Gaen Drommel

Gaen Drommel was a Human male officer of the Imperial Navy.

Biography[]

Born on Oplovis in 48 BBY,^[1] Drommel joined the Imperial Navy and became a protégé of Grand Moff Tarkin.

In 0 BBY, then Admiral Drommel fought in the Battle of Aargonar. Here he forced the Rebel Alliance to evacuate their base. He also decimated the rebel bases on Randa, and the Valsedian asteroid belt. These tactical victory would further help his rise in the ranks of the imperial navy.^[4]

The Oplovis Sector Fleet fought during the Battle in the Yuvern system while assigned to the Yuvern system, where they sustained damage and were forced to retreat. Following the battle, its admiral was removed and a new admiral was personally appointed by Darth Vader. Eight months later, the fleet was ambushed and defeated by a Alliance to Restore the Republic fleet in the Generis system. Drommel was promoted to Fleet Admiral 2 months after this defeat.

By 4 ABY Fleet Admiral Drommel commanded the Super Star Destroyer Guardian and was stationed at Imperial Center. After news of the Imperial defeat at the Battle of Endor and the death of Emperor Palpatine reached him, he fled with his command to his homeworld and declared himself to be a warlord.^[5] Drommel recruited Commander Dor Reder who was in possession of a stolen Rebel transport ship and promoted him to one of his 3 Star Destroyer Captains, being given command of the Star Destroyer Krieger. Around 5 ABY, Reder and Admiral Drommel used information in the stolen transport's computers to discover the location of several Alliance safe worlds and bases. A quick and effective campaign resulted in the deaths of thousands of individuals.

His campaign ended with his defeat and loss of all 3 of his Star Destroyers at the Battle of Tantive V, he withdrew his fleet to the nearby planet of Soullex, where the Guardian was stranded for twelve years without a functioning hyperdrive.^[3] Drommel subjugated the system, deploying three prefabricated garrison bases to the world below.

Drommel set to work repairing the Guardian, dispatching Lambda-class shuttles to Imperial-controlled worlds for assistance. Drommel planned to conduct his repairs as quickly as possible, but with the remnants of the Empire falling to the New Republic, Imperial worlds were unable to spare any aid for him. Drommel intended to use the Guardian as the centerpiece of a campaign to destroy the New Republic, and he therefore kept his search for parts and assistance as quiet as possible. Around 7 ABY, Drommel began receiving the necessary parts to repair the vessel's hyperdrive, but the ship would remain where it was for over a decade. In the course of that time, a number of New Republic personnel unknowingly hyperjumped into the system, only to be detained by the Guardian. New Republic Intelligence operatives then led an assault team to find and locate the vessel, but they too were captured.

Drommel sent one of his Lambda-class shuttles to make a deal with black marketeer Burgo Teage on Vohai, but New Republic Intelligence privateer s, who seized the shuttle and followed it back to the Guardian. While docking with the Guardian, the privateers disabled the shuttle's comm unit to prevent having to speak to the vessel's comm operators and giving the ruse away. Upon docking, they ambushed a pair of stormtroopers and donned the soldiers' armor as a disguise. Drommel, meanwhile, was alerted to the ship's communications problem and, suspicious, had the shuttle examined. When the search team found the stunned stormtroopers, Drommel put out an alert for the impostors. He ordered repairs on the hyperdrive sped up, intending to leave the system and return to Imperial space in the next 36 hours.

The privateers reach the Guardian’s detention block where they freed the Republic Intelligence Operatives who had been captured previously and recruited them to their operation. They reprogrammed a protocal droid to set the hyperdrive to jump into New Republic-friendly space. Their tampering, however, triggered an alarm, and Drommel returned with a phalanx of soldiers to take them into custody. His interrogation proved fruitless. Drommel sent the thieves back to the detention cells in preparation for the test of the hyperdrive, but they were intercepted by the freed Republic Intelligence Operatives and the other prisoners.

Guardian Leaps — The *Guardian* makes its first leap after repairs.

Drommel ordered the ship to jump. The Guardianmade the leap successfully, into the middle of a New Republic fleet led by the cruiser Equity. Equity's captain, Volahn, ordered the Guardian to surrender. Drommel refused, and the entire New Republic infiltration party forced its way onto the command deck, drawing their weapons on the deck staff and being drawn on in turn. They spoke to the crew, telling them that peacefully handing over the vessel would help their case with the New Republic. Drommel had had enough and ordered the crew to open fire, but they were successfully persuaded them to back down and lower their weapons. In a rage, Drommel drew a blaster on the rebels, but the admiral's subordinate, Colonel Gastos Niovi, strangled him to death after the younger officer realized that Drommel was no longer serving the good of the Galactic Empire. Niovi then surrendered the fleet to the New Republic, in the person of Captain Volahn of the Equity.^[5]

Personality and traits[]

Drommel was brilliant but cruel, with his crew both respecting him as a charismatic leader, in the beginning, as well as fearing him. He spent his free time reading classic works of literature sucha as Sumi Zanthe' Oplovian love poems, or Lyechusas's plays about Xim the Despot. He also read Tarkin's Doctrine of Fear as well as Palpatine's The Paths to Power, but saw himself as better than them. While the Guardian was stranded without its hyperdrive was damaged, Drommel's ego was hurt by learning of the attempts of other surviving Imperials Zsinj, Thrawn, a reborn Palpatine, Daala, and Pellaeon, none of whom contacted him. To alleviate this, Drommel tortured and executed subordinates for minor protocol infractions.^[3]

His position of in command of one of the Empire's few Super Star Destroyers went to his head, as he had a custom black Imperial uniform with frilling a cape commissioned, and began carrying a tusk cat riding whip. He also ordered his executive officer to personally pick up fine linens from his homeworld for use in his personal quarters.^[3]