Marek Vaiken Stele

"I swear this sacred oath that I shall render unconditional obedience to Emperor Palpatine, to exercise every power in service to the Galactic Empire, and shall, whensoever I am asked, be prepared, as a loyal servant, to surrender my life for this oath."

- Marek upon graduating the Imperial Academy

Marek Vaiken Stele, originally designated OS-233-09 but later OS-147-02, temporarily going by the callsign Black Seven then Cloak Leader, and nicknamed "Wampa" for his cold precision, was a human male ace TIE pilot in the Galactic Empire's Imperial Navy. Marek was a descendent of, a Grand Moff in the Sith Empire and the founder of the Sith Imperial Military, as well as Krayk Vaiken, a general in the Sith Imperial Army. Hailing from the industrial planet of Metalorn, he was originally conscripted to become a stormtrooper. However, after taking a turn in a flight simulator, his superiors noticed his potential as a pilot and transferred him to the Bastion Military Academy to train for the Navy as a combat pilot. Upon graduating at the top of his class with the rank of lieutenant, he was first assigned to the 233rd Imperial Fighter Wing. They were defeated at, but the defeat was evened out by the fact that Marek shot down eleven enemies in his first combat operation, making him an ace.

Because of that, Marek was selected for a special test by Vader on Mygeeto. He was successful, and was asked by Vader to join the Black Eight Squadron, his elite unit. In it, he met Mia Ikova, another ace whom he eventually married. Following many successes, in 3 ABY, he was placed into the elite Emperor's Sword squadron, and with that, the Imperial Palace Guard. He attributed his skills to his Force sensitivity. Following the deaths of Palpatine and Darth Vader during the Battle of Endor, an engagement in which Marek participated, he worked for Captain Pelleon, and later, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Being the best pilot in Thrawn's Confederacy, Marek was made head of the main force of TIEs that served Thrawn, Cloak Squadron. Fighting in the Thrawn campaign, he took part in the raids on and the Sluis Van shipyards. He later fought at, where Thrawn died. Following that, Palpatine emerged reborn and called fleet to the Deep Core world of Byss, and Marek complied. In his new Dark Empire, Marek was part of the 147th Imperial Fighter Wing and fought New Republic forces in several battles.

After the final death of Palpatine, he joined Admiral Natasi Daala and the new Imperial Remnant. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, starting in 25 ABY, he fought along side Ikova in several battles. Though she was not as skilled as Marek, Ikova was one of his best pilots. Daala noticed this, and made Marek the leader of her Emperor's Shield, the personal escort squadron of the Imperial Chief of State. Marek recruited several ex-Emperor's Sword pilots into the new squad, including Ikova. Later, after the Yuuzhan Vong conflict was over, Pelleon became the Head of State, and Marek serves him.

Shortly before the Second Galactic Civil War, Marek married Ikova. He fought against the during the War, but later for the Jedi after Pelleon decided to switch sides, realizing that the Galactic Alliance leader Jacen Solo was a Sith. After Pelleon was assassinated by Tahiri Veila, and was replaced by, Marek continued serving under him. His squadron, the Emperor's Shield, often flew escort for him. When Fel met with Leia Organa Solo over Coruscant for a diplomatic meeting aboard his Star Destroyer, Marek was present at the small assembly of troops in the hangar. Later, he fought against and the Lost Tribe of Sith. In 43 ABY, Marek was made a Grand Admiral, being the only one since the death of.

Early life
"Good thing the Republic is gone, being chained by petty regulations. The Empire ensures stability."

- Marek, knowing politics at a young age

Marek was born on Metalorn, an industrial planet in the Outer Rim Territories originally used by the Confederacy of Independent Systems for constructing battle droids, and by the Sith Empire before them for the same purpose. It's surface was covered with various metals, factories, ore processing plants, smelting plants, garbage dumps, and a few small cities. Marek was born in the largest settlement in 17 BBY to Zellos Vaiken and Marina Stele. Their family descended from two important figures: the most famous being, the first Grand Moff of the Sith Empire and founder of the Empire's ; with the second being his grandson, Krayk Vaiken, who went on to become a general in the Empire's Sith Imperial army during the Great Galactic War. What Marek often ponders in his early years was how the descendents of two such important men ended up on a remote world as a factory worker and a former Imperial Army trooper conscript.

He worked in factories throughout his teenage years, though noticed various freighters hauling off metal and products on and off of Metalorn. After seeing them fly and experiencing flying in an gunship of the local Imperial garrison (thanks to his father's old contacts), Marek wanted to become a pilot. He studied engineering, aerodynamics, and starship mechanics extensively since age 11 from workers that specialized in those fields. Though he learned a lot about it, he could not actual try flying until age 16, when he found a in one of the many junk mountains on the planet. He was quite skilled at it from studying, and found it easy to land and take off. However, he did not like the T-16 model itself for various reasons. But that was all he had and practiced with it a lot.

At the same time, he also tried his best to keep up with galactic politics and news. Marek supported the New Order and the Empire for the most part, not agreeing with the xenophobia against aliens. He believed anyone could be born with some kind of skill and it could be exploited for the Empire's cause, human or not. Marek was not entirely aware of the oppressive nature of the Empire, since Metalorn provided them with metal, and that was what it did for all of it's rulers. He considered joining, but his father knew that soldiers were barely given any training and relies on suicidal tactics, and prevented Marek from joining.

When he turned 17 in 0 ABY, Marek was unexpectedly drafted into the Stormtrooper Corps. Though he knew stormtroopers were elite troops, Marek wanted to be a pilot nonetheless. As Marek was sent to the Carida Imperial Military Academy, he got a plan. After deliberately challenging a Navy cadet in a mock dogfight in simulators in front of officers, he easily defeated the cadet. The officers watching that decided he would make a much better pilot than stormtrooper, and transferred him to the little-known Bastion Military Academy to train as a Navy TIE pilot.

In the Empire


"Hail the Emperor!"

- Marek during training

At the Military Academy of Bastion, a fortress world, Marek trained as an Imperial pilot relentlessly. He had an advantage over his fellow cadets, being more skilled than most of them, due to studying flight from a young age. Early on, he was considered a future ace by some instructors. Marek engaged in both flight and fitness training during his early days at the academy, as well as marksmanship and survival skills. Marek found it unneeded, but it was for the case they would crash land into dangerous environments or would be engaged aboard their Star Destroyers by boarders. Though he did not prefect his marksmanship and melee combat skills, Marek became more skilled than the average person.

Marek and his comrades then began fully training on piloting. Using flight simulators, each cadet was trained the basics of flying the standard. He got them down quickly, and after a while, they started flying actual TIEs around the academy. When all of the cadets mastered the standard TIE fighter, they again returned to the simulators. They were assigned into squads, and faced both each other as well as AI fighters of various types. The cadets were encouraged to try various roles, using different TIE variants and familiarizing themselves with the controls of each. The point of the assignment was to figure out who will be flying what type of vessel. A third of the class, in the end, ended up flying normal TIE fighters. Another third either got s or s, while the last third got other TIE variants. Though Marek proved to be good in combat, getting some of the top kill counts, he ultimately proved to be a good recon scout. Because of that, he was assigned to the TIE/rc Vanguard, a craft he trained with from then on.



For the rest of their training, they preformed mock battles to familiarize themselves with the controls of their assigned variants. Marek later found out that that program of training for different TIE variants was not normal, and it was being tested on their class. It was deemed successful. He had to listen to one of his classmates, Tel Skutu, whine about being assigned to fly a. Marek told him piloting a shuttle was actually an honor, being deemed skilled enough to be able to transport officers. He stopped complaining after that. For the last several months of their time at the academy, the cadets trained in piloting the real versions of their crafts.

During his time at the Bastion Academy, Matek noted many sessions were devoted to indoctrinating the cadets. Though he believed in most of the New Order's ideals, some he opposed. Nonetheless, Marek became extremely loyal and devoted to the Empire, as his instructors noted when hearing him volunteering for a kamikaze mission in a flight simulator mock battle. A graduation parade was held for cadets of all branches. While Stormtroopers marched, Army AT-ATs following them, Marek and the other pilot cadets flew over the parade grounds in formation. Following his graduation, Marek was given the rank of lieutenant and a placement in the 233rd Imperial Fighter Wing, within it's Silencer Squadron.

Battle of Ord Beniir
"We were mauled at Ord Biniir. I personally did fine, but my comrades unfortunately did not. I do not blame them, though. I gotta thank Fel and his 181st friends for coming to clean up after us."

- Marek after the Battle of Ord Biniir

Marek and the 233rd were stationed at an Imperial outpost on the planet of. The world was not very important, and units were stationed there often to get more practice after coming out fresh from the academy before heading off to actual war. Marek found it all rather boring, flying his Vanguard around the planet multiple times a day for patrol. However, he realized how many fellow pilots needed the time to practice, seeing them to be mediocre. Marek noted no one from his class at Bastion was in the entire 233rd. Not that he became friends with any of them, on the contrary, many were jealous of his skill and how he dazzled his instructors. However, one day when he was flying a routine patrol with his wingman, Marek noted a Rebel Navy fleet approaching through orbit. He realized the 233rd was about to see it's first taste of action.



On his flight back to the 233rd headquarters, Marek used the Vanguard's (his was the Silencer Nine) long range communication systems to inform the troops of what he witnessed. Squadrons were scrambled, and by the time Marek returned, nearly all of the 233rd's fighters were in the air. The Rebel Alliance was cautious, and deployed two wings (ten squadrons) of fighters. Marek and the others fought hard despite the odds. He personally shot down seven fighters within the first twenty minutes. It was relatively easy since everyone was so close together and in high numbers. What Marek had to try to do was not shoot down a fellow Imperial by mistake. He realized that only five kills were required to be an ace, making him one.

By the end of it, Marek had eleven kills. However, his comrades did not fare that well. The Alliance to Restore the Republic was victorious, and Marek flew the Silencer Nine, which was slightly damaged, to a nearby spaceport where the 233rd survivors regrouped after the defeat. A Star Destroyer arrived soon afterwards. In a report to the officers, the wing commander informed them that Marek became in ace in his first battle, and received the second highest amount of kills. It was listed on his Imperial record, rather than the fact that his unit lost the battle.

Battle of Mygeeto


"Can't we just wait for the Rebs to freeze to death?"

- Marek prior to the battle

Marek and several other elite 233rd pilots were transported to the Executor, the Super Star Destroyer flagship of Darth Vader. He informed the small group that there was a major rebellion on Mygeeto, an ice planet. The Alliance established there following the fall of the pro-Imperial government there. A strike force from the Executor was to quickly destroy the base, ending the Rebel presence there, and cover the ground troop landings to secure the planet. As the Executor left Ord Biniir, Marek heard that the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing took back the base there from the Rebels.

Upon arrival in the, Marek was given a more detailed briefing by Admiral. Marek was to fly a TIE bomber to the outpost, unescorted because there were no Rebel ships present, and bombard the base. He understood but got a bit anxious when he noticed Vader watching, who came over and told Marek he expected him to do well. Knowing what happened to others who failed the Dark Lord of the Sith, Marek pledged to succeed in the operation. He found that eleven others from the 233rd were to fly bombers with him as well.

Marek flew his bomber to the surface with no problem, but experienced difficulty maneuvering through a dangerous valley. He noted it was never mentioned in the briefing. Three pilots were lost passing through it. They were down to nine pilots (including him). After leaving it behind, Marek and the others flew through a tundra, which led up to the base. It was speckled with Rebel artillery, which constantly fired at them. Another four were lost, leaving five, including him. Finally, upon reaching the base, the squad realized that it was defended by quadlasers. During the bombing that they carried out, all but Marek were killed.



Leaving the outpost in ruins, the sole survivor of the Majestic Twelve returned to the Executor. Vader informed him of the name, and Marek realized what the actual point of that mission was. Having to go through various obstacles that they were not informed of and thus having to adapt quickly to new situations, he realized it was a test. Vader told him that it was, and said he was impressed by what he did. Vader then gave him a choice to join the elite Black Eight Squadron, which he accepted. With it, he got promoted to captain.

Battle of Kamino
"Leave some for the rest of us!"

- Marek's wingman

He was sent to the rest of the Black Eight Squadron on Kamino, many of whom were new members themselves. Marek was amazed with himself, not expecting to get that far at all. He thought he would end up dying in one of his first battles with a few kills and no recognition. While on Kamino, he met the other members of the squad. The squad executive officer, Arkos Rakton, despised him after hearing Marek was from Metalorn. Arkos viewed anyone from there to be a petty factory worker. However, he also met a female pilot whom he took a liking to, named Ensign Mia Ikova. She came from an upper class background and joined the Navy to become a pilot, since she enjoyed flying spacecraft. They flew in formation over Kamino to patrol for several days.

Finally, all of their patrolling paid off. An Alliance fleet exited hyperspace and began attacking Kamino. The defense fleet of Star Destroyers engaged them and deployed fighters, but Black Eight Squadron was on the ground, awaiting Vader's orders. In his, he personally led the squadron into combat. Marek and Arkos flew as his wingmen, and helped him take out individual Rebel fighters. Vader remarked that the low skills of Rebel pilots disgusted him and flew back down to the surface, leaving Black Eight Squadron to sort out what was left. Marek gained another seven kills before the Alliance fleet retreated, giving him eighteen total with the ones from Ord Biniir.

The Alliance fleet took heavy casualties, and retreated. Shortly after the battle, Marek's comrades gave him the nickname "Wampa" for his icy precision. Black Eight went back to patrolling the skies for a while, before being rotated off world for a mission directly ordered by Vader.

Hunting the Traitors
"It will be done, my Lord."

- Marek after receiving Vader's orders

They were picked up on Vader's order by a task force under Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Whirlwind Battle Group. It consisted of the Imperial-class Star Destroyers Gorgon, Hydrus, and Verox, as well as several Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers. They were summoned to the Triton system, with no habitable worlds. Vader briefed Black Eight personally, informing them that Admiral Harkov had gone rogue. Though the most problematic issue was that he had several TIE factories under his control, which produced craft like TIE/D Defenders and TIE/ad Avengers. They were to attack the space installation he was on, a station called E-40. It produced some of those fighters, and Harkov had a small fleet which he commanded.



Thrawn ordered the attack, deploying three units; Black Eight Squadron, Hydra Squadron, and Dark Squadron. The Black Eights were piloting experimental TIE/D Defenders, the Hydras and Darks were flying in regular TIE fighters. The enemies, Harkov's pilots, were flying Defenders and TIE/ad Avengers. During the fighting, Marek scored several more kills, and the Empire was nearing victory when he received a transmission from Vader saying that Arkos was a Rebel agent. He ordered Marek to shoot him down, and so he complied. Shortly afterwards, the Victory II-class frigate that was Harkov's flagship was destroyed, killing him. Meanwhile, Imperial Marines boarded and took over the station from his Imperial Navy troopers. The attack was announced a victory.

Aboard the Gorgon, Thrawn's flagship, Vader told Marek he preformed well and promoted him to commander. A different pilot, Zarin Orvak, was appointed the replacement squad leader. Vader informed Marek he was going to follow the ace's career. He also told Marek that the Prophets of the Dark Side, mainly called the Secret Order of the Emperor, would attempt to recruit him as an Emperor's Hand, and he was to decline. Vader didn't want all of the best pilots working for Palpatine.

Following Vader's debriefing, the fleet of Thrawn departed the system with Black Eight and the other squadrons. Grand Admiral Thrawn informed everyone on the way to another system that he invented a craft to counter the already advanced TIE Defender, called the Missile Boat.

Preventing A Trade Off
The Task Force then went to the, where a Carrack-class light cruiser that escaped from the devastation of Harkov's fleet met up with three Rebel Nebulon B2-class frigates. Thrawn deployed all squadrons, though this time, Marek and the rest of the Black Eights were using his missile boats, while the Darks got TIE Defenders and the Hydras got TIE Avengers from the E-40 facility. The Carrack cruiser was attempting to send off four TIE Defenders to the Alliance. Marek and the squad were sent off to destroy the Rebel cruisers, the Carrack, and the four TIEs.

The Rebels got to them shortly after the squadrons were scrambled. Marek shot down two of the Defenders and then proceeded to engage the Rebel frigates. The Carrack was destroyed by the Verox's guns. With the missile boat, they managed to destroy all of the enemy vessels in the system without them escaping. Marek destroyed one Rebel frigate almost entirely alone, demonstrating the effectiveness of the missile boat. Following the battle, Thrawn and Vader were both pleased with the performance. The advanced TIEs did not fall into Rebel engineers' hands, and three Rebel frigates were lost.



The battle demonstrated the ability of elite pilots with advanced fighters, after which Vader ordered to produce more missile boats. Every Black Eight member was awarded a modified Medal of Accomplishment, usually awarded to test pilots. They were given it for successfully testing the missile boat. Swan Squadron was later formed due to their successes.