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Cracken, Airen

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Airen Cracken was born on Contruum some fifty years before the Battle of Yavin. Note that The Unifying Force indicates that Airen Cracken was seventy-five during the final stages of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the galaxy. He grew up his parent's farm, and was particulary adept at modifying and fixing machinery. He later opened a mechanic's shop, and repaired everything from landspeeders to holoprojectors. He married a Corellian woman namde Josta, and they had two children before the Empire took control of Contruum. Airen and a group of supporters took to the hills, in an effort to thwart the Imperial forces at every turn. Josta set up safehouses, while "Cracken's Crew" crippled stardocks, sabotaged mining operations, and destroyed supply depots. As the Imperial commander began spending more and more time searching for specific saboteurs, the natives of Contruum developed their own militia. A hard-fought war was begun, and in the end, the Imperial Moff pulled out rather than waste more effort trying to subdue Contruum. Cracken recognized that the Empire was not as kind to other worlds in the galaxy, and decided to leave Josta and Contruum to fight for the Alliance. He provided valuable input during the early years of the Alliance, particularly in the areas of special forces operations. His knack for modifying devices to perform auxiliary tasks made him an invaluable teacher, and his bravery in the face of Imperial foes twice earned him the Nebula award. Cracken continued to serve the cause following the Battle of Endor, and became a respected statesman and military advisor for the New Republic. He was responsible for the New Republic's position when the Rogue Squadron pilots resigned their commissions, and also negotiated the transfer of the Virulence to Booster Terrik. When the Battle of Thyferra had been decided, Cracken informed Wedge Antilles that the Rogues' resignations were never actually processed, and they could have them back if the so desired. After they trained the first group of the Thyferran Aerospace Defense Force, they returned to the New Republic and took up the mantle of Rogue Squadron again.