Myneyrsh

"A knife never runs out of ammunition."

- Myneyrshi saying

The Myneyrshi (singular, Myneyrsh) were a sentient species native to the arboreal planet Wayland located in the Outer Rim Territories of the galaxy. Myneyrshi were tall, thinly built bipedal humanoids; they had four arms, each pair corresponding to a torso one on top of the other, and also had a smooth layer of blue crystalline flesh. A primitive, warlike species, they were constantly at war with another of Wayland's sentient species&mdash;the Psadans. A Myneyrsh lived an extremely ritualistic life, with rituals for everyday actions such as walking, eating, and sleeping. Myneyrshi were excellent hunters and trackers, and could move through forested areas without making a sound. Their awareness of their environment was so responsive that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker likened their perception skills to those of a Force-sensitive when he visited the planet in 9 ABY.

During the Galactic Civil War, the Galactic Empire conquered Wayland, turning it into a secret storehouse for the Emperor. After the Emperor was deposed, the mad clone Joruus C'baoth took over a secret Imperial storehouse inside Mount Tantiss, enslaving the Myneyrsh and other species of the planet. They were freed upon C'baoth's death. Decades later, the Myneyrshi were nearly wiped out by the Yuuzhan Vong during the Yuuzhan Vong War, and survivors of the conflict were driven deep into the jungle. The Yuuzhan Vong later released a species of parasitic worms to make the planet uninhabitable, forcing most Myneyrsh to flee their homeworld entirely, though some stayed.

One hundred years later, Wayland was designated as a planet that would be restored using Yuuzhan Vong terraforming technology as part of the Ossus Project. While it showed great success at first, the project was sabotaged, and the planet became inhospitable once again. At the same time, many Myneyrsh were mutated as a result, becoming hulking, gray-skinned beings with jagged protrusions all over their bodies.

Biology and appearance
Myneyrshi were tall, thin, sentient, bipedal humanoids. They had two upper torsos, positioned in such a way that one was on top of the other. Females of the species had breasts far more pronounced than the males, and the males had nipples on theirs. Each torso had a pair of long, muscular arms, giving a Myneyrsh four arms. Myneyrshi had one primary hand and three off hands, although they could carry weapons in each hand, or use two hands to carry larger weapons such as a spear. Each had four fingers, one being an opposable thumb, with joints like a Human's. Having four arms also aided a Myneyrsh's ability to climb, and in one case it allowed a Force-sensitive Myneyrsh to utilize three lightsabers while dueling. They had small feet with several large toes.

Myneyrshi had upward-pointing ears, which they often pierced and hung things from. Instead of a nose, Myneyrshi had a short, downward-pointing snout. Their twin eyes were white and lacked obvious pupils. Averaging almost two meters tall, Myneyrshi were covered in a layer of smooth, crystalline flesh, which made them look as if they were made of a type of glass. The skin came in shades of blue that ranged from greenish-teal to almost purple. The crystalline skin acted as a sort of armor to basic weapons similar to their own&mdash;arrows, spears, and knives. New Republic scientists theorized that this layer existed as a result of a chemical reaction to the moisture and oxygen in the air. Myneyrshi usually had long, dark hair that came in shades of brown, green, and blue. In the aftermath of the sabotaged Ossus Project, an attempt to restore the devastated surface of their homeworld, Wayland, many Myneyrsh were mutated. They became large, gray-skinned beings with sharp protrusions all over their skin.

Myneyrshi aged and physically developed at a rate similar to most sentient species in the galaxy. Considered children until they were twelve standard years old, Myneyrshi became adults when they reached eighteen. By the time they were fifty standard years of age, Myneyrshi were regarded as middle-aged by society. They were thought old until they reached the age of eighty-five standard years, and those older than that was considered venerable.

Culture and ritual
"The hearts of the Myneyrshi people overflow with gratitude, Jedi Skywalker. Our debt to you is great.''" "''Your happiness fills us, Roax. Your debt is paid."

- Chieftain Roax and Kol Skywalker, after the seeming conclusion of the Ossus Project

Myneyrshi were a highly superstitious species and much of their life was steeped in ritualistic behavior. They had rituals for all sorts of everyday activities, such as walking, eating, and sleeping. When Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and the smuggler Han Solo met a Myneyrsh tribe during their attempt to infiltrate an Imperial base in Mount Tantiss, which Wayland's inhabitants considered forbidden, they encountered Myneyrshi ritual and participated in the offering of a fowl as "satna-chakka," or a peace offering. While the bird was elevated on a ritual staff, no physical or verbal conflict could be made. Once this ritual was completed, the Myneyrshi presented that staff to guests, a gesture to show unity and friendship. Skywalker received the staff, a sign signifying that his group had the Myneyrshi's permission to roam the planet freely.

Myneyrshi were excellent hunters and trackers&mdash;they had the ability to move through a forest without making any noise whatsoever. Luke Skywalker once compared their perception and awareness of their surroundings to those of Force-sensitives. The Myneyrshi had enough spiritual mettle to combat severe mental manipulations. When Joruus C'baoth, a clone of a Jedi Master that had gone insane, tried to force the Myneyrshi and the Psadan to cohabitate, the four-armed species resisted his rule long enough to form an alliance with their former enemies. Despite this, as a result of their species' natural isolated nature, no Myneyrshi ever joined the ranks of the Jedi Order.

Myneyrshi wore simple clothing, usually donning robes from the waist down or tying up them up over their shoulders. These robes varied in color from dark brown to white and light orange. The robes often had intricate, golden designs and patterns on them. Myneyrshi usually wore quivers on their backs and pouches for storing items strapped to their waists. Members of the species did not wear footwear, and often wore gold bracelets around their arms. Several Myneyrshi sported tattoos on their bodies. They sometimes wore their hair short and spiky, in dense braids, or tied it back into a ponytail.

Technology and inter-species relations
"Any idea whether those alien species are hostile toward strangers?''" "''Probably. Most alien species are. Shall we go?"

- Gilad Pellaeon and Thrawn, landing on Wayland

Due to their isolation from the galactic community, very little was known of the Myneyrsh by either the Galactic Empire or the New Republic. Myneyrshi never evolved past the stage of using weapons such as spears, daggers, and bows. Their only means of transport was the domesticated animals of their home planet, which also provided the small amount of power needed for local rudimentary agriculture.

The Myneyrshi were obstinate beings, much like their Psadan rivals, especially when dealing with Humans and other offworlders. They had a long-standing aversion to technology, which was heightened by the Imperial occupation of Wayland during which the use of exotic technology by Humans forced them into servitude. After the departure of the Imperials, Myneyrshi became actively opposed to the use of technology because it was seen as a representation of their Imperial conquerors. Myneyrshi shamans declared anything technological in nature as an "item of shame," and that they must avoid technology if at all possible. In contrast, Myneyrshi living offworld did utilize technology for their own benefit, fighting with blasters or piloting airspeeders.

The Myneyrshi hated and were constantly at war with Wayland's other native species, the Psadan. The Psadan were a more primitive species who worshiped nature and were always eager to fight. When the Empire arrived on Wayland, the two species attempted to unify and defeat their oppressors, though the attempt failed. When the Empire departed from their homeworld, the Myneyrshi ratified treaties with the other indigenous species of Wayland, though they remained wary of their neighbors.

Language
Myneyrshi spoke a primitive language of snorts, honks, and deep vocalizations known as Myneyrsh. While no written form of the language ever existed, the Myneyrshi passed on their knowledge and history orally. Most members of the species could also speak the Psadan language. Although extremely rare, it was not unheard of for a Myneyrsh to speak Galactic Basic Standard. Sample Myneyrsh names included Chyresh, Eychani, Orychee, and Panaysha.

Early history and contact with the galaxy
"As you can see, Master Luke, we are merely the last in a long line of invaders."

- C-3PO, after explaining the history of the Myneyrshi to his master, Luke Skywalker

The Myneyrshi evolved on the planet Wayland, along with a second sentient species, the Psadan. The two species had a long history of inter-species hatred and violence. They engaged in many wars and bitter campaigns against each other. During the Galactic Republic's Expansionist Era, Human colonists were sent to Wayland and crash-landed on the surface. A clerical error in the Republic's planetary registry removed the planet Wayland, the colonists, and all knowledge of its native creatures from all known charts. For a short time, the forgotten Humans dominated the more primitive species, brandishing blasters and high-tech weaponry, which the Myneyrshi feared. However, with no way to replenish the power paks in their weapons, the colonists took up bows and arrows after a few generations, and the struggle became less one-sided. Eventually, the three species formed an uneasy peace after years of warfare.

When the Galactic Empire rose to power in 19 BBY, they built a secret storehouse for the Emperor on Wayland. The Myneyrshi and the Psadan once again joined forces to attempt to defeat the invaders; however, they soon found out that their crossbows, while powerful, were not strong enough to pierce Imperial Battle armor. The Empire conquered the planet easily, enslaving the Myneyrshi and their allies and putting them to work building an immense Imperial complex beneath Mount Tantiss. The Imperial occupation of Wayland ended shortly after the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY.

The Emperor had taken a special interest in the world&mdash;he had installed a Guardian to protect his facility inside Mount Tantiss. After the Emperor's death during the Battle of Endor, Wayland was again lost to obscurity. Growing bored after five years without Imperial contact, the Guardian decided to create a small kingdom and brought the Wayland's three ruling species together to build city to the southwest of the mountain over which he ruled. Eventually, the insane clone Joruus C'baoth defeated the Guardian and took his place. He used his mental manipulative powers to continue subjugating the city inhabitants, although the strong-willed Myneyrshi never truly submitted to his rule.

During Grand Admiral Thrawn's visit to their home planet, the Myneyrshi watched the Imperials work at Mount Tantiss, rather than returning to their warlike ways. They had learned from their mistakes of attacking better-equipped adversaries in the past and waited out the suffering. In 9 ABY, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and a New Republic team arrived to stunt Thrawn's attempt at reviving the Empire. After being stalked by Myneyrshi during their long trek through the Wayland jungles, the team met with a tribe of Myneyrshi. The Humans used the protocol droid C-3PO as an interpreter and learned the species' history. The natives were, at first, wary of Skywalker, seeing his group as merely invaders. Skywalker was able to persuade them that he wished to free them from the Empire and was given free passage on the planet's surface. Skywalker's party was able to destroy the Mount Tantiss storehouse and kill C'Baoth in the process. After Thrawn was killed aboard his flagship during the Battle of Bilbringi, the Myneyrshi were free of their bonds to the Empire and were allowed independence. Shortly after the destruction of the Emperor's facility, the New Republic began researching the planet of Wayland and its history. Though it was true, New Republic researchers were unable to confirm Myneyrsh and Psadan tales of C'Baoth's killing the Guardian and they regarded these stories as mythic. A well-regarded theory posited that the Guardian and C'Baoth were the same person. At some point during the rule of the New Republic, the Shi'ido anthropologist Mammon Hoole included an entry on the Myneyrshi in his publication, The Essential Guide to Alien Species.

In 25 ABY, the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong species invaded the galaxy and conquered worlds in the Outer Rim Territories, including Wayland, thus making the Myneyrshi one of the hardest-hit species during the war. Many Myneyrshi fled the war-torn planet, some to the squalid conditions of Refugee Facility 17, but the bulk of the species refused to leave their homeworld. The invaders tried to exterminate the species, forcing survivors into the forests for safety. A group known as the Free People, led by a Myneyrsh named Txer, sought to remove the Yuuzhan Vong from Wayland. Among its members were not only the Myneyrshi but Psadans and native Humans, all focused on the same goal. They would use whatever weapons they could use, provided they were not technological, and their enemy's own bioform weapons were no exception. During their campaign, the Free People met rescue pilot Uldir Lochett. After they helped him find the Jedi Klin-Fa Gi, a Yuuzhan Vong force attacked them while activating a parasitic Vongspawn worm, a Chom-Vrone, which began digesting a portion of land. Rather than fight them, the Free People fled the area after helping Gi and Lochett gain entrance to the worm, where captured Jedi were being held. After the war ended, an infestation of the Chom-Vrone took root on Wayland and decimated the planet's ecology. With the world barely able to sustain life, most Myneyrshi fled as refugees. A few remained on the world, however, barely eking out an existence there.

The Ossus Project
In 126 ABY, the Jedi Knight Kol Skywalker led a mission to Wayland to try to rehabilitate the planet as part of the Ossus Project. Using Yuuzhan Vong terraforming technology provided by the Shaper Nei Rin, Skywalker's team rendered Wayland habitable once again. The Myneyrshi Chieftain Roax was appreciative of Skywalker's efforts and had his people aid the project.

Unbeknownst to the Ossus Project team, a rogue Yuuzhan Vong named Zenoc Quah had sabotaged the endeavor by introducing a Vongspawn virus on Wayland. A mere six months after the planet had seemingly been rehabilitated, its terrain was replaced by an inhospitable Vongformed landscape. The Myneyrshi, too, were affected, mutating into large, monstrous versions of themselves, covered in gray skin with jagged projections and now invisible to the Force. The Myneyrshi placed all blame for their misfortune on Nei Rin and demanded that she face their rite of punishment. Skywalker and his team fled the world to try to find a cure for the mutations and to save the shaper's life; the Myneyrshi swore to kill them as they watched the ship depart. A female Human named Fionah Ti, trained in Yuuzhan Vong shaper technology, traveled to Wayland suspecting the sabotage there and seeking to reverse it.

In 137 ABY, Cade Skywalker, son of the man who had led the Ossus Project team a decade earlier, led a cadre of bounty hunters to Wayland on a mission for a Feeorin pirate named Rav. There, they were attacked and overwhelmed by Vongformed Myneyrshi. Separated from the others, the Human crewman Jariah Syn encountered Fionah Ti, who revealed that she had had some success reversing the virus affecting the planet's lifeforms.

Myneyrshi in the galaxy
"Objective was the arrest or execution of Cho'na Bene&mdash;the last of three Jedi responsible for the Vaklin insurgency. Previous Jedi targets had been neutralized twelve and sixteen days previous. Cho'na Bene, determined to outlast his peers, was netting us stress headaches and overtime pay."

- Major Oniye Namada, Imperial Security Beureau report I-1807-VAK

Myneyrshi expressed no desire to leave their homeworld and communities. Their isolationism, their dislike of technology, and their unpleasant encounters with the Empire and the Yuuzhan Vong discouraged them from roaming the galaxy. Although extremely unlikely, Myneyrshi trapped away from Wayland could learn to overcome their fear of more technologically advanced civilizations, as well as their fear of technology, and live a life of adventure among the stars, often acting as scouts or fringers. One offworld Myneyrsh supported the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars in 20 BBY. He piloted a landspeeder on the planet Drongar&mdash;which was bogged down in a stalemate with the Confederacy of Independent Systems over the control of the medicinal plant bota&mdash;transporting people to Republic Mobile Surgical Unit 7. Likewise, at least one planet, Vaklin, had a sizable expatriate Myneyrshi population. These Myneyrshi lived as fully integrated members of society, mingling with the other species of the world and working in mundane occupations, such as bartending.

There was also once a Myneyrsh Jedi Knight named Cho'na Bene who wielded three lightsabers in tandem. Bene survived the enaction of Order 66 in 19 BBY and fled to the planet of Vaklin, where the populace still supported the memory of the Jedi Order despite the propaganda of the newly-risen Galactic Empire. Bene helped lead the Vaklin insurgency that acted against the Empire militarily. There was also a female Myneyrsh in the insurgency's ranks. She wielded a blaster rifle and wore a shift that covered most of her body. When Darth Vader, personal enforcer for the Galactic Emperor Palpatine, tried to capture Bene and crush his rebellion, he was unprepared for the public support the Myneyrsh Jedi enjoyed among the populace. Under the advisement of the Human Imperial Security Bureau Major Oniye Namada, Vader instigated a program of effacing traces of the Jedi from the planet. He lured Bene into public, where the cowed populace watched him be gunned down by Imperial stormtroopers. The rebellion ended soon thereafter.

Many years later, during the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Myneyrsh Txer lead the Free People, a group that fought the Yuuzhan Vong after their invasion of Wayland. Txer was a devout believer in the Myneyrshi way of life, seeing technology as a despicable thing. His organization utilized Yuuzhan Vong bioforms and any other primitive weapons they could find to combat the "Cut-Up-People." After Txer helped Uldir Lochett find Klin-Fa Gi, the group was attacked, and the Yuuzhan Vong began activating the Chom-Vrone of the planet. Instead of fighting the Yuuzhan Vong directly, Txer and his men tied off ropes to the worm nearest them and climbed away to avoid the battle, leading Lochett into the worm before departing. After the Yuuzhan Vong War, most Myneyrshi evacuated their homeworld due to its decimation at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong.

Behind the scenes
Although mentioned throughout the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn, the Myneyrshi only appear in the final book in that series, the 1993 novel The Last Command. Their earliest graphical depiction, by artist David Plunkett, is in The Last Command Sourcebook, the adaptation of that novel to the West End Games Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. The book, written by Eric S. Trautmann, also expands on the species' background and culture.

The comic book mini-series adaptation of The Last Command, first published by Dark Horse Comics from 1997 to 1998, includes a variant appearance for the Myneyrshi. The comic, penciled and inked by Edvin Biukovic and Eric Shanower respectively with Pamela Rambo responsible for coloring, portrays the species in the fifth issue with tan skin, a square jaw that juts out from the skull, and only three fingers per hand. The mini-series has since been reprinted as a trade paperback dedicated solely to The Last Command serial and another, which includes all issues from the Thrawn Trilogy comics; both reprints maintain the variant appearance for the species. Since then, as in the Ultimate Alien Anthology, the Myneyrshi's coloring has remained faithful to the West End Games sourcebook description.

In the supplements to the West End roleplaying game, Myneyrshi suffer a distinct disadvantage to their Human counterparts, as they are intended only as non-playable characters. Myneyrshi in the game have a much lower maximum level of potential at the game's various attributes, half that of Humans and many other species. Myneyrshi do, however, receive a bonus to their strength to represent their glass armor, making them more resistant to various blows. They also have the ability to wield several weapons at once, though with a single dominant hand and three off hands. The Wizards of the Coast version of the roleplaying game depicts Myneyrshi in largely the same way, but in a more specific manner. As a primitive species, characters of this species have less aptitude than Humans at intelligence and knowledge, but more for perception and willpower. They retain their natural armor and ability to use multiple weapons, but they suffer major penalties when attempting to use technology of any kind. Their alert, stealthy manner is also depicted in this version, giving them advantages in certain situations. Myneyrshi begin with the ability to speak their native tongue and the Psadan language.

In sources expanding upon Myneyrsh history, doubt is cast in-universe on whether or not Joruus C'baoth actually killed the Guardian that controlled Wayland. Alternatively, the sources speculate that the two were one and the same. This ambiguity persists in materials released long after the original novels, appearing in C'baoth's Databank entry. The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia of 2008 objectively establishes that the Mount Tantiss settlement had been controlled by two, separate regimes.

MedStar I: Battle Surgeons, a 2004 novel by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry, includes a Myneyrsh offworld during the Clone Wars. At that time, Wayland's location had been removed from the registries for around 20,000 years, which creates continuity problems naturally. As yet, no explanation has been given for how a Myneyrshi found himself offworld; why this offworlder wielded a blaster and drove a speeder, "items of shame" to his people; or why a Republic Admiral, Tarnese Bleyd, knew about the species and its aversion to technology. The latter issue does show that the authors depicted that Myneyrshi as aberrant intentionally, however. Bleyd's knowledge of the Myneyrshi, treated as casual, also stretches greatly the premise that Wayland was hidden at that time. The comic books Star Wars: Purge: The Tyrant's Fist by Alexander Freed, released in December 2012 and January 2013, depict several Myneyrshi offworld, all of whom accepted forms of weaponry more advanced than their ancestors. Further, one of these Myneyrshi is shown to be a well-known Jedi with knowledge of his homeworld and its culture, although his homeworld is not named. It is worth noting that there was a battle of the Mandalorian Wars fought in the Wayland system in 3963 BBY, which contains the planet of Wayland. Therefore, it is possible that the Thrawn campaign was not the first time the galaxy rediscovered the planet.

Appearances

 * MedStar I: Battle Surgeons
 * Star Wars: Purge: The Tyrant's Fist
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Dark Force Rising
 * The Last Command
 * The Last Command comics
 * Specter of the Past
 * The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * Emissary of the Void
 * Star Wars: Legacy 43: Monster, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Legacy 44: Monster, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Legacy 44: Monster, Part 2