Ma'w'shiye, a graduate of the prestigious Galactic Outdoor Survival School, was a skilled scout. He later became part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic's security task force and Eclipse Team.
Born on Kintan as a M'shento'su'Nikto, he enrolled in Barosa Warren's Galactic Outdoor Survival School during the early years of the Empire. There, he mastered survival in harsh conditions, graduating in 12 BBY as part of the highly successful Twilight Class alongside individuals like Derembus Sitnalta, Akul Witig, Sisquoc, and Adazian Liebke. Years later, Ma'w'shiye and his peers joined the Rebel Alliance, serving with distinction in the elite Twilight Squadron for six years during the Galactic Civil War. He received numerous decorations from his commanding officers and earned the respect of both his fellow soldiers and the recruits he trained.
Without warning, Ma'w'shiye abandoned his covert operation team in 4 ABY. Subsequently, he initiated a series of assassinations and attempts against his former Twilight Squadron comrades 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 formed a SpecForces team to hunt him down.
Ma'w'shiye, a M'shento'su'Nikto hailing from Kintan, pursued training to become a scout at the renowned Galactic Outdoor Survival School. He underwent rigorous survival training, learning to endure on any type of planet. Ma'w'shiye was a distinguished member of the Twilight Class, alongside other gifted individuals such as Akul Witig, Derembus Sitnalta, Sisquoc, Xenon Nnaksta, Adazian Liebke, and Norrion Glidamir. All members of the Twilight Class became expert scouts under the guidance of GOSS headmaster Barosa Warren.
The Twilight Class graduated with honors in 12 BBY, surpassing the previous GOSS record set by the Summit Class years prior. This achievement threatened the ego of Summit veteran Lunkar An, leading him to become an adversary of the Twilight Class veterans. While An considered himself Sisquoc's personal nemesis, he harbored a particular animosity towards Ma'w'shiye; their mutual dislike resulted in numerous confrontations between An and Ma'w'shiye.
Ma'w'shiye joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic around 0 BBY, before the Battle of Yavin. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant, with the insignia presented by Rebel officer Airen Cracken. Ma'w'shiye was then assigned to the Alliance Special Forces elite Eclipse Team's Twilight Squadron as a marksman, alongside Twilight Class veterans such as Witig, Sitnalta, Liebke, and Sisquoc. Maw'shiye also participated in fieldwork, gaining experience in various dangerous missions, and served as a weapon coordinator. Alongside Commander Derembus Sitnalta, Ma'w'shiye trained recruits in the use of powerful blasters. Throughout his time in the Alliance, Maw'shiye trained thousands of individuals in the use of light artillery and blaster rifles.
Ma'w'shiye fought in the Attacks on Corint City, defending the Pirik system from an Imperial invasion. Forced to escape from the Empire through the glass window of Strak Tower's 37th floor, Ma'w'shiye nearly lost his right leg during this operation. Although the leg was saved, Ma'w'shiye developed a noticeable limp. His performance in Pirik made him a legend among the Alliance gunnery ranks.
He also participated in the Karideph operations, during which his friend Witig gifted him a heavy overcoat that he wore in cold environments. Ma'w'shiye was also part of the Alliance team that defended the last two 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 on threats to the Rebel Alliance. During this time, he collaborated with his former comrades Liebke and Witig, as well as other Rebel officers including 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 skills and weaponry. Ma'w'shiye witnessed his colleague Maashan's XP-38 sport landspeeder failing to provide adequate cover for Warren's target. Consequently, the Nikto reported that individuals opposing Warren should avoid using landspeeders as cover.
The Alliance highly valued Ma'w'shiye's performance as a weapon coordinator, special forces operative, and pathfinder in dangerous missions. He was known for serving courageously alongside Liebke and Witig. Between 0 BBY and 5 ABY, Ma'w'shiye's commendable actions led to numerous commendations and decorations. Cracken awarded him the Trand Medallion and the Platinum Valor Cross.
In 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 hijacked the team's escape starship, abandoning his squadron and causing the mission to fail. Ma'w'shiye's betrayal proved costly to the Alliance, resulting in more casualties and equipment losses than any other operation of its size.
From that point forward, 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 established 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 non-affiliated civilians. New Republic analysts were surprised by this low number, as Ma'w'shiye was such a skilled sniper that he could have killed many more if he had desired. New Republic Intelligence confirmed that Ma'w'shiye had not joined the Galactic Empire.
Nevertheless, the New Republic designated Ma'w'shiye as a threat to its members, offering a 70,000-credit bounty for his capture on charges of assassination, assault on 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 he could reclaim the medals he had personally awarded him. A New Republic SpecForces team was formed to track and capture Ma'w'shiye, with the survivors of Ma'w'shiye's assassination attempts assigned to lead it.
Ma'w'shiye was a muscular M'shento'su'Nikto. Like others of his species, he possessed dark, black eyes covered with a natural keratin-like substance that prevented blurred vision underwater or during sandstorms. Ma'w'shiye's skin was rust-colored, but he accumulated numerous white-purple scars throughout his career. Unlike most M'shento'su'Niktos, Ma'w'shiye lacked the typical small horns around his face, having lost them in a speeder bike accident in the rock canyons on Miglar 2 at some point in his career.
Ma'w'shiye excelled as a scout, particularly as a tracker and pathfinder. He was also an unmatched sniper with various blaster weapons, both personal and vehicle-mounted. If necessary, Ma'w'shiye could resort to melee combat, another area of expertise—to the extent that he was unafraid of fighting the brawler Lunkar An. An accomplished speeder bike pilot, Ma'w'shiye specialized in Aratech Repulsor Company 74-Z speeder bikes. Finally, he was skilled in demolitions and repairing blasters, particularly the BlasTech EE-3 carbine rifle and SoroSuub Corporation XC24 models.
Ma'w'shiye's equipment changed somewhat after he deserted the Alliance. As a rebel lieutenant, he wore loose-fitting jerkins and combat trousers that became his trademark. He also favored service boots, an Alliance-issue utility belt, ammunition straps, and special-issue ammo that he could obtain as an Alliance officer. In cold environments, he wore an overcoat gifted to him by Akul Witig.
During the New Republic era, he abandoned his previously characteristic jerkins and trousers. He also replaced his favorite ammunition with a more readily available type. His weapons of choice included a force pike, a heavy blaster pistol, and a heavy blaster rifle fitted with a Tru-Vu 4 Scope.
Ma'w'shiye first appeared in the article Wanted by Cracken published in Star Wars Adventure Journal #4, by C. Robert Carey. He was depicted as a M'shento'su'Nikto in an illustration by Robert Duchlinski. Ma'w'shiye was then mentioned in Alliance Intelligence Reports, co-written by Carey, and including a picture by Mike Vilardi that followed Duchlinski's previous characterization. Later, in Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies, Ma'w'shiye is textually identified as a M'shento'su'Nikto.
The article incorporates information extrapolated from his roleplaying game template from Wanted by Cracken. The stats in the non-canon video game Star Wars: Rebellion, which are difficult to directly translate to a textual article, portray Ma'w'shiye as possessing excellent combat and espionage skills, but being a mediocre diplomat and leader. In the game, Ma'w'shiye could not become an officer or research new technologies, and he had an average chance of being Force-sensitive.
According to designer Craig Robert Carey, Ma'w'shiye's unnamed heavy blaster rifle was an XC24.
Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens - Enemies and Allies also states that M'shento'su'Niktos lacked natural horns, but Wanted by Cracken specifically mentioned that Ma'w'shiye had possessed natural horns before his time on Miglar 2.
In the Star Wars: Rebellion video game, his portrait corresponds to a Kadas'sa'Nikto. This graphically inaccurate game also misused a portrait of Bob Hudsol to represent the character of Vanden Willard.