"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."
Suddenly and without explanation, Ma'w'shiye deserted his covert operation team in 4 ABY, and then initiated a series of assassinations and assassination attempts against his previous partners in the Twilight Squadron during the first years of the New Republic. New Republic Intelligence posted a bounty on Ma'w'shiye's head, under charges of treason and others, and organized a SpecForces team to track him down.
In 12 BBY, the Twilight Class graduated with honors, breaking the previous GOSS record established by the Summit Class years before. Due to this, Summit veteran Lunkar An felt his ego threatened and became an enemy of the Twilight Class veterans. Although An considered himself Sisquoc's personal nemesis, he felt a particular hatred towards Ma'w'shiye; their mutual dislike caused An and Ma'w'shiye to fight each other many times.[3]
"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."
―Extract from Ma'w'shiye's addendum to the Alliance threat report on Barosa Warren[src]
Ma'w'shiye joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic around 0 BBY, prior to the Battle of Yavin.[3] He became a Lieutenant,[3][2] with the insignia being pinned to his chest by Rebel officerAiren Cracken.[1] Ma'w'shiye was then assigned to the Alliance Special Forces elite Eclipse Team's Twilight Squadron as a marksman,[3][2] along with other Twilight Class veterans including Liebke, Sisquoc, Sitnalta and Witig. Maw'shiye also performed field work, becoming a veteran in different dangerous missions, and he also worked as a weapon coordinator. Alongside Derembus Sitnalta, who had became a Commander, Ma'w'shiye trained recruits in the use of high-powered blasters.[3] During all his years in the Alliance, Maw'shiye came to train literally thousands of them not only in the use of light artillery, but also of blaster rifles.[1]
Ma'w'shiye fought in the Attacks on Corint City, defending the Pirik system from an Imperial invasion.[3] Forced to escape from the Empire through the glass window of Strak Tower's 37th floor, Ma'w'shiye almost lost his right leg during this operation. The leg was saved but, from that point on, Ma'w'shiye had a visible limp.[1] Due to his performance in Pirik, he became a living legend in the Alliance gunnery ranks.[3]
He also took part in the Karideph operations, during which his friend Witig presented him a heavy overcoat that he would don on when on cold environments from that point on. Ma'w'shiye was also a member of the Alliance team that defended the two last outposts of the Dnalvec Militia on Sriluur against the Galactic Empire. [1]
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 worked with his previous mates Liebke and Witig, as well as with other Rebel officers including Lieutenant Alton Lochner, Lieutenant Command Sasnak Toxis and agents Tirranna, and Tynan Ryln Mei. Ma'w'shiye collaborated in the report on Barosa Warren, praising his survivalist skill and weaponry. Ma'w'shiye had witnessed his colleague Maashan's XP-38 landspeeder failing to provide a suitable cover for Warren's target and, as such, the Nikto reported that people opposing Warren should avoid using landspeeders as cover.[3]
The Alliance highly valued Ma'w'shiye's performance as a weapon coordinator, special forces operative and pathfinder in dangerous tasks, and he was known to have served courageously side to side with Liebke and Witig. Between 0 BBY and 5 ABY, Ma'w'shiye's meritorious actions led to him being commended and decored several times. Cracken awarded him with the Trand Medallion and the Platinum Valor Cross.[1]
In 4 ABY, just 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, deserting his squadron and leading to the failure of the operation. Ma'w'shiye's betrayal was expensive to the Alliance, as it costed more lives and gear than any other operation its size.[1]
From that point on, Ma'w'shiye turned against his previous partners and allies. He unsuccessfully tried to assassinate his previous associates Liebke, Lochner, Nnaksta, Sitnalta, Tirranna, Toxis, Tynan and Witig, who had become officers of the New Republic&mdah;the galactic government created by members of the Alliance. He managed to kill other New Republic agents including Candra, Klepish and Saloor, as well as at least seventy-two non-affiliated civilians. New Republic analists were surprised at this low figure: Ma'w'shiye was such a good sniper that he could have killed many more if he wanted. Besides, New Republic Intelligence discovered that Ma'w'shiye not joined the Galactic Empire.[1]
Nonetheless, the New Republic branded Ma'w'shiye as a threat to its members, offering a 70,000-creditbounty for his head on the charges of assassination, assault on New Republic personnel with intention 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 at Ma'w'shiye's attempts against the lives of his previous partners, and wanted the Nikto captured so he could take back the medals he himself had granted. A New Republic SpecForces team was then force to track and capture Ma'w'shiye, and the survivals of Ma'w'shiye's assassination attempts were assigned to lead it.[1]
"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 An[src]
Ma'w'shiye was a muscled M'shento'su'Nikto. Like others of his species, he had dark, black eyes covered with a natural cheratin-like substance that prevented blurry sight under water or during sandstorms. Ma'w'shiye's skin was rust-colored, but during his career he got a lot of white-purple scars. Unlike most M'shento'su'Niktos, Ma'w'shiye lacked the usual minute horns surrouding his face, because he had lost them in a speeder bike accident in the rock canyons on Miglar 2 at some point of his career.[1]
Ma'w'shiye was an excellent scout, particularly expert as a tracker and pathfinder. He was also a peerless sniper with several kinds of blaster weapons, either personal or vehicle. Should the need arise, Ma'w'shiye could resort to melee fighting, another area of expertise[1]—to the point that he was not afraid at all of fighting the brawler Lunkar An.[3] An accomplished speeder bike pilot, Ma'w'shiye specialized in Aratech Repulsor Company74-Z speeder bikes. Lastly, he was an expert in demolitions and repairing blasters, particularly the BlasTechEE-3 carbine rifle and SoroSuub CorporationXC24 models.[1]
Ma'w'shiye partially changed his equipment from the moment he deserted the Alliance. When he was a rebel lieutentant, he used a loose-fitting jerking and combat trousers that had became his personal trademark. He also favored service boots, an Alliance-issue utility belt, munition straps and a special issue ammo that he could obtain as an officer of the Alliance. In cold environments, he used an overcoat that Akul Witig had gifted him with.[1]
During the days of the New Republic, he stopped using his previously-characteristic jerking and trousers. He had also replaced his favorite ammunition with another, more easy-to-obtain one. His weapons of choice included a force pike, a heavy blaster pistol and a heavy blaster rifle to which he had added a Tru-Vu 4 Scope.[1]
The article includes information extrapolated from his role-playing game template from Wanted by Cracken. The stats in the non-canon video game Star Wars: Rebellion, that cannot be so easily transplanted to a textual article, show Ma'w'shiye as having excellent combat and espionage talents, but being a sub-par diplomat and leader. In the game, Ma'w'shiye could not become an officer or research new technologies, and he had an average possibility of being Force-sensitive.[4]
"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."
Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens - Enemies and Allies also specifies that M'shento'su'Niktos lacked natural horns,[2] but Wanted by Cracken specifically said that Ma'w'shiye had had natural horns before his stay on Miglar 2.[1]
In the Star Wars: Rebellion video game, his portrait corresponds to a Kadas'sa'Nikto. This game, graphically inaccurate, had also misused a portrait of Bob Hudsol to illustrate the character of Vanden Willard.[4]