Alexander Toth

Born on Coruscant, Alexander Toth was a man not given an easy time during childhood. The child of snobbish societal elites, his grandparents took over his care when it became clear his natural parents were not fit for the job. His grandparents influence on him would push him through the stages of education until his sixteenth birthday, at which point he joined the Naval Academy on Coruscant. Since that day he has risen through the ranks of the Alliance (now the Republic) navy, to hold the rank of Admiral of the Fleet of Justice

Birth
Coruscant. Considered by many to be the political hub of the Galaxy for millenia. Home to some of the wealthiest and most influential beings in the entire Galaxy. Many of those residents resided in the Sah’c district, named after the family that owned a majority of the buildings within it. Of all Coruscant’s districts the Sah’c district was home to the most influential and elite members of Coruscant society, and many of those living outside the district envied those living within. Those living within the district often looked at those outside with distaste, content to sit and manage their immense bank accounts in peace and comfort, uncaring of the troubles of those less fortunate than they.

The Nulns were one such family. Content to spend their free time mingling with the other elites, Lucien and Christianna Nuln had seemingly little care for the plight of the less fortunate citizens of Coruscant or the Galaxy in general. They would occasionally give money to various charitable donations but these transactions were not for the benefit of the charities or those they helped, instead means of the Nuln family gaining more prestige and increasing social status by appearing to be kind, generous people who wanted to help those in need. This couldn’t be further from the truth, but it was something many were naive enough to believe. Their plans to continue increasing their social status were put on halt, however, when Christianna fell unexpectedly pregnant.

A child had never been in their ‘plan’ and both Lucien and Christianna were devastated that their ascent in the ranks of the elite was being put on hold, and additional concern came from the fact that Lucien believed their ascent would never happen with a baby holding them back. Lucien began subtly pressing his wife to have the child destroyed and, whilst she initially refused, her determination began to waver and, a month into the pregnancy, she gave serious consideration to the idea. It was at this point that her parents stepped in: Albrecht and Marina Toth offered to raise the child when it was born, thereby relieving them of the ‘burden’ of a child. Reluctant to carry the child for nine months, but also loathing the idea of aborting the child, Christianna defied her husband and agreed. Nine months later she gave birth and Alexander’s only contact with his mother came from the few minutes directly after birth.

From that moment his grandparents raised him. These two people could not be more different from his parents; though they were wealthy and considered influential they were kind and warm individuals, having no particular interest in the politics or high-ranks of society that so devoured their daughter and son-in-law’s attention. They were content merely to live life as it came and, with a grandson to raise, it came quite suddenly. At an advanced age they were forced to learn things over again, and to raise a child at their age was not an easy task. It was a testament to their love for their grandson that they strove to do this, as many would have given up or fobbed the child off to some adoptees. Instead they loved him, and raised him as their own child. They informed him, from the moment he was old enough to understand, of his parents and the situation, and were quite pleased when he understood.

Education
Though their personalities differed from their daughter’s, the Toth’s were just as wealthy as her, if not more so. Albrecht had spent close to five decades of service to the Coruscant Defence Fleet and was considered one of the most prestigious members of the fleet during his time. Having participated in countless missions, both military and diplomatic. His lifetime of work, and the fact that Marina’s parents had left her a substantial inheritance, meant that they were able to afford some of the best education available for their grandson and, before he was five, he was already enrolled in one of the most prestigious academies on the planet.

This particular Academy was reserved for the ‘high-born’ children of the Coruscant elite and did nothing emotionally but confuse Alexander; the harsh attitudes of the other children contrasted greatly with the warmth he received from his grandparents. This was something he would ask his grandparents about after his first month at the Academy and their answer was a simple one: it was up to Alexander how he acted. Whilst they hoped he would inherit traits from them, they would never stop him should he prefer to act like his parents. They had enrolled him in that particularly Academy because it provided the best possible education, and for no other reason than that. Alexander assured them that he would never take on the traits exhibited by his peers and, by extension, his parents.

Alexander excelled in lessons relating to the arts and sciences and showed a skilled with mathematics. When he was nine his tutors informed his grandparents that he was showing a particular interest in other cultures. He would sometimes spend hours studying records of different cultures, analyzing their culture and traits, both physical and mental, to find an advantage over them. He displayed caution when dealing with unfamiliar situations but, unusually, the level of caution he displayed was almost casual as opposed to the extreme level usually seen amongst other children at the Academy. These peculiar treats only went further to isolate him from the other students, many of whom were taking a particular disliking to his ‘compassionate’ attitude and the fact that he didn’t look down upon those they used the derogatory term ‘plebeians’ to describe.

By the time Alexander approached the age of sixteen he had already surpassed the other students in the Academy in leaps and bounds. His education was fast drawing to a close and, whilst other students were planning on retiring to their families private estates and beginning a life of wealth, luxury and downright laziness, Alexander had made plans to do something he felt worthwhile. When he graduated at the age of sixteen he filed in an application form and sent it to the Coruscant Defence Fleet, re-established by the Galactic Alliance upon their formation upon defeating the Galactic Empire. He felt that he was doing something that would make his grandfather proud of him but, sadly, Albrecht would never live to see his grandson in the Defence Fleet; he died of heart failure a week and three days before Alexander received the news that he had been accepted into the Defence Fleet. Now more determined than ever to honour his grandfather’s memory.

Training
At the Coruscant Naval Academy Alexander was put through a series of rigorous exams, each designed to test his intellect and the knowledge he had of military tactics and command requirements. As opposed to the standard one year training course, students who entered the Naval Academy had to go through a thirty month training program. They were also offered the chance to become starfighter pilots, should such an offer intrigue them, but piloting a starfighter was not something Alexander found challenging enough. His intent, even at such a young age, was to become the captain of a capital vessel, intrigued by the magnificent warships. He immediately set to his lessons, paying as much attention to them as he had during his time at the his educational Academy. His tutors noted from the start that his intelligence matched, if not outright surpassed, the other students in his class, as it had for most of his life.

In this Academy, as opposed to the earlier establishment in which he had been taught, Alexander found himself truly at home. Only one or two of the students in his class here were snobbish and stuck-up, and even those who were had a belief in something greater than themselves; democracy. Everyone at this Academy was determined to succeed because they believed that by giving their skills to the Alliance Navy they were doing everything within their power to try and establish peace across the Galaxy. For the first time in his life Alexander found himself with a close group of friends and, as a testament to the traits inherited from his grandparents, he was able to make companions quickly despite having little-to-no social skills developed earlier.

During his time at the Academy his lessons were far-ranging. He and his colleagues were taught the basics of naval warfare, all about the schematics of the most common ships seen in the Galactic Alliance Navy, the strategies and tactics used by some of the most famous naval commanders in history and other, equally important lessons. Alexander picked these lessons up quickly, constantly pushing himself to acquire the knowledge he knew he would need during his time serving in the navy. His tutors commented that he seemed easily able to absorb information and retain that information, calling upon it at later dates seemingly with ease. This trait is something Alexander has retained throughout his entire life, and it has served him well over the years when used in combination with his keen eye for detail.

His training at the Academy went smoothly and by the time it was over his superiors felt that he was ready to join the navy, alongside a majority of the other students at the Navy Academy. Some of Alexander’s colleagues went on to become starfighter pilots whilst others joined the Galactic Alliance Navy at the rank of Ensign. But Alexander’s seniors noted his capabilities and acknowledged his ambition to become captain of a vessel and so, when he entered service in the Galactic Alliance Navy, he was given the rank of Sublieutenant. This meant that he was, in essence, an Ensign undergoing command training. Pleased, though slightly put-off by the fact that he would not be serving in the Coruscant Defence Fleet like his grandfather, Alexander spent the next week with his grandmother before heading off for his first posting.

Sublieutenant of the Heroic
Alexander’s first posting was aboard the Heroic, a Bothan Assault Cruiser. Under the command of Captain Brent the Heroic mostly saw service patrolling Alliance territory, ensuring the space lanes remained free of pirates, smugglers and other enemies of the Galactic Alliance. With times getting darker, however, Captain Brent had been assigned command of a small flotilla of ships to patrol the outermost regions of Alliance space, making the Heroic the flagship of a group of six vessels. It was somewhat daunting to Alexander that he was going to be learning about commanding a ship from a man obviously skilled enough to command six of them, but it was something he also looked forward to. After making his introductions and getting acquainted with the bridge crew, his training began.

The sublieutenant’s training was relatively uneventful and proceeded smoothly. As weeks turned into months Captain Brent slowly taught Alexander the skills he would need to use when commanding even the smallest of vessels; the theoretical training provided at the Naval Academy suddenly seemed much less useful when compared to the practical training he was receiving under Brent’s guidance. For the first two months of his training Alexander rarely got time to interact with other members of the crew, busy either practicing his abilities in training simulators or spending time in private tuition with Brent during the captain’s time off-duty. Alexander never complained about the fact that he was being worked constantly, instead pleased to be given the opportunity to increase his own knowledge and abilities. He did often wonder, however, when he would get the chance to put his skills into practice.

An opportunity would present itself during his third month of training. Aboard capital vessels it was sometimes the case that, during the captain’s hours off-duty, an ensign would be given command of the vessel on the provision that they did not go against the orders left by the captain. In order to further Alexander’s training Brent began leaving his sublieutenant in command of the vessel when he was off-duty, but never allowed him to command the other vessels of the flotilla, instead returning command to their independent commanders, because that was too much command for one so young. Alexander displayed good leadership skills during these periods of command and was able to run the ship effectively. This gave Captain Brent cause to put Alexander forward for promotion to the full rank of lieutenant some seven months after his training began, a recommendation that the senior officers at Fleet Command accepted.

Lieutenant of the Heroic
Now ranked as lieutenant Alexander was given a position at the tactical station of the Assault Cruiser. As tactical officer his job was to relay any orders from the captain down to the weapons decks and to control the shields from his console. It was a job considered dangerous by many; enemy ships usually targeted weapons or shields and those systems were linked with the tactical console; said console usually blew up if too much damage was done to the weapons or shields of a ship. Alexander took this into consideration when deciding if he should accept the position and eventually came to the conclusion that simply by being aboard a starship he was placing himself in danger; being sat at a console was no more dangerous than being aboard a vessel that could come under fire at any time. With that in mind he accepted the task and took his position in the starboard crew pit.

Though he served as lieutenant for only one year and nine months it was a time Alexander remembers as extremely busy. With skirmishes and raids becoming more and more frequent Captain Brent’s taskforce, dubbed the “Fist of Brent”, saw more action repelling invaders from Galactic Alliance territory. During the time he spent as a lieutenant Alexander was a participant in the repelling of six pirate flotillas, most of which were destroyed outright by the Fist of Brent without taking anything in the way of damage due to Brent’s superior command ability. But the moment Brent came across Imperial patrols he knew something was going on in Imperial space; every battle group they came across consisted of more ships than usual. He commented that it appeared as though the Imperials were preparing for another push into Alliance space, and reported so to Galactic Alliance Defence Force Fleet Command.

The event Alexander remembers most vividly from this time was a skirmish with an Imperial taskforce. Pitting the Fist of Brent against the Imperials was, as far as Alexander could see, a tactical mistake; the Imperials outnumbered them three-to-one and their ships were of a greater classification than those under Brent’s command; they were able to bring superior firepower to the fore and their shields could take more damage than those of the Galactic Alliance taskforce. Alexander voiced his concerns to Brent, who acknowledged them in his report before proceeding to use a series of devastating tactics to completely obliterate the Imperial taskforce, losing only a squadron of starfighters in return. Amazed, Alexander doubted then whether he would ever have the tactical acumen needed to command a group of ships as Brent had done. The captain met with Alexander later and commended him on standing up and voicing his objections; it took a lot to argue against a senior officer. He also noted that just because Alexander couldn’t have pulled off the victory Brent had done here didn’t mean he never would be able to; he was young, and Brent had years of experience under his belt.

This skirmish occurred some three months prior to Alexander’s promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Brent acknowledged that Alexander still had some way to go before he was ready to command his own vessel, but also noted to his superiors that the lad was full of the fire and zeal needed if they were going to keep the Galactic Alliance alive and kicking, and that his tactical knowledge was growing by the week. His keen eye for details was something he had put to great effect during his time as tactical officer of the Heroic, able to quickly note where the shields were likely to be hit and redirect power to that part of the shield, thereby strengthening it and stopping it from falling. He was also able to anticipate where his enemies would strike, and his knowledge of weaponry allowed him to use the weapons of the Heroic to great effect. All of these things contributed to his promotion.

Lieutenant Commander of the Heroic
As lieutenant-commander Alexander now served as the second-in-command of the Heroic, an appointment he had never truly expected to reach as quickly as he had. Having served on the vessel for some time now Alexander was already familiar with its layout and had a good repertoire with the crew, which made his job a lot easier. The first thing he did upon ascending to this rank was write home to his grandmother, for his training and promotions had kept him from contacting her since that week after his graduation. It was not a particularly long letter – some three pages, if he remembered correctly – with brief details regarding his assignments, promotions and the people he was working for. He knew it would take some weeks to reach her, but had high hopes that her reply would be one of pride.

With that job done Alexander took to learning what was expected of him as lieutenant-commander. He quickly discovered that his job list was much longer than it had been as a sublieutenant or even a lieutenant; now he was expected to know the names of almost every crew member, to create and rotate the crew duty roster as necessary, to perform crew evaluations at certain dates, be the principal advisor to the captain, be the implementer of the captain’s orders and, what worried him the most, become commander of the vessel in the absence, incapacitation or death of the commanding officer. Whilst Alexander took to the other duties with relative ease, the thought of becoming commanding officer at such a relatively young age was one that caused him no end of worry.

Alexander’s first few months as lieutenant-commander were fraught with skirmishes, as the Fist of Brent continued to run into pirate fleets and Imperial flotillas along the edge of Galactic Alliance territory. Time and again Brent was forced to report the loss of a vessel in his flotilla to Galactic Alliance Defence Force Fleet Command, and each time Fleet Command simply assigned him a new vessel and sent his group back out to the edge of Galactic Alliance space. Brent would speak to Alexander in confidence, stating several times that though he was constantly tired and worn out he would not abandon his duty to the Alliance and its citizens, though he did note that he was afraid his lack of sleep – the few hours he got a night were not enough by far – would lead him to make mistakes. Alexander was forced to acknowledge this in his reports, hoping Fleet Command would take note, but they never did.

It would not be too long before Alexander found himself in his yet another combat scenario as lieutenant-commander. The Fist of Brent was tasked with travelling to the Ywllandr system, in the Prefsbelt sector of the Outer Rim territories, to relieve a planet there that was under Galactic Alliance jurisdiction. One of the few planets still occupied by the Galactic Alliance, not the Empire, this planet provided important medical support to the Galactic Alliance and if lost it would damage what was quickly turning into a war effort, with the Alliance on one side and the Empire on the other. Captain Brent, determined to enact the orders of Fleet Command, immediately ordered his flotilla to the Outer Rim, all too aware of the fact that most of the Outer Rim was Imperial-controlled and thereby extremely dangerous.

Brent’s fears were not unfounded. The flotilla was pulled out of hyperspace a great distance from their destination, trapped by an Imperial taskforce supported by several Immobilizer 418 cruisers, their gravity wells having pulled Brent’s flotilla from hyperspace and keeping them from entering it again. Immediately Brent set about organizing his flotilla, using the brief few minutes before contact to prepare for the coming battle. Alexander found himself relaying orders at breakneck speeds between the various decks of the Heroic and, by means of the communications officer, over secure channels to the other five ships of the Fist of Brent. The Alliance taskforce was initially successful, destroying two of the enemy cruisers before taking any damage of their own. However, even Brent’s tactical acumen could not account for so many enemies and, after nearly an hour, the taskforce was down two ships, whilst the Imperials had lost five of their twelve. Alexander could see that Brent was visibly struggling but was unable to do anything himself.

As seconds continued to flow into minutes Brent gave Alexander a somewhat unexpected order; the commander of the Determination, the only Nebula-class Star Destroyer in Brent’s flotilla, had died and the ship was in need of a commander, its lieutenant-commander having already been killed. Despite being larger and more powerful than the Heroic, Brent had served aboard his vessel for most of his life, explaining why the smaller vessel was serving as the flagship of the fleet. Alexander was reluctant to abandon ship, especially in the midst of such fierce crossfire, but Brent promised him a squadron of starfighters to cover him. Still reluctant Alexander never-the-less agreed and, some ten minutes later, was stood on the bridge of the Determination, issuing orders. Now able to command his own forces he found himself using tactics he hadn’t even considered previously, outmanoeuvring the enemy. It was the Determination, in conjunction with the Heroic, that destroyed the Immobilizer 418 cruisers stopping the flotilla from re-entering hyperspace, something they did only moments later.

Whilst continuing the journey through hyperspace towards their destination Alexander was contacted by Captain Brent. In light of his actions upon taking command of the Determination and the skills he had shown, Brent was giving Alexander a field promotion to the rank of commander, placing him permanently in charge of the Determination. He did stress that this promotion might not stand if Fleet Command decided he was too young for the role but, for the duration of the mission, it was Brent’s decision that he keep command of the Star Destroyer. Apprehensive but pleased Alexander accepted.

Commander of the Determination
Alexander’s first task with this new role was to complete the mission he had started as lieutenant-commander; the relief of the planet in the Ywllandr system. Knowing it would take two more days to reach the planet Alexander set about familiarising himself with his new crew members, paying particular attention to those serving as his bridge crew. The hardest part of this was the task of looking through the list of the dead and making a note of families he would have to write condolence letters to, and the job of replacing them from amongst the ranks of ensigns. In particular the job of choosing a new second-in-command was difficult; Alexander didn’t know any of the crew well enough to trust them but acknowledged that the tactical officer seemed capable, and promoted him to the rank after spending two hours conversing with him. His crew issues were sorted after the first day, and the second day he spent getting used to the unfamiliar systems of the Star Destroyer.

By the time the Alliance flotilla dropped out of hyperspace in the Ywllandr system they found that the Imperial blockade was already coming under withering fire from the ground-to-space weaponry, their ground forces apparently beaten by the defending Alliance forces. It was only as Brent’s flotilla arrived that the Imperial Fleet began preparing to enact ‘Base Delta Zero’, the Imperial designation for a bombardment of a planet until nothing was left alive. Immediately Brent formulated a plan whereby he would use some of his ships to absorb the firepower of the Imperial Fleet aiming for the planet, and use the other ships to systematically destroy the enemy ships. For the second time in his military career Alexander objected, stating that they hadn’t the shield strength to absorb that much damage and instead should simply concentrate their firepower on the weapons systems of each ship; take out the weapons on the ships before they can fire, then defeat them one by one.

This time, much like the last, Captain Brent acknowledged Alexander’s objections in his report but decided to continue with his own plan, unable to see that Alexander’s concerns were correct; even the strongest ship in his flotilla, which was under Alexander’s command, didn’t have the shield strength to bear the brunt of the enemy bombardment. It pained Alexander to have to sit by and watch as Brent led two ships to position between the Imperials and the planets, whilst he commanded the remaining two ships in the destruction of the enemy vessels. When the bombardment began, and Alexander observed the fluctuating shields on Brent’s ship, he found himself unable to sit idly by and directed his two support vessels to continue destroying the enemy weapons, directing his own ship to place itself between the Imperial Fleet and the Alliance ships. His timely actions saved the ships accompanying Brent’s command vessel, but the Heroic was not so lucky; the shields failed moment before Alexander’s arrival and the ship itself was torn apart by the continuous firepower.

Now the highest ranking officer in the flotilla, and the only commanding officer still serving from the original taskforce, Alexander was forced to take another field promotion and establish himself as the field commander of the flotilla. With some reluctance he withdrew the Alliance ships from under the Imperial Fleet which, in any normal circumstance, would have given them a chance to continue their bombardment. But the other two ships had done their job well, stripping the enemy vessels of their weapons and, no longer blocking line-of-sight, the ground-to-space weaponry continued their assault on the blockading fleet. It was some twenty six minutes before the destruction was complete and, at the end of that twenty six minutes, the planet was once again free of enemies. Having lost the Heroic and two ships in the skirmish two days earlier the flotilla was in need of a reprieve and, when they returned to Coruscant, they were finally given one. Alexander acknowledged in his own private log that the reprieve came too late for Captain Brent who, as he feared, had made tactical mistakes due to lack of sleep.

Whilst on Coruscant for this shore leave he visited his grandmother, curious as to why she had yet to respond to his message. He was shocked to learn that she was ill; not because she wasn’t old – she was nearing a century by this point – but because she had been well the last time he saw her. It was only then that he realized how long he had been away from home, and vowed not to spend so long away next time. He spent three of his seven days with his grandmother, fussing around after her and making sure she was well, something she considered both lovely and annoying. She made sure he knew, at this point, her belief that his grandfather would have been extremely proud of him, not only for his ascension through the ranks but because he was doing what he believed was right: it was no longer just a case of making his grandfather proud but serving the tenets of peace, freedom, justice and security.

The remaining four days he split: one day he spent with Fleet Command going over his reports, and the other three he spent doing a task that, whilst not strictly his to do, he felt was necessary. One by one he visited the families of each crewman who had died under his service, both on the Determination and on the Heroic, as Captain Brent was not there to do it himself. Each family he visited gave him a different response; some were sad, some were beyond consolation, some showed a quiet pain, some were simply happy knowing their loved ones had died doing what they loved. They all had one thing in common; each of them was proud beyond belief of the things their loved ones had achieved and what they had accomplished in their time in this Galaxy. Alexander’s toughest visit was to the family of Captain Brent; he informed the captain’s wife and two children of their father’s sacrifice, and his courage and loyalty in the face of death. Of all the families they were the calmest, having long accepted that this might occur, and thanked Alexander for his visit.

When Fleet Command called Alexander back into service they informed him off the changes to his position. After reviewing his report and those of other captains within the flotilla they had decided that he was to retain the field promotion that Brent had given him, meaning he was still to be considered a commander. The Fist of Brent, however, was to be disbanded now that Captain Brent was dead. The Determination was being reassigned to the Mid Rim Defence Fleet, which was now seeing more action as the Imperials pushed forwards and pirates, taking advantage of this, were also taking more risks and assaulting Alliance convoys and medical stations. Displeased at what he considered to be a betrayal of Captain Brent’s memory, Alexander never-the-less complied with his orders and took the Determination to join the Mid Rim Defence Fleet.

He was with the Defence Fleet for no more than a month before he saw action. Having spent that time familiarising himself fully with crew and ship he was more prepared to take these enemies on than he had been during the Battle of the Ywllandr System, and the Dedication was instrumental in the defeat of several pirate vessels. It was here that Alexander noted his distinct flaw; when it came to starfighters he knew little in the way of tactics and found himself at a loss of what to do. The commander of the fleet, Rear Admiral Nathaniel Aleku, complimented Alexander on his skills following this skirmish and promised to refer him to one of the commanders in the fleet who had shown skills using starfighters in their tactics, so that Alexander might improve his own skills and stop fretting.

Alexander served in the Mid Rim Defence Fleet for five years, racking up victory after victory as successive waves of Imperial and pirate flotillas came from the Outer Rim and Wild Space to assault the Galactic Alliance. Several times in his log he would point out his personal belief that the Mid Rim Defence Fleet was spread too thin and that, in time, the Galactic Alliance was going to find itself outdone: the Imperials were obviously building more ships and, eventually, would gather them all for one massive surge, defeating the Defence Fleet and heading further to the Core. The Alliance, on the other hand, was making more vessels but politics was interfering; Senators, afraid for their own homeworlds, were using their influence to have these new ships placed in orbit of their planets in the Core, Inner Rim and Colonies, thereby depriving the Mid Rim of the necessary ships. It was his fear of this event happening that led him to act and risk losing his rank within the Galactic Alliance Navy.

Against the orders of his commanding officers Alexander sent a personal petition to the Senate. In said petition he outlined the problems being faced by the Mid Rim Defence Fleet and stated his observations that it was the acts of a few scared Senators that was keeping reinforcements from reaching the fleet in which he served. He also mentioned his fear that the Imperials were going to make a concerted push and defeat the Mid Rim Fleet. This petition, in the eyes of his superiors, was a show of weakness and would bring great disrespect upon the Mid Rim Defence Fleet and, though Admiral Aleku supported his decision, Alexander was never-the-less brought before a disciplinary board during one of the quieter moments. His ‘trial’ was going badly for him until, unexpectedly, an Imperial Fleet arrived. Much larger than any previously encountered, Aleku used his powers to halt the trial and return Alexander to his position as commander for the duration of the battle.

Despite their quick acting and the assortment of intelligent, ingenious commanders amongst the fleet, it was quickly obvious that the Defence Fleet was outnumbered and outmatched: as Alexander had expected, this was something of a concerted push into Galactic Alliance territory. When all hope seemed lost, and ship after ship was being destroyed by the Imperials, a new fleet arrived from hyperspace. Admiral Aleku prepared to give the order to retreat, unprepared to stand and fight against two fleets, when the second fleet introduced itself: a support fleet from the Galactic Alliance, finally assigned to aid the Mid Rim Defence Fleet. With this secondary fleet the Galactic Alliance ships were able to repel the Imperials and, as victory cries echoed across the bridges of countless ships, the secondary fleet reported to Admiral Aleku that it had been sent in response to Alexander’s petition.

Thankful to Alexander for his decision to send the petition, despite their earlier misgivings, the disciplinary board cancelled their trial and forwarded a report to Fleet Command. Suitably pleased with Alexander’s performance during his five years as a commander, and with his performance during the Battle of the Mid Rim, as it came to be known, Fleet Command decided to promote him to the rank of captain.

Captain of the Determination
Alexander’s first months as a captain were undermined by the delivery of a message from Fleet Command: Alexander’s grandmother had died, age and illness finally taking her life just as her grandson was promoted once more. For a period of time Alexander was inconsolable, the Determination reassigned to the Coruscant Defence Force so that his state of mind would not hamper the Mid Rim Defence Fleet if it came under assault again. Several members of Alexander’s crew held this against him, angry that his state of mind was holding them back from participating in the defence of the Mid Rim, where many of them originated from. Most of his crew rallied around him, determined to support their captain. Three months later, his mentality stabilized, Alexander and the Determination were sent back to the Mid Rim.

Not long after returning to the Mid Rim Alexander participated in the Second Battle of the Mid Rim. This battle was much easier than the second, the Mid Rim Defence Fleet now bolstered by a steady stream of ships from the Galactic Alliance’s largest shipyards, including Fondor and Kuat. The Imperials, perhaps assuming the reinforcements during the First Battle of the Mid Rim had merely been a coincidence, sent a taskforce roughly the same size as the first to try and obliterate the Defence Fleet, but were suitably repelled, with the Determination accounting for two of the enemy capital ships and a further three light cruisers, and the starfighter squadrons did their fair share of fighting successfully. Though the Imperials were repelled Fleet Command worried that the Expansion Region Defence Fleet would be undermanned should the Mid Rim Fleet fall and thus several ships were recalled, including the Determination.

Alexander and his crew expected their time in the Expansion Region Defence Fleet to be relatively quiet, with the logic being that the Mid Rim Fleet would keep any Imperial forces from assaulting the Expansion Region. This was far from the case, however. Whilst the Mid Rim Fleet did hold the Imperials back the Alliance’s decision to concentrate on the Imperials caused several pirating groups to band together, seeing a chance to make an easy fortune by plundering worlds now devoid of defensive fleets, those ships having been sent to the main fleets. Several of these fleets, of varying sizes, made the profitable Expansion Region their target, prompting several skirmishes between Galactic Alliance forces and these pirates, and in those conflicts the Determination became a well-known sight, speeding through the darkness of space then lighting it up with an array of weapons fire. These victories were small, but added to his record, and it was at the Battle of Thisspias that he made his final stand aboard the Determination.

With Imperials having broke through the Mid Rim blockade they made their way straight for a peculiar planet: Thisspias. No-one knows, even to this day, why they made that planet their target, but the Imperial Fleet heading for Thisspias regardless, and a flotilla of ships from the Expansion Region Defence Fleet was sent to defeat them. The Battle of Thisspias was a difficult one: ships on both sides collided when Imperial reserves came out of hyperspace too close to the fighting, and capital ships waged war on one another without thinking of the debris raining down on the planet below. The Determination, taking on two Imperial I-class Star Destroyers, was crippled beyond salvation and Alexander gave an order he thought he’d never have to: abandon ship. He was the last to leave the ship, risking his life in order to put the ship on auto-navigation and cause it to crash into the enemy command vessel. Using the shuttles he was able to get most of his crew over to the Redemption, a Scythe-class Main Battle Cruiser. The battle was eventually won, but the loss of the Determination weighed heavily on the hearts of Alexander and his crew.

Captain of the Redemption
Assigned as the new captain of the Redemption after the death, mid-battle, of its previous commander, Alexander’s only major action before his promotion to the rank of commodore was to oversee the group of ships escorting a major Galactic Alliance medical convoy into the Mid Rim. With the Rim now suffering heavily under sustained assaults from Imperials and other enemies of the Galactic Alliance it was becoming imperative that medicinal aid reach that portion of the Galaxy, but each convoy was either being turned back by the threat of Imperial intervention, or destroyed or captured by pirates. With planets now in need of desperate aid, and this convoy being the largest, Alexander led a group of powerful ships in its defence.

This escorting mission lasted for some nine months, as the convoy travelled to each planet designated in its mission parameters. Time and time again Alexander, now at the helm of one of the Mon Calamari Star Cruisers, had to quickly re-order the escorting ships into defensive formations to protect the vulnerable convoy from pirates, all intent on pillaging and then selling the resources aboard the convoy. It was one of the most successful periods in Alexander’s career: with a raid every week or so Alexander racked up the victories, making a note of every ship destroyed by the Redemption during his time as it’s commander. By the time the mission was complete he was hailed a hero and this was his final act as captain.

Commodore of the Fondor 53rd Flotilla
With the rank of Commodore came a new and extremely large responsibility: Alexander, as a test of his abilities, was placed in charge of the Fondor 53rd Flotilla, a new group of ships recently created at the Fondor Shipyards and ready to enter active service for the Galactic Alliance. The decision to place Alexander in command of these ships was a unanimous one amongst Fleet Command and one that Alexander would later learn had been suggested by Aleku, the former commander of the Mid Rim Defence Fleet, now a Vice Admiral and member of the Fleet Command Advisory Board. Some years ago he would have been apprehensive about taking command of more than one ship but now, more confident in his own abilities, he accepted the position with pride and humility, an odd combination some noted.

Fleet Command, noting that the assaults from the Imperials were lessening, ordered Alexander to take his flotilla to the Outer Rim and rendezvous with the remnants of the Outer Rim Defence Fleet, giving him co-ordinates sent to them by the remains of the Outer Rim Fleet some days prior. Alexander was unsure about this, stating that it was entirely possible the Outer Rim Fleet had changed loyalties, or that the message was in fact a trap orchestrated by the Imperials and their Empire allies as a means of weakening the Galactic Alliance by taking some of their newest ships out of commission. Though they took his words under advisement Fleet Command still ordered him to go and, at the helm of the Redemption, Alexander led his flotilla to the Outer Rim.

As expected by the new Commodore the entire meeting was a trap, orchestrated by the Outer Rim Fleet, now allied with the Kicka Empire. Angered that he had not done to convince Fleet Command to listen to him, and at the prospect of facing off against people once loyal to the Galactic Alliance, Alexander mustered his reserves and engaged the remnants of the Outer Rim Fleet, systematically destroying the ships one-by-one, unwilling to allow ships, even ones formerly allied to the Galactic Alliance, that were serving the Empire to escape. He destroyed seventeen capital ships and just shy of fifty varying classifications of cruisers for a loss of six ships, one of them a capital ship and the rest light cruisers. Fleet Command were pleased with this success by Vice-Admiral Aleku, like Commodore Toth, was displeased with having to take the lives of former Alliance members, and considered it a grave day in Alliance history.

Alexander and the 53rd Flotilla were then reassigned to the Mid Rim Defence Fleet, once more under orders to bolster the Defence Fleet just in case the Kicka Empire should begin their offensive again. Alexander and the 53rd Flotilla would stay as part of the Defence Fleet for six years, Commodore Toth serving as second-in-command of the Defence Fleet at the behest of Vice-Admiral Aleku. Seventeen skirmishes were fought between the Defence Fleet and the Empire-Imperials, all of them victories for the Galactic Alliance, but at the cost of dozens of ships, including four from Alexander’s own flotilla. His six years of service in the Defence Fleet served him well and, when he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral, his tactical knowledge led to further reassignment.

Rear Admiral of the Fondor 53rd Flotilla
Fleet Command, deciding that Alexander’s tactical expertise was more useful co-ordinating the defences of all Defence Fleets, recalled the Rear Admiral to Coruscant, there to keep him as a member of their advisory board. Some, including Alexander himself, considered the reassignment to be something of an insult: he was, he considered, born to lead ships across the vast expanse of space, to take the fight to the enemies of Alliance and safeguard their worlds against those who would seek to subjugate them. Fleet Command, however, felt that he would do this better if he were to help them co-ordinate all defensive fleets using his knowledge and, upon realising the honour he was being bestowed, Alexander accepted, though he was displeased with the lack of field work. The 53rd Flotilla remained in the Mid Rim, under the command of Commodore Neln, his second-in-command.

During his time as a member of the Advisory Board Alexander found himself constantly clashing with politicians, as day by day he came to understand how truly political the Alliance Navy was. His only glimpse of this, before his promotion, had been during the debacle that led to his petition for reinforcements some years earlier, but now he was witness to how rife it was. Senators were throwing their authority and credits here and there, demanding ships be assigned to defend their homeworlds or at least the areas of the Galaxy they considered more important, those being the Core Worlds. Being a military man, and distrusting of politicians who tried to influence the military for their own gains, Alexander became renowned during this period for his willingness to argue with politicians, something only other politicians did as often as he.

At some point during his time as a member of the Advisory Board he would learn that his mother and father had both died, within several weeks of one another, leaving Alexander as the heir to their substantial fortune. As his grandmother and grandfather had predicted the two had carved out a name for themselves in Coruscant’s elite, becoming exceptionally wealthy and the owners of several companies, leading to the formation of what was called “House Nuln”. With Alexander’s inheritance it was transformed into “House Toth”, and Alexander had the honorific title of Lord bestowed upon him. After a meeting with both Fleet Command and the Advisory Board it was agreed that Alexander would be allowed to use his honorific title in conjunction with his military one, and in response he donated several million credits to the Alliance Navy. Had this become public knowledge, it may have created quite a stir.

In 41 ABY Alexander, after clashing too often with politicians and causing a stir, was reassigned to field work, once more placed in charge of the 53rd Fondor flotilla, which now had additional ships to provide support. Pleased to be back in charge of his flotilla and to be once more in the field, Alexander was ordered by Fleet Command to take his flotilla into the Outer Rim, where Imperial activity seemed to have quietened down, and defeat blockades around several planets that were targets for liberation. Undaunted by the thought of commanding his fleet in operations that could change the fates of entire worlds, Alexander merely informed his subordinates of their appointed mission and awaited confirmation from Fleet Command that the ground forces that were going to be liberating the planets were ready, before departing on his appointed task, full of vigour and zest.

Over the next year and two months the Fondor 53rd Flotilla would travel through the Outer Rim, defeating blockades around six Imperial-held worlds, none of them worthy of great mention and only one of them worthy of attention from the Kicka Empire: said attention would result in the Empire taking that planet back some nine months later. For Alexander’s part he performed admirably, losing twelve ships over the course of the year but defeating nearly five times as many Imperial vessels, though the loss of so many lives weighed heavily on his heart. By the time his mission was over, with so many victories and such an impressive record under his belt, Fleet Command felt compelled to promote him once more to the rank of Vice Admiral.

Vice Admiral of the Fondor 53rd Flotilla
As Vice Admiral, and the commander of the Fondor 53rd Flotilla, Alexander was something of a legend amongst the lower ranks of the Navy, and he spent some time during his initial months as a Vice Admiral writing a number of books and instruction manuals on the art of naval warfare. He would comment, consistently, that the art of commanding capital ships and smaller vessels was his forte, and that the art of using starfighters to their maximum efficiency rested with people like Admiral Pedman, for he had never truly learnt how to maximum their skills. His manuals, along with those written by people like Admiral Pedman and Admiral Darklighter, would go on to be used in Alliance Naval Academies right across the boundaries of the Galactic Alliance, to great effect.

Once more Alexander found himself recalled to Coruscant, this time to act as Commander of the Defence Fleet during the absence of now full-Admiral Aleku, who was recovering from an illness. Angered once more at being separated from his flotilla, Alexander never-the-less complied, though he did express in his report his annoyance and the fact that he was unhappy about having to work so close to politicians once again. His time as Commander of the Coruscant Defence Fleet would be short, as Admiral Aleku recovered relatively quickly, but he would not be reassigned to serve in the Mid Rim. Instead Alexander was ordered to take the 53rd Flotilla and make it an addition to the newly formed Outer Rim Defence Fleet. The Outer Rim Defence Fleet was created to defend the few worlds there still under Alliance jurisdiction, and Alexander was to serve as the commanding officer of the entire Defence Fleet.

As had happened so often during Alexander’s career he soon found himself facing Empire and Imperial opposition. Their offensive renewed, the Imperials and their Empire allies seemingly determined to completely conquer the Outer Rim, the Outer Rim Defence Fleet found itself pressed to defend each world under their protection, and time and again Alexander sent petitions to Fleet Command requesting more ships be sent to alleviate the Defence Fleet. Despite those petitions he displayed bravery and skill, winning fourteen victories, of various levels, against the Empire. Unfortunately for the Outer Rim worlds under Alliance jurisdiction the Senate, in their ‘infinite wisdom’ decided that the cost of maintaining a Defence Fleet for so few worlds was simply not logical, and the Outer Rim Defence Fleet was disbanded only months after creation. Angered, Alexander himself argued before the Senate that they were abandoning those worlds, but his words went unheard. Instead he was assigned by Fleet Command to be the commanding officer of a new fleet.

Vice Admiral of the Third Fleet
All Alliance ships not already organized into Defence Fleets were instead formed into what the Senate called ‘Offensive Fleets’; those fleets that would be used in hostile, aggressive operations against the Kicka Empire and their allies. Whereas the Defence Fleets would serve solely to protect Alliance worlds and their affiliates the Offensive Fleets would be used to launch attacks and campaigns against those who opposed and tried to subjugate the Galactic Alliance, thereby giving the ships in the navy a clear definition of their task: if you were in the Defence Fleets it was highly unlikely you would ever leave the area you were stationed in. The Offensive Fleets, by comparison, were constantly travelling. His mission was simple: assault the Kicka Empire, and keep them occupied whilst others committed the major offenses.

As commanding officer of the Third Offensive Fleet Vice Admiral Toth lead assaults on six Imperial-held worlds in the Outer Rim, using the ships and all the tactical intelligence he could muster to keep casualties at a minimum. He would, during this time, write his memoirs, though he knew the intelligence recorded within was such that the public could never read said memoirs for fear they might reveal information to the enemy best kept secret. It kept him occupied during quieter moments, however, and stopped him dwelling on the deaths of those under his command because, as with all military operations, there were deaths that resulted from even the most meticulous of plans. His victories against the six fleets in orbit of each world made him a name to be feared in the Outer Rim, and soon the Imperials decided it was time to take the fight to him.

So it came to pass that the Third Offensive Fleet clashed with the Seventh Assault Fleet of the Kicka Empire. The battle – named Battle of the Void because it occurred in an area of space quite far from any celestial body – was a cause of losses on both sides, and it was here that Toth’s sense of invulnerability was kicked into touch. With his ship under sustained bombardment the shields around the bridge began to falter and, despite emergency power being transferred, a shot got through. Explosions tore across the bridge – thankfully, the viewports were not destroyed – and Toth’s right leg was caught in a blast as he turned away to flee the explosion. Knocked unconscious, he was sent immediately to the infirmary, with Rear Admiral Neln now taking charge. The battle was considered a draw, as both sides retreated to ‘safe’ territory.

After stabilizing Alexander the medics concluded that, whilst his leg had been saved, he would have lost a lot of strength in it and would never be able to fully run again, suffering from a limp and probably needing a cane to walk. He was transferred to Coruscant, where the medics had better facilities and, even when recovered, opted to stay there for some time, claiming shore leave long overdue. His pride and ego dented, his sense of invulnerability now gone, it took Alexander some six months before he was ready to return to active duty, at which point he returned as commanding officer and seemed even more determined to wipe the Empire and their Imperial lapdogs from the Galaxy. His chance for revenge would soon come.

In the fifth month of 52 ABY the Third Offensive Fleet and Seventh Assault Fleet clashed again in the Second Battle of the Void and Alexander, now more cautious, was able to defeat his opponent using a combination of several different, innovative tactics. The Empire found themselves totally outgunned by this seemingly new commander, Alexander now using every ounce of tactical acumen at his disposal but his reckless bravado tempered by his experience. The Seventh Assault Fleet was drastically damaged, retreating after several hours of conflict. When news of his victory was heard on Coruscant it was hailed a great success and Alexander, a naval legend, was promoted to the rank of full Admiral in the sixth month of 52 ABY.

Admiral of the Third Fleet
Using his honorific title of Lord-Admiral, Alexander has retained the rank since that day, still in command of the Third Offensive Fleet, and continuing to lead operations against the Empire. He has remained through the transition from Alliance to Republic and now works alongside his fellow admirals to try and stem the tide of the Kicka Empire's advance.

Personality
Alexander is known for being a rather complex being, one that is exceptionally difficult to understand even at the best of times. The most common and obvious trait he possesses is a near-genius level intellect. His mind is constantly working and analyzing every situation he finds himself in and despite being relatively young he has developed an innate ability to quickly adapt to new situations with ease. His most famous trait, and the one most often remarked upon is his ability to anticipate what his enemies are going to do and act accordingly, always seeming to place himself one step ahead of them. He attributes this to the games of dejarik he regularly plays, stating that by playing dejarik one learns to anticipate an opponent’s moves and so act in accordance to those moves. He transfers these skills to his military and political career, and it has made him quite successful.

He is a very ‘by-the-book’ kind of man when it comes to how one should act when on-duty. When off-duty he will have a laugh and a joke with those around him, and in his youth was known for being quite the practical joker, something that has vanished over time. But, when on-duty, he prefers for a strict and formal atmosphere to be maintained. Usually seen as a quiet, calculating and calm figure, the few occasions on which he gets angry puts him in stark contrast to other some other figures; he does not yell or fly into violent rages, instead maintaining a calm attitude, his anger identified only by the tone of his voice.

Alexander displays command traits that differ to those used by a some officers in the Galactic Alliance, and most in the Empire. Though he will punish failures when necessary he prefers to encourage creativity and ingenuity in his subordinates and is not above promoting someone based on a good idea or an interesting skill. He also listens to the thoughts and ideas of his subordinates and, as opposed to dismissing them out-of-hand, will make use of them if they are logical and efficient. This is one way in which he boosts morale amongst his subordinates. He is not arrogant, and is willing to admit defeat if necessary; he will not waste resources needlessly.

As a member of the Galactic Alliance, and due to his own principles, Alexander is a staunch believer in four tenets; peace, freedom, justice and security. He has noted, privately and publically, that these tenets can clash with one another: justice, if not handled correctly, can stamp over people’s ability to seek freedom if it begins taking the form of totalitarianism. Alexander has spoken out on several occasions against some of the things he considers to be a blight on the Galaxy; slavery is the main issue. Seeing it as abominable, even in cultures that rely on slave trading for their economy, he is a firm enemy to this trade. He strongly believes in democracy and believes that oversight is necessary even at the highest levels, but does not believe that politicians should be allowed to interfere in military matters except in cases of oversight; they should not, for example, decide who gets promoted as they are not the ones out on the front-line fighting.

Alexander has a keen eye for detail, something that he uses when planning his mission. If he spots the slightest detail that appears to be beneficial he will act upon it, though not without first examining it to ensure it isn’t false information or some such trick. This, coupled with his thirst for knowledge and intelligence, make him an exceptional naval commander. Some have commented that this eye for detail could be considered close to photographic memory; when he sees something he retains that image, even months later, and can call on it seemingly at will.

He is known for being a brave and courageous man, not above putting his own life in harm’s way if it means getting the job done or rescuing people. He is loath to leave members of the Galactic Alliance in jeopardy if he can help it and has, on numerous occasions, gone out of his way to ensure the safety of those under his command even if it means going against a direct order, another thing he hates doing. Though he respects the Jedi Order, the skills of its members and what they stand for, he does not believe they should have positions of leadership amongst the Galactic Alliance military, and stands staunchly against them being given military titles and command positions.

Before the injuries he sustained during the Battle of the Void Alexander considered himself close to invincible, rarely losing a conflict and having never been personally injured during his career. The wounds he sustained dented his pride for a time and he was seen to be weak-willed by some for allowing a wound, albeit a grave one, to hamper his command abilities. The truth was different: it wasn’t his ability to command that was hampered but the fact that he now knew, with a certainty, that he was no longer invincible, and recognized that he sometimes sent people under his command into dangerous situations without realizing it. Since that event he has become somewhat more cautious, but still a daring commander in his own right.

Service History
- Finishes training at the Coruscant Naval Academy (217 ABY) - Begins serving at rank of sublieutenant (217 ABY) - Promoted to rank of lieutenant (217.7 ABY) -- Participates in Skirmish above Waltoth as part of Captain Brent’s flotilla [victory] - Promoted to rank of lieutenant commander (219.6 ABY) -- Participates in numerous skirmishes with pirate vessels as part of Captain Brent’s flotilla -- Participates in Skirmish in the Prefsbelt Sector against Imperials. Earns field promotion [victory] - Promoted (field) to rank of commander (220.6 ABY) -- Participates in Battle of Ywllandr System. Captain Brent killed. Takes command of flotilla [victory] -- Field promotion made official by Fleet Command. Captain Brent’s flotilla disbanded. -- Assigned to Mid Rim Defence Fleet. Petitions Senate to send more ships to Mid Rim Defence Fleet -- Participates in numerous skirmishes against Imperials. Believes a concerted push by them will soon be made to overwhelm the Mid Rim Defence Fleet -- Participates in Battle of the Mid Rim. Defeat seems inevitable until Alliance relief fleet arrives, sent by Senate due to Alexander’s petition. - Promoted to rank of captain (225.6 ABY) -- Reassigned to Coruscant Defence Fleet during a period of instability when his grandmother dies. Sent back to Mid Rim three months later -- Participates in Second Battle of the Mid Rim [victory] -- Recalled to serve in Expansion Region Defence Fleet -- Participates in several skirmishes against pirates -- Participates in Battle of Thisspias. Determination destroyed [victory] -- Transferred to command of the Redemption -- Provides escort for major medical convoy to Mid Rim. Repels several waves of Imperial ships - Promoted to rank of commodore (230.9 ABY) -- Assigned to act as commander of the Fondor 53rd flotilla, a group of twenty-one starships created at the Fondor shipyards -- Ordered to take the 53rd Flotilla to the Outer Rim and bolster the remnants of the Defence Fleet -- Arrives at the main rendezvous point in the Outer Rim and finds the remnants of the Outer Rim Defence Fleet now loyal to the Imperials and their Empire allies. Participates in Battle 981/5/72 [victory] -- Assigned to bolster the Mid Rim Defence Fleet with the 53rd flotilla. Serves for six years as second-in-command of the Mid Rim Defence Fleet, racking up seventeen victories against Imperial flotillas - Promoted to rank of Rear Admiral (237.2 ABY) -- Recalled to serve as an advisor to Fleet Command on Coruscant -- Reassigned to field work (241 ABY) -- Leads the Mid Rim Defence Fleet in a concerted push into the Outer Rim. Retakes several worlds before being promoted - Promoted to rank of Vice Admiral (242.1 ABY) -- Recalled to Coruscant to act as commander of the Defence Fleet -- Reassigned to command the Outer Rim Defence Fleet after its reformation -- Participates in fourteen battles against Imperial-Empire Fleets [victory] -- Reassigned to serve as commanding officer of the newly formed Third Offensive Fleet -- Leads assaults on six worlds in the Outer Rim [victory] -- Participates in Battle of the Void, leading Third Fleet against the Seventh Assault Fleet of the Empire [draw] -- Spends time recuperating after being wounded in Battle of the Void. Third Assault Fleet temporarily given to Rear Admiral Neln to command. Returns to command six months after departure -- Participates in the second Battle of the Void [victory] - Promoted to rank of Admiral (252.6 ABY)

Medals Awarded
Crynyd Award: Awarded for bravery displayed during Skirmish of the Prefsbelt Sector

Burdine Cluster: Awarded for heroism displayed at the Battle of Ywllandr System

Medal of Bravery: Awarded for bravery displayed during First Battle of the Mid Rim

Nebula Award: Awarded for loyalty during Battle of Thisspias, even when his ship was about to be destroyed

Medal for Distinguished Service: Awarded upon promotion to the rank of Commodore

Platinum Valour Cross: Awarded for actions during Battle 981/5/72

Redbird: Awarded after being injured Battle of the Void

Superior Service Medal: Awarded upon promotion to the rank of Admiral

Source(s)

 * 1 - http://z7.invisionfree.com/StarWarsGalaxy/index.php?showtopic=14103&st=0#entry4735338