View source for Pash Cracken

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{{Otheruses|Pash|more=Cracken (disambiguation)}}
{{Character
|type=GFFA
|image=[[File:Pash_cracken.jpg]]
|name=Pash Cracken
|homeworld=[[Contruum/Legends|Contruum]]<ref name="LCS">''[[The Last Command Sourcebook]]''</ref>
|birth=c. [[20 BBY/Legends|20 BBY]], Contruum<ref name="Wizards">{{WizardsCite|url=default.asp?x=starwars/article/sw20031113cracken|text=Pash Cracken|int=Pash Cracken: An Expanded Universe Character|archivedate=20100226155006}}</ref>
|death=
|species=[[Human/Legends|Human]]<ref name="LCS" />
|gender=[[Gender/Legends|Male]]<ref name="The Last Command">''[[The Last Command]]''</ref>
|height=Taller than 1.67 [[Imperial standard meter|meters]]<ref name="Height">''[[X-Wing: The Bacta War]]'' states that Cracken is taller than [[Wedge Antilles/Legends|Wedge Antilles]], who is noted as being 1.67 [[Imperial standard meter|meters]] tall in ''[[The New Essential Guide to Characters]]''.</ref>
|mass=
|hair=*[[Color/Legends|Flame-red]] (youth)<ref name="LCS" />
*Red peppered with gray (middle age)<ref name="Wizards" />
|eyes=Pale green<ref name="The Unifying Force">''[[The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force]]''</ref>
|skin=Light<ref name="TLC4">[[The Last Command 4|''The Last Command'' 4]]</ref>
|cyber=
|affiliation=*[[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebel Alliance]]<ref name="LCS" />
*[[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]]<ref name="LCS" />
*[[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]]<ref name="The Last Command" />
*[[Galactic Federation of Free Alliances]]<ref name="The Final Prophecy">''[[The New Jedi Order: The Final Prophecy]]''</ref>
|masters=
|apprentices=}}
{{Quote|We taught these people the 'by-the-book' method of starfighter combat. Young Pash read our datamanuals, and then threw them away and wrote his own.|[[Gola Chall/Legends|Gola Chall]], Alliance mole at the Vensenor Flight Academy|<ref name="LCS" />}}
'''Pash Cracken''' was a [[Human/Legends|Human]] [[Gender/Legends|male]] career [[Starfighter/Legends|starfighter]] [[Pilot/Legends|pilot]] who throughout his life served in the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebel Alliance]], the [[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]], and the [[Galactic Federation of Free Alliances|Galactic Alliance]]. [[Reproduction/Legends|Born]] on the [[Planet/Legends|planet]] [[Contruum/Legends|Contruum]] around the [[Standard year/Legends|year]] [[20 BBY/Legends|20 BBY]], he was taught both morality and [[Starfighter combat/Legends|starfighter combat]] by his [[Parent/Legends|father]], [[Airen Cracken/Legends|Airen]], whom he followed into the Rebel Alliance during his teenage years. Cracken enrolled at the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire's]] [[Vensenor Flight Academy/Legends|Vensenor Flight Academy]] under a false identity to hone his skills, and after graduating, he led an entire [[Fighter wing/Legends|wing]] of [[TIE/LN starfighter|TIE fighter]] [[TIE pilot|pilots]] in defecting to the Alliance. The members of the newly-dubbed [[Cracken Flight Group|Cracken's Flight Group]] were assigned [[RZ-1 A-wing interceptor/Legends|A-wing fighters]] and given patrol duty at an Alliance [[Xyquine base|base]] on the planet [[Xyquine II]], which was eventually abandoned when the Empire [[Battle of Xyquine II|attacked]]. During the evacuation, Cracken ordered all personnel to subtract the number two from their assigned [[Hyperspace/Legends|hyperspace]] coordinates and then led his [[Flight group/Legends|flight group]] in destroying the [[Victory-class Star Destroyer/Legends|''Victory''-class Star Destroyer]] ''[[Exsanguinator]]''. The former maneuver shook the pursuit of eavesdropping Imperials and became famously known as the "[[Cracken Twist]];" both maneuvers turned Cracken into a legend.

When the Alliance became the New Republic, the pilots of Cracken's Flight Group began to view their leader as an invincible hero, and Cracken requested a transfer to the legendary [[Rogue Squadron/Legends|Rogue Squadron]] in [[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]] so that he might reassess his skills. One of his first missions with the Rogues was a covert insertion onto the Empire's [[Capital/Legends|capital]] world of [[Coruscant/Legends|Coruscant]] in order to gather intelligence prior to a New Republic siege of the planet. Cracken flew a [[Z-95 Headhunter/Legends|Z-95 Headhunter]] when the Rogues [[Liberation of Coruscant (Galactic Civil War)|disabled]] Coruscant's [[Planetary shield/Legends|planetary shields]], and the New Republic successfully captured the world. Rogue Squadron spent the subsequent [[Standard week/Legends|weeks]] obtaining [[Bacta/Legends|bacta]] in order to combat the deadly [[Krytos virus]] left on-world by the departing Imperials; after a [[Ryll kor|cure]] was developed, all the Rogues save for Cracken resigned their [[Officer/Legends|commissions]] and initiated a [[Bacta War|guerrilla war]] against former Imperial [[Head of State/Legends|Head of State]] [[Ysanne Isard]]. Cracken remained with the New Republic due to his father's role as [[Director of New Republic Intelligence|Director of Intelligence]], but he lent [[Rogue Leader/Legends|Rogue Leader]] [[Wedge Antilles/Legends|Wedge Antilles]] aid and led an A-wing [[Ace Squadron (New Republic)|squadron]] into the [[Battle of Thyferra|battle]] that toppled Isard. [[9 ABY/Legends|Two years later]], he flew [[Thrawn campaign|against]] the [[Thrawn's confederation|forces]] of the Empire's [[Grand Admiral/Legends|Grand Admiral]] [[Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Legends|Thrawn]].

In [[28 ABY/Legends|28 ABY]], Cracken commanded the [[Immobilizer 418 cruiser/Legends|Interdictor cruiser]] ''[[Memory of Ithor]]'' in the [[Yuuzhan Vong War|war]] effort of the Galactic Alliance&mdash;the New Republic's successor state&mdash;against the [[extra-galactic]] [[Yuuzhan Vong]]. The [[Cruiser/Legends|cruiser]] was destroyed during a [[Second Battle of Bilbringi|strike]] at the Yuuzhan Vong&ndash;held [[Bilbringi Shipyards]], and Cracken and the surviving crew were taken [[Prisoner/Legends|prisoner]] on the planet [[Selvaris]]. [[29 ABY/Legends|While]] incarcerated, Cracken and the legendary [[Commando/Legends|commando]] [[Judder Page/Legends|Judder Page]] received vital information from the intelligence-gathering [[Ryn Network]] and arranged for four [[Prison/Legends|prisoners]] to escape and deliver it to [[Galactic Alliance High Command]]. Their efforts allowed a Galactic Alliance strike force to rescue them, but two [[Battle of Selvaris|subsequent]] [[Battle of Caluula|battles]] brought Cracken to [[Caluula Station]], where he was again captured and taken to enemy-occupied Coruscant. There, a group of heretical Yuuzhan Vong [[Shamed Ones]] rescued him from being sacrificed to the [[Yun'o|Yuuzhan Vong gods]]. The Galactic Alliance soon thereafter [[Battle of Yuuzhan'tar|struck]] at the capital, and Cracken was rescued and recruited into Page's [[Katarn Commandos]] as they stormed the [[Shimrra's Citadel|citadel]] of the Yuuzhan Vong's [[Supreme Overlord]] [[Shimrra Jamaane|Shimrra]]. They secured the fortress, which allowed [[Jedi Master/Legends|Jedi Master]] [[Luke Skywalker/Legends|Luke Skywalker]] to kill Shimrra and bring the war to an end.

==Biography==
===Joining the fight===
====Prodigal pilot====
{{Quote|So, how are Josta and the kids?''"<br />"''Great. Dena just started school, and Pash&hellip; Well, I may just make a starfighter pilot out of him, yet.|[[Cryle Cavv]] and Airen Cracken|<ref name="Small Favors">{{Journal|12|Small Favors}}</ref>}}
[[File:Crackentoypackaging.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Pash Cracken's father, General Airen Cracken]]
Pash Cracken, a [[Human/Legends|Human]] [[Gender/Legends|male]], was [[Reproduction/Legends|born]] on the [[Planet/Legends|planet]] [[Contruum/Legends|Contruum]] around [[20 BBY/Legends|20 BBY]]<ref name="Wizards" /> to his [[Parent/Legends|mother]], [[Josta Cracken|Josta]], and his father, [[Airen Cracken/Legends|Airen]]. He also had a sister named [[Dena Cracken|Dena]].<ref name="Small Favors" /> The Crackens were a family of rebels who actively resisted the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]], and during Pash and Dena Cracken's [[Youngling/Legends|childhood]], their father<ref name="Wizards" /> led a group known as [[Cracken's Crew/Legends|Cracken's Crew]]<ref name="Small Favors" /> that [[Contruum rebellion|fought]] a guerrilla campaign against Imperial occupation of their [[Homeworld/Legends|homeworld]].<ref name="Wizards" /> Airen instilled his son with morals, impressing upon him that the Empire was tyrannical and evil, and the young Cracken became eager to join the resistance.<ref name="DB">{{DB|character|pashcracken|Pash Cracken|archivedate=20101101111927}}</ref> Some of his childhood was spent in [[Z-95 Headhunter/Legends|Z-95 Headhunter]] [[holosimulator]]s, and Cracken's father quickly realized that he was a talented [[Pilot/Legends|pilot]]. Airen encouraged his son's interest in flying by providing him access to additional simulators<ref name="Wedge's Gamble">''[[X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble]]''</ref> and teaching him the basics of [[Starfighter combat/Legends|starfighter combat]].<ref name="LCS" /> Cracken defeated several skilled pilots in simulator battles, and Airen eventually allowed him to fly real [[Starfighter/Legends|starfighters]].<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> The younger Cracken took his first solo flight before he reached the age of thirteen.<ref name="DB" />

During Cracken's teenage [[Standard year/Legends|years]],<ref name="LCS" /> his father's rebellion successfully liberated Contruum from Imperial rule.<ref name="Wizards" /> Airen joined the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebel Alliance]], a [[The galaxy/Legends|galaxy]]-wide resistance movement that was fighting a [[Galactic Civil War/Legends|war]] against the Empire, and after Airen told his son about life in the Rebellion, Pash left his homeworld to join his father. The elder Cracken suggested that he enroll in the Imperial [[Vensenor Flight Academy/Legends|Vensenor Flight Academy]],<ref name="LCS" /> a branch of the [[Imperial Academy/Legends|Imperial Academy]] located aboard the [[Venator-class Star Destroyer/Legends|''Venator''-class Star Destroyer]] [[Vensenor/Legends|''Vensenor'']].<ref name="Warfare">''[[The Essential Guide to Warfare]]''</ref> It had proved a fertile recruiting ground for Imperial defectors to the Alliance, and Pash Cracken enrolled under a false identity, as his father had already become a famous Rebel [[General/Legends|general]].<ref name="LCS" /> The younger Cracken found that he was a better pilot than most of his instructors,<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> and though he excelled in all of his studies, his top marks came in classes that involved starfighter tactics. His approach to piloting was unorthodox, innovative, and often reckless,<ref name="LCS" /> and in repeated combat simulations, it was unbeatable.<ref name="DB" /> His instructors were astounded.<ref name="LCS" />

During his [[Time/Legends|time]] at the Imperial Academy, Cracken became a capable [[Commander/Legends|commander]] who inspired devotion in his teammates.<ref name="DB" /> Their [[Squadron/Legends|squadrons]] flew [[TIE/LN starfighter|TIE fighters]] in battle simulations and constantly completed missions without losing a single pilot. When his comrades fell behind in their academic studies, Cracken forced them to leave the simulators and open their [[Book/Legends|books]].<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> He attracted considerable attention from his fellows, and Cracken assembled a group of pilots whom he could trust. His plan was for the group to defect to the Alliance following their graduation.<ref name="LCS" /> When that time came, Cracken had surpassed all of his instructors in piloting ability,<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> and he graduated in the top one percent of his class. He was immediately [[Imperial officer/Legends|commissioned]] into the [[Imperial Navy/Legends|Imperial Navy]].<ref name="LCS" />

====Becoming a legend====
{{Quote|I'm sure the Imperials thought they had caught us with our trousers down, judgin' by how nasty Pash's squadron fought. I never saw a fighter wing take out a ''Victory''-class Star Destroyer before&hellip; and we got all our ships away besides. Not one single transport got tagged.|[[Motto Shemson]], an Alliance technician serving at the Xyquine base|<ref name="The Cracken Twist">{{WEGCite|book=The Last Command Sourcebook|story=The Cracken Twist|stext=''The Cracken Twist''}}</ref>}}
Cracken became the [[Wing Commander/Legends|Wing Commander]] of a seventy-two-[[Starship/Legends|ship]]&ndash;strong [[Fighter wing/Legends|fighter wing]]<ref name="DB" /> of TIE fighters. During his first assignment, he led the entire wing in defecting to the Rebel Alliance.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> The incident took on a nearly mythical quality within both the Alliance and the Empire, but the former organization kept the details of the defection officially classified for years.<ref name="LCS" /> To the Empire, it was a scandal that rocked the highest echelons of the Imperial [[Navy/Legends|Navy]], and the Imperial [[Dark Lord of the Sith/Legends|Sith Lord]] [[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Darth Vader]] took a personal interest in it<ref name="DB" /> by placing a new [[Unidentified Star Destroyer Commander|commander]] in charge of the TIE Wing's former [[Unidentified Star Destroyer|Star Destroyer]].<ref name="LCS" />

The former TIE Wing became known as [[Cracken Flight Group|Cracken's Flight Group]],<ref name="LCS" /> and they switched to [[RZ-1 A-wing interceptor/Legends|A-wing fighters]], becoming some of the first squadrons in the [[Alliance Starfighter Corps]] to pilot the new ships.<ref name="Wizards" /> The [[Flight group/Legends|flight group]] was assigned to an [[Xyquine base|Alliance base]] on the planet [[Xyquine II]], from where they performed many successful hit-and-run operations against Imperial shipping.<ref name="LCS" /> Cracken retained his [[Military rank/Legends|rank]] of Wing Commander.<ref name="The Cracken Twist" /> When the base was discovered by an Imperial [[Probe droid/Legends|probe droid]]<ref name="LCS" /> at some point between [[0 BBY/Legends|0 BBY]] and [[3 ABY/Legends|3 ABY]],<ref name="LCS" /><ref name="NEC">''[[The New Essential Chronology]]''</ref> the Empire [[Battle of Xyquine II|attacked]] at a time when an unusually high number of important Rebel [[operative]]s were on-station.<ref name="LCS" /> As an Imperial [[Fleet/Legends|fleet]] approached, [[Gingal]], the base's [[Watch Commander]], ordered a standard evacuation. Cracken rushed into the base's control room and informed Gingal that the plan was flawed, as the Imperials would be able to monitor their ship-to-ship transmissions and thus follow their exit vectors.<ref name="The Cracken Twist" />

[[File:PashCracken.jpg|thumb|right|Pash Cracken]]
Cracken took the dumbfounded watch commander's [[Comlink/Legends|comlink]] and informed every [[Rebel pilot/Legends|pilot]] to subtract the number two from the [[Hyperspace/Legends|hyperspace]] coordinates they would soon receive. He reasoned that their exit vectors would be accurate enough to fool the eavesdropping Imperials, yet inaccurate enough to send pursuers in the wrong direction by several [[Light-year/Legends|light-years]]. Cracken then requested permission to lead his flight group against the Imperial fleet, and when Gingal consented, Cracken's Flight Group attacked the [[Victory-class Star Destroyer/Legends|''Victory''-class Star Destroyer]]<ref name="The Cracken Twist" /> ''[[Exsanguinator]]''.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> They destroyed the [[Star Destroyer/Legends|Star Destroyer]] without suffering a single casualty, and every single Rebel [[Transport/Legends|transport]] safely jumped to [[Lightspeed/Legends|lightspeed]].<ref name="The Cracken Twist" /> Cracken's method of altering hyperspace codes went down in history as the "[[Cracken Twist]],"<ref name="LCS" /> and his unit's defeat of the ''Exsanguinator'' made flight group and commander alike into legends.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

{{Gamemechanics}}
At another point between 0 BBY and 3 ABY,<ref name="NEC" /><ref name="Galaxies">{{SWG|An Empire Divided}}</ref> Cracken engaged an Imperial pilot in a dogfight. Although he was bested, Cracken's A-wing remained flyable, and he escaped the skirmish with his life. Around the same time, Cracken also participated in several [[Space warfare|space battles]] between Rebel and Imperial forces that were fought in the [[Corellian system|Corellian]], [[Dantooine system/Legends|Dantooine]], [[Karthakk system|Karthakk]], [[Naboo system/Legends|Naboo]], and [[Tatoo system/Legends|Tatoo systems]]. In each battle, a Rebel [[EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate/Legends|EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate]] squared off against an Imperial [[Lancer-class frigate/Legends|''Lancer''-class frigate]], and Cracken was one of many pilots who made up the Rebel starfighter complement.<ref name="Galaxies" />
{{Endgame}}

===Going Rogue===
====A change of pace====
{{Quote|I'm beginning to question myself and my performance, and that means I'm a hairsbreadth from doubting myself. If I've lost something, I need to know I'm not flying as well as I can, but if I lose my confidence, I lose everything. Here, in Rogue Squadron, I'll be measuring myself against the best our side has to offer.|Cracken, to Wedge Antilles|<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />}}
In [[4 ABY/Legends|4 ABY]], the Alliance delivered a crippling defeat to the Empire at the [[Battle of Endor/Legends|Battle of Endor]], and the victors soon thereafter reorganized into the [[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]].<ref name="NEC" /> Cracken's Flight Group continued to serve the new government's [[New Republic Defense Fleet/Legends|defense fleet]], and shortly after [[Endor/Legends|Endor]], they were tasked with protecting the [[Outer Rim Communications Center]] in the [[Generis system]]. The flight group was added to Wing Commander [[Varth]]'s fighter wing,<ref name="LCS" /> and Cracken was promoted to the rank of [[Captain/Legends|captain]]. The pilots serving under him were eager to always follow his lead, believing that he was an unbeatable hero who would lead them to victory in every battle. Attrition gradually wheedled away at the flight group's numbers, and although Cracken knew that he was leading his pilots to their [[Death/Legends|deaths]], the survivors blamed those who died for making fatal mistakes. Cracken felt that his flight group was getting increasingly careless, and he grew worried that a single mistake on his part would see them all die.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

When Cracken learned that the [[New Republic Starfighter Corps/Legends|New Republic Starfighter Corps]]' legendary [[Rogue Squadron/Legends|Rogue Squadron]] was seeking pilots to fill recently opened vacancies, he applied to join their ranks.<ref name="DB" /> The Rogues flew [[X-wing starfighter/Legends|X-wing fighters]] rather than A-wings, but they were [[Rogue Leader/Legends|led]] by New Republic hero [[Wedge Antilles/Legends|Wedge Antilles]] and considered to be some of the New Republic's best pilots. Cracken's perceived mythical status had caused him to lose perspective on his own abilities, and he hoped that serving under Antilles in such a fabled squadron would help him get a more realistic measure of how well he actually was able to fly. Cracken additionally hoped that his flight group could reassess how they operated in his absence. He was accepted into the Rogues, and he traveled to the planet [[Borleias]] to meet with Antilles,<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> leaving his flight group under the leadership of Varth.<ref name="DB" /> Cracken's father, now the [[Director of New Republic Intelligence]], warned him that Antilles would grill him with questions prior to his first mission.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

[[File:Pashandwedge3.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Cracken (left) and his new squadron leader, Wedge Antilles (right)]]
Cracken was shown to Commander Antilles's office in the Borleias [[Alderaan Biotics facility|base]] along with fellow candidate [[Aril Nunb]]. Antilles welcomed them to the squadron, but he insisted on knowing why they had chosen to apply. Cracken reluctantly explained his reasons and willingly accepted a demotion to [[Lieutenant/Legends|lieutenant]]; Antilles was able to relate to his dilemma, and, although initially suspicious that Cracken might be a [[New Republic Intelligence Service|New Republic Intelligence]] [[Spy/Legends|spy]] working for Airen Cracken, the Rogue leader gladly welcomed both of the new pilots to the squadron. Cracken was given the [[call sign]] of [[Rogue Four/Legends|Rogue Four]] and permitted to fly Antilles's own [[T-65 X-wing starfighter/Legends|X-wing]] while several damaged fighters were repaired, and he was assigned [[Sleep/Legends|sleeping]] quarters with [[Nawara Ven]], [[Rogue Three/Legends|Rogue Three]].<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

Around the same time, the Imperial [[Warlord/Legends|Warlord]] [[Zsinj]] dispatched the [[Dwarf Star-class freighter|''Dwarf Star''-class freighter]] ''[[Vengeance Derra IV]]'' to [[Skirmish near Borleias|probe]] the New Republic's defenses at their new base.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> Although Cracken was already battling suspicions from his fellow Rogues that he was reporting their activities to his father,<ref name="Who's Who">{{InsiderCite|59|Who's Who in Rogue Squadron}}</ref> he was sent on his first mission: a [[Battle of Mrisst (6 ABY)|retaliation]] against Zsinj.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

Rogue Squadron's [[One Flight|One]] and [[Two Flight]]s were sent to the [[GaTir system]]. The flights were captained by Nunb and Cracken, respectively, and the [[transponder code]]s of all eight fighters were altered to identify them as mishmash, mongrel craft known as [[Ugly/Legends|Uglies]] that would fail to attract attention. On Cracken's suggestion, they approached ''Vengeance Derra IV''{{'s}} position over [[Mrisst/Legends|Mrisst]] via that planet's south pole in order to avoid any [[Astronomer/Legends|astronomical]] observation posts. After catching a first glimpse of their target, the Rogues spotted an additional vessel: ''[[Contruum's Pride]]'', a transport that Cracken, due to naming conventions on his homeworld, realized was posing as a [[Capital ship/Legends|capital ship]]. Nunb broadcast orders for the Imperials to surrender, but when twelve TIE fighters and [[TIE/IN interceptor/Legends|interceptors]] were launched instead, One Flight engaged them while Cracken led Two Flight in an attack on ''Vengeance Derra IV''. The four X-wings of Two Flight avoided the [[Laser/Legends|lasers]] of the [[Freighter/Legends|freighter's]] [[Gunner/Legends|gunners]] before launching four [[Proton torpedo/Legends|proton torpedoes]] in tandem, which brought down the freighter's forward and aft [[Deflector shield/Legends|shields]] and left it derelict in [[Realspace/Legends|space]]. While One Flight destroyed the enemy [[snubfighter]]s, Cracken contacted ''Contruum's Pride'' and convinced them to help stabilize ''Vengeance Derra IV''. Victorious, the Rogues returned to base.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

====Behind enemy lines====
{{Quote|If we make Black Sun too weak, the Empire squashes it.''"<br />"''Sure, but if we make it too strong, we lose the trust of the folks Black Sun hurts and we might find ourselves having to compete with them for the ownership of Coruscant.|Cracken and Corran Horn, while planning Rogue Squadron's mission to Kessel|<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />}}
Not long afterward, Antilles gathered the Rogues into Borleias's pilots' briefing room and informed them of their next [[Mission to Kessel (Galactic Civil War)|mission]]: in advance of a strike at the Imperial [[Capital/Legends|capital]] world of [[Coruscant/Legends|Coruscant]], the Rogues would land on the [[Prison/Legends|prison]] planet [[Kessel/Legends|Kessel]] and free several members of the [[Black Sun/Legends|Black Sun]] criminal organization, who would then be inserted into the [[Coruscant underworld|Coruscant Underworld]] to stir up chaos. Cracken helped Antilles convince skeptical Rogue [[Corran Horn]]&mdash;a former member of the [[Corellian Security Force]]&mdash;that allowing particularly dangerous criminals to run loose would cause effective damage to the Empire. Twelve [[Standard hour/Legends|hours]] later, the Rogues launched from Borleias and arrived at Kessel. There, they performed a flyby of the planet's [[Garrison Moon]] and neutralized the remaining defenses of a former Imperial base shortly before doing the same to a landing zone on Kessel itself. While Antilles, Horn, and Ven negotiated the release of [[Prisoner/Legends|prisoners]] with facility [[Administrator/Legends|administrator]] [[Moruth Doole]], Cracken and the rest of the Rogues flew cover for [[Tycho Celchu]], the squadron's [[Executive officer/Legends|executive officer]]. Piloting the modified [[Lambda-class T-4a shuttle/Legends|''Lambd''a-class shuttle]] ''[[Forbidden]]'', Celchu ferried the prisoners to the [[Moon/Legends|moon]] for processing.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

Over the next two [[Standard week/Legends|weeks]], the New Republic [[Smuggler/Legends|smuggled]] the criminals onto Coruscant. Rogue Squadron relocated from Borleias to the nearby New Republic&ndash;held planet [[Noquivzor]], where Cracken learned that he would similarly be [[Liberation of Coruscant (Galactic Civil War)|inserted]] onto the capital, tasked by the New Republic's governing body, the [[New Republic Provisional Council|Provisional Council]], with gathering intelligence in preparation for a sabotage of the world's [[Planetary shield/Legends|planetary shields]]. Although all members of Rogue Squadron were in fact part of the mission, they were separated into small groups for security reasons, and none of them save for Antilles were aware of any other group's presence on the planet. Cracken was paired with Antilles and given the job of assessing [[Coruscanti/Legends|Coruscanti]] citizens' loyalty to the Empire; the two were fitted with disguises by New Republic Intelligence for their insertion onto the capital aboard the [[Dairkan Starliner]] ''[[Jewel of Churba]]''. Assuming the identity of [[Imperial Prefect]] [[Parin Dodt]], Cracken passed the inspection of a [[Unidentified customs official (Coruscant)|customs official]] and greeted his old friend "[[Wedge Antilles/Legends|Antar Roat]]"&mdash;actually Antilles&mdash;just after the starliner arrived in the [[Coruscant system/Legends|Coruscant system]].<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

[[File:PashCracken-SWI59.jpg|thumb|right|Cracken during his time in Rogue Squadron]]
After making planetfall, the two were greeted at the [[Spaceport/Legends|spaceport]] by a woman calling herself [[Irin Fossyr]], who used correct code phrases to identify herself as an Intelligence agent placed by Cracken's father. The three operatives boarded a [[Grav-car|lift-car]], shed their disguises, and made introductions; Fossyr's real name was [[Iella Wessiri Antilles|Iella Wessiri]]. The three spent the next week touring Imperial [[Museum/Legends|museums]] and other public facilities in an effort to discern how Imperial [[Propaganda/Legends|propaganda]] was received by the general populace, and Cracken kept an [[Eye/Legends|eye]] out for what kinds of souvenirs were purchased by museum guests. After a week had passed, they made it to the [[Galactic Museum]], where Cracken purchased a miniature statue of the late [[Galactic Emperor/Legends|Emperor]] [[Palpatine/Legends|Palpatine]] and two [[holopad]] [[display disk]]s of his life story. They were the gift shop's two most popular items, and Cracken decided that they would make humorous gifts for his father. The group began to suspect that Coruscant's citizens had accepted Palpatine's death and would similarly accept a new government taking control of their world. As they left the museum satisfied, Antilles was suddenly embraced by his old friend [[Mirax Terrik Horn|Mirax Terrik]], a smuggler who had lately been working closely with the Rogues.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

Wessiri and Terrik quickly assumed the roles of [[Window/Legends|window]] shoppers, and Cracken and Antilles followed silently in their wake as they slowly descended through Coruscant's [[City/Legends|cityscape]], stopping at various women's [[Clothing/Legends|clothing]] stores to appear casual and to watch for pursuers. A trip in another of Wessiri's lift-cars brought them to a safehouse, where Terrik explained to a wary Wessiri that her departure from Coruscant had been compromised after she had ferried other Rogues onto the planet. Cracken and Antilles realized that the Imperials were wise to their presence, and Wessiri summoned fellow Intelligence agent [[Winter Celchu|Winter]] to debrief Terrik. After Winter revealed that all of Rogue Squadron was on-world, Antilles noticed laser flashes outside the room and tipped the group's [[Couch/Legends|couch]] over [[Standard second|seconds]] before a [[Speeder bike/Legends|speeder bike]] crashed through the window. The vehicle's driver was a Black Sun thug, and the group soon after relocated to a new safehouse inside a [[Cantina/Legends|cantina]] known as [[the Headquarters]]. There, they learned that Corran Horn&mdash;on a [[Zoom II speeder bike|bike]] of his own&mdash;had sent the other driver through the window while fleeing from [[Zekka Thyne]], one of the criminals who had been freed from Kessel. Soon thereafter, a communication from the New Republic's [[Admiral/Legends|Admiral]] [[Gial Ackbar/Legends|Ackbar]] informed them of a change of plans: due to an [[Battle of Noquivzor|attack]] on Noquivzor by Warlord Zsinj, the Rogues were now to bring down Coruscant's planetary shields themselves in advance of a New Republic invasion. Winter accordingly connected Cracken and Antilles with the rest of their squadron in order to hatch a plan.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

====Conquering the capital====
{{Quote|Pash, I'm picking up nine or ten hits.''"<br />"''I copy, Corran. Looks like small civilian vessels. The exodus is beginning.|Corran Horn and Cracken, observing the populace's reaction to the New Republic's arrival on Coruscant|<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />}}
[[File:Wedge'sGamble-TERC.jpg|thumb|left|175px|Rogue Squadron's Headhunters disable Coruscant's planetary shields.]]
The rest of the Rogues&mdash;save for Nunb, who had been taken into Imperial custody&mdash;were brought to the safehouse along with the anti-Imperial [[Alien Combine]], with whom they had connected during the previous week. Also with them were several Black Sun members, who had agreed to work with them despite bad [[Blood/Legends|blood]] between Thyne and Horn. The three groups brainstormed potential attack plans against Coruscant's central [[Computer/Legends|computer]], and they ultimately decided to use the Alien Combine's access to a [[memory core]] [[Unidentified manufacturing plant|manufacturing plant]] in Coruscant's [[Alien Protection Zone]] to [[Slicer/Legends|slice]] into the computer and gain clearance codes for the planetary shield maintenance programs. Cracken was part of the team assembled to slip rigged cores into the computer system, and he traveled to a warehouse at the plant along with Antilles, Alien Combine member [[Portha]], and [[Gavin Darklighter]], [[Rogue Five/Legends|Rogue Five]]. Posing as plant workers, they delivered the rigged cores to an [[Unidentified Imperial technician (Coruscant)|Imperial technician]] while several other Rogues waited in the warehouse's shadows. When Imperial [[Stormtrooper/Legends|stormtroopers]] and a [[Swift Assault 5]] hoverscout suddenly attacked, having been tipped off by Thyne, Cracken and the others fell back as Rogue Squadron members [[Ooryl Qrygg]] and [[Riv Shiel]] emerged and returned fire with a pair of [[E-Web heavy repeating blaster]]s.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

Cracken and the others took cover as the [[Repeating blaster/Legends|repeating blasters]] destroyed the Hoverscout, but concentrated fire from the stormtroopers left them little maneuvering room. The [[Trooper/Legends|troopers]]' ranks were thinned when the Hoverscout collided with a [[Repulsorlift/Legends|repulsorlift]] truck, and the Rogues and Portha used the opportunity to retreat deeper into the plant. After they found another exit, they were forced to move in and out of several other buildings to shake Imperial pursuit. They eventually found themselves surrounded by stormtrooper [[Squad/Legends|squads]] while inside a building, but backup called by Antilles&mdash;Celchu, flying a Z-95 Headhunter&mdash;arrived outside a window and eliminated their foes. A repulsorlift vehicle piloted by [[M-3PO (Emtrey)|M-3PO]], the squadron's [[Quartermaster/Legends|quartermaster]], retrieved Cracken and the others and took them to another safehouse. Celchu's presence on Coruscant was a surprise to all save Antilles, as the executive [[Officer/Legends|officer]] had been a [[Dejarik/Legends|dejarik]] piece that the Rogues' Commander had not wanted to play until absolutely necessary. The Rogues gathered in Celchu's safehouse to revise their plan, where they were joined by Wessiri, Terrik, Portha, Portha's ally [[Asyr Sei'lar]], and [[Inyri Forge]], a former girlfriend of Thyne who had killed him following his betrayal of the Rogues.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

Darklighter and Sei'lar proposed using an [[Orbital Solar Energy Transfer Satellite]] to vaporize a [[Water/Legends|water]] reservoir, which would produce concentrated humidity and create a thunderstorm, thereby leading to a total power grid collapse. By hijacking a giant [[EVS Construction Droid|construction droid]], they would evacuate the groundside [[SCC Number Four|Subsidiary computer center Number Four]] and gain access to the [[Satellite/Legends|satellite]]. Cracken was assigned to fly cover for the assault in one of Celchu's six Headhunters, with [[Rhysati Ynr]], [[Rogue Seven/Legends|Rogue Seven]], as his [[Wingmate/Legends|wingmate]]. When Sei'lar volunteered for Headhunter duty, a shuffle paired her with Cracken and Ynr with [[Erisi Dlarit]], [[Rogue Eight/Legends|Rogue Eight]]. Horn served as [[Hunter Lead|leader]] of the ersatz [[Hunter Squadron (New Republic)|Hunter Squadron]], and, after the pilots investigated their fighters, Cracken observed Celchu tell Horn that he had made a special inspection of his Headhunter. Horn then accused Celchu of being an Imperial spy responsible for betraying their mission at the manufacturing plant, and the pilots [[Liberation of Coruscant (Galactic Civil War)|launched]].<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

The rest of the task force was able to seize the construction [[Droid/Legends|droid]], and Hunter Squadron dogfought and destroyed multiple waves of attacking TIE fighters above Coruscant's cityscape. After the [[subsidiary computer center]] was destroyed and the storm began, Horn manually destroyed a substation that was keeping the final layer of planetary shields intact. The New Republic Defense Fleet arrived in-[[Star system/Legends|system]], and as Hunter Squadron prepared to return to base and [[Fuel/Legends|refuel]], Cracken and Horn observed around ten civilian vessels fleeing the planet. Horn detected an anomalous blip on his [[scanner]]s, and although Cracken's readings showed nothing, Horn investigated, refusing Cracken's offer to serve as a wingmate. Horn's controls froze, however, which caused his Headhunter to crash into a building. Despite the accident, the New Republic captured Coruscant with little difficulty, which left some officials suspicious that Imperial [[Head of State/Legends|Head of State]] [[Ysanne Isard]] had wanted them to win.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

====Reluctant witness====
{{Quote|You're a friend of Captain Celchu's, aren't you?''"<br />"''I'm in his squadron. I know him. I know what he's done. He's saved my life.''"<br />"''And you think you owe him something?''"<br />"''I said he saved my life.''"<br />"''And you don't want to be testifying here against him, do you?''"<br />"''No.|Halla Ettyk questions Cracken during the trial of Tycho Celchu|<ref name="The Krytos Trap">''[[X-Wing: The Krytos Trap]]''</ref>}}
As the New Republic took control of the world, Cracken was united with his father. A search of Horn's crash scene had failed to uncover a body, and, after being pressed by Airen, Pash revealed what he had overheard between Celchu and Horn prior to the battle. Since Celchu additionally knew the command codes for the fighter, Airen decided that he had sufficient evidence to arrest him for [[Treason/Legends|treason]] and murder. Four [[Standard day/Legends|days]] after the battle, the two Crackens sought out Antilles at Horn's crash site and informed him of Celchu's charges. Although Antilles was enraged, Cracken assured him that Celchu had expressed a complete willingness to let Horn fully investigate him after the battle.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> Positive news came in the return of Aril Nunb, who had escaped from Imperial custody after being used as a test subject for the [[Krytos virus]]. The malady was deadly to [[Alien/Legends|non-Humans]] and had been spread throughout Coruscant by Isard, who hoped that the polarization between Humans and other [[Species/Legends|species]] would shatter the New Republic from within.<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />

[[File:Krytos_Trap.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Rogue Squadron strikes at Warlord Zsinj's bacta supply.]]
Due to their role in the conquest of Coruscant, Rogue Squadron were publicly iconized as heroes. Privately, Cracken and his fellows rallied around Celchu and were determined to prove his innocence as preparations for a [[Trial of Tycho Celchu|trial]] began. One week after the battle, the Rogues stood on a platform erected at Horn's crash site as Antilles delivered a eulogy at a highly publicized [[Funeral/Legends|remembrance ceremony]], and not long afterward, their Commander gathered them for a pilots' briefing. Zsinj had recently seized a [[Bacta/Legends|bacta]] [[Convoy/Legends|convoy]] traveling from the planet [[Thyferra/Legends|Thyferra]] to Coruscant, and the New Republic desperately needed the medicinal substance to battle the effects of the Krytos virus. The Rogues were therefore tasked with hitting the [[Yag-prime]] [[Space station/Legends|space station]] in the [[Yag'Dhul system]], where Zsinj had taken the bacta. Although Cracken worried about the possible presence of Zsinj's [[Flagship/Legends|flagship]], the [[Executor-class Star Dreadnought/Legends|''Executor''-class Star Dreadnought]] [[Iron Fist (Executor-class)|''Iron Fist'']], the Rogues ran through a simulation of the mission and launched twelve hours after the briefing.<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />

The squadron's ranks were buffered by new members Sei'lar and Forge, but the Rogues were still one pilot short; Cracken was reassigned the call sign of [[Rogue Five/Legends|Rogue Five]]. The group arrived at [[Yag'Dhul/Legends|Yag'Dhul]] along with [[Warden Squadron|Warden]] and [[Champion Squadron|Champion]] Squadrons, [[BTL Y-wing starfighter/Legends|Y-wing]] units from General [[Horton Salm/Legends|Horton Salm's]] [[Defender Wing]]. The Rogues' One Flight engaged four patrolling TIE fighters while Nunb led Cracken and the others toward the [[Empress-class space station|station]]. After they drew out its starfighter defenses, the [[A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter/Legends|B-wing starfighters]] of Defender Wing's [[Guardian Squadron]] dropped out of hyperspace and aided in the annihilation of the Imperial ships. After the four squadrons began a run on the station itself, its crew surrendered, and several New Republic freighters arrived to retrieve and ship the bacta.<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />

Following Rogue Squadron's return to Coruscant, Cracken was called on to be a witness in Celchu's trial. After giving a deposition to Nawara Ven&mdash;who, as a former [[Lawyer/Legends|lawyer]], was acting as Celchu's defense&mdash;Cracken was selected by prosecutor [[Halla Ettyk]] as the lead witness. Unwilling to testify against Celchu, Cracken was only compelled to take the stand after receiving a subpoena from Ettyk. In the courtroom, Cracken recounted the events leading up to the conquest of Coruscant and his having overheard Horn accuse Celchu of being a spy. When he refused to admit that the conversation had bred any suspicion in him regarding Celchu, Ettyk received permission from Admiral Ackbar, who presided over the trial, to treat the witness as hostile. Cracken eventually conceded that he had been just slightly suspicious, and he was then led by the prosecution to mention Celchu's special inspection of Horn's Headhunter. Ettyk finished her questioning, and, since Cracken had already revealed all of the relevant facts to which he was privy, Ven asked no questions of his own.<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />

====Brokering bacta====
{{Quote|It makes no sense for anyone to have killed the convoy.''"<br />"''That's why to know Warlord Zsinj is to wonder about his sanity. He's definitely someone who needs a lot of killing.|Nawara Ven and Cracken, following the destruction of a New Republic bacta convoy|<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />}}
The trial was put on hold when the Provisional Council discovered that the [[Ryloth/Legends|Rylothean]] [[Spice/Legends|spice]] [[ryll kor]] could be used to fight the Krytos virus, and the Rogues were sent to the planet Ryloth to negotiate for some. Save for Antilles, who rode in Terrik's ''[[Pulsar Skate]]'', all of the Rogues and their X-wings made the five-day journey aboard the transport ''[[Courage of Sullust]]''. After their arrival at Ryloth's [[Kala'uun Starport]], Cracken and the others were shown [[Twi'janii|hospitality]] by the native [[Twi'lek/Legends|Twi'leks]], who treated them to [[Music/Legends|music]] and dancing within a circle of [[glowstone]]s. The festivities were interrupted by the Twi'lek warrior [[Tal'dira]], who publicly called out [[Koh'shak]], the starport master, for leaving his warriors out of the negotiations. Tal'dira then offered the Rogues the [[Ryll/Legends|ryll]] kor that they desired, as he admired them for being warriors themselves. Cracken and his fellows flew an X-wing escort when the fully-loaded transports departed Ryloth, then boarded their own transport for the rest of the trip home.<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />

[[File:Japanesepash.jpg|thumb|left|Pash Cracken, Rogue]]
Rogue Squadron's next mission was to escort a convoy of bacta obtained from Thyferra's [[Xucphra Corporation]]. Cracken led Ven, Darklighter, and Shiel in Two Flight as the Rogues traveled to a rendezvous point in the [[Alderaan system/Legends|Alderaan system]] to meet with the assigned New Republic transports, but upon their reversion from lightspeed, they found the transports destroyed and ''Iron Fist'' entering hyperspace. Two TIE fighter squadrons, two ''Lambda''-class [[Shuttle/Legends|shuttles]], and the [[Strike-class medium cruiser|''Strike''-class medium cruiser]] ''[[Termagant]]'' remained in-system, and the Rogues quickly [[Ambush at Alderaan|counterattacked]] the Imperials. Concentrated proton torpedo fire disabled the ''Termagant'' before the TIEs could attack, but Cracken and the others soon found themselves engaged in dogfights. When the ''Lambda''-class shuttles escaped, the TIEs broke off their attack and, deprived of a larger ship to carry them into hyperspace, surrendered. Antilles ordered Cracken to take Two Flight to the planet [[Tatooine/Legends|Tatooine]], refuel, and return to the Alderaan system with a freighter that could carry the TIEs. Cracken did so, and Two Flight flew escort for the freighter as it ferried the TIEs to Coruscant, where their [[TIE pilot|pilots]] were debriefed by Cracken's father.<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />

Just before Celchu's trial was re-opened, the New Republic was tipped off to an upcoming strike at a [[Bacta storage facility]] on Coruscant by a [[Terrorist/Legends|terrorist]] group known as the [[Palpatine Counter-Insurgency Front]]. The Rogues were called to a briefing room and told by Antilles that they would fly cover for a [[Commando/Legends|commando]] force that would infiltrate the facility and neutralize any bomb-carrying vehicles. Cracken and the others hastily [[Mission above Imperial City|launched]]; they made their way to the target zone and waited, although Antilles and Sei'lar were called away to neutralize some [[All Terrain Scout Transport/Legends|AT-ST]] [[Walker/Legends|walkers]] and an [[Airspeeder/Legends|airspeeder]] that carried explosives. Three squadrons of TIE fighters and [[Interceptor/Legends|interceptors]] suddenly appeared, and as Cracken and his fellows engaged the newcomers, the ''Executor''-class [[Star Dreadnought/Legends|Star Dreadnought]] ''[[Lusankya/Legends|Lusankya]]'' emerged from the cityscape, having lain hidden beneath the surface for years. Cracken warned a distracted Antilles of an incoming TIE, but all of the enemy fighters veered off and left the fight to follow the massive ship on its course away from the planet.<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />

The Rogues pursued the ''Lusankya'' to no avail as it blasted a hole through the planetary shields and escaped. Erisi Dlarit followed, claiming to be caught in a [[Tractor beam/Legends|tractor beam]]. However, her [[R5-series astromech droid|R5 unit]] reported contradictory data to Antilles, who quickly realized that she had been the spy in Rogue Squadron. Dlarit and the ''Lusankya'' had fled Coruscant after Corran Horn had escaped from the ship's [[Lusankya (prison)|prison]], a location where he had been held after in fact surviving his crash, which had been caused by Dlarit and not Celchu. Horn burst into Celchu's trial while Cracken and the others were fighting and exonerated his accused murderer, and the two rejoined Rogue Squadron as it flew numerous pursuit and cover missions against the Palpatine Counter-Insurgency Front over the next ten days. After they destroyed the group's safehouses and warehouse facilities, a public ceremony was held both to honor the Rogues and to rehabilitate Celchu's image. The celebrations were bolstered by the synthesis of bacta and ryll kor into [[rylca]], which proved to be an effective cure for the Krytos virus.<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />

===The continuing war===
====Friends in need====
{{Quote|You'll be sorely missed, Captain Cracken, but our loss is your unit's gain. We'll see you soon at the Yag'Dhul station.''"<br />"''Thanks, Wedge, Tycho. I look forward to seeing you there.|Antilles and Cracken, during the early stages of the Bacta War|<ref name="The Bacta War">''[[X-Wing: The Bacta War]]''</ref>}}
At the ceremony, Cracken and every other member of Rogue Squadron were awarded the [[Coruscant Star of Valor]] for acts of bravery and selflessness in battle. During the reception, the Rogues learned that they would be assigned to General [[Han Solo/Legends|Han Solo's]] [[Solo Fleet|fleet]], which was [[Hunting/Legends|hunting]] for the elusive Warlord Zsinj. They also learned that Isard had seized control of Thyferra through an internal coup, and since the planet was not a member world of the New Republic, the Provisional Council refused to interfere in its internal politics. Nonetheless determined to take down Isard, every member of Rogue Squadron resigned their commission,<ref name="The Krytos Trap" /> save Cracken. Although he desperately wanted to join his brethren, both he and Antilles knew that his involvement would be seen as officially sanctioned by the New Republic due to his father's role as Director of Intelligence. Cracken thus returned to his former role as captain of the Cracken Flight Group, which was assigned to the [[Hunt for Zsinj]] in the role of monitoring several [[Core Worlds/Legends|Core Worlds]] systems where the Warlord had previously caused trouble. Their [[Folor Base|base]] was on [[Folor]], a moon of [[Commenor/Legends|Commenor]].<ref name="The Bacta War" />

[[File:Pashandwedge2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Cracken lent aid to Antilles after the latter resigned from the New Republic Defense Fleet.]]
One of the flight group's first assignments was to hit Yag-prime and render it uninhabitable, so as to prevent the Warlord from ever using it again. Before departing Coruscant, Cracken reflected on his time with Rogue Squadron, and he realized that Antilles had taught him that every member of a unit needed to pull their own weight. He visited Antilles and Celchu in their new, private office, and offered them the use of Yag-prime as their headquarters. He would report it uninhabitable anyway in order to keep it off Isard's radar, and its proximity to Commenor would allow Cracken to lend [[Antilles's Rogues]] assistance should they need it. Antilles and Celchu eagerly accepted, and Cracken thanked the former for the lessons he had learned while flying under his leadership. Determined to pass the lessons on to his own team, Cracken shipped out with his flight group at the end of the week and traveled to Yag-prime, where they remained until Antilles arrived to take possession. Cracken then transmitted reports that the station had been destroyed.<ref name="The Bacta War" />

Antilles' Rogues spent the subsequent weeks waging a [[Bacta War|guerrilla war]] on Isard and Thyferra's [[Bacta Cartel]]. During the conflict, Cracken's Flight Group was patrolling near Yag'Dhul when the [[J-77 Event Horizon/Legends|engines]] of [[Linna]], one of his pilots, failed. They landed at Yag-prime for repairs and stopped in at the station's [[Flarestar]] [[Tapcafe/Legends|tapcafe]] for some [[lomin ale]], where Cracken spotted Horn and called him over to join them. As Linna believed that the A-wing's speed rendered it superior to Horn's preferred X-wing, Cracken helped ground her confidence by moderating a round of good-natured boasting between her and Horn. Not long afterward, Antilles devised a plan to lure Isard's Star Destroyers to Yag-prime while his forces attacked Thyferra. When the ''Lusankya'' and the [[Errant Venture|''Virulence'']] arrived in the Yag'Dhul system, [[Booster Terrik]]&mdash;Mirax Terrik's father&mdash;trapped the former in a [[Gravity well projector/Legends|gravity well projector]] and a series of tractor beams, but the ''Virulence'' moved in front of it and allowed the ''Lusankya'' to return to Thyferra. Around the same time, Cracken was leading his flight group's [[Ace Squadron (New Republic)|Ace Squadron]] through hyperspace, but the [[Gravity well/Legends|gravity wells]] generated by the powerful tractor beams pulled them into realspace in the middle of the standoff.<ref name="The Bacta War" />

Terrik convinced the ''Virulence''{{'s}} Captain [[Lakwii Varrscha|Varrscha]] that the A-wings' appearance was part of his trap, and Varrscha reluctantly surrendered her ship. Ace Squadron loaded their fighters aboard the [[Destroyer/Legends|destroyer]], whose new masters immediately set a course for Thyferra. There, they found Antilles' forces [[Battle of Thyferra|assaulting]] the ''Lusankya'' and the [[Thyferran Home Defense Corps]]. Cracken contacted Antilles, who granted him permission to attack, and Ace Squadron pounded the ''Lusankya'' with [[Concussion missile/Legends|concussion missiles]] while using their speed to avoid the [[Warship/Legends|warship's]] defensive batteries. Compounded damage prompted the ship's crew to mutiny against the stubborn Captain [[Joak Drysso|Drysso]] and surrender. Meanwhile, Dlarit's fighter was destroyed by Horn, and a [[Thyfonian|shuttle]] believed to be carrying Isard was taken out by Celchu. After the battle, Airen Cracken arrived at the ''Lusankya'' with an Intelligence team to search the ship's massive prison, where they discovered that every inmate had been relocated prior to the battle. He also reported that the Provisional Council had retroactively sanctioned Antilles' mission and given the Rogues their commissions back, and both Crackens attended a celebration held in the ''Lusankya''{{'s}} officers' mess hall.<ref name="The Bacta War" />

====Losses and gains====
{{Quote|I don't think Thrawn was there personally, but he sure planned out the assault. I've got to tell you, Wedge, that those clones of his are the creepiest things I've ever tangled with. It's like going up against stormtroopers: same rabid dedication, same cold-blooded machine-precision fighting. The only difference is that they're everywhere now instead of just handling shock-troop duty.|Cracken, on the fall of Generis|<ref name="The Last Command" />}}
[[File:Pashandwedge.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Cracken greets Antilles during the Thrawn campaign.]]
With Coruscant firmly under New Republic control, Cracken's Flight Group was sent back to [[Generis/Legends|Generis]].<ref name="DB" /> [[8 ABY/Legends|8 ABY]] saw the ''Iron Fist'' [[Battle of Dathomir (Hunt for Zsinj)|destroyed]] and Warlord Zsinj killed,<ref name="Courtship">''[[The Courtship of Princess Leia]]''</ref> and the war against the Empire took on the public image of a clean-up effort. However, [[9 ABY/Legends|one year later]], a new Imperial threat emerged when [[Grand Admiral/Legends|Grand Admiral]] [[Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Legends|Thrawn]] took command of the [[Thrawn's confederation|Imperial fleet]] and waged a [[Thrawn campaign|devastating campaign]] against the New Republic. He captured large amounts of territory over the course of several [[Standard month/Legends|months]] and eventually [[Fall of Generis|attacked]] the communications center at Generis. Human [[Cloning/Legends|clones]] who had been [[Spaarti cloning cylinder|grown]] by Thrawn manned the fighters of the Empire's war machine, and Cracken led his flight group into battle against them.<ref name="The Last Command" />

The superior numbers allowed by the clones, coupled with Thrawn's cunning tactics, allowed the Empire to capture the communications center and most of the [[Sector Fleet]]'s supply depots. Cracken's Flight Group held the attackers off long enough to allow every intact New Republic ship to escape, and to allow General [[Kryll]] to evacuate [[Travia Chan/Legends|Travia Chan]],<ref name="The Last Command" /> the [[Commander-in-Chief/Legends|Commander-in-Chief]] of the entire [[Atrivis sector/Legends|sector]].<ref name="Rebel Alliance Sourcebook">[[The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (Second Edition)|''The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook'', Second Edition]]</ref> During the retreat, Cracken lost contact with Wing Commander Varth but held onto hope that he had escaped. The flight group returned to Coruscant, which was [[Blockade/Legends|blockaded]] by its own planetary shields following the [[Siege of Coruscant|deployment]] by Thrawn's forces of [[Cloaking device/Legends|cloaked]] [[Asteroid/Legends|asteroids]] into [[Orbit/Legends|orbit]]. Cracken attended a pilots' briefing aboard a [[Star Cruiser/Legends|Star Cruiser]], where he shared the grim news about Generis with Antilles.<ref name="The Last Command" />

During the briefing, Admiral Ackbar, General [[Crix Madine/Legends|Crix Madine]], and [[Colonel/Legends|Colonel]] [[Bren Derlin/Legends|Bren Derlin]] revealed the New Republic would be attacking the Empire's [[Bilbringi Shipyards]] to obtain a [[crystal gravfield trap]], which could detect the asteroids' [[Gravity/Legends|gravitic]] signatures. A deception would attempt to convince Thrawn that they would instead be attacking the planet [[Tangrene/Legends|Tangrene]]; Cracken worried that Thrawn would see through the ploy, but Madine dismissed the concern.<ref name="The Last Command" /> Cracken flew with<ref name="The Final Prophecy" /> the task force that [[Battle of Bilbringi (9 ABY)|assaulted]] [[Bilbringi system|Bilbringi]], but the New Republic ships were pulled out of hyperspace by [[Immobilizer 418 cruiser/Legends|Interdictor cruisers]] farther out from the [[Shipyard/Legends|shipyards]] than they expected&mdash;Thrawn had anticipated the attack. The starfighter complement immediately screened the New Republic capital ships and defended them from attacking TIE interceptors,<ref name="The Last Command" /> fighters, and [[TIE/sa bomber/Legends|bombers]],<ref name="Isard's Revenge">''[[X-Wing: Isard's Revenge]]''</ref> but a group of New Republic fighters were able to slip past a [[Golan II Space Defense SpaceGun]]<ref name="The Last Command" /> after it was crippled by Rogue Squadron.<ref name="Isard's Revenge" /> During the battle, Thrawn was betrayed and [[Assassin/Legends|assassinated]] by his [[Bodyguard/Legends|bodyguard]] [[Rukh/Legends|Rukh]] aboard his flagship, the [[Chimaera/Legends|''Chimaera'']], and the Imperials suddenly retreated. Deprived of Thrawn's strategic mind, the Imperial campaign was brought to a halt.<ref name="The Last Command" /> Cracken continued to serve the New Republic military in the following years,<ref name="DB" /> and in [[19 ABY/Legends|19 ABY]], a [[Pellaeon&ndash;Gavrisom Treaty|peace treaty]] between the New Republic and the [[Imperial Remnant|remnants of the Empire]] finally brought the long war to an end.<ref name="Vision of the Future">''[[Vision of the Future]]''</ref>

===A new threat===
====Strike at Bilbringi====
{{Quote|Just get out of there.''"<br />"''We're evacuating now. We'll have to take our chances in escape pods&mdash;we've got none here. I tried to aim her at one of the interdictors, but she's not going to make it, I'm afraid.''"<br />"''Just take care of yourself, Pash. This isn't over yet.''"<br />"''Good luck, Wedge. Cracken out.|Antilles and Cracken, during Operation: Trinity|<ref name="The Final Prophecy" />}}
[[25 ABY/Legends|After six years]] of peace, the [[Galaxy/Legends|galaxy]] was [[Yuuzhan Vong War|invaded]] by an [[extra-galactic]] species of [[True Way|religious]] zealots known as the [[Yuuzhan Vong]]. The invaders laid siege to the New Republic with [[Biot|living weapons]], conquering world after world and [[Battle of Coruscant (Yuuzhan Vong War)|capturing]] Coruscant [[27 ABY/Legends|two years into]] the war. In [[28 ABY/Legends|28 ABY]], the New Republic reorganized itself into the [[Galactic Federation of Free Alliances]] and launched a massive campaign to reclaim the galaxy.<ref name="NEC" /> Cracken served as a [[Major/Legends|major]]<ref name="DB" /> in the [[Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet]],<ref name="The Final Prophecy" /> but combat attrition saw him promoted to an acting rank of general.<ref name="DB" /> Stationed at the Alliance's temporary headquarters on the planet [[Dac|Mon Calamari]], Cracken attended several military briefings, one of which revealed the existence of the intelligence-gathering [[Ryn Network]].<ref name="The Unifying Force" /> Late in 28 ABY, he commanded the Interdictor [[Cruiser/Legends|cruiser]] ''[[Memory of Ithor]]'' in [[Second Battle of Bilbringi|Operation: Trinity]], a three-pronged assault at the Yuuzhan Vong&ndash;held Bilbringi Shipyards. Capturing the shipyards would allow the Galactic Alliance to isolate Coruscant from the rest of the [[Yuuzhan Vong empire|Yuuzhan Vong Empire's]] territory, and Bilbringi was additionally reachable by the Alliance's allies in the Imperial Remnant. ''Memory of Ithor'' joined General Antilles's [[Alpha Fleet]] of six capital ships, which traveled to Bilbringi to assess the Yuuzhan Vong defenses. Afterward, Antilles was to call in two [[Beta Fleet|additional]] [[Gamma Fleet|fleets]].<ref name="The Final Prophecy" />

[[File:WedgeTFP.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Wedge Antilles commands Cracken during Operation: Trinity.]]
Alpha Fleet found a Yuuzhan Vong [[Flotilla/Legends|flotilla]] composed of two [[Vua'spar interdictor|interdictors]] and twelve capital ships, and Cracken contacted Antilles aboard the Star Destroyer [[Mon Mothma (Imperial-class)|''Mon Mothma'']] for some quick reminiscing about the last time they had attacked Bilbringi. Half of the enemy fleet executed a [[Precision hyperspace jump|micro-jump]], which left Alpha Fleet trapped between two interdictors, at which point Antilles found himself unable to contact his reinforcements; the Yuuzhan Vong had disabled the [[HoloNet/Legends|HoloNet]]. Cracken and the other commanding officers of Alpha Fleet held a conference with Antilles via [[Hyperwave transceiver/Legends|hyperwave transceiver]], during which they decided that they would attempt to destroy one of the enemy interdictors and escape. However, more than half of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet jumped to hyperspace, believing the strike to be a feint. Still trapped in the system with no way to contact their allies, Alpha Fleet initially hung back from the remaining ships, but Antilles ordered his forces to destroy the Yuuzhan Vong capital ships one by one in a gradual push toward one of the interdictors. After four vessels were destroyed, the enemy forces who had earlier departed returned, leaving Alpha Fleet badly outnumbered.<ref name="The Final Prophecy" />

Two Galactic Alliance capital ships were destroyed, and ''Memory of Ithor''{{'s}} [[Reactor/Legends|reactor core]] soon thereafter went critical itself. Cracken ordered an evacuation, but he pointed the dying cruiser toward an enemy interdictor before finding an [[Escape pod/Legends|escape pod]] of his own. Antilles contacted him and wished him luck,<ref name="The Final Prophecy" /> and Cracken evacuated the ship<ref name="The Unifying Force" /> moments before it was destroyed. Although Alpha Fleet was afterward able to escape the interdictors' range and flee the system,<ref name="The Final Prophecy" /> Cracken and the rest of ''Memory of Ithor''{{'s}} survivors were captured and taken to a prisoner-of-war compound on the jungle world of [[Selvaris]]. Roughly 100 prisoners were held under the watchful eyes of Yuuzhan Vong Commander [[Malik Carr]] and [[Subaltern]] [[S'yito]], and every present droid, including a [[Pash Cracken's protocol droid|protocol droid]] belonging to Cracken, were ritualistically thrown into an immolation pit by the technology-hating Yuuzhan Vong. Using tools scavenged from the pit, Cracken helped complete the digging of an escape tunnel that had already been under construction for months, although Yuuzhan Vong defenses stationed around the compound deterred any plan of escape. Inside of a hut, the tunnel's entrance was below a removable grate hidden by Cracken's own [[Sleeper (furniture)|bed]] of fronds and [[Grass/Legends|grasses]].<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

Notions of rank were abandoned among most of the prisoners, who took to referring to each other by the names of their homeworlds. However, Major Cracken and Captain [[Judder Page/Legends|Judder Page]]&mdash;a legendary New Republic commando<ref name="The Unifying Force" /> who had accepted a naval posting on ''Memory of Ithor'' prior to Operation: Trinity<ref name="Page CSWE">{{CSWECite|III|5|Page, Judder}}</ref>&mdash;became well-respected leaders. Both of them learned the [[Yuuzhan Vong (language)|Yuuzhan Vong]] spoken by their captors. Two months after their arrival, the two arrived at the compound's mess hall [[grashal]] and were ushered to the front of the food line. Their server was [[Ryn one-one-five]], a member of the Ryn Network who had infiltrated the prison; he identified himself to Cracken and told the Major to chew carefully. After the prisoners took their seats, Cracken found a [[holowafer]] in his gruel and covertly passed it to Page before summoning several additional prisoners into the grashal. Three [[Bith/Legends|Bith]] and the [[Jenet/Legends|Jenet]] [[Thorsh]] arrived along with a Human known as [[Coruscant (Human)|Coruscant]], the latter of whom brought a [[Sabacc/Legends|sabacc]] deck inside and began a loud, diversionary game. The other four joined Cracken and Page as they activated the holowafer and viewed several seconds worth of complex mathematical equations. Thorsh and [[Clak'dor (Selvaris)|the]] [[Clak'dor II (Selvaris)|three]] [[Clak'dor III (Selvaris)|Bith]] committed the message to memory before the holowafer [[Self-destruct mechanism/Legends|self-destructed]], at which point S'yito and three Yuuzhan Vong guards entered the grashal and ordered the prisoners to quiet down. After the guards' departure, Cracken and Page agreed that the data they had witnessed needed to reach [[Galactic Alliance High Command]].<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

====Escape from Selvaris====
{{Quote|Your father's never going to forgive us, Pash.''"<br />"''He'll understand.|Leia Organa Solo argues with Cracken over his decision to remain at Caluula Station|<ref name="The Unifying Force" />}}
The following morning, Cracken and Page brought Thorsh and the Bith to the tunnel's entrance and saw them off. The escapees reached the exterior of the compound and two [[Swoop/Legends|swoop]] bikes that had been left by the Ryn Network, but two of the Bith were killed by Yuuzhan Vong and one captured. Thorsh successfully rendezvoused with Han Solo and his [[YT-1300 light freighter/Legends|freighter]], the [[Millennium Falcon/Legends|''Millennium Falcon'']], which was waiting for him after Solo received a tip from the Ryn Network. [[Sentinel beetle]]s informed Malik Carr of the escape, and Carr subsequently released [[sensislug]]s into each prisoner hut. The creatures' exhalations knocked the prisoners unconscious, and Cracken soon awoke to find himself in a yard with fifty other prisoners, all of whom had their hands tied behind them to wooden stakes. Suspecting that Cracken and Page had engineered the escape, Carr brought the captured Bith&mdash;known as Clak'dor&mdash;before them. Both Cracken and Page encouraged Clak'dor to talk and insisted that they be the ones to suffer the punishment, but Carr instead placed a [[tkun]] creature around Clak'dor's neck and continually prodded it, which caused it to coil tighter. A breathless Clak'dor recited the mathematical codes, but he choked to death before Carr could glean their meaning, and the Commander consequently ordered the prisoners to be thrown into the immolation pit and left to bake under Selvaris's [[Star/Legends|suns]].<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

[[File:Escapefromselvaris.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Cracken was ferried from Selvaris aboard the ''Millennium Falcon''.]]
Cracken and the others spent over twenty-four hours in the pit, and although over fifty prisoners suffocated to death, the survivors&mdash;including both Cracken and Page&mdash;were loaded onto the [[Uumufalh|prisoner carrier]] ''[[Sacred Pyre]]'' and stuck to its deck with [[blorash jelly]]. The [[Carrier/Legends|carrier's]] destination was Coruscant, where several hundred prisoners were to be sacrificed to the [[Yun'o|Yuuzhan Vong gods]] during a religious ceremony. Twelve other prisoner carriers arrived at Selvaris to retrieve the final ship of their convoy, but they were intercepted by a Galactic Alliance strike force, High Command having learned of the convoy's route after decrypting the mathematical formula related to them by Thorsh. The [[Battle of Selvaris|surprise attack]] decimated the convoy, and ''Sacred Pyre'' was one of the surviving carriers to be boarded by Galactic Alliance [[strike troop]]s. Cracken, Page, and their fellows were located by the [[Troop/Legends|troops]], Solo, his wife [[Leia Organa Solo|Leia]], and their [[3PO-series protocol droid/Legends|protocol droid]] [[C-3PO/Legends|C-3PO]]. After learning to their relief that Thorsh had survived, Cracken and the others were released when the strike troops used [[arsensalts]] to dissolve the jelly. Yuuzhan Vong reinforcements then decanted from hyperspace, and the prisoners quickly boarded the ''Millennium Falcon''.<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

Cracken and Page joined the Solos in the freighter's [[Cockpit/Legends|cockpit]] as they navigated the resurgent melee, which included the Yuuzhan Vong's new [[slayer ship]]s, advanced [[Yorik-et|coralskipper]] fighters that unleashed carnage on the ''Millennium Falcon''. A baffled Cracken was unable to identify them to Solo as the freighter sustained considerable damage, and the ship's captain made a desperate hyperspace jump to the nearby planet [[Caluula/Legends|Caluula]]. Cracken and Page remained in the cockpit throughout the five-hour journey and were there with the Solos when the ship emerged from lightspeed outside of [[Caluula Station]], where a Yuuzhan Vong battle group stationed in-[[Caluula system|system]] awaited them. Capitalizing on the disabled HoloNet, the battle group had laid siege to the helpless station for several weeks. When the slayer ships arrived, having followed them through hyperspace, the ''Millennium Falcon'' rocketed through an opening that Caluula Station briefly opened in their shields.<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

After disembarking in a [[Hangar/Legends|hangar]], Cracken, Page, and the other rescued prisoners answered questions posed by curious [[Technician/Legends|mechanics]] before being taken away to be fed and treated for injuries. Their brief respite was interrupted by the arrival of another Yuuzhan Vong battle group, who, intent on taking captives, deployed a giant [[ychna]] beast to eat through Caluula Station's shields. Yuuzhan Vong [[Warrior caste|warriors]] boarded, and Cracken and his comrades rushed back to the ''Millennium Falcon'' as starfighters [[Battle of Caluula|launched]] to engage the attackers. The Solos intended to ferry them to Mon Calamari, hoping that each one could rally additional troops to the Galactic Alliance's war effort, but Cracken and several of his fellows decided to remain on-station and aid its doomed residents. The Solos reluctantly agreed, and they fled the system with Page and dozens of others as Cracken stayed behind. Despite his efforts, Caluula Station fell to the Yuuzhan Vong, and Cracken became one of several hundred other prisoners rounded up and taken to Coruscant.<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

====Nerf to the slaughter====
{{Quote|I always figured you'd survive.''"<br />"''Thanks to them, I did. Their heretic group rescued me and a bunch of others from what would have been some serious bloodletting at one of the temples.|Page and Cracken, during the liberation of Coruscant|<ref name="The Unifying Force" />}}
On Coruscant&mdash;re-christened "Yuuzhan'tar" by its conquerors&mdash;Cracken and nearly one thousand other prisoners were deemed worthy of an honorable death by their captors due to bravery shown on the battlefield. They were bathed, [[Perfume/Legends|perfumed]], mildly sedated with sensislug gas, blessed by the smoke of [[tishwii]] [[Plant/Legends|leaves]], [[Tattoo/Legends|tattooed]] in black, and dressed in white robes before being manacled and marched to the planet's [[Place of Sacrifice]]. A grand ceremony was held that was overseen by the Yuuzhan Vong's [[Supreme Overlord]] [[Shimrra Jamaane|Shimrra]], who intended to execute Cracken and the others and feed their bodies to a corpse-eating [[maw luur]] creature. As they descended various spiral staircases leading to the Place of Sacrifice, the ceremony was suddenly interrupted by hundreds of Yuuzhan Vong [[Shamed Ones]]. Traditionally shunned by the rest of their species, the Shamed Ones had recently subscribed to a [[Jeedai heresy|religious heresy]] and initiated a rebellion. After emerging from hidden shafts and tunnels in the ground, a number of Shamed Ones battled the present Yuuzhan Vong warriors while others rescued the prisoners. Although scores of captives and Shamed Ones alike were felled by Yuuzhan Vong [[Nang hul|thud]] and [[razor bug]]s, over three hundred prisoners, Cracken among them, were ferried to safety.<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

[[File:ShimrraJamaaneTUF.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Supreme Overlord Shimrra attempted to sacrifice Cracken to the Yuuzhan Vong gods.]]
While with the Shamed Ones, Cracken made contact with [[Baljos Arnjak]], a member of the Galactic Alliance's [[Wraith Squadron]] who had been covertly inserted on Coruscant two years prior and had since earned the Shamed Ones' trust. Not long afterward, the living planet [[Zonama Sekot/Legends|Zonama Sekot]] emerged from lightspeed into Coruscant's [[Atmosphere/Legends|skies]], its aid in the Galactic Alliance's war effort having been secured by [[Jedi Master/Legends|Jedi Master]] [[Luke Skywalker/Legends|Luke Skywalker]] during an expedition into the galaxy's [[Unknown Regions/Legends|Unknown Regions]]. The planet's arrival had been promised by the [[Prophet/Legends|prophet]] [[Nom Anor|Yu'shaa]] as a sign of the Shamed Ones' coming salvation, but most Yuuzhan Vong interpreted Zonama Sekot as a portent of doom, and a fearful Shimrra withdrew significant military forces to the Coruscant system. Using the planets Contruum and [[Corulag/Legends|Corulag]] as staging points, the Galactic Alliance took advantage of the chaos caused by Zonama Sekot's arrival and ordered a siege of the galactic capital. When the news reached Arnjak, Cracken helped him plan the reception of Galactic Alliance [[Ground warfare|ground forces]].<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

When the [[Battle of Yuuzhan'tar|attack]] came, Alliance [[Gunship/Legends|gunships]] and [[Troop transport/Legends|troop transports]] slipped through the raging space battle and made planetfall near the [[Sacred Precinct]], which Shimrra set ablaze in an effort to render Coruscant uninhabitable to its liberators. Cracken, Arnjak, and four Shamed Ones rendezvoused with members of Judder Page's [[Katarn Commandos]], who brought them to see Page at one of the transports' landing sites. The two former prisoners embraced while Arnjak reunited with [[Kell Tainer]] and [[Garik Loran]] of Wraith Squadron, and Cracken pointed out the billowing [[Fire/Legends|fires]] of the Sacred Precinct to his rescuers. The group finalized their attack plan accordingly and traveled to the [[Glitannai Esplanade canyon]], where the ''Millennium Falcon'' was dropping off a team of six [[Jedi/Legends|Jedi]] led by Skywalker. After Cracken and Page briefed them on the situation, the ''Millennium Falcon'' departed, and Cracken joined the commandos as they moved out alongside the [[New Jedi Order|Jedi]], the Wraiths, and several [[YVH 1]]-[[YVH-Series battle droid|series battle droids]]. Their target was [[Shimrra's Citadel]], which lay in the heart of the Sacred Precinct. The commandos donned [[Jetpack/Legends|jetpacks]] to keep up with the [[The Force/Legends|Force]]-using Jedi as they traveled across the rooftops and balconies of the [[Glitannai Esplanade|esplanade]], and starfighters strafing overhead allowed them to reach the [[Bridge of Unity]], which connected to their target.<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

At the bridge, a [[mon duul]] creature conveyed a message from Shimrra through [[villip]] communication devices that told his foes to perish. The group crossed the bridge anyway and were met by several Shamed Ones and Coruscanti resistance fighters. Skywalker and Page dispatched three Jedi and a group of commandos to help them battle Yuuzhan Vong warriors below the bridge, but Cracken and the others proceeded to the base of the citadel. After rocketing down from the bridge, the commandos and [[Battle droid/Legends|battle droids]] opened fire on a force of [[Chazrach]] [[Slavery/Legends|slave]] [[Soldier/Legends|soldiers]] and [[rakamat]] artillery beasts, who responded by launching [[Plasma/Legends|plasma]], [[firejelly]], and flammable [[sparkbee honey]]. The commandos' foes were eventually trampled by the Yuuzhan Vong beasts [[Sgauru]] and [[Tu-Scart]], who had been [[Telepathy/Legends|telepathically]] pressed into opening a hole in the citadel by [[Jedi Knight/Legends|Jedi Knight]] [[Darth Caedus|Jacen Solo]] and his unlikely ally, the Yuuzhan Vong's planet-shaping [[World Brain]]. Cracken and the commandos finished off the few survivors, which allowed the Jedi Skywalker, Jacen, and [[Jaina Solo Fel|Jaina Solo]] to enter the Citadel and infiltrate the Supreme Overlord's [[Hall of Confluence]].<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

Cracken and the commandos secured the Citadel's lower levels while Skywalker and the Solo [[Twin/Legends|twins]] battled Shimrra and his complement of [[Slayers]]. Not long afterward, the other three Jedi arrived with the Solos, and Page directed them to the Hall of Confluence after being told of its existence by several present Shamed Ones. They returned with an exhausted Skywalker, who had dueled and killed the Supreme Overlord. As Cracken and the commandos rounded up captured Yuuzhan Vong warriors, the Solos and the Jedi retreated to the ''Millennium Falcon''. With his leader dead, Yuuzhan Vong [[Warmaster]] [[Nas Choka]] [[Sekot Accords|surrendered]] to the Galactic Alliance, and the long war was brought to an end.<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

==Personality and traits==
{{Dialogue|Cracken|With all due respect, Han, we've decided to remain here and do what we can.|Han Solo|Pash, this is bigger than Caluula, and you know it. Alliance command is counting on you people to rally support in your home systems. Besides, you can't make a difference here. Those are evacuation klaxons you're hearing.|Leia Organa Solo|Han's right, Major.|Cracken|We'll take our chances, Princess.|attr=Cracken decides to remain on Caluula Station and aid its doomed residents|src=<ref name="The Unifying Force" />}}
Pash Cracken developed exceptional piloting skills at a young age.<ref name="DB" /> During his time at the Vensenor Flight Academy, his flying abilities outshone those of his instructors,<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> and he particularly excelled at classes which focused on starfighter tactics.<ref name="LCS" /> Cracken became an outstanding tactician,<ref name="DB" /> and his unorthodox and often reckless approach to starfighter combat astounded his instructors<ref name="LCS" /> while proving unbeatable in simulations.<ref name="DB" /> In the field, his unorthodox tactics led him to develop the Cracken Twist, which<ref name="LCS" />&mdash;coupled with his flight group's destruction of the ''Exsanguinator''<ref name="The Cracken Twist" />&mdash;allowed the Rebel Alliance's evacuation of Xyquine II to proceed without a single casualty.<ref name="LCS" /> After he joined the legendary Rogue Squadron, Cracken's abilities in the cockpit made an immediate impression upon his squadmates,<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> and, following his departure from the Rogues, Wedge Antilles was sad to see him go.<ref name="The Bacta War" /> By 28 ABY, Cracken was considered a starship [[Ace/Legends|ace]].<ref name="Wizards" /> He was able to think on his feet and adjust plans during missions,<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> and during the battle of Coruscant in 29 ABY, he adapted to a field recruitment into the Katarn Commandos and survived a ground assault on Supreme Overlord Shimrra's Citadel.<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

The development of the Cracken Twist gained Cracken legendary status<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> that was further augmented by his participation in Rogue Squadron's mission to capture Coruscant from the Empire.<ref name="The Krytos Trap" /> In the years immediately after the Battle of Endor, Cracken's mythical status among his flight group caused him to lose track of his piloting abilities, as those serving under him believed him to be unbeatable and incapable of making a wrong decision. Their consequent carelessness caused him to question his skills and to nearly lose his confidence, which prompted his request to be transferred to Rogue Squadron.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> During Cracken's time with the Rogues, flying by instinct in difficult situations reaffirmed his confidence in his abilities, and he learned how to better manage a squadron from Wedge Antilles. Antilles gave each Rogue responsibilities which required that they trust each other, and Cracken realized that doing so himself would help the members of his flight group trust in themselves rather than blindly follow their leader.<ref name="The Bacta War" />

[[File:CrackenBlueSteel-TLCSB.png|thumb|left|200px|Pash Cracken, legendary pilot and tactician]]
Cracken's leadership abilities manifested early in his life, and he inspired devotion in his classmates during his time at the Vensenor Flight Academy.<ref name="DB" /> While teaching his flight group to trust in their own abilities, he urged them to stay grounded and not grow too confident in the speed capabilities of A-wing fighters.<ref name="The Bacta War" /> During his incarceration at a Yuuzhan Vong prison camp on Selvaris, he was respected and viewed as a leader by his fellow prisoners, who insisted that he and Judder Page be the first to eat during mealtimes. Galactic Alliance High Command hoped that Cracken's rescue could help rally support for their war effort from his homeworld of Contruum.<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

Cracken was schooled in morality by his father, who taught him that the Empire was evil. He was eager to join the Rebel Alliance,<ref name="DB" /> and he later became a determined supporter of the New Republic and its cause.<ref name="LCS" /> While on Selvaris, Cracken would have risked his life to have seen any one of the other prisoners live another day, and he encouraged Malik Carr to punish him personally when a fellow inmate was caught trying to escape.<ref name="The Unifying Force" /> During simulations at the Flight Academy, Cracken paid careful attention to the safety of the squadrons he led,<ref name="LCS" /> and when his flight group thought him invincible, he worried that one wrong move on his part would lead to all of their deaths.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> When Tycho Celchu was on trial for the murder of Corran Horn, Cracken was very reluctant to testify against his squadmate, only doing so when threatened with a subpoena. He was determined to prove Celchu's innocence, and while on the witness stand, he held back potentially damaging information until he was treated as a hostile witness. Cracken felt that Warlord Zsinj needed to pay for the killing of innocent civilians,<ref name="The Krytos Trap" /> but he nevertheless desired to join Antilles's Rogue Squadron&ndash;in&ndash;[[Exile (punishment)/Legends|exile]] rather than remain with the New Republic and hunt down Zsinj. Cracken aided Antilles's cause and fought with him at Thyferra, even though the battle was not sanctioned by the New Republic.<ref name="The Bacta War" />

Although he was humbled when he met legendary figures,<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> Cracken could be brash and somewhat sarcastic with superior officers whom he believed were not very superior at all.<ref name="LCS" /> He occasionally shunned hierarchy in times of crisis, and when Watch Commander Gingal was offended by his insubordination during the battle of Xyquine II, he simply grinned.<ref name="The Cracken Twist" /> Cracken could be stubborn in the face of orders, such as when he remained on Caluula Station in an attempt to aid its doomed residents rather than be rescued and help Galactic Alliance High Command drum up support in his home system.<ref name="The Unifying Force" /> Although Cracken remained completely focused on missions during moments of desperation,<ref name="The Krytos Trap" /> he often engaged others in idle banter immediately before battles and during mission briefings, which sometimes earned him reprimands to "cut the chatter."<ref name="The Last Command" /><ref name="The Final Prophecy" /><ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

Cracken understood what it meant to be the son of the Director of New Republic Intelligence, and although he was not outraged when Antilles implied that he might be spying on Rogue Squadron for his father, he was disappointed.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> Cracken grew to be good friends with officers like Antilles<ref name="The Bacta War" /> and Page,<ref name="The Unifying Force" /> and the former took it as a hard blow when he believed Cracken to be dead after Operation: Trinity.<ref name="The Final Prophecy" /> Although he fought alongside many [[Sentience/Legends|sentients]] throughout his career,<ref name="The Final Prophecy" /><ref name="The Bacta War" /> Cracken was unnerved by the clones that were used to power Grand Admiral Thrawn's war machine.<ref name="The Last Command" />

Cracken stood taller than 1.67 [[Imperial standard meter|meters]]<ref name="Height" /> and sported pale green eyes.<ref name="The Unifying Force" /> As a young man, he looked the part of a brash starfighter pilot, with youthful, ruggedly handsome features; a muscular build;<ref name="LCS" /> and curly,<ref name="The Krytos Trap" /> flame-red [[Hair/Legends|hair]].<ref name="LCS" /> In his middle age, Cracken's hair was shot through with gray, which added a measure of distinction to already aristocratic features. He remained handsome and muscular after two months of eating gruel in a Yuuzhan Vong prison camp.<ref name="The Unifying Force" /> Cracken usually carried with him a [[Flight suit/Legends|flight suit]], a [[Heavy blaster pistol/Legends|heavy blaster pistol]], an encrypted comlink,<ref name="Wizards" /> and a [[Datapad/Legends|datapad]].<ref name="LCS" /> He could speak [[Galactic Basic Standard/Legends|Basic]], [[Bothese]], [[Huttese/Legends|Huttese]],<ref name="Wizards" /> and, after his time in the prison camp, the guttural Yuuzhan Vong [[Language/Legends|language]].<ref name="The Unifying Force" />

==Behind the scenes==
{{Quote|Pash Cracken? Really? Okay, yeah, he's been in a couple of books, and underwent that whole P.O.W-thing in the New Jedi Order, but does he really warrant being on here? Really? Who thinks about Pash Cracken?|Pablo Hidalgo, on Cracken's #63 rank on the list of ''The 100 Greatest Things About Star Wars... Ever!''|<ref name="Great things">{{SWArchive|url=databank/updates/news20071221.html|text=The 2007 Databank 100|archivedate=20080622114557}}</ref>}}
Pash Cracken first appeared in ''[[Star Wars]]'' [[canon]] as a minor character in [[Timothy Zahn]]'s [[1993]] novel ''[[The Last Command]]'',<ref name="The Last Command" /> although the sourcebook [[Cracken's Rebel Field Guide (sourcebook)|''Cracken's Rebel Field Guide'']], released [[1991|two years earlier]], was the first source to indirectly mention him as one of Airen Cracken's two children.<ref name="Cracken's Rebel Field Guide">[[Cracken's Rebel Field Guide (sourcebook)|''Cracken's Rebel Field Guide'']]</ref> Cracken's character was developed in detail and represented with a black-and-white picture by [[Mike Vilardi]] in [[1994]]'s ''[[The Last Command Sourcebook]]'';<ref name="LCS" /> the picture was later colored and included in Cracken's entry in the [[StarWars.com]] [[Databank (original)|Databank]].<ref name="DB" /> He went on to play a major role in three of [[Michael A. Stackpole]]'s [[Star Wars: X-Wing (novel series)|''X-Wing'']] novels, released from [[1996]] to [[1997]],<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /><ref name="The Krytos Trap" /><ref name="The Bacta War" /> and in the two final volumes of [[Star Wars: The New Jedi Order|''The New Jedi Order'']] book series, both released in [[2003]].<ref name="The Unifying Force" /><ref name="The Final Prophecy" /> Most recently, Cracken was added to the online [[Wikipedia:Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG]] ''[[Star Wars Galaxies]]'' in [[2011]] as a starfighter pilot whom the Imperial player character could engage in combat.<ref name="Galaxies" />

Cracken was listed at #63 in "[[The 100 Greatest Things About Star Wars... Ever!]]," an article published on StarWars.com in [[2007]] and in ''[[Star Wars Insider 100]]'' in [[2008]]. The article showcased the 100 most viewed entries of the Databank, and author [[Pablo Hidalgo]] expressed disbelief that a minor character like Cracken warranted placement on the list. However, when [[Aarrba]] the [[Hutt/Legends|Hutt]] was revealed to be #57, Hidalgo immediately withdrew the comments he had made about Cracken.<ref name="Great things" /><ref name="Great things 2">{{InsiderCite|100|The 100 Greatest Things About Star Wars... Ever!}}</ref>

Several discrepancies regarding Cracken exist in the ''Star Wars'' [[Star Wars Legends|Expanded Universe]]. Although numerous sources indicate that he attended the Vensenor Flight Academy,<ref name="LCS" /><ref name="DB" /><ref name="SWE">''[[Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''</ref> a 2003 [[Pash Cracken: An Expanded Universe Character|article]] published online by [[Wizards of the Coast]] asserts that it was the [[Academy of Carida]].<ref name="Wizards" /> Additionally, Cracken is depicted with or stated to have red hair in several sources,<ref name="LCS" /><ref name="DB" /><ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> but the [[1998]] [[The Last Command (comics)|comic adaptation]] of ''The Last Command'' colors his hair as black.<ref name="TLC4" /> Similarly, "[[Who's Who in Rogue Squadron]]," a [[2002]] article published in [[Star Wars Insider 52|''Star Wars Insider'' 52]], includes a black-and-white picture of Cracken with very dark hair.<ref name="Who's Who" /> Finally, although ''The New Jedi Order'' novel ''[[The New Jedi Order: The Final Prophecy]]'' identifies Cracken as a general,<ref name="The Final Prophecy" /> the followup volume, ''[[The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force]]'', lists his rank as major.<ref name="The Unifying Force" /> This conflict was resolved by the Databank, which states that combat attrition saw Cracken promoted from major to an acting rank of general prior to the events of the former novel.<ref name="DB" />

==Appearances==
*{{Journal|12|Small Favors}} {{Mo}}
*{{SWG|An Empire Divided}}
*''[[X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble]]''
*''[[X-Wing: The Krytos Trap]]''
*''[[X-Wing: The Bacta War]]''
*''[[X-Wing: Wraith Squadron]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[The Last Command]]'' {{1st}}
*[[The Last Command (unabridged audiobook)|''The Last Command'' audiobook]]
*[[The Last Command 4|''The Last Command'' 4]]
*{{WEGCite|book=The Last Command Sourcebook|story=The Cracken Twist|stext=''The Cracken Twist''}} {{Flash}}
*''[[I, Jedi]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[The New Jedi Order: The Final Prophecy]]''
*''[[The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force]]''

==Sources==
*[[Cracken's Rebel Field Guide (sourcebook)|''Cracken's Rebel Field Guide'']] {{1stm}} {{Imo}}
*''[[The Last Command Sourcebook]]''
*''[[The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook]]''
*''[[Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*''[[A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded]]''
*''[[The New Essential Guide to Characters]]''
*{{InsiderCite|59|Who's Who in Rogue Squadron}}
*{{WizardsCite|url=default.asp?x=starwars/article/sw20031113cracken|text=Pash Cracken|int=Pash Cracken: An Expanded Universe Character|archivedate=20100226155006}}
*''[[The New Essential Chronology]]''
*{{InsiderCite|100|The 100 Greatest Things About Star Wars... Ever!}}
*''[[The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*{{DB|character|pashcracken|Pash Cracken|archivedate=20101101111927}}

{{Start_box}}
{{Succession_box
|title=[[Rogue Four/Legends|Rogue Four]]<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />
|years=[[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]]<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />
|before=[[Bror Jace]]<ref name="Rogue Squadron">''[[X-Wing: Rogue Squadron]]''</ref>
|before-years=[[6 ABY/Legends|6.5 ABY]]<ref name="Rogue Squadron" />
|after=[[Erisi Dlarit]]<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />
|after-years=[[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]]<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />}}
{{Succession_box
|title=[[Rogue Five/Legends|Rogue Five]]<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />
|years=[[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]]<ref name="The Krytos Trap" />
|before=[[Gavin Darklighter]]<ref name="Rogue Squadron" />
|before-years=[[6 ABY/Legends|6.5 ABY]]<ref name="Rogue Squadron" />&ndash;[[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]]<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />
|after=[[Rhysati Ynr]]<ref name="The Bacta War" />
|after-years=[[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]]<ref name="The Bacta War" />}}
{{End_box}}

==Notes and references==
{{Scroll_box|content={{Reflist}}}}

==External links==
{{Mediacat|imagecat=Images of Pash Cracken}}
*{{SWArchive|url=databank/updates/news20071221.html|text=The 2007 Databank 100|archivedate=20080622114557}}

{{Interlang
|de=Pash Cracken#legends
|ru=Паш Кракен
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cracken, Pash}}
[[Category:Contruum residents]]
[[Category:Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet admirals]]
[[Category:Humans]]
[[Category:Imperial Navy pilots of the Galactic Empire]]
[[Category:Katarn Commandos personnel]]
[[Category:Males]]
[[Category:Rogue Squadron personnel]]