Tyber Zann

Tyber Zann was a human male crime lord from Anaxes who rose to prominence after the Battle of Yavin during the Galactic Civil War and led his own crime syndicate, known as the Zann Consortium, a powerful underworld consortium. He would wage a campaign against the Galactic Empire as revenge for expelling him from the Imperial Academy, while sabotaging the Rebel Alliance as well.
At the height of the Galactic Civil War, the crime lord Zann rose as one of the underworld's masterminds, to the chagrin of more powerful kingpins like the gangster Jabba the Hutt and Prince Xizor.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Tyber Zann was born on Anaxes in 34 BBY, and first worked in the family firm Zann Remanufacturing, which specialized in refitting outdated Old Republic and Imperial Military hardware for civilian use. He became bored with the linear business, and started running illicit sabacc games and book-making, which he found to provide the excitement and revenue that he sought.
In order to arm his gambling ring's enforcers, Zann attempted to steal an arms shipment from one of the company's warehouses. The security forces caught him and reported the attempted theft to his father, who as punishment, arranged for him to be enrolled as a cadet in the Imperial Academy of Carida.
===Rise of the Consortium===
====Imperial service====
Operating out of the Academy, Zann established a new smuggling ring - the Zann Consortium. The facility's lax security made it simple for him to steal Imperial weaponry and smuggle it off-world, to his partner, the Talortai warrior Urai Fen, who sold them on the black market. A top performer, Zann used the credentials this granted him to get on training missions where he could form a network of contacts for the smuggling trade. The operation became one of the largest in the galaxy, and he started to evoke the attention of more powerful criminals, namely the Hutt gangster Jabba Desilijic Tiure. Jabba coordinated a plan to catch Zann during a smuggling run shortly before his graduation. Fortunately for Tyber, Urai intercepted transmissions between Imperial authorities about the plot. Although he was able to avoid any prosecution, Zann was forced to leave the Academy in contempt.
====Alliance with Jabba====
Despite his misgivings, Zann perceived that to continue building the Zann Consortium he would need to concede to an uneasy pact with Jabba. Subsequently, he began running smuggling operations for his new ally in exchange for vehicles and vessels, while also concealing assets from his fellow crime lord. Zann never intended this arrangement with Jabba to be permanent, and after a year he had gained word that the Hutt kingpin had spent nearly half his wealth on a unique artifact, though Tyber did not know anything of its origins.
====Raid over Mandalore====
The Zann Consortium was still small, and Zann intended to establish communications with a black market on Nal Hutta, though first he needed to show them an example of his capabilities, and develop a reputation that the Consortium was a force-to-be-reckoned with. After being informed by one of his soldiers that the Mandalorian Supreme Strategist was traveling to the asteroid station above Mandalore, Zann seized the opportunity. Traveling to Mandalore, the Consortium flotilla destroyed the V-wing escort sent to prepare for the strategist's arrival. Shortly afterwards, the strategist arrived, though the Consortium ambushed him. During the battle, the strategist's engines were destroyed, his ship was boarded, and he was taken prisoner. Zann assigned one of his defilers to establish communications with the black market, and Urai was sent to buy disruptor technology for the Consortium's mercenaries.
====Theft of the artifact====
Zann's agents decoded a message from an Imperial outpost on Felucia that authorized Jabba to land on the planet's surface. Recognizing that the Hutt intended to sell the artifact to the Empire, Zann lead a taskforce along with Urai and several squads of mercenaries to steal the artifact before the transaction could be made. Posing as Hutt Cartel forces, the Imperial fleet commander was convinced, though hesitantly, that the group were arriving separately from the main group to safeguard the artifact. The taskforce, aboard a TZ-86 transport located a clearing in the dense foliage and landed there. Ordering Alpha Squad to scout ahead and make sure that their path to the Hutt landing site was clear, Zann watched as they perished to Felucian spore plants. Fortunately for the remainder, they had brought a repulsorlift F9-TZ Transport, which Zann ordered his troops to unload, and to deploy a Mobile Defense Unit with a rocket pod, lest somebody stumble across the landing site. The group proceeded to ride the transport as far as they could, but thick vegetation obstructed their path, so they had to traverse the rest by foot. The taskforce came into conflict with Cartel forces along the way, although they failed to avert the Consortium's advance. Leaving the troops behind, Zann and Urai utilized their personal cloaking devices to bypass the anti-infantry turrets and reach where the artifact was being held. Urai uncloaked and killed the Hutt mercenaries guarding the artifact, and Zann ordered him to take the relic and meet him at the rendezvous point. Just after the cloaked Urai left, Tyber was apprehended by Stormtroopers, which Zann defeated, though many more Imperial forces arrived immediately afterwards. Outnumbered, he let them take him into custody, but vowed that they wouldn't hold him for long.
====Imprisoned====
While Zann rotted away in the spice mines of Kessel, Urai Fen waited for the time Zann had set for his escape. By starting a riot on Kessel and hiring the crew of the Millennium Falcon to pick him up, Zann made his escape, narrowly avoiding execution from a bounty hunter hired by Jabba.
After his return to freedom, Zann, along with his closest companion Urai Fen, gradually reestablished the Consortium as a power to be reckoned with from their headquarters on Ryloth. Among other things, the criminal organization saw a window of opportunity: the Galactic Civil War would distract both the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance from the Zann Consortium's entreaties on planets. Having built up a sizable force of mercenaries, Tyber staged kidnappings, pirate raids and racketeering missions to coerce worlds into accepting his protection and allowing him to use their lanes to move his military. By these means of intimidation, the Zann Consortium was able to establish its influence on a number of big and small businesses such as the InterGalactic Banking Clan, the Plasma Energy Trade Commission and the Silica Tab.
Lieutenant Izbela Saarrj of the Imperial Security Bureau wrote a report on the crime lord Zann's activities around 0 ABY, mentioning his use of spies to study the Star Dreadnought Eclipse, the first Eclipse-class dreadnought, while it underwent construction. As Emperor Palpatine's flagship, the Eclipse was armed with an axial-super laser and was larger than any Star Destroyer created prior. Zann's interest was born out of a belief that the vessel's console would allow him to gain access to the wealth stored in Palpatine's fabled vaults, but he refrained from openly attacking the construction site above Kuat to avoid the Imperial Fleet's wrath.
===Corrupting a galaxy===
Irritated by Jabba's repeated interference in his affairs, Zann organized an attack on his competitor's holdings on Saleucami, wrestling control of a listening post. Learning of the existence of an old Geonosian droid factory built on Hypori during the Clone Wars, the Zann Consortium moved to claim the foundry's Droideka Mark IIs in order to better contend with the Hutt Cartel. Though it was revealed that Zann had been lured into a trap, he managed to reprogram the Droidekas with Urai's help and overpower Jabba's lackeys.
In the battle's aftermath, Zann contacted Jabba and imposed a treaty on him. The Human crime lord stated that, in exchange for a ceasefire, he would not intrude on the Hutt Cartel's territories. In addition, Tyber demanded that he keep Saleucami and Hypori, which Jabba accepted.
Zann used his extensive criminal network to influence both the Empire and the Rebellion throughout the Galactic Civil War, siphoning their credits and sabotaging their operations when necessary. During the course of his ascent to power, his forces fought against both sides of the war. Zann had his own flagship, an Aggressor-class destroyer named Merciless, for his navy. When fighting, he would sometimes make use of his own personal cloaking device that rendered him invisible.
Zann was also intent on discovering the mysteries of the artefact he had stolen from Jabba back on Felucia. Informed by Urai of its nature as a Sith holocron, Tyber sought a Force-wielder strong in the dark side to unlock its secrets. Knowing that he would find no help in this quest from either of the reigning Dark Lords of the Sith, he resolved to gain the assistance of the witches from Dathomir at Fenn's suggestion. Though the planet was under an Imperial blockade per the Emperor's personal command, the crime lord and his bodyguard infiltrated the dark world. After freeing some of the Nightsisters and helping them gain vengeance on the local Imperial Governor, Zann persuaded Silri, the most powerful of their number to decipher the Sith artifact. Though she knew of the Sith creation's true importance, she withheld information from Tyber causing them to quarrel verbally on several occasions. Shortly following the ground battle on Dathomir, the crime lord Tyber was contacted by Grand Admiral Thrawn, who warned him that his rash behavior and unwise actions would soon earn him reprisals from Imperial forces.
After the Empire seized control of Bespin, Prince Xizor contacted the crime lord Zann and offered him a job to steal Tibanna Gas from the Cloud City refinery which they would split in half. In exchange, the Black Sun Underlord would arrange a meeting with the Emperor or one of his representatives to whom the Zann Consortium could sell the Sith artifact. Tyber and Urai knew this was a trap, but sought to use it to their advantage. Aware that the Imperial Military's Supreme Commander, Darth Vader himself, was on Bespin, they resolved to hire the droid bounty hunter IG-88 to plant evidence that would implicate Prince Xizor and the Black Sun enterprise. Tyber, Urai and their allies landed in Cloud City and sneaked their way through the Imperial garrison and out with their Tibanna cargo, barely escaping Darth Vader's grip. As the Consortium forces escaped, a stormtrooper reported to the Sith Lord, notifying him that they had found evidence suggesting the Dark Prince of the Black Sun was the perpetrator behind the theft. With Xizor's assumed involvement in the Bespin robbery, Vader would later use this as an additional justification to execute him.Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire novel
With the theft of the tibanna gas from Bespin complete, Xizor ostensibly held his end of the bargain and provided Tyber with the rendezvous coordinates for the meeting with Palpatine's representative. The negotiation proved to be a trap, with an Imperial fleet lying in wait above Carida. Admiral Thrawn contacted the crime lord Zann, revealing that the false evidence had been enough for Lord Vader to kill Prince Xizor, but had not been enough to disguise the Zann Consortium's unique signature. The Chiss commander then engaged the gangster. In response, Tyber unveiled his new flagship, the Merciless, and tested its destructive firepower on one of the Imperial vessels. During the battle, the Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk stole the Sith artifact and gave it to Admiral Thrawn, who then fled in his flagship, the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Admonitor, leaving the rest of his ships to their fates. After defeating the remainder of the Imperial fleet, Tyber returned to Ryloth.
After he and Silri had a "misunderstanding" over the information concealed within the Sith artifact, Tyber promised to have every Nightsister on Dathomir annihilated if she lied or withheld information again. He also made clear that his associate and friend, Urai Fen, would kill Silri if any attempt was made on Zann's life (as he mentioned to Tyber quite frequently).
Soon enough, Zann learned from his spies within the Rebellion that both Palpatine and Vader had left the capital world of Coruscant for the forest moon of Endor. The crime lord saw the absence of both the Emperor and the Supreme Commander as an opportunity for him to raid the archive on Imperial Center, where he had traced the lost artifact's signal. Tyber stole the Palpatine's passkey to get on the Eclipse and Silri reclaimed the Sith holocron.
===Battle for the Eclipse===
With the deaths of both Palpatine and Vader above Endor in 4 ABY, Tyber seized his chance to move to Kuat and take over the Eclipse, eager to gain intel on the Emperor's vaults. During the battle, the Zann Consortium briefly accepted an uneasy truce with General Han Solo's Rebel forces to combat the local Imperial fleet, all while heading for the Star Dreadnaught. After infiltrating the Eclipse and hacking its console, Zann proceeded to steal tens of billions of credits, technical data, and many priceless works of art from Palpatine's personal vault network, thus ensuring that he has enough resources to spread the Consortium throughout the galaxy. After his theft, Tyber decided to abandon the Eclipse as it would be a "target even the Rebels could not miss." He also decided to allow the Rebel Alliance to form their New Republic, expressing interest at the chance to "own a senator." The Eclipse was later recovered by Imperial forces, who continued its construction.
However, Silri secretly unlocked the Sith holocron behind Zann's and Fen's backs. The artifact led the Nightsister to an ancient Sith tomb, with thousands of Sith soldiers frozen in carbonite.
===Legacy===
Inspired by Zann's earlier riot, the prisoners in the spice mines of Kessel staged yet another revolt.
==Personality and traits==
Zann was cold, methodical, ambitious, and ruthless, and had an arrogant streak, as evidenced by his steadfast confidence in himself. He liked to be in complete control of things and was also quite cunning. He was a criminal mastermind, a tactical genius, and adept at using most weapons of war. He could hold a grudge on people and would not let it go until he made them pay. Zann also seemed quite confident in his abilities, making his leadership abilities very powerful. Zann's cruelty was expressed during the Felucia theft, when his scouts in Alpha Squad were killed by native spores, he expressed no sense of dismay or sadness, but said the ship would be a little bit lighter when they left the planet.
Despite these negatives traits, Tyber had a sense of humor, albeit a rather rude one, as seen throughout the Campaign towards Urai, such as when he asked Urai whether he had become a Jedi Knight during his absence due the reveal of the latter's Force connection. He was a long time ally of Urai Fen, who was possibly his only true friend, and the two were known to call each other by their first names. However, the crime lord cared very little for those who served him as soldiers and would kill those who disobeyed him even if their actions actually gained him something. Zann was also very tolerant of Silri's actions compared to Urai, who often wanted to kill her. The crime lord kept her around and he even claimed she had managed to grow on him, though he loathed to admit it.
Zann wielded a modified Rawk chopped special, a double-barreled blaster carbine which was later favored by Cade Skywalker around 130 ABY.
==Behind the scenes==
Zann was included in Star Wars Insider 89 "Underworld: A Galaxy of Scum and Villainy" at the request of LucasArts, who wished additional publicity for him. For his illustration in Insider 89, artist Joe Corroney based him on British actor Jason Isaacs, using a promotional image of Isaacs' character Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter films as a reference.
Zann was voiced by Steve Blum in the Forces of Corruption trailer, and by Jake Eberle in the actual game.
This character name is often misspelled 'Zahn' as the gold pack version of the game's case featured this spelling. This error was corrected in later printings.
==Appearances==
*Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption 
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==Sources==
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*Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption Expansion: Prima Official Game Guide
*News from the Underworld: Vol. 1, Issue 1
*Starships of the Galaxy, Saga Edition
*Scum and Villainy
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
*Rebellion Era Campaign Guide
*The Essential Atlas
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*The Essential Guide to Warfare
*Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Core Rulebook
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==Notes and references==
==External links==
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Category:Anaxes residents
Category:Crime lords
Category:Humans
Category:Imperial Navy personnel of the Galactic Empire
Category:Males
Category:Zann Consortium members