IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU: DEFECTION CASE STUDY: TALIA RENN (EXECUTIVE SUMMARY)
Talia Renn (Lt. 1st Class, AWOL) is a prominent member - possibly even leader (intelligence is vague on this point) - of an infamous terrorist cell composed primarily of self-styled "Jedi." Her sudden and dramatic betrayal of the Imperial Navy despite a spotless service record rivals that of Crix Madine (Commander, AWOL) in prominence, and has been successfully exploited by Rebel Alliance propagandists.
The practical difficulties of apprehending or terminating a heavily armed and dangerous criminal with intimate knowledge of Imperial technology and procedures are a matter for Imperial Intelligence and the Imperial Military, and are outside the scope of this report. The COMPNOR Select Committee has tasked the ISB with examining the possible causes of Renn's defection in the interest of preventing further treason and designing suitable counter-propaganda. This document is a summary of the full report.
EARLY LIFE
Renn was born on 5:7:3 on Brentaal IV to Paldamar and Melina Renn of House Renn, one of the Brentaal Houses that dominate the planetary economy.
As the eldest [1] daughter of a wealthy family, Renn could have been expected to enjoy a life of quiet luxury in preparation for marriage into another prominent family.
However the peace and prosperity of Brentaal IV was severely disrupted during the Clone Wars. Renn's academy admissions essay states that the chaos of this period of her childhood made her appreciative of the order and stability the New Order would bring.
Eleven years old at the time of the Declaration of a New Order, an adolescent Renn was a dedicated participant in early SAGEd and SAGRec programs - graduating at top of her class and becoming captain of her Wegsphere team.
According to Renn's academy admissions essay, her decision to pursue a military career, despite the objections of her parents [2] and her own Non-huMan status, was inspired by an encounter in which an Imperial Customs squad led by Officer Dalea Trovin rescued Renn and her companions from a gang of smugglers they had stumbled across in an ill-advised trip through a questionable area of Votrad. This encounter with a female officer led Renn to believe that the military was a viable path for her.
ACADEMY YEARS
As Non-huMan guidelines were more lax in years past with respect to non-aliens, Paldamar Renn was able to leverage his business connections to have Talia's application reviewed by admissions officers at The Academy of Carida. The officers felt that her extremely high mental and physical test scores, as well as her impressive determination, outweighed the potential for disruption that her presence would bring.
In retrospect, perhaps it is during her years at the Academy that the first glimmers of Renn's contrarian tendencies can be seen. While outwardly dutiful and exceeding all performance targets, Renn demonstrated clear dissatisfaction with military culture and was widely considered "difficult" in social situations, which limited her opportunities for promotion. She also insisted on entering the Imperial Navy Command Officer School against the recommendation of her advisors. While tactically brilliant, Renn's deficient interpersonal skills and lack of sensitivity to cultural concerns rendered her unsuitable for significant command positions.
Finally, and potentially most damning, was her (presumably romantic) relationship with another high-performing-yet-troublesome cadet, Tyber Zann. While a thorough investigation officially cleared her of any involvement in Zann's alleged criminal activities, the cloud that followed Zann out of the academy cast a shadow over her as well.
SERVICE
Given her reputation at the Academy, assigning Renn proved difficult as most commanding officers were unwilling to take her on. She was eventually picked up by Captain Pamil Tavick, himself at a career dead-end, relegated by choice to patrolling Outer Rim trade routes instead of taking on more prestigious expansion and pacification assignments.
For roughly a decade, Renn served under Tavick, efficiently executing anti-piracy, anti-smuggling, and search-and-rescue operations, as well as several crackdowns on unregulated slave trade. Despite her obvious personality problems (for example, she was markedly hostile toward Stormtrooper units when circumstances dictated that they work together), Tavick promoted her to Lieutenant 1st Class, though she continued to place herself on the front line out of a misguided desire to "lead from the front." (Yet another example of prideful nonconformity?) While unorthodox, her career was of not deemed worthy of attention until an operation on Volik.
TREASON
While the details of the operation are classified at the highest level, we do know that Renn expressed confusion regarding the application of Surface Operations Training Doctrine to the disposition of civilian prisoners during a Priority 0 pacification operation. While she did ultimately give the termination order, she failed to supervise the operation - a telling violation of Doctrine that was (irresponsibly, as later events would prove) overlooked in light of her subsequent role in the capture of several Jedi cultists.
Shortly after Lord Vader's execution of Captain Tavick for unspecified misconduct, Renn, who had never been known to disobey orders or shirk duty, freed the Jedi cultists that she herself had helped capture, and left with them in an audacious and highly destructive manner that would characterize her future activities with her new associates.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Renn's defection sets a dangerous example for those with delusional moral superiority complexes, who may believe that their judgment supercedes Imperial policy. However, if presented in the proper context, her story can instead be used as a cautionary tale to reinforce the tenets of the New Order.
- Renn's admittance to Carida proved an ill-advised exception to Non-huMan guidelines. Her inability to conform to expected social norms despite her high test scores demonstrates that such exceptions are prohibitively disruptive. We recommend that such exceptions no longer be permitted.
- Captain Tavick's long-term assignment to certain types of operations allowed those under his command to develop certain expectations regarding their duties. It is likely that Renn felt entitled to pick and choose the sorts of missions that she would undertake. We recommend exposing all military personnel to expansion and pacification operations on a regular basis so as to ensure greater familiarity with all aspects of Surface Operations Training Doctrine.
- Renn's defection immediately followed her order to terminate civilian prisoners on Volik and the execution of her superior officer by Lord Vader. While many traitors (See: Crix Madine, Han Solo, etc.) believe that they are somehow "above" certain actions necessary to maintain the security of our Empire, we believe Renn's case to be a classically female display of emotional weakness. We recommend subtlety in pushing this explanation in light of certain realities at our rival organization.
- Jedi are known to possess the dangerous ability to influence the minds of others. It is possible, even likely, that Renn has been brainwashed. A successful live capture and Re-Education would be a public relations coup and expose the Jedi for what they are. Unfortunately, the Imperial Military has deemed Renn a high-risk target and is likely to favor termination over apprehension except under impossibly ideal circumstances.
FOOTNOTES
[1] - Perhaps ironically, her younger sister Treena was the one flagged as "at-risk for seditious activities" by her SAGEd supervisors. She has since been conscripted into the Imperial Propaganda Bureau as part of her Re-Education program.
[2] - Renn's parents were themselves apolitical until their recent participation in an intensive Re-Education program (arranged in lieu of termination or imprisonment as part of an agreement with the Brentaal Houses). They have since become vocal supporters of the New Order and are counted among our most important donors.