Major Danthe was a Human male officer serving in the Imperial Army during the Galactic Civil War. He served under Colonel Heget for several years, following his superior to the remote Kathol sector. There, Danthe and Heget ended up in the service of Moff Kentor Sarne, after Sarne removed the Kathol sector from Imperial control following the Battle of Endor and established himself as a warlord. By 8 ABY, Danthe was serving as second-in-command of Imperial Depot 4290-1 on the planet Shintel.
After Sarne was ousted from his capital on the planet Kal'Shebbol by the forces of the New Republic, he retreated to Shintel with his forces. After transferring arms and personnel from the outpost to his fleet, Sarne stranded the rest of the base personnel on the planet. The action split the camp into factions; Heget and his followers saw Sarne's actions as a betrayal, and wanted to reconnect with the Imperial High Command, but Danthe and his supporters believed that the Moff would return and the actions were to ensure their security. The New Republic CR90 corvette FarStar stumbled into the situation a week later, and assisted Heget in resolving the situation.
Biography
Early service
Danthe was a Human male officer serving in the Imperial Army during the Galactic Civil War. He served under Heget, a respected special missions battalion commander and combat instructor. Danthe followed his superior to the remote Kathol sector when Heget requested a transfer to remove himself from the political infighting of two Moffs vying for his loyalty.[1] During Danthe's time in the sector, the local ruler, Moff Kentor Sarne, withdrew the region from the Empire in 4 ABY following the death of Emperor Palpatine at the Battle of Endor and the fracturing of Imperial command authority, and established himself as a warlord.[2] By 8 ABY, Danthe held the rank of Major, and was Heget's second-in-command at Imperial Depot 4290-1 on the planet Shintel.[1]
Stranded
That year, Moff Sarne's capital of Kal'Shebbol was attacked by New Republic forces, forcing him to withdraw with his fleet into the backwaters of the sector.[2] Falling back to Shintel, Sarne began uploading the arsenal supplies from the depot and transferring loyal personnel from the base to his fleet, while simultaneously dumping those he considered "traitors" on the planet; officers he considered to be more loyal to the Empire than to him personally. Sarne also covertly arranged for the destruction of all hyperdrive units on ships stationed on Shintel, along with all hyperspace-capable courier droids. Finally, he ordered the deployment of an ion minefield in orbit. To Sarne, those personnel on Shintel were all disloyal to him. He had no intention of ever returning to the system, but allowed for the possibility that he might need the base during any reconquest of the sector, along with the fact that openly killing the base personnel would cause dissent within his own ranks. Sarne left the outpost with orders to hold the depot and construct a landing field suitable for Skipray Blastboats.[1]
The introduction of new personnel to the depot fractured the close knit harmony that Heget's two years in command had instilled in the base's complement, and the outpost split into factions. One faction, headed by Heget, saw Sarne's actions as a betrayal, and wanted to disregard his commands and seek to re-establish contact with Imperial authorities. Major Danthe and his followers, however, believed that Sarne would ultimately return and that his extreme measures were meant to preserve the security of the outpost in the face of New Republic aggression. They advocated continuing with the Moff's construction orders. However, that did not mean that Danthe agreed with Sarne; he also contended that their duty was to contact Imperial command authorities to inform them of Sarne's actions so they could either stop him, or at least prevent him from returning to Imperial-controlled space. Out of respect for Heget's authority, he was careful to not voice his opinions in front of the men, so as not to undermine the Colonel.[1]
A week after Sarne's departure from Shintel, the New Republic CR90 corvette FarStar arrived in orbit. Colonel Heget, recognizing an opportunity to escape being trapped on Shintel, invited the corvette to land, which they did after clearing a path through the ion minefield. Danthe joined Heget in formally greeting the command crew of the FarStar in an awkward ceremony, after which the New Republic delegation were ferried to the officer's barracks. There, Heget offered the FarStar's commanding officer, Captain Kaiya Adrimetrum, a bargain; information on Sarne's whereabouts in exchange for passage for himself and an aide to the nearby Tanquilla Beach shadowport to allow him to contact Imperial command. Unlike his commander, Danthe saw no reason to ally with the New Republic to achieve their goals, but accepted the situation for two reasons; the New Republic were in a stronger military position, and Danthe's desire to not openly antagonize his fellow personnel.[1]
Adrimetrum agreed to the deal, and Heget left the planet aboard the corvette. However, it was not smooth sailing; Sarne had left behind a deep-cover agent, Lieutenant Palme. Palme attempted to sow discord between Colonel Heget and the New Republic delegation by offering Adrimetrum a datacard containing Sarne's navigational charts of the sector, and claiming that Heget intended to betray her. He also had agents attempt to steal a hyperdrive motivator from a T-65 X-wing starfighter aboard the FarStar in an effort to make it look as if Heget was reneging on the bargain and trying to claim a hyperdrive for himself. Adrimetrum did not believe Palme's claims, but did upload the datacard to the FarStar's computers, which in turn triggered several failsafes and backdoor programs that Sarne had installed in the ship. As the FarStar prepared to engage its hyperdrive, the booby-trap activated, causing an explosion that destroyed the hyperdrive engines. It was then set upon by the Steel Fist, a modified YT-1300 light freighter operated by the bounty hunter gang Qulok's Fist. The FarStar managed to repulse the attack, and continue on their journey after the corvette's Wookiee mechanic, Lofryyhn, jury-rigged the hyperdrive engines with parts cannibalized from the corvette's starfighter complement, allowing them to reach Tanquilla Beach for repairs.[1]
Personality and traits
Danthe was a young officer who had suntanned skin and close-cropped blond hair, and was noted for his ready smile. A reserved individual, he was known to be talkative when amongst his fellow officers. He was close and respectful to his superior, Colonel Heget, following him to his new command in the Kathol sector and refusing to undermine his authority even when disagreeing with him. While not a supporter of Sarne, Danthe believed in following orders, even while holding the opinion that his commanding officer had to be stopped and reported to the proper authorities.[1]
Skills and abilities
Danthe was trained to use a blaster, and specialized in the use of heavy blaster pistols. He was also trained to use vehicle mounted weapons. Danthe knew how to pilot ground and hover vehicles, and specialized in controlling All Terrain Scout Transports as well as other walkers. A capable commander, he was knowledgeable about Imperial law enforcement procedures. Trained to repair blasters, Danthe was also skilled in survival techniques and first aid.[1]
Equipment
Danthe wore an Imperial Army uniform with cap, and carried a blaster and comlink during the course of his duties.[1]
Behind the scenes
Major Danthe was featured in "Shintel Downtime," the fourth RPG adventure in The DarkStryder Campaign, published by West End Games in 1995. The adventure was written by Paul Sudlow and illustrated by Dan and David Day.
Danthe's biography contains some discrepancies; in the second paragraph of his roleplaying capsule, he is refered to as "Palme," a separate character within the adventure. His capsule describes him as supporting his superior, Heget, believing that Sarne had to be stopped but not agreeing with his methodology in doing so. The adventure itself, however, states that Danthe opposed Heget's stance, and believed that they should follow Sarne's orders. This article attempts to reconcile both descriptions of the character into a single article.
Appearances
Sources
Notes and references
Category:Humans Category:Males Category:Officers of the Galactic Empire Category:Personnel of Moff Sarne's forces