Saberan Marcross, designated in Imperial service as TKR 175, served as an Imperial stormtrooper during the era of the Galactic Civil War. In company with his comrades Daric LaRone, Korlo Brightwater, Taxtro Grave, and Joak Quiller, Marcross chose to abandon their posts, seeking instead to safeguard the Empire's populace as members of the Hand of Judgment. This decision stemmed from their disapproval of the escalating corruption among certain Imperial officers. Subsequently, he affiliated himself with the Empire of the Hand.
The formative years of Saberan Marcross were spent in Makrin City, the primary urban center of the planet Shelkonwa. A significant portion of his youth was spent alongside his cousin, Crayg, who was the offspring of Barshnis Choard, the Governor overseeing the Shelsha sector. Marcross would later enlist within the Imperial ranks, remaining stationed within his home sector as a stormtrooper aboard the Star Destroyer Reprisal, serving under the command of Captain Kendal Ozzel. His allegiance to the Empire was unwavering, adhering to every directive without question, even during a mission deployed on the planet Teardrop, where fire was unleashed upon unarmed civilians based on the suspicion of their sympathies lying with the Rebel Alliance.
Events took a turn a few days following the Teardrop operation when an incident unfolded on the Reprisal involving an officer from the Imperial Security Office, Major [Drelfin], who lost his life during a confrontation with fellow Stormtrooper Daric LaRone. Facing the potential for arrest and execution at the hands of Imperial Security Bureau officials, Marcross and his companions resolved to desert. Securing the modified Suwantek freighter Gillia, they absconded from the Reprisal, initially heading to Drunost to replenish their supplies and fuel. After defending a group of individuals posing as farmers from an attack by the Bargleg Swoop gang, Marcross and his group proceeded to Rankling, where they liberated the city of Janusar from the control of corrupt patrolmen commanded by Cav'Saran. It was during this period that Daric LaRone, who had been leading the small group of ex-stormtroopers, conceived the notion of branding their "unit" as the "hand of judgement". Committed to upholding the oath they had sworn to the Empire, they resolved to persist in their efforts to protect the Empire's citizens. However, they aimed to distance themselves from the corruption that had become increasingly evident among Imperial officers during their service.
Subsequent to their departure from Rankling, Marcross and his associates pursued a lead suggesting a connection between the Rebel Alliance and the pirate syndicate known as the BloodScars. In the course of their investigation, they crossed paths with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca, who welcomed them aboard their vessel. Unaware of the trio's rebel affiliations, Marcross and the remainder of the Hand of Judgement collaborated with them to ascertain that the BloodScars' headquarters was situated on the planet Gepparin. To their astonishment, they encountered the Reprisal there, which the deserters attempted to seize using a tractor beam, an effort thwarted by a flight maneuver executed by Han Solo. Following their infiltration of the headquarters, an analysis of the HoloNetz logs conducted by Marcross revealed that Governor Barshnis Choard was among the financial backers of the pirate gang. He was said to have enlisted the pirates with their assistance to declare the independence of the Shelsha sector. Marcross was unwilling to accept that his own uncle was implicated in an imperial scheme, which led him to initially withhold this information from Daric LaRone and the others. He wished to afford his uncle the opportunity to provide an explanation before passing judgment on him.
On Shelkonwa, Marcross and his friends inadvertently encountered the Emperor's Hand, Mara Jade, who placed the five deserters, whom she believed were stormtroopers on duty, under her command. She was also on the verge of indicting Barshnis Choard of treason against the Empire, so she pursued contact Caaldra on the matter. After falling for a diversionary staged by Caaldra, Mara Jade and the Hand of Judgement went to the governor's palace to arrest Choard. The layout of the palace remained deeply ingrained in Marcross's memory, rendering him invaluable in the infiltration of the building. While Mara Jade confronted Caaldra on the ground floor, Daric LaRone and his team apprehended the governor in his ballroom, also situated on the ground floor. In a climactic moment, Marcross turned his blaster on LaRone, preventing him from taking his uncle's life. He held onto the hope that his uncle was innocent, but he only mocked the naivete of Marcross and fired a graze on his shoulder. After it was unequivocally established that Choard was guilty of high treason, he was arrested and taken away by Darth Vader and his 501st Stormtroopers Legion.
Following Mara Jade's receipt of information from Marcross and the others regarding the circumstances that led to their desertion, she consented to assist them in circumventing the Imperial blockade of Shelkonwa. However, she advised the former stormtroopers to seek refuge and abandon the designation "Hand of Judgement," asserting that they alone were the true hand. Despite their escape from Shelkonwa, they declined to heed her counsel, reaffirming their collective commitment to safeguarding the citizens of the Empire.