Demetrius Valzen

Demetrius Valzen was an tank commander who fought in the. He rose to command the 95th Mechanized Assault Group, which fielded s, and earned the status of a tank ace during the war against the. After the he remained loyal to the Imperial government on, having become a believer in the , and fought against both s and the emerging. Under the, Valzen was made a and would command the , before retiring from the service shortly after the.

Early life
A scion of a great noble house, Demetrius Valzen's family was part of in the, and he was set to inherit a y. But since his days as a teenager Valzen did not care for the main occupation that members of House Barnaba were known for, obsession with fashion and partying. Instead he was always interested in the martial arts and spent his early years training with a dueling rapier and a cavalry saber, which were seen as traditional pursuits for a Tapani nobleman in other houses. Because of this the young Valzen was seen as more unique among House Barnaba and the leading members of the House had high expectations for him in advancing their interests. At age 14 Valzen decided to join the Barnaba and was stationed aboard the  Dauntless as a cabin boy. After two years of this, he was formally made an and decided to transfer to Barnaba's ally, 's Defense Forces, which were reputed as one of the best and most professional in the sector. There he received more formal military training, initially in astronavigation, but the nobleman came to dislike the boring routine of being aboard a starship and not seeing any direct combat.

That was why at age 18 Valzen decided to join in the, in 13 BBY, forgoing the traditional path of aristocratic officers from the Tapani sector who joined the. His family supported the decision, believing that a having a relative in the service of the would enhance their own influence and prestige. After taking numerous tests in physical strength, intellect, and loyalty, the Imperial recruiters determined that he was fit to be an. Valzen did not get accepted into the prestigious, but ended up at the on the world of , which was home to one of the largest training facilities for members of all of the Empire's military branches. Further testing led to Valzen placing into the Imperial Army's armored forces, the, which consisted of the elite. The Tapani nobleman also did not get into the Heavy Armor sub-branch of the corps, which was responsible for operating the famous s and other walkers, but ended up in the Armored Cavalry, which fielded lighter ground tanks.

In the Emperor's service
Valzen underwent training in piloting tanks and other ground vehicles at Carida before being commissioned as a of the Imperial Army in 10 BBY. His initial posting was to the 95th Mechanized Assault Group, commanded by Egon Sarek, which at the time operated s left over from the.