Sinjir Rath Velus

"A loyalty officer. You just became interesting. And useful."

- Jas Emari, to Sinjir Rath Velus

Sinjir Rath Velus was a human male ex-loyalty officer who served the Galactic Empire until the Battle of Endor. Following the destruction of the second Death Star, Sinjir abandoned his post and fled the Empire. Within the Imperial records he was listed among the casualties at Endor until a short time before the Rebellion on Akiva.

During the Imperial emergency summit, he met Norra Wexley, her son Temmin Wexley, his droid Mister Bones, and reencountered Jas Emari, with whom he collaborated to capture the Imperial Future Council. Following their ordeal, he joined the New Republic, for which he would go on a mission to hunt Imperial war criminals alongside Emari, the Wexleys, and Jom Barell.

Early life
A human male, Sinjir Rath Velus joined the Galactic Empire and became a loyalty officer in the Imperial Security Bureau. During his childhood, Velus' mother used to whip his back with switches she pulled from the tree in their front yard. Although Velus hated her, he also claimed he loved her and worried after her just the same.

Serving the Empire
As a loyalty officer, Velus was expected to sniff out weakness in his peers, to discover where his people had committed trespasses against the Empire—anything from small breaches of conduct to outright treachery against the throne. Once, Gunnery Officer Rilo Tang, who was a kleptomaniac, stole a Moff's ring; Velus was tasked to solicit his confession, dealing out severe punishment to Tang to do so. In another occasion, he found a young officer studying Ithorese, and Velus broke his finger and told him it was better than any administrative punishment.

Battle of Endor
By the time of the Battle of Endor, he had been assigned to the shield generator that protected the second Death Star. However, its assault by Rebel forces and the destruction of the Death Star above forced him to reconsider his life and abandon his post, for which the Imperial records had his name listed among the casualties at Endor. He would kill a Rebel and steal his clothes as well as his ship, when he encountered the independent bounty hunter Jas Emari before she left without speaking to him.

Hiding on Akiva
"You're a drunk." "I'm no such thing. I'm no drunker than a pickle. I brine myself in order to maintain a low level of... Fuzziness. I find life is so much more pleasant that way."

- Jas Emari and Sinjir Rath Velus

Aware of Akiva's seedy reputation and wanting to avoid the Empire, Sinjir Velus traveled to the Outer Rim planet's capital, Myrra. There, he sought refuge at an oka-wood bar called Pok's Place, which was owned by a Mon Calamari bartender called Pok. Sinjir plied his time by pushing drinks across the bar table, day and night for a week. One morning, however, Orgadomo Dokura approached him and showed him a holovid of Princess Leia Organa, announcing the birth of the New Republic, the successor government to the Rebel Alliance. When he learned of the Imperial blockade and the Vigilance's presence over the planet, Velus sought to leave the planet by striking a deal with Surat Nuat in The Alcazar.

However, when Sinjir tried instead to buy Jas Emari, who had been captured by Nuat, Velus too was imprisoned by the Sullustan crime lord. Velus found himself next to Emari, to whom he pleaded to help him escape as she did so herself. Only when he revealed himself as an ex-loyalty officer, she agreed to his offer to get him passage off the planet. Together, they rescued Temmin Wexley, so that he could furnish the repairs on her gun, and made their way through Surat's cantina only to be cornered by his men and stormtroopers. They were saved by Temmin's battle droid Mister Bones, and his mother Norra, who spirited them away on a bala-bala. She brought them to her sister Esmelle's house.

Aiding the Rebellion
The following morning, Sinjir and Jas discussed their plan to storm the Satrap's Palace, which was hosting a high-level Imperial emergency summit known as the Imperial Future Council, in Esmelle's living room. Jas had planned to collect a New Republic bounty on several senior Imperial officials including the slaver and financier Arsin Crassus, Admiral Rae Sloane, General Jylia Shale, and Imperial adviser Yupe Tashu and free the New Republic starfighter pilot Wedge Antilles. Sinjir agreed to help in return for a share of the bounty. After some discussion, Temmin and Nora agreed to assist them in return for securing safe passage off Akiva.

When Sinjir derided Temmin's B1 battle droid companion Mister Bones, Temmin sprung to the droid's defense. Shortly later, they were joined by a battered Bones who had survived the skirmish as the Alcazar. The following day, Jas asked Sinjir about what had happened to him on Endor. Sinjir reluctantly revealed that he had been an Imperial loyalty officer during the Battle of Endor. Norra overheard their conversation and attacked Sinjir, angry at the Empire for taking away her husband Brentin Lore Wexley. Before the fight could escalate further, Jas managed to restrain Norra with a blaster and convince her to make peace with Sinjir. Realizing that Sinjir could be an asset in her plan to inspire a rebellion on Akiva]], she decided to keep him on her team.

As part of Norra's plan, Sinjir, Temmin and Bones entered the local communications station. After defeating the Imperial stormtroopers and officers stationed there, they transmitted a Holonet broadcast prepared by Norra urging the people of Myrra to stand up against the Empire. Sinjir and his companions also created a faux video of a fake Imperial officer (actually Sinjir) executing Temmin with a blaster. This clip was accompanied by speeches from Norra and Princess Leia revealing the Imperial defeat at Endor. Norra's New Republic broadcast succeeded in inspiring a popular uprising in Myrra. Sinjir and his companions then fled to the roof of the comm station where they were cornered by several TIE fighters.

However, Sinjir and his companions were saved from death by Norra, who had stolen another TIE fighter which she used to strafe several TIE fighters and Lambda-class shuttles parked outside the Satrap's Palace. Sinjir, Temmin, and Mister Bones then sought refuge at Pok's Place. After Norra's TIE fighter crashed into the Satrap's Palace, Sinjir and Jas assumed that she had perished. He told Temmin and Mister Bones about Norra's purported death and comforted the grieving teenager. Fortunately for them, Norra survived and reunited with them at Pok's Place.

Temmin's deal
Having succeeded in their plan to spark an uprising on Akiva, Sinjir and his rebel allies then put the second phase of their plan into action. They decided to reach the Satrap's Palace using Myrra's underground passages, with Temmin agreeing to serve as a guide. While waiting for Temmin to fetch his maps at his junk shop, Sinjir recounted his past as an Imperial loyalty officer to Norra, who was uncomfortable with the story of his handling of Rilo Tang. When Norra asked whether he had become a rebel, Sinjir asserted that he was only fighting for himself. The two acknowledged that they could not trust each other.

Despite his self-interest, Sinjir still supported Norra when she tried to convince her ambivalent son Temmin of the rightness of the New Republic's cause. With Temmin serving as their guide, Sinjir and his companions traveled through the underground passages beneath Myrra. As they navigated through a battlefield from the Clone Wars, Velus noticed Temmin's nervousness and stopped to privately converse with Emari about it. Though Jas initially misinterpreted his gesture for romantic interest, Sinjir clarified that he was not interested in the opposite sex. The two then concluded that Temmin was trying to hide something from them.

Shortly later, Sinjir and his companions tumbled upon the abandoned Separatist factory where they were ambushed by several Uugteens, fierce near-Human primitives who were indigenous to Akiva. The travelers barely managed to escape with their lives due to Temmin detonating a box of detonators. After escaping the Uugteen, they then made their way to the old Banking Clan building which led them to the entrance of the Satrap's Palace, where the Imperial Future Council was meeting. With the entrance sealed, Jas planned to ambush a party of stormtroopers and guards in order to infiltrate the palace. Before they could put their plans into action, Velus and his team were quickly ambushed by Admiral Sloane and her stormtroopers.

Once inside the palace, Velus learned that Temmin had made a secret deal with Surat to betray Emari and Velus to the Empire in exchange of his, Bones and his mother's freedom. Surat then double-crossed Temmin by revealing that he had made a secret deal with Sloane to capture his mother Norra. Sloane reluctantly agreed to release Temmin and disintegrated Mister Bones when Temmin protested. Before leaving, Jas commented that Temmin would make a good bounty hunter; prompting Sinjir to add that the boy would make a better Imperial. Separated from Temmin, Velus, Norra and Emari were made to board Arsin's personal yacht Golden Harp, which Admiral Sloane had commandeered after Norra had destroyed their shuttles.

Fighting as a Team
When Norra asked what would happened to them, Sinjir remarked that he would probably be tried while Jas would be executed. He tried to encourage Norra by suggesting that the Empire might barter her with the New Republic as part of a peace settlement. Jas then reassured the rest particularly Norra that Temmin was a survivor. Sinjir and his companions shared their compartment with several members of the Imperial Future Council including Grand Moff Pandion, General Shale, and Adviser Tashu. True to Emari's prediction, Temmin managed to infiltrate the yacht through an open hatch. As the Golden Harp ascended into space, the yacht was hit by turbolaser fire.

During the journey to Admiral Sloane's Star Destroyer Vigilance, Sinjir staged an altercation with Grand Moff Pandion. Meanwhile, Temmin sneaked under the room through a maintenance hatch and managed to free Jas and Norra from their restraints. Jas then took Pandion hostage at gunpoint. Before a firefight could break out, Sloane crash-landed the yacht in the hangar bay of the Vigilance. The crash killed Crassus and most of the stormtroopers but Sinjir and his companions were able to capture General Shale, Adviser Tashu, Sloane's aide Adea Rite and rescue Wedge. However, Sloane and Pandion managed to escape on another shuttle.

At that point, a New Republic fleet exited hyperspace and bombarded Sloane's Star Destroyer. While Sinjir and the others evacuated their prisoners and Wedge aboard a shuttle, Norra pursued Sloane's shuttle with a stolen TIE fighter. After disposing of the recalcitrant Pandion, Sloane and her pilot Morna Kee ejected the main body of their shuttle and escaped in the cockpit. They then fled aboard Pandion's Star Destroyer Vanquish into hyperspace. The rest of the shuttle collided with Norra's TIE fighter, knocking her unconscious.

Following the escape from the Vigilance, the New Republic routed the remaining Imperial forces on Akiva. Akiva became the first Outer Rim world to join the nascent government. A week later or so, Velus and Emari met Jom Barell, a New Republic Special Forces soldier who had fired upon the Golden Harp during the battle on Akiva. After reuniting with Norra, Temmin, and Mister Bones on Akiva, the six then embarked on a mission to hunt down Imperial war criminals throughout the galaxy.

Personality and traits
"You were a bad man." "Still am, maybe, though I'm trying to do better."

- Norra Wexley and Sinjir Rath Velus

Duplicitous and interested in his own well-being, Sinjir Rath Velus was conflicted to find himself changed after the Battle of Endor, feeling guilt and shame, but also dreading his shifting moral center. A bit rangy and scruffy, he was snarky and cynical, demonstrating some dislike for the idea that he found hope after the birth of the New Republic. Velus was attracted to men, shooting down Jas Emari's attempts to consummate their relationship.

Skills and abilities
Velus was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, able to disarm men with relative ease and inflict as much pain as possible. As a loyalty officer of the Empire, he learned how to read body language, how to detect lies, how to use people against one another, and found it easy to provoke people, or making them uncomfortable, putting them off balance.

Behind the scenes
Sinjir Rath Velus first appeared as a significant point-of-view character in Chuck Wendig's 2015 novel Aftermath, the first book in The Aftermath Trilogy. He along with Norra, Temmin Wexley, Jas Emari, and Admiral Rae Sloane serve as the five main point-of-view characters for the Akivan story arc in the novel. Sinjir later reappeared in Aftermath 2016 sequel, Aftermath: Life Debt.

Appearances

 * Aftermath
 * Aftermath: Life Debt