Cray Mikalen

Major Cray Mikalen is the commanding officer of Red Squadron onboard the MC80B Redemption.

History

Training:

Cadet Cray Mikalen joined the Emperor's Hammer TIE Corps on January 28th, 2000. He was assigned to Delta Training Company on the Platform Daedalus. He quickly completed his training requirements and graduated on January 31st, 2000. He was promoted to the rank of Sub-Lieutenant and assigned to Beth Squadron, Wing III, onboard the SSSD Sovereign.

First Assignment - Beth Squadron:

SL Cray Mikalen began his first active duty assignment as Flight Member 1-4 of Beth Squadron, part of Wing III onboard the SSSD Sovereign. Cray was a motivated young officer, and quickly earned promotion to the rank of Lieutenant. A few months later he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander for his hard work and dedication. His service and leadership potential convinced his CMDR to appoint him to the position of Flight Leader in July of 2000. His service was commendable, and he was promoted to Commander in October of 2000. In Febuary of 2001, just over a year after he began his active duty career, he took his first leave of absence.

Second Assignment - Return to Service and First Command:

After two months of leave, CM Mikalen returned to Beth Squadron. He was assigned to the position of Flight Member 1-3. He served in this position for three months, then transferred to Gimel Squadron to serve as Flight Leader of 2 flight. His service in Gimel Squadron was rather short, as the Wing Commander soon promoted him to be commanding officer of Beth Squadron. His first command tour was very successful, and he was soon promoted to the rank of Captain for his efforts. His command of Beth Squadron lasted for 5 months. CPT Mikalen stepped down from command in January of 2002. He stayed on as a flight member of a short time to help the new CMDR get settled in, then left for his second leave.

Third Assignment - 2nd Command:

CPT Mikalen enjoyed 2 months of leave and then returned to active duty in Vav Squadron. He spent a short time in the squadron as a Flight Leader before he was again picked to command a squadron. His second command tour was with Daleth Squadron. It marked the fourth squadron in Wing III that he'd been assigned to, and the second he'd been given to command. He'd been CMDR of Daleth for three months when he was promoted to the rank of Major for his success as a squadron CMDR. MAJ Mikalen continued to serve as Daleth CMDR until August of 2002, when he took a leave of absence.

Fourth Assignment - the ISD Immortal:

After an extended leave of absence, MAJ Mikalen returned to activity duty and was assigned to Ranger Squadron, part of Wing XI onboard the ISD Immortal. This was his first assignment away from the SSSD Sovereign. He served in Ranger for 3 months as a FM and FL, then was transferred to Falcon Squadron to serve as a FL. His stay in Falcon Squadron lasted about two months, then MAJ Mikalen was called back to the SSSD Sovereign to serve once again as CMDR of Beth Squadron. This was his third command tour, and his second with Beth Squadron. However, it was short lived.

Fifth Assignment - The Fighting Ninth:

After commanding Beth Squadron for just over 1 month, MAJ Mikalen was transferred off the Sovereign once again. He was promoted to the position of Wing Commander of Wing IX, onboard the ISD Relentless. MAJ Mikalen found his first tour as a Wing Commander to be both challenging and rewarding. He was in command of "The Fighting Ninth" for 5 months, before taking his fourth leave of absence. He took one month of leave, and then temporarily returned to the ISD Relentless as a pilot in Spear Squadron. His last duty assignment onboard the Relentless was short though, as he was soon transferred back to the Sovereign to commander another squadron. This time he was given command of Dal Squadron, part of Wing VII. His fifth command tour only lasted two months when tragedy struck, and MAJ Mikalen went on an extended leave of absence.

Sixth Assignment - Return to Active Duty and the Infiltrator Wing:

MAJ Mikalen was away from the TIE Corps for a little over three years, during which he dealt with several important family and personal matters. For a while he thought his career as a fighter pilot was over, but he was wrong. In September of 2007, MAJ Mikalen returned to active duty. This time he was assigned to the MC80b Redemption - the flagship of the Infiltrator Wing. He was assigned to Blue Squadron, part of Wing XXI. This was his first assignment operating outside the normal TIE Corps fleet, however his experience with a wide variety of rebel craft made him a good choice. He served as a Flight Member in Blue Squadron for only a month however, before he was returned to the role of a squadron CMDR. In October of 2007 MAJ Mikalen was assigned command of Red Squadron, the lead squadron onboard the Redemption.

Throughout his career, MAJ Mikalen has flown nearly 700 combat missions. He currently holds the rank of Aquilifer in the Fleet Commander's Honor Guard.

Promotion Dates

• Sub-Lieutenant - 01/31/2000

• Lieutenant - 02/03/2000

• Lieutenant Commander - 04/01/2000

• Commander - 10/04/2000

• Captain - 10/07/2001

• Major - 07/13/2002

Command History

• CMDR, Beth Squadron - 08/05/2001 to 01/02/2002

• CMDR, Daleth Squadron - 04/29/2002 to 08/23/2002

• CMDR, Beth Squadron - 04/21/2003 to 05/22/2003

• WC, Wing IX - 05/22/2003 to 10/15/2003

• CMDR, Dal Squadron - 05/24/2004 to 07/01/2004

• CMDR, Red Squadron - 10/02/2007 to Present

Medals

• Silver Star

• Bronze Star (x2)

• Palpatine Crescent (x7)

• Imperial Security Medal (x9)

• Medal of Tactics - Green Hammer

• Medal of Tactics - Blue Hammer

• Iron Star - Bronze Wings (x4)

• Iron Star - Bronze Ribbon (x3)

• Iron Star - Silver Ribbon (x6)

• Iron Star - Gold Ribbon

• Medal of Communication w/ Bronze Oak Cluster (x2)

• Medal of Communication w/ Silver Oak Cluster

• Commendation of Loyalty

• Commendation of Bravery

• Letter of Achievement (x3)

• Order of the Vanguard - Seventh Echelon