S. V. Skynx

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This article is about the Ruurian historian S. V. Skynx.
You may be looking for Arb Skynxnex, Moruth Doole's enforcer on Kessel.

"I studied the histories of your own scattered species, and I came to be fascinated with this concept, adventure. Of all the races who gamble their well-being on uncertain returns—and there aren't that many, statistically—the trait's most noticeable in humans, one of the most successful life forms. The stories, the legends, the songs, and holo-thrillers held such appeal. Once, before I spin my chrysalis, to sleep deeply and emerge a chroma-wing who will no longer be Skynx, I wish to cast aside good sense and try a human-style adventure."
―S. V. Skynx[1]

S. V. Skynx was a Ruurian male academic and historian who became one of the galaxy's most distinguished scholars of pre-Republic history, particularly concerning the life of the ancient galactic dictator Xim the Despot. A faculty member at the University of Ruuria, Skynx became one of the most well-known "Ximologists" in the galaxy during the era of the Galactic Civil War as he attempted to maximize the years he had before he exited his larval stage and metamorphosed into a mindless chroma-wing.

In 1 BBY, Skynx was contacted to aid on a search for Xim's fabled treasure ship, the Queen of Ranroon, during which he linked up with Corellian smuggler Han Solo. Skynx's adventure took him to the Tion Hegemony world of Dellalt, and after a number of twists and turns, Skynx helped uncover the fabled treasure deep within Xim's treasure vaults. The Queen of Ranroon proved to be a career-making discovery, one that busied Skynx for the rest of his larval stage. Skynx eventually retired from his academic career as a renowned scholar, before returning home to Ruuria to live out the rest of his days as a chroma-wing.

Biography

A very un-Ruurian adventure

Scholar of Xim

"But why was I of all beings chosen for this mission, this Work you now read? Why was my mind overcome with such indescribable joy when, on a bad date to a Sullustan dinner theater, I first heard the chorus of The Pirate Prince that it led me here? I cannot say. Who among us can truly explain their destinies?"
―S. V. Skynx[2]

A native of the K'zagg Colony on the planet Ruuria, S. V. Skynx was a male member of the insectoid Ruurian species, a race with a unique life-cycle; Ruurians were only considered sentient during their initial larval stage, eventually transforming in a chrysalis into mindless chroma-wings who soared in the skies above Ruuria, focused solely on mating.[1]

At some point during his early years, Skynx went on a date to a Sullustan dinner theater where he first heard the chorus of The Pirate Prince, a drama that told the story of the conquests of the ancient pre-Republic galactic dictator known as Xim the Despot. The work filled Skynx with an overwhelming sense of joy and sparked a lifelong fascination with Xim. That moment propelled Skynx towards a career as an academic[2] and, by the era of the Galactic Civil War, Skynx was considered a ranking expert on pre-Republic history, with a focus on ancient languages.[1]

Specifically, he turned the study of Xim into his life's work, scouring every corner he could in search of any fragments of Xim's history, including secreting away artifacts and antiques from the Celebratus Archive on the planet Obroa-skai. Skynx's years of study made him one of the most well-known "Ximologists" in the galaxy[2] and resulted in him amassing a collection of a unique assortment of artifacts, including the head of one of Xim's legendary Guardian Corps war droids—believed to be possibly the only one that survived Xim's climactic defeat at the Third Battle of Vontor.[1]

An unexpected journey

"How much money are we after?"
"There's so much conflicting information about the Queen of Ranroon; it's best to say this: Xim the Despot's treasure vessel was the largest ship ever built in her day. Your guess, sir, is no less plausible than my own."
―Han Solo and Skynx[1]
S. V. Skynx joined up with Corellian smuggler Han Solo (pictured) in order to search for Xim's lost treasure.

In 1 BBY,[3] Skynx's expertise brought him to the attention of a man named Alexsandr Badure, a former contract laborer on the Tion Hegemony planet of Dellalt—home to Xim's ancient treasure vaults—who, along with a partner named Hasti Troujow, had discovered what they believed to be the log-recorder for Xim's long-lost treasure ship, the Queen of Ranroon. Skynx, by that point the chair of the Pre-Republic subdivision of the University of Ruuria's Human History subdepartment, jumped at the opportunity to search for the fabled ship, traveling to the Tionese world of Rudrig to rendezvous with Badure and Troujow in person and from there travel to Dellalt, where the log-recorder was secreted within the vaults. Promised a half-share of the treasure in exchange for his assistance, Skynx met up with Badure, Troujow, and their hired help, smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, who flew the group to Dellalt on their freighter, the Millennium Falcon.[1]

Skynx brought with him many of his Xim-related artifacts and datatapes, including his Guardian Corps head, which was studied breathlessly by Solo's two droid crewmen, Bollux and Blue Max. However, the crew's plans did not proceed smoothly on Dellalt; upon attempting to retrieve the log-recorder from Xim's treasure vaults, the crew was attacked by a group of thugs led by local criminal J'uoch, who had her own designs on the ancient treasure. Although Skynx provided valuable assistance in the ensuing firefight by scampering up a nearby utility pole and providing an aerial view of the attackers, J'uoch's gang forced the treasure hunters to flee, with the gang stealing the Millennium Falcon. This forced Skynx and his compatriots into a long overland journey through the Dellalt mountains in order to retrieve the ship—the group found that Skynx's Ruurian physiology lent him a climbing ability that proved invaluable as they scampered up endless cliffs. With their food running low, the group stumbled onto what appeared to be an abandoned shipyard high in the mountains, only for a quick examination to reveal the ships within to be fake. Skynx and his compatriots were subsequently rendered unconscious by an energy weapon and awoke in a prison cell, with the two droids gone.[1]

Upon their return, Bollux and Blue Max revealed that they were due to be made living sacrifices by the Survivors, an isolated, inbred culture of hill-dwellers directly descended from the survivors of Xim's honor guard. They used the information to escape, with Blue Max utilizing his holoprojector to dazzle the Survivors with images of Xim before the ceremony began, giving the Falcon's crew the chance to escape and narrowly evade pursuit by sliding down a mountain on a large gong.[1]

The discovery of a lifetime

"Captain, here's a funny thing: I still think this adventuring was basically just danger and hardship a long way from home, but now that it's ended and we're parting company, I find myself saddened."
"Look us up for a refresher course, any time."
"I have much to do here; all too soon I'll be called away by my blood, when it's time to go chrysalis, then live a brief season as a chroma-wing. If you wish to see me then, Captain, come and look on Ruuria for the flyer whose wing markings are the same as my own banding. The chroma-wing won't recognize you, but perhaps some part of Skynx will."
―Skynx, parting ways with Solo[1]
Skynx encountered units from Xim's famed Guardian Corps (pictured) while adventuring on Dellalt.

Upon coming to a stop, the group found themselves in a gully in the foothills below J'uoch's mining camp, and they followed a series of unusual radio signals to make a discovery that thrilled Skynx to his core: the legendary "thousand guardians" of Xim's Guardian Corps that were said to have been aboard the Queen of Ranroon, in formation and ready to fight. They were commanded by a Survivor that the Falcon's crew recognized as the assistant steward of Xim's treasure vaults, who ordered the droids to attack and destroy J'uoch and her gang.[1]

With only desperate moments remaining before the marching horde of droids obliterated Solo's parked ship, Skynx followed his friends into the fray as they navigated the battlefield. While the insectoid academic was of little use in a firefight, his research was: having studied his tapes extensively, Blue Max was able to communicate with the Guardian Corps and order them onto a narrow bridge that collapsed and sent them crashing to their doom in a crevasse below. Interrogation of the droids' commander revealed that the Queen of Ranroon's bounty had been hidden within the treasure vaults all along. Back aboard the Millennium Falcon, they traveled back to where they started, only with one additional passenger: Gallandro, a famed gunman. Gallandro had his own personal grudge against Solo dating back to the smuggler outsmarting him during a duel on the planet Ammuud sometime before, and he did not want the Corellian out of his sight.[1]

Skynx joined Solo and Gallandro as they delved into the treasure vaults, navigating deep into the complex's labyrinthine tunnels and ultimately finding the legendary treasure. However, Gallandro had no intent on sharing: having tracked Solo for light years, Gallandro drew on Solo and wounded him with a blaster shot before pursuing Skynx deeper into the vaults. Thinking quickly, the Ruurian drew his pursuer into a no-weapons safety zone near the treasure stores and removed the warning lights. When Gallandro pulled out his blaster, the complex's automated defense system turned the gunfighter into a cloud of ash.[1]

Free to take stock of the Queen of Ranroon's fabled treasure, Skynx and his friends found something unexpected: it was nearly worthless in contemporary terms. The Queen of Ranroon was in fact filled with war material, containing items such as kiirium ingots that were commonplace in the present day but extremely valuable at the time. While Solo was disappointed at the lack of gold and gems, it was an archaeologist's dream find, including artifacts, art, and datatapes that would greatly increase the level of historical knowledge of that time period. Awed and overjoyed at his discovery, Skynx hired Badure, Troujow, Bollux and Blue Max on the spot to assist in excavating and cataloguing the treasure, a project he expected to take the rest of his larval stage of life. He also bade goodbye to Solo, inviting the Corellian to watch him as a chroma-wing on Ruuria in the future.[1]

Subsequent career

"Go brave, young scholar, take my torch, and dare the dark of Xim. Know that I am with you in spirit, if not in body. As you unearth new discoveries, I will be soaring in the clear skies above the banks of the warm, pink Z'gag, batting my chroma-wings, singing to a new love, whatever it may be."
―Skynx's final dedication[2]
The insignia of the ancient galactic despot Xim, to whom Skynx dedicated his academic career

Although nearly every surviving example of the Guardian Corps was destroyed in the collapse at J'uoch's mining camp, Skynx devoted himself tirelessly in the years to come to uncovering the droids' secrets and reconstructing their history.[4] Meanwhile, the discovery of the Queen of Ranroon ultimately made Skynx's career. As the head researcher of the Dellalt Project, as it was known in archaeological circles,[5] Skynx was recognized as one of the galaxy's leading scholars of Xim-era history.[6]

He went on to serve as one of the editors of the literary collection known as The Despotica. Sections of The Despotica edited by Skynx appeared in such anthologies as Ronton's Anthology to Galactic Literature, Vol. 2.[7] He also maintained his respect for Solo and published a re-telling of the discovery of the Queen of Ranroon titled Han Solo and the Lost Legacy: A True Story of the Scoundrel and a Scholar through the University of Rudrig Press.[7] Skynx was later named the Emeritus Chair of the University of Ruuria's Department of History,[8] and he composed an oral history of the events surrounding the Queen of Ranroon's discovery. Badure was among the subjects interviewed for the work, which extensively discussed Solo's history and the meaning of the unique Corellian Bloodstripe he wore.[9]

One of his final works was a Huttese–to–Basic translation of Direus'Pei's play Evocar, a work Skynx completed with his cocoon already spun. Knowing his new life as a chroma-wing was calling, Skynx included a postscript to the work essentially bidding farewell to his old career, while wishing future Xim scholars good fortune.[2] About ten years after his career-altering discovery, Skynx left Xim behind and metamorphosed into a chroma-wing,[5] soaring in the skies above his homeworld's Z'gag,[2] interested only in reproducing. One of Skynx's offspring, Amisus, later served as the leader of the Unified Ruurian Colonies during the Caamas Document Crisis in 19 ABY. After his transformation, Skynx was mentioned in the galactic history chronicle The Essential Chronology in 25 ABY[5] and its later update in 36 ABY, The New Essential Chronology.[3]

Personality and traits

"When it looked like there was no more to be found, he sought more out, in the folly and wonder of what humans call Adventure. And during the dark times, when all seemed lost, the Work kept him buzzing. It was his remedy for melancholy, his amusement against hyper-travel tedium, the true love of his larval life. His Destiny."
―Skynx, writing about his study of Xim[2]
Skynx was a native of the planet Ruuria.

Endlessly fascinated with pre-Republic history and especially with the life and times of the legendary Xim the Despot, S. V. Skynx's dedication to his field drove the Ruurian to become one of the galaxy's leading scholars on that historical epoch.[7] Although he never truly understood exactly what it was about Xim's story that called to him so deeply, to him it was his life's purpose. His work cataloguing and uncovering Xim's mysteries kept Skynx going in the darkest times in his life and also served as a much-needed distraction: when academic rivals received honors instead of him or romantic endeavors went nowhere, Skynx could focus on his true passion.[2]

Pragmatic, practical, and pacifistic, which was customary for a Ruurian, Skynx began to experience a strong affinity for his fellow treasure-seekers during his adventure in the Tion, feeling acutely incomplete without them.[1] He specifically held Han Solo in very high esteem for his audacity and ingenuity during their search for the Queen of Ranroon, a career-making achievement for the academic. Skynx held "perpetual gratitude" for Solo, which he expressed at every opportunity during his scholarly career.[7]

An average-sized Ruurian standing a little over one meter tall, Skynx moved on eight pairs of short limbs, had a thick amber coat with bands of brown and red, and had large, multifaceted, red eyes. To Skynx, however, his Ruurian physiology was one of his greatest curses: he wished to put off his transformation into a chroma-wing for as long as possible, for that would be the end of his identity as Skynx. His desperation led him to travel with Solo, hoping to experience the Human concept of adventure before he metamorphosed. However, the hardships of his adventure gave Skynx a new appreciation for his old home,[1] and in the final days of his larval stage, however, the call of the chrysalis became too great for Skynx to endure. At long last receiving another priority above his studies of Xim, Skynx finally came to terms with the destiny he once dreaded, wrapping up his scholarly pursuits and starting his new life as a chroma-wing.[2]

Skills and abilities

In addition to his talents as a researcher, Skynx was also a skilled musician, specializing in the traditional Ruurian instrument called the bellows horn—due to his multi-limbed physiology, he could simultaneously play a flute, two tympanic pulsers, and two hammer-dulcimers to create a rich, layered sound on his own. His Ruurian physiology also helped Skynx become an adept climber.[1]

Equipment

Skynx often came equipped with numerous artifacts and datapads from a collection had spent years compiling.[1] He was known to wear a coat that had three sleeves on each side to accommodate his Ruurian physiology.[7]

Behind the scenes

Skynx first appeared in Han Solo and the Lost Legacy, a novel written by Brian Daley and published in 1980 as the final installment of the Star Wars: The Han Solo Adventures trilogy.[1] Nearly thirty years after Skynx's appearance in Daley's novel, author Jason Fry gave his full name as "S. V. Skynx" in his 2009 Hyperspace-exclusive article "Xim Week: The History of Xim and the Tion Cluster."[6] The subsequent Hyperspace-exclusive series Xim Week: The Despotica contained several passages written from Skynx's perspective, giving additional information about the character's life,[2][7] and the series' first part provided the first image of the character, illustrated by Cat Staggs.[7]

Appearances

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Xim Week: The Despotica (Part IV: Evocar) on Hyperspace (article) (content removed from StarWars.com; backup link)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The New Essential Chronology
  4. ↑ The Essential Guide to Droids
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Essential Chronology
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 StarWars.com Essential Atlas Extra: The History of Xim and the Tion Cluster on StarWars.com (article) (backup link not verified!)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Xim Week: The Despotica (Part I) on Hyperspace (article) (content removed from StarWars.com; backup link)
  8. ↑ StarWars.com Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut, Part 3 – "Xim the Despot" on StarWars.com (article) (backup link not verified!)
  9. ↑ Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook
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