Niles Ferrier

Niles Ferrier was a large human, big and thickly built. He had dark hair, a beard, and dressed in ornate tunics. He always smoked a long, thin cigarra, whose distinctive aroma of carababba tabac and armudu spice followed him wherever he went. He was considered one of the galaxy's best spaceship thieves. It is said that Niles Ferrier could "palm a Corellian Gunship while the Corellians are still aboard". 

Ferrier's typical method of operation involved breaking into a space station's computer and communications systems to monitor security and look for ships ripe for plucking from desolate hangar areas. Using his computer hook-up, he altered work orders to route everyone out of the area. Then he picked up the ship and lifted off at his leisure, one ship richer and ready to move on to his next conquest.

Ferrier became involved in the current struggle between the Empire and the New Republic when Grand Admiral Thrawn put out a call for capital ships. The bounty of twenty percent above market value for any ship over one hundred thousand tons that could fight was too good to pass up. He assembled his usual gang of assistants — five humans, a Verpine, and a Defel.

His first attempt to acquire ships — at the Sluis Van shipyards after the Imperial attack — was spoiled by the untimely arrival of Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian. The Jedi's reputation for eliminating Jabba the Hutt, preceding him, convinced Ferrier's men not to fight. Ferrier himself knew Calrissian from the failed Phraetiss operation about ten years ago. He also knew of Calrissian's reputation, which had grown much greater in the intervening years, so he decided to cut his losses and fold to the gambler and the Jedi — this time.

As a businessman, Ferrier preferred not to fight if he could at all avoid it. He defined everything in terms of credits, but he didn't take well to threats or others trying to cut into his territory. While he preferred to deal in ships, he also dabbled in other trades when necessary. While watching for ship opportunities or planning for a job, Ferrier took on shipping contracts.

While Ferrier tended to stay out of the galactic struggle, he was known to take on Imperial jobs from time to time. He smuggled contraband from the New Republic into Imperial territory on more than one occasion, and he delivered three Sienar patrol ships to the Empire. The patrol ships were part of his deal with Calrissian for leaving the Republic ships at Sluis Van alone. Calrissian gave him a tip on where the Cavrilhu pirate gang was storing them, and Ferrier and his team did the rest.

Dealing with the Empire, especially with the Grand Admiral himself, does not always go as planned. Ferrier was contracted to locate the precise location of a group of old Rendili StarDrive Dreadnaughts that had attacked Imperial ships over the planet New Cov. The contract gave Ferrier three standard months to deliver. In case Ferrier felt compelled to abandon the assignment and run, his freighter had been equipped with an unbreakable doomsday mechanism set to detonate in exactly three months time. Ferrier was unhappy about the arrangement, but he couldn't directly challenge the might of Grand Admiral Thrawn's armada.

In the course of his search for the Dreadnaughts, Ferrier realized the true nature of the prize he was after. Thrawn wanted nothing less than the Katana fleet. With only a name to go on, a Captain Hoffner, Ferrier decided to go to Lando Calrissian for some more "help." His scam slipped slightly when he revealed Thrawn's name to Calrissian and Han Solo, but two homing beacons he planted on Calrissian's Lady Luck made their cooperation inevitable. The fortune the Empire offered was one prize; taking out the smart-mouthed gambler could be an added bonus.

Ferrier and his gang trailed Calrissian to the Coral Vanda, then he called in Imperial support to make sure Hoffner was going to fall into his hands and not the gambler's. It was a simple matter to find Hoffner and lock him in a suite until after the shooting was done. Although he was not able to eliminate the troublesome Calrissian, he did manage to give the Grand Admiral what he wanted — the location of the legendary Dark Force.

Ferrier became embroiled in a dispute between Talon Karrde and the Empire, and was forced to perform some espionage activities for Grand Admiral Thrawn (on pain of death, naturally). Ferrier orchestrated the ambush on the smuggler meeting on Trogan, which resulted in the death of the Gotal smuggler, Lishma.

Thrawn, angry that his scheme to prevent the formation of a unified smuggler coalition had been snapped by the dull-witted ambush staged by Ferrier, brought the ship-thief to the Chimaera and let him know in no uncertain terms that his rather large debt to the Empire would be paid in full.

Planting some damaging evidence on Talon Karrde during another meeting of smugglers, Ferrier hoped that the smuggling coalition would fall apart — thereby saving his own neck from the wrath of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Unfortunately, a slip of the tongue revealed that Ferrier was the traitor after all, and Karrde was exonerated in the eyes of his fellow smugglers. Ferrier was killed in his efforts to evade the wrath of the socalled "smugglers' Alliance."