Osvald Teshik



Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik was a Grand Admiral of the Imperial Starfleet. He was one of the original 12 Grand Admirals, raised to that newly-created rank by the Emperor after the Battle of Yavin.

Teshik was one of the most important and trusted Grand Admirals- he commanded the Imperial Center Oversector (Sector Zero), which embraced the very capital of the Empire, and its most developed, wealthy worlds. This position put him in charge not only of the most important sector, but also of the fleet attached to that sector, Azure Hammer Command; Azure Hammer Command contained the SSD-class Whelm, a fleet of fifty-seven capital ships, the planet Anaxes, the famous Anaxes Citadel; and, ultimately, all other Imperial forces located in Imperial Center Oversector.

Teshik was noteable for his compassion, very rare among high Imperial officials and for being a cyborg- Imperial Advisor Coh Veshiv was abducted by the Nebulon-B frigate Far Orbit, and Emperor Palpatine himself threatened Teshik with execution if he didn't deal with the privateers. Teshik failed to do so. Always seeking new and more creative execution-methods (Bevel Lemelisk would also be subject to this particular penchant of Palpatine's, except Lemelisk saw the full range of Palpatine's oeuvre; Lemelisk was executed multiple times by methods ranging from carnivorous beetles of Yavin to being dipped in copper), Palpatine commanded Teshik to incurse on the insular isolationist Hapan Cluster, with insufficient forces and materiel. Teshik met in battle with the famed Hapan war fleet, composed of Hapan Battle Dragons and Nova-class Battle Cruisers, and was nearly killed. He was saved only by replacement of 75% of his body with cybernetic parts.

The Empire was not only xenophobic, but they also shunned the ill and weak- serious mutilations were rare due to wide-spread use of bacta. Teshik was universally shunned and an object of revulsion. This ostracization and unending prejudice hardened his heart. It was in this period, before the Battle of Endor, that Teshik destroyed Milagro.

With three other Grand Admirals, Teshik was present aboard the second Death Star; he attempted to escape, but was pinned beneath a fallen column. One contruction worker, out of the myriads of Imperials fleeing, stopped and freed him. The worker's generosity and kindness worked a transformation within Teshik; the years of abuse and disdain fell away and he regained his compassion. He escaped to his personal Star Destroyer Eleemosynary (class unknown), took command, and prosecuted the fight against the Rebel fleet. Even when a retreat was ordered (illegally), Teshik refused to surrender. It took three hours before Teshik's flagship was finally disabled by an ion cannon bolt. Teshik would be captured alive, and put on trial ('for inhuman atrocities committed against the citizens of the galaxy'), convicted, and sentenced to execution. The irony of this did not escape Teshik as his last words before his death was mechanical laughter.

Though never published and thus not canonical, Star Wars Insider author Daniel Wallace indicates that Teshik's personal Star Destroyer was named Eleemosynary. See here.