Essik Lyccane

Under Construction This page seems to be Under Construction. Watch out for large groups of Rebel fighters. After construction is complete, please place a note on the article's talk page and remove this message.

Essik Lyccane
Biographical Information
Homeworld:	Gand
Date of Birth:	75 (Born 39 BBY)
Physical Description
Species:	Gand
Gender:	Male
Height:	1.58M
Weight:	98kg
Hair:	N/A
Eyes:	Green
Personal Information
Weapon(s):	SoroSuub ELG-3A Blaster Pistol
Chronology & Political Information
Profession:	Naval Officer
Era(s):	New Order Era
Affiliation:	Clan Odan-Urr, House Hoth
Dossier:	14751
[ Source ]

"'You treat war like Chess. Games with identical units and laws set in stone that all must adhere to. Did you honestly think Essik would play by rules you dictated?"

―Lyccane

Essik Lyccane is a Gand male of the lungless sub-species serving in the fleet of Clan Odan-Urr. A lifelong soldier, Lyccane has spent almost his entire life serving on one ship or another throughout the myriad of conflicts which shook the galaxy to its core. First serving in the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars, he quickly sided with the Rebel Alliance following the purge of all non-humans during the rise of the rise of the Galactic Empire. While both loyal and extremely diligent, he vehemently disagreed with what he saw as mistakes by both the leaders of the New Republic and Resistance in its later years, and was forcibly retired due to his advancing age.

Tired of watching blind men leading the galaxy to ruin, he was only stopped from returning to his homeworld by a chance encounter with Ka Tarvitz. After being convinced that there were still those who could use his experience, he joined the White Lotus Resistance and has since served directly under the Jedi of Odan-Urr at the rank of Commander.

Character History

Clone Wars (20 BBY - 19 BBY)

One of the rare few Gand who opted to associate themselves with the wider galaxy over their isolated homeworld, Lyccane rose to prominence during early 20 BBY. He was initially tasked by his Pocket Colony with assisting the few traders which visited the backwater planet, but a growing fascination with the technologies and ships of foreign powers led to him breaking away from his home within a matter of months of accepting the role. Serving first as an adjutant on a sprint-trader travelling between the core worlds of Coruscant, Corellia and Chandrila, Lyccane's natural talent for tactical countermeasures and quiet pragmatism soon marked him for officer material. Despite his limited experience with stellar mechanics, Lyccane's capacity to pick out inherent weaknesses prevented the freighter's capture by CIS aligned privateers on no less than two occasions and directly contributed to crippling a vastly larger enemy vessel during a boarding action. Under most circumstances, this would have merely suggested that a skilled figure, word of these actions reached Republic command on Chandrila. Two years of relentless warfare had sapped the Republic Navy of skilled officers and soldiers alike, and Lyccane found himself unexpectedly conscripted into the war effort.

While resistant at first, Lyccane's mind was soon changed upon realising the benefit of this recruitment, and the opportunities it would provide in the wake of the conflict. Rushed through basic combat training and taught the essentials of fleet warfare, he showed promise in the vast majority of combat scenarios. He lacked the inherent familiarity of warship designs or Republic equipment, but Lyccane's capacity to pick out patterns within larger formations and unconventional uses of their units granted him an edge most recruits lacked. Thanks to these qualities, he eventually found himself serving in the Chandrila Defense Fleet under the command of Hiram Drayson.

As with most recruits in the final months of the Clone Wars, Lyccane was rushed through his training. Granted basic combat understanding and tactical acumen, while he retained a basic grasp of the chain of command and discipline the Gand lacked the finer points of mechanical detail and operating within a larger standing force. This often left him relying more on personal guile or opting for unorthodox strategies to win the battles he supported. On the few occasions he did not serve as an officer under a more experienced superior, Lyccane opted to use everything but direct methods of confronting enemy forces. This mentality led to a surprisingly beneficial outcome during the Cyphar skirmishes. During a disastrous initial assault, the Republic ships were destroyed or downed while attempting to rush the linchpin world in the enemy defensive network. Gathering any survivors who could be found, Lyccane led an ad-hoc battalion of Clone Troopers and militia volunteers to repeatedly harry a much larger Confederacy force.

Opting to shadow them but always maintaining a tactically superior position on the terrain, he limited the capacity for one side to attack the other. The few strikes they made were to limit their capacity to maneuver or defend their few holdings on the moon, forcing the enemy Commander to draw on defensive platoons on the surrounding worlds in an effort to drive off the Republic units. Lyccane never pressed the advantage when given it, nor did he ever fully meet the enemy invasion force in battle, instead opting to slowly push them to consolidate as many units as possible on their position. This weakened Confederacy defenses throughout the system, leading to a swift series of counter-offensives by another Republic taskforce and retaking the system with relatively little bloodshed. He would later tell the defeated enemy Commander that "Lyccane wins because you didn't". Glory meant nothing to him in the face of a long-term victory.

This willingness to set aside any and all personal glory in favour of more beneficial outcomes earned Lyccane little recognition, and his smaller scale victories were constantly eclipsed by the more successful campaigns of the Jedi led armies. Typically winning singular battles rather than benefitting overall campaigns, the accomplishments he made were often attributed to another superior, while his defensive actions were rarely reported on. Lyccane himself simply believed this due to the scale of the war and the benefit of greater experience on the part of veteran officers. His respect for the few Jedi he was permitted to serve under, notably Rahm Kota, was enough for him to accept he was a small cog in a much larger machine. More than once, however, he was surprised to find that all mention of his actions were erased from public propaganda or even limited his involvement. During the final Outer Rim Sieges of the conflict, his success in bypassing and then destroying the Confederacy's heavy orbital defenses the Battle of Triton proved critical to their final victory. The fortified planet had repelled three previous invasion attempts utilising a network of long range batteries and torpedo launchers to cripple incoming ships. Yet records glorified only the accomplishments of the crews whereas he went nameless as an "enlisted officer" who opened the way for the Clone Troopers. Lyccane himself would reflect upon this in years to come, regarding it as the first sign of cultivated anti-human resentment that would blossom under the Galactic Empire.

By the time the war drew to an end, Lyccane had found himself promoted to Captain but was pushed further and further away from the frontlines. Eventually pulled back to Chandila itself, he spent the final months assisting with ship maintenance and fleet logistics until word came to pass of the Confederacy's defeat and promotional holonet broadcasts glorified the purge of the traitorous Jedi Order.

Rebellion (18 BBY - 6 ABY)

Rebel Sympathiser

With an end to hostilities thanks to the dissolution of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the rise of the Galactic Empire, Lyccane found himself in a very different galaxy than the one he had joined. Rather than the victory they had been promised, the galaxy seemed to become a far darker place which emulated the very things they had been fighting against. The Chandrila Defense Fleet was effectively dissolved soon after the war, as the role of defending the planet was given to Moff Kohl Seerdon as part of the new regime. A number of crewmen were integrated into the new Imperial Navy, but Lyccane found that he and a large number of others had been mysteriously ignored. Worse still, rumours arose of mysterious deaths even among those accepted into the new order. Individuals who respected the Jedi or even questioned the new policies such as Jace Dallin were executed as examples or seemingly disappeared without a trace. Knowing that there was little he could do, Lyccane attempted to return to a life of serving aboard civilian freighters and managing cargo shipments for a moderate shipping company. Eventually, between the increasingly tyrannical methods used by planetary governors and word of a growing Rebellion being spearheaded by pro-Republic loyalists, Lyccane opted to align himself with those resisting the Empire.

Rather than wholly returning to military service, Lyccane utilised his knowledge of the hyperspace lanes to supply the fledgeling resistance movement. Initially focusing on making low-level supply runs to smaller cells, the Gand privately sought out medical supplies and surplus weapons crates from surplus sources and criminal enterprises alike, often funding them privately. Utilising a small network of drop-off and collection points, Lyccane would typically collect and then drop the supplies during his journies. As the months wore on, he slowly began to work to create further support as he was promoted within the shipping company he served.

Upon being given command of his own vessel, Lyccane gradually replaced the crew with other disillusioned figures who had fought in the Clone Wars, allowing him to make larger long-range drops and even entire runs in secret to major Rebel groups. While often requiring them to completely wipe segments of the navigation logs and even disguising their losses by faking pirate attacks, they were able to readily strengthen several groups when supplies were desperately needed. He was often forced to rely upon unsavoury means or burning through old favours to ensure he could meet with requirements, but the experience gave him a much-needed perspective on logistics in guerilla warfare which would serve him well in the years to come.

While he risked being caught more than once, Lyccane was able to gradually use this to his advantage. Framing his pro-Imperial employer for his own acts, he was able to place one of his older comrades into a position to immediately succeed him upon being removed from power. This benefitted them considerably, allowing them to slowly build up a smaller fleet of loyal captains to provide essential resources to the war effort and more direct long-term support. When the company was forced to scrap a number of its GR-75 Transports, they made sure that they would fall into Rebel hands. Upon having several of its assets seized by order of the Empire, every effort was made to create blind spots and vulnerabilities for the Rebels to raid and capture facilities and ships alike. However, it was clear that these minor acts would only work for a time. Lyccane knew that one suspicious act too many would eventually draw infiltrators or more likely a direct raid by Imperial Intelligence, and began preparing to cut and run at a moment's notice.

Moving as many essential assets as possible onto the freighters in dummy cargo containers, they began moving them as far from the Core worlds as possible on a series of long-range supply runs to various defunct contacts. When the Imperials were able to begin moving against them following unusual flight patterns which might have suggested meeting with Rebel ships, Lyccane tied them up in red tape long enough to broadcast a signal to every vessel within the company before quietly departing himself. All eighteen vessels owned by the company defected en mass, using a series of false IFF signals and sensor scramblers to rapidly disappear into the Outer Rim territories.

Rebel Agent

For all their efforts not everything went as planned. Three ships were lost amid their random jumps, caught either by Imperial patrols or pirate raids and destroyed before they could escape. The survivors eventually regrouped at Polis Massa, where Lyccane announced his plan to openly defect to the Rebellion, outlining their lack of choices. Most had been open to the idea, and those who had been wavering on the act of open support were eventually swayed into agreeing with the move. Only two ships and a handful of crewmen objected to this, and instead departed for regions unknown further toward the Outer Rim. With the matter otherwise settled, Lyccane used his contacts to meet with Hiram Drayson after word of his own defection to offer their services. While the Rebellion itself needed warships, the multitude of freighters and experienced crews was nevertheless a major boon to the various fleets, allowing them to ferry more material between isolated groups and hidden bases. Under the direct control of the Support Services, Lyccane served for over a year in this capacity while occasionally lending his assistance to Ordnance and Supply in gathering Clone Wars era equipment.

Often having to make use with whatever they had on hand, Lyccane put his mind to reworking existing equipment or even vehicles to carry out the blind spots within the arsenal of several rebel cells while remaining one step ahead of Imperial Intelligence. Simply targeting and raiding disassembly yards would have led to an easy ambush, and so instead he opted to focus upon building links with groups which had suffered with the rise of the Empire. Figures too morally upstanding to tolerate the tightening iron grip of Imperial doctrines, settlements which had found themselves placed under martial law and even corporations which were under threat of liquidation to benefit the Empire's war machine were quietly approached. Many refused, either out of fear of reprisal or the inability to believe that the Rebellion might succeed, but the few who accepted conveniently lost certain shipments to Rebel attacks or mislaid essential parts.

Lyccane's ploys worked for some time, but one too many near discoveries and a lack of support from the Rebellion often put any established deal into question. Inspired by both the Mon Calamari capacity to refit their cruisers into warships, he began considering how best to rework his own GR-75 freighter, the Yastobaal, to suit these needs. Eventually salvaging the prow heavy turbolaser cannons of a Munificent-class star frigate too heavily damaged to be worth more than mere scrap, he installed them and two sets of torpedo launchers within its superstructure. Hidden beneath the freighter's sensor reflective shell and a multitude of fake cargo pods, it permitted him to operate the vessel as a q-ship to draw out Imperial privateers and provide some limited protection for wavering supporters.

The combat modifications came at the cost of the Yastobaal's capacity to transport cargo and the lack of military grade shielding meant that it was an ambush predator rather than a true warship, but it nevertheless proved to be an effective method of quickly silencing hostile threats attempting to raid vital supply lines provided they could get the first shot in. When word of this broke out following the successful destruction of a Guardian-class light cruiser and two escorting Imperial Customs Frigates, Chief of Ordnance and Supply Ral'Rai Muvunc motioned to return the Gand to a military role rather than to continue serving as a logician. While it was never substantiated, a long-standing rumour afterward was that Lyccane had never requested permission to refit his vessel and Muvunc did not wish to deal with the possible fallout of his actions.

Rebel Captain

Seconded to the newly aligned Atrivis Sector Force, Lyccane was one of several figures dispatched to smooth over the transition of power now that they were an officially recognised subsidiary of the growing Rebellion. Given the rank of Captain once more, he immediately set to work analysing the group's greatest threats to its command structure and possible organisational shortcomings. Lyccane spent weeks examining reports, structural details and indications of possible security leaks, only to find few to no flaws with their operations. Against all odds, the turbulent foundation of the resistance group had not led to any truly notable security risks, and the losses incurred by previous groups which had merged with their number had burned most loose ends which could have been used against them. Even after examining the few survivors' histories he could find nothing substantial which might have indicated they were relaying information back to the Empire or even times which provided the opportunities to do so.

Eventually, Lyccane determined that the greatest risk to the Sector Force was its own successes. A string of successful skirmishes, raids, infiltration efforts and propaganda acts had made them a visible target. Rather than limiting their efforts so the Empire might mistake them as a minor resistance group, their growing power was enough that the Imperial Navy would likely send a full fleet to crush them completely. Knowing that Imperial tacticians were likely attempting to narrow down Artivis Rebel outposts based upon combat data, Lyccane began studying information of these previous victories to see how this might be averted. Eventually, he brought forward a plan to draw the Imperials away from their main outpost by faking the intent of their attacks.

For the last two years, the Imperial Navy had been forced to step up their patrol and counter-piracy missions in an effort to quell resistance, focusing their efforts on the systems directly attacked by the Rebels. While this had not stretched their numbers thin, these concentrated efforts had limited their capacity to effectively respond to attacks against several of prominent targets. One of which was the Deepdock support facilities for the Noonian sector, one of the few locations in that region large enough to fully support the larger Star Destroyers the Empire used to enforce its will. Its destruction, combined with several attacks in surrounding areas on major sensor networks and cargo ports, would make it seem as if their previous actions had been an elaborate feint to pull off a massive offensive and that their base was located closer to these targets. Lyccane argued long and hard over the point, both to colleagues and his superiors, but he was denied the capital ships they required to make the plan such an effective strike. Instead, he was granted a detachment of marines and a full Y-Wing squadron to see his plan to fruition. This was only a small fraction of the numbers he needed but Lyccane quietly accepted this offer and went about adapting his plan as best he could.

Without the benefit of larger turbolaser equipped vessels, any frontal assault was entirely out of the question. As such, Lyccane risked one final raid on Imperial shipping, utilising the ion cannons of the fighters and a loaned transport to capture a single Gozanti-class cruiser bound for their target. Coarding it and taking control, the Rebel troops were able to claim the vessel before any warning could be sent out alerting the Imperials of its loss. After dealing with the crew, Essik's forces refitted the transport with proton bombs from the Y-Wing squadrons with the plan to inflict severe damage on the enemy facility. After using the cruiser to ram the enemy main docking arms, the marines would break clear and begin to attack other vital areas of the gigantic framework, crippling its vital facilities. The other group, in their unarmed transport, would initiate a similar attack on the second Deepdock, before both would fall back to escape pods and utility ships to flee the enemy facility. Essik knew the plan was risky to the point of being little more than a suicide mission, but as reports came in of growing enemy activity in the Atrivis sector, he knew they had no time to plan another operation.

The plan was a partial success. The cruiser was picked up as a possible hostile within minutes of entering the system due to signs of residual damage the Rebels had been unable to completely repair. Under heavy fire of the enemy defensive guns and fighter escorts, the cruiser managed to ram its target and disgorged its payload of marines. Of the five squads deployed onto the first Deepdock only two achieved their objectives, and most were lost under the heavy assault. The attack on the second frame destroyed several vital fuel pumps and control bridges, but a heavy counter-assault drove the Rebels into total retreat within a matter of minutes. Of the fifty marines who participated in the assault, only eight survived the engagement, Essik among them. Five were able to escape on the second transport, while Essik and the two remaining Rebel troopers departed during the chaos in an escape pod.

While the detonation itself was delayed due to a malfunctioning timer, its effect proved to be far more effective than Essik could have predicted. Rather than scuttling the larger frame, the explosion triggered a chain reaction across the massive mobile shipyard, leading to a reactor breach. The entire Deepdock was ripped apart by the sudden explosion, taking with it a multitude of smaller maintenance ships vital to the smooth operation of the local fleet. The second, too slow by far to avoid the debris, was pelted by hyper-accelerated metal fragments before being skewered by one docking arm, crippling it beyond repair. Their effort had not simply limited the ability to support Star Destroyers across the sector, but to rearm and refuel any Imperial ship larger than a cruiser at a safe location.

Follow-up attacks by the Y-Wings on several communications facilities and the use of torpedoes loaded with IFF transponders gave the impression of a massive Rebel uprising within the Noonian sector. The effect was instantaneous, and the forces which had been dispatched to sweep through the Atrivis sector were rapidly withdrawn to counter this supposed new threat. However, Essik showed little joy in their accomplishment. It had been too risky an operation and too bloody a success by far. He grew to resent both his actions and the Alliance commanders who had denied him the means to a far less costly victory.

Rebel Leader

Essik and the survivors of the first group were eventually rescued by an Imperial support shuttle, which the Rebels promptly hijacked and claimed for themselves. Regrouping with the others who had taken part in the operation, he spent several days reviewing local reports and enemy ship sightings. Hunting for even the slightest indication that the local Imperial governor may have picked up on their distraction, he made every effort to confirm that the operation had been a success. It was during this that word reached him of an unintended side-effect of his actions.

Images of the Deepdock attack had spread across the Holonet, promoted as an act of unprovoked terrorism and hostility against the ruling government. As was often the case with such actions, this only inspired further acts of resistance from the downtrodden populace. Combined with the heavy-handed response from law enforcement officers, within a matter of days riots and open protests had broken out across several worlds. It was obvious that these acts were by civilians and determined amateurs rather than the mix of criminals, combat veterans and resistance fighters which made up the Rebellion, and many ended in no small amount of blood being shed to restore order.

Already shaken by those lost under his command, for Essik this was simply too much. While his orders were to return to Atrivis, he instead opted to remain there to assist with the groups and at least offer them some chance of success. While most of the Rebels returned as ordered, four Y-Wings remained with him along with the Yastobaal. Using the transport as a makeshift command carrier, he began moving between the various systems, contacting local resistance leaders and supporting them by any means within his power. From making supply drops to silencing enemy informants and officering military oversight on group formations, Essik became a link between these disparate groups and served to gradually unite them as a single resistance movement.

While, despite Essik's best efforts, most cells were rooted out and annihilated shortly after their inception, he made sure that those left would remain a thorn in the Empire's side for years to come. Essik himself remained there for several years, posing as a trader and doing everything in his power to stall attempts to bring him before the main fleet, and eventually rose to the position of a resistance leader co-ordinating efforts across several systems. Managing to even claim a small fleet of raider vessels, the movement was able to successfully raid Noonar itself, and initiate several attacks on Imperial supply convoys. While their presence proved to be a hinderance more than a true threat, the resources diverted from nearby sectors to contain them bolstered Rebel efforts elsewhere, and Essik's leadership ensured that they never overplayed their hand.

Unfortunately, when the cells voted to formally align themselves with the larger Rebel Alliance, Essik was called to task for the abandonment of his post. While his successes saw that he was not removed from the Alliance entirely, initiating what was seen as a personal crusade drew criticism from several members. As a result, he was required to step down from his position as overall leader of the Noonian cells, and demoted to Flight Officer to prevent further rogue actions on his part.

Rebel Soldier

Tasked with maintaining stores and assisting with the quartermaster of Home One, Essik was able to learn of recent developments within the greater galaxy. Misinformation and rumours were rife among them, but it was becoming clear that the Empire was utilising the Rebellion's existance as an excuse to attain further power. The already increasingly obsolete Senate was being bypassed at every turn, and while several other Rebel movements had seen success in the Outer Rim, many others had been rooted out or destroyed in concentrated attacks. Essik ignored this for the moment, focusing instead on his given task, dilligently maintaining supply schedules and fighter tranfers. He might have languished in this post, were it not for an offer from one of the very officers who had condemned him over his insubordination. The Rebellion was seeking to establish a number of boltholes and secondary outposts while it sought to find a world worthy of establishing a main base. Knowing that he would need effective officers, he had petitioned Rebel command to return Essik to a frontline position.

Essik initially refused this offer but the need for experienced leaders capable of sustaining an isolated command post eventually swayed him. He was eventually placed in the far end of the Ison Corridor along with a garrison of thirty soliders. Using a derelict star cruiser as a base of operations, the group hid themselves within the nebula, establishing a listening post and sensor suite to cover ship movements throughout the area. Eventually re-constructing a large damaged section of the sttion into a makeshift hanger and refuelling station, Essik was able to maintain it as a watch point. With some liberal "misunderstandings" of his orders, he was even able to launch minor raids on singular Imperial cargo shipments to resupply their position and attain parts for damaged ships visiting the station.