The New Sith Empire
Second Galactic Empire
Galactic Empire
Appears 50
Biography[]
Rayce Tharelle is a career military officer within the Empire. Known as a savage man, he sees himself as one who is not afraid to do the things that need to be done - regardless of the consequences. Though many see Tharelle as a sadist, he does not relish in causing death or dismemberment, he merely views it in many cases to be the quickest route to the outcome he desires.
Upbringing / Childhood[]
Rayce Tharelle was born on Coruscant in the year 3 BBY. His parents, Guron and Tyrin Tharelle, was the owner of a reputable, up-scale dining establishment that had flourished under the Empire's rule. His family had always supported the Empire in everything. In the years marking the turmoil of the Galactic Civil War, the restaurant began to fall on harder times. At the time of Isard's abandonment of the planet, and the subsequent havoc wreaked by the Krytos virus, Tharelle's parents made the decision to ban all non-humans from the business in an effort to protect and appease patrons. The outrage from the non-human population resulted in the destruction of the establishment, and the eventual flight of Tharelle and his family from their homeworld. Tharelle was ten years old when his family fled Coruscant, and would not again see his home for a number of years.
The Death of a Family[]
Following their flight from Coruscant, the family ended up on the criminal moon of Nar Shaddaa where Guron began to pick up work in less than reputable fields. Through this, his mother Tyrin became addicted to the illegal substance known as glitterstim, which eventually resulted in her death when Tharelle was twelve. Living from the smuggler's moon, it was natural that Guron would become a smuggler - though he was a very poor one. Through a number of lost cargoes, Tharelle's father eventually ended up with a substantial bounty on his head. The one thing that he was good at, however, was hiding - and so he did, under an alias. Tharelle, tired of the ridiculous lifestyle he had lived on Nar Shaddaa, began hanging out at the local bars, speaking to patrons. Eventually he befriended a woman at the bar that he later found out was a member of ISB. Through his meeting with her, he began to seek a way off of the planet. Supplying her with information on New Republic fleet movements he received from his father and other smuggling friends, he became a valuable asset to the young intelligence officer. One day, however, he heard her discussing he r plans to leave the moon, bringing no one with her. Angry, Tharelle formed a plot to make sure he was taken care of. Tharelle made a deal with several bounty hunters he met through the bar that he would hand his father over to them if they would take care of a problem of his own. Tharelle set up a meeting with the intelligence agent in an ally, telling her he had important information. He also brought his father, insisting he had found a quick way to make money. When he arrived at the location, he saw the bounty hunters waiting in ambush. Eventually the agent showed up at the meeting, where the bounty hunters quickly dispatched her and took his father - raving about his betrayal - into custody. Tharelle never heard from his father again.
Into the Empire's Grace[]
Tharelle searched the young intelligence officer, finding a 22T4 Holdout Blaster hidden inside her jacket. The 22T4 was a blaster manufactured exclusively for members of the ISB and would prove the connection that he had to her. Taking it, he fled the planet in her ship and met up with an Imperial patrol nearby. Showing them the blaster, he told of his connection and the help he had offered, giving more information on the location of New Republic patrols as a sign of goodwill. Through this encounter, Tharelle was ushered in the doors of ISB as an agent in the Imperial patrol he had met with, serving there for the next eight years and learning as a fleet tactician.
Abandonment[]
Having served for several years on board a Star Destroyer as an agent of ISB, Tharelle had learned to take care of himself. During a largescale battle - where it was clear the Empire would not be victorious - Tharelle did the only thing he could do: Commondeered a shuttle and ran to save his own skin. He remained MIA from the Empire for three years, during which time he was presumed dead. Three years later, he showed up on Coruscant, accessing the archives for an agent he knew only as Malthus, apparently working for a Sith Lord known as Naeus. On finding him again, he explained that he had been working his way back to the planet for some time, and gave a thourough debriefing of his time away. The current leadership of the Empire - under duress from heavy opposition and just recently found repossessing Coruscant - reinstated him as an officer due to his experience, and promoted him to Captain of the Line, giving him command of a small contingent of warships.
Tharelle, having just been promoted to Captain of the Line
Massacre at Duro[]
Tharelle's first official mission under the Empire would quickly show the kind of officer he would be. Given a mission to root out Rebel agents on Duro, he proceeded there with his task force. Upon his arrival, his first action was to fire on the orbital city Orr-Om, then offer aid in return for the cooperation of the Duros government. As a result of his initial barrage, hundreds of thousands of sentients lost their lives. Through the rest of the campaign, Tharelle's actions rooted out cells of Rebel activity on board the orbital city. Eventually, he found that the cells just kept going, no matter how many he eliminated, more popped up. Frustrated, and sick of the task, he eventually used his fleet to destroy the city. The death toll was catastrophic - millions of beings killed. Officially it was an Imperial victory. Unofficially, it was an atrocity.
Rising In the Ranks[]
After showing he was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, Tharelle was noticed by a career politician with eyes for the position of Imperial Chief of State. This was difficult, as there was an Emperor at the time. Entering into the man's confidence, Tharelle became his right hand man, helping to plan the coup that would eventually result in the death of the Emperor and a new government being established. At the conclusion of this, Tharelle was promoted to the rank of Grand Admiral, and became the head of the Imperial Military.
Trial and Imprisonment[]
When the second Galactic Empire finally fell, Grand Admiral Rayce Tharelle was apprehended by traitors in the ranks and given to the new galactic powers as a bargaining chip. The ensuing trial named Tharelle as one of the most hated men in history. With no need to draw out the obvious, Tharelle was sentanced to be frozen in carbonite forever, as a symbol to those who would follow his gruesome methods. When given the opportunity to utter final words before his eternal imprisonment, Tharelle gave these last sentiments: "As sentient beings, we must all do either evil or good, and so far as we choose one we prove that we live. It is a strange paradox that it is better to do evil, than to do nothing at all; at least then we live." And that was - as they say - that. The code was entered, and Grand Admiral Rayce Tharelle was doomed to his carbonite tomb forever. Doomed to neither live, nor die - to exist without existing. The last act was to banish his frozen form to the furthest reaches of the galaxy. And so his body rested for decades on the surface of Mytus VII.
Reanimation[]
Thankfully for Tharelle, eternity would have to wait. Upon gaining power, someone within the New Sith Empire learned of Tharelle's sentance. Finding his actions to be within scope of his own ideals, he went to Mytus VII and freed Tharelle from his hellish prison. Tharelle was then given the rank of Admiral within the New Sith Empire and offered command of thePallaeon-Class Star Destroyer Beshqek. He had stayed in the outer rim, completing whatever tasks had been given him by his superiors. His older age seemed to quell some of the bloodlust he had shown in his younger years, showing him the value of restraint in some situations. Nevertheless, his gruesome and terrible methods were still evident in his actions. Whatever wisdom and patience he had learned with years had not dulled the evil that lurked within him. Through his actions, he was endeared to the Emperor, Lucian Drakul. Prior to his disappearance, Drakul's last official act was to promote Tharelle to the rank of Grand Admiral.
Ambition[]
Once again bearing his former title, Tharelle sat his eyes on nothing less than the throne of the Galactic Empire. In his quest for power, he encountered another Grand Admiral, Enton Drago - also a Sith Lord. The two had met before, and neither cared for the other in the slightest. The two became arch nemeses.
Grand Admirals' Feud[]
When the disappearance of the Emperor was announced, Tharelle saw an opening. Hoping to take power on the Imperial throneworld of Coruscant, Tharelle assembled his fleets. But before he could act, Drago had assumed control and began working to give power to the senate. Tharelle moved to thwart Drago's move toward reunification, shutting down the holonet in order to sever communications between worlds under the Empire's control. Drago's response to Tharelle's move was to create several new government entities aimed at disrupting Tharelle's plans for domination. Drago also released propaganda showing the monstrous acts of Tharelle's past. The propaganda, however, did not have the desired effect - instead causing worlds to fold to Tharelle out of fear. Tharelle's fleet grew, resulting eventually in Drago's withdrawal and surrender of Coruscant to Tharelle's forces.