I never miss.
—Ping 'Bubblegum' Ordo.
Ping Michaela Ordo, nicknamed Bubblegum by her peers, was a female Pantoran marine sniper who served in the Galactic Republic's Expeditionary Response Fleet during the Fourth Galactic War.
Discovering she was naturally gifted with a sniper rifle within weeks of enlisting with the Republic military, Ping was eventually assigned to the Expeditionary Response Fleet at her own request after completing basic training, taking up a coveted position within the ERF marines and quickly cementing a reputation as one of the greatest marksmen of her generation. Ping became a lethal tool of the ERF, her speed and precision being compared to the killing prowess of a Jedi, yet despite her talent for killing at range she often fought shoulder-to-shoulder with her fellow marines when the terrain did not allow for sniper support, proving herself a dedicated and capable marine across the board.
By 51 ATC, Ping had befriended Diego "Tooka" Williams and Simone "Regs" Parker, from whom she received her nickname "Bubblegum" and with whom she entertained an ongoing fiction that she was a descendant of the Mandalorian leader Canderous Ordo, primarily for her own amusement. In the same year, Ping, Diego and Simone met Iden and Malik Lambert when they were transferred into the ERF's marine corps. Together, the group worked – and survived – well enough that they were eventually removed from the marines and reorganized into a single ERF commando unit, with Diego being promoted to the rank of captain and taking up direct leadership of the team.
In 53 ATC, Ping and her squad were deployed to the distant Outer Rim world of Viizikii Minor alongside Expeditionary Response Fleet marines to fight in a ground campaign against an Imperial-backed extremist group known as the Bondigho. After Iden received life-threatening injuries shielding her allies from a bomb blast in 54 ATC, Ping and her squad disobeyed the instructions of Major Castine Kausos and launched an unauthorized attack on a Bondigho camp, rather than withdraw as ordered, intending to detonate the old ZR-57 orbital strike bomb the Bondigho had acquired rather than allow allied forces to simply abandon the region.
Although successful, Ping – who was covering the squad's exfiltration point from a nearby ridge – was left behind on the orders of Major Kausos, and when the ZR-57 detonated she was caught in the blast and killed, an event which led to her entire squad resigning from the Republic military after the Major – thwarted only be the timely arrival of General Waverunner – attempted to have them executed via firing squad.
Ping posthumously received the Cross of Glory, which was accepted on her behalf by her older sister before being passed on to her former teammates. Once their tours came to an end Ping's squad formed a mercenary company, becoming guns-for-hire known as Bubblegum Squad, named in memory of their fallen friend. Despite her death occurring before the formation of the Shimkan Advanced Strategic Operations Service, Ping's name was included in their personnel files and she was assigned a locker aboard the Ah'rek at Iden Lambert's request. Her likeness was later used in a holographic training program created by Jedi artisans from the local Enclave.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
New Plympto's boring.
—Ping Ordo.
Born on New Plympto in 28 ATC, Ping Ordo had a peaceful childhood in spite of the ongoing Third Galactic War. She was a quiet but intelligent child who often surprised her parents with her interests and observations, regularly voicing insightful opinions or revealing her knowledge of a subject that she had been looking into without anyone's knowledge.
She had an older sister and younger brother, with whom she got on well, and it was due to a combination of boredom and a desire to protect her naive younger sibling that she eventually set her sights on a military career.
Republic Trooper[]
Ordo's speed and precision are unreal. Give her the targets, and she can match a Jedi when it comes to kills-per-second.
—Castine Kausos, regarding Ping's abilities as a marksman.
After graduating from school Ping enlisted with the Republic Navy, where her quiet focus and determination to excel quickly impressed her superiors, although many mistook her reticence as snobbery and she made no friends during her training. When she began training with a sniper rifle Ping's talent became evident, and her instructors quickly started to push her down the path of a marksman.
Due to her skill as a sniper and her above-average performance during her time at the naval academy, Ping was able to submit a successful request for assignment to the Expeditionary Response Fleet's marine corps, usually reserved for more experienced soldiers but who – like many divisions of the Republic military – were always looking for noteworthy talent. On joining the ERF marines, Ping met Simone "Regs" Parker and Diego "Tooka" Williams after they noticed her solitary behavior and made a deliberate effort to approach her to welcome her to the team. Taking her under their wing, Diego, Simone and Ping went on to fight side-by-side in many combat operations all across the Outer Rim, becoming good friends and an effective team.
In 51 ATC two new soldiers joined the ranks of the Expeditionary Response Fleet's marines; Iden and Malik Lambert, who – while having impressive service records – were regarded with a degree of distrust due to their ability to use the Force. Having been something of an outcast herself, Ping was sympathetic towards the newcomers which, combined with Diego's naturally friendly demeanor, quickly merged the two groups into one. Naturally, fighting together quickly built up a strong camaraderie between the group of soldiers, and their continued survival while many of their peers fell in battle or were reassigned led the group to become firm friends in a short space of time. Their friendship helped them anticipate one another while on deployment and the banter between them kept morale up on long deployments, improving their overall effectiveness, a fact which did not go unnoticed by their superiors.
Eventually, Ping and her team were transferred out of the marine corps and reassembled into a new commando unit, with Diego being promoted to the rank of captain in order to take up the role of squad leader, a niche he had already been fulfilling informally. Around the same time, Iden applied for an animal handler's permit which was ultimately approved, allowing her targon Tala to join the squad.
Viizikii Minor Campaign[]
No regrets boss. It's been a blast.
—Ping Ordo's last words.
In 53 ATC, Ping and her squad were deployed to Viizikii Minor to participate in an ongoing ground campaign against the Sith Empire and their local allies, a sizable force of guerrilla fighters known as the Bondigho who supported the Imperials for reasons unknown. While the Bondigho hounded Republic forces with alarming effectiveness, the Empire was left to mine the planet's mineral resources unhindered, and it was that reckless exploitation the Republic hoped to stop.
Under the command of Major Castine Kausos, Ping's squad participated in numerous battles and skirmishes that took place in the southern hemisphere over the course of the year, though the Republic offensive made little headway and the planet remained in what was effectively a stalemate. Ping and her squad took part in the capture of a farmstead in the Ting Whenn region in 54 ATC, the first significant victory in many months and one which opened up additional avenues of attack for the Republic's forces. Capitalizing on the victory, Kausos gathered Ping's squad and sent them off for another attack within an hour of securing the farmstead.
Utilizing the Gumm Juk Tonn Approach, Ping's team waded downriver, seeking out a Bondigho strike camp, though enemy scouts found them first and ambushed them en route. After dispatching their attackers the group continued on to the camp, catching the occupants by surprise and swiftly clearing the area of Bondigho troops, further weakening their grip on the area. Once their task was done they reported in for further orders, whereupon they were recalled to the new forward operations camp to rest and resupply. Later that night, Ping was visiting Iden in her bunk when they heard distant noises, followed soon after by by explosions and blaster fire as the Bondigho launched a surprise attack. Grabbing their weapons, the troops rushed to defend the camp, with the group fearing for Malik and Dieo when they realized the tent to which they had been assigned was a smoldering ruin.
Diego appeared fully dressed with his rifle in-hand, having stayed up late to discuss the coming operations with the major, and the group were able to drive off the Bondigho alongside the marines, though not without taking significant casualties. Malik arrived at the conclusion of the fighting, having snuck away from camp that night to meet one of the locals with whom he was romantically involved, a breach of regulations which saved his life but earned him a seething reprimand from Major Kausos. Iden jokingly reassured him that worse things had happened to troops who were brave enough to "try the local cuisine".
Two days later, Ping's squad were deployed alongside the marines to take a nearby town controlled by the Bondigho after the heavy rains of the monsoon season had left it waterlogged and its defenses compromised, exposing it to attack. With Ping providing cover from a nearby overlook, the group split up – Malik with Diego and Iden with Simone – and began moving street-to-street, alley-to-alley, unsettled by the apparent absence of Bondigho forces. Quiet as it was, they were eventually jumped by enemy ambushers just as anticipated, with Malik and Diego facing down one the Bondigho's rancor war mounts before the fighting subsided. When it did, Simone was gone, separated from Iden in the chaos and captured by the raiders before they fell back, retreating from the town and allowing the Republic to secure it.
Returning to camp disheartened by the loss of Simone, the group turned in early in preparation for an attack on the nearest Bondigho camp the next day, the location of which was already known, although plans to attack the location were brought forward due to the Bondigho's lackluster defense of the town, which suggested they were sacrificing territory to buy them time to reinforce elsewhere. The team assembled again at dawn for the trek out to the camp and, on arriving, the group quietly worked their way through the guards until one of them managed to raise the alarm, forcing them to fight through the camp.
While the rest of the squad engaged the enemy, Iden uncovered information that pointed to the location of an antiquated ZR-57 orbital strike bomb, a bomb which – while old – presented a serious threat to the Republic war effort. In the process of locating the information about the ZR-57, Iden also managed to identify where in the camp the prisoners were being held, setting off to find and free Simone and the dozens of other Republic troops imprisoned alongside her, all of whom were injured and malnourished – and several who were already dead – but also ready to fight their way out alongside the commandos.
After signaling for extraction the group fought their way to a clearing where their transport could descend to pick them up; it was during this time that the Bondigho launched missiles in an attempt to stop the Republic forces from making their escape. To save her team, Iden used the Force to grab the missiles and hold them back while the others retreated. Unfortunately, in doing so, Iden had pinned herself down, unable to hold the missiles in position and move to get clear herself; left with no option, Ping and her team watched helplessly as Iden released the missiles and generated a barrier at the last moment, into which the missiles collided, detonating mere meters in front of her. Though she was unable to contain such a considerable blast, she dampened the power of the explosion and saved herself from being killed instantly – but not from sustaining life threatening injuries.
Tala, bonded to Iden, rushed into the smoke and dragged her to safety a few moments later, shortly after which the transport arrived to extract the squad and the liberated troopers from the camp. Carried by Simone, Iden made it aboard the ship and – upon their return to base – was promptly evacuated for emergency medical care off-world.
The revelation about the ZR-57 concerned the squad deeply, and though they were all worried about Iden they knew they had to deal with the bomb threat before it was used to wipe out the Republic forces in the south. Major Kausos, however, saw the situation differently; instead of dealing with the bomb, she ordered a retreat, intent on reinforcing General Zhavi Waverunner's troops in the north rather than risk remaining within striking distance of the ZR-57. Although she forbade Iden's squad from making an attempt to neutralize the bomb, Diego intended to venture out to the Bondigho stronghold, sneak in and destroy or detonate the bomb on his own. The rest of the squad intercepted him before he left camp, intent on joining the mission, and after a brief debate the group set off – one commando down – to find and neutralize the bomb, knowing failure meant either death or a court martial.
With Ping providing sniper cover from outside the base, Malik, Diego and Simone crept into the camp via a shallow river, quietly dispatching enemy forces until they located the ZR-57 and activated it, programming it to detonate on a timer before destroying the controls, locking the sequence in. Sadly, though their call for extraction was answered and a ship was deployed to rescue them, Kausos ordered the ship to withdraw to a safe distance before they could pick up Ping, who had held her position to cover their retreat. Ping assured them she had no regrets about the situation and told them it would be a good way to go before shutting off her radio.
Their protests ignored, the squad could do nothing as the ship raced out of the area and the bomb detonated, ending the threat posed to the Republic forces by the ZR-57, destroying the Bondigho base and killing Ping Ordo.
Legacy[]
We never forgot.
—Diego, speaking for his squad, regarding Ping's death.
On their return, the squad confronted Kausos, with Malik punching her and escalating the already heated situation, so much so that Kausos ordered the marines to detain the squad and prepare them for execution. One of the marines reported that General Waverunner was on hold, waiting to speak with Kausos and with orders that she have her marines stand down.
Regrettably, further enraged by the fact that one of her own troops had undermined her command by contacting Waverunner, Kausos dismissed the message and ordered her marines into position as Waverunner's shuttle came in to land at the camp. To her chagrin, when she ordered her troops to fire, the firing squad deliberately missed their targets and Kausos became aggressive. Emerging from her ship in time to hear her furious ranting, Waverunner grabbed Kausos by the throat, hoisting her off the ground and asking if she had been deafened by artillery fire since they last spoke.
Waverunner then removed Major Kausos from command, citing "obvious battlefield stress" as an "explanation" for her extreme behavior. She then ordered the marines to release Diego, Malik and Simone from custody, thanking them for their service and offering her condolences regarding the losses they had sustained in service to the Galactic Republic. Additionally, she informed them that while she could not do anything about Ping's tragic demise, she was pleased to inform them that Iden was stable and would – after considerable physical and psychological therapy – make a full recovery, albeit with cybernetic support to replace her lost arm and restore her sight.
The squad were told to say their goodbyes, as they were being withdrawn from Viizikii Minor and would be assigned to a transport heading back to the Core Worlds by the end of the week. Iden, meanwhile, was moved to a private medical facility by her father, where she would remain for the entirety of her recovery period. A month later, a military funeral was held for Ping on Carida, attended by her friends and family, and followed by a medal ceremony the month after that, with Ping's older sister accepting the Cross of Glory on her behalf. Ping's sister gave the medal to Iden after the ceremony was concluded, revealing that Ping had mentioned their "closeness" and that a piece of metal meant little to her, but Iden – as a soldier – might hold it in higher regard.
After Iden's recovery and the completion of Diego and Simone's tours, the surviving members of Ping's squad registered as a mercenary company, becoming guns-for-hire known as Bubblegum Squad. Iden and Malik were eventually poached by Zhavi Waverunner and became founding members of the Advanced Strategic Operations Service, the defense force for the Jedi colony of Shimka's Well, and its commando service.
At Iden's request, Ping's name was added to ASOS personnel records and she was assigned a locker aboard the Ah'rek. Several decades after her death, Iden took up the role of head of security on Shimka's Well and arranged for Ping's likeness to be used as the holographic teaching program for new recruits.
Behind the Scenes[]
Ping Ordo's physical appearance is based on that of actress Emma Mackey. Ping's death is a homage to RC-1207's final appearance in Star Wars: Republic Commando, when Delta Squad are forced to abandon their comrade due to orders from a higher authority.