Noell Ciro

Noell Ciro was a Human male from the planet Dolomar. Along with his brother, Keleman, he joined one of his homeworld's resistance groups and assisted in the liberation of the planet from Imperial forces. Seeing a way to leave his home planet, he joined the New Republic military at the same time as his elder sibling. Ciro underwent training as a starfighter pilot and fought in several campaigns against Imperial forces before being assigned to the task force to liberate the planet Kal'Shebbol. The capital of the Kathol sector in the Outer Rim Territories, Kal'Shebbol was the headquarters of Moff Kentor Sarne, an Imperial warlord who had broken away from the Empire after the Battle of Endor. With Kal'Shebbol liberated, Sarne fled from the planet into the depths of the Kathol sector. Ciro was subsequently assigned to the FarStar mission, which was charged with tracking down the rogue warlord and neutralizing any threat he posed. He was transferred at the behest of his brother, who was commanding the mission, and was part of the ship's starfighter complement. Shortly after the beginning of the mission, Ciro participated in the Battle of Kolatill, a conflict against forces loyal to Sarne, wherein the young pilot lost his life.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Noell Ciro was born on the planet Dolomar, located in the Dolomar sector of the Core Worlds. Ciro grew up in one of the planet's underground citiesThe Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook with his elder brother, Keleman, and their family. As a youth, he raced swoop bikes on the local racing tracks. When the Galactic Empire began to tighten its grip on the planet, Ciro and his brother fell in with one of the local resistance groups. Ciro participated in assaults against Imperial forces, and, shortly after the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, he assisted in overthrowing the Imperial governor and liberating his homeworld. With Dolomar free from the Empire, Ciro joined the New Republic military along with his brother as a way to leave his homeworld behind. While Keleman trained as a commando operative, Noell opted to train as a starfighter pilot.
===New Republic service===
Scoring well in initial simulator testing, Ciro was accepted into pilot training at the Sluis Van Outer Starfighter Base. He sailed through the training program and entered regular service, piloting a T-65 X-wing starfighter. Ciro fought in several campaigns against Imperial forces before being assigned to the task force charged with liberating Kal'Shebbol, the capital of the Kathol sector in the Outer Rim Territories, in 8 ABY. Following the successful liberation of Kal'Shebbol, Ciro was at the top of a list of pilots to be transferred to the FarStar—a CR90 corvette heavily modified to act as a starfighter carrier. The ship had been sent on an extended mission to track down the former Imperial ruler of the Kathol sector, Moff Kentor Sarne, who had broken away from the Empire in the wake of the Battle of Endor and declared himself an independent warlord. Sarne had escaped from the planet into the depths of the Kathol sector with the bulk of his fleet, as well as some potent exotic technology, and needed to be neutralized before he threatened to further destabilize the region. Keleman—who had participated in the Kal'Shebbol operation as a member of the elite Page's Commandos—had been assigned to command the mission and the ship, despite his role as a commando, and he had requested that his brother be part of the FarStar starfighter complement.
===Serving aboard the FarStar===
Aboard the FarStar, Ciro saw it as his responsibility to facilitate a smooth working relationship between his brother and Lieutenant Ranna Gorjaye, the commander of the corvette's starfighter squadron. Gorjaye was unhappy at having to take orders from commandos, and Ciro knew that any disharmony between the command staff could affect the success of the mission. Shortly after launching from Kal'Shebbol, the FarStar responded to a distress call from the nearby planet Kolatill. The planet had been attacked by forces loyal to Sarne in retaliation for the population's overthrowing of its Imperial governor when they had learned that Kal'Shebbol had fallen to the New Republic. Relief operations were organized, and Ciro, along with Gorjaye, found himself on the planet after escorting shuttles from the FarStar to the surface.
In orbit, Sarne's Ton-Falk-class escort carrier Kathol Protector, which had perpetrated the earlier attacks on the capital city of Domaz on Kolatill, returned for a further assault on the planet. Ciro and Gorjaye scrambled their fighters to intercept two squadrons of TIE bombers that were bearing down on the planet, and were assisted by Kolatill's own planetary defense force. In space, the escort carrier's starfighter complement engaged the FarStar and its remaining fighter screen directly.
In Kolatill's atmosphere, sensors aboard a New Republic starfighter determined that the TIE bombers were armed with biological weapons and that they were intent on striking not only Domaz, but other major population centers across the planet as well. Knowing that even a single successful strike could kill millions of beings, Ciro and the other defending pilots engaged the Imperial bombers. Fortunately for the defenders, the pathogenic bomb's payload was so toxic that each of the prime components were stored separately, and only mixed together immediately before deployment. If kept apart, the individual components were harmless, allowing the TIE bombers to be destroyed without spreading the toxin. During the engagement, Ciro's X-wing fighter took a hit that disabled its weapons systems. Detecting a bomber nearing its target site with his instruments, Ciro realized that he was the only fighter in range. Changing course, Ciro intercepted and rammed the bomber, destroying both ships and killing himself, but saving millions of lives in the process. With its bomber force destroyed, the Kathol Protector recalled its fighters and withdrew from the Kolatill system.
==Personality and traits==
Noell Ciro was a skilled pilot, able to fly both swoop bikes and starfighters with a degree of competence. He was also trained in the use of a starship's weapons and shield systems, had a working knowledge of astrogation, and could repair starfighters. Ciro was also knowledgeable about other planetary systems.
On Dolomar, Ciro was a wisecracking and cocky young man. After joining the New Republic military, he came to understand the seriousness of his duties and became a more thoughtful and serious individual. As a result of seeing many good friends die, he helped young pilots with an abundance of enthusiasm to become more serious and focused to prevent their being killed. Despite this, he was still an aggressive fighter pilot. Before he died at Kolatill, Ciro was excited to serve under his brother on the FarStar, and he wanted to assist him in smoothing the relationship between the command crew and the starfighter detachment.
==Equipment==
While on duty aboard the FarStar, Ciro wore a flight suit and carried a blaster pistol, comlink, and survival rations. He was assigned to fly one of the FarStar T-65B X-wing starfighters.
==Behind the scenes==
Noell Ciro was created for West End Games' The DarkStryder Campaign as a member of the FarStar starfighter contingent. Ciro makes no direct appearances in any narratives but is mentioned in The Saga Begins, the lead-in story to the campaign. His death is documented in Omens, the first adventure scenario in the sourcebook. Although much of The DarkStryder Campaign, including its supplements, The Kathol Outback,The Kathol Outback The Kathol Rift,The Kathol Rift and Endgame,Endgame can be altered to suit the individual playing styles of the gamemaster and players, Ciro's death at Kolatill is a required event in the campaign. The three subsequent supplements make no mention of the character and proceed on the premise that he is dead.
==Appearances==
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==Sources==
*The DarkStryder Campaign
*The DarkStryder Campaign, Deluxe
==Notes and references==
Category:FarStar crewmembers and personnel
Category:Humans
Category:Males
Category:New Republic Starfighter Corps personnel
Category:Resistance fighters