4-8C

"Please, no! This is my life!" "You no longer have a life."

- Dilrath and Grand Moff 4-8C

4-8C, or For-Atesee, was an IG-series assassin droid who served as an Imperial Grand Moff and a member of the Imperial Redesign Team during the Galactic Civil War. Devising a project, The Heart of Steel, without any permission from High Command, 4-8C sought to position himself as a hero of the Empire by creating a program that could override every computer within the galaxy.

However, his plans turned sour when the experimental droid B-1D4, carrier of The Heart of Steel virus, was caught in a battle and salvaged by Dilrath, a Skrilling junk merchant. Tracking B-1D4 there, 4-8C discovered that the droid had in fact been sold to one Captain Han Solo, a Rebel sympathizer. 4-8C then enlisted the help of Captain Kassihm and journeyed to Dweem, believing that Solo had fled there. The expedition proved to be uneventful, and 4-8C surmised that B-1D4 had in fact hijacked the Millennium Falcon and taken it to Imperial Center. There, The Heart of Steel deactivated the planetary defenses, causing havoc at the capital. Realizing that his project could be jeopardized, he raced to Merakai, where Solo and the droid were being held. 4-8C broke into the prison, started a riot, and rescued the droid, only to be deactivated and dismantled by Kassihm while escaping the scene.

Early career
4-8C was created as an assassin droid, and, since he was of the IG-88 model, it was highly likely that he was built by the scientists of Project Phlutdroid from Holowan Laboratories. Despite this, he was not present during the Holowan Disaster and was likely built at a separate location. This made him the only IG-88 droid in the galaxy not to be under the influence of IG-88A, and as such, his career would differ somewhat from that of his "brothers." How he received the designation of "4-8C," when other droids of the IG-series all had the "IG" prefix, is unknown.

Project Phlutdroid being an Imperial project, 4-8C was likely meant to serve the Galactic Empire as an assassin, but for some reason, he ascended to the rank of Grand Moff. This was highly unusual, and likely an exclusive case; droids rarely, if ever, became military officers in the Empire or in its predecessor the Galactic Republic. It is not clear as to which Oversector 4-8C governed, but he was a member of the highly secretive Imperial Redesign Team, a cadre of special agents tasked with the subjugation and sometimes liquidation of select non-Human species. Following his unprecedented ascension to Grand Moff, 4-8C obtained a pair of older droids from the IG-series: IG-153 and IG-182, who had previously belonged to Confederacy of Independent Systems General Grievous. As with Grievous, the two droids served 4-8C as devoted bodyguards.

The Heart of Steel
"Do your Imperial cronies on Merakai know about the Heart of Steel?" "Of course not."

- Kassihm and 4-8C

Seeking to make himself a hero of the Empire, 4-8C began devising a weapon that would be able to render any resistance to Palpatine's New Order ineffective and useless. Dubbing his experiment "The Heart of Steel," he retrieved an ancient B-1 series protocol droid, B-1D4, and developed what he thought to be a highly complex virus, which, when transferred to any computer in the galaxy, would force it to do the carrier's bidding. At a Redesign facility on Imperial Center, B-1D4 was programmed to be the carrier of this virus, and would spread it to other computers throughout the galaxy via data link. Though the virus' effects could be reversed, they had a 100% success rate of "infection" upon transfer, and could not be overridden. In reality, 4-8C's virus was rudimentary, but it was still potent. The project was developed without the permission of anyone in Imperial High Command or Imperial Intelligence, and it is doubtful that even Palpatine knew of it. As such, the project's secrecy was of top priority for the Imperial Redesign Team, and research was kept strictly within their ranks. Despite this, some information brokers, such as the elusive Phelon, knew of its existence.

Project gone awry (0 ABY)
"Can you identify which ship that debris is from? If it's the Millennium Falcon I don't want to know about it, and you don't want to tell me."

- Grand Moff 4-8C to Zaker Besar crew member

4-8C's plan, however, went drastically wrong. The Imperial cruiser on which B-1D4 was being transferred was attacked by Rebel Alliance forces. The Rebels chose not to salvage anything from the destroyed craft, which was fortunate for the Grand Moff, but a Skrilling merchant, Dilrath, happened upon the derelict and retrieved B-1D4. Upon learning this, 4-8C took his ship, the Imperial state ship Zaker Besar, and the interrogator Burra Stone to Dilrath's vessel, hoping that the merchant had kept the invaluable droid. Only hours before the Grand Moff's arrival, however, Dilrath had sold the droid to Captain Han Solo of the Millennium Falcon. Solo was a known Rebel sympathizer, and the fact incensed 4-8C. Arresting Dilrath, he ordered his men to demolish the Skrilling ship, eliminating all evidence of their presence. Before departure, he received word that the Falcon had been captured by Kassihm's Pirates, and that Solo, with B-1D4, was in the Nikto pirate's custody on the M'hendosat. Realizing that time was short, he raced to the M'hendosat ' s last known location.

Instead of being met by the sight of the M'hendosat, all 4-8C saw at the site was a field of debris. Fearing that his painstaking research had gone to waste, he ordered a scan of the area, which revealed that nothing matching The Heart of Steel was present. The scan also indicated that the Falcon had recently left the system, and that at least one escape pod had escaped the destruction. Surmising that Solo and his compatriots had been able to destroy the M'hendosat, 4-8C had the escape pod picked up. Inside was Kassihm, former Captain of the M'hendosat. Standing watch while Stone interrogated Kassihm and Dilrath, 4-8C constantly interrupted the interrogator's work, desperate for answers and leads. As 4-8C resorted to his habit of waving a blaster in a victim's face, his modus operandi began to grate with Stone, who complained. 4-8C overruled him, however, and questioned each of the prisoners in turn. Dilrath yielded no information other than the fact that those who had destroyed the M'hendosat were likely the ones who had purchased B-1D4. Kassihm was much more helpful, confirming that B-1D4 had been with the Rebels and offering to help apprehend Solo. Information from the Nikto's escape pod told 4-8C that it had been headed for Dweem, and by logical deduction, the Falcon must have been headed there too.

Dead end at Dweem
"I don't like the look of all that ice. We'll scout the region on walkers. Prepare the AT-STs!"

- Grand Moff 4-8C

After setting the Zaker Besar into orbit around Dweem, 4-8C had his men scan the planet for any trace of the Falcon. While the results were inconclusive, the Grand Moff believed that Solo may have used Dweem's storms to cloak his electromagnetic signature. Probes sent to sweep the planet showed no trace of the Falcon but did show a large power signature, possibly a generator for a base. Believing that the Rebels may have been setting up their new base on Dweem, 4-8C had the Besar ' s AT-STs prepared for recon. 4-8C personally joined Stone and Kassihm on the planet surface, but their mission proved to be fruitless, as the base was discovered to be an abandoned Galactic Republic base defended by Iron Knights. Before escaping Dweem, however, the threesome encountered Dweemons: large, spydr-like creatures that blended into their environment. Despite this, 4-8C and his companions were able to make it back to the Zaker Besar unharmed.

Livid that the expedition on Dweem had been nothing more than a wild bantha chase, 4-8C planned to kill Kassihm. The Nikto, however, protested, claiming that Solo did not expect any survivors from the destruction of the M'hendosat, and thus would not have attempted any deception. Realizing that The Heart of Steel must have hijacked the Falcon, the Grand Moff surmised that B-1D4 would return to Imperial Center, the place where she had served as a protocol droid for over a century, and also the location where The Heart of Steel virus was developed.

Merakai jailbreak
4-8C's assumption proved to be correct, but the consequences of B-1D4's actions were more disastrous than he had imagined. The Heart of Steel had shut down Imperial Center's defenses, allowing Solo to elude capture. Despite this, Lord Darth Vader, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, had set a trap for Solo and his compatriots on Cheeyoom Matee, a local Rebel base where the Falcon had sought refuge. As a result the Rebels and B-1D4 were captured and thrown into a Merakai prison.

Kassihm, devising a way to secure his own freedom, convinced 4-8C that B-1D4's presence in a Merakai prison could be quite disadvantageous for the Grand Moff; if the Merakai technicians started probing the droid's memory, they would discover 4-8C's unauthorized involvement. He offered to aid 4-8C in retrieving The Heart of Steel, as simply requesting it of the base commander would look suspicious. The Grand Moff accepted, accompanying Kassihm to ensure the pirate did not try and double-cross him. Stone also tagged along, in case Kassihm attempted to destroy the Grand Moff or The Heart of Steel.

Touching down on Merakai in the Nikto ship Optitron, 4-8C was forced to don water wings for the operation. Along with Stone and Kassihm, he journeyed through the swamps of the planet, braving dangers such as bullet beetyls and sea slugs. Cutting through a grating, the group entered Merakai Prison through its sewage system and proceeded through the facility in their hunt for B-1D4. Choosing to masquerade as Imperial inspectors from the Department of Punishment, the group found the droid in the clutches of Merakai's droid torturer, who realized that they were not, in fact, inspectors. With the prison alarms blaring, the group took the droid and freed all the prisoners, starting a substantial riot. Teaming up with Solo and his friends, they were able to get free of the prison walls and into a speeder. Solo protested and pursued, but a member of the Redesign team was able to convince him to flee. 4-8C's operation complete, the group returned to the Optitron.

Deactivation
"Where are the others?" "Asleep or otherwise dismantled."

- Han Solo and Kassihm

Now that the mission was over, Kassihm understood that 4-8C would kill him. Realizing that the only path to salvation was by joining the Alliance to Restore the Republic, he planned to turn the tables on the Grand Moff. Waiting until Stone was fast asleep in his stasis chamber, the Nikto retrieved a droid disabler that he had stolen from the Merakai armory. While 4-8C was examining the damage done to B-1D4, the pirate crept up on him with extreme caution. Kassihm fired his droid disabler, and the Grand Moff was successfully incapacitated. Noting that 4-8C had been able to produce and aim a blaster in a fraction of a second, Kassihm realized that had he been a split second slower, he would have been killed. Dismantling the Grand Moff, the Nikto commandeered the Optitron, rescued Solo and his friends, and joined the Alliance. What became of The Heart of Steel is unknown.

Personality and traits
"Take this creature and throw him in the brig until I have time for further questioning. Then blow up this trash heap of a ship. I want no evidence we were ever here."

- Grand Moff 4-8C

Being the only droid to ascend to the rank of Grand Moff, 4-8C sought to prove himself to his colleagues and intended to be the hero of the Empire. He was not afraid of combat, being an assassin droid, and would constantly involve himself in Redesign missions. Eventually, he became obsessed with The Heart of Steel project and was pushed to the brink of panic when B-1D4 was abducted. Letting nothing stand in his way, he would arrest sentients&mdash;particularly alien ones&mdash;without a second thought and believed the recovery of the droid was of paramount importance to the Imperial Redesign Team.

4-8C was also excessively impatient, often waving blaster pistols in the faces of captured felons. This style of interrogation grated with Burra Stone, who preferred to use the Force to persuade captives. Stone often clashed with 4-8C, finding him to be unintelligent and tactless. In turn, the Grand Moff found Stone to be ineffective. 4-8C also had a strong desire to kill sentients, but he was often forced to let them live due to their eventual usefulness, as in the case of Kassihm. His mistrust of the Nikto pirate, however, was well founded, as Kassihm would indeed deactivate and dismantle him on the Optitron.

Behind the scenes
Grand Moff 4-8C was created by Dave Wolverton for the Star Wars Missions game book, Star Wars Missions 13: Prisoner of the Nikto Pirates. He serves as the primary antagonist of the fourth Missions arc, and is a playable character in Star Wars Missions 14: The Monsters of Dweem and Star Wars Missions 16: Imperial Jailbreak. The character went unreferenced in any Star Wars media until Abel G. Peña mentioned him in The Story of General Grievous: Lord of War, the online supplement to the article Unknown Soldier: The Story of General Grievous, eight years after his original appearance. The web supplement originally called 4-8C "Grand Moff Grand Moff" in a typographical error, much to the mirth of several fans on the Jedi Council Forums.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Missions 13: Prisoner of the Nikto Pirates
 * Star Wars Missions 14: The Monsters of Dweem
 * Star Wars Missions 15: Voyage to the Underworld
 * Star Wars Missions 16: Imperial Jailbreak