Ketcher

Ketcher was an Imperial Flight Officer befriended by Maarek Stele. He was a tall and physically imposing man, making his placement in the pilot corps of the Empire unusual; Stele's first impression of the man was one of amazement that he could even fit in a TIE Fighter cockpit, let alone fly one.

Ketcher was a member of a group of close-knit friends consisting of himself and fellow pilots Carith (better known as Grommet to his friends) and Alimet. All three pilots usually served in the same unit. During a series of Imperial attacks following the Battle of Hoth that culminated in the destruction of the Rebel Mon Calamari Light Cruiser Lulsla, the three met the future ace pilot Maarek Stele, who was then still a new recruit, aboard the Imperial Nebulon B Frigate Fogger and befriended him. They eventually re-united aboard the Nebulon B2 Frigate Ludwick under the leadership of Vice Admiral Thrawn.

During this tour of duty, Grommet convinced his friends to accompany him on an unauthorized trip to the ship's hangar during a visit by Thrawn. They were eventually caught and their commanding officer, Commander Buckeye, ordered them to clean a captured pirate base as punishment. During this cleaning duty, Ketcher found a small, red jewel that caught his eye. Stele cautioned him and suggested he turn it over to Imperial Command, but Ketcher insisted on keeping it and swallowed it to prevent it from being confiscated.

At the end of their tour of duty, as Stele was preparing to leave, he said his goodbyes to his friends. Ketcher, at this point, appeared to be quite ill. Stele noted that he was palid and appeared to have lost a considerable amount of weight. It is unknown if this illness was related to the red jewel Ketcher consumed. Stele bade Ketcher farewell and Ketcher weakly returned the gesture. It would be the last time Stele would see his friend alive.

Some time in between this tour of duty and the development of the TIE Defender prototypes by Grand Admiral Zaarin, Ketcher passed away, possibly from the illness that afflicted him during his tour aboard the Ludwick. This news was eventually relayed to Stele by Alimet, and both of them briefly mourned the loss of their comrade.