Xenon Nnaksta

Xenon Nnaksta, most often called Xe, was a Vodran who was born on the planet Vodran as the Galactic Republic was coming to an end. Early on, his parents were killed during the event that would become known as the Thruncan Insurrection, an uprising in the cities of Vodran that resulted in much destruction. The deaths of his parents deeply affected Nnaksta, and it is said that he developed a minor case of psychosis, which made him both fearless and prone to taking risks. He grew up on his own in the province of Kudor on Vodran, living as a street urchin for many years, though he also spent some time in the dangerous jungles and swamps that were full of predators. Living alone and in poverty made him a tough and skilled fighter, but he longed to meet and become friends with other sentients.

Nnaksta eventually managed to get to Delassin Six, which was located near Vodran in the Outer Rim Territories. There, he found work as a longshoreman on the docks used by the local people's simple ships, loading and unloading cargo every day. Nnaksta was able to make the friends he had been wanting while working, and he enjoyed the jokes and camaraderie of his coworkers, who were a diverse group that included Wookiees, Humans, and various other species, as well as labor droids. Even though he knew that much of the cargo he and his coworkers were handling was illegal, Nnaksta did what he was told and never questioned his orders.

Later, during the early years of the Galactic Empire, Nnaksta was personally chosen by the wealthy industry magnate Meysen Kayson to work as a stockroom worker in one of Kayson's retail stores that sold outdoor gear. Nnaksta impressed many people with his strong work ethic, and he was promoted several times, from laborer to foreman to executive of the entire retailer chain. He also became good friends with Kayson himself, even though they were almost a century apart in age. They both had negative views of the Empire and supported the growing rebellion against Imperial rule in any way they could. When the Empire tried to shut down Kayson on charges of sedition, the elderly magnate put one of his industries, the Greel Wood Logging Corporation, in Nnaksta's hands while Kayson went into hiding. The corporation harvested the greel trees that were native to the planets of Pii III and Pii IV, which were located in the Arkanis sector. Nnaksta then hired several pro-rebellion managerial consultants and entrepreneurs to take charge of the corporation, making sure that they secretly diverted much of the corporation's revenue to rebellion movements. After being in charge for two years, Nnaksta decided to take a six-year break and try something new for a while.

He enrolled in a lesser-known survival school called the Galactic Outdoor Survival School—GOSS. It was run by Master Barosa Warren and taught students how to not only survive but also thrive in harsh and inhospitable environments. Only a few completed the entire course, which was all conducted on Thrantin. Most of those who did complete the course became scouts and instructors themselves. Nnaksta excelled along with his class, which consisted of a dozen individuals of various species and temperaments who, according to those who saw their exercises, perfectly complemented each other's skills and worked exceptionally well 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 to be talented and likable among his peers, becoming best friends with the Weequay Adazian Liebke, though he was not considered to be among the top five or so students in the Twilight Class. His specialty was swamp terrain.

The Twilight Class attended GOSS for almost five years, breaking almost all of the record times for their various assignments and learning how to survive in harsh environments, both as a group and as individuals. In 12 BBY, with their training almost complete, they were given their graduation assignment, which involved embarking on a multi-day expedition through Thrantin's various terrain types. The twelve classmates were not allowed to use any repulsorcraft, gravitic gear, or other similar technology to avoid gaining an advantage in their expedition. Their first challenge was relatively simple: the group climbed down a steep cliff face, descending over two hundred meters into the Turas Valley. Once all of the class had reached the valley floor, Nnaksta and Sisquoc—the group's star student and de facto leader—began cutting their way through the valley's dense vegetation, creating a path for the others.

For four and a half days, the group continued their trek, battling predators and facing difficult conditions. During the Desert Zone portion of the expedition, Nnaksta was attacked by a large, insectoid beast known as a tripion, but his classmate Derembus Sitnalta was able to help him and fend off the creature. Sitnalta suffered a serious injury in the process but was able to continue. Eventually, well ahead of their expected schedule, the class emerged from the crashing waves of the Ninth Aquatic Zone, completely exhausted. Nnaksta collapsed on the beach due to fatigue, while Sitnalta used a comlink to contact Zone Central, requesting that GOSS send a shuttle to their location and bring them back to headquarters. Central initially thought that something had gone wrong and that Sitnalta was calling for help, until the team informed their instructors that they had completed the route—in 104 hours, which was over a day faster than the previous record. A shuttle and several Carosite medics were dispatched to the Ninth Aquatic Zone to pick up the jubilant Twilight Class.

The class graduated with honors, and under Sisquoc's influence, many of them eventually joined the fight against the Empire directly, including Nnaksta's close friend Liebke, though Nnaksta himself did not. Their former master instructor at GOSS, Barosa Warren, disagreed with this, and around the same time, he and Sisquoc had a falling out over a matter that neither of them ever revealed. The majority of the Twilight Class, including Xenon Nnaksta, sided with Sisquoc; Warren vowed to make them all pay for their disloyalty to him. Nnaksta returned to the Greel Wood Logging Corporation, working as both a manual laborer and its director. During this time, he began to use vibrosaws as melee weapons; even though they were not designed for that purpose, he found them to be effective and devastating. Shortly afterward, Meysen Kayson was able to use his contacts to clear his name and returned to the company. Almost a decade after they parted ways at GOSS, Nnaksta and his friend Liebke were reunited. Liebke, who had become an agent for the newly formed Alliance to Restore the Republic, was on the run from the Empire and arrived at Pii III by chance, seeking refuge. Nnaksta sheltered his old friend from the authorities, and Liebke eventually convinced him to formally join the Alliance. Nnaksta became a pathfinder and special operative for Alliance SpecOps, rarely 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 several years, rekindling the camaraderie he had 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 on the team, but not always with vehicles or passengers that were fully intact. He and Liebke often argued over who got to drive on missions, and his other teammates made it a point to prevent him from driving 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 eventually established on Pii III.

Around 2 ABY, while Nnaksta and Liebke were on a mission to collect supplies for the cell on Pii III, they were pursued by Shatras assassin and bounty hunter Ssach'thirix. Mistakenly believing that Ssach'thirix was working for 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 several 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 cautious of any retaliation from the Shatras killer.

In 2 ABY, Nnaksta worked as a pathfinder with Eclipse Team in the Suolriep sector. During this time, several 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 posed a significant threat to the Alliance. Major Sisquoc wrote an entry on Barosa Warren and GOSS, listing several individuals to whom he was a personal threat; 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 known for being one of the few Vodrans to openly work for the Rebel Alliance.

He continued to serve for several 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 members, Ma'w'shiye, went rogue, abandoning his friends and killing several 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, as did most of his peers who were targeted, though the New Republic had no idea what Ma'w'shiye's motivations were for the attacks. After that, the traitorous Rebel disappeared, and Nnaksta and Liebke were both placed on a team of his former colleagues tasked with tracking him down.

Nnaksta experienced a challenging early life. He was forced to raise himself alone in a harsh environment after the violent deaths of his parents, which caused him to develop a thick skin. Rumors circulated 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 affected his ability to work as part of a team and never caused any harm to his colleagues, either at GOSS or in the Rebellion. Nnaksta was described as having a kind demeanor, and he proved to be a reliable and caring friend to many of his peers, especially Adazian Liebke, who, like Nnaksta, had suffered greatly as a youth. Liebke usually kept his emotions in check and rarely opened up about his past, but Nnaksta was one of the few people he confided in. For reasons he did not reveal, Nnaksta refused to use blasters of any kind, preferring to use melee weapons. Due to his isolated upbringing, Xenon Nnaksta craved and needed companionship and camaraderie in his life.

Xenon Nnaksta acquired a wide range of skills throughout his life, from grenade usage to business acumen. As a street urchin living on his homeworld, he learned how to survive in harsh conditions with limited resources, becoming a skilled fighter. Under Meysen Kayson's guidance, Nnaksta learned about business, as well as various other cultures and languages. Later, at GOSS, he learned how to survive in various terrain types, specializing in swamp survival. Nnaksta considered himself to be a skilled air- and landspeeder driver and was usually able to reach a particular destination faster than most of his peers. However, many people considered his driving to be reckless. Nnaksta also possessed knowledge of basic first aid, climbing, swimming, and numerous other skills that he utilized 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 several works published by West End Games. He was created by C. Robert Carey and first appeared 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 (First mentioned)
• " The Greel Wood Haven " — Star Wars Adventure Journal 6 (First identified as Xenon)
• 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