Lensi

Lensi, a male Duros, was in his youth when the galaxy was plunged into a widespread war. In 25 ABY, an alien species originating from beyond the galaxy, known as the Yuuzhan Vong, invaded the galaxy, obliterating entire worlds and driving entire species to extinction. One year into this invasion, the Yuuzhan Vong fleets reached Lensi's homeworld of Duro and seized control of the planet in a major battle. By 26.5 ABY, Lensi had earned his place as a pilot flying a starfighter in Rogue Squadron, one of the most celebrated units of the New Republic Defense Force's. Flying under the call sign of Rogue Twelve within Three Flight, one of the squadron's three groups of four, the Duros sought to avenge his people against the Yuuzhan Vong and reclaim his lost homeworld.

Although attempts to retake Duro were still some years away, Rogue Squadron was not only assigned to defensive operations. In 26.5 ABY, the Bothan Admiral Traest Kre'fey organized an attack on the Julevian system, where it was believed that a Yuuzhan Vong gravitic superweapon was under construction. This information had been provided to Kre'fey by Lensi's superior officer, Gavin Darklighter, who was relying on the reconnaissance of Jedi Master Kyp Durron. At the time, there was a fragile truce with the Yuuzhan Vong, making Kre'fey's mission unauthorized by the New Republic government. Nevertheless, Lensi and his fellow pilots were informed that they would enter the Julevian system and clear the way for Kre'fey's capital ships before engaging the Yuuzhan Vong superweapon. The Duros pilot's wingmate, Rogue Eleven, was the Jedi Jaina Solo, whom Lensi encountered during the final briefing for the mission.

Rogue Squadron emerged from hyperspace within an asteroid field composed of the remnants of the planet Sernpidal, which had been destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong at the beginning of the conflict. Yorik-et starfighters, patrolling the asteroid field, engaged Lensi and his fellow pilots. While Rogue Leader Gavin Darklighter led One Flight to attack a Yuuzhan Vong warship, the rest of the squadron continued to engage in dogfights with the yorik-et starfighters. Lensi was led into battle against eight Yuuzhan Vong starships by Three Flight leader Major Alinn Varth and was reprimanded for his arrogant approach before the battle began. Lensi was able to defend his wingmate, Solo, during the ensuing combat, but was instructed to stay close to his flight rather than pursue damaged enemy ships, as more Yuuzhan Vong starfighters arrived.

Darklighter and his flight succeeded in destroying the Yuuzhan Vong cruiser, allowing Rogue Squadron—which had lost two pilots by this point—to focus solely on the enemy starfighters. Once the remaining yorik-et had been destroyed, Lensi and the surviving pilots in the squadron regrouped. Admiral Kre'fey's task force arrived shortly after, and Rogue Squadron followed the Bothan Assault Cruiser Ralroost as it approached the Yuuzhan Vong superweapon located within the shattered remains of Sernpidal. The battle resumed, resulting in increasing losses for Rogue Squadron as Kre'fey's forces pushed through the heavily defended Yuuzhan Vong perimeter. Rogue Ten, a Twi'lek pilot, was killed during the approach, and Major Varth was soon forced to retreat. Lensi grew increasingly anxious, although the arrival of General Wedge Antilles in a starfighter provided some encouragement to the squadron.

Following Antilles, Solo, and Rogue Seven into combat, Lensi achieved several kills against the Yuuzhan Vong starfighters, which began to fight with noticeable desperation. Nevertheless, Kre'fey's task force continued to advance on the gravitic superweapon. To the pilots' surprise, the yorik-et suddenly began using ramming tactics against the New Republic forces, eliminating Rogue Seven and causing significant damage to the Ralroost and its escorts. The New Republic starfighters spread out to counter the tactic and fend off the yorik-et while Kre'fey's warships opened fire on the Yuuzhan Vong superweapon. In short order, the gravitic superweapon detonated. Victorious, Lensi and the rest of the task force withdrew from the Julevian system.

Lensi and his surviving squadron mates returned triumphantly to the Ralroost, where they celebrated in the hangar bay. However, when Jaina Solo emerged from her starfighter and slapped Kyp Durron, the surprised Duros pilot watched as a confrontation unfolded. Solo forced Durron to reveal that the "gravitic superweapon" was not what it seemed and that Lensi and his comrades had fought to destroy a half-completed worldship, which would have housed civilian Yuuzhan Vong. Lensi was shocked by this revelation, although Durron insisted that he had deceived the other pilots because any hesitation about destroying a civilian target would have hindered the pragmatic objective. The Jedi Master appealed to the sense of loss shared by many in the hangar and received cheers and praise in return, although Lensi found the experience of fighting under false pretenses unsettling and unpleasant.

During the subsequent years of the Yuuzhan Vong War, Lensi performed admirably in Rogue Squadron. The starfighter unit participated in major battles throughout the conflict, including the unsuccessful defense of Coruscant, the New Republic capital world; a rearguard action at Borleias; and routing Yuuzhan Vong fleets at Ebaq 9. As the military began to reclaim strategic star systems around the Core Worlds in preparation for retaking Coruscant, Lensi and Rogue Squadron continued to serve on the front lines. Late in 28 ABY, Lensi was pleased to learn that an attack would be launched on his homeworld of Duro, which had been conquered almost three years prior. Many Duros joined General Wedge Antilles' task force in the hope of liberating the planet. Led by Commander Yurf Col, a flotilla of warships known as Duro Squadron accompanied Antilles' fleet into battle.

Upon the operation's commencement, Antilles' fleet made slow progress in the Duro system as its warships advanced toward Lensi's lost homeworld. The young Duros pilot and the rest of Rogue Squadron fought alongside Twin Suns Squadron, another elite unit led by Jaina Solo. Within a few hours, the Galactic Alliance forces had breached the Yuuzhan Vong's outer defenses. However, by the time the Yuuzhan Vong warships defending the inner system had been mostly destroyed, almost a day had passed, and Commander Col and Duro Squadron had suffered heavy losses during the battle. When Yuuzhan Vong reinforcements began to arrive, Antilles halted his force, activated his flagship's gravity well projectors, and trapped the enemy arrivals in an interdiction field. Rogue Squadron remained in formation with Antilles' forces. Commander Col soon broke formation and drove Duro Squadron into the Yuuzhan Vong battle line, hoping to force Antilles to abandon his containment pattern and advance to Duro. Antilles ordered his forces to remain in position. Over the next hours, Duro Squadron was wiped out to the last starship; three hours later, Antilles ordered a withdrawal.

It was only after the operation had concluded that Lensi and the rest of Antilles' force learned the truth. The attack on Duro had been a diversion, intended to draw Yuuzhan Vong warships away from Fondor, another strategic world. Antilles had maintained his position and interdicted the Yuuzhan Vong warships upon their arrival, allowing General Garm Bel Iblis and his fleet to retake Fondor with minimal casualties. Believing that Duro could have been taken regardless, Lensi was appalled that the lives of hundreds of his fellow Duros had been sacrificed due to Antilles' operational secrecy and the military's strategic goals. The young pilot felt that both he and Duro Squadron had fought under false pretenses and, disgusted, decided to resign his commission, no longer wishing to serve in a military that kept its members in the dark.

Lensi went to the tapcafe where Jaina Solo and her squadron mates were drinking and threw his flight insignia on the table in front of the Human woman. To the shock and anger of Solo's fellow pilots, Lensi accused her, along with General Antilles, of betraying the Duros and leading them into battle to die for a futile cause. Lensi's words caused an uproar among Solo's pilots, but the Duros remained steadfast as Solo argued that if anyone other than Antilles had known that the strike was a diversion, the Yuuzhan Vong could have intercepted the information and responded accordingly. Despite Solo's arguments, Lensi maintained his belief that he and his fellow Duros had been used. He compared the events over Duro to what had happened at Sernpidal almost three years earlier, when Kyp Durron had deceived the New Republic forces to achieve a controversial victory. Solo remained unconvinced and advised Lensi to continue fighting, criticizing his personal involvement. Although Lensi left with his insignia, he ultimately chose to resign his commission due to the sense of betrayal he felt from serving under Antilles.

The Yuuzhan Vong were defeated months later, and Coruscant was recaptured as the galactic capital. Lensi remained separate from Rogue Squadron while the galaxy recovered from the trauma of the Yuuzhan Vong War for a decade. By 40 ABY, however, conflict was brewing again as the Corellian system threatened to secede from the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. Battle lines were drawn, and many expatriated Corellians returned to their homeworld, including General Wedge Antilles. Lensi rejoined Rogue Squadron in the early months of the year, after Antilles returned to Corellia. The Duros eventually became the leader of the elite starfighter unit.

During the Second Galactic Civil War, Rogue Squadron flew under the leadership of co-Chief of States Jacen Solo and Cha Niathal against the forces of the Confederation, a group of planets and systems that had seceded from the Galactic Alliance due to disagreements with its policies. One of the Confederation's most valuable assets was Centerpoint Station, an ancient space station with the power to induce supernovas in stars. The destruction of the Galactic Alliance Second Fleet after Centerpoint Station was fired prompted co-Chief of State Jacen Solo to launch a military strike on the space station in an attempt to capture the superweapon. Lensi was assigned to the fleet Solo assembled, and the Duros pilot led Rogue Squadron into battle.

Rogue Squadron was tasked with leading the assault on Centerpoint Station, along with a unit of elite troopers in assault shuttles. Once Lensi and his unit were ready, they communicated their preparedness to Captain Kral Nevil aboard Chief of State Solo's flagship, the Anakin Solo. After receiving the all-clear, Rogue Squadron jumped to the Corellian system. The squadron was confronted by a defense screen of Confederation warships, positioned to protect Centerpoint Station. The Galactic Alliance forces made rapid progress against the Confederation blockade, and soon, Alliance troops were boarding Centerpoint Station, with Lensi and his unit providing cover for the shuttles.

When a hostile squadron of starfighters approached Centerpoint Station, Lensi led Rogue Squadron forward to engage, flying low over the curve of the massive space station. Upon engaging the enemy starfighter squadron, Lensi and his fellow pilots found themselves in a relatively even match. Soon, the opposing squadrons had inflicted damage and kills on each other, and Lensi found himself facing Rakehell Leader, who was Wedge Antilles, the man whose actions had caused Lensi to resign his commission over a decade earlier. Unable to defeat the Corellian pilot, Lensi was shot down and killed by Antilles.

As a young starfighter pilot during the Battle of Sernpidal, Lensi was impetuous and overconfident. He was reprimanded for his arrogance and desire to pursue damaged Yuuzhan Vong starfighters instead of staying with his flight. By the time Rogue Ten had been lost and Major Varth had been forced to retreat, Lensi had lost much of his initial bravado. After the successful strike on the Sernpidal shipwomb, Lensi remained with Rogue Squadron and performed well during the war. A skilled pilot, he achieved multiple kills during the strike on Sernpidal, participated in the Third Battle of Duro, and later rose to the rank of Rogue Leader in the early stages of the Second Galactic Civil War. The Duros veteran was ultimately shot down by Wedge Antilles, one of the most accomplished pilots of his time.

Outside of the cockpit, Lensi exhibited naivety and exuberance early in his life. Triumphant after the destruction of the "superweapon," the Duros pilot had to question Durron and Solo several times before fully understanding how and why the Jedi Master had deceived the New Republic forces. The experience of fighting under false pretenses stayed with Lensi and resurfaced in 28 ABY after the Third Battle of Duro. Lensi's pride in his Duros comrades and his desire to liberate his homeworld were evident in his post-battle fury. Feeling betrayed by the New Republic military, Lensi made a gesture of resigning and confronted several of his fellow pilots before turning his back on the service entirely. The pilot showed no fear when surrounded by Solo's squadron mates, including Jagged Fel and the Wookiee Lowbacca, and remained steadfast in his beliefs throughout his encounter with Solo, although he became less confident as she continued to rebut his claims. Despite Solo's counterarguments and criticisms, Lensi remained unconvinced by her response. Believing he had been duped by Antilles, resentful of being kept in the dark, and upset by the loss of Duro Squadron in the name of strategic goals, Lensi resigned his commission.

Lensi was introduced in Gregory Keyes' The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory II: Rebirth, published in 2001 as part of the The New Jedi Order novel series. Although the 2003 novel The New Jedi Order: The Final Prophecy suggests Lensi did not resign his commission after the Third Battle of Duro, the 2008 reference title The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia states that he did in fact leave the service.