Gaerno Raffon

Gaerno Raffon is a member of the Clandestine Shock Squad "Arakeev" of the Byblos Sector Authority under the rule of Marshal Kamel Zozza. He was born on the Inner Rim world of Paqualis III as the only child of Republic Navy Captain Javos Raffon and Tilda Sentad. Military life defined Gaerno's youth due to his family's commitment to military service, he was raised by his mother alone for the duration of the Clone Wars as his father was fighting in the war.

Like most youth of the Imperial Era his childhood and education was dominated by nationalist and humanocentric education, ideas which were often reinforced by his family. Following in family tradition Gaerno enlisted in the Galactic Empire's military, specifically the Stormtrooper Corps and with the connections the family held, he was sent to the Academy of Caridia to be trained.

Gaerno served the Empire across the galaxy in a variety of locations and roles, though found himself most apt in the usage of the MiniMag PTL, an ability would proved valuable as the Galactic Civil War progressed from counter insurgency to full scale war. After the Battle of Endor his father used what connections he had in the Imperial Government to get Gaerno assigned to Paqualis as the galaxy spiraled out of control, but only briefly. As the situation stabilized, Gaerno was offered the chance to join the new Byblos Sector Authority and their Clandestine Shock Squad, an offer he readily accepted.

## Biography

### Early Life

Gaerno was born on the urban planet of Paqualis III, an urban planet such as it on the Hydian way offered bountiful opportunity. However, Gaerno's life path was chosen the moment he was born, his father and his family were staunch militarists, human supremacist's, and prided themselves on having a history of galactic military service. His father, Javos, was a Captain of the Paqualis III Defense Fleet, not a very prestigious post but the Galactic Republic lacked a centralized military of any respectability. That was until the beginning of the Clone Wars, Javos quickly enlisted to fight with the renewed Republic Navy, eventually finding himself under the command of Captain Terrinald Screed's task force of the First Fleet, better known as the Victory Fleet, with command of his own Venator. He carried this service through the Clone Wars to the Galactic Empire, a government the Raffon family staunchly supported. Following his commander, now Vice Admiral Screed, to the Coruscant Defense Fleet, Javos found himself in command of an Imperial-I Class Star Destroyer until his retirement a few years after the Battle of Yavin in 37:6 GrS. With all this, during the years of the Clone Wars and until 2 ABY, Gaerno grew up raised by his mother, though the influences of the Raffon family were still strongly messaged by his mother and other family members who helped raise him along with the occasional visits his father was able to manage after the Clone Wars.

The education and influences on him were heavily militaristic, humanocentric, and pro-Imperial. Many of these were communicated through his schooling years, being dominated by the Imperial Era, yet most were truly through his family, the grand stories of service he'd hear, the news of victories achieved by the very Fleet his father was in, and the idea that it was the duty of a Raffon to serve the galaxy, to protect it from whatever may threaten it and it's people. This set Gaerno on his path, he was to join the military, be it a pilot, Army trooper, Navy officer, or a Stormtrooper, he would follow in the footsteps of those laid before him and serve the galaxy.

When he became of enlistment age he had his mind set upon the new Imperial Stormtrooper Corps, an idea his family very much approved of, and made every effort to help him succeed. With this he found himself in the Imperial Academy of Caridia, however this life wasn't all what he had expected. He knew the path he took would be a difficult one but he didn't expect such a cold reception from his fellow cadets who ridiculed him for his familial connections and especially for his father being a member of the Navy, posted at Coruscant no less. This infuriated Gaerno during his first year of training, how could they not see the good his family did, how his father was a hero to the galaxy for his work, just like so many others fighting and who had fought in the name of the galaxy. Yet Gaerno learned to deal with the contempt that emanated from his fellow cadets, using it as a learning experience to avoid mentioning his father's Naval service.

### The Stormtrooper Corps

After completing his training, Gaerno found himself in the frontlines of pacification efforts as the Empire sought to solidify its rule across the galaxy. Being a graduate of Caridia, Gaerno often was placed in tactical leadership roles, which he found himself very suited for in these early days against unorganized and hopeless resistance. Yet as the years dragged on and the violence escalated, and the Stormtroopers began to fight a more organized enemy insurgency, Gaerno found himself less prepared for such a role. The nature of counter insurgency against an organized enemy was a far more taxing task, yet Gaerno still committed himself to it, no matter how difficult it got, lest he stop his service and tarnish the Raffon name.

This continued until the Battle of Endor, with the death of the Emperor and Darth Vader Gaerno's father could see the wider and dangerous implications, so used what connections he still had to get Gaerno transferred to garrison duty on Paqualis III for a brief time. As the galaxy turned to chaos so to did the Raffon family, they became divided over what their galactic service truly meant now, since there was no Emperor to their Empire were they still to follow it? If the Empire is fracturing perhaps they should turn to the next rising power of the New Republic, or some other Warlord, Zsinj being a popular choice of many family members. Yet others argued the Imperial Centre still existed and was trying to maintain the government, it would be treasonous to turn against them at their greatest hour of need. Uncles, cousins, his father, grandfather, all argued over what was to be done now. But Gaerno didn't care for any of that, he was an Imperial Stormtrooper and until the government he served no longer existed, that is who he was, but he wasn't eager to be at the command of a failing government.

### Joining the CSS

As the galaxy reeled from Endor, Gaerno found himself back in the service of the Empire, fighting the losing battles to hold onto Imperial worlds, to stop the tide of the New Republic and prevent Grand Moffs and local leaders from splitting away from the Empire to forge their own paths. It was a fight that Gaerno could see they were losing every day, he just wished he could serve a new, stable government that could bring true safety to galaxy, or at this point, anywhere would do. He found this when the offer to join the Clandestine Shock Squad made its way to him, in the wake of their taking of Byblos from Moff Tucker, they now sought to bolster their ranks and Gaerno leaped at the offer, the opportunity to fight for something meaningful again.