Xenon Nnaksta

Xenon Nnaksta, known simply as Xe to most, was a Vodran born on the planet Vodran during the waning days of the Galactic Republic. Early in his life, his parents were killed during what was later dubbed the Thruncan Insurrection, an urban uprising which saw the destruction of a number of Vodran cities. Nnaksta was traumatized by his parents' deaths, reportedly developing a mild case of psychosis, making him both fearless and reckless. He raised himself in the Vodran province of Kudor, living as a street urchin for a number of years, though he also spent time in the wild, steamy jungles and swamps fraught with predators and danger. Living without companions in poverty made him very tough and a fierce combatant, though he longed to meet and befriend other sentients.

Nnaksta eventually gained passage to the Delassin Six, located near Vodran in the Outer Rim Territories. There, he was able to find employment as a longshoreman on the docks used by the natives' primitive seafaring vessels, loading and unloading cargo, day in and day out. Nnaksta was able to find the friends he craved while working, greatly enjoying the banter and camaraderie shared by his coworkers, who were a diverse lot, consisting of Wookiees, Humans and a variety of others, as well as labor droids. Though he knew that much of the cargo he and his peers handled was illicit contraband, Nnaksta did as he was told and never questioned his instructions.

Eventually, sometime early in the reign of the Galactic Empire, Nnaksta was personally selected by the affluent industry magnate Meysen Kayson to work as a stockroom laborer in one of Kayson's retail outdoor fitting stores. Nnaksta impressed many with his work ethic, gaining a number of promotions, from laborer to foreman to the executive of the entire retailer chain, becoming a good friend of Kayson himself in the process, despite a difference in age of almost a century. The two both shared low opinions of the Empire, supporting the growing rebellion against Imperial rule in what ways they could. When the Empire attempted to shut down on Kayson on charges of sedition, the elderly magnate left one of his industries, the Greel Wood Logging Corporation, in the hands of Nnaksta, while Kayson went on the run. The corporation harvested the greel trees indigenous to the planets of Pii III and Pii IV, located in the Arkanis sector. Nnaksta in turn hired a number of pro-rebellion managerial consultants and entrepreneurs to take charge of the corporation, ensuring that they secretly diverted much of the corporations revenue to rebellion movements. After two years in charge, Nnaksta decided to take a six-year break and move onto pastures new for a time.

He enrolled in a fringe survival school known as the Galactic Outdoor Survival School—GOSS. Run by Master Barosa Warren, it taught students how to not only survive, but thrive in harsh, inhospitable environments, and few completed the whole course, all of which was conducted on Thrantin. Most who did complete the course went on to become scouts and instructors themselves. Nnaksta thrived along with his class, which was made of a dozen individuals of varied species and temperaments who, according to those who witnessed their exercises, complemented each other's skills perfectly, and worked exceptionally as a unit; it was known as the Twilight Class, and became one of the most talented and infamous classes ever produced by GOSS. Nnaksta proved himself to be talented and likable with his peers, becoming best friends with the Weequay Adazian Liebke, though he was not considered to be in the top five or so students in Twilight Class. His area of specialty was swamp terrain.

Twilight Class attended GOSS for almost half a decade, smashing almost all of the record times for their various assignments and learning how to survive in harsh environments, either collectively or as individuals. In 12 BBY, with their training all but completed, they were given their graduation assignment, embarking on a days-long expedition through Thrantin's myriad terrain types. The twelve classmates were not permitted to use any repulsorcraft, gravitic gear, or other such technology so as not to give them an advantage in their expedition. Their first hurdle was relatively straightforward: the group climbed down a steep cliff face, descending over two hundred meters into the Turas Valley. When all of the class had reached the valley's floor, Nnaksta and Sisquoc—the group's star student and de facto leader—began hacking their way through the valley's thick vegetation, cutting a path for the others.

For four and a half days, the group continued on their trek, tussling with predators and facing harsh conditions. During the Desert Zone portion of the expedition, Nnaksta was attacked by a large, insectoid beast known as a tripion, though classmate Derembus Sitnalta was able to come to his aid and fend the creature off. Sitnalta incurred a bad injury in doing so, but was able to continue. Eventually, way ahead of their expected schedule, the class emerged from the crashing waves of the Ninth Aquatic Zone, thoroughly exhausted. Nnaksta lay down on the beach with fatigue, while Sitnalta comlinked Zone Central, requesting that GOSS send a shuttle to their position and bring them back to headquarters. Central initially thought that something had gone awry and Sitnalta was calling for help, until the team eventually informed their instructors that they had completed the route—in 104 hours, over a day better than the previous record. A shuttle and a number of Carosite medics were sent to the Ninth Aquatic Zone to collect the jubilant Twilight Class.

The class graduated with flying colors, and under the influence of Sisquoc, many eventually went on to directly join the fight against the Empire, among them Nnaksta's close friend Liebke, though the Vodran himself did not. Their former master instructor at GOSS, Barosa Warren, took exception to this, and around the same time he and Sisquoc had a falling out over a matter which neither ever disclosed. The majority of Twilight Class, including Xenon Nnaksta, sided with Sisquoc; Warren swore to repay them all for their disloyalty to him. Nnaksta returned to Greel Wood Logging Corporation, working as both a manual laborer and its director. During this time, he began to make use of vibrosaws as melee weapons; though they were not intended for such use, he found them an effective and devastating weapon. Shortly thereafter, Meysen Kayson was able to use his contacts to clear his name, and returned to the fray. Almost a decade after they parted ways at GOSS, Nnaksta and his friend Liebke were reunited. Liebke, who had become an agent for the fledgling Alliance to Restore the Republic, was on the run from the Empire and arrived at Pii III by chance, seeking refuge. Nnaksta harbored his old friend from the authorities, and the Weequay eventually persuaded him to formally join the Alliance. Nnaksta became a pathfinder and special operative for Alliance SpecOps, barely leaving Liebke's side on many missions.

After being promoted to lieutenant, Nnaksta joined Eclipse Team—a group of Rebel scouts and operatives founded by his former GOSS colleagues. He served for a number of years, rekindling the camaraderie he once shared with his former classmates. However, he was known to be a reckless driver and pilot; he would arrive at his destinations faster than anyone else in the team, but not necessarily with fully intact vehicles or passengers. He and Liebke often bickered as to who got to drive on missions, and his other teammates made a point not to allow him to drive on any missions. Liebke was interested in using the rough terrain of Pii IV as a training ground for Rebel units, and a Rebel cell was ultimately established on Pii III.

Around 2 ABY, while Nnaksta and Liebke were on a mission collecting supplies for the cell on Pii III, they were pursued by Shatras assassin and bounty hunter Ssach'thirix. Erroneously believing that Ssach'thirix was working on behalf of the Empire, they sought refuge and contacted the Rebels stationed in the area. The Wookiee Kichiir, a former member of the resistance against the Empire on Kashyyyk, and numerous others came to their aid, and together they fought off Ssach'thirix, giving him a beating that wounded both his body and his pride. Liebke later filed a report to Chief of Alliance Intelligence Airen Cracken, warning all Rebel agents to be wary for any retribution from the Shatras killer.

In 2 ABY, Nnaksta worked as a pathfinder with Eclipse Team in the Suolriep sector. During this period, a number of intelligence reports compiled by Chief of Alliance Intelligence Airen Cracken were distributed to Alliance agents, informing them of non-Imperial groups that Cracken and his staff believed to be a great threat to the Alliance. Major Sisquoc wrote an entry on Barosa Warren and GOSS, listing a number of individuals he was a personal threat to; Nnaksta was among them. Because most Vodrans spent their entire lives as servants and bodyguards to their Hutt masters, Nnaksta was something of an exception among his people, and he became infamous for being one of few Vodrans to openly work for the Rebel Alliance.

He continued to serve for a number of years, as the Alliance triumphed over the Emperor in the Battle of Endor and became the New Republic, and the Vodran was eventually promoted to lieutenant commander. However, early in the New Republic's existence, one of Nnaksta's fellow GOSS graduates and Eclipse Team member, Ma'w'shiye, went rogue, deserting his friends and killing a number of New Republic personnel. Ma'w'shiye targeted many decorated Alliance heroes for assassination, including Nnaksta and Liebke. Nnaksta was able to fend off Ma'w'shiye and survive, like most of his peers who were targeted, though the New Republic had no idea what Ma'w'shiye's motivations for the attacks were. After that, the traitorous Rebel disappeared, and Nnaksta and Liebke were both placed on a team of his former colleagues charged with tracking him down.

Nnaksta lived a difficult early life; after the violent deaths of both his parents, he raised himself alone in a harsh environment from a young age, during which time he grew a thick layer of skin. Rumors abounded that he also developed a mild case of psychosis as a result of these traumatic experiences, and this supposed psychosis made him a fierce and unpredictable opponent in combat. However, it rarely effected his ability to work in a team, and never caused any harm to his colleagues, either at GOSS or in the Rebellion. Nnaksta was described as having a kind manner about him, and he proved to be a reliable and caring friend to many of his peers, particularly Adazian Liebke, who, like Nnaksta, had suffered greatly as a youth. Liebke kept his emotions on check most of the time and opened up to few about his past, though Nnaksta was one of them. For reasons he did not disclose, Nnaksta refused to ever use blasters of any kind, preferring to use melee weapons. Due to his solitary upbringing, Xenon Nnaksta craved and needed companionship and camaraderie in his life.

Xenon Nnaksta acquired many skills during his life, ranging from grenade usage to business nous. As a street urchin living rough on his homeworld, he learned how to survive in harsh conditions with little means, becoming an able fighter. Under Meysen Kayson's tutelage, Nnaksta was taught about business, as well as various other cultures and languages. Later, at GOSS, he learned how to survive in various terrain-types, though he specialized in swamp survival. Nnaksta fancied himself as an air- and landspeeder driver, and was usually able to reach a particular destination in better time than most of his peers. However, many considered his driving to be reckless. Nnaksta was also knowledgeable on basic first aid, climbing and swimming, and myriad other skills which he put to use in his service to the Rebel Alliance. He was a proficient close quarters combatant, wielding several melee weapons during his career including a vibrosaw, and was described as a fierce fighter.

The character of Xenon Nnaksta has appeared in a number of works published by West End Games. He was created by C. Robert Carey, first appearing in the Wanted by Cracken segment of the fourth Star Wars Adventure Journal in November 1994. His first name and backstory were later provided by Carey's The Greel Wood Haven, published in the Star Wars Adventure Journal 6, and the sourcebook Alliance Intelligence Reports, to which Carey contributed alongside others including Bill Smith, in mid 1995. He was subsequently mentioned briefly in Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies and Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear, and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

• "Wanted by Cracken" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 4
• "The Greel Wood Haven" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 6
• Alliance Intelligence Reports
• Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies
• Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear
• Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Ultimate Alien Anthology
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia