Soran Keize

Soran Keize was a human male who held the rank of colonel, serving as an ace pilot in the Galactic Empire's 204th Imperial Fighter Wing, informally known as "Shadow Wing." He acted as a mentor for many of his fellow pilots, and led the fighter wing with respect for the responsibility he had. Following the Imperial defeat against the Rebel Alliance at the Battle of Endor and the subsequent Operation: Cinder campaign, Keize went into hiding under the alias Devon Lhent, living on worlds including Mrinzebon and Vernid. After being tracked down by officers of New Republic Intelligence, whom he was forced to kill, Keize felt that there was no place in the galaxy for former Imperials such as himself. Keize vowed to return to the Empire, leading the 204th once again.

Soran Keize did not especially believe in the righteousness of the Galactic Empire, but he was fiercely loyal to the personnel of his fighter wing. After several months living as Devon Lhent, Keize returned to Shadow Wing as "advisor" before being promoted to colonel as the successor to Shakara Nuress. He led the 204th Fighter Wing through a campaign in the Cerberon system, where his people sought revenge against New Republic General Hera Syndulla for the attack on Pandem Nai which had killed Nuress. He then led a second round of Operation: Cinder, conducting genocides on worlds ruled by Imperial splinter factions at the behest of Grand Moff Randd and the Shadow Council. In the months leading up to the climactic battle of Jakku, Keize fixated on Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine's Messengers and how they had chosen Imperial units to conduct the atrocities of Operation: Cinder. After sending a force to Netalych to analyze a Messenger's programming, Keize and his aide Yrica Quell determined that the Empire had kept a databank of all the Empire's employees' crimes, from petty to unforgivable.

Whether the Empire were to win or lose to the New Republic, Keize saw that databank as an existential threat to the billions of soldiers of the Empire. If the New Republic won, he believed every Imperial would live in fear of prosecution for decades, even if they sought to escape and seek a quiet and peaceful life as he had as Devon. If the Empire won, Keize believed it would be used to coerce loyalty and continued service among soldiers who wished to retire. Seeing both alternatives as unacceptable, Keize attacked the databank, located in the upscale Verity District of the Galactic capital planet of Coruscant. While his attack was a failure and he died in his attempt to attack, Keize posthumously broadcast a holographic message in which he claimed responsibility for all of Shadow Wing's war crimes dating back for years; including many for which he had no responsibility. In doing so, he sought to sacrifice himself to be remembered as a war criminal so the other pilots and crew of the 204th could lead normal lives in the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War.

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