Rho Squadron

Rho Squadron is a Deep Strike squadron assigned to Wing II on the Imperial-II Class Star Destroyer Warrior.

Roster

Flight I

Dagger Flight - "Death Comes on Dagger Wings"

1. CMDR/MAJ Maston Dane
2. FM/CM Vanguard88
3. FM/CM Ispep
4. FM/LT Alexmadv Corachan

Flight II

Emperor's Will - "In Peace, Vigilance - In War, Victory - In Death, Sacrifice"

1. SQXO Alexandre Morgan
2. FM Jaquel Rainrix
3. FM FamePlane
4. FM Miguel Garcia

Flight III

Nightshrikes - "Hunters of the Void"

1. FL Isabis Kamaria
2. FM OL"Davy Jonez
3. FM Westric Davalorn
4. FM Rotarg Kradak

Squadron Achievements

• In the 2020 Raise the Flag competition, Rho Squadron took first place among the 11 squadrons in the TIE Corps with 8,078 points.
• In the Chalquila Cup II Star Wars Squadrons 3v3 Fleet Battle competition, Rho Squadron's team, "The Jolly Rhogers", took first place with 13 wins and only 1 loss.

Real-Life History

2020 (28 ABY)

By 2019, the TIE Corps' membership had dwindled from its heyday in the early 2000s, leading to the closure of Beta and Sigma squadrons. This left the Corps with only six active squadrons. Efforts to attract new and returning pilots started working, and by March of 2020, the TCCOM announced plans to reopen two squadrons. Hav Antiel, then Commodore of the Warrior, expressed interest in leading the ship's new squadron. From the available list of inactive Wing II squadrons (Psi, Rho, and Sigma), Antiel chose Rho because it was a relative "blank slate" compared to Sigma (which had been mothballed in 2019) and Psi (which had historical reports and logos on file). Antiel found evidence that a historical Rho Squadron had existed in the past, but he was unable to find any reports, logos, or solid history.

In developing the initial mission and image of Rho Squadron, CMDR Antiel looked to the Imperial squadrons in the original Star Wars trilogy, depicted with gray/blue fighters and black uniforms. When Rho was reactivated, every other TIE Corps squadron consisted of superfighters like the TIE Defender and Missile Boat. Sin Squadron had just earned a signature superfighter, the TIE Sinister, that notably included cupholders and air conditioning. This inspired Antiel to pitch Rho as a throwback to the canonical Imperial mindset: bad guys with expendable ships and pilots and stark black and gray iconography. Antiel told the TCCOM, FA Plif, of his desire for a complement of shieldless TIEs, and Plif helped Antiel decide on the menacing TIE Interceptor. While other squadrons used different fighters for each flight, Antiel followed the examples shown in the films, where squadrons consisted of a dozen of the same fighter.

Rho Squadron was activated on 16 April 2020 with three veteran pilots: Trideo Arkson and Drake Starfire as Flight Leaders and Hav Antiel as CMDR. They were joined by another returning veteran, Jarion Renalds on 18 April. Although Trideo Arkson soon went AWOL and Drake Starfire left to command Inferno Squadron, Rho grew, attracting new pilots to fly the TC's only TIE Interceptors. On 21 June 2020, Rho Squadron became full for the first time with 12 active pilots.

Still reeling from his disappointing Raise the Flag 2019 loss as Commodore of the Warrior, Antiel saw 2020's RtF competition as an opportunity to redeem himself and announce his new squadron as real challengers. Rho began preparations for RtF months ahead of its September start date. As preemptive rule changes scuttled some of Rho's strategies, the pilots adapted, developing alternative strategies before finally settling on a familiar formula: single-player SPAM flying.

Raise the Flag 2020 became a three-way contest between Rho, fellow newcomers Tempest Squadron, and five-time winners Theta Squadron. Rho's SP focus, spearheaded by Antiel, Lo Mar, Epicedion, and Frenchie6, was bolstered by Lo Mar's fiction entries, including his Bonus-winning fiction. At the close of the contest, Rho set a new RtF record with 8,078 points, becoming only the third different squadron to earn the title of TCCOM's Escort Squadron. Four of Rho's pilots ranked among the Top 10, more than any other squadron. For 10 of Rho's 12 pilots, 2020 marked their first-ever Raise the Flag competition. Although Rho's triumph gave the new squadron prestige and enmity, the magnitude of their RtF accomplishment was acknowledged across the TIE Corps.

COL Antiel led a group of junior officers and new recruits to become the TCCOM's Escort Squadron in Raise the Flag 2020. Having tried and failed to overcome the Wall of Theta myself a few times, I'm proud of what Rho Squadron was able to achieve.

—FA Plif

Rho's attitude and sense of community were pivotal to the squadron's success in RtF. Although every member of the squadron contributed to that sense of community, the heart of Rho in 2020 was its XO, acetiepilot. Tommy, as he was known to his peers, coined and epitomized the "Rho looks after Rho" mindset by checking in with other pilots, stoking conversations on comms, and organizing pools to buy copies of games for Rho pilots. Antiel recognized Tommy's potential and made plans with his XO to take over command of the squadron in 2021.

2022 (30 ABY)

During 2022, Rho Squadron preformed exceptionally well across multiple competitions. Rho contributed to the ISDII Warrior's stunning victory in Imperial Storm IV with tactical analyses and flight activity. Shortly after, the squadron reinforced its flight prowess with an equally stunning sweep of the Chalquilla Cup, winning all but one game and dominating the competition. The squadron, made up of competitive and non-competitive Rho pilots alike, earned IS-PWs and Distinguished Flying Crosses and were celebrated at an awards ceremony held after the competition's close.

After completing 6 of the 8 assigned tasks for Squadron (Re)Mobilization 4, Rho Squadron elected to take advantage of the higher tier ships available for requisition and traded in its TIE Interceptors for the technologically superior TIE Avengers. With these new ships, Rho flew extraordinarily during that year's Raise the Flag, earning 5th place overall out of 17 other squadrons, and first place of the squadrons of the ISDII Warrior. Uniting in efforts writing fiction, creating graphics, and prolifically flying, Rho confidently placed high and set the groundwork for an even better year to follow.

During this year, Rho's leadership became a noticeably productive industry. Extraordinary commanders taught their SQXOs and FLs tips and tricks of trade with the assurance that after their stint there would be a confident and capable replacement. Some of Rho leadership even transferred to other squadrons to fill vacancies, spreading the positivity, leadership skills, and community building focus.

Proud of all of these performances and developments, Rho leadership marked 2022 as a beyond resounding success, and headed into 2023 with high hopes and plans to even further improve the increasingly highly-regarded community - the Rho Family.

2023 (31 ABY)

This year, Rho Squadron sound itself continuing on the trend of being on the winning end of competitions. Fighting (and being one of the very few to survive without a single lost pilot) in the first cooperative Imperial Storm V competition in the form of the conflict against the Ishtari, the pilots of the Rho Family grew more together and even stronger than before. The Ishtari enemy would turn out to be on that would test the mettle and character of each and every pilot, and the Rho Family rose to the challenge magnificently.

In recognition of this attitude, proficiency, and excellence, in addition to a stunning performance and completion in the Squadron (Re)Mobilization V, the squadron was afforded a rare award. Designed by joint efforts of Tusorixian engineers and the Emperor's Hammer's Science Office, a new craft was created from a rare allow and gifted exclusively to the Rho Squadron pilots. Six of the Rho Family were also used as consultants for the development of the craft, and then-commander [Alexandre Morgan] began to adopt the development of the ship.

Called the TIE/rh Rhodium, it stood similar to a TIE/Interceptor but with upgraded armor, shields, weaponry, and general capability. It incorporated traditional aesthetic designs from Tusorixian history that were coupled with the Imperial ethos and character in both a gesture of harmony between the two cultures and in acknowledgement of the gift of the rare metal from the Tusorixian government, which they viewed as repayment for the Emperor's Hammer's protection from the Ishtari species. An image of the craft can be found below in the 'Equipment' section.

While the squadron did not place first in the Raise the Flag competition in 31 ABY, its monumental efforts in galvanizing its fellow Warrior pilots succeeded in winning the Flagship title for the Star Destroyer. Rho Squadron's excellent sense of family, community, and character also eventually attracted the highest-scoring pilot in the competition, the newly-minted Baron of the TIE Corps [Vanguard88].

31 ABY saw a parade of highly successful commanders. The Rho Squadron hero [Westric Davalorn] stepped down from the office early in the year, satisfied with his service and confident in his impact on the squadron. Succeeding him was [Alexandre Morgan], who, alongside his eventual Admiralty roles, led the squadron through the smash hit Squadron ReMob V competition and the creation of the TIE Rhodium. After Morgan stepped down to pursue academic success, Adom Wietu returned to the helm of the Family and headed up the massive Wing-wide RtF success. At the end of the year, Wietu accepted leadership of the ISDII Warrior itself and passed the reins to the current commander, Maston Dane, who's impact and influence on the trajectory of the Rho Family is eagerly anticipated.

Squadron Commanders

#	CMDR	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Location	Starting Rank	Ending Rank
1	Hav Antiel	16 April 2020	31 December 2020	8m, 15d	ISD Warrior	Colonel	General
2	acetiepilot	1 January 2021	20 June 2021	5m, 19d	ISD Warrior	Commander	Major
3	fr0Zen	20 June 2021	2 April 2022	9m, 13d	ISD Warrior	Commander	Lieutenant Colonel
4	Westric Davalorn	2 April 2022	11 February 2023	10m, 9d	ISD Warrior	Commander	Lieutenant Colonel
5	Alexandre Morgan	11 February 2023	12 August 2023	6m, 1d	ISD Warrior	Captain	Major
6	fr0Zen	12 August 2023	14 December 2023	4m, 2d	ISD Warrior	Colonel	Colonel
7	Maston Dane	14 December 2023	TBA	TBA	ISD Warrior	Commander	TBA

Equipment

Flight suit worn by the brave pilots of Rho Squadron.	Rho Squadron's new TIE/rh Rhodium fighters, custom-created and designed for the squadron.

Patches and Banners

Current

Rho Squadron Patch, 2024

Rho Squadron Banner, 2022

Historic

Rho Squadron Patch, 2022	Patches for Flights I, II, and III, 2022

Rho Squadron Patch, 2020	Unofficial Patches for Flights I, II, and III, 2020

Rho Squadron Banner, 2020	RtF Victory Update, 2020

Rho Squadron Banner, 1995