Hail Squadron

Hail Squadron was a squadron of BTL Y-wing starfighters serving as a bomber wing within the New Republic under the command of General Hera Syndulla's Barma Battle Group. The squadron leader, known by the callsign Hail Leader, directed the squadron's operations. Initially based on Syndulla's flagship, the Lodestar, the squadron relocated to the Deliverance after the former's destruction, becoming part of the Deliverance's starfighter wing under the leadership of Commander Wyl Lark. Ragnell, a mechanic, oversaw the maintenance of Hail's starfighters.

The Y-wings of Hail Squadron were distinguished by their gold and blue stripe markings. Despite Nath Tensent of Alphabet Squadron initially harboring a dislike for the pilots of Hail Squadron, perceiving them as arrogant for their position on Syndulla's flagship, he eventually connected with them over Y-wing repair techniques, leading to a close friendship characterized by shared meals and drinks.

In the year 4 ABY, following the Battle of Endor, the New Republic launched an attack against Imperial forces stationed at the Treinhaus Citadel on Argai Minor. The Barma Battle Group dispatched Vanguard Squadron to support the ground troops, with Hail Squadron and Meteor Squadron joining the fray later. The intense combat on Argai Minor transitioned into a salvage operation. To assist with patrols and enable a New Republic salvage team to gather data from the debris, Syndulla brought in Alphabet Squadron, as New Republic Intelligence suspected the Imperial forces had received off-world logistical support. The enemy was devastated by orbital strikes. The citadel, a fortress filled with weapons, was destroyed. The battlefield was covered in speeders, troop transports, walkers, and other vehicles destroyed by Imperial guerillas. The mission was a success.

Soon after, Hail Squadron suffered significant losses when its Y-wings encountered an unidentified cruiser-carrier. The New Republic believed it was a vessel from the 204th Imperial Fighter Wing, but it was more likely an escapee from Argai Minor.

Later, Hail Squadron took part in a battle within the Haldeen sector. In this engagement, Hail Squadron, supported by Alphabet Squadron, engaged a heavily damaged Star Destroyer that had been struggling through the sector for weeks. Working together, Alphabet and Hail Squadrons delivered the final blow, destroying the enemy vessel.

During the attack on Pandem Nai, Hail Squadron played a supporting role, while Alphabet Squadron engaged Colonel Shakara Nuress and the 204th. Syndulla's fleet, including Hail, Meteor and Vanguard Squadrons, blockaded the planet to ensure nothing interfered with Caern's working group. If the 204th acted unpredictably, the fleet would respond. Alphabet Squadron successfully countered the 204th, but their actions ignited the tibanna gas, causing a catastrophic explosion that rained debris from the destroyed Orbital One onto the planet. The battle shifted into a rescue operation, with Alphabet pilots attempting to vaporize the larger debris fragments to minimize damage, while the remaining 204th forces fled.

Around 5 ABY, following the events on Pandem Nai, Hail Squadron, as part of General Hera Syndulla's Barma Battle Group, participated in a campaign within the Cerberon system. The squadron was deployed to the Troithe operation, which lasted for several weeks. Hail lost many of its Y-wing bombers at Cerberon.

Four years after the battle at Fostar Haven, General Hera Syndulla dispatched Hail and Meteor Squadrons to secure the Nadiri Dockyards following an attack by Imperial forces under the command of Captain Terisa Kerrill.

After the destruction of Hail Squadron's headquarters, the Lodestar, by the 204th over Troithe, the New Republic began utilizing captured Imperial Star Destroyers, modified for combat against the Empire. One such vessel, renamed Deliverance, was assigned to Syndulla's battle group, serving as the new base for the starfighter squadrons. Commander Wyl Lark, recently promoted, was placed in command of the Deliverance's starfighter wing, encompassing Hail Squadron, Flare Squadron, and Wild Squadron. The Deliverance's primary mission was to continue the hunt for Shadow Wing, based on intelligence suggesting the 204th was operating in the Croynar sector.

In 5 ABY, Hail Squadron, along with the rest of Syndulla's New Republic forces, participated in a heavy reconnaissance mission that took them to Midgor. They discovered an Imperial convoy that had been damaged and disabled following an attack by the 204th. Commander Wyl Lark instructed Hail and Wild Squadrons to remain back, while he led Flare Squadron to investigate. Lark contacted the convoy, and Captain Oultovar Misk of the Imperial freighter Diamond Tor surrendered and requested assistance. Lark offered New Republic aid and brought in more ships.

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

Two days after the Deliverance underwent emergency repairs following the sabotage droid attack, Syndulla's forces arrived in the Ciaox Verith system after intercepting communications that hinted at the location of the 204th's flagship, the bulk freighter Yadeez. Hail Squadron was launched, along with Flare and Wild Squadrons, but the New Republic forces were unable to prevent the 204th from escaping into hyperspace. One TIE fighter was destroyed, but Lourgh T'oknell, a pilot from Flare Squadron, was killed.

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

The third encounter with the 204th occurred after the communications 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 activated, locking onto the Yadeez. The squadrons, including Hail, were deployed to protect the tractor beam projector under the protection of the Star Destroyer's point-defense weapons. Two TIE fighters managed to penetrate the defenses, and although unable to inflict damage with their cannons, one TIE impacted the beam projector in a suicide run, destroying it and killing three crew members aboard the Deliverance. The 204th escaped again.

A few days later, another communication came through. Lacking a tractor beam, the Deliverance emerged from hyperspace deep within a uncharted system with a alphanumeric designation, filled with planetoids and debris, resulting in a surprise encounter. The Yadeez and its escorts were forced towards one of the planetoids to prevent it from jumping. Hail and the other squadrons engaged the 204th TIE fighters in a six-minute skirmish before they escaped. Two TIE fighters were destroyed with no New Republic casualties, except for a minor injury to Genni Avremif (Hail Six) when his ejector seat accidentally activated upon landing.

Syndulla's forces caught up to the 204th after they paused in the Ghonoath system to refuel one of their Raider-class corvettes. To slow down the New Republic forces and provide time for the Raider, the Yadeez and its escorts entered the atmosphere of a radioactive deathworld. The 204th deployed their TIE squadrons, leading to a battle with the New Republic starfighter squadrons. TIE/sa bombers dropped proton bombs without detonator timers to drift like mines in the planet's fierce winds, which managed to destroy two X-wings. Garl "Snapper" Lykan, a 204th pilot known to Alphabet Squadron for his Needle maneuver, was killed by a trio of X-wings. 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, and one such encounter led them to the G'Tep'Noi system, where Lark and the more agile fighters navigated through an asteroid field to find a path, while the slower fighters and bombers, such as Hail Squadron, remained back. As they approached, the 204th exposed themselves to attack as the Yadeez was leaving the asteroid field to jump to lightspeed. Lark ordered the fighters to attack, Flare and Hail Squadron moved to either side of him, while Wild prepared to flank the bulk freighter. Suddenly, Yrica Quell, former Alphabet leader and traitor, announced her allegiance to the 204th over the comm, warning the New Republic forces to withdraw or be destroyed. This was a shock to Syndulla and her forces, particularly the other members of Alphabet Squadron, because she was presumed dead at Cerberon. Quell fired at Lark and during the confusion, Quell's TIE boarded the freighter. But it was too late for Flare and Hail to reach it, and the Yadeez disappeared once again into hyperspace.

Later, Hail Squadron 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 decided to retreat to the far side of the planet, and left the New Republic and the 204th to battle it out over a couple of days.

Hail Squadron's final mission involved a stealth bombing run 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, while Flare and Wild Squadron attacked head on. As the particle tide increased to high levels, Syndulla called off the attack and the New Republic forces retreated. However, Commander Wyl Lark taunted Colonel Soran Keize into a duel, which Tensent saw as a cue to continue Hail's bombing run, while everyone was focused on the duel. As Hail approached the Raiders, one the Y-wings exploded, killing Jaith Omir (Hail Three), as the particle tide's high levels of radiation interfered with the safeties on his proton torpedoes and detonated. The Y-wing bombers managed to destroy the first Raider, losing three Hail pilots in the process, before Colonel Madrighast's Imperial-class Star Destroyer Unyielding closed in and fired openly on both sides, including the 204th's second Raider. Two more Hail pilots were hit before the second Raider was destroyed and so the 204th initiated their escape from Chadawa. Syndulla ordered the Deliverance in pursuit, which caught the attention of the Unyielding, which attacked the Deliverance. Flare and Wild Squadrons attacked the Yadeez while the Deliverance concentrated its defenses on destroying the Unyielding.

Only 4 Hail pilots survived the battle, which was roughly a third of the squadron that it had started the mission with. Hail played a massive role in saving the planet Chadawa from destruction, preventing the 204th from killing its occupants. Following the battle, Jiona (Hail Ten) approached Tensent after he landed in the Deliverance's hangar bay, and told him she saw Hail Nine had ejected when his Y-wing was blown apart by one of the _Raider_s, and insisted they go back.

Following the battle at Chadawa, Syndulla's forces joined the rest of the amassed Alliance fleet at the Battle of Jakku. Hail Squadron was present, however, there were only three working Y-wing bombers that participated. Following Lark's refusal to enter battle and taking any further life, Tensent took command and led the wing into battle. Tensent, in his own Y-wing, led the bombing runs on the Yadeez, alongside Chadic in her A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter. The starfighters from Flare and Wild Squadrons provided protection for the bombers from the 204th's TIEs, which they sufferered many casualties from. One by one, the Hail pilots died at the hands of the 204th, until only one Hail pilot, Genni Avremif (Hail Six) was left when Tensent bowed out of the battle, which he claimed was due to critical damage to his ship. Lieutenant Itina (Wild Eight) assumed leadership of the remaining fighters and Avremif continued to fight under her leadership, alongside Flare Two and Wild Seven. The battle was a decisive victory for the New Republic, and marked the end of the Galactic Civil War.

The 2019 novel Alphabet Squadron, penned by Alexander Freed, marked the initial appearance of Hail Squadron.