Post by Kohl Omonda on Oct 11, 2011 6:41:56 GMT -5
Faction: Republic
Department: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Ship: Thunder Child
Praetorian-Class Frigate: swrponline2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=republicships&action=display&thread=4082
Name: Kohl Omonda
Race: Human
Age: 33
Height: 6'2"/188cm
Weight: 177lb/80kg
Birth place: Hanna City, Chandrila
Appearance:
Kohl has dark brown hair and a light, hardly tanned at all, complexion. His deep blue eyes sit under manicured eyebrows and above angular and defined cheek bones and chin. His brown hair is kept short and clean but little attention is given to styling it. He is always clean shaven, loathing even the smallest amount of stubble. His almost obsessive primness has meant that he also regularly removes all of his body hair. Whether this is an extension of his obsession with cleanliness or just vanity he isn't entirely sure himself.
At a little over six foot tall he is hardly the tallest man, and his lithe muscular frame certainly doesn't lend him the most physically dominating presence. The fluidity of his movements, whether walking or illustrating with his hands as he speaks, however do give Kohl a charisma of sorts. They are precise, definite and graceful not unlike the personality of the man.
Kohl wears the characteristic blue uniform of a Republic Navy Officer at all times: a belted, double-breasted tunic worn with a peaked cap and breeches, with stovepipe trousers. He is rarely seen out of it but when he is, he can be found wearing tailored suits - a good couturier can go a long way he thinks. While on duty he will always have at his side, his vibroblade and T-45 'Lightswitch' Blaster Pistol.
Personality:
Kohl is a determined, proper and particular man. He is often aloof from those of inferior ranks not out of any sense of arrogance on his behalf but rather a belief in the need for order and discipline. Of course this rationale is not always readily apparent. An intelligent and able man, he has little patience for people who cannot keep up with him. All of these quirks make him a difficult man to get close to or to feel any sense of friendship towards.
However his intense belief in justice means that he will not tolerate any injustice or wrongs. While dispassionate his decisions are never unjust, cold certainly but lawful and fair as well, at least according to his morals. But his sense of justice does not often allow for much compassion. Kohl believes in the letter of the law, that it must be obeyed and executed without sentiment. While he may have personal feelings on the justness of a law, as long as it remains law he will execute it with impunity.
He does not tolerate any failings within himself, Kohl is an exacting taskmaster not only of those under his command but also of himself. Believing that any task once undertaken must not only been seen through to completion but also be accomplished with aplomb makes him a hard man to please. It also means he is sometimes unnecessarily harsh upon his own performance.
He is fiercely loyal and protective of the men under his command. Viewing each of them as being under his personal care, and that should a single one of them die needlessly it is a blemish against his soul. He understands that sacrifices are necessary in war and that death is inevitable but he cannot countenance heedless and pointless waste of life.
Since joining the Republic he has had little time for a romantic life, not that he minds overly much. Kohl is animated by his commitment to the ideals and laws of the Republic, he does not think a man needs more than that. Though of course matters of the heart are not often controlled by the mind.
Skills:
Capital Ship Command - A graduate of the Naval Academy on Coruscant - within the top percentile of graduates - Kohl is a skilled commander of capital ships.
Swordsman - Kohl is an able student of the fine art of sword play. His natural grace and determined training make him a formidable opponent.
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 5
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 6
Leadership: 6
Unarmed: 5
Melee Weapons: 6
Ranged Weapons: 5
Alignment: +6
Bio:
Kohl was born into a wealthy and influential family on Chandrila; one that counted not only members of the Chandrilan House amongst its members but also had previously represented Chandrila in the Galactic Senate. Both his father and mother, Lok & Tanis Omonda, were members of the Chandrilan House and had high hopes that their son would follow them. From his early days his already precocious intelligence was groomed and shaped for a political career reaching to the lofty heights of the Galactic Senate.
Kohl was even during his childhood an intensely quiet and aloof boy. He had few friends but those who did grow close to the young Kohl came to appreciate his loyalty and already strong sense of fairness. His childhood was idyllic in the way that only Chandrila can be. Peaceful, quiet, soft, enlightened and just were the days of Kohl’s childhood. However his childhood was most certainly not an easy one.
He never became close to his parents not for lack of love, for they did love him, but rather because of their incessant pushing of him. He never had the soft and tender memories of just playing with his father, or crying in his mother’s arms. He only remembered being set task after task, and when he accomplished them with poise a proud nod or pat on the shoulder. Tasks all designed to broaden his mind, deepen his understanding of the universe and the beings in it, even from this early age his intelligence was continually challenged academically - though his precocious intelligence mastered everyone of the tasks or assignments his parents set.
Kohl knew and could see that his parents did not treat him like other parents treated their children. He watched the interactions of his friends with their parents with a little envy. He wanted those simple childish interactions, he wanted to just once not see things as a looming battle to be won with dazzling brilliance. But that was not to be he knew. His parents wanted him to succeed, wanted him to be brilliant, and so he would be.
This was the pattern of his first eleven years of life; a life wanting for nothing, a life of tranquillity, but also one of unremitting pressure to succeed and excel. It was a testament to his own innate internal strength of being that this pressure did not make him bitter or twisted; and that his precocious youth did not make him arrogant.
In his twelfth year the young Kohl had two momentous occasions befall him, both of which were to shape the man. Not long into the year the young Kohl with his father and mother attended a parade by the Republic Navy and Army on Chandrila. It was the only time his parents ever saw the young boy bubble over with excitement and anticipation. He lost all sense of decorum and rushed ahead eagerly perching himself on the edge of the stand erected for members of the Chandrilan House. From here he watched the precision and grace of the soldiers as they marched by; wheeling and forming ranks with such drill that it was beautiful. Then the high pitched whir of star-fighter engines as they flipped and turned in the air above Hanna City; like acrobats of the inky and far off stars. But as the sky prematurely darkened there came the long and low hum of a massive capital ship of the Republic Navy. Kohl was never to forget the ship or his feelings when he saw it; everything else seemed small, fleeting little things, imitating the power and discipline of this behemoth. His orient blue eyes drunk in the scene and darted to where the name of this Titan was painted on the hull he would never forget that name, 'Thunder Child'
The day passed too quickly for the young Kohl and after having been chastised by his parents for his lack of propriety, he proudly announced that he would be joining the Republic Navy as soon as he was of age. His parents coolly rebuked his foolish dreams, saying that while such service was good and worthy he could do so much more. With all the diplomatic tact that they themselves had taught him the young Kohl agreed – while in truth he was more determined than ever.
Several weeks after he was able to persuade his parents to give their permission for him to enrol himself as a student of one of the great duellists in Hanna City; sword play after all was the sign of an educated and erudite gentleman. Kohl threw himself at these studies with all of his characteristic determination. He was initially disappointed that he could not just overpower his opponents as he could intellectually but he soon learned to use the natural advantages he did have – he was fast and nimble, more so than most.
It was during these first few months of training that another formative moment in his young life was to come about. One of the students, Jaq Buteo, became the young Kohl’s first crush. Confused as to why he was attracted to boys rather than girls, the young Kohl approached the problem with his characteristic rationality. Carefully studying all the literature on it he could find he soon deposed of his confusion. Kohl even at twelve was not the sort to languish on a problem or to let his emotions torment him. So once he had seen what he deemed the right solution to the problem, which was that there was nothing wrong or unusual in the attraction, he accepted it and moved on. When he announced his recent discovery to his parents, they were supportive but warned that it would be an obstacle, even if minor, to his political career.
It was with Jaq over the next four years of his young life that Kohl was to experience all the pleasures and pains of a first romance. From that nervous first touch to the tentative kiss and all the passions of that night with pulsing breast to breast but as with all first romances it ended. The sixteen year old Kohl was more emotionally distraught than he cared to admit. Despite all his aloofness, he was at heart a very gentle man and a man who cared deeply for those he allowed to get close to him.
But the collapse of his relationship with Jaq severed his last remaining anchor to Chandrila, for he had been contemplating abandoning his dreams of joining the Republic Navy for a quiet life on Chandrila with Jaq. With renewed passion he threw himself into his studies and into his striving to be the perfect candidate for the Naval Academy on Coruscant.
At 17 Kohl finally completed his studies, he was returned the top of his class in Politics, Legal Studies and History, with grades in the top tenth percentile of his class in all other subjects. He received offers from the most prestigious institutions all across Chandrila but he had already submitted his application to the Naval College on Coruscant. He spent a week in nervous anticipation of their reply. Finally it came, he was accepted without condition and should he accept was to report within the next two weeks.
Kohl eagerly sent his acceptance of the offer and then calmly sat his parents down and told them of his intention. They were at first angry at him throwing away all of his considerable gifts, what a fate for a brilliant mind to languish in the service!? They implored him to reconsider, think of all the good he could do for the Republic as a Senator – which was surely what he could be if he turned his mind to a political career. It took nearly a day of talking, a day of Kohl remaining calm and collected in face of his parent’s indignation, before they finally agreed. Not that he needed their permission but he did want it nonetheless.
So it was with enormous trepidation that he boarded a shuttle bound for Coruscant with a firm handshake from his father and a proud nod; and what shocked him the most a nervous and tight embrace from his mother. He had always known that they had cared for him but perhaps before now he had wondered whether it was in the same way as other parents. His father’s stoic and worried face, his mother’s shaking hands and tear-lined cheeks removed all doubt. They loved him as did any other parents their child.
Kohl arrived at the academy little prepared for the life he had chosen for himself. But he found himself thrilled at that prospect and for the first time in his life he was truly challenged. The Naval Academy promoted an officer cadre of the best of the best, shaping the future minds and bodies of the officer corps. He found his mind being pushed to its limits as much as his body and he loved it.
Basic training, the combat training all members of the Republic military went through, was a challenge for Kohl. Physically fit yes but he had never focused excessively on his body. Basic training took care of this however. He loved it, another challenge, something he had to actually work for not simply comprehend in an instant.
He did not grow close to many of the other cadets. He found them all too thuggish, too interested in physical posturing for female and male companions. He was not here to bed anyone or to make any friends, he was here to become the best officer he could, and he was here to serve the Republic. He was never obtuse or rude however, just cold and aloof, distant from his fellow cadets.
After his first year in the academy he received his first review: it reported that he was a brilliant and gifted officer, definitely one of the best strategic minds to pass through the academy in recent years; however his formal and somewhat aloof manner created a distance between his subordinates and fellow officers. It noted the potential for this demeanour to be injurious to his leadership qualities. Kohl was annoyed at what he thought was a negative review of his capabilities as an officer. However as with anything Kohl only redoubled his efforts.
Over the course of the next three years Kohl strove to become a more personable officer. He would always be aloof but he made it clearer that he cared for the men under his command. In war games he shared their trials and tribulations, he led with daring and grace, in physical endurance he matched them stride for stride. He had come to understand that the greatest leaders are not above the trials of their men but instead one with them, sharing the tribulations and shouldering the burdens.
At the same time he continued to excel in his academic studies at the academy. As with all final year students he had to publish a paper, a thesis. Kohl published what he called, “an aggressive Fabian campaign” The strategy proposed that the traditional war of attrition waged in a Fabian campaign be coupled with lightning strikes by capital ships at planetary high-value targets – with impunity. The paper garnered much attention for its advocating that those planets which chose to fight the Republic were not subject to the norms and laws of the Republic. The paper Scorched Earth: A study in Aggressive Fabian campaigns was published as the lead document of the graduate papers for that year.
Kohl graduated top of the Naval Academy in his class in every area except unarmed combat and firearms handling. He achieved passing grades in both however. His final review reading:
"Ensign Kohl Omonda is one of the most intelligent and strategically gifted students to pass through the Academy in recent years. He has shown above average leadership skills however his own distant nature limits him. His stoicism, brilliance and personal integrity promise however to serve him well as an officer in the Republic Navy."
Kohl was assigned to a corvette patrolling Perlemian Trade Route as a helmsman. The vessels allocated patrol did not venture beyond the Core Worlds, so it was an uneventful assignment. The upside however was that it allowed him to visit his parents during his allotted periods of shore leave. His two years as an Ensign passed without a single remarkable event, much to his own dismay; he was not given a single chance to shine. However he passed his fitness reviews without a single incident, and within the limitation of his posting excelled as an officer. He was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade at the end of his second year as an active duty officer.
The promotion was also accompanied with a transfer to Hammerhead-class frigate. He served as the commanding officer of the ship’s Deck Department. This ship was also posted to patrolling the Perlemian Trade Route; however its allocation was the mid-rim. The ship functioned as the flagship of the various ships assigned to the squadron. It was aboard the Audacious that Kohl saw action for the first time.
The Audacious along with three corvettes were engaged in minesweeping operations when the group was attacked by a squadron of pirate vessels. While the final outcome of the battle was never in doubt, the first encounter still seemed to Kohl hang on a knife’s edge. It was terrifying and exhilarating at once; the alarms blared, the decks and the walls shook and rattled with each impact, the noise of people’s feet seemed to drown out even the roar of the engines as they ran to and fro. Kohl kept his head, instructing his men in the chaos to repair tears before they became breaches, kept the corridors clear of debris, ensued that the elevator to the magazine remained functioning, and numerous maintenance tasks.
The engagement lasted little over an hour, with no casualties amongst the Republic vessels and all but one of the pirate ships destroyed. The last vessel had quickly slunk off not long after the engagement went noticeably in favour of the Republic vessels. Kohl received a commendation for his actions but more importantly, at least from Kohl’s perspective, his men had come to truly understand their officer. The manner in which he led them, with gravity and dignity always concerned for their wellbeing and the wellbeing of all aboard made them understand and love their commander. As always his cold and aloof demeanour had originally been interpreted as arrogance or worse indifference. But they no longer laboured under such false impressions. The Deck Department of the Audacious was now fiercely protective of their young and distant officer. Often verbally and physically defending his reputation in the mess much to Kohl’s mixed pride and annoyance.
There were many other minor engagements with pirates and raiders during his two years as Lieutenant Junior Grade of the Audacious’ Deck Department. But none were to have the impact that a minor skirmish was to have on the eve of his promotion to full Lieutenant.
He had just had his final fitness review before departing on another patrol. He had been informed that upon his return he would have the Selection Board’s result, which would be promotion he had been assured.
The patrol continued as routinely as ever, a few minor skirmishes with all opposition being swept before them. However while returning to the Republic Naval station in the Roche asteroid belt, the Audacious was attacked. Without an escort the ship's defences were pushed to their limits by this particularly large and seemingly organised group of raiders. Over half of its Aurek tactical strikefighters were destroyed and the hull of the Audacious itself was severely damaged. Throughout the course of the battle Kohl had led his men, the Deck Department was pushed beyond all limits – someone had to slip up, it was inevitable. Desperately holding the ship together it seemed with their own hands Kohl’s men began to feel the pressure. He tried his best, wherever he could he rotated them between tasks so as to keep their minds active. But one of his Petty Officers slipped while loading the munitions elevator, the explosion ripped a hole in the hull. With oxygen venting and the entire ship at risk, Kohl did not wait for an order from the bridge…he sealed the secondary armoury and to prevent fire vented the remaining oxygen. 24 dead. Kohl harboured no illusions it had been his hand that had pressed the button, his command, it had been a necessary one but the lives of 24 men, 16 of them his own, were on his soul. The remaining strikefighters and what was left of the Audacious’ gun batteries managed to fend off the raiders long enough for relief to arrive.
Kohl had not stopped for the entire 6 hours of the battle, not even after his ordering of the secondary armoury being sealed. He kept on, leading his men, and the Deck Department distinguished itself in its single-minded commitment to duty.
Kohl and his whole department were cited for meritorious actions above and beyond the call of duty. Back at Roche Kohl received his promotion to full Lieutenant post-haste. It was a bittersweet victory.
Kohl knew that for victory lives had to be sacrificed, but he could not help but think that these particular ones had been needless. If the Audacious had only elected to take with it an escort on its return journey than surely they might have lived, or at least the casualties may have been fewer. The engagement was to engrain further into Kohl a sense that any military action must be carefully planned and every contingency considered; that arrogance and complacency where the ultimate killers in war.
His promotion to Lieutenant meant that he would leave behind his beloved Deck Department. In a rare display of sentimentality he addressed them before leaving – not that he was leaving the Audacious, he had been promoted to Executive Officer – but nevertheless he felt it necessary. It was not a formal address, rather simply a kind exchange of words between friends. It was a lengthy address, recounting good times together, friends lost and made; it ended with a statement of Kohl’s philosophy of life:
“…It is not the result of balancing good and ill, and a reasoned decision that good preponderates. Rather it is a direct perception, an intuition, of the beauty and wonder of the universe and humanity - an intuition too overpowering to be seriously disturbed by the existence of pain and evil. This is my message, not a philosophy but an irresistible emotion, an irresistible humanity. A humanity we have shared, as brothers-in-arms.”
The Audacious took a few months to refit and prepare for active duty again, during this time Kohl returned to Chandrila. A pleasant reunion with his parents and extended family – he had no siblings – seemed somehow so sweet after everything. He even engaged in a brief but still pleasurable holiday romance with an Alex Dento, who was the son of a Chandrilan Senator. After three months however the repairs were completed and the Audacious was now assigned to protecting the Corellian Run.
His time as the Audacious’ Executive Officer settled into the self-same routine; though they met with a few more pirates and raiders on the new patrol route. Kohl adapted to his new role with great ease and soon became one of the Captain’s most trusted officers. Captain Cabel Willven was nearing the end of his tour of duty. He had been the captain of the Audacious for almost his entire term of service as Captain.
Captain and X.O. despite becoming very close still often clashed – in private of course, Kohl did not think there was anything to be gained from undermining his superior in front of the men. The two officers clashed primarily over Kohl insistence that every movement be planned and that every contingency be prepared for. Cabel was of the opinion that a good captain was daring and impulsive, and Kohl was most certainly not that. Together Cabel and Kohl complimented each other. Kohl certainly learnt from the older captain, he came to appreciate the more daring approach to tactics and strategy; though he still maintained that proper planning was essential. On one point however the two men could never agree Kohl was a stickler for the law, to the letter of it without exception. Cabel however often found extenuating circumstances meant that the law should be tempered. While Kohl acknowledged the rightness of such a notion, the law was the law – and nowhere was adherence to it more important than aboard a ship-of-war.
Kohl was now aged thirty-two he had served as the Executive Officer of the Audacious for nearly four years, and had served aboard that ship for almost a full eight years. Kohl had earned a reputation as a stern, stoic but fair X.O. the sort of officer who you might not love but you could certainly respect and trust. The Deck Department still after eight years held a special place for Kohl, with veterans passing on the legacy to the new recruits.
However Kohl was not happy with letting his career languish protecting trade routes. Fortunately a quiet universe was not what the Fates seemed to have in store for this generation. The tenuous peace had broken, the Sith Empire invading Dantooine, Mygeeto and Mon Calamari but most alarming of all the Supreme Chancellor assassinated. Kohl immediately applied for a transfer to a vessel which would be called to action. The Audacious was not to be removed from duties for the present. His request was granted, a decorated, gifted and experienced officer was not to be denied the opportunity to act for the Republic. Posted to another Hammerhead-class ship again as X.O. Kohl served ably and well however the vessel was not present for any of the major engagements of that year.
His new Captain, Hal Melissus, recommended him for promotion to Lieutenant Commander, and so in his thirty-third year Kohl was brought before the Selection board. Captain Melissus was a relatively young officer himself. But Melissus could see within Kohl all the markers of a fine commanding officer already; all Kohl needed was the chance to prove himself Melissus felt. Subjected to rigorous fitness tests, mental and physical, questioned by the board it took nearly a full two months before Kohl was called before them again.
“Given your stellar Academy scores, your continued academic publications, your various meritorious citations, combined with the recommendations of all of your superior officers; it is the opinion of this board that you board that you be promoted to Lieutenant Commander.”
Kohl could scarcely believe it, he knew he was of age to be promoted but he had not expected it still. What was to come as more of a shock to Kohl however was the board’s next decision. The Selection Board further recommended that he be placed in command of a frigate, instead of being assigned to a Capital ship. He would have his own command! His own ship! It was with more willpower than he cared to admit that Kohl calmly thanked the Board and pledged to fulfil the promise they had seen in him. Kohl was to spend the rest of the day, in fact the week, in a daze of utter joy and exhilaration.
Kohl set off without delay to collect his new command from the Fondor shipyards - where it was being retrofitted. The ship named Thunder Child was an old Praetorian-class frigate, meant for scrapping but with the recent conflict it had been pressed into the service of the Republic one more time. Kohl was doubly excited to be commanding the Thunder Child because its service history included participation in a parade on Chandrila nearly twenty-two years ago.
Password: Bylgia
RP Sample:
The shuttle soon cleared the towering cooling towers and buildings of the service of Fondor but it was sometime before the opaque smog became transparent. Used to the lush and fresh vistas of Chandrila Kohl stared out of the window in disgusted wonder. His hands folded neatly in his lap, holding onto his peaked cap; while his newly issued T-45 Blaster hugged closely to his thigh in its holster. His legs crossed he did not fidget or move as he watched the densely clouded and noxious planet fall away,
“Not long now sir, you served on the Audacious right? Did you ever cross paths wi…”
“Thank you, pilot.”
His tone was clipped and cold, not rude exactly but certainly less than affable. The pilot cut himself short and focused on his controls unnecessarily; one of those stuffy, stick-up-their-arse officer types this one, better to look busy.
Kohl’s blue eyes darted this way and that as he watched the hubbub of activity that was the space above Fondor, construction and reconstruction was going on everywhere - there didn’t seem to be a single piece of space not used for something. The shuttle passed under a large container and as it rose on the other side, Kohl leaned forward uncrossing his legs. The Thunder Child. She was beautiful, as beautiful as he remembered from when he was eleven. His lips turned into a smile and in hushed tones he spoke to no one in particular,
“Isn’t she the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”
The pilot turned to see the strange sight of this prim and proper man craning forward looking, at what should have been a pile of scrap metal by now, with the most absurdly happy and proud look written across his face.
“Bit out-dated, sir, I would have thought an up-and-coming officer like yourself would want a freshly painted Hammerhead…”
Kohl ignored the pilot’s quip; he wasn’t in a mood to deal with petty and petulant men, not today. It was such a wonderfully cyclic thing, the very ship that had made him join the Navy was his first command – it just seemed so utterly…poetic.
The shuttle did a pass of the Thunder Child before finally docking. The ship showed her age but Kohl had been impressed, she looked like she would hold together through anything – and the Praetorian-class was a tried and true design. Once the shuttle had docked, Kohl stood straightened his jacket, tucked his hat under his left arm and nodding to the pilot descended the ramp. The pilot for his part thanked his luck that he wasn’t serving on this man’s ship.
As he stepped onto the Thunder Child for the first time, his footfall echoing in the hanger bay, he smiled and sighed as he pulled his peaked hat on. A strong and brilliantly presented officer walked over and saluted him,
“Lieutenant Rodd Mandary, sir, welcome aboard the Thunder Child. The ship and crew await your inspection.”
Kohl returned the salute.
“Thank you Lieutenant, lead the way.”
Department: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Ship: Thunder Child
Praetorian-Class Frigate: swrponline2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=republicships&action=display&thread=4082
Name: Kohl Omonda
Race: Human
Age: 33
Height: 6'2"/188cm
Weight: 177lb/80kg
Birth place: Hanna City, Chandrila
Appearance:
Kohl has dark brown hair and a light, hardly tanned at all, complexion. His deep blue eyes sit under manicured eyebrows and above angular and defined cheek bones and chin. His brown hair is kept short and clean but little attention is given to styling it. He is always clean shaven, loathing even the smallest amount of stubble. His almost obsessive primness has meant that he also regularly removes all of his body hair. Whether this is an extension of his obsession with cleanliness or just vanity he isn't entirely sure himself.
At a little over six foot tall he is hardly the tallest man, and his lithe muscular frame certainly doesn't lend him the most physically dominating presence. The fluidity of his movements, whether walking or illustrating with his hands as he speaks, however do give Kohl a charisma of sorts. They are precise, definite and graceful not unlike the personality of the man.
Kohl wears the characteristic blue uniform of a Republic Navy Officer at all times: a belted, double-breasted tunic worn with a peaked cap and breeches, with stovepipe trousers. He is rarely seen out of it but when he is, he can be found wearing tailored suits - a good couturier can go a long way he thinks. While on duty he will always have at his side, his vibroblade and T-45 'Lightswitch' Blaster Pistol.
Personality:
Kohl is a determined, proper and particular man. He is often aloof from those of inferior ranks not out of any sense of arrogance on his behalf but rather a belief in the need for order and discipline. Of course this rationale is not always readily apparent. An intelligent and able man, he has little patience for people who cannot keep up with him. All of these quirks make him a difficult man to get close to or to feel any sense of friendship towards.
However his intense belief in justice means that he will not tolerate any injustice or wrongs. While dispassionate his decisions are never unjust, cold certainly but lawful and fair as well, at least according to his morals. But his sense of justice does not often allow for much compassion. Kohl believes in the letter of the law, that it must be obeyed and executed without sentiment. While he may have personal feelings on the justness of a law, as long as it remains law he will execute it with impunity.
He does not tolerate any failings within himself, Kohl is an exacting taskmaster not only of those under his command but also of himself. Believing that any task once undertaken must not only been seen through to completion but also be accomplished with aplomb makes him a hard man to please. It also means he is sometimes unnecessarily harsh upon his own performance.
He is fiercely loyal and protective of the men under his command. Viewing each of them as being under his personal care, and that should a single one of them die needlessly it is a blemish against his soul. He understands that sacrifices are necessary in war and that death is inevitable but he cannot countenance heedless and pointless waste of life.
Since joining the Republic he has had little time for a romantic life, not that he minds overly much. Kohl is animated by his commitment to the ideals and laws of the Republic, he does not think a man needs more than that. Though of course matters of the heart are not often controlled by the mind.
Skills:
Capital Ship Command - A graduate of the Naval Academy on Coruscant - within the top percentile of graduates - Kohl is a skilled commander of capital ships.
Swordsman - Kohl is an able student of the fine art of sword play. His natural grace and determined training make him a formidable opponent.
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 5
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 6
Leadership: 6
Unarmed: 5
Melee Weapons: 6
Ranged Weapons: 5
Alignment: +6
Bio:
The First Years
Kohl was born into a wealthy and influential family on Chandrila; one that counted not only members of the Chandrilan House amongst its members but also had previously represented Chandrila in the Galactic Senate. Both his father and mother, Lok & Tanis Omonda, were members of the Chandrilan House and had high hopes that their son would follow them. From his early days his already precocious intelligence was groomed and shaped for a political career reaching to the lofty heights of the Galactic Senate.
Kohl was even during his childhood an intensely quiet and aloof boy. He had few friends but those who did grow close to the young Kohl came to appreciate his loyalty and already strong sense of fairness. His childhood was idyllic in the way that only Chandrila can be. Peaceful, quiet, soft, enlightened and just were the days of Kohl’s childhood. However his childhood was most certainly not an easy one.
He never became close to his parents not for lack of love, for they did love him, but rather because of their incessant pushing of him. He never had the soft and tender memories of just playing with his father, or crying in his mother’s arms. He only remembered being set task after task, and when he accomplished them with poise a proud nod or pat on the shoulder. Tasks all designed to broaden his mind, deepen his understanding of the universe and the beings in it, even from this early age his intelligence was continually challenged academically - though his precocious intelligence mastered everyone of the tasks or assignments his parents set.
Kohl knew and could see that his parents did not treat him like other parents treated their children. He watched the interactions of his friends with their parents with a little envy. He wanted those simple childish interactions, he wanted to just once not see things as a looming battle to be won with dazzling brilliance. But that was not to be he knew. His parents wanted him to succeed, wanted him to be brilliant, and so he would be.
This was the pattern of his first eleven years of life; a life wanting for nothing, a life of tranquillity, but also one of unremitting pressure to succeed and excel. It was a testament to his own innate internal strength of being that this pressure did not make him bitter or twisted; and that his precocious youth did not make him arrogant.
Things Change
In his twelfth year the young Kohl had two momentous occasions befall him, both of which were to shape the man. Not long into the year the young Kohl with his father and mother attended a parade by the Republic Navy and Army on Chandrila. It was the only time his parents ever saw the young boy bubble over with excitement and anticipation. He lost all sense of decorum and rushed ahead eagerly perching himself on the edge of the stand erected for members of the Chandrilan House. From here he watched the precision and grace of the soldiers as they marched by; wheeling and forming ranks with such drill that it was beautiful. Then the high pitched whir of star-fighter engines as they flipped and turned in the air above Hanna City; like acrobats of the inky and far off stars. But as the sky prematurely darkened there came the long and low hum of a massive capital ship of the Republic Navy. Kohl was never to forget the ship or his feelings when he saw it; everything else seemed small, fleeting little things, imitating the power and discipline of this behemoth. His orient blue eyes drunk in the scene and darted to where the name of this Titan was painted on the hull he would never forget that name, 'Thunder Child'
The day passed too quickly for the young Kohl and after having been chastised by his parents for his lack of propriety, he proudly announced that he would be joining the Republic Navy as soon as he was of age. His parents coolly rebuked his foolish dreams, saying that while such service was good and worthy he could do so much more. With all the diplomatic tact that they themselves had taught him the young Kohl agreed – while in truth he was more determined than ever.
Several weeks after he was able to persuade his parents to give their permission for him to enrol himself as a student of one of the great duellists in Hanna City; sword play after all was the sign of an educated and erudite gentleman. Kohl threw himself at these studies with all of his characteristic determination. He was initially disappointed that he could not just overpower his opponents as he could intellectually but he soon learned to use the natural advantages he did have – he was fast and nimble, more so than most.
It was during these first few months of training that another formative moment in his young life was to come about. One of the students, Jaq Buteo, became the young Kohl’s first crush. Confused as to why he was attracted to boys rather than girls, the young Kohl approached the problem with his characteristic rationality. Carefully studying all the literature on it he could find he soon deposed of his confusion. Kohl even at twelve was not the sort to languish on a problem or to let his emotions torment him. So once he had seen what he deemed the right solution to the problem, which was that there was nothing wrong or unusual in the attraction, he accepted it and moved on. When he announced his recent discovery to his parents, they were supportive but warned that it would be an obstacle, even if minor, to his political career.
It was with Jaq over the next four years of his young life that Kohl was to experience all the pleasures and pains of a first romance. From that nervous first touch to the tentative kiss and all the passions of that night with pulsing breast to breast but as with all first romances it ended. The sixteen year old Kohl was more emotionally distraught than he cared to admit. Despite all his aloofness, he was at heart a very gentle man and a man who cared deeply for those he allowed to get close to him.
But the collapse of his relationship with Jaq severed his last remaining anchor to Chandrila, for he had been contemplating abandoning his dreams of joining the Republic Navy for a quiet life on Chandrila with Jaq. With renewed passion he threw himself into his studies and into his striving to be the perfect candidate for the Naval Academy on Coruscant.
Departure
At 17 Kohl finally completed his studies, he was returned the top of his class in Politics, Legal Studies and History, with grades in the top tenth percentile of his class in all other subjects. He received offers from the most prestigious institutions all across Chandrila but he had already submitted his application to the Naval College on Coruscant. He spent a week in nervous anticipation of their reply. Finally it came, he was accepted without condition and should he accept was to report within the next two weeks.
Kohl eagerly sent his acceptance of the offer and then calmly sat his parents down and told them of his intention. They were at first angry at him throwing away all of his considerable gifts, what a fate for a brilliant mind to languish in the service!? They implored him to reconsider, think of all the good he could do for the Republic as a Senator – which was surely what he could be if he turned his mind to a political career. It took nearly a day of talking, a day of Kohl remaining calm and collected in face of his parent’s indignation, before they finally agreed. Not that he needed their permission but he did want it nonetheless.
So it was with enormous trepidation that he boarded a shuttle bound for Coruscant with a firm handshake from his father and a proud nod; and what shocked him the most a nervous and tight embrace from his mother. He had always known that they had cared for him but perhaps before now he had wondered whether it was in the same way as other parents. His father’s stoic and worried face, his mother’s shaking hands and tear-lined cheeks removed all doubt. They loved him as did any other parents their child.
The Academy
Kohl arrived at the academy little prepared for the life he had chosen for himself. But he found himself thrilled at that prospect and for the first time in his life he was truly challenged. The Naval Academy promoted an officer cadre of the best of the best, shaping the future minds and bodies of the officer corps. He found his mind being pushed to its limits as much as his body and he loved it.
Basic training, the combat training all members of the Republic military went through, was a challenge for Kohl. Physically fit yes but he had never focused excessively on his body. Basic training took care of this however. He loved it, another challenge, something he had to actually work for not simply comprehend in an instant.
He did not grow close to many of the other cadets. He found them all too thuggish, too interested in physical posturing for female and male companions. He was not here to bed anyone or to make any friends, he was here to become the best officer he could, and he was here to serve the Republic. He was never obtuse or rude however, just cold and aloof, distant from his fellow cadets.
After his first year in the academy he received his first review: it reported that he was a brilliant and gifted officer, definitely one of the best strategic minds to pass through the academy in recent years; however his formal and somewhat aloof manner created a distance between his subordinates and fellow officers. It noted the potential for this demeanour to be injurious to his leadership qualities. Kohl was annoyed at what he thought was a negative review of his capabilities as an officer. However as with anything Kohl only redoubled his efforts.
Over the course of the next three years Kohl strove to become a more personable officer. He would always be aloof but he made it clearer that he cared for the men under his command. In war games he shared their trials and tribulations, he led with daring and grace, in physical endurance he matched them stride for stride. He had come to understand that the greatest leaders are not above the trials of their men but instead one with them, sharing the tribulations and shouldering the burdens.
At the same time he continued to excel in his academic studies at the academy. As with all final year students he had to publish a paper, a thesis. Kohl published what he called, “an aggressive Fabian campaign” The strategy proposed that the traditional war of attrition waged in a Fabian campaign be coupled with lightning strikes by capital ships at planetary high-value targets – with impunity. The paper garnered much attention for its advocating that those planets which chose to fight the Republic were not subject to the norms and laws of the Republic. The paper Scorched Earth: A study in Aggressive Fabian campaigns was published as the lead document of the graduate papers for that year.
Kohl graduated top of the Naval Academy in his class in every area except unarmed combat and firearms handling. He achieved passing grades in both however. His final review reading:
"Ensign Kohl Omonda is one of the most intelligent and strategically gifted students to pass through the Academy in recent years. He has shown above average leadership skills however his own distant nature limits him. His stoicism, brilliance and personal integrity promise however to serve him well as an officer in the Republic Navy."
Officer & a Gentleman
Kohl was assigned to a corvette patrolling Perlemian Trade Route as a helmsman. The vessels allocated patrol did not venture beyond the Core Worlds, so it was an uneventful assignment. The upside however was that it allowed him to visit his parents during his allotted periods of shore leave. His two years as an Ensign passed without a single remarkable event, much to his own dismay; he was not given a single chance to shine. However he passed his fitness reviews without a single incident, and within the limitation of his posting excelled as an officer. He was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade at the end of his second year as an active duty officer.
The promotion was also accompanied with a transfer to Hammerhead-class frigate. He served as the commanding officer of the ship’s Deck Department. This ship was also posted to patrolling the Perlemian Trade Route; however its allocation was the mid-rim. The ship functioned as the flagship of the various ships assigned to the squadron. It was aboard the Audacious that Kohl saw action for the first time.
The Audacious along with three corvettes were engaged in minesweeping operations when the group was attacked by a squadron of pirate vessels. While the final outcome of the battle was never in doubt, the first encounter still seemed to Kohl hang on a knife’s edge. It was terrifying and exhilarating at once; the alarms blared, the decks and the walls shook and rattled with each impact, the noise of people’s feet seemed to drown out even the roar of the engines as they ran to and fro. Kohl kept his head, instructing his men in the chaos to repair tears before they became breaches, kept the corridors clear of debris, ensued that the elevator to the magazine remained functioning, and numerous maintenance tasks.
The engagement lasted little over an hour, with no casualties amongst the Republic vessels and all but one of the pirate ships destroyed. The last vessel had quickly slunk off not long after the engagement went noticeably in favour of the Republic vessels. Kohl received a commendation for his actions but more importantly, at least from Kohl’s perspective, his men had come to truly understand their officer. The manner in which he led them, with gravity and dignity always concerned for their wellbeing and the wellbeing of all aboard made them understand and love their commander. As always his cold and aloof demeanour had originally been interpreted as arrogance or worse indifference. But they no longer laboured under such false impressions. The Deck Department of the Audacious was now fiercely protective of their young and distant officer. Often verbally and physically defending his reputation in the mess much to Kohl’s mixed pride and annoyance.
There were many other minor engagements with pirates and raiders during his two years as Lieutenant Junior Grade of the Audacious’ Deck Department. But none were to have the impact that a minor skirmish was to have on the eve of his promotion to full Lieutenant.
He had just had his final fitness review before departing on another patrol. He had been informed that upon his return he would have the Selection Board’s result, which would be promotion he had been assured.
The patrol continued as routinely as ever, a few minor skirmishes with all opposition being swept before them. However while returning to the Republic Naval station in the Roche asteroid belt, the Audacious was attacked. Without an escort the ship's defences were pushed to their limits by this particularly large and seemingly organised group of raiders. Over half of its Aurek tactical strikefighters were destroyed and the hull of the Audacious itself was severely damaged. Throughout the course of the battle Kohl had led his men, the Deck Department was pushed beyond all limits – someone had to slip up, it was inevitable. Desperately holding the ship together it seemed with their own hands Kohl’s men began to feel the pressure. He tried his best, wherever he could he rotated them between tasks so as to keep their minds active. But one of his Petty Officers slipped while loading the munitions elevator, the explosion ripped a hole in the hull. With oxygen venting and the entire ship at risk, Kohl did not wait for an order from the bridge…he sealed the secondary armoury and to prevent fire vented the remaining oxygen. 24 dead. Kohl harboured no illusions it had been his hand that had pressed the button, his command, it had been a necessary one but the lives of 24 men, 16 of them his own, were on his soul. The remaining strikefighters and what was left of the Audacious’ gun batteries managed to fend off the raiders long enough for relief to arrive.
Kohl had not stopped for the entire 6 hours of the battle, not even after his ordering of the secondary armoury being sealed. He kept on, leading his men, and the Deck Department distinguished itself in its single-minded commitment to duty.
Kohl and his whole department were cited for meritorious actions above and beyond the call of duty. Back at Roche Kohl received his promotion to full Lieutenant post-haste. It was a bittersweet victory.
Kohl knew that for victory lives had to be sacrificed, but he could not help but think that these particular ones had been needless. If the Audacious had only elected to take with it an escort on its return journey than surely they might have lived, or at least the casualties may have been fewer. The engagement was to engrain further into Kohl a sense that any military action must be carefully planned and every contingency considered; that arrogance and complacency where the ultimate killers in war.
His promotion to Lieutenant meant that he would leave behind his beloved Deck Department. In a rare display of sentimentality he addressed them before leaving – not that he was leaving the Audacious, he had been promoted to Executive Officer – but nevertheless he felt it necessary. It was not a formal address, rather simply a kind exchange of words between friends. It was a lengthy address, recounting good times together, friends lost and made; it ended with a statement of Kohl’s philosophy of life:
“…It is not the result of balancing good and ill, and a reasoned decision that good preponderates. Rather it is a direct perception, an intuition, of the beauty and wonder of the universe and humanity - an intuition too overpowering to be seriously disturbed by the existence of pain and evil. This is my message, not a philosophy but an irresistible emotion, an irresistible humanity. A humanity we have shared, as brothers-in-arms.”
The Audacious took a few months to refit and prepare for active duty again, during this time Kohl returned to Chandrila. A pleasant reunion with his parents and extended family – he had no siblings – seemed somehow so sweet after everything. He even engaged in a brief but still pleasurable holiday romance with an Alex Dento, who was the son of a Chandrilan Senator. After three months however the repairs were completed and the Audacious was now assigned to protecting the Corellian Run.
His time as the Audacious’ Executive Officer settled into the self-same routine; though they met with a few more pirates and raiders on the new patrol route. Kohl adapted to his new role with great ease and soon became one of the Captain’s most trusted officers. Captain Cabel Willven was nearing the end of his tour of duty. He had been the captain of the Audacious for almost his entire term of service as Captain.
Captain and X.O. despite becoming very close still often clashed – in private of course, Kohl did not think there was anything to be gained from undermining his superior in front of the men. The two officers clashed primarily over Kohl insistence that every movement be planned and that every contingency be prepared for. Cabel was of the opinion that a good captain was daring and impulsive, and Kohl was most certainly not that. Together Cabel and Kohl complimented each other. Kohl certainly learnt from the older captain, he came to appreciate the more daring approach to tactics and strategy; though he still maintained that proper planning was essential. On one point however the two men could never agree Kohl was a stickler for the law, to the letter of it without exception. Cabel however often found extenuating circumstances meant that the law should be tempered. While Kohl acknowledged the rightness of such a notion, the law was the law – and nowhere was adherence to it more important than aboard a ship-of-war.
Promotion
Kohl was now aged thirty-two he had served as the Executive Officer of the Audacious for nearly four years, and had served aboard that ship for almost a full eight years. Kohl had earned a reputation as a stern, stoic but fair X.O. the sort of officer who you might not love but you could certainly respect and trust. The Deck Department still after eight years held a special place for Kohl, with veterans passing on the legacy to the new recruits.
However Kohl was not happy with letting his career languish protecting trade routes. Fortunately a quiet universe was not what the Fates seemed to have in store for this generation. The tenuous peace had broken, the Sith Empire invading Dantooine, Mygeeto and Mon Calamari but most alarming of all the Supreme Chancellor assassinated. Kohl immediately applied for a transfer to a vessel which would be called to action. The Audacious was not to be removed from duties for the present. His request was granted, a decorated, gifted and experienced officer was not to be denied the opportunity to act for the Republic. Posted to another Hammerhead-class ship again as X.O. Kohl served ably and well however the vessel was not present for any of the major engagements of that year.
His new Captain, Hal Melissus, recommended him for promotion to Lieutenant Commander, and so in his thirty-third year Kohl was brought before the Selection board. Captain Melissus was a relatively young officer himself. But Melissus could see within Kohl all the markers of a fine commanding officer already; all Kohl needed was the chance to prove himself Melissus felt. Subjected to rigorous fitness tests, mental and physical, questioned by the board it took nearly a full two months before Kohl was called before them again.
“Given your stellar Academy scores, your continued academic publications, your various meritorious citations, combined with the recommendations of all of your superior officers; it is the opinion of this board that you board that you be promoted to Lieutenant Commander.”
Kohl could scarcely believe it, he knew he was of age to be promoted but he had not expected it still. What was to come as more of a shock to Kohl however was the board’s next decision. The Selection Board further recommended that he be placed in command of a frigate, instead of being assigned to a Capital ship. He would have his own command! His own ship! It was with more willpower than he cared to admit that Kohl calmly thanked the Board and pledged to fulfil the promise they had seen in him. Kohl was to spend the rest of the day, in fact the week, in a daze of utter joy and exhilaration.
Kohl set off without delay to collect his new command from the Fondor shipyards - where it was being retrofitted. The ship named Thunder Child was an old Praetorian-class frigate, meant for scrapping but with the recent conflict it had been pressed into the service of the Republic one more time. Kohl was doubly excited to be commanding the Thunder Child because its service history included participation in a parade on Chandrila nearly twenty-two years ago.
Password: Bylgia
RP Sample:
The shuttle soon cleared the towering cooling towers and buildings of the service of Fondor but it was sometime before the opaque smog became transparent. Used to the lush and fresh vistas of Chandrila Kohl stared out of the window in disgusted wonder. His hands folded neatly in his lap, holding onto his peaked cap; while his newly issued T-45 Blaster hugged closely to his thigh in its holster. His legs crossed he did not fidget or move as he watched the densely clouded and noxious planet fall away,
“Not long now sir, you served on the Audacious right? Did you ever cross paths wi…”
“Thank you, pilot.”
His tone was clipped and cold, not rude exactly but certainly less than affable. The pilot cut himself short and focused on his controls unnecessarily; one of those stuffy, stick-up-their-arse officer types this one, better to look busy.
Kohl’s blue eyes darted this way and that as he watched the hubbub of activity that was the space above Fondor, construction and reconstruction was going on everywhere - there didn’t seem to be a single piece of space not used for something. The shuttle passed under a large container and as it rose on the other side, Kohl leaned forward uncrossing his legs. The Thunder Child. She was beautiful, as beautiful as he remembered from when he was eleven. His lips turned into a smile and in hushed tones he spoke to no one in particular,
“Isn’t she the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”
The pilot turned to see the strange sight of this prim and proper man craning forward looking, at what should have been a pile of scrap metal by now, with the most absurdly happy and proud look written across his face.
“Bit out-dated, sir, I would have thought an up-and-coming officer like yourself would want a freshly painted Hammerhead…”
Kohl ignored the pilot’s quip; he wasn’t in a mood to deal with petty and petulant men, not today. It was such a wonderfully cyclic thing, the very ship that had made him join the Navy was his first command – it just seemed so utterly…poetic.
The shuttle did a pass of the Thunder Child before finally docking. The ship showed her age but Kohl had been impressed, she looked like she would hold together through anything – and the Praetorian-class was a tried and true design. Once the shuttle had docked, Kohl stood straightened his jacket, tucked his hat under his left arm and nodding to the pilot descended the ramp. The pilot for his part thanked his luck that he wasn’t serving on this man’s ship.
As he stepped onto the Thunder Child for the first time, his footfall echoing in the hanger bay, he smiled and sighed as he pulled his peaked hat on. A strong and brilliantly presented officer walked over and saluted him,
“Lieutenant Rodd Mandary, sir, welcome aboard the Thunder Child. The ship and crew await your inspection.”
Kohl returned the salute.
“Thank you Lieutenant, lead the way.”
