HOBBES / RODENT 1

History: Hobbes joined the Alliance when his owner* Granite joined Red Squadron. Hobbes was swiftly accepted as the squadrons unofficial mascot by the senior pilots, though his existence was kept secret from most of the trainees to protect him, as it was against several Alliance regulations for a combat craft to carry animals or for crew members to keep pets. For the year that he was there, Hobbes gained valuable knowledge of the internal layout of Nebulon B Frigates. Hobbes' prowled the ships ventilation and access ducts every night, prompting rumors among some of the crew that a dangerous wild animal was loose on the ship, which would occasionally emerge from ventilation ducts and attack the crew. Granite says these rumors are based on the story of a flight engineer who limped for a month after trying to step on Hobbes, and that the small rodent was only defending himself. Hobbes later moved to the Joan d'Arc, and while the regulations still apply, things are much easier as all the pilots are in on his existence, and besides, the d'Arc's captain has more important things to look for than hamsters.

Description: While Hobbes looks like a small defenseless bundle of fuzz, it quickly becomes apparent that he is just as capable of destruction as his owner, albeit on a smaller scale. His harmless appearance has deceived more than one unfortunate Stormtrooper. Hobbes is generally a very quiet animal though. He spends his time sleeping in his cage or wandering around the d'Arc looking for food and on occasion, company. A surprisingly social animal, Hobbes does like to be around White Squadrons pilots, and can quite often be seen scurrying around in the Bomb Shelter, one of the few places in the ship he can allow himself to be seen with out risk. Foxfire keeps a small supply of sesame seeds and nuts behind the bar for him. He is happiest when around Granite however, and it is not unusual to see a small fuzzy face poking out of one of Granites pockets or, if the coast is clear, sitting on his shoulder. He even has his own travel cage aboard Bannockburn. He is very loyal to Granite, and will generally try do anything asked of him, if his limited intelligence can understand what is being asked.

Special Abilities: Hobbes is capable of an incredible turns of speed when necessary, usually when you look away for more than three seconds. Capable of chewing through ANYTHING (Stormtrooper armour a specialty). Can fit in to openings which are obviously too small for him to get through. Fur is extremely good for washing fighters with. Excellent night vision and agility (loves hanging upside down). It has been suggested that due to his small size, agility and his ability to move around a ship almost totally unnoticed, Hobbes would be extremely good as a spy. While this has never been put in to practice, Granite has been working on a way to mount a miniature camera on Hobbes' back.

*We're not completely sure which of the two is in charge, but we'll say Granite because he's the one who picks up the pay check. However, he's the one who does all the work while Hobbes just relaxes all day.