Lucien Victus

"As a Shadow Guard I was taught to bear this burden as the will of another....our Emperor. But to the pagan Echani, such a practice was viewed as a gift. They believed that a young warrior should embrace his memories. He should live his enemies' deaths a thousand fold, he should seek to know and understand each detail of his enemy's life. He should see the goodness his enemy held.....the love of his family, the dreams he once had. He must know his enemy to his utmost, he must understand what his enemy's death robbed from the universe. Only then could he truly appreciate what he'd done. Only then could he truly know that his victory over his enemy was justified.

I have been hunting and killing your kind in the name of my Emperor for a long time now Jedi....yet in you I have found an opponent worthy of my respect. And I have decided that I will 'know and understand' you. And only after then....will you die."

- Lucien Victus to a Jedi Knight sometime before killing him.

Lucien Victus (40 BBY) is a former member of Emperor Palpatine's Shadow Guard, a sub-branch of the Imperial Royal Guard that served as a special mission unit within the cadre of elite soldier's dedicated to serving Palpatine's will. As with every other Guardsman, Victus swore an oath of fealty to Palpatine as Emperor and was unabashedly loyal to him, performing selective missions all across the galaxy so classified and hidden that most of his exploits are relatively unknown. As of Palpatine's death at the Battle of Endor he is one of the few known remaining survivors of the Shadow Guard, and is nominally affiliated with High Admiral Kolot Rosion and the Imperial Special Services division.

As one of the oldest Guardsmen still alive, Victus was one of the earliest members of the organization and is highly experienced, having fought in the Clone Wars and in numerous other conflicts across the galaxy from before the rise of the Empire through to the beginnings of the Rebellion. He is a master of a multitude of fighting styles and combat arts and at least amongst the ranks of the Shadow Guards was well known as one of their most proficient members.

=History=

Youth & Early Life
As a result of the secretive nature of the Imperial Guard, not much is known about Victus' early life or background. That which has been recovered remains sketchy at best. It is believed that Victus was born on Empress Teta in approximately 40 BBY and raised there for a number of years to a Lorrdian prospector and his wife of Epicanthix heritage.



What happened to them afterwards is unknown, but at some point in his pre-teens Victus was sold into slavery and whisked away to Nar Shadaa where he became a child-soldier serving in Zorba the Hutt's mercenary armies. Zorba routinely leased his mercenaries out to fight in distant conflicts around the galaxy, and as early as age 8 Victus had already been thrust into combat in conflicts ranging from the Huk War to the Sepan Civil War, often fighting in disparate conditions with little food or sleep against superior forces. At a later point, following one of Zorba's clan disputes with the rival Besadii Hutts, Victus was captured and sold to fight as a condemned prisoner in the gladiator pits of Sleheyron.

Remarkably, Victus was able to survive in circumstances that would've killed any normal being, and even thrived as a young teenage champion fighter on the planet. He became highly prized for his skills in the arena and switched owners half a dozen times over a period of five years, and also fought in bouts on other planets including Loovria and the [i]Regional Sector Number 4 All Human-Free-For-All[/i] on Jubilar. It is unknown when, but at somepoint during his time as a gladiator Victus managed to earn his freedom and made a living as a freelance soldier for hire. He quickly established a reputation for himself in the years before the Separatist Crisis and became a regular contact and agent-for-hire of the Republic Judicial Forces throughout the that turbulent time.



==The Clone Wars== "Remember that game you like to play? Who's the better killer? .....Let's play....."

- Lucien Victus and a cohort at the Battle of Xagobah

When the Crisis finally boiled over with the onset of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY Victus' whereabouts for much of the conflict become relatively spotty and distorted. Although it is known that he fought in a number of vital campaigns throughout the war in a capacity with the non-clone units of the Republic Special Operations Brigade.



Towards the end of the Clone Wars Victus resurfaces in most official records as a member of the elite Echani Sun Guard mercenary unit in service to Palpatine. He was one of the lucky few to survive Asajj Ventress' purge of the Sun Guard, and because of his impressive skills as a soldier, was selected for initiation into the newly formed Imperial Royal Guard.

Fealty to the Emperor
"I was there when the Shadow Guard intercepted us on Reecee. They were slow....methodical....as if they were playing games with us. I remember how they'd pick us off one by one in the middle of a storm.....timing their movements with each flash of lightning and echo of thunder. They are not men anymore, they're weapons. That's what we're up against...."

- A Jedi survivor of a Shadow Guard ambush speaking to others during the Great Jedi Purge



Victus' former life as he knew it effectively ended the day he traveled to Yinchorr to join the Royal Guard. Once there, he survived the brutal training regimen implemented by Ved Kennede, emerging as one of the very first Royal Guardsmen produced by the academy. Only weeks after his induction into the Guard, Victus gained notoriety for his protection of the Emperor during the events of the Gentis Coup, saving Palpatine's life that helped to solidify the Royal Guard's mandate. Victus only spent a brief amount of time in the Royal Guard proper before his latent force sensitivity made him a candidate for entry into the Emperor's Shadow Guard.

Marked for the Shadow Guard
"A Shadow Guard is not born, they are broken. Forged by pain and death to serve the will of the Emperor"

- Victus speaking of his Shadow Guard indoctrination



Shadow Guard training was even more relentless than that of the Royal Guard, and specifically geared towards tracking and killing Force-users. Victus' Force ability was honed to make him into an even more deadly fighter, and he also received formal instruction in Sith lightsaber combat techniques.



Upon being inducted as a Shadow Guard Victus' skills were quickly put to hard use as he and his brothers were sent on a variety of missions across the galaxy in pursuit of any survivors of the Great Jedi Purge. It is unknown just how many Jedi Knights and Masters that Victus hunted down during this time, but it is assumed to be anywhere from as low as twenty-three to as high as seventy-five.

Many Imperial Shadow Guards were given a covert license for clandestine action that was above repproach in evertyhing they did, and as such it is very difficult to provide a full account for Victus' record from the period stretching between 16 BBY to 6 BBY. Throughout the early Imperial Period there are reports of Victus being spotted during the Sarlacc Project Campaign, the Subjugation of the Jahilid Drift, as well as the Darth Vader's Purge of Talasea.

With their mission to hunt down the last remnants of the Jedi Order fulfilled during the early years of the Empire's rise, it is widely believed that the Emperor's Shadow Guard were soon used as a black-ops unit that answered only to Palpatine and Darth Vader directly in carrying out special mission assignments. Their very existence was never acknowledged by the Imperial Military, and efforts within the Imperial Senate to account for their actions never brought about any scrutiny to their activities, which largely remain undisclosed to this day.

A New Role
"On the battlefield....life is cheap."

- Victus at the 2nd Battle of Jabiim



At some point either 4-5 years before the Battle of Yavin the Imperial Shadow Guard underwent a re-shuffling of its members that saw Victus transferred into the Imperial Special Forces in order to carry out select missions. It is unknown why this move was made, but there is speculation that the growing tide of anti-Imperial resistance movements across the galaxy made it apparent to Palpatine that a firmer hand against them was needed, thus causing him to turn to his best agents. Victus was one of them.



Given a commission in the Imperial Army holding the rank of Major the re-assigned Guardsman was put through a crash course at the Imperial training facility on Carida before being assigned command of an elite unit of Imperial Storm Commandos that had been purposed with engaging rebel forces.

Emperor's Own
"You are death dealers....forged to end life. And with each triumph over an opponent you will marvel and celebrate at your achievement over them."

- Lucien Victus speaking before Imperial Storm Commandos



In this new capacity as an Imperial commander Victus performed his job dutifully, leading his troops to victory after victory from the Bombing of Callos and the Mission to Dantooine. Victus became something of a living legend amongst his troops for his willing disregard for his own safety and habit of leading from the front. For his valor in combat Victus was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the regular Imperial Military, and re-assigned from frontline service in the Outer Rim back to Carida where he assisted as an instructor in the training and indoctrination of numerous SpecOps units for both the Imperial Army and Stormtrooper Corps that would go on to cause great harm to rebel war efforts at the height of the Galactic Civil War.

Off the Grid
In 3 ABY, for reasons unknown, Victus and a handful of other former seasoned Shadow Guards were quickly re-assigned from their previous positions and re-instated to active service within the Guard by order of Emperor Palpatine himself.



Victus and his compatriots were soon ordered to a remote Imperial Citadel on Byss where they were apparently given a highly sensitive black ops mission that saw them take an unmarked Strike Cruiser into the Unknown Regions. What this mission was, or what its objectives were, are subject to a great deal of mystery and speculation even within the Imperial Special Forces community and even among New Republic Intelligence officials.

All that is known about it is that the Strike Cruiser which departed from Byss carried an entire assault company of soldiers from the elite Ghost Battalion on board, in addition that a large amount of carbonite stasis equipment that was seen being transferred on board by a rebel spy. Furthermore, an encrypted transmission that was intercepted on the Imperial Holonet by Bothan spies only weeks later described that the mission had failed and all but one of the Shadow Guards (Victus) had surived.

Resurfaced
Even with Lucien Victus' supposed top secret mission into the Unknown Regions, it was believed that he had died with most others in the Royal Guard after Palpatine's death at Endor. This has proven not to be the case, as shortly after the end of the Xen'Chi War there are reports of him being sighted in the entourage of High Admiral Kolot Rosion.

Neither Rosion nor Victus had ever had any dealings before, so how they came to be acquainted with each other has proven to be quite the enigma within most Imperial circles. Nevertheless, as a former Shadow Guard and formidable presence in his own right, many in the Empire have given Victus a very wide berth and not raised many (if any) questions concerning his return. What his intentions are remain the subject of great debate and intrigue.

Personality & Traits
"It's what i'm good at, what I love, and what i'll keep on doing until my end of days"

- Lucien describing his love of combat.



As a byproduct of a life of war and extensive indoctrination during service in both the Royal Guard and Shadow Guard, Lucien Victus is a remorselessly cold and brutal person who at times is fully capable of being completely devoid of human emotion. Utterly dedicated in his unswerving loyalty to Emperor Palpatine when he was still alive Victus was prepared to kill anything he was ordered to without mercy or hesitation.

Skills
Despite being one of the more elder former Guardsmen his rough upbringing and combat experience make him a virtual force of nature in any conceivable combat scenario. During his time in the Shadow Guard especially Victus was repeatedly described by his peers as being driven to the point of fanaticism in his devotion to proper conditioning and love of fighting. He has never been defeated in single combat and the number of individuals alive currently who could hypothetically challenge him and potentially win can be counted on a very short list. He is well-versed in all of the following skillsets

Combat

 * Quick-Kill Combat Specialist
 * Small-Unit Tactical Expertise
 * Extensive Weapons Training
 * Expert Sniper
 * Master of Stealth & Infiltration
 * Observation & Reconnaissance

Martial Arts: -Changa Bushfighting -K'tara -K'Jtari_martial_art -Sholan Kha -Sera Plinck -Shockboxing -Jensaarai Arts -Jeswandi

Non-Combat
-Emperor's Royal Guard Battle Language -Lorrdian Kinetic Communication -Tracker -Skilled Linguist

Weaponry
In addition to his primary weapons loadout, Victus is also qualified on all of the following weapons and equipment, of which he maintains an extensive stockpile: -Beserker Rifle -T-21 Light Repeating Blaster Rifle -A280 Blaster Rifle -Model 22T4 Hold-out Blaster Pistol -T-28 Repeating Sniper Rifle -LD-1a Target Blaster Rifle -Sith Lanvarok

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