Cumberlayne Aresko

"There is no friendship in war. The only thing that matters is victory. Victory at any cost."

- Cumberlayne Aresko

Cumberlayne Aresko, operating number: "LRC-01", was a Human male who served as an officer in the Galactic Empire. In 3272 LY, Aresko held the title of Commandant and was stationed in Capital City, on the planet Lothal. Along with Taskmaster Myles Grint, he was charged with training cadets at the local Imperial Academy. Along with Grint, he once tried to arrest the merchant Yoffar for treason, but a timely distraction by Ezra Bridger saved Yoffar from a possible bad end.

Aresko, along with Grint, attempted to stop the activities of the rebel crew of the Ghost on numerous occasions, employing ineffective tactics that often failed partially due to Aresko's overconfidence and lack of tactical ability. Due to their multiple failures, they were executed by the Inquisitor, on the orders of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin.

Spark of rebellion
Aresko and his assistant Grint were bullying a merchant in Capital city when he had his comlink stolen by Ezra Bridger, who used it to fool the imperials into responding to a false alarm. Moments later he witnessed an explosion caused by the crew of the Ghost in attempt to steal a shipment of E-11 blaster rifles. He stood idly by while Grint and Yogar Lyste attempted to stop the heist.

Later that night Aresko reported to Agent Kallus who had arrived on Lothal to respond to a series of attacks by the Ghost crew. The ISB agent assured the commandant that he was not the first to be attacked by them, which Aresko expressed his relief for, not wishing to be held responsible.

Imperial Academy
Some time later Aresko and Grint were charged with the training of a class of cadets at the Lothal Imperial Academy. The class included two young boys with hidden motives for joining the Empire, but excelled in their training which earned them Aresko's praise. He did take note of cadet Dev Morgan's impressive performance as being too impressive. Aresko rewarded the top three cadets by bringing them to the Imperial Headquarters, unwittingly allowing Dev Morgan, actually Ezra Bridger incognito to infiltrate Agent Kallus' office to steal an imperial decoder. Aresko put the cadets through further tests and delighted in punishing them for their weaknesses, encouraging ruthlessness and self-preservation at the cost of comradeship insisting that victory could not be sacrificed for the sake of friendship. Aresko later reported the results of the tests to the Inquisitor, singling out Bridger and Jai Kell for meeting his special requirements. Under his nose Bridger, Kell, and Zare Leonis began plotting to escape the academy. When he rewarded cadets Kell, Leonis, and Oleg with a ride aboard an AT-DP walker, the turncoats put their plan into effect and began attacking imperial targets. Aresko and Grint did little more than stand aside commenting on the unfolding chaos. After the cadets escaped Aresko reported his findings to the Inquisitor who warned him that his failure was a "black mark."

Empire Day
Following the Rebel escape from the Imperial Academy, Commandant Aresko was charged with organizing the Empire Day celebrations in Lothal's Capital City. During the parade, Aresko attempted to ingratiate himself to Minister Tua only to be sharply rebuked for referring to the event as a mere "spectacle." However, Tua did commend him for a fireworks display that he did not arrange. Confused and hoping to save face he merely thanked the Minister but privately displayed some concern, which proved legitimate as the fireworks ended up being a distraction employed by the Lothal rebels to destroy the new prototype TIE Advanced v1 starfighter that Tua had just presented to the public for demonstration. The resulting explosion knocked him, Tua, and Baron Valen Rudor off their feet and plunged the event into chaos. Aresko once again proved incapable of action as Minister Tua took charge.

In response to the attack, Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint assembled a host of stormtroopers, armed transports and walkers to block the Capital City's exits. For his part, Aresko used an Imperial Troop Transport and an AT-DP walker to guard his exit. Meanwhile, the Lothal rebels succeeded in rescuing the Rodian fugitive Tseebo and hijacking another Imperial Troop Transport. Confident that his roadblock would be sufficient to stop the rebels from escaping, he boldly ordered them to stop as they approached in their hijacked transport. However, the rebel driver Sabine Wren drove through the barrier and ran over Aresko's troop transport. The rebel transport also smashed through the leg of the AT-DP walker, causing it topple over. Commandant Aresko could only look on in frustration and defeat as Agent Kallus continued the pursuit. Despite the Imperials' best efforts, the Lothal rebels succeeded in escaping offworld with Tseebo.

Final failure and death
Shortly after the arrival of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin on Lothal, Aresko and Grint made one last attempt to trap the Lothal rebel band. The Lothal rebels Ezra, Kanan, and Sabine had ambushed Taskmaster Myles Grint's weekly convoyed and made off with several supplies on their speeder bikes. Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint pursued the rebels in their Imperial Troop Transport, accompanied by five Imperial troopers on military-grade bikes. Their pursuit took them through the streets of the town of Jalath. When the rebels entered a small town, Aresko gave orders for his biker troops to flank them and prevent them escaping. The plan failed as the rebels subdued all of his men in the streets of Jalath. This incident in Jalath marked Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint's fourth and final failed attempt to apprehend the Lothal rebels.

Commandant Aresko's latest failure did not escape the notice of the visiting Grand Moff Tarkin. The following morning, Tarkin summoned Aresko and Grint along with their Imperial comrades Minister Maketh Tua, Agent Kallus, and the Inquisitor for a private dawn meeting. Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint were the last to arrived for the meeting and sat at front of Tarkin's desk. Settling down immediately to business, the Grand Moff questioned Aresko and Grint about their experiences in dealing with the Lothal insurgents. Aresko acknowledged this was the case while Grint informed Tarkin about their latest failed attempt to apprehend the rebels in the outlying town of Jalath.

Aresko also admitted the operation was a failure and reported that the rebels had stolen some supplies and escaped on speeder bikes. However, he added that the rebels did not inflict any casualties on his men, which led the Grand Moff to concur that the Lothal rebel band was more principled than other rebel cells. Aresko and Grint were genuinely bemused to learn from Tarkin that there were other rebel cells, tribes, and factions operating in the Galaxy. Tarkin then went on to discuss the presence of the Jedi known as Kanan Jarrus in that cell. Aresko acknowledged that this was indeed the case and commented that the Jedi lived up to his reputation. During the meeting, the Inquisitor hovered over the two Imperial commanding officers.

Tarkin then chastised the Commandant and Taskmaster for their repeated failures to apprehend the Lothal rebels since that allowed the rebels to inspire hope in the Lothal public and to undermine the Empire's security. To demonstrate the consequences of any further failures from the other Imperials, the Inquisitor, on Tarkin's command, swiftly executed Aresko and Grint by beheading them with one stroke of his lightsaber. Tarkin's ruthless execution of Aresko and Grint horrified Tua and Kallus, who had regarded the two men as incompetent but loyal Imperials. The Grand Moff then used this execution as an opportunity to remind his Lothal subordinates that failure from now on would have consequences.

Personality and traits
Aresko exhibited the typical air of arrogance common amongst imperial officers. Overconfident, self-important and cruel, Aresko commanded respect from his underlings, though his haughty and confident display masked his inner fear of his superiors. His cowardly nature revealed itself whenever he had to report to Agent Kallus or The Inquisitor, as he would timidly spout excuses or attempt to shift blame from himself. Whereas Kallus would lead his men into battle, Aresko typically shouted orders from the sidelines and was quick to protect himself rather than his men, moreover he appeared unable to adapt to any situation once his initial plans had failed. He was typically seen as the brains to Grint's brawn, yet despite being better spoken than his assistant he rarely proved to be any more competent.

Aresko was a tall, thin, exceedingly pale human. His appearance was described as "cadaverous" by Zare Leonis.

Behind the scenes
Aresko, like his partner, Grint, was voiced by David Shaughnessy in Star Wars Rebels.

Appearances

 * Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy
 * Ezra's Gamble
 * Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
 * The Rebellion Begins
 * Droids in Distress book
 * Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks
 * Ezra's Duel with Danger
 * Battle to the End
 * Star Wars Rebels: Rebel Strike
 * Battle to the End
 * Star Wars Rebels: Rebel Strike
 * Star Wars Rebels: Rebel Strike