His friends were all able pilots and they practiced together whenever they could get away from their farm chores. Jesse was the best, using his natural dogfighting abilities to best his friends most of the time. This ability would be both their downfall and Jesse's uprising.

After the Imperial occupation of Agamar shortly before the Battle of Yavin the Empire began their conscripting campaign. Shortly before the Battle of Hoth they conscripted the three boys and shipped them off to the Imperial Academy. Jesse quickly passed the Imperial class and graduated with honors.

He was assigned to the Nebulon-B Frigate Prowler as a TIE Interceptor pilot. Hating the TIE, but fearing the Empire he flew combat missions against the Rebel Alliance. After the Battle of Hoth he was promoted for his piloting skills and impressive kill ratio to the new TIE Avenger or TIE Advanced as the Rebels called it. This was a much better ship boasting shields and a hyperdrive.

The Battle of Endor, everyone who was there could never forget it. For Jesse there was something more, the Death Star. Imperial propaganda stated that the super weapon had been used by the Rebel Alliance on the planet Alderaan. Always wondering why the Rebels had destroyed their main source of funding, Jesse had now discovered the answer, they hadn't.

That had planted a small seed of dissent deep within his mind. A small part of him that knew the Empire was purely evil. Following the Battle of Endor there was a severe shortage of TIE pilots. With the Death of Vader and the Emperor fewer people were fearing the Empire's might.

During this time he was promoted again and given a new fighter, the experimental TIE Defender and assigned to Dark Horse Wing. He received the name Firestorm from the Wing's pilots after assisting the new Missile Boat prototypes in the brutal destruction of the MC80a Mon Katherine by flying directly through the rebel gunner's fire to destroy the bridge. Then came the crucial moment when the Mon Katherine began launching her escape pods and shuttles.

The Dark Horses were ordered to destroy the defenseless lifeboats. Those orders triggered the seed of dissent planted deep within his mind. With his mind reeling he jumped the Defender into hyperspace. After several days of floating through space thinking he decided to join the Rebel Alliance, if they would ever forgive him for destroying one of their cruisers. He launched the Defender into hyperspace. Unable to relax under the intense pressure he kept a tight hold on the stick. Alarm klaxons jolted him out of his thoughts and the TIE Defender was grasp by an invisible hand and hurled out of hyperspace. Spread out before him was a small battle. An Interdictor-class Destroyer and a Victory Star Destroyer were facing off with a small rebel ship that didn't match any of Rebel Ships in the databases.

After an intense battle (See the soon to come POV Trapped!) he was picked up by the Rebel Strike Carrier Wolfs Lair and Wolfshead Squadron.

After being interrogated by the NRI he was released to join Wolfshead Squadron and the information he provided was used by that unit to destroy an Imperial Star Destroyer. (That's my next POV)