High Admiral Pax

Overview

High Admiral Pax, known across the Republic as “The Reaper,” is a ruthless and highly cunning Separatist commander feared for his ability to dominate the battlefield through both force and strategy. Considered an unpredictable X-factor by Republic leadership, Pax has repeatedly shown the ability to shift the tide of war and influence the Clone Wars on a scale matched by few other CIS leaders.

Pax commands the feared Reaper’s Fleet, while his network of elite operatives, known as his Shadows, wage proxy wars and covert campaigns on his behalf across the galaxy.

Early Life

Born under the twin suns of Tatooine, Pax grew up in a harsh world. The Outer Rim offered him no safety, no stability, and no justice. Violence was everywhere, and when you are a human on Tatooine, nothing comes easy. Pax learned early that he was not the smartest or strongest on his planet, so he needed to become something far more dangerous - patient.

Pax learned to survive through observation, restraint, and calculation. He studied crime lords, outlaws, bounty hunters, and smugglers. Not to learn from them, but to learn about them. Overtime, Pax knew how to manipulate and break his enemies through strategy, timing, and fear. Pax had achieved what brute force could not, control.

The Shadows

Pax did not rise alone. As his influence grew, he began gathering a select group of followers who believed in his methods. These men and women became known as the Shadows, a name whispered more often than spoken.

These Shadows were not traditional soldiers, but tools for Pax to control. The Shadow's enforced Pax's rule through intimidation, information, and carefully placed violence. They obeyed and listened to their leader, making rivals vanish, and tightening Pax's grip over the people and territory around him.

They do not follow Pax because he is the strongest, many of them are stronger. They do not follow Pax because he is the brightest, many of them are brighter. They follow Pax because he knows where they are going.

What began as a criminal circle soon became the foundation of Pax's power. The Shadows were the first proof that his influence did not need to be seen, it was felt.

Recruitment by Count Dooku

Pax's growing influence on Tatooine was known to few. Pax kept his authority hidden, preferring to control the playing field from beyond it. At this stage in his life, Pax was not yet a criminal in the eyes of many, but a harsh and calculating survivor. His Shadows were feared, but they were disciplined, and Pax acted only when necessary. Everything he built was done for control, stability, and survival.

One day, Pax learned that a group of newly created Clones had begun poking around Mos Eisley. Curious, he had them watched from a distance. What began as caution quickly became interest, as Pax observed the way they carried themselves. They were disciplined, dangerous, and foreign to the world. But with that discipline came arrogance. Upon seeing the disrespect and force with which they treated the locals, Pax recognized something familiar. Outsiders, who believed strength alone gave them the right to impose order on a planet that the Republic had long forgotten.

Pax studied these Clones. He tracked their movements, tested their awareness, and learned how they operated. The Clones never realized they were being watched by the time Mos Eisley turned against them. Their mission failed not because of overwhelming force, but because Pax denied them information, mobility, and control.

Studying the new Clones too, it did not take Count Dooku long to identify what had happen on this remote planet where the Clones saw some of their first real action. Dooku saw something far more valuable in the desert than a local leader. He saw a man who could challenge military precision without ever needing an army of his own. Pax had done more than resist Republic control, he turned it around and exposed the Clones biggest weakness, their dependence on order.

From there, Pax was approached not as a criminal desert rat, but as a potential asset. Dooku offered him purpose beyond survival, and a chance for Pax to test his skill in the first open conflict the galaxy has seen in a lifetime. Pax accepted, seeing in the Separatist cause no loyalty, but opportunity to wield power on a scale he never could.

The Invasion of Rhen Varr

The Invasion of Rhen Varr marked the first time Dooku let Pax loose. Seeing the first major flaw in the Republic war efforts, Pax and his Shadow's moved two fleets under their control to Corfai and Rhen Varr. 

At this point, the Republic had stationed a large force on the CIS planet of Christophsis and was threatening to take control of a vital sector. With Dooku himself deploying to Christophsis, Pax needed to change the cards to his favor. By launching on the two nearby planets, Pax drove 2 Republic Venators and the 21st Legion away from Christophsis. The Republic, in another miss-step, retreated from Corfai to reinforce their fleet at Rhen Varr, conceding Pax his first planet of the war.

The Republic stationed four Venators outside Rhen Varr, threatening Pax and his own fleet on the other side of the cold planet. Pax's newly available fleet of Corfai was ready to move, and Pax had a plan for them. During a holo-transmission with Marshal Commander Sand, Pax sent in his largest Providence class-destroyer loaded to the teeth with EMP bombs. This costly move would never have been attempted by any other Admiral, but for Pax, this move would win him not just one planet but several. 

The Providence exploded, detonating the EMP and crippling all 4 Republic Venators. From there, Pax sent in both of his fleets to finish the job. After destroying two Venators, Pax left two operational as bait for the Republic. Pax did not do this out of pity for the men on board. This move was done so Pax can win the next battle, not just this one. 

As it stands, High Admiral Pax and his Shadow's are still locked in on Rhen Varr, with the dominos falling each day.