Evir Daal

"He is neither a Palpatine nor a Thrawn. He is Evir Daal. It's all a game to him. Fighter duels, politics, strategy. Turning to the dark side."

- Satale, Sith sorceress

Evir Daal was a pilot and fighter ace in the Imperial Navy who later defected and would eventually become an Imperial Warlord.

Early life and enlistment (28 BBY–8 BBY)
"I'll nail you for sure next time, Evir, so don't you go braggin'!"

- Han Solo, having been defeated in a mock dogfight

Evir Daal, who claimed to be a descendant of the Daal Jedi family of ancient Ossus, was born in 28 BBY on the Hapes Throneworld, under another name (as in Hapan society, he could not legally inherit his father's last name). Being of mixed heritage, as his father was Shawkenese, he did not inherit the typical Hapan handsomeness, although he later in life showed signs of their long lifespan.

Perhaps due to his father's influence, he never adjusted well to the oppressive and matriarchal Hapan society. At fifteen, he left the Hapes Cluster for the Empire in order to escape an arranged marriage. Five years later, he enlisted at the Imperial Academy at Carida, under the alias Evir Daal (his given name remains unknown). Placed in a different class than Han Solo and Soontir Fel, he nevertheless met and occasionally competed with these later more famous characters. Although he was by any standards a great pilot, Daal could not match their skill, however close he came at some points of his training, but still graduated as number one in his own class.

Imperial service (8 BBY–0 ABY)
"You just carry on, Captain. The Empire needs its heroes."

- Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, after awarding Daal the Imperial Medal, 1st Class

During his years in the Empire’s service, Daal showed great promise as a fighter pilot and quickly rose through the ranks until, at 4 BBY, he was a full colonel. The increasing activity of various anti-Imperial rebel groups at this time assured that he and his squadron, and then wing, saw frequent combat, in which he distinguished himself further. Among his decorations were the Purple Heart, the Imperial Medal, 1st Class, and the Senate’s Medal of Honour. After one particular stunt, in which he saved the life of a very senior Imperial official, he was promoted to the rank of commander and given the command of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer with supporting vessels, an assignment which taught him much about leadership and fleet-scale tactics, knowledge he would later find very useful. In this capacity, he served in Grand Admiral Thrawn’s fleet, and despite Daal’s general prejudice against aliens, he came to respect and admire the Chiss officer for his vision and competence, an honour given very few others.

Defection
"Why me? I'm no Jedi." "No, of course not. You are so much more."

- Evir Daal and Satale

Eventually, Daal was summoned to the Imperial Court; the Emperor claimed him to be Force-sensitive and enrolled him into the ranks of a secretive Dark Side organisation (most likely the Dark Side Elite or the Inquisitorius, although it has been speculated that the group was actually the Emperor's Hands). In any case, Daal received great authority within the Imperial military and bureaucracy. It was not long before he left the group, as well as the Empire, however; himself, he always claimed it had been a mistake to take him in in the first place, that he lacked any Force talent and would probably be killed when his “masters” realised this, but there might have been other reasons for his defection as well. He used his new “rank” to steal a prototype Executor-class Super Star Destroyer, naming it the Thrawn after the Chiss officer he had served under. But as he had only a skeleton crew of twelve and supplies were running low, with a substantial part of the Imperial Navy looking for the ship, he was forced to abandon it at an uncharted world in the Outer Rim, which he code-named Ultima. The party was scattered, and Daal himself went into hiding. At about the same time, however, the Empire got graver things to worry about, as a Tatooine farmboy destroyed the first Death Star.

Fugitive and Rebel (0 ABY–4 ABY)
"Evir Daal? I might have known."

- Han Solo, shortly before the Battle of Hoth

After a time on the run, Daal approached the Rebel Alliance and offered them his services. Although a great pilot, he did not get along well with his fellow Rebel pilots and was before long dishonourably discharged for insubordination and other offences. Undaunted, he formed the independent mercenary company of Daal's Brigade (an odd name, since it was at first a fighter squadron), enlisting many of his former comrades and soon drawing volunteers. Throughout the Galactic Civil War, the unit fought on both sides and occasionally engaged in piracy and other ventures, and developed both an extensive intelligence network and a renowned commando unit for ground operations as it grew in size. The height of his achievements was the acquisition of an old Dreadnought to serve as his command ship, although he retained his personal shuttle Horizon.

At war with the Galaxy (4 ABY–8 ABY)
"This man is a traitor and a threat to the Empire, as he has shown time and again. He must be apprehended at all costs."

- Ysanne Isard

After Endor, all the major established powers were at Daal's throat, Alliance and Empire alike. Consequently, he allied with the various Imperial warlords, serving in a number of capacities. His exact actions during this rather chaotic period remain unknown. During this time, he became increasingly hateful of both the Rebels, who he felt had torn down all social order in the galaxy, and the high, Force-influenced Imperial leadership that had (in his opinion, at least) betrayed him and the rest of its soldiers. During a mission for Warlord Zsinj on the planet Kyros, he encountered for the first time the obscure Imperialist Party, a minor political faction whose views seemed to coincide with his own, and eventually became its leader.

Lord Admiral Imperial (8 ABY–c.13 ABY)
"Who defeated us? The Rebs? I say no! A fleet of some twenty-odd, outdated ships defeating the Empire's best? Ridiculous! We were betrayed, betrayed by the bureaucrats, the profiteers, the weakling Sith! And who stood to gain from the Empire's fall? Who supported the Rebs in the first place? Who rule the megacorporations, who have corrupted our institutions? The Force-users! They stabbed us in the back, and now they rule the galaxy! Are you going to stand that, men of the Empire? I sure as Chaos am not, and I intend to show it! The Empire shall rise again, true and strong, under a new leadership fitting this greatest of nations!"

- Evir Daal at a Brigade rally in Kyros some weeks before his takeover.

In 8 ABY, Daal succeeded in deposing Lady Valsceur, an Imperial Warlord who claimed 124 systems in the Kyros Sector of the then recently killed Warlord Zsinj's territory after the Kyros Revolution and the ousting of Moff Neponov. This he did with the help of the reformed Daal's Brigade, the Thrawn, and a rigged sabacc deck. He secretly received support from New Republic Intelligence, who believed that the weakening of the warlords would benefit their government. Then, with his forces in command of Valsceur's territory, Daal double-crossed the New Republic and took over as the ruler of the sector. He declared himself Lord Admiral Imperial and could soon (thanks to a little intimidation) accept the surrender of the surrounding systems, making him the undisputed master of almost the entire Kyros Sector (some 200 systems). Of course, the New Republic leadership was furious, but with the sector fleet safely in his hands and the Thrawn in reserve, there was little they could do to him except to condemn his actions.

Although Daal's rule was certainly autocratic, he proved a more benevolent ruler than the military warlords who had previously subjected the sector to their misrule. While penalties were harsh, laws and regulations tended to be relatively few and unbureaucratic, and citizens (including aliens) were afforded basic rights. The loyalist (but also virulently militarist and anti-Force) Imperialist Party also continued to grow, as the changes mostly compared favourably to the previous anarchy, and became a semi-official integrated state institution. In the beginning, he emphasised the sector's economic independence, but later turned more to free trade, and the Kyros Sector became a major weapons manufacturer for the various Imperial factions. The great shipyards of Helnek and Messessmi turned out capital ships for the fleets, while planetary defences were augmented by licence-built Golan platforms. Secure in his power base, Daal refused to become entangled in the political struggles for power over the Remnant, instead consolidating his gains. At all times, he kept a competent staff of other former Imperials to assist him in the various aspects of rule, one of whom was rumoured to be a Force-user, despite this being directly against official party ideology.

At Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return, Daal met with his former superior and negotiated a deal with him. He formally rejoined the Empire under guarantees that his power and position would not be questioned. Under Thrawn, he received the assimilated rank of Fleet Admiral, as well as that of the Moff of Kyros. He did not, however, commit the bulk of his forces in the Battle of Bilbringi, instead launching a diversionary attack at the shipyards of Fondor to delay New Republic reinforcements. In the following battle, he was defeated and forced to withdraw back to Kyros. Later, during Palpatine’s resurgence, Daal once again switched sides and formed a temporary truce with the Alliance against the reborn Emperor, and was marked for destruction by the Byss regime, whereupon an armada was dispatched to pacify the Kyros Sector. Daal then challenged the Imperial fleet’s greatest remaining fighter ace, Commander Mors Vorgrim, for a duel over the leadership of Kyros, which he won with considerable difficulty, but the Imperials decided not to respect the result and engaged the Kyros fleet anyway. The battle hung in the balance when an Alliance task force intervened and tipped the scales, and Daal grudgingly had to accept the indignity of having been saved by the New Republic, something he would be reminded of for years to come. He also agreed to coordinate his actions with those of the New Republic Navy, and a joint Kyros/Republic battle group was created. Although several friendships were formed during these months of co-operation, the truce itself did not last longer than the Emperor’s reign, at the end of which Daal evicted all Alliance ships and personnel from the sector. He also hurried to annex a few dozen more border systems before the New Republic could reorganise, which enraged the Senate even further.

During the years to come, Daal made a serious mistake in attacking first the League of Moffs, a powerful Imperial Remnant faction, and then the New Republic before finishing the first war. Beset on all sides, he fought a long campaign of total war against them, in the end prevailing after a titanic battle above the Kyros capital of Berlanis itself, but the Kyros Sector was left in shambles, forcing him to spend the next year trying to salvage the economy and rearm his depleted fleets. He was still a power to be reconned with, however. There was talk about an alliance between him and another notorious warlord, planning to eventually reunite the Empire together, but nothing substantial came out of it. At the same time, he secretly set aside funds and technicians to begin work on a major weapons project. When Admiral Daala reunited the Imperial Remnants and requested his co-operation, he declined, something that led the proud woman to schedule both Kyros in general and Daal in particular for termination. Even against the massive Imperial invasion fleet arrayed against him, Daal might still have snatched a victory, especially after he revealed his secret weapon, the Super Star Destroyer Kors, named for a renowned Shawkenese Jedi Master, but he was betrayed by one of his advisors, who was in the pay of an unknown third party, and forced to flee the sector, although he managed to escape with both his Super Star Destroyers. Now deposed, he once more found himself unable to support the gargantuan ships while on the run, and once more had to hide them at the world code-named Ultima.

Mercenary (13 ABY–20 ABY)
"Commander Daal? The Empire has need of your services." "The Empire can go to Chaos. It sure as Kriff is dead."

- Evir Daal when discovered by Imperial recruiters trying to enlist him for a special mission. He eventually reconsidered.

For the following years, Daal himself went into hiding as well, making his way through various short-term jobs for the warlords and other agencies under a number of identities. This time was the low point of his life. Growing increasingly depressed over the failure of both the Imperial system and the Imperialist Party, he eventually withdrew from Remnant society and returned to smuggling and espionage. Therefore, when sinister agents were looking for him some 15 years after Yavin, they found him difficult to catch. He was eventually apprehended and brought before their master, Zardoc Ptar, a Darksider of great power who wanted to use Daal’s hidden ships as the focal point of a new fleet he was assembling. To this end, he had captured and questioned several members of Daal’s original group of loyalists from BBY, and now Daal himself. Thanks to the intervention of the remaining members of Daal’s crew, he was later rescued, and while the New Republic decimated the Darksider’s fleet, Daal faced Ptar himself and (with some assistance) defeated him.

Resurgence(20 ABY–23 ABY)
"Come on, Reyer! The Galaxy needs to be saved again. You'll get a bonus for each planet liberated."

- Evir Daal, trying to press an unenthusiastic Reyer Dian back into service with the Brigade

During the First Jedi Crisis 21 ABY, when insane Jedi Master Nerim Kors invaded the galaxy with an army of Nagai and Dark Jedi, Daal was first captured by the advance party (ironically enough in his former capital, Berlanis, on Kyros Prime). After escaping with Kyp Durron and Miko Reglia, he reformed the defunct mercenary team Daal's Brigade and, again using the SSD's hidden away years earlier, engaged this new enemy. As Kors' Second Republic attacked in force, this outfit proved essential in turning the tide in the three-year-long war, executing several key missions. During a raid on Kors' Dark Citadel on Nabassu, Daal captured the female Nagai captain Lilit Kavras who, unbeknowst to him, was actually the Fleet Marshal of the Nagai Second Republic. They fell in love and eventually married, and Daal became a Nagai citizen and Vice-Marshal of the Fleets. Soon after the Nagai rose up against Kors and his human cohorts, which made it possible for the New Republic, Imperial Remnant, and the other allies to defeat him.

Pardoned and reinstated (23 ABY–26 ABY)
"In spite of past differences, you have proven yourself to be a loyal son of the Empire and a hero. It is an honor to welcome you back, Admiral Daal."

- Supreme Commander Pellaeon

Thanks in great part to his actions during the Jedi Crisis, Daal received an official pardon from Grand Admiral Pellaeon and was admitted into the navy of the Imperial Remnant at the rank of Vice-Admiral, given the command of the single Imperial-class Star Destroyer Crusader, in addition to his position as Vice-Marshal of the Second Republic, the duties of which he was rarely able to fulfil. With all loose ends tied up, peace had at last come to him, or so he thought.

The Yuuzhan Vong invasion changed that. In vain, Daal advocated an Imperial commitment to the war, but worse was to come. The Second Republic was hit fast and hard, with Lilit being killed by a high-ranking Vong named Sharrim Orn. Daal swore vengeance.

Crusader (26 ABY–30 ABY)
"I think I know how they feel now. Empty lives, endless, sleepless nights, cherishing pain, the one emotion they can still feel, with the release of death all they have to look forward to. And I intend to grant them it."

- Evir Daal, shortly after Lilit's funeral, speaking of the Yuuzhan Vong.

Once again, the survivors of Daal's Brigade were remobilised, still loyal to their long-time commander. The Kors had been destroyed in the war, but the Thrawn, which had been administered by the Nagai, was soon returned to him, and together with the Star Destroyer he already commanded it made up a force to be reckoned with. His mission was unofficial, but had Pellaeon's support, if not that of the Moffs. For several years he carried out raids against the Vong, sometimes deep behind enemy lines, always hounding Orn, but his fleet suffered severe losses and was scattered in a Yuuzhan Vong trap at the Sixth Battle of Kyros. Left only with the modified shuttle Shard (the former Horizon), Daal went to Coruscant just in time to partake in the defence against the Vong there, where he was presumed to have died.

He had actually survived, however, and eventually escaped the then hellishly transformed Coruscant. Supposedly driven mildly insane by the experience, he immediately rejoined the war with doubled effort, reuniting with the Thrawn. Under circumstances unknown, he finally killed Orn at the end of the war, or right after it.

Retirement (30 BBY–? ABY)
"I know the Galaxy doesn't like me anymore. I got used to that a long, long time ago. Difference is, it doesn't need me anymore, either. And I neither like nor need it. So I go."

- Evir Daal resigning, explaining his decision to his second, Colonel Dian, the one original Brigade man to survive him

After the defeat of the Yuuzhan Vong and the death of Lilit's murderer by his hand, Daal left fighting, this time probably for good, and disbanded Daal's Brigade. Disillusioned by the Vong War, unlike anything experienced in a lifetime of battles, suspicious of the Galactic Alliance and saddened by Pellaeon's final betrayal, he resigned his commission and once again hid the Thrawn at Ultima, and turned over all other ships and matériel still in his possession to the Remnant. He did, however, keep the Shard. Evir Daal, no longer the conqueror or the commander, but the broken old man, then disappeared into anonymity to live out the last years of his life on his father's home planet, Shawken, in peace and contemplation. There are at present no indications that he took any part in further galactic conflicts. He was reportedly still alive and well at in ABY.

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