Dak Ralter

Age
 Status
 Weight

**Dak Ralter** was a Human from Kalist VI who served as a pilot in the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War. Ralter was very idealistic, joining the Alliance to restore the Old Republic and end the Galactic Empire. Ralter was assigned to the Hoth Echo Base as a pilot of Rogue Squadron, befriending Thane Kyrell shortly before the Battle of Hoth. Before the battle, he was excited to along with Luke Skywalker, the rebel hero he had heard so much about. He served as Luke's gunner and met his end during the conflict when he was killed by Imperial fire that hit the back of the snowspeeder as he was struggling with a fire control malfunction. Shortly after his end, their ship was shot down and crashed in front of an AT-AT, with both the ship and Ralter's corpse being crushed by the walker's foot.

## Biography

### Early Life

#### Hopeful for Freedom

**Dak Ralter** was born to political prisoners of an Imperial labor colony on the planet Kalist VI. His parents were children of the Galactic Republic, who valued the peace and prosperity of those days. Born into captivity, Dak instead only knew the galaxy as a place of fear, oppression, and the Empire. As a youth, his parents would often model his dreams with tales of the wonder and delight that existed before the formation of the Empire. These stories were about all that kept him going during his days living inside the huge transparisteel dome of Kalist VI. His parents' stories helped to keep alive a spark of hope inside the young Ralter. Dak knew someday his hopes would come to fruition, like they did when he was seventeen.

A new prisoner came to the camp one day, and being just a bit older than Ralter, the two became quick friends. Ralter's new friend was a rebel pilot who was downed while on a reconnaissance mission. Luckily for the pilot, the Empire did not know of his affiliation, or he likely would have faced an interrogation droid, or worse. The pilot was a free spirit who fueled the flame of liberty inside of Ralter with further tales of a life beyond the confines of Kalist VI. He made quite an impact on the impressionable Ralter. Together they planned an escape from the penal colony. Ralter took to the chance with all the energy born of a lifetime of pent-up anger and aggression. When his parents learned of their son's plan, they encouraged him, knowing it might be his only chance for a life beyond captivity. They also knew that trying to go with him would only hamper his chances, and they insisted he go without them. It was a difficult choice for the young Ralter, but Dak heeded the wishes of his parents. The plan was to hijack an Imperial prison barge and use it to escape Kalist VI.

While waiting for the barge, the pilot and Ralter vaulted the inner power fence of the camp, shorted out the outer fence, and managed to make it past the unsuspecting sentries. Once a couple slightly-used Empire uniforms were "borrowed," gaining access to the landing area was relatively easy. They triggered a false reactor alarm then staged a prearranged power outage in order to board the prison barge and clear all moorings. But before they could flee, a Stormtrooper saw what was happening, boarded the ship, and tried to stop the two youths. The pilot was shot before Ralter could shoot the trooper in return. The rebel fugitive lay wounded and dying on the cockpit floor. This left the duties of piloting up to Ralter. He had no previous experience with any technology more sophisticated than a laser drill. Ralter bravely manned the ship's controls while the pilot, only able to speak, directed him through the takeoff. Ralter displayed a natural affinity for flying. Under the guidance of the pilot they were able to blast away from the prison planet and flee into hyperspace.

### Rebellion Service

#### Pilot of Rogue Group

Breg instructed Ralter to plot a course for a rebel base. When they arrived, Dak Ralter had been forced to land the ship unaided. The condition of the rebel pilot had worsened and he now lay unconscious. Ralter's landing was by no means pretty, but it was in many respects miraculous. Despite the best efforts of Ralter to save his friend, the rebel pilot died soon after landing. Nevertheless, with the pilot's help Ralter was able to escape imprisonment and start a new life with the Rebel Alliance.To honor the man responsible for his newly found freedom, Ralter joined the rebellion's pilot corps, presumably completing his training among the Tierfon pilots. After proving his piloting abilities, he was assigned to the burgeoning Rogue Group under the command of Luke Skywalker after the Battle of Yavin. Officially, Dak replaced Biggs Darklighter's spot in the squadron. He was one of the youngest pilots to serve with the Rogue Group during his tenure. His earliest service with the Rogue Squadron was taking part in some of the starfighter squadron's most earliest battles.

When the Alliance High Command moved their operations to the newly established Echo Base on the planet Hoth, Dak was assigned there with the rest of the Rogues. He flew with Rogue Group during the Imperial invasion of the ice world, serving as Rogue Leader's gunner in the rear of his T-47 Airspeeder. It was the responsibility of the Rogue Squadron to hold off the Imperial advance long enough to buy time for the highly vulnerable transports carrying vital equipment and personnel to evacuate the planet, and Ralter's gunnery skills paired with Luke's flying abilities proved deadly to several enemies. Eventually, Skywalker prepared to make the first attack run on the line of AT-AT walkers, and he ordered Ralter to use the speeder's harpoon and tow cable to trip the massive war machine. However, the speeder's aft section took a direct hit from an AT-AT's powerful laser barrage, killing Ralter instantly. Any chance of recovering Ralter's body was lost when the speeder was crushed under the massive footpad of one of the advancing AT-ATs, after Luke was shot down.