Drikl Lecersen

"I was only trying to save lives&mdash;Imperial lives.''" "Then do exactly as I say. You will save a lot of lives&mdash;yours'' among them."

- Lecersen and Darth Caedus

Drikl Lecersen was a Human male member of the Council of Moffs of the Imperial Remnant around 41 ABY. A supporter of Remnant leader and Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, Lecersen was an old-school Moff who believed strongly in doing one's duty, and always kept himself combat-ready. During the Second Galactic Civil War, Pellaeon, Lecersen, and the other Moffs on the Council discussed an offer proposed by Galactic Alliance Chief of State Darth Caedus for Alliance-Remnant unity in combating the Confederation, a rebellion opposed to the Alliance. After unanimously agreeing to offer warships and soldiers to aid in an Alliance attack on the Confederation world Fondor, the Remnant was granted the systems of Bilbringi and Borleias&mdash;something the Moffs saw as the beginning of a new Empire.

Following Pellaeon's assassination during the battle over Fondor, the Imperial Remnant aligned itself with the Galactic Alliance under Caedus. Accompanied by additional Moffs and the Imperial Elite Guard of stormtroopers, Lecersen participated in the Imperial conquest of the Roche asteroids. Lecersen was present in the Nickel One command center alongside Caedus and the other Moffs when the Jedi Coalition launched a raid on the asteroid, and he narrowly avoided death at the hands of Mandalorian soldiers. After this slaughter, Lecersen became the de facto leader of the Moff Council. He and other Moffs again accompanied Caedus into battle during an attack on a Jedi Coalition base on Shedu Maad in the Hapes Cluster, while aboard the Star Destroyer Anakin Solo. Against Caedus's orders, the Moff authorized the creation and deployment of a nanovirus targeted against Hapan Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo and her family, a move that ultimately proved fruitless. The battle ended in defeat for the combined Alliance/Remnant forces, and after being given a choice between imprisonment or helping to rebuild the Alliance, Lecersen and the Council opted for the latter. To ensure the Moffs' cooperation, Jagged Fel, son of Imperial starfighter pilot Baron Soontir Fel, was installed as Imperial Head of State&mdash;a move Lecersen agreed to, given Baron Fel's reputation as an Imperial pilot.

By 43 ABY, Lecersen maintained a residence in the Senate District on the Alliance capital Coruscant. He continued to serve as a Moff under Fel, who was gradually transforming the Remnant into a new Empire. Nevertheless, Fel had become romantically involved with Jedi Knight Jaina Solo, and Lecersen saw this relationship as a weakness for both the Head of State and the Empire as a whole. He hoped to exploit Fel's relationship&mdash;and other factors, such as the weakening of the Jedi Order&mdash;to restore the Moffs to glory as leaders of the Empire. To do so, he enlisted the aid of journalist Javis Tyrr, whom he used to spy on Fel and Solo.

The offer of an Empire
"Then the question is whether we want to expand the Empire. Do we?"

- Lecersen at a meeting of the Council of Moffs

Drikl Lecersen was a Human male Moff of the Imperial Remnant who, from as early as 41 ABY, held a position on the Council of Moffs, the Remnant's governing body. A strong supporter of Imperial Supreme Commander Gilad Pellaeon, Lecersen was opposed to Grand Moff Quille's anti-Pellaeon faction within the council. Lecersen was an old-school Moff who believed strongly in duty, so much that he kept himself combat-ready at all times.

In 41 ABY, as the Second Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Alliance and the Confederation was raging throughout the galaxy, Alliance Joint-Chief of State Darth Caedus&mdash;the former Jedi Knight Jacen Solo, who had been turned to the dark side of the Force&mdash;sent an offer to Supreme Commander Pellaeon for a mutual aid treaty between the two governments, so Caedus could gain access to the Remnant's warships for use in the war. However, Pellaeon had no desire to ally with Caedus's government. Nonetheless, word of the offer leaked out to members of the Moff Council. Before the weekly meeting of the council commenced in Ravelin on the Remnant capital of Bastion, Lecersen and Pellaeon briefly discussed Caedus's offer, with Pellaeon stating that Grand Moff Quille's faction was most likely aware of the proposal. Lecersen could not help but grin when this proved to be true; he jokingly asked for Pellaeon's "psychic abilities" when placing future bets on odupiendo races.

Sure enough, as the meeting began, Quille spoke of the offer they had been given. When Pellaeon remained silent, Lecersen urged the Grand Moff to continue, going so far as to interrupt the man's speech with a well-placed joke. The discussion continued, and it was Lecersen who asked if the council wanted to expand Imperial territory. When Moff Rosset inquired if they would vote on the matter, Lecersen responded for Pellaeon, stating that the motion was not on the table&mdash;and that the council should watch the situation unfold before Pellaeon would make a decision. The meeting concluded,and the Moffs filed out of the chamber.

Caedus sent Tahiri Veila, his aspiring apprentice, to speak to Pellaeon about the terms of his proposal. Veila told the Remnant's leader that Caedus was fully prepared to hand over control of the Bilbringi shipyards and Borleias to the Remnant, in exchange for Imperial aid in an Alliance attack on Fondor, a Confederation-aligned world. When Veila left, Pellaeon had his aide Vitor Reige assemble the Moff Council for a discussion of this new proposal. The Moffs realized that the Alliance would not be able to hold Fondor on their own, and their presence on the world&mdash;combined with the additions of Bilbringi and Borleias&mdash;would aid in the transition from the Imperial Remnant to a new Empire. The Council, Lecersen included, unanimously approved Caedus's offer with thunderous applause.

Imperial warships, including Turbulent-class Star Destroyers, were sent to support the Alliance Third and Fourth Fleets in the attack on Fondor. As the battle progressed, Pellaeon was assassinated by Veila aboard his flagship, the Bloodfin. Grand Moff Quille's allies, who had accompanied Pellaeon on the Bloodfin, assumed command of the Star Destroyer, but a mutiny led by Vitor Reige forced the Moffs to barricade themselves in the command center of the warship&mdash;making it easy for Mandalorian soldiers led by Mandalore Boba Fett to wipe out the trapped Quille and his Moffs. In the aftermath of the battle, the remaining Moffs and forces of the Imperial Remnant became allied with Caedus's government, with Lecersen as a high-ranking member of the Council.

Battle on Nickel One
"The last I checked, the Empire was an ally of the Galactic Alliance, not its territory. We don't need your permission to conduct our operations&hellip; and we surely don't need tour fleets to hold what we take."

- Lecersen to Caedus

Later in 41 ABY, the Remnant attacked the neutral Roche asteroids in an effort to secure the native Verpines' technology for use in the war effort. Lecersen and his Moffs, accompanied by the Elite Guard of stormtroopers, oversaw the conquest. Though the Super Star Destroyer Dominion was destroyed by Nickel One's entire force of starfighters&mdash;a move that killed two Moffs&mdash;the Remnant emerged victorious. The Moffs set up their headquarters in Nickel One's command center, where they engaged in negotiations with the Verpine hive mother. Accompanied by an Alliance fleet, Caedus arrived at the Roche asteroids and landed on Nickel One shortly thereafter, intending to reprimand Lecersen and the other Moffs for their unauthorized attack. The hive mother was initially relieved by Cadeus's presence and hoped to be rid of the Imperials, but the Sith Lord made it clear that the Alliance fleet was there to hold the star system. Lecersen, who had already drawn comparisons between Caedus and his grandfather Darth Vader, emphasized that the Verpine were not neutral, having sold weapons to both sides of the ongoing civil war. Caedus agreed with the senior Moff but nonetheless found it necessary to scold the Moffs for not consulting him prior to launching their attack. Moffs Voryam Bhao and Krom Rethway were quick to voice their disagreement and disapproval with Caedus, and Lecersen even felt the need to remind the Chief of State that the Imperial Remnant was an ally&mdash;not a territory&mdash;of the Alliance.

The Jedi Coalition&mdash;yet another organization opposed to Caedus's Alliance&mdash;soon launched a raid on the Roche asteroids, with the fleets of Admirals Natasi Daala and Cha Niathal engaging the Remnant and Alliance warships while a strike force of Mandalorians, accompanied by Caedus's sister Jaina Solo, landed on Nickel One and proceeded to move towards the Moffs' command center. Lecersen was trapped inside the command center as the Mandalorians poured in, wiping out the Imperial Elite Guard and killing several of the Moffs present. When Solo began to fire on her brother, Caedus urged Lecersen and the remaining Moffs to wait in the command center's anteroom while he dealt with the threat. Both Caedus and his sister ultimately survived the encounter, as did Lecersen and a small percentage of Moffs. With the senior Moffs dead, Lecersen became the de facto leader of the Council of Moffs.

End of the war
Caedus was able to track his sister to a Jedi Coalition base on Shedu Maad within the Hapes Cluster. In an effort to wipe out one group of his opposition, the Sith Lord dispatched a fleet of Alliance and Imperial warships&mdash;including the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Anakin Solo and the Super Star Destroyer Megador&mdash;to destroy the base. Lecersen and the Moff Council accompanied Caedus aboard the Anakin Solo. As the battle raged, the Moffs entered into a discussion with Tahiri Veila regarding Caedus's sanity. Veila revealed this to her Master, but Lecersen was the only Moff who was not shocked by her betrayal of their confidence. Believing the battle to be going poorly, Lecersen suggested to Caedus that they launch an attack on the Dragon Queen, the flagship of Hapes Consortium Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo&mdash;the mother of Caedus's daughter, Allana, a fact unknown to the Moffs.

Caedus was unable to read Lecersen's mind clearly, but he knew that the Queen Mother was the Moff's intended target. Lecersen explained that the Remnant's scientists had developed a nanovirus that could be tailored to a specific bloodline, once a sample of the target's DNA had been acquired. One batch, designed to kill anyone belonging to Clan Fett, had already been air-dispersed on Mandalore. Lecersen was particularly proud of the accomplishment, seeing it as revenge for the Mandalorian attack on Nickel One. Using a blood sample from the captive Hapan Prince Isolder, Tenel Ka's father, the Remnant would have been able to manufacture a specific strain directed against the Hapan Royal Family within an hour or two. Caedus, fearing for his daughter's life, tried to convince the Moffs and Veila not to develop the virus. Lecersen was skeptical of a victory without the nanovirus, but he nonetheless agreed to follow the Sith Lord's orders. The two then briefly traded jabs before Caedus prepared to confront his sister, who had boarded the Anakin Solo in preparation for a second conflict. Lecersen decided that the Moffs would transfer the flag to the Megador, but Caedus told them that there would be no need&mdash;both warships would be moving into battle. Caedus noted that it was time for them to risk their lives to win the war. Later in the Anakin Solo's Biodisposal Pit, after Caedus confronted Isolder and killed him, the Sith Lord discovered that Lecersen had betrayed him: The Moff had had tissue samples collected from Isolder, developed the nanovirus, and sent a missile boat to deliver it to the Dragon Queen. Before Caedus could do anything about it, Jaina forced her brother into a duel and ultimately killed him.

The nanovirus ultimately proved to be useless, as both Tenel Ka and Allana survived, though the Queen Mother chose to hide the fact that Allana had survived. The battle fell in favor of the Jedi Coalition; Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker led a strike force of Jedi Masters and Jedi Knights as they stormed the Anakin Solo. The Jedi forces found the Moffs seated around a tactical display in the Auxiliary Command Center following a brief firefight, during which one Moff was killed. The surviving Moffs all displayed varied degrees of shock on their faces at the outcome of the battle. Skywalker informed them that Caedus was dead, and he offered the Council an ultimatum: They would either become Hapan prisoners-of-war and face trial for their nanovirus attack, or they could aid in rebuilding the shattered Galactic Alliance. Lecersen, as leader of the Council, found the former to be an unattractive option and the latter to be unusually generous. Skywalker announced that the Moffs would have to accept Jagged Fel, son of Imperial starfighter pilot Baron Soontir Fel, as the Remnant's new leader. Lecersen was accepting of the proposal, as were several other Moffs. Han Solo, Caedus's father, then suggested that the Remnant set up a mission to aid worlds affected by recent galactic wars. Though he initially doubted if the Remnant had the resources for such an endeavor, Lecersen was persuaded by another Moff to provide support for the project. When the Hapan Queen Mother arrived, Lecersen bowed and personally apologized for the Council's actions. Ka replied by threatening the Moff with death should there ever be another nanovirus attack. In the days that followed, with the devastating war finally over, the galaxy began on the path to recovery under new Alliance Chief of State Daala.

A new empire
"The pup is distracted. You saw him at the last meeting. Kept checking his chrono. He thinks he has brought us in line because he wants to think that, so he can pursue his&hellip;extracurricular activities without feeling he is neglecting his duty."

- Lecersen to Vansyn, regarding Jagged Fel

By 43 ABY, Lecersen was still serving as a Moff, and he maintained a private residence in the Senate District on the Alliance capital world of Coruscant. Though Jagged Fel had managed to transform the Remnant into a new Empire, the Moffs had become dissatisfied with his handling of the government&mdash;specifically when he entered into a relationship with Jedi Knight Jaina Solo. The Moffs had managed to retain much of their independence following the Second Galactic Civil War, despite Luke Skywalker's plan to have Fel bring them into line.

Lecersen and fellow Moff Vansyn discussed Fel's relationship one evening over dinner, a conversation that continued over the comm when Vansyn had to retire for the night. Lecersen decided to slip into a bath of warm, pleasantly-scented water before he told his comrade that he was keeping an eye on Fel; Vansyn suggested that they keep an eye on Solo, as she appeared to be leading Fel into more of a governmental relationship rather than just a personal one. Lecersen believed that the Moffs could use that to their advantage, as a distracted Fel thought he had succeeded in bringing the Moffs into line. The two Moffs agreed to wait for the moment when Fel's judgment was cloudiest to take advantage of the relationship for their own benefit. With the conversation over, Lecersen thought about how other factors, such as the current state of the galaxy, could aid the Moffs in their quest to be rid of Fel. The Jedi Order, for example, had been weakened when Grand Master Skywalker had been exiled for preventing Jacen Solo from turning to the dark side, and Lecersen planned to use the Order as one of many pawns in the Moffs' plans. The Jedi did not prove a threat to the Moffs again, as they were too busy dealing with the oppressive policies that Chief of State Daala was implementing. Lecersen likened all the pieces as threads which could be weaved into a tapestry that would display the Moffs restored to power and glory&mdash;without Jagged Fel as their leader.

Later, Lecersen again contacted Vansyn to ask if the other Moff was watching HoloNet News and Entertainment's broadcast of reporter Javis Tyrr's exclusive interview with Acting Jedi Grand Master Kenth Hamner, the Mon Calamari healer Clighal, the Chadra-Fan Jedi Tekli, and the two remaining Jedi Solos&mdash;Leia Organa and Jaina. Lecersen thought that Tyrr, who had earlier covered stories of "insane Jedi" running amok, could prove to be a useful agent in the Moffs' plans.

After Tyrr was contacted and agreed to aid the Moff in his quest, Lecersen supplied the journalist with a tiny parasite droid installed within a Lovolol cleaning droid. Tyrr planted the cleaning droid in the New Jedi Temple, where it was able to captured footage of Jedi Yaqeel Saav'etu and Bazel Warv succumbing to the effects of Force psychosis. The reporter was also able to plant a spy droid within Jagged Fel's limousine, where it recorded Fel telling Jaina Solo of Chief of State Daala's plan to hire Mandalorians to deal with the Jedi. Later, after successfully recovering the droid from the limo, Tyrr got an exclusive interview from former Jedi apprentices Melari Ruxon and Reeqo Swen on why they had suddenly resigned from the Order.

Tyrr later went to Lecersen's Coruscant apartment to show him the footage from the day's events. As the two drank Ryborean gax, Lecersen couldn't help but cringe as Tyrr downed glasses of the expensive liquid. When they began watching the video, the Moff was initially unimpressed by what he saw&mdash;after all, he had already seen the events at the Jedi Temple unfold live three hours earlier. But Tyrr urged him to keep watching as he fast-forwarded to the spy droid's recording of Fel and Solo's conversation within the limousine. Lecersen, much like Solo had been, was shocked to learn of Daala's plan to hire Mandalorians, but he was also amazed that Fel would so easily reveal an Alliance secret to a Jedi. The recording stopped as Tyrr approached the limo to download the data from the spy droid, which worried Lecersen that there was a potential that the droid would be traced back to the Empire. He warned the journalist that, should he be caught with Imperial technology, there would no longer be any use for him.

The journalist calmed Lecersen's fears and proceeded to show him the exclusive shots of the former Jedi apprentices Ruxon and Swen surrendering to the Galactic Alliance Security forces outside the Temple. Tyrr explained the situation to the Moff; the apprentices had resigned because they had no intention of breaking the law and were not happy with Daala's moves to take over the Order. When he told Lecersen that he had gotten an interview with the two, the Moff proposed that they watch the video before he told the journalist how he would be rewarded for his work.

Unknown to either Lecersen or Tyrr, Jaina Solo later dissected the cleaning droid and uncovered the parasite droid. Given that the model cost millions of credits, she concluded that Tyrr must have had help in obtaining the device. After comparing the device with a similar eavesdropping model uncovered from Moff Lecersen's chamber aboard the Anakin Solo after the Battle of Shedu Maad, she realized that Lecersen had supplied Tyrr with the parasite droid. Realizing that the Moff most likely wasn't content with Fel's leadership of the Empire, Solo contacted Fel and informed him of her findings. Additionally, Fel relayed this information to Chief of State Daala, who suggested that Fel do something about Lecersen's group of Moffs.

Personality and traits
"Just be aware that some of the Moffs are a little more enlightened these days, and you might even find them helpful. A powerful women doesn't send them screaming to defend their manly territory. Lecersen, for one. The new breed."

- Gilad Pellaeon to Natasi Daala

An old-school Moff, Lecersen always kept himself combat-ready should the need for battle arise. He was considered part of the "new breed" of Moffs, who, according to Pellaeon, were more enlightened than their predecessors. Lecersen possessed an analytical mind, and it was for these traits that Pellaeon admired the man. Lecersen was a firm believer in duty, putting it before personal gain. Following the Mandalorian slaughter of Moffs on Nickel One, Lecersen assumed command of the Moff Council as its ranking member. Lecersen considered himself to have a sharp mind capable of finding numerous opportunities which could be exploited for personal gain, like searching for credcoins on the ground.

Much like the rest of the Moffs, Lecersen desired to see the Imperial Remnant transformed into a second Galactic Empire. To see this dream come true, Lecersen was willing to ally the Remnant with the Galactic Alliance under Darth Caedus. However, the Moff was not willing to see the Remnant submit to the will of the Alliance; thus, he had Remnant forces perform independent attacks such as the assault on the Roche asteroids. Though Caedus disapproved of the Moffs' decision to attack without first consulting him, Lecersen showed no fear in telling the Sith Lord that he had no place in the decision-making of the Remnant. Gradually, however, Lecersen became somewhat subservient to the Alliance Chief of State; by the time of the Battle of Shedu Maad, the Moff was addressing him as "Lord Caedus" and advising him during the engagement.

Regardless, Lecersen still stood out as the leader of the Moffs. He took credit for the nanovirus that Remnant scientists had managed to engineer and championed its use, against both Clan Fett and the Hapan Royal Family. He was so convinced that its use would bring about victory during the Battle of Shedu Maad that he disobeyed Caedus's orders, having a strain manufactured to target Queen Mother Tenel Ka's bloodline and giving the order to have it delivered to the Dragon Queen for deployment.

When confronted by Luke Skywalker's Jedi strike force at the end of the battle, Lecersen reacted almost oppositely of how his fellow Moffs did. When Skywalker gave them the option of becoming Hapan prisoners-of-war, Lecersen looked relieved while the other Moffs looked worried. Alternatively, when Skywalker proposed that the Council aid in rebuilding the Alliance, he became worried out of suspicion while his comrades became relieved. After Jagged Fel was suggested to become Pellaeon's successor, Lecersen showed approval for the pick, as the Fel family was a noted Imperial bloodline. Lecersen's decision on delivering the nanovirus to the Dragon Queen ultimately haunted him when a fellow Moff blackmailed him into becoming one of the largest contributors to Han Solo's proposed mission. Lecersen was willing to show respect toward Tenel Ka even though he had prepared to kill her; upon her arrival to the Auxiliary Command Center of the Anakin Solo, he bowed to her and expressed his sincere apology for having the nanovirus created.

Lecersen enjoyed the taste of Hapan gold wine&mdash;something he saw as a bittersweet irony, given his dealings with the Hapes Consortium during the Battle of Shedu Maad. He was not fond of the new female Moffs that were popping up throughout the Empire as a result of Alliance Chief of State Daala's decree to add more females into the ranks of the Empire. As a result of his desire to remove Fel as leader of the Empire, Lecersen had begun to seek out numerous opportunities which he could use to restore the Moffs to glory as leaders of the Empire.

Lecersen believed that ambition and intelligence without morality were the keys to being a great leader. He had no qualms about using people like the journalist Javis Tyrr to further his own goals when he was unable to do so by himself. The Moff planned to use Tyrr's information to remove the Jedi Order and the Solo family as threats to the Moff Council. That would put Lecersen and his Moffs in the perfect position to drive their metaphorical vibroblades into Jagged Fel's back when the time came to remove the Head of State. However, despite his impressive work, Lecersen found Tyrr somewhat wasteful at times&mdash;especially when he drank glasses of the Moff's expensive Ryborean gax during their one meeting.

Behind the scenes
Moff Lecersen was created by Karen Traviss as a character in her 2008 novel Revelation, the eighth book in the Legacy of the Force series. The Moff played a relatively minor role as a supporter of Imperial leader Gilad Pellaeon on the Moff Council. Troy Denning later used the Moff, albeit in a more prominent role, in 2008's Invincible, the ninth and final book in the same series. Denning transformed the Moff from a background character into one of the novel's protagonists. Lecersen also appeared in two brief scenes in Christie Golden's first Star Wars novel, 2009's Omen, the second book in the Fate of the Jedi series. He was given his first name, "Drikl," in 2009's Abyss, written by Troy Denning.

Appearances

 * Revelation
 * Invincible
 * Omen
 * Abyss