Jacob Nive was a male Human who, during the Galactic Civil War, worked as a pirate for the Eyttyrmin Batiiv organization, which was headquartered on Courkrus. Following the near annihilation of the group by Imperial forces, he rose to become the leader of the remaining members, who then became known as the Khuiumin Survivors. Nive, a skilled strategist and a man of attractive appearance, typically wore his long blond hair in a braid. He was a capable leader who cared for his crew and enjoyed drinking lum responsibly.
Nive dedicated most of his adult years to the Eyttyrmin Batiiv pirates, climbing through the ranks to the position of Captain of the Corellian Corvette named Backstab. During the Battle of Khuiumin, a staggering ninety-seven percent of the Batiiv pirates, totaling eight thousand individuals, perished in an Imperial assault. After this devastating event, he naturally assumed leadership of the surviving members, proving his tactical expertise by saving lives that would have otherwise been lost to the attacking Victory-class Star Destroyers. The pirates, now calling themselves the Khuiumin Survivors, vowed revenge against the Empire. In the subsequent years, Nive spearheaded hit-and-run attacks against Imperial facilities and convoys. Later, he and his crew joined the Invids under the command of the rogue Admiral Leonia Tavira, operating from Nal Hutta and providing her with some of her most skilled starfighter pilots.
After the Batiiv massacre, Nive took the initiative to ensure that the Survivors, who were essentially the best members of the gang before the Imperial attack, underwent rigorous military-style training. This training emphasized both discipline and tactical proficiency, with Nive mandating that the Survivors adopt and wear uniforms while on duty. He displayed unwavering commitment to his crew and, despite his desire for revenge against the Empire, went to great lengths to protect them.
By 11 ABY, Nive and his second-in-command, Tyresi Gurtt, had guided the Survivors back to Courkrus, the original base of the Batiiv pirates, along with other groups under Tavira's command, such as the Blackstar Pirates, Riistar's Raiders, the LazerLords, the Red Nova crew and the Fastblast. Later that year, he participated in a raid targeting two luxurious passenger liners, the Tinta Palette and Tinta Rainbow, during which "Jenos Idanian," actually Corran Horn in disguise, found himself caught in the crossfire. When Jenos later arrived at the Survivors' base seeking to join their ranks, bringing the shuttle Tinta Blue Seven, Nive, after resolving the details of the Corellian's audacious arrival, welcomed him warmly and assigned him to Rock Squadron despite objections from Remart Sasyru, a newly appointed member of Bolt.
Shortly after Jenos joined the pirate group, Nive and the Survivors departed Courkrus to capture Zlece Oonaar. Oonaar had commanded one of the two Victory-class Star Destroyers responsible for the initial Batiiv massacre. The Survivors' mission was a success, and Nive personally executed Oonaar by shoving a credit coin into the former Imperial's mouth and ejecting him from the Backstab's airlock into space.
During the mission, a private yacht stumbled upon the Galaxy Chance, the vessel on which Oonaar was traveling. The yacht dispatched its escort of six Z-95 Headhunters to engage the Survivors' tri-fighters. In the ensuing dogfight, Jenos utilized his craft's ion cannons to disable the intruders, preferring capture over outright destruction. When Nive inquired about his choice of tactics, he responded favorably to Idanian's reasoning.
In the months that followed, Nive continued to lead the Survivors on raids under Tavira's direction. Notable operations included participating in the Battle of Xa Fel and raiding the Caamasi Remnant colony of Morymento on the planet Kerilt. However, soon after the Kerilt operation, events took a dramatic turn for Nive and the Survivors.
Following the Kerilt raid, a series of strange occurrences began to unfold throughout the Aviary, the section of Vlarnya where the Invid crews resided. The initial incident involved Nive and Idanian "witnessing" a vision of Oonaar visiting the Crash cantina to return the credit coin that Nive had given him, adhering to an old superstition. Over the subsequent three weeks, the pirate crews were targeted by a Ghost Jedi wielding a lightsaber. As this unfolded, Nive became increasingly withdrawn and disheartened by the declining morale of the pirates, especially after the death of Shala the Hutt at the hands of the mysterious interloper. He turned to drinking more frequently to alleviate his distress.
Ultimately, the arrival of Tavira's advisors on Courkrus cornered the Ghost Jedi, only for Jedi Master Luke Skywalker to intervene and assist in subduing them. After the brief conflict and the exposure of the Jensaari, Luke and the "Ghost Jedi" Corran revealed their true identities to Nive. The two Jedi presented the leader of the Survivors with an offer: oversee the Jensaari prisoners and prevent them from alerting Tavira, and in return, he and the Survivors could begin a new life with the New Republic. Along with the Jensaari, they would eventually form the core of the defense fleet for the newly liberated moon of Susevfi.
Jacob Nive was recognized as a skilled leader, although somewhat more superstitious than the average spacer. Despite his pirate background, Nive possessed a degree of professional empathy, demonstrated by his agreement with the disguised Jenos Idanian that it was preferable to disable rather than kill a group of bodyguards who encountered the Survivors during a mission. Idanian suggested that this approach would discourage unnecessary bloodshed in future encounters of that nature. Given the option to retreat, pilots and bodyguards who were not the primary targets of a raid would be more inclined to do so, rather than engaging the Survivors in a hopeless fight.
Nive's dedication to his crew and their loyalty to him were firmly established following the Batiiv massacre. His tactical acumen was instrumental in saving as many members of the group as he did. He was considered handsome and possessed a charming demeanor. As the leader of the Survivors, Nive was also reluctant to spill innocent blood, preferring to rob civilian ships rather than kill their crews.
Jacob Nive was originally created by Simon Smith and Eric S. Trautmann for Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim, which was initially published in 1993. He later appeared in Michael A. Stackpole's 1998 novel I, Jedi.