Sair Yonka Sair Yonka was a Human male from Commenor who served with both the Galactic Empire and the New Republic as the captain of the " Imperial II " - class Star Destroyer " Avarice " — later renamed the " Freedom " . Yonka left his lover Aellyn Jandi behind on his homeworld at a young age and entered the Imperial Naval Academy , proving to be a competent and intelligent officer . He spent several years serving on numerous vessels in the Outer Rim Territories before being awarded the captaincy of the " Avarice " and tasked with defending Imperial - aligned Outer Rim worlds from pirates . During his time in the Outer Rim , Yonka and Aellyn Jandi entered into an affair . After the debacle at Endor , Yonka turned down offers to serve with Warlord Zsinj , instead staying loyal to Ysanne Isard , the legitimate ruler of what remained of the Empire . When Isard was ousted from Coruscant , Yonka and the " Avarice " helped her establish a power base on Thyferra , and the Commenorian remained loyal to her during the preliminary stages of the Bacta War . However , Yonka began to have doubts about Isard ' s leadership and when Wedge Antilles offered him a sizable sum of money to defect to the New Republic , he accepted . His ship was instrumental in Isard ' s defeat at the Battle of Thyferra and he later participated in the battles at Sluis Van and Bilbringi during the Thrawn campaign . He also took part in the Battle of Liinade III during the toppling of Prince - Admiral Delak Krennel immediately after Thrawn ' s demise at Bilbringi . Biography . Captain Yonka . A tall , slender Human male , Sair Yonka was born on the planet Commenor , and was of a military background . During his upbringing , Yonka befriended a young girl named Aellyn and over the course of their adolescence , the two began to fall in love with each other . They parted ways , however , when Yonka gained an appointment to the Imperial Naval Academy . Yonka proved to be a competent and calculating tactician , though his first assignments were on backwater worlds within the Outer Rim Territories . Here , he served on vessels tasked with defending convoys from pirate attacks on worlds like Elshandruu Pica . Yonka performed well in the Outer Rim , and his career began to blossom . He was soon awarded the captaincy of an " Imperial II " - class Star Destroyer , the " Avarice " , and commanded a well - drilled crew . Although he did infrequently perform missions closer to Imperial Center , the majority of his time was spent in the outermost regions of the galaxy . During a routine patrolling exercise on Elshandruu Pica , the " Avarice " chased off a band of pirates who had set up a base in the system ' s asteroid belt . When Yonka went to pay his respects to Elshandruu Pica ' s Moff , Riit Jandi , he discovered that his former lover Aellyn had become the Moff ' s wife . Their feelings rekindled , the two Commenorians entered into an affair , which they managed to keep secret from Moff Jandi . Aellyn was also friends with Kina Margath , the proprietor of a local hotel and cantina complex named Margath ' s , and she and Yonka used it as a place to meet with each other . Yonka appeased Margath with free supplies of various alcoholic beverages that he had captured from pirates during his Imperial service , while Aellyn used her influence with the Moff to gain Margath ' s establishment , the 27th Hour Social Club , favorable treatment . Additionally , Sair helped spread rumors that he was going to the hotel every few weeks to sleep with Margath , not Aellyn . His and Aellyn ' s relationship was largely physical and they were unable to see each other for any extended length of time . Unknown to either Yonka or his lover , Kina Margath was an Intelligence agent working for the Alliance to Restore the Republic , and the droid eventually assigned to Yonka when he stayed at the hotel , Poe , had once served Rebel starfighter pilots . However , in the several years that the relationship between Jandi and Yonka lasted , Margath never acted against the Star Destroyer captain . Yonka recognized that the Empire was far from perfect , though he convinced himself that he was on the right side of the Galactic Civil War , as the Empire was the legitimate government . He had qualms about the harshness with which the Rebel Alliance was dealt with , though he reasoned that they were the same as the pirates he dealt with in the Outer Rim . However , he stayed loyal to the Empire after the Battle of Endor , when the Emperor was killed and the Empire was thrown into disarray . Under Isard ' s rule . Yonka ' s services were much sought after in the aftermath of the Empire ' s defeat at Endor , with self - appointed warlords such as Zsinj asking for his allegiance . Yonka cared about the lives of the crew and starfighter pilots stationed aboard his vessel , and had no intention of ordering his men into death on the whim of an illegitimate commander — he declined all offers , despite their generous rewards , and remained loyal to whomever ruled the true Empire on Coruscant . Yonka served Ysanne Isard loyally after she took the reigns of the Empire , as he felt that her strategy of dealing with the Rebellion first and then rebuilding the Empire made sense . Sair Yonka was furious when Isard purposely lost Coruscant , and her use of the Krytos virus on the planet ' s alien population appalled him , as he was opposed to the harming of innocents . Although he began to question her motives , Yonka remained loyal to her and the " Avarice " assisted in establishing her power base on the planet Thyferra . After Isard and her flagship , the " Lusankya " , fled Coruscant and supported a political " coup d ' etat " on Thyferra , the New Republic was unable to oppose her , as she ruled a legitimate government . Backed by Yonka ' s " Avarice " , along with Ait Convarion ' s " Corrupter " and Joak Drysso ' s " Virulence " , Ysanne Isard had completely monopolized the production of bacta within the galaxy , putting her in an extremely lucrative position . Although the New Republic had vowed to stay well clear of Isard , Rogue Squadron , which had thwarted her in the past , resigned their commissions and decided to go after her themselves . Isard thought of them as little more than pests , an opinion Yonka shared , though the Rogues ' continuous raids on her bacta shipments meant that Yonka and his peers had to perform escort duty . This was a role well suited to the Commenorian , as he had experience with similar missions in the Outer Rim . With the " Lusankya " holed up over Thyferra to protect Isard , Yonka saw his crew as the most well drilled and trained of the four crews serving Isard , and the Rogues saw him as a considerable threat . Several months into the Bacta War , while Yonka ' s pilots had yet to down a single Rogue , they were coming far closer than those of any of the other Star Destroyers . Meanwhile , although he did not fear Wedge Antilles and his squadron , Sair was becoming increasingly skeptical of Isard and feared that she would task him with committing atrocities like the destruction of Halanit , which Yonka ' s fellow captain Ait Convarion had been assigned to carry out . Yonka decided that he would serve her until she gave him a similarly distasteful order , and continued to escort her convoys of bacta , all the while making preparations with his numerous allies in the Outer Rim for his inevitable flight . Defection . When Rogue Squadron began to search for intelligence about the four of Isard ' s captains , they discovered that Kina Margath was a Rebel agent , and had her send them as much information on Yonka and his mistress as she had . They deduced that they would be able to buy Yonka ' s allegiance and made plans to meet with him . Several months into the Bacta War , Sair traveled to Elshandruu Pica to rendezvous with Aellyn , and Wedge Antilles was there waiting for him . The New Republic commander and a team of his personnel stunned Aellyn with a blaster pistol as she and Yonka met in a cottage not far from Margath ' s Hotel . Yonka initially thought that the Rogues had come to assassinate him , though what Wedge Antilles offered him was far more pleasing : a substantial amount of credits to announce his defection to Isard , remain in hiding for a time , and then assist the Rogues in their bid to liberate Thyferra . Yonka accepted the bribe and had Aellyn go into hiding , fearing retribution by Isard . The crew of the " Avarice " was mostly in favor of their captain ' s sudden defection , aside from a group of individuals loyal to Isard . These loyalists commandeered a " Lambda " - class shuttle and attempted to flee , though the Star Destroyer was able to destroy the shuttle , killing all of its occupants . Captain Yonka sent Ysanne Isard a holo - message conveying his defection ; he also told her of his low opinion of her , listing numerous faults of hers . Isard reacted furiously , and had the families of each member of his crew executed , though Aellyn survived the wave of retribution . Antilles did not require Yonka ' s services initially , but rather , he had the " Avarice " — now renamed the " Freedom " — continue its deception , pretending to be in the Outer Rim . Battle of Thyferra . Several weeks after his defection , Yonka was called into action . He knew that the Empire was no longer the force it once had been and deduced that if he performed well during Antilles ' s strike at Thyferra , he would be accepted into the New Republic . He kept his men well - motivated and well - drilled , knowing that his crew would have to play a large part in the defeat of the " Lusankya " , a Super Star Destroyer . The Rogues purposely leaked information of the location of their base on Yag ' Dhul ; while Isard sent her two remaining ships there , Yonka waited on the outskirts of the Thyferra system . When the " Lusankya " and " Virulence " arrived at the Rogues ' base , the squadron and their allies fled to the " Freedom " location and docked with the Star Destroyer . The " Freedom " moved out for Thyferra . When they arrived in the system , the " Lusankya " had already fallen for their feint — it had rushed back to defend Thyferra from a non - existent attack . Antilles ' s starfighter squadrons dealt with the enemy TIE fighters while the " Freedom " took on the " Lusankya " , attempting to go over the larger ship ' s centerline and fire down upon it . The " Lusankya " captain , Joak Drysso , wanted to capture the " Freedom " intact , and so only used ion cannons against it . Although Yonka managed to get several turbolaser shots off , the " Lusankya " weaponry was enough to cripple his ship . However , the " Lusankya " was preoccupied fighting Antilles ' s forces , so Yonka ' s ship was allowed to float aimlessly through space without being fired upon . Yonka ' s crew had been hit badly , and he himself had incurred injuries from the " Lusankya " incessant ion cannon blasts . Although his ship was badly damaged , Yonka ' s crew was able to render it operational again . Both the captain and his men knew they were likely to die ; one man remarked that Antilles had not paid them to die , though Yonka told him that if the " Lusankya " survived Isard would hunt them down and kill them anyway . He had his ship move into an offensive position , ready to strike at the Super Star Destroyer . Just as Yonka gave the signal to fire on the " Lusankya " , the Super Star Destroyer itself fired , further damaging Yonka ' s ship . The " Freedom " was now completely out of the fight , though with the help of the " Virulence " — which Antilles ' s personnel had commandeered at Yag ' Dhul — the " Lusankya " was forced to surrender and Isard was believed killed . The " Freedom " had done its part in the battle , though it was left drifting through space , in dire need of repair . New Republic service . The " Freedom " was transferred to the Sluis Van shipyards , where it was refitted with weapons from the " Virulence " , which smuggler Booster Terrik had claimed for himself . Although he had originally been bribed to fight against the Empire , Yonka served loyally with the New Republic , becoming a commander . The " Freedom " was still being refitted when Grand Admiral Thrawn launched his campaign against the New Republic at Sluis Van , using stolen mole miners to severely damage New Republic warships . Yonka ' s " Freedom " remained intact and was able to assist in fending Thrawn off . When his ship was entirely restored , Yonka and his crew continued fighting against Thrawn and what remained of the Empire . The New Republic began to take heavy losses , and Thrawn had Coruscant surrounded by cloaked asteroids , preventing traffic from moving in and out . The New Republic made plans to find a crystal gravfield trap , which would help them locate and destroy the asteroids ; they set up a feint attack for Tangrene while really planning to attack and steal a crystal gravfield trap from Bilbringi . Thrawn had seen through the New Republic ' s deception , however , and a full Imperial fleet was waiting for Admiral Gial Ackbar ' s taskforce , which included Yonka ' s " Freedom " , at Bilbringi . The " Freedom " incurred only superficial damage initially , though one of Yonka ' s supply freighters was destroyed . With the Empire overwhelming the New Republic forces , Yonka felt that defeat was imminent , but the Imperial fleet suddenly withdrew from the system , leaving Bilbringi under New Republic control . Yonka later learned that Thrawn had been killed , and that the Empire had fled to the Unknown Regions . With Thrawn ' s forces all but defeated , the New Republic turned its attention to the Imperial warlords ; Prince - Admiral Delak Krennel of the Ciutric Hegemony was chosen as their first target . Yonka attended a briefing session for the impending attack on the Hegemony and briefly reacquainted himself with Wedge Antilles , the man who had brought him over to the New Republic in the first place . Ackbar briefed Yonka and several other fleet officers of the assault on the planet Liinade III , located in the Hegemony , which was to be the first of Krennel ' s worlds to be attacked . The " Freedom " would wait just outside the system while " Moonshadow " and " Swift Liberty " dealt with the capital ships defending the world . Yonka and his crew were to act as backup , and when Krennel ' s Star Destroyers had been defeated , the " Freedom " would deploy its ground - troop carrying assault shuttles onto Liinade Three ' s surface . There was added incentive in the assignment for Yonka , as it was rumored that Ysanne Isard had survived the Battle of Thyferra , and was working in conjunction with Krennel . The preliminary battle did not go well for the New Republic and by the time Yonka ' s " Freedom " entered the fray , the " Swift Liberty " was being pounded by a " Dreadnaught " - class heavy cruiser . Yonka had his ship travel directly between the Dreadnaught and another Star Destroyer , the " Direption " . His starboard gunners dealt tremendous damage to the Star Destroyer , while the " Freedom " port side fired upon the smaller Dreadnaught . The " Direption " incurred heavy damage and made preparations to jump to lightspeed , while Yonka ' s continual barrage on the Dreadnaught destroyed the cruiser , splitting its hull in two . The " Direption " was forced to surrender , and Yonka moved into position to deploy his ground troops . The ground operation went smoothly enough , and Liinade III was successfully captured . The later stages of the assault on Krennel ' s territory proved successful ; although Yonka played no further part , Krennel , Isard ' s clone and Isard herself were all killed . Personality and traits . Sair Yonka was seen as an intelligent man even by the Rogues , and spent much of his time contemplating the past , as well as what decisions to make in the future . He was described by Rogue ally Mirax Terrik as very calculating ; he thoroughly cared if and when the odds were against him , and did his utmost to ensure that the odds " weren ' t " against him . He preferred not to enter a battle where he was likely to be defeated and took a more pessimistic view than some when analyzing battles . While many , such as Wedge Antilles and his squadron , continued to believe in themselves despite overwhelming odds that they would perish , Yonka recognized when defeat was imminent and did not hide his thoughts on the matter , though he was not one to surrender . Yonka was somewhat of a risk taker , both in his daily life and when in command of a starship . He worked behind the back of Elshandruu Pica ' s moff , despite the obvious danger of doing so . Yonka recognized that his life would be under threat should Moff Jandi discover his and Aellyn ' s affair , though he decided that Aellyn ' s pleasures were worth the risk . Under Yonka , the " Freedom " took several risks , most notably in the Bacta War and during the campaign against Krennel , where he had the Star Destroyer fly between two hostile ships and take them both on at once . Yonka had a calm demeanor and even in the face of adversity , he did not lose his temper or his presence of mind . When Wedge Antilles shot Aellyn — which Yonka believed had killed her — the Star Destroyer captain ' s judgment was not clouded by anger or a thirst for vengeance , but rather , Yonka thought things out and attempted to find a way out of the situation . During his defection speech to Isard , Yonka ' s words were even , though full of conviction , and he remained calm . He was also extremely eloquent , giving long speeches to both Isard and his crew . His speech to Isard achieved its exact intention , infuriating her so much that she could not see through his deception , while his words with his crew effectively motivated them for the dangerous battle with the " Lusankya " . Yonka put great effort into his appearance , flouting military regulations to grow a goatee and caring greatly about how he dressed . This was particularly exhibited when visiting Aellyn Jandi on Elshandruu Pica , where he wished to look as inconspicuous as possible . Yonka alternated between simple , drab clothing to prevent him from standing out and flamboyant , colorful attire that would draw more attention to Yonka ' s clothes than his face . Yonka hated unnecessary loss of life and believed that war should be fought between armies and navies , without the deaths of innocents . Isard ' s use of the Krytos virus to massacre millions of people who had aided the Rebellion in no way whatsoever disgusted Yonka . Although he hated civilian casualties , Yonka had no qualms about killing criminals , or any who attacked his ship . He harbored no Humanocentric tendencies , working alongside alien commanders in the New Republic , and had did not have a prejudice against droids , either , unlike many in the Empire . He cared considerably about his crew , and kept them in prime condition so that the likelihood of them dying in combat was severely lessened . Behind the scenes . Yonka was created by " Star Wars " author Michael A . Stackpole , first appearing in the fourth book of his " X - wing " series , . In this book , Yonka played a minor yet important role , with several passages being written from his point of view . Two years later , Stackpole reused the character in " " , though Yonka played a far less prominent role , only appearing in two chapters . Since then , Yonka ' s only named appearance in canon has been in the " Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " , by Stephen J . Sansweet , Pablo Hidalgo , Daniel Wallace and several others .