Sorrik

Sorrik was one of the most distinguished and famous Centurions in the Order of Keltrayu. The personal protégé of Tariun Sakaros and a trusted advisor of Queen Rin Sakaros herself, he served variously as a Legate, Royal Guard, and Consul before succeeding Tariun as Prime Legate.

Early life
Born on the industrialized world of Ommol, a vassal world of the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob in the Unknown Regions, Sorrik was the second of what eventually became five children, and the only Force-sensitive among them. When he was three years old, the Golden Empire launched a raid on his homeworld to avenge the death of its general, Keltrayu, at the Battle of Tizgo V. The explosion of the Tetrarchy's shock tank manufacturing facility was audible to the boy, even fifteen miles away.

The Tetrarchy fell the following year. Ommol remained one of the few pockets of resistance after the execution of the last Tetrarchs, but a small uprising, supported by an invasion of the 4th, 9th, and 11th Massassi Cohorts, broke the Tetrarchy garrison and conquered the system. The various species, native and not, were brought under the rule of the Golden Empire.

Sorrik himself continued to mature normally, close to his older and younger brothers, with whom he often enjoyed physical contests and pretend war. When he was six years old, his parents began to notice that both his physical and mental abilities were considerably above normal. Medical droids could find no biological explanation, and so Sorrik's parents spoke with an agent of the Royal Integration Corps, wondering if their son might possess the Force they had heard of in Royal holos from the Order of Keltrayu.

The RIC officer duly contacted the Order, which sent the Centurion Aquila Corcer to investigate the boy's case in 105 ABY. Determining that Sorrik was indeed a Force-adept, Corcer referred Sorrik to Tariun Sakaros, who came personally to convince Sorrik's parents to allow their son to join the Order. Though they had no particular loyalty to the Golden Empire, they also recognized that membership in the Order was a much better path to success for their son than clinging to an extinct regime, and eventually conceded.

Training
Appointed a Novice, Sorrik trained extensively under Tariun and Rin Sakaros, as well as his first contact, Aquila Corcer, and the senior Novices (soon to become Centurions themselves) Melnanooin and Eskol Kaartinen. He had a tolerant relationship with his fellow Novice Rajj-Yo; Sorrik's gentle and easygoing demeanor made him a common recipient of Rajj-Yo's aggression, but his size and brute strength put him on equal footing with the Zyked.

Due to his natural bulk, Sorrik found that the more acrobatic and high-speed forms of lightsaber combat were entirely beyond him. Though he had the strength for Form V, his friend Eskol convinced him to commit to Soresu instead. The Umdal's immobility became an asset, allowing him to stand his ground against withering blasterfire or lightsaber strikes, deftly manipulating his lightsaber as little as possible.

From the early days of his training, Sorrik showed a marked interest in weapons of war and their use. Much of his spare time was spent reading military history and tactical manuals. He spent time working with the Massassi troops, learning how to use their various infantry and crew-served weapons while honing his skill in the Sith language, required of all Centurions and the only tongue the Massassi could comfortably speak aside from their own. As time went on, he also requested to join the officers on the bridge of the Sith Star so often that, in 113 ABY, Tariun finally assigned him a one-year apprenticeship on the Star Destroyer Assassin, under the supervision of Aquila Corcer.

In his time on the Indomitable, Sorrik studied tactics and the various departments of a ship, assigned to shadow officers in all major sections. He also went on ground maneuvers with the Royal Army and qualified on the blaster rifle range. When he returned to the Citadel in 114 ABY, it was with a much broader understanding of the practical details of military life. He was allowed to watch from the bridge during the Battle of Harth Gool and the Ambush at Bolera, observing the tactical performance of the Prime Fleet.

Continuing his Novice training, Sorrik refined his Soresu and honed his Force abilities. In 119 ABY, at the age of twenty-one, he was commissioned as a Centurion himself.

Early service
Like most Centurions, Sorrik began his career with law enforcement assignments, assisting local system police in apprehending dangerous criminals and fugitives. When a group of Ebruchi pirates wandered into the Empire, Tariun gave Sorrik command of a Victory Star Destroyer and three support ships to wipe out the threat. It was the first of Sorrik's many commands as a Legate, and he succeeded magnificently, capturing several of the pirates and destroying their main vessels.

Sorrik acted as Tariun's third-in-command (behind Sato Raltharan), breveted to the Army rank of Lieutenant Colonel, for the Battle of Sanduluc in 124 ABY. After the successful capture of the system, Rin Sakaros installed Sorrik as a Royal Guard. Close by the Sakaros siblings, he was able to witness both their diplomatic and military efforts firsthand. Though closer to Tariun, Sorrik spent nearly equal time with them, as both wanted him to learn from them.

Rising leader
In 128 ABY, Tariun was dispatched to Baes to investigate delays in production of the Imperial Star Destroyer Tempest. After deposing the weak-willed Consul Toblus Dijrek, Tariun appointed a stunned Sorrik in his place. Sorrik reversed Dijrek's overly lenient labor policies, requiring diligent production work on the Star Destroyer and visiting it regularly himself to check on its progress. The ship was completed ahead of its amended schedule in early 129 ABY.

Sorrik continued as Consul for the next five years, and gradually won the respect of the natives for his firm but fair approach to governance. He was able to streamline production at the shipyard, lowering construction time and even saving costs. His successful petition to have new technologies tested at Baes created an influx of scientists and engineers from other parts of the Empire.

In 134 ABY, Sorrik was relieved as Consul and was briefly stationed at the Royal Army Officer Training Institute on Gamus as a tactical instructor. He left this duty a year later to help plan the Conquest of the Chiss Ascendancy. In this time, he also began mentoring aspiring military leaders of the next generation, including Breek Zagrev and Malyri Porén.

At some point before the Chiss campaign, Sorrik married. He would later go on to marry at least a second wife.

Major commands
After two years of tactical discussions, Tariun and Sorrik were ready to launch their assault. Sorrik was again created as a Legate and given full command of the Galactic West Theater, leading the Battle of Kinoss, which crippled one of the bases while Tariun sacked the other at the Battle of Cormit. Proceeding to strike crucial targets through the Ascendancy in a lightning blitz, the two military masters broke the Ascendancy's resistance in three months.

Having won Empire-wide prestige for his command skill, Sorrik served as Tariun's senior tactical advisor and was regularly consulted by the Royal Starfleet's High Command. In 139 ABY, he was given a second Consulship, this time over Kinoss, the world he himself had conquered. Though resentful of being defeated, the Chiss also respected Sorrik as a military strategist, and he was able to keep the world stable and peaceful.

In 140 ABY, Sorrik was given a battle group to avert a third uprising on Shel Du, which he did. When Tariun Sakaros was briefly captured in at the end of that year, Sorrik was appointed acting Prefect of the Order of Keltrayu until Tariun was rescued. In 141 ABY, the Vagaari attacked Ascendancy territory, sparking the Vagaari War. Tariun installed Sorrik as his second-in-command, a Legate responsible for one of three fronts against the invading slavers. Sorrik ceded leadership of the Order of Keltrayu to Eskol Kaartinen and took the Imperial Star Destroyer Stronghold as his flagship.

The Ssi-ruuk
When the attacked the south of the Empire in what became known as the Ssi-ruuvi Incursion, Tariun sent Sorrik to deal with the matter, giving him over a thousand capital ships and hundreds of Centurions. Rin Sakaros personally accompanied Sorrik as well, feeling the unknown threat demanded her more than the Vagaari.

Sorrik, with Vem and Breek Zagrev as subordinate Legates, fought several battles with the, including those at Zorabos and Iomis. He created a widespread strategy, dividing his ships into smaller fleets and battle groups to defend the worlds of the Romasi sector while he deployed Royal Intelligence to find their center. When it was discovered on Shest Minor, Sorrik sent Breek to capture the planet, sparking the three-day Battle of Shest Minor that ultimately saw the Empire's victory.

Sorrik was present when Rin Sakaros made an alliance with the s and joined forces to expel the Ssi-ruuk from the Empire's territory.

Primacy
After the successful conclusion of the war, Sorrik took most of his fleet back to aid Tariun's beleaguered force, arriving in time to turn the tide of the Vagaari War back to the Empire's favor. Tarse Medrego and Salome Hrek had become the new Legates, and Sorrik stayed as Tariun's tactical advisor for the campaign. He briefly took up a small fleet when Tariun began dispersing the Armada through the remains of Vagaari territory to wipe the species out.

When the Vagaari were annihilated, Rin relieved Tariun of duty as Prime Legate and installed Sorrik in the post. As Supreme Commander of the Armada, he worked to rebuild the losses sustained during the Tribulation, exploiting resources from newly acquired worlds to construct more ships. Salome Hrek, now promoted to Admiral, was among his senior advisors in the Royal Starfleet's High Command.

First test
A group of Dark Jedi attacked the Empire in 149 ABY, touching off the Vagaari War. Rin herself largely orchestrated the defenses of Daispin and Rykar, but Sorrik assumed responsibility for the war's grand strategy. He raised the Romasi and Xoquon Sector Fleets, putting Breek and Tariun respectively in command, and sent them to protect those sectors. Sorrik himself remained with the Prime Fleet, coordinating the efforts of the two defense fleets as well as the thousands of ships spread throughout what had formerly been the Vagaari Empire and the.

Sorrik supervised the disposition of the Prime Fleet during the destruction of Kizav, though the engagement with the enemy fleet was brief. He intended to command the Battle of Dolomir, but communications were knocked out when the enemy boarded the Sith Star. Instead, Sorrik took over command of the Star itself while Captain Meerk Hozzit coordinated internal command of Massassi and Royal Marines trying to repel the invaders. After the deaths of the last Dark Jedi, Sorrik sought and received Rin's permission to accept surrender from the surviving Skavik.

Powers and abilities
Though well-trained in telekinesis and telepathy, like all Centurions, Sorrik put the most effort into honing his precognition. It gave him a stronger defense in melee engagements, and in tactical command of battles could even allow him to anticipate his enemies' movements.

Sorrik's precognitive abilities also played into his lightsaber specialty, Soresu. He was a competent swordsman, patient and willing to wait for an opening. However, his administrative and leadership role in the Empire took away from time for practice, and consequently, while he was as able a swordsman as the majority of Centurions, his skills were nothing like those of the Empire's finest duelists.

Intelligent and well-read, Sorrik was a tactician with a vast knowledge of military history, both Royal and from the Tetrarchy. He had a gift for using even small ships effectively against foes with larger vessels, and though he preferred to command from something in a Star Destroyer class, he regularly won war games even with only corvettes and frigates.

Appearance and personality
Standing 1.78 meters (5'10") tall, Sorrik was heavily bulked up, like all Umdals, weighing close to 181 kilograms (400 pounds). However, due to devoted physical training, it was nearly all muscle.  He had strength enough to crush a Human's skull with only his hands, and could even engage in hand-to-hand combat with Massassi and Fyaar on equal terms.  His hide ranged from dark gray to black, with light gray patches around his eyes and the base of his horns.  He usually wore his Centurion's uniform with black gloves.  He carried a single lightsaber with a dark purple blade; its handle was slightly thicker and longer than most to accommodate Sorrik's large hands and powerful grip.  His voice was a deep bass rumble.

The word most commonly used to describe Sorrik personally (as opposed to his military prowess) was "steady". He was a stoic, patient man with an uncommonly slow temper, reliable for any command given by his superiors or any favor asked by a friend or sibling of the Order. Due to his extensive command experience, he was very calm under pressure. Though he preferred to plan strategy carefully in advance, he was also capable of adapting to a changing battlefield.

Sorrik was always conscious that his first duty was to the Empire, and he was willing to sacrifice men and ships strategically if it served the greater good. However, he had great respect and affection for the men under his command, and would never spend a life needlessly. He took pains to make sure his men received necessary medical care and whatever could be provided to maintain their morale, and was consequently very popular with both the rank and file and his top officers.

Behind the scenes
Sorrik's distinctly deep voice is envisioned as a combination of those of and.