Hooper Croix

Rebel Alliance

> "*We may not be as flashy as you Corellians or as proud as those from Alderaan, but we Betseedans are brave. We'll show you just how tough we are when we get the chance.*"
> ― **Hooper Croix** to Lieutenant Tolamael Benere prior to the First Battle of Betseeda Prime
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**Hooper Croix** was a Betseedan resistance fighter who served as the second Commander of the Betseedan Resistance Forces during the Galactic Civil War. A noted tactician and former Imperial Navy officer, he defected alongside fellow Betseedan and former Senator Madeline Gren. The two were instrumental in the founding of the BRF.

When Senator Gren was killed during the First Battle of Betseeda Prime, Croix assumed command of the partisan forces. He continued to lead the ragtag force until his own death aboard the Star Destroyer Salient during the Siege of Tazion.

## **Biography & Service**

Little is known about Hooper Croix and his youth. What is known is that he grew up in Tazion and joined the Imperial Navy as soon as possible. He had an unremarkable career serving in the Imperial Navy, but he was assigned to the engine room of the Star Destroyer Adarga at some point in his career. This experience would pave dividends during his career as a partisan.

Disgusted by the cruelty of the Empire, he eventually defected shortly after his own senator, Madeline Gren. He returned to his homeworld of Betseeda Prime and began to lay the foundations of what became known as the Betseedan Resistance Forces of the BRF.

In the early days of the resistance, the BRF had only a few dozen operatives. Minor disruptions of Imperial activities on Betseeda Prime were common. However, with the arrival of Arrow Squadron, the tables turned. While Senator Gren was more suspicious of the new arrivals, often venting her frustration at their small numbers, Croix say the vital importance of air support. Often serving as an intermediary between the two sides, he worked with Lieutenant Tolamael Benere to eventually develop a working relationship with Arrow Squadron.

## **The Betseeda Campaign**

When Senator Gren was killed at the First Battle of Betseeda Prime, Croix was the natural choice to succeed her. Under his command, the BRF ranks grew and a small aerial wing was developed under the tutelage of Arrow Squadron pilot Kostan Stodl. Croix also worked to provision and supply Arrow Squadron with whatever he could from Betseeda, helping to cut down on the fragile supply lines running from rebel-held systems.

While the Arrows fought several pitched battles against Imperial Navy forces throughout the system, Croix and his deputy Nez Rennoc, a talented solider and survivor of the Battle of Scarif, worked to expand BRF forces to other worlds, including the Imperial loyalist planet of Myyribod.

Croix trained his soldiers relentlessly and slowly molded them into a talented partisan force, able to wreck havoc on the Imperials and disappear back into the general populace. His tactics, while sometimes questionably bloody, helped to drain the Imperial resources in the system and frustrate the Imperial commander, Admiral Jhutan Ensah.

Eventually, Imperial forces laid siege to the capital city of Betseeda Prime, and Hooper's hometown, Tazion. The Siege of Tazion, which began in 1 ABY, was as close to defeat as the BRF and Arrow Squadron came during their campaign in the system. Near constant bombardment from Imperial forces and a serious lack of food, medical supplies, and parts threatened the entire war effort.

However, Croix and his leadership team, along with Arrow Squadron pilots planned a dangerous raid against the Imperial Star Destroyer Salient. Using a stolen shuttle, a small strike team of both Arrow Squadron pilots and BRF commandos landed and infiltrated the Star Destroyer. Using Croix's intimate knowledge of the engine rooms of Star Destroyers, explosives were planted that helped cripple the ship, removing it from the siege lines.

## **Death**

> "*Go, go, get back to the shuttle, Nez!*"
> ― a wounded **Hooper Croix** to Nez Rennoc during his mission to the Star Destroyer Salient
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The attack on the Salient, while bold, would prove costly as several of the BRF commandos were killed in gun battles with Stormtroopers. During one of these gun fights, Croix, who was helping cover their escape to some of the Salient's escape pods, was gunned down. Unfortunately, his body had to be left behind as their was no time to recover their dead.

The surviving commandos escaped the Salient just prior to it retreating back to the Imperial base above Jonquil Station. Croix had been a valuable leader and helped transform the BRF into a legitimate military force. With his untimely, but honorable death, command of the BRF passed to Colonel Nez Rennoc.