Kol Seraph

This article has been an Imperial Archives featured article.

Koltan "Kol" Seraph
Captain Kol Seraph Brigade Commanding Officer 3rd Imperial Legion, 3rd Brigade Imperial Army
Biographical Information
Race	Human
Homeworld	Taris
Mother	Lasha Seraph (assumed deceased)
Father	Garran Seraph (assumed deceased)
Spouse	N/A
Siblings	N/A
Children	N/A
Born	Y-11 D232
Imperial Service
Branch	Imperial Army
Positions	Current: 3rd Brigade Commanding Officer Acting 3rd Legion Signals Officer Archive Project Manager [IIS]
Prior Service	Imperial Intelligence: II Public Agent II Trainee Imperial Army: 4th Brigade Commanding Officer 1st Brigade Executive Officer 1st Legion Signals Officer Legionary Imperial Academy: IBT Candidate (Army Concentration) COMPNOR: Recruiting Officer [ICR] Imperial Youth Militia
Awards	[UDS] [CIIA] [CMM] [BCM] [LOCx2] [ISM-2] [IRM] [IISA] [ICM] [IABG] [IMM-H]

Koltan "Kol" Seraph is a 25-year-old Human Imperial Army Officer, currently holding the rank of Captain. In addition to his prior service in both the Army and the Directorate of Imperial Intelligence, he has also served COMPNOR's Coalition for Progress in several positions on a part-time basis in the past, including Recruitment and Archival work. He made his start in the Empire as a Scout Trooper in the Reconnaissance Corps of the Imperial Army, being decorated on multiple occasions, eventually receiving a field commission for his service in the 1st Legion. After leaving the Army and command of the 4th Reconnaissance Brigade, "the Spectres", for a tour of duty in II as a full-time Agent, he has since returned and assumed command of the 3rd Assault Brigade, better known as "the Shadow Guard". Since Y14 D323, he has also served as Project Manager for the Imperial Archives, succeeding his predecessor and close friend, Amne Zailyn, in this post.

Biography

Growing up in the Lower City

Koltan Seraph was born on Y-11 D232, on the Outer Rim world of Taris. His parents were refugees from a conflict on Bonadan, a world in the Corporate Sector, also located in the Outer Rim, and as such, young Kol was raised in poverty and squalor. It was a hardscrabble life, and although his parents worked hard to the point of exhaustion to provide for themselves and their only child by way of food and basic education, it didn't take long for an adolescent Kol to become enticed with and join the "Undercity Shades", one of the local swoop gangs. To make his commitment to the Shades, his new "family", a permanent one, he ran away from home and vowed never to return, much less look back. Despite their name, the Shades resided and operated in Taris’ Lower City, using the grim notoriety of the lethal Undercity to boost their notoriety and "street-rep".

Life in the Shades was nothing less than short and violent, but it was also exciting and kept one's stomach full, without having to resort to begging or worse. Kol had no desire to remain a lowly thug, however, and he was not content with the fact that the rest of the Shades had acclimatized to being considered a minor criminal element in the grand scheme of things. To rectify both of these slights, Kol proposed something bold: to actually make use of the dark, treacherous Undercity and attack rival gangs where they least expected it (Seraph called it “a sort of rechristening”), and to intensify raids on the Middle City as a tour-de-force. Covering themselves in soot, sporting fearsome masks, and wearing only black, the Shades struck terror into the hearts of squatters and others unfortunate enough to find themselves living on the Lower and Middle levels of a world like Taris, as well as making a good deal of enemies among rival gangs like the Sabre Darts and the Blood Kin. Tensions among the myriad street gangs in the Lower City were always high, filled with intricate power-plays and danger from all angles, with full-on gang wars erupting every decade or so, but things were getting worse: something big was going on in the Upper City, and changes in the planetary political climate inevitably had dire repercussions in the lower levels. Having brought notoriety and established new sources of information and income for "the family" (in the form of forcing terrified Lower City denizens to pay for "protection" and intimidating spineless Middle City merchants to give the Shades a cut of their profits) and having the ingenuity and ruthlessness to use the deadly, infested Undercity to the Shades' advantage, Kol found himself elevated to a rather prominent position in the gang. The enigmatic leader of the Shades, a quiet, ruthless Umbaran man known only to his followers and enemies alike as "Shadow", confided his vision to Seraph and a small number of other trusted subordinates: to unite all the gangs under one banner (that of the Shades, of course), and prepare for the storm that was coming sooner or later from the Upper City. Indeed, whenever a new regime took power on Taris, it was a fact of life that it tried to cement its legitimacy in the Upper City by launching punitive strikes on the powers that reigned in the lower levels, to "cut the revolutionary threat at the roots and clean up the streets". But this new regime was no ordinary foe... the Empire, after all, had a war-machine feared throughout the Galaxy, and it did not tolerate any challenge to its authority, be it worlds in full-scale rebellion, or planets held in the sway of crime syndicates that thought they could take the New Order head-on.

Of course, saying you’re going to unite each and every gang against a common foe is one thing, but actually attempting it is a whole other matter entirely. The Shades, joined by sympathetic gangs, fought bitterly against its rivals in a battle for supremacy in the Lower City, gaining an upper hand and eventually consolidating the most turf of all the gangs. However, Shadow’s right hand man, realizing that unifying all the gangs and keeping them cohesive against a foe like the Empire was a fever dream at best, and suicide at worst, convinced many younger Shades to abandon the war and forsake their leader. Kol remained loyal, having come to see Shadow as something of a father figure, by virtue of allegiance if not by blood. However, taking advantage of the chaos that had fragmented the Shades, Shadow’s allies and enemies alike fell upon his gang and their turf, squabbling over the choicest pickings like a flock of carrion fighting over a corpse. It was then that, much to everyone’s surprise, the Imperial Governor, who had kept a close eye on the developments in the Lower City gang war, deployed his troops to pacify the troubled levels and rid Taris of the swoop gang menace once and for all. Facing fragmentary resistance and with their superior arms, numbers, and discipline, the Empire’s troops had little difficulty in securing multiple forward positions in the Lower City. It was at this point that Shadow (whom Kol had come to suspect as having a gift for seeing things before they happened, which Seraph would in later years learn was a sign of latent force sensitivity) conferred to him a cryptic message: that his destiny was somehow linked to the Empire, and furthermore, that he would accomplish great things fighting either for or against it, and that it would be suicidal for him to remain a Shade for much longer. Estranged by his mentor's behavior, and already fostering the suspicion that staying true to the Shades at this point was a lost cause, Kol took the first viable chance he saw and ran, never looking back. It wasn’t something he was proud to do, but hey, if there’s one rule in the Lower City, its do whatever you have to do to survive. However, even in the midst of the chaos, those who were known to be Shades had a death mark on them, and Seraph had no one to turn to: his former brethren thought him a traitor, no gangs would suffer any Shades to survive for long, and the Empire certainly had no love for swoop gangers and miscreants.

Despite his caution, Kol found himself ambushed by members of the Screaming Wraiths gang, former allies of the Shades now led by none other than Shadow’s former lieutenant. Beaten to within an inch of dying and taken captive, Kol accepted his fate, having prepared himself as best he could for death. Kol’s fate seemed set, that is, until a squad of Imperial Stormtroopers made their way into the Wraiths’ hideout, mercilessly gunning down anyone who put up a fight. The Empire was making headway in cleaning up the streets of the Lower City, and Kol's life had not only been spared, it had been redefined- the Imperial soldiers who happened to encounter him administered critical medical treatment, and after he was stabilized, Kol was sent to the Middle City to recuperate.

A Chance for Atonement

Having been given a second chance at living by the Empire he was raised to hate and fear, and believing that one had to make the most of the opportunities that life presented, Kol saw service in the New Order as a chance to redeem himself of all the past crimes he had committed. After spending several months in a medical facility (from which emerged a lifelong phobia of doctors, medical treatments, hospitals, and being confined in bacta tanks in particular), Seraph made his way to an Imperial Recruitment Station, voicing his intention to enlist in the Imperial Army (since Kol had no interest in being an Engineer, Government Aide, or serving in the Navy). Despite being 16 and therefore a year too young to enlist in the Army right away, Kol's desire to serve was not ignored, and instead, he was offered the chance to join the newly formed Tarisian Imperial Youth Militia, where his "expertise" could be put to use to serve the Empire by acting as an auxiliary and garrison force in sections of the Lower City not yet fully pacified by the Imperial Army. His experience garnered in the Shades benefited him greatly here, and Kol excelled, eventually being among the first to attain the rank of Cadet-Warrant Officer, earning a full scholarship to the Imperial Academy.

As soon as he turned 17 (the minimum age for enrollment in the Academy), Kol did so, becoming Recruit Seraph, thereupon submitting a request for off-world assignment. Kol’s transfer request went through, and the new Recruit was ordered to report for duty and instruction at the foremost Imperial Academy campus in the Galaxy, that of Coruscant itself. Relishing a chance to visit another world for the first time in his life, and the chance to leave Taris behind forever, Seraph eagerly awaited the true commencement of his Imperial career.

The Coruscanti Imperial Academy has a tradition of assigning gifted candidates to personal tutors, who possess experience in the adult branches of the Galactic Empire that the candidates themselves wish to enter upon graduation, and it was no different in Kol’s case. Seraph had the distinct honor of being assigned to none other than Army Captain Rik Zoidic, then Commanding Officer of the 3rd Imperial Legion, who noted Kol's ability to adapt to new situations, his insatiable hunger for knowledge, and his undeniably impressive talents at grasping fieldcraft, precision marksmanship, and (due to his time in a swoop gang) his affinity for piloting repulsorlift craft, including Speeder Bikes, Chariot LAVs, and the Cloudcar Combatspeeder. Recognizing these talents, Captain Zoidic personally recommended the newly promoted Private Seraph (having graduated with a Basic as opposed to an Honors certification due to prejudice against his "provincial upbringing", and his subsequent difficulty and inexperience in grasping the finer points of protocol) to be assigned to the Army Reconnaissance Corps.

The 1st Assault Brigade, "the Immortals"

Initially expecting to be assigned to one of the Brigades that made up Captain Zoidic's 3rd Legion, Kol was surprised when he was instead assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the 1st Assault Brigade, itself a subunit of the 1st Imperial Legion, the premier unit of its kind in the entire Army. It would be here that his steady climb up the enlisted ranks would occur. Seraph's innate skills and passion for the Army life soon earned him a promotion to Corporal and a position as a Squad Leader, and his deft leadership during an operation to retrieve an Imperial Army starfighter from an Eidola Pirate installation made him a Non-Commissioned Officer, and Section Commander. Having a gift for Army administration that outshone even his skill with a precision blaster rifle, Seraph became Signals Officer for the 1st Legion as a Sergeant, a highly impressive feat, and as a Master Sergeant, he was appointed Executive Officer of the 1st Assault Brigade, under Captain Akai Ai. Ever restless in his quest to better serve the New Order, and with his insatiable ambition to go further, Kol pursued part-time employment within COMPNOR, on top of his full-time Army duties.

While engaged in a boarding operation of a renegade Imperial space installation (a boarding operation jointly planned by Captain Ai and Seraph himself), Command Sergeant Seraph (having attained the prestigious position of 1st Recon Battalion Commander shortly before), was given a field commission to 2nd Lieutenant, becoming one of the few Imperial Army soldiers to climb all the way up the enlisted ranks and attain an Officer's commission without a formal post-secondary degree. Shortly thereafter, Lieutenant Seraph was offered a Brigade of his own to command: the 4th Reconnaissance Brigade, "the Spectres". He did not refuse, and his leadership of this unit earned him another promotion to 1st Lieutenant several months after taking command.

The 4th Reconnaissance Brigade, "the Spectres"

Lieutenant Seraph found the Spectres of 4th Brigade, the unit previously under the command of Santiano Salazar, the new LCO, to be dedicated to their duties to the Empire, albeit the differences in their modus operandi to 1BDE. Salazar’s previous XO, Captain Icarus Carinae, had refused to assume command of the Brigade following the former CO’s departure, and Kol found himself in the unusual situation of having an XO who outranked him. Other rising stars in the 4th caught Seraph’s attention as well, including then CSGT Redme Schwarz, who would himself go on to be commissioned and given command of the Brigade in recognition for his initiative and sense of duty at a later date.

Seraph’s tenure as CO of the 4th was dominated by the Army-wide initiative, Operation: Isolated Axiom, intended to develop combat doctrine for use in the face of the enemy under any sort of engagement. The precise details of the 4th Brigade’s assignment in this ambitious operation is still classified, but sufficed to say, ACOMD was particularly impressed with some of Kol’s more innovative tactics and suggestions as detailed in his post-operational report to his superiors. Even though he had left the Immortals in person, he still kept regularly in touch with his former CO, Captain Ai, and Seraph spearheaded the 1IL reformation anniversary celebration in Y13, which saw several veterans of the Legion return to celebrate the occasion.

Imperial Intelligence

With his career at a high note, Lieutenant Seraph made the controversial decision to request an extended leave of absence, the duration of which made it necessary for him to step down as Brigade CO, and pass the torch onto Captain Carinae, his XO. Sometime during this period, it is now known that Kol successfully completed the notoriously difficult preliminary entrance exams for service within the Directorate of Imperial Intelligence. Upon returning from his ELOA, Seraph submitted a transfer request to his Chain of Command, making clear his intention to transfer from the Imperial Army and join the Directorate as a full time Agent.

On a side note, it was after joining on with Imperial Intelligence that Kol, having returned to Coruscant for a fortnight's leave, bore witness to the festivities and high spirits celebrating the first anniversary of Emperor Ndengin's ascension as Galactic Emperor. Ever the intrepid writer on his off-duty hours, Kol took it upon himself to report on the celebration, and submitted the article, titled: "Imperials Celebrate Anniversary of the Ascension of Guinar the First", to the Imperial News Bureau, the sister department of the Archives in which he worked on a part time basis. His initiative, patriotism, and sense of duty to the Imperial Information Service while enjoying some well-earned time off was recognized, and when he returned to active duty a week later, Agent Seraph was surprised and honoured to receive his second Letter of Commendation from the Army CO, Lord General Graeda L`Annan herself, in recognition for his journalistic efforts.

Upon returning to work within the Directorate, Kol was assigned to several ongoing, long-term operations, the details of which are still highly sensitive. Sufficed to say, these assignments took Agent Seraph on a grand tour throughout the Galaxy, performing all manner of classified activities for the good of the Empire and its citizens from behind the scenes. Despite the importance of his work, Seraph felt a longing to return to the Army one day, the Imperial branch where he still felt the most at home.

The 3rd Assault Brigade, "the Shadow Guard"

It would be this sense of homesickness that would finally convince Seraph to request a transfer from his superiors in the Directorate back to the Imperial Army in mid-Year 14, when his former chain of command in the 1st Legion expressed an interest in taking him back as Executive Officer of the 1st Brigade, the position in which Kol had first made a name for himself. However, other positions in other Brigades were available, and Seraph understood that the precise nature of his reassignment lay solely at the discretion of RADIA and ACOMD.

To Kol’s surprise, he encountered relatively little trouble returning to the Imperial Army and Army life in general, and felt quite comfortable donning his old service uniform as opposed to wearing the casual civilian attire of an undercover Agent. In fact, he was reinstated at his previous rank (having beforehand expected to have to submit to a reduction in rank to 2nd Lieutenant, as per protocol), the ACO having personally interceded on his behalf. As it turned out, there was a vacancy in the CO position of the 3rd Assault Brigade, and ACOMD felt Lieutenant Seraph was the ideal candidate for the job. After waiting for a few days for his paperwork to go through, and for word from Colonel Edward Canfield, his new superior officer and commander of the 3rd Imperial Legion, Kol officially took command of the 3rd Brigade in mid-Y14, with Command Sergeant Benedict Tharandon, who had been acting-BCO up to that point, as his new XO.

Tharandon was commissioned and promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant mere days after Seraph assumed command. In a prior discussion with Colonel Canfield, who had expressed his intentions to commission the Corellian NCO, Kol offered to take on the duty himself, to alleviate any lingering resentment Ben might've harbored against his new superior, for assuming command of the unit he had commanded in all but name for some time. However, the Colonel insisted on commissioning the young BXO himself, as he had intended to do so earlier, while the 3rd Legion was deployed in the contested Derra System, but Legion politics had prevented him from doing so.

Seraph's tenure as CO of the Shadow Guard initially demanded that he plan out the process of demobilizing the 3rd Brigade as a frontline unit, as the 3rd Legion's rotational tour of duty in Derra had been completed. This process involved making arrangements for those too gravely wounded to remain in the Army to be discharged with honors from the service, and for those who had performed their duty in an exemplary manner -a sizable number of the Brigade, truth be told- to be dispensed the appropriate honors and promotions. Also, the Guard's equipment stores and combat vehicles had to be shipped back home as well.

Making use of an Imperial Lucrehulk-class Battleship, the 3rd Legion departed from the Derra system, after being properly relieved of the post by Colonel Kane's 2nd Imperial Legion, whose tour of duty to keep the system in Imperial control was set to begin. The 6th Brigade, stationed in Tapani, debarked first, with no small measure of assistance from Lieutenant Seraph and his personnel. It would be a challenge for the 3rd Brigade to do the same without similar assistance, but Lieutenant Seraph was certain that his men were up to the challenge. After arriving in Corellia and successfully coordinating with the Navy to arrange the Brigade's transport back to its headquarters to resume its defensive posture, Seraph saw fit to promote Tharandon to First Lieutenant in recognition for his ongoing exemplary, invaluable service as his XO.

As CO of the Shadow Guard, Lieutenant Seraph oversaw the construction and activation of 3BDE's new Army Sector HQ, recently completed by the Regional Government, and administrated completion of the Brigade's immediate tasking: that of training his Brigade's Enlisted Stormtroopers in the also newly-completed Corellian Sector Training Grounds. For his continuing efforts in service of the new order, Seraph was promoted to the rank of Captain by Colonel Wyatt Gabriel of the 2nd Legion, speaking on behalf of the ACO.

Having been promoted past the subaltern Officer ranks, Kol soon realized that he had come as far as he could go in the Army, without some form of postsecondary degree. If he ever wanted to one day serve as a senior officer, not to mention a member of the General Staff, he’d have to seriously consider backing his name with some academic credentials. Fortunately, not only had Seraph been successful in accumulating a sizeable reserve of Imperial credits in his bank account to finance such an investment, but Seraph also had the Imperial Army willing to pay for his educational advancement in full.

The decision now was what, in a Galaxy full of interesting and exciting areas of study, he should focus his studies on. Intent on finding a discipline which aided his intellectual growth and also improved his already-considerable worth to the Army, Kol narrowed down his options, weighing picking up another language, such as Mando’a or Huttese, with Galactic History, a subject he certainly enjoyed reading about on his off-duty hours. Whatever the subject he would choose to major in, he would have to consider that, due to the nature of his profession, he would also have to choose a postsecondary institution that offered distance education to its scholars.

Further impetus to get an undergraduate degree was the announcement that after spending years in redevelopment and hiatus, the Galactic Empire would be reintroducing the Command College, with separate courses for each branch of service, and making a graduation from this institution a prerequisite for advancement to the Command ranks for future officers.

Shortly after her appointment to Army Signals Officer, Amne Zailyn (at the time a Lieutenant Colonel), the long-serving Project Manager of the Imperial Archives and therefore, Seraph's immediate part-time superior, stepped down, recommending to her superiors in the Imperial Information Service that her replacement be none other than Captain Seraph, due to his familiarity and length of service within the institution. And so, on Y14 D323, Seraph was formally made the new Archive Project Manager by the Director of the IIS, Daelis Stanov, whom Seraph had previously served alongside during his tenure as an Agent in Imperial Intelligence.

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-Eighth Day of the Thirteenth Year of the New Order Calendar

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 Calendar CXCVIII XIII and in the First Year of Our Reign.

By Command of His Excellency Lord Seele, the Imperial Executor.

Imperial Personnel Profile

General Information

Surname: Seraph
Given Name(s): Koltan, "Kol"
Race: Class A Human Citizen
Gender: M
Branch: Imperial Army
Rank: Captain
Service Number: IACO-K17-665-S89
Security Clearance Level: Top Secret
Formal Education:
Imperial Academy Graduate (Army Concentration),
Imperial Officer College Graduate (Elite Recon Specialization),
Imperial Intelligence Agent Certification
Age: 25
Homeworld: Taris
Family: Lasha (mother) and Garran (father) Seraph, assumed deceased

Psychological Profile

--CLASSIFIED--
--REDACTED--

Physical Description

Height: 6'0
Weight: 165 lbs
Build: Fit
Complexion: Fair
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Blond

Imperial Service Record

Army Ranks

Grade	Insignia	Rank	Time held (Combine Time)	Time held (Real Time)
[E-1]		Recruit	Year 12 Day 187 - Year 12 Day 189	June 6th, 2011 - June 8th, 2011
[E-2]		Private	Year 12 Day 189 - Year 12 Day 283	June 8th, 2011 - September 9th, 2011
[E-3]		Corporal	Year 12 Day 283 - Year 12 Day 327	September 9th, 2011 - October 24th, 2011
[E-4]		Sergeant	Year 12 Day 327 - Year 13 Day 43	October 24th, 2011 - January 13th, 2012
[E-5]		Master Sergeant	Year 13 Day 43 – Year 13 Day 108	January 13th, 2012 – March 17th, 2012
[E-6]		Command Sergeant	Year 13 Day 108 - Year 13 Day 198	March 17th, 2012 - June 15th, 2012
[O-1]		2nd Lieutenant	Year 13 Day 198 - Year 13 Day 273	June 15th, 2012 - August 29th, 2012
[O-2]		1st Lieutenant	Year 13 Day 273 - Year 13 Day 315	August 29th, 2012 - October 10th, 2012

Intelligence Ranks

Grade	Insignia	Rank	Time held (Combine Time)	Time held (Real Time)
[O-2]		Agent	Year 12 Day 315 – Year 14 Day 185	October 10th, 2012 – June 2nd, 2013

Army Ranks

Grade	Insignia	Rank	Time held (Combine Time)	Time held (Real Time)
[O-2]		1st Lieutenant	Year 14 Day 189 - Year 14 Day 296	June 6th, 2013 - September 21st, 2013
[O-3]		Captain	Year 14 Day 296 - Present	September 21st, 2013 - Present