User:ToRsO bOy/Dalab

"You're not like any code-slicer I've ever met.''" "''I'm better."

- Garik Loran to Eurrsk Thri'ag

Eurrsk Thri'ag, nicknamed Grinder, was a Bothan slicer and pilot on the verge of washing out from the New Republic armed forces. In 7 ABY, Thri'ag agreed to try out for a new squadron Commander Wedge Antilles was forming. After a series of interviews and flight simulations, he was among the ten pilots selected to be part of the starfighter commando group Wraith Squadron. Thri'ag served as the squadron's code slicer and unofficial prankster.

Having gone through training under Antilles and Wes Janson&mdash;Antilles's executive officer&mdash;Thri'ag performed several missions with the Wraiths, most notably in helping the evacuation of Folor Base, and later, the capture of the CR90 Corvette Night Caller. The Wraiths then posed as the Night Caller's crew while systematically destroying Warlord Zsinj's assets and companies in a series of missions. Thri'ag was killed in the Battle of Ession while attempting to assist wingmate Falynn Sandskimmer in destroying the Star Destroyer Implacable. Thri'ag lost control of his starfighter due to hitting some debris while making his escape. When he finally regained control he was then hit by a turbolaser beam.

Joining Wraith Squadron
"Eurrsk Thri'ag, whom most of you have met as Grinder, is our code-slicer."

- Wedge Antilles introducing Eurrsk Thri'ag

In 7 ABY, Eurrsk Thri'ag was one of the many pilots who applied for famed New Republic pilot Wedge Antilles's new squadron. One of the criteria for the applicants was pilots who were in the verge of washing out, or had marks in their service records. Upon his acceptance of the invitation to try out, Thri'ag was sent to Folor Base&mdash;a New Republic training base on Commenor's moon of Folor&mdash;for training and managed to pass the simulation tests, placing eight out of the ten pilots chosen.

Temporarily designating the squadron as Gray Squadron, Antilles informed the new pilots that it was their secondary skills that earned them their places in the squadron; in Thri'ag's case his code slicing skills. Thri'ag became the squadron's official slicer and received the designation of Gray Four, eventually being paired with the female from Tatooine Falynn Sandskimmer, as the squadron continued its training under Antilles.

Shortly after receiving the squadron's official name of Wraith Squadron, which was suggested by the squadron's intrusion expert Tyria Sarkin, Antilles announced that they would begin their training for hyperspace skills and accuracy in navigational plotting. The Wraiths were individually tasked to create a three-stage course to a place nicknamed Doldrums, then a two-stage course back to Folor Base. Two hours after being handed the assignment, the Wraiths were about to jump to hyperspace when the squadron's communications expert, the Mon Calamari Jesmin Ackbar, started receiving transmissions on an Imperial channel. Postponing the training exercise, Antilles ordered the Wraiths to stand by and be useful while he informed Folor Base of the situation. Hoping to distinguish himself, Wraith demolitions expert Kell Tainer asked Thri'ag to slice into Commenor's official computer system. Tainer had Thri'ag search for new mobilizations of government forces; recent reservations for ship berths prioritized for military ships and hyperdrive-equipped shuttles; sudden hotel and resort reservations; as well as astronomical data in the area. In just a few minutes, Thri'ag discovered that a private yacht named Implacable was directed to Orbital Spaceyard 301&mdash;the largest service berth on the planet&mdash;and was given permission to conduct military exercises in the area. Antilles recognized the ship's name as an Imperial-class Star Destroyer commanded by Admiral Apwar Trigit, who went over to Warlord Zsinj after Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard died. Due to the actions of Thri'ag and Tainer, Folor Base was able to set up its defenses and prepare for evacuation. Thri'ag and the rest of the Wraiths provided cover for the fleeing transports before jumping into hyperspace for Doldrums.

Before reaching Doldrums, the Wraiths and their shuttle the Narra were pulled out of hyperspace by the gravity well projector of an empion mine, an type of weapon capable of disrupting hyperspace travel. Aside from pulling them out of hyperspace, the mine disabled some of the Wraith's X-wings&mdash;which included Thri'ag's&mdash;as well as shorting out the memories of all their astromech droids. Antilles ordered the Wraiths to land and make repairs on the planet Xobome 6, the only nearby planet with an atmosphere. After Thri'ag's X-wing was repaired, he helped assemble a crude vehicle&mdash;later dubbed as the Lunatic&mdash;in order to infiltrate the Imperial ship that would eventually arrive in the system. Thri'ag worked with the Wraith's Gamorrean pilot Voort saBinring in programming the R2 unit and control datapad installed in the Lunatic to better guide its trajectory. Some time later, a modified CR90 corvette named Night Caller arrived in-system under the command of Captain Zurel Darillian, a subordinate of Zsinj temporarily assigned to Trigit. Night Caller tractored the Lunatic into its hold, not knowing that saBinring was inside its hidden compartment armed with a stripped down X-wing laser canon. saBinring managed to fight his way through the Night Caller's bridge and commandeer the ship, thereby allowing the Wraiths to escape the Xobome system. However, instead of returning to a New Republic system, Antilles acted on his own initiative and began an undercover operation with the Wraiths posing as the Night Caller's crew, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike at Zsinj.

Night Caller charade
"Ladies, gentlemen, I'm acting on my own initiative and sending off a request that High Command approve my new plan. Which is this: We've just become crewmen in Warlord Zsinj's fleet... and we're going to do his bidding until we can find a way to strike at him."

- Wedge Antilles

After rendezvousing with a New Republic force on Doldrums, where the Wraiths received additional supplies as well as Admiral Ackbar's approval to continue their mission, Thri'ag got into an altercation with fellow pilot Sarkin. Being on the bottom rankings of the squadron, Sarkin trained tirelessly on the X-wing simulator to improve her skills. Thinking that he might be able to help, Thri'ag offered to slice into Sarkin's simulator records and improve her scores. Owing to a previous traumatic experience where her simulator scores were altered, Tarkin physically lashed out on Thri'ag and had to be restrained by Tainer and Phanan. Enraged, Thri'ag challenged Tarkin to a fight but was stopped when Antilles and his executive officer Wes Janson arrived on the scene. Thri'ag and Tarkin were ordered to Antilles's office where they were interrogated by their commanding officer as to what caused the fight. Thri'ag explained that he offered to do something unethical for Sarkin as a "joke", completely omitting the fact that he offered her his help to cheat. Sarkin took the brunt of the punishment by also withholding Thri'ag's offer. As a result, Thri'ag received a minor admonition from Antilles while Sarkin was disciplined by having her X-wing transferred to Phanan, whose own X-wing was destroyed during the Night Caller's capture.

One of their first missions posing as the Night Caller's crew was destroying a transparisteel product factory on the planet Xartun. Loran disguised himself as an Imperial lieutenant and met with planetary officials while inspecting the factory. The rest of the Wraiths hid in a nearby glade and studied the data sent to them by a hidden camera in Loran's hat. By nightfall, the Wraiths infiltrated the factory under the command of Tainer. Thri'ag in particular was responsible for spotting a hidden security measure that would have compromised the operation, as well as slicing into the factory's hangar doors to open them. While Tainer was planting explosives, the Wraiths were attacked by security probe droids. The Wraiths managed to destroy all of the probe droids and escaped the factory by commandeering a cargo skiff.

A day after the mission, the Wraiths met in the Night Caller's conference room for debriefing. They came to the conclusion that Zsinj was setting up a secret financial empire to support his flagship the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Iron Fist, as well as setting up cells in different systems similar to a resistance movement. In light of this information, Antilles assigned Thri'ag to look into Night Caller's records for all the planets the ship visited under Darillian's command. Once the Night Caller&mdash;with the Wraiths secretly aboard&mdash;visits the planet again, Thri'ag was to slice into the planetary records and look for any properties that were recently switched or transferred. The Wraiths would then investigate and destroy the properties if Zsinj turns out to be the new owner.

The Wraith's next stop was the planet Belthu, where Thri'ag correctly identified two contacts of Zsinj. Unidentified Company president (Belthu) and Unidentified Mining company chairman (Belthu)

Battle of Ession
He successfully navigated his X-wing into the Implacable's interior and destroyed its main power cells. While making his way out of the doomed ship, his X-wing hit a piece of wreckage and he temporarily lost control of the starfighter.

Legacy
"Something is in the power cell section. Methodically destroying every cell. We've already lost computer backup power. In ten minutes, maybe less, we're going to lose all main power, and that's the end of Implacable, even if every one of those Rebel pilots dies."

- Gara Petothel

Due to Thri'ag and Sandskimmer's daring actions in the battle of Ession, the Implacable was forced to surrender due to the lost of its main power cells, thereby preventing further loss of lives on both sides. Thri'ag's callsign, Wraith Four, was later assumed by new Wraith pilot Dia Passik and his role as the squadron's code slicer was assumed by another new Wraith recruit, Castin Donn.

Personality and traits
"Practical jokes. A ridiculous waste of time."

- Eurrsk Thri'ag

A practical joker, Thri'ag utilized his slicing skills not only for missions, but also in pulling pranks at the expense of his squadron mates.

Talents and abilities
"Is he actually any good at this? I've never seen his record. Never heard of him before joining the Wraiths.''" "''I don't know. But he was good enough for Commander Antilles to pick him"

- Ton Phanan and Kell Tainer regarding Eurrsk Thri'ag's slicing skills

Behind the scenes
Eurrsk Thri'ag was a character created by author Aaron Allston for his novel X-wing: Iron Fist, the second novel in the Wraith Squadron Trilogy. Thri'ag made his only appearance in said novel. He was illustrated by Star Wars artist Scott Roller in the article Who's Who in Rogue Squadron, which appeared in Star Wars Insider 59.

Appearances

 * X-wing: Wraith Squadron
 * X-wing: Iron Fist
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge