Veteran Services

Veteran Services was a department of the Galactic Empire that dealt with veterans, including those who had fought for the regime's predecessor government, the Galactic Republic. While the department was supposed to help veterans recover from the injuries they had suffered, the wait for such help could drag on, ultimately forcing those in need to look elsewhere. In 18 BBY, Matese, who served as a Republic direct action operative during the Clone Wars waged against the Confederacy of Independent Systems, found himself waiting for Veteran Services to cover the cost of a cybernetic eye and, in the end, decided to look elsewhere for help.

Description

Veteran Services was a department of the Galactic Empire advertised as providing support to military veterans, including those who had fought for the Empire's predecessor government, the Galactic Republic. One method Veteran Services would provide aid was by covering the cost of cybernetic implants, such as new eyes, for veterans who applied. However, in practice, Veteran Services could leave those who wanted its aid waiting for such help, forcing them to go elsewhere.^[1]

History

During the Clone Wars between 22 BBY and 19 BBY,^[2] the Galactic Republic warred with the Confederacy of Independent Systems and largely fielded an army of Kaminoan-produced clone troopers, although non-clone personnel—such as the direct action operatives of Republic Intelligence—also saw combat.^[1] The war ended with the transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire,^[2] which established the Veteran Services department.^[1] However, the Empire largely ignored the surviving clones despite their service and sacrifices, with the regime instead working to phase out clones in favor of a recruited military.^[3] Furthermore, even non-clone veterans of the conflict could find themselves living hard lives after the Clone Wars^[4] despite the supposed help offered by the Veteran Services department.^[1]

Matese, who had served as a direct action operative during the war, lost his right eye on^[1] the Colonies planet^[5] Cato Neimoidia and thus was waiting for Veteran Services to cover the cost for a cybernetic replacement^[1] by 18 BBY. That year,^[6] Matese met his old war comrade, the smuggler Has Obitt, in the Wanton Wellspring cantina on the planet Rajtiri^[1] in the Expansion Region,^[7] where Matese—who had arrived to recruit Obitt to an arms-smuggling operation involving former Separatist equipment—revealed his waiting on Veterans Services. Obitt offered a toast to Veteran Services, to which Matese offered a toast to "payback," echoing Obitt's initial fear that Matese had been there at behest of their former commander, Orson Callan Krennic. Indeed, the smuggling operation played into Krennic's plans for a secret superweapon project by giving the Empire an excuse to claim the Legacy worlds the weapons were "discovered" on.^[1]

Shortly thereafter, Matese decided to look elsewhere than Veteran Services for help with his eye and, ultimately, secured an eye implant—which was able to see both visible and infrared light—through those other means. Using his implant to great effect in his line of work, Matese updated Obitt on his eye endeavor when Obitt noticed it in a subsequent meeting in the Wanton Wellspring. Only a short time after finally getting his new eye, however, Matese was killed. Obitt—who had started to suspect that Matese was not a veteran after all and was still serving the Empire to some degree—was told by an Imperial officer that Matese had died in an industrial accident, which Obitt suspected was not the whole truth.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Veteran Services was mentioned in the 2016 novel Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno.^[1]

Appearances

• Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel (and audiobook) (First mentioned)

Notes and references