Chapter I - A Tale of Two Boys
"'Can you tell me what your new name is?”
"It's FN-999, sir!'"
-FOSB Agent Komeni Korellius to FN-999, FOSB PROFILING 02-#999, 02.21.847 ABY
At an unknown date in 840 ABY, a boy named Lucas Hilstar was born in a poverty-stricken district of the planet
Corellia. While no medical record exists of his birth (it can be presumed that his mother gave birth at home to save time and money), later medical and dental examinations by First Order physicians determined with "very high" confidence that his year of birth was 840 ABY.
The poverty of Lucas' family hit him hard, and of his few memories of his early childhood recovered by First Order Security Bureau (FOSB) agents, none are pleasant. Hunger was a given, and by all accounts his destitute parents had no love for either him or even themselves. In fact, Lucas' conception was most likely the result of a hookup gone awry, and the pair stuck together out of a vague sense of responsibility more than anything else. Furthermore, accounts suggest that both of Lucas' parents were likely either alcoholics or spice addicts, often vented their frustrations on the young child.
When Lucas was about six years old, a group of the very first First Order recruiters arrived in the Corellia system. They sought children and young adults that could "disappear" without a trace, seeking to abduct orphans, the lower class, and victims of abuse, who would become fanatical First Order stormtroopers. When one recruiter saw a six year old Lucas desperately searching for scraps inside a trash can, he did not hesitate to abduct the child.
From there, the recruiter fled Corellia in a disguised freighter, containing Lucas and several other young children.
Their destination:
Dosuun.
While still a minor urban center when Lucas first arrived, Dosuun nonetheless provided the refuge he had always needed. In the First Order capital's army boarding houses, Lucas received three healthy meals a day, a comfortable bed, and a group of lifelong friends among other "recruits" his age. He became happier and happier, his emaciated body growing in size and strength and his confidence growing in his new home.
It was at this point where Lucas met Agent Komeno Korellius, who was assigned as part of standard procedure to profile him and several other boys. For the next ten years, the pair would influence each other greatly, with Lucas eventually seeing the FOSB agent as a surrogate father. For now; however, Lucas saw the soft-spoken agent as an idol-like figure who in return greatly accelerated his assimilation into the First Order.
Lucas' final step to indoctrination came a mere two months after stepping foot on Dosuun.
On the twenty-first day of the second month of 847 ABY, a boy named FN-999 was born in the military district of Dosuun. There was no longer a Lucas, the old name associated only with poverty and suffering. Out of the boarding houses came FN-999, a boy who knew only his own strength and unwavering loyalty to the First Order that had given him so much.
It was this mindset that would define the next ten years of FN-999's life.
Chapter II - The Refining Years
"At the same time, I owe an immeasurable debt to the First Order. They took a poor child out of the slums, raised him as one of their own, gave him a reason to live, and most importantly, granted him the strength to win. For that, I will always be grateful."
-FN-999 to ISB Agent Sai Guida,
ISB PROFILING: FN-999 AND THE FIRST ORDER, 07.08.870 ABY
When FN-999 was ten, he began to attend Dosunn's military academy.
Along with nine hundred ninety eight other boys aged ten to fifteen, FN-999 formed the first thousand First Order stormtroopers, in whose footsteps countless millions would follow.
At the academy, FN-999's brain and body were both put to the test. As the very first First Order stormtroopers, the curricula of the FN batch was extremely variable, with subjects often changing within weeks of their introduction. Competition was intense, and FN-999 found his days consumed by studying. Still, his conviction remained strong. The First Order had given him so much, and he was determined to give back even more.
Over the course of the first three months, FN-999 went from 900th in class rankings to 32nd, and after the end of the first year he was within the top 10. As he came to learn in the academy, FN-999's early childhood experiences with deprival and pain gave him above-average durability and stamina, which he refined to the best of his ability. For ten to twelve hours a day, FN-999 trained both his body and his brain, drilling himself to become the best soldier in the First Order.
At the same time, FN-999 began to broaden his social circle, seeking the positive influence of cadets of similar or higher competitive ranking than him. As the cadets began to experience puberty, cliques solidified, and FN-999 found friends in a group of the top ten cadets simply known as the "Elite Ten".
On the surface, this group of elites seemed to utterly hate each other, each seeking to defeat the other in spectacular fashion to show their devotion to the tenets of the First Order. However, beneath their competitive antagonisms, the Elite Ten genuinely respected each other. Even after they all graduated, FN-999 and the rest of the Elite Ten would remain good friends and contact each other whenever they were on leave, if only to learn from each other's experiences.
After four years of military academy, nine hundred and sixty of the nine hundred ninety nine stormtrooper cadets qualified to graduate, becoming the first batch of stormtroopers to serve the First Order. Graduating 2nd in overall class ratings, FN-999 was immediately rewarded with the rank of sergeant and permission to choose his specialization.
After giving it some thought, FN-999 decided to become a riot trooper, protecting the peace and stomping out abuse in his adopted home of Dosuun.
Perhaps motivated by the violence of his childhood, FN-999 put his all into bringing despair to the hearts of criminals, forming the vanguard of the effort to make Dosuun a model city.
Chapter III - The End of Idealism
"In much the same way that Tarkin was unparalleled in politics and Thrawn in naval command, perhaps FN-999 was perfectly wired to be the ultimate killing machine."
-FOSB Agent Komeni Korellius,
FOSB PERSONAL NOTES: KORELLIUS - #065,
05.15.855 ABY
"Imagine you have a sixteen-year old boy. All of a sudden, his childhood sweetheart is killed by a so-called pacifist, a man he saw as a demigod suffocates him out of spite, the state he loves collapses, and nine of his ten closest friends die. All within three months of each other. And he's an orphan.
FN-999 acts fine now, like nothing ever happened. He smiles, he laughs, he makes and keeps friendships, and his leadership is by all regards superb. I do not doubt that, at least on the battlefield, FN-999 has exceptional mental fortitude. But at the same time, no one has seen FN-999 without his armor, literal or metaphorical, in over sixteen years.
If I were to somehow put him in civilian clothes, how would he behave?
The thought has kept me up more nights than I'd like to admit."
-ISB Agent Sai Guida,
ISB PROFILING: MENTAL INTEGRITY OF FN-999, A DYNAMIC STUDY, 05.28.873
After a year of distinguished riot suppression on Bastion, FN-999's mission portfolio expanded.
The First Order was rapidly rising as a major galactic power, its military might turning to pummel the fledgling Galactic Alliance into submission in its most ambitious war yet. As the First Order took trophy world after trophy world, FN-999 was deployed offworld to oversee occupations and act as security during surrender negotiations.
It was during one series of negotiations, on
Skor II, where FN-999's longstanding positive outlook began to waver. After accidentally interrupting the meeting, FN-999 was pulled aside by Kyrel Ren, a member of the Force-wielding Knights of Ren who FN-999 idolized. Expecting a quick scolding, he was instead subjected to a Force choke, nearly being killed before Kyrel released him.
It was the closest FN-999 had ever come to dying, and it would soon become his very first trauma. At first, he tried to excuse Kyrel's actions, believing that he had committed a grave infraction in the field of diplomacy, which he had zero experience in. However, Skor II had successfully secured a treaty with the First Order without any uncertainty, and the idea rung hollow.
He would grapple with the implications of this punishment for the next year, his unconditional trust in the institutions of the First Order briefly challenged.
Still, he had reasons for hope.
FN-999 could talk freely with his academy friends, who still frequently checked in with each other. His two closest friends at this time were FN-445 ("Bigfoot") and FN-973 ("Top Shot"), who had graduated 4th and 1st in their class respectively.
Bigfoot too had chosen to become a riot trooper, and was the first to comfort FN-999 after his punishment by Kyrel. Bigfoot's confidence, both for himself and the First Order, made him well-liked and sympathetic, and FN-999 would often lean on Bigfoot as a pillar of stability when he questioned his own abilities.
FN-973 and FN-999 had shared a unique relationship, even within their close social circle. As not only the only girl in the top ten graduates, but the number one graduate herself, FN-973 inspired envy and respect from almost every trooper she met. During their academy years, FN-999 and FN-973 had competed on an almost daily basis, even meeting up on weekends to race or brawl.
Eventually, begrudgingly, the two realized that working
together would be the best way to shore up their weaknesses. They began to study together, further refining their skills. As the first and second ranked cadets respectively, FN-973 and FN-999 finally found someone who could keep up with them in a way that the other Elite Ten could not, and they began to appreciate each other.
The longer they knew each other, the closer the pair grew, and budding romantic feelings emerged between them. No longer did they beat each other senseless, instead prioritizing spending more and more time together for the supposed purpose of studying. At the same time, with zero previous romantic experience, the pair found themselves in plenty of awkward situations.
The other members of the Elite Ten frequently teased the pair, whose attraction was "obvious to anyone with eyes and ears". Still, they supported the pairing and frequently acted as wingmen to either or both troopers.
One night; however, their budding romance was quite literally cut short.
First Order counterintelligence had reported the presence of a Silver Jedi spy in Dosuun, with a set of coordinates given to a warehouse where they suspected the spy was based. FN-973's stormtrooper squad was dispatched to capture the spy, which they moved to do with haste.
The squad breached the warehouse the spy was hiding out in and began to search for their target. However, the spy had been tipped off to their approach, and used the Force to close and seal the main doors.
What followed was a massacre.
After an hour of radio silence, reinforcements arrived at the warehouse, breaking through the doors only to discover the entire squad dead on the ground, covered with lightsaber wounds.
FN-999 promptly took half of his annual two week paid leave.
When he returned, FN-999 appeared to be normal. However, his friends noticed that he smiled less and ended conversations faster, worrying them enough to refer him to the FOSB. Agent Korellius, who at this point was obsessed with FN-999, was more than happy to take the case. The two met twice a week, performing psychological evaluations occasionally broken up by casual conversation. Thanks to Agent Korellius' reassurances, FN-999's friends became less worried, and their haggling ceased.
Even then, FN-999 had no time to step back and reflect.
It was around then, 856 ABY, that everything around FN-999 began to fall apart.
One day, the Supreme Leader vanished from his Dosuun palace, throwing the city into a temporary state of anarchy. Amidst the turmoil, FN-999 found himself questioning his purpose even more than he had after his punishment by Kyrel.
In multiple conversations with Agent Korellius, FN-999 recalled how the Supreme Leader was a father figure to him and how his disappearance left him feeling isolated. For the past ten years of his life, he had devoted himself to the Supreme Leader, pledging to obey his every word and repay the favor that had been given to him when he was first found on Corellia.
He also thought more broadly, fearing the political and psychological effects of the Supreme Leader's disappearance on the First Order as a whole. "If even the Supreme Leader can disappear", FN-999 had told Agent Korellius one day, "who could possibly command the Order?"
His answer would come in the form of the Moff Council, a group of high-ranking First Order politicians and generals who formed an executive council at Dosuun. For a brief few weeks, they stabilized the First Order, ensuring that it stayed in the fight against the Galactic Alliance until the Order’s fleeting but spectacular victory.
Even FN-999 could not expect how quickly the tide would turn.
With the majority of the First Order's armed forces exhausted in the war against the Alliance in the Core Worlds, there were few forces remaining to guard the approaches to Wild Space and Dosuun itself. It was the perfect opportunity for a massive
Ssi-Ruu raiding party to penetrate the galactic frontier, barreling straight towards the First Order's portion of Wild Space. In a single day, the Ssi-Ruuk obliterated the Wild Space garrisons and fell upon Dosuun itself, easily disposing of its meager defense fleet.
What followed was absolute chaos.
What few accounts survive of the fall of Dosuun describe a massacre of unprecedented scale. The Moff Council was the first target, and with the destruction of its headquarters, Dosuun's defenders were leaderless. One by one, its garrisons fell to the determined reptile horde, forcing the desperate survivors to flee to the underground sewers.
FN-999's squad was among the lucky few to make it to the sewers, though not without losing half of its ten troopers. What followed was a months-long game of cat and mouse, with the Ssi-Ruuk above hunting them for sport as they looted the city of its riches. The squad descended deeper into the sewers, surviving on rations and cooked rodents and conserving their precious few bullets for only the strongest of Ssi-Ruuk warriors.
At an unknown date during FN-999's time in the sewers, he met Agent Korellius one last time. The two lamented the hell they were living under and gave their final goodbyes before they split up, each searching for a better place.
After about five months in the sewers, FN-999 and his squad finally found an opening to escape. Entering an underground warehouse, they took a derelict shuttle and jumped to hyperspace in-atmosphere, barely avoiding catastrophe.
As FN-999 and his four surviving comrades soared through the blue void, they each came to the same grim realization.
The First Order, everything they fought for, was no more.
Chapter IV - Interregnum
"For five years, I was a vigilante. Everything I had ever known and loved was gone, and for the first time my childhood years, I felt powerless. Sometimes, I still smell it. The burning of Dosuun."
-FN-999 to ISB Agent Sai Guida,
ISB PROFILING: FN-999 AND THE FIRST ORDER, 07.08.870 ABY
Emerging deep in Wild Space, FN-999 found the First Order as he knew it shattered.
With Dosuun a burning ruin and the Moff Council effectively disbanded, a massive power vacuum emerged in the former realm of the First Order. In this vaccum, dozens of former generals, admirals, Moffs, and Knights of Ren formed their own fiefdoms, transforming the First Order's empire into a myriad of warring states, with each of its leaders claiming the mantle of Supreme Leader.
Interested only in the preservation of the First Order, FN-999 evaded the attention of the warlords, living off his First Order clearance codes and hoping for the day a unified movement arrived to restore the Order.
Ultimately, what caught FN-999's attention was the Third Imperial Civil War.
In open revolt against the Sith Empire, a league of star systems seceded as the New Imperial Order, an ambitious young state claiming for itself the legacy of the ancient Galactic Empire. Eager to belong and fight in an armed struggle once more, FN-999 traveled to Borosk at great personal risk, knowing that he could be intercepted by the Sith at any time. Nonetheless, he was able to safely arrive, landing near a local Imperial facility.
There, FN-999 surrendered himself to the garrison before introducing himself and requesting to join the Imperial cause. In desperate need of experienced manpower, the Imperial recruiters accepted, and FN-999 was given the rank of captain in the 908th Legion.
Chapter V - Climbing the Ladder
"It's a remarkable growth, really. Over the course of ten years, FN-999 went from a captain in the 908th to the commander of the 908th itself. All while scoring impressive successes on Bastion, Csilla, Nirauan, and beyond. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before he starts to contend the throne itself."
-ISB Agent Sai Guida,
ISB PROFILING: FN-999 AND THE EMPIRE, 11.02.873 ABY
Almost immediately, FN-999 made a name for himself within the 908th.
He served with honor on every campaign the 908th undertook, throwing himself wholeheartedly into the cause of what he thought of as a successor to the First Order. At Bastion, he executed Operation Kyber Dark without hesitation, leading his company to execute numerous Sith traitors in the midst of battle. For that, he received a promotion, becoming a major in the 908th.
From there, FN-999 continued in the Home Guard and Bryn'adul Campaign, seeing the formidable Tathra Khaeus in person and living to tell the tale. His star continued to shine, seeing him promoted to colonel and finally lieutenant colonel, becoming the heir to the 908th.
On 05.07.870, FN-999's predecessor was promoted to major general, allowing him to take the mantle of the 908th's commander. At first, it was not easy for the newly minted lieutenant colonel to adjust. At Csilla, he had trouble getting the sheer mass of troopers under his command to move across trench lines, just barely avoiding being overrun by the Maw invaders.
However, by the time FN-999 led the 908th on Nirauan, he was a far more capable commander. With the help of the Galidraani Goidels, he executed a large-scale encirclement of a force of Chiss secessionists, playing a prominent role in their surrender. When the Chiss briefly threatened to ruin FN-999's plans with an orbital bombardment, he deployed his experimental Zero-G trooper company to intercept the Chiss battlecruiser in orbit, disabling and capturing it without a single casualty.
FN-999's competent command began to be noticed by his superiors, and some of them came to take an interest in cooperating with him. Most notably, FN-999 has in various campaigns co-commanded battles with Erskine Barran, the current Lord-Regent of the Empire, and Saul Vandron, a seasoned general known as the "Emperor's Fist". He developed friendships with both, solidifying his reputation as a senior commander.
Chapter VI - A Turning Point
"Making Nines a legion commander is gonna be a big risk, big reward type situation. On one hand, he's a beast on the battlefield and his paranoia is the nightmare of every assassin there's ever been. On the other hand, he's gone through a lot of messed up stuff. Even I don't know what's going on in that head of his. Whatever it is, I'm scared that it's not sustainable.
If you have that authority, PLEASE get some therapy and resources for Nines. He needs them more than anyone I know."
-Lieutenant Colonel "Bigfoot" to ISB Agent Sai Guida,
ISB PROFILING: FN-999 AND THE EMPIRE, 11.02.873 ABY
While FN-999 is blossoming in the present, his past is far from behind him.
At the request of Colonel FN-445 ("Bigfoot"), one of FN-999's closest friends and last surviving First Order squadmates, multiple psychological evaluations were done on FN-999.
What they found painted a disturbing picture.
Twenty years of almost nonstop war and personal losses had given FN-999 severe PTSD, which manifested itself in multiple different forms.
For one, he has refused to take off his armor in public since the day he joined the 908th, citing fears of poisoning and assassination. Whether or not these fears are true, FN-999 remains highly committed to maintaining his guard, keeping his armor on even when talking to his closest friends or when at high-profile Army meetings.
Furthermore, FN-999 has been observed to have a deep hostility and mistrust of Force users of all stripes, including Imperial Knights. It is suspected that this hostility comes from his trauma following his incident with Kyrel Ren and the murder of FN-973, at the hands of Jedi, making him associate the Force as a whole with death and betrayal. Recent therapy sessions have somewhat alleviated this stigma, but FN-999's bigotry towards all Force users remains strong.
These traumas form the greatest barrier to FN-999's continued advancement through the Imperial ranks, and likely must be overcome so that FN-999 will be able to better serve the Empire.
As a reward for his major role in the defeat of the Chiss rebellion, FN-999 was given an exceptional promotion, becoming the Empire's first Baron and joining its official aristocracy. While outwardly happy to receive the role, he has admitted to close friends and associates that he has trouble understanding the political responsibilities of his role, which involves him serving as co-governor of the planet of Borosk and its large military academy. Untested in the field of diplomacy, the Baron nonetheless appears determined to learn all he can about the highest functions of the Empire.
A test of loyalty came for FN-999 when Blacksite Barbarous, a top-secret prison complex on the planet Dorin, was breached by a Galactic Alliance strike force seeking to rescue one of their own. During this battle, security camera footage revealed former Storm Commando commander Tulan Kor confronting the Baron, openly questioning the ways of the Empire and standing alongside the Jedi infiltrators. FN-999 appeared unmoved by Tulan Kor's provocations, doubling down on his loyalty to the New Order. While he was unable to stop Tulan Kor's defection, FN-999's stalwart loyalty reassured later ISB observers that his principles remained firm.
This was further reinforced shortly after the conclusion of the Alliance raid, when the warden of Blacksite Barbarous unveiled a conspiracy to capture the Baron and his second-in-command, Lieutenant Colonel "Bigfoot". Just like Tulan Kor, the warden had been fed a false narrative of Imperial barbarity, and he sought to defect to the Alliance with a group of co-conspirators taking the two men in tow. However, the experienced commanders did not fall for the warden's lies and quickly overpowered the conspirators in the command room before the Baron himself cornered and executed the warden. In his closing remark to the doomed man, FN-999 quoted Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, reinforcing his commitment to the late Moff's political ideology.
Yet this was not the end of the Baron's time on Dorin.
Barely a week after the Blacksite disaster, Galactic Alliance sleeper agents on Dorin started a planet-wide rebellion, and FN-999 returned to the world with his legion to subdue it. He personally led a bloody assault of the rebel-occupied hangar, culminating in him taking severe external injuries after an indirect impact with a thermal detonator. His
personal sword, long a form of therapy for the beleaguered veteran, was destroyed in this blast. Yet FN-999 himself miraculously survived with no permanent injuries; his body having healed at an unnatural rate.
Chapter VII - Empire’s End
no more empire. big sad.
Chapter VIII - Chaos and Uncertainty (8xx-900 ABY)
baron of borosk. imp. new doctrine. ptsd fun.
Chapter IX - A Deal With the Devil (900 ABY-)
borosk did die. dark empire.
[More coming soon!]
