Margo "Pepper" Flarestream, a Human female who first came into existence circa 35 BBY, famously switched her allegiance from the Imperial Academy to the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the initial period of the Galactic Civil War. A highly competent aviator, Flarestream advanced to the position of Flight Commander, piloting Z-95 Headhunters and acquiring the moniker "Pepper" at some point in her career. Flarestream was in charge of the starfighter contingent during the withdrawal from the Alliance base located on Refnar. Even though the conflict at Refnar is considered an Alliance success due to the evacuation of nearly 70 percent of their forces, Flarestream was consumed by remorse following her actions that resulted in the destruction of numerous evacuation ships by an Imperial capital ship.
Tormented by the consequences of her decisions, Flarestream requested a reassignment away from active combat and was subsequently placed within Sleeper Cell V-16, which was based in the main metropolis of Fabrillan on the world Malthor. Despite battling alcohol dependence, Flarestream remained a valuable asset to the cell. She possessed extensive knowledge of the pilot community in Fabrillan's various establishments, and she utilized her privately owned Ghtroc Industries transport vessel, named Pepper's Hope, to extract Alliance agents from the planet whenever required. Despite Flarestream's troubled emotional state, General Airen Cracken, the director of Alliance Intelligence, expressed satisfaction that someone of her skill was still contributing to the Alliance cause, and he maintained hope for her eventual return to active combat service.
Margo "Pepper" Flarestream, a Human woman, entered the world around 35 BBY. Upon reaching adulthood, she enrolled in the Imperial Academy, but she later deserted to join the newly formed Alliance to Restore the Republic during the early stages of the Galactic Civil War. Enlisting in the Alliance Starfighter Corps, Flarestream qualified as a Z-95 Headhunter pilot. Gaining the name "Pepper," Flarestream participated in multiple skirmishes and eventually achieved the position of Flight Commander. Sometime before the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY, Imperial forces discovered an Alliance outpost on the world of Refnar, situated in the Pakuuni sector of the Outer Rim Territories. An order to evacuate was given, and Flarestream was given authority over the fighters assigned to protect the retreating transports and cargo ships. It was Flarestream's first time in a leadership role.
The strategy was straightforward; Flarestream and her squadron were tasked with engaging and delaying the Imperial forces—comprising a line vessel and TIE/LN starfighter support—to allow the freighters and personnel carriers to escape into faster-than-light travel. The starfighters were not expected to defeat the Imperials, but simply to survive long enough to complete the mission and then retreat. Standard procedure involved deploying in a defensive line, forcing the enemy fighters to break through their formation to attack the fleeing vessels. However, Flarestream had alternative plans. The TIE/LN starfighter had become the standard Imperial fighter, and since its introduction, Alliance losses during retreats had significantly increased. Alliance strategists anticipated losing between 60 to 70 percent of their starfighter forces and 30 percent of their transports during a withdrawal. Faced with these projections, Flarestream decided she did not favor those odds.
Flarestream arranged her starfighters in a stacked formation. From a distance, it appeared similar to a defensive line to incoming forces but had a key difference; one group of ships would be positioned ahead of the other, allowing the second group to ambush the TIE starfighters while they were engaging the first group. The TIEs attacked the apparent defensive line with full force, striking the initial group of Alliance fighters. As the first line began evasive maneuvers, the second Alliance fighter group launched their attack. The Imperial starfighters, caught off guard, were systematically taken down by the older Rebel craft. As Flarestream led her fighters around for a second pass, she observed the TIEs' mothership enter the fray. Typically, during similar engagements, the line vessel remained at a distance, allowing its starfighter complement to engage the enemy. However, the officer in command of the cruiser was surprised by Flarestream's tactics and committed his ship to the battle. Several transports were destroyed by the cruiser before they could escape into hyperspace.
Despite the cruiser's attack, Flarestream's tactics resulted in the survival of over 70 percent of the retreating transports and nearly all the starfighters. However, Flarestream was emotionally scarred by the battle, having lost too many friends to enemy fire. The image of the cruiser casually destroying the transports haunted her; she realized the Empire possessed overwhelming firepower and began to believe that she was fighting a losing battle. Consequently, she decided to retire from active combat duty, requesting a transfer to a position she deemed "less heroic."
Although no longer in combat, Flarestream was assigned to Sleeper Cell V-16, based in the city of Fabrillan, the primary urban center of the planet Malthor in the Tandon sector of the Mid Rim. Flarestream was one of the five core members of the cell—including Berren Sid Té, a street merchant and information provider; Bakku, a Reigat enforcer; Reginna Bel Typolla, an intelligence gatherer; and the Spek-Man, a mechanical being specialist—who would periodically meet to discuss missions and operations focused on acquiring information and supporting other Alliance activities on the planet. Flarestream, burdened by the guilt she felt over her actions at Refnar, developed a drinking problem and frequented Fabrillan's taverns while awaiting her orders. Remaining sober only when on a mission, Flarestream would relapse into a drunken state as soon as her tasks were completed. She knew numerous pilots stationed in Fabrillan and utilized them to achieve Sleeper Cell V-16's objectives when necessary. When Alliance personnel not based on Malthor conducted operations on-planet, Flarestream was typically responsible for their extraction, utilizing her personal Ghtroc Industries freighter, the Pepper's Hope.
Margo Flarestream was considered mature for her age in her youth, and some of her Alliance contemporaries regarded her as a "visionary" for defecting from the Empire before it became more common. A skilled pilot, Flarestream had experience piloting starfighters, interstellar transports, and older-model starships, as well as operating ground vehicles and hovercraft. She was also trained as a weapon specialist, with expertise in vehicle energy weapons and starship and large warships gunnery. Flarestream also possessed the ability to calculate routes through both normal space and hyperspace and could operate communication devices and detection systems. She was knowledgeable in the operation of protective fields aboard starships and could repair space transports if necessary. Trained in the use of a blaster, Flarestream always carried a sidearm with her, along with a cutting tool. She was trained in survival and emergency medicine and had an interest in other cultures, dialects and solar systems. She typically wore a plain flight suit and protective armor.
Once a confident and capable pilot, Flarestream had also demonstrated a talent for leadership, although her only experience in that capacity occurred during the battle that led to her withdrawal from combat. Flarestream's guilt over the deaths of many Alliance fighters during the battle at Refnar overwhelmed her, leading to her alcoholism. As a result, she always carried a small bottle container on her person. High Ranking Officer Airen Cracken, head of Alliance Intelligence, was aware of Flarestream's mental state and was saddened that a capable pilot like her had been forced to remove herself from front line duty. He was encouraged that she was still contributing to the Alliance through her work in Sleeper Cell V-16 and held onto the hope that one day she would be fit to return to combat duty.
Margo Flarestream was mentioned in Cracken's Rebel Operatives, a supplement for the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game published by West End Games in 1994. Her only visual representation was illustrated by Mike Vilardi.