Horst (Keycard)

|type=Galactic Empire
|image=
|name=Horst
|death=November 8, 2003; Trid, DanutaDark Forces: Soldier for the Empire
|species=HumanStar Wars: Dark Forces
|gender=Male
|hair=Brown
|skin=Fair
|affiliation=Galactic Empire
}}
Horst was a Human male who served as an officer with the rank of major for the Galactic Empire during 2003. The officer was stationed on the Imperial held planet Danuta, located in the Mid Rim. Danuta was the location of an Imperial research facility that held the schematics to an Imperial superweapon known as the Death Star. The facility was located in the capital city of Trid, and from a small security and operations station embedded into a rock wall outside of the facility, Horst held in his possession a red key that allowed access into the facility's lower levels. The officer was accompanied by a stormtrooper and an Imperial commando, while at least two stormtroopers protected the security station's access lifts. All of them were killed by the Rebel mercenary Kyle Katarn when he raided the facility.
==Biography==
HorstDark Forces: Soldier for the Empire audio drama was Human male who had joined the Galactic Empire, and by 2003 had made his way into the officer corp as a Major. Horst was stationed on the Mid Rim planet Danuta, where he worked at an Imperial research facility located in the capital city of Trid. Horst primarily worked in a security and operations station located right outside of the main facility, which was embedded into a rock wall. The station could be reached via two turbolifts, and was guarded by at least two Imperial stormtroopers.
Later during the year, a mercenary named Kyle Katarn, working with a fledgling Rebel Alliance, infiltrated the facility armed with only his Bryar pistol and extensive Imperial knowledge that he had attained after years of schooling from the Imperial Academy of Carida, located on the planet of Carida.
That very night, Horst was assuming duty and ordered the squad leader to signal the change of the watch, release the night watch probe droids, and log that he has the the red code key to the secure room of the facility's lower levels, which contained schematics to an Imperial superweapon known as the Death Star. Assuming his duty for the night, he then ordered a standard security scan of all access ways and hatches; then he was alerted by the squad leader that he detected that the alarm system was shut down in sector S-2. Horst was about to open a channel to the quick response team and send a squad of walkers when Lieutenant Meck Odom showed up. He explained that he was finishing up some remote tests on the door locks and fell behind schedule. Horst scolder the Lieutenant, pointing out that his watch ended 5 mins ago, and that his false alarm would raise up squad of Imperial commandoes. Odom apologised and promised that it won't happen again. Horst wouldn't imagine that Meck was a friend of Katarn at the Academy, and actually his "mistake" was on purpose, in order to allow him to infiltrate the base.
Katarn made it through the main facilities, but Horst had sent his men and trapped him in the south corridor. However he made his way outside and then into the security station. Horst was accompanied by two others by this point, including a stormtrooper and an Imperial commando, who was eating a doughnut. He was talking with At One on radio saying that one intruder had been detected in the south corridor and his men had him trapped there, while all other areas had been clear. Claiming that he has the situation under control, he refused backup, and ordered instead to send walker to patrol the south perimeter to anticipate an incoming Rebel ship. Right then Katarn made it to the security station, he killed the commando, who was unarmed, and killed the stormtrooper who was in mid-sentence while ordering the agent to identify himself. Katarn held Horst at gunpoint, asking for the key. Horst was socked, wondering what had happened to his men, but refused to comply; instead he opted to draw his blaster pistol, and was killed by the rebel in return. After overcoming a brief stint of shock at the officer's stubbornness, Katarn gathered the keycard and used it to access the lower levels of the facility, later attaining the schematics.
==Personality and traits==
Horst was trained to serve the Empire, and did not take rebels lightly, regarding them as scum. The officer had an adherence to melee weapons, instead preferring to rely on the accuracy of his blaster pistol.Star Wars: Dark Forces Horst was also fairly stubborn, and as opposed to handing a keycard to Katarn while at gunpoint, Horst instead tried to kill the intruder, a move that ended fatally for the officer. He had light skin and brown colored hair, and also possessed a heavily scarred face.
==Equipment==
Horst owned a blaster pistol, but despite his knowledge of the weapon and his accuracy with it, he was not able to prevent Kyle Katarn from killing him and stealing his keycard. He wore a brown colored uniform.
==Behind the scenes==
Horst first appeared in the 1994 video game Star Wars: Dark Forces. All officers looked the same throughout the game, and as such certain attributes of their appearance may be truly ambiguous. All Imperial troopers in the game were voiced by Denny Delk, though the Imperials were collectively credited as "Stormtrooper".
The officer also appeared in the 1997 novella Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire, written by William C. Dietz; while changing the game's difficulty level would affect the number of enemies in any given level, the novella describes that he was accompanied by a commando and a trooper who both are killed after him. The officer is unnamed, while a totally different character is named Horst. This article assumes they are two different characters who share the same name.
The officer was given the name Horst in the audio drama based on the novella, voiced by Gary Groomes. Unlike in the game and the novella, here Horst appears to be alone in the operations room, communicating with a unit called At One, and has a brief dialogue with Katarn before shooting. While in the game and the novella Horst's room is reached via an elevator, the audio drama suggests that it is in the end of the "south corridor". This article combines elements from both sources, supposing that Kyle shot Horst's companions first, before interacting with him.
==Appearances==
*Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire
*Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire audio drama 
*Star Wars: Dark Forces 
==Sources==
*Dark Forces Official Player's Guide
==Notes and references==
Category:Humans
Category:Imperial Army officers of the Galactic Empire
Category:Males