We should be able to adjust accordingly if they have forces in the water, besides.. the water is our territory."
—Dar Vinta
Dar Vinta was the Supreme Commander of Sector Forces of the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War, and into the New Republic Era, personally commanding forces during decisive battles such as the Battle of Endor, the Liberation of Coruscant and other battles. He later became the Representative of Glee Anselm in the New Republic and the Head of the Council of Elders following the Galactic Civil War. Dar Vinta would live until 43 ABY, when he succumbed to extreme old age.
Biography[]
Early life[]
During his early years on Glee Anselm, his father was an avid supporter of the Republic and a member of the Council of Elders who, when the Clone Wars broke out in 22 BBY, believed that total destruction of the Confederacy of Independent Systems was necessary to reacquire galactic peace, and encouraged Dar Vinta to actively support the production of more clones, and do what he can from their small planet to aid in the war effort. Although he attempted to heed his advice, he was often at odds with his father regarding the extremist ideals his father demonstrated, often ending in his father imprisoning him and warning him that without his presence he would've already been executed for treason. However, when the Battle of Glee Anselm occurred in 19 BBY, Dar – at the age of 19 – lead a small group of Nautolan soldiers to a successful ambush of a large portion of the droid army assaulting the planet. The battle ended in extreme casualties, including Dar Vinta's infant brother after a squad of battle droids sacked his village, as the Nautolans did not have a pre-established clone garrison, however the droid army was fended off of the planet and the Clone Wars ended soon after with the formation of the Galactic Empire.
They said it would be easy to wash away the memories of battle on a watery world. I guess they never saw an entire ocean run red.
—Rin Mako on the Battle of Glee Anselm
As the Empire began to consolidate control over the galaxy, Dar Vinta began to notice his father's increasing zeal towards the Empire and its tactics, and shortly after his father began to act as a local representative and mediator between the Empire and the locals of Glee Anselm. His charismatic personality and rousing speeches quickly lured his people into being sympathetic to the Empire. As eldest son to the now Head of the Council of Elders, Dar Vinta witnessed backdoor atrocities and crimes against his people, and resolved to overthrow his father from power, and attempt to drive the Empire off of Glee Anselm.
This would prove a difficult task however, and to begin Vinta was only able to gather the support of those he led at the Battle of Glee Anselm, but as word began to spread about the actions against the locals, more and more Nautolans began to rally behind him. Eventually, Dar and his supporters took to the Imperial Embassy in his village, and attempted to coup his father and arrest the Imperial Officers meeting with him. At first, all seemed to go smoothly, the officers were taken into custody along with his father, as well as the small squad of stormtroopers with them, but their luck did not last long. As an Imperial Shuttle landed, a squad of Purge Troopers led by an Inquisitor stepped out from the boarding ramp.
I did not come here for such an occasion as this, but I suppose we can have a little fun while we're here.
—The Fifth Brother upon meeting Dar Vinta's resistance
The Inquisitor and his Purge Troopers began a ruthless slaughter of his supporters, and while attempting a retreat with his forces, a lone Purge Trooper wielding electrobatons intercepted Vinta and halted him from retreating with the rest of his forces, a duel ensued and Dar had to utilize the small forest they battled in to even garner a chance at defeating the trooper. Eventually, he was knocked down beside the limp body of a fellow Nautolan, an ionized CR-2 – one of the many scavenged weapons from the Clone Wars – sat a step away from the hand of the Nautolan. Seeing this as his only opportunity to end the battle, he quickly grabbed the blaster and shot the Purge Trooper point blank in the chest, who had crept up behind him as he struggled on the ground. The trooper fell to his knees, and an exhausted Vinta picked up the electrobatons he dropped, and finished off the already dying trooper.
As he moved towards a pre-established rally point, he stumbled upon a clearing, only to see what was left of one of the retreating groups slaughtered, and the Inquisitor enjoying the slow death of one of Dar's comrades. Though he watched in horror, Vinta soon collected himself and began moving towards the rally point once again. As he arrived, he was greeted with a very small remaining force, comprised of injured and barely able soldiers still ready to fight, though a rousing speech rejuvenated the flame in their eyes for revolution.
Career[]
As his resistance regained its strength, and planning was set in motion for another coup on the capital, scouts reported sighting of an unknown figure lounging about one of the nearby beaches. Wary of the figure, Vinta personally gathered a small group of fighters and moved to investigate. When they arrived they were greeted with a rather young Human male, seemingly on vacation judging by the way he was living. Vinta halted his troops and ordered them into stealth positions, as he approached the figure. As he crept up, a stick under his foot snapped and the Human leaped up revealing a Yellow bladed Crossguard Lightsaber from his cloak, demanding to know why Vinta was there. Vinta quickly removed his gun from his back and placed it down as a sign of peace, and the face of the Human eased a little. They exchanged conversation, and Vinta learned the human's name was Cypher Ardellian, a former Jedi Padawan who escaped the events of Order 66. Although realizing his being on the planet was the reason the inquisitor had been there the day of the coup, Vinta saw the invaluability of having a Jedi on their side, and seized the opportunity to recruit the Jedi into his ranks.
Over the next few weeks, the Jedi's presence would prove useful in the planning of the next assault, and boosting the morale of his men. The troops saw him as an opportunity to defeat the inquisitor should he return. Unbeknownst to the resistance however, a group of rebels known as the Phoenix Cell had caught wind of the nearly successful uprising, and the encounter with the inquisitor. Their leader, Jun Sato, suspected there would be a Jedi on the planet, and that an addition to their numbers would be helpful in the long-term of the war, so he too attempted to seize of the opportunity presented. He gathered a small stealth squad of troops led by Commander Deckland Carper, and ordered an extraction team of the alleged Jedi and any potential recruits into the alliance, putting emphasis on their leader. However, the squad would not arrive before Dar Vinta launched his second assault.
With the help of Cypher Ardellian, the resistance's plan was executed with much more ease, as the small garrison of Imperials were ill-equipped to deal with a force-user, and most surrendered without much resistance. It was the Imperial Embassy that posed the issue to the Nautolan Resistance, as it was more heavily guarded by Imperial troops. Despite this, the group eventually breached the defences and took control of the embassy. Unknown to the Nautolans, the presence of the Jedi had been reported to Imperial Command, and the Fifth Brother was once again deployed to the planet in an effort to eliminate him. Dar Vinta, expecting this, set up defensive positions around several Imperial landing zones, hoping to eliminate or at least thin the ranks of the Purge Troopers and their leader. The defending forces, despite putting up a noble fight, were ultimately broken through, aided by the Imperial Forces who gained a new fervour at the sight of the Inquisitor. Dar Vinta and Cypher Ardellian moved to meet the Inquisitor at the beachhead, where he would laugh at the sight of Vinta, remembering his face.
Meanwhile, the force led by Commander Carper was entering the orbit of Glee Anselm, noticing the strange lack of scanning attempts by the surface below, they made haste to the capital village of the planet. Landing not too far out from the combat, as they had seen it while they drew closer. Carper knew at this point a stealth extraction was not possible, he deployed his forces to aid the resistance, while he went to make contact with Vinta and the Jedi.
The Purge Troopers, who had been thinned to three by the ambush forces, were dispatched quickly by Vinta and Ardellian, and the battle seemed to be turning in their favour with the reinforcements provided by the unknown rebels. A battle ensued between the Fifth Brother and the two, which appeared quite even as a result of the inexperience between both the Jedi and the Resistance Leader. Though they were able to land impressive blows and injure the Inquisitor, his superior control of the force and skill with the lightsaber ultimately began to exhaust the two, and the battle quickly became one sided. Deckland Carper, seeing that he would not able to make contact with Vinta while he was in combat with the Inquisitor, quickly ordered his troops to begin firing on the Fifth Brother in an effort to distract him. This worked, and Vinta and Ardellian were given a moment of breath where Carper quickly confronted the pair and explained their situation. Ardellian, believing he could not win that battle, quickly accepted the offer to leave the planet, though Vinta's responsibility to his troops caused him to at first decline the request. Carper, knowing he could not leave without him, coordinated with Vinta and his troops and eventually overwhelmed the Imperials, and with a lack of support, and a Jedi facing him, the Inquisitor was forced to retreat from the planet. Vinta then discussed with Carper the conditions of the meeting with Jun Sato, stating that he had to return to this planet as soon as possible to continue to lead his men, who now held the major Imperial stronghold of the planet. Carper assured Vinta that he would be able to return quickly and continue his work on this planet. Vinta agreed, and began to head to the shuttle with Ardellian and Carper. Before lifting off, he gave orders and contingencies he had made up before the battle, in case they needed his support while he was away. Carper also provided them with communication codes to the Phoenix Cell outpost. With that, the three then set off for the planet Atollon.
Personality and traits[]
Dar Vinta was described by most he met as a stubborn but resourceful leader, who found an effective equilibrium between prioritizing the mission and the troops under his command.
Jun Sato described him as a highly competent field commander, as well as an important and knowledgeable advisor in and out of wartime.
Airen Cracken later described him roughly the same as Jun Sato, but included that his organizational skills in the heat of battle were rivalled by none.
Deckland Carper, whose ship Vinta was stationed on for a short time, stated that "No other trooper under my command could take up my position in the event of my death better than him, that is why he stands at my side on the bridge." Carper would later die on board his ship, ordering an evacuation before going down with her.