Post by Ghev Dralin on Aug 14, 2009 16:31:15 GMT -5
Colonel Vahn Kramer
Colonel Kramer presides over his latest conquest
Name: Colonel Vahn Kramer
Known As: The Face of the Initiative, Supreme Commander of the DeathTrooper Corps., The Colonel
Age: 47
Race: Yashuvhi (Human)
Gender: Male
Skin: Pale White
Homeworld: Yashuvhu (Unknown Regions)
Height: 6' 5''
Weight: 270 lbs (toned muscle)
Eye Color: Green (seen only by a select few)
Hair Color: Blonde-white (seen only by a select few)
Parents: Deceased
Siblings: None
Spouse: Deceased
Children: Deceased
Current Affiliations: The Sith Initiative
Former Affiliations: Various armies and sects among the Unknown Regions
Ships: Scythe-class Super Dreadnought 'The Revenant', SLR 'Strafe' Heavy fighter 'Instigator' (Raider variant)
Vehicles: Initiative armoured speeder
Weapons: Modified Initiative-issue blaster rifle, custom side-arm with slughthrower attachment, lightsaber (red), combat knife
Other Items: Comm-link, command baton
Usually Worn Clothing: Unique suit of customised Initiative DeathTrooper armour, honour sash, crimson command cloak (ceremonial)
Distinguishing Traits: Brutalisation of enemies and allies alike. Speaks in Basic, but with variations in accent and dialect. Seems to hold respect for those who challenge him, though often emerges victorious nevertheless.
Notable Physical Features: Imposing height and build, cold green eyes and pale skin sometimes visible if the Colonel chooses to retract the eyepiece of his helmet.
Biography:
Kramer issues orders on the battlefield
Vahn Kramer, a brutally efficient man exiled from his homeworld of Yashuvhu, was once notorious in the Unknown Regions for his sadistic militaristic nature. The backlash of his actions caused the eventual murder of his entire family, and still he wasn't deterred; he knew he had a calling in life, and he wasn't about to ignore it due to some long-ancient ideals set forth by the Jedi that had stumbled across their world milennia ago.
Denying the Jedi way, he took his abilities with the Force and applied them in a more practical manner; assisting various parties with the invasion and over-taking of many worlds spread throughout Wild Space.
As he grew older, Kramer began to use his innate Force talents less and less, deciding that reliance on them was not practical. Despite choosing to handicap himself in such a way, however, he became no less dominant on the battlefield. His skills lay in his ability to adapt his combat strategy mid-battle, turning every situation to his tactical advantage.
In time, his own men began to fear and respect him, some trying to emulate him with varying degrees of success. Never did one oppose him, until a man called Mael Hardac joined Kramer's ranks. Hardac was almost as opposite to Kramer as it was possible to be; where the Colonel was a cold, calculating stroke of genius, Hardac was a carelessly destructive pyromaniac, who destroyed everything he was sent to capture.
When word of a Lord Kroenen began to spread throughout the Unknown Regions, both Kramer and Hardac, along with their forces, set out to join the mysterious entity. Kramer warred with Hardac for the coveted position of Supreme Commander of the Initiative Army; fearing Kramer's hidden Force abilities would give him an advantage, Hardac attempted to out-maneuver the Colonel at every turn.
Serving under Lord Draven, Kramer was granted the title of Sith Adept, at the encouragement of Lord Kroenen himself. When he wasn't colluding in the enslavement of worlds and people, he began undertaking lessons to hone his long-idle sensitivity to the Force.
An expert at intimidation tactics, he designed the armour that became standard for the core of Kroenen's army, creating legions of faceless, red-eyed identical horrors which inspired terror in all who came across them. Aptly dubbing these soldiers 'DeathTroopers', Kramer was soon appointed the rank of Supreme Commander; effectively, in Kroenen's eyes, putting him in command of the non-Sith section of his army.
Although Kramer retained the title of 'Colonel', by personal preference, he quickly enforced his iron will over his men. The Omega Array, a fusion of organic mass and technology, became as much an academy for Kramer's DeathTroopers as it did for the Sith of the Initiative, and the graduation process proved to be as lethal as any encounter with Kramer; those who passed would join the ranks of the DeathTrooper Corps., those who failed would be shot on site.
When plans began to become finalised, and preparations were set for Kroenen's Unification, Kramer was tasked with finding a suitable commanding officer for the Array, as well as test-firing the weapon on a planet and studying the effects on living matter; primarily, on sentient life forms.
Kramer chose General Hayne, a humble man who saw killing as an unfortunate but unavoidable consequence of war. Initially observing from his flagship 'Revenant' and with the 13th Fleet in tow, Kramer soon made the transition to the Array to oversee the operation personally.
The weapon was fired, 24 hours later, on Althir, a lonely planet in the Outer Rim. Sending his DeathTroopers to collect specimens, Kramer elevated Hayne to the rank of Admiral and relayed his evaluation to Lord Kroenen. Before celebrations could take effect, however, the team sent to the surface reported grave news; miners from the Rings of Althir had witnessed the devastation and had departed onboard a YT-2400 freighter.
Kramer denied Admiral Hayne's request to send a ship after them, and instead manned his personal SLR Raider, taking with him five of his Elite troopers. Tracking the shuttle to the Karthakk system, Kramer disabled the freighter and boarded, mercilessly executing everyone aboard, before setting fire to the engine compartment and setting it adrift.
Soon after his return, Kramer was informed that the 13th fleet was being handed to Ilanah Thanatos, Hand of the Sith. Though he'd grown attached to his fleet, he agreed, with the request that his men and flagship remain his own. Kroenen agreed, and began making preparations to transfer men from the 35th to Ilanah, while resupplying Kramer with ships.
Kramer elected to remain with the fleet until the change-over could be effected, travelling with Ilanah to Endor to seek out the Imperial Remnant. By chance, the leader of the Remnant was discovered, and Kramer left Ilanah to settle negotiations.
Though both seemed to mutually respect each other, Kramer and Ilanah also had their differences; Ilanah found Kramer to be sometimes disrespectful and insubordinate, while Kramer saw her lack of military experience as a flaw in her strength. Nevertheless, both came to form a harmonious rapport, and when Kramer informed her of his next mission, she was all too happy to accompany him and assist him.
Kramer sent Ilanah to Cloud City, the New Republic's primary Tibanna Gas mine. There, she and her pilot gathered intelligence, while earning the trust of the city's Baron Administrator, a Gran called Ynnad Nedearb.
Ilanah had no sooner befriended the Gran when Kramer attacked in force, making it his priority to land his forces in the city, establish a perimeter with his fleet, and target the city propulsion system.
Kramer personally accosted Administrator Nedearb, holding him hostage and coaxing him with speeches on the inevitability of his situation. After forcing the Administrator to address his people and feed them false hope, Kramer ordered Ynnad to create a master key-card for the facility, while Ilanah left at Kroenen't behest to complete a mission elsewhere.
Although the Gran obeyed, his assistant, a Bothan named Gordi, managed to hit a panic alarm which transmitted directly to Coruscant. Enraged, Kramer murdered the Bothan, then rounded on Ynnad and attacked him with his lightsaber. The Gran stumbled through a window and lay, injured, on the catwalk below.
Leaving him where he lay, Kramer set about ordering his men to spread through the city and transfer the Cloud City civillians to the newly-arrived ships of the 35th Fleet to act as a deterrent for any Republic ships that might think to attack.
Despite his solid defenses, Kramer was unable to prevent the city being infiltrated by Republic forces; moments after the presence of a Republic fleet was detected, Jedi were spotted roaming Cloud City. When one of them took the unintended bait of rescuing Ynnad, Kramer seized the opportunity, sending forces after the departed Jedi and Ynnad, while more forces were directed at the remainder of the party.
Resolute and assured in his soon-to-be victory at Cloud City, Kramer makes plans to reinforce the units holding Bespin so that he may join in the ruse at Corellia...
Colonel Vahn Kramer evaluates his latest cadets...