Vasher Shahmen

Shahmen after killing a rival bounty hunter.

"*You've been drowning yourself in too many drugs, kid. There is no happiness in this world―not without the expense of terror. You want to live, enjoy yourself? Good. Then keep doing exactly what you're doing. There is no justice, no righteousness. And there certainly ain't no peace. That's all just good words and wishful thinking.*"

― A rivalling Hutt cartel agent to Shahmen.

Born in the lower sectors of Coruscant in 901 ABY, Vasher Shahmen was one of millions of victims of the galaxy's harsh and cold underworld. His father unknown and his mother a prostitue who died of drug overdose when he was seven, Shahmen grew up under the circumstances of gang-related crime. Murder, stealing, dealing and use of drugs became his way of life until he forged ties with the Hutt cartel in 914 ABY. He was hired as a hitman for the cartel, going interstellar for his jobs. It wasn't until 918 ABY, when he was captured by a rivalling Hutt organization and put in the slavepits of Nar Shaddaa, that he discovered and developed true combat ability, both in the Force and in other fields. He was continuously pit against other Force sensitives, allowing him to develop his strength adequately. It was when Erathan Reach, who freed him from slavery in 919 ABY, that he started learning about and growing into the ways of the Sith―partly as a result of his dark past and bitter perspective about the world. He killed Erathan, who had not only grown to be his mentor but a close friend, in 920 ABY―finally giving himself to the dark side and the Sith that were on the rise.

## **Biography**

### **Childhood on Coruscant**

"*A drug-addict who steals on occasion and has maybe once or twice knifed someone for denying him Glitteryll―what of it?*"
"*Cearly you do not see what I see.*"
"*What*?"
"*The boy has no purpose in life, but desperately seeks one. He hates this world he lives in, and the people that live in it even more. Why would he not be useful?*"

―Hutt cartel members observing Shahmen.

Vasher Shamen was born in the lower district levels of Coruscant in 901 ABY. His mother was a drug-addicted human who gathered money from drug dealing and prostitution―his father, a businessman from the upper levels who was never aware of Shahmen's birth in the first place. During his childhood, Shahmen suffered from extreme poverty. He grew up with a number of mental health issues, a result of his mother's continuous drug use, even during her pregnancy. A child prone to violence, Shahmen occasionally lost control of his temper, often getting into street fights―even hitting it up with local gangs.

When he turned seven in 908 ABY, Shahmen lost his mother to drug overdose. He took all her belongings and left the house, soon after which he wound up getting initiated into one of the gangs he often hung with. His initiation involved his first murder: a helpless old lady who he traced down into an alleyway after she had gotten her groceries. From there, it didn't get any better. As a member of criminal society, Shahmen's life consisted of robbing strangers, slinging dope on the streets and occasional gang shootouts. He even developed a taste for a drug called Glitteryll―a particular substance that numbed down memories―which he used to forget traumatizing experiences. The ability to ignore such memories only added to his anger issues and cold-heartedness. He became a notorious gangster, often putting up confrontations with rival gangs all on his own. Due to his violent ways, he unwittingly developed his Force potential―triggered from his unusual doses of adrenaline―which grew with every brawl.

His street fame did not go unnoticed as he drew the attention of the Hutt cartel in 914 ABY. For a few weeks, two particular cartel agents observed Shahmen's life, until he 'somehow' noticed he was being traced―unaware that he owed it to his innate sense in the Force. He confronted the two agents and, able to subdue them both, he killed one of them. The other was allowed to live, as it was Shahmen's way of sending a message to the Hutts. Three days later, he was approached by a man in black who offered him a large sum of credits for a hit on a businessman who lived off-world. Naturally, Shahmen accepted, and he completed the job with flying colors. After that job came many more, until he completely integrated in the Hutt cartel as a licensed hitman―fully disregarding his ties with the criminal underworld of Coruscant.

### **Involvement with the Hutt cartel**

"*You pull the trigger and you receive your money. That's the job*―*that's always been the job. Thinking any more or less of it will only get you killed.*"

―Shahmen's employer.