Fenn Shysa

"If you only look after your own hide, then you're not a man."

- Fenn Shysa

Fenn Shysa was a male Human Mandalorian, born on the planet Mandalore in the years prior to the Clone Wars. Alongside his childhood friend, Tobbi Dala, Shysa joined the two-hundred twelve-man force known as the Mandalorian Protectors, under Spar&mdash;"Mandalore the Resurrector". He would fight for the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars and following a disastrous battle on the planet Norval II, became only one of three men to remain from the Protector army, along with Dala and Spar.

Shysa and the others returned to Mandalore where they would remain until the war's end and the Galactic Empire would rise to take the place of the Republic. Shysa would take his place as the new Mand'alor&mdash;leader of the Mandalorian clans&mdash;in the face of an Imperial occupation of his homeworld, and forge a guerrilla resistance to drive off the Empire, with its slaving and mining operations. 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. He reformed the Mandalorian Protectors and lead 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. In his final moments, Shysa would implore Fett to take up the position of Mandalore after his death, a request that Fett would honor.

Early life
Fenn Shysa was born on the planet 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. With 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 growing starved for funds, Shysa and Dala were eager to join the fighting.

Birth of the Protectors
"So, who's to know whether Jango had more than one son or not, or even how old he is? Come on now, Spar, it's time to be doing your bit for Manda'yaim. You don't have to lift a finger.  Just act like Fett's heir while we sort ourselves out, so everyone knows we're still in business."

- Fenn Shysa

Into this environment entered the rogue ARC trooper Alpha-Ø2, now going by the name "Spar". Having defected from the Grand Army of the Republic before it had even left Kamino, Spar arrived on Mandalore with none of the pro-Republic sentiment that had been drilled into his brother clones and became determined to resurrect the Mandalorian Supercommandos. When he began recruiting Mandalorian soldiers from the local police force, and Shysa and Dala were all too eager to sign up. Shysa began to spread rumors across Mandalore that Spar was the son of the late Jango Fett, hoping to utilize Jango's ferocious reputation as a warrior and Jedi killer as a rallying point for their troops and a symbol of fear to all outsiders. He would also encourage Spar to take the title of Mand'alor, becoming "Mandalore the Resurrector" and leader of the Mandalorians. Due to Spar's inherent physical similarities that came with being a clone of Fett, the recruits began to believe him to be Fett's son, and heir to the legacy of the True Mandalorians. Following their new Mand'alor, Shysa and Dala joined 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 during the Clone Wars. Shysa's place as the true power behind Spar was whispered in some circles, though most knew him simply as Spar's trusted follower.

Clone Wars
The Mandalorians first saw action on their homeworld, where the Protectors helped capture the facilities of MandalMotors in the planet's capital of Keldabe, forcing the company to commit its resources to aid the CIS. Following this engagement, the Protectors would carry out covert missions for the Confederacy. Around this time, and perhaps during one of these covert missions, 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 requisition a droid army for themselves. 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. With their new droid army, the Protectors charged into battle against the Republic, executing attacks on Null, New Holstice, and Zaadja. Shysa and the Protectors would also lead retaliatory strikes on New Bornalex and Kamino in the wake of the death of a major Separatist leader.

As the war waged to its climax, the Mandalorian Protectors were selected for a special mission. Darth Sidious, the secret leader of the CIS, ordered the Mandalorian government to send Shysa and the Protectors on a mission to the planet 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 Republic Supreme Chancellor Palpatine&mdash;the public alter-ego of Darth Sidious. The Mandalorians were almost entirely wiped out, including nearly all their Battle Legionnaire droids. Of their entire force, only three Mandalorians escaped the slaughter: Shysa, Dala, and Spar. Shysa and the others returned home to Mandalore where a shell-shocked and psychologically scarred Spar stepped down from his position of Mand'alor, though Shysa would make repeated attempts to persuade Spar to reclaim the title. He believed that without a proper Mand'alor, the Mandalorians would look weak in the eyes of the galaxy at large. However, his attempts to sway Spar would be unsuccessful.

Back to Mandalore
In third and final year of the Clone Wars, Shysa would meet the clone deserter Fi and his girlfriend Parja at a cantina in Enceri. Still under the belief that Mandalorians would do well under a Fett heir as Mand'alor, he approached Fi with a friendly greeting and an offer to "do his bit" for the planet. However, Fi was still recovering from a near fatal brain head injury and Parja declined for him. They would meet again in the following days, this time at the Oyu'baat tapcafe in Keldabe, where Shysa was meeting with Spar and another clone deserter by the name of Sull, who he had also asked to take up the position of Mand'alor and who had also refused. Shysa offered to buy the two drinks when he saw them enter, though Parja let him know they weren't there to discuss the issue of Fi being Mandalore. Undeterred, Shysa tried to convince Fi directly, laying out for him his feelings on Mandalore's need for a Fett heir so as to let the rest of the galaxy know the Mandalorians were still strong, still hoping to use Jango's defeat of six Jedi with his bare hands at Galidraan as a symbol of strength for Mandalore. When Parja suggested that Shysa himself take up the role, he humbly declared himself an "odd-job man" and a "foot soldier" and felt Mandalore needed more than that in a leader. Fi declined again and, seeing the man wouldn't be persuaded, Shysa let the issue drop with no hard feelings and wished him a speedy recovery. When a conflict arose between Sull and Fi's friend, the former Jedi-turned-Mandalorian Bardan Jusik upon the latter's arrival at the tapcaf, Shysa pulled Sull away bodily, and told them to sort out whatever problems they had over a friendly drink rather than brawl in the Oyu'baat.

As the Clone Wars came to an end and Chancellor Palpatine declared himself Emperor and the Galactic Republic became the Galactic Empire, Shysa became aware of the Emperor's new scarred visage&mdash;incurred in his duel with Mace Windu &mdash;and found he now appeared remarkably similar to his Darth Sidious persona. At some point afterward, Shysa would put the pieces together and later recount to Princess Leia Organa that he had fought for the Emperor.

Shortly after Palpatine's declaration, Shysa met with former Cuy'val Dar training sergeant Kal Skirata at the Oyu'baat. Shysa and Skirata discussed young Boba Fett, and Shysa indicated that he felt Boba could be Mand'alor, but Skirata nominated Shysa himself, stating that it was the general consensus that Shysa should take up the mantel. Shysa earnestly deflected the idea once again, saying that with the new Galactic Empire offering the Mandalorians paid work with no repercussions for their part on the opposing side during the war, the people would "cheer for a bantha wearin' a buy'ce". And it was such that the topic of the conversation turned quickly to Palpatine and the Empire, which was interested in building a base on the planet. Skirata thought it incredibly foolish to give the Empire a foothold on Mandalore, but Shysa claimed it would only be temporary and further explained that if they denied Palpatine the base, the clans would lose credits and the Empire might decide to set up a base anyway. Instead, Shysa suggested that Skirata and his fellow training sergeant associates could help train a guerrilla army should the deal go sour. Sidestepping the issue, Skirata instead returned to his attempts to sway Shysa into becoming Mand'alor. He felt that Shysa was the best candidate to give Mandalore focus and stated&mdash;jokingly&mdash;that with a haircut, he would make a fine Mand'alor. Shysa agreed to step up and become Mand'alor, but only if he didn't like the situation with the Empire and only to "keep the seat warm until Boba shows up". Even then, Shysa was eager to hope when Skirata revealed Jango Fett's sister, Arla, was still alive, insisting it might be good to have a female Mand'alor. Skirata was quick to shoot down the idea and Shysa soon apologized for asking so much of him so soon after his adopted daughter had died, offering his sympathy and condolences, and recognizing him as a good father.

It wasn't long after their meeting that the Empire arrived to build its garrison and Shysa officially, and reluctantly, accepted the title of Mand'alor, unknown to nearly all that it was in response to his ill feelings toward the Imperial occupation.

The Dark Times
"Our homeworld had been overrun by slavers sanctioned by the Empire, an' they'd turned Mandalore into a conscription center fer slaves needed to work the fact'ries, farms an' mines what kept the Imperial war machine runnin'."

- Fenn Shysa

Four weeks after the Republic's transformation into an empire, Shysa traveled to an old, derelict hunting lodge in Mandalore's Olankur region to meet again with Kal Skirata, far from the Imperial garrison being set up in Keldabe. While Skirata's adopted son, Ordo stood guard in their speeder outside, the two shared a bottle of tihaar as they further discussed Shysa's fledgling resistance&mdash;a movement he considered simply "an intention to respond in kind" should relations with their Imperial occupants turn bad. Shysa was personally concerned by the Empire's interest in purchasing the mining rights to mine for beskar metal in the Tokursh area. While the offer was lucrative&mdash;eight hundred million credits&mdash;neither man liked the idea of what Palpatine might use the lightsaber-resistant metal for; Shysa also informed Skirata of the Empire's wanted list of Jedi survivors, and its interest in worlds like Haruun Kal where Force-sensitivity was practically the norm. Shysa would also bring up his meeting with the former Jedi Bardan Jusik and, thinking of his people and planet first, subtly suggested that Jusik and any children he had, should they turn out to be Force-sensitive, would be a great asset to Mandalore. He also offered an invitation to any of Skirata's sons and friends, many of whom were other clone deserters, to spy on the Imperials due to their ease at passing for stormtroopers. The two parted on good terms, Shysa expressing his trust in Skirata, although Skirata made his intentions to keep his family out of harms way well known.

Several days later, Skirata would contact Shysa again, this time via comlink. When the elder Mandalorian stated he had something to offer Mandalore, Shysa's first thought was that Skirata had come around and talked Jusik into aiding him. Skirata instead revealed that he and his people had developed an immunogen for the Empire's FG36 nanovirus which had recently been unleashed on the planet Gibad, killing every inhabitant. Shysa was concerned as to whether or not the immunogen&mdash;itself a virus that was transmitted from person to person and induced a brief and mild sickness&mdash;was safe considering Skirata's plan entailed spreading it across the planet discreetly so that the Imperials wouldn't catch on and develop something new. With Skirata's reassurances, having already exposed himself and his family to the cure, Shysa gave him his blessing and would tell the other clan leaders that there would be a "little bug doing the rounds but that we'll be all the stronger for it". He also considered it acceptable that it was likely the Imperials themselves would become immunized by proximity to infected Mandalorians.

Eventually, Shysa and his former comrade-in-arms, Tobbi 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, 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. 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. 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.

Race for the Tessent
"I appreciate the work you've done, but I'm afraid this idol belongs to my employer."

- Fenn Shysa

Although the Mandalorian clans were 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.

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 his ship, 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.

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, it seemed nearly every capable Mandalorian had been captured and bound with Energy cuffs. 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. Around 3 ABY, the underground resistance formed by Shysa undertook a mission to infiltrate the City of Bone and rescue their enslaved kinsman, with Shysa leading them and Tobbi Dala at his side. 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, utilizing hit-and-run operations against the slavers.

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 recollections of the Clone Wars came upon him again, as he found Organa strikingly similar to her mother, Padmé Amidala, whom he had been sent to capture during the war.

After giving Organa a false testimony as to his exploits in the Clone Wars, including mentioning that Boba Fett had been his commander and not Spar, 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.

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.

Although Dala nearly attacked Shysa when he entered his cell, mistaking him for a genuine 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.

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 mercilessly beating the Suprema with the butt of his blaster. 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 to his fallen friend. However, Dala had sustained a fatal injury and was beyond saving. 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.

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 structure in fire, killing all the Imperials, the Suprema, and Dala. 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.

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.

Joining the Alliance
Following Dala's death, the task of revitalizing the Mandalorians and restoring the planet of Mandalore fell solely on Shysa's shoulders as Mand'alor. 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. 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. 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. 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. The Nagai had also begun to openly attack worlds in the Mandalore system, even establishing bases in the surrounding areas.

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 Shysa witnessed Solo grab 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.

Nagai-Tof War
"Han certainly hasn't been too thrilled since Fenn showed up at our base here&hellip;"

- Lando Calrissian

With Solo's safe return to the forest moon, Organa was overjoyed, forgetting about their earlier argument. However, Shysa had become smitten with the princess and began to flirt heavily with her, commanding her attention away from even her Zeltron attachés, Bahb, Jahn, Marruc, and Rahuhl. 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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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. Shysa survived the conflict and later returned to Mandalore.

Further exploits
"You don't know what went on between me and Shysa, and maybe you never will."

- Boba Fett

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. Under Shysa, the Protectors continued to see conflict, but primarily as the defenders of Mandalore. Almost twenty years after Shysa forced the Empire from Mandalore, Shysa tracked to the planet Shogun in the Quence sector. and was confronted by Boba Fett, who was pursuing a bounty placed on Shysa's head by the Kaminoan Taun We&mdash;wanting revenge on Shysa for his role in attacking Kamino during the Clone Wars. Although the exact details are unclear, during this encounter Shysa perished on the planet. Shysa was able to save Fett's life, 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 Mandalorian Protector. With his dying words, Shysa requested that Fett take the title of Mand'alor and command the Mandalorian Protectors &mdash;still believing a Fett to be Mandalore's best bet for a leader.

Legacy
"Shysa pulled us together once. Now it's time for you to do the same."

- Goran Beviin, to Boba Fett

Following Shysa's death, Boba Fett would indeed assume the title of Mand'alor and his place as ruler of the clans. Future 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. Shysa's legacy of reviving the Mandalorian Protectors and leading them out of their post-Imperial period of destitution 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 looking after the world from every outside threat was well known, and when Fett assumed the title and did not keep 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 Mand'alor as not living up to his predecessor. 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." A memorial to Shysa was erected on Mandalore by Fett, and his helmet was considered a relic amongst the Mandalorians.

Personality and traits
"The Empire gutted us. You've got a short memory. Or maybe you were still in diapers when Shysa had to kick some pride back into us."

- Baltan Carid

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. 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. 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. 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.

Shysa spoke with a heavy accent during the fighting to free Mandalore, but by the time of the Nagai-Tof War, this trait had disappeared. Shysa's helmet was distinguishable from others with two notable swooshes, known as Jaig eyes, on either side of the helmet, a characteristic that was adopted in different forms by the Mandalorian Protectors in the Clone Wars. 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.

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 Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines, Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice and Legacy of the Force: Revelation. However, the mention of Shysa in Legacy of the Force: 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 were featured in Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel, which explained that he did, in fact, know Spar was a clone, and merely asked him to pretend to be Fett's son. He also asked this of Republic Commando Fi Skirata and ARC Trooper Sull.

Appearances

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