Asc Grud'hom

> *"I don't shoot blasters! That's why I hire others to do it for me!"*
>
>

- Asc Grud'hom

**Asc Grud'hom** was a young male Bothan active during the era of the New Republic and the First Order's invasion of the galaxy. As a typical member of his species, Asc dealt in secrets and intelligence, working as a relay operator for an illegal Holonet NewsNet channel *Western Weekly* on the gas giant Taloraan. After the members of Storm Cell saved his life from a band of marauding pirates, Asc went on to provide members of the fledgling Resistance with intelligence on many First Order operations and fleet movements in the Outer Rim, allowing them to continue fighting the war.

## **Description**

Asc Grud'hom was a young member of the Bothan species, and as such featured a bipedal body covered in fur and sported a short beard. He was a fairly tall Bothan, especially for his age, and wore several different sets of clothing that helped him blend in with the other denizens of Taloraan City.

## **Biography**

Born on Bothawui in 17 ABY, Asc quickly attained an interest in subterfuge and secrets, a common trait in his species, and became quickly involved with the criminal Holonet channel *Western Weekly*. Sometime before this he had relocated to Taloraan, a gas giant, where he ran his small-time operations from an abandoned part of the city's bowels.

### **Getting Involved with the Resistance**

By 34 ABY Asc became deeply involved with *Western Weekly*, providing them with sources of information to report on as well as using his place of residence as a relay station for the NewsNet. This attracted the attention of the Bloodcarver Gang, a small-time band of marauding pirates patrolling the areas of space surrounding Taloraan and robbing anyone they saw fit. Looking to expand their operations, the Bloodcarver Gang traveled to Taloraan in a stolen BFF-1 bulk freighter, disguising themselves to the local security as a typical resupply ship.

Knowing that he couldn't alert the local security unless he wished to be arrested and put on trial for illegal tampering, Asc alerted another slicer who he saw infiltrated the city's computer mainframe from a public terminal, a feat that impressed him greatly. He guided the slicer, who was actually Resistance spy Jason Sarkin, through the dangerous underparts of the city to his place of residence, where he tricked Jason into thinking a hologram was real. Pulling a blaster on Jason from behind, Asc demanded who he was, discovering him to be a Resistance spy. Jason calmly took the blaster from Asc, who was fumbling nervously with it in his hands, and made a bargain with him; help he and his friends stop a band of incoming pirates, who were coincidentally also after Asc, and he would help him remove the charges from his head from the local security. Agreeing, Asc went with him to rendezvous with Koren Forsec, 3BB-3, R2-D7, Jarux Sental, who were now waiting at the docks not too far from where they were at.

Once reuniting with Jason's friends, Asc helped them set up an ambush of sorts, hiding behind a barrier made by Jason. With Jarux operating a loading crane near the dock and Koren pretending to be a dock worker, Asc waited with Jason behind the barrier for the freighter to arrive. When it finally did, Asc helped the others defeat the pirates and rescue the ship's actual crew, who the Bloodcarver pirates were using as hostages and human shields. After watching Jarux knock several pirates off the platform and into the clouds below, as well as witnessing Koren fight toe to toe with a towering Weequay, and seeing Jason calmly shoot target after target, Asc grew enough courage to blindly fire his blaster in anger at the pirates. This gave the others a small window to save the hostages, and they, along with Asc, defeated the remaining pirates. The actual dock crew had fled the scene once the first shots went off, and reported the ravaging firefight to the Taloraan Wing Guard. They descended on Storm Cell and the pirates alike, arresting them for murder and violent conduct.

It had only been a few hours in a jail cell before Senator Panter, Storm Cell's client, had the charges dropped and the rebels released from custody. As promised, Jason negotiated with Panter and had Asc's charges dropped. Feeling a debt of gratitude to the people who saved his life, Asc was shocked when he learned that they were Resistance fighters. Already sympathetic to to their cause from months of watching First Order stormtroopers destroy innocent villages on *Western Weekly*, Asc vowed to supply Storm Cell with intelligence whenever he could, and helped them secure a beat up old *Wayfarer*-class medium transport for their own use, which they christened the *Foxhound Aurek*. Asc watched as the Resistance fighters left Taloraan, departing into the orange-hued clouds above them.

### **Helping Fight the War**

Asc later contacted Storm Cell with intelligence pointing to the governor of Naalol, who could potentially support them with troops and supplies. His intelligence helped them rescue the governor and prevent his death and countless others at the hands of the First Order. Two standard months later, Asc traveled to Ord Gimmel at the request of Storm Cell, supporting their operations on the planet by helping them stay in contact with the planet's criminal actors.

## **Personality and Skills**

Asc Grud'hom was a very cowardly individual when it came to combat, as shown when he couldn't point his blaster pistol at Jason without shaking and fired wild shots over his head at the pirates during the later firefight at the Taloraan City docks. His skills in combat were supplanted by his skill as a slicer though, and he used them to great effect spying on the First Order for the Resistance.

## **Appearances**

*Age of Rebellion*

*Age of Resistance*