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Aspharr Montari
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| Aspharr Montari | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
| Race | Coruscanti |
| Homeworld | Coruscant |
| Mother | Celeste Montari |
| Father | Darien Montari |
| Spouse | N/A |
| Siblings | Tyrren Montari |
| Children | None |
| Born | Year -23 Day 73 (age 21)
|
| Imperial Service | |
| Branch |  COMPNOR |
| Positions | Current:
|
| Prior Service | 
Imperial Centre of Recruitment
|
| Awards | 
|
Aspharr Montari (born Year -11 Day 73) is a General and current Deputy Director of the Imperial Security Bureau, a subdivision of COMPNOR. He has served as the Sector Liaison of Kuat Sector, the Coruscant Oversector, and as one of the longest serving Chiefs of Surveillance the Bureau has had. Montari is most well-known as being one of the lead investigators of the infamous Talas/Feetoc Incident, one of the few de-classified ISB Operations to ever be released to the Imperial public. He is the brother of Tyrren Montari and the brother-in-law of Ciatri Montari. He is also known as a former professional Grav-ball player and a talented and well-known swoop racer on Coruscant.
Contents
Biography
Childhood
Aspharr Montari was born on Coruscant along with his fraternal twin, Tyrren Montari. Born into the upper middle class, they were raised by their father, Darien Montari, a career politician, and their mother, Celeste Montari, a doctor. With no other immediate family to speak of, the Montari family was very close and the brothers were nearly inseparable.
In primary school, they ended up developing a reputation for being bullies, though it didn't take too long for their father to catch wind of and put an end to their antics. As a politician whose job is to show strength and never back down, their father understood their desire to portray dominance, however he did not believe their humiliation tactics were the right way to do so. The two boys were twins, however, they were also very different. Aspharr was physically a bigger, stronger kid, so, his father addressed his behavior through an outlet. Despite the family's sophisticated lifestyle, Aspharr was encouraged to start playing sports. This was his parent's attempt to let him get his fix of physicality so he would be less likely to do it to others, and, it worked for the most part.
What the Montari brothers lacked in family numbers, they made up for in friends. Aspharr and Tyrren didn't have an entourage, but they never seemed to have trouble getting along with everyone (surely their father's genes at work!). Both earned good grades, though they were never perfect students, and both excelled in athletics.
Beginning of Grav-ball Career
Aspharr jumped around different sports until he finally found Grav-ball. It was something that he was (quite literally) built for. His large frame and muscular body helped him move around the arena with powerful strides. While he was in no way the fastest person on his team, he was the strongest. He eventually began playing regularly and played through the rest of his time in schooling. It was during Aspharr's troublesome period and through some of his teammates that he took a liking to racing. He would watch it wherever and whenever possible when he wasn't practicing. After a few weeks, he began going to the library and gathering as much material as they had on the subject. He wanted to become a racer. Celeste knew the risks involved and did not support her son's ambitions, but she couldn't talk Aspharr out of it.
He managed to balance his Grav-ball league membership and this new-found interest for quite a while and he managed to take both fairly seriously. After several years of playing, he began to get fairly good. He developed a reputation of being the hardest hitter in each of the leagues he participated in. After a few seasons in the more serious leagues, he actually caught the attention of a Coruscantian scout for the planetary professional team. He was not offered a spot on the team, but, he was invited to sign a contract with them for their practice/farm team. He jumped at this opportunity and signed immediately. He put his heart into that practice team, and enjoyed the paycheck that came with it. Given that he still lived at home and he came from a stable family, this allowed him to use that income for solely pleasure.
Beginning of Swoop Racing
Thus, Aspharr officially took up a hobby of racing... anything. Starting in his teens, Aspharr always had a need for speed. It is part of the reason that Aspharr was paired with Grav-ball. He always wanted to be moving -- doing something. He had trouble sitting still. Be it toys or speeders, he would race anything that he was allowed to and excelled at piloting the machines. By the time he was an adult, he had quite the reputation of being a formidable opponent, even to older and more experienced racers. This was partly due to his studying, but his ability to devote almost the entirety of his salary to top-of-the-line equipment and tools undoubtedly helped his performance. His brother had also suggested that Aspharr read up on engines, mechanics, and how things worked to at least have a basic knowledge. While that was certainly more-so Tyrren's field, Aspharr knew he could benefit from a fundamental understanding. Consequently, he and his brother could help tweak his swoop racers together and even custom make parts (which wasn't unheard of).
Aspharr started off buying an old, relatively cheap, secondhand “fixer-upper” as his first swoop. It was both old enough and beaten up enough that the make and model were unidentifiable. Although his guess was that it looked closest to an Asteroid-3. Despite the fact that he was economically stable, he didn’t want to invest a considerable amount of money into something that he wouldn’t stick with for an appropriate amount of time. He also knew that he wouldn’t need to buy a brand new swoop and throw aftermarket parts in through and through to get some beginning victories in the beginning. So, Aspharr did not worry about having a flashy presentation. In fact, he didn’t even bother painting the swoop. He and his brother worked on the swoop which was kept stored away from his home as he knew his parents wouldn’t approve. Once the swoop was working and tuned up, Aspharr asked around and got details on his first race. It wasn’t very well organized and it was not the same caliber as other upper-level races that Montari heard and read about, but it was a great starting point. Tyrren came and watched since he had time invested in the swoop. Aspharr lost his first race by a long shot. It wasn’t due to poor flying or mechanical error (surprisingly). It was simply being “new”. Tyrren and Aspharr had tuned the swoop’s engine using conservative numbers that your standard speeders or transports would use around the planet as opposed to the aggressive speed-oriented numbers that it required. Aspharr was laughed at and ridiculed for the mistake which caused a heated exchange between himself and his opponent. Although no punches were thrown, it did end with a promise that they would meet again and Aspharr would take his winnings back. The tuning issue was a mistake that they took with ease as it wouldn’t be hard to fix. And, lucky for Aspharr, he hadn’t lost too many credits for losing the race.
The Montari brothers immediately rectified the situation and signed up for another race. Tyrren, again, came to this second race which was at about the same level as the previous one. This time… Aspharr was a victor. The winnings weren’t much, enough to cover the fuel costs for both races + a “gift” to Tyrren for his contributions which he tried to deny several times. This trend continued for a few weeks as he continued to win races, only losing when he got too greedy and tried to make climbs up the racing ladder that he was not prepared for. It was during these weeks that Aspharr had another run-in with his first opponent. As promised, they held a grudge match and emotions were high. This not only showed in their demeanor, but in their bet – cash prize + their opponents swoop. What was revealed after the agreement was certainly troubling – that the opponent had just acquired a brand new swoop that week that Aspharr identified as a RDD-7.
This time there was not as big of a discrepancy in their performances. Montari went first and, now that Montari’s bike was tuned appropriately, the bike handled much more aggressively than it did last time around. Unfortunately, opponent’s bike made up for that by simply being a faster and less antiquated model. The second lesson that Aspharr learned during these early years was that your hardware is not the most important part of the race – you are. His opponent botched evading an easy obstacle and wrecked his swoop on the track. Aspharr got his prize money and approached his opponent, “You better fix that up before you deliver that to me.” That swoop didn’t mean much to him if he was going to have to pump a couple thousand credits into repairing it. It would be cheaper selling it for scrap. “That wasn’t part of the agreement,” he replied. Aspharr pushed the defeated opponent back, “You destroying part of your wager also wasn’t part of our arrangement. This is no different than snapping the credit chips I won in half.” Aspharr threw down flimsiplast with the method to contact him on the ground and sternly ended the conversation with, “Don’t let it get wet.”
One month later, he was contacted with a place to meet for the exchange which was located in the Undercity. Aspharr brought Tyrren along with him in case anything bad happened and took the family airspeeder to the surface. When they arrived at the location, it was the same stereotypical dark back alley crevice where no one would disturb them. Aspharr didn’t expect to be doing this exchange on a major thoroughfare any means, but this situation did make him feel uncomfortable. Aspharr stuck his head out of the airspeeder and shouted, “Show me the swoop.” The figures that wouldn’t quite visible walked over to a more lighted area and lifted a fabric up to reveal the obviously fixed-up swoop. Aspharr got out and began walking up to the swoop. Just when he was about to thank them, a sudden movement by one of the men revealed a blaster and he began firing. Montari ran and ducked behind the swoop he was approaching as Tyrren – still in the airspeeder – gunned the airspeeder towards the assailants which gave Aspharr all the time he needed to throw the sheet off the swoop, start it, and accelerate out of the area. Tyrren followed suit.
The experience that night prompted Aspharr to go out and purchase a blaster. This he DID keep at home as he worried that these criminals would somehow track him home and attack him or his family. Carrying around a blaster with you in the house wasn’t exactly something that brought calm to his parents and they strongly objected to his owning it. While they continued to pry as to if he was up to no good, Aspharr assured them it was a “just-in-case” thing… which it was.
Aspharr did one or two more races before he decided to take a step back from racing for the sake of his safety; that and all the drama that played out following his first big win had his parents snooping around. Something worth noting was he did run into that same opponent at one of those races and the two of them were not hostile, as much as Montari expected more backlash. He later learned that the swoop racer was not the one behind the attack. It was a relative of the racer who he told about the loss, and who he tried to convince that the loss was legitimate. This formed a level of respect between the two of them down the road.
Aspharr continued to play for the grav-ball practice team and even was placed on the roster as a backup for injured starters several times, but he never got enough playing time or opportunities to prove himself in the arena to make a name for himself. Nevertheless, he stayed hopeful. After juggling racing and Grav-ball for several years at this point, he finally decided that he needed to pursue one and commit to it fully. He decided to walk away from Grav-ball after the season ended. The week after this decision was made, one of the starting players was seriously injured, and, Montari was asked to replace the starter on the field for the remainder of the season. Given that there were only a few games left, he accepted and finished out the season. After the season ended, he was offered a renewed contract and starting position. As tempted as it was, Aspharr knew that a career in Grav-ball was limited and wouldn't help him in the long run. Additionally, he kept having a bigger and bigger urge to get behind the controls of his swoop and he felt that he should focus more on flying.
After retiring from professional sports, Aspharr got a job in piloting by getting a job with a planetary courier company. And with his increased free time, he immersed himself in the underground swoop racing community. He excelled in his courier position and enjoyed being paid to fly and fly fast. The additional fight hours he logged and more time he spent learning about flying, the better he got flying his swoop. Or, perhaps it was the other way around? In either case, Aspharr was able to spend all of his time flying - be it going to work or heading to the underground.
Aspharr began his career reboot by selling both of his swoop bikes he owned to put towards a brand new Skybird swoop racer. With this new hardware and continuous experience, Aspharr climbed up the ranks of notoriety fairly quickly for Coruscant’s standards. Obviously, underground swoop racing was no small community there and developing a legacy or reputation was easier said than done. There were local or regional celebrities, but developing a planetary name was a title held by few.
Eventually, Aspharr was racing on bets of hundreds of thousands of credits, and he was winning them. He continued to work with his brother to tune and customize his swoops, although they were always limited with what they could do. Aspharr and Tyrren shopped around and eventually made another sale, but this time it was for an AeroChaser Swoop made by Lhosan Industries. It was not the fastest speeder out there. In fact, it was slower than the Skybird he sold to help pay for the Aerochaser. The selling point of this new ride was that it was VERY customizable and VERY maneuverable, which is what Aspharr started to desire in a swoop. As he moved up to better and better venues, he realized that the obstacles during these races were becoming more frequent and the tracks even weren’t completely straight as they were earlier. Speed didn’t matter as much on these tracks, and where speed was more of a factor, Aspharr went ahead and bought a JR-4 swoop to use for them as it had a faster top speed. Additionally, he fitted both speeders with turbochargers to at least have the option of going faster if the situation called for it.
He and Tyrren began having tremendous success now that they had the hardware, experience, and knowledge needed to prep the swoops for races appropriately. As Aspharr’s name started becoming more well-known, he decided to brand himself through painting his swoops entirely black and usually with red accents. He carried this color scheme with him through his entire life painting his personal ships these colors whenever he had the time and money to invest.
Aspharr’s record improved and improved to the point where he was largely going undefeated unless it was a busy week and Tyrren and himself didn’t have adequate time to tune the swoop appropriately. Even with occasional losses, Montari made a name for himself on Coruscant and the community developed a reputation that he was the “man to beat” on Coruscant and was the unofficial “King” of the underground swoop racing community. He ended up having his own “staff” of security and other personnel due to his status in the undercity. Towards the end of his career, an appearance at a race equated to a celebrity appearance, although people did not worship him or hold him up as soon sort of monarch (despite the “King” reference made earlier). It was just a high respect and admiration that he gained from the masses. Many people strongly hated him as many do hate the “top dog” and he had attempts on his life numerous occasions. One of those times he was shot and Tyrren was the one responsible for his recovery… and keeping it all off the books and away from their parent’s knowledge. If there was one thing Tyrren was always gifted at, it was discretely solving problems.
Recent Past to Present
Nevertheless, at the same time, Aspharr soon became bored by running the same routes every week in his career and not getting the thrill that he once did. His life became stagnant. He still enjoyed swoop-racing, but he could not find what his next step was there. He had already completed all of his personal goals in racing, and he had already reached the top of the biggest underground swoop racing community in the galaxy. Since the Empire sanctioned swoop racing, he considered moving into a more public/professional realm of racing, but that didn't intrigue him due to the limitations and lack of job security just like the Grav-ball career lacked long-term security. Montari wasn't old, but he was thinking forward. There were times he looked back and wished he had accepted the Grav-ball contract. Where he be? What would life be like? And during the period immediately following him quitting his job, he thought that he had made the wrong decision. Not only did swoop racing not pay what Montari thought it would have paid, it now wasn’t fulfilling him anymore. After more reflecting, he finally ended the internal wrestling and confirmed that Grav-ball wasn't the answer after all. He either would have ended up a failure and would have wasted all of that time and energy for something that wouldn't have come to fruition after all, or he would have done well and succeeded just as he did in swoop racing, have nowhere else to go, and have a stagnant life. He realized that no matter the decision he would still be where he was today, but as a grav-ball player and not a swoop racer. In the end, he appreciated the decision he made because at least it allowed him to keep him anonymity moving forward. Aspharr wasn’t opposed to having a galacticly-identifiable name, but he wanted it to be for something he is doing, not for something he did. Grav-ball wouldn't have allowed for that.
So, now with his past put to rest, Montari could focus on his present and future. Surprisingly, he didn’t have many ideas. For his entire life, Aspharr had jumped from hobby to hobby, vine to vine and the next step always seemed to be common sense and right in front of them. This was the first time he struggled with direction, and, consequently, the first time he had to search for what he looked for in life. For that, he turned to his parents for the answer, and they provided it. He felt as though he wasn't doing the important and rewarding work that his parents did. Their work was not routine. Maybe they did the same type of work, but it was always different. For his mother, it was maybe the same surgery, but it was a different patient with different complications, different risks, and – at the end of the day – a different success. It was a life potentially saved. For his father, perhaps it was the same arguments with the same people, but he was improving his district piece-by-piece. With both of his parents, they could see the fruits of their labor. Could Aspharr? It could be argued that Aspharr did the same types of things, but they were different races against different people with different mitigating factors. Or, it could be argued that it was the same game, but it was different teams with different players and different strategies. The way Aspharr could show the fruits of his labors was through win/loss records. Where his father may have brought additional funding to a program that helps millions and watch it change, or his mother may have saved someone’s life and know that she affected change on that family, all Aspharr could do is go home and put another line in the win column or loss column. All he had were numbers.
Darien Montari was a strong believer civic duty, and believed that it was every man's obligation to serve his government either through public office or military service at some point in their life. Despite this belief, he never forced it upon his son's to go down that road. Being in the business of politics, he knew that you had to have people in civil service and the military for the right reasons. Knowing Aspharr's desire to fly and his love for adventure, he recommended Aspharr consider joining the Imperial Navy.
Aspharr discussed his intentions with Tyrren only to discover that he already had the Empire in mind for a career path. Since they would now not be alone in their commitment, they decided to enlist into the Imperial Academy together. Although choosing different paths, the brothers felt they could take on the galaxy together.
Imperial Service
| Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|
| Year 13 Day 66 | Year 15 Day 192 |
| Year 16 Day 5 | present |
Imperial Academy
Aspharr enlisted in the Galactic Empire on Year 13 Day 66. He attended the Imperial Academy and studied under Junior Training Officer Serena Moon with the intent to join the Imperial Navy. While he attended the Academy at the same time as his other family members, he did not go through training with them. Aspharr was actually thankful they were not grouped together. The Imperial Academy teaches every Recruit something while they are there and each person gets their own experience. While you are there, you bond with, lean on, and support your fellow Recruits and you build a new support system. You learn to trust one another. So, having people around him constantly that he already trusted would have been detrimental to Aspharr's development as a leader and reliable shipmate. This forced him to befriend new people and fully embrace what the Academy had to offer. For example, he very eagerly joined the Imperial Academy's Inter-Academy Grav-ball League. He re-lived his brief professional career and his team managed to win the championship among the Academies.
The Academy was both physically and mentally demanding, moreso than Aspharr prepared himself for. Being a "student-athlete" did not make it any easier, however, at this stage Grav-ball was more of a stress-reliever to Aspharr than a stress-inducer. In fact, Aspharr credited the League for his success in the Academy. The Imperial Academy was living proof of why the Empire had the strength and success that it did. The Empire made good men and women great, average men and women good, and disregarded the rest. Only the most qualified graduated.
And Montari was one of them! Aspharr ended with a final grade of 94%. He graduated from the Imperial Academy on Year 13 Day 71 with honors and was accepted into the Imperial Navy.
Aspharr was swiftly appointed to the 8th Group in the 3rd Imperial Fleet of the Imperial Navy. He quickly befriended his fleetmates and was assigned a variety of fighters ranging from TIE Interceptors to Xg-1 Star Wings. The transition from swoop racers to fighters was a much harder transition than Montari imagined it would be. He expected that the learning curve would not nearly be as difficult as he imagined it would be, but he understood. After all, the Empire accepted only the best.
Aspharr did not rise as swiftly through the ranks as some of his peers nor as quickly as his brother did in the Imperial Army; however, he spent that extra time both practicing and honing his skills and looking for new opportunities. It was with this outlook that he discovered the Imperial Centre of Recruitment led by Director Dratt Darkstar. After sending in an application, he was accepted as a Recruitment Officer and began to serve the Empire in that capacity. Still yearning to find ways to aid the Empire, Montari also took advantage of a job opening in the Imperial Academy serving as a Junior Training Officer. Aspharr flashed back to his days in the Academy and enjoyed his interaction with his Training Officer. He enjoyed the fact that Training Officers are for many newly enlisted Imperials their first contact, and you would never forget the person who trained you in the Imperial Academy. Such an obvious impact on new Imperials was something that Aspharr aspired to have, so he put in an application for that as well. He was accepted as one of three new Instructors. Humbled, Montari worked hard once he got to the Academy and enjoyed his time working there.
As Aspharr was gaining experience throughout other departments of the Empire, he never turned his attention away from his home and the center of his focus and responsibility - the Navy. After the retirement of the incumbent, Montari actively sought out the position of the Fleet Signals Officer in his unit. He was accepted almost instantly. He was overwhelmed with happiness as new experiences and trust was given to him. Just when he thought that nothing better could come his way, he ended up getting commissioned as an officer. All of these positive developments warranted communication home. Aspharr wrote home to his parents to tell them the news, and they were equally proud of him. Apparently, Tyrren had been communicating with them as well and was having greater success than Aspharr. Always competitive, Aspharr commented that Tyrren must have had to sleep with some Imperial officers with clout to achieve such success. Kidding, of course, Aspharr knew that Tyrren was talented, and was happy to see that their decision to join the Empire together was equally satisfying. Aspharr would have felt terrible otherwise - if he was achieving so much, and Tyrren was bitter and unhappy. Luckily that was not the case, and Ciatri was making a name for herself in Regional Government herself. Having not been in the Empire for very long at all, Aspharr marveled at the strides and the impact that his family was making on the Empire, and he couldn't imagine what could come next.
Unfortunately, Aspharr became disillusioned with the Navy. Throughout his Enlisted service, he had 2 Group Commanding Officers and 1 Fleet Commanding Officer go AWOL, and 1 Group Commanding Officer desert. This led to many lulls and changes within his group and lots of unnecessary transition. He compared this situation to Grav-ball. One of the main reasons his team had so much success was because the coaching staff had a long tenure. "One Coach, One Vision, One Outcome," they said. His Group's vision changed so much he always felt like he was rebuilding and never progressing. This left Aspharr confused, disoriented, and torn. He was so happy in the Navy, but his purpose was not as clear anymore. He reflected in this and decided it was best for him to perhaps get away from the Navy, as much as he loved it. He loved flying fast, but he realized that his happiness came first. This prompted an application to the Imperial Security Bureau which declared 1 opening. He applied and decided that he would continue his service in the Navy as if the application didn't exist. For one, the application window + decision process would take a long time, and 2) it was the honorable thing to do. The Navy had given him so much. Should he get accepted, he didn't want to be known as the guy who spent his last days in the Navy goofing off.
Aspharr's continued dedication didn't go unnoticed. Himself and Artorius Byrd, Aspharr's confidant and close friend in the Navy, were temporarily pulled from the 8th Group to assist the 4th Group with a secret mission. They were arguably the top 2 pilots in the 8th Group and certainly contenders for the best in the Fleet. Nevertheless, their talents were recognized. Soon after, wargames and other drills started picking up in quick succession like they were back when Aspharr was younger. Unfortunately, this new found fun was brought to a halt when Aspharr received a response from the Director of ISB. He was accepted! He had never been so excited in his life. His father, being a politician, must had instilled a desire to be involved with the law when he convinced his son to join the Empire, because Aspharr had spent most of his teen years evading the law. It hit him soon after though that his new assignment meant that he was leaving "home". he would have to say "Goodbye" to one of his closest friends in the Empire, Artorius Byrd. Aspharr would be lying to you if he said this didn't break his heart a little. Nevertheless, Montari was comforted by knowing that their was a war to wage against the Rebels and the Navy needed men like Byrd to wage that war and protect the Imperial Citizens they were tasked with overseeing. Aspharr was rejuvenated with his lost motivation and packed his bags ready to take on a new objective. He had a new vision, and it seemed like it was burning strong.
Imperial Security Bureau
Aspharr's transition to the Bureau was more difficult than he imagined it would be. The Bureau required its Agents to do a lot out of the gate with very little formal training. That was probably why the selection process was as hard as it was, because Agents needed to just instinctively have the skill-set needed to do well. The Bureau required natural, good judgment, and that can't be taught. Training occurred; however, it wasn't nearly as formalized as it was in the Navy (something that came to change during his tenure). This forced him to do a lot of thinking on his feet and learning as he went along. This made him notably cautious during his first few months in his new role. As time went on, however, he became more confident in the execution of his duties and started to reflect that change outwardly to others.
Montari's probationary period quickly expired as he was promoted to a full agent and he was promptly given a security post as the Security Liaison to the Kuat Sector. This post excited him and intimidated him as these new responsibilities were placed on his shoulders. While he knew that it wasn't abnormal for this to happen, he still was scared that he - a mere Lieutenant - was given so much authority with such little time in ISB. He would later comment that although he felt as though he was 'brand new' at the time, he was adequately equipped to handle what was given to him. After all, rarely does one feel like they are fully ready for something unless they have done it before. Some things you never feel ready for and you just have to try to execute it as best as you can.
Montari served in this post for a considerable amount of time and did well. Mistakes were made and his superiors came down on him on more than one occasion, but he learned from these mistakes. He rose through the ranks eventually reaching Captain. It was at this time that he was promoted to Chief of Surveillance, an office founded and previously held by Zhaff Orikan. When Orikan was promoted to Deputy Director, the vacancy needed to be filled. Given that Aspharr was previously a covert agent of Orikan's while in the Imperial Navy and was interested in the office, the position was offered to him.
This little known fact was party why Orikan and Montari had a good working relationship. Zhaff had spent months upon months serving as Montari's handler as a covert agent, so not only did they both have ample time to learn about each other, how each other thinks, and how to deal with each other, Zhaff served as a mentor to Aspharr in many ways. It was during Aspharr's tenure as a covert agent that he mentioned his interest in the Bureau. Although it was something that Aspharr would never bring up, he truly believed that Zhaff was a big reason why he got into the Bureau in the first place. Sure - he had to have the credentials and he had to have the skill-set, but he strongly believed that it would have been *much* harder without Orikan's influence on his side... something that he was always grateful for.
Montari's relationship with the other Agents were also good. He maintained a good relationship with Draelor Nah`utal. Given that they were both Sector Liasions, they crossed paths and found themselves working together many times. Although they disagreed with each other often, they respected each other. Although he didn't work with Director von Bianchi nearly as Orikan, for example, did, his job as a Sector Liasion required that he meet and report to the Director often. He always made Aspharr feel relaxed and comfortable in the Bureau, despite the fact that he was the Dark Lord of the Sith and was one of the most feared and respected Imperials in the galaxy. Aspharr wasn't sure if this was just because he was an Imperial, and, therefore, not an enemy, or if it was a philosophical/psychological management philosophy that he utilized to maximize productivity. Whatever it was, Aspharr didn't care for it to change.
It was soon after this time that Aspharr was promoted elsewhere - in the Imperial Academy and the Imperial Centre of Recruitment. With the previous ICR Deputy Director stepping down to focus on duties elsewhere, Aspharr was recommended as a replacement and eagerly accepted. While Aspharr would have never admitted it publicly, being a Recruitment Officer wasn't as accommodating through his new lifestyle in ISB as it was in the Imperial Navy. His new administrative position was much more conducive to his lifestyle and came as a breath of fresh air for him. In the Imperial Academy, he was contacted out of the blue as a potential candidate to fill the vacant Assistant Dean position. Aspharr had always tried to help out in the Academy wherever possible. Even as a Junior Training Officer, he was forwarding ideas to Academy Administration that included corrections to material and ways to improve the system. As a Training Officer, those suggestions included refining and incorporating new ways to record and store data - something that his ISB background greatly assisted with. After a significant wait, he was grateful to get word that he was given the position. Although the role was a bit overwhelming at first to get a hold of, he was happy to be there and started to get the hang of things relatively quickly.
Aspharr was probably most well-known as being one of the Lead Investigators of the infamous Talas/Feetoc Incident, where two (2) Navy Enlisted conspired to steal Imperial property as well as murder a Naval Officer and ISB Deputy Director Orikan. It was one of the few ISB Operations that ended up being declassified and released to the Empire. The incident ultimately resulted in failure when the property was recovered and suspects arrested and ultimately executed.
Montari devoted the majority of his energy towards taking Orikan's brainchild, the Department of Surveillance, and making it better. He formalized many of the processes and increased record-keeping of the Office's findings, abilities, and assets. Aside from these improvements, he also was responsible for improving and updating ISB's aging databases. The ISB's databases were ancient sources of information and went back in time further than Aspharr could have ever imagined. As a result, they were also largely antiquated and the databanks were starting to fail. Montari volunteered to rectify this situation and single-handedly rebuilt the database and recovered all of the corrupted data on the old servers. It was a long and mundane task, but he was happy to do it.
Montari, along with others, also helped push for Bureau reform and optimization of protocols and procedures. Although most efforts fizzled or were denied for various reasons, he did help affect change on the Imperial Security Bureau throughout his time there.
Retirement
In the middle of Year 15, Aspharr retired suddenly with next to little notice. The details and reasons for his retirement were sealed and never fully revealed. His military record (some time later) did reveal a redacted excerpt that shed some light onto the situation. It hinted that there were personal and health concerns that needed to get immediately addressed in an intensive and focused fashion. As a result, he had to turn his full and complete attention to himself and could no longer be an asset to the Empire. He very deeply regretted his departure - especially the manner in which is was carried out. He knew that it put added strain on his fellow Agents and caused instability. Although the choice troubled him, he eventually convinced himself that it was a choice not fully in his hands and he did what he had to do.
Therefore, Aspharr Montari filed an emergency petition for retirement from Imperial Service on Year 15 Day 192, effective immediately. He was Honorably Discharged from the Imperial Security Bureau and entered civilian life.
Return to Service
Aspharr spent most of his time as a civilian addressing the issues that came up in his life that forced him into retirement. He didn't move. He didn't get a civilian job. He focused on himself. Although there were still residual issues to address, he found himself in a much better place and felt himself longing to aid the Empire in its goals once again. Once you are part of something as big and rewarding as the Empire, it is hard to settle in and feel satisfied in the civilian private sector. Therefore, he explored the possibility of returning to Imperial Service.
It was soon after he began making inquiries that he was contacted by his former mentor and direct superior, Zhaff Orikan, who had heard through his contacts that Aspharr was doing better and was looking into getting back into service. Apparently, Montari had started making inquiries following the Bureau losing some Agents. Given that they were looking to replace the open positions, Montari was invited to return to ISB to prevent the need for intensive training and allow him to return to a functional capacity close to immediately. As a precaution, he was required to go through remedial and supplemental testing to ensure that he was up-to-date on any changes that took effect after his departure. Unfortunately, he was unable to return to his former post. Although he was upset that he was unable to return to Kuat, his disappointment was met with a great silver lining. He was going home. He was going to Coruscant.
Getting reacquainted with Imperial protocols and procedures didn't take long for Aspharr, and the thrills of working in the Bureau didn't take long to surface. Within days of getting reissued his uniform, he took part in various operations that involved suspicious disappearances, man-hunts, reclaiming Imperial assets, and defectors. Although he was only *just* recently an Agent again, he didn't feel sluggish or like he was "new" at all. It was amazing how the instincts and mentality of a Bureau Agent just flipped back to life inside of him.
Aspharr's return to the Bureau also logically resulted in new Agents that were hired after his departure. Luckily, these too were familiar faces in Bisk Marlowe and Koiaas Sisk, both former covert agents under Aspharr's direction during his time as Chief of Surveillance. Although he hadn't spoken to them in some time, he was happy to see that two of his brightest agents that *he* mentored were now full-time Agents. He had only hoped that he was as good of a mentor to them as Orikan was to himself.
The environment was the biggest change to get used to. Obviously, he loved the idea of finally returning to his home sector and possibly even using some downtime to visit his family - something that wasn't an option previously. Although, he grew to enjoy Kuat, and he knew of its importance to the Empire. It's ship-building yards were (in Aspharr's opinion) unrivaled in the galaxy and the ability to see brand new, spotless Imperial ship deploy into space for the first time was majesty at its finest. It definitely had a role to play in the New Order, and he was proud to be the one tasked to stand in between that role being carried out and those that wished to destroy it. Obviously, Coruscant had its own galacticly-known importance, and there came a certain prestige to working out of the Imperial Security Bureau's Headquarters - the same building where the Director and Deputy Director operated out of. There also came the same feeling of pride being the one standing between the Empire's enemies and the seat of the galactic government; however, it didn't change the fact that it wasn't where he had spent the entirety of his Bureau career to that point. One piece that made it easier was Moff Wummer Malephar.
Malephar was the Moff of the Kuat Sector during Montari's assignment. Although they worked together for quite some time, they didn't interact nearly as much as one might have imagined. This was largely due to the fact that Montari's time in Kuat was very uneventful and peaceful (in a good way). Any threats, if any, were usually stopped by Imperial forces be it by Imperial Intelligence or local security forces (either at Malephar or Montari's directive), which lead to no real emergencies that required them to spend long amounts of time dealing with security issues together.. This wasn't to say that they didn't communicate or that they didn't have a good working relationship, just that their ability to keep security concerns from arising in the first place precluded the need for them to tackle problems together later.
Moff Malephar was now the Moff of Coruscant Sector and Montari hoped that they would have the same success together that they did in Kuat. It at least would provide some continuity and familiarity to his new post, and, although he had to deal with new Commanding Officers of the military units stationed out of there, it allowed Montari to feel more comfortable knowing that he didn't need to waste time learning how to work well with a new Moff.
The beginning of Montari's time in his new sector went smoothly and (as expected) without incident. He spent a lot of his time doing security audits and various other administrative tasks. He wasn't quite back to his "old self" yet, but, luckily, the ISB Directorate helped correct that. He was called into the Director's office and offered his former post of Chief of Surveillance. While the position had been open for some time, the department was going over heavy reformation under the direction of Grand Vizier Ventidius and Deputy Director Orikan. While Aspharr hoped that he would have a shot to run that division again, he knew that with change, sometimes came a change in leadership. There was a chance they ISB would want a fresh pair of eyes to go along with the reforms. When Aspharr stepped in, however, he was proud to see that much of the reform was an extension and/or continuation of the reforms that he started during his last time in the position. While the reforms weren't complete yet, he was happy to do the leg work to finish what had been started. He felt truly home again.
Appearance
Aspharr Montari is well above average in height standing six feet, three inches tall and weighs approximately 240 pounds. He has a medium-size frame and an athletic build of muscle, although it is nothing that girls would faint over. His dark complexion is complemented by his short-to-medium length brown hair which he keeps groomed and styled to keep a professional and polished appearance. When he took his medical leave and thought that he wouldn't ever return to the Empire, he grew his out like he did when he was younger. He was awfully surprised when he wasn't hassled about getting it cut when he returned to the Empire after his sabbatical. He has brown eyes which are bright and alert, but the average individual would have trouble reading him through them. Aspharr has a large, muscular neck, high cheek bones, and a defined jaw that usually has a shadow of stubble growing on it.
Just like his father believed in civic duty, Darien Montari also believed in the principle of properly representing who you work for and where you come from, and he instilled that knowledge in his children from a very young age. Be it for public appearances or fundraisers, when the Montari family showed up to support Darien, he made sure that they all looked their best. This made dressing up in suit and tie a common activity in Montari Manor. While Aspharr's brother, Tyrren, started to enjoy the comfort of a fine, tailored suit and wore it even when not required as a result, Aspharr did not enjoy it to the same degree. He certainly did not dislike it, and he too was rarely found dressed casually, but he was more of an idealist in that he did it not because he enjoyed it, but because of the principle his father said it conveyed. This trait carried through in the Empire and Montari is rarely seen out of uniform both in private and public.
Personality
Aspharr aims to be formal and professional whenever possible, not for attention or credit, but because he feels as though being silly, playful, or lax during the course of business can be distracting and sometimes can affect the amount of time it takes to complete the business. He also believes that sometimes the quality of thought and analysis can be clouded when you are focusing too much on having a good time while working. Due to the nature of his job, he doesn't feel he has that luxury. Behind closed doors, he takes off his "work hat" and takes on a much more casual identity, even with his co-workers. He never fully removes himself from the Empire or its hierarchy, but he allows himself (and others) time to cooldown and just be human ever so often.
Because of his unquestioning loyalty to the Empire, he very strongly believes in its leaders, despite how much he might disagree with a course of action that they take. Something that Aspharr learned from his father when it comes to politics is there is more that happens behind closed doors than you could ever imagine compared to what you see happen. With that advice in mind, Aspharr understands that no matter how high up the chain of command he might rise, there will always be pieces of the puzzle that he simply does not have and he should yield to those who do have those pieces. He has a role to play in the Empire, and anything outside of that role should not concern him.
Because one of his greatest honors was to be selected by the Imperial Security Bureau, he holds ISB to a very high standard and takes great offense to those who demean or speak ill of the Bureau. Being part of the Bureau, he has seen how they operate and is now intimately familiar with the level of oversight and quality of work they are held to in doing their job. Comments that suggest that ISB are rogues who do as they please really frustrate him and he feels it necessary to address those rumors whenever necessary to 'set the record straight' despite the lack of effect it might have.
Despite his hard-line approach in many aspects of his work, he feels it necessary to maintain a high degree of "approachability". Aspharr feels that individuals should never be scared to talk to an ISB Agent, even if it is to admit wrongdoing. He never tries to belittle or punish doing the right thing, so he always tries to help Imperials whenever possible as he believes that ISB's job goes well beyond punishing wrongdoers. It is worth mentioning that although he wants to help people and not throw the book at them in every instances, that does not mean that Aspharr won't issues charges or punishment to the individual, as sometimes their offenses simply cannot be ignored. He will do what is best for the Empire as a whole.
Aspharr's moral philosophy can be best described as Kantian act utiliatarianism. He believes that the right choice is what yields the most positive result for as many people so long as the net negative does not outweigh the net positive. Unlike traditional act utilitarianism, Montari does believe that why someone does something is just as important as what it is that they do, and he isn't as willing to scapegoat people in decision-making (although he does recognize that in some cases it is simply unavoidable).
Service Record
Positions
| Department | Full/Part Time | Position | Time held (Combine Time) | Time held (Real Time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Navy | Full Time | Pilot | Year 13 Day 66 - Year 14 Day 93 | February 5, 2012 - March 2, 2013 |
| Imperial Navy | Full Time | Group Historian | Year 13 Day 347 - Year 14 Day 93 | November 10, 2012 - March 2, 2013 |
| COMPNOR (Imperial Centre of Recruitment) | Part Time | Recruitment Officer | Year 14 Day 13 - Year 15 Day 192 | December 12, 2012 - June 9, 2014 |
| COMPNOR (Imperial Academy) | Part Time | Junior Training Officer | Year 14 Day 31 - Year 14 Day 226 | December 30, 2012 - July 13, 2013 |
| Imperial Navy | Full Time | Fleet Signals Officer | Year 14 Day 39 - Year 14 Day 93 | January 7, 2013 - March 2, 2013 |
| Imperial Security Bureau | Full Time | Probationary Agent | Year 14 Day 93 - Year 14 Day 142 | March 2, 2013 - April 20,2013 |
| Imperial Security Bureau | Full Time | Certified Imperial Security Agent | Year 14 Day 142 - Year 15 Day 192 | April 20, 2013 - June 9, 2014 |
| Imperial Security Bureau | Full Time | Kuat Sector Liaison | Year 14 Day 142 - Year 15 Day 192 | April 20, 2013 - June 9, 2014 |
| COMPNOR (Imperial Academy) | Part Time | Training Officer | Year 14 Day 226 - Year 15 Day 192 | July 13, 2013 - June 9, 2014 |
| Imperial Security Bureau | Full Time | Chief of Surveillance | Year 14 Day 267 - Year 15 Day 192 | August 23, 2013 - June 9, 2014 |
| COMPNOR (Imperial Centre of Recruitment) | Part Time | Deputy Director | Year 14 Day 311 - Year 15 Day 192 | October 6, 2013 - June 9, 2014 |
| COMPNOR (Imperial Academy) | Part Time | Assistant Dean | Year 14 Day 332 - Year 15 Day 192 | October 27, 2013 - June 9, 2014 |
| Imperial Security Bureau | Full Time | Certified Imperial Security Agent | Year 16 Day 5 - present | December 4, 2014 - present |
| Imperial Security Bureau | Full Time | Coruscant Oversector Liaison | Year 16 Day 5 - present | December 4, 2014 - present |
| Imperial Security Bureau | Full Time | Chief of Surveillance | Year 16 Day 44 - present | January 12, 2015 - present |
| Imperial Security Bureau | Interim | Deep Core Sector Liaison | Year 16 Day 137 - Year 16 Day 214 | April 16, 2015 - July 3, 2015 |
| COMPNOR (Imperial Academy) | Part Time | Training Officer | Year 16 Day 169 - Year 17 Day 140 | May 17, 2015 - April 16, 2016 |
| Imperial Security Bureau | Full Time | Deputy Director | Year 16 Day 170 - present | May 18, 2015 - present |
Ranks
| Grade | Insignia | Rank | Time held (Combine Time) | Time held (Real Time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [E-1] |  |
Recruit | Year 13 Day 67 - Year 12 Day 71 | February 4, 2012 - February 8, 2012 |
| [E-2] |  |
Crewman | Bypassed via exemplary performance | N/A |
| [E-3] |  |
Flight Corporal | Year 13 Day 71 - Year 13 Day 198 | February 8, 2012 - June 17, 2012 |
| [E-4] |  |
Flight Sergeant | Year 13 Day 198 - Year 13 Day 256 | June 17, 2012 - August 12, 2012 |
| [E-5] |  |
Master Flight Sergeant | Year 13 Day 256 - Year 13 Day 346 | August 12, 2012 - November 10, 2012 |
| [E-6] |  |
Command Flight Sergeant | Year 13 Day 346 - Year 14 Day 73 | November 10, 2012 - February 10, 2013 |
| [O-1] |  |
Ensign | Year 14 Day 73 - Year 14 Day 93 | February 10, 2013 - March 2, 2013 |
| [O-1] |  |
ISB-Second Lieutenant | Year 14 Day 93 - Year 14 Day 170 | March 2, 2013 - May 18, 2013 |
| [O-2] |  |
ISB-First Lieutenant | Year 14 Day 170 - Year 14 Day 198 | May 18, 2013 - June 15, 2013 |
| [O-3] |  |
ISB-Captain | Year 14 Day 170 - Year 14 Day 296 | June 15, 2013 - September 21, 2013 |
| [O-4] |  |
ISB-Major | Year 14 Day 296 - Year 15 Day 2 | September 21, 2013 - December 1, 2013 |
| [O-5] |  |
ISB-Lieutenant Colonel | Year 15 Day 2 - Year 15 Day 113 | December 1, 2013 - March 22, 2014 |
| [O-6] |  |
ISB-Colonel | Year 15 Day 113 - Year 15 Day 192 | March 22, 2014 - June 9, 2014 |
| - |  |
Civilian | Year 15 Day 192 - Year 16 Day 5 | June 9, 2014 - December 4, 2014 |
| [O-6] | |
ISB-Colonel | Year 16 Day 5 - Year 16 Day 120 | December 4, 2014 - March 29, 2015 |
| [O-7] |  |
ISB-High Colonel | Year 16 Day 120 - Year 16 Day 322 | March 29, 2015 - October 17, 2015 |
| [C-1] |  |
ISB-Brigadier General | Year 16 Day 322 - Year 17 Day 147 | October 17, 2015 - April 24, 2016 |
| [C-2] |  |
ISB-Major General | Year 17 Day 147 - Year 17 Day 193 | April 24, 2016 - June 8, 2016 |
| [C-4] |  |
ISB-General | Year 17 Day 193 - present | April 24, 2016 - present |
Awards
| Ribbon | Name | Date Awarded | Awarded by |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Imperial Academy Honors Graduate [IAHG] | Year 13 Day 71 (February 8, 2012) | Training Officer Ensign Serena Moon |
 |
Imperial Monthly Meeting [IMM] | Year 13 Day 290 (September 17, 2012) | Imperial Security Bureau |
 |
Tactical Essay Contest | Year 13 Day 299 (September 23, 2012) | Lord Admiral Rawius Titan (NCO) |
 |
Imperial Service Medal | Year 13 Day 248 (August 3, 2012) | Commodore Vrogard Delahon (FCO) |
 |
Mentioned in Dispatches [MID] | Year 13 Day 298 (September 25, 2012) | Lieutenant Stefan Skyreaper (GCO) |
 |
Mentioned in Dispatches x2 [MIDx2] | Year 14 Day 39 (January 7, 2013) | Rear Admiral Faol Sean (FCO) |
 |
Imperial Service Medal - 1 Year [ISM-1] | Year 14 Day 73 (February 10, 2013) | Rear Admiral Faol Sean (FCO) |
 |
Imperial Recruitment Medal | Year 14 Day 79 (February 16, 2013) | Deputy Director Lieutenant Colonel Zhaff Orikan |
 |
COMPNOR Member Medal | Year 14 Day 142 (April 20, 2013) | ISB Director Lord Mikel von Bianchi |
 |
Certified Imperial Security Agent | Year 14 Day 142 (April 20, 2013) | Lord ISB Director Mikel von Bianchi |
 |
Mentioned in Dispatches x3 [MIDx3] | Year 14 Day 142 (April 20, 2013) | Academy Dean Kent Amba |
 |
Imperial Monthly Meeting [IMM-12] | Year 14 Day 170 (May 18, 2013) | Imperial Security Bureau |
 |
Letter of Commendation [LOC] | Year 14 Day 296 (September 21, 2013) | ISB Deputy Director Zhaff Orikan |
 |
Letter of Commendation x2 [LOCx2] | Year 15 Day 23 (December 22, 2013) | Grand Vizier Inwe Ventidius |
 |
COMPNOR Service Medal | Year 16 Day 157 (May 5, 2015) | ISB Director Daniel Ascarion |
 |
COMPNOR Service Medal - 1 Year | Year 16 Day 157 (May 5, 2015) | ISB Director Daniel Ascarion |
Memorable Quotes
[22:00] <LTCMDR_Kynnovan> According to your Archives file, you briefly retired from the Empire between June and December 2014. [22:01] <COL_Humason> Conspiracy! [22:01] <LTCMDR_Kynnovan> A year later, the new "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" was released. [22:01] <LTCMDR_Kynnovan> Coincidence? [22:01] <LTCMDR_Kynnovan> I think not. [22:01] <LTCMDR_Kynnovan> Illuminati confirmed.
- "Missio completur absque quaestio."
- — Flight Corporal Aspharr Montari
- "Non an bene fide erga imperio."
- — ISB-Second Lieutenant Aspharr Montari
Quit Messages
[10:52] <&Khajan> A long time ago in a galaxy Aspharrpharr away...
[23:14] <CFSGT_Addison> Following protocol each day keeps the AsPharr away.
[22:55] <.Khajan> I trust you As-Pharr as I can throw you.
[01:36] <&Lord_Orikan> ASPHARR COME LET ME MOLEST YOUR MIND!
<%ISB-LTGEN_Orikan> I'm talking the sleezy lawyers who's 'firm' is in a strip mall next to a check cashing place. Your families firm is much classier than that, Aspharr as I'm aware.
[20:09] <%ADMIN_Dantere> Montari's my hero xD
[10:12] <&Ventidius> Did I ever tell you you're my favorite Montari?
Timeline of Positions
| 3rd Fleet Signals Officer | ||
| Preceded By: Nathan Miller |
Aspharr Montari Year 14 Day 39 - Year 14 Day 93 |
Succeeded By: Liam Wallace |
| Kuat Sector Liasion | ||
| Preceded By: Trex Varax |
Aspharr Montari Year 14 Day 142 - Year 15 Day 192 |
Succeeded By: Koiass Sisk |
| Coruscant Oversector Liasion | ||
| Preceded By: Draelor Nah`utal |
Aspharr Montari Year 16 Day 5 - present |
Succeeded By: incumbant |
| Chief of Surveillance | ||
| Preceded By: Zhaff Orikan |
Aspharr Montari Year 14 Day 267 - present |
Succeeded By: Draelor Nah`utal |
| Chief of Surveillance | ||
| Preceded By: Draelor Nah`utal |
Aspharr Montari Year 16 Day 44 - present |
Succeeded By: incumbant |
| Deputy Director | ||
| Preceded By: Zhaff Orikan |
Aspharr Montari Year 16 Day 170 - present |
Succeeded By: incumbant |
| Deputy Director of the Imperial Centre for Recruitment | ||
| Preceded By: Zhaff Orikan |
Aspharr Montari Year 14 Day 311 - Year 15 Day 192 |
Succeeded By: Dratt Darkstar |
| Assistant Dean | ||
| Preceded By: Vidar Sicarius |
Aspharr Montari Year 14 Day 332 - Year 15 Day 192 |
Succeeded By: Phoebe Doxa |
--Aspharr Montari (talk) 21:10, 4 December 2014 (CST)
