Feylis Ardele

Feylis Ardele was a Human female pilot who served in the New Republic Defense Force's famous Rogue Squadron during the Galactic Civil War.

Biography

Going Rogue

Feylis Ardele was a Human female from Commenor^[2] who saw her family killed by the Empire when a business rival of her father's accused them of sympathizing with the Rebel Alliance.^[3] A veteran of the Commenor Militia^[4] by 4 ABY,^[5] she was a pilot in the Rebel Alliance Starfighter Corps^[6] shortly after the Battle of Endor.^[7] She was with the Alliance Fleet at that time along with a group of other pilots, all of whom had volunteered to join the legendary Rogue Squadron.^[6]

The pilots were briefed by the Alliance's Admiral Ackbar until Luke Skywalker and Rogue Leader Wedge Antilles joined them, at which point Antilles ordered the hopefuls to get to their starfighters, feeling he needed to "stretch his wings."^[6] Ardele was a New Republic cadet^[4] around seven months later,^[8] at which time she was officially recruited into Rogue Squadron. Her appointment came on the advice of Firstpilot Rekush, one of Ackbar's trusted aides.^[4]

As a skilled TIE fighter pilot, Ardele struck Rogue Leader Wedge Antilles as someone who could take on the Rogues in daily simulations, and who could also enlighten them about recent advancements in the TIE Series.^[4] The Commenor Militia had exclusively trained with TIE fighters in order to prepare its graduates for the Imperial Naval Academy, but as Ardele had no love for the Empire, she never enlisted. Nonetheless, her TIE experience and the militia's relationship with the Empire made her nervous around her new squadron mates when she joined Rogue Squadron.^[1]

After one simulator run, Rogue veteran Derek "Hobbie" Klivian reassured Ardele that several of them were Imperial-trained and that none of them held her experience against her; he also expressed admiration that she had nearly bested him. In that simulation, she had also destroyed the X-wing fighter of another Rogue veteran: Wes Janson. As the squadron unwound after the simulation, Ardele and Plour Ilo watched as fellow Rogues Nrin Vakil and Ibtisam argued over the future of starfighter combat. Ardele suggested that their enmity would escalate within a week, but Ilo's take was precluded by the arrival of Gror Pernon, Grand Duke of her homeworld Eiattu 6.^[1]

Pernon revealed that Ilo was really Isplourrdacartha Estillo, Eiattu 6's lost princess, and he hoped that she could talk her brother out of rebelling against the planet's ruling nobles in the Eiattu Civil War.^[1] Rogue Squadron's mission to Eiattu 6 saw Ardele and several other Rogues explore a jungle on the backs of native Thuvasaurs, only to encounter a group of Imperial stormtroopers. During the subsequent lightfight, Vakil raged over the death of his steed, and Ardele tried to keep him focused on everyone who was still alive. He carelessly walked into an exploding TIE fighter anyway, when air support arrived from Antilles and Tycho Celchu.^[9]

Vakil survived, and the Rogues were joined by the Eiattu rebels, who finished off the Imperial troopers. Back at the rebel base, Ardele and her fellow pilots were taken in by Ilo's charismatic brother; concurrently in Eiattu 6's capital city, Ilo publicly declared her support for the insurgents.^[9] When the rest of the Rogues rejoined her there, Ardele and Ibtisam argued for the rebel cause, while Vakil and Herian I'ngre maintained that the planet's citizens owed their peace and prosperity to the nobles. Antilles kept them on task, however, and sent them back to the jungle to investigate the Empire's presence onworld.^[10]

Armed with blaster rifles, the Rogues set out on foot, but Vakil was once again caught in an explosion when an Imperial gray noise generator blew up. He was left in the swamp to die while Ardele, Ibtisam, I'ngre, Klivian, Janson, and Dllr Nep were captured by biker scouts.^[10] Imprisoned by Imperial Moff Leonia Tavira, the Rogues learned that Ilo's brother was dead, with the Rebel leader an unwitting impostor. They were soon rescued by Vakil, who had survived by easily breathing underwater in the swamp, while Ilo simultaneously exposed the charlatan at the Imperial Citadel.^[11]

Ardele and her fellows fired blasters at Tavira's departing shuttle, but the Moff was able to flee the planet with some stolen credits. As Rogue Squadron prepared to leave as well, Ilo elected to remain behind and help her homeworld recover from the Empire's machinations.^[11] The Rogues headed straight for the Malrev system in search of the Starfaring, a missing passenger liner, which Antilles believed would be an overall uneventful mission. He hoped that it would primarily give Ardele and the squadron's other new pilots a chance to become more acquainted with rest of the squadron.^[2]

The Malrev incident

As Rogue Squadron entered the atmosphere of Malrev IV, Nep began to hear music and followed it to its source, only for the pilots to be ambushed by TIE fighters. Antilles's fighter was downed by the surprise attack, but unexpected turbolaser fire from the ground helped the rest of the Rogues win the day. Although they lost track of their downed Rogue Leader, they followed the laser fire to its source: the Starfaring and its missing Bothan passengers, set up in a clearing in the woods. Their new allies built them a campfire and promised to help them search for Antilles in the morning.^[2]

Ardele expressed incredulity that, with their leader missing, Janson and Klivian could gleefully watch a performance by some dancing Bothan women around the fire. Shortly afterward, she watched as the two veteran Rogues quickly sprang into action to help Vakil brawl with some jealous Bothan men. The melee was interrupted by the arrival of weapon-toting Irrukiine, a species indigenous to the planet, which quickly forced the Rogues and Bothans back into a partnership. Ardele blasted one foe away from Klivian with her rifle, and gave another one a swift kick, but Vakil quickly realized how outnumbered they were and rushed^[2] to his X-wing.^[13]

Ardele shouted for everyone to take cover as the starfighter swooped in and slaughtered the attackers, and the rest of the night was spent with both Rogues and Bothans taking turns standing watch over their camp. Aboard the grounded Starfaring the next morning, Ibtisam told Ardele about an emotional dream she had had about Vakil, and Ardele remarked that a number of the Rogues had been displaying heightened emotions since arriving on Malrev IV. Nep in particular was still fixated on the music that only he could hear, and as he led the Rogues and Bothans through the forest in search of Antilles, the music took him to a Sith temple that was guarded by more Irrukiine.^[13]

With their attacks coordinated by the Force-sensitive mechanic Cartariun, the Irrukiine forced their foes to fall back, and the sudden appearance of Antilles firing dual blasters helped them flee to safety. A recent captive of Cartariun, the Rogue Leader had escaped the temple during the confusion of the battle—Nep, however, was captured in his stead.^[13] Back at camp, Ardele remained behind with several other Rogues while Antilles, Celchu and Janson performed a reconnaissance flyby of the temple.^[14]

When the three airborne Rogues were attacked by mind-controlled Irrukiine in TIE fighters, they called for backup, and Ardele instructed the Bothans to prepare for a potential ground assault while she quickly boarded her fighter. The sheer number of TIEs arrayed against them overwhelmed the Rogues, and Ardele lost a stabilizer and her Artoo unit, prompting Antilles to order her back to base. She protested, feeling she could still do some damage, but she ultimately obeyed the order. Sensing her departure, Cartariun directed two of his pilots to pursue.^[14]

The pursuers, and all of the Irrukiine pilots, lost their coordination when the captive Nep broke Cartariun's concentration, and the Rogues were able to easily finish off their opponents. Back at home base, Ardele checked up on the injured Klivian and I'ngre, discovering that the latter had suffered a brain injury in the earlier ground battle with the Irrukiine. When Antilles arrived and received Ardele's report, I'ngre told him that Nep was using Cartariun's Sith magic to link with her mind, and that he insisted the Sith temple be destroyed. Meanwhile, the Bothans' leader Girov Dza'tey had been seduced by the power of the temple and had fled the camp to challenge Cartariun.^[12]

When Antilles confronted Dza'tey's second-in-command aboard the Starfaring, Ardele and Celchu stood outside the room with blaster pistols drawn, but the Bothan reassured Antilles that he would back up the Rogues with a ground assault on the temple. Ardele piloted I'ngre's X-wing for the operation, and the Rogues found themselves flying against TIE fighters and interceptors—the Irrukiine were now controlled by Dza'tey, who had killed Cartariun and seized the temple's power for himself. Although the Rogues hoped to be able to save Nep, Antilles insisted that they needed to overwhelm Dza'tey's concentration and allow the Bothan ground forces to break through.^[12]

In the midst of the chaos, Ardele spotted her own damaged fighter, which I'ngre had boarded after fleeing her hospital bed. Dza'tey directed half of his fleet to pursue her, but just at that moment, Plourr Ilo arrived with a squadron of Z-95 Headhunters from Eiattu. I'ngre, who was communicating telepathically with Dllr Nep, proceeded to the temple—Nep was still inside the temple with Dza'tey and believed that the battle could only be won if a new element were introduced to catch Dza'tey off guard. I'ngre's arrival did just that, destroying the temple and ending the mind-control of the Irrukiine. The day was won, but at the cost of two squadron members' lives.^[12]

Ardele and Antilles mourned the loss of Nep and I'ngre as they flew away from the smoking ruin, and back at their campsite, they shared another campfire with their Bothan allies.^[12] Ilo rejoined Rogue Squadron,^[15] and Ardele later fell in love with fellow Rogue Avan Beruss, although they hid their relationship from public knowledge. Ardele's later campaigns as a Rogue included the Battle of Brentaal IV and the Evacuation of Ciutric.

Appearances

Sources

• Star Wars Handbook 1: X-Wing Rogue Squadron
• A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded
• "Who's Who in Rogue Squadron" — Star Wars Insider 59
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 14 ROG 1-2: X-Wing Rogue Squadron (Picture only)
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 130 RIT 5-6: Galactic Rituals (Picture only)
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Rogue Seven
Eventually Keir Santage[16] ← 4.5 ABY Eventually Rhysati Ynr →

Notes and references