Talon Karde/Legends

History
Vex was raised on Naboo, under the care of the Empire. With no knowledge of his parents, or any relatives of any sorts, he holds no emotional connections with anyone, and thus makes him a dangerous individual. He was taken in to the Academy on Carida approximately two years before the Battle of Yavin, and graduated with honors, only to find himself becoming an Imperial Royal Guard.



Once he graduated from Royal Guard training, Vex was then transferred to the Imperial Naval Academy on Coruscant to train to become a TIE Interceptor pilot. He dedicated his all to the training, and once again graduated with honors, and was then transferred to a rare group of individuals with similar, or exact, training as his own. The name, purpose, and roster of this squadron were all kept in the highest eschelon of secrecy in the Empire, and as such, they were often referred to as Phantom Squadron.

Because of his high sensitivity to the Force, after becoming a Royal Guard, he continued his training as a Sovereign Protector.

Three years prior to the Battle of Endor, Vex was already well along his way toward becoming something to be feared in the Empire. During his extensive training in melee weapons, Vex began to grow particular with the usage of the Massassi Pike and double-bladed sword. His talents were so particular that he was resigned from his formal rank in the Empire, granted extensive liberties in his assignments by Palpatine himself, and effectively became a Secret Ops agent for the Emperor. During his exploits across the galaxy, Vex relentlessly subdued uprisings and quelled rebellions, further granting him loyalty to the Emperor. Palpatine was so impressed, that he gave Vex a formal rank of sergeant, and assigned him to COMPNOR, under a special, new division.



Vex was granted full creativity and flexibility with his new duties, and stationed himself on Naboo, whereupon the alleged Crimson Guard was formed. This group of combat specialists wore black and red composite armor, to reflect on Vex's own black and red Royal Guard armor. Leading up to the events of the Battle of Endor, the Crimson Guard was fully dedicated to the Emperor himself, combatting those whom opposed Palpatine's rule, and the government that had resulted. Oftentimes, however, Vex was not present during these battles. Further, Salder made it a point to continue to pursue a special assignment of his own making, approved by the Emperor - the hunting and eradication of all remaining Jedi.

During one of these missions, Vex was trailing a Jedi Knight through the Outer Rim, one whom had survived Order 66 and intended to resurrect the Jedi Order. He ruthlessly pursued this Jedi for several months, until he finally squared off with him in the Corporate Sector. After a heated duel, the Royal Guardsman emerged victorious, and once he collected his lightsaber trophy, made his way back to Naboo.

However, he would not return to Naboo. On his way back to the planet, he caught big news - news that had, slowly but surely, destroyed his life, and everything he stood for. In a dramatic battle in the Endor System, the second Death Star, along with Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine and nearly all the Empire's Grand Admirals, were destroyed. Furthermore, in that one shattering blow to the Empire, the New Order Palpatine had created was slowly tearing itself apart.

Investigations in the matter proved to be true, as Vex scoured the galaxy, checking his facts and even visiting the Emperor's Palace, only to discover that even the Empire acknowledged their leader's death. At this, Vex returned to Naboo, only to find that the Crimson Guard had been destroyed, and those few remaining survivors from the elite caste had recalled to other duties within other arenas of the Empire.

Nothing was left for the Royal Guardsman, and so he resigned his position within the Empire, permanately. His loyalties were to the Emperor, and his Empire. And now, those loyalties were over, as the Emperor was dead, and his Empire was dieing.

Not much is known about what happened to Vex after the Emperor’s death. Some have speculated that he died onboard the Death Star. However, that is far from the truth. He worked as a mercenary, hiring for the highest bidder, for the next decade. Vex also chose to keep his armor and weaponry, knowing full well that it would help him find a new position in life. Soon, he found this new position, under the employ of one Talon Karde....

Vex is sometimes considered by both non-Imperials and low-level officers within the Empire as a member of the mercenary organization known as the Blood Sentinels, a group of specialized individuals whom work for the Empire and the Empire alone. However, higher command within the Empire denies any connection between Salder and the Blood Sentinels, although the Blood Sentinels and Crimson Guard are both employed as specialist divisions in COMPNOR.

Skills
Vex is a formidable combatant, earning himself a place amongst the most skilled of Royal Guardsmen. However, his natural sensitivity to the Force has also set him apart from the other Royal Guardsmen as, in some instances, a more superior adversary than most. Furthermore, he is also a highly skilled pilot and mechanic, and is fairly capable of patching up and treating most types of non-fatal wounds. Finally, Vex Salder is what some could call a tactical genius, though nowhere near so on the scale of Grand Admirals such as Thrawn. Nevertheless, his tactical prowess cannot be denied.

Weaponry
Aside from the rudimentary training in the meter-long force pike, Vex also has extensive training experience in the following weapons:


 * Double-bladed vibrosword
 * Massassi Lance
 * Blackhand Annihilater (Modified Striker) – Reserve

In addition to this extensive combat training experience, Vex is also proficient in the arts of Teräs Käsi, Hijkata, and Echani. Also, all of Vex Salder’s melee weapons are crafted of a cortosis weave, something he had taken great precautions to have done. His armor, as a "sign-on bonus" from Karde Enterprises, has also been laced with cortosis.