Jafan Sloven was a Imperial Grand Moff that oversaw the 19th Saber Imperial Remnant in the Koradin Sector of the Southern Outer Rim Territories.
Imperial Background
Born into Republic nobility in 24 BBY, Jafan had a massive sphere of influence within the empire from a young age. At 14 years of age, he was accepted into the Royal Imperial Academy on [starwars:Coruscant|Coruscant]]. From the start, he excelled in his coursework with exceptional marks in battle tactics, intelligence, military strategy, and became one of the strongest practitioners of Echani in his first year; besting some of the best third years and even instructors. By his second year, he had already been accepted into the ranks of the Imperial Security Bureau as an Agent.
Upon graduation, his specialization and vast knowledge of intelligence and data analytics saw his transfer into the ISB Intelligence Division. An honor that typically was reserved for seasoned agents who had been within the ISB for numerous years and had proven their absolute loyalty. By the time he was 20 in 4 BBY, he had become a Colonel and had become known for his brutal tactics and information gathering and dedication to achieving his goals, almost considered on a strategic level similar to that of Grand Admiral Thrawn. While the latter had focused his strengths into the Imperial Navy, Jafan focused his strength in controlling the flow of information and intelligence while frequently partnering with Internal Affairs to find out the identities of rebel sympathizers and traitors within the Imperial Military.
In 1 BBY at the age of 23, he was promoted to the rank of Deputy Director of the Intelligence Branch; the youngest officer to ever reach this rank. This posting did not last long however, as following the destruction of the Death Star in 0 ABY and the death of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, he was laterally transferred into sector command at the rank of Grand Moff and assigned the 19th Dark Saber Oversector, which he achieved with brutal efficiency. With this assignment, he brought over his atache Lieutenant Colonel Kimberly Tessarosa to serve at his side and promoted her to Colonel. Together they had maintained control of the oversector to such a degree, that it was seen as a personal honor when word had reached them that the Death Star II was to be constructed in his territory.
Empire's Collapse
With the destruction of the Death Star II and the death of Emperor Palpatine, his status had fallen into disgrace for allowing such an atrocity to take place under his watch. In the years after the Empire's collapse, Jafan was largely ignored by the remaining Grand Moff's and Grand Admiral's that remained active and was not summoned by Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax in his attempt to unify the remaining remnants of the empire.
Jafan knew firsthand how Gallius was, however, and that he presented no real threat to his control of the southern outer rim. While Gallius garnered his strengths from the military, Jafan brought together the remnants of the ISB and sector governance that had still survived. To protect his fledgling remnant against potential threats in its infancy, particularly with the massive expansion of the New Republic, the base of operations for the newly reformed 19th Saber Imperial Remnant was moved to an undisclosed location in the Unknown Regions.
Much to Jafan's surprise however, Gallius' efforts had ultimately failed during the decisive battle between his forces and the New Republic on the world of Jakku in 5 ABY. His intelligence and knowledge of the Fleet Admiral had given every indication that he would, and should have, succeeded in his endeavor. After that catastrophic defeat, in order to ensure and maintain a quiet distance from New Republic Intelligence, Jafan consolidated and maintained the 19th Saber's presence strictly to his small corner of the unknown regions, utilizing proxy operatives to conduct operations in the Virgillia, Verada, and Subterrel Sectors to ensure stable income and control of the three sectors where the 19th had the greatest influence.
Securing Assets
It would be 16 years before Jafan would make his formal move into the Virgillia sector in 21 ABY, beginning his first stretch of sector conquest after the collapse of the New Republic with the destruction of Hosnian Prime by the First Order. He dispatched his two chief lieutenants, Moffs Staale Lynbare and Myn Genko, into the Verada and Subterrel sectors respectively to establish their own individual footholds.
Lending his expertise in intelligence, subterfuge, diplomacy, and tactical strategy, as well as a near endless supply of credits, both Myn and Staale were able to bring both sectors quickly to heel and established two separate governances under their absolute control by 25 ABY.
It was during this time that Jafan noticed an individual by the name of Yorinobu Arasaka, whom was the Governor of a small moon known as Kasiya in the ‘’’Caelus System’’’ within the Seitia Sector. Being situated directly on the Corellian Trade Spine, and a chief bastion of commerce in the southern reaches of the outer rim, forming an alliance with Kasiya would be a key path forward in ensuring that both Verada and Subterrel had a source of trade.
Though highly reluctant initially, Jafan gave into Yorinobu’s sole requirement in order to facilitate a direct alliance between the two: a direct meeting with him, face to face. Since the collapse of the Empire, he had remained entirely in the shadows. But the risk was worth the reward in his eyes, as without Kasiya the strategic and financial losses would be severe given the much greater distance to other trade systems along the spine.
While Verada could conduct trade through Berrol’s Donn with minimal issues, Subterrel would have significantly more problems given the heavy pirate influences on the Hydian Way and the unsustainable distance required to travel to Berrol’s Donn which was it’s nearest point of trade on the Corellian Trade Spine. In a carefully orchestrated meeting on neutral ground in the Tunka Sector, they both met and discussed their official alliance. In exchange for full unfettered access to Kasiya’s trade routes on the spine, Jafan would supply military arms and a five percent cut of trade proceeds.
Over the next decade both Jafan’s finances and power would grow, as would Yorinobu’s sphere of influence and control over Kasiya.
Rise of the 19th Saber Imperial Remnant
In early 35 ABY, Jafan declared the official formation of the ‘’’19th Saber Imperial Remnant’’’ after bringing in his fleet with Fleet Admiral ‘’’Kimberly Tessarosa’’’ at the helm of his personal flagship, the Super Star Destroyer Twilight. With the formal defeat of the Virgillian forces on the planet starwars:Virgillia, the world was seized and became his new throne world. Once the capital city of Bevelle was secured, his first act was to rename the sector ‘’’Koradin’’’.
With his throne secure and his dominion named, his second act was to formally announce the color of Imperial Law within the sector and the formal establishment of the ‘’’19th Saber Imperial Remnant’’’. It was at this stage both Moff Lynbare and Genko announced their allegiance to Jafan, and their declaration that they recognized him as Grand Moff given that a Grand Moff oversaw multiple sectors and Moffs.
Setback
Jafan’s first major setback would come in 39 ABY with the Invasion of Port Kasiya by Clan Taldryan as it was known at the time. This invasion and subsequent war was prompted by what Jafan considered and was quoted as saying was “an incredibly stupid decision of unimaginable magnitude”, when Yorinobu attempted to destroy the clan’s headquarters through cyberwarfare and activation of their self-destruct sequence. There was no reason to engage them, much less provoke conflict.
This attempt had failed, and with a direct link back to Yorinobu, Jafan sat back and watched as everything that his ally had built was carefully destroyed. Even as requests for aid and military assistance were sent, Jafan knew his usefulness had come to an end. There was nothing more that could be gained in their alliance and in the end, Yorinobu and Kasiya fell to Taldryan. Even after everything that happened, Jafan never understood what went though Yorinobu’s mind when he had decided to engage them. All he could attribute it to was the mind of a deranged madman that had lost his sense of tactics.
Despite the loss of the alliance with Kasiya, the trade routes that had been constructed with other systems that had been captured in all three Remnant sectors allowed for a minimal loss with route reorganization, and Moff Genko was able to secure a solid line onto the Hydian Way that was protected from pirates. But his eye could not help but remain fixed upon Taldryan, particularly a new addition that caught his interest from footage recorded by a spy. An Ewok…in a Grand Admiral’s uniform. He had known of Thrawn as one of the few aliens that had been accepted by the Empire, and while there had been others, he knew right at all of them.
Upon further investigation into the matter with his intelligence sources, and a full backup of most of the imperial archives, he came to a startling realization that not only was that Ewok a legitimate member of the former empire, but he spoke nearly perfect basic and had attended Royal Imperial just like he had to boot. Yet the history that was publicly known contradicted that history, with no mentions of any imperial service at all.
This could potentially be a way to become allies with the Clan Taldryan perhaps, or at the very least potential blackmail given the Clan’s dislike of the empire and what it stood for.
Over the next year, he would watch the clan carefully as he assessed whether to initiate friendly contact or not. However, after its reformation into a full-on Republic, becoming known as the Taldryan Republic, he knew that an alliance would never be in the cards. They were quickly instead becoming a thorn in his side, one that would need to be removed if he was to restore the remainder of what was the former 19th Dark Saber Oversector.
And remove it, he would…