Yol Aak

Overview
Yol Aak was a Gran fighter pilot that served with the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War as a member of Arrow Squadron. He flew one of the Arrow's Y-Wing bombers throughout his time with the unit. Known for his sense of humor and penchant for gambling, he joined the Arrows as part of a reinforcement detachment that included Kostan Stodl, Arrianne Trient, and S'Hral Glaso. He grew particularly close to the Weequay pilot Glaso and fellow pilot Cedric Rex as all three men enjoyed gambling and cards. Aak fought with distinction throughout the campaign for the Betseeda System and war against the Glaston Pirates War. During the ultimately pointless Battle of Ullatak, the only major battle of the Hutt Campaign, he was shot down and killed by Imperial ground turrets. His call sign was Arrow Sixteen.

Early Life and On The Run
Aak was born and raised on the planet of Duro in the Core Worlds Sector, but he routinely made trips back to his species homeworld of Malastare. His father left his family when he was very young. As such, Aak was raised by his mother and grandmother. The two women ran a small textile shipping company based on Duro. As he grew into young adulthood, Aak stayed out of politics and instead focused his time and energy on speeder racing and small time gambling, much to the dismay of his grandmother and mother.

Aak, like many Gran, had an innate love of podracing. However, the Empire had banned the practice under its Declaration of a New Order in 19 BBY when Aak was only eight years old. The Rebellion, however, was extremely unpopular among the Gran, even those not located on Malastare and when the young Aak spoke poorly of the Empire, he was chastised by his family.

Despite the objections of his family, Aak continued to gamble and grew more and more disenfranchised by the actions of the Imperial forces on Duro. In 2 BBY, when Aak was 25 years old, a small group of Imperial Stormtroopers attempted to arrest two of his friends on gambling charges, Aak intervened and, in the scuffle, killed a Stormtrooper.

Panicked and on the run, he took what little winnings he had and fled Duro, making his way to the Outer Rim. During his hasty retreat, he didn't say goodbye to his mother or grandmother for fear that they would turn him into the authorities.

The Rebel Alliance
Aak lived under assumed name on the planet of Tatooine for two months. During that time, he met several other individuals who shared his distaste for the Empire. Through these contacts, he eventually joined the Alliance and, after testing into the program, was admitted into the fledgling Alliance Starfighter Academy. He proved to be a natural pilot and soon found himself in an X-wing fighter.

His earliest days of service were mostly guarding conveys and supply lines, but he did see action in several small skirmishes. In many of the units he was assigned, Aak became something of a "shark" and took the money of other gamblers without much hesitation.

The Betseeda Campaign
Aak was assigned to Arrow Squadron in 1 BBY as part of a reinforcement contingent. He arrived to the Betseeda System and quickly made an impression on his fellow pilots. While overall friendly and a good pilot, he fell into league with Cedric Rex, a gruff, hard-drinking member of the unit that often clashed with other Arrows. The Gran also bonded with his fellow replacement pilot, S'Hral Glaso. The common interest of the three men was gambling and they often did so in their spare time. While Glaso and Aak saw the gambling as a release, a way to cut the stress of being on assignment, Rex took their games very seriously and the trio nearly came to blows on several occasions.

However, once he was in the air, Aak was a dedicated pilot. He fought with distinction at the Siege of Tazion and the Second Battle of Betseeda Prime, piloting his Y-wing wit distinction. He also played a pivotal role during the costly Battle of Jonquil Station where he shot down several TIE fighters from the Star Destroyer Salient. Aak survived the battle, but his frequent gambling partner Cedric Rex was shot down and killed. Despite his gruff demeanor, Aak had respected Rex and from that point on, an empty chair was left at the table every time a card game was held by the unit.

The Glaston Pirates War
Shortly after the liberating of the Betseeda System, Aak and the rest of Arrow Squad were assigned to deal with the Glaston Pirates, a group of renegades and terrorists, that were plaguing the Chommell Sector. Infiltrating the pirates and learning of their location became their first assignment and Aak was tasked with what he did best: gamble. Whether he was waging bets, slinging cards, or playing sabacc, Aak's job in the earliest days of the assignment against the pirates was to listen to the chatter in the cantinas of Rori, the swampy moon where the pirates were rumored to operate a base. From Aak's point of view, the deal was made even better by the fact that he wasn't playing with his own money: the Rebellion was footing the bill.

His efforts, and the information obtained during his countless hours at the cantinas helped lead the Arrows to the Battle of Ruaha, the first battle of the campaign. While the battle did not lead to any significant losses or gains, it did force the Arrows to augment their strategy. The campaign continued and, eventually, culminated in the Battle of Vagabond's Rest. During the battle, Aak saved the life of Lieutenant Benere on two occasions, both of which were later praised by his colleagues.

The Hutt Campaign
Arrow Squadron, under the quiet protests of its commanding officers and members, was assigned to the Alliance's ill-fated Hutt Campaign in 3 ABY. Around this same time, Aak started to have premonitions of his demise. While the joint task force moved into Hutt Space, the Gran remarked, on separate occasions to both Glaso and Sorshara Bray, that his luck was running out. He had been winning nearly every hand he played recently and, as all gamblers know, all hot streaks come to an end. Glaso, his best friend in the unit, tried to talk him out of such somber moods, but the Gran wouldn't have any of it. He had been playing fast and loose for far too long, taking wild chances, and fighting the Empire for years. No matter what Glaso said, Yol just "had a feeling."

The Battle of Ullatak and Death
The Hutt Campaign, which had been unpopular with many of the fighter pilots in task force, came to a head at the Battle of Ullatak in 3 ABY. The plan called for a combined assault with Alliance air support protecting Hutt ground forces. However, bad intelligence from the Hutts led to early blunders. The Imperial forces entrenched on the planet were much stronger and well-fortified than previously known and the first wave of attacking starfighters was devastated by ground turrets.

Arrow Squadron, as part of the second wave of air support, worked to destroy these Imperial turrets in order to protect troop transports and other fighter squadrons. It was during one of these attack runs, only moments after knocking out a large gunnery tower, Yol Aak's Y-Wing was hit by turret fire. His ship spiraled out of control and crashed into the surface of the planet, killing him instantly. His death, coupled with a string of mental-health problems was the breaking point for fellow Arrow squadron pilot Vid Paratool, who resigned his commission instead of facing a court-martial shortly after the battle. His loss was also felt by his close friend, S'Hral Glaso.

As Rebel forces conducted mop-up operations on the planet's surface, S'Hral returned to the site of Aak's fatal crash. While he could not recover any physical remains, he did find a slightly burned sabacc card in the wreckage. The Gran had often flown with the card tucked into his pocket for good luck.

Legacy
Aak's death would be the last combat death in Arrow Squadron for some time. Following the disastrous Hutt Campaign, the Arrows were reassigned to the main Rebel Command Fleet. For the better part of a year, they served escort duty and recuperated from years of active campaigning. When Lieutenant Tolamael Benere was eventually promoted and unit command was given to Udas, the new commander brought back weekly sabacc games that included both members of Arrow Squadron and other groups assigned to the fleet.

At these game, and in addition to the missing chair for Cedric Rex, there was now another missing chair, this time for the unlikely Rebel hero Yol Aak.