CODED TRANSMISSION: JAN ORS TO MON MOTHMA
SUBJECT: Reliability of Kyle Katarn
I understand there are questions regarding our continued use of Kyle as a freelance agent. This is due to his background in Imperial service and his continued status as an occasional non-aligned mercenary, rather than committing to regular service for the Alliance.
It's easy to see how certain individuals, who either encountered him during his time with the Empire or lost friends or loved ones during operations he commanded, could harbor such doubts. However, it is precisely his experience in Imperial service that has turned him solidly against the Empire. I believe this will eventually convince him of the necessity of the Alliance.
I think you'll agree when I fill in more of his personal history.
Kyle's Background
Kyle came from Sulon, the moon of Sullust. Like many of our outworld recruits, he came from farmer stock, with a warm, close-knit family background. He adored his father, an agricultural machine salesman and mechanic with personal ties to the rural community he served.
Kyle sought training at the Academy only to better follow in his father's footsteps when he returned home. At the Academy, he discovered a natural gift for cybernetics systems theory and information engineering.
The time spent on his studies, extra-curricular martial arts, and target-shooting classes left little time to worry about political rumors or changes in curriculum and policy, as the Empire consolidated its hold on the Academy. His quiet student existence was shattered when he received Imperial notification that a Rebel ambush had killed his parents during an Imperial rescue operation. The final blow came when the Academy refused to extend funeral leave.
Imperial Service
At the time, Kyle had no reason to doubt what was clearly an Imperial cover-up. Overwhelmed by pain and a burning hatred for the Rebels who had supposedly killed his parents, he accepted a commission in the special operations division of the Imperial Army. It was here that he learned the true face of the Empire.
I first came to know him several years later, when I was working as a mole and double agent within the Imperial Intelligence Corps. Repeated contacts with Kyle showed me the scars he hid beneath a veneer of quiet competence, and his growing disillusion with the Army and all it represented.
I saw to it that reports detailing the real story of the Imperial raid on Sullust came his way, and our friendship continued to deepen.
Joining the Alliance
When my cover was blown and I was taken prisoner, Kyle ended his service in the Imperial Army by engineering my escape from torture and helping me get off the planet to a Rebel base. He joined me there a few days later on his way to the rim worlds.
There, in the company of smugglers and pirates, he was to acquire the further skills of sabotage and subterfuge that have since made him so valuable to our cause.
I knew then, when we said good-bye, that he was not ready for a full commitment to the Alliance. The emotional manipulation he endured at the hands of the Empire has hardened him against causes. It has made the idealistic, trusting young man into a deadly efficient saboteur whose loyalty must be earned rather than bought.
One thing is certain. He may not totally trust the Alliance, but he will never forgive or forget what the Empire has done to him. Yes, he saved my life and is perhaps the most effective covert agent we have, but it is this hatred of the Empire that will insure his reliability to us. It is sad but true that ongoing Imperial atrocities and disregard for life continue to provide our best hope for recruits.
Jan Ors