Niles Ferrier, a male Human and skilled ship thief, operated in 9 ABY as an operative for Grand Admiral Thrawn. During Thrawn's campaign to take over the galaxy, Ferrier assisted in the search for the Katana fleet and attempted to sabotage the nascent Smugglers' Alliance. He was well-known for his consistent habit of smoking cigarras.
Around 1 BBY, Lando Calrissian and Ferrier crossed paths on Phraetiss.
When Grand Admiral Thrawn announced among various fringe groups that the Galactic Empire would provide substantial payment for warships, Ferrier, a proficient ship thief, sought to capitalize on this offer by stealing ships from the New Republic Defense Fleet located at the Sluis Van shipyard. However, Calrissian intervened, suggesting that Ferrier try stealing from the Cavrilhu Pirates' base situated on Amorris. Ferrier succeeded in this endeavor, successfully stealing three Sienar patrol ships from the pirates and delivering them to the Empire.
Following his search for additional warships, he was successful in delivering Captain [Hoffner](/article/hoffner], who possessed knowledge of the Katana fleet's location, to Thrawn. Nevertheless, Ferrier's lack of intelligence frequently tested Thrawn's patience, notably when Ferrier offered a bribe to an Imperial lieutenant to launch an attack on a smuggler's meeting. The assault had unintended consequences, leading to the formation of the very Smuggler's Alliance that Thrawn was trying to prevent.
Under duress from Thrawn, Ferrier attended the smuggler's meeting on Hijarna where his wraith took the smuggling leaders hostage, while Ferrier attempted to falsely accuse Talon Karrde of orchestrating the Imperial attack on the smugglers at their initial meeting. When this plan failed due to a poorly chosen phrase, Ferrier attempted to flee in his modified Corellian gunship, but was destroyed in flight by Mazzic's Preybird fighters.
Due to his constant and frequent use of cigarras, Niles' presence was almost always easy to detect, giving him a distinct, easily recognizable scent in crowds. Because of this, Luke Skywalker was able to locate him using Force smell. Niles Ferrier made one very significant, though unintentional, contribution to the New Republic's efforts. At the beginning of the Thrawn campaign, the New Republic leadership became aware that a tactical genius, possibly a Grand Admiral, had taken control of the remaining Imperial Fleet. Despite having access to a vast amount of Imperial records and contacts, such as information brokers, the New Republic was unable to determine the identity of this mystery Grand Admiral. It was only when Niles Ferrier confronted Han Solo and Lando Calrissian about the search for the Katana Fleet that he inadvertently revealed Thrawn's name.