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Fel, Soontir

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one of the youngest Imperial Navy officers to obtain the rank of Captain and command a ship, Fel was everything one would expect from a recruiting poster. Broad-shouldered and handsome from years of working as a farmer, Fel was a native of Corellia and had come through the ranks as a decorated and legendary TIE Fighter pilot. However, he did not enter the Imperial Academy willingly. Instead, he was bribed into go in order to stop him from testifying against Ilir Post, on the threat that his father would be charged with a flurry of minor crimes if he didn't go. This took him away from the farming that he loved so much, but he was determined to make the best of the situation. Fel was a contemporary of Han Solo and Loka Hask while at the Carida Academy, regularly defeating Hask while often challenging Solo. After graduating with honors as his class' salutatorian, Fel earned command of the Pride of the Senate shortly before the Battle of Nar Shaddaa, and was quite puzzled by Admiral Greelanx's battle plans. They did not allow for any flexibility during the battle, while executing the Base Delta Zero order to the letter. Fel had never participated in such an exercise, and questioned the wisdom of decimating Nar Shaddaa. However, the battle was quickly upon him, and the minimal battle plan outlined by Greelanx - coupled with the surprising ability of the smugglers to damage the Imperial fleet - soon resulted an Imperial retreat. Fel, appalled at the losses and at Greelanx's orders to retreat, remained behind to retrieve as many of his pilots as he could before redezvousing with the fleet. Greelanx was angry with Fel's insubordination, but Fel resolved to report Greelanx's poor planning to his superiors. He was assigned to the 37th Imperial Fighter Wing before transferring to Prefsbelt IV as a flight instructor. After receiving high honors, Fel actually was responsible for the training of Tycho Celchu, Biggs Darklighter, and Hobbie Klivian. He was offered a position in Moff Tarkin's bodyguard unit by Tarkin himself, but the defection of Biggs Darklighter and Derek Klivian relegated Fel to the 181st Imperial Fighter Group, which was under the command of Evir Derricote. They scored a hollow victory at Ord Biniir, on the same day as the Battle of Yavin, but Fel was given a commendation on Coruscant in an effort to bolster Imperial morale. There, he met Wynssa Starflare, and they fell deeply in love. Shortly afterward, Fel became known to Ysanne Isard, who challenged his loyalty by trying to seduce him. He refused, and although she praised his loyalty, she also hated him. Fel saw through Isard's ploy and into the heart of the Empire, and didn't like what he saw. He also saw that the Emperor's non-human bias was only as good as the air around it, once Thrawn began to rise through the ranks. Fel found himself admiring Thrawn's plans for the ambush which destroyed the Alliance's supply convoy near Derra IV, but could not reconcile Palpatine's hypocrisy. Although he was promoted to Colonel and given command of the entire 181st Fighter Group, Fel became disheartened with the Empire. Ysanne Isard's sacrifice of an entire fighter wing to lure Rogue Squadron to Brentaal was an action he couldn't reconcile in his own mind. After the 181st was sent to Brentaal to help defend the world - more of an exercise to bring down the Cabal that to save the planet - Fel decided that enough was enough. When the New Republic had defeated the Imperials, Fel was captured when Colonel Salm hit his Interceptor with an ion cannon blast, rendering his fighter inoperative. Shortly before the Battle of Brentaal, he had arranged for Wynssa - now his wife - to disappear. He pledged to help the New Republic if they would help him locate Wynssa, a proposition to which the Republic's Starfighter Command agreed. However, Fel soon turned his back on the Republic and returned to Imperial service. Wedge Antilles, the real-life brother of Wynssa Starflare, thought he had encountered Fel again, during the series of skirmishes against the Warlord Zsinj. In reality, though, the Fel he discovered was Tetran Cowall, and his abilities were augmented with a droid brain in several of his wingmate's TIE Interceptors. It was later learned that Fel had joined the forces aligned with Grand Admiral Thrawn, and he spent the next several years working with the true Imperial leadership to eliminate the various warlords who claimed Imperial rights. He lost an eye in the final battle of his career, and retired to work with Voss Parck as a commander at the Hand of Thrawn compound on Nirauan. Fel was also the "parent" of a number of clones developed at Thrawn's request. The clones were dispatched to several sleeper cells - excellent pilots awaiting Thrawn's reactivation codes. The clones were flash-imprinted with much of Fel's ability as a pilot and warrior, but without his personality. However, many groups managed to retain his love of the open air and farming, and decided not to heed the recall which came ten years after Thrawn's death. Shortly after the Battle of Garqi, it was revealed that Soontir and Syal had had five children together, including a son, Jagged, who eventually rose to power in the Imperial Remnant's military. Both Soontir and Jagged became leaders within the Chiss Navy, and were instrumental in keeping the Chiss from seeing more intense action as the rest of the galaxy struggled against the Yuuzhan Vong. After Yuuzhan Vong began their invasion of the galaxy, Soontir and Syal retired to the Chiss homeworld of Csilla, where they felt it was safer to live among the Chiss.