From Hunter To Hunted.-The Biography Of Ste T

Ste T was born on board a space station orbiting the Trandoshan homeworld. His father was

head of the Bounty Hunters Guild.

Ste grew up "knowing" that he would become a hunter. He was like most Trandoshans

except for one thing. He didn't hate wookies. Infact he had many good friends who were

wookies. His family tried to discourage him, but he insisted on keeping these friends.

When he was fifteen Ste joined his Brother Bossk's crew as a gunner. He'd shown much

promise while flying cloud cars as part of the guild's guard force so Bossk was happy to have

his brother on his crew. He was a crack shot and helped his brother through many a tough

situation. He was with his brother for almost ten years, during which time he discovered he

had some force ability. The one thing that separated him from his brother was the fact that

like most Trandoshan Bounty Hunters Bossk was obsessed with hunting wayward wookies,

while Ste thought they should be left to themselves. It was Bossk's obsession with catching a

particular wookie named Chewbacca that finally drove Ste away from him. Ste had warned

Bossk on many occasions that this obsession would be the end of him, and when Ste had to

take a group of hunters to rescue Bossk and some other hunters from his wrecked ship after

Solo and Chewbacca had destroyed it, it was the last straw.

Ste left his brother and didn't know what to do. So he took what appeared to be the only

career available. He joined the imperial Navy. Ste's piloting skills earned him the respect of his

seniors and he was soon flying important missions for the navy. Clocking up many Rebel and

Pirate kills. However his insubordinate and fun loving personality prevented him from

achieving high rank. Ste flew for the empire for some years until one day when he was given

a fateful mission that was to change his life. Ste was assigned to fly patrol over a sector that

an Imperial Convoy would soon be passing through. What they didn't tell Ste was that the

"Convoy" was infact the Executor and support ships, with Lord Vader himself aboard.

Through the many clicks between the Executor and his Gunboat, Vader sensed the force

strongly in Ste. Ste was ordered to come aboard the Executor, where he met the Dark Lord.

Vader told Ste he knew about his strength in the force and would train him to use it properly.

Ste was cautious but agreed to Vader helping him with his long forgotten skill.

So Ste spent the next ten months training with Vader and a young woman named Mara

Jade. They were both strong in the force and Vader helped them become stronger. But they

both had their doubts and fear about this although neither dared tell this to Vader. Finally

however Ste was told that he could return to normal duty as Mara had been selected to

continue the training rather than him. It wasn't until many years later that Ste found out that

he and Mara Jade had been being tested and that one would become the Emperors Hand.

When he did however he was glad he'd stopped the training.

Ste returned to duty as a normal pilot of fairly low rank and continued where he'd left off. His

insubordinate nature continued to be a problem and after just three months back in the

fighter seat Ste had his wings removed for hitting a Flight Officer who'd ordered him to take a

boring patrol on his own in some backwater sector on the outer rim. Ste became a commando

and was quite successful. He had his experience as a guard from his guild days and like most

Trandoshans he was exceptionally skilled with a Concussion Rifle, but his weapon of choice

remained the Lightsaber. He was well liked among the barracks and earned the respect of his

fellow troops. But the call of the sky was irresistible for Ste who thought he was born to fly. So

as soon as his suspension from flying was lifted Ste returned to naval service. He was just in

time to fight at the battle of Yavin where again he got into deep trouble. He'd been ordered

to take an unshielded Tie out against the rebels. Ste had spotted the weakness in the Death

Star and predicted the rebels victory so he refused to take the fighter out against the

better armed X-Wings. Ste was locked up and Grand Moff Tarkin himself came to see him as

his reputation had spread far and Tarkin wanted to meet the young pilot. Ste however had

other things planned. As Tarkin stepped through the door, his chin made contact with Ste's

hand that just happened to be clenched into a fist and moving at high speed towards him.

There was a crunch and Tarkin collapsed to the floor (This is why at the end of the press

release of the Battle Of Yavin entitled Star Wars-A New Hope. At the end just before the

Death Star is destroyed Tarkin is shown holding his face. He is not as it seems in deep

thought, he is in fact cradling his chin where I punched him). Ste drew his lightsaber, which he

kept concealed in his jump suit and cut down the two stormtroopers escorting Tarkin.

Grabbing the first stormtroopers blast rifle Ste leaped out over the bodies and made for the

flight decks. Where he "Borrowed" an Assault Gunboat, flew out of the Death Star and made

it into hyperspace as the station exploded behind him. Fearing returning to the Navy and no

longer so sure it was the career for him Ste spent the next few years flying round the galaxy

working as a mercenary, smuggler and pirate, he even spent a couple of months flying with

Dash Rendar. He despised this existence but it was the only way he could make a living.

When Ste heard of his Fathers death at the hands of his brother, Ste was extremely peeved.

He returned to his home planet for the first time in years and went to the headquarters of the

Guild. He saw his brother walking down the corridor coming to meet him and called out a

challenge. Bossk, quick to react and having heard of Ste's anger whipped out his Blaster and

fired a bolt straight at Ste's head. Ste drew his lightsaber and easily blocked the shot. A

guard hearing the blast came running and tried to grab Ste from behind. Remembering his

training Ste lifted his hand and twisted his wrist. There was a sickening click and the guard,

still a few metres away from Ste fell to the floor as his neck snapped. Surprised Bossk was

worried, he hadn't known his brother was skilled in the force. Grabbing a concussion rifle he

fired at Ste hitting him squarely in the chest. Falling to the floor Ste was sure he had lost, until

he remembered a trick he had taught himself in his early days, before Vader and the dark

side took over his training. He kicked in his healing powers and was soon recovered enough

to stand. Bossk by now beginning to think nothing could stop his brother began firing at him

again with his Blaster. Ste continued to advance blocking the shots. He reached his brother

and brought the lightsaber down removing the arm holding the Blaster. His brother produced

a thermal detonator and armed it. "Now he snarled, you kill me and this entire building goes

up in smoke." Still holding the detonator he reached across for a fusion cutter he had on his

waist. Trying to think of something to do Ste didn't notice his brothers movement.

Then a blast from the cutter hit Ste in the face, burning away most of the flesh, screaming

with pain and rage Ste swooped on his brother cutting his other arm off on the first swing and

cutting his legs away on the back swing. As he did he used the force to throw the severed

arm with the thermal detonator straight up in the air through the roof where it exploded

harmlessly in the air. Holding his face Ste stumbled away to his ship where Trash (the

astromech he'd been travelling with for the last couple of years) launched the ship and took it

into hyperspace. Ste knew his brother would recover from the injuries as like all Trandoshans

he could regrow lost limbs. Ste wasn't bothered though. He'd had his revenge and won the

battle. He needed to get something done about his face. Ste managed to make it to a

nearby space station where he had treatment for the burns. But he couldn't afford to have it

all repaired. So Ste purchased a mask, it was a plain black smooth oval, which clipped to a

black collar which had a long black cloak fixed to it. The mask had no features with all the

breathing apparatus hidden inside it, the only features on the outside were the eyes which

were to oval shapes which shone brilliant red. Ste sold his small ship and bought an old

BTL-S3 two seat Y-Wing fighter. He had to lay low for a bit. The remains of the Bounty

Hunters Guild would be looking for him so he needed a complete identity change. He had the

new mask and that helped. He bought a completely new outfit to go with the mask and burnt

his old clothes. So clad in his new body armour, hidden completely under his mask's black

cloak Ste set out in his Y-Wing with Trash as his only companion.

Ste was stuck, he didn't know what to do. He flew around, hopping systems for a few weeks,

trying to think of what to do next and make his trail hard to follow. He was just thinking he may

have escaped pursuit when a small ship came hurtling towards his ungainly fighter through

hyperspace. Dropping out of hyperspace Ste waited to see what would happen next. The

ship, a heavily modified Assault Gunboat stopped close by and ordered him to surrender.

Recognising the voice of a small time bounty hunter from the guild. Powering up his engines,

Ste commed the hunter that he gave up. Then suddenly accelerating Ste began firing on the

small fighter and soon disabled it. Ste got out and using his masks EVA feature floated over

to the gunboat. Opening the hatch Ste pulled the dead pilot out. Leaving Trash in charge of

the Y-Wing he took over the Gunboat. Ste continued jumping randomly with both ships until

he came across a small time pirate's Modified Corvette. He and Trash attacked it and by

means of a small miracle captured the ship. When he checked the cargo of his new prize Ste

found that the ship had a cargo of spice worth 50,000 creds. Selling the spice to one of his

contacts from his smuggling days Ste was able to hire himself a crew and fly safely in most

places. Sticking to the outer rim Ste began setting himself up as a local power. Nobody knew

who he really was, but his Corvette with it's squadron of Y-Wings and an Assault Gunboat,

Ste always flew was the last thing many Pirates saw. Ste earned himself quite a reputation in

the underworld and "The Man In The Mask" became feared by all pirates. He was somewhere

between Pirate and Police. The Mask would strike ship, disable and capture it or destroy it

completely after stealing its cargo. But he would only attack pirates. Soon Ste under his new

identity had a respectable fleet of Cargo and War Ships. He carried the flag on the Bridge of

the Doom Bringer, a Dreadnaught that had been the flagship of a powerful pirate Lord who'd

Ste tracked down and killed destroying his entire fleet. Behind that ship, were three Nebulon

B class Frigates, two Modified Corvettes, five standard Corvettes, a C-3 passenger liner and

an Escort Carrier. In total his fleet had 20 Y-Wings, 10 Assault Gunboats, 15 X-Wings and 5

Tie-Advanced fighters. For carrying supplies and stolen cargo he had 5 container Transports

and 20 modular conveyors. He also had 20 transports and 10 shuttles for carrying boarding

parties and ferrying people between ships. His fleet flew alone drastically reducing pirate

activity in the areas they went. To everybody else it seemed Ste would settle down to this

power and simply carry on like this for the rest of his life. But Ste wasn't happy. He wanted to

learn how to use the Force, he wanted his face to be repaired and he wanted to be able to

walk freely in places other than the outer rim.

So it was that Ste decided he was going to join the Alliance. He'd learned that the Empire

was putting its new Missile Boats into service on a larger scale. With fleets of these new

deadly fighters roaming the galaxy the Rebellion would be crushed. Ste decided to even the

odds a bit. He knew that a convoy carrying 100 of these new ships would be flying long

distance soon. The only problem was it would be escorted by an Interdictor cruiser and a

Victory Class Star Destroyer. Ste decided it was worth it. Besides with the extra 10 corvettes

he'd captured in a recent raid he thought he could make it. So he set up an ambush and

attacked the convoy. The battle raged for a long time and one freighter managed to make it

out carrying 10 of the Missile Boats to safety. But Ste won. He destroyed the Star Destroyer

and Captured the Interdictor. He suffered heavy losses and was left 30 fighters, 1 frigate and

13 corvettes down on the fleet he started with but the remaining nine freighters were his. So

with ninety Missile Boats Ste set course for the nearest Rebel controlled system.

When he arrived in the system Ste was treated with suspicion. The officer in charge of the

base had heard of the Man In The Mask and was somewhat sceptical about Ste's identity

and why he was there. But when he told them what he had and that he wished to join the

Rebellion he was welcomed and offered command of the new Rebel wing his fleet was to

form. But Ste turned down the command, he tired of commanding from the bridge of a

Starship. He wanted to be out there again, flying a fighter in combat. He yearned for the

freedom of flying a starfighter into battle so turning the Doom Bringer over to some Rebel

General he left the bridge for the last time. He had reconstructive surgery for his ruined face

and training to overcome the dark side. So back to his old self Ste T finally revealed the true

identity of The Mask to the galaxy and returned to doing what he loved best. Flying

starfighters against those who would make the galaxy a worse place to live in.

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