Gekko

Image courtesy of Jordan Delgadillo @delgadilloart

> "*You'll get your target. No questions asked.*"
> ― **Gekko** to a client
>
>

## **Overview**

**Gekko** was a male Shaaradin bounty hunter that operated for several decades, most notably before, during, and after the Galactic Civil War. Little is known about his past, but through grit and brute strength, he was able to earn a position of leadership with the Bounty Hunter's Guild by 9 ABY.

## **Early Life**

Gekko was raised in the underground cities on the tough, dry planet of Shaarada, located in the Betseeda System. His childhood and adolescence remain mostly a mystery. At some point during his teenage years, Gekko left Shaarada and began working odd jobs to survive. The first documentation of him shows up in 12 BBY when he was arrested on Lothal after assaulting several constables.

From that point on, Gekko's name appears several times in both Republic and Imperial records. He garnered a reputation as someone who would accomplish his tasks with brutal efficiency. It was this demeanor that made him somewhat unpopular with other bounty hunters.

## **Life in The Guild**

As the Rebellion grew and eventually ended the Galactic Empire, Gekko continued to operate on the fringes of society. The war was good for business and he had no moral quandaries about working for both sides during the conflict. It was during one of these missions that he ran afoul of the Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk. Bossk, a guildmember, and Gekko, not yet a member, were targeting the same bounty. Bossk secured the target only moments before Gekko arrived to the site.

In a tense shoot out that followed, Gekko was wounded, but survived. He learned two lessons that day. The first was to not trust Trandoshans. The second was that he needed to enter the guild to avoid complications on bounty collection.

With that in mind, Gekko sought admission into the Bounty Hunter's Guild. After proving himself to several members of the guild, including Greef Karga, he was granted admission. His first assignment in the guild was to capture an Imperial Lieutenant who had defected to the Rebel Alliance. The speed and efficiency in which he completed his assignment impressed the local Imperial authorities and Gekko became a go-to hunter for defecting Imperials.

Gekko also hunted down the crew of the Infinium, a smuggling ship working on behalf of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker that had been tasked with tracking down various lost Jedi artifacts. While he managed to kill crewmember and ship mechanic Faas Hogre, the Infinium escaped. Gekko would continue to hunt the Infinium for several months.

By 9 ABY, he had worked his way up to the position of a top deputy for Karga. Gekko was also instrumental in helping the guild relocate from Tatooine to the planet of Nevarro after the death of Jabba the Hutt. It was around this time that the bounty hunter known as The Mandalorian broke the Bounty Hunter's Code during a mission. Gekko, along with several other bounty hunters, attempted to stop the Mandalorian from leaving Nevarro. However, in the ensuing firefight, several Mandalorian emerged and turned the tide against Gekko and his allies.

Gekko survived the encounter and fled Nevarro when Imperial forces arrived a short time later. His current whereabouts are unknown.

## **Equipment & Gear**

Gekko carried several pieces of gear and weaponry specially suited for his profession. First and foremost, his breathing mask was essential to his survival given a unique quirk in the evolutionary line of his people. He often kept a backup mask in his pack should his primary device become damaged or destroyed.

On his wrists and over his hands, Gekko wore two massive gauntlets of his own design. While it is unknown where he procured this technology, the gloves could be activated to provide a temporary force field. No other bounty hunter was known to use personal force field generators in their gear. This shield could provide cover and a means to escape difficult situations. It is thought that Gekko deployed this shield to escape the shoot out on Nevarro.

Finally, his blaster was a special modification of his own design. More of a carbine that anything, it had a large tank of highly combustible, highly pressurized tibanna gas. Through a switch on his weapon, Gekko could activate this gas which would then increase the power of his blaster. This increased power was capable of knocking small buildings to the ground of disabling large speeders of vehicles.

Gekko's ship is called the Scythe, a heavily modified Lambda class Imperial Shuttle (Type 3 - Cargo Transport). Bought as surplus after the fall of the Empire, Gekko removed the top stabilizer fin and replaced it with a quad turret gun from a wrecked Corellian YT-1300f light freighter, giving the ship impressive firepower. He also doubled the output of the Ion engines, giving the shuttle unparalleled speed. The Scythe can carry an Imperial Cargo Pod (which can be docked underneath the ship), previously used to transport AT-ST Imperial Walkers and cargo and modified it into a portable base of operations that can be placed on any planet and remotely send the shuttle safely back into orbit.

Gekko is fluent in three languages, but his preferred language is Huttese. He can also speak Basic and his native tongue.

## **In Star Wars**

In the original Disney+ series The Mandalorian, Gekko is portrayed by American actor Dominic Pace. Makeup and prothetics created by Brian Sipe (Legacy Effects).