September 4, 2007
-
*I Bliss I Bliss*
Garm Bel Iblis
has long embodied the spirit of fierce Corellian independence. In the
final days of the Republic, the well-respected Bel Iblis represented Corellia in the Senate. He was early to recognize the threat of Palpatine‘s
growing powers. During the Separatist crisis, Bel Iblis removed
Corellia from the Military Creation Act vote, and enacted a policy of
isolationism to protect Corellia from the inevitable conflict. Despite
his best efforts, his beloved homeworld was dragged into the Clone
Wars.As Palpatine consolidated his New Order, Bel Iblis was one
of his earliest targets. The charismatic Corellian had worked to
undermine Palpatine’s influence in the past, and had made an enemy of
the new Emperor. Imperial agents executed his wife and children on
Anchoron while forcing him to watch. Many Corellians believed he died
on Anchoron, and mourned his loss, but he somehow escaped, and lived
life as a fugitive.He contacted Senators Bail Organa and Mon Mothma,
who were increasingly active against Palpatine’s regime. Though it was
Bel Iblis who suggested the consolidation of three resistance groups
into the early Rebel Alliance
with the drafting of the Corellian Treaty, history credits Mon Mothma
and her diplomatic skills with the creation of the Rebellion.Bel Iblis was wary of Mon Mothma’s power and influence. He feared that
she would become corrupt, as Palpatine had. Organa and Mothma — both
pacifists in spirit — began shaping the early Rebellion, while the
more aggressive Bel Iblis began to take a background role. This was
troubling for the headstrong Bel Iblis, who had very distinct views on
how a Rebellion should be fought. When Organa was killed with the
destruction of Alderaan, it left Bel Iblis and Mothma without a mediating presence separating them.The worst of the arguments came when Mothma ordered an attack on
Milvayne in the Gyrica system. Mothma pressed for military action that
would endanger Bel Iblis’ troops, and the Corellian believed her to be
making a mistake based on flawed intelligence. Bel Iblis accused Mothma
of amassing power for herself. Mothma coolly dismissed Bel Iblis from
the operation, and informed him that the Rebel Alliance would no longer
need his support.Bel Iblis led his own private army and launched a number of minor attacks against the Empire.
For years throughout the Galactic Civil War, he waged his own private
war against the Imperials, his most notable victory being the
destruction of an Imperial Ubiqtorate base on Tangrene. His group
remained mobile, secretly funded by Bothan interests who quietly opposed Mon Mothma’s leadership.After the Empire was defeated at the Battle of Endor,
Bel Iblis and his forces continued hiding. Bel Iblis stubbornly waited
for the day when Mon Mothma would show her true colors and make a bid
for dictatorial powers. That day never came. In fact, he disgustedly
realized that his Bothan benefactor, Borsk Fey’lya, was more the power hungry-type.He realized he misjudged Mon Mothma. During the Thrawn crisis, when New
Republic representatives approached him for his help, Bel Iblis agreed
to commit his forces to the New Republic cause. He brought his six Dreadnaught ships, including his flagship the Peregrine,
to seek out the remainder of the Katana fleet before the Empire claimed
them. Though the Empire was eventually successful in capturing the
legendary Dark Force fleet, Bel Iblis’ efforts allowed the New Republic
to claim 15 of the warships.Bel Iblis finally settled his
decades-long differences with Mon Mothma, and offered his tactical
brilliance to the New Republic. During Thrawn’s siege of Coruscant,
which cunningly employed cloaked asteroids to cut off orbital starship
operations, Bel Iblis was stationed on the capital. He helped develop
the Stardust Plan, which used sensor-reflective repolarized dust to
spot the asteroids and clear the threat.Upon Grand Admiral Thrawn‘s
defeat, Bel Iblis stayed a prominent fixture in the New Republic
hierarchy. Years later, he was reactivated as a General during the Yuuzhan Vong crisis, and served as a military advisor during the invasion.
