In 7 BBY, a shuttle crash changed his life. His mother, brother, and younger sister were flying home from a business conference on Tion; his father was to return two days later. Officially, the cause of the shuttle's destruction was a freak hyperdrive failure. The shuttle emerged rapidly from hyperspace, suffering catastrophic structural damage. The hull was breached, and emergency systems worked quickly to section off the ship. Everyone aboard died of exposure to space, with most ejected into the void and never recovered. Aeon was found in his stateroom, having survived hours with minimal atmosphere and at freezing temperatures.

While he suffered quadruple amputations, the loss of both eyes, and irreparable lung damage due to exposure, he nonetheless survived. The doctors chalked it up to a rare form of hibernation brought on by specific conditions. His brain was relatively undamaged, and the rest was replacable.

After innumerable surgeries and lengthy, painful rehabilitation, he regained his full faculties, with the help of state-of-the-art cybernetics. His father paid a fortune to restore him to vigor, but despite this, their relationship soured and they became estranged. Though technically in a position to succeed his father at Titanworks, he shows no interest in the family business, and instead simply lays about, cavorts, and generally tries to drown his sorrows in wine, women, and shoes. Okay, maybe not shoes.