Flare Squadron

Serving the New Republic, Flare Squadron was a starfighter squadron forming a part of Commander Wyl Lark's starfighter wing. They were stationed on the flagship Deliverance under the command of General Hera Syndulla. Commanded by Captain Essovin, also known as Flare Leader, the squadron operated X-wing starfighters, with Lieutenant Lourgh T'oknell serving as a staff officer.

After the 204th Imperial Fighter Wing destroyed General Hera Syndulla's flagship, the Lodestar, over Troithe, the New Republic provided her with a new flagship: a refitted Star Destroyer named the Deliverance. Wyl Lark, recently promoted to Commander, was placed in charge of the Deliverance's starfighter wing, which already included Hail Squadron and Wild Squadron. Flare Squadron was added to the wing after Syndulla requested their assistance in the Hunt for Shadow Wing, taking the place of Vanguard Squadron.

In 5 ABY, Flare Squadron joined the rest of Syndulla's New Republic forces in a major reconnaissance mission to the Midgor star system within the Croynar sector. There, they encountered a damaged Imperial convoy, crippled after being attacked by the 204th. Lark instructed Hail and Wild Squadrons to remain at a distance while Flare Squadron moved in to investigate. Lark made contact with the convoy, and Captain Oultovar Misk of the Imperial freighter Diamond Tor surrendered and requested help. Lark offered assistance from the New Republic and brought in additional ships.

Flare Squadron was aboard the Deliverance during the attack by sabotage droids, which resulted in the deaths of the Deliverance's captain and one of its engineers.

Two days after the Deliverance completed emergency repairs following the sabotage droid attack, Syndulla's forces arrived in the Ciaox Verith system, acting on intercepted communications that hinted at the location of the 204th's flagship, the bulk freighter Yadeez. Flare Squadron had already launched with Lark, and later joined by Hail and Wild Squadrons. However, the New Republic forces couldn't get close enough to prevent the 204th from escaping into lightspeed. Although one TIE fighter was destroyed, Lieutenant Lourgh T'oknell, a Flare pilot, was killed.

Syndulla's forces later caught up with the 204th in the Red Yars system. Flare Squadron was deployed to intercept the Yadeez. Boyvech Toons from Hail Squadron, and Chass na Chadic, a pilot from Alphabet Squadron, were the only New Republic pilots to fire shots, but neither was in range when the 204th jumped to lightspeed.

The third encounter with the 204th occurred after the communications burst ceased and the Deliverance resumed its system-by-system search. Within hours, the 204th was located, and the Deliverance emerged from hyperspace with its tractor beam ready, managing to lock onto the Yadeez. The squadrons, including Flare, were deployed to protect the tractor beam projector under the cover of the Star Destroyer's point-defense systems. Two TIEs broke through, but were unable to inflict damage with their cannons. However, one TIE performed a suicide run, impacting and destroying the beam projector, killing three crew members aboard the Deliverance. The 204th escaped once more.

A few days later, another comm burst was received. Lacking a tractor beam, the Deliverance emerged from hyperspace deep within an uncharted system, a surprise encounter filled with planetoids and debris, designated with an alphanumeric code. To prevent it from jumping, the Yadeez and its escorts were forced toward one of the planetoids. Flare and the other squadrons engaged the 204th TIEs in a six-minute skirmish before they escaped. Two TIEs were destroyed with no New Republic losses, except for a minor injury to Genni Avremif (Hail Six) when his ejector seat accidentally activated upon landing.

Syndulla's forces caught up with the 204th after they stopped in the Ghonoath system to allow one of their Raider-class corvettes to refuel. To slow down the New Republic forces and give the Raider time, the Yadeez and its escorts dropped into the atmosphere of a radioactive deathworld. TIE squadrons were launched, leading to a battle with the New Republic starfighter squadrons. TIE/sa bombers dropped proton bombs without detonator timers, which drifted like mines in the planet's fierce winds, destroying two X-wings. 204th pilot Garl "Snapper" Lykan, known to Alphabet Squadron for his Needle maneuver, was killed by a trio of X-wings that converged on him. After the TIEs boarded the Yadeez and exited the planet's atmosphere, it jumped to lightspeed with its escorts.

Syndulla's force continued to pursue the 204th, leading to an encounter in the G'Tep'Noi system. There, Lark and the more agile fighters navigated through an asteroid field to find a path, while slower fighters and bombers, like Flare Squadron, remained behind. As they approached, the 204th exposed themselves to attack as the Yadeez left the asteroid field to jump to lightspeed. Lark ordered an attack. Flare and Hail Squadrons moved to either side of him, while Wild prepared to flank the bulk freighter. Suddenly, former Alphabet leader and traitor, Lieutenant Yrica Quell, announced her allegiance to the 204th over the comm, warning the New Republic forces to withdraw or be destroyed. This surprised Syndulla and her forces, especially the other members of Alphabet Squadron, who believed she was dead at Cerberon. Quell fired at Lark, and during the confusion, Quell's TIE boarded the freighter. But Flare and Hail were too late to reach it, and the Yadeez disappeared into hyperspace once again.

Flare Squadron later participated in a battle over the planet Chadawa, where Syndulla's New Republic forces attempted to prevent the 204th from destroying the Imperial-aligned planet as part of a second Operation: Cinder. The Chadawan government was under the protection of Colonel Madrighast's Imperial forces, who retreated to the far side of the planet, leaving the New Republic and the 204th to fight for a couple of days. Flare Squadron, alongside Wild Squadron, launched a direct attack against the 204th, while Hail Squadron was tasked with a stealthy bombing mission against the 204th's two Raider-class corvettes, led by Captain Nath Tensent, by sneaking around the planet undetected in the particle tide's radiation. When the particle tide increased to high levels, Syndulla called off the attack, and the New Republic forces, including Flare Squadron, retreated. However, Lark taunted Colonel Soran Keize into a duel, which Tensent took as a signal to continue Hail's bombing run while everyone was distracted. The Y-wing bombers destroyed the first Raider, losing three Hail pilots, before Colonel Madrighast's Imperial-class Star Destroyer Unyielding intervened, firing on both sides, including the 204th's second Raider. The second Raider was eventually destroyed, and the 204th withdrew from Chadawa. Syndulla ordered the Deliverance to pursue, which drew the attention of the Unyielding, which attacked the Deliverance. Flare and Wild Squadrons attacked the Yadeez while the Deliverance focused its defenses on destroying the Unyielding.

After the battle at Chadawa, Syndulla's forces joined the larger Alliance fleet at the Battle of Jakku, where Flare Squadron was present. When Lark refused to engage and take more lives, Tensent assumed command and led the wing into battle. Tensent, flying his Y-wing, led the bombing runs on the Yadeez, alongside Chadic in her A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter. Flare and Wild Squadrons protected the bombers from the 204th's TIEs, suffering heavy casualties. Tensent later retreated, claiming critical damage to his ship. Lieutenant Itina (Wild Eight) took command of the remaining fighters, and Flare Two continued to fight under her leadership, along with Genni Avremif (Hail Six) and Wild Seven. The battle was a decisive victory for the New Republic, marking the end of the Galactic Civil War.

Flare Squadron was first introduced in the 2021 novel Victory's Price, penned by Alexander Freed.