It’s just a scratch. Let me finish this.
—Asdux Evins
Asdux Evins was a Human male born on Corulag. He was orphaned at a young age when his parents perished in a shuttle accident and spent his childhood bouncing around from foster home to foster home. When he came of age, he began working at a repair depot near a spaceport, learning the intricacies of starship repair from other mechanics. While given the most menial tasks, he bore it with stoic determination, rationalizing that the indignities were sufferable if they kept him employed.[1]
When he was twenty-one, Evins was left behind at the depot alone during the normal lunch hour while his co-workers enjoyed a hearty repast at a local diner. He was approached by an Arkanian woman, who asked him if he could assist with repairing her ship's inertial compensator. She told him it was an urgent fix, and that she would double his rate if he could fix it. Asdux agreed to help her, completing the repair job in record time and allowing the Arkanian to leave Corulag.[1]
A year later, the Arkanian returned, giving her name as Seirla Trasani. She and a group of her friends had been forced to divert to Corulag after sustaining damage. She remembered Asdux and asked if he could help her again. Though his co-workers were suspicious of the Arkanian, particularly when it appeared their ship had been in combat, Asdux convinced them to help her.[1]
When he learned that some of his co-workers were planning on turning over the Arkanian to the authorities, he tipped her off in advance. In gratitude, she offered him not money, but a chance to go with them to a distant planet where he could begin a new life, putting his skills to use for his own good. He agreed and departed with Seirla Trasani—whose name was actually Hasla Almani—to Yanibar. She put in a good word with him with the Yanibar Guard, the defense force for Yanibar, and he joined the Yanibar Guard Fleet in 2 ABY.[1]
Serving as a junior crewmember and an engineer on the Niman-class cruiser-carrier Aayla Secura, Asdux first saw action in 4 ABY when the Zann Consortium attacked Yanibar. The ship was damaged while withdrawing from an attack, and Asdux along with his partner Duskil were sent to help repair a power coupling that was limiting power to the starboard thrusters. Despite an evacuation order to clear the starboard wing, Duskil and Asdux stayed until the repair was complete. They immediately ran to escape the wing when the Aayla Secura side-swiped an enemy warship. The resulting collision opened the wing to space. Both engineers tried to escape into the main body of the ship, but Duskil was injured and couldn't keep up. The injured Zabrak let go and floated away, mouthing the name of his wife, sacrificing himself so Asdux could escape. The distraught engineer just barely made it into the main body of the cruiser-carrier before it sealed off and abandoned ship along with the rest of the crew.[2]
He later told Saiyana Duskil how her husband had died, though it took some time for him to muster the courage to approach her. Nevertheless, Asdux Evins continued to serve on the Aayla Secura, steadily climbing through the ranks. He was injured during the Cosnollian Comet incident, and was hastily treated by acting chief medical officer Nyla Tenelly at the urging of Captain Destra Starkellos Zel so he could return to work.[2]
In time, Asdux was promoted to chief, serving as the highest-ranked enlisted man in the engineering crew. As part of his increased rank, he got to know Captain Zel, and the two became good friends. Asdux served under Zel on the Aayla Secura for nearly thirty years, including in battle over Rishi.[1]
In 35 ABY, the Aayla Secura was decommissioned. Just before the ship was formally withdrawn from service, Captain Zel walked its bridge one last time, joined by people who had served with him for years, including Chief Evins, Doctor Tenelly, Gunner Salyeh Gau, and Commander Darik. They walked around the ship, sharing stories. The five crewmembers gathered one last time in the memorial room of the Aayla Secura to share one last memory over a glass of wine of the same vintage as one used to dedicate the ship forty-one years earlier.[2]
When the Aayla Secura was decommissioned, Chief Evins retired.[2] Three years later, he was part of the departure of the Yanibar inhabitants to the distant world of Atlaradis.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
The character of Asdux Evins was created for the novella The Final Voyage. His character was influenced by engineers from the Star Trek universe, including Montgomery Scott and Miles O'Brien. His diving through the bulkhead door just before it slammed shut is a nod to similar actions performed repeatedly by Geordi LaForge. When writing Evins, Atarumaster88 characterized him as easy-going and confident. For his backstory, he created an association with Hasla Almani, another prominent character in the Force Exile Series.