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"Ganch" was a clone trooper commander who served in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. He was assigned to Jedi General Bolla Ropal, and worked closely with the General's Padawan learner, Tyzen Xebec. While overseeing operations on Devaron, Ganch and Xebec were caught up in an assault launched by agents of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Although the pair survived the engagement, Ropal was later slain by the bounty hunter Cad Bane. Xebec was subsequently re-apprenticed, to Jedi General Keelyvine Reus.

Xebec would spend more time with Ganch than he did his new master. The Commander and the Jedi were assigned to a task force dispatched to the vital agriworld of Ukio, during which Xebec was placed in charge of a planetary inspection team. Ganch, as a part of the team, accompanied the Ukian Liege in inspecting the Ukian shield generator, but later succumbed to the neural scrambling initiated by the Confederate tactician known as the "Doctor." The Commander was driven into a violent stupor, fighting with both Xebec and one of his subordinates, "Squawk," before finally realizing that he was mentally unfit for duty, and rendering himself unconscious.

Attack on Devaron
"Adapting to new commands is just part of our duty. And our duty is all."

- Ganch



A clone trooper cloned from the bounty hunter Jango Fett, and created on Kamino, Commander "Ganch" served in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. The conflict, in which the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems clashed for galactic dominance, prompted the Republic to establish a base on the world of Devaron. Ganch was assigned to Rodian Jedi General Bolla Ropal, and was also subordinate to Ropal's Jedi Padawan, the Zabrak Tyzen Xebec. While building the base, Ropal sought to ecologically restore a barren valley on Devaron, and to that end, he had a dam erected. Ganch oversaw the erection of the dam, and was aided by Xebec. One of the clones raising the dam, Squawk, complained that he would rather be facing action, but Ganch quickly reprimanded him.

Xebec, observing the reprimand, discussed Ropal's decisions briefly with Ganch, explaining that the Jedi Master did not think that they should sit idle purely because they were so far from the actual conflict of the Clone Wars. Ganch understood that his purpose was purely to serve, but Xebec advised him to relax. At that moment, the Commander received a priority signal from outpost command&mdash;a red alert. A Confederate fleet had entered the system, and was bearing down on Devaron rapidly. Ganch and Xebec came under fire from the enemy Nashtah Team, droids from which destroyed their Low Altitude Assault Transport, which was parked on top of the dam wall. Xebec was instructed by Ropal via comlink to stay out of the valley proper, and stay where he was. Ganch, while battling the droids, observed that the normally prescient General Ropal had been caught off-guard.

As the LAAT fell off the dam wall and exploded, Ganch and Xebec were thrown to the ground. The Commander recovered, but Xebec was still unconscious. The Padawan soon recovered, while Ganch continued to return fire at the Confederate forces, who had them pinned down. Any rockets the troops had were lost with the destroyed gunship. As they fought on, Xebec sensed through the force that Ropal had been captured. As the young Zabrak despaired, Ganch urged him to return his focus to the matter at hand, as Team Nashtah was overrunning their position. Xebec instructed the Commander to have his troops seal their helmets, and target the braces on the dam wall. The wall gave way, and flooded the valley, waylaying both the Republic and Confederate troops. As a result, the outpost, although drenched, was now secure. Ganch and Xebec made it to the shore and the Commander observed that they had been successful, the the Padawan pointed out that they had been targeting Ropal all along, which Ganch found to be puzzling. With the water now let into the valley, the Generals plans for Devaron had been fulfilled, although the Zabrak pointed out that he had never been around to see it. The clone and the Padawan were then recovered by LAATs, although Ropal later died at the hands of bounty hunter Cad Bane.

Mission to Ukio
"In my experience, a Jedi General is not one to do things lightly, and she's entrusting planetside security to you sir. To us."

- Ganch to Xebec regarding General Reus

In the wake of his master's death, Xebec was given a new master, General Keelyvine Reus. Ganch too was assigned to Reus, and were part of a task force dispatched to Ukio, a vital agriworld supplying the Grand Army with food. Aboard Reus's flagship, a Venator-class Star Destroyer, Xebec spent his time with Ganch, rather than at his new master's side. He instructed Ganch to turn off his communicator, and the Commander did so. Xebec then set about reassembling a DC-15S blaster, a feat which Ganch taught him. A clone officer then approached, and informed the pair that Xebec was wanted by General Reus. The officer queried as to why the communicator was shut off, and Xebec explained, as he had not wanted to be disturbed. The order had now been superseded, however, and the Padawan was forced to report to the General. Before he departed, the Commander advised his young superior to stay focused.

Ganch later joined Xebec, Squawk, and a group of other clone troopers on a reconnaissance mission to the surface of Ukio. As they made the trip from the destroyer to the planet in a LAAT gunship, Squawk remarked that they would probably be spending more time reading than fighting, since the world's planetary shield was a particularly effective one. Ganch cautioned his subordinate, but Xebec agreed that their mission would likely be a quiet one. The Commander reminded him that they had been instructed to perform a thorough assessment of Ukio's defensive systems for General Reus, which would likely keep them occupied, but the Zabrak felt that his master simply wanted him out of the way, and that she could not stand his presence. Ganch reasoned that Jedi Generals were not ones to take matters lightly, and provided a degree of perspective for his young compatriot&mdash;they were being placed in charge of planetary security, which was hardly a trifle. Furthermore, he reminded the Padawan that clones were not able to pick their commanding officers, and so they simply adapted.

Landing, Ganch and Xebec met with the Ukian Liege, who was taken aback by Xebec's young age. He inquired as to whether the clone troopers were comfortable in being subordinate to someone so youthful, but Ganch pointed out that he was technically younger than the Zabrak. Xebec wished to meet with the Ukian workers, while the Commander would join the the Liege in inspecting the defensive capabilities of the planet. The Padawan demanded that his troops be given full access to the shield generator complex. As the Zabrak departed, Ganch beckoned the Liege, in order to start his tour. At the Ukian shield generator, the Liege illustrated the various levels of protection that ensured that the planetary shield would continuously be in effect. Ganch was impressed by the Liege's equipment, and then distracted by the charging mammoth gigauns outside the complex. The Liege explained that the largely harmless creatures were essential to produce on Ukio, as their subsonic calls caused germination within the seeds.

Project Instinction
"Run Tyzen. Run before I can get my hands on you."

- Clone Commander Ganch after attacking Xebec.

While Ganch was still at the shield generator complex, an orbital alert was received. Soon, the sky was suddenly blacked out, causing the Liege to panic. Furthermore, all signals were jammed. A weak signal got through to the generator complex&mdash;Generals Reus and Fisto, as well as Admiral Dron were in conference. They informed the Liege that the Confederacy had introduced an electro-magnetic photosensitive substance into the atmosphere, which was clinging to the planetary shield and obscuring the sun. The Overlord was outraged&mdash;without the sun's rays, the sensitive Ukian crops would soon perish. the Liege suggested dropping the shields in order to disperse the obscuring cloud, but Ganch and Reus advised against such an action. The Overlord rounded on the Commander, pointing out that if the crops died, the Republic would have nothing to protect, and they would have failed in their mission. Reus relented, and instructed the Liege to drop a small area of his shields within fifteen minutes, to allow the cloud to disperse.

The plan worked as expected, although as soon as the Liege was informed that the cloud had dispersed, a new problem arose. The gigauns were apparently stampeding off their usual tracks, which was uncharacteristic. What caused the Liege considerable anger, however, was that they were now trampling the crops, inflicting severe amounts of damage. The Liege demanded visual verification, and ordered the Commander to inspect. Ganche immediately departed the complex to investigate. Outside, he found Squawk firing on the gigauns, who were rapidly approaching the shield complex. Outraged, Ganch demanded to know what was going on, and ordered Squawk to hold his fire. The trooper was insubordinate, and quipped that Ganch had a "soft spot for dumb animals." This angered the Commander greatly, and he drew one of his blasters on Squawk. The trooper dropped his weapon and asked that Ganch do likewise, but the Commander found the request unreasonable.

Suddenly, Xebec returned, and sliced Ganch's pistol in two with his lightsaber. The Padawan demanded an immediate explanation. Both Ganch and Squawk began to advance toward Xebec, and Ganch found that he was struggling against his own actions. He managed to remove his helmet, but could not stop himself from striking the young Zabrak with it. Inexplicably driven into a violent stupor, he urged the Padawan to run away, before the Commander could catch him. Although Xebec's new companion, Sanya, retreated into the fields, the Zabrak chose to confront Ganch as the gigauns charged around them. Xebec angrily lashed out at Ganch, and the two grappled briefly, until the Commander drew blood. The young Zabrak, terrified, retreated, prompting the Commander to give chase. He eventually caught the Padawan, and throttled him, but Xebec pleaded with him to stop, as they were clearly not acting in accordance to their true nature for unknown reasons. The Padawan was able to get through to Ganch by officially pulling rank. With considerable effort, Ganch realized that he was no longer fit for duty, pulled out his med-shot, and jabbed himself in the neck, knocking himself out cold. Xebec then moved the unconscious clone to a nearby shelter, ensuring that he would not be trampled by the gigauns.

The battle was eventually won, when Xebec and Reus were able to destroy neurological scramblers installed by Confederate mastermind, the Doctor," as part of enemy initiative Project Instinction. During the aftermath of the battle, Ganch recovered, and observed as the Ukian Liege ordered the Jedi to leave the the planet, as he had been ousted from the government due to the tumultuous series of events. Ganch noted that there was no helping some people, but it the Republic victory was later overturned when the Confederacy's agent Passel Argente was able to purchase a controlling interest in the Ukian stock, effectively placing Ukio under enemy control.

Personality and traits
"Adapting to new commands is our duty. And our duty is all."

- Ganch

Ganch chose to keep his head shaved, and maintained a thick mustache and goatee. Along left temple were three large scars. He referred to his troops as his "boys," and proved to be an effective motivator when overseeing the construction of the dam on Devaron. He did not tolerate insubordination, even when it was in good humor&mdash;his reprimanding of Squawk earned the attention of Padawan Xebec, although Ganch's disciplining had been light. He would continually reprimand Squawk, as the subordinate clone would often prove distracting with his lightly humorous comments. Ganch noted the prescient Jedi skills possessed by General Ropal, and was surprised when they proved fruitless in predicting a Confederate strike against Devaron. When faced with combat, Ganch acted swiftly, although he would instantly defer to his superiors and consult them before taking action. The Commander also had a fondness for animals, which was noted by his compatriots.

Ganch was unswervingly loyal to the Republic and his superiors, and did not question his order, only doing as he was bidden. Whenever he was off-duty, he would still do as he was told. When in the heat of combat, he felt the need to remind his superior, Padawan Xebec, of their dire situation during the Battle of Devaron. The Zabrak was preoccupied over the fate of his master, Bolla Ropal, and as such, he was distracted from the battle at hand. In the wake of Ropal's death, Xebec spent more time with Ganch than he did his new master, Keelyvine Reus. Although the Commander instructed Xebec as to how he should reassemble a blaster he was not sure as to just how it would aid a Jedi. The Zabrak reasoned that one could never be too prepared&mdash;advice imparted to the young man by his former master. Ganch had entered the habit of referring to Xebec as "kid," although he attempted to correct himself.

Xebec would often confide in Ganch, as he felt marginalized by his master, Reus. Ganch reasoned that being left in charge of a planet was hardly marginalizing, and since Jedi Generals usually went about their business with the utmost importance, he suspected that the Zabrak's master trusted and had faith in him. Furthermore, the Commander clung fiercely to the concept of duty, and believed that his loyalty to his superiors was absolute. He agreed with General Reus when she advised the Liege against lowering the shields of Ukio to disperse the obscuring cloud, although he incurred the Ukian's anger by doing so. While under the influence of the Doctor's Project Instinction, Ganch became overly aggressive, and took his anger out on Squawk. He uncharacteristically drew his gun on his fellow clone, who was also influenced by the Confederate devices. The event brought his issues with Squawk to the fore, although the conflict between the two was alleviated by the arrival of Xebec. Instead, Ganch's crazed violence was directed at his friend, although he still had the wherewithal to urge the Zabrak to run away from him. Although Ganch struggled against his own madness during the incident, he was unable to conquer it, and tried to kill his superior officer. The Commander was in such a haze of fury during Project Instinction that the only way Xebec could get through to him was to officially pull rank. With that, the Commander was able to briefly combat he neural scrambling, and knock himself out, as he was no longer mentally fit to serve.

Equipment
Ganch wielded dual DC-17 hand blaster, which he had holstered across his chest. He also sported Phase I clone trooper armor, decorated with distinctive red markings. The Commander was equipped with a set of macrobinoculars. He also carried an emergency med-shot syringe.

Behind the scenes
Artist Tom Hodges modeled Ganch's front, chest-mounted holsters in the same style as those worn by famous gunfighter Doc Holliday. By giving him a larger pauldron and a different pattern on the helmet, he made Ganch look different from other clone commanders. Pablo Hidalgo came up with Ganch's name. The character was introduced in the first installment of the webcomic The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct, published in 2009.

Appearances

 * The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct

Notes and references
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