Tuffass

"That little shrimp sure does have one tough ass..."

- Tuffass's commanding officer, c. 3,996 BBY

Gunnery Sergeant Tuffass was a male from  and one of the very first of his kind to encounter the. He enlisted in the Marine Corps some years prior to the. Despite having little knowledge of at the outset of his training, Tuffass learned quickly enough so that by the time he graduated from boot camp, his language skills were as good as any Human. Further training made him an expert with explosives and an uncanny Force Recon scout. Having achieved the rank of corporal by the onset of the Great Sith War, Tuffass was deployed with the 23rd Force Recon Platoon attached to the 4th Marine Division's 12th Marine Regiment. During the war's at, the as-yet-nameless Gand served as a fire-coordinator for his battalion. He lost his left arm and leg in a surprise counterattack on the landing zone by a group of warriors. Though grievously wounded, he insisted on continuing to call in strikes, which earned him the Silver Comet for bravery, in addition to the Crimson Cross.

After having regenerated his arm and leg and learning of his commanding officer's remark, the Gand was promoted to sergeant and requested that he be allowed to use the moniker "Tuffass" as a name. This was granted without question, and Tuffass continued in his service as though nothing had changed. Promoted to gunnery sergeant five years after the war's end, he began a long and productive&mdash;if highly notorious&mdash;career as a drill instructor at the Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot on. His methods were considered so infamous by the Marines and civilians, that his name was known even outside of the Corps; by the time Laera Reyolé was able to enlist, she knew of his reputation as well, after having examined every available piece of literature on the Marine Corps. Laera was assigned to Tuffass's training platoon, where she was forced to "earn" her name back in the eyes of the sergeant.

In 3,942 BBY, Tuffass was forced by age to retire. He took up residence on Corulag, not far from the training depot. During his retirement, he would often frequent the local post of the Veterans of Galactic Wars, where he and other retired service personnel would trade war stories. Tuffass died of old age in 3,920 BBY and was given a funeral on Corulag with full military honors. The boot camp at the training depot would eventually come to be informally known as "Tuffass Class."

Early life
Tuffass was born on in 4,018 BBY, and was inducted into an orthodox  sect. The initiation required the -breathing to subject himself to chemical baths and genetic manipulation, which induced the growth of hooked, serrated ridges on his arms and legs. As a findsman initiate, Tuffass was trained in the Gand style of and was a devout follower of his sect's  of his home planet's enshrouding mists. During his s, Tuffass interpreted a sign in the mists and was motivated to find out what it could mean. He eventually left his sect and journeyed to the nearest, where he could get access. After a long search, the Gand found the sign he had seen during his rituals and discovered that it was the symbol of the Republic Marines. He concluded that the mists had sent him on a new path and Tuffass ferried himself to in 4,002 BBY, where he immediately enlisted in the Marine Corps.

Tuffass had, at the time, a very limited understanding of and even fewer speaking skills. His enlistment was also confusing to the recruiting officer, as Tuffass was one of the very first Gands to encounter the and as such, his '  had not yet been added to the galactic translation database. He had not yet earned his name, either, and signed up under the designation "Gand." Tuffass was sent to for training and despite his limited knowledge of Basic, he learned from his drill instructors and by the time he graduated boot camp, he could articulate himself as well as his fellow Human cadets. Tuffass, however, still adhered to Gand language protocol and referred to himself in the third person, as "Gand," as he felt that he had not yet earned his name. He received further training in explosives and his previous findsman training served Tuffass as a Force Recon.

Earning a name
Tuffass had achieved the rank of corporal by the outbreak of the. He was deployed with the 23rd Force Recon Platoon, which was attached to the 4th Marine Division's 12th Marine Regiment. During the war's end in 3,996 BBY, the as-yet-unnamed Gand was stationed on, where he served as a fire coordinator for the battalion during the. The warriors organized a counterattack on the landing zone, and a group charged Tuffass's battalion and broke through the perimeter. Tuffass attempted to provide cover, but was caught by one of the Massassi. The Massassi crushed the Gand's left arm and leg while attempting to dismember him, only to be shot down by another Marine. Despite the injuries he sustained, Tuffass declined to be removed from the field, instead insisting to continue his duties and call in air strikes. His commanding officer commented that the Gand "sure does have one tough ass."

Eventually, Tuffass was evacuated by the medivac personnel and transported to a. His mutilated left arm and leg were then amputated and he was fitted with a prosthetic while the limbs regenerated. Aided by treatments, the Gand was able to regrow the lost limbs within three months. His left arm and leg were slightly shorter than his right, however, and due to the difference in length, Tuffass walked with a slight limp. For his dedication to his service on Yavin 4, though, Tuffass was awarded the Marine Corps Silver Comet for bravery, as well as the Crimson Cross.

After his arm and leg regenerated, the still unnamed Gand returned to active duty with the promotion to sergeant. He learned of his CO's comment on the field and approached the officer with what the officer initially found to be an odd request; the Gand wanted to be given a name. Specifically, he requested to be permitted to use the moniker "Tuffass" as his name. The commanding officer granted the request without hesitation and Tuffass was finally permitted to refer to himself by something other than "Gand." When he received his new name tag, he held it in higher regard than the medals he had earned.

Later life
In 3,991 BBY, five years after the end of the war, Tuffass was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant and began a career as a drill instructor with the Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot on. Due to his native culture, Tuffass decreed that his cadets earn their identities and would model his methods around Gand ideals. He would refuse to call cadets by their given names, opting instead to refer to them by the often-derogatory nicknames he gave them and, when in his presence, insisted the recruits refer to themselves in third person. He would even confiscate their name tags, which the cadets could earn back if they prove themselves. He used his short stature to his advantage and was known to stand on a cadet's back while the individual would do push-ups. He also demanded that cadets look directly in front of them, as he would not tolerate a lower-ranked individual to look down on him, nor would he look up to them. His methods were infamous within the Marine Corps and had even gained notoriety within certain aspects of the civilian population as well.

Around 3,982 BBY, Laera Reyolé enlisted in the Marines at age 16 and was assigned to Tuffass's platoon. The 20-year veteran Gand made no exceptions for Reyolé and expected the Human girl from to train just as hard and earn her name the same as the other cadets. Reyolé met the expectations and goals set by Tuffass and was able to earn back her name. Tuffass himself was impressed with Reyolé's performance that he awarded her with a space on his informal "Wall of Names," where the cadet could immortalize her identity on a wall in the Gand's office.

Tuffass continued to train cadets for another forty years until his retirement in 3,942 BBY. The old war injuries had finally taken their toll on his body and Tuffass suffered from arthritis in his back and right leg, due to years of compensating for the length difference in his left. No longer able to keep up with the cadets, the Gand retired from service with a retirement party in his honor, attended by surviving grunts that he had trained. He took up residence on Corulag, near the training depot, and spent his days at the local post of the Veterans of Galactic Wars, where he would trade war stories with his fellow servicemen. Tuffass died at the age of 98 in 3,920 BBY. He was given a funeral with full military honors and interred in National Cemetery.

Personality and traits
"Tuffass is a tough ass because he has a tough ass. That is all."

- GySgt Tuffass in a more candid moment

Tuffass was an orthodox Gand and as such referred to himself in third person. For most of the early part of his active service record, he was known simply as "Gand" until he earned his name in 3,996 BBY. He held Gand ideals in high regard and was proud when he was permitted to give himself a name, as he felt that with his dedication to service on Yavin 4, despite bodily injury, he had earned his identity. Tuffass was resilient and was determined to see his work through to the end. He intended to never retire, but was forced by age and arthritic joints to do so. However, he remained near the training depot and insisted to be contacted if the Marine Corps needed his services.

Tuffass was proud of having earned his identity and decreed that his cadets do the same. He was self-conscious about his height and demanded that cadets do not look down on him, as he refused to look up to them. However, when in the presence of his commanding officers, colleagues, and civilians, he would make a point to meet their gaze. As a drill instructor, Tuffass was harsh on his cadets and maintained an imposing presence to compensate for his short stature. He claimed to be aggressive because he cared and he wanted to see his recruits succeed and earn their names. He was proud of Laera Reyolé and felt that Reyolé herself should be equally as proud of earning her name tag as she was of awards.

Powers and abilities
As a member of the Gand species, Tuffass possessed an and was able to continue his duties despite injury, which had led others to comment that he has a "tough ass." He also possessed regenerative capabilities and was able to regrow his left arm and leg after amputation. The regrowth was aided by kolto treatments and Tuffass made use of prostheses until the process was complete. His left leg, however, did not grow to its original length and as such, he walked with a slight limp. He eventually developed arthritis in his right hip and knee, as well as in his lower back, due to having to compensate for the difference.

When Tuffass was a findsman initiate, he learned to augur from the mists of his homeworld through the usage of meditation and religious rituals. He also trained in martial arts, which served him during boot camp. His findsman abilities augmented his Force Recon scout training and he used those talents as a fire coordinator. He trained as an explosives specialist, and excelled at gas training, due to his race's natural ability to hold their breaths for an extended period of time. As a drill instructor, Tuffass would put his troops through a harsh training regimen, which would include him standing on a cadet's back as that individual did push-ups. His methods may have been questionable, but the Corps saw their effectiveness and made no attempt to alter the Gand's ways.

Equipment
Tuffass was a member of the Gand sup-species with ammonia-breathing s and as such made use of a specialized when in an -rich environment. His respirator was custom-designed, with shorter tubes and compact canisters, so as not to impede him while on active duty. His combat armor was -sealed and pumped full of ammonia so that he would not need to wear his breathing apparatus underneath. He was proficient in the usage of the DL-3 blaster pistol and BC-7m blaster carbine, as well as with a variety of explosives, such as s.

Behind the scenes
Tuffass originally started off as a joke between Trak Nar and Goodwood before Goodwood suggested that Nar develop the character. With Goodwood's help, Nar eventually gave Tuffass a history and a character design. Tuffass's name is a play on the phrase "tough ass," and his personality was based on that of R. Lee Ermy.