The Essential Guide to Force Exile/Sander Delvardus

Sander Delvardus was originally a career Imperial Navy officer. However, as the Galactic Civil War progressed and he found himself chafing under restrictions against pursuing the enemies of the Empire, Delvardus began to doubt his loyalties. After the death of the Emperor and the disastrous Battle of Kuat against the Zann Consortium, he had had enough. While his immediate superior, Moff Ardus Kaine, also struck out on his own, Delvardus decided to become his own ruler. Seizing Eriadu, he became one of the first Imperial warlords.

Delvardus started his career as an enthusiastic, motivated officer of the Empire. A distant relative of the Tarkins, he had both the pedigree and some element of talent that helped him swiftly rise through the ranks of the Imperial Navy. Soon, he was serving under High Admiral Vey as the commander of a task force whose purpose was to hunt down Rebels and other dissidents in the Outer Rim. Lacking the support and forces needed to adequately do his job, Delvardus quickly grew discontented with his sedate superior. His reports of rampant lawlessness in the Outer Rim were typically dismissed as reactionary and exaggerated, which did little to assuage his concerns.

In 4 ABY, during a meeting over Eriadu with Vey, Delvardus was reassigned by Vey's superior, Moff Ardus Kaine. Kaine had taken note of Delvardus's warnings and had created a squadron of ships to deal with the Rebels while Delvardus was given a smaller force and dispatched to destroy the Zann Consortium criminal syndicate. Delvardus was pleased with the assignment, though some of his good cheer was spoiled when he learned that Vey had arranged for him to obtain that command as part of a political move to assure Delvardus was indebted to him.

Nevertheless, he set out after the Zannists and any other enemies of the Empire with appropriate fervor. His ships attacked a Zannist convoy over Ryloth, bombarded a Rebel base on Ord Pardron, and intercepted a slaving convoy over Kashyyyk. Delvardus worked tirelessly to fight the Zannists, to the point of exhaustion. However, his fleet was successful and his officers were impressed with his dedication, as well as his careful consideration of their input and their survival. Based on intelligence he received from Vey and other sources, he learned that the Zannists were planning a major fleet deployment at Carida. Setting out with his flag group, he planned to end the Zannists once and for all. However, he was overruled by Vey and his superiors, who told him that Zann's activities were being closely monitored and careful plans had been laid for the crime lord. Furthermore, his fleet would be taken from him and reassigned to the alien Grand Admiral Thrawn. A staunch xenophobe, Delvardus was astonished and enraged by how his command was swept away from him. The unjust appropriation of his fleet under the alien also helped reinforce his already-devoted crew's loyalty to him.

Arriving over Carida and relegated to second-in-command, Delvardus could only fume and watch as Thrawn conducted the battle. For his part, he led the crew of his personal Star Destroyer, the Death Hammer, as best as he could. When Thrawn suddenly departed from the battle, Delvardus was both relieved to have his command back and irate at having been abandoned. In reality, Thrawn had left to deal with an insurrection by Admiral Zaarin that had attempted to kidnap Palpatine, but Delvardus saw the alien's action as a betrayal. Furthermore, Zann managed to escape the battle after damaging Delvardus's ship.

Shortly thereafter, the Emperor was killed along with much of the Imperial fleet at Endor. Delvardus was given a transmission by Vey, one wherein he learned that his nemesis Tyber Zann was amassing his forces to attack Kuat. He also learned that reinforcements would be scarce thanks to a breakdown in discipline in the Imperial military. Irritated further, he took his command to Kuat to set a trap that Zann would not escape.

What neither Vey nor Delvardus had anticipated was the assistance of a Rebel fleet under Han Solo assisting in the raid. The battle was a debacle, with massive losses for Delvardus and his men, and Zann once more escaped after inflicting considerable damage and temporarily stealing the massive warship Eclipse.

That was the breaking point for Delvardus. He took his fleet to Eriadu, murdered Vey, and seized his command. With Vey's forces added to his own, Delvardus became one of the first and most powerful Imperial warlords. He would continue to clutch at the territory he seized, fending off both the New Republic and the other Imperial warlords, as well as the Empire proper, but his holdings gradually diminished. Eventually, he was killed by Admiral Natasi Daala after failing to reconcile with the other warlords at Tsoss Beacon in 14 ABY.

Behind the scenes
The canonical character of Sander Delvardus was originally chosen for Force Exile IV: Guardian primarily because Atarumaster88 wanted to portray the height of the Galactic Civil War from both the Rebel and Imperial perspectives. Delvardus was portrayed sympathetically as a fervent Imperial officer who was time and again denied the resources and opportunities needed to complete his missions. His impatience with the chain of command as well as the perceived injustices inflicted on him led him to secede from the Empire after the Battle of Endor. Delvardus's character had to be written carefully with regards to established canon. In particular, the release of the The Essential Atlas designated a first name to the character and expounded on his backstory, resulting in some alteration in the drafted material. His characterization of a loyal dedicated Imperial officer was gradually altered to create a suitable transition to his decision to become a warlord, which flowed from his ambition and desire to control matters. Elements of xenophobia were incorporated into his character to help him despise Grand Admiral Thrawn more.

Appearances

 * Force Exile IV: Guardian