Seele (Interview)

The following is an interview of LADM Seele by LTJG Syrus Slane for the Naval Public Affairs Office.

The lights focus in on the Imperial Navy symbol. Immediately the camera changes setting to the official seal of the Imperial Military Commanding Officer. The scene opens up with Lieutenant Slane saluting to a man in a white neatly trimmed uniform of a Lord Admiral. With the salute returned the young Lieutenant slowly starts speaking into the camera microphone. " Imperials once more I come before you with another thrilling story on the Navy and its men and women that truly make it what it is. I am proud to be here today with Lord Admiral Seele, the Military Commanding officer of the entire Imperial war effort. Without further word Please go ahead"

I am Lord Admiral Seele, I am the Military Commanding Officer for all aspects of the Imperial Military. My role is one of strategic management and organizational change management for the Empire’s military. Currently, the Imperial Military, while large, active, and with many capable people, has unavoidably been affected by the deteriorating reign of Emperor Bonias. That is, the Imperial Military by contrast with the wider galaxy is organized in such a fashion that it is under-powered, filled with unnecessary positions which only confuse the chain of command, and is not drilled very well in basic and vital skills and procedures that it will be required to perform on a regular basis.

Not diminishing the effort of the fine men and women of the military, as they are not at fault, but military and Imperial leadership of the past has failed to properly prepare and organize the military in a strategic sense, and the result of that is that Empire was in a very vulnerable state by the end of Vodo’s reign. My task, as set by the Emperor is to organize the military into an efficient, flexible, capable, and highly adaptable organization that will have the firepower to meet our enemies head on, whilst also honing skills of the Command level officers to ensure that they are trained to make independent decisions at the Group/Brigade and Fleet/Legion CO level without needing to pass decisions up the Chain of Command all the time; especially when it involves things on the battlefield where such people will be required to make quick decisions with little opportunity to consult others.

How long have you served with the Empire? Navy/ Army and what are some of the titles that you are most proud of?

Counting New Imperial Order service, I have been with the Empire for 7 years, with a further 2 years running civilian factions which later become nationalized factions of the Empire. I served in the Imperial Army for approximately 3 years in total, with my highest Army rank being Major General, where I was working in the Office of the Imperial Chief of Staff (2iC) where I was working for the Chief of Staff and Emperor Charon on many projects as directed ranging from a restructure and reorganization of the Imperial military 7yrs ago now (funnily enough what I’m doing again), to reviewing and redoing the Imperial Honors and Awards system.

I spent many years with Imperial Intelligence, having been recruited into the organization as a Corporal, and some of my proudest titles are from Imperial Intelligence. The titles I am most proud of, in chronological order are; Executive Officer of 5th Battalion (Fakir), Chief of Military Intelligence, Director of Imperial Intelligence, Surface Marshal of Emerald Sector (Coruscant), Grand Vizier (both NIO and GE), and now Military Commanding Officer.

What other factions have you participated in besides the empire? How did that experience differ from your Empire service and how has it impacted you as person?

My first experience outside of the Empire was with Operation Reversion, where I joined the Rebel Alliance after the Centre for Republic Intelligence had targeted me for a defection operation when I was the Chief of Military Intelligence; of which II was more than happy to take advantage of. I served with the Rebel Alliance as the Squadron Commander of Fireball Squadron (Y-Wings) and also served as a reconnaissance pilot directly for the Supreme Commander. Whilst not an information collection operation, it did reveal just how well organized the Rebellion was, and how capable and similar to the Empire it was in structure and adaptability as well as competence of its commanders.

When Emperor Uebles first ascended The Throne, a large chunk of the Empire resigned in protest, including the majority of Imperial High Command, citing the unfair removal of Emperor Charon by Veynom for petty personal reasons, and the placement of Uebles as a thinly veiled Vodo puppet. The largest exodus found themselves within the Jedi Praxium, the precursor to the current Jedi Order, under the protecting wing of Jedi Master Felix Darque who offered to protect prominent figures such as myself from both the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. About a third of the Empire and three quarters of IHC left the faction and became scattered across the galaxy, with the Jedi Praxium becoming the third largest faction in the game overnight. Within the Praxium, I served for a while as the Chief of Information Services, their intelligence division before I left after personal disagreements with some of the other leadership.

After a while, Kolace Jorgensen and Niven Scherbankov managed to entice me to join them with the largest ship production faction in the game at the time, IntelliFish. There the three of us established Kiner Corporation which was a conglomerate of production factions. From there IntelliFish was renamed to Corellian Engineering Corporation and we settled in the Bothan Sector. When the New Imperial Order was formed, I gave CEC as well as all of my wealth to the newly founded faction to help it become established, which is why the NIO resided within the Bothan sector. My final foray into the civilian commerce world was with the Galactic Bank of Commerce and Credit which was only a faction for four months. It was profitable and managed to infiltrate its services into many corners of the galaxy, and we were on task to make over a billion credits in our first year alone, however I quickly became bored with the running of the faction and so I returned to the Empire.

How many commands have you had the privilege of being in charge of? What was your favorite posting and why?

Too many commands to count, but I have run the equivalent of Legions (they’ve had different names in the past), departments within branches, entire branches, and factions as well. My favourite posting was the Director of Imperial Intelligence, which is a position that is exposed to the entire galaxy, is very dynamic, challenging, and always interesting.

What your training was like, who was your mentor, who you mentored, how you got to be in your position and maybe what you hope to do in the future sir?

I would have to say that my largest mentor would have to have been Emperor Charon in my early years, who mentored me on the finer points of being an Imperial, and in particular the true method of being “evil” within the context of canon Imperialism. There have not been many mentors within the Empire for me, but I have mentored a numbered of people throughout my careers including Executor Ndengin, Director Ventidius, and numerous other names lost to history.

To get into my positions, one must be dedicated to the Empire above all else; everything you do must be about the long-term betterment of the Empire, and a proven track record of being able to make tough decisions, quickly, confidently, but also remain adaptable. Many people try to get through their careers through focusing solely on their own little world within the Empire, and from perspective, if you’re not aware of the wider galaxy, you’re heading into a dead-end career as we’re not going to promote people to high levels who don’t maintain a keen awareness of the happenings of the galaxy, nor how it affects the Empire’s strategic planning.

What is a interesting missions that were really memorable?

Operation Reversion was an interesting mission into the Rebel Alliance. It was there that I served with the Republica Defense Battle group, and also as a special Recon pilot where I was scouting out potential targets for the Rebels. I was ultimately recalled to take over Imperial Intelligence as Director after Voor disappeared, but it was a period during Red Scenarios so there was combat and attacks going on during that period, including shortly after my return to the Empire, the Battle of Berchest.

After my recall to the GE, a rogue Admin decided that I had broken the spying rules, but unable to ban me due to prior permission to conduct the mission from the Admins, he decided he would strip me of my assets and teleport me to into deep space in a corner of the galaxy, and then told the Rebel Alliance where I was. So I was floating in space by myself and there was a race between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance on who could get to me first. Obviously Imperial Intelligence won that race, much to CRI’s chagrin.

Operation Sandstorm was another interesting mission, where the NIO, out-numbered, out-resourced, and with little funding managed to conduct a build war against the New Republic on Tatooine which was going exceptionally well until a bug saw the New Republic’s facilities continue to build even after all of their NPCs had been arrested. We had managed to get Tatooine under NIO control due to careful planning, excellent coordination of the Joint Task Force with the Army and Navy, and high levels of activity, which included the capture of one of the Falleen Federation’s Ministers. The bug however eventually defeated us, and the Admins could not devote the time to sitting down and working out in great detail how the build war could’ve gone, so they apologized and we had to accept the failure of the mission. Despite the failure, it pushed the NIO’s organization, activity, professionalism, and high levels of training at even the lowest levels of the rank and file into the limelight, and we became a much more respected government after that, having defeated Eidola a year earlier as well.

What would you say is one of your greatest achievements in your service to the Empire?

I would have to say being awarded the Order of the Emperor’s Seal [OES] for my many years of dedicated, loyal and capable service. It is truly a recognition of great and consistent achievement within the Empire after I had redesigned the military, and reformed multiple branches over the past Nine years I’ve been around.

Awards achieved:

I haven’t converted them over to the GE system, but under the old GE system they are:

Order of the Emperor’s Seal [OES], Distinguished Service Medal [DSM], Imperial Silver Star [ISS], Imperial Intelligence Cross [IIC], Government Betterment Medal [G-BET], Imperial Active Service Medal [IASM], Certified Imperial Intelligence Agent [CIIA], COMPNOR Member Medal [CMM], Operational Success Award [OSAx3], Tactical Essay Contest [TEC], Letter of Commendation [LOCx2], New Order Medal – IHC [NOM-IHC], Imperial Service Medal – 7yrs [ISM-7], Corporate Service Award – 2yrs [CSA-2], Imperial Intelligence Service Medal – 24 months [IISM-24], COMPNOR Service Medal – 24 months [CSM-24], Imperial Academy Basic Graduate – Honours [IABG-H], Imperial Citizen Award [ICA].

How do you feel about the Empire and the direction that it is going right now?

The Empire is in a highly complex position at the moment, but having said that, it is in a position where we have many opportunities. The ascension of Emperor Cherokee has opened the door to political, diplomatic, economic and military opportunities that were not available under Vodo’s reign, and although not easily seen by the rank and file, it is abundantly clear at the higher levels. We have the opportunity now to address many of the shortfalls and issues that we have experienced throughout the GE, and the direction Emperor Cherokee is moving the Empire towards is quite different to the previous regime, but it is also one that has far more considerations for the future of the faction.

We are looking at galaxy changes, ground combat, space combat, the disposition of our enemies, tactical doctrines they are developing, the technology of the galaxy and its proliferation, and even changes to the way hyperspace travel is conducted. These are all elements that the strategic plan for the Empire must take into account, and we are no longer constrained by short sighted, ill-informed, isolated or inactive leadership within the chain of command, and that can only spell progress and momentum for the Empire. One thing many people don’t understand is that once upon a time, the Empire was respected and feared as a capable, efficient, and dangerous machine of destruction for our enemies; that attitude throughout the galaxy has diminished. It is my firm belief, that the leadership of Emperor Cherokee will see the Empire return to that place of combined fear and respect from the galaxy than its current state of ridicule, and the beginnings are already seen with the worried reaction of the Empire’s enemies when Emperor Cherokee took the Throne. As Imperials adapt to the changes being implemented, they begin to feel the effects of those changes and see just how much better things can be, as opposed to saying “but in the past we’ve always done it like X”. The attitude of the new regime is progress, adaptability, flexibility, efficiency, and capability.

Any closing inspiring words to those enlisted and officers climbing the rungs of advancement?

Empire above all else. Be adaptable. Be flexible. Be active. Help and guide your troops as you will only be as good a commander as your unit performs. Obey your superiors, respectfully argue with them in private if you have to, but when their foot comes down, it’s time to shut up and give your full support to their decision and make sure it is enacted.

Finally, be aware of the big picture, you might not always know what that picture is, but be aware that it is there and we have both short and long-term plans that might not always make sense to you in small bites, but we know what we’re doing. This isn’t our first rodeo.

End Transmission