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Spike Lead was the callsign for the commander of force Spike, a wing of three Clawcraft squadrons which served as a strikeforce for the Chiss Household Phalanx originally forged by Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Having been elected as a squadron leader in the Phalanx in 24 ABY, Jagged Fel was serving as Spike Lead at the Battle of Ithor in 26 ABY, holding the rank of Colonel. In this capacity, he remained with two of his squadrons aboard the Ralroost for some months after the battle, but by 28 ABY, he had been removed from command, for reasons that remain unknown.
It is not clear what happened subsequently to force Spike, and Jag no longer used the designation "Spike Lead", normally taking a callsign in Vanguard Squadron, Twin Suns Squadron, or the Chiss Squadron which returned from the Unknown Regions a few months later. This may have been one of force Spike's component units, Jag's original squadron command, but if so, then its deployment for detached duty would indicate the breakup of the larger wing.
[edit] Behind the scenes
Jag's callsign as "Spike Lead" is widely believed by fans to indicate command of a squadron designated Spike Squadron; in fact, no such unit is named in canon, and this assumption is thus fanon.
On his scouting mission in Dark Journey, Jag is designated Vanguard One along with Shawnkyr Nuruodo as Vanguard Two. Although the term Vanguard Squadron is first used in canon to denote a force of Human volunteers in snubfighters, formed around these two Clawcraft on Hapes, it should be noted that Jag and Shawnkyr's "Vanguard" designations are Chiss in origin. This is significant because, in The Unifying Force, the "Vanguard Squadron" designation is given to the previously unnamed Clawcraft squadron that first appeared in Destiny's Way. If this was the same Chiss squadron in which Jag had been elected leader in 24 ABY, it is thus possible that Vanguard Squadron was always the name of Jag's squadron, and hence that he was Vanguard Leader as its commander.
