Moxin Tark

"He should be approached with extreme caution since he is quite familiar with our procedures."

- Airen Cracken, concerning Tark's previous service with the Alliance

Moxin Tark was a Human mercenary and one of the most successful bounty hunters during the Galactic Civil War. The son of two wealthy supporters of the Galactic Empire, Tark could have lived a life of luxury and grandeur in the Tark family estate on his homeworld of Bandonia. His father wished for him to follow in his footsteps and join the Imperial Military, but Tark had other ideas. He left home aged eighteen, and pursued a career as a bounty hunter. Over time, his reputation grew, and he became one of the most famous bounty hunters in the galaxy. He wore a replica suit of Sun Guard armor, and had no qualms about committing unsavory acts, even serving the Rebel Alliance for a time, though his primary employers were the Empire.

However, with the fall of the Empire in 4 ABY, Tark found himself on the run from the New Republic. After taking up a bounty on a New Republic official, Moxin killed Captain Narn Detan in the Geal system, further infuriating the New Republic authorities. Yet Tark managed to evade capture, and by 8 ABY, he was still operating as a bounty hunter.

Early life
Moxin Tark was born into a wealthy military family on the planet Bandonia approximately three years before the time of the formation of the Galactic Empire. His father, Boes Tark, was an Imperial lieutenant, and hoped Moxin would follow in his footsteps and earn much family fame and social standing by joining the Imperial Military. During his youth, Tark's mother Lanaxa ensured his every need and desire was met, while his father rigorously drilled him and taught him hand-to-hand combat, survival skills and the skills of operating blasters, hoping they would serve him well in his future military career. Thus, Moxin Tark lived a life of luxury and privilege in his family's estate, rarely breaking out of his mundane daily routines.

Moxin, however, was extremely unhappy during his childhood, and grew disillusioned and annoyed with his life of grandeur. He sought adventure and excitement, and made it his goal to leave the Bandonian system and ply the many spacelanes of the galaxy. By the time he reached eighteen years of age, he had no respect for anyone, and had become extremely bored and restless. Young Tark had also formed a deep hatred for his father and everything the military man stood for, including the Empire. Moxin fled his family estate, and despite his pampered background, found himself in the profession of bounty hunting through a series of peculiar circumstances, after drifting through several previous professions which did not suit the Bandonian. His father's training proved extremely useful&mdash;though it was not put to use as Boes would have hoped&mdash;and Moxin Tark soon became a skilled bounty hunter.

Bounty hunter
Despite his personal distaste for the Empire, Tark frequently took Imperial bounties, earning himself an IPKC bounty hunter license. He displayed a personal preference for tracking down common criminals, and generally avoided taking up bounties on political enemies or war-criminals. The Bandonian also went behind the back of the Imperials, and was happy to take up illegal bounties; he also acted as a mercenary occasionally, even working for the Rebel Alliance when they were in dire need. He did, however, manage to keep this secret from his Imperial employers. During his career as a bounty hunter, he may also have worked for Jabba Desilijic Tiure, a Hutt crimelord who operated out of Tatooine.

Tark idolized the Sun Guards of Thyrsus, a famous military unit whose armor inspired that of Palpatine's Red Guards. Moxin built a replica suit of armor based on that of the Sun Guards, with several modifications. After becoming an in-demand hunter, Tark was never seen without the armor, which covered his body head to toe. In addition to the armor, Tark carried a heavy Force pike, blaster rifles and heavy blaster pistols. His reputation continued growing, until he was among the most sought-after and revered bounty hunters in the galaxy. He was known to be extremely trustworthy, and once his payment was on time and as agreed, he would always carry out his task.

Later life
After the Empire was defeated at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, Tark continued working as a bounty hunter. However, he soon incurred the wrath of the New Republic, the government established by the Rebel Alliance, whom he had worked for previously. He murdered a New Republic official, becoming a wanted man. A group of New Republic soldiers encountered Moxin Tark in the Geal system after the order went out for his capture. Rather than allowing them to arrest him, Tark engaged their leader, Captain Narn Detan, in combat, and killed him. He then managed to evade the soldiers and somehow escape, though his every move would be prohibited from then on, with New Republic forces constantly on the lookout for the Bandonian mercenary.

The New Republic put out an order for Tark's immediate capture, charging him with murder of New Republic personnel, with a six thousand credit reward. By the time he reached thirty standard years of age, Tark was still a free man, and operating as a bounty hunter. Because of his familiarity with the Rebel Alliance, he had an intricate knowledge of their procedures, which meant that those planning to apprehend him were warned to act with extreme caution. His last known whereabouts were on the planet Bothawui, where he made contact with several former affiliates of the late Jabba Desilijic Tiure.

New Republic General Airen Cracken went to great lengths to have Tark apprehended, as he had been a close personal friend of Narn Detan, the latest of Tark's New Republic murders. Like many other dangerous enemies of the New Republic, Tark had an entry in a dossier authored by Cracken, with a personal addendum displaying the General's sadness at the loss of Detan. By 8 ABY, however, Tark had still not been captured.

Personality and traits
Moxin Tark lived a very privileged and structured early life, which his father hoped would prepare him for when he served the Imperial military, as was Boes's dream. However, it produced much the opposite effect, with the teenage Moxin viewing his parents and their way of being with contempt. He grew restless and bored, and began to lose any respect he had for his superiors, seeking adventure and excitement. As a bounty hunter, Tark was merciless, and did not care if his targets were to be taken in dead or alive. He happily accepted illegal bounty postings, and had no qualms about working behind the Empire's back from time to time. Although he renounced his father and the man's strict military lifestyle, Tark retained the sense of discipline he learned from Boes, and was always true to his word. Yet he also sought to hide away his true appearance and his background, wearing his suit of custom built armor unceasingly. Moxin had an extremely short temper, and was very intimidating, regularly using force to get what he wanted.

In addition, Moxin Tark displayed a distinct sense of cruelty during his lengthy career. His personal preference in regards to bounties was to terrorize and isolate his target, almost toying with them and their fear. He would slowly cause them to lost their mental sharpness and descend into a mental breakdown before finally bringing in the acquisition.

Talents and abilities
During the height of the Galactic Empire, Moxin Tark was one of the most successful bounty hunters, and proved time and time again to be trustworthy, capable, and very persistent in the hunt, meaning his services was extremely sought after. He carried a wide array of weaponry, stored on his Sun-Guard imitation armor. Tark was very skilled in terms of survival skills, much of which he learned from his father Boes Tark, and he managed to evade the forces of the New Republic for a time. He also possessed the skill to ride wild animals, and was a skilled starfighter pilot, though he acted as a gunner with equal ability.

Behind the scenes
Moxin Tark was created by Star Wars author Louis J. Prosperi for Wanted by Cracken, a paperback supplement to Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game published by West End Games.