Tarynd Castas

"Another day, another chance to kill Rebel scum."

- Tarynd Castas

Tarynd Castas was an ace  who served in the  during the, , and. Being born on shortly before the beginning of the, Castas was , something which helped him during his youth. He was born to a poor family in the underlevels of Coruscant and took part in illegal to get money. Castas' Force-sensitivity helped him become a skilled swoop pilot, but he was eventually caught by authorities. Facing the choice of going to prison or joining the, the young Coruscanti opted for the latter. His experience in swoop racing helped him as a pilot, which resulted in his graduating from the.

As an officer in the Imperial Fleet, Castas proved himself to be a good pilot and rose through the ranks, eventually being assigned to the. In 0 BBY, they took part in a on. Though his unit was mostly destroyed, Castas himself fought well and scored nine enemy kills. took notice of this, and selected the young man to be in the. The unit took part in special missions against the leading up to the. After the deaths of  and Darth Vader at Endor, Castas and the Black Eights remained loyal to the central government on Coruscant continued their fight against the. Castas ended up joining different warlord factions after the fall of the central authority with the in 6 ABY.

Early life
"That boy's eyes . . . the eyes of someone who has grown up too early."

- A Coruscanti resident upon seeing Castas

Tarynd Castas was born two years before the outbreak of the on, the galactic capitol. He was born into a poor family, and both of his parents disappeared during his teenage years. Castas did not know where they went, or if they were still alive, but was aware that they had criminal backgrounds. As a result, Castas had to learn to live in the Coruscant underlevels alone. The young man learned how to use a and a, being able to defend himself on the streets. This resulted in him becoming a cold, calculating individual. But his main skills lied with piloting and mechanics. Castas had found himself to be a good bike pilot (he would later learn that this was partly due to his ). To make money, the young Coruscanti took part in many swoop races, most of them being illegal ones.

In 7 BBY, he took part in a race held in. Castas ended up winning the race, but it turned out that the authorities were tipped off and were awaiting at the finish line to arrest everyone. He was among the many people captured in that incident. Taken into custody, Castas was threatened to be given a lengthy prison sentence for his involvement in the races. But the officers also recognized his skills in piloting, having witnessed part of the race before beginning their raid and being surprised at how such a young man was able to win. So they offered him a choice–go to prison, or join the Imperial military and serve the Empire. Castas, not particularly caring about politics but seeing a chance to stay out of prison, opted for the latter. Several days later, he was shipped off to the.

The Imperial Academy
The Imperial authorities sent him to the Empire's main naval academy on. As with all cadets, the instructors were aware of his background and how he ended up on Prefsbelt. They regarded Castas to be not much more than a criminal, and the actions of different instructors from ignoring him to picking on him. Castas' fellow cadets did not know the full details but understood that he had from a poor background and initially made fun of him. But as they began training in the flight simulators, their attitudes towards the young Coruscanti changed. Castas bested most of the cadets in his class in the simulators, with some comparing him to former Academy cadets and  (who graduated earlier that year). His skill in piloting–as well as in marksmanship and unarmed combat, which he took classes on at the Academy–gained him the respect of his instructors and cadets alike.

Eventually they moved on to piloting actual craft, something which Castas excelled in. He grew accustomed to the controls of the, the main fighter craft of the. During his training, he began to develop a likeness for the Empire. Its strong military, strong central government, and authoritarian style attracted him. He began to think of himself not as just someone who was there to avoid going to prison, but as an Imperial. Castas later graduated the academy with high marks, being commissioned as a in the Imperial Fleet. Among the guests of the graduation ceremony was Holt, a senior naval commander. He had seen Castas fight in the simulators and talked to him at the celebrations after the ceremony. Holt told him Castas' skill would have been wasted if he simply went to prison, and the young pilot replied that he looked at it a different way, he would not have been able to serve the Empire if he went to prison. Holt made note to keep track of Castas' career.

Rise to prominence
"Out near Belkadan, we got into some trouble with Separatist holdouts." "Really? I fought some years ago and thought they were gone by now. What happened to them?" "What happens to all enemies of the Empire."

- Castas speaking with Admiral Holt

After graduating the Naval Academy in 5 BBY, Castas was stationed aboard the , as a member of the, which were stationed in the. His first mission was against the in the  region of the galaxy. Lieutenant Castas and the 133rd were deployed against a small Separatist force near the remote world of, where they were recently discovered by. The Vigiliance received orders from Imperial Center to go ahead and engage the enemy, even though they did not know the full strength of the Separatists there. But the captain of the Vigiliance followed orders, and their attack commenced. The Separatist fleet was quite bigger than anticipated, being aided by local pirate gangs. It consisted of several s, armed s, and was led by a. The Separatist/pirate base was on the surface, and was protected by a shield generator.

The 133rd, despite being outnumbered by s and s, engaged the enemy. Castas fought against waves of fighters and scored eleven kills against the enemy, becoming an ace in a day. About a third of the group's pilots were lost, but they were able to then destroy some of the larger vessels before the remaining ones fled into hyperspace. Meanwhile, Castas went on a solo mission. He flew to the planet's surface and destroyed the shield generator, allowing the rest of the 133rd to destroy the Separatist base. For his actions during the battle, Castas was promoted to the rank of and awarded the. He was also transferred from the 133rd several weeks later at the request of Fleet Admiral Holt, who had him transferred to his personal flagship, the Star Destroyer . Castas served aboard the vessel for several months, speaking frequently with the fleet admiral. The two got to know each other well, and Castas came to view Holt as a mentor.

A rising rebellion
In 2 BBY a number of resistance leaders proclaimed the creation of the, which became known as the Rebel Alliance, beginning the. Shortly before those events, Captain Castas was briefly stationed on, guarding a skyhook that was destroyed by an , and later on the first as it was being constructed. He was transferred to the, which was stationed on. In 1 BBY, they were attacked by the Rebel Alliance. The unit was taken by surprise, but Castas, reportedly wearing only his jumpsuit because he was taking a shower as the attack began, was one of the first Imperials in the air. During the battle, he shot down a number of enemy Y-wings that attacked their base. The majority of his fellow pilots were shot down, and Castas avenged some of them by getting more kills. Eventually, though, he was forced to retreat before he would be overwhelmed. For his efforts in the fight, Castas was awarded the.

Up until the Death Star's attack on Yavin, Castas was briefly stationed on Imperial Center.

Black Eight
"It's a unit of scoundrels, criminals, and misfits. I'm sure you'll fit right in."

- Fleet Admiral Holt to Castas

He was later transferred, again, shortly after the after the in 0 ABY—in which the Death Star was destroyed by the Rebellion. Darth Vader had taken notice of the pilot's career and assigned him to an elite unit he was reforming, aboard the Star Destroyer .

Post-Endor
"The Empire saved me from life as a criminal and gave me a good purpose. Since then I have worked to make the galaxy a safer place. The Emperor may be dead, but his spirit still lives within me. Within all of us."

- Castas, after the Battle of Endor

Rebellion's bane
"There are many men who are honor-bound not to hit women. I am just letting you know, I am not one of them."

- Castas to

In 4 ABY, the Emperor and Darth Vader were both killed at the, with the and much of the Imperial fleet there being destroyed. This attack destabilized the Empire, and shocked everyone when news of it reached the rest of the galaxy.

Personality and traits
"Ruthless, brutal, loyal to the Empire, and an ace pilot. Gentlemen, may I introduce you to Colonel Tarynd Castas."

Castas was considered by many to be a cold, ruthless, and calculating individual. He felt little when killing people—or perhaps nothing at all. Although he was usually quiet and reserved, the Coruscanti pilot displayed cockiness and arrogance on occasion, such as in his conversations with Ysanne Isard. His coldness came early on, after his parents abandoned him, which forced the young Castas to mature early. He learned a variety of skills and engaged in criminal activities, and followed the principle of kill or be killed. This belief would serve him well in later in life when he joined the Imperial military. Castas got into fights and had to kill on several occasions. The ace pilot was also calculating and analyzing, always carefully planning ahead and considering the best course of action in any situation. These traits combined to make Castas into an effective Imperial commander.