Vharn, a human engineer hailing from Sorgal 12, served the Rebel Alliance during the Imperial Era. Before the Battle of Hoth occurred, Vharn conceived the schematics for a rebel shield generator, which he needed to get to the cruiser Home One. Ultimately, he reached out to the smuggler Han Solo, who then employed the cyborg bounty hunter Beilert Valance to transport Vharn to the ship, as Solo was a target for bounty hunters and the Galactic Empire alike.
However, Vharn's true intention was to betray the Rebellion and deliver their plans to the Empire in an attempt to ransom his enslaved family. While en route to the rendezvous, Valance and Vharn fought off multiple waves of Imperial forces, including a TIE fighter and stormtroopers. During this journey, the bounty hunter discovered Vharn's agreement with the Empire. As a result, Valance killed the engineer to prevent him from giving the Imperials information about everyone he had been in contact with. Upon arriving at the rendezvous, the cyborg requested that half of his payment for delivering the schematics be used to ransom Vharn's family.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Vharn enrolled in an academy after departing his homeworld, the mining planet Sorgal 12. Eventually, he discovered that the Empire had enslaved his family, including his father and sister, along with the other inhabitants of Sorgal 12. Driven by a desire to liberate his family, Vharn became an engineer and joined the Rebel Alliance, devising schematics for a shield generator capable of withstanding an orbital bombardment. These schematics were intended to be delivered to the rebels in the form of a datacard. His real goal, however, was to deliver the schematics to the Empire, who would then release his family.
In 3 ABY, Vharn made contact with the smuggler Han Solo. While staying with him at the Rimmer's Rest cantina on the moon Nar Shaddaa, Solo met with the cyborg bounty hunter Beilert Valance, whom the smuggler had hired. Solo tasked Valance with escorting the engineer and the datacard to the rebels' rendezvous point, the MC80 Star Cruiser Home One. Vharn was initially wary of the cyborg, but Solo assured the engineer that Valance was an old friend. Solo briefed the cyborg on his mission, describing Vharn as a talented engineer. The smuggler explained that he could not undertake the job himself, as he was being hunted by both bounty hunters and the Galactic Empire. Following this, Vharn and Valance departed the cantina to begin their mission.
After leaving the cantina, Vharn and Valance proceeded to Docking Bay 13, only to be attacked by a TIE fighter. While Vharn panicked and dodged the TIE, Valance managed to shoot it down by targeting its stabilizer. However, the TIE fighter's pilot had intentionally avoided directly targeting Vharn, as the engineer carried the schematics the Empire sought. Vharn questioned how Valance had managed to down the fighter, and the cyborg replied that he used to fly them and knew how they were built. The two then encountered a platoon of stormtroopers, forcing them to take cover behind a stack of crates. Valance eliminated the stormtroopers, and the two finally reached Valance's starship, the Broken Wing. Vharn was instructed to input the hyperdrive coordinates for the rendezvous point while the cyborg powered up the cruiser.
As they left the planet, Vharn was asked why he had joined the Rebellion. The engineer explained his origins and revealed his desire to free his family from the Empire's grasp, stating that no one was willing to help liberate Sorgal 12. While traveling deep into the Outer Rim, they encountered an Imperial-class Star Destroyer and several TIE fighters. Realizing they could not escape, Vharn urged Valance to surrender, but the cyborg maneuvered around the blockade and jumped into hyperspace.
After arriving at the rendezvous, Vharn questioned Valance about why he had asked him to input the coordinates, despite the cyborg already knowing them. Valance explained that he suspected Imperials would be waiting for them. The cyborg then immediately confronted Vharn about his true plan to hand over the schematics to the Empire. The engineer pleaded with Valance, revealing that his family was enslaved and he intended to free them. Valance responded that the Empire would have tortured him for information on everyone he had been in contact with. As the cyborg prepared to kill Vharn, the engineer requested that his treachery be kept secret from Solo, and Valance agreed before shooting the engineer with his palm blaster. Upon arriving at Home One, Valance personally delivered the datacard to the rebels and requested that half of the payment for the job be used to ransom Vharn's family, honoring the engineer's wish.
The human Vharn possessed black eyes and black [hair](/article/hair], along with light skin. Vharn desired to leave his homeworld of Sorgal 12 and experience adventures throughout the galaxy. After learning of his family's enslavement, Vharn vowed to free them, even resorting to working with the Empire, the very regime that had enslaved them, in order to secure their release.
While accompanying Valance, whom he initially distrusted, Vharn often panicked when faced with danger, believing that survival was impossible. However, he was repeatedly proven wrong as Valance demonstrated his combat skills. After being exposed as a traitor, the engineer pleaded with Valance, explaining his motivations, but failed to sway the cyborg. He then made a final request to keep his treachery a secret before Valance ended his life.
Vharn wore a brown shirt and brown pants under a dark green jacket. The engineer also carried the datacard containing his shield generator schematics throughout his mission, until Valance took it after killing him and personally delivered it to the Rebellion.
Vharn was created for "Two Sides to Every Sortie," a comic story penned by Ethan Sacks and illustrated by Paolo Villanelli. Marvel Comics published the story as part of the one-shot comic Empire Ascendant 1, which was released on December 18, 2019. The character's first appearance was in a preview for the story, released on December 11.