Joshua J. Timbal Palpatine was a former Consul of Clan Scholae Palatinae (amongst other Clan positions), one of the few Sons of Palpatine, and was a Clan stalwart. Dedicated to the preservation of CSP's history, traditions, and customs, he had few peers that could match his long history with the Clan. Timbal was also the single authoritative source of information concerning the Clans' capital ship assets. He preferred to go by his given last name, Timbal.
Character History
Childhood and Early Life
Timbal was born into nobility on Alderaan, fifteen years before its' destruction. The sole heir to the family, he had retained some of his family's wealth, although quite a bit was squandered in his youth. The biggest event in his childhood was when his family was shamed and outraged when his father, a claimant to the Alderaanian throne, was denied his claim to it due to obscure legal reasons. It was instead given to the Organa family.
Young Adult Events
In order to "shape up" their wayward son, Timbal's parents pulled some strings and got him to join up with the Empire. Due to his political reliability, he was granted a slot at the prestigious Stormtrooper Academy in Carida, toiling away as a cadet to earn his commission as an Army Lieutenant. While away at the academy, he received news that Alderaan was destroyed, and his family was all on the planet when that happened. He instantly knew that the Rebels would commit any terrorist act to bring people to their cause, and thereby blamed the Rebellion for the loss of his family. The news devastated him, along with some of his fellow classmates from his home planet.
General Pilot Career
No longer interested in becoming a stormtrooper, Timbal dropped out of the academy and was subsequently found to be a promising candidate for starfighter training. During his starfighter training, he excelled in virtually every task that was given to him, earning an early entry to the Fleet. There, he served under the command of Vice Admiral Thrawn. He started out like all Imperial pilots, serving first as a [[starwars:Tie_fighter TIE Fighter] pilot, then moving up to the then-new TIE Interceptors, and then finally moved on to strike craft where he found his niche. He was eventually made a bomber and attack pilot trainer, a post he held for quite some time. He was in the Outer Rim serving as such when word of the defeat at Endor finally filtered down.
Service to the Emperor's Hammer
DREAD Argonaut on patrol in EH space
Timbal at that point was bounced around various "Imperial" units for a short time until he settled down within the Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet. There he steadily rose up the ranks, finally achieving the level of a Wing Commander and obtained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He had then given up his Wing, and moved to a challenging position as a member of the elite Praetorian Squadron. He stood there for a few months, and then served as a Task Unit Commander in the now-defunct EH Naval Corps, giving him ample experience in capital ship warfare. During his stint as Task Unit Commander, he commanded his small escort fleet from the bridge of the Dreadnaught-class Argonaut. It was here where he acquired extensive capital ship combat experience, which later served him extremely well.
His service to the Naval Corps ended when it was decommissioned, which forced the young pilot to choose a place to go to. Yearning for a chance to finally command a powerful Imperial-Class Star Destroyer, he joined up with the ISD Intrepid, serving as a fighter pilot for a short time.
Initial entry with the Brotherhood
It was during this time that Timbal found out that he was Force-sensitive. Unsure of what to do, he joined the Dark Brotherhood after checking them out. Oddly enough, he started out in Clan Arcona, but that would be short-lived since at the time joining the Clan, he found that it was effectively dead. With no one to help, he started to seek a Clan and a House that were very active, and eventually found a Clan called Scholae Palatinae. After a transfer request, he soon found himself in the company of many great Jedi, some of them eventually becoming life-long friends, such as Saitou, Cuchulain, Mike Halcyon, Rhaub, Phoenix d'Tana, and many others. Happy at last to find a great group to be with, he settled in to work.
Career Change
Back at the EH, however, he was growing more and more aware that he would never earn his own command since command positions rarely opened up, and even then they were usually filled by people that had political connections.
Anxious to not spend an eternity on proving himself over and over again without result, Timbal retired from the TIE Corps and started a new career within the Intelligence Division of the EH. This was based on his good experiences with them from a stint when he had served in Praetorian Squadron. His early work there is still classified, but he apparently succeeded. He went up the ladder relatively quickly due to assignments that were expertly completed, and after a bit he emerged as a public ID member and in command of a Bureau. Then, he was selected to become the next Tactics and Training Director, part of the ID Ubiqtorate. During that time his steady guidance ensured the proper training of many an Intelligence agent.
Eventually, he decided to take a break, and went on a leave of absence from the ID. It was during this time that he met a fellow Clan mate, Alisande Sayeesa. This was during the time of his first tour of duty within Drynwyn's Flame, the elite Battle Team of House Acclivis Draco of CSP. His Tetrarch was Ms. Sayeesa, and they completed many assignments. During these missions they worked really well, and were responsible for many of DFs' successful assignments despite long odds. Eventually, due to their mutual trust and respect, she amusingly revealed her true identity of Kerridwen Jorddyn, a high-ranking ID officer. In fact, she was Timbal's predecessor as the Tactics and Training Director. A whirlwind romance then commenced shortly thereafter, culminating in a marriage attended by the majority of the Clan.
Once settled down, he was called upon to serve the ID again, this time as Special Projects Coordinator. There, he spent time trying to better the ID and generally have some fun. After a short time, he earned the rank of Rear Admiral and served in his position with distinction. It was during this time that was generally was called "The Golden Age" of HAD, and in particular the young couple also had their own golden age. They had a happy year and a half, during which time a son was born to them, Joshua Timbal.
The Dark Days
After a short time, Timbal had taken upon his first Student, Anga Salinas, at the suggestion of his wife. Since she was very gifted Jedi, Timbal made the mistake of not paying too much attention to the problems that were affecting his Student. His focus at the time was with his Intelligence work, and he was confident that he was doing what he could to safeguard all whom he cared for.
Of course, this was not to be. After various serious clashes with the Executive Officer of the Emperor's Hammer, Anga's plight proved to be the breaking point for many. This culminated in the direct events of the EH/DB split. For Timbal, this decision came out of nowhere, and he was forced into a decision that would profoundly affect him. For once, he was forced to choose which path he would take. He could not bring himself to go with the "rebel" Brotherhood, but at the same time he could not ignore the events that happened to his Student. Furthermore, the situation caused a huge rift between himself and his wife, whom at the time was the Supreme Director of the Intelligence Division. His marriage did not survive this event. Not knowing if the rebel Brotherhood was just a simple grab for power, or it was a true attempt at reform, he decided that he needed to know what the truth was for himself. He also knew that there was truth in their reasoning, and couldn't in good conscious continue to serve the corrupt EH. He resigned all positions, and prepared for the biggest and most crucial role of his life.
McKell is born
From his work within the Intelligence Division as well as his advanced knowledge of the Force provided a possible solution. He could not join the Brotherhood as himself, since that would cause adverse reaction back at the EH, so he decided to undergo a radical change to go undercover. With the assistance with high-ranking sympathetic Jedi, he had a Force-block placed on his memory, as well as had extensive surgery done to hide his physical characteristics. Once he was healed, he was sedated and dumped with no memory on a planet that was known to have Brotherhood agents around. He was found by them, and joined the "Rebel" Brotherhood under a new name, which was Jordan McKell. He was an amnesiac that woke up from a coma, so he had to start from scratch, including re-learning his Force powers. During this time, he re-joined his Clan, reintegrating himself within.
Chaos
The initial days and months after the split were chaotic ones. Chains of command were broken, families were ripped apart, and brothers became enemies. The Clan itself constantly had a series of ineffectual leaders, and it was feared that the Clan would die from the chaos. The Clan was on the verge of total collapse, and it seemed that only the efforts of the House Acclivis Draco, with their dogged adherence to tradition and honor, kept them afloat. The Clan only gained stability when long-retired leaders such as Cuchulain stepped in to close the gaps. During this time, McKell stayed quiet, just learning as much as he could, and making a name for himself.
Turning Points
The true turning point for the Clan and for McKell was during the first Independence Games. The Clan had finally gained stable leadership after almost a year of turmoil, and acquitted themselves extremely well against the other Clans. This helped to forge a new identity with the Clan, and for McKell, his work was honored. He swiftly rose through the ranks. He had re-reached the rank of Jedi Hunter, and was about to re-do his Trials for Knighthood when a package sent to him by his real self reached him. It explained everything that had happened until his memory was erased. With the help of Jedi Master Arania Lawakiro, he then has had his memory, Force powers, and everything else restored. He was also reunited with his son, who was under the care of his close brother, Saitou. Due to his experiences, he knew that the so-called rebel Brotherhood was where he really wanted to be. Thus, he prospered.
True Leadership
Living through the events of the Split, Timbal knew that he needed to do something that would keep the Clan united, to have a common point of reference that could be a focal point for rallying the Clan. This caused him to become a huge proponent of saving every bit of history that the Clan went through, and it is now his life-long goal to retain this history for all to see. During this time, Timbal came to his own, helping out in various leadership positions, and generally trying to help the Clan recover. Much of this was not done while officially serving in any position, and he showed that leadership was independent of what position you held. This was eventually paid back when he was chosen to serve as Consul of the Clan.
Timbal's main philosophies while serving as Consul included the following:
- Selfless sacrifice for the good of the Clan
- The focus upon SERVING the Clan, instead of being served by it
- Motivating by leading from the front
- Communication and delegation
- Prompt and heartfelt recognition
- A sense of humor, flexibility, and common sense
These values served him well during his reign, and the Clan prospered. Eventually, he was forced to step down, as the calling of the Force upon his personal life was too strong to ignore anymore.
Interestingly enough, during this time he was also re-married for an extremely short time. It was mainly due to a vast amount of alcohol that he had consumed with a Brotherhood friend one night, and the next day he found himself married to her, Morrigan Jarel Lilienkamp Fey. Although the effects of the alcohol had worn off fairly soon, they both had quite the fun time pretending to be newlyweds. Of course, Timbal wasn't officially divorced from his first wife as yet, which technically made him a polygamist and gave them grounds for an annulment. They've remained close friends since then.
It was also during this time that he was presented with another son, Mark Timbal. This development further cemented his removal from general Clan business, until he was forced to leave the Clan for a while because of it.
The Return
Now that some time has passed and the calling of the Force is now passing on to others, Timbal was now free to re-join his beloved Clan. He started to work in the shadows, helping once again to make his Clan a better place for all.
Unfortunately, during his time away the Clan had changed. He had felt that it was no longer the place that he knew; indeed, many were people he had never met or dealt with, people who were unaware of his contributions or worse, people that did not care. Disagreements with many finally convinced him to move along. For a short time he found refuge within Clan Tarentum, but restlessness once again took hold, and he decided to once again find his own path in the Force. Finally, his sense of loss, loneliness, and longing brought him back to the Clan of his hearts' desire. Mending broken fences, he settled back in.
Little did he know that almost literally the next day disaster awaited.
The Yuuzhan Vong Disaster
Literally right after dumping his bags back into the HAD quarters that he had been assigned, his old friend and then-Quaestor of HAD RevengeX Palpatine invited him on board the Clan flagship Excidium for a celebration following a Rite of Supremacy that had just concluded. After jumping to the Antei system, and right after the ceremonies were concluded, an entire war fleet of Yuuzhan Vong suddenly appeared. The furious assault left millions dead, and Timbal did the best he could on the bridge of the Excidium, helping to direct the defense of the ship and the Clan fleet. The final space battle in the Cocytus System was led by Timbal, accounting for the revenge strike against the hated Arconan ships that destroyed a Clan ship.
Operation: Reclamation and Timbal's Nine
After the events of the Yuuzhan Vong Incursion, Timbal was supervising the piecing together of the Clans' destroyed shipyards when the call by then-Proconsul Phoenix Olkyssagh d'Tana Palpatine came to him. Reporting in, he got word of a special operations mission that Timbal was now responsible for. Taking a few of the best members that the Clan could offer, he departed to Mon Calamari to steal a capital starship that was readying completion. After a few adventures and with the help of a droid, they managed to steal an almost-complete Nebula-class Star Destroyer (Later named the Excidium II) from under the nose of the New Republic. They arrived shortly after the destruction of the then-existing Clan fleet during Operation: Reclamation, in which the then-existing Clan fleet engaged and destroyed a lingering Yuuzhan Vong task force. This fight however came at the cost of the destruction of the entire Clan fleet itself. Thus, the new Star Destroyer was a welcome sight to the new Consul, Phoenix Palpatine. It was during this time that Timbal took Xathia on as his Student, working with her to develop her skills as a Knight. She was Knighted and departed the Clan shortly after these events.
Events After the Invasion
ISD II Warspite on maneuvers over Antenora
His actions during the Yuuzhan Vong Incursion, however, did little for the Clan overall and it was a disaster in which he had felt that he had let the Clan down. However, strengthened with a new resolve to clear his honor, he has taken to helping out his Clan in any way that he can, once again preferring action over words. However, the Clan Summit had seen things differently from him, and decided to reward his dedication by naming him the Clan Fleet Admiral, as well as giving him command of the Warspite, an Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer, which itself is serving as the command ship of the Clan fleet. In addition to his command duties over the fleet and over his ship, Timbal is also currently helping to plan the new defense of the system against any other enemies, rebuilding the destroyed Clan shipyards, and the on-going training of all fleet personnel. This included the training and deployment of an entire force of Special Navy Force troopers to help safeguard the new ships of the fleet. He was also given the responsibility of making arrangements for their transport in case of hostilities. In the meantime, he has taken on his fourth Student to train, Asani Vosa.
Continued Arconan Treachery
After a short while, the reformed assets of the Clan military were ready for any threat. Interestingly enough, the first call to arms was in support of [Clan Plagueis] in their battle against remnant Yuuzhan Vong forces. While in transit to assist them, Arcona sprung a trap to eliminate the Clan Fleet, but under Timbal's command the Fleet gave far more than what they took, putting the entire Arconan fleet in jeopardy of being destroyed or captured.
After calling a truce, they decided to join forces against the Yuuzhan Vong, but again the Arconans reneged on their word of truce and attempted to trick both the Scholae and Plagueis fleets engage each other. However, the intervention of a Dark Council Fleet prevented a murderous battle that would have decimated all three Clans, and probably incited a war that would have engulfed the entire Brotherhood in flames.
Timbal's Final War
In time, the Dark Council and the Clans finally had gathered enough strength to remove the scourge of the Yuuzhan Vong from the Antei system during the events of the Ninth Great Jedi War. However, politically, not all were united.
The Consul at the time, Thran Occasus, had just taken over power as the Consul of the Clan, over the muttering of many. Key amongst the opposition was the Clan Fleet Admiral, Timbal Palpatine. Timbal was not convinced that Thran was the right person to ascend to the position of Emperor in the Clan, and made it clear as such to many. Furthermore, he thought Thran was too casual with the lives of the men and women in the military, and he refused to let such casual disregard for their lives go unchallenged.
This lead to a dramatic showdown between both key members of the Clan military aboard the Indomitable, which led to the resignation of the Fleet Admiral.
Without responsibilities, he headed back to the bastion of his House, the Majestic-class Heavy Cruiser Basilisk. He was awaiting the arrival of the Fleet at Antei, when an attempted assassination almost claimed his life.
He was out of action for several weeks, but with his bacta treatment and accelerated Force healing, he was out and itching for action. Under orders from Master Natth a'Niel Palpatine, he assisted with the battle from the cockpit of a TIE Defender. However, under overwhelming odds, he was shot down, and captured by enemy forces.
After his capture, he was interrogated by Light Jedi, but it was a conversation by one of them where he came to realize that he had been fighting for all the wrong reasons. He finally saw that the Clans and Brotherhood were corrupt at their core, and by serving them, he was helping that evil to spread.
He turned to the Light, and was immediately pressed into service by the Light Jedi.
The Palpatines, realizing his treachery, made it a top priority to capture the errant Jedi. They finally did, and under a short tribunal, the Clan leadership executed the Light Side Jedi.
Profile
Appearance
Timbal strove to keep fit, as physical fitness had saved his life on quite a few occasions. Thus, his physique was overall muscular, but his pride and joy was the solid abdominal muscles that were extremely well defined. His straight black hair got really thick and unmanageable if he let it get too long, so he usually kept it close-cut. He's debated going bald, but he decided to wait until it became necessary. His skin tone was usually a milk-chocolate brown, unless he spent a short time in the sun. He gets dark easily, and was fairly resistant against sunburn.
For normal day-to-day wear around the Clan, he kept on one of his combat jumpsuits. He believed in constantly being ready, so he was usually loaded down with the usual combat gear on his jumpsuit: His lightsabre, his two sai, a few throwing stars, and of course a few flash-bang grenades. This precaution had proven its' value over and over again, so he didn't pay attention to those that criticized him for being too paranoid.
While relaxing in his quarters or elsewhere, he usually was found in a pair of work-out shorts and a simple T-shirt, and was usually barefoot. However, he took pains to ensure that his lightsabre was always by his side.
Personality
Timbal was usually pretty quiet, and preferred to lurk in the background. This mainly stemmed from his time in the Intelligence Division. He moved very quietly, sub-consciously muting any sound he made.
He also was quite stand-offish with new people that he met, but this was partly due to the fact that he was also somewhat shy, and partly due to the fact that he usually didn't care much about new people that he met until they have proven themselves in some way. In a similar vein, he did not make friends easy. Those that he called his friends truly have earned that honor, and Timbal was extremely loyal to those that he called his friends. This reluctance to trust, however, made it difficult for him to learn new skills in the Force.
Finally, his best trait was his odd if ever-present sense of humor. He found humor where others did not, and was always ready with a big, if wary, smile.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Large amounts of self-confidence
- Extensive combat experience
- Ready to adapt if necessary
Weaknesses
- Inadequate training in large-scale ground combat strategy/tactics
Hobbies, Penchants and Talents
Timbal was a fanatical reader and learner. He would prefer nothing more than reading for the rest of his life if he could get away with it, but he also enjoyed the occasional daring event, especially the learning of new martial skills.
He also liked to tinker with computers, droids, or anything mechanical.
Timbal's talents really lay in strategic thinking. In large scale capital ship combat, he knew few peers. He was also an excellent administrator, but he despised that role and avoided it if possible. He also was a fairly good pilot, but admits that there were quite a few that can out-fly him.
DJB Facts
Positions Held
- Tyro of Drynwyn's Flame
- OathMaster of House Acclivis Draco
- Aedile of House Acclivis Draco
- Quaestor of House Acclivis Draco
- Ward of the West for Clan Scholae Palatinae
- Consul of Clan Scholae Palatinae
Outstanding Achievements
- Creator and keeper of the CSP's Order of Battle.
- Creator of the CSP Clan Traditions document.
- Principal creator of most Son/Daughter of Palpatine fictional pieces.
Trivia
- Timbal only had one Master, then-Quaestor of Acclivis Draco, Sabé Dracaena. Even then, he was a Guardian when he started to train with her.
- Timbal was the second graduate of the famous Master-Student Program, initiated by Mike Halcyon and later further refined by himself. The first graduate was his brother, Saitou.
- Timbal is one of the few members of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood to hold the Clan name of Palpatine. He was bestowed the name of Palpatine quite some time ago, which he doesn't remember precisely. Of all of the Palpatines, he was considered to be the most hidebound to tradition.
- Was a proud father to two sons, Joshua Timbal and Mark Timbal.
- Former Master to Anga Salinas.
- Former Master to some random person that went Rogue.
- Former Master to Xathia.
- Former Master to Asani Vosa.
External Links
For more information, check out his dossier or ACC Character Sheet.