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 Recruiter
Prior Service	Imperial Academy Student
Awards

2nd Lieutenant Koltan 'Kol' Seraph is a 19-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.

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 the education I had received from COMPNOR like a sponge, something for which I am eternally grateful.

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.

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 when the time came, and I hope to never find myself in one for any meaningful length of time ever again. To this day, even the sickly sweet smell of the stuff makes me shudder.

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: 19
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