Garris Shrike

Garris Shrike, a stern and quick-drawing young man with deadly precision, initially pursued a career as a bounty hunter. His impatience and irascibility led to the loss of numerous live bounties due to his tendency to use excessive force, which ultimately led him to abandon that line of work.

Shrike then embarked on a new path, becoming the leader of a criminal organization. He maintained a vigilant watch over the streets of Corellia, seeking out orphans who demonstrated potential for recruitment into his group of thieves and con artists. He programmed a droid, F8GN, to teach the children the art of pickpocketing. He manipulated some, such as Danalis, with false promises of future assistance, while others were forced into submission through physical abuse. With older members, he engaged in smuggling operations and more elaborate confidence schemes. Shrike minimized expenses on his young thieves, including medical care, in his pursuit of profit. He also restricted their access to education beyond the elementary level. Despite this, he regarded himself as a benevolent figure to the orphans and street children he took in.

He acquired the decommissioned Liberator-class troopship Guardian of the Republic, renaming it Trader's Luck and positioning it in orbit above Corellia. This served as the home for his "clan" of traders and criminals, which grew to about one hundred members by 10 BBY. As their leader, he exercised absolute authority, demanding complete obedience and adherence to shipboard regulations. Only his officers, including his brother Larrad, the ship's navigator Nooni Dalvo, and the Elomin Brafid, were permitted to carry weapons, ensuring Shrike's control. While on the Trader's Luck, he wore a self-designed military uniform inspired by that of a Moff, adorned with elaborate imitation decorations. A ring containing a Devaronian blood-poison gem allowed him to inflict prolonged suffering on those he punished, a practice he enjoyed.

Occasionally, Shrike would take the Trader's Luck away from Corellian orbit, visiting various planets. There, he deployed the young children to the surface. Most engaged in pickpocketing, while those with noticeable deformities begged for money. All were assigned quotas, with failure resulting in beatings. Older children and crew members worked on the ship, assisting with cargo handling. Periodically, Shrike would execute a major scam on Corellia, using several children to pose as families in rented estates. Shrike would impersonate the family patriarch, gain the trust of wealthy Corellians, and solicit investments in fictitious businesses before absconding with the credits.

In 27 BBY, Shrike became aware of a two-year-old orphan begging on the streets of Corellia—Han Solo. He observed Solo and, determining him to be a promising prospect, approached him and brought him into his group, providing him with training alongside the other orphans. He tantalized Solo with the prospect of revealing his last name and past, promising to disclose those secrets eventually, but never did. Shrike found much to appreciate in Solo, who developed into a skilled thief and con artist. Shrike also recognized Solo's talent as a swoop racer, and he trained Solo in swoop flying, utilizing the prize money earned by the young champion.

Around 20 BBY, the Wookiee exile Isshaddik joined Shrike's crew, only to be killed a year later during a smuggling operation to Nar Hekka. Isshaddik's widow, Dewlannamapia, had previously cooked on the Trader's Luck, and Shrike enjoyed her culinary skills. He invited her to remain as the ship's cook, despite her having children on Kashyyyk to whom she could return. As she had become a surrogate mother to Solo and wished to protect him from Shrike, she agreed to stay.

Solo was the most daring and difficult to control of the youths under Shrike's command, leading Shrike to frequently discipline him. As a child, Solo attempted to escape several times, resulting in severe beatings, such as when Solo went missing for over a month before being turned in by his cousin, Thrackan Sal-Solo. The subsequent beating was among the worst Shrike ever inflicted on the boy. After Solo won the Jubilar Free-For-All in 12 BBY, he attempted to strike Shrike, feeling confident; Shrike immediately incapacitated him and proceeded to beat him nearly to death before Larrad and the other officers intervened. Another beating in 11 BBY left Solo unable to walk for two days.

One night in 10 BBY, a disruption in power on the weapons locker's status board interrupted Shrike's sabacc game with his officers. Shrike deduced that the locker had been breached and immediately suspected Solo. He rushed to the galley with Larrad and Brafid, where they found Solo bidding farewell to Dewlannamapia. Enraged by Solo's defiance, he resolved to teach the rebellious youth, who had stolen a blaster and was planning to flee, a harsh lesson in obedience.

Dewlannamapia intervened to protect Solo, and Shrike drew his blaster. Solo, in a panic, struck out at Shrike, knocking him down. The Wookiee then broke Larrad's arm, and Solo shot Brafid. Shrike managed to aim his blaster at Solo, forcing the surrender of both individuals. He sentenced Solo to death and prepared to fire, but Dewlannamapia jumped in front of the bolt. Solo tackled Shrike, rendering him unconscious. By the time Shrike awoke, Dewlannamapia was dead, and Solo had escaped.

Following his injury, Larrad never fully recovered, and the Trader's Luck crew began to experience difficulties. Later that year, Shrike learned that the Besadii Hutt kajidic was offering bounties for Vykk Draygo, also known as Jenos Idanian and various other aliases. Shrike recognized these as Solo's aliases. Seeing an opportunity for a substantial reward and revenge against his former ward, Shrike returned to his bounty hunter roots, tracking down Solo.

He located him on the rooftops of Coruscant one night, celebrating his acceptance into the Academy of Carida, a long-held ambition that Shrike had often mocked. Catching the young cadet off guard, he held Solo at blaster-point and began to gloat. Solo managed to dislodge the blaster from Shrike's hand and escape, forcing Shrike to pursue him across the rooftops. He eventually landed a stun shot that incapacitated Solo. Shrike dragged his captive back to a turbolift, where Solo, having recovered from the stun blast, attacked Shrike. They fought fiercely before Solo gained the upper hand and retrieved Shrike's blaster. With Solo aiming the gun at him, Shrike attempted to dissuade him from shooting, confident that Solo would not kill him in cold blood. He offered to reveal Solo's background, but as he approached the hesitant Solo, Shrike was fatally shot by another bounty hunter who was also seeking Solo and had followed Shrike, knowing he could find him. Following his death, the Trader's Luck crime ring dissolved, and the ship was abandoned.

Garris Shrike was a man who demanded control. As the leader of the Trader's Luck clan, he brooked no opposition and enforced his authority absolutely. Hot-tempered and impatient, he quickly resorted to violence when frustrated, leading to the end of his bounty hunting career and frequent, brutal beatings for the children under his care. He held high expectations of those who served him and maintained strict discipline. Those who disappointed him quickly faced his wrath. He viewed himself as a great benefactor to the children he took in, which only intensified his anger when they failed him.

Shrike found pleasure in few things, including the suffering of others, gambling luck, and Alderaanian ale. The latter two were often combined, leading to great exuberance. He also enjoyed having his ego stroked, wearing an elaborate military uniform and insisting on full deference from his subordinates.

Author Ann C. Crispin created Garris Shrike for her novel, The Paradise Snare. In the novel, he is depicted as an oppressive and abusive authority figure against whom Han Solo rebelled. Their conflict culminates in Shrike's death at the end of the book. Crispin stated that Lucasfilm authorities told her that Solo had been raised by a roving gang of thieves who forced him into crime. She conceived of Shrike as the leader of that gang.