Xander Drax

"You are remembered for the rules you break."

―Xander Drax

Xander Drax is a former Imperial Admiral and TIE pilot who served the Empire and Emperor's Hammer. He had been in Imperial service for nearly a quarter century before he was forced to leave the Emperor's Hammer under the threat of death. Drax had discovered his force sense during his days with the hammer, but did not chose to develope it until several years after leaving its service. Drax has been known to assist the Bounty Hunter's Guild on a number of occasions, developing close ties with bounty hunter Slagar the Cruel among others.

Character History

Early Life

27 BBY to 10 BBY

Drax was born on the factory world of Fondor in 27 BBY. As his parents were both workers at the orbital shipyards, it was only natural that Xander would end up in the family business as well. By the time he first started working the docks at the age of 14, he had already decided to move on to bigger and better things. With the help of several dock pilots, Xander began to train on the yard's shuttle simulators in order to acquire the knowledge needed to apply to the Imperial Academy. For two years he worked in the dockyards for two years, helping construct many of the Empire's early Star Destroyers.

By his 16th birthday, Xander had already submitted his application and was accepted into the Academy. For training as a pilot he was sent to the Prefsbelt IV Naval Academy. While initially trained as a shuttle pilot, Xander showed sufficient aptitude to be transfered to TIE flight school. Xander graduated in the upper half of his class with both Starfighter and Shuttle certifications, and was assigned to the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Allecto.

Imperial Service

10 BBY to 6 ABY

Drax was first assigned to shuttle missions upon arriving on the Allecto, but was put on a list for possible transfer to a starfighter unit. He would first fly shuttles in support of the Imperial occupation of Dressel in 10 BBY. His shuttle group was responsible for evacing many of the wounded soldiers to orbital hospital ships. He would spend 4 years in the shuttle corps before transfering to the 136th Imperial Fighter Group aboard the Allecto.

In 5 BBY, Xander would see his first major action as a starfighter pilot during the Battle of Bryx. His squadron was first responsible for helping enforce the blockade of the planet, and later eliminating targets that were escaping the orbital bombardment. Once the invasion began, his squadron was assigned to protect descending dropships. He scored three kills during the engagements against Governor Carigan starfighter forces, his first combat kills.

After several tours of duty, Xander had been made a flight leader in the 136's 2nd Squadron. The 2/136th was one of the best squadrons aboard the Allecto, having the best fit-reps and combat statistics. Xander would later take part in the Second Battle of Mon Calamari. The Allecto had been docked in the shipyards above the planet for repairs in 1 BBY, but along with many of the other ships at the yards it was sabotaged before the battle began. However, the fighters of the 136th fought valiantly during the battle, allowing their damaged ship the time to limp from the shipyard and escape.

Once the Allecto had completed repairs at Kuat, she was then assigned to Admiral Tarkin's Fleet. As part of her duties during that time, she was assigned to rendevous with the Grand Moff himself in 0 BBY. During that mission, Tarkin's shuttle and the Allecto came under attack by three squadrons of rebel fighters. It was only by the quick action of the pilots of the 136th that the Grand Moff was saved and the Allecto escaped destruction. Due to his actions during the engagement, Drax was promoted to the rank of Captain and given command of the 2/136th. He would remain in this position for several years, when he would once again garner recognition for his actions.

The 136th was assigned beside the famed 181st Fighter Group in what would become known as the Battle of Derra IV. Though tasked with a tertiary roll backing up the 181st, Drax hoped before the engagement that there would be action enough for all of them. When they arrived, in system, the Imperials and Drax alike were overjoyed to see that they had underestimated the size of the Rebel convoy.

During the engagement, Drax and pilots of the 136th were responsible for the destruction of several starfighters and two transport vessels. With the death of the 136th's commander during the battle at the hands of X-wing fighters, Drax was promoted to Major and given command of the Group. However, after nearly four years of constant combat assignments, the 136th was assigned to relive the 57th Fighter Group on the new Imperial holding of Bakura, under the overall command of commander Pter Thanas.

They would be there a year later when the Ssi-Ruuk attacked. Elements of the 136th were on the front lines of the inital combat, and the group was decimated in early engagements. Having fallen back to Bakura itself, the 136th was facing a last stand when Rebel forces arrived in system. This was the first many of the Imperials had seen of the Rebels, Drax included, and he had to admit that their sight was a welcome one in. After the Ssi-Ruuk were defeated, Drax and the remainder of the 136th attacked their rebel allies, but were eventually defeated when Thanas defected to the Rebellion. Drax and the surviving members of the 136th were allowed to leave the planet peacefully.

Upon their return to Coruscant, the 136th was decommissioned as a unit and its pilots assigned to other squadrons. Drax was assigned to command the 2/54th that was stationed planetside. After years of shipboard and backwater assignments, Drax found his time on Coruscant exhilarating. The large city planet reminded him of his home on Fondor, and he began to see the appeal of then Imperial Center. All of this changed, however, less then two years later.

It was at this time that Ysane Isard would, in affect, abandon the planet to the rebels. Drax would participate in the Battle of Coruscant, but quicly saw it for what it was. After the shield collapse, the token resistance possible given the weak defenses the planet had been left with offered no hope of victory. After hours of battle, Drax gave the recall signal to those craft under his command, and they returned to their base. Drax knew that his pilots would have little hope if they did not get off planet soon, so he stole one of the base's Lambda-class shuttles, loaded up his pilots, and fled the planet.

Emperor's Hammer

6 BBY to 15 ABY

The EH Strike Fleet in orbit of Aurora Prime.

Like many officers after the fall of Coruscant, Xander was unsure of any central Imperial Authority. Isard, while she had held the capital, still held a true claim. But once it was gone, so with it went any easy answers. Having seen how Isard had seemingly handed over Coruscant to the Rebels, Xander had no desire to continue on in her service.

Several weeks after the fall of Coruscant, Drax and those pilots still with him were approached by an officer of the Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet. He explained that there was another of the Emperor's Grand Admirals still alive, and in a position to strike at the heart of the rebellion from his holdings on the edge of the Unknown Regions. After several days of negotiations, Xander brought himself and his pilots into the EH's service. Xander would be assigned to Zayin Squadron aboard their flagship, the lead ship of the Soverign-class. He would serve the squadron for four years in various roles, including that of her commander.

While in Zayin, Xander participated in numerous engagements against pilots of the New Republic. However, as the Soverign rarely left EH controlled space, and mainly stood in orbit of Aurora Prime, the EH's homeworld, these actions were few and far between. In the year 10 ABY, Drax transfered to the Imperial-class Vanguard in order to see more combat.

The Vanguard was primarily assigned to border patrol missions, so she came into contact with raiding forces, be they New Republic, Pirate, or other Imperial Warlords. After a particularly nasty engagement in the next year, the Vanguard was drydocked for significant repairs. As a result, Xander requested a transfer to the ISD Relentless. This would be a significant action in hindsight, as it would eventually lead to Xander leaving the pilot corps.

Not even two months after being assigned to the Relentless, Xander was shot down in combat against new Republic squadrons and forced to eject from his fighter. He was forced to stay in space for several hours while the engagement raged around him, and was finally picked up by a rescue shuttle. He was immediately given severe bacta treatments, and did live through the ordeal. However, he was stood down from flight status as a result of injuries received during the ejection.

Xander was then assigned as a staff officer under the command of High Admiral Ari, a member of the Command Staff of the Hammer. He would remain under Ari's command for nearly two years, with a short term as a temporary Wing Commander aboard the SSD Avenger in 12 ABY. In the year 13 ABY, Xander would be promoted to the Command Staff himself on the recommendation of Ari. Given the position of Logistics Officer, Xander was also elevated to the rank of Vice Admiral.

The Logistics Office was not what it would appear to outsiders, as it was not concerned with fleet Logistics which were in reality handled by the Flight Office. The Logistics Office was a deceptive name for the office that was in charge of maintaining the Hammer's archives and official records. In this position, Xander had access to an incomplete copy of the Imperial Archives that had been given to Ronin, the EH commander, by the Emperor. This, along with a significant amount of information collected from other sources, constituted the charge of the Logistics Office.

In the year 14 ABY, the Hammer's Executive Officer would launch an attack on the Bounty Hunter's Guild headquartered in the Lyarna System. This operation was aimed at removing the leadership of the Guild, whom Astatine had personal issues with regarding actions and authority. Xander, as a member of the command staff was privy to this information, and as a ardent supporter of the BHG he passed the information along to their leaders through his contact with the senator then assigned to Ravouin, Dakkon Blackblade. He and Senator Blackblade, along with Blackblade's Senate Guard and several members of the Hammer's Fist Stormtrooper Legion even journeyed to the Lyarna System during the attack, with Drax personally coordinating the defenses of the moon Cuerno and the surrounding space. The attack was repeled, and Drax's compatriots returned to their duties with the Hammer.

Drax, however, retired from his duties as Logistics Officer directly following the operation. He felt that the leadership of the Hammer was deteriorating, and felt that retirement was the only option left to him. Before he officially stepped down, however, Drax did copy the entire database under his care for his own personal use. He retired to the world of Kidriff 5, a planet known for it's similarities to Coruscant, however less developed it may be.

A year later, upon the request of the commander of the Tie Corps Battlegroups BubbaX, Drax returned to the Hammer to command the Star Destroyer Colossus. However, a mere week into his command, Astatine (now Fleet Commander) finally uncovered evidence that showed Drax was directly responsible for the failure of the Lyarna operations, and that he had stolen a copy of the EH archives. Drax, tipped off by his superior Executive Officer Sarin (himself fleeing Astatine's tyranny), learned that Astatine had issued a death warrant for Drax as a traitor to the Empire. Drax immediately left the Command Center on Aurora Prime, and procured an unmarked craft from the Intel impound yard. Taking a Tavya-class armored picket, the first ship he saw, Drax fled the Hammer Territories mere steps ahead of the Intel agents that had come to arrest him.

Character Information

Physical Appearance

Xander has the look of a fit military officer of late middle years. His hair, once a vibrant brown has, in recent years, gone salt and pepper grey and receded more then somewhat. Harkening back to his earlier days, Drax normally keeps a nearly shaved head, much as he did during his days as a TIE Pilot. Many times Xander can be found wearing a uniform of a vaguely Imperial cut, but mostly he wears the robes that are favored by much of the Brotherhood. Most of the time, however, Xander is found without the cloak or robe that his brethren favor, and instead is normally clad simply in the under tunic and breeches. He also can be found most always wearing black gloves with his robes, much like those worn as part of the uniform of the officers in the Imperial Pilot Corps.

Demeanor

Xander most always moves with a purposeful stride, moving from place to place and rarely dawdling. He rarely sits, preferring to stand in a rigid, upright posture. He speaks in the tight, clipped forms common to many Imperial officers. Most of the time his voice lacks much inflection or feeling, leading people to consider him distant and unconcerned.

Gear

Magus

Xander owns an heavily modified Chryya-class very fast courier named Magus. He stole this vessel in the year 15 ABY from an impound center on Aurora Prime in order to facilitate his escape from the Emperor's Hammer Territories. Ever since, he has upgraded the craft's abilities to better suit his needs.

22T4 holdout blaster

The 22T4 was a small blaster pistol specifically manufactured and produced for the Imperial Security Bureau. Agents were assigned a 22T4 after being accepted into the bureau as a personal sidearm. Selling of this blaster to civilians was strictly prohibited by the Empire, and they strictly monitored the production of the weapon by placing a specially coded serial number on all models. This was also done to discourage tampering.

This particular weapon was given to Drax by High Admiral Ari upon the former's elevation to the position of Logistics Officer. The internal workings of the weapon were rebuilt, reinforced, and insulated against shock. Also, the handles were adorned with Kryat Dragon Pearl inlays, upon which the Imperial Seal was engraved. Upon the metal body of the weapon, just above the trigger housing, Drax's name has also been engraved. The weapon has also been specially balanced and fitted with a custom grip, so that the weapon is as perfect as possible for Drax's use. The weapon, first more of a ceremonial sidearm, has become a functional part of Drax's life in the years since his escape from the Astatine's wrath.

DT-57 heavy blaster pistol

File:Dt-57.jpg

DT-57 heavy blaster pistol

BlasTech Industries' custom DT-57, nicknamed the "Annihilator", was a weapon similar in appearance to the E-5 blaster rifle used by the B1 battle droids of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This pistol was of the "superheavy" designation used for models such as the Caliban Model X and T-6 Thunderer. Highly customizable, the DT-57 featured a high output blaster magazine, a large trigger guard and a top-mounted scope. The DT-57 packed a heavy punch without loss of range. Drax aqucired this weapon shortly after fleeing Imperial "justice" and has used it ever since. It's considerable power in such a compact size has served him will during his time on the run and after joining the Brotherhood.

Trivia

The name "Xander Drax" comes from the film adaptation of "The Phantom".

For more info see his dossier