Guther Bartyn

Guther Bartyn's birth occurred in 62 BBY. He was a descendant of Hugo Bartyn, a scout who established the Lamaredd mines for Outer Rim Oreworks. Hugo also became the Administrator and founded Bartyn's Landing, a local fishing town that became the base of operations for his profitable seafood export business, Bartyn Gourmet Delicacies, approximately five centuries before the Battle of Naboo. Over the years, the positions of Administrator of the mines, manager and owner of the Delicacies, and mayor of the Landing were passed down through the Bartyn lineage.

The mines operated with complete automation, utilizing droids to extract metals without human intervention. ORO was meant to conduct inspections, but the Bartyns routinely bribed ORO officials to circumvent these checks. The Bartyn family saw no reason to visit the mine. Consequently, they were unaware that the native Menahuun species—believed extinct due to Hugo Bartyn's relentless hunting—had secretly infiltrated the mines and established their own settlement. However, when Guther was a child, he did visit the exterior of the mines, and apparently did not encounter any Menahuun.

In 36 BBY, Guther Bartyn participated in a krugga deer hunt; the animal evaded the trackers within the Krakana's Maw range. As Bartyn was close to the family mines, he chose to investigate. He was met with laser fire from the mine's defenses, which were manned by Menahuun. He survived, but chose to keep the incident a secret. Bartyn erroneously attributed the attack to a gang of outlaws hiding in the Maw.

Sometime before 29 BBY, Guther Bartyn assumed the role of mayor of Bartyn's Landing, marking the twenty-third Bartyn to hold the office. He was neither well-liked nor particularly respected. The local constable and Security Chief, Mix Liddell, a Mon Calamari, harbored distrust for Bartyn but respected the chain of command and acknowledged Bartyn as his superior.

Bartyn oversaw the annual Landing Shootout, a public display of marksmanship where participants targeted stationary objects, with the top five performers receiving prizes. Bartyn contributed 4,600 credits for the second through fifth-place awards; Liddell, a former champion and skilled weaponsmith, personally crafted a pearl-handled slugthrower for the winner. The Shootout also functioned as a festival, drawing visitors to various food and beverage vendors.

Bartyn engaged with Ubrikkian Industries, requesting a custom aquatic yacht under contract GBX-005. Aware of his subjects' lack of affection, Bartyn named the vessel Tria Blue after his popular ancestor, Tria Bartyn, whom the populace knew as "Benevolent Tria." Not a sailor himself, Bartyn used the expensive vehicle for relaxation and occasionally to compete with a visiting Neimoidian dignitary in a global race — inevitably employing a hired crew.

In 29 BBY, a faction of the Menahuun residing in the mines initiated guerrilla warfare against Bartyn's Landing, seeking retribution for perceived injustices against their people. Due to the Menahuun's stealth, their presence was only noted as "gremlins" assaulting the docks. Concerned about the security of the Tria Blue, Bartyn assigned six guards from the ORO spaceport security force to the deck of his yacht, a decision that proved unpopular due to the spaceport security's unpopularity in the Landing. Despite reports of increasing accidents and missing trawlers, he did not increase the security budget for the port.

Bartyn also directed Security Chief Liddell to investigate. Liddell, having recently hired new Seconds, dispatched them to the port. By this time, a pair of Menahuun had already neutralized Bartyn's security detail and were trying to sabotage and detonate the boat using advanced technology. The Seconds made visual contact with the Menahuuns, after which Liddell encouraged them to meet directly with Bartyn. Bartyn agreed to grant them an interview, although he intended to reveal as little information as possible — perhaps not telling them about a secret tunnel from the Bartyn mansion to the mines.

Liddell's second uncovered the hidden Menahuun community and negotiated with them. They learned that the Menahuun desired peaceful coexistence and helped them integrate into the Landing's community. Although Bartyn was displeased with this outcome, he assisted his subjects — and made sure to close the tunnel. However, ORO, wishing to avoid any scandal regarding Menahuun genocide, abandoned Lamaredd, leading to a gradual decline in the Bartyn family's power. For the first time, the Administrator was chosen through democratic elections. Bartyn lost this election to Liddell and subsequently lost his edge: The former Administrator re-programmed two MMV security droids to attack Menahuun citizens.

Guther Bartyn was a young Human male exhibiting signs of balding. At 33 years of age, he styled the remaining hair he had. He favored expensive attire and the habit of smoking cigarra.

Bartyn possessed bureaucratic acumen and a grasp of his business's intricacies, including droid maintenance and the management of inherited wealth, which he occasionally used for bribery. He fancied himself a skilled orator, adept at concealing information within questions. However, he lacked personality and social grace, remaining oblivious to his own shortcomings. Some who knew him regarded Bartyn as pretentious.

Guther Bartyn demonstrated fluency in some of the most widely used languages on Lamaredd, including Basic, Chagri, Mon Calamarian and Quarrenese. He had undergone some training in the use of blaster weaponry and sometimes carried a hold-out blaster on his person.

Bartyn sought to impress others through extravagant spending. He attempted to curry favor with his subjects by naming his ostentatious personal yacht after a much-admired predecessor and relative. He also routinely escorted foreign visitors to the luxurious Three Jetties Gourmet Restaurant, in which he held a partial ownership stake.

Bartyn was known to engage specialized assistance in the form of mercenaries. He also frequented Miss Mylla's Saloon whenever he was not aboard his yacht or at his opulent mansion. There, he maintained a personal guard, a bronze-colored protocol droid, and a secretary.

Guther Bartyn was a creation of writer Cory J. Herndon and appeared in the article Bartyn's Landing and the role-playing adventure Reckonings, both published in Star Wars Gamer #7 (2001).

The article presumes that the player characters in Reckonings achieve the most favorable conclusion. However, should they fail, the adventure offers an alternative narrative set during an open conflict between the Menahuun and the residents of Bartyn's Landing. In this scenario, Guther Bartyn assumes command of the populace and employs heavy weaponry to defend both the Landing and his personal residence. He also enlists the constable, his officers, and even his own sailors as soldiers, and requests corporate shock troopers from ORO. Non-combatant civilians attempt to flee by sea, although the Menahuun appear to be ubiquitous on Lamaredd — as Bartyn discovered when he dispatched hired personnel to his home on the island Bartyn's Retreat, which was by then overrun with Menahuun.

As the local police force transformed into soldiers, local crime escalated, and even the traditionally benevolent Sailor's Union evolved into a criminal organization. Consequently, Bartyn hired agents to infiltrate the Union and "neutralize" it.

Even if the Menahuun crisis is resolved, Bartyn would maintain strict security measures to prevent a potential new "infestation."