Member
And here's my chap from the interest check
Age: 50
Species: Human
Allegiance: Confederate Clique
Physical Appearance: Markus has the look of an older man too stubborn to give up. His fair, weathered skin carries his wrinkles of age and stress like scars of battle, his blue eyes carrying a fire behind them that deceives their own age. His hair, once a smoothly parted deep brown, is now a roughly combed grey slowly and steadily fading to white.
Markus carries himself with an impressive and formal posture in all but the most relaxed of times, standing at a full six feet of height. He maintains a fit and well-exercised body in spite of his age, worn sinewy muscle across his body.
He regularly wears paramilitary clothing emblazoned with the shoulder patch of the Zantian Militia, a pair of black rifles crossed over a blue shield crest. In the few occasions in his career that still necessitate a more formal dress code, he dons a stately suit of a blue tunic with white trousers matched with black leather shoes.
Background: Markus originally hails from the Mid Rim world of Zantia, a decently successful agricultural and trade route world. The Obel family had long been a staple in the business and politics of the world, with members occasionally serving as Senators and Governors, and their name found in much of the history of the Zantian Merchant Militia. Markus himself entered into the militia with a junior officer's commission fresh into adulthood, diligently serving against assorted pirates and raider bands, earning a bit of a reputation with both the militia grunts and Republic Judicial forces as an honest, dutiful, and trustworthy officer. However, Markus' time placed him in direct conflict with the results of the increasingly ineffective central government of the Republic. This increasing disillusionment culminated in his first move upon leaving the Militia roughly 10 years before the Clone Wars: running for Senator.
Markus' senatorial campaign was born from genuine concern for the people of Zantia and the Republic as a whole. Tensions between the systems of the Mid and Outer Rim and the Inner and Core worlds of the Republic were flaring, and Markus wanted to make sure he could carry the voice of the people he'd seen left helpless right to the doorstep of the people causing it. Two terms in the Senate and mounting political frustrations resulted in Markus and Zantia being brought into the fold of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. But even the CIS was far from a unified front, and early on Markus was branded as a reconciliationist for his openly stated desire to see the CIS used as a means of addressing issues within the Republic and seeing them repaired, rather than fully supplanting and replacing the Republic or standing as an independent nation.
This was a weakness ruthlessly exploited by his opponent in the first, and ultimately only true CIS senatorial election. A man named Cathus Throge proved an expert political rival and speaker, stoking the fires of the ongoing war to have Markus lambasted as a useless anti-war politician and potential Republic sympathizer. Markus, for all his ability and career history, had no real means of striking back, and was promptly replaced early into the Clone Wars. In a desire to continue doing what he could for his people, Markus requested to reassume his commission in the Zantian Merchant Militia, at this point fully integrated into the wider CIS military command. Happy to welcome back an officer during the brunt of the Clone Wars, Markus' reunion with the Zantian Militia was cut short as the nature of the Galaxy rapidly changed.
The Chancellor of the Republic was nearly assassinated, a massive blow was struck to the CIS with the death of Count Dooku, General Grievious and much of the CIS leadership, the Republic reformed into the Galactic Empire and much of the assets of the CIS were lost. And at the top of it all, the invasion of Zantia. Imperial forces rapidly assaulted the planet, leaving very little time for anything resembling a defense. Instead, efforts of a concentrated evacuation were spearheaded by Markus and other militia leaders, bringing much of the population into an emergency flotilla before Imperial capture of the planet.
Much of the political leadership, including Cathus, were executed and replaced with an Imperial appointed governor, the world blockaded from future arrivals or escape. The Zantian exiles were forced to retreat to Outer Rim territory held by remaining CIS forces, where they quickly began to splinter under a lack of leadership. Seeing a chance to once again lead his people, Markus stepped up and presented himself to the Zantians and remnants of the CIS as the Governor-in-Exile of Zantia. A portion of the militia sided with Markus given his history with them, but many of the evacuated civilians rejected him, still seeing a hated reconciliationist and sympathizer. As the war dragged on and the Grand Alliance formed, Markus worked to balance the careful situation of both legitimizing his position and working to push back against the Empire and turn the tide of the war.
Skills:
Career Politician: Markus' history as a politician and spokesperson for the people of Zantia has given him a distinct insight in the bureaucratic and diplomatic game, an angle not many with a military focus can approach.
Multi-Branch Officer: As a militia officer, Markus' command experience was divided across both ground and space command, giving him a versatile military understanding
Weaknesses:
Soured Reputation: Markus' legitimacy as the leader of the rebellious Zantians is in question, with much of the population still viewing him as a sympathizer to the enemy even in spite of his service, limiting his reach into wider Alliance affairs.
Militia Commander: A militia, no matter how well drilled, is still a part-time army, and while Markus might be a seasoned commander, his familiarity is still with farmers and dockhands that learned to march, shoot, and operate retrofitted and upgunned cargo haulers.
Equipment: Markus primarily carries an SE-14 blaster pistol, E-5 blaster rifle, and a vibroknife as his armaments. In addition he carries a comlink, rangefinder magnoculars, first aid kit, and basic survival tools.
[Markus Obel]
Age: 50
Species: Human
Allegiance: Confederate Clique
Physical Appearance: Markus has the look of an older man too stubborn to give up. His fair, weathered skin carries his wrinkles of age and stress like scars of battle, his blue eyes carrying a fire behind them that deceives their own age. His hair, once a smoothly parted deep brown, is now a roughly combed grey slowly and steadily fading to white.
Markus carries himself with an impressive and formal posture in all but the most relaxed of times, standing at a full six feet of height. He maintains a fit and well-exercised body in spite of his age, worn sinewy muscle across his body.
He regularly wears paramilitary clothing emblazoned with the shoulder patch of the Zantian Militia, a pair of black rifles crossed over a blue shield crest. In the few occasions in his career that still necessitate a more formal dress code, he dons a stately suit of a blue tunic with white trousers matched with black leather shoes.
Background: Markus originally hails from the Mid Rim world of Zantia, a decently successful agricultural and trade route world. The Obel family had long been a staple in the business and politics of the world, with members occasionally serving as Senators and Governors, and their name found in much of the history of the Zantian Merchant Militia. Markus himself entered into the militia with a junior officer's commission fresh into adulthood, diligently serving against assorted pirates and raider bands, earning a bit of a reputation with both the militia grunts and Republic Judicial forces as an honest, dutiful, and trustworthy officer. However, Markus' time placed him in direct conflict with the results of the increasingly ineffective central government of the Republic. This increasing disillusionment culminated in his first move upon leaving the Militia roughly 10 years before the Clone Wars: running for Senator.
Markus' senatorial campaign was born from genuine concern for the people of Zantia and the Republic as a whole. Tensions between the systems of the Mid and Outer Rim and the Inner and Core worlds of the Republic were flaring, and Markus wanted to make sure he could carry the voice of the people he'd seen left helpless right to the doorstep of the people causing it. Two terms in the Senate and mounting political frustrations resulted in Markus and Zantia being brought into the fold of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. But even the CIS was far from a unified front, and early on Markus was branded as a reconciliationist for his openly stated desire to see the CIS used as a means of addressing issues within the Republic and seeing them repaired, rather than fully supplanting and replacing the Republic or standing as an independent nation.
This was a weakness ruthlessly exploited by his opponent in the first, and ultimately only true CIS senatorial election. A man named Cathus Throge proved an expert political rival and speaker, stoking the fires of the ongoing war to have Markus lambasted as a useless anti-war politician and potential Republic sympathizer. Markus, for all his ability and career history, had no real means of striking back, and was promptly replaced early into the Clone Wars. In a desire to continue doing what he could for his people, Markus requested to reassume his commission in the Zantian Merchant Militia, at this point fully integrated into the wider CIS military command. Happy to welcome back an officer during the brunt of the Clone Wars, Markus' reunion with the Zantian Militia was cut short as the nature of the Galaxy rapidly changed.
The Chancellor of the Republic was nearly assassinated, a massive blow was struck to the CIS with the death of Count Dooku, General Grievious and much of the CIS leadership, the Republic reformed into the Galactic Empire and much of the assets of the CIS were lost. And at the top of it all, the invasion of Zantia. Imperial forces rapidly assaulted the planet, leaving very little time for anything resembling a defense. Instead, efforts of a concentrated evacuation were spearheaded by Markus and other militia leaders, bringing much of the population into an emergency flotilla before Imperial capture of the planet.
Much of the political leadership, including Cathus, were executed and replaced with an Imperial appointed governor, the world blockaded from future arrivals or escape. The Zantian exiles were forced to retreat to Outer Rim territory held by remaining CIS forces, where they quickly began to splinter under a lack of leadership. Seeing a chance to once again lead his people, Markus stepped up and presented himself to the Zantians and remnants of the CIS as the Governor-in-Exile of Zantia. A portion of the militia sided with Markus given his history with them, but many of the evacuated civilians rejected him, still seeing a hated reconciliationist and sympathizer. As the war dragged on and the Grand Alliance formed, Markus worked to balance the careful situation of both legitimizing his position and working to push back against the Empire and turn the tide of the war.
Skills:
Career Politician: Markus' history as a politician and spokesperson for the people of Zantia has given him a distinct insight in the bureaucratic and diplomatic game, an angle not many with a military focus can approach.
Multi-Branch Officer: As a militia officer, Markus' command experience was divided across both ground and space command, giving him a versatile military understanding
Weaknesses:
Soured Reputation: Markus' legitimacy as the leader of the rebellious Zantians is in question, with much of the population still viewing him as a sympathizer to the enemy even in spite of his service, limiting his reach into wider Alliance affairs.
Militia Commander: A militia, no matter how well drilled, is still a part-time army, and while Markus might be a seasoned commander, his familiarity is still with farmers and dockhands that learned to march, shoot, and operate retrofitted and upgunned cargo haulers.
Equipment: Markus primarily carries an SE-14 blaster pistol, E-5 blaster rifle, and a vibroknife as his armaments. In addition he carries a comlink, rangefinder magnoculars, first aid kit, and basic survival tools.