Clermont Veers

Clermont Elsire Veers was born 49 BBY. He was the younger brother of Maximilian Elsire Veers. At the age of 6 Veers’s home planet was involved in a conflict between the CIS (AKA Separatists) and the Galactic Republic. Republic forces arrived just in time to halt any CIS advances into residential regions, but normal life came to a dreadful halt as the small war took place on the planet. At this time a local regional Baron, Camille Weizel (well acquainted with the middle class families), proposed that he could evacuate one of the Veers’s children to his brother’s home planet of Chandrilla where the child could live a safe and rich life. The Parents knew that the campaign would make life very difficult and many of the trade routes would be diverted because of the conflict. The parents reluctantly decided to send Clermont Veers, the younger of the two, with the wealthy Baron. Before Clermont left his home planet, the only explanation he received was that he was going to spend some vacation time with his “uncle”.

Clermont would spend the next eleven years of his life in the care of the man he knew as his uncle. However, Baron Weizel had an ulterior motive to the adoption of a child. Even though the Baron referred to Clermont as his nephew, he raised him as his son. Weizel taught Veers aristocratic culture and educated him in the superiority of the human race. Veers grew accustomed to authority and politics as his Uncle’s brother, Gerald Weizel, was a councilman of the System governorship and would become the second Imperial Governor of Chandrilla under the New Order. It should be noted that Clermont went to school with Mon Mothma. She was the same age as his brother. They knew each other, but Veers was rather aloof when it came to girls.

Clermont received bi-yearly visits from his brother Maximilian. Clermont began to wonder why he was evacuated with his uncle and Maximilian was able to stay with his parents. However, Clermont liked his new life and became addicted to the aristocratic environment. He became less concerned for his parents and thought that his parents abandoned him. Because of this feeling of abandonment, Clermont developed a grudge with his brother and visits from his brother became less and less frequent, until one day the visits stopped. With an issue of internal emotional depression, Veers covered it up with a stern façade. By the age of 14 Veers became rather introverted and more of a human supremacist. Clermont developed very strict and overbearing ethics and was known to be a very uneasy person to be around.

Along with all the teachings of aristocratic education, Veers was taught ship navigation and he developed a taste for space travel and flight. At the age of 17, Clermont became a fighter pilot for the Galactic Republic. As a pilot, he met what would become his best and only true friend, Ensign Shan Palthis (also a native of Chandrilla). Much to his uncle’s surprise, Veers was a satisfactory fighter pilot with 7 years of ambush runs, convoy and bombardment escorts behind his belt. After 7 years as a fighter pilot, Veers yearned for higher command and through persuasion from Councilman Weizel, veers was given command of his very own Venator-Class Star Destroyer as a Captain (age 24) after only two years of officer training (officer training was traditionally 4 years long). Veers made Palthis his Executive Officer as a Commander. Veers commanded his vessel with an iron fist. There was no other vessel in the Republic with which regulations and policies were upheld so strictly. Veers was no galactic hero, but he became a well-known naval tactician. Veers realized a problem in the tactical organization of the Republic Starfleet. During the last few years of the Clone Wars, the Republic Starfleet was organized by theatre and was largely an offensive force, which moved in centralized fleets with only a minor allotment of specialized detachments. Veers realized this current organization would present a problem for smaller, multi-thematic campaigns in the future. Thus Veers devised a system of his own which would split the large unspecialized fleet squadrons into what Veers called “Lines”. A squadron would be organized into variations of four main types of lines which could confront any tactical obstacle and could seize any strategic opportunity. Veers presented this to the Brass of the Starfleet and it was eventually instituted with great success. The Line system would be incorporated into the Imperial Starfleet as doctrine. Veers was 27 when the Republic was dissolved and replaced by the New Order known as the Empire. When Veers was made aware of the policy of the Empire he was enthralled. He went through reinstated Officer school and became a full-fledged Imperial Officer. Veers claimed that the coming of the Empire was the greatest event to happen to the Universe and it was the greatest thing to happen to him. “This is the dawn of the human race,” claimed Veers. Veers was commissioned command of a new Imperial-Class Star Destroyer (formerly Imperator-Class). Veers was now made a Commodore of a Battle Squadron. Captain Palthis was in command of a Lancer Frigate in Veers’s squadron. After only a year of squadron command, Veers and Palthis were appointed to the Imperial Security Bureau. Both Veers and Palthis knew that higher command and authority awaited them in the service of the ISB. Veers and Palthis spent 9 very long years in the ISB. While an ISB Officer, Veers had a fulfilling and busy career, not to mention, secretive. Veers was sent on missions, which included: Investigating and arresting a conspiring Moff preparing to defect to the Alliance, Commanding Officer of Grand Moff Tarkin’s secrete security force, Inspector-General of Juvex Sector and the Alien Labor Division, led the secret operation to destroy the collection of Jedi antiquities on Obroa-skai, and ISB Intelligence Officer to Grand Admiral Ishin-Il-Raz.

At the age of 36 Veers was a veteran ISB Officer with a record few could match. After his 9-year adventure in the ISB, Veers was reincorporated into the Imperial Starfleet as a full Admiral in command of a Battle Group. Palthis would remain in the ISB as Major to Colonel Wullf Yularen. After only two years, Veers and Palthis met once again when they were both appointed as head instructors at the legendary Carida Academy. Veers taught in the Fighter Officer Division and Palthis taught in the Intelligence Division. Veers was head instructor for three years when he was assigned a cadet who stood out amongst any cadet he had taught. The cadet’s name was David Winters, and he was a born soldier and natural space pilot. Winters excelled in all aspects of fighter training, tactical maneuvering and above all, leadership. Veers put Winters in charge of the training combat unit. Upon graduation, Veers inducted Winters and his outstanding TIE unit aboard Veers’s own flagship, the ISD II Echelon. However, Veers had one last test which would prove Winters a true Imperial willing to devote himself to the Empire. Veers ordered Winter’s TIE unit to attack an innocent alien village. Reports were received that Winters was not able to follow the order as Veers had described them, this greatly disturbed Veers. Veers slept on the matter and would address Winters the following day, however, that day would never come. That night, Winters escaped and was reported dead. Upon hearing the report of Winter’s death, Veers disregarded it, as he knew Winter’s was a cadet who could manage almost any obstacle and could sustain life under any situation. Veers was relentless in searching for Winters. Disciplinary action was second on Veers’s mind. When Veers received proof that Winters was unable to be located and thus presumably dead, Veers had the pilots and officers of the Combat Air Patrol, who reported Winter’s initial death, dishonorably discharged. It would be three years until Veers and Winters met again. Unfortunately and much to Veers’s disillusion, Winters was now a pilot for the Rebel Alliance. Veers could not bare this fact and devoted himself to capturing Winters and persuading him back into the service of the Empire. If Winters would not come back to the Empire, than Veers would have to kill him. For what made Winters a great pilot under the Empire, made him a most dangerous enemy under the Alliance.