Andov Syn

Nariss Siv Loqesh was a Kerestian male who was born on the planet Kerest in 31 BBY. The details of his early life were considered by the Galactic Empire to be shrouded in mystery, and only a scarce amount of information was known to Imperial Intelligence regarding his origins. At some point prior to 13 BBY, Loqesh entered the bounty hunting profession. After being issued a permit from an agency on the planet Sperin in the Bajic sector, over the next few years he forged a successful career for himself. Operating from the space yacht Syn's Shadow, the Kerestian specialized in claiming bounties that had been placed on other bounty hunters, and he attained a capture rate of almost 90%. He worked alone, taking on assignments that intermediaries offered him, and he frequently dealt with the Bimm expeditor Crote, who helped him to get out of several tight situations.

In 3 ABY, in the aftermath of the Battle of Hoth, the Imperial Supreme Commander Darth Vader summoned several high-profile bounty hunters to track down the Rebel Alliance operatives Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, who had fled into the Hoth asteroid field aboard the freighter Millennium Falcon. Vader ordered that Loqesh be instructed to join the hunt, and Major Herrit of Imperial Intelligence was tasked with preparing a report on the elusive bounty hunter. Loqesh's whereabouts not known to the Empire, so the Imperials contacted Crote and instructed him to commission Loqesh to take on the job.

Unaware of Vader's demand, Loqesh went on the pursuit of some fellow bounty hunters, and he stalked the wanted Bothan fugitive Bie Breil'lya, planning to capture the Bothan and use the large bounty on his head as bait with which to lure the hunters into a trap. Loqesh located and crept up on Breil'lya, and while the Bothan was distracted by a message that he had received on his comm board, Nariss approached and held him at blasterpoint. Breil'lya promised to pay Loqesh double the bounty that had been placed on his head if the hunter let him go, but the Kerestian ignored his plea and promptly stunned him. He then loaded the blacked-out Bothan onto Syn's Shadow.

With Breil'lya as his prisoner, Loqesh flew to the world on which Crote operated and docked Syn's Shadow in a hangar bay. Loqesh dragged Breil'lya out of the vessel, ignoring the Bothan's protests, and he proceeded to hand his prisoner over to Crote. He paid the Bimm 400 to hold the Bothan captive on his behalf, and Crote informed him of his commission by the Empire to hunt the Millennium Falcon. Loqesh immediately declined the offer, stating that he worked only for himself and was not willing to aid the Imperials. Realizing that the Empire would not take well to his rejection of their offer to hire him, Loqesh decided to go into hiding, and he instructed Crote to inform the Empire that he had disappeared without a trace. When they received word of his disobedience, the Empire did not react kindly to Loqesh's refusal to help them, and the Kerestian was charged with treason. As a reminder to other bounty hunters of the consequences of defying the Empire, a locate-and-detain order of 25,000 for his capture was issued, and Loqesh was forced to keep a low profile.

After spending a year and a half in hiding, Loqesh reemerged in about 4 ABY and he resumed operating as a bounty hunter and mercenary, under the alias "Andov Syn." He hired himself out to corporations and wanted criminals, and he again specialized as a pursuer of bounties placed upon other members of his profession, quickly carving out a niche for himself in the market. "Syn" soon gained a reputation for being an effective hunter, which allowed him to charge high fees for his services, but he avoided doing work for either the Empire or its rival galactic government, the New Republic. On one occasion, a band of pirates hired Syn to take out several mercenaries who had been hired by miners on the world Adim to defend a local mining colony from the pirates. The bounty hunter single-handedly defeated all of the mercenaries, and as a result of the incident, he earned notoriety for his ruthlessness.

Eventually, Syn's activities brought him to the attention of the New Republic, and the government placed a bounty of 60,000 on him, charging Syn with the crimes of bribery, murder of New Republic personnel, destruction of Republic property, and aiding and abetting other criminals. As of 7 ABY, Syn was still at large, and he was included within a dossier that New Republic Chief of Intelligence General Airen Cracken compiled, detailing the particulars of highly dangerous individuals who were wanted for crimes against the Republic.

Syn was a large Kerestian who stood two meters in height. He was fair-skinned, with black-colored hair and a beard, and his face was covered with severe scarring. He also wore an eye patch over his right eye. Syn was ruthless, sparing no pity for the targets that he pursued, and he considered himself to be one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy. Syn had a deep hatred for other bounty hunters, and according to some reports, he pursued other hunters just as much for sport as he did for money. Syn was difficult to work with and valued his independence, and he refused to be employed by anyone other than himself. In spite of his hard-hearted nature, Syn cared for the well-being of the Bimm expediter Crote, and when he declined the summons of the Empire to pursue the bounty on Han Solo, Syn instructed Crote to lie that he had not recently seen the Kerestian, so as to protect Crote from Imperial retribution. Syn was also a believer of the traditional Kerestian myth that the souls of deceased individuals were condemned to spend eternity within a realm known as the Great Darkness.

A highly skilled bounty hunter, Syn had a variety of talents, being adept at brawling, forgery, gambling, repairing damaged blasters and administering first aid. He was proficient at keeping his true identity hidden, and both the Empire and the New Republic knew little about who he really was. When pursuing his quarry, the Kerestian frequently made use of expediter and information brokers in order to gain intelligence to assist him with his work.

Syn operated from the jet-black modified space yacht Syn's Shadow, which was fitted with a class one hyperdrive and armed with two laser cannons. In addition, the vessel had the capability to broadcast at least eight different transponder codes, which allowed the Kerestian to change his ship's public identity. As his primary weapon, Syn wielded a heavy blaster pistol, with which he was a crack-shot. He also carried a vibroblade and was equipped with a datapad, a glowrod and a pair of wristbinders. When pursuing bounties, Syn wore a full suit of armor, and he owned several different sets of armor that he donned interchangeably in order to conceal his identity. One of his armor sets featured an ornate, crested helmet and a large backpack.

Andov Syn was created by Louis J. Prosperi and was first mentioned in Wanted by Cracken, a role-playing sourcebook that was published by West End Games in 1993. He was subsequently mentioned in the reference book Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies, and in 1996, he featured in the short story Hunting the Hunters, which was written by Bill Smith and published in the magazine Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 6. The story provided further details regarding Syn's origins and revealed his true name as "Nariss Siv Loqesh." He went on to receive further mentions in the books Ultimate Alien Anthology and The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology, and in 2008 he received an entry in the compendium The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

• Wanted by Cracken
• Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies
• Ultimate Alien Anthology
• The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Essential Reader's Companion