Vharn was a human engineer from Sorgal 12 who worked for the Rebel Alliance during the Imperial Era. At some point prior to the Battle of Hoth, Vharn created schematics for a rebel shield generator, and needed to be transported to the cruiser Home One to deliver them. He eventually contacted the smuggler Han Solo, who hired the cyborg bounty hunter Beilert Valance to transport Vharn to the ship, as Solo was being targeted by both bounty hunters and the Galactic Empire.
However, Vharn intended to hand over the Rebellion's plans to the Empire in an attempt to ransom the freedom of his enslaved family. After fighting several waves of Imperial forces with Valance on the way to the rendezvous, including a TIE fighter and stormtroopers, the bounty hunter learned of Vharn's deal with the Empire. Consequently, Valance killed the engineer in order to prevent him revealing information about everyone he had had contact with to the Imperials. When the cyborg arrived at the rendezvous point, he requested the rebels use half of his payment for delivering the schematics to ransom Vharn's family.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Vharn joined an academy after leaving his homeworld, the mining planet Sorgal 12. Eventually, he learned that the Empire had enslaved his family, which included his father and sister, and the other inhabitants of Sorgal 12. Determined to free his family, Vharn became an engineer and joined the Rebel Alliance, creating schematics for a shield generator able to resist an orbital bombardment, which were to be delivered to the rebels in the form of a datacard. In reality, he intended to deliver it to the Empire, who would free his family upon receiving the schematics.
Vharn and Solo in Rimmer's Rest
In 3 ABY, Vharn came into contact with the smuggler Han Solo. While residing with him within the Rimmer's Rest cantina located on the moon Nar Shaddaa, Solo met with the cyborg bounty hunter Beilert Valance, whom the smuggler had hired, and tasked him with escorting the engineer with the datacard to the rebels' rendezvous point, the MC80 Star Cruiser Home One. Vharn was initially distrustful of the cyborg, but Solo informed the engineer that Valance was an old friend of his. Solo briefed the cyborg on his mission, describing Vharn as a talented engineer. The smuggler stated that he could not take on the job himself, as he was currently the target of both bounty hunters and the Galactic Empire, before Vharn and Valance left the cantina to begin their mission.
Vharn and Valance on their mission
After leaving the cantina, Vharn and Valance made their way to Docking Bay 13, only to come under fire by a TIE fighter. Though Vharn panicked while dodging the TIE, Valance was able to shoot it down by firing at its stabilizer. However, the TIE fighter's pilot had intentionally avoided firing at Vharn directly as the engineer was carrying the schematics the Empire required. Vharn questioned how Valance was able to down the fighter, to which the cyborg replied that he used to fly them, and knew how they were assembled. The two then encountered a platoon of stormtroopers, forcing them to take cover behind a stack of crates. Valance took out the stormtroopers, and the two finally reached Valance's starship, the Broken Wing. Vharn was ordered to input the hyperdrive coordinates for the rendezvous point while the cyborg powered up the cruiser.
While leaving the planet, Vharn was asked about why he joined the Rebellion. The engineer explained where he came from, and revealed that he wished to free his family from the Empire's clutches, stating that no one was willing to help liberate Sorgal 12. Traversing deep into the Outer Rim, they came across an Imperial-class Star Destroyer and several TIE fighters. Knowing they could not escape, Vharn told Valance to surrender, but the cyborg maneuvered around the blockade and jumped into hyperspace.
Vharn makes one final request before he is killed.
After arriving at the rendezvous point, Vharn asked Valance why he had asked the engineer to input the coordinates despite the cyborg already knowing them. Valance stated that he suspected that Imperials would be awaiting their arrival. Vharn was then immediately confronted by the cyborg about his true plan to hand over the schematics to the Empire. The engineer pleaded with Valance, revealing that his family was enslaved and he had intended to free them. Valance replied that the Empire would have tortured him for information on everyone the engineer had come into contact with. As the cyborg prepared to kill Vharn, the engineer requested that his treachery be kept a secret from Solo, and Valance agreed before blasting the engineer using his palm blaster. Upon arriving at Home One, Valance personally delivered the datacard to the rebels, and requested that half the payment for the job be sent to ransom Vharn's family, honoring the engineer's wish.
Vharn believed working with the Empire was the only way to liberate his family.
The human Vharn had black eyes and black hair with light skin. Vharn wished to depart his homeworld Sorgal 12 and embark on adventures around the galaxy. After learning of his family's enslavement, Vharn vowed to free them, going so far as to work with the regime that had enslaved them, the Empire, in order to ransom their freedom.
While accompanying Valance, whom he did not initially trust, Vharn would frequently panic when in danger, believing that there was no chance of surviving the situation, but would be proven wrong when Valance demonstrated his expertise in combat. After being revealed as a traitor, the engineer pleaded with Valance by explaining his motivations, but failed to convince the cyborg, and made one final request to keep his treachery a secret before Valance ended his life.
Vharn's engineering skills caught the attention of Solo, who described him as a "gifted engineer" while briefing Valance on his job.
Vharn wore a brown shirt and brown pants underneath a dark green jacket. The engineer also carried the datacard containing his shield generator schematics with him during his mission, until Valance took it off his hands after killing him and handed it over to the Rebellion personally.
Vharn was created for "Two Sides to Every Sortie," a comic story written by Ethan Sacks and illustrated by Paolo Villanelli. The story was published by Marvel Comics as part of the one-shot comic Empire Ascendant 1, which was released on December 18, 2019. The character was first revealed in a preview for the story released on December 11.