Moff Sexton's Briefing Room aboard his flagship ISD Darkness
"...Alright, what do we know about this Wilson Gilean?"
"Well, sir, we happen to know quite a bit about him," responded the Intel officer. "In fact, we have rather good records concerning Mr. Gilean, mainly because he was a Stormtrooper."
"Impossible! We all know damn well that the Stormtrooper corps has never lost a trooper to defection or subversion. This is preposterous!" Moff Sexton, the Servais Sector Moff was beginning to become impatient with the Intel officer giving the briefing.
"Actually, sir, that is mainly propaganda spread by the Ubiqtorate. For the most part, it is true: since most of the Stormtrooper corps is comprised of clones, they are incapable of subversion. However, Mr. Gilean was an exception; one of the one percent of the troopers who wasn't a clone. Other incidents similar to Mr. Gilean's defection have been reported, but he is the only one we know of who has defected successfully," countered the Sector Branch Intelligence Commander. "Continue, Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir. According to our files, Mr. Gilean was a superb physical specimen upon his entrance to the academy at Coruscant. His family had a long military history in the Old Republic, and it was expected of him to continue the family tradition. Throughout his training, Gilean displayed exceptional physical ability, coordination, and dexterity. This was tempered with an unusual strength of will and character. Tests showed that he was above average in most other areas as well, and had a naturally aggressive attitude. Although he was not the most intelligent or perceptive of the cadets in his class, he did manage to graduate in the top tenth of his class.
"Upon graduation, he and his best friend, a Mikal Hunter Starfall, were assigned to the 322nd Stormtrooper assault brigade in the Mariposa star system. During the three months of his tour with the brigade, he distinguished himself several times in combat. On his last combat mission with the brigade, his platoon was ordered to storm a pirate way-station. However, the way-station turned out to be a trap; over the next three hours, his platoon held its position against overwhelming forces until a rescue shuttle was able to evacuate them. Due to the amount of enemy firepower in the area, the shuttle was forced to land over a kilometer away for its own safety. Corporal Gilean and trooper Starfall, through all of the combat had managed to remain unscathed. Cpl. Gilean picked up his wounded platoon commander and carried him all the way back to the LZ under the cover of trooper Starfall's blaster-fire. They were the only three survivors, and accounted for over half of the enemy's casualties, combined.
"Accounts of the action pointed to the almost miraculous reactions and actions of troopers Gilean and Starfall. The platoon commander was reported to have said that the other two seemed to be able to 'dance between the blaster shots, or hit targets with amazing accuracy'. Three days later, Mr. Starfall was transferred for special training, and the day after, Mr. Gilean disappeared. It is unclear what caused his sudden departure. It is presumed that he then traveled to Tatooine, managing to evade patrols and customs teams with his familiarity of their operating procedures. It is here, we believe, where he signed on to a light freighter named the Altarian Mud Sloth as a gunner. His current status, whereabouts, and occupation are unknown."
"Great," exclaimed the Moff, "just what we need; a well trained, miracle working, blaster-toting, over-aggressive, ex-stormtrooper with revenge on his mind roaming our sector."
"Sir, we still don't know that he has revenge in mind; nor do we know if he is in the sector at all..."
"Lieutenant, shut up," growled the Moff. "Commander, continue with the briefing and get this idiot out of my sight. Oh, and Commander, try telling me something useful this time...."
By Thomas Hill