General Ranthe Benzayn is the commanding officer of the Ascendant Legion of Clan Plagueis. A Colonel serving the Jusadih Military, Benzayn was one a small number of officers to survive the Horizons Crisis. His actions during the Plagueian raid on Ord Padron to capture ships to form a new Ascendant Fleet lead to his promotion, and he would eventually be put in command of the whole of the Legion during the Dark Crusade. His post as fleet commander mostly focuses on direct, operational command, whereas overall command of the Legion is vested in the Dread Lord Selika Roh.
History
Youth on Devaron
Ranthe Benzayn was born on the planet Devaron in 18 BBY. The Empire was solidifying its hold on the galaxy in the aftermath of the Clone Wars and Devaron was one of their first acquisitions. Ranthe spent his childhood growing up under Imperial rule. An Imperial governor was dispatched to the planet not long into the Empire’s reign. This governor quickly became known for his ruthlessness and hatred for non-humans. Ranthe overheard plenty of arguments between his parents concerning the Imperial presence on Devaron and their life there.
Ranthe’s father was a tough, no-nonsense man and wanted to leave Devaron. Living in these conditions weren’t ideal for their family. His mother, however, was just as stubborn and didn’t want to leave her family and planet behind for the sake of an easier life. She insisted that she’d much rather fight to push the Empire off of Devaron than give up on it. Ranthe’s father wasn’t happy, but he begrudgingly gave in to his wife’s demand, choosing to stay on Devaron and find a way to live under the Empire. He focused on raising Ranthe to be tough, unforgiving, and to take care of himself.
It was then no surprise that as Ranthe grew, he began to harbor similar hatred for the Empire. As a young adolescent, Ranthe began to spend time with his more delinquent peers, acting out against the Empire through rowdy protests and mischief. His father, normally a harsh disciplinarian, seemed to overlook most of the incidents when Ranthe was busted for harassing Imperials. This only further encouraged Ranthe’s dissidence. By the time he was a teenager, Ranthe was beginning to kick things up a notch. His group of friends had begun to get more aggressive and violent towards the Imperials, and Ranthe followed suit.
There were plenty of rumors of rebellions against the Empire happening across the galaxy, but most of the stories usually ended with all the rebels dying. That didn’t stop people from trying, however, and Ranthe and his friends were no different. Altra, the leader of their band of troublemakers, had begun communicating with some of the other rebellious groups on Devaron. Through these contacts, Ranthe and his friends were beginning to get supplies and instructions to start on some more active insurgency. They didn’t need much encouragement.
When Ranthe was 16 he killed his first stormtrooper when he, Altra, and the gang ambushed a small supply convoy. He had mixed feelings about it, but that was drowned out by the celebration and adrenaline rush that accompanied a successful operation. The group continued to ramp things up over the course of the next few months. That is, until the Empire began to crack down on them. During one of the group’s operations, they were counter-ambushed by a squadron of stormtroopers. Only Ranthe and Altra survived the ensuing gunfight and they both went on the run to avoid getting captured.
It wasn’t long after that Altra heard through one of his contacts that a shuttle would be leaving Devaron, unknown to the Empire. An organization called the Rebel Alliance was beginning to gather power and gain traction in their fight against the Empire. Both young men made the choice to take the shuttle in an effort to continue their fight against the Empire.
From Rebel to Soldier
Ranthe and Altra were welcomed into the Rebel Alliance. At first they did some simple physical labor for the Rebellion. However, they made it known whenever possible they wanted to fight the Empire through actual fighting rather than logistical work. Their complaints eventually reached the right ears and the two were brought onto a team of operatives. They went out on missions similar to the simple harassment operations they had executed on Devaron, but larger in scale. They were also able to learn skills from older, more experienced soldiers that they worked alongside. They both excelled, but Ranthe much more than Altra.
Come 2 ABY, Ranthe had become the lieutenant of their team. He was beginning to show a knack for strategy and planning that impressed his superiors. Altra, having always felt like the leader of the pair, didn’t take it well and this drove a wedge between the two. Ranthe didn’t let it get to him, however, staying committed to the cause. Nonetheless, the two remained on a team together, working alongside the Rebellion and joining them in celebration once the Empire was finally defeated in 5 BBY.
As the Rebellion sought a way to transition into a full-fledged government, it’s military arm was transformed. Ranthe decided to stick with the New Republic to help them fully hunt down and destroy the last remains of the Empire. Altra, however, decided to use the reformation as his excuse to return home. Despite the last few years being a bit rough, the two parted on good terms. Ranthe committed the care of his parents to Altra before Altra left the Rebellion, returning to Devaron.
Ranthe wasn’t happy with the passage of the Military Disarmament Act and worked hard as a member of the New Republic Special Forces to make sure they always had the most resources possible. For his service in the Rebellion, Ranthe was given leadership of his own strike team and he proved to be one of the most aggressive officers in the New Republic. Ranthe almost exclusively asked to be assigned to missions that involved hunting down the Empire and rarely offered mercy to his targets. He proved himself a valuable asset and was quite successful for several years in his position.
After some time had passed, however, some of the higher-ranking officials in the New Republic began to get tired of dealing with Ranthe and his zeal for destroying the Empire. The New Republic wanted to maintain a softer, more peaceful image, and so in 11 ABY, Ranthe was reassigned. He was given the position of a drill sergeant at a New Republic Army boot camp on Cardota. Ranthe was less than pleased with the new assignment, but decided to try to make the most of it. His tough demeanor and mercilessness served him well in the role and earned him the nickname “Demon of Cardota”, or just “the Demon”.
With a more stable job, Ranthe wondered if maybe this meant it was time for him to settle down. He wasn’t in love with his current life, but he didn’t know when he’d have a better chance to put down roots. For the next couple years, Ranthe tried his hand at dating and love. He met a few women he liked, but never ended up satisfied. It did give him the opportunity to develop more of the people skills he missed out on in adolescence, but in the end it was a fruitless endeavor. Ranthe came to the conclusion that he wasn’t a family man. He had become even more stern than his father and didn’t feel the need to put down roots like his mother.
After years of working as a drill sergeant, Ranthe began to grow restless. He wanted to be on the front again, to be in the middle of a war. He was able to convince his superiors to reassign him thanks to his cooperation for the past several years. In 18 BBY, Ranthe was made an officer of the New Republic Army. Unfortunately, Ranthe soon realized that this reassignment wasn’t quite what he had been imagining. The New Republic had slowly been giving up on hunting down the last pockets of the Empire and simply wanted to rule in peace. Ranthe saw very little action or combat and was left just as disappointed as he had been with his previous assignment.
Dark Crossroads
It was 20 ABY when the outpost Ranthe was assigned to intercepted a strange transmission. Ranthe was more or less resigned to the inactive lifestyle at this point, but when he heard the information, he felt a call to action. He interpreted the words as a coded message from an Imperial warlord looking to organize an attack on the New Republic. He pleaded with his superiors to allow him to take a team to investigate, and although they didn’t feel the threat was as urgent as Ranthe proposed, they gave him permission to pursue the lead. Ranthe lead a squadron of Republic soldiers into the Unknown Regions.
When they discovered the source of the transmission, Ranthe was shocked to discover not an Imperial, but a Sith. The Sith and his complement responded to the presence of the Republic soldiers by engaging them in a brief skirmish. Most of Ranthe’s soldiers died and he was taken prisoner. What followed was days and days of Force-aided interrogation as the Sith’s organization dug into Ranthe’s mind to discover his motivations. Ranthe held out for as long as he could manage but was eventually overpowered.
Imprisoned, Ranthe waited patiently for the Republic to send a unit to rescue him. Unbeknownst to him, however, the Republic had finally gotten tired of having to appease the Demon of Cardota and upon hearing no more reports from him, had elected to abandon him. Ranthe sat in a dirty prison for months, eventually discovering that the organization that had captured him was known as Clan Plagueis and was part of a larger organization, the Dark Brotherhood. The Republic had been entirely unaware of the group’s existence, which is no doubt why Ranthe had never heard of them before.
It was eventually decided that Ranthe would be executed. Ranthe was not ready to die, however. Instead, he made a deal with the Clan. He would tell them everything he knew in exchange for his freedom. That wasn’t enough, however. Instead, Ranthe was brought into indentured servitude. Still a prisoner, but at least alive. Now working as a manual laborer, Ranthe was able to learn even more about Plagueis and the Brotherhood at large. He came to admire them and what they strived for. They were nothing like the Republic, but also nothing like the Empire. An entirely new entity that was making its mark upon the galaxy.
By 22 ABY, Ranthe had decided he would commit himself to the Clan. He managed to prove his loyalty and worth, and was assigned as a low-ranking officer in the Jusadih Military. His many years off of the front lines had tempered his zeal for battle, but Ranthe was nonetheless committed, diligent, and ambitious despite his advancing age.
Ascended General
By 30 ABY, Ranthe had become a Colonel in the Jusadih Military Regime. He had made a prosperous life for himself working for Plagueis and was satisfied with his life, striving only for further success. However, the Clan was thrown into disarray when the Horizons Crisis occurred. Ranthe was able to make it through the crisis as one of the few surviving officers and, as such, became valuable to Plagueis in the following years.
With the Clan’s forces now decimated, a raid on Ord Pardron was executed in order to replenish some of Plagueis’ military might. Ranthe’s exemplary performance in the assault combined with empty spots in the higher leadership of the newly reformed Ascendant Legion granted him a promotion to General. Plagueis was quickly forced into action with their new military as they participated in the Dark Crusade. During the Battle of Ch’Hodos, Ranthe was given command of the Ascendant Legion’s assault. Once again, he proved himself a competent, intelligent soldier and commander.
After the Dark Crusade, Ranthe was put in charge of the Ascendant Legion. Since then, he has continually worked to mold the Plagueian military into a force unrivalled by its peers.
Appearance
Despite his shorter stature, Ranthe carries an intimidating aura. He keeps himself in good shape, sporting a powerful musculature. His skin is a dull brown-red in tone and is weathered and leathery due to his time spent outdoors. Ranthe’s face is stern and his glare is heavy, with low brows and a square head shape. Across his chest, legs, and arms are various small scars from minor wounds and scratches. Across his back is one large scar running down his spine, a remnant from his interrogations at the hand of Plagueis. It’s rare to see him outside of military dress, but in his downtime Ranthe usually prefers more comfortable yet functional clothes.
Personality
Ranthe is a no-nonsense soldier. He is usually quite serious and is not very appreciative of jokes or humor in general. That being said, he is not completely uptight and can be pleasant or sociable in the proper circumstances. That being said, he has developed a sharp tongue and has a talent for insults. Ranthe is quite adept at reading people and figuring out how to get under their skin. If you get on his bad side, he won’t hesitate to shut you down and bully you into submission.
Ranthe is an intelligent tactician that shows little mercy or quarter to his enemies. He is loyal to his superiors, but has no qualms in questioning orders if he sees them as wasteful or harmful. At the end of the day, however, he will bow to the authority of Plagueis. He has a hardened exterior that is tough to crack and he rarely allows himself to get personal with anyone. Ranthe respects people who are ambitious and confident but despises those who are lazy and hateful for the sake of it. He particularly takes issue with xenophobes. Although he respects the lords of Plagueis, he does not appreciate being looked down on as a non-Force user.
Skillset
Ranthe is an accomplished soldier. While he may be physically past his prime, he keeps himself in peak physical shape and he can handle himself pretty well in a fight. He has vast amounts of experience with blasters and explosives of many varieties. Through his work as special forces, he knows a thing or two about infiltration and stealth. He has become a cunning commander who leads through equal parts intimidation and example. Ranthe’s submission to interrogation by Plagueis forces upon his arrival in Brotherhood space has also convinced him to undertake training that helps him resist torture and interrogation.