There can be no peace, no peace I tell you while the Trade Federation controls our planet! They destroy our holy places and tell us lies to protect themselves. They are the scum of the Galaxy so let us clean them up. Now think fondly of your loved ones and let us march to whatever the gods will!
—Deringi Saigos to his men before the Battle of Port Royale.
Deringi Saigos was an Umanian military commander during the Umanian War for Independence. He was born in a tiny village in the Principality of Algiers. The Algerians were the most militaristic Umanian race and therefore he grew up hateful and angry. It didn't help his disposition any when his parents were killed in a raid by a rival kingdom. At sixteen he joined the military just so he could satisfy his bloodlust. His superiors quickly realized he was an excellent commander and he was promoted to a General. When the Umanians revolted against Trade Federation he was quick to join the resistance as he had long been against the Trade Federation's policies. He commanded the Umanian army at the Port Royale where he and all his forces were killed.
Biography[]
Early life[]
I was young at the time so my memory is foggy, but there is no denying that my parents were killed in that raid.
—Deringi Saigos
Deringi Saigos was born in a small village in the plains of the Principality of Algiers. The village was made up of the lower class mainly peasants and farmers. Deringi was gifted with compassionate parents, very rare in the Principality as they were militaristic. His parents understood, however, that his life would be better if he was able to get a job in the military. He and his father trained on the days they were not working the fields, his father also taught him about strategies and tactics.
One day his father was working in the fields, his mother was cleaning their home, and Deringi was playing with his friends on the outskirts of the village. He looked on the horizon and saw a large force massing to attack. He immediately ran to the village center and told the guards who laughed and told him he was seeing things. A few moments later the raiders fired a volley of arrows into the fields. One struck his father in the chest and killed him instantly. His body grew limp as he fell to the ground and the raiders marched over him. The militia forces were unprepared for the battle and were slaughtered as the raiders entered the village killing and looting as they went. Deringi's mother ran into the street to see what was wrong and she was cut down by a blade. Deringi ran from the village and hid in the jungle and watched as his home burned and his fellow villagers were put to the sword. This event scarred him emotionally for life and he went partially insane, believing he could have done more to prevent the murder of his parents. He was never the same again.
Orphaned[]
It was all my fault; I should have done more to prevent it.
—Deringi Saigos
After the raid Deringi returned to the village and he found nothing but carnage; buildings were burning and bodies were lying all around. They were dismembered and decapitated as blood ran through the streets as the Umanians desperately tried to douse the flames. He found both his parents' bodies lying in two separate piles ready to be buried. He ran and hid in his home, which was one of the few buildings not burning. He cried himself to sleep that night. He had to fend for himself for the rest of his life stealing food and protecting his home.
At age sixteen he was old enough to join the military of Algiers; which he did, not because he was patriotic, but to satisfy his bloodlust. He went to the military academy at the capitol of Algiers and spent years perfecting his fighting prowess. During his training he showed an aptitude for leadership and conquered the simulations, however, once he got into the field he froze. He didn't know what orders to give and had to rely on field commanders to do his work for him. Even with this handicap he was an inspirational figure in battle, preferring to fight with his troops on the front lines. He was known as a ferocious soldier, killing his enemies in the most brutal way possible.
Years in the military[]
Deringi Saigos spent many years in the military defending against raids by the Kingdom of the Royale. Over the years he searched in vain for the raiding party that destroyed his village. However one day in 33 BBY he found them camped near a village they had just burned. This enraged him further and he ordered his army to attack. The raiding party was unprepared and suffered heavy losses including their commander. The raiders held for a while but were soon routed and they were ridden down by General Saigos's cavalry. In the end none of the raiders survived; but General Saigos wasn't satisfied. He ordered their bodies to be dismembered and burned. He won many other victories and lost some battles leading up to the Umanian War for Independence, however he was never as exceptional as Iscarrd Veston.
Umanian War of Independence[]
Saigos had been against the Trade Federation occupation since day one, however, most Umanians believed only good things could come of it. This was proved false when the Neimoidians began treating the people of Uman Rai harshly. Saigos was on the leading edge of the revolt when Iscarrd Veston took control of the battle droids on the planet. When droid commander OOM-10 and his army landed not far from Port Royale Veston trusted him with holding the city. Saigos, disgusted by the fact he now had to defend his enemies, marched his army the short distance to the Royalian capital. As much as he hated the Royalians; he hated the Trade Federation a hundred times more.
Saigos' last stand[]
As Deringi Saigos arrived at Port Royale he observed from afar the Droid general's movements. He ordered his troops to build barricades throughout the canyon leading to Port Royale. He also ordered his units to get the artillery into position. The Droids approached the barricades and during the first half of the battle it appeared to be in the favor of the Umanians. However, when the Droids captured a side of the canyon the battle swung in favor of the Trade Federation. Deringi ordered all of his forces to a hill behind Port Royale. His mostly mercenary army was beginning to lose morale and falter. He stood up on a platform and tried to rally them but he was struck by a bolt from an AAT and what was left of his charred body fell backward from the platform. His army began to run but found themselves surrounded and all were slaughtered. The event became known as Saigos' Last Stand and a monument was built on the hill named after the general. What was left of his body was returned to the Algerian plains and buried next to his village.
Legacy[]
Although there is much controversy surrounding him, Deringi Saigos was seen by the Umanians as one of their greatest heroes just under Iscarrd Veston. The Umanian people held him as the greatest martyr in their history and stories about him are regularly told to children. Even through all this he still has his detractors, the most important of which was Veston himself. He trusted Siagos with his army and he lost it. Veston regarded him as a foolhardy nut. He never forgave Saigos and carried the anger until the day he died himself.
Personality and traits[]
The raid that scarred his childhood obviously affected him the rest of his life. He behaved rather erratically and would explode at anyone and everyone and frequently went into fits of rage. This caused his soldiers not only to follow him out of pride, but also out of fear of what he would do to them. He had a reputation for being overly aggressive in battle and would put his men at great risk to kill all of the enemy. Many of his adversaries argued that he was insane, xenophobic, misanthropic, cruel, and blood thirsty. All of these accusations were, of course, true, but his supporters denied these claims. He despised the Royalians after the raid on his village and hunted them all down on the battlefield. After the Trade Federation took control of Uman Rai he also hated Neimoidians and all Droids. If he ever spotted a Droid alone he would destroy it. Ironically, Deringi Siagos was killed defending the capitol of his enemies. Some say that Saigos intentionally lost the battle for this reason and due to most of his force being Royalian mercenaries.