Kappa Squadron

Kappa Squadron is an Escort squadron attached to Wing II of the ISD II Warrior.

Kappa Squadron has a battle cry: KAPPA HYPE!!! Coined by MAJ Ulrich Drachen

Kappa Squadron Website -

Weekly Squadron Reports for Kappa can be found here.

Squadron History

• Written by Algaron Xervesand Shimir Sheerelk

Last Updated:

Special Thanks to: COL Gallows, COL Sasquatch, COL Inkwolf and COL Jan Wemmel

Introduction

• Intro Written by Tempest, January 1st 2006

The record of the "History of Kappa Squadron" you are looking at was started by Algaron Xerves in March 2001, when he (then a Flight Leader under CMDR Astarosta), published the first chapters of this historic record on the Kappa homepage. These original first chapters covered the early days of Kappa from its reformation in January 1999 to the beginning of Astarosta's reign. Thanks to this huge effort of researching and compiling historic information, I think it can be said that Kappa's early history is one of the best documented ones among all squadrons in the TC today. It did not only give veterans an opportunity to dwell in memories, but also it gave valuable information to new cadets who joined the squadron, so they were not entirely clueless when older squadron members started to talk about the "good old days". One of those new pilots who read Algaron's Kappa History with great interest was Shimir Sheerelk, who joined the squadron in May 2002. He liked the "History" a lot, but felt a little disappointed that there was already almost one year missing.

In January 2004, Shimir submitted a summary of the "Algaron Years", with the "Tempest Years" following in February. While these additions were well-written and informative, there were several problems to them. As a start, Shimir had not been around in the days of Astarosta. So, while Algaron had told the beginning of Roasty's tenure as Kappa CMDR, its end remained untold. Also, Shimir didn't have all the facts and figures correctly and missed some events relevant to the squadron history. Most important of all, though, was that his text was very long. I really had to shorten it a lot, and while doing it, I also cross-checked the given information with my own mail archive. With the many abbreviations I had to make and some things to add, most of the text was in fact rewritten. I have also changed Algaron's system of introducing new pilots and giving their career information. While Algaron had these as tables in the text, the problem with that is that these are hard to place. I was always wondering if I should set such an info box whenever someone new joined, or left, or became promoted, or whatever. I therefore used links instead and made an info page for every Kappa member past and present. A list of all of them was put at the end of this document.

I think these changes make sence and were necessary to make this now rather lengthy document easier to access and more enjoyable to read. I hope nobody will think of it as disrespect towards the original authors. To prevent their works from being lost, or prevented only in an altered form, you can still see them here: "Kappa History" by Algaron Xerves, 2002. "The Algaron Years" and "The Tempest Years" by Shimir Sheerelk, 2004.

The updating and rewriting was tiresome for me and took me so much time that the new version of the "History" was outdated again when I was done with it. Having worked on it for such a while, and being the longest serving active member of Kappa, I therefore decided to write the Zyrax Years and the beginning of the Daar Years myself. I don't think of me as a great writer, but I also didn't want this fine project to die.

So here it is... Kappa Squadron's history from 1999 to 2006. I hope you'll enjoy reading it, and I also hope that there are many chapters remaining to be written. Many squadrons that are mentioned in here are no longer in existance. We are proud to serve in a squadron that has been here for seven years, and of course we hope that this fine old squadron won't have to be closed anytime soon. As Algaron, the starter of the history project, put it: "We are proud to say that some of the very finest officers inhabit the Kappa barracks and it is their consistently outstanding contribution which makes the Squadron what it is today - one of the finest in the TIE Corps. Long may it continue!" Yeah... long may it continue.

The Shador Years January 1999 ti June 1999

Wing II was officially re-opened in January 1999 under the command of Colonel Gallows and it was at this point that the "Modern History" of Kappa Squadron begins. Kappa was one of three Wing II Squadrons to be re-opened during the "Reformation" along with Psi and Rho. Nominated to lead Kappa in this new beginning was TIE Corps veteran Captain Shador. Shador had already made a name for himself within the Corps and was a highly respected officer. He began the tradition of strong, dedicated Kappa Commanders which remains to this day.

CPT Shador inherited a small group of Squadron members after we re-opened early in 1999, but with Wing II attracting new recruits in numbers, Kappa benefited from an influx of quality cadets. The membership of Kappa grew from three to a high point of nine pilots within just two months. Many of these pilots would go onto great things both within Kappa and the wider scope of the TIE Corps. Notable recruits included veteran pilot LCM Jens "Bushmaster" Vigsted and SL's Wlodek, Lothar Galland and Hawkins, two of whom would go on to command the Squadron. With more pilots coming in Shador had more scope to increase the activity and functionality of the Squadron. He introduced the Squadron Commander's Own Award (SCO). This was a weekly citation given to the most hard-working and active pilot in the Squadron. It encouraged Kappa members to excel and instigated a period of prosperity for the squad. Hawkins flourished as an adept TIE mission creator and would go on to receive the Palpatine Crescent for his achievements in this field. Wlodek was the main beneficiary of the SCO award, taking the honour on no less than five occassions, through his exceptionally dedicated service. He would later receive the Imperial Security Medal for this feat.

Other promotions and awards came thick and fast for this fledgling group of pioneers. Shador himself quickly rose to Captain soon after taking command, and his two Flight Leaders, Wlodek and Lothar Galland, both moved up to the rank of Lieutenant Commander during this time. Kappa itself was also honoured with the Wing Commander's Own Award (WCO) in February, and later the illustrious Commdore's Own Award for the month of April. Much of these tributes came as a result of Kappa's performance in the inaugural Sovereign League competition. After seven combat rounds Kappa lay in 8th place overall amongst TIE Corps Squadrons, putting them in line for a place in the end of season Playoffs.

This was also a time of creative expansion. Kappa Squadron's first website was created during Shador's tenure. The creator of this site was none other than the Commander himself, giving a further demonstration of his all round abilities. It can be loaded up by following the picture link to the left. Although the site is incomplete it gives a fascinating insight into Kappa's early roots, offering a historical snapshot of the composition of the Squadron as it stood at the time. Last updated at the end of February 1999, the first Kappa homepage makes for very nostalgic viewing and was a portent for bigger and better things to come.

Sadly, but perhaps inevitably, Kappa pilots came and went during this period of development and transformation under Shador's leadership. Two pilots who only stayed very briefly, but shall be listed here in order that their achievements are always remembered in the chronicles of Kappa History, are LT's Platimum and Rhinok Maul.

As with many great leaders a time comes when the strain of command can become too great. So it was with Captain Shador. Due to hectic real-life commitments he was forced to step down from his post as Kappa Commander on the 14th July 1999. Fortunately Shador's excellent leadership had produced a number of ideal candidates to succeed him. Lothar Galland had proved himself an adept Leader of Flight III. Hawkins was another dedicated pilot who had shown potential leadership qualities, winning the Squadron Commander's Own Award on a number of ocassions. Hawkins time would come however, and it was down to another Kappa veteran eventually chosen to take the Squadron forward...

The Wlodek Years June 1999 ti September 1999

Wlodek had already proven himself as one of the finest Flight Leaders in the Wing and was perhaps the natural choice to succeed Shador as Squadron Commander.

One of Wlodek's first tasks as Squadron Commander was to secure Kappa's place in the Sovereign League Playoffs. A month of hard flying meant that the excellent achievements in this competition under Shador did not go to waste, as Kappa maintained 8th position and took their place amongst the TIE Corps elite. However, the draw for the first round pitted Kappa against the mighty Tornado squadron, and as expected they proved to be too strong. Our run had come to end, but what a glorious run it had been.

The membership of Kappa Squadron fluctuated during Wlodek's brief tenure. When he took over in June 1999 Kappa had 8 pilots on the roster. During his three months in command some of Kappa's most famous pilots joined up, most notably Amadeo, Jan Wemmel and Deacan. All three of these guys would go on to have renowned careers within Kappa and help forge our reputation as one of the finest Squadron's in the TIE Corps. However, along with new recruits coming in there was also a steady stream of pilots leaving our ranks, thus preventing us from ever rising to full strength. Captain Shador was one of the pilots to leave during this time, although he would eventually return to Kappa for a final farewell under the next administration. For others, though, the end was much more final. The pilots who left Kappa in the summer of '99 were LT Kata'ng, SL Motti, LCM Lothar Galland and LT Warthog. All these only had a rather short stay in Kappa, but they won't be forgotten as part of our history.

As was the case under Captain Shador, a number of pilots excelled during Wlodek's term. Most prominent among them was Amadeo, claiming three Imperial Security Medals, promotion to Lieutenant and the leadership of Flight II before Wlodek was done. Hawkins also continued to make excellent progress. Wlodek immediately made him a Flight Leader upon taking command, and from this position his career flourished. The Palpatine Crescent came his way from the creation of 3 TC-TIE Battles, and his promotion to Lieutenant Commander demonstrated his leadership potential. Jens 'Bushmaster' Vigsted and Jan Wemmel also maintained admirable levels of activity and were rewarded in kind.

Unfortunately, Wlodek's time as Kappa Commander was brought to an end prematurely. He resigned just 60 days into his command. Wlodek was destined for great things within the TIE Corps, but we can only look back at his all too short period in charge with a fairly sizeable hint of sadness. We may have achieved great things, but Kappa had been robbed of a legend in the making. Wlodek had proved what a great commanding officer he could and would on to be, which made it a bitter pill to swallow to see him step down. However, things always go on and once the dust had settled, the pieces had to be picked up and a replacement found. Amadeo was too inexperienced, and Jens 'Bushmaster' Vigsted didn't want the job. That left one man to take up the reigns...

The Hawkins Years - September 1999 to March 2000

Hawkins had been well groomed in the art of commanding by his two predecessors. Although the unexpected resignation of Wlodek thrust him into the position of Squadron Commander perhaps earlier than he would have liked, he was certainly equipped to do the job as well as anyone. It is highly unfortunate that the period of Hawkins' leadership also coincided with the fortunes of Kappa Squadron ebbing to the lowest level in our recent history. This is not to be seen as an indictment of Hawkins as a commanding officer. He was a more than capable Commander who suffered from an ill-fated and Irreversible chain of events.

The initial weeks of Hawkins' tenure were very promising. Jens 'Bushmaster' Vigsted moved to Flight III leader, the Palpatine Crescent was awarded to Amadeo for his excellent record both in and out of the cockpit, and Deacan received a very well deserved promotion to Lieutenant. More importantly veteran pilot, and former Kappa Commander, Captain Shador returned to the Squadron he had built. Amadeo also created a new set of Squadron link banners which can still be seen on the Files section of this website. Kappa had nine pilots in its ranks for the first time since the early weeks of Shador's command. Things were looking good for Kappa Squadron.

Indeed things continued to go well right up to the end of November. A flood of commendations came the way of Kappa Squadron members. Among these Amadeo received the coveted Bronze Star of the Empire for re-designing Wing II's web site and Wlodek's career as a quality Mission Designer began with the creation of his first of many TIE Battles (TC-120). The Medal of Tactics would be his reward. Also promotions came for both of Kappa's Flight Leaders. 'Bushmaster' rose to Commander, and Amadeo advanced to Lieutenant Commander. Kappa also had an excellent new website created by the ever active Amadeo. Since then, all Kappa homepages followed more or less this design. For example, since that time all Kappa websites had white as basic colour, while most other squadron (or generally SW) pages are mostly black. You can view his original design by following the picture link on the left.

However, events were about to take a drastic turn for the worse. The period from December 1999 to the end of January 2000 can be genuinely described as Kappa Squadron's darkest hour. The catalyst for this was Wlodek's transfer to Wing VIII's Pi Squadron in the first week of December. Kappa had already suffered from his resignation as Commander, but now we had also lost his valuable services as a Squadron member. In the two depressing months that followed a further six pilots left the Squadron! Jan Wemmel moved to the Reserves due to personal commitments, Lieutenant Vengeance transferred to Cheth Squadron, and Lieutenant Talos Magnus was declared AWOL. Transfers also robbed Kappa of the services of three more highly experienced and valued members. Shador chose to accept the offer of seeing out the rest of his career in the elite Praetorian Squadron, and Jens 'Bushmaster' Vigsted moved to take command of Spear Squadron aboard the ISD Relentless. Finally and most distressingly, Amadeo put in a transfer to Cyclone Squadron, unable to bear what was happening around him. In the cold light of day Kappa had lost seven pilots in only eight weeks, including two former Squadron Commanders and both of its Flight Leaders. After this "Black Christmas", as it was henceforth known, we were down to just two active members (Hawkins and Deacan), the lowest level in the Squadron's history.

After the setback of the "Black Christmas" period it was touch and go as to whether Kappa would remain an active Squadron. It is here that the command ability of Hawkins really shone through, as he transformed the Squadron's fortunes during the last few weeks of his reign. It is also a highly important period in our history given that Kappa's favourite son joined the Squadron to begin his magnificent career. The inspired recruitment drive headed by a re-invigorated Commander Hawkins, and the hard-working Deacan saw four pilots join Kappa during February 2000, among them the return of Jan Wemmel from the Reserves, and a little-known, green recruit from the far-flung reaches of the Empire who went by the name of Sub-Lieutenant Astarosta. No one at the time would have foreseen the sensational impact these two pilots, especially the latter, would have on the fortunes of our Squadron.

The end of Hawkins reign also saw the re-introduction of the Sovereign League competition which Kappa had fought so valiantly in during it's run in 1999. This band of mainly inexperienced pilots managed to secure 21st place after the second Combat Round. However, as stated before the end of Hawkins' reign was near at hand. Deacan had already been made Acting Commander two weeks before Hawkins eventually decided that the move should be made permanent. The strain of commanding Kappa during this extraordinarily unstable period had eventually proved too great. Hawkins stepped down allowing his successor to take Kappa into a new era...

The Deacan Years

There can be no question that Deacan was one of the finest and influential Squadron Commanders that Kappa has had in it's history since the "Reformation". He had a superb pilot record during his time under Wlodek and Hawkins, and his loyalty and dedication to the Squadron was a significant factor in turning things around following the "Black Christmas" period. When Hawkins finally stepped down, Deacan was a more than worthy replacement. Many of the new procedures that Deacan introduced have become part of the standard practices within Kappa Squadron. Much of Kappa's current daily activity is influenced by Deacan's original work.

Deacan took over command of the Squadron during a time of great prosperity for Wing II, having just been awarded the TIE Corps Commander Citation for the month of March (pictured left). For his two Flight Leaders Deacan chose the old campaigner Hawkins, and the rising star Astarosta within a six pilot strong Squadron. Astarosta had already begun to demonstrate his supreme piloting skills having accumulated enough FCHG points in his short career to make him Kappa's new flying ace. Promotion to Lieutenant Commander and the award of the Imperial Security Medal for extremely high activity marked Astarosta out as a future candidate for a Squadron command position of his own.

As stated before Deacan's original work instigated much of what is now taking for granted amongst Kappa Squadron members. The first such instance of this was the establishment of regular Inter-Squadron competitions. For Kappa's first ever challenge Deacan got in contact with ex-Kappa Flight Leader Jens 'Bushmaster' Vigsted who was now in command of Spear Squadron. Deacan himself top-scored in this competition, but sadly the final result did not go our way, narrowly beaten on overall average score. Spear had prevailed, but Deacan, through this inaugural event, had set in motion a tradition which remains strong to this day. The Kappa vs. Spear contest was also one of the first of its kind to use the Laserless Scoring system, again a Wing II creation, which is now recognised as the primary method for calculating results in TIE Corps competitions. Deacan also brought the Squadron together to a much greater extent than had his predecessors. With the help of Astarosta, the Kappa Online Meeting was established. Using mIRC technology Kappa gatherings were occurring with increasing frequency, greatly enhancing the camaraderie and togetherness of the Squadron. Also our interaction with the wider populace of the TIE Corps helped build our reputation as one of the craziest and hardest drinking Squadrons in the Wing - a precedent which has not abated in the time since!

With these traditions firmly put in place Kappa continued forward as a small, but highly active Squadron. As evidence of that Kappa triumphed in a three-way Squadron competition against fellow Wing II rivals Theta and Sin in May 2000. This was to be our first taste of success, but as our recent results will tell you, certainly not our last. The taste of success was sweet and the taste of the beer in the Wing II bar afterwards was even sweeter! Kappa had further reason to celebrate when our website was chosen by the Internet Office as Site of the Week in July, with major credit going to Deacan for continuing to maintain the excellent quality of Amadeo's original design.

The unrelenting pace continued unabated into the Summer. Kappa members battled valiantly with 100% participation as Wing II triumphed over Wing X, and no more so than Astarosta, who received the Palpatine Crescent for top-scoring in the competition. The next Inter-Squad contest brought Kappa up against the similarly sized Sword Squadron. This one went down to the wire, but a handful of points secured a hard-fought win for our rivals from Wing IX. With such a great deal of activity within the Squadron, it is to be expected that a few would not be able to keep up with the pace. SL Moniax, LT Talamius and LT Torgo Reyes were pilots who fell by the wayside, that is, joined during that very active period and left again shortly after.

Another shock departure from Wing II was the resignation in June of Colonel Gallows after 14 months in command of the Wing. He had served with incredible dedication and aptitude for the duration of his tenure, and had turned Wing II into one of the finest in the TIE Corps. Chosen as a temporary replacement was Rho's Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Harkonnen. Unfortunately for Harkonnen, technical difficulties forced him to resign after just one month at the helm. It was at this point that the now legendary "Mad Doctor" of Wing II rose to take up her destined position commanding the craziest bunch of pilots aboard the Sovereign. Colonel Inkwolf is one of Wing II's most popular characters, and with the help of her hairy support crew Private Squeaker, Seargent Akela and Corporal Melvin (pictured left), she made the Wing a joy to be part of. The picture link to the left will take you to the Wing II Website of that time which Inky maintained herself. It's a great resource for historic information, and was of great help to Algaron in compiling the early parts of the history of Kappa Squadron.

Spurred on in his new role as Kappa Recruitment Co-ordinator, Jan Wemmel set about increasing the size of the Squadron roster. Two new pilots joined the Kappa ranks during Deacan's time in charge, and both of them are genuine Kappa legends. Ninja's first stint in Kappa began in August, and he immediately set about building a reputation as one of the hardest flyers in the TIE Corps. His flying record was phenomenal and he kept Deacan incredibly busy submitting Battle TFRs on an almost daily basis. Reb Crush was the other notable recruit, joining right towards the end of the Deacan period. Reb brought an invaluable array of technical, as well as piloting skills to the Squadron. With the impetus of new blood the Squadron maintained it's good form in the ongoing Sovereign League 2000. Kappa was very well placed to secure a placing in the Top 20, thus progressing to the playoff stages of this distinguished competition, in spite of our relatively small size in comparison to many of the other Squadrons' we were flying against. Another exciting event which began during this time was the Free-TIE Challenge, run by Wing IV WC Colonel Ricardo. Both Astarosta, who's activity record was second to none, and Jan Wemmel took up the challenge to complete 95% of the TIE Corps Free Missions by the end of the Summer.

The term embryonic is perhaps a good way to describe the time that Deacan spent in command of Kappa Squadron. His original and dynamic approach to commanding did so much to shape Kappa into the great Squadron that it is today. Unfortunately he never had the opportunity to work his magic on a larger scale, with the membership of the squadron never rising above 50% for his entire period in charge. When RL pressures eventually called an end to Deacan's glorious seven months as Squadron Commander the job of continuing his work passed into the hands of Kappa's most dedicated servant. Would it be possible to improve on Deacan's leadership?

The Daar Years - February 2004 to ???

• records lost - Archivists are on the job to locate them.

History from April 2014 to Present

• Kappa Squadron had been decommissioned when the TIE Corps was too small to need more than one Wing. When the ISD II Warrior was activated on March 31, 2014, the members of Gamma Squadron were transferred to Kappa. These records are from March 31, 2014 to present.

Roster

Kappa Flight I

Nickname - Dragon's Fury

Motto - Strike Hard, Strike Fast

1. CMDR/MAJ Ulrich Drachen
2. FM/LC Repulsor
3. FM/xx TBD
4. FM/COL Crsepe

Kappa Flight II

Nickname - Dragon's Fire

Motto - We Bring Glorious Deliverance

1. FL/LCM Sparky
2. FM/LT Leocadio
3. FM/XX TBD
4. open position

Kappa Flight III

Nickname - Dragon's Wings

Motto - Borne on Steel Wings

1. FL/COL Impulse
2. FM/LC Tempest
3. open position
4. open position

Competition History

TIE Corps Competition History

• Raise the Flag 2014 - The squadron had shown a good all-around performance with 5 pilots participating in the event. Earning 619 Points and Finished in 5th Place.
  • Top Pilots were CPT Ulrich Drachen with 199 points, MAJ Repulsor with 134 points and LC Tempest with 71 Points.
• Raise the Flag 2015 - The Squadron showed massive improvement with 5 Pilots participating in the event earning a total score of 1010. The Squadron finished in 5th place.
  • Top Pilots were CPT Ulrich Drachen with 406 Points, CM Hawkins with 181 points and MAJ Repulsor with 52 points.
    • CM Hawkins took 1st Place in the Bonus GFX Comp and placed 3rd in the Fiction Comp. CPT Drachen took 1st place in the MP Bonus Comp.

Wing Competition History

This section is under construction.

Squadron Competition History

This section is under construction.

Images

• Weekly Squadron Report (created by LT Rhace) -

• Squadron Patch and Banner were also created by LT Rhace
  • See Above

• KAPPA HYPE Beverage Can Created by LC Impulse

Squadron Commanders

#	Commander	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Location	Rank
1	Shador	January 31, 1999	June 11, 1999	5 Months	SSSD Sovereign	Captain
2	Hawkins	September 18, 1999	March 24, 2000	6 Months	SSSD Sovereign	Commander
3	Deacan	March 25, 2000	September 1, 2000	6 Months	SSSD Sovereign	Captain
4	Astarosta	September 3, 2000	February 7, 2002	2 Years 5 Months	SSSD Sovereign	Colonel
5	Tempest	October 21, 2002	May 24, 2004	1 Year 8 Months	SSSD Sovereign	Lieutenant Colonel
6	Kaisin Mirtez	January 25, 2009	August 24, 2009	6 months	ISD II Warrior	General
7	Starkillerny*	April 4, 2014	August 28, 2014	5 months	ISD II Warrior	Captain
8	Drake Starfire	September 21, 2014	November 27, 2014	2 months 1 week	ISD II Warrior	Commander
9	Repulsor	December 4, 2014	October 20, 2015	10 Months	ISD II Warrior	Lieutenant Colonel
10	Ulrich Drachen	October 20, 2015	Present	current CMDR	ISD II Warrior	Major

Notes

• *=Starkillerny aka Ulirch Drachen

Kappa Fictions

This is a list of Fictions written by Kappa Members or about the Squadron itself

• Another Day in Kappa Squadron by Capt Deacan
• With the Back Against the Wall by Capt Deacan