Jahan Cross

Jahan Cross was born on the planet of Alderaan. During the Clone Wars, he resided on the galactic capital of Coruscant with his family, who were aligned with the Galactic Republic. His father Davim's position within the Republic Diplomatic Corps afforded them a comfortable life, although it did not shield Cross from the corruption that was evident within the Galactic Senate. He was present when the Confederacy of Independent Systems launched an attack on Coruscant. An explosion from the attack rendered Cross unconscious and instantly killed his mother. Upon regaining consciousness, he witnessed his younger sister, Jens, being dragged into the lower levels of Coruscant by the planet's denizens, who had emerged to capitalize on the chaos and pillage. Cross followed them into the depths of Coruscant, where he committed his first act of killing a sentient being, but he was too late to save his sister.

In the year 3 BBY, Jahan Cross discovered evidence suggesting that Milosh Muhrlein was involved in illicit activities at Imperial Research Station 61 on Wayland. To gather information, he infiltrated the station and worked there for two weeks. Cross and his droid, IN-GA 44, confronted the commander, who attempted to bribe Cross. When Cross refused, Muhrlein ordered two experimental B2 super battle droids to eliminate the intruders. Cross engaged Muhrlein, while IN-GA 44 dealt with the battle droids. Although Muhrlein was protected by a Verpine force field that shielded him from blaster fire, Cross used an electrical device hidden in the heels of his shoes to bypass the force field and electrocute Muhrlein.

Upon Cross's return to the Imperial Palace on Coruscant for debriefing, he received a reprimand from his superior, Armand Isard, for killing an important and influential Imperial officer. Cross defended his actions by stating that he was acting in self-defense and presented evidence of Muhrlein's connections to Rossum Droidworks. The data revealed a strong link indicating that Muhrlein was selling illegal droid technologies and protocols to Rossum Droidworks in the Corporate Sector and made reference to a project called Iron Eclipse. Isard granted Cross permission to continue his investigation in the Corporate Sector, but warned him that he would be operating independently.

Upon arriving on Etti IV in the Corporate Sector, Cross began his investigation without an Imperial liaison. He encountered Han Solo, an old friend from the Imperial Academy, who was fleeing from a group of angry gamblers. Along with Chewbacca, the three engaged in a brawl with the gamblers until the Espos arrived. Cross used his diplomatic immunity to prevent their arrest, which angered the local security forces. Ambassador Vorlin's aide, Emesh Nar, met Cross and escorted him to the Imperial embassy to prepare for a party later that night.

At the party, Cross met the ambassador. Vorlin departed, leaving Cross with Nar. During their conversation, Nar attempted to determine the reason for Cross's presence in the Corporate Sector and warned him to stay away from the Starks. Cross responded that he would fulfill his duty to the Empire and reminded Nar that he also served the Empire. After Nar left, Cross sent IN-GA 44 back to his room to monitor communications, while he remained at the party to gather information. Cross noticed Elli Stark being harassed by a man named Verpel and intervened, pretending to be her fiancé to deter Verpel. This led Elli Stark to discuss her family and situation with Cross. When her brother, Iaclyn Stark, approached, she excused herself, feigning a headache. Iaclyn warned Cross not to interfere with his business and left angrily. This attracted the attention of Dah'lis Stark, who expressed interest in the Imperial agent and invited him to the Stark Compound to continue their conversation. Once there, she disrobed and entered a water bath while discussing the Eclipse and the death of her husband, Iaco Stark, with Cross. She invited Cross to join her, which he accepted. Unbeknownst to them, Iaclyn was observing them.

Later, as Cross and Dha'lis were talking, Iaclyn ambushed Cross and stunned him. When Dha'lis questioned his actions, Iaclyn stated that she had been too talkative and killed her. As Cross regained consciousness, he found himself surrounded by Espos. Lieutenant Dakka Fasser explained the murder charge against him, while Sergeant Myrsk handcuffed him. Cross claimed he was framed and attempted to assert his diplomatic immunity, but Nar had already declared him a rogue agent and disavowed him. Elli Stark intercepted Cross and two officers as he was being escorted away, and the officers attempted to prevent them from speaking. However, Cross managed to seize a stun baton from one of the officers and escaped. He made his way to the garage and stole a speeder bike, but was intercepted by a large group of Espos in IRD-A starfighters and X10 Patrol Groundcruisers. Cross reversed his course and sped through the house in search of another escape route. Myrsk attempted to shoot him down, but Elli Stark prevented him, stating that the bike was worth more than the officer's salary for ten years. Cross crashed through a large window and escaped, but was pursued by several IRD-As. As he fled, he contacted IN-GA 44 for information on Nar and Iaclyn Stark. During her briefing, the droid was struck by an ion blast from Iaclyn and disabled. He instructed Emesh Nar to pack up the droid and have her shipped to Eclipse.

Cross attempted to evade his pursuers, but was struck by a laser blast. He jumped from his speeder bike as it flew over a waterfall and safely dove into the pool below as the speeder bike crashed into the rocks and exploded. An hour later, Fasser, Myrsk, and Dimity examined the area. Fasser demanded proof that Cross had died in the crash and ordered the other two officers to find it. Myrsk suspected that Cross was still alive and followed a hunch that Han Solo might know something. He confronted the smuggler in the Millennium Falcon and demanded to know Cross's whereabouts. When Solo responded sarcastically, Myrsk punched him. Chewbacca roared in anger, but Solo calmed his co-pilot and forced Myrsk to apologize. After the Espos left the ship, Cross emerged from the secret compartments hidden in the Falcon's floors. Cross attempted to hire Solo to fly him to Reltooine to investigate, but Solo refused without payment. After borrowing a shirt and a blaster, Cross departed, promising to provide the credits upfront. Chewbacca expressed concern that Cross might be double-crossing them, but Solo assured him that he had known Cross since the Academy and that he would honor his promises. In Emesh Nar's quarters at the Imperial embassy, Nar returned home expecting to find his date in bed, but instead found Cross. At blasterpoint, Cross demanded the credits that Nar had obtained through illegal activities. When Nar called Cross a common thief, Cross struck him and declared that he was an agent of the Empire and Nar was a traitor. Nar denied having any money, but Cross kicked him and demanded that he open the safe hidden behind a painting. When Nar complied, he grabbed a blaster hidden in the safe and attempted to shoot Cross. He missed, and Cross returned fire, killing Nar.

After killing Nar, Cross raided the safe and established a connection with Armand Isard. While waiting for the connection, he went to the room where he had locked Nar's date, Dawn. He compared her to his sister Jens and compassionately told her to leave and deny seeing anything for her own safety. She left, and Cross contacted Isard via holocomm. Cross explained the situation, informing his superior that he had not killed Dah'lis and revealing Nar's role. Cross informed Isard of Nar's death and stated that he would continue his investigation. Isard warned him that he had better find something or he would be better off dead. Inspired by this threat, Cross decided to fake his death to evade the Espos. While Myrsk and Dimity watched the spaceport, Cross stole the shuttle from the Imperial embassy and attempted to escape. Myrsk ordered the shuttle to be forced down or shot down. Two K-222 Aero-Interceptors followed Cross into the air and fired at him to prevent his departure. He dove down and back into the city, attempting to evade his pursuers. He entered a mag-lev train trench to avoid ground fire and was followed by Bloodcarver Leader. Cross set his ship on a collision course with a mag-lev train and ejected right before the impact, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the train and Bloodcarver Leader. Cross used a set of parawings to glide away from the crash scene unnoticed. Despite the devastation, Myrsk still believed that Cross was alive.

Cross made his way back to the Stark Estate and broke into Elli's room. He woke her and asked her for more information. She agreed to help Cross access Iaclyn's account in exchange for passage back to Coruscant. They discovered that Iaclyn was currently at the Eclipse and that all of the Stark family finances were tied up in the project, despite the fact that it should have been completed long ago. Iaclyn's droid, Majordomo, was spying on them and reported back to Iaclyn. He instructed the droid to kill Cross and prevent Elli from coming to the Eclipse. The droid attacked, knocking Elli to the floor. Cross was grazed by Majordomo's fire but managed to destroy the droid. Stark and Cross made their way to the Millennium Falcon to be transported to Reltooine. During the trip, Cross was treated by Elli for his wounds and explained his life and dedication to the Empire. Elli was touched by his story and they shared a kiss.

Upon arriving at Reltooine, the station hailed them and warned them not to approach. Elli contacted the station, requesting authorization to land, but was denied. Cross had Solo hover briefly above a landing platform, allowing him and Elli to disembark before the Falcon was attacked by several modified vulture droids. Cross and Elli entered the space station, and Cross briefed Elli on his plan to recover IN-GA 44, discover the nature of Iron Eclipse, and either kill or capture Iaclyn. Elli warned him not to kill her brother, but Cross made no promises. When they found Iaclyn, Cross ordered him to surrender. When Iaclyn refused, Cross aimed his weapon at him, which angered Elli, who aimed her weapon at Cross. During this standoff, Iaclyn issued protocol five to all the droids and ordered them to kill Cross. Cross was quickly overwhelmed but was saved when Elli begged Iaclyn not to kill him. After Iaco Stark killed Iaclyn, Cross managed to grab a piece of scrap metal and attack several droids, creating an escape route for him and Elli. When they reached the door to the outer corridor, Cross discovered IN-GA 44 waiting for them. He ordered her to cover their escape, but she refused due to the modifications Iaclyn had made to her.

Cross attempted to evade IN-GA 44's blaster fire, while Iaco watched and explained his plan to use the Iron Eclipse virus to take control of all droids and rule the Galaxy. Cross realized that the directive to protect him was too deeply ingrained in IN-GA 44 and ordered her to kill Iaco instead. The conflicting orders caused her to pause, and Cross used this opportunity to suggest that by destroying the space station, she could fulfill both commands. As she fled, Iaco ordered all the other droids to stop and began to personally attack Cross. The agent told Elli to proceed to the landing pad and contact Solo while he fought Iaco. Cross managed to climb onto Iaco's droid body and used a force bar to attack him. He then grabbed a welding tool, ignited it on a cargo sled full of fuel cells, and launched it at Iaco. The resulting explosion toppled the droid body and eliminated Iaco as a threat.

Cross met Elli at the landing bay as the space station's replusorlift engines were destroyed, and they managed to leap to safety aboard the Falcon. However, Iaco had survived the explosion and followed them onto the Falcon. Cross took control of the dorsal quad laser cannon and blasted Iaco in the face, causing the droid body to fall to the planet below. IN-GA 44 then contacted Cross, stating that she was trapped on the falling space station. It was too far into the planet's atmosphere for the Falcon to safely return, but Solo suggested that they might be able to grab her with a tractor beam. Cross refused, fearing that she might still be infected with the Iron Eclipse virus. He realized that she could be dangerous and did not want to risk the virus falling into the Empire's hands. The Millennium Falcon left the planet and returned to Etti IV. Cross and Elli retired to a cabin, discussed their future, and shared a passionate kiss.

Cross was ultimately dispatched to his homeworld of Alderaan with orders to assassinate Count Adan Dooku of Serenno, who was scheduled to attend the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration commemorating the establishment of the Alderaan Ascendancy Contention. House Borgin of Serenno sought to seize power from House Dooku and collaborated with the Galactic Empire to ensure Dooku's demise and the subsequent installation of Rodas Borgin as a regent ruler; however, this crucial detail was intentionally omitted from Cross's mission briefing, leading him to believe that Dooku was simply deemed a threat by the Empire. To accomplish the task, Cross was provided with a unique set of Mandalorian armor and a jetpack that would dissolve upon contact with water.

Cross infiltrated the gathering, feigning a desire to reconnect with old acquaintances, notably Bail Organa and his daughter, Leia. When Organa led Dooku to a secluded, windowed chamber away from the festivities for a confidential discussion, Cross seized the opportunity. From a rooftop across from the Count's location, he eliminated Dooku with a single, well-aimed shot to the heart using a long-range rifle. Donning his Mandalorian armor as a disguise, Cross then fled into the swamps, pursued by Dooku's chief of security, Candra Tymon. Although Tymon managed to land a shot on Cross, his armor successfully deflected the impact. Cross discarded the armor within the swamp, where it rapidly dissolved, erasing any trace of his presence. He skillfully returned to his hotel suite before his absence was even noticed.

Three days later, agent Ysanne Isard exposed the true nature of Cross's mission, revealing that Dooku had actually been a moderate supporter of the Galactic Empire and posed no immediate threat to its objectives. Shortly thereafter, her father, Armand Isard, briefed Cross on his subsequent assignment: ensuring Rodas Borgin's appointment as the regent of Serenno. Cross questioned the morality of such an arrangement, arguing that such corruption was precisely what had led to the downfall of the Galactic Republic. Isard instructed Cross to execute his mission without hesitation, warning that his only other option was to resign.

Five days following Adan Dooku's demise, the prominent Serenno families convened conferences to select a regent to govern in Bron Dooku's stead until he reached adulthood. As an official envoy of the Empire, Agent Cross received an invitation to these usually exclusive deliberations. Despite his assignment to secure Rodas Borgin's regency, Cross resolved to safeguard the child of the man he had assassinated. The primary negotiator at these gatherings was Cross's father, Davim, who harbored skepticism regarding Cross's supposed lack of involvement in Count Dooku's death. After the initial meeting, Cross engaged in a conversation with Rodas Borgin and his head of security, Hovus Jorrick. When asked what unique value he brought compared to Jorrick, Cross demonstrated his combat prowess by instructing the Klatooinian security guard to shoot him. Before the Klatooinian could discharge his weapon, Cross swiftly disarmed and incapacitated him with several strikes from his pistol. Convinced of Cross's capabilities, Borgin entrusted him with the narrative of the "Cleansing of Serenno," while Cross disclaimed any close relationship with his father, Davim. Borgin had been compelled to murder his own father by the Sith Lord Darth Vader.

The subsequent round of meetings unfolded aboard the Dooku airship, the Windrunner. During the negotiations, the airship came under attack from a pirate vessel known as the Bloodskull. Commanded by Vex, who was employed by Rodas Borgin, the pirates sought to abduct Bron Dooku. Numerous pirates boarded the Windrunner using cables, engaging the airship's security team while Vex stealthily seized Bron. After a hand-to-hand confrontation with the Gotal, Ramchak, Cross pursued Vex to her airship and took control of one of the turbolasers mounted on the deck. He blasted a hole in the hull, inflicting critical damage to the ship, and continued his pursuit of Vex, who escaped in a dropship. After commandeering a dropship himself, the airship succumbed to its structural damage and exploded. Cross contacted the local spaceport facility before landing, alerting them to the arrival of a woman holding a boy hostage. Upon Vex's arrival at the spaceport, Cross promptly apprehended her, informing her of the imminent arrival of the authorities. He disabled the dropship's consoles with his blaster rifle to prevent her escape. Enraged, Vex attempted to kill Cross with her bayonet, but he swiftly disarmed her. When Cross demanded to know who had hired her, Vex stated that she would only reveal the information if Cross saved her from the authorities' prison. They sealed the agreement with a kiss, and Vex feigned unconsciousness to mislead the authorities, who promptly arrested her and incarcerated her in a maximum-security prison known as "The Spike."

Cross reached out to Alessi Quon to procure details regarding "The Spike." Quon furnished the schematics and security layouts of the facility. Subsequently, Cross infiltrated The Spike, disguised as an elderly droid maintenance worker, and proceeded to the central location where all power cables converged. He sabotaged the power supply using a Baradium-core thermal detonator. With that accomplished, Cross made his way to the guard quarters, where he subdued a guard and appropriated his uniform. He entered Dunn's cell, activated the detonator, and exploited the resulting power outage to disable the remaining guard and liberate Dunn. Cross instructed Dunn to don the guard's uniform so they could navigate their way out of the prison amidst the riot triggered by the power failure.

During their escape, the pair encountered Tymon, who recognized Dunn. Before the security chief could raise an alarm, Cross incapacitated her with the butt of his weapon. Cross and Dunn used her body as a shield to facilitate their escape from the prison. Once they had successfully escaped, they shared a kiss, and Cross inquired about the identity of Dunn's employer. She revealed that it was Rodas Borgin. Cross confronted Rodas, who disclosed that his intention was to thwart the kidnapping and be appointed Regis. Cross criticized the plan, prompting Rodas to strike him, belittling him and asserting that Cross was in no way his equal. Upon returning to his shuttle, Cross contacted Director Isard, who informed him that Cross was being removed from Serenno at Rodas's request and had 32 hours before a fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers arrived to resolve the matter of Serenno's leadership.

Later that evening, Cross located Tymon, who was drinking at the Diner Port cantina near the Serenno spaceport. She confided in Cross that she had been dismissed due to her failure to protect Bron and Vex's escape from prison. When Cross revealed that he was responsible for Vex's liberation, Tymon became enraged and tackled him through the cantina window. They engaged in a brawl in the street until Cross managed to subdue her. He explained that he needed her assistance to protect Bron from Borgin, and the security chief calmed down upon realizing that Cross had the young boy's best interests at heart.

The following day, Cross met with his father to voice his concerns regarding Bron's safety. The elder Cross suggested that if Jahan could furnish evidence of Borgin's plot to kill the young Count, it might save him. Jahan was unable to do so but did ascertain the location where Borgin was concealing Bron. He and Tymon then utilized a bongo to travel to the underwater retreat, infiltrating it by swimming to the docking pool. They navigated through the air ducts to Bron's room, where Cross disabled the MK 8001 Attendant Droid that was guarding the young Count. Upon returning to the docking pool, Cross commandeered a Manta subfighter to divert the security forces while Tymon and Bron swam back to the Bongo. Cross flew into the Demurra Trench, attempting to lead Borgin's forces on a fruitless chase, but the Bongo was spotted. Jorrick realized they were pursuing a decoy and departed with two other Mantas to intercept the Bongo. Cross managed to destroy the Mantas pursuing him and rushed to assist Tymon when her ship came under attack. He destroyed two of the Mantas, and Jorrick was ordered to retreat by Borgin, fearing that Count Bron might be accidentally killed in the crossfire. Cross, Tymon, and Bron reached the seaport and were confronted by Boba Fett as they were changing into dry clothes.

At blasterpoint, Boba Fett demanded that Cross surrender Bron but was interrupted by the arrival of Jorrick and a contingent of guards. While Fett engaged the guards, Cross and Tymon took Bron and sought cover behind some packing crates. They shared a kiss, and Cross instructed Tymon to take Bron to the spaceport while he remained behind to buy them more time. Cross ambushed Jorrick, seized his blaster, and shot him in the stomach. He instructed the Klatooinian to stand down, as there was nothing more he could do. Cross then climbed onto some crates and flanked the security personnel who were attacking Fett. With all opposing forces eliminated, Cross confronted Fett and attempted to delay his departure. Fett shot the blaster from Cross's hand and turned to leave. Cross knocked him down, and Fett fired his Wrist rocket at him, knocking Cross down. Fett warned Cross not to interfere with his bounty and stole a speeder to pursue his target. Cross followed him, also stealing a speeder.

Upon arriving at the spaceport, Cross rammed Fett's speeder with his vehicle. Both men were knocked to the ground, and Cross attacked Fett with a pipe, knocking his helmet off. Not wanting to lose his target, Fett kicked Cross and fired the missile from his jetpack, which was equipped with an ion charge, at the shuttle that Tymon was leaving on. When the missile hit the ship, it exploded and killed all on-board. Cross demanded to know what Fett had done, and when Fett explained that his missile wouldn't have destroyed the shuttle, Cross suggested that Fett had been setup.

Later, Cross met with Rodas Borgin and explained how he fooled Fett into thinking that Borgin had set him up. Cross informed Rodas that a new Count of Serrenno had been chosen and that Rodas' son, Pero, had approved and was named the new head of the House of Borgin. Cross told Rodas that Fett would surely kill the man who double-crossed him, and Rodas was then shot in the head by a sniper rifle.

Cross possessed a strong sense of honor and justice, fully committed to his duties and proud to serve the Empire, believing it to be the sole force preventing galactic chaos. He readily accepted aliens and droids, holding high regard for aliens serving the Empire. The ghosts of his past haunted him, especially the deaths of his mother and sister during the Battle of Coruscant.

He was exceptionally skilled in armed and unarmed combat, as well as piloting. He was keenly observant and adept at subtlety, though he was prepared to fight when necessary.

Jahan Cross serves as the central character in the Star Wars: Agent of the Empire comic series, written by John Ostrander, illustrated by Stéphane Roux, and published by Dark Horse Comics. Ostrander initially envisioned the series as "James Bond meets Star Wars," drawing significant inspiration from the iconic fictional spy James Bond in Cross's development. Ostrander's extensive knowledge of spy fiction and espionage films also led to Cross being influenced by characters and franchises such as Jason Bourne, The Secret Agent, Mission: Impossible, and the works of John le Carré.

Ostrander believed that Star Wars and the espionage genre were a natural fit, allowing for a charismatic, roguish protagonist within a narrative filled with action, humor, exotic locales, formidable villains, advanced technology, and alluring women. Ostrander envisioned Agent of the Empire as Star Wars with a "Bond-ian feel—one part Star Wars and one part spy thriller," with Cross as the focal point. Dark Horse promoted the character as Bond-esque, with their summary of Agent of the Empire's Agent of the Empire – Iron Eclipse 1 proclaiming "Move over, James Bond; there's a new secret agent in the galaxy." It also featured the line "The name's Cross. Jahan Cross," echoing Bond's famous catchphrase.