Ikihsa Enb'Zik

Ikihsa Enb'Zik (16 BBY&mdash; ) is a Sullustan Brigadier General with the New Republic's Starfighter Operations group. After finishing a tour of duty with Rogue Squadron, he was reassigned to the Office of the Chief of State where Leia Organa Solo charged him with selecting, training, and commanding a new elite squadron later designated the Firecats Advanced Strike Team. He is currently assigned to the NRGS Forge of Hope.

Born in the Sullustan city of Piringiisi, Zik grew up the son of two diplomats and had chosen that career for himself, as well, until a desire to avoid dirty politics pointed him in a different direction. At the age of 24, he resigned from a prime internship and signed on with the H'cane class carrier CMS Tempest that was on a port-of-call visit from Caspia. Within weeks, Enb'Zik had become a CDU Marine and entered flight school.

During his time with the Caspians, Zik turned out to be a very promising pilot. His first assignment to the 52nd Stormcrows was quickly followed by a more impressive stint with Caspia's elite 17th Nighthawks.

While on Caspar, Enb'Zik also met the beauty who would become his wife. A hilarity of irony, the 160 cm Sullustan would marry a Kasa Horansi almost twice his height - Snal'Fashtalli, or simply, Snarl.

The Caspian Democratic Union, however, did not include Sullust. Sullust was a part of the New Republic, and another year would find Ikihsa resigning from the Caspian Marines and joining NR Star Ops. He would park his Z-105 Harpoon in favor of flying an X-wing or A-wing to protect his home.

Again, the Sullustan worked his way up the ladder of a new military. Starting out in Archer Squadron under the command of Joshua Arands, Ikihsa flew in a number of engagements against the Imperials. In major battles over Mon Calamari, Coruscant, and Corellia he personally shot down 37 TIEs while losing only one A-wing. Finally, in the Third Battle of Sluis Van, his own flight group was charged with protecting a caravan of ships that were rammed into the third Death Star, overloading its reactor and destroying the battle station.

Then, he was caught. In his spare time, Enb'Zik had turned his love for speed into a lucrative second career of racing swoops. His face had become well-known on public holos, even for a non-human, and putting the name with the pilot, the Imperials broke with swooping convention and arrested him after a race on Selene. Ikihsa Enb'Zik was given a life sentence in the pitch black pits of Kessel.

Three years later, Zik was given another chance. Johanna Siri te Danaan, an old friend and once-upon-a-time friendly competition among the ranks of fighter pilots, had worked a deal with the Imperials that secured the Sullustan's freedom.

Much had changed during his time away. He returned to new faces and a new carrier... and to the warm embrace of his overjoyed mate. No options were left but to start over, and he did. Time passed quickly, and the Sullustan again moved up, rising from Captain to Major to Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel, taking several command positions on his way to Rogue Squadron, and then, the Firecats.

Enb'Zik is noted as being the only pilot in the New Republic to have shot down the Empire's Danik Kreldin.