Charles Sel

## **Biography**

#### **Early Life**

Charles Sel was born on the impoverished, farming planet of Onderon in the Inner Rim. His parents died from starvation when he was only 17 years old. Having nowhere else to go, he went to the only place that would offer him food and shelter- the Royal Guard of Onderon.

#### **Military Service before the Northern Campaign**

Sel enlisted in the Royal Guard of Onderon, hoping to find some measure of stability he so lacked in the first years of his life. He quickly rose through the ranks, thanks to his untrusting nature, which has saved his life and that of his colleagues many times. It is because of that characteristic, as he was always on lookout for threats, on edge, that he once saved his battalion commander from an explosion. In recognition of his abilities (which have also caused him to become unpopular among his calleagues) Sel became the youngest Lieutenant in the history of the Royal Guard at just 23 years old, a year after he was sent to fight in the Northern Campaign.

#### **Northern Campaign**

In 7914 CRC, a large part of the Onderon's Northern Hemisphere has openly rebelled against the Government, citing terrible inequalities and lack of investment, leaving the region impoverished, even by Onderon's standards. Sel's battalion (1st Battalion, Asseq Life Guards) was tasked to secure a valley encircling the rebels' salient and cutting their main force off. The valley was quickly occupied with little enemy resistance, but that changed in the evening. The rebels launched a counteroffensive, forcing the 1st Battalion to retreat to the nearby Hill 715, sustaining considerable casualties. By 2200 hours, the situation has stabilised, both sides tired from the fight. In the early morning hours, the rebels launched a night raid and killed all of the battalion's command, except from Lieutenant Sel, who was sent to establish a picket.

Upon his return, Sel immidiately assumed command of the Battalion, preparing it for defence. With communications cut off and the valley of crucial importance for the entire campaign, Sel had no choice but to continue the defence of Hill 715 until reinforcments arrived. The battalion entrenched itself on the hill, awaiting the enemy. The rebels launched numerous attacks, including artillery and aerial support, for 3 days and 3 nights. By the eve of the 4th day, the rebels have been repelled and the 1st Battalion reinforced by the Salthamberland Hussars. The battalion lost 210 out of 250 men, Lieutenant Sel was severely injured. When the High Command learned of Sel's actions, they decided to promote him to Major, becoming the first member of the Royal Guard to be promoted by more than one rank, despite Sel's protests, who called the battle "one of the worst defeats in the history of Onderon". His injuries, however, were too severe to allow him to serve in the field and Sel was transferred to the High Command in Iziz. There, in an offical ceremony, The King of Onderon bestowed upon Sel the title of "Earl of Asseq" (Asseq being the region where the battle took place and from where his battalion hailed).

#### **An Officer of His Majesty**

Sel, now a Major, was confined to paperwork and protocol for 20 years, with no prospect of promotion, a forgotten hero... Sel used his new, noble status with no second thought, trying, and succeeding, in becoming a true nobleman- hence his love of protocol. However, at one of the military conferences in 7939 CRC, when Sel stepped in for an ill colleague, the King was impressed with his sharp mind and quick, to-the-point analyses, Sel became a personal Aide-de-Camp to the King, a liason between the Royal Palace and the High Command, and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. In 7942 CRC, Sel retired from the military, transferring to the Diplomatic Corps where he served as the Ambassador to Lothal, Umbara and Commenor. In 7959 CRC, the King asked Sel to serve as the Senator to the Galactic Republic's Senate, which Sel graciously accepted.

#### **A Senator in the Senate**

Sel, now a Senator, quickly assimilated into politics, describing it as "bloodless war". He pushed for a suspisously progressive agenda, passing the Rim Solidarity Tax Act. His brief career come to an abrupt end with the Onderon Crisis.

#### **The Onderon Crisis**

As hostilties erupted once more on Onderon, between the Nobility and the Progressives, who have gathered most of the popular support. Sel tried to use the Republic to destroy the Progressives, calling them "terrorists". When the Republic refused, Sel, without prior consultance with the King, seceded from the Republic, citing its inability and unwiligness to help Planets in need. Sel was proclaimed Prime Minister and formed a new governmental organisation "the Confederacy of Independent Systems" with the Banking Clan and Senator loor of Anaxes. As the Republic sent its navy to restore peace and order to the Onderon, which was by this time on the brink of the civil war, the King finally saw Sel's inability to lead Onderon and stripped of all his titles and ranks. Sel made his final stand on Hill 715 with the 1st Battalion, Asseq Life Guards, where he fought as he did decades before. He led a bayonet charge against other formations of the Royal Guard, meeting a soldier's end on the very Hill that defined his life...