but as others ran for their lives, we remained, and we paid dearly for standing our ground. In the aftermath, only I and the traitors within the Shades remained, and the mercs forced me to watch as they gave the traitors their just rewards, a blaster bolt to the back of their heads. They saved me for last, of course, intending to draw out my torment. When at last it was my turn to die, I accepted my fate with grim finality, having already come to terms with the inevitability of my death in the Undercity, at some point or another, if not by the Mob or their hired guns, than by the hand of a rival gang. However, much to my surprise, the mercs and the Mob Boss who had taken a special interest in my execution were now being gunned down themselves. Expecting to see a friendly gang rallying to avenge the death of the Shades and so many others, I was shocked to see the newcomers wearing stark white armor, armed with blaster rifles, a rare sight in the Undercity. Instantly recognizable as Stormtroopers by their armor and the discipline with which they attacked, the Mob was taken completely by surprise by the onslaught, and the Imperials made short work of them. To this very day, I thought the disciplined, coordinated, lethal grace with which they moved in their white armor was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The Empire was something all of us in the Undercity were aware of, make no mistake, but the New Order had thus far remained in the upper levels and wealthy districts. None of us had ever seen a Stormtrooper here before, yet alone groups of them. Little did I know at the time, but times were changing, and the Empire, its strength and resolve resurgent, was planting its flag in the regions of the Capital where it as of yet had no true control.

My enemies and would-be executioners either dead or dispersed by the ferocity of the Imperial attack, I was still wide eyed in shock when the Stormtroopers found me. Seeing as I was bound and unarmed, and seeing me covered in blood, grime, and soot, not to mention the scores of bodies that wore similar colors, the soldiers allowed me to live, and go about my business. But I would have none of that! From then on, I had found my deliverance, my redemption. Its name was the Imperial Army of the Galactic Empire.

New Beginnings

Now, at this point, I was 16, my friends were all dead, and there was nothing left for me in the Undercity. I understood that I had lived too long a life down there already, and if I remained, I would only be tempting the fates further. Those soldiers offered me a way out, and I found our goals complemented each other. While I ran with the Shades, I shared a common opinion with pretty much everyone else who lived in the squalor of the Undercity: I believed the Empire was something that was, despite the fact that it considered Coruscant to be its capital world, too far away or too disconnected from the plight of the people to make a real difference wherever the sun didn't shine, like the Old Republic did, according to the stories. However, I learned that this all changed in Year 10. Vodo was cracking down on criminal organizations throughout the planet, not just in the Upper Levels... I just so happened to be a kid who was caught in, and survived, the crossfire.

I felt that things were changing, and I wanted to be a part of it. I still wanted to make my enemies pay for killing my friends, but now I wanted to do it while also wearing the uniform of an Imperial Stormtrooper. The Empire and I agreed, we both thought it was high time that justice and order, no matter how brutal or cold, be once again brought to Coruscant, the Galaxy, and my own life. And so, after convincing the Squad Sergeant to allow me to tag along with his unit back to their home base (much to the irritation of a particular Corporal I remember, who must have thought that I, who appeared to be no more than a simple street urchin, I suppose, was only interested in getting to the Upper City to steal something), I asked around about joining up, and I was directed to a Recruitment Office.

The Recruiter didn't ask too many questions, likely based on my appearance and demeanor. I quickly caught onto his propaganda, and asked him questions which forced him to give me the truth about service. Not that I minded, I knew he was serving the New Order according to his strengths... he was doing his duty.

To my initial disappointment, the Recruiter also carried out the duty of informing me that, at my current age, I was ineligible for enlistment in the Imperial Army, and I would need to wait 2 years, until I was 18, to be legally able to do so. My disappointment was abated, however, when he directed my attention to the Imperial Youth Militia, a newly formed organization under the auspices of COMPNOR's Sub-Adult Group, or SAG. He proceeded to enlighten me of the nature of the group: an outlet for lower class youths to serve the Empire and the New Order on the streets, giving them training they could use to serve in His Majesty's Imperial Army when they came of age. Unlike SAGEd or SAGRec, which dealt with giving middle and upper class Imperial youths a higher academic education or participating in sporting leagues, the Youth Militia would utilize children and young adults as soldiers to combat dissidents, political activists, and street criminals. The best and the brightest of the Youth Militia, the Recruiter went on to explain, were to be offered scholarships to attend the vaunted Imperial Academy. And so, my desire to serve the New Order the best I could as soon as possible, combined with my newfound dream of one day serving as a soldier in His Majesty's Army, and the prospect of preliminary training with the chance of earning a scholarship to the finest center of higher learning in the Galaxy, convinced me of my next course of action: I would join the Youth Militia.

Due to my previous experience on the streets, and my determination to serve, I became something of a rising star in the IYM shortly after I joined. Here was where I was able to exercise a talent for leadership which I already knew I possessed, and it wasn't long before I was leading my own Militia detachment at the rank of Cadet-Warrant Officer. By the time I turned 18, I was considered one of the finest youth soldiers in the history of the organization, and I more than earned my scholarship. I absorbed every aspect of the education I had received from COMPNOR, something which, in my opinion, only worked to my further benefit.

The Academy

I realized soon enough by walking the halls of the Academy, that I was walking in the footsteps of heroes who came before me. It wasn't long until I, now an Academy Recruit, was singled out by my instructors for my experience and hunger for knowledge. I soon proved to be quite adept at marksmanship on the range, and I had an innate understanding of ranged warfare, and a real talent for squad-based operations. On the academic side of my studies, I developed a keen interest in galactic politics, history, and writing, and in these areas, I also excelled.

As is common in the Academy, the most promising students are often assigned personal tutors, either Senior NCOs or Officers, in the case of the Military, so that Recruits can benefit from their experience. I was happy to learn that I had been similarly selected, by none other than Captain Rik Zoidic, Commanding Officer of the 3rd Imperial Legion, the Shadow Guards. I learned much from the good Captain, life lessons I still adhere to, to this day. He became the first of several mentors in my Army career. Now, Captain Zoidic at this time was currently engaged in an offensive against a rebellious sector in the Outer Rim, but he still put the time aside to impart his wisdom upon me via holonet transmissions and correspondence. I was honored and impressed at his ability and willingness to do this, even while he doubtlessly experienced the rigors of front-line duty.

I soon acclimatized myself to the belief that I would serve under Captain Zoidic in the 3rd after my graduation, which rapidly approached. And so, just before our graduation ceremony, my classmates and I signed our service papers, which would be sent to the Resource Allocation Department - Empire, or RADE, which would determine our postings. When I got back my final scores, I was initially disappointed that I had not graduated with honors (indeed, my final score landed me just shy of that distinction), but I soon came to appreciate the benefits of working up the ranks from the very bottom of the chain, and not only that, I had got what I wanted from the Academy, a posting in the Imperial Army, although it was determined that the 3rd would not be my new home: I was to join the Immortals of the 1st Legion, and more specifically, the 1st Brigade, arguably the finest unit in the entire Army. I learned soon afterwards that Captain Zoidic had made a special request on my behalf, that I should have the honor of joining the premier unit in His Majesty's Army... I resolved not to disappoint my teacher by proving I deserved the honor of considering myself an Immortal.

Trial By Fire

I began my career in the 1st Brigade as a Private, and based on my Academy instructors' recommendations pertaining to my skill at marksmanship, survivability, and adaptive thinking, I was assigned to the Reconnaissance Corps. Seeing as it was the only Battalion of its type in 1BDE, I found my new home in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, "the Vanguards", under CSGT Marko Kerred, specifically as a Designated Marksman in Alpha Squad of the Battalion's 1st Section. My immediate superior was my Squad Leader and Section Commander, Sergeant Mikhail Perry, a career soldier with whom I got along famously. I soon made quite a first impression and a name for myself in the Brigade as a whole, being introduced by my Brigade CO, 2nd Lieutenant Ai, to the Army XO at the time, General Graeda L`Annan, who was something of a legend herself among my fellow Scout Troopers. As Lieutenant Ai lacked an XO at the time, both the General and myself were surprised when he recommended me for the job, despite my obvious inexperience. I'd assumed that I'd made a greater impression than I myself realized. Of course, his request was denied, and the position went instead to a 2nd Lieutenant by the name of Dante Erinith, but I swore that it wouldn't be the last time I would be considered for the prestigious appointment.

When the 1st Recon Battalion was selected for deployment to the politically troubled world of Fenves, I felt a curious mixture of anticipation and fear in my heart. Here I at last had the chance to go into battle against the Emperor's foes, but I suppose in hindsight, it's only natural for young men to feel a sense of uncertainty before going into battle of the first time. It was on Fenves, during a deployment that would later come to be known as 'Operation: Exorcist', that I demonstrated in a true combat zone my innate skill with a Nightstinger Rifle didn't reside solely in the Academy, and Sergeant Perry was impressed with my potential for leadership when I rallied 1st Section's Bravo Squad to keep fighting after their Squad Leader got fragged... so impressed that he promoted me to Corporal, and gave me command of Bravo Squad, right then and there. The appointment made me 2iC of the Section, and put me on the fast track to a promising Army career.

The engagement on Fenves lasted only about a standard month, as the Rebs there seemed to lack the stomach for an open engagement after we assassinated the core of their leadership on the planet. Their desperate situation had only become more hopeless when Navy elements had succeeded in effectively cutting off the planet from the rest of the Galaxy in the form of a blockade. Following the inevitable Rebel surrender, 1st Recon was rotated off the planet, having been replaced by indigenous pro-Imperial forces. Personally, I hadn't had enough of the dusty, barren world yet, since I found I could kill people so artfully (and lead others to do it well too), but I realized soon enough that, the threat of escalating rebellion and dissent neutralized, our mission to Fenves was complete.

Defense of the Protector

We were passengers onboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Protector while en-route to our next assignment. While plying the hyperlanes, my men and I, as all Army men do at one point or another while aboard Navy warships, took advantage of the transit time for a little R and R. Of course, the Rebels, having a keen sense in knowing how to provide as much of an annoyance as possible, chose this time to mount a surprise attack on our ship. I remember it clearly: for much of the trip, we were travelling through hyperspace, the familiar thrum of the artificial gravity generators and atmospheric processors of the Imperial warship a reassurance that, here at least, we were safe. That sense of security evaporated when the chaos of the attack broke out... and we soon determined a Rebel saboteur had infiltrated the ship, and had blown himself up in the primary hyperdrive power regulator, causing the Protector to hurl back violently into realspace.

I have to give the Rebs credit, this attack was bold, calculated, and vicious. We dropped out of hyperspace in deep space, about halfway between Fenves and Chandrila, our destination. The enemy must've been tracking our movements, or their suicide bomber must've supplied them our precise heading and ETA, since two enemy vessels, a Nebulon B and a Dreadnought, escorted by a squadron of enemy starfighters, pounced on us just moments after we'd dropped out of hyperspace. Fortunately for us, the enemy had miscalculated the damage we had sustained, and the ability of the Protector's officers and crew to reroute emergency power to the warship's gun batteries and communication systems. Reinforcements from Chandrila were already en-route, we only had to fend off the attack until they arrived.

With Imperial fighters scrambled into action, and the Protector's turbolaser and ion cannon batteries already baring down on the enemy vessels, it seemed the Navy was handling itself well enough, at least until news of a dozen incoming enemy assault shuttles reached them. My men had already armed and were on standby at this point, and I knew that if we were going to survive, we would have to do our part to repel the enemy boarding action, and prevent them from seizing control of the ship.

When the enemy engaged us in combat, my squad and I were impressed with the tenacity with which our Naval comrades stood their ground; all that was needed was for us to provide long range fire support, conduct ammo runs, and administering first aid to casualties. Despite operating outside of our element, we seemed to be doing well enough... until things got interesting. Realizing now that the only way they'd be able to win this engagement was if they could seize control of the Protector, the Rebs made another determined push from the Flight Deck to the warship's Bridge. Fortunately, the Bridge was the first area I had sent men to defend, and realizing their intent, I was able to make it to the conning tower before the enemy.

What followed was the real fight of the day; despite their losses, if the Rebs were able to break our defense of the Bridge, it'd be all over. When they finally came at us, we met the enemy's savage assault with grim determination, discipline, and a tenacity of our own. Placing special emphasis on the defense of his Bridge, the Protector's Captain summoned all available ground troops to converge on the command decks, and counterattack the enemy in the rear.

The line held, in the end. The Rebs realized the tactical error they had made by putting themselves into such an untenable position, but like cornered animals, they were determined to take as many of us down with them. Even I wasn't spared from the desperate ferocity of their attack, as I learned after fighting off a blood-crazed Nikto armed with a vibro-knife. I hadn't noticed while I was using the butt of my rifle to cave in his face after I'd pounced on top of him, that the bastard had managed to nick me in the side, and I was losing blood at a rather alarming rate. My vision began to swim, but before I lost consciousness, I was able to make out the last of them being gunned down by our reinforcements. Thoughts of death ran through my head, but rather than fall into despair, I accepted it with a certain calm. I'd been ready to die since before I left the Undercity, and dying in the Emperor's service, dying in victory, was a good way to go.

However, as it turns out, the fates did not agree. I awoke, several days later I was told, in a tank, immersed in bacta solution, in the Protector's Medical Bay. Upon regaining consciousness, I was informed I would have to remain suspended in the tank for another fortnight, and that I was on the mend. Resigning myself to remaining within the tank for the next two weeks, I took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy some involuntary R and R, with sleep and the occasional visit from my Squad to break the monotony. Understandably, I was more than happy to get out of that damned bacta tank and away from those bloody Doctors when the time came, and I hope to never find myself in the same situation for any meaningful length of time ever again. To this day, even the sickly sweet smell of the bacta after getting out makes me shudder.

Section Command

My time as a humble Non-Commissioned Member was at an end. For my actions on Spira, LCOMD saw fit to promote me from Acting-Sergeant to full Sergeant, making me a Non-Commissioned Officer, and I was given the option to take command of 1st Section myself, in recognition of my 'success'. Despite my initial misgivings due to the fact that the all the accolades fell on my shoulders when I had merely cleaned up after my predecessor led his squad into a bloodbath, I decided to honor the memory of the late Sergeant and my fallen former squad-mates by accepting the position. As it turns out, the date of my promotion to Sergeant and appointment to Section Commander, Y12 D327, was the same day Emperor Cherokee abdicated the Throne, having proclaimed his Executor and right-hand, Guinar Ndengin, as his successor and rightful heir. Further changes were felt in the highest echelon of the Army as well that day: Lord General Seele became the new Executor and heir-apparent to the Throne, and General L`Annan was once again made Army Commanding Officer in his stead. For every Imperial citizen, the coming weeks would be full of uncertainties, but there were undeniably glorious possibilities for those who were ambitious enough to seize the opportunities presented to us by our new ruler.

For me, the opportunity to serve the Empire in a greater capacity came when Santiano Salazar, the 1st Legion's Signals Officer, was appointed to ACOMD as the Army Signals Officer, leaving a vacancy in LCOMD. The new ASO noted my interest in reading, writing, and history whenever I was off duty, these interests having been fostered during my time at the Academy, and so he approached me with a proposition: to become 1IL's Signals Officer in his stead. I accepted, of course, considering that I would have an active role to play in regulating communications and having an even greater role to play in the Legion, becoming Signals Officer on Y13 D37. To this day, I still occupy the position of Legion Signals Officer, but I never allowed my administrative duties within LCOMD to deny me a place alongside my brothers-in-arms in the field.

Return to the Homefront

About a month after the Raid on Elandorea, while my men and I were engaged in a training operation on the borders of the Oversector, we received priority orders from ACOMD, summoning us back to the capital world of Coruscant, my home planet, without delay. Initially assuming we had been summoned to return to provide protection for a Throne event or some sort of secret training exercise to keep us on our toes, our innocent assumptions were however dashed when we at last received word of our next assignment. As it turned out, a fanatical pro-Republic suicide cult, calling itself "The Hand of Judgement", had succeeded in slipping through the capital's defenses, and now held an entire district of the planet-wide city at their mercy with an unknown number of hidden explosive devices.

While en-route back home, Intel managed to give us greater details of The Hand's modus operandi. What was worse was the fact that these terrorists weren't amateurs, their leaders had received New Republic commando training and funding in the past, and their specialty was spreading general chaos to destabilize governments, allowing the Rebels to simply move in and consolidate their hold on the spoils. For whatever reason, the Hand and the NR had had a falling out several months before, and their most recent attack on Coruscant seemed to be one of a grim, fatalistic nature. As it turns out, they had managed to infiltrate our 'impenetrable' planetary defenses and customs crews by masquerading as a private construction and maintenance firm, contracted by the Imperial Government to overhaul utility and infrastructural foundations in the Meetra District, where the Hand's soldiers now held the lives of countless Imperial citizens hostage. When Army Command was made aware of the threat, they dispatched us to deal with the enemy with all necessary force, and without delay. I was a Sergeant at the time, a fresh-faced NCO with a Recon Section, consisting of 32 troopers divided into 4 squads, under my direct command. The Hand struck us fast and with ferocity, not discriminating between civilian targets and military ones, but for all their tactics, subterfuge, and the terror they had inspired, they were out of their element. This was no backwater world, where all that stood in their way was a poorly drilled planetary militia... this was Coruscant, the beating heart of the mightiest power the Galaxy had ever seen, and they were going up against the finest soldiers, and the most stalwart citizens in the Core. Due to my familiarity with the streets and the environment in which we found ourselves, as well as counting on local support, my Section swiftly proved to be instrumental in rooting out and excising the terrorist cell in just over a standard month, I myself having the pleasure of executing the cult's deluded leader, the man who had brought so much misery and fear to my home. Our performance, specifically the efficiency and aptitude with which I had led my Section, earned me a promotion to Master Sergeant, and I was made 2iC of my Battalion. It wasn't much longer after that, that I was appointed Executive Officer of the 1st Assault Brigade, 'the Immortals', securing my place in the 1st Legion's Chain of Command.

Operation: Eagle Eye

When it was discovered, the until-recently hidden Ralltiir System in the Darpa Sector was deemed a target of strategic importance for Imperial forces. The Oversector Regional Government and ACOMD both concurred that if an enemy uncharted action should claim Ralltiir, not only would the enemy have challenged our capital territory's integrity and the Empire's honor, but that they would have established a forward base of operations for future offensives against us, as Eidola had attempted to do on Spira with Elandorea. It was therefore decided that nothing less than a swift, decisive strike to secure the system was in order. We then received our newest tasking... our training exercises were to be immediately put on hold, and the Ralltiir Operation was to be given top-priority. Therefore, along with elements of the 1st Imperial Fleet, 1BDE was immediately dispatched to Ralltiir with the explicit purpose of firmly planting the Imperial flag in the Sector. I realized then and there the important role the Vanguards would play in this Operation, designated 'Eagle Eye' by the JTF command, being the only Battalion of its kind in the theatre.

We arrived in Ralltiir and discovered 5 worlds in the system: rocky, barren Pauc'on, the gas giant Ockbur, frigid Clascvoria, tiny Inwil, and last but not least, the temperate world of Ralltiir Prime. I knew right away that we'd have our work cut out for us. In the early stages of the Operation, we conducted ourselves in complete secrecy, so as not to initiate an enemy incursion. With the Navy providing overwatch and interdicting the system, 1BDE's job was to construct a series of military installations to secure the system from a potential attack. Fortunately, due to our industry, superior training, and Naval support, we were able to secure the majority of the system, thus placing it under Imperial control, in little under a fortnight. Although some unscrupulous characters eventually learned of Ralltiir's position as well, and attempted to stake a claim for themselves, our ability to detect and disrupt the enemy's activities more than ensured the New Order's success in the system. For his efforts and skill in leading the ground contingent in the Ralltiir theatre, Lieutenant Ai was promoted to Captain and awarded the prestigious Achievement Medal, and the Immortals as a whole were given official recognition by ACOMD and the Throne itself, marking one of the proudest moments of triumph in my own career. When the system was at last secure, 1BDE was rotated out, and we passed on the baton of its future defense to the newly-established Ralltiiri Militia. If anyone were ever a doubter of the 1st Brigade's ability in the field, they would simply need to go to Ralltiir to witness the legacy of our victory to put their doubts to rest.

Operation: Andromeda

Our next tasking, and as it turns out, the final Operation I would be undertaking as an Immortal, was another Joint Operation of us working alongside elements of the Imperial Navy, this time the 4th Fleet's 5th Group, under Commander Jorn Stones. Our orders were to assist the 5th Group in a punitive advance against renegade forces in a seditious Imperial Sector by establishing a Forward Operations Base, from which Imperial forces could launch further strikes against the enemy. 1BDE was hastily transferred to the 5th Group's flagship, the Imperial Star Destroyer Majestic, which was already stationed on the new frontline, and from which we would launch our Operation, designated 'Andromeda' by the JTF CO, Fleet Admiral Titan.

Our target would be a military-grade XQ-class facility that doubled as a hospital station. It would be a simple matter for us to board the station, secure it, and establish the FOB, while the Naval element kept the traitor forces off our backs. I took the initiative and drew up the plan of attack for the boarding action, where a token force, led by myself, would create a diversionary foothold on the station in its main hangar bay, having been transported there via a flight of a half-dozen Lambda Shuttles. The main advance, led by Captain Ai, would be launched from the Majestic herself, after she had docked with the station directly and we had created enough of a diversion for the enemy to divide their forces, or commit their forces to defend against only one advance.

As it turns out, the plan went better than expected... when the 5th jumped into the system, we met only token resistance from the enemy, who had only a single wing of TIE Bombers with fighter escorts on patrol to defend the station itself. The 5th immediately scrambled their own TIE Interceptor squadrons to deal with the enemy threat, which, due to the advantage of surprise being on our side, were swiftly dealt with. Suspecting the situation not to remain as fortuitous for much longer, I seized the opportunity to push on the offensive and launched the boarding operation, which went of mostly without a hitch. The few Lambdas the automated gun batteries managed to shoot down on our approach were decoys I had launched as part of the first wave to screen our advance. When at last we were in, my men and I made short work of the enemy soldiers, hangar crew, and defenseless pilots, attracting the attention of the station's command, who sent wave after wave to try and repel our boarding action, only to be gunned down in droves. Under my direction, despite facing an enemy with overwhelming numerical superiority, my men held their ground, not surrendering a bloody meter to the traitor scum.

Our strategy seemed like it would be endangered when enemy reinforcements (the renegade ISDs Basilisk and Tyrant) arrived in the system to engage the 5th's ships, the Majestic and her sister ship, the Impervious, however this assessment proved premature, when the Tyrant was disabled and heavily damaged by friendly fire, and the 5th had succeeded in completely obliterating the Basilisk by successfully targeting its main reactor with a turbolaser barrage, annihilating the enemy ship with all hands lost. Their capital ships out of the equation, the enemy's surviving fighter craft were also soon eradicated. The way now clear, the Majestic advanced on the Station under cover provided by the Impervious and docked with it, disgorging the remainder of the 1st Brigade onto the installation. Within minutes, the engagement was over, and with the enemy's fleet completely obliterated, we claimed a decisive victory for the New Order. With their military wiped out, the renegade splinter government soon surrendered to Imperial justice, thus rendering a FOB on the station unnecessary. However, in recognition for my initiative and leadership in Operation: Andromeda, Captain Ai, with authorization from Army Command, gave me a field commission and promoted me to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, effective immediately. My dream of one day becoming an Imperial Army Officer had at last come true, due in no small part to my own efforts, and that of the fighting men and women of the 1st Brigade and the Navy's 5th Group.

Brigade Command

Ever following in the footsteps of Captain Salazar, who had become Signals Officer of the Legion before becoming a Brigade XO, as I had done, I filled in the vacancy created by his rise up the chain of command yet again. When Captain Morcha Drayson, our Legion CO, stepped down and retired from the service, Captain Salazar, who had proven his quality for command during his tenure as 4BDE's CO, was promoted by ACOMD to the rank of Major, and was thereafter given command of the entirety of the 1st Imperial Legion. Now, one would expect his Executive Officer, Captain Carinae (a faithful and long-serving Officer involved in not only the Imperial Army, but also in RADIA and the Department of Military Intelligence), to assume command. However, for reasons which I was assured were personal, Captain Carinae refused the command, instead deciding to remain aboard as 4BDE's XO. However, ACOMD would not find me so complacent.

The opportunity to command my own Brigade was certainly most appealing to me, but I always figured I would one day assume command of the Immortals from Captain Ai. Therefore, accepting this new post would not only involve greater responsibilities to accompany the honor, but it would also demand that I leave the Brigade that had become my home, and say farewell to the comrades with whom I had served alongside and through so much. The decision wasn't easy, but I knew that an opportunity like this may never come again, so in the end, I decided to seize the initiative and accept command of the Spectres. On Year 13 Day 202, in the presence of Major Salazar, our new LCO, formal command of the 4th Reconnaissance was signed over from Acting-BCO Captain Carinae to myself in a ceremony marking the occasion in the history of the Legion. Henceforth, I became the third and current Commanding Officer of the Imperial Army's 4th Brigade, and my new home for the foreseeable future would be the Deep Core Sector, and more specifically, the Brigade's mobile headquarters, the Victory Star Destroyer Draconic. While en-route to the Draconic's position, I discovered that my replacement as 1BDE's XO would be 1st Lieutenant Joao Apa, who had made a name for himself in the 4th. I was most pleased and relieved to learn that I would be leaving the duties I had carried out in the 1st in good, capable hands. That definitely made the transition a little easier for me.

Upon meeting him in person, I judged Captain Carinae to be a good, hard-working, highly knowledgeable man, and I made every effort to (despite being his superior in the CoC) treat his superior rank and experience with the respect I felt they deserved. The soldiers of the Brigade themselves were an impressive sort, but (with all due respect to my predecessor) I felt some changes were in order, changes that better complemented my style of command. I instituted greater rewards, and therefore incentives, for demonstrated devotion to duty and initiative, and I soon made it quite clear that I would not tolerate anything less than the best from my men. After a short amount of time, I felt the Brigade, with the discipline and integrity that distinguishes an Imperial Army soldier from all the rest, made the transition.

Commission

GUINAR NDENGIN THE FIRST, Suzerain of the Galactic Empire, of Its Worlds and Territories Emperor, Sovereign of Humankind, Defender of the New Order

To Koltan Seraph

hereby appointed an Officer in His Majesty’s Imperial Army

With Seniority of the One Hundred and Ninety-Ninth Day of the Thirteenth Year of the New Order

WE reposing especial Trust and Confidence in your Loyalty, Courage and Integrity do by these Presents Constitute and Appoint you to be an Officer in Our Imperial Army. You are therefore carefully and diligently to discharge your Duty as such in the Rank of 2nd Lieutenant or in such other Rank as We may from time to time hereafter be pleased to promote or appoint you to, and you are in such manner and on such occasions as may be prescribed by us to exercise and well discipline both the Inferior Officers and Non-Commissioned Members serving under you and use your best endeavor to keep them in good Order and Discipline, and We do hereby Command them to Obey you as their Superior Officer, and you to observe and follow such Orders and Directions as from time to time you shall receive from Us, or any other your Superior Officer according to Law, in pursuance of the Trust hereby Reposed in you.

IN WITNESS Whereof our Rightful Hand and Imperial Executor hath hereunto set his hand and Seal at Our Government House in the Imperial Palace of Coruscant this One Hundred and Ninty-Ninth Day of the Thirteenth Year of the New Order CXCIX XIII and in the First Year of Our Reign.

By Command of His Excellency the Imperial Executor.

Imperial Personnel Profile

General Information

Surname: Seraph
Given Name(s): Koltan, 'Kol'
Race: Coruscanti, Class A Citizen
Gender: M
Rank: 2nd Lieutenant, Imperial Army
Service Number: IACO-B52-693-665
Education: Imperial Academy Graduate
Age: 20
Homeworld: Coruscant, Sah'c Town
Family: Garran Seraph (father; deceased), Lasha Seraph (mother; deceased), no siblings

Psychological Profile

Personality Type: Rationalist
Rationalists are motivated by a desire to understand and gain power over their surroundings. They seek to control, predict, and explain reality, to be seen as competent, and to most of all possess competencies, capabilities, abilities, capacities, skills, and ingenuity pertaining to their field of concentration. They seek to do things well under varying circumstances, to constantly improve, to be free of errors, to increase their store of knowledge and to learn as much as they can, to rearrange their environment to suit their needs, to speculate about the possible motivations and thoughts of those they associate with, and to attempt to fit their experiences into some sort of system. They tend to be adaptable, impartial, tenacious, and uncompromising leaders.

Physical Description

Height: 6'2
Weight: 165 lbs
Build: Lean
Skin Color: White
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Blond

Kol Seraph, 16.

RCT, Academy.

PVT, Alpha Squad.

CPL, Bravo Leader.

SGT, 1SCMDR.

MSGT, 1Bn2iC.

CSGT, 1BnCMDR, 1BXO.

2LT Seraph, 4BDE CO.

Imperial Army Service Record

Ranks

Grade	Insignia	Rank	Time held (Combine Time)	Time held (Real Time)
[E-1]		Recruit	Year 12 Day 189 - Year 12 Day 191	June 6th, 2011 - June 8th, 2011
[E-2]		Private	Year 12 Day 191 - Year 12 Day 284	June 8th, 2011 - September 9th, 2011
[E-3]		Corporal	Year 12 Day 284 - Year 12 Day 327	September 9th, 2011 - October 22nd, 2011
[E-4]		Sergeant	Year 12 Day 327 - Year 13 Day 43	October 22nd, 2011 - January 11th, 2012
[E-5]		Master Sergeant	Year 13 Day 43 – Year 13 Day 108	January 11th, 2012 – March 17th, 2012
[E-6]		Command Sergeant	Year 13 Day 108 - Year 13 Day 199	March 17th, 2012 - June 15th, 2012
[O-1]		2nd Lieutenant	Year 13 Day 199 - PRESENT	June 15th, 2012 - PRESENT

Awards

Ribbon	Name	Date Awarded	Awarded by
	Imperial Academy Basic Graduate [IABG]	Year 12 Day 191 (08-06-2011)	Rik Zoidic
	Imperial Service Medal [ISM]	Year 13 Day 101 (10-03-2012)	Zhaff Orikan
	Imperial Campaign Medal [ICM]	Year 13 Day 101 (10-03-2012)	Zhaff Orikan
	Imperial Monthly Meeting [IMM]	Year 13 Day 101 (10-03-2012)	Zhaff Orikan
	COMPNOR Member Medal [CMM]	Year 13 Day 186 (03-06-2012)	Zhaff Orikan
	Imperial Service Medal - 1 Year [ISM-1]	Year 13 Day 189 (06-06-2012)	Akai Ai

Appointments

[Legion Signals Officer]
Appointed 1st Imperial Legion Signals Officer
Year 13 Day 37
January 5th, 2012

[Archivist]
Appointed to the Imperial Archives Staff
Year 13 Day 58
January 26th, 2012

[Recruiter]
Appointed to the Imperial Centre for Recruitment Staff
Year 13 Day 59
January 27th, 2012

[Brigade Executive Officer]
Appointed 1st Assault Brigade Executive Officer
Year 13 Day 73
February 10th, 2012

[Brigade Commanding Officer]
Appointed 4th Reconnaissance Brigade Commanding Officer
Year 13 Day 202
June 19th, 2012

Commission

[Commissioned Officer]
Promoted to Army 2nd Lieutenant
Year 13 Day 199
June 15th, 2012

Memorable Quotes

"Welcome to MY world, where we do things MY way..."

— Kol during his time as leader of the Undercity Shades

"A great people can be killed, but they cannot be intimidated."

— RCT Seraph, on the Empire's citizens, at the Imperial Academy

"There is no room in an Army uniform for second thoughts."

— PVT Seraph, having heard the news of the desertion and arrest of his former classmate and friend, Kaylin Shen

"Come on, you Rebel DOGS! You want to live forever?!"

— CPL Seraph, participating in the defense of the ISD Protector

"Only fools go into battle looking for a 'glorious death'... I don't command fools, I command SOLDIERS! A soldier's duty is to live and keep fighting!"

— CPL Seraph, addressing his men before deploying on the Elandorea Raid

"All three Corps give something to make the Imperial Army the greatest organization of its kind in the Galaxy. Armored with its superior firepower, the Infantry with their inexhaustible numbers... but Recon, gentlemen, is where you will find the finest soldiers who have ever lived. I'm sure you'll soon see you've made the right choice."

— CSGT Seraph, addressing the newest additions to the 1st Recon Battalion

"In war, there are heroes on both sides. The victor is determined by who is more willing to gamble losing everything they hold dear."

— 2LT Seraph, to his XO