Ma'w'shiye
"Though I am thankful he has not chosen to take sides with the Empire, he must be brought to justice: if not for the safety of all those he endangers, then at least so that I may strip from him the lieutenant's insignia, Trand Medallion and Platinum Valor Cross I personally pinned upon his lapel."
―General Airen Cracken, on Ma'w'shiyeMa'w'shiye was a skilled scout who graduated from the Galactic Outdoor Survival School and later served as a member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic's Eclipse Team and its security task force.
A M'shento'su'Nikto from Kintan, he enrolled in Barosa Warren's Galactic Outdoor Survival School during the early reign of the Empire. There, he learned to survive in hostile environments and graduated in 12 BBY as part of the highly successful Twilight Class, alongside Sisquoc, Akul Witig, Adazian Liebke and Derembus Sitnalta. Several years later, Ma'w'shiye joined the Rebel Alliance with his peers and served with distinction in the elite Twilight Squadron for six years during the Galactic Civil War. His commanding officers decorated him many times, and he earned the respect of both his peers and the recruits he trained.
Without warning or explanation, Ma'w'shiye deserted his covert operation team in 4 ABY. He then began a series of assassinations and assassination attempts against his former partners in the Twilight Squadron during the early years of the New Republic. New Republic Intelligence placed a bounty on Ma'w'shiye's head, charging him with treason and other offenses, and organized a SpecForces team to pursue him.
Biography
Origins
"We didn't just break the Summit Class record; we absolutely destroyed it!"
―Ma'w'shiye, upon the graduation of the Twilight ClassA M'shento'su'Niktoborn on Kintan,Ma'w'shiye trained to become a scout at the prestigious Galactic Outdoor Survival School,where he received intensive survival training and learned to survive on any kind of world.Ma'w'shiye belonged to the prestigious Twilight Class, alongside such other prodigies as Adazian Liebke, Norrion Glidamir, Xenon Nnaksta, Sisquoc, Derembus Sitnalta and Akul Witig. Under the supervision of GOSS headmaster Barosa Warren, all members of the Twilight Class became expert scouts.In 12 BBY, the Twilight Class graduated with honors, surpassing the previous GOSS record set by the Summit Class years earlier. As a result, Summit veteran Lunkar An felt his ego threatened and became an enemy of the Twilight Class veterans. Although An regarded himself as Sisquoc's personal nemesis, he particularly hated Ma'w'shiye; their mutual dislike led An and Ma'w'shiye to fight one another many times.The Alliance
"Barosa's dominance as a survivalist goes without question, but those of you who stand a chance of encountering him in combat of any short should also keep in mind his weaponry."
―Excerpt from Ma'w'shiye's addendum to the Alliance threat report on Barosa WarrenMa'w'shiye joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic around 0 BBY, before the Battle of Yavin.He was made a Lieutenant,with Rebel officer Airen Cracken pinning the insignia to his chest.Ma'w'shiye was then assigned as a marksman to the Alliance Special Forces elite Eclipse Team's Twilight Squadron,alongside other Twilight Class veterans, including Liebke, Sisquoc, Sitnalta and Witig. Maw'shiye also undertook fieldwork, becoming a veteran of various dangerous missions, and worked as a weapons coordinator. Alongside Derembus Sitnalta, who had become a Commander, Ma'w'shiye trained recruits to use high-powered blasters.Throughout his years in the Alliance, Maw'shiye trained literally thousands of them not only to use light artillery, but also blaster rifles.Ma'w'shiye fought in the Attacks on Corint City, defending the Pirik system against an Imperial invasion.Forced to flee the Empire through the glass window of Strak Tower's 37th floor, Ma'w'shiye nearly lost his right leg during the operation. The leg was saved, but Ma'w'shiye had a visible limp from that point onward.Because of his performance in Pirik, he became a living legend in the Alliance gunnery ranks.He also participated in the Karideph operations, during which his friend Witig gave him a heavy overcoat that he would wear in cold environments thereafter. Ma'w'shiye was also part of the Alliance team that defended the two final outposts of the Dnalvec Militia on Sriluur against the Galactic Empire.As a member of the Task Force on Alliance Security, Ma'w'shiye wrote reports about threats to the Rebel Alliance. During this period, he worked with his former mates Liebke and Witig, along with other Rebel officers such as Lieutenant Alton Lochner, Lieutenant Command Sasnak Toxis and agents Tirranna, and Tynan Ryln Mei. Ma'w'shiye contributed to the report on Barosa Warren, praising his survivalist abilities and weaponry. Ma'w'shiye had seen his colleague Maashan's XP-38 sport landspeeder fail to provide suitable cover for Warren's target and therefore reported that people opposing Warren should avoid using landspeeders as cover.The Alliance greatly valued Ma'w'shiye's work as a weapons coordinator, special forces operative and pathfinder in dangerous tasks, and he was known to have served courageously alongside Liebke and Witig. Between 0 BBY and 5 ABY, his meritorious actions earned him several commendations and decorations. Cracken awarded him the Trand Medallion and the Platinum Valor Cross.The fugitive
"Nothing disturbs me greater than to see one of the Alliance's best go against his own comrades."
―General Airen Cracken, regarding Ma'w'shiyeIn 4 ABY, shortly before the Battle of Endor, Ma'w'shiye was part of a covert operation team on Sanjin, near the Core Worlds. For reasons unknown to his partners and officers, Ma'w'shiye stole the team's escape starship, deserted his squadron and caused the operation to fail. Ma'w'shiye's betrayal proved costly to the Alliance, claiming more lives and equipment than any other operation of its size.From then on, Ma'w'shiye turned against his former partners and allies. He unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate his former associates Liebke, Lochner, Nnaksta, Sitnalta, Tirranna, Toxis, Tynan and Witig, who had become officers of the New Republic—the galactic government created by members of the Alliance. He succeeded in killing other New Republic agents, including Candra, Klepish and Saloor, as well as at least seventy-two unaffiliated civilians. New Republic analysts were surprised by this low figure, since Ma'w'shiye was such a skilled sniper that he could have killed many more if he wished. New Republic Intelligence confirmed that Ma'w'shiye had not joined the Galactic Empire.Nonetheless, the New Republic branded Ma'w'shiye a threat to its members and offered a 70,000-credit bounty for him on charges of assassination, assaulting New Republic personnel with intent to kill, destruction and theft of New Republic property, and treason. Airen Cracken, by then a General and head of New Republic Intelligence, was personally disgusted by Ma'w'shiye's attempts on the lives of his former partners and wanted the Nikto captured so that he could reclaim the medals he had granted him. A New Republic SpecForces team was formed to track down and capture Ma'w'shiye, with the survivors of his assassination attempts assigned to lead it.Personality and traits
"If I ever catch him, he'll be in no condition to face the Survival Zones when I'm through with him."
―Ma'w'shiye, on the threat posed by Lunkar AnMa'w'shiye was a muscular M'shento'su'Nikto. Like others of his species, he possessed dark, black eyes covered by a natural cheratin-like substance that prevented blurred vision underwater or during sandstorms. Ma'w'shiye's skin was rust-colored, although he acquired many white-purple scars throughout his career. Unlike most M'shento'su'Niktos, Ma'w'shiye did not have the usual minute horns encircling his face, having lost them in a speeder bike accident in the rock canyons on Miglar 2 at some point during his career.Ma'w'shiye was an outstanding scout, especially skilled at tracking and pathfinding. He was also a peerless sniper with several types of blaster weapons, both personal and vehicle-mounted. When necessary, Ma'w'shiye could turn to melee combat, in which he was likewise an expert—to the extent that he was entirely unafraid to fight the brawler Lunkar An.An accomplished speeder bike pilot, Ma'w'shiye specialized in Aratech Repulsor Company 74-Z speeder bikes. Finally, he was an expert in demolitions and in repairing blasters, particularly the BlasTech EE-3 carbine rifle and SoroSuub Corporation XC24 models.Equipment
From the time he deserted the Alliance, Ma'w'shiye partly altered his equipment. As a rebel lieutenant, he wore loose-fitting jerking and combat trousers that became his personal trademark. He also preferred service boots, an Alliance-issue utility belt, munition straps, and special-issue ammo obtainable by virtue of his position as an Alliance officer. In cold environments, he wore an overcoat gifted to him by Akul Witig.During the days of the New Republic, he no longer wore his formerly characteristic jerking and trousers. He had also replaced his preferred ammunition with another type that was easier to obtain. His weapons of choice included a force pike, a heavy blaster pistol, and a heavy blaster rifle fitted with a Tru-Vu 4 Scope.Behind the scenes
Inconsistencies
"The "Southern Nikto," or M'shento'su'Nikto, have white, yellow or orange skin. They lack horns entirely, but have multitude of breather tubes."
―Galaxy Guide 12, pages 60-61"The minute horns about his forehead and face typical of his species are nearly completely absent, a result of a speeder bike accident in the rock canyons of Miglar 2."
―Star Wars Adventure Journal #4, page 230Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens - Enemies and Allies likewise states that M'shento'su'Niktos lacked natural horns,but Wanted by Cracken explicitly stated that Ma'w'shiye had possessed natural horns before his stay on Miglar 2.In the Star Wars: Rebellion video game, his portrait matches a Kadas'sa'Nikto. The game, which was graphically inaccurate, also misused a portrait of Bob Hudsol to depict Vanden Willard.