I've died before and I'll die again yet, but I've never failed a mission.
—Iden Lambert.
Iden Lambert – often referred to simply as Commander – was a female Human who served as a soldier in the Republic Navy, a founding member of the mercenary group Bubblegum Squad and a commando in the Advanced Strategic Operations Service of Shimka's Well, where she eventually attained the rank of commander. Raised by her parents Aaellu and Benjamin Lambert on the Outer Rim world of Farrow, Iden grew up hearing stories of her parents' heroics on behalf of the Galactic Republic and hoped to follow in their footsteps, training to use the Force and a lightsaber.
Despite her skill with both the Force and a saber, Iden – along with her brother Malik – left Farrow to join the Republic Navy when she was 16, beginning her training in 45 ATC. By 51 ATC, both Iden and Malik transferred to the Republic's Expeditionary Response Fleet at their own request and served as members of the marines, participating in numerous conflicts beyond the borders of Republic space. It was during this time that Iden met and befriended fellow marines Ping "Bubblegum" Ordo, Simone "Regs" Parker and Diego "Tooka" Williams, in addition to earning her initially derogatory nickname, "Wildcard", on account of her reckless tactics. Iden, Malik, Ping, Simone and Diego worked – and survived – together well enough that they were eventually removed from the marines and reorganized into a single commando unit, with Diego being promoted to the rank of captain and taking up direct leadership of the team. During this time, Iden successfully petitioned for authorization to transfer her targon companion Tala aboard the ship for the purpose of utilizing her while in the field, becoming a qualified beast handler thanks in large part to her Force abilities.
In 53 ATC, Iden and her squad were deployed to the Outer Rim world of Viizikii Minor alongside Expeditionary Response Fleet marines to fight in a ground campaign against an Imperial-backed rebel group known as the Bondigho. After Iden received life-threatening injuries shielding her allies from a bomb blast in 54 ATC, the squad disobeyed the orders of Major Castine Kausos and launched an attack on a Bondigho camp rather than withdraw, intending to detonate an old ZR-57 orbital strike bomb the rebels had acquired before it could be used against Republic forces. Despite their success, Ping died when the ZR-57 detonated, left behind on the orders of Major Kausos, leading to an altercation at camp which resulted in Diego, Simone and Malik being put before a firing squad for insubordination.
Thankfully, the marines deliberately missed their shots in protest, and Kausos was relieved of her command and ordered home for disobeying General Waverunner's order to stand down. With the situation on Viizikii improving for the Republic, Waverunner ordered many of the marines – including Iden's squad – off-world for rest and much-needed medical attention. Despite their appreciation towards Waverunner, the squad had been demoralized by Iden's injuries and Ping's death and agreed to finish their tour and leave the Republic military behind, though Iden spent the entirety of that time being rehabilitated and was still undergoing physical therapy when the group began seeking out mercenary work, hiring themselves out as "Bubblegum Squad", in memory of their fallen friend.
Iden was approached by Zhavi Waverunner in 56 ATC and invited to join the Advanced Strategic Operations Service, a small but elite military force tasked with eliminating threats to Shimka's Well and its allies – Iden's homeworld of Farrow and the "Sith" world of Som Galla – before they could escalate. Initially she was asked to lead the new commando initiative, but Iden declined, feeling she was unsuited to leadership, and Malik was approached with the offer instead. Iden was offered the role of executive officer after rejecting the position of commander, but she once again declined, opting to serve ASOS through her combat skills alone. Diego and Simone were also offered positions within ASOS, however both declined, a decision Iden was saddened by but respected, knowing they were still haunted by Ping's demise. Malik and Iden coordinated with Captain Elizabeth Kondarr – the head of the small Shimkan navy and their direct superior – to filter through a list of prospective recruits and assemble a shortlist.
Once their team was chosen, Malik personally approached and recruited each member, starting with his executive officer Kassandra Wheeler, a former member of the Jedi Service Corps. Once the team was assembled they were provided with a ship – a prototype Ah'rek-class frigate named, simply, Ah'rek – and outfitted with new weapons commissioned from BlasTech Industries and Graul-class commando armor commissioned from Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc., the latter of which would go on to become the defining image of ASOS in the wider galaxy.
Led by Commander Malik Lambert, Iden and the crew were deployed on several successful assignments over the years that followed, primarily assisting the Galactic Republic with operations against the various factions of the fractured Sith Empire and the criminal opportunists attempting to exploit the power vacuum left as Imperial territory was lost. Early in 57 ATC, Iden and her fellow commandos assisted a significant Republic anti-piracy operation, joining Jedi Master Avexiss Redonna Odé to neutralize a pirate fleet and kill Lizzett Odé, the group's ruthless leader and Master Odé's sister. Later, in 59 ATC, ASOS forces were called upon to deal with an Umbaran nationalist group after a bombing on New Plympto, leading them to an underground encampment on Umbara where they encountered and defeated the Gen'Dai known as Colonel Umkoss.
In 60 ATC, ASOS commandos responded to reports of Imperial movement in and out of the Ioto system, beginning their search on nearby Pzob – where additional activity had been reported – and discovered the local Gamorrean population was being rounded up for use as slave laborers, with women, children and any others who were too weak to work being herded into gas chambers and executed en masse. Shutting down the operation, Iden and the rest of the ASOS team managed to salvage flight data from an Imperial transport and used it to navigate the Ioto Wall – a vast, dense asteroid field surrounding the Ioto system – to reach Kitessh, the outermost planet beyond the wall. Allying with a local rebel group, ASOS forces eventually discovered that they had been lured to Kitessh to draw attention away from the edge of the system, where the Empire's true objective was hidden. Thanks to their rapid success on the desert world, the team were able to discover the Empire's secret project – Shatterpoint Outpost, a superlaser built to breach the hyperspace disturbance at the edge of the galaxy – and destroy it in time.
When Iden eventually took over as commander, she and her squad assisted in two major operations against the forces of Darth Hamon in 61 ATC, supporting Iden's sister Gretta and her younger brother Shen – along with Dark Jedi Mariko Artofen – in destroying a clone laboratory. A few weeks later, Iden received a request for aid from another of her siblings, Ackross Lambert, who had discovered the location of the factory that produced the deadly Imperial extinction droids. Although she initially refused due to the extreme danger posed to her squad and a lack of available resources and intelligence, Iden's sister Jocosa Ryder contacted her and "persuaded" her to assist, allowing Ackross – alongside his companions Maris Mistwood and the remaining two of the three Artofen sisters, Sakura and Suiko – to lead an attack and shut down the factory.
Iden eventually gave birth to a daughter – whom she named Jaina – and at some point she retired from military life, settling down to raise Jaina on Shimka's Well. In 83 ATC, Iden responded to a distress call on the Outer Rim world of Sarros where a viral outbreak known only as "the Sickness" had overcome the population, turning the planet into a war zone from the inside out. The leadership of Shimka's Well were hesitant about sending troops, leading Iden to gather her old equipment and depart for Sarros in an unofficial capacity, as both Diego and Jaina were present on the planet in the hours preceding the outbreak. Once there, Iden – along with Ducky, who volunteered to help – was able to locate and rescue both Diego and Jaina and escort them to an exfiltration site before proceeding to tackle the wider situation, assisted in the process by the Imperial colonel Markoss Fry, Doctor Amber Ollyssos and a makeshift droid identifying itself as "Smasher". Iden successfully fixed and upgraded a quantum bomb – stored in the secret Imperial laboratory at the source of the outbreak – with which she intended to close an interdimensional portal connecting realspace with a plane of existence dubbed the "Stygian Plane" by Doctor Ollyssos.
Unfortunately, the bomb had a complicated detonation sequence that had to be performed manually and a number of Starweirds – entering realspace from the Stygian Plane – prevented her from evacuating and leaving Smasher to accomplish the task alone. Iden was forced to remain on Sarros, killing the indoctrinated Sith Lord Salila Ishtar before sending Smasher and Ducky through the portal with her lightsaber to buy the time she needed to detonate the quantum bomb. Once activated, the bomb blast closed the portal and destroyed the entire planet, preventing the Starweird incursion and stopping the spread of the Sickness – at the cost of Tala and Iden's lives. A year later, during the conflict against the extra-galactic Zhaelor Vong on EGS-KTTL-0795, the "Nightmare Satellite", Iden appeared to her family and guided the forces of the Infinity Coalition to where Smasher and Ducky had fallen.
Recovering Iden's lightsaber and the technical readouts for Doctor Ollyssos' "improved" Mass Shadow Generator prototype, the coalition were able to destroy the Zhaelor Vong before they could invade the galaxy. After the Nightmare Satellite was destroyed, Iden's lightsaber was presented to Jaina and Iden was believed to have finally become one with the Force. Iden's final moments on Sarros were one of the many notable events witnessed by her siblings when they passed through the World Between Worlds in pursuit of Kassandra Wheeler after she revealed her Celestial origins and attempted to utilize the Celestial Orbs to remake the galaxy.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
The eldest daughter of Aaellu and Benjamin Lambert, Iden Lambert was born – alongside her siblings Malik, Kyris and Gretta Lambert – while her parents were visiting her mother's tribe on the Outer Rim world of Farrow in 29 ATC. Iden accompanied her parents when they returned to their Tyrena apartment on Corellia and remained there for a year, where she was periodically cared for by her "aunt" Sarna Ordina. After her father was injured in a hit-and-run attack instigated by Jedi Master Magda, Iden and her family relocated to Farrow's moon, Idlanna, where Iden lived for the remainder of her childhood.
Along with her siblings, Iden was trained to use the Force by both of her parents and her older half-sister, Acina Lambert, in addition to receiving lightsaber training when she was old enough. At the age of six, Iden adopted the abandoned runt of a targon litter as her Force familiar, naming her Tala. Iden grew up hearing stories of her mother and father's exploits during their service to the Galactic Republic and aspired to live up to their example; fighting for a common good against the evil forces of the Sith Empire.
By the time she was sixteen years old, Iden had built a lightsaber under her father's guidance, though both she and Malik left their new weapons in the care of their parents when they applied to join – and were accepted by – the Republic Navy.
Republic Trooper[]
We've been shipped off to places hit by the Empire. Security work really, but it's important and somebody's got to do it. Suppose we can't expect to be in the thick of it straight outta the academy. Met some good people anyway. You'd like 'em I reckon.
—Iden, in a message to her father.
Iden and Malik passed their initial training and were eventually deployed to serve in clean-up operations, primarily as security to remote, at-risk worlds and occasionally as part of counter-piracy operations, eliminating raiders and opportunists who had become emboldened in the Sith Empire's absence. By 51 ATC, the siblings had proven themselves to be skilled and dutiful and both were keen to see action on the front lines against the remnants of the Sith Empire, submitting transfer requests in the hopes of doing just that. With spotless service records and the Force augmenting their abilities far above those of the average soldier, both Iden and Malik were well-regarded by their commanding officer for their effectiveness and as such he reluctantly signed off on their requests and put in his own recommendation to expedite the process, ensuring the siblings were successfully transferred to the marine corps of the Republic's Expeditionary Response Fleet.
Shortly after their reassignment, Iden and Malik met fellow marines Ping "Bubblegum" Ordo, Simone "Regs" Parker and Diego "Tooka" Williams, with whom they fought in a number of small skirmishes and larger campaigns that took place along the distant Outer Rim. Naturally, fighting together built up a strong camaraderie between the soldiers, and their continued survival while many of their peers fell in battle or were reassigned led the group to become firm friends. Their friendship helped them anticipate one another whilst on deployment and the banter between them kept morale up on long deployments, improving their overall effectiveness, a fact which did not go unnoticed by their superiors.
Eventually, Iden and her team were transferred from the marine corps and reassembled into a new commando unit, with Diego being promoted to the rank of captain in order to take up the role of squad leader, a position he had already been fulfilling, albeit informally. Iden utilized their good track record to apply for an animal handler's permit to allow her to have Tala transferred aboard the ship, ostensibly for the purpose of assisting Iden and her team in the field, although Iden's motivation for the request was primarily personal, as she missed her familiar. After completing a short training course to ensure she was qualified and a number of practical tests to confirm her companion was adequately trained, Iden was granted a permit and Tala was brought aboard, albeit confined to the section of the ship reserved for the containment of service animals.
Viizikii Minor Campaign[]
It's been brutal. We lose dozens of men every day. One of the camps was hit in the night. Bastards dug tunnels and started cutting their throats while they slept. Keep waiting for the same thing to happen to us.
—Iden, in a message to her father.
In 53 ATC, Iden and her squad were deployed to Viizikii Minor to participate in an ongoing ground campaign against the Sith Empire and their local allies, a sizable force of guerrilla fighters known as the Bondigho who supported the Imperials for reasons unknown. While the Bondigho hounded Republic forces with alarming effectiveness, the Empire was left to mine the planet's mineral resources unhindered, and it was that reckless exploitation the Republic hoped to stop. Under the command of Major Castine Kausos, Iden's squad participated in numerous battles and skirmishes that took place in the southern hemisphere over the course of the year, though the Republic offensive made little headway and the planet remained in what was effectively to a stalemate.
Iden and her squad took part in the capture of a farmstead in the Ting Whenn region in 54 ATC, the first significant victory in many months and one which opened up additional avenues of attack for the Republic's forces. Capitalizing on the victory, Kausos gathered Iden's squad and sent them off for another attack within an hour of securing the farmstead. Utilizing the Gumm Juk Tonn Approach, Iden's team waded downriver seeking out a Bondigho strike camp, though Bondigho scouts found them first and ambushed them en route. After dispatching their attackers the group continued on to the camp, catching the occupants by surprise and swiftly clearing the area of Bondigho troops, further weakening their grip on the area. Once their task was done they reported in for further orders, whereupon they were recalled to the new forward operations camp to rest and resupply. Later that night, Ping was visiting Iden in her bunk when they heard distant noises, followed soon after by explosions and blaster fire as the Bondigho launched an attack. Grabbing their weapons, the pair rushed to defend the camp, with Iden fearing the worst when she realized the tent to which her brother had been assigned was a smoldering ruin.
Diego – who was in the same tent – appeared fully dressed with his rifle in-hand, having stayed up late to discuss the coming operations with the major, and the group were able to drive off the Bondigho alongside the marines, though not without taking significant casualties. Malik arrived at the conclusion of the fighting, having snuck away from camp to meet one of the locals with whom he was romantically involved, a breach of regulations which saved his life but earned him a seething reprimand from Major Kausos. Iden jokingly reassured him that worse things had happened to troops who were brave enough to "try the local cuisine". Two days later Iden's squad were deployed alongside the marines to take a nearby town controlled by the Bondigho after the heavy rains of the monsoon season had left it waterlogged and its defenses compromised, exposing it to attack. With Ping providing cover from a nearby overlook, the group split up – Malik with Diego and Iden with Simone – and began moving street-to-street, alley-to-alley, unsettled by the apparent absence of Bondigho forces. Quiet as it was, they were eventually ambushed, just as anticipated, with Malik and Diego facing one the Bondigho's rancor war mounts before the fighting subsided.
When it did, Simone was gone, separated from Iden in the chaos and captured by the raiders before they fell back, retreating from the town and allowing the Republic to secure it. Returning to camp disheartened by the loss of Simone, the group turned in early in preparation for an attack on a Bondigho prisoner of war camp the next day, the location of which was already known, although plans to liberate the prisoners were brought forward due to the Bondigho's lackluster defense of the town, which suggested they were sacrificing territory to buy them time to reinforce elsewhere. The team assembled again at dawn for the trek out to the prison camp and on arriving the group quietly worked their way through the guards; until one of them managed to raise the alarm, forcing them to fight through the camp. While the rest of her squad engaged the enemy, Iden uncovered information that pointed to the location of an antiquated ZR-57 orbital strike bomb, a bomb which – while old – presented a serious threat to the Republic war effort.
In the process of locating the information about the ZR-57, Iden also managed to identify where in the camp the prisoners were being held, setting off to find and free Simone and the dozens of other Republic troops imprisoned alongside her, all of whom were injured and malnourished – and several of whom were already dead – but ready to fight their way out alongside the commandos. After signaling for extraction, the group fought their way to a clearing where their transport could descend to pick them up; it was during this time that the Bondigho launched missiles in an attempt to stop the Republic forces from making their escape. To save her team, Iden used the Force to grab the missiles and hold them back while the others retreated. Unfortunately, in doing so, Iden had pinned herself down, unable to hold the missiles in position and move to get clear herself. Left with no option, Iden released the missiles and generated a barrier at the last moment, into which the missiles then collided, detonating mere meters in front of her. Though she was unable to contain such a considerable blast, she dampened the power of the explosion and saved herself from being killed instantly – but not from sustaining life threatening injuries.
Tala rushed into the smoke and dragged Iden to safety, shortly after which a transport arrived to extract the squad and the liberated troopers from the camp. Carried by Simone, Iden made it aboard the ship and – upon their return to base – was promptly evacuated for emergency medical care off-world. The revelation about the ZR-57 concerned the squad deeply, and though they were all worried about Iden they knew they had to deal with the bomb threat before it was used to wipe out the Republic forces in the southern hemisphere. Major Kausos, however, saw the situation differently; instead of dealing with the bomb, she ordered a retreat, intent on reinforcing General Zhavi Waverunner's troops in the north rather than risk remaining within striking distance of the ZR-57. Although she forbade Iden's squad from making an attempt to neutralize the bomb, Diego intended to venture out to the Bondigho stronghold, sneak in and destroy or detonate the bomb on his own. The rest of the squad intercepted him before he left camp, however, intent on joining the mission and, after a brief debate, the group set off – one commando down – to find and neutralize the bomb, knowing failure meant either death or a court martial.
With Ping providing sniper cover from outside the base, Malik, Diego and Simone crept into the camp via a shallow river, quietly dispatching enemy forces until they located the ZR-57 and activated it, programming it to detonate on a timer before destroying the controls, locking the sequence in. Sadly, though their call for extraction was answered and a ship was deployed to rescue them, Kausos ordered the ship to withdraw to a safe distance before they could pick up Ping, who had held her position to cover their retreat. Their protests ignored, the squad could do nothing as the ship left the area and the bomb detonated, ending the threat posed to the Republic forces, destroying the Bondigho base and killing Ping Ordo. On their return, the squad confronted Kausos, with Malik punching her and escalating the already heated situation, so much so that Kausos ordered the marines to detain the squad and prepare them for execution. One of the marines reported that General Waverunner was on hold, waiting to speak with Kausos and with orders that she have her marines stand down.
Regrettably, further enraged by the fact that one of her own troops had undermined her command by contacting Waverunner behind her back, Kausos dismissed the message and ordered her marines into position as Waverunner's shuttle came in to land at the camp. To her chagrin, when she ordered her troops to fire, the firing squad deliberately missed their targets and Kausos became aggressive. Emerging from her ship in time to hear her furious ranting, Waverunner easily disarmed Kausos and grabbed her by the throat, hoisting her off the ground and asking if she had been deafened by artillery fire since they last spoke. Waverunner then removed Major Kausos from command, citing "obvious battlefield stress" as an explanation for her extreme behavior. She then ordered the marines to release Diego, Malik and Simone from custody, thanking them for their service and offering her condolences regarding the losses they had sustained in service to the Galactic Republic.
Additionally, she informed them that while she could not do anything about Ping's tragic demise, she was pleased to inform them that Iden was stable and would – after considerable physical and psychological therapy – make a full recovery, albeit with cybernetic support to replace her lost arm and restore her sight. The squad were told to say their goodbyes, as they were being withdrawn from Viizikii Minor and would be assigned to a transport heading back to the Core Worlds by the end of the week. Iden, meanwhile, was moved to a private medical facility by her father, where she would remain for the entirety of her recovery period.
Bubblegum Squad[]
While recovering in hospital, Iden was visited by her squad multiple times, their conversations often returning to the events of the Viizikii Minor campaign and Iden's lamentation of the fact that she was not present to help during the mission that cost Ping her life. After a number of conversations, the team slowly came to terms with the loss and concluded that – although it was Major Kausos' orders that had led to Ping's death – they no longer felt like the Republic Navy was on their side. The survivors agreed that it was time for them to end their time in active service; to that end, the squad submitted notifications of their intention to transfer to the reserves and – due to the incident on Viizikii Minor – their requests were fast-tracked and the squad were able to leave active service twelve months later.
Iden spent the majority of that time recovering from the installation of her cybernetics, during which time she was visited by General Waverunner and her wife Isla, her mother and – when his duties allowed – her father, who returned Iden and Malik's lightsabers to them. In addition to being outfitted with cybernetics, Iden also underwent physical therapy to learn how to walk and operate her new arm. By the time she was fit to serve again, Iden was surprised by a notification that her transfer to the reserves had been brought forward by several months, officially transitioning Iden from active service ahead of time.
Given that the war with the Sith Empire had devolved into a protracted border skirmish, Iden and the squad did not expect to be called up again. Still fit and able and knowing little else, the group decided to continue fighting for a living, but on their own terms, buying new weapons and armor from a military surplus vendor and naming themselves Bubblegum Squad in early 55 ATC, in memory of their fallen companion. Able to wield their lightsabers freely once again, Iden and Malik took a more leading role in combat situations, though as in the army Diego remained the squad's unspoken leader.
ASOS Commando[]
A Fresh Start[]
In late 56 ATC Iden was contacted by Zhavi Waverunner – who had stepped down from her brief stint as a Jedi General to return home to the world of Shimka's Well – and invited to lead a new military initiative, the Advanced Strategic Operations Service, a small but highly trained military force tasked with defending Shimka's Well and neutralizing threats before they could challenge their borders. Iden had no interest in leadership, however, and declined the position, allowing Malik – who had also been contacted – to take up the role of commander instead. Waverunner suggested the position of executive officer instead, but even being second in command was too much of a leading role for Iden; she opted to join, but only as a commando.
Diego and Simone were offered positions within the new squad too but, as they did not have the same familiarity with Shimka's Well and Waverunner that Iden and Malik had due to their familial connection, they were hesitant about joining and elected to decline. Iden was saddened by their decision, but understood and respected it and hoped that – one day – they might change their minds. Iden and Malik were directed to Shimka's Well, where a heavily modified Terminus-class destroyer – the Relinquished – sat in orbit, commanded by their contact, the Imperial defector Captain Elizabeth Kondarr. Kondarr got straight to business once the formal introductions were out of the way, explaining that as a remote, neutral world Shimka's Well had to rely on its small military to defend itself from potential attackers. Historically that had always been limited to opportunistic pirates, though as Waverunner headed a Jedi Enclave – albeit one that was not formally affiliated with the mainstream Jedi Order – it remained a possibility that any future resurgence in Imperial activity could make the planet a military target.
Additionally, Shimka's Well had an informal alliance with the colony of Farrow and the distant world of Som Galla, formerly a Sith world that was abandoned during the Empire's retreat and had been ruled in the years since by Sera Artofen and her husband – Iden's older half-brother – Ben Artofen. Som Galla's remoteness and the fact it was ruled by a former Sith made it even more susceptible to hostile action. Above all, Waverunner believed that Shimka's Well had a moral responsibility to make the galaxy a better place if they saw an opportunity to do so, near or far. So, despite the disapproval of the Jedi Order, Waverunner and her Jedi often lent their aid to the Republic when needed, a duty Malik's squad were to aid with. To that end, Kondarr had assembled a shortlist of experienced and trustworthy crew for the siblings to recruit their team from. One candidate had already been selected by Kondarr to serve in the executive officer role Iden had turned down, a former Jedi Service Corps member named Kassandra Wheeler.
After whittling down the list to their preferred candidates, the siblings were outfitted with cutting edge equipment – most notably the high-powered Raptor heavy blaster pistols, Firelighter interchangeable heavy blaster rifles and suits of Graul-class commando armor commissioned from BlasTech Industries – and Malik went meet the prospective candidates face-to-face before extending them their invitations. Iden, meanwhile, visited the new vessel that would be serving as their home away from home going forwards; a one-of-a-kind Ah'rek-class frigate – named after Ah'rek Odé, a Jedi Master who had given his life to protect Shimka's Well many years earlier – which had been designated, simply, Ah'rek. With the crew assembled, the group were deployed to assist the Galactic Republic and vulnerable independent worlds against whatever threat arose, primarily pirates and Imperial holdouts that did not belong to any of the major remnant factions. Their first year of service proved to be incredibly productive, earning them a respectable reputation both at home and abroad.
Tears of Uphrades[]
The Umbaran Nationalists[]
In 59 ATC, ASOS was contacted by a Republic senator hoping to enlist their services after a terror attack on New Plympto nearly claimed his life. An unusual type of bomb had been detonated in the attack, enveloping the blast radius in a brief flash of "liquid shadows" that seemed to rapidly decay everything they came into contact with, leading the senator to believe that it was the product of Sith alchemy. The Republic Strategic Information Service had dismissed the idea and were not keeping the senator informed, either, and he had quickly become dissatisfied with the progress of their investigation.
He explained that his own agents had been looking into the matter and had identified two Umbaran men who were picked up on security cameras in the vicinity before the explosion, both of whom had ties to a nationalist group on Umbara. His own investigation had turned up a more precise location on Umbara; he wanted ASOS forces to investigate and eliminate the terrorists. Explaining that they could consider it a formal request, the senator promised the group he would take full responsibility for any potential fallout when the Republic learned of their involvement, though Kassandra recorded the call just in case. Cautious as they were, ASOS were given permission to proceed and deployed to a remote location on Umbara, where a number of crumbling ruins supposedly hid the terrorist group's base of operations. It did not take long before they were set upon by the Umbarans, but during the fighting Mirris Waverunner utilized her scanning equipment to map the local area and identify several caves and heat signatures consistent with common models of generators.
Eliminating the patrols they encountered, the team made their way underground and destroyed one of the generators before returning to the surface, intending to find another entrance to the cave network that would allow them to reach the second generator. When they emerged, they were attacked by a trio of Umbaran starfighters and forced to take cover until Malik – using the local flora to gain altitude – leapt onto one of the starfighters and killed the pilot, commandeering his vessel before using it to shoot down the remaining starfighters. The team were contacted by the Ah'rek and warned that there was significant enemy movement near their position, with scanners detecting the presence of an Umbaran Spider Tank, leading the group to believe that the nationalists were receiving clandestine government support. Nonetheless, the commandos proceeded with their objective, hoping to find intelligence that would shed more light on the situation. To that end, they split into two teams, one to distract the tank and the bulk of the Umbaran forces while the others protected Tiffany Quell while she used her slicing equipment to take remote control of the tank, opening the hatch and allowing Iden the opportunity to leap up, neutralize the driver and use the vehicle against the nationalists.
Unfortunately, the Umbarans were not as defenseless without the tank as first thought, and as Iden began to fire on them her tank was set upon by an IAT which sprung up from beneath the ground, drawing her attention away from the Umbaran ground forces. The rest of the team were well-trained and experienced fighters, however, and by continuing to work as two separate teams and using the local terrain to their advantage they soon whittled down the terrorists and forced them underground. While most of the team spread out in search of datapads and computer consoles, Malik and Kassandra descended to destroy the last generator, hoping to prevent the survivors from rebuilding the group once ASOS withdrew. They were blocked by a large, armored individual, however, and once they engaged they realized he was a far more formidable opponent than the Umbaran troops, not only well-equipped but also able to weather whatever injuries they inflicted.
Kassandra was badly wounded when she was punched in the head and sent hurtling through the air, angering Malik and providing him with a temporary boost to his strength that allowed him to overpower his opponent, sending him over the edge of a chasm with the Force, where he was presumed to have died. With Kassandra in need of immediate medical attention, the generator mission was abandoned and Malik called a retreat, carrying Kassandra to the surface to await extraction. Fortunately, Tiffany had sliced a console and discovered communications logs that seemed to confirm the existence of an off-world sponsor, someone wealthy, though who that someone was and where their loyalties lay remained unknown. Malik and Kira Izzaya were invited to a diplomatic function on Alderaan by the senator as a "token" of his appreciation, though Iden and the rest of the squad turned down the opportunity, preferring to remain on standby aboard the Ah'rek.
Operation: Edgeward[]
Genocide on Pzob[]
The confidence ASOS inspired ultimately led to Iden's squad being deployed to the far edges of the galaxy when – in 60 ATC – they received reports of Imperial fleet movements in and out of the Ioto system, a system on the edge of the galaxy that was believed to be inaccessible due to the surrounding Ioto Wall, an asteroid field that encompassed all but the very edge of the system, where the unremarkable world that gave the field its name sat just out of orbit.
Imperial vessels had also been detected in the vicinity of nearby Pzob, a remote and unremarkable world save for reportedly being the site of a small Gamorrean colony, and ASOS command speculated that the activity was related. Descending to the planet's surface undetected through the use of the Ah'rek's stealth systems, the commandos split off into two teams, each sharing two objectives; to shut down the facility and board the Imperial transport docked with the tower in the hopes of retrieving its navigational data, which they speculated would give them access to the Ioto system. In addition, they had a tertiary objective to take out the transport once they had the aforementioned data, depriving the Imperials of the vessel and preventing the crew from alerting their allies beyond the Ioto Wall.
Breaching the facility from the ground, the two teams entered at opposing sides of the installation, quickly discovering evidence of fighting between the locals and the invading Imperial forces. Utilizing the facility's underground tram system, the teams managed to get into the center of the base, where they found gas chambers and evidence of a slaving operation. Ascending the tower and dispatching the troops stationed there, they found the transport had been locked down and the airlock sealed tight, with the transport powering up in preparation for separation from the tower. Unfortunately for the Imperials, they had overestimated their troops in the tower; with the Imperial soldiers defeated the had fallen under ASOS control, and while they could not get inside the transport the crew could not detach from the tower. Faced with no viable alternatives, the ASOS team planted explosives on the fuel line connecting the ship to the tower, accepting that the Gamorrean captives aboard could not be saved, then made a hasty retreat back out of the facility.
Once they were clear, the commandos detonated the charges, igniting the fuel and creating a chain reaction that eviscerated the transport, killing most of the crew and rendering the ship almost entirely inoperable – removing it as a naval threat, allowing the Ah'rek to approach the wreck unhindered and making it a simple task for the squad to board the remains of the transport through the destroyed fuel pipeline. Despite the simplicity one of the squad members – the smuggler Shay Odé – was thrown loose when another explosion rocked the shredded pipeline, floating off helplessly into space. It was only thanks to Iden's quick-thinking that Shay survived; Lambert grabbed a loose metal cable and leapt out into empty space, relying on her team to grab the end of the cable and reel them both back in.
Once aboard the Imperial transport the ASOS commandos made short work of the surviving crew members whose compartments had survived the detonation, securing the navigational data they were after before making a rather rapid departure – aware that the ship was becoming increasingly unstable – using what few Imperial starfighters had survived the detonation of the fuel tanks. After checking the data, the crew realized that the Empire had somehow sent ships through the Ioto Wall and established a web of scanners scattered throughout the asteroid field to provide their vessels with up-to-date astrogation charts with which they could pass freely through the ever-shifting field. Uploading the access codes for the network to their own systems, the crew of the Ah'rek had gained access to the Imperial scanning technology and – after relaying the access codes to the Relinquished – were given the green light to pass through the Ioto Wall and proceed with their investigation.
The Purebloods of Kitessh[]
Passing through the Ioto Wall successfully, the crew of the Ah'rek soon realized the Empire were present in force, with a sizable fleet in orbit above a lone desert world. Sending word back through the Ioto Wall with the recommendation that the Republic be contacted with a request for reinforcements, ASOS descended to investigate the hidden world further, using the Ah'rek's stealth systems to veil their approach and deploy the commandos via Varactyl armored patrol craft, dropping them a few miles outside a settlement where Imperial forces seemed to be most concentrated.
Iden and Kassandra proceeded towards the settlement on foot to assess the situation but did not make it far before they came across one of the locals, a Pureblood Sith who emerged seemingly out of nowhere, swords drawn and ready for action. She demanded to know who they were, and once Iden confirmed they were not allied with the Imperials the woman introduced herself as Khaliset of Sikuum. She explained that she was part of a rebel group who opposed the Sith'ari, the title bestowed upon the ruler of the planet, confirming a cultural connection to the Sith Empire, in addition to the obvious biological link. Khaliset followed "the true Sith'ari", the leader of her rebel group, and although she was suspicious of the two women she agreed that it seemed their objectives were one and the same; to rid her home of the Sith Empire. To that end, she led them to the edge of the town – her place of birth, Sikuum – with the intention of introducing them to her group's leader.
Due to their pale skin the pair stood out too much to simply walk into the Pureblood settlement even without their armor, forcing them to wade along the riverbed of the town's shipping canal to sneak in unnoticed. Following Khaliset's directions, the pair met up with their new ally less than thirty minutes later, following her instructions to locate an underwater passage which brought them up into the town via an out-of-sight well. Once they were safely hidden inside the rebel base, Iden and Kassandra were introduced to Kulluum, Khaliset's "true Sith'ari" and leader of the local rebel cell, supposedly one of many scattered across the planet, known by the locals as Kitessh. He explained that they had been close to driving the Sith'ari's forces out of the town entirely when the Sith Empire arrived. At that moment, the Sith'ari's soldiers abandoned the town completely, so when the Empire arrived they simply walked into the town and took it as their own without a fight. Unfortunately, Kulluum did not know what the Empire's purpose on Kitessh was, leaving their determination to pass the Ioto Wall an ongoing mystery for the time being.
Realizing they could utilize the rebels to bolster their own numbers, Iden and Kassandra offered their assistance and, in doing so, learned that the Empire had been rationing food as a way of controlling the masses. Kulluum told them that to earn his trust, he wanted them to remedy the issue by hitting an Imperial convoy as it moved between the town and an outlying fort, which Iden and Kassandra were happy to agree to. Calling in the rest of their team with the exception of Batauww, Tiffany Quell and Kol Waverunner (who remained aboard the patrol craft in case they were needed as support), Iden led the team on a scouting mission to get the lay of the land. Once they knew the path between the fort and the town, the group concealed themselves at a suitable location and ambushed the tank and its escort as it passed by.
Not expecting blaster-wielding attackers – never mind specialist commandos – the troops were dispatched within minutes and the tank was crippled, not only preventing it from escaping but also blocking the narrow canyon through which it had been traveling, preventing the future movement of supplies to and from the fort. Assisted by the rebels (who had been watching from nearby), the commandos took supplies intended for the troops at the fort and delivered them back to town under the cover of darkness. Shay volunteered to help the rebels distribute the food – discreetly – to the starving townsfolk, and Jastus Tasslor volunteered to help him, which Iden permitted. Meanwhile, Iden, Kassandra, Kulluum and Khaliset discussed their next move, agreeing that without supplies the fort would likely be evacuated given that it held minimal strategic value for the technologically superior invaders. An evacuation would lead to the consolidation of Imperial forces within the town, making the lives of both the civilians and rebels far more difficult. Thus, the group planned to strike the fort the following night, before the Imperials had a chance to pack up and withdraw.
Joined by Khaliset and her rebels, the ASOS commandos launched an assault on the fort, an ancient stone structure that was only lightly manned and which Kassandra speculated was only being occupied to deny the rebels use of the position for their own purposes. After eradicating the Imperials and seizing what weapons and supplies they could carry, the two groups retreated back to the town. Although Kulluum was emboldened by the victories, Iden refused to commit to further action until the heat died down, but assured him they would liberate Sikuum in short order. Having learned that the Sith in charge of operations at Sikuum was holed up in a temple at the heart of the settlement, Iden inquired about the location. Kulluum proudly explained that the structure was the temple of Vih-tett-ett, the "Many-Faced Creator", and "god of the gods". In spite of their disagreements, Kulluum was pleased with the help provided by the commandos and poured drinks to propose a toast, which the team participated in. Once out of earshot of the rebels, Iden and Kassandra exchanged a thought they had both shared during the meeting; that the name of the most revered deity of the people of Kitesh sounded eerily familiar.
The following morning, rebel scouts reported that the Imperials had tightened their defenses at the temple in response to the increased rebel activity, suggesting that whatever they were up to was centered inside the temple itself. Regrettably, it also meant the temple would be all the harder to breach; Iden ordered her team to lay low for another day, then employ guerrilla tactics to whittle down the number of Imperials around the city. After arranging for Reimos Lambert to be transferred to the surface and put to work providing medical care for injured rebels, Iden and her team shed their armor and began sneaking around the city dressed as locals, blending in to allow them to pick off Imperial patrols across Sikuum, ensuring their activities were spread out from one another to avoid drawing too much attention to any one district. By the end of the week, Iden began speculating on the possibility of launching a direct attack on the temple of Vih-tett-ett – regarding which, Khaliset had good news.
A sandstorm was approaching from the desert wastes and was due within a day, providing them with an excellent opportunity as the obscuring storm would hide their approach and reduce visibility in the temple grounds, reducing the effectiveness of the superior numbers held by the Empire. Convinced – and eager to leave the desert world – Iden agreed and sent orders for her team to withdraw to the safe house to prepare for the assault. When the sandstorm swept over Sikuum the following day, the ASOS commandos deployed, approaching via the marketplace in front of the temple yet moving unseen until they were charging towards the unprepared sentries stationed at the main gate. Splitting into smaller teams as they often did, the commandos capitalized on the element of surprise, the fortunate weather conditions and the chaos being sewn by the rebels to storm through the temple, catching many of the Imperial troops in small numbers as they patrolled the area, unable to track the full extent of the attack.
Iden navigated to the top of the temple alone and located the Sith in charge of the operation, only then discovering that the man was one of Darth Hamon's clone troopers, albeit wearing the armor of a true Sith. Nonetheless, Iden engaged the trooper in a duel which soon spilled out onto the temple roof as the sandstorm died down. Taunting her, the Zabrak revealed that the Empire already had what they came to Kitessh to take and that their presence there now was just a distraction, drawing the attention of any Republic agents to the planet, rather than to the far edge of the system where their true objective lay. He claimed, also, that Iden and her team were already too late to stop what was coming, laughing at their apparent failure even as Iden cut off his hands and kicked him from the roof of the temple. When Reimos warned the group via comms that an army was moving through the town towards the temple – massacring every man, woman, child and living creature on their way – Iden realized they had been set up – the Sith'ari and the Empire were, on some level, cooperating.
Kulluum, knowing Sikuum was lost, told the others to leave through the rear of the temple while he stalled the Sith'ari's warriors outside. Khaliset refused to leave him, stating she would take his place instead as he was too important to lose, but Kulluum stated a true Sith'ari was willing to die for his people and ordered her to leave with the others. Unable to break her oath by disobeying an order from the Sith'ari she was pledged to, Khaliset resentfully agreed, joining Iden's team, the rest of the rebels and the survivors of the massacre who had reached the temple as they fled for the desert. On the outskirts, the commandos were met by their patrol craft, providing them with an escort that was able to easily fend off the small division of mounted Massassi sent to pursue them, ensuring the survivors could escape.
After reaching the safety of a neighboring village, Iden contacted the Ah'rek for a pick-up and the team set back out towards the desert to find a suitable location to await extraction. To everyone's surprise, Khaliset followed them out of the village and declared her intention to join them, wishing to "punish" the Sith Empire for their crimes against her would-be king and claiming there was "nothing left" for her on Kitessh. Iden did not approve, but when the rest of her squad – led by Reimos, with whom Khaliset shared a sudden and surprising connection – voiced their support of Khaliset she agreed to take her with them, warning that future battles would not be as "cushy" as those she was used to on her homeworld.
Shatterpoint Outpost[]
Darth Hamon's Sith Remnant[]
The Icy Wastes of Maldo Kreis[]
We know where the extinction troopers are being... made. There's a hidden facility on Maldo Kreis, but we'll need some extra muscle to see this through.
—Gretta Lambert, to the forces of SARB.
In 61 ATC, Captain Kondarr was contacted by Gretta and Shen Lambert regarding their investigation into the cloning facility responsible for the production of Darth Hamon's widely feared extinction troopers. Iden and her team were recalled to the Relinquished while out on patrol, and when they arrived they were immediately ushered to the bridge for a briefing.
Gretta explained that, alongside Shen, their mother Aaellu and Dark Jedi Mariko Artofen, she had discovered the location of the extinction trooper cloning facility; Rockwater laboratory, tucked away in the frozen canyons of Maldo Kreis. Despite their success so far, Gretta and her companions knew that the cloning facility itself was beyond their ability to destroy alone.
Thus, Iden and her team were tasked with assisting the operation, grouping up with Gretta, Shen and Mariko before heading out aboard the Relinquished to Maldo Kreis.
Once there, the team were split into two groups and dropped in separate Varactyl patrol craft to begin their approach to the cloning facility, repelling Sith starfighters who attempted to thwart their efforts. Gretta, Shen and Mariko took an alternate route once the patrol craft were on the ground, travelling via speeder bike to one of the facility's airlocks in the hopes of avoiding detection.
Although unsuccessful in slipping by the Imperial starfighters squadrons unnoticed, they reached their destination as planned, allowing Gretta and Shen to carve their way inside while Mariko protected them from several strafing runs.
While Iden's troops sabotaged the facility and laid waste to whatever they found, Gretta, Shen and Mariko were able to locate Doctor Messos, the brains behind the project, though unfortunately their mission to capture him was scuppered by Mariko, who had been given her own orders to kill the doctor and – using a burst fuel pipe – did just that.
Nonetheless, the mission was a success, and although thousands of Hamon's fierce clone troopers still existed, no new clones would be produced for years to come. With his lead scientist gone and the clones he had in production euthanized, Iden and her comrades agreed that the reestablishment of the extinction trooper project would be unlikely, at least for the foreseeable future, and it would easily be a decade or more in the making.
The Extinction Factory[]
I know you have concerns about this assignment, but if we don't do this do you think the Republic will? The factory's a threat but it's not producing dreadnoughts or planet-killers. We have a responsibility. You have a responsibility. Now I could order you to do this, but as your sister I'd prefer not to cross that line... wouldn't you?
—Jocosa Ryder, to Iden, regarding the Imperial droid factory.
Mere weeks later, Iden hosted Ackross Lambert, her younger brother, and Zakuulan Justicar Maris Mistwood aboard the Ah'rek on apparently important security business. That "business" turned out to be a request for assistance in ending yet another of Darth Hamon's extinction programs; the factory producing his terrifying extinction droids.
After reviewing the data on the asteroid facility, however, Iden refused to commit her crew to the assault, writing it off as too risky given the number of extinction units that would be available to the Empire inside. Ackross was not so easily deterred and, knowing his siblings well, immediately called Jocosa Ryder, another of his sisters who was – as it happened – the governor of Shimka's Well.
So unfortunately for Iden, Jocosa reached out to scold her and ultimately warned her that either Iden could assist with the operation, or Jocosa could order her to assist with the operation, as the head of government; begrudgingly, Iden accepted the assignment and prepare her team for deployment to the hidden asteroid facility.
Utilizing the patrol craft, the group breached the facility's outer walls and split off as before, with Ackross and Maris venturing out together while Suiko and Sakura Artofen were loosed upon the facility to cause whatever chaos they could manage.
Iden's team focused on taking the command center, fighting through what was left of the Antiquarians mercenary company to reach the Imperial personnel controlling the facility.
Unfortunately, while Iden's team were successful in eliminating the Imperial researchers and wiping the facility's archives, Ackross and Maris ran into trouble when they discovered an R&D area in which the mark II extinction droids had been developed, refined and built, awaiting deployment. One of the droids was active and quickly proved how dangerous the new model was, with a single unit able to contend with both Ackross and Maris at the same time – with such effectiveness that Maris was dismembered and left in critical condition within seconds.
Due to the efforts of Suiko and Sakura, the facility was collapsing around Iden's team as they made their way back to the patrol craft, but when Ackross reported Maris' condition and his ongoing difficulty combating the mark II, Iden passed command of her team to Kassandra and rushed back into the facility to help her brother and his Zakuulan companion.
Locating Maris, Iden helped her reach an exterior landing platform and called the Ah'rek in for extraction, delivering the Justicar aboard for medical treatment while the others waited, watching helplessly as the facility fell apart.
As the landing platform began to fracture and collapse, Ackross emerged from the smoke and navigated the splintering walkway underfoot to leap for the boarding ramp, narrowly avoiding falling to his death when Iden extended a hand to catch him and pull him aboard. With everyone aboard, the Ah'rek left the asteroid and returned to Shimka's Well, during which time Maris was fitted with a cybernetic arm.
Iden and Ackross also made peace after their earlier disagreement, though Iden warned him that if he went to Jocosa behind her back again she would break his legs.
For their efforts, the team had the satisfaction of knowing Darth Hamon's extinction programs had been brought to an end and that, armed with schematics on the mark II, ASOS would be prepared for future encounters with Darth Hamon's latest – but final – innovation in combat droids.