Ace Azzameen

"Way to go, hotshot!"

- MK-09 referring to Ace's piloting.

Ace Azzameen was the youngest member of the Azzameen family, and captain of the CEC YT-2000 freighter Otana. He was also an "ace" pilot in the Rebel Alliance, aiding in theft of the shuttle Tydirium and fighting in the Battle of Endor.

Raised at the Azzameen Home Base, Ace was a softly spoken man, barely ever saying anything and instead relying on his wits and his actions to guide him. He was very close to all of the members of his family, and was heartbroken when his father, Tomaas Azzameen was killed during the Imperial attack on a Rebel hospital near Brint-wo Colony.

Early life
He would regularly practice flying in the family flight simulator until he was old enough to start helping his family with piloting their light freighters.

First missions for the family
Following the debacle at Hoth, Antan decided that it was time to allow Ace to put his simulator skills to the test. With Aeron and Emkay guiding him, he delivered some supplies to Harlequin Station, which were to be exchanged for coolant and fuel cells for the Otana. Just as they had dropped of the supplies, however, two Viraxo Pursuer-class enforcement ships, the Enkidu and the Gilgam entered the system, and approached the station on an attack vector. The station's Director hurriedly contacted Ace and Aeron, begging them for help. Harlequin's own defensive craft, the Kouerd, had apparently been bought off by the Viraxo, leaving the station defenceless and vulnerable. Whilst Aeron was apprehensive, Emkay longed for some excitement, and Ace obliged. Attacking the Viraxo ships, the Azzameens were able to drive off the Pursuers, earning them the gratitude of the Director. With a minimum of fuss, they were then able to pick up the coolant and fuel cells, and return home. Shortly thereafter, Ace was awarded the key to Harlequin Station by Mayor Brauken, as a token of appreciation. During the mission, the pair engaged in a brief firefight with members of rival shipping company Viraxo Shipping. They emerged unscathed, but the incident prompted Ace to receive proper combat instruction from his hotheaded brother, Emon. Again, they encountered the Viraxo ship that had headed the attack on Harlequin Station, Enkidu. A powerful dislike for that ship began to stir in Ace and his faithful droid Emkay.

Following this instruction, Ace assisted his sister in scanning the contents of several stationary containers placed in deep space, serving as clandestine cargo storage for the Azzameens, as Aeron had destroyed the records database when trying to upgrade security. However, the two found their storage yards had been compromised: pirate raiders using a cargo ferry were attempting to steal a container in the second area, and a Viraxo ship was planting a container of spice in the third. After defeating the ship's escort, Ace managed to identify the ship before it escaped to hyperspace. It was Enkidu once again.

The Azzameens, tiring of the Viraxo's attacks, decided to get back at them. They repainted the spice container that had been planted on them and arranged a daring plan in which Aeron would deliver the cargo, using false transponder and manifest, to a Viraxo outpost; Ace and Emon would then use their own ships (Sabra and Andrasta respectively) to attack the station and provoke an investigation by the local Imperial garrison, who would find the spice and punish the Viraxo. However the plan backfired when Aeron became stuck in a queue and was unable to deliver her cargo before Ace and his brother arrived. Ace and Emon had no choice but to proceed with their plan and attack, it was Ace's first proper combat engagement and he, along with his brother, excelled, destroying at least 25% of the vessels around the station, including a squadron of Razor Fighters and Enkidu itself. Aeron had meanwhile attempted to dump her cargo and run, unwilling to be caught with the spice when the Imperials arrived. However the Viraxo tried to seize her ship, the Selu (temporarily renamed Venix) and succeeded in disabling it. Aeron abandoned ship and was picked up by Emon, while Ace destroyed the crippled vessel to prevent it falling into Viraxo hands.

Imperial Issues
Due to the sympathies for the Rebel Alliance much of his family held, Ace would then help acquiring bacta for the Alliance after their defeat at the Battle of Hoth. The Azzameens assembled a 'strike force' of sorts to obtain the bacta from a smuggling contact. Though the deal had been negotiated, Tomaas was glad he had brought his younger children (Aeron, Emon and Ace, flying Otana, Andrasta and Sabra respectively) along as back up, as the smugglers betrayed them and attempted to take Tomaas and Galin prisoner during the transfer. Together, the family prevailed, even destroying a Corellian Gunship. The family then tried to deliver the bacta to the Alliance, at a secret hospital facility. An Imperial Star Destroyer interrupted the transfer and destroyed the transport ship which Ace's father and eldest brother Galin were operating; the two would be presumed dead. Ace, flying Otana, fought bravely, trying to defend the platform and his family, and was reluctant to leave. Only through Emon's persistent and desperate pleas for Ace to follow did he finally escape.

With Tomaas presumed dead, leadership of Twin Suns Transport Services fell to Ace's uncle, Antan Azzameen. Making plans to flee to the Outer Rim, Antan let all of the company's employees go, and tasked his remaining family members with one final mission. Himself and Emon would go to one of the storage areas and take some supplies, while Ace and Aeron would go to the family-owned repair yard. On arrival, Ace and Aeron saw the last of the stations workers leaving in freighters. Aeron landed in one of the hangars and proceeded to take some valuables from a safe in the station; meanwhile Ace entered the other hangar to pick up a container of warheads. However, the Imperials chose that moment to seize the facility, deploying a joint Imperial-Viraxo task force to ensure the stations capture. Ace and Aeron were barely able to escape with their cargo, and their ships, intact.

Ace and Aeron returned to their home base, as they had been instructed to. Shortly after, a small force of Viraxo Razor Fighters arrived. They proved little threat to the Azzameen pair, who quickly dispatched them. Not long after, Emon arrived, alone. It turned out that Antan had been captured by the Viraxo, and he had been the only one who had known where the family was bound. Knowing the Imperials could not be far behind the Viraxo they "had just wasted", the three young siblings desperately sought a solution. They ran out of time when the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Corrupter arrived in the area. The three had only one, last ditch option left. Family friend Olin Garn had recently given Aeron the co-ordinates for the Defiance Task Force, and the family entered hyperspace, bound for that location. They took with them the ships they had been flying, Andrasta, Otana and Sabra.

Shortly after, the Galactic Empire seized the Azzameen family's holdings, including their space station which they had called home. With little options, Ace and his family contacted a Rebel task force and sought asylum.

Joining the Rebellion
With the help of his friend Olin Garn, he joined the Rebel Alliance. He first served aboard Defiance, a cruiser pinned down in the Anoat Sector. His first mission earned him respect as Ace helped destroy an Imperial convoy headed for Hoth as well as the convoy's escort ship, the Strike Cruiser Scythe. His efforts in the following campaign helped Defiance to finally escape. During this campaign, Ace managed to obtain some leave time, which he used to help his family. Firstly, he assisted Emon in rescuing his Uncle Antan from a Viraxo facility. Later, he obtained a probe droid, fighting through heavy pirate resistance, for his sister Aeron.

He was later transferred to Liberty, along with friend and wingman Olin Garn. He went on to become a significant pilot in the actions leading up to the discovery of the second Death Star's plans, stopping Imperial research on unmanned TIE Fighter variants, and the capture of the Lambda-class shuttle Tydirium, used to infiltrate the Endor Moon.

During this time, Ace was heavily involved with his family still, helping them as they gradually rebuilt their once successful business. Ace managed to combine elements of his major goals into one mission, when he stole a large shipment of warheads that the Viraxo were delivering to the Empire, these warheads were then sold to the Alliance for a bargain price. In doing this, Ace helped the Alliance by gaining a valuable supply for them, helped his family by earning them some much needed credits and hurt both of his enemies in one single strike. This action earned Ace the Alliance Civilian Battle Award.

While making preparations in the months before the Battle of Endor, the Alliance contracted Ace and his sister in a civilian capacity to find the location of a nearby pirate base. After accidentally getting the co-ordinates wrong, Emkay sent Ace to an Imperial Weapons Testing Center. A display of skillful piloting got the three of them out with nothing more than a scare. Eventually, Ace made it to the pirate base and discovered it was none other than his former home. Decisive action on the part of the Alliance, however, saw the pirates defeated and the base returned to the Azzameens. The base would also serve the Alliance.

As a final step, he also participated in the Battle of Endor as a member of the Millennium Falcon's crew, assisting Lando Calrissian. For this duty, he was awarded the Battle of Endor Hero's Medal.

Career and personal life
In the space of a year working for the Rebels, Ace had risen to the rank of General in the Starfighter Command division of the Alliance forces and earned himself nine medals, including the famous Kalidor Crescent.

Ace was respected by the Bothan Spynet who always seemed to know when he had done something worthy of their own people. Eventually, he earned an honorary membership in the Spynet, which he used to convince a stubborn Borsk Fey'lya, also a member of the faction, of the innocence of the Sullustans in the mercenary crisis just prior to the Battle of Endor.

At some point, Ace bought his own starfighter, a Z-95 Headhunter, in which he kept a stolen Stormtrooper helmet. He flew it in covert operations for the Alliance with Bandit Squadron.

Ace's love life was never successful. The first girlfriend mentioned thought of him as scum (though this was likely a case of mistaken identity with another man called Ace), his current girlfriend left him as soon as she'd heard that he had joined the Rebel Alliance, saying "I don't want to be with no stinkin' Rebel!". It seemed that his luck changed when Emon set him up with the winner of the Miss Liberty beauty pageant, "Lady Blue", but she was killed on reconnaissance duty in the Japai system before they could have their first date.

Personality
Ace was a proud, smart and adventurous person. He spent most of his youth in the family simulator, practicing to be a pilot. When his father finally allowed him to start helping with the family business' cargo operations, he jumped at the chance. He was known in the family and the Alliance for his tenacity at going after targets. He would often destroy whole wings of starfighters, entire Imperial convoys and even capital ships single-handedly. He was able to quickly change tactics in order to counter new threats to his objectives and took pride in his kills, scribing his helmet with marks to represent each capital ship/station he'd personally destroyed and kept souvenirs from his vanquished enemies. He symbolized his victories by taking trophies, such as bits of starfighter hulls from his kills, the steering wheel of K'armyn Viraxo's personal yacht, bits of an Imperial Probe droid Aeron had made into a toy and an Imperial transmitter satellite he converted into a fan for his room. One trophy nearly got him in trouble. He'd worn a flight jacket from one of the pirates who were trying to break apart the Alliance to a party on the Liberty, according to Emon, he was lucky that it didn't get him beaten up considering all the tensions that the group had caused. These trophies, his medals, as well as various gifts from family, friends and well-wishers were all kept in his room aboard the Otana.

Behind the scenes
Ace's voice is never heard in the dialogues since this would distract the player from identifying himself with the character.

In the game X-Wing Alliance, Ace is depicted to pilot the Falcon during the Battle of Endor. As in the case of Keyan Farlander (who in the game destroyed the Death Star I in the position of Luke Skywalker), the scenario was retrofitted (or retconned) so that Ace is not piloting the Falcon, but only supports Lando (whose role is assumed by the player in that mission) as one of the crew of the famous freighter.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Notes and references
Ace Azzameen