Matt Brass

Biography

Matthew "Matt" Brass was born on the remote planet of Pamarthe in the Outer Rim Territories, a world known for its pilots and their bravery. As a young man, Matt showed exceptional piloting skills, catching the attention of Imperial recruiters looking for promising candidates to fill the ranks of the Imperial Navy. At the age of 17, Matt falsified his birth records and enlisted, beginning his journey as a TIE Fighter pilot — the first of many necessary deceptions in a career that would come to depend on them.

For four years, Matt served the Galactic Empire with unwavering loyalty and skill. He quickly earned a reputation as a daring and ruthlessly effective pilot. However, after the Battle of Jakku and the subsequent fall of the Empire, Matt chose to retire from military service, seeking a quiet life away from the chaos that ensued. Jakku left a mark that never fully healed — not because the Empire had fallen, but because of how it had fallen, fractured from within, broken by exhaustion and poor leadership rather than defeated by superior strength. He had stood in that wreckage at seventeen and understood that someone would eventually have to carry what remained forward. He simply wasn't ready to be that person yet.

During his time away, Matt settled on the peaceful planet of Batuu, where he met and married a fellow settler named Lorna. The couple built a modest life together, far removed from the conflict that had defined Matt's earlier years. Matt became a successful trader, and Lorna worked as a skilled mechanic in their small community. He had found peace with his wife, and the decided to start a family, eventually having two children.

The tranquility of Batuu was brutally shattered when a ruthless gang of space pirates, known as the Corsair Raiders, launched a surprise attack. Matt Brass, away on a trading mission, returned to find his home in ruins. In a desperate attempt to defend their settlement, Lorna and their two children courageously faced the pirate assault. Tragically, their valiant efforts were in vain, as the pirates mercilessly overwhelmed the defenders, resulting in the loss of Matt's entire family.

Haunted by the specters of grief and guilt, Matt retreated into the dim recesses of his own existence, cutting himself off from the world's prying eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Once hailed as a fearless aviator, his spirit now lay dormant, suffocated by the weight of sorrow and the relentless onslaught of memories that tethered him to a past he could not escape. In the solitude of his self-imposed exile, he found solace only in the embrace of his own anguish, his heart echoing with the ghostly whispers of a love forever lost.

The galaxy continued to change. With the rise of the First Order, Matt Brass found himself unable to escape the call of duty. The galaxy was once again embroiled in conflict, and the allure of the Imperial Navy proved too strong for the retired TIE Fighter pilot to resist. Tugged by a yearning for purpose and a longing for the familiar rhythms of his former life, Matt wrestled with the solemn choice to reenter the cockpit after nearly two decades of absence. Each passing year had etched its mark upon him, leaving behind a tapestry of memories and regrets. Yet, amidst the shadows of doubt, he found a glimmer of hope, a flicker of light guiding him back to the stars. With a heavy heart and a solemn resolve, he embarked on this uncertain path, knowing that it would lead him to confront the ghosts of his past and navigate the turbulent skies of his future.

Rejoining the Imperial Navy, Matt Brass brought not only his exceptional skills but a burning determination forged by the devastating loss of his wife and children. His return to the cockpit became a symbol of unyielding resilience against Rebel aggression. Matt's story was wielded as powerful propaganda by the burgeoning First Order, depicting him as a tragic hero who endured unimaginable personal loss at the hands of the disorder, reinforcing the narrative that only the Empire could bring stability and justice to the galaxy. Matt Brass's resolute return stood as a poignant testament to the enduring spirit of those who fought for the Galactic Empire, even in the face of devastating personal tragedy. He spent many of the following months, not in the cockpit of a TIE Fighter, but on a political tour, posing for photographs, reading scripted speeches to wrapt "true-believers", and being generally miserable.

Matt Brass's usefulness as a propaganda symbol proved to have a shelf life. Imperial Intelligence, however, had a different kind of interest in a man who had spent years moving cargo through Outer Rim fringe space under civilian cover. The assignment came informally — a conversation, not an order, though the distinction was largely cosmetic. Stripped of insignia and flying the repainted Devil Dog under a cover identity, Brass spent the better part of a year operating in the edges of the Chaos on what was described only as a courier and reconnaissance posting. When his contact chain went dark, he found himself stranded in unfamiliar space with no way to authenticate himself back to EH command. He survived the way he had survived Batuu — by keeping moving, staying useful, and asking fewer questions than the situation seemed to warrant. A chance encounter with elements of the Chiss Ascendancy, who recognized enough of his credentials to treat him as a known quantity rather than a threat, eventually provided a thread back toward Imperial space. He returned quietly, through a secondary facility, to a debrief that lasted three days and was subsequently classified at a level he has never been cleared to access. What he saw and what he carried in that year is not something he discusses.

Reactivated to flight status as the First Order situation in the Gasriese System escalated, Brass requested assignment to Theta Squadron specifically — familiar ship, familiar rhythms, and something unfinished he couldn't quite name. That he had once commanded the same squadron as its Commanding Officer is not something he raises in conversation. He slots into Theta 3-3 as a flight member, sits in the back of a formation he once led, and finds the arrangement suits him better than it probably should. The propaganda hero is gone. What remains is quieter, harder, and considerably more difficult to impress — a pilot who has been to Jakku, to Batuu, to the edges of the Chaos, and back, and who has run out of reasons to pretend any of it was anything other than what it was.

Career standings

TIE Corps

start date	rank	time held
06/21/2004	Cadet	1 day
06/22/2004	Sub-Lieutenant	1 days
06/23/2004	Lieutenant	4 months 22 days
11/14/2004	Reservist	19 years 3 months 15 days
02/29/2024	Lieutenant	2 months 21 days
05/27/2024	Lieutenant Commander	1 month 9 days
06/07/2024	Commander	4 months 5 days
11/12/2024	Captain	"present"

Awards

Merit Medals

Bronze Star of the Empire x2

Palpatine Crescent x3

Imperial Security Medal x7

Imperial Achievement Ribbon x5

Service Medals

Medal of Scholarship

Medal of Communication with Diamond Oak Cluster

Medal of Communication with Platinum Oak Cluster

Medal of Communication with Gold Oak Cluster x2

Medal of Communication with Silver Oak Cluster x2

Medal of Communication with Bronze Oak Cluster x13

TIE Corps Meritorious Unit Award x2

Iron Star with Silver Wings

Iron Star with Bronze Wings x2

Iron Star with Copper Wings

Iron Star with Bronze Ribbon

Operational Readiness Award x4

Legion of Combat x58 (Iridium Scimitar)

Order of the Vanguard 21st Echelon

Commendations

Commendation of Loyalty

Commendation of Bravery

Campaign Medals

Tkon Rift Reclaiming the Rift

Flight Record

Flight Certified: 5th Echelon
Combat Rating (PVP): Marksman 2nd

Academics

Qualifications

• Certificate in Assassination Tactics
• Certificate in Flight Operations
• Certificate in Force Application
• Certificate in Force History
• Certificate in Galactic History
• Certificate in Internet Technology
• Certificate in Mandalorian Studies
• Certificate in Naval Doctrine
• Certificate in Sniper Operations
• Certificate in Starfighter Technology
• Certificate in Vehicle Operations
• Certificate of Reconnaissance Operations

Courses Completed

• A-Wing Advanced Knowledge (98%)
• Advanced Writing (95%)
• Airborne Training Course (100%)
• An Introduction to X-Wing Alliance (100%)
• Apprentice Demolitions Technician (82%)
• Apprentice Sniper Course (100%)
• Artifacts of the Force (100%)
• Assassin Tactics Course - Part 1 (97%)
• Aviation Tactics (100%)
• Aviation Vehicle Specialist Level One (98%)
• B-Wing Advanced Knowledge (97%)
• Basic Flight Maneuvers (96%)
• Close Combat Course (100%)
• Cold Assault Stormtrooper Course (100%)
• Combat Operations Exam 2 (88%)
• Computer Basics (86%)
• Dark Brotherhood Core (82%)
• Demolitions Technician (100%)
• E-Wing Advanced Knowledge (94%)
• Enemy Starfighter Engineering and Technology (100%)
• English Grammar (94%)
• Expert Sniper (100%)
• Extrajudicial Execution (80%)
• Field Communications Operator (100%)
• Forward Air Controller (97%)
• Graphics (89%)
• Hand Weapons General Knowledge (85%)
• Heavy Weapons (96%)
• History of Imperial Officers (81%)
• History of Imperial Intelligence (100%)
• History of the Dark Lords (100%)
• History of the Galactic Civil War (96%)
• History of the Galaxy Prior to the Republic (96%)
• History of the Galactic Republic (100%)
• History of the Jedi Order Part 1 (100%)
• History of the Mandalorians Part One (86%)
• History of the Mandalorians Part Two (96%)
• History of the Mandalores (84%)
• History of the Royal Guard (94%)
• HTML: Imperial Internet Communications 1 (100%)
• HTML: Imperial Internet Communications 2 (100%)
• HTML: Imperial Internet Communications 3 (80%)
• Imperial Naval Organization (91%)
• Imperial Shield Technician (100%)
• Imperial Starfighter Engineering and Technology (100%)
• Internet Analysis Course (100%)
• Lightsaber Construction (100%)
• Lightsaber Techniques (92%)
• Lightsaber: Training Saber (100%)
• Mandalorian Language (100%)
• Multiplayer 2 (100%)
• Music in our Galaxy (100%)
• Observer (100%)
• Reconnaissance Office Exam (100%)
• Scout Trooper Course (100%)
• Secret Order Core (82%)
• Sniper (100%)
• Squadron Management 6 (94%)
• Star Conflict (85%)
• Starfighter Maneuvers (100%)
• Starfighter Weapons (98%)
• Steam Introduction (100%)
• Superweapons (80%)
• The Tarkin Doctrine (100%)
• TIE Corps Core (91%)
• TIE Fighter (100%)
• TIE Fighter Tactics (91%)
• Training Office Exam (97%)
• Unit Leadership (92%)
• Vehicle Course - Stage 1 (100%)
• Vehicle Course - Stage 2 (92%)
• Vehicle Course - Stage 3 (100%)
• Vehicle Course - Stage 4 (100%)
• Wiki Editing for Dummies (100%)
• Wookiee Studies (100%)
• Writing Fundamentals (100%)
• X-Wing Advanced Knowledge (96%)
• Y-Wing Advanced Knowledge (96%)