Fenn Shysa

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Fenn Shysa was a Mandalorian and one of only 212 soldiers to fight under Alpha-Ø2 during the Clone Wars. Along with his childhood friend, Tobbi Dala, Shysa fought for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, who were affiliated with the planet of Mandalore. By the war's end and the defeat of the Separatists, those Mandalorian forces had been reduced to only Shysa, Dala, and a psychologically scarred Alpha-Ø2. Shysa and Dala returned to Mandalore hoping to find peace following the war, but they were forced into combat against the newly formed Galactic Empire, who had set up a slaving operation on the planet. After many years of fighting, the Mandalorians finally triumphed against the Imperials, when Dala sacrificed himself to eliminate the Suprema, the Imperial commander.

Although his world was finally free from Imperials, Shysa continued to take the fight to the Empire, reforming the Mandalorian Protectors and leading them into battle alongside the Alliance of Free Planets during the Nagai-Tof War. Shysa's men played a pivotal role in the Second Battle of Endor, repelling Nagai forces personally led by the Dark Lady Lumiya. Following the end of the conflict and the joining of the Nagai with the Alliance of Free Planets, Shysa traveled to Nagi to liberate the world from the Tof. After a long and distinguished career, including a presence at the Battle of Mindor, Shysa perished on the planet Shogun, saving Boba Fett from death.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Clone Wars 1.3 Back to Mandalore 1.4 Race for the Tessent 1.5 Encounter with the Rebels 1.6 Battle in the City of Bone 1.7 Joining the Alliance 1.8 Nagai-Tof War 1.9 Further exploits 1.10 Legacy 2 Personality and traits 3 Behind the scenes 4 Appearances 5 Sources 6 Notes and references 7 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Fenn Shysa was born on the planet of Mandalore in a small province on the planet's largest continent. Growing up, Shysa became best friends with Tobbi Dala, and the two eventually became local constables. Although the two enjoyed relaxing with a cup of Mandallian Narcolethe, they were not blind to the Galactic Republic's constant disregard for their home planet's well-being. After the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Mandalore allied with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, offering its resources to help in the war effort. With the planet destitute and starved for funds, Shysa and Dala were eager to join the fighting.^[1]

Into this environment entered the rogue ARC trooper Alpha-Ø2. Armed with Jango Fett's memories, and determined to resurrect the Mandalorian Supercommandos, Alpha-Ø2, or "Spar" as he was nicknamed, began recruiting from the local police force, and Shysa and Dala were all too eager to sign up. Due to Spar's similarities to the late Jango Fett, the recruits began to believe him to be Fett's son and heir to the legacy of the True Mandalorians. Following their new Mandalore, Shysa and his friends joined 198 other local police and a dozen former Death Watch commandos to form the Mandalorian Protectors, one of the most formidable forces to fight for the CIS in the Clone Wars.^[1] However, this event in Shysa's life was filled with uncertainty. Many years later, the Mandalorian soldier, Goran Beviin, would claim that Shysa had actually hired Spar himself to reform the Supercommandos. Shysa had apparently done this in order to sustain a legitimate line of succession for the new Mandalorian leader. Spar was ordered to masquerade as Boba Fett, in order to help the Mandalorians gain new recruits who wished to serve under the heir to Jango Fett.^[5] However, Beviin's story was not without holes. According to Shysa years after the Clone Wars, he had despised his commander, who he claimed to be Boba Fett, for abandoning the Mandalorians to serve the Empire.^[3] In addition, he was known to describe Boba as "bounty hunting scum".^[4] If Shysa had actually known that Boba Fett wasn't his true commander, it seemed unlikely that he would claim to have served under him to Rebels such as Leia Organa, years later.^[3] In any case, whether Shysa had been the mastermind behind the Mandalorian Protectors, or if he had simply been an unassuming pawn played little role in his fighting that was to come.^[3][5][1]

[edit] Clone Wars

Now with a highly functional fighting force at their back, the Mandalorian government put the battalion to good use. The Mandalorians first saw action on their homeworld, where the Protectors helped capture the facilities of MandalMotors, forcing the company to commit its resources to aid the CIS. Following this engagement, and due to their limited numbers, the Protectors were constrained to covert missions.^[1] Around this time, and perhaps during one of these covert missions, officer Shysa had a run in with C-3PX, a formidable assassin droid. Following the encounter, the droid gave Shysa and the Mandalorians the inspiration to acquisition a droid army for themselves, making them a fighting force to be reckoned with.^[6] Using the Separatists' factories, the Protectors created a group of 1000 BL-series Battle Legionnaire droids armed with AAP-11 blaster boxes and capable of piloting deadly Mandalorian battle harnesses.^[1][6] With their new droid army, the Protectors charged into battle, executing devastating attacks on Null,^[7] New Holstice,^[8] Kamino, and New Bornalex.^[1][6]

As the war waged to its climax, the Mandalorian Protectors were selected for a special mission. Darth Sidious, the shadowy leader of the CIS, ordered the Mandalorian government to send the Protectors on a mission to Norval II. The group's objective was to capture Senator Padmé Amidala, but after arriving they were ambushed by Republic forces as part of a great deception engineered by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine—who was also the Separatists' Darth Sidious.^[1] The Mandalorians were almost entirely wiped out, including nearly all their Battle Legionnaire droids.^[6] Only three Mandalorians escaped the slaughter; Shysa, Dala, and Alpha-Ø2.^[1][3] The war ended shortly afterwards, and Shysa and Dala decided to return to Mandalore, now destitute due to the ravages of war. Their commander disappeared to the Extrictarium Nebula, psychologically scarred by the war and finding it difficult to reconcile his own memories with those of Jango Fett.^[1]

The ending of the war was confusing for Shysa. Palpatine, after declaring himself Galactic Emperor, transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire, ruling the galaxy with an iron fist. However, the Emperor's scarred visage, incurred in his duel with Mace Windu, made him appear similar to that of his alter-ego.^[9] Shysa began to believe that the Mandalorians had actually fought on the Emperor's side, confused as to who their real commander was. In addition, after the emergence of Jango Fett's real son, Boba Fett, as an accomplished bounty hunter, and his similarities with Alpha-Ø2, Shysa began to believe the two were one and the same.^[3] After all, Alpha-Ø2 had always been rumored to be the son of Jango Fett, and Boba fit the description.^[1] However, Shysa's beliefs around this time continued to be in doubt years later, and certain Mandalorians would claim that Shysa had known all along that Alpha-Ø2 and Fett were not the same person.^[5]

[edit] Back to Mandalore

After arriving back on their home planet, Shysa and Dala found themselves branded as outlaws and criminals for their part in the war. To recover their losses incurred during the fighting, Mandalore had legalized slavery,^[1] using Imperial sanctioned slavers to run the operation. With their own people being sold into servitude, the two Mandalorians were forced back into fighting once again, trying to rid their world of the Empire's grip.^[3] The government, though initially hostile to Shysa and Dala's presence, covertly aided the two soldiers, helping them to train special police units around the planet.^[1] Alongside these recruited soldiers, Shysa and Dala began to wage a campaign against the Imperial slavers, a fight that would last for more than twenty years.^[3]

[edit] Race for the Tessent

Although the Mandalorian government was secretly helping Shysa and Dala in their fight, Mandalore was hardly a wealthy state following the Clone Wars, and Shysa was forced to look elsewhere to fund the resistance. In this capacity, Shysa hired himself out to Doctor Follnor Callat, an archaeologist with questionable morals and something of a treasure hunter. Callat had been searching for the Alsakan Tessent, a valuable artifact with great worth to the native Alsakan people. Chasing a rumor that the Tessent had been with a Guard of Aldera who had inhabited the Ast Kikorie Station before its demise in a meteor shower, Callat, along with four of his associates and freelance operatives that included Shysa and an unidentified Blood Carver, arrived at Ast Kikorie to investigate. Settling in Kikorie Port in the academic center of Lon Heights, Shysa and his mercenary counterparts were somewhat out of place among the first-rate scholars.^[10]

After the wreckage of the space station was searched to find the missing idol, it was revealed that the guard had not been aboard the station when it crashed. Instead, he had been busy shuttling supplies to the station in a small ship. The guard ended up crashing his ship some distance from the station's wreckage, but it was still unclear whether the guard had actually possessed the Tessent. Continuing the search, Shysa, piloting the Free Mandalore, and the other freelance operatives came into contact with a separate set of explorers who were also pursuing the Tessent and seemed to be always one step ahead throughout the hunt. After chasing the explorers across several worlds, Shysa and Callat came face to face with their opposition. The final outcome of the chase was unclear; Shysa may have stolen away with the artifact, betraying his employer and using the valuable idol to fund his effort against the Imperials.^[10]

[edit] Encounter with the Rebels

Although Shysa returned to Mandalore with sufficient funds to continue assaulting the Imperial presence on the planet, his enemy was not without leadership. The Shimholt known as the Suprema was installed as the overlord of the planet with the objective of capturing Mandalorians for forced conscription. The Suprema was incredibly successful, and only a few short months after being instated, nearly every capable Mandalorian had been captured and bound with energy-links. Many of these new slaves were forced into hard labor at the Imperial headquarters at the City of Bone, crushing any spirit of resistance they might have retained.^[11] Around 3 ABY, the underground resistance formed by Shysa and Dala undertook a mission to infiltrate the City of Bone and rescue their enslaved kinsman. However, the mission proved to be a disaster, and Dala was captured by the Imperials. Although his comrade was now out of action, Shysa continued the fight, running hit-and-run operations against the slavers.^[3][11]

A few days following Dala's capture, the bounty hunter Dengar arrived on Mandalore to capture Shysa. The Mandalorian's campaign on the world had proved to be an irritating thorn in the Empire's side, and a large bounty had been placed on his head. However, Dengar was unable to complete the hunt and soon found himself captured by Shysa's forces. In an effort to retrieve Dala, Shysa made a deal with the Imperials. He would turn Dengar over to them in exchange for the release of his friend. The slavers agreed to the deal, but before the exchange could be made, there was another unexpected arrival to the planet. The Princess Leia Organa, who was chasing rumors that Dengar had aided Boba Fett in capturing Han Solo, landed on the planet and became immediately involved in a shoot out between Mandalorians and Imperial slavers. After initially confusing Shysa with Fett, Organa learned of the Mandalorian's true identity and his purpose on Mandalore. Shysa's confused recollections of the Clone Wars came upon him again, as he confused Organa with Amidala, believing that she had been the one the Mandalorian Protectors had been sent to capture during the war.^[3]

After giving Organa a somewhat confusing testimony as to his exploits in the Clone Wars, including his false testimony that Fett had been his commander, Shysa brought Organa and her droid, C-3PO, back to his base, lodged deep within the Mandalorian forest. Upon seeing Dengar held within a suspended cage, Organa begged the Mandalorian commander to let her bring the bounty hunter back to the Alliance's base for questioning. However, Shysa would hear nothing of it, determined to get his friend back from the Imperials. Organa was disappointed by the refusal, but formulated her own plan to secure Dengar away from his Mandalorian captors. Taking Shysa out on a midnight stroll to bring him away from the camp, Organa left C-3PO to free the bounty hunter from his suspended prison. On their walk away from the base, Organa seduced Shysa, using a forced kiss to put him off guard and then slamming his head into a nearby tree. With Shysa incapacitated, Organa released Dengar, hoping that he would repay her with information about Fett. However, the bounty hunter double-crossed her, betraying her to the Imperials for the bounty on her head.^[3]

[edit] Battle in the City of Bone

After awaking from unconsciousness, Shysa gathered his men and attempted to stop Organa from freeing their prisoner. However, the group only arrived in time to see her become the victim of the double-cross. As the princess was about to be led away, Shysa took out one of the perimeter guards and assumed his identity, donning his stormtrooper armor and following the Imperials back to their base. After a brief meeting with the Suprema, who ordered Organa to be placed in the detention cells, Shysa freed the princess and made a deal with her: if she would help free Dala from captivity, he would help recapture Dengar and let her take the bounty hunter back to the Alliance. After Organa agreed, the three of them, including C-3PO, made their way to Dala's cell. However, the presence of a guard outside Dala's cell forced the three to come up with a more substantial plan. As Shysa feigned an injury, Organa and C-3PO carried him toward the stormtrooper, hoping to convince him that they were under attack and that he should leave his post. Unfortunately for the trio, the guard was not fooled, but was stopped from alerting his superiors as Shysa kicked him under the chin, knocking him out.^[12]

Although Dala nearly attacked Shysa when he entered his cell, believing him to be a stormtrooper, Dala was quickly freed, and the group made their way back through the city. Believing this to be a perfect time to mount an attack against the slavers, Shysa fired a flare out of one of the city's windows, triggering an assault by his Mandalorian forces. As the stormtroopers scrambled to defend the city, Shysa and Dala took advantage of the chaos and commandeered a hovercraft. Flying above the Imperial forces, Organa spotted the master control to the prisoners' energy-links. Concentrating their fire on the device, they destroyed the master control, freeing the slaves within the city. As a riot broke out, pitting the men of Mandalore against their oppressive masters, the group used the distraction to storm the Suprema's office.^[12][11]

Blasting down the door, the group came face to face with the Suprema, ordering him to open the blast doors to the city. However, the Suprema ignored their order, whipping out a blaster and shooting Dala in the chest. As the Imperial overlord attempted to kill the rest of the group, Dala reached out and grabbed his firing arm, preventing him from taking any further shots. While the two struggled, Shysa leaped at the slaver, kicking him the chest. He began beating the Suprema with the butt of his blaster, showing no mercy. Before he could finish his assault, he was stopped from killing the alien by Organa, who claimed that they might need the Imperial later. Shysa conceded the point, and tended his fallen friend. However, Dala was beyond saving, having sustained a fatal injury. Knowing that he would not be able to survive much longer, Dala ordered his friend to leave, promising that he would open the blast doors to the city.^[12][11]

Reluctantly, Shysa and the princess returned to the hovercraft to provide covering fire for the Mandalorians fighting inside. However, they were soon under attack by members of Shrike Squadron, a unit of airspeeders, who were determined to bring them down. Freed slaves were able to foil the Imperials by tossing a gruel trough at the pursuing ships, destroying one of the Imperial fighters. As the rest of the squadron chased Organa and Shysa back to the blast doors, Dala kept his word and opened them, allowing them to escape the city. As Shrike Squadron hurried to follow the Rebels out of the same exit, Dala closed the blast doors. The subsequent collision of Shrike Squadron caused a catastrophic explosion; the fire from the downed fighters started a chain reaction of fuel and ammunition that built upon itself, soon consuming the entire city in fire, killing all the Imperials, the Suprema, and Dala.^[12][11] The death of the Suprema signaled the end of the slavers' presence on Mandalore, and the sacrifice of Dala had finally rid the planet of the Empire's influence.^[1]

True to his word, following the battle, Shysa recaptured Dengar and forced him to tell Organa all he knew about Fett's whereabouts. Dengar swore that he hadn't been working with Fett during the hunt for Solo but that he had overheard a conversation in which Fett had told an unidentified person about a hideout in the Anga system. Shysa was disappointed that Dengar had no concrete evidence on Fett's whereabouts and apologized to Organa that her mission had been in vain. However, the crippling blow given to the Empire was reward enough for the princess, who thanked Shysa and returned to the Alliance.^[12]

[edit] Joining the Alliance

Following Dala's death, the task of reviving the Mandalorians and the planet of Mandalore fell solely on Shysa's shoulders. Taking the title of Mandalore and rebuilding the Mandalorian Protectors, Shysa led his forces in an uprising against Grand Admiral Miltin Takel, who ruled over the Mandalore Sector. Shysa's influence also saw his home planet ally with the Alliance to Restore the Republic, joining the effort to topple the Empire's rule over the galaxy.^[1] This effort was finally rewarded at the Battle of Endor, when the Rebels destroyed the second Death Star, killing Emperor Palpatine and his apprentice, Darth Vader.^[13] However, the Empire was not gone. Imperials loyal to the Dark Lady Lumiya soon allied with the Nagai in an attempt to drive back the Alliance.^[14] The Rebellion had reformed itself into the Alliance of Free Planets, a new government that the Mandalorians readily embraced. When it was heard that the Alliance might be threatened by this new Nagai menace, Shysa led a contingent of Mandalorian warriors to the Alliance's base on the forest moon of Endor.^[15] The Nagai had also begun to openly attack worlds in the Mandalore system, even establishing bases in the surrounding areas.^[4]

During their trip to the Alliance's headquarters, the Mandalorians were accompanied by Bey, a formidable warrior who had been present on Mandalore when the Nagai had begun their attacks and who had helped to repel the invaders. After arriving, Shysa and Bey went to meet Organa, but were shocked to see her arguing with Han Solo. When Solo grabbed Organa forcefully to make his point heard, Shysa intervened, grabbing Solo by the collar and slamming him to the ground. Although Shysa was concerned that Solo might have hurt her, Organa quickly explained that they were only having a simple argument and led him away from a disgruntled Solo. Shortly afterwards, Shysa and Bey accompanied Organa aboard a transport to investigate mysterious balls of energy that had been appearing throughout the Moddell Sector. As Solo flew the Millennium Falcon towards one of the energy balls, he was mysteriously transported to a technology-deficient planet. Shysa was shocked at Solo's disappearance, but the talented pilot eventually made his way back to the base safe from harm.^[15]

[edit] Nagai-Tof War

With Solo's safe return to the forest moon, Organa was overjoyed, forgetting about their earlier argument.^[15] However, Shysa began to flirt heavily with the princess, commanding her attention away from even her Zeltron attachés, Bahb, Jahn, Marruc, and Rahuhl.^[4] Solo was somewhat jealous regarding the situation but kept his mouth shut, not letting the Mandalorian's overt advances bother him. While on the forest moon, Shysa took part in a holographic piloting exam to test the competency of the Alliance's pilots. Shysa passed the test, but both Solo and Luke Skywalker did not, as the computer decreed that both pilots flew in ways that no sane pilot would ever attempt. However, just as this news was becoming known, a large force of ships commanded by Lumiya was detected in the system, on a course for the forest moon. As both Skywalker and Solo were grounded and unable to pilot their ships due to the computer error, Shysa and Lando Calrissian were forced to take command of the fighter squadrons.^[16]

As the battle began, the Nagai fighters seemed to predict the squadron's maneuvers, foreseeing their every move. Unknown to the Alliance, a traitor within their ranks had betrayed the Alliance's flight plans to the Nagai, allowing them to prepare perfect counter attacks. Shysa and Calrissian's squadrons slowly began to be wiped out by their prescient opponents. Luckily for the Alliance, on the surface, the grounded Solo discovered the traitor, Bey, and engaged him in hand-to-hand combat. With the betrayal revealed, Admiral Ackbar contacted Calrissian, telling him to abandon all preprogrammed flight tactics. Using an old trick of Solo's, the fighters began to fly in erratic paths, masking each other's attacks. Confused by their abandonment of tactics, the Nagai began to lose their advantage. Lumiya, unable to bring her forces back under control, sounded the retreat, hoping that the Nagai who had landed on the forest moon would finish the battle. However, due to Skywalker's and Solo's help, the Nagai ground force was also defeated and their forces captured.^[16]

With the war now fully begun, Shysa continued to lead the Mandalorians against the invading Nagai. However, following the Battle of Zeltros, the Nagai decided to ally with the Alliance of Free Planets due to the arrival of the Tof, the Nagai's old enemy that had enslaved their home planet of Nagi.^[17][18] The Alliance began to push back the Tof threat, isolating them at their forward base on the planet of Saijo. Shysa was involved in the Battle of Saijo, fighting alongside Organa, Solo, Skywalker, and the Nagai's commander, Knife. During the battle, Shysa was forced to break up the fighting between Solo and Knife, who also happened to be Bey's half-brother. The two were constantly at odds over Bey's betrayal, but Shysa's presence was enough to keep the disagreement from coming to blows. When Skywalker decided to lead a detachment of troopers in infiltrating the Tof headquarters, Shysa stayed behind with Trif, Maggie, C-3PO, and R2-D2 in order to keep a communications line open between Skywalker's group and Calrissian, who was commanding the fleet above Saijo.^[19]

The battle and the war came to a close when Skywalker's group captured the Tof leader, Sereno, with the help of Bey, who was revealed to be a double agent working for Ackbar.^[18][19] Following the end of the conflict, the Alliance of Free Planets transitioned into the New Republic and offered membership to the Nagai, suggesting that they make Saijo their new home planet. However, most of the Nagai refused the offer, more inclined to find a world of their own. The Nagai fleet set a course for their homeworld, deciding to liberate Nagi from the Tof that were still ruling there. Shysa attached himself to this effort, leading his forces alongside the Nagai.^[18] Shysa survived the conflict and returned to Mandalore.^[1]

[edit] Further exploits

Shysa and the Mandalorians continued to fight for the Alliance, even after their transition into the New Republic. Around 5 ABY, Shysa and the reborn Mandalorian Protectors played an important role in the Battle of Mindor, providing the decisive push to defeat Lord Shadowspawn, who fought to the last man.^[1][7] Under Shysa, the Protectors continued to see conflict, but primarily as the defenders of Mandalore. Almost twenty years after Dala's death at the hands of the Imperial slavers, Shysa was confronted by Boba Fett, who was pursuing a bounty placed on Shysa's head by the Kaminoan Taun We, who wanted revenge on Shysa for his role in attacking Kamino during the Clone Wars. Although the exact details are unclear, during this encounter, Shysa was killed on the planet Shogun,^[1] in the Quence sector.^[5] Shysa was able to save Fett's life,^[1] but only at the cost of his own. Apparently surrounded by Sevvets, and under heavy fire, Shysa was badly wounded, so much so that he would have been unable to escape. To save Shysa from what he called, "a rotten death", and at his own request, Fett mercy-killed the Mandalore Protector.^[5] With his dying words, Shysa requested that Fett take the title of Mandalore and command the Mandalorian Protectors, a journey of which he completed the following year.^[20]

[edit] Legacy

Following Shysa's death, Boba Fett did assume the title of Mandalore. The Mandalorians respected Shysa greatly for rescuing the planet from the Empire and for giving them back their pride when the Imperials had all but beaten it out of them.^[20] Shysa's legacy of reviving the Mandalorian Protectors and reclaiming the title of Mandalore was well remembered on his home planet, and the inhabitants continued to regard Shysa as a literal savior of their world. Shysa's traits of staying near the planet and protecting the world from every outside threat was well known, and when Fett assumed the title and did not correspond to Shysa's habits, many Mandalorians resented him for staying so far away from the people that he was expected to defend. Some Mandalorians such as Goran Beviin saw the new Mandalore as not living up to his predecessor.^[20][21] However, these comparisons did not stop Fett from also admiring Shysa. Even before he met Shysa on Shogun, Fett held the Mandalorian leader in high regard. During his hunt for Jodo Kast, he was disappointed to find that Kast was not Shysa or Dala, judging Kast for not having "earned his armor."^[22]

A memorial to Shysa was erected on Mandalore by Fett and his helmet was considered a relic amongst the Mandalorians.^[5]

[edit] Personality and traits

Fenn Shysa was an honorable man with a strong sense of morals. He was devoted to his fellow soldiers, most of all Tobbi Dala, whom he loved as a brother. During the campaign to free Mandalore from the Empire, Shysa personally tended the wounds of his fellow soldiers, helping his men through the worst of injuries.^[3] Besides devotion to his troops in battle, Shysa was somewhat of a romantic, and around Princess Organa, he could not help but feel protective, even attacking her sweetheart, Han Solo, when it appeared that he might hurt her.^[15] Shysa was also apparently somewhat of a linguist, as he had the ability to speak Shyriiwook, a skill that most Humans were unable to master.^[10] Although proven as a fierce soldier, Shysa also had a compassionate streak, extending his efforts towards other just causes that needed his aid, such as the Nagai campaign to retake their homeworld from the Tof.^[18]

Shysa spoke with a heavy accent during the fighting to free Mandalore,^[3] but by the time of the Nagai-Tof War, this trait had disappeared.^[4] Shysa's helmet was distinguishable from others with two notable swooshes, known as Jaig eyes, on either side of the helmet,^[3] a characteristic that was adopted in different forms by the Mandalorian Protectors in the Clone Wars.^[1] However, just as with his accent, by the time of the conflict with the Nagai, he had taken to wearing a plain helmet with no distinguishing marks present.^[4]

[edit] Behind the scenes

Fenn Shysa was created by David Michelinie for use in Marvel Star Wars' Star Wars 68: The Search Begins. Shysa was used in the following issue, Death in the City of Bone, before disappearing from the story. The backstory given to Shysa claimed that he had fought in the Clone Wars alongside Boba Fett and that the Mandalorians had fought for the Emperor, even being sent to kidnap Princess Leia Organa. This story was only contradicted by the release of the prequel trilogy, which revealed that Fett was a clone of Jango Fett and had been too young to have fought alongside Shysa. Likewise, Organa had not even been born until the end of the Clone Wars. Shysa made three more minor appearances in the Marvel Star Wars arc, including a role in the final issue, All Together Now. Following this, Shysa went unreferenced until 1997's Boba Fett: Twin Engines of Destruction. Also written before the release of the prequels, this comic seemed to take Shysa's account of Fett as reliable, as the bounty hunter mentions both Shysa and Dala during his fight with Jodo Kast.

Three years later, still before the release of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and the revelation of Fett's true backstory, Shysa was again referenced in Rich Handley's and Joseph Bongiorno's article in Star Wars Gamer 1, "The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life: The Marvel Series", which served to explain Shysa's actions following the end of the Marvel run, explaining that the Mandalorian had aided the Nagai in the liberation of their homeworld. Shysa was once again referenced in Star Wars Gamer in issue 9's article, Race for the Tessent. Besides mentioning his fight against Imperial slavers, the article took measures to mention that the details of Shysa's early career were "sketchy," referencing the recent contradiction that had been made with his backstory due to Fett's background Attack of the Clones.

This contradiction was finally retconned by Abel G. Peña in his article "The History of the Mandalorians", in Star Wars Insider 80. This fix explained that the man whom Shysa believed to be Fett was in reality a rogue ARC trooper, Alpha-Ø2, a character from Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds. In addition, the article helped clarify that Shysa and the Mandalorians who had fought in the Clone Wars had been sent to kidnap Padmé Amidala, not Leia Organa, as Shysa had originally claimed. The final inconsistency, surrounding Shysa and the Mandalorians fighting for the Emperor, was fixed by explaining that the Mandalorians had been sent into battle by Darth Sidious. Since both the Emperor and Darth Sidious were one and the same, Shysa's claims were true, from a certain point of view.

Following this fix of Shysa's background, the Mandalorian warrior began to be referenced in several newer sources, including the new batch of Essential Guides. Shysa even played a role in the Legacy of the Force series of novels, warranting mentions in Bloodlines, Sacrifice and Revelation. However, the mention of Shysa in Revelation gives a somewhat conflicting backstory to Shysa. While The History of the Mandalorians took the time to explain Shysa's claims in The Search Begins as simply confused recollections, Revelation changes the story. During the novel, the character, Goran Beviin states that Shysa knew the true identity of Spar but encouraged him to impersonate Boba Fett in order to take advantage of Jango's reputation to heighten morale. In this version of events, Shysa was the one really in charge of the Protectors, using Spar as a figurehead. However, this story seems to conflict quite drastically with the original Marvel comics. During The Search Begins, Shysa is highly critical of Fett, decrying him for going off to join the Empire after the Clone Wars. In later issues, Shysa would keep this viewpoint, even directly stating that Fett was simply "bounty hunting scum" in Star Wars 99: Touch of the Goddess. Using this attitude as a basis, why Shysa would claim to Organa that his commander was Fett, if he had in actuality created the deception seems self-contradictory. Especially since if the purpose of the deception was to establish legitimacy, there doesn't seem to be much reason behind maligning Fett. Since this contradictory backstory is only stated by one Mandalorian who was not present for the Clone Wars, it may be possible that Beviin was just stating a popular rumor that made Shysa out to be more of a mastermind than he actually was.

Further explanation of this new version of events will feature in Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel, so it remains to be seen if all conflicting explanations of Shysa's story during the Clone Wars will be streamlined to remove any apparent contradictions.

[edit] Appearances

• Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel
• Imperial Commando: 501st
• Star Wars 68: The Search Begins (First appearance)
• Star Wars 69: Death in the City of Bone
• Star Wars 99: Touch of the Goddess
• Star Wars 100: First Strike
• Star Wars 101: Far, Far Away
• Star Wars 107: All Together Now
• Boba Fett: Twin Engines of Destruction (Mentioned only)
• Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor
• Bloodlines (Mentioned only)
• Sacrifice (Mentioned only)
• Revelation (Mentioned only)
• Invincible (Mentioned only)

[edit] Sources

• The Essential Guide to Characters
•  "University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life: The Marvel Series" - Star Wars Gamer 1
•  "Race for the Tessent" - Star Wars Gamer 9
• The History of the Mandalorians
• The New Essential Guide to Characters
• The New Essential Chronology
• The New Essential Guide to Droids
• "Comic Marvels" - Star Wars Insider 91
• Aliens in the Empire
• Galaxy at War
• The Forgotten War: The Nagai and the Tofs on Hyperspace (article) (Mentioned only)
•  Boba Fett in the Databank

Mandalore[1]
Mandalore the Resurrector[1] ← 19 BBY[1]–23 ABY[1] Boba Fett[1] →

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

•  Shysa, Fenn in the Completely Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia