Tiberius Duke

Tiberius Duke

Tiberius Duke is a Lieutenant Commander serving as a Flight Member in Spectre Squadron, Wing XVIII, TIE Corps. Born on Morak in 3 ABY, Duke's life has been shaped by the destruction of his homeworld's Imperial refinery and the death of his parents at the hands of Rebel operatives.

Biographical Summary

Full Name: Tiberius Duke
Born: 3 ABY, Morak, Wild Space
Species: Human
Current Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Current Assignment: FM/LCM Tiberius Duke/Spectre 2-2/Wing XVIII
Callsign: Striker Seven (former), Spectre 2-2 (current)

Early Life (3 ABY - 9 ABY)

Birth and Childhood on Morak

Duke was born on Morak, a remote jungle world in Wild Space, one year before the Battle of Endor. His parents, Gregor and Mara Duke, were civilian workers at an Imperial rhydonium refinery operated by ex-ISB officers. Gregor maintained refinery machinery as a systems technician; Mara managed logistics coordination.

The Morak settlement was small and isolated. Duke's earliest memories were of routine, order, and stormtrooper patrols maintaining perimeter security.

The Refinery Destruction

In 9 ABY, two operatives—later identified as former Rebel infiltrators—penetrated the refinery's security and planted explosive charges. The resulting explosions killed seventy-three Imperial personnel, including forty-two civilian workers.

Gregor and Mara Duke were in the central processing facility when the charges detonated.

Six-year-old Duke witnessed the refinery burn from the residential sector. Ex-ISB officers recovered evidence suggesting New Republic involvement, though whether the raid was sanctioned or the work of privateers was never proven.

Orphaned Years (9 ABY - 21 ABY)

Raised by the ISB

Following the refinery's destruction, Duke and other orphaned children were raised collectively by the ex-ISB officers governing Morak. His primary guardian became Kaelen Voss, a former ISB Internal Affairs major.

The education was rigorous and ideologically focused: galactic history emphasizing the Republic's failures, political theory analyzing societal collapse and hierarchy, military doctrine, and daily ideological reinforcement. Duke absorbed these lessons as observable truth validated by his traumatic experience.

The Scholar-Soldier

Duke became obsessed with understanding patterns in galactic history. By age twelve, he read beyond the required curriculum, consuming historical records and political treatises with intensity. By his late teens, he possessed doctoral-level knowledge of galactic history and political theory.

This knowledge became ideological armor, reinforcing his belief that Imperial order was necessary. Duke remained emotionally isolated throughout his upbringing, forming no close friendships and maintaining no relationships beyond duty requirements.

Military Service - Militia Years (21 ABY - 22 ABY)

At age eighteen, Duke enlisted in the Morak local defense militia. His performance was adequate, distinguished primarily by absolute reliability: he followed orders without question, never complained, and never showed fear.

At nineteen, Duke participated in his first combat when pirates raided Morak's agricultural facilities. His squad eliminated eight pirates in under three minutes. Duke felt no remorse.

His disciplined performance attracted attention from a recruiter representing Moff Estein Terrik's Imperial Coalition. At nineteen, Duke left Morak for Terrik's training facilities.

Terrik's Imperial Coalition (22 ABY - 27 ABY)

Flight Training

Duke was assigned to Terrik's pilot training program on an airless moon. The training was brutal, conducted by former Imperial Navy pilots from the Galactic Civil War.

Duke struggled. He was not a natural pilot; his spatial awareness required conscious effort, his reaction times were average, and his tactical instincts were unremarkable. He compensated through determination, logging additional simulator hours and memorizing procedures until they became reflexive.

In 24 ABY, at age twenty-one, Duke graduated ranked fourteenth out of nineteen remaining cadets. His evaluation noted "adequate technical proficiency and exceptional discipline." He was assigned to the Coalition's 3rd TIE Fighter Squadron with callsign "Striker Seven."

Anti-Piracy Operations

For three years, Duke flew anti-piracy operations throughout Wild Space: convoy escort, patrol routes, interdiction operations, and anti-smuggling raids. His performance was consistent and competent. By 27 ABY, he had logged over three hundred flight hours and forty-two combat engagements, with three confirmed kills.

Validation and Tragedy

In late 26 ABY, pirates attacked a settlement on Terrik's territory, killing seventeen civilians. Coalition investigators discovered equipment bearing New Republic military markings, suggesting the pirates operated under letters of marque. To Duke, this validated everything he believed about the New Republic.

In early 27 ABY, the New Republic launched a coordinated offensive against Imperial Remnant holdings. Terrik's Coalition was targeted with overwhelming force. Moff Terrik died when his flagship's bridge took a direct hit. His death shattered the Coalition instantly.

Duke, flying escort, witnessed the disintegration over comm channels: Coalition officers screaming contradictory orders and threatening each other while the New Republic consolidated victory.

The Splinter Years (27 ABY - 30 ABY)

Duke attached himself to a splinter cell led by Captain Jarek Venn, who had escaped with his corvette and approximately thirty personnel. The cell conducted anti-piracy operations without resources, support, or realistic plans. Duke flew missions out of necessity.

Over three years, Duke observed Imperial Remnant warlords fighting each other more than the New Republic. Resources were hoarded, officers pursued personal power, and ideology was discarded when inconvenient. Former Coalition officers who had sworn loyalty to Terrik's vision bent the knee to rival warlords for better pay.

Duke understood that most who claimed to serve the Empire were opportunists. The ideological purity he valued was rare outside isolated holdouts.

By 30 ABY, Duke began searching for an organization meeting three criteria: genuine ideological commitment to Imperial restoration, disciplined command structure, and operational capability. Through underground channels, he learned about the Emperor's Hammer.

At age twenty-seven, Duke made contact with an Emperor's Hammer recruiting officer.

The Emperor's Hammer (31 ABY - Present)

Integration

Duke reported to the Emperor's Hammer TIE Corps in early 31 ABY. The transition from splinter cell chaos to professional military organization was immediate. The Emperor's Hammer maintained actual standards: regulation uniforms, proper equipment maintenance, clear orders, organized training.

Service Timeline

Date	Rank	Assignment	Duration
Early 31 ABY	Sub-Lieutenant	FM/SL Tiberius Duke/Thunder 3-4/Wing X/ISDII Challenge	25 days
Early 31 ABY	Lieutenant	FM/LT Tiberius Duke/Thunder 3-4/Wing X/ISDII Challenge	25 days
Mid-31 ABY	Lieutenant	RSV/LT Tiberius Duke/Reserves/M/FRG Phoenix	2 months, 27 days
Late 31 ABY	Lieutenant	FM/LT Tiberius Duke/Beta 3-2/Wing I/ISDII Hammer/Battlegroup I	2 months
Late 31 ABY	Lieutenant Commander	FM/LCM Tiberius Duke/Beta 3-2/Wing I/ISDII Hammer/Battlegroup I	—
Late 31 ABY	Lieutenant Commander	RSV/LCM Tiberius Duke/Reserves/M/FRG Phoenix	8 months, 12 days
Mid-32 ABY	Lieutenant Commander	[Declared Missing in Action]	2 years, 4 months, 21 days
Early 35 ABY	Lieutenant Commander	FM/LCM Tiberius Duke/Spectre 2-2/Wing XVIII	Present

Initial Assignment

Duke was initially assigned to Thunder Squadron, Wing X, aboard the ISDII Challenge. The assignment proved brief due to operational requirements. He was promoted to Lieutenant during this period.

Duke was temporarily detached for surface security operations supporting fleet reconnaissance activities, assigned to reserve status aboard the FRG Phoenix. This reflected the Emperor's Hammer's expanding operations in the Unknown Regions, which required personnel with Duke's militia experience for planetside operations.

In late 31 ABY, Duke was reassigned to Beta Squadron, Wing I, aboard the ISDII Hammer. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander during this assignment before another brief reserve detachment for surface security operations.

Missing in Action: The Chaos

In mid-32 ABY, Duke was declared missing in action following operations in the Chaos region. His flight had been conducting reconnaissance missions when contact was lost. Despite search efforts, Duke was not recovered.

Duke was recovered and returned to active duty in early 35 ABY. He has provided minimal information regarding the intervening period, noting only that he survived in isolation under circumstances he refuses to discuss. Medical records indicate he sustained injuries requiring brief treatment. Fellow pilots noted Duke had become even more withdrawn and rigid in his adherence to protocol.

When pressed by fellow officers regarding his experiences, Duke's only comment has been: "Certain fires devour what sustains them. The void demanded more than I could pay, so I returned to simpler debts."

Current Assignment

Duke was assigned to Spectre Squadron, Wing XVIII, where he currently serves as a flight member. He continues to serve with the same reliability and discipline that has characterized his military career.

Personality and Beliefs

Duke's worldview is built on three foundations: childhood stability under Imperial rule, the Rebel destruction of that stability that killed his parents, and years of warlord disillusionment showing him that most who claim Imperial loyalty are opportunists. These experiences created an unshakable framework: order prevents suffering, chaos kills, and the Empire represents the only viable defense against galactic entropy.

Duke is an educated ideologue whose beliefs are supported by extensive historical knowledge. His understanding of galactic history is sophisticated—he can cite specific Senate debates, analyze economic factors behind the Separatist movement, and argue coherently why democratic governance fails in crisis. This knowledge makes him intellectually formidable and inflexible. He has studied history to validate his beliefs, interpreting every event through "order versus chaos." Evidence contradicting his worldview is dismissed as propaganda.

His military bearing is impeccable. He genuinely believes discipline, hierarchy, and protocol are essential to effective operations. Squadmates find him reliable but distant—he executes duties flawlessly but forms no personal bonds. His life is his service.

As a pilot, Duke remains competent. His strengths include excellent procedural knowledge, strong situational awareness through conscious analysis, and exceptional formation discipline. His limitations include limited instinctive creativity, average reaction times requiring compensation, and reliance on doctrine over improvisation. He survives through preparation and discipline—the kind of pilot who will never achieve ace status but will never get his wingmates killed through recklessness.

Duke stands 1.83 meters tall, lean from constant conditioning. His dark brown hair is graying prematurely at the temples. His pale gray eyes are cold and analytical. A faint scar marks his left forearm, the origin of which he refuses to discuss beyond noting it occurred during his missing period.

He maintains spartan quarters: regulation furnishings, a small library of historical texts on a datapad, and a single photograph of the Morak refinery before its destruction. He has no family. Kaelen Voss, his guardian and mentor, died two years ago. Duke received the notification through official channels and filed it without comment.

Awards and Decorations

Merit Awards

• Palpatine Crescent
• Imperial Security Medal
• Imperial Achievement Ribbon x2

Service and Competition Medals

• Medal of Communication - Bronze Oak Cluster
• TIE Corps Meritorious Unit Award
• Iron Star with Copper Wings
• Legion of Combat x7 (Copper Scimitar)
• Legion of Skirmish x41 (Copper Scimitar)
• Order of the Vanguard - 3rd Echelon

Battle Participation Medals

• Medal for the Death Star
• Medal of Commitment
• Medal of Assassination
• Medal of Infection
• Medal of Reimagination

Qualification and Skill Medals

• Medal of Advanced Skill: TIE Interceptor

Commendations

• Commendation of Bravery

See Also

• Emperor's Hammer
• TIE Corps
• SSD Avenger