Alagar Pencho was an Imperial Army general who rose up in rebellion against Emperor Palpatine and had fought in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. Hailing from Naboo, Pencho served in the Naboo Royal Security Forces during the invasion by the Trade Federation. He fought well during the invasion, and rose to the rank of captain in the following years. Pencho joined the Grand Army and reached the rank of colonel by 19 BBY, serving in the Imperial Army upon the formation of the Galactic Empire.
After remaining loyal to Emperor Palpatine during the military coup led by Gentis, he was promoted to the rank of general. However, Gentis spoke with Pencho prior to the coup and explained his views, some of which the Naboo native agreed with. He kept any doubts he had at the time in the back of his mind and fought with distinction in the Western Reaches Operation against Separatist holdouts as the chief of staff under General Hurst Romodi. The older general considered Pencho to be an excellent officer and brilliant strategist, recommending him for a higher position. The Emperor placed him in command of the 15th Sector Army, stationed in the Sarin Oversector.
Biography[]
Early career[]
Hailing from the world of Naboo, Alagar Pencho was born in the city of Harte Secur, into a family which had served in the Naboo Royal Security Forces for generations. He continued the tradition by joining the organization and becoming a lieutenant in the Security Guard by 32 BBY. Lieutenant Pencho fought with the Security Forces against the Trade Federation during its invasion of the planet. During the invasion, he took part in guerrilla warfare with Naboo insurgents in the countryside, becoming known for organizing a band of partisans and leading the Liberation of Harte Secur. Pencho's success in forming a partisan group and liberating his hometown from the Trade Federation earned him a promotion to captain in 31 BBY.
Pencho as a Royal Security Force captain, 22 BBY.
In the years following the Trade Federation invasion, Captain Pencho continued to serve in the Royal Naboo Security Forces. Seeing what the Federation did to his people disturbed the Naboo officer and made him believe that the Galactic Republic needed to preserved to avoid chaos and break down of authority. His exploits during the conflict were known on Naboo and the captain had received a medal from Padmé Amidala, the reigning Queen of Naboo. By 22 BBY, Pencho considered himself a conservative, a supporter of the Naboo monarchy and aristocracy, as well as a supporter of the Republic. In 22 BBY, he was given a transfer to Theed, the capital of Naboo, where he worked as the head of the Security Guard (which functioned as the planet's police force).
He also briefly met Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine on a trip to Coruscant with newly-appointed Senator Amidala. The two Naboo natives found themselves in agreement about the galactic situation, both believing that a strong centralized government was needed to bring order and peace. Palpatine, who had heard of Pencho's exploits during the invasion, decided to keep track of the officer's career. Later that year, the Battle of Geonosis took place between the forces of the Republic and the breakaway Confederacy of Independent Systems. The engagement marked the beginning of the Clone Wars. Upon hearing of the outbreak of the war, Pencho rushed to Coruscant and asked the Supreme Chancellor if he could enlist in the new Grand Army of the Republic even though he was not a clone trooper. He felt that he had an obligation to protect the Republic, because in Pencho's view, protecting it would ultimately be defending Naboo. Palpatine agreed, accepting Pencho into the Grand Army as a captain.
The 144th troopers during the Battle of Muunilinst.
As an officer of the Grand Army of the Republic, Captain Pencho was given command of the 144th Infantry Company, a unit of clone troopers. They participated in many of the first battles of the conflict, including the First Battle of Kamino. He fought alongside clone troopers during the battle against Separatist forces in defense of the cloning facilities at Tipoca City. Their position was overrun but instead of retreating, Pencho led his troopers in hand-to-hand combat against the droids. They were able to force the droids to retreat, giving them heavy casualties (while also taking heavy casualties themselves). That act earned the officer the respect of his men, and vice versa. The 144th Infantry Company went on to fight under the command of Jedi Generals Cei Vookto and Ki-Adi-Mundi at the Battle of Lianna in early 21 BBY. Despite the efforts of the 144th, they were unable to defeat the Separatists, being outnumbered and outgunned.
Jedi General Cei Vookto was forced to use the power of elemental summoning to win the day, at the cost of his own life. Pencho was impressed by the Jedi's actions, and had a respect for Jedi after that battle. He went on to lead the 144th at the Battle of Muunilinst, after which he was promoted to the rank of major. The 144th was transferred to Coruscant in late 21 BBY and integrated with the Coruscant Guard to make up for the casualties they took during the Coruscant Insurrection, an assault on the capital by a small Separatist force. Major Pencho and his men would remain there for the rest of the war. Their main duties included policing the capital, a task that he found rather boring. When the Confederacy attacked Coruscant in 19 BBY, the Naboo officer and the troopers of the 144th were secretly glad to finally get to take part in the action once again.
Pencho led the company in defense of the Senate Building during the battle, which ended with a Republic victory. Palpatine issued Order 66 not long after the battle, which labelled all Jedi as traitors to the Republic. The major found it hard to believe that the Jedi would attempt to rise up against the Republic, but, being a loyal soldier, carried out the command and helped in the attack on the Jedi Temple. When Palpatine proclaimed the reformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire and the Grand Army into the Imperial Army, Pencho was surprised, but personally glad that a stronger authority was finally being established. He was promoted to the rank of colonel several months after the declaration of the New Order.
In the Emperor's service[]
A loyalist XR-85 tank fights on Coruscant during Gentis' coup.
In 19 BBY, several weeks after his promotion, Colonel Pencho was approached by General Gentis, a hero of the Clone Wars and prominent military commander. The pair had met once before during a military parade on Coruscant during the conflict. They did not get the opportunity to say much to each other, but judging by his reputation, Pencho assumed that Gentis was a good officer. The man questioned the Naboo native on his thoughts on the galactic political situation, and then went on to criticize the Emperor for allowing conflicts to continue. The colonel remained a supporter of the Emperor but found himself agreeing with some of Gentis' points. Nonetheless, he told the general that the final defeat of the Separatist holdouts and other threats was inevitable, and to wait for the conclusion of the war. Gentis appeared to be disappointed, and left shortly after that. Pencho would spend some time thinking about what the general had said in the following weeks, and soon found out his reason for doing so.
Gentis ended up staging a military coup against the Emperor. During a ceremony presenting the graduating class of Imperial Academy cadets, he tried to kill Emperor Palpatine and believed that he had succeeded. The general managed to take control of Coruscant as Darth Vader fled with the injured Palpatine. He approached Pencho again and asked him to join his cause, but the colonel from Naboo refused again. Taking command of a group of loyalist military personnel, Colonel Pencho rose up in revolt against Gentis, fighting his forces on the Imperial capital. He directed his forces in attacks on targets important to Gentis, such as supply bases and government buildings under the general's control. Gentis considered Pencho as a brilliant strategist as his forces were growing thinner and thinner while the colonel's loyalists gained in strength.
They were successfully holding out when the Emperor returned with Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin, who then killed Gentis and many of his followers. With the coup forces collapsing, Pencho led his remaining loyalists to "clean up" the remainder of the Gentis conspirators. For his loyalty during the coup and leading the fight against Gentis, the Emperor promoted Pencho to the rank of general. Although he had just reached the apex of his career, the Naboo native couldn't help but think about what Gentis originally said to him. If he had any doubts at the time, Pencho pushed them to the back of his mind and carried on with his service, but the he did not forget about the incident. The colonel's doubts that began in the first year of the Empire's existence would increase over time.
General Pencho preferred to lead from the front lines.
However, during the early years of the Empire, Pencho mostly ignored the doubts and left them in the back of his mind. In 17 BBY, along side other Clone Wars veterans like Terrinald Screed and Grand Moff Tarkin, Pencho took part in the Western Reaches Operation, serving as the chief of staff of General Hurst Romodi. The operation was highly successful, liberating 95 worlds and eight sectors. Pencho often led his troops from the front lines and was regarded by Romodi as an excellent officer. Romodi recommended Pencho for a higher position after the operation, which the Emperor decided to accept and made him the supreme commander of the Fifteenth Army, stationed in the Sarin Oversector.
As the commander of the 15th Sector Army, General Pencho led the troops with discipline, staging regular military drills to keep the soldiers' combat skills sharp, and had low tolerance for incompetence. He was also on the look out for talented officers. Whenever he found one, the general would promote him and keep track of his career. The general also was lenient to subordinates who made mistakes and gave them chances to redeem themselves. Pencho's leadership of the 15th Sector Army gained him a loyal following. Over the years, the 15th Sector Army became among the most combat-ready units in the Imperial Army, a fact noted favorably by Imperial inspectors. His soldiers became very loyal to their commanding officer. Among General Pencho's staff were Colonel Lucius Merrik, a fellow Clone Wars veteran, and Major Raymar Thalus.
Around 14 BBY, the general's doubts began returning when Berch Teller, a former Republic Intelligence officer, attempted a rebellion against the Empire. The former intelligence officer and his followers were crushed, but not before wrecking havoc throughout the Empire and even subverting a vice admiral to their cause. The Emperor's response, a purge of officers he deemed to be potential traitors, caused Pencho to doubt Palpatine's leadership abilities. However, he said nothing publicly and continued carrying out his duties. The general remained a follower of the New Order, but did not particularly care who sat on the throne, as long as it was someone competent.