##The Outsider - Battlefield Leader##

[17th Bombad Plas-hussars 2nd Lieutenant]
This is the rank Magrunn Paal brought with him to recruitment, for this, he understood, was important to the Republic aliens in their machineek war. They wanted proven personnel, not scared old men.

Paal is a Gungan, a middle-aged one, not the first to willingly to into another war. He was raised conservatively, then fast-tracked into the grand army of his people. There were few places for career officers, but for cavalrymen? Renown and esteem. Classical training in the arts of heavy cavalry. And for that, Paal found some happiness, but not too much. Deep in his chest, he wished he had the wanderlust to leave, but the time never seemed right. Luxury and work were plenty good to distract Paal from a life outside the bubble cities. As the years ticked away, the saddle distracted him totally from foolish dreams.

He was 35 on the Battle of the Grassy Plains. The Trade Federation had pushed the Gungans out of their homes, provoking a final stand with a fully summoned army. The opposing force surrounded them on three sides. Faamba shields held back laser fire, but the droids began deploying in infantry columns. General Binks (with gracious direction by Tarpals) ordered the 17th Plas-Hussars, Paal's unit, to pincer the droid formation as they entered the shield. Strike it with a cavalry charge, use the shock to cause a rout. Repeat until the enemy exhausted itself.

But machineeks are tenacious, uncaring things. When Paal and the 17th swung right, they crashed into the infantry, and nothing happened. B1s on the flank fell like broken dolls, yet the remainder turned and fired on the cavalry. It was a slaughter that repeated itself again and again throughout the day, as Paal's Gungans charged and retreated. Paal lost his mount eventually, and only by luck did he commandeer an AAT tank to rally the riders. By then, however, the Grand Army had disintegrated. 67% of his unit lay dead. Destruction of the droid control ship prevented a full massacre.

The battle rattled Paal. It deeply exposed the traditions he took for granted, the assumptions he had made entrenching in a cozy life. The Naboo, connected to the wider galaxy, brought more help to their coalition's cause than perhaps the Gungans brought to the battlefield that day. Gungans bore the brunt of the loss, with none of the gain. His failure not to see the context and change haunted him. Paal sat on these ruminations for years, until he began to think. Modernity for Gungans... what did that mean? Was the future safe? Could it ever be, now that aliens brought their wars to Gungan waters? How could Gungans fight a galaxy? What would they need to adopt? What ways, what technologies, what thinking?

Paal was sequestered in Theed libraries until Separatist declarations shook the galaxy. Perhaps correctly, he saw the shadow of war as inevitable. The droid would return. Militiagungs learned their lessons from the Battle of the Plains, but this war would engulf them all...

... if he stayed as he was. Paal left Ohto Gunga in 22BBY on the eve of Geonosis for a recruiting office in Eriadu space. Someday, he will bring back knowledge to Gungan seas, but until then, he will be an outsider in both cultures.

Drive - Subordinates
Even before the Plains battle, Paal cared deeply for the cohesion and health of his troops. Guilt simply made it more true. Before, during and after a battle, commander Paal makes a conscious effort to keep his troops stocked, rested and able, sure of fighting a good cause. This is not simply to make a more effective force, but as an emotional cushion for what he perceives will be a long and brutal war.

Ground Superiority
Paal's duty is to lead armored assaults to victory. Either directly from an armored unit or supporting one, he makes it his role to defeat his enemy in detail. He is most comfortable as a subordinate field commander, where he can act and affect things in real time with clear objectives in mind.

Age - ~50
Height - 2.1m
Build - Slim and Trim
Hair - None
Eyes - Blue-green
Features: Plasma lance wound down the side. Several blaster scoring wounds on either arm. Strong tentacle moustache.

Personality: Straightforward dad. Paal is a social figure, which is what drew him to cavalry work in the first place and what fostered his wanderlust as a tadpole. He gets the energy to work from the personalities assigned to him, and develops strong feelings for his coworkers, even if they are fated to die. He follows up often, pushes promotions for squadmates, makes time for others, often to his own detriment. He is not as flexible as true tactical geniuses, but he's reliable and well-prepared.