Igni Irae
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on Tephrike.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Aerospace forces.
Permissions: Can use Archangel stuff because I own the company.
Links: Into Darkness, After Darkness, Tephrike, Grand Army of the Republic, Army of Light, Diona, Jedi Ace, Archangel Research and Design, Disciples of the Vader, Elpsis, The Valkyrie's Diary, Jedi Inquisition, Vortanstad.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Seraphim Purifier Squadrons.
Affiliation: Grand Army of Light, Dominion of Light, Battlemaster Mahtara, Tephrike, Mace Windu Thought, Windian Jedi Order.
Classification: Combat Pilots.
Description: The deeds of Jedi ace pilots such as Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker and Jaina Solo are the stuff of legend. At the right time, a single Jedi pilot blessed by the Force can turn the tide in a titanic struggle against the forces of darkness. A squadron of Jedi pilots acting in perfect unison due to a Force-based meld is even deadlier. Of course, that is the party line. Naturally the deeds of daring mundane pilots such as the heroes of Rogue Squadron must also be celebrated, even though they are crude matter, not luminous beings. The Seraphim Purifier Squadrons are a crucial component of the Celestial Vanguard of Ashla's Vigilant Shield, or Vanguard for short. This is the absurdly flowery name of the Dominion's aerospace forces. These daring pilots are to a man dedicated to defending the last bastion of the Light against the legions of darkness that assail it.
No sacrifice is too great. The Dominion of Light's propaganda machines celebrates their victories over the Sith, the Yuuzhan Vong and the 'Firemane Sithspawn', yet the government's relationship with its pilots has long been fraught with tension. The Seraphim perform in a variety of roles, such as reconnaissance, close air support, and bombing runs against enemy bases, troops or strategic targets. They can also be used for space warfare, though their ability to fight in the void is limited, especially far from orbit. As a result of Tephrike's long isolation, the Dominion became convinced that everyone beyond their planet had been killed by the Gulag Virus, which was seen as a dark side machination. For centuries space travel has been shunned. Soldiers who possessed technical know-how and training to pilot aircraft and starships were needed to defend the nation, but also viewed with suspicion, since they could succumb to unwholesome ideas.
Unsurprisingly, pilots ae subjected to a high degree of spiritual education, which is a fancy word for indoctrination. The present government has prohibited the practice of using kamikaze pilots though, though ideological indoctrination continues to play an important role. Pilots are considered an elite branch, and so merit is not enough to be selected to join the Seraphim. A prospective candidate must meet the criteria for political reliability and ideological purity. Having a 'bad' familial background is a bar for recruitment. The Dominion is a totalitarian, theocratic dictatorship, which means the Grand Army is not an apolitical force, but the heavily politicised army of the party elite. There is a symbiotic relationship between the Grand Army and the Windian Jedi Order.
The Dominion did set up bases on Tephrike's moons and organised starfighter patrols. However, as Tephrike regressed, many of their capital ships rusted and ended up being just for show. Indeed, the construction of hyperdrives was discouraged. This means that they have little ability to move beyond their star system. To be assigned to a starfighter squadron that patrols the void is an honour...but could also be the prelude to being 'interviewed' by the Jedi Inquisition.
The Dominion is a collectivist society, but recognises individual heroism when an individual 'does not put themselves above the community' and can be utilised as an exemplar of Mace Windu Thought for others to aspire to. This is called 'positive heroism'. Pilots who perform heroic deeds that promote the cause of Ashla are glorified as valiant knights who bring the light to the darkest corners of Tephrike. They are not just noble defenders, but symbols of society's progression to an Ashlanite utopia. Sometimes the promotion of aerospace achievements is also a convenient way to distract the population from a purge.
Unsurprisingly, some pilots lead a double life. The Seraphim have a higher ratio of snoops to normal soldiers than the regular army. After all, pilots are supposed to fight in the skies of Tephrike - or even in the void. If a pilot decides to defect or desert, he has immediate access to the means of transportation and knows exactly where to go. Thus every pilot-informant must do their utmost to detect and report any colleagues who shows signs that they might be considering desertion. Of course, some informants try to shirk their tasks; they report monthly instead of weekly; they stick to routine reports about pilots who commit minor infractions to avoid anything too incriminating. But there are ways to force compliance.
The Dominion has a harsh, inefficient command economy. Shortages of food, clothes and other goods are common. Officially, all citizens are equal, but some are entitled to a greater level of equality. Pilots receive better treatment, including priority housing and healthcare. They do not want to lose it. All flying personnel receive food ration number. This happens to be the best food ration in the regular military. Officially this ration is only meant for actual flying personnel, but in practice senior political officers and counterintelligence personnel attached to air units receive it, too. Rising through the ranks has its perks. A general can make use of the special shops that are reserved for high officials, and will never have to wait in line. Aside from the groundcar provided by his service, he might well have his own even though private property is officially an outdated, bourgeois concept.
Confessors are assigned to each command. A Confessor is a political officer charged with disseminating Mace Windu Thought among the ranks and ensuring the total control of the Windian Jedi Order over the military. Usually, the Confessor is an officer who has been a member of the Followers of Light since he was a cadet. Pilots in training are told stories about valiant Jedi pilots such as Luke Skywalker. These are obviously filtered through a Dominion perspective. One squadron is even called the Twin Suns. Naturally the Dominion has censored many details of Jaina Solo's personal life due to them being 'inappropriate'.
The Dominion now knows life exists outside of Tephrike, but mostly regards it as hostile. As a result, the Seraphim's primary role, aside from patrolling the system, is providing support for ground forces and protecting the Dominion's cities. The squadrons include Jedi ace pilots who can use Sense abilities and Foce meld techniques to augment their piloting, though overall Non-Force-Users are the majority. Jedi pilots feature prominently in propaganda broadcasts and posters, but actually constitute a small minority. Their most common enemy in the skies is the Skyhammer Fleet, the aerospace force of the Disciples of the Vader, a human supremacist Sith cult. Fights between them are brutal, bearing little resemblance to the romanticised ideal of a chivalric duel without hate.
The long period of isolation has not left the Seraphim unscathed, and many of their craft are old by galactic standard. Ironically, TIE fighters see frequent use. While the exact opposite of the typical attack craft of a Jedi pilot, TIEs are easy to produce. Moreover, the Dominion cannibalised old craft left behind from the Imperial era. Use of the Force allows the pilots to somewhat compensate for the fact that many of their craft are based on very old designs. Indeed, some are ancient. Even if their equipment is dated, the pilots are battle-hardened, though it is pertinent to note that they are not experienced in large space battles featuring big capital ships. Recently, Archangel has sold them droid starfighters. The Dominion does not like using soulless machines since they are deaf to the call of the Light, but recognises that they are cheap and help keep organic casualties down. As the name implies, the orgational basis of the Seraphim is the squadron, which has up to twelve pilots each. Three squadrons form an air regiment.
Jedi Tavaar, a Mirialan clone, is their commander. Tavaar was grown from a Jedi template. However, whilst his 'brothers' performed well he lagged behind. He was about to be secretly 'reprocessed' when he got a chance on a mission to fly and use their skills. He unexpectedly came to public attention when he flew through a tropical storm to locate and save civilians in a disaster area after a big flood. The timing was fortuitous, since the Dominion's emergency response to the disaster had been very poor, and its propaganda apparatus needed something to trumpet about. 50,000 citizens had died, but one hero saved 500...that's the only story which needed be told.
When the war heated up once more, Tavaar was moved from reconnaissance and rescue missions into a combat role. He became a high-scoring fighter pilot, tallying multiple aerial victories against the Vaderites and shooting down a prototype TIE. He developed a rivalry with the 'Crimson Baron, a Vaderite fighter ace. However, he and his pilots were technologically outmatched when war broke out with Firemane. Tavaar fought the invaders in the skies, but the enemy had faster and more powerful craft. He defected to the rogue Battlemaster Mahtara when Dominion high command ordered pilots to engage in futile suicide attacks.
He works with Braden Pilot, a Non-Force-User. As the name implies, he was cloned from a long line of pilots. The Dominion views family units as bourgeois, so he has an occupational surname. However, he has a reputation for being a bit more unorthodox with his tactics. Before Firemane arrived, the Dominion was very rigid in their tactics and doctrine, which made them somewhat easy to counter. So formations of bombers, standard tactics doctrine. But this pilot used his brain to great effect, even if it earned him a spot on a watch list for unorthodox doctrine. Braden is loyal, but resentful about the fact that Jedi pilots are the ones who get most of the public acclaim.
Jedi Diana is a devoted Jedi who serves among the Seraphim. She is a clone and has the same template as Diona. Her 'sibling' was a Jedi Inquisitor who served as Elpsis' jailer, but then helped her escape. Diana is a bit younger than Diona. She was injured by Elpsis during the initial fighting, suffering nasty burns. The clone used to look up to her sibling, who was once a model Guardian. Now she is dedicated to removing this stain from her line.
Diana has spent a long time studying the mysteries of the Force. She has a similar skill set to Diona, but takes a more aggressive stance with a focus on all-out offence. She fights with a fervour that both impresses and unnerves her comrades. Ever since recovering from her injuries, she has received training as a pilot and gotten a position in the Dominion's fighter squadrons. She has vowed to be ready when the space people return to rain down hellfire upon her nation.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Rare
Unit Experience: Veteran
Equipment:
Attack Craft:
- Clone Z-95 Starfighter
- PTB-625 Planetary Bomber
- TIE/LN Starfighter
- V-Wing Airspeeder
- Eta-2 Actis Interceptor
- TIE/gt Starfighter
- Delta-7 Aethersprite-Class Interceptor
- ARC-170 Starfighter. Equivalent to canonical model, but lacks a hyperdrive.
- S-100 Stinger-Class Starfighter. Equivalent to canonical model, but lacks a hyperdrive.
- Drone Class Droid Interceptor
- Clone Trooper Pilot Armour. Jedi pilots may forego this and wear typical Jedi apparels, such as traditional robes, jumpsuits or Jedi armour.
- Verpine Shattergun
- ATA Pulse Wave Blaster
- Ripper
- DC-17 Blaster Pistol
- FWG-5 Smart Flechette Pistol
- Submachine Gun
- Enforcer Pistol
- Adjudicator
- Vibroblade
- Talon Vibrodagger
- Force Imbued Blade. Limited to Jedi pilots.
Combat Function: The Seraphim are a formation of combat pilots in service to the Dominion of Light, a Jedi-led theocracy on the remote world of Tephrike. They utilise a variety of attack craft. While they are capable of fighting in space, their primary role lies in ground combat. Tephrike has been isolated for many centuries and so spacecraft are quite primitive. Indeed, no group on the planet possesses a functioning hyperdrive. Thus the Seraphim will mostly be deployed in atmosphere to carry out reconnaissance, bomb enemy troops, infrastructure and other vital targets, defend allied installations, towns and troops from enemy air strikes and so on. As detailed below in the pertinent section, most of the Seraphim are Non-Force-Users, but they also have Force-Sensitive pilots who receive training comparable to that of Jedi pilots of ages past.
This is particularly pertinent since while their attack craft still work, the designs are very old by galactic standards, and thus lack the technological innovations that have been introduced over the centuries. Outside of their craft the Seraphim are vulnerable since, as is typical for combat pilots, they are only armed with personal weapons such as sidearms. Thus they receive thorough training in evasion and escape techniques to avert capture. The Seraphim do have access to droid attack craft provided by Archangel. They don't like using them much and distrust soulless machines, but utilise them to intercept slow moving bombers, using swarm tactics. Drones are expendable and cheap, and thus them being destroyed in large numbers is no big deal. Besides, it frees up organic personnel.
Force Abilities (Force User Units Only): Most of the Seraphim are Non-Force-Users, but they also have Force-Sensitive pilots who receive training comparable to that of Jedi pilots of ages past. Typically, a Jedi pilot is trained in Force Sense and precognitive abilities and possesses a degree of familiarity with Force Meld. The latter is particularly beneficial since it enables Jedi pilots to draw strength from one another and significantly improves their coordination. Their Force-augmented reflexes can also give them an edge over 'mundane' combat pilots.
Strengths:
- Skilled pilots. Particularly skilled in combat in the atmosphere, ground support etc.
- While Force-Sensitives are a small minority in the unit, the Seraphim benefit from the presence of Jedi pilots who can use their Force abilities to boost their piloting skills and coordination.
- By galactic standards, their attack craft are quite old and thus lack many of the technological innovations that have been introduced over the centuries. They universally lack a hyperdrive. Moreover, they have only limited experience in space battles.
- Their main purpose is to serve as combat pilots, and thus they are more vulnerable outside of their flying craft if they are say shot down or forced to bail out. For instance, they lack heavy weapons, squad automatic weapons etc.
When the Gulag Virus ravaged the Galaxy, Tephrike descended into chaos. Isolated from the rest of the Galaxy, the planet regressed technologically and socially. When the virus reached the planet, millions perished. The death toll was further increased by infighting between rival factions. Tephrike's fragile, multispecies democracy unravelled. A coalition government proved unable to restore order, contain the plague or provide shelter, food and protection to millions of displaced fleeing the fighting. Many died from disease, starvation and the civil war-like conditions across vast swathes of the planet.
The Jedi were called upon to assume a protective stance. As disorder spread, they amassed more and more power. Unsurprisingly, they acquired a lot of influence in the military. This led to the foundation of the Seraphim. They were initially created on an ad hoc basis, as mixed squadrons of Jedi and military pilots. In that regard they were not dissimilar from the famous Twin Suns Squadron. Jedi could go places and do things normal pilots could not.
With the planet wracked by natural disasters, they could ferry supplies to beleaguered outposts and towns and battle the myriad rebels and warlords. Moreover, they were called upon to protect Tephrike from pirates who saw the breakdown of galactic government as an opportunity. The name Seraphim was bestowed upon the pilots by grateful civilians, but stuck. However, there was a darker side. The government had imposed a quarantine on the planet, fearing that any new arrivals would further spread the virus. Tephrike had been very dependent on imports, but due to the Gulag Virus it could no longer trade with other worlds. There was not enough food to go around. When a refugee transport from outer space arrived in the system and refused to change course, since they lacked medical supplies and fuel, the Seraphim shot it down, since the Tephriki feared the passengers had been infected.
Moreover, they were drawn further into the quagmire that was Tephrike's multi-sided civil war. At the same time, Ashlanite influence. Facing the collapse of their entire world, many natives had turned to extreme ideologies, such as Humanism, xeno-nationalism or, in this case, the faith of Ashla. This grassroots movement saw the collapse in apocalyptic terms, and revered the Jedi as saviours who would lead the people out of darkness. The strand that influenced the air corps took on fundamentalist connotations. One of the first converts was the officer who had followed the order to shoot down the refugee transport. Wracked with guilt, he was reborn in the faith. This had severe repercussions when the radical Duros Jedi Master Zaras Dant staged a coup against Tephrike's faltering federal government. Entire towns had been basically abandoned to militias, pogroms were taking place, and government soldiers had shot unarmed protesters who had come to Parliament to deliver a petition. Enough was enough.
The air corps delivered control of the capital's air space to the putschists and bombed loyalist positions from the sky. Smoke rose from Parliament building when it was strafed by attack craft. The Ministry of the Interior building was levelled by the pilots. A battle broke out between aerospace and army personnel at a nearby aerospace force base. There was collateral damage, but such was war. Tephrike's prime minister was arrested by the Jedi, and parliament disbanded. However, the Jedi junta faced opposition from rebel and loyalist forces. The capital Palmyra became a battleground between the new regime and the 'Alliance of Democratic Forces'.
Some Jedi opposed the coup. Even a few Seraphim had refused to go along with it. Jedi pilots fought each other in fierce dogfights. The battle was a victory for the nascent regime, but the vast swathes of the city were left in ruin. Zaras Dant was assassinated by rogue Jedi and replaced by a hardline theocrat. More wars followed. The Seraphim were expanded into an air corps that could deliver Ashla's justice to the supposed enemies of the Light - whatever the cost. It was a Seraphim bomber, accompanied by Jedi General Mahtara, that dropped a destructive bomb on Palmyra's ruins to thwart a Vaderite darkside ritual that was supposed to open a gateway to the Nether and unleash unspeakable horrors. It was a Pyrrhic victory for the Dominion, for the staggering death toll of the battle spawned a darkside nexus.
The Seraphim were also heavily involved in counterinsurgency operations against the Republican Guard, a revolutionary vanguard movement that opposed the tyranny of Force-Users. The Seraphim carried out air strikes against partisan outposts - and civilian settlements believed to be supporting or sympathetic to the rebels. This yielded notable gains, such as the elimination of key rebel leaders and the destruction of equipment, weapons and safehouses. The other side of the coin was that collateral damage caused negative ripples, as local populations were pushed into siding with the insurgents since their loved ones had been murdered and their homes destroyed. The military suppressed the truth behind the Barkaz air strike, which was supposed to target retreating terrorist near the town, but actually murdered dozens of innocent women and children huddled against a river bank.
At the same time, the Seraphim faced a conventional opponent in form of the squadrons of the Vaderites' Skyhammer Fleet. This was close to a peer opponent, though the Vaderites controlled less territory and had a smaller industrial basis. Unlike the anti-Force-using Guard, the Vaderites were Sith and thus utilised Force-Users. They were also human supremacists who believed non-humans should be enslaved or eradicated, so dogfights between Dominion and Vaderite pilots were not a 'chivalric duel without hate'. The Seraphim were called upon to defend the Dominion when the Skyhammer Fleet launched a large-scale bombing campaign.
At first this campaign was quite successful. The Seraphim had been weakened by purges. The Skyhammer Fleet sought to achieve air superiority, aiming to cripple the Celestial Vanguard's fighter command. Then it directed its attacks towards airfields, infrastructure and aircraft factories. The Seraphim achieved a success at an air battle in the sky of Fortress Purity, a major bastion. There the Dominion activated a weather control machine. The Sith bombers got taken down by Seraphim Jedi aces, who had Force-melded to move through the storm. Darth Eisen ordered the bombers to continue their attack despite the weather and the fighters were unable to keep formation, so the bombers suffered disastrous losses. The Dominion hit back by bombing the Vaderite capital.
Eisen had wanted to focus bombing raids on military targets, especially Dominion air bases, but Supreme Leader Hyperion ordered him to 'grind the Dominion into dust' by carpet bombing cities. As the war on the ground turned into a meatgrinder, the Dominion's aerospace launched their own bombing campaign against Vaderite industrial cities and civilian manpower deemed crucial for war production. The aim was to break the morale of Imperial workers, but in failed in that regard. The indiscriminate nature of the bombing and widespread civilian casualties stiffened resistance rather than triggering domestic unrest. However, defence against the air strikes tied up Vaderite resources and manpower or to relocate factories underground through use of slave labour.
The Seraphim were badly weakened by the Netherworld Crisis, as many experienced pilots were lost and never returned. Inexperienced clones and conscripts were rushed to the frontlines with little training. This turned out to be a major problem when, a couple years later, the Dominion was at war with Firemane. For the first time, they faced pilots piloting starfighters and bombers equipped to galactic standard. The Tephriki had grown up in the belief that they were alone in the galaxy. Thus when a strange fleet suddenly popped up in orbit, a squadron panicked and engaged them.
At first the Dominion's leadership chose diplomacy after the skirmish went ill, but extremists in the Windian Jedi Order conspired to sabotage the talks by ambushing a Firemane delegation. Some Firemane starfighters were shot down by the Seraphim or Dominion air defence. The result was war. The Seraphim were called into action when Firemane bombed the capital Nexus City. Despite their bravery, they were outgunned and the Jedi Temple was levelled.
When a combined force of Republican Guard and Firemane troops marched on Fortress Purity, Dominion forces did battle on the ground and in the sky. Dominion pilots, enraged and desperate, launched suicide attacks by ramming their attack craft into Firemane dropships. Many Firemane craft crashed or were shot down when the Dominion activated the weather control device. But after a day of bloody fighting, Purity was taken.
Upon hearing of the defeat, the mad Grandmaster ordered an immediate counterattack, threatening anyone who failed him with a purge. But he was secretly assassinated by the Council. A new regime took power, headed by Battlemaster Mahtara. Unexpectedly, Firemane withdrew, unwilling to get bogged in a protracted conflict far from home. But it continued to support the rebels. For the Seraphim it was a time of restructuring, as depleted squadrons were rebuilt and officers sought to overhaul outdated doctrine. But soon the first squadrons were rushed back into action to defend Vortanstad against a Republican Guard assault.
