Ranulf Trommer

"The time-stream splits around you, young human. You are the pivot upon which much else resides.''" "I&hellip;thank you, sir&hellip;I think''."

- Ch'no and Ranulf Trommer

Ranulf Trommer was a noted TIE pilot in the Imperial Navy who defected to the Rebel Alliance after becoming disillusioned with the Galactic Empire. The son of Admiral Trommer, Ranulf Trommer grew up at the Vogel 7 Naval Academy and was flying TIEs from childhood. He joined the Navy as a pilot and found success on several missions before he was wounded in action during the Battle of Aguarl III, which saw him proclaimed the Hero of Aguarl III for his action in singlehandedly destroying the Rebel base on that world.

After he recovered, Trommer was assigned to M'haeli by Grand Moff Lynch Hauser to spy on Governor Grigor, whom he suspected of corruption. Grigor was tipped off, however, and set Trommer up for arrest as a Rebel. The planet's cell of Rebels saved him, and Trommer found himself falling in love with one of their number, Mora. Trommer's loyalties were torn, and he hoped that by exposing Grigor's illegal dragite mine to Hauser, he could eliminate Grigor's oppression and remove the need for rebellion. As he continued fighting with the Rebels against Grigor, though, Trommer came to realize that things would be no better under the Empire even if Grigor were gone. Trommer killed Grigor and, when Hauser arrived at his summons and attempted to have Mora executed, Trommer gave up on the Empire. He fled M'haeli with Mora, her family, and Princess Leia Organa to join the Rebellion in battling the Empire.

Imperial career
"Ravagor! Trommer here. Whole wing&hellip;destroyed! I'm&hellip;all that's left! Took a hit&hellip;but I'm going in! Concussion missiles! Torpedoes launched&hellip;targeting&hellip;bull's eye!"

- Ranulf Trommer, to Ravagor control

Ranulf Trommer was the son of an officer in the Imperial Navy stationed on Vogel 7. Trommer, whose family had a long history of service in the Galactic Republic's fleet was raised on Vogel 7, and his father allowed him to use the equipment in the naval academy, flying TIE series craft in simulation from a very early age. He also received specialized combat training which left him a skilled marksman and melee combatant.

When he came of age, Trommer attended the academy himself and graduated as a lieutenant in the Imperial Navy, piloting TIE/sa Bombers. His long experience with the TIE series gave him a mastery of the craft, and Trommer soon gained a reputation as an excellent pilot. During the Battle of Spefik, Trommer destroyed the anti-orbital ion cannons at the enemy base, earning him accolades from fellow pilots&mdash;though Trommer brushed it off as a lucky strike in a group effort.



In early 0 ABY, approximately six months after the destruction of the Death Star, Trommer was posted to the Star Destroyer Ravagor. When word came in that Mon Calamari members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic had established a Rebel presence on Aguarl III, Trommer's wing was assigned to bomb their base. During the bombers' approach, the Rebels deployed air mines which destroyed the entire wing but for Trommer. Though his craft was damaged, Trommer persevered, launching concussion missiles which directly struck the launch bay of the undersea base. Badly wounded, Trommer piloted his bomber back to Ravagor, where he had to be rushed to surgery to save his life. His right leg had to be replaced with a prosthetic, something which Trommer knew would be thought shameful by many should they learn of it.

Assigned to spy
Trommer was hailed as a hero for his actions on Aguarl III. When Trommer had recovered from his wounds, he and his father, Admiral Trommer, met Grand Moff Lynch Hauser, his father's patron. Hauser assigned the younger Trommer to M'haeli to serve as an aide to Governor Grigor. Hauser did not trust Grigor, and wanted Trommer to spy on the man and report anything unusual. Trommer was privately dismayed by the assignment, considering himself a pilot and not a spy, but his father insisted that it was their duty to assist Hauser in any manner necessary.

The Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser aboard which Trommer journeyed to M'haeli was attacked by Rebel X-wings upon leaving hyperspace. With Captain Spaeth's permission, Trommer scrambled the ship's TIE complement, taking one of its TIE Interceptors for himself. Trommer shot down three fighters in quick succession, leading the Rebels to retreat. Spaeth allowed Trommer to take the ship's interceptor to the surface, where he met Governor Grigor in the capital city of N'croth.

Grigor, who had been alerted that Trommer would be spying on him, told the younger man that he would need him for a secret mission to determine whether the planet's native species, the H'drachi, had given their support to the Rebellion en masse. Trommer's arrival was left off official records, and he was given a droid to take to the repair shop of Ch'no. Ch'no had a Human adopted daughter, Mora, whom Trommer was to befriend, giving him access to H'drachi society.

Among the Rebels
"Your road will be difficult&hellip;and you still have much to learn&hellip;but you will not betray us!"

- Ch'no, to Ranulf Trommer

Trommer visited the shop at night, pretending to be an offworld merchant. The shop was swiftly raided by stormtroopers, who arrested Trommer as a Rebel. The pilot quickly realized he had been set up by Grigor, who had somehow learned of his true mission. Mora attacked the stormtroopers, but only the arrival of a group of Rebels with whom Mora was involved, led by Leia Organa, saved Trommer. Trommer sustained a shot to the shoulder in the fight, and was evacuated to the Rebel base on the back of Mora's swoop. Pursued by stormtroopers on speeder bikes, Mora headed along into the mountains. Trommer was shot in his cybernetic leg, but took Mora's blaster and, as a proficient shot, killed their pursuers.



As the Rebels were not yet certain they could trust Trommer, they had him remain in a cave behind W'eston Falls, where Mora tended to him. She was outraged that the others would not extend their trust to a wounded man, but Trommer understood their caution. He was pleasantly surprised when Mora found his cybernetic leg unobjectionable; she was instead happy to use her mechanical skills to repair the damage it had incurred.

After Trommer had healed, Ch'no arrived. H'drachi had the ability to "read the time-stream" and predict the future or discover information, and Ch'no was noted for his exceptional skill in this regard. He revealed that he had found the location of secret mines on M'haeli mining valuable dragite which was being sold on the black market. If Trommer and Mora confirmed the location of the mines, he suggested it could induce the Rebels to trust the pair.

The pair traveled into the remote, snowy D'olop Range. Sneaking up on the coordinates, they found a mining operation guarded by snowtroopers and All Terrain Scout Transports. They subdued a guard who was escorting a prisoner nearby, swapping clothes with the pair. Trommer pretended to escort Mora into the camp as a prisoner. They observed the Empire's use of impressed laborers, many of them Rebels who were believed dead. They waited until nightfall to attempt to secure a sample of dragite from inside the vault, but were caught by a patrol. Only after they fled did Trommer discover Mora had been able to steal a bit of dragite. Having observed one of the snowtroopers unmasked and seen the laxity of security at the mines, Trommer concluded they were not genuine Imperial stormtroopers but instead mercenaries hired by Grigor for a private black-market operation.

Warring loyalties
"Look, Leia. In a way, you and Merrik are right not to trust me. I'm not what I seem. I was&hellip;am an Imperial officer, sent to investigate Grigor. But Mora befriended me&hellip;as did you all. I've learned&hellip;you're good people working for what you believe is right. While Grigor is evil&hellip;and using his position to line his own pockets. I went to the Imperial garrison to arrest Grigor! I hoped his capture would halt the Rebellion here! But I did not betray you to him!"

- Ranulf Trommer, to Leia Organa

On their return, Trommer and Mora were happily received into the Rebellion, but Trommer was torn by the conflict between his duty as an Imperial and his growing feelings for Mora. He decided that by removing the corrupt and oppressive Grigor, he might obviate the need for the Rebellion on M'haeli. Trommer set out in the middle of the night, determined to arrest Grigor for treason. He confronted Grigor in his bedchambers, but the governor summoned stormtroopers who surrounded and captured the pilot. Trommer was imprisoned and tortured by Grigor to extract the location of the main Rebel base, but Trommer did not know it. Defiant, he challenged Grigor to charge him publicly and see whether the evidence implicated himself or the governor of treason.

When Trommer would not break, Grigor taunted him with the knowledge that the bounty hunter Glott had been retained to capture Mora before leaving. After hours of hanging shackled to the wall, Trommer attacked his guard when the man drew in range, strangling him and seizing the key card with his legs. He then subdued a stormtrooper and took his armor. In that disguise, he had the palace communications officer send a message to the Select Committee describing Grigor's treason, claiming he was relaying a request for the governor.

Trommer set off for the H'drachi ghetto. He found it in ruins, and one of the H'drachi admitted that the Council of Elders, resentful of Mora's actions and the Imperial retaliation they caused, had told Glott that Mora would be leading an attack on the dragite mine. Trommer sped to the D'orlop Range, arriving just as Glott seized Mora. A Gotal, Glott had some precognitive abilities, allowing him to dodge Trommer's shots. Trommer was able to outwit and subdue him, but at that moment Merrik, a leading Rebel and the least trusting of Trommer, arrived. He had followed the pilot earlier and seen him enter the Imperial garrison unchallenged. Believing Trommer was a spy, he took him captive, released Glott, and refused to believe Trommer's explanation that Glott's employees had already made off with Mora.

He was taken back to the Rebel base, where other Rebels confirmed his version of the fight. When a broadcast from Grigor announced that Mora was the long-lost heir to M'haeli's throne and would be marrying him, Trommer was outraged and determined to rescue his love. He admitted to Organa and the other Rebels that he was an Imperial officer sent to observe Grigor, but insisted that he respected the Rebels and wanted to bring down Grigor. Organa decided that he could at least be trusted to rescue Mora, and agreed to release him.



Wearing his stormtrooper armor, Trommer led Merrik and Jalose into the Imperial base as prisoners. They seized the detention area and released Mora, who was being held due to her refusal to cooperate with Grigor. They fled on swoops into the forest, but Glott tracked and attacked them. Jalose was killed defending Mora, and Trommer had Merrik evacuate Mora while he stayed to battle Glott. Several H'drachi refugees appeared, advising Trommer to target Glott's head cones, the source of his precognitive abilities. Trommer shot one off, allowing him to get the drop on Glott and kill the bounty hunter.

Making the choice
"We're hunted&hellip;we could die at any moment! The Grand Moff welcomed you with open arms, as did your father! You did what you came for, Ranulf! Why are you still here with us?''" "Because I know now! 'Good' Imperials&hellip;like my own father&hellip;are as bad as Grigor. No one noticed what he was up to for so long because the Empire's agenda so closely paralleled Grigor's own. I brought them here, Mora. I sent a coded message to the High Command, describing Grigor's illegal mining operation. This armed force is their answer! I meant to save M'haeli&hellip;and all I brought was destruction''!"

- Mora and Ranulf Trommer

Glott lived long enough for the Imperials to track him down and learn from him that the Rebel base was located at Red Rock. Grigor's attempted ambush of the Rebels was foiled by the H'drachi elders, however&mdash;having joined the Rebellion, they were able to predict the attack through the time-stream. Trommer fought for the Rebels, attacking the Imperial forces. Investigating the ruins of Grigor's command vehicle, Mora was seized by Grigor and held hostage. Trommer sprang into action, kicking Grigor's blaster out of line and causing the governor to shoot himself in the head.

More Imperial forces arrived on their heels. Realizing they were commanded by Hauser and Admiral Trommer, Ranulf Trommer believed they had been sent to eliminate Grigor, and with conditions on M'haeli returned to normal the Rebels could disband. Hauser, however, revealed his plans to exploit the dragite to turn M'haeli into an arms factory and execute Mora, stamping out the ruling family and securing the Empire's hold on the planet. Disillusioned, Trommer killed the stormtrooper holding Mora and escaped with her aboard a speeder bike. Though Hauser fired at Ranulf Trommer, the elder Trommer deliberately bumped the powerful Imperial, spoiling his aim and allowing his son to flee.



He warned Organa, admitting his role in bringing Hauser to M'haeli, but the princess dismissed the increased Imperial attention as inevitable. Trommer decided to join the Rebellion, and was happily welcomed by Organa. The Rebels withdrew, acknowledging they could not battle to hold M'haeli. Trommer recognized that for M'haeli to be freed, the Empire as a whole must be defeated, and the M'haeli Rebels must join the broader cause of the Rebel Alliance. Before they fled M'haeli entirely, they sabotaged the dragite mines. When they were caught by stormtroopers, Merrik sacrificed himself to allow Trommer, Mora, and Ch'no to escape, setting off the explosive charges that destroyed the mines himself.

Trommer, Mora, and Ch'no escaped alongside Organa, joining the Rebel Alliance. Mora was happy to have him along, as they shared strong feelings for each other. Outraged at Trommer's treason, Hauser publicly branded him a traitor and placed a bounty on him in the name of the Empire.

Personality and traits
"Thanks&hellip;for taking a chance on me. I'm joining the Rebellion!''" "''About time you realized it. In your heart, you've been with use for a long time!"

- Ranulf Trommer and Leia Organa

Ranulf Trommer was a humble man, inclined to downplay his accomplishments in the cockpit. By 0 ABY, he was even growing weary of fighter combat, finding it easy and routine. Serving the Empire lacked the meaning he sought in life. He remained loyal to the Empire, however, and when he witnessed the abuses under Imperial rule on M'haeli, Trommer hoped that it was the rest of Grigor's misrule and not emblematic of the Empire as a whole. He found himself falling for Mora, and seeing her passion for the Rebellion he found himself conflicted between his loyalty to the Empire and his desire to be with Mora. He felt sympathy for the Rebels as well, not blaming them for revolting against Grigor's mistreatment, and hoped that by removing Grigor, he would eliminate the need for rebellion and allow the Rebels, whom he liked as friends and felt he owed his life, to live peacefully without compromising his Imperial upbringing. It was only after realizing that the mainstream Empire was no better than Grigor that Trommer felt he had to join the Rebellion, abandoning his father and his loyalty to the Emperor.

Behind the scenes
The character of Ranulf Trommer was created by writer Louise Simonson for the 1995 comic River of Chaos. For the comic, he was illustrated by June Brigman.

Appearances

 * River of Chaos