Aves

Aves was a male Human who served as the chief aide and communications officer for the smuggler Talon Karrde. Having worked with Karrde since the early days of his organization, Aves was Karrde's spokesman for dealings with Han Solo and Rogue Squadron.
==Biography==
Aves was early middle-aged when he joined Karrde's crew, shortly after the death of Jabba Desilijic Tiure in 4 ABY. From the early days of Karrde's takeover of the Car'das Smuggling SyndicateVision of the Future, Aves was close to the smuggling chief, serving as his personal aide and advisor. Officially, Aves operated as the coordinator for field operatives and dispatch manager for the smuggling groupHeir to the Empire Sourcebook.
During the Thrawn Crisis in 9 ABY, Aves was never very far from the smuggler chief. When Grand Admiral Thrawn arrived on Myrkr in search of ysalamiri, Aves functioned as the organization's communications officer and quickly relayed intel regarding the Grand Admiral and the Chimaera directly to Karrde. 
After the Grand Admiral left Myrkr, Aves piloted the Wild Karrde for a standard mission. Aboard, Mara Jade felt a disturbance in the Force, which caused Karrde to order Aves to redirect their flight. Mara's hunch lead the Wild Karrde to intercept Luke Skywalker's disabled x-wing. The Wild Karrde's (female) comms officer negotiated the fee for Luke's rescue and Aves personally greeted Luke at the docking port. After introducing Luke to Captain Talon Karrde, Karrde and Luke briefly discussed Luke's relationship with Mara. Finding nothing of interest, Karrde apologized to Luke and gave the signal to subdue him. With the help of the Force-dampening field effect of the on-board ysalamiri, Aves was able to successfully incapacitate Luke Skywalker with a stun batonDark Force Rising 2. 
Back at the Myrkr base, while Mara Jade and Talon Karrde debated what to do with their guest, Aves received an in-orbit landing request from returning operative, Fynn Torve. Torve's communique indicated that he had guests in tow: Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, following a lead on potential allies. Karrde ordered Mara to hide Luke on base while he intercepted Han and Lando for dinner. At dinner, Aves received a subsequent unexpected hail from Grand Admiral Thrawn, aboard the Chimaera, already in near-orbit with the Myrkr base. While Karrde maneuvered all interested parties around the smuggling hideout and obfuscated each party from the others' presence, Luke escaped the base and fled into the surrounding forest. Sensing impending disaster, Mara followed Luke into the forest with a speeder. In a gesture of reciprocal assistance, Grand Admiral offered stormtrooper hunting parties to Karrde to retrieve the stolen speeder and suspect associates. In a race against the clock, Aves worked with Han Solo and Lando Calrissian to find and rescue Mara and Luke from Hyllard City before the Empire did. 
After the Battle of Sulis Van, Aves piloted the Wild Karrde on its final voyage from the Myrkr baseDark Force Rising. While Karrde took a last look at the forest-world, Aves hid the ship behind an orbiting asteroid. Unknown to Karrde or Aves, Grand Admiral Thrawn had been waiting for Talon Karrde to make a sentimental send-off, and prepared to attack the smuggler on exodus. Aves argued with Mara as she wrest the helm and pushed them into hyperspace -- saving them from ambush. This lead Aves to question Mara's loyalty to Karrde, which later resulted in Aves lying-in-wait to confront Mara after her apparent betrayal and Karrde's arrest by the Empire. Mara convinced Aves that she had been tricked by Grand Admiral Thrawn and that she intended to prove her loyalty by rescuing Karrde from imprisonment aboard the Chimaera. Aves arranged to supply her with a skipray and a ysalamiri nutrient frame for a mission to Jomark and, instead of joining the rescue mission, chose to stay and finish clearing the crew from the compromised baseDark Force Rising 3. 
After the Battle for the Katana Fleet, Aves and Karrde encountered long-time associate Samuel Tomas Gillespie, aboard the Wild Karrde and Kern's Pride, respectively. Pleasantries were interrupted as Gillespie's freighter was attacked by pirates. Aves and Karrde maneuvered the Wild Karrde into combat to provide the Kern's Pride an opportunity to escapeThe Last Command 2. Neither ship fled the scene -- both smuggling organizations revealed they had backup in nearby space, for just such an encounter. This inspired to Karrde invite Gillespie to help him form the Smugglers' Alliance, which Karrde, Gillespie, and Aves continue to plan and form throughout the following monthsThe Last Command. 
Karrde and Gillespie arranged a meeting of top smugglers at the Whistler's Whirlpool Tapcafe on Trogan. Karrde invited the gathered smuggling chiefs to join the burgeoning Smugglers' Alliance and make a move against the Empire by helping him discover where Grand Admiral Thrawn's clone army was being bredThe Last Command. The smugglers argued to remain neutral in the war until the meeting was attacked by Imperials, resulting in Lishma's death. The remaining leaders agreed to band together and fight against the Empire. During this and subsequent negotiations, Karrde trusted Aves with command of the crews of the Starry Ice, the Etherway, and the Wild Karrde. 
Some months after the Thrawn Crisis, Karrde gave Aves a command of his own: the Lastri's Ort.X-Wing: Isard's Revenge
==Personality and traits==
As a primary go-between and point of contact for the crew, the crew often confided in Aves if they were uncomfortable speaking to Karrde himself. In turn, Aves provided Karrde with advice on the mood and morale of his employees. Aves would voice concerns on behalf of the crew — without naming names — to Karrde, secure in the knowledge that Karrde wouldn't use the information against them.
Aves was loyal and trustworthy. He was unafraid to question orders and the validity of a plan, and would often follow through with an order regardless of the answer. Aves prioritized the safety of his crew and the organization above all—and was unafraid to draw a blaster on a suspected threat.
When the Wild Karrde intercepted Luke Skywalker's disabled X-Wing in space, Aves was the one to run interference and subdue the Jedi Master. When Mara and Luke were at risk of being captured by Grand Admiral Thrawn's stormtrooper hunting party, Aves lead Lando and Han into the rescue mission. When Lando tried to subdue Aves, stalling for Luke to use the Force on a stone archway, and Aves pulled a blaster on him for being a suspected coward and jeopardizing the rescue attempt. After Mara's suspected betrayal and Karrde's arrest, Aves took point to move the remaining crew to safety and confronted Mara at blaster-point. Aves was also prompt into action to rescue Samuel Tomas Gillespie from pirates attacking the Kern's Pride, and among the first to draw a blaster during the ambush on Togran.
==Powers and abilities==
A competent navigator and freighter pilot, Aves was often trusted with command of several ships in Karrde's fleet. He was eventually granted his own command of the Lastri's Ort, the largest warship in Karrde's organizationX-Wing: Isard's Revenge.
Aves was streetwise and spoke Basic and Huttese. He was knowledgeable about planetary systems, gambling and bargaining.Heir to the Empire Sourcebook
==Behind the scenes==
Aves' first appearance in Legends was as a communications officer on Talon Karrde's Myrkr base, in Heir to the Empire. The Heir to the Empire Sourcebook describes him as "having served with Karrde since the early days of his operation." 
In February 2001, authors Tish Eggleston Pahl and Chris Cassidy retroactively describe Aves as "the new hire" to Karrde's organization, in their short story A Credit for Your Thoughts, featured in Star Wars Gamer 2.
==Appearances==
*
*Heir to the Empire 
* Star Wars: Heir to the Empire
*Dark Force Rising 
* Star Wars: Dark Force Rising
*The Last Command 
* Star Wars: The Last Command
*X-Wing: Isard's Revenge
==Sources==
*Heir to the Empire Sourcebook
*The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook
*
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
*
==Notes and references==
Category:Car'das members
Category:Humans
Category:Males
Category:Smugglers' Alliance members