The Black Eight Squadron was an imperial military unit made up of pilots who were highly proficient
in flying TIE fighters and TIE bombers for the imperial Navy.
This exceptional group of star pilots came directly under the command of Darth Vader,
who had full operation and tactical control over them.
Vader was given the direct authority from Emperor Palpatine to assign the commander
of the Squadron.
After the battle of Yavin, severe losses to the Black Eight Squadron crews forced Darth
Vader to look for replacements for the elite group.
This is how Darth Vader took a group of criminals under his wing and turned them into elite
star pilots.
The story begins with former sepratist star pilot turned smuggler, Nas Ghent.
He is attempting to land his ship on the surface of a nearby planet, when a small group of
imperial tie fighters move to intercept him.
The tie pilots remarked about the reputation that Ghent has gained for himself.
He was widely known as a ruthless pilot who wouldn’t hesitate to blow an enemy ship
to pieces.
The pilots remind themselves that he is no longer the man he used to be, and should not
be a hard task to deal with.
The pilots then open fire, blasting Ghent’s ship, disabling his control panel which left
him unable to steer the ship safely to the ground.
A roaring can be heard on the surface of the planet as Ghent’s ship plummets through
the atmosphere, eventually ploughing violently into the ground.
Despite the rough landing, and the severe damage to his ship, Ghent is unharmed and
hopes to make his escape from the planet.
A ship unknown to Ghent landed next to the site of the flaming crash.
Out stepped a man who sent shivers down his spine and reminded him of his troubled past.
Darth Vader.
Vader rigidly strided towards Ghent, igniting his lightsaber and pointing it towards him.
Ghent acknowledged the enormous skill of Vader in being able to land a shot on such a quickly
moving target, jokingly stating that “only you could have landed a shot like that”.
Darth Vader quickly responded to Ghent, telling him that he has been searched for by the Empire
for a very long time because of the trouble that he has personally caused the Emperor.
Ghent told Vader to get it over with and finish the job.
Vader had another plan for him though, hoping to take him in for his new Squadron of convict
pilots.
Having access to the vast talent of the entire imperial academy and cloning facilities of
Kamino, Ghent demanded to know why it was him that Vader wanted.
Vader responded, telling him that it was none of his concern, and that he should be thankful
for the opportunity to escape the regret of his past.
A few days later, Vader transports Ghent to the Star Destroyer designated Crucible, where
he is to undergo vicious and rigorous trials so that he can gain entry into the imperial
navy’s star pilot corps.
Upon hearing word of the arrival of Nas Ghent, imperial commander Dorin Millavec was angered
and upset that he would have to train the man who broke through his defences and cracked
his security codes countless times.
Millavec began plotting with his fellow imperial offers to sabotage the training of Ghent in
order to prove himself worthy of promotion.
Knowing that the Moff was on board, he wanted nothing less than to show that he was a savage
leader and a precise tactician.
Millavec ordered his stormtroopers to aim their weapons at Ghent as a show of intimidation.
He wanted to send a clear message to Ghent, showing that he was going to be put through
hell.
Ghent remained still, showing no emotion and holding his composure.
This angered commander Millavec who hoped to provoke Ghent into doing something that
would get him removed from the academy.
He abruptly ordered his storm troopers to fire on Ghent, but was interrupted by Vader,
who stepped in to protect his hand picked star pilot.
He told Millavec that the pilot was under his protection, and that if he dared to kill
him, he would face the same fate.
Millavec became irate with Vader, frustrated that Ghent was placed in such a high position
without having to endure the rigorous training program or proper procedure.
He also held a large amount of jealousy, because he worked very hard from a young age to reach
the position that he was in.
Lord Vader then selected Nas Ghent to command the squadron, which further infuriated Millavec.
He was incredibly angry that his decision was being overruled by Vader.
Millavec’s superior made it clear that if he had a problem with the decision, he could
take it up with Emperor Palpatine himself.
Millavec continued arguing his point with Vader and his superior but to no avail, Vader
was not going to budge on his position.
Millavec arrogantly told Vader that this job was below him and that he would be promoted
to a higher position very soon.
Vader assured him that he was going nowhere if he did not complete the assignment given
to him and threatened to have him sent to a listening post in the outer rim where he
would be all but forgotten.
Vader instructed Millavec to begin forming the squadron of convicts immediately and to
answer only to him.
Vader would not tolerate failure.
After Vader left the ship, Millavec returned to his office and began to go on a long tirade
about how he was being set up and asked to perform impossible tasks.
He asked one of his officers to dig up some information on the convict pilot so that he
could have him removed from service.
The officer discovered that Ghent had fought in the Clone Wars for the sepratist army,
even becoming a war hero in the Confederacy.
He had a long list of military achievements, obtaining as many medals as he had kills.
On top of this, he was involved with the Sepratist’s most devastating military campaign, the Battle
of Coruscant.
At the conclusion of the Clone Wars, he went into hiding, disappearing for over a decade.
He moved into the smuggling game so that he could survive.
The conclusion of the officer’s report stated that he had a tendency to place himself in
unnecessary danger and take many needless risks.
After realising that he was nothing but a washed up Clone Wars soldier, the officer
brushed off all concerns about Ghent and told Millavec not to worry.
Millavec cautioned the officer, knowing that Ghent should not be underestimated under any
circumstances.
Millavec and the officer began to draw up their plot to end Ghent once and for all.
They planned to use imperial maneuver number 717 to ensure that Ghent would not trouble
them any further.
Imperial maneuver 717 was designed to root out spies or enemy agents on board an imperial
ship.
When the order was given, the spy would be lured out on a routine recon mission, where
he would be told that he was scouting or intercepting an enemy fugitive.
The spy would then be placed in command of the squadron, placing him at the front of
formation so that the other fighters were in his blind spot.
When they were far enough away from the command ship, the other fighters in the squadron would
blast the spy out of the sky, putting an end the threat.
Millavec intended to use this maneuver on Ghent, hoping to keep it a secret from Vader.
After he had successfully killed the convict pilot, Millavec wanted to further rectify
his grievances by discovering who had placed him in such a position.
Millavec and the officers put the plan into motion and anxiously waited in the hangar
of the Star Destroyed for the successful return of the other pilots.
To their shock, Ghent’s tie fighter returned to the hangar with the notable absence of
the other fighters.
Ghent became furious with his superiors, unleashing his rage and fury on the hangar maintenance
crew.
He rushed into the quarters of Millavec, grabbing him by the collar and thrusting his body into
the wall.
Millavec denied having any involvement with the plot, claiming that Lord Vader had ordered
the exercise as a test of Ghent’s skill and proficiency in flying.
Ghent reluctantly accepted this claim, but reminded Millavec that they were not even
yet.
Not by a long shot.
Having failed to kill the man who caused them so much trouble, Millavec and the officer
returned to their quarters to devise another plan.
They were going to fill the rest of the positions in the squadron, not with skilled convict
pilots as Vader had requested, but with the most brutal and bloodthirsty criminals that
the Empire had ever seen.
Millavec wanted to put ghent face to face with a group of men who wanted his brains
on the wall.
These were the worst of the worst, definitely not criminals suitable for release.
Nas Ghent used the attempt on his life to fuel his motivation and end his lethargy that
held him back for years.
He had strong ambitions and hopes of becoming the Empire’s greatest star pilot ever.
He was to create the most efficient and terrifying unit that the Imperial Navy had ever seen.
Even if it meant that Millavec was to be brought down in the process.
That was the story of how Darth Vader took a convict smuggler under his wing and turned
him into the most ruthless, but efficient Star Pilot the empire had ever seen.
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