Sons and Daughters of Freedom
- "While the Senate sleeps, a great evil threatens the peace and freedom of the peoples of our galaxy. Our politicians, who neither work nor sacrifice, have forgotten, if they ever knew it, that freedom is not free, that the price of freedom is constant vigilance. We the crew of the Scarlet Thranta, are the children of your beloved Republic! We are your sons and daughters. We are the Sons and Daughters of Freedom! Follow us!"
- ―Zozridor Slayke
The Sons and Daughters of Freedom, also known as Freedom's Sons, were founded by Zozridor Slayke shortly before the outbreak of the Clone Wars. They were a kind of paramilitary auxiliary to the Jedi.
History
Prior to the Clone Wars
Zozridor Slayke was a distinguished member of the Galactic Republic Judicial Forces who saw the Separatist movement for what it was and decided if the Republic was not going to take action that he must. He and the crew of ship he commanded, Scarlet Thranta, left the Republic they vowed to serve and protect.
The Thranta soon joined with many other ships, soldiers, mercenaries, and even civilians who saw the same threat. Slayke, a charismatic leader, persuaded thousands to follow him. He called his army the Sons and Daughters of Freedom, for they were the sons and daughters of the Republic and vowed to protect their freedom.
Unfortunately for Slayke, the Republic saw them as a threat and dispatched the Jedi Master Nejaa Halcyon to arrest Slayke. Soon Slayke and his troops were being hunted by the very Republic they wished to protect. Halcyon was a silent supporter of the splinter group and, finding that his conscience made it very hard to arrest them, allowed the group to escape by prolonging a fight between him and one of Slayke's champions.
The Clone Wars
Later during the Clone Wars, the Sons and Daughters of Freedom responded to an emergency distress call from Praesitlyn. The group fought valiantly there but lost thousands of troops in the process. Nejaa Halcyon and Anakin Skywalker led a Republic assault force to assist Slayke. Slayke and Halcyon became friends and together repelled the Separatists. The Sons and Daughters of Freedom were then granted amnesty and fought valiantly in the rest of the Clone Wars, aiding the Jedi Order when they could.
Composition
In addition to the officers and ship crews, the Sons and Daughters of Freedom had 50,000 ground troops. They came from all across the galaxy and Slayke tried to keep them in units of their own species. Such units included a squad of Gungan engineers and a company of Bothan observers. At the end of the battle, the Sons and Daughters of Freedom numbered less than two thousand.
The fleet of the Sons and Daughters of Freedom had around 94 ships. The majority were lost in the battle.
- CloakShape fighters
- Gun tugs
- S40K Phoenix Hawk-class light pinnaces
- Carrack-class light cruisers[source?]
- Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers
- CR90 corvettes
- Gunships
- Storm IV Twin-Pod cloud cars
- Armored ground vehicles
- Two batteries of SPHA mortars
Appearances
Vigilante Taskforce Departs to Engage Separatists — HoloNet News Vol. 531 #54 (content now obsolete; backup link) (First appearance)
Jedi Taskforce Dispatched to Reel in Thranta — HoloNet News Vol. 531 #55 (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Republic HoloNet News Core Edition 14:2:12
- Republic HoloNet News Core Edition 14:7:02 (Mentioned only)
- Jedi Trial
- Han Solo at Stars' End (First mentioned)
"The Great Herdship Heist" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 15
- X-Wing: Wraith Squadron (Mentioned only)
Sources
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe (As "Freedom's Sons")
- Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook (As "Freedom's Sons")
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
- The New Essential Guide to Characters (Jedi Council Members entry)
- The New Essential Chronology
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Tiin, Saesee in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Essential Reader's Companion