The "Kenobi Medallion" for heroic sacrifice is one of the highest honors awarded within the Alliance. However, it is only given in memory of those who have noble sacrificed themselves in the Alliance’s fight for freedom against the tyrannies of the Galactic Empire. The first Rebels ever to receive this posthumous commendation were the gallant heroes killed during the Battle of Yavin. Many brave and noble men and women met their end on that day and none were more brave and noble than Jek Porkins.

Jek was a free trader from the Bestine system who had just gone into business for himself when the Empire decided it needed a new high-security base of operations in that arm of the galaxy. The entire population of Bestine IV, by comparison very small, was forced to vacate their homeworld so that the Empire might have a totally secure base of operations. Naturally, there were promises of relocation in a "new and exciting" environment, but these turned out to be empty promises. The people of Bestine IV began to wander nomadically throughout the sector, seemingly without pride or purpose.

Receiving news of this latest Imperial outrage, the then-fledgling Rebel Alliance thought that the homeless people of Bestine IV would make ideal recruits, gladly joining in the cause if only because they had nowhere else to turn. This proved to be untrue. They scoffed at the fugitive "life on the run" that the Rebellion offered, wanting only to live as they were, slowly gathering the weapons and resources needed to retake their stolen world. Even the desperate pleadings of then-Senator Princess Leia Organa could not convince them otherwise. But Jek Porkins heard the words of the Alliance and the Princess, and he saw the truth in them. By joining the Alliance, he could strike back at the Empire right away and perhaps eventually persuade the Rebellion to help his people reclaim their planet. It would likely take his people many standard decades before they could even attempt action against the Imperial base. And Jek was itching for revenge now, in his lifetime, while he could still make a difference.

As with many of the reckless young Rebel pilots, Jek was a champion skyhopper jockey back on his homeworld. The transition from T-16 skyhopper to X-wing fighter is a smooth one, and Lieutenant Porkin’s combat record bears that out. In under 40 hours of actual cockpit time, Jek racked-up an impressive 16 kills, all confirmed. Lieutenant Porkin’s specialty was not actually the dogfight, but rather the oft-neglected strafing run. Having learned the skill from many standard years of sink-crab hunting on the rocky islands of Bestine IV, Jek became deadly with the strafing run during his time with the Alliance. This unusual talent, along with his rather large physical stature, earned a young lieutenant Porkins the not-so-flattering nickname "Belly Runner." But for all of this friendly ribbing, Jek Porkins was one of the most respected pilots in the Rebel Alliance, and will be remembered fondly by his shining Kenobi Medallion, which, along with his other heroic comrades’, hangs in the pilot’s lounge on Tierfon Fighter base --an inspiration to all who strap themselves into the cockpit of a starfighter.

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