Xenon Nnaksta

"He is a fierce combatant and a reckless (as opposed to "wreck-less") driver: his companions make a point to not let him drive during missions."

- Rebel Alliance Intelligence report

Xenon Nnaksta, nicknamed Xe, was a Vodran scout, a graduate of the Galactic Outdoor Survival School and a member of both the Rebel Alliance and New Republic. Born on Vodran during the last days of the Republic, his parents perished during the Thruncan Insurrection; orphaned, he lived as a street urchin for a time before eventually finding his way to the planet Delassin VI, where he worked as a longshoreman. He proved to be skilled at his job, and was later personally selected by industry magnate Meysen Kayson to work as a laborer in a retail store. Within two years, he had been promoted to executive of the entire chain and had become a close friend of Kayson. After Kayson went in hiding from the Empire, Nnaksta took control of the Greel Wood Logging Corporation, though before long he appointed a number of regents while he attended the Galactic Outdoor Survival School for several years.

Nnaksta graduated from GOSS in 12 BBY as part of an extremely successful class, before returning to the Greel Wood Logging Corporation. However, after helping close friend and former GOSS classmate Adazian Liebke escape from Imperial authorities, he was drafted into the Rebel Alliance, serving with the Eclipse Team branch of Alliance Special Forces. He continued to serve with the New Republic after the Battle of Endor, and was one of the Republic officers targeted for assassination by the traitorous Ma'w'shiye. After evading Ma'w'shiye's efforts, he became part of a task force charged with hunting the traitor down.

Early life
Xenon Nnaksta, known simply as Xe to most, was a Vodran born on the planet Vodran during the waning days of the Galactic Republic. Early in his life, his parents were killed during what was later dubbed the Thruncan Insurrection, an urban uprising was saw the destruction of a number of Vodran cities. Nnaksta was traumatized by his parents' deaths, reportedly developing a mild case of psychosis, making him both fearless and reckless. He raised himself in the Vodran province of Kudor, living as a street urchin for a number of years, though he also spent time in the wild, steamy jungles and swamps fraught with predators and danger. Living without companions in poverty made him extremely tough and a fierce combatant, though he longed to meet and befriend other sentients.

Nnaksta eventually gained passage to Delassin VI, located near to Vodran in the Outer Rim Territories. There, he was able to find employment as a longshoreman on the docks used by the natives' primitive seafaring vessels, loading and unloading cargo, day in, day out. Nnaksta was able to find the friends he craved while working, greatly enjoying the banter and camaraderie shared by his coworkers, who were a diverse lot, consisting of Wookiees, Humans and a variety of others, as well as labor droids. Though he knew that much of the cargo he and his peers handled was illicit contraband, Nnaksta did as he was told and never questioned his instructions.

Greel Wood and GOSS
"Most of you probably came here with the idea you're going to show how tough you are, how much punishment you can endure, how fast you can light a tazrin flit. But the facts are as followed: you will be pushed beyond what your species is designed to endure; you will be taught not only how to survive in a given environment but how to thrive in that environment; you will learn not only where and how to find food and shelter in hostile conditions but how to combat an enemy in those lands. You will be taught to best a Mon Cal in the seas though you are a Silika; you will best the Wookiees when you encounter them in trees; you will learn the intricacies of zero-g survival so that even an Imperial spacetrooper will fear you. You will learn skills for every environment, every condition. You will learn the true meaning of survival. Many of those with whom you sit you will not see for weeks, if ever again. Some of you will perish. Very few of you will complete the entire course, but you will know that you have become the best you can be."

- Master Barosa Warren of GOSS, to Nnaksta and all new recruits

Eventually, sometime early in the reign of the Galactic Empire, Nnaksta was personally selected by the affluent industry magnate Meysen Kayson to work as a stockroom laborer in one of Kayson's retail outdoor fitting stores. Nnaksta impressed many with his work ethic, gaining a number of promotions, from laborer to foreman to the executive of the entire retailer chain, becoming a good friend of Kayson himself in the process, despite a difference in age of almost a century. The two both shared low opinions of the Empire, supporting the growing rebellion against Imperial rule in what ways they could. When the Empire attempted to shut down on Kayson on charges of sedition, the elderly magnate left one of his industries, the Greel Wood Logging Corporation, in the hands of Nnaksta, while Kayson went on the run. The corporation harvested the greel trees indigenous to the planets of Pii 3 and Pii 4, located in the Arkanis sector. Nnaksta in turn hired a number of pro-rebellion managerial consultants and entrepreneurs to take charge of the corporation, ensuring that they secretly diverted much of the corporations revenue to rebellion movements. After two years in charge, Nnaksta decided to take a six-year break and move onto pastures new for a time.

He enrolled in a fringe survival school known as the Galactic Outdoor Survival School&mdash;GOSS. Run by Master Barosa Warren, it taught students how to not only survive, but thrive in harsh, inhospitable environments, and few completed the whole course, all of which was conducted on Thrantin. Most who did complete the course went on the become scouts and instructors themselves. Nnaskta thrived along with his class, which was made of a dozen individuals of varied species and temperaments who complemented each other's skills perfectly, and worked exceptionally 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 himself to be talented and likable with his peers, becoming best friends with the Weequay Adazian Liebke, though he was not considered to be in the top five or so students in Twilight Class.

Twilight Class attended GOSS for almost half a decade, smashing almost all of their assignment's previous records and becoming a force to be reckoned with, either collectively or as individuals. In 12 BBY, with their training all-but-completed, they were given their graduation assignment, embarking on a tough, days-long expedition through Thratin's myriad terrain types. The twelve classmates were not permitted to use any repulsorcraft or gravitic gear or other such technology so as not to give them an advantage in their expedition. Their first hurdle was relatively simple: the group climbed down a steep clifface, descending over two hundred meters into the Turas Valley. When all of the class had reached the valley's floor, Nnaksta and Sisquoc&mdash;the group's star student and de facto leader&mdash;began hacking their way through the valley's thick vegetation, cutting a path for the others.

For four and a half days, the group continued on their trek, tussling with predators and facing harsh conditions. At some point during the expedition, Nnaksta was attacked by a large, insectoid beast known as a tripion, though fellow classmate Derembus Sitnalta was able to come to his aide fend the creature off. Eventually, way ahead of their expected schedule, the class emerged from the crashing waves of the Ninth Aquatic Zone, thoroughly exhausted. Nnaksta lay down on the beach with fatigue, while Sitnalta comlinked Zone Central, requesting that GOSS send a shuttle to their position and bring them back to headquarters. Central initially thought that something had gone awry and Sitnalta was calling for help, until the team eventually informed their instructors that they had completed the route&mdash;in 104 hours, over a day better than the previous record. A shuttle and a number of Carosite medics were sent to the Ninth Aquatic Zone to collect the jubilant Twilight Class.

Rebel agent
"Alliance commanders had no idea what led to Ma'w'shiye's heartless desertion of his friends, but he has since personally made attempts of the lives of New Republic officers Witig&hellip;Nnaksta&hellip;and Tirranna the Wookiee. Fortunately, the caliber of most of those he had attempted to assassinate has for now allowed his would-be victims to escape death."

- Airen Cracken

The class graduated with flying colors, and under the influence of Sisquoc, many eventually went on to directly join the fight against the Empire, among them Nnaksta's close friend Liebke, though the Vodran himself did not. He returned to Greel Wood Logging Corporation, working as both a manual laborer and its director. During this time, he began to make use of vibro-saws as melee weapons; though they were not intended for such use, he found it an effective and devastating weapon. Shortly thereafter, Meysen Kayson was able to use his contacts to clear his name, and returned to the fray. Almost a decade after they parted ways at GOSS, Nnaksta and his friend Liebke were reunited. Liebke, who had become an agent for the fledgling Alliance to Restore the Republic, was on the run from the Empire and arrived at Pii 3 by chance, seeking refuge. Nnaksta harbored his old friend from the authorities, and the Weequay eventually persuaded him to formally join the Alliance. Nnaksta became a pathfinder and special operative for Alliance SpecOps, barely ever leaving Liebke's side on many missions.

After becoming a lieutenant, Nnaksta joined Eclipse Team&mdash;an infamous group of Rebel scouts and operatives founded by his former GOSS colleagues. He served for a number of years, rekindling the camaraderie he 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 in the team, but not necessarily with fully intact vehicles or passengers. He and Liebke often bickered as to who got to drive on missions, and his other teammates made a point not to allow him drive on any missions. Liebke was interested in using the rough terrain of Pii 4 as a training ground for Rebel units, and a Rebel cell was ultimately established on Pii3.

Around 2 ABY, while Nnaksta and Liebke were on a mission collecting supplies for the cell on Pii 3, they were pursued by Shatras assassin and bounty hunter Ssach'thirix. Erroneously believing that Ssach'thirix was working on behalf of 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 numerous others came to their aid, and together they fought off Ssach'thirix, giving him an almighty 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 wary for any retribution from the Shatras killer.

In 2 ABY, Nnaksta worked as a pathfinder with Eclipse Team in the Sulorine sector. Because most Vodrans served their entire lives as servants and bodyguards to their Hutt masters, Nnaksta was something of an exception among his people, and he became infamous for being one of few Vodrans to openly work for the Rebel Alliance. He continued to serve for a number of years, as the Alliance triumphed over the Emperor in the Battle of Endor and became the New Republic, being promoted to lieutenant commander. However, early in the New Republic's existence, one of Nnaksta's fellow GOSS graduates and Eclipse Team member, Ma'w'shiye, went rogue, deserting his friends and killing a number of 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 survived, like most of his peers who were targeted, though the New Republic had no idea what Ma'w'shiye's motivations for the attacks were. After that, the traitorous Rebel hero disappeared, and Nnaksta and Liebke were both put on a team of his former colleagues charged with tracking him down.

Personality and traits
"Some less-than-stable individuals, such as Xenon Nnaksta, choose the vibro-saw as a close quarters weapon. While it is effective in this use, it's much better suited to cutting greel trees."

- "Gundark"

Nnaksta lived a difficult early life; after the violent deaths of both his parents, he raised himself alone in a harsh environment from a young age, during which time he grew a thick layer of skin. Rumors abounded 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 effected his ability to work in a team, and never caused any harm to his colleagues, either at GOSS or in the Rebellion. Nnaksta was described as having a kind manner about him, and he proved to be a reliable and caring friend to many of his peers, particularly Adazian Liebke, who, like Nnaksta, had suffered greatly as a youth. Liebke kept his emotions on check most of the time and opened up to few about his past, though Nnaksta was one of them. For reasons he did not disclose, Nnaksta refused to ever use blasters of any kind, preferring to use melee weapons. Due to his solitary upbringing, Xenon Nnaksta craved and needed companionship and camaraderie in his life.

Behind the scenes
The character of Xenon Nnaksta has appeared in a number of works published by West End Games. He was created by C. Robert Carey, first appearing 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, though has not appeared in Star Wars canon since.