MK-09

"That's it for the fighters. I enjoyed that."

- MK-09, after an engagement with attacking forces

MK-09, nicknamed Emkay, was a heavily modified MK-series maintenance droid. He was owned by the Azzameen family during and before the Galactic Civil War. He often accompanied Ace Azzameen during his life, acting as a receiver for different assignments given by Tomaas Azzameen, Ace's father, and other members of the Azzameen household, as well as keeping tabs on Ace's adventures. The droid flew as copilot for Ace originally during various shipping runs, and later in missions that dealt with helping the family through situations, and even the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Emkay was specially modified to fly a number of ships, including the family's YT-1300 freighters, the Selu and Sabra, as well as the more advanced YT-2000 light freighter Otana.

MK-09 was considered a very aggressive, but also very friendly, droid, with a sense for adventure and excitement. He shared the same sense of distaste against the rival Viraxo shipping company that the Azzameen family did. After the involvement of the Galactic Empire in the Azzameen's affairs, MK-09 developed a distaste for the Imperial organization as well. Emkay suggested to Ace, his sister Aeron Azzameen, and brother Emon Azzameen that they join the Rebel Alliance, citing Luke Skywalker's success at the Battle of Yavin.

After the deaths of father Tomaas and brother Galin Azzameen and Imperial nationalization of their previous home, Azzameen Home Base, and the family company, Ace enlisted into the Rebel Alliance. Once accepted and trained, Ace and Emkay were stationed aboard the cruiser Defiance and later the cruiser Liberty, where the droid remained mostly idle until pressing family matters put him back into the action he preferred. MK-09 also assisted the Rebel Alliance by participating in the mission to steal the Lambda-class T-4a shuttle Tydirium, and even the pivotal Battle of Endor.

Early life
"Greetings, Ace! Come aboard! I have much to talk to you about."

- MK-09

By early 3 ABY, MK-09 served mainly under Ace Azzameen. His services to Ace included acting as a copilot, as well as maintaining Ace's histories and e-mail service. MK-09 was an instrumental part of Ace Azzameen's training and later in his service to the Azzameen's company, Twin Suns Transport Services.

Family training
Soon after the Battle of Hoth, the droid flew as copilot for Ace's first official delivery to Harlequin Station in the YT-1300 light freighter Sabra. There, the two, along with Ace's sister Aeron Azzameen, who was helping instruct the young Azzameen in the Selu, dropped off the packages and prepared to leave. However, before they could do so, they encountered the Viraxo, a rival transport company, attacking the station. The two ships responded to Harlequin Station's distress calls and chased off the attackers, which led to increased friction between the two companies.

Later, MK flew as the main pilot in the Sabra once again for Ace's gunnery combat training with Ace's brother Emon Azzameen in his ship, the Firespray-class starship Andrasta. He was also present when Ace and Aeron went through a routine inspection of Azzameen assets, where the trio discovered that the Viraxo was planting spice in cargo canisters. Here, MK-09 utilized some of his combat techniques to chase off pirate forces, along with the two Azzameen siblings.

Into the action
"I say we fight. We can run rings around any Viraxo pilot!"

- MK-09, offering a suggestion on how to deal with an intruder

Later, Aeron and Emon created a plan to frame the rival Viraxo and destroy the company's credibility with the Empire by planting a spice-filled container in a Viraxo supply yard. MK-09 flew as copilot to Ace in the YT-1300 Sabra, while Emon flew cover in his ship. Aeron had flown ahead of the group in her YT-1300, the Selu, whose registration had been altered and the ship renamed as the "Venix" to hide its true nature as an Azzameen ship. MK oversaw both the plan as a whole as well as Ace's efforts in holding off enemy fighters.

Unfortunately, the plan backfired. The container of spice had been dropped off successfully, but Aeron's ship was disabled by the protecting Viraxo forces, who positively identified the Selu as a hostile. During a heated exchange between brother and sister, MK-09 attempted to act as an intercessor, to no avail. Aeron was forced to abandon her ship and be lifted by brother Emon, and MK and Ace were left behind to destroy the evidence of the freighter. The two managed to destroy the vessel before the Imperial fleet, scheduled to warp into the system soon after the "success" of the mission, arrived.

On the run
Later, Tomaas Azzameen decided to aid the Rebel Alliance in transporting goods and bacta to a medical facility. Tomaas and Galin Azzameen, another of Ace's siblings, traveled in a GR-75 medium transport named the Vasudra along with Emon, Ace and MK-09, flying cover, and ambushed a pirate convoy supplied with the bacta intended for the facility; however, a surprise counter-ambush caused Ace and copilot Emkay, along with Emon, to chase off or destroy the invaders. The pirate frigate holding the bacta, End Run, surrendered after the display caused by the three and transferred their cargo. The success led the Azzameens to the medical facility, which soon after came under Imperial attack. Ace and Emkay successfully defended against the invading forces, allowing the station to evacuate. Unfortunately, the Vasudra was destroyed in the raid; Tomaas and Galin, too, were lost.

This attempt to aid the Alliance to Restore the Republic, along with the attack on the Viraxo, backfired even more than the Azzameens had initially suspected. A joint strike by both Imperial and Viraxo forces caused the Azzameen family to scramble from their home base rapidly, as the Imperial forces, led by Garreth Holtz in the Imperial Star Destroyer Corrupter, overran the family home. Emkay assisted in the evacuation of the system, flying copilot once again for Ace, as the pair left the hangar and, along with Aeron, left the system and met with the rest of the fleeing staff at Twin Sun Station, the main base of Azzameen company operation. The Imperials arrived soon after, and the pair of Ace and MK held off the invaders long enough for the rest of the evacuation process to finish, after which they escaped into hyperspace.

Joining the Alliance to Restore the Republic


Ace made contact with Rebel trainers and enlisted in the Alliance naval forces. Ace was allowed to bring MK-09 with him and store the Sabra and the family YT-2000 transport, the Otana, in the hangar of his new home. Stationed aboard the Defiance, Emkay was resigned to tracking Ace's kills and adventures from the bunkroom. He would often situate himself just outside Ace's door to alert Ace to different e-mails received as well as family business to attend to.

Family business
"Time to leave this party, Ace. Let's get outta here!"

- MK-09 urges Ace to leave after successfully completing an assignment

When Ace would go on leave to deal with family matters, MK-09's previous job of relaying information and battle plans was utilized once again. The first mission received during Ace's tenure aboard the Defiance had Ace and Emon track down an XQ5 Platform owned by the Viraxo where uncle Antan had been captured and held. A mole stationed aboard the platform set up prisoner Antan's cell location as close to the upper airlock as possible.

Ace, MK-09, and Emon flew into the system, where they encountered station defenses in the form of starfighters and a Marauder-class corvette. Emon held off the enemy units, allowing Ace to pilot close enough to the station to dock. Once connected, Emkay left the ship to meet with Antan, leaving Ace to protect the Otana in the upper turret. After a while, MK-09 freed Antan, and led him back to the ship. Once the pickup was completed, the reunited family fled into hyperspace and landed in the Defiance.

Further into Ace's preliminary missions, sister Aeron called upon both Ace and Emkay to retrieve a stranded Viper probe droid module in the Saila Na system. Aeron suggested that the pilfered surveillance droid would prove useful in tracking Viraxo movements, so Ace and MK left the Defiance in the Otana. Shortly after exiting hyperspace in close proximity to the module, Scavenger Squadron, a squad of R-41 Starchasers and the Pelican, a Muurian transport, entered the system with seemingly the same mission goals. As Ace and Emkay were forced to challenge the incoming starfighters, the Pelican approached and captured the probe droid, forcing the Otana to destroy the transport. With the imminent threat over, Ace and Emkay moved on to the second phase of the plan: passing through the customs checkpoint Tinoon Station.

While initially Emkay feared that this would be the most challenging part of Aeron's plan, a strange twist of fate caused a group of pirates, consisting of Y-wings and a pair of Marauder-class corvettes, to enter and challenge the Golan II Space Defense SpaceGun. Due to either the pressing odds, importance of the mission, or the lack of necessity in protecting the customs station, Emkay acted somewhat against his normal nature, as he suggested more than once that they fly through the screen and into hyperspace, avoiding any sort of combat entirely. It is unknown if Ace complied with Emkay's suggestions or if he engaged the attacking force, but it is known that both the Otana and the pod successfully rendezvoused in the asteroid field where Aeron and the Sabra resided. After the exchange, the Otana made its way back to the Defiance, where Emkay was left again as Ace furthered his Alliance career by beginning pursuit of the same Star Destroyer which nationalized the Azzameen home.

Stationed aboard the Liberty
Due to his outstanding performance during his time on the Defiance, Ace was transferred to the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Liberty, as were his assets, including MK-09. As Ace continued to track the Corrupter with his flight group, Emkay continued to hold his post in Ace's room. It wasn't until Ace was called on to help Emon destroy K'Armyn Viraxo's personal luxury yacht, the Highroller, therefore killing him, in the process that MK-09's copiloting nature would be utilized again. Flying under commands issued from Antan Azzameen, Ace, Emkay, and Emon made the jump and ambushed the Highroller. While Emon held off the R-41 Starchasers protecting Viraxo, Ace and Emkay provided cover fire from the turrets on the YT-2000 and attacked the Luxury Yacht 3000.

Cover for K'Armyn soon arrived in the form of additional starfighters as well as Muurian transports. The brothers soon realized that their "ambush" hadn't truly been effective; news had apparently reached the rival trading company owner's ears, and he had planed a "counter-ambush" of a group of bounty hunters. After careful inspection, Emkay discovered that, according to his sensors, no lifeforms were aboard the yacht. Shortly after the discovery and complete destruction of both Viraxo's ship and its escort, the bounty hunter squad comprising Z-95 Headhunters and Muurian transports arrived. Fighting through the screen, the duo managed to plot a course and escape into hyperspace. Shortly after the "successful" battle, Ace and MK-09 received word from Antan, who apologized for his misinformation and for sending them into the bounty hunter trap.



Once again, while Ace was busy with his Rebellion duties, which included the tracking of the TIE Experimental Project and its production facility, Emkay remained on the Liberty, resigned to simple data maintenance for his owner. He would return to the action in a raid against a Viraxo supply line to fly cover with Ace in the Sabra. Aeron had cooked up a scheme to further put a dent in Viraxo dealings while simultaneously bolstering the Azzameen fortune and aiding the Rebellion. She planned to raid the platform containing a supply of warheads, platform 1. While Ace and Emkay destroyed the protecting force, a convoy of former employees moved in under Magnum Group to transport the "liberated" warheads. Unfortunately, before the transfers were complete, the real customers for the weapons entered the system. MK-09 noted that these ships were not Viraxo ships, but instead from the criminal empire Black Sun.

Even with this distraction, the freighters were able to complete the transfer, due, at least in part, to Ace and MK's flying cover. Magnum Group made it back safely to the Rebel rendezvous point, and the mission was over. MK-09 and Ace made it back to the Liberty to rest and recuperate. Ace and Aeron both received the Alliance Civilian Battle Award for their independent civilian actions in securing the arms and assisting the Rebellion; Ace would pin his upon Emkay for storage. The droid would, as usual, have more time than Ace to recover, as Ace returned to duty quickly. During his tour, the Rebellion enlisted Ace's squadron to investigate an Imperial sensor station and research facility located in Kuati space. Ace and company successfully completed their investigation, and discovered the location of the rogue Imperial feeding them information.

Antan heard of the successful attack, and decided to use the confusion sown for the Azzameens' goals once again. Determining that the communication satellites which surrounded the station would be only lightly defended due to the attack, Antan told Aeron to install a listening device on a suitable satellite, to further their resources against the Viraxo. Aeron then enlisted Ace and Emkay to fly into the zone and scout out the prime location.

Ace and his droid complied, and soon the trio left the Liberty and went back to the sector damaged by the attack. A single ETR-3 and an accompaniment of Alpha-class Xg-1 Star Wings protected the system. Ace and Emkay dispatched the protecting forces and began their mission of identifying potential locations. Once one was found, Aeron disembarked from the freighter and began attaching the device. During this procedure, however, Gamma-class assault shuttle Omicron entered in-system and deployed squads of spacetroopers who made their way toward Aeron. The invading forces were destroyed by Ace and Emkay, however, and with Aeron safely aboard, the trio headed back to the Liberty.

Aeron had once again noted an opportunity to assist the Rebellion, harm the Viraxo, and make a few credits in the process. She planned to attack and raid Viraxo platform VXO-33274, stealing vital supplies, and then transport them to Vergesso Base to assist the struggling Rebel presence. Ace, MK-09, and Aeron left in the Otana and rendezvoused with the motley group of freighters commanded by former employees of Twin Suns at Bilbringi V. Following the meeting, the Otana jumped into the platform's system, and, with assistance from SecForce Squadron, encountered and destroyed IPV-1 System Patrol Craft Scylla and the Supa Fighters protecting the base.

Further exploits
"There goes the neighborhood."

- Emkay

Soon after, Juno Group and Lara Group entered the system and began making off with containers surrounding platform VXO-33274. Aeron urged the freighters, as well as Ace and Emkay, to keep the pace up, as she had the feeling Viraxo support was incoming. Her fears were realized as a convoy led by Marauder-class corvette Charybdis and consisting of Razor Fighters under the tag Gundark Squadron entered the system and began attacking the Twin Suns craft. However, the Otana protected the Twin Suns convoy long enough for them to escape into hyperspace. Arriving in the Vergesso Asteroids, MK-09 was surprised to note the presence of Black Sun fighters, which immediately attacked the Twin Suns convoy. The Otana duo was able to remove this threat and finish escorting the transports to the base. Aeron was also dropped off there to oversee the transfer.

Darker times for the family
"Did someone call for a ride?''" "''Stow it Emkay! Get your rusted bolts over here!"

- A panicked Aeron, trapped aboard Vergesso Base, hails MK

Not long after the drop off, however, Aeron sent a panicked message, received by MK-09, that rapidly explained that a large fleet of Star Destroyers, including the Executor, had entered the system and opened fire. Aeron was trapped inside the doomed asteroid. Emkay then hatched a quick plan which was simple in theory: the pair was to fly, in the Otana, into the battle zone as quickly as possible, dock with the asteroid base, and escape the system unscathed. However, this plan would be more difficult in reality than it sounded, which the droid acknowledged.

Ace immediately scrambled into the Otana along with MK-09 and left the Liberty, reusing the course utilized in the recent trip from the base. Unfortunately, due to the presence of the immense battlecruisers, the Otana exited hyperspace behind the capital ship screen, and was forced to fly through the maze of ships. Barely scraping through some of its encounters, Ace finally piloted the ship to close proximity, in order to get enough radio signal from the base to hear a frantic Aeron command a rescue. The Otana eventually made it to the base, damaged but as-of-then undestroyed, and docked with the upper airlock. MK-09 then left and retrieved the Azzameen female, directing her back to the ship, which then fled as soon as she was aboard. Ace and Emkay were then tasked with flying the same dangerous path until the Otana could get clear of the Executor, which they completed successfully. Safely aboard the Otana and in hyperspace, Aeron congratulated her brother, and playfully insulted MK-09. MK used this as an excuse to question Aeron's actions, by threatening to report her location to Antan; however, he was cut off with a counter-threat issued by the somewhat perturbed female Azzameen. While the threat may have been empty, it was enough for the droid to drop the issue and concentrate on piloting back to the Liberty.

More tragedy would befall the Azzameens, when word came from a family friend, Dunari, that Emon had been captured and was locked up in Quesna Base for "crimes against the Empire". Dunari came up with a plan in which the Otana, flown by its usual two-being crew, would anonymously transport a container in which a bomb had been planted. Flying to the pickup site, a small scrapyard, the Otana picked up the device with Dunari's Muurian transport Deadman's Hand in tow. The pair of ships then arrived in the proximity of the station, leaving Ace and Emkay responsible for dropping the container close, but not too close, to the station. Leaving it for the tugs to collect, the Otana went and joined Dunari's ship in waiting for the explosion.

After the inevitable explosion, the station's defenses scrambled to intercept the identified enemies. While the Dead Man's Hand moved in to retrieve Emon, the Otana defended the pickup by distracting and destroying the protecting force. Once the pickup was complete, Ace and Emkay flew cover until the pair of ships were able to escape into hyperspace. The two ships parted ways, with Dunari taking the beaten and injured Emon to his casino, the same resort where Emon had promised to buy Ace a drink back during Ace's gunnery training. Unfortunately for Dunari and Emon, an Imperial counterattack would force the evacuation of Dunari's Rest, and the involvement of Ace's squadron in the protection of the escaping craft. Emkay was left aboard the Liberty, however, as Ace utilized his one-man Alliance fighter.

The Azzameens strike back


"Make sure to protect Emkay.''" "''Yes, I would like that very much."

- Emon instructs Ace after a surprise mercenary attack

Eventually, Emon fully recovered from his injuries, and set out to look for a way to strike back at both the Viraxo and their Imperial ties. He suggested to his brother and Emkay that, by recovering the pilfered Azzameen family datacore, they could find information they could use against the Viraxo. Accepting the assignment, Ace and Emkay once again boarded the Otana, left the Liberty, made contact with the Andrasta and Emon, and made their way to Imperial facility Junkyard Control, where they inspected and located the correct container of junk. Ace pulled close to the container and allowed MK-09 to disembark and begin his sorting procedure.

Before he was finished, however, unknown raiders entered the system and began to attack the Azzameens. Both Emon and Ace successfully destroyed these invaders while protecting MK-09 (a feat Emkay was extremely grateful for). Eventually, Emkay discovered the core in the junk, retrieved it, and reentered the Otana, allowing it to leave the facility and return back to the Liberty. After docking, Emon took the core and thanked both Ace and Emkay, then analyzed the contents.

Alliance service
"I am picking up a few fighters and some gun platforms. I thought there would be more."

- MK-09, expressing a deflated hope of a more epic battle to recover his home

Emkay would begin helping the Rebellion directly soon after. Entrusted, along with Ace and Aeron, to find the mercenary base which was the Hurrim headquarters, the trio left in the Otana. They had planned to simply dock with a bulk cruiser, the Redhawk, which was known to have ties to the mercenary group and slice the flight logs out of its central computer. This plan worked without much of a hitch, much to Aeron's displeasure. Eventually, an escort of Preybird-class starfighters entered the system and began attacking the light freighter, still immobilized by the docking procedure. MK-09 wanted to enter one of the turrets, but was stopped by Aeron, who was relying on the droid for the data download aboard the Otana: Ace instead went and fought off the attacking mercenaries.

Once Aeron had completed the download and reboarded the ship, the Otana entered in the sliced coordinates, and set off in that direction. Unfortunately, the flight log had apparently been "doctored", pointed out by Emkay, as, instead of leading them to the mercenary base, the flight plan dropped off the Otana in the midst of a collection of Star Destroyers firing their turbolasers. MK-09's sensors indicated that, instead of the correct system, the trio had entered the Carida Training Facility. Ordered to stand down, the ISDs continued their bombardment of the targets, forcing Ace and Emkay to utilize evasive maneuvers. While Emkay scrambled to create a new exit vector, at the excited commands coming from Aeron, Ace ignored the order to stop and instead made a beeline towards safety.

Unfortunately for the Otana crew, the only course Emkay could plot was behind the wall of Star Destroyers, forcing Ace to fly through some tough situations while avoiding the fighter patrols released to capture the light freighter. Eventually, though, Ace's flying enabled them to return to the sector of space the Redhawk was stationed only minutes before. The bulk cruiser, however, was nowhere to be seen, as it had left the station towards the mercenary base. Aeron decided to check through the flight logs aboard the XQ platform, leaving Ace in the gunnery station and Emkay managing the download. Once the information on the Redhawk flight plan was sliced and input into the navigation computer, the Otana left, avoiding the station defenses, and entered hyperspace. Once the trip was through, the Azzameens, as well as MK, were stunned to see the mercenary base was their former home, converted and repopulated by mercenaries. Ace immediately attempted to engage the offensive presence, and his feelings were shared by MK-09; however, Aeron simply wanted to leave the sector, return to the Liberty, and inform the Rebellion, so a proper counter-attack could commence. Ace agreed with Aeron's suggestion, and the trio returned to the Liberty.

The counter-attack came soon after the Otana returned. Once again, MK-09 would act as copilot; however, instead of Ace, who was flying a B-wing, the droid was teamed with Aeron. Under directives given by the Rebel Alliance, a strike team of B-wings, Emon and the Andrasta, and Aeron and Emkay in the Otana left the Liberty and jumped back to the mercenary base. Interestingly, once there, Aeron spotted uncle Antan's Action VI transport, but it fled the battle before any of the Azzameens could hail him. Once the fighter squadrons divulged on the invaders, Emkay utilized his combat modes in aiding Aeron's destruction of the protecting mercenary presence, including squadrons of Authority IRDs and Preybirds, as well as static defense satellites set up in range of the base and a large starship in the form of a bulk cruiser. With the main defenses destroyed, Aeron and Emkay then began defending Storm Unit in an attack transport by running interference and engaging the protecting force. Once Storm Unit successfully entered the base, they found the datacore primed to self-destruct within around three minutes.

Aeron instructed Emkay to enter the hangar, where Aeron, and presumably MK-09 as well, made their way to the commandos and aided in diffusing the bomb. During this time, Ace and the rest of Yellow Group removed the enemy presence, granting those inside the base enough time to recapture the base for the Rebel Alliance. After the battle, Azzameen Home Base was given to the Azzameen family for their outstanding service as well as assistance in recovering the base. Also, data found inside the base calmed a feud between Bothan and Sullustan officials caused by the rogue mercenary group.



Soon after, MK-09 would once again be used by the Rebellion, this time to secure the Lambda-class T-4a shuttle Tydirium and the codes contained within the vessel, located in Outpost 327, over the planet Zhar. Emkay left with Ace in the Sabra, filled with a team of commandos. The team made their way to the customs station located just inside Zhar space, where they transmitted a fake manifesto of the cargo aboard the YT-1300. Emkay managed all communications, which included a fair share of bending the truth, allowing Ace to focus on piloting the craft while casually avoiding patrols who could detect the real contents. After a few moments, a course was given to the platform holding a number of ships, which the Sabra followed. Shortly after reverting to realspace, Ace once again avoided any patrols, while Emkay told control what they were carrying. Once the ship was docked safely inside the station, Emkay left the line open as the commandos stealthily made their way to steal the shuttle. Once again, Emkay was able to stall long enough for the commandos to finish their mission. Unfortunately, while the Imperial officer may not have realized the real reason for the delay, he did decide that it was worth looking into&mdash;however, Ace didn't give him a chance, as he blasted out of the hangar. With TIEs incoming, the Sabra hailed Rogue Squadron, which responded and entered the system. The Tydirium continued its run unnoticed and unscathed, and, once it made the jump to lightspeed, the mission goals were satisfied, allowing both the Sabra and the Rogues to break the dogfight and head home.

A new source of hope
Resting once again aboard the Liberty, Antan Azzameen once again hailed the surviving Azzameen children, with news about father Tomaas and eldest brother Galin&mdash;they had both survived, but were captured by the Empire and held at an Imperial prison over the mining planet of Kessel, Kessel Station. Mildly suspicious, but also hopeful, the Azzameen children made their way, Emon in his Firespray-class starfighter and Ace, Aeron, and MK-09 in the family YT-1300, back home to Azzameen Home Base, where Antan was waiting. Emkay began to fire off a string of questions and accusations; however, at the command of Emon (and agreement from Aeron), he was switched off, missing the following conversation. At the termination of said conversation, however, Aeron reactivated him, and he demanded to know the extent of the information he missed. However, this request was ignored as the group solemnly made their way to the hyperspace point.



Once in the proximity of Kessel Station, Antan urged the Sabra to dock, insisting he had all the proper clearance codes. None of the young Azzameens, MK-09 included, had a good feeling about this entire operation. Their fears were realized when, all of a sudden, an Imperial-class Star Destroyer and its escort arrived in-system and demanded the surrender of the two Azzameen ships, whom Antan had managed to betray. Immediately MK was tasked with finding a new exit vector, as the Star Destroyer had successfully managed to block the previously calculated coordinates. However, as the droid noted, deciphering a safe route in the midst of the Maw quickly was next to impossible. As Ace and Emon fought off attackers, Emkay continued to scramble, unsuccessfully. Luckily for the family, Dunari in his Muurian transport entered the system, and provided the Otana and Andrasta the coordinates needed. The group successfully escaped Kessel Station; however, the course had landed them in asteroids located near the planetoid. Avoiding and destroying the static gun turrets on the way through, Ace, Aeron, Emkay, Emon, and Dunari made it safely through, arriving back above Sullust, where the fleet was stationed in preparation for the attack on the second Death Star.

Endgame
The time for what called to be one of the Rebellion's greatest victories soon followed Antan's treachery and the panicked escape from Kessel Station. The Rebel fleet, Ace and Emkay included, gathered at Sullust and soon left along the Sanctuary Pipeline to Endor. MK-09 and Azzameen worked together along with the crew of the Millennium Falcon in their attack on the second Death Star. It is known that both he and Ace survived the battle, and were stationed aboard the Independence, as the Liberty had fallen victim to the Death Star's blast. Both he and Ace were granted at least a short amount of leave time after the battle, to go speak to relatives about the death of the Emperor. Some time later, MK-09 compiled an account of the events of his and Ace's experiences with the Rebellion, leading up to the Battle of Endor.

Characteristics
"Do something about that trigger-happy droid, will you?''" "''I can see I'm not wanted here."

- Emon, expressing concern about MK-09's aggression circuits after a successful mission

MK-09 was a heavily-modified Kalibac Industries MK-series maintenance droid. His single photoreceptor was mounted atop a trapezoidal head. This head could swivel along its connection point at its body. The neck could also extend to closely view objects or increase his height. Between the torso and lower track platform, the droid could swivel 360 degrees. A holoprojector was located on the droid's midsection to display Ace's objectives in various family-related assignments.

Most of his modifications dealt with his ability to pilot various light- to medium-types of starships, including one-man starfighters. Two basic manipulators located at the tips of the flanking arms were the most modified; these allowed Emkay to not only pilot/copilot, but also repair various ships. The droid also either was fitted with standard, or custom modifications, to allow him to maneuver freely in space; whether this was a series of thrusters or some other system is unknown.

Personality
"Rumor has it that Darth Vader is searching for Luke Skywalker. There is a large bounty for his capture, too. I suppose blowing up the Death Star was bound to attract Vader's attention. I would hate to be him. Actually, I'd hate to be ANY human."

- MK-09 shares information with Ace over an e-mail message

Emkay was a brash, headstrong droid. While copiloting with Ace, the droid frequently looked to engage in a dogfight. He also expressed enjoyment when in battle; so much so, in fact, that those familiar with the droid often suggested toning down his aggression circuits. Such modifications never took place, however, as the roguish droid exhibited the same tones of aggression throughout his tenure. Even with the aggression shown towards enemies, MK-09 showed kindness and understanding to those near him. Though he endeared his biological owners, MK-09 preferred his status as a droid and commented to Ace as much in an e-mail. On more than one occasion, Emkay acted as a mediator between his owner's children. However, these attempts were often rebutted back at the droid and met with failure. The droid also attempted to liven grave situations with a witty statement or question; more than once this was also met with friendly hostility.

Emkay sometimes expressed the feeling that droids were often underappreciated and taken for granted. After learning of Ace's Rebel Alliance training mission where the rescue of an R2 unit was the goal, Emkay complained about the droid's exploitation. He also felt that he personally was not given the credit he deserved for his efforts assisting Ace and the other Azzameens on various missions.

While under the care of Ace Azzameen, MK-09 would inform Ace of different missions and assignments available to him. He also managed Ace's e-mail service&mdash;which he occasionally snooped in (though with good intentions)&mdash;as well as notified Ace of different trinkets and medals Ace received in his adventures. MK regarded normal affairs, such as deliveries and cargo inspections, as mundane and boring. However, he still performed his duties with accuracy and a sense of duty. During these runs, he would often utilize small-talk to "encourage" the Azzameens to join the Alliance. Eventually his suggestions were observed by at least Ace.

Behind the scenes


"That's the spirit! Kick them where it hurts!"

- MK-09

MK-09 was voice-acted by Daniel Hagen in Star Wars: X-wing Alliance. Some of Hagan's other Star Wars works include Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic as various minor characters, and Star Wars: Bounty Hunter as an alien thug. In the game, MK-09 acts as the voice of the silent protagonist Ace; when flying together, Emkay informs the player of important mission updates and helps progress the plot. Likewise, in the main game concourse MK-09 initially acts as the main vehicle for displaying mission info for the player; once transferred to the Liberty Emkay acts more of a trophy facilitator.

MK-09 has an in-flight engine polygon model, exiting to space in a few missions. However, he is still seen seated in the cockpit in the copilot's seat if the player steers the view, due to the limitations of the game engine. In effect, this creates a "clone" of the droid, which can be attributed simply to game mechanics, rather than two separate droid units.

In the final mission, the in-flight model of the Millennium Falcon places Ace and MK-09 as pilot and copilot respectively. This contradicts known established movie canon, and several other higher sources, which place Lando Calrissian and Nien Nunb at the helm. However, the sight of Ace and Emkay in the Battle of Endor places them, to an unknown degree, in the midst of the battle aboard the Falcon, as is the case for Keyan Farlander in the Battle of Yavin.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance