Benedict Tharandon

Lord Benedict Tharandon is the current head of House Tharandon and Lord of The White Keep. He is the only child and son of Lord Alexander Tharandon of the Bindreg Hills and his wife, Lady Mirax.

Benedict previously served as a high ranking field officer in the Imperial Army of the Galactic Empire before retiring, resentful at the revocation and destruction of his family's ancient title by the Imperial Throne. Following his departure from the Empire to the Unknown Regions of the galaxy for several years, Benedict returned to the known space a changed man.

With his return to the galaxy, Benedict found himself within the Kingdom of Elysia. He was later appointed to command the Kingdom's Royal Guard and Special Operations Division. In recognition of his service and dedication to the Elysian Throne, Benedict and the House of Tharandon was granted the Lordship of the Sibisime System founding their new seat, the White Keep on the system's primary planet.

Early life
Benedict Edward Tharandon, born Year -17, Day 176 was the only child of Major Lord Alexander Tharandon, Imperial Army and Doctor Lady Mirax Tharandon M.D. on Corellia and raised in his ancestral homeland of the Bindreg Hills on Lamuir IV, Tapani Sector. Benedict's relationship with his father soured considerably after the death of his mother in a freak shuttle accident. Mainly due to his father's past-experiences, harsh upbringing, and his commitment to the Imperial Army, Benedict held a deep resentment towards his father in his years as a child. At the age of six in Year -11, Benedict's father returned to active duty, persuaded by his friend, colleague and distant relation, Captain Fel. His father was later killed when his dropship was brought down by enemy fire.

Benedict was left alone in the cold, both of his parents now dead. With no family to turn to, and guilt ridden about inadvertently causing the death of his friend, Fel took the young Benedict Tharandon in as his Guardian and raised him. His formulative years were spent between private schools and spending his spare time learning to shoot, track and to fend for himself in the harsh environment that Lamuir IV's Bindreg Hills can be.

Nearing the end of his time in education, Benedict became more and more interested in the idea of serving with Empire, despite resenting everything that turned his father into what he was. Fel on the other hand, was nearly the opposite of how his father had treated him and showed that despite being a soldier, you could still be 'human'.

Imperial Academy
Despite being the son of an Army officer, Benedict chose the Imperial Starfleet over the Impeial Army and enrolled, being accepted into the Imperial Academy and arriving in the Plebe Summer of Y9 D162 and assigned to Lima Company. During his initial six weeks of the Plebe Summer, Cadet Tharandon found himself adjusting with more ease than some of his peers due to his upbringing and found himself at least a little thankful to his father for the harsh upbringing melt out to him during his younger years.

Tharandon's first year began in earnest, though initially considering what comforts or therein lack of granted by his status as a fourth-class cadet as little better than prison life, he grew accustomed to the idea of entitled to nothing and striving to earn what he did. After completing his initial training, Benedict opted to major in strategic operations undertake flight training.

In his second and third years, although primarily engaged in study sessions with fellow strategic operations, Benedict completed his flight training and undertook advanced courses in hand-to-hand combat and weapon proficiency training. It was at this time Benedict discovered his love of Teräs Käsi, something that remains a passion of his to this day and applied to the prestigious fighter training school of the Imperial Navy.

In his fourth year, he was assigned to a border patrol-based heavy cruiser for his six month cadet cruise, returning to graduate with honours from the Academy in Y13 D146 and given the provisional rank of Crewman, assigned to the fighter training school of the Imperial Navy.

Operation SOVEREIGN CANOPY
While attached to the 3rd Brigade, Benedict found himself on the first rotation of Operation SOVEREIGN CANOPY, a deployment to the planet Derra IV which had seen an outbreak of both the Great Animosity Plague and - inadvertently through trying to cure the former - the Metamorphosis Plague. Engagements against the forces of the Galactic Alliance were fierce and highly contested, the enemy having had substantial preparatory time to develop a deliberate defensive position within the primary urban locations on the planet. Benedict and the Infantry battalion that he was assigned to came under fire multiple times, though unlike their colleagues in other units, Benedict's battalion did not suffer from the same high casualty rates although Benedict was himself being wounded - at times badly - on several occasions, though always refused to be evacuated from the battlefield until all objectives were secure. These setbacks were tempered by the achievements they made against enemy forces, including engaging and neutralizing several known senior Alliance combatants.

Throughout the operation, the 3rd Legion met frequent and intense resistance, in often overwhelming numbers. Many of the soldiers proved their dedication and valour in the face of great adversity and were appropriately honoured for it. Colonel Canfield, holding a senior staff position in the Legion Headquarters, and one of the primary driving forces behind the Operation, was awarded the Achievement Medal for displaying exemplary performance of his duties as a battlefield commander on Derra IV, resulting in highly effective soldiers and unit manoeuvres. The Legion as a whole, its Brigades and attachments were awarded the Unit Distinguished Service for consistently distinguishing themselves in their actions on Derra IV, accomplishing great strides in combat against an entrenched enemy with superior numbers. They were also awarded the Battle Efficiency Medal for demonstrating highly effective and efficient skills in the advance to contact, engagement, and withdrawals involving enemy combatants during several combat engagements on Derra IV.

Personality & Traits
Benedict is a born warrior, and most of his skills lie in the area of martial expertise. He has little interest in politics and court intrigue and by his own admission, Benedict only feels truly alive when fighting or making love. Benedict has the quintessential Tharandon look, with bright green eyes and golden hair. He is considered to be extremely handsome, his tall frame complemented with comely features and "a smile that cut like a knife".

At first glance, outsiders perceive Benedict to be arrogant, disdainful, and sarcastic. To a large extent he is arrogant about his own abilities, but not without cause: even his enemies admit that he is arguably the greatest living swordsman in the Kingdom. Benedict does not mock others over minor insult, and he can muster up polite behaviour, but he is usually very blunt. He typically just says what he is thinking, and has no reservations about mocking those he perceives as incompetent.

His father, Lord Alexander had raised Benedict with the principle of ruthlessness as a virtue. Yet even though Benedict often behaves unapologetically amoral, in his own warped way, Benedict does signs of honour or principles. This is largely since Benedict became extremely disillusioned with ideals of honour and loyalty when he saw firsthand the atrocities committed by the Empire and willful betrayals against their own, how other "honourable" members stood by and did nothing while the Imperial Throne had people murdered for imagined insults or simply existing, because they felt bound by oaths of faith and fealty.

Moreover, Benedict isn't a very politically ambitious man. Political manoeuvring is not his way, and he sees himself foremost as a soldier who when confronted with a problem takes out his sword and cuts its head off. Benedict's attitude towards violence is also complex. Needless violence and brutality deeply offend Benedict, though if he decides that violence and murder are absolutely necessary he will ruthlessly carry it out himself.

Quotes & Notable Dialogue
Captain Jorn Stones noticed the Colonel sitting just outside, and looked at him. "Looks like it went quite rough out here."

Benedict glanced at Stones for a moment before returning his gaze to the clearing as the smoke continues to whirl around them, watching as the ISB men tended to the fallen. "No battle is ever easy Captain, when you are face to face with your enemy and cold steel strikes upon steel."

"I guess you are entirely right there, Colonel. It's time for me to leave this place however." Stones replied before turning towards the shuttle and walked over to board it.

Titles and styles

 * Benedict, of the House Tharandon, Year -17, Day 176
 * Benedict, Lord of the House Tharandon, Year -11 Day 67
 * Benedict, of the House Tharandon and Lord of The White Keep, Year 17 Day 183

Military Ranks

 * Galactic Empire
 * Recruit [E-1] - Imperial Academy (Year 13 Day 145)
 * Crewman [E-2] - Imperial Navy (Year 13 Day 146)
 * Flight Corporal [E-3] - Imperial Navy (Year 13 Day 205)
 * Flight Sergeant [E-4] - Imperial Navy (Year 13 Day 291)
 * Master Flight Sergeant [E-5] - Imperial Navy (Year 14 Day 13)
 * Master Sergeant [E-5] - Imperial Army (Year 14 Day 55)
 * Command Sergeant [E-6] - Imperial Army (Year 14 Day 104)
 * 2nd Lieutenant [O-1] - Imperial Army (Year 14 Day 189)
 * 1st Lieutenant [O-2] - Imperial Army (Year 14 Day 279)
 * Lieutenant Colonel [O-5] - Imperial Army (Year 14 Day 337)


 * Kingdom of Elysia
 * Legatus [O-5] - ELSOC (Year 17 Day 184)

Campaign & Active Service Medals

 * Galactic Empire
 * Unit Distinguished Service Medal [UDS] (Y14 D107)
 * Battle Efficiency Medal [BEM] (Y14 D107)
 * Imperial Campaign Medal [ICM] (Y14 D164)
 * x2 (Y14 D164)

Faction Awards

 * Galactic Empire
 * Letter of Commendation [LOC] (Y14 D39)
 * Imperial Service Medal [ISM] (Y13 D361)
 * 1 Year (Y14 D143)
 * Mentioned in Dispatches [MID] (Y14 D85)
 * x2 (Y14 D115)
 * Imperial Meeting Medal [IMM] (Y13 D347)
 * IMM-12 (Y14 D143)
 * Imperial Academy Basic Graduate - Honours [IABG-H] (Year 13 Day 146)