Cliff Chan

A man bearing no distinguishing marks at all and blends into the crowd remarkably well. Chan is a wry character often blending wisdom and wit with dry humor. Even for a man affiliated with the Galactic Empire, he is not meticulous about rank and hierarchy. He prefers wearing plain black or white clothing of simple design and synthetic fabric.

History

Although Chan did spend most of his young life on Commenor, it was not his homeworld. He and his parents had immigrated to Commenor due to a relatively unknown war some time ago. At the time, Commenor was self governing free of any intergalactic affiliations although many of it's citizens, were partial to the efforts of the Galactic Empire. The head of state of Commenor and the most influential businessmen on the planet had all worn the Imperial uniform at some point. Chan's father saw that a government based on Imperial beliefs although not directly under the Empire, was an ideal mix as it would be unlikely to be a future battleground.

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Chan at the University of Commenor

Since Commenor was part of the primary galactic trade routes, the family decided to make their living as traders taking advantage of the numerous business opportunities. Indeed, many families on Commenor were traders or merchants. It was an easy way to make credits and the Chan family was never short of them. In a few years, through brilliant business strategy and much good luck, the family amassed a huge fortune approaching that of what would be considered nobility on other worlds. As the business expanded and new marketing opportunities were harnessed, the family came to possess a small fleet of ships to themselves to make trading runs throughout the sector and sometimes beyond.

Being the only child, young Cliff Chan was the heir to the estate and had the best of everything his considerable wealth could afford. Preparatory schools, private tutors, even his personal J-Type 327 starship custom ordered from the Naboo shipyards with a full crew of pilots and servants for his 16th birthday. When he was 17, he enrolled at the University on Commenor in business and engineering courses to take over the family business.

However, being a young highly privileged child ironically did not make Chan arrogant. Constant mingling with Commenor's most respectable citizens and their children made young Chan blind to the middle and lower classes. He simply could not fathom an existence beneath his own such as any ordinary man could not think to be an animal.

The Turning Point

Now, the Chan family trade business was comprised of small scale production and large amounts of investing. Often times the family had to deal with government or private interests making investments or brokering deals and occasionally this process involved Chan's father making a trip off-world to discuss and tour potential investment opportunities.

After he graduated from the University, young Chan began working for his father's company. Whenever he got the chance, he would accompany his father on business trips. Chan preferred the trips to the less civilized sectors as they always managed to offer something interesting and this was one such trip. The usual mode of long distance transport was a Sienar L-500 Space Liner lightly armored to the legal limit and modified for the sake of luxury.

Since this was a government operation by the Empire in a remote system where pirate raids were not unheard of, an Imperial escort had been assigned to the Corvette as per protocol. The escort was a single Imperial outdated Acclaimator Assault ship and two squadrons of TIE Interceptors that just happened to need to get to a system in the same sector as the Chans' L-500. Young Chan had been in contact with Imperial forces many times before on other trips, and had come to respect them. He boarded his father's space liner, and they set off for the weeklong trip.

It was when the convoy dropped out of hyperspace that they were attacked. Two squadrons of Rebel X-Wing fighters, two Y-Wing squadrons and a heavily modified Nebulon-B Frigate stolen from the Empire. The Frigate sent a message to the lead Corvette that the Imperial equipment they were carrying would be seized by the Rebel Alliance and to drop their cargo and surrender to the Rebels. Chan's father refused to do so saying that he was on legitimate business and that he would not agree to the demands of terrorists. The Rebels immediately fired upon the lead Corvette destroying the ship and killing Chan's father. The convoy returned fire, but only managed to break the fighter formation. The Rebel bombers tore into the Corvettes and freighters decimating them on by one. The Imperial pilots in their TIE Interceptors and the Carracks fared much better. Despite being outnumbered their experience far outmatched those of the Rebel fighters which broke off their attacks and fled. The Rebel Frigate realized that it was outmatched and made a jump to hyperspace, but the damage had been done.

Many of the Bulk Freighters and Corvettes had been destroyed and those that were left were heavily damaged. They did not matter to Chan. What mattered was that the Rebel Alliance had murdered his father. Not only that, they had done it for nothing.

Shorty after this event, Chan returned home to Commenor to try and save his family's company and reputation. He returned to chaos.

The Battle of Commenor had already begun and the Empire could not hold the planet much longer. Chan raced to the family estate but found that the Rebels had already been there. There was a message left at the entrance that stated the Rebels were now the legitimate government on the planet and that this property has been confiscated by the Alliance because it's owner was believed to be sympathetic to the Empire. When he entered, he found nothing. The Rebels had looted the entire estate. Only seemingly worthless items of sentimental value were left behind. To assume that the family business was now dead would not be so unimaginable. Those that he had cared about was no where to be found. The estate's security bunkers were empty, but there were signs that indicated people had been living down there for quite a while before abandoning it and there was yet hope that his remaining family still lived. The family still had a considerable amount of credits in a secure account that was to be used in time of emergency so if they had left, they would still be well taken care of for years. But the dream was over. The life he had known was now gone.

The Battle of Commenor would see the installment of a Rebel government on Commenor for years to come. With nothing left, his company ruined, his entire estate confiscated, and his remaining family gone into hiding, Chan turned to the only hope he saw of peace and order in the galaxy - the Galactic Empire.

In the Service of the Empire

In the halls of the Imperial Military Academy on Coruscant (now Universitas Imperius) Chan received basic training given to all Imperial recruits. Chan was slightly older than most of the recruits in the Academy because most others would have joined much earlier in life than he did.

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Chan in Imperial Army dress uniform

Chan was very impressed with his tutor in the Academy who was in the Imperial Army. Chan decided his place was in the Army and so was transferred to the Imperial Army Training Academy to continue his studies. After graduation, he was inducted into the ranks of the Army.

Chan did not draw much attention to himself as an enlisted soldier, but he did make somewhat of an impression with the commanders of his Legion. Afterward he was given a series of rapid promotions (some through mostly good fortune). When it was decided that he was a capable soldier, he was commissioned as an officer directly under his former tutor. A short time after, Chan was given command of the Army Legion his mentor had overseen.

Sabbatical

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Chan's freighter in an unknown system

Even though Chan was in a position of high authority within the Empire, Chan decided to retire from Imperial service. He borrowed a freighter and after that went into the Outer Rim regions and beyond. No one knows for sure the reason. There were scattered sightings of this freighter in the more obscure and dangerous parts of the galaxy but Chan himself was not seen in all that time.

An Unanticipated Return

Over a year had passed before Chan received a message from his mentor. Shortly afterward, he was contacted by the Imperial Army offering to allow Chan to return to duty. Chan decided to take the offer and returned to Imperial service.

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