Aurek (clone trooper)

Alpha-39, better known by his nickname Aurek, was a clone ARC trooper in service of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. He later founded Company 9, which fought the Galactic Empire throughout the Imperial era.

History
Aurek was one of the first one hundred Alpha-class Advanced Recon Commandos to see combat during the Clone Wars, and he first saw battle during the notorious Battle of Atraken as a captain. He was eventually promoted to commander and was placed in command of the 396th Battalion. Aurek and the 396th saw battle on a few worlds throughout the war, though their most notable operations were on Metalorn and Bah-Rinn. The 396th would remain stationed on Bah-Rinn for the rest of the war until the transition of the Republic into the Galactic Empire. When Order 66 was initiated, Aurek and some of his closest peers disobeyed the order, leading to a skirmish between his followers and other members of the 396th that chose to obey their command. After helping their Jedi General escape Bah-Rinn, Aurek and his followers formed Company 9 after hijacking an Arquitens-class light cruiser and fleeing the system. Under Aurek, Company 9 initially operated against Separatist holdouts across the Outer Rim, though they eventually began targeting Imperial supply ships as well. Several Imperial agents were dispatched to hunt down and eliminate members of Company 9, though Aurek survived all of these attempts. Jedi Master Rahm Kota, himself a survivor of Order 66, assisted Company 9 with his militia on more than one occasion. In 1 BBY, after nearly eighteen years of unchecked raiding, Company 9's cruiser was intercepted by a small fleet of Rebel privateers who mistook the vessel for an Imperial warship. The cruiser sustained heavy damage in the ensuing space battle though Aurek and some of his troopers managed to flee the craft in their gunship before the cruiser was destroyed. Aurek and surviving Company 9 troopers made their way to a nearby space station in the hopes of finding a larger vessel to continue their operations. While on the station, Aurek was confronted by Imperial security officers who questioned Aurek and his men for their use of Phase II clone trooper armor, which was outdated in the Imperial Military and illegal for civilian use. Instead of submitting to questioning, Aurek and his men opened fire on the security officers. Within minutes of the firefight, Aurek and his men were killed following a brief last stand in the station's main hangar.