A Thesis by Deq Johanna,
Mrisst Academy of Mythology and Folklore

"He is neither Weequay, nor man. He is something else, something horribly different."
-Testimony given by a Weequay Shaman

Boba Fett. Zuckuss and 4-Lom. Aurra Sing. Names that carry a large amount of fame and notoriety. In this universe such names are tossed about with casual familiarity that brings iconic figures to the front of the mind.
Then there are the other names. The names that are whispered in dark alleys and back rooms far away from the innocent ears of the rest of the universe. Names that bring with them, not ideas of fame or images of adventurous rogues, but rather fear and dread.This is where you will hear the name Terminus whispered.

The mythology that surrounds this figure can be traced back to records predating the Empire by some 40-50 years. As many of the earliest records were "word-of-mouth" accounts, their accuracy cannot be completely verified. However, some evidence exists to suggest that the claims are valid.

Despite the evidence in regards to bounties and sightings, when it comes to the origins of Terminus, we must rely heavily on Weequay folklore. No official records exist and any attempt to retrieve factual information by various scholars has always resulted in failure. Keeping this in mind, the Legend of Terminus the Hunter is no less astounding and unusual, and, if true, no less unsettling.

ORIGIN

According to Weequay folklore, close to a century ago on the Weequay home planet of Sriluur, a child was born of half-human, half-weequay origin. The circumstances surrounding the birth are blurred, but folklore has it that the childs face disgusted his father, a reputable clan warrior. In a fit of rage the father lashed out a the child, horribly scarring his face. The mother saved the child however, and fled the planet and the warriors violent wrath.

At this point, accounts vary as to what happened next. Some claim that the woman was hunted down and killed by the Weequay, her child barely escaping on his own. Others recall the child being passed off to a grandmother in the Mid-Rim. A version also exists that has the young child sold into slavery, winding up as the first mate on a pirate's freighter. Regardless of what version you encounter, they all are similar in the fact that this is where the story of the young scarred child ceases. These "lost years" of Terminus one can only speculate on. Did he go into seclusion? Did he continue to work as a first mate on a pirate freighter? No one seems to have any idea.

FIRST SIGHTING

The Seloric Sector is located deep in the Outer Rim territories. In this one will find the Laxor System. The system has one yellow sun and 3 planets. Only one of these planets are habitable-Fenna. Fenna is a harsh world, full of mountainous regions and typically hot climates. It is this world that is home to hundreds of Weequay clans.
Records indicate that during the times of the Old Republic dozens of Weequay ships struck out from Sriluur, on a scouting expedition headed by a mining corporation. Their destination was the planet Fenna. Years passed and, after several uprisings the planet was left to the Weequays,with the mining company going out of business.
It was roughly 40 odd years before the Empire was born that another power hungry creature of evil began to grind subjects under his bootheel. Tor Mass was the head Chieftain of his Weequay clan. Claiming to have visions involving Quay (the Weequay God), Tor mustered his best warriors and with the alliance of several other clans, began to raid and decimate every other clan on Fenna.
Weeks began to drag into months with Tor's fores growing in power. The Chieftains of the remaining clans met in hopes to reach a strategic decision on how best to handle Tor and his forces of evil.
Word was sent on the next outbound freighter that the remaining weequay clans were offering what meager resources they had for any assistance that could be offered.

No one came.

Months passed and the remaining clans had consolidated into one lone outpost. As Tor's forces mounted the Southern Ridge to camp for the night, the remaining clans settled down to pray and prepare for what would surely be the last night they would be alive.
Dawn brought a new day and throughout the outpost Weequay man woman and child prepared to meet their God Quay. However, instead of rampaging hoardes, a lone Bantha strolled lazily from the Southern Ridge.
Was it some sort of trick? Perhaps a truce? The weequays watched with anticipation as the creature drew near. Warriors raced from the outpost to great the beast. As the chieftains made their way through the throng that had collected, they gasped in shock.
Strapped to the creature was the body of Tor. Slits had been cut in his flesh and various insects had been shoved into the openings. By the time Tor had reached the outpost he had been eaten from the inside out.
Warriors from the outpost made their way to Tor's Southern camp and found a nightmare. Bodies littered the camp, some dead, some crippled. Stragglers were found milling about and were offered amnesty for alliegence. Some claim that they had never seen such carnage as what befell Tor's forces that night.
Reports taken from the survivors vary. Some claim that the angry god Quay had shown up and rained fire down upon them. Others say that one lone warrior danced throughout the encampment dealing out death and carnage. Others claim the being had the ability to "read" the Weequay speech...which utilizes pheromones, yet they could not read his. And still others hold that when they awoke they were surrounded by corpses.

The most disturbing account came from a grizzled older weequay. He claimed that he shared a fire with a warrior clad in an unusual mishmash of armor.Assuming the warrior was from a brethren clan, the man offered him some drink to warm his bones. The warrior said very little to the man, but retold of his first combat, where he, as a child, protected his face from his fathers slashing wounds. The man, chilled by this story, excused himself and wished the warrior victory in his battles. That man woke in the night to see that armor clad warrior moving through his tent. He thought nothing more and went back to sleep. A little while later he awoke coated in blood. Over twenty weequay corpses lay about him, bleeding into the ground.

Terminus the Savior

It is understandable why Terminus received the reputation he did from the above incident. Weequays who remember the scandal involving the half human/half Weequay child immediately put two and two together. Rumor and speculation spread like fire throughout the Outer Rim. Offers for Terminus' services began to make the rounds throughout mercenary circles and the underworld. Many speculated that his mixed origins imparted on him special abilites not available to standard weequays.
Despite efforts to locate Terminus however, he remained "off of the radar" as it were, and was just as quickly forgotten.

That is until the incident involving the Corellian pleasure yacht "Starchild".
According to official reports predating the Empire by fifteen years, the "Starchild" was on a luxury cruise throughout the Mid-Rim. It's passengers were several generations of a wealthy and astute Corellian family who were on their bi-yearly cruise.
It was during this trip that pirates attacked the "Starchild". As the crew were ruthlessly slaughtered, a gang of Weequay pirates closed with and engaged in battle with the remaining men on the ship. It was during this combat that a armored figure emerged from the airlock and began to ruthlessly slaughter the pirates with his forcepike.
The pirates attempted to fight back but the warriors skill was unmatched and he leveled the last pirate only minutes after initially entering the ship. Several Corellians had died in the combat, however, thanks to the intervention of the warrior no children or women had been injured.
According to several eye witnesses, the warrior said very little, merely that he would recalibrate the ships nav computer to take the family to the nearest spaceport. A young child asked the warrior his name, and, after a long silence he responded "Terminus."
This young child turned out to be Vana Cronos, the famed Corellian historian. It was Vana who raced to her cabin and quickly sketched out a rough picture of the Starchilds savior.

Image of Terminus-Vana Cronos

If one were to look, they would notice that Vana's interpretation shows Termninus sporting the Corellian bloodstripe. This is in regards to a little known secret about the Starchild occurance. Many have speculated for years that Terminus had taken the article of clothing from a dead bounty, or that the article of clothing wasnt genuine. Both are far from the truth.
It would seem that the Corellian Bloodstripe worn by Terminus was a gift bestowed upon him by the widow of a famous Corellian soldier who happened to be on the Starchild when it was attacked. Due to his old age the soldier was killed in the first wave of attacks, however, because of Terminus' intervention, the soldiers wife and granddaughter survived.
In a show of gratitude, the widow honored Terminus with her husbands Corellian bloodstripe, citing that "a warrior should wear a warriors colors." While he took no other show of appreciation from the crew, he did accept the bloodstripe,and left as quickly as he came.

Apparently, when young Vana sketched out her above hero, she included the bloodstripe as part of his ensemble.

DRY SPELLS

It is at this point that the reader will notice the complete randomness of the Terminus appearances. This has given rise to many theories, such as:

A billionaire industrialist finances the "Terminus Project". The project involves recruiting top of the line mercenaries to moonlight as the fabled hunter. It is this billionaire's attempt to do some good with his money.
Terminus is really a high-end assassin droid prototype manufactured by an unknown alien race.
The mantel of Terminus is handed down from one generation to another, and whenever the previous Terminus dies or is killed, the mantle is passed on, with all records of the previous Terminus being destroyed.
There is actually a assassin duo that has identical armor. They travel around the galaxy spreading the rumor so that they can get more credits when one of them shows up claiming to be Terminus.
Terminus is real. He has an extended life span due to his weequay human genetics, thus accounting for the large span of time between sightings. This rumor also holds that most of the time he wears ubese raider armor and only breaks out the Terminus armor on the anniversary of his Mothers death, spending an entire week avenging Weequay wrongdoings.
And finally the rumor persists that Terminus is actually various beings, unrelated, who use the myth to strike fear and intimidate potential targets.

While some of these theories seem impossible, others seem very plausible. Should Terminus actually be a moonlighting bounty hunter in disguise, it wouldn't be the first time this tactic has been used to great effect. One only need look at the Boba Fett/Jodo Kast incident as proof.

Terminus: Freelancer

After another layoff records indicate the Terminus returned in a rather uncharacteristic capacity. This time it was as the retainer of one Danga the Hutt. Interviews with some of Danga former employees reveal little, other than a mysterious armored warrior would sometimes be stationed in or near Danga's palace.
While this could have been any henchman, several similarities point to Terminus. The constant Weequay top-knot that always seems to be integrated into the helmet. The red visor eye-plate. His appreciation of bladed weapons..vibroblades and force pikes specifically.And finally a hint of the Corellian Bloodstripe, now painted directly onto his armor. After much review a composite image has been manufactured as to how Terminus looked during this period.

One can look at this armor and see a distinct change. Could this perhaps be a physical manifestation of a psychological change? Up until this point Terminus had only appeared briefly, never outwardly taking jobs and working to assist those in need.
This new Terminus seemed to be leaning towards "muscle-for-hire". His agreeing to be on the retainer of a well known hutt is quite unlike the actions of the early Terminus, who cherished his anonymity.
If records are accurate (and our research indicates that they are), Terminus would at this point be 63 standard years old. Perhaps the Terminus we see during this period is a grizzled veteran of many battles who finally realizes that the ability to kill and injure others is the only marketable skill he has. While that is for the psychologists to determine, it does make for an interesting, if not sad possibility. Sad in regards to think that, now, after all of the internal battles he has fought, this warrior settles on being the errand boy for a hutt.
Of course,if you believe some of the rumors, perhaps this is the next individual to pick up the Terminus mantle. A young warrior who craves recognition and monetary gain more than moral fulfillment. By observing this Terminus' brash and elaborate actions, one could make a valid argument that this is the case.

Two other notable changes occur during this period. The first is Terminus ' use of energy weapons. One can see in the included graphic an early laser gauntlet on his left arm. Up until this point Terminus only used bladed weapons, this new inclusion is a distinct variance from his normal operating procedure.
It is also at this time that Terminus actually registered a starship with BOSS. In the past it was assumed that he either paid for passage or had an unregistered ship. By registering this new vessel it is almost as if Terminus is advertising his presence to the galaxy for the first time. The new vessel is a modified YU-410 Light Freighter, christened "The Spirit of Quay". It was a few short years after this that Terminus turned in bounties on two notorious criminals, Galandroz the Pirate and Berzerk Tonda. Records are fuzzy surrounding the transaction, with all participants deceased.
Two years then pass with no activity, and then rumors abound in the corporate sector that Terminus was killed in a violent starship battle in the Corporate Sector. Again, this can not be verified due to lack of evidence.

(Click above for RPG Stats)

Terminus:The Hero?

Almost a quarter of a decade passed. An entire generation of Weequay who had never heard of Terminus and who grew up thinking he was a myth were soon to learn otherwise.
Terminus, as so many times before emerged from his exile, but this time he wasnt the lone warrior so many had come to hear about. Reports began to flow in from various parts of the galaxy: Terminus was back and this time he brought friends with him.

The first reports were from the gas producing planet of Kadon. Terminus and a large cat creature prevented a possibly disastrous explosion from occurring deep within the planets core.

Just a week later Terminus is seen, again with his companion, eradicating a violent swoop gang from the Bith planet of Clak'dor VII. Weequays who were actually apprehended by the hunter recall him using a modified light repeating blaster as his primary weapon. One weequay recalls that he referred to Terminus as a fraud,due to the hunters broken weequay dialect. The hunter answered with a sharp backhand and in clear weequay, "is that proof enough for you?"
It is with great pride that we now show you a holovid capture of Terminus bringing in a Houk. The circumstances behind the footage are unknown, but clearly show some of the Terminus trademarks, such as the top knot.

The appearances didnt stop there either. Over the course of several months Terminus would continue to show up, often with several individuals. Reports vary, but eyewitness accounts put him with at least 4 other individuals, one of which is the unknown cat, and the other, a human male. Both are rumored to favor some sort of energy sword during battle (some say the weapon is a lightsaber but one must write this off as gross speculation.)

While no one was able to verify the history of Terminus or get him to comply to an interview, this is without a doubt the most visible he had ever been. Brandishing a light repeating blaster that dishes out violent carnage and wearing what appeared to be yet again modified armor, this warrior seemed intent on eradicating the unlawful from the universe..again. That is until a man named Trevis Lorne was found dead on Ord Mantell.

Terminus: Criminal?

I seemed that the mystery surrounding Terminus would continue. Shortly after his return Terminus was charged with the murder of a security specialist on the planet of Ord Mantell. Trevis Lorne was last reported alive talking to Terminus in an alley with the unknown cat creature. Passerbys then claimed that Terminus shot the man as he turned to walk away.
If this account is true, then it shows us a much darker side to the warrior than we had previously seen. Terminus dropped from the radar for about 6 months this time but when he returned it was under the MOST unusual of circumstances.

Terminus: The Legend?

There is little to do on the desert planet of Tatooine. This is the reason most inhabitants stay inside and drink. Six months after Terminus murdered Trevis Lorne he was seen again on Tatooine.
Eyewitnesses claim that a large armored Trianni named Din Lather had entered Chalumun's cantina near the center of town. The large cat creature was loud and unruly, causing a general disturbance.
At this point Terminus entered and informed Lather that he was being taken in. Lather balked at the hunter. Terminus coldly raised his light repeating blaster and sent a bolt directly into the Triannis chest.
This one occurrance raises many questions. Was Lather the Trianni that Terminus had previously been seen with? If so, why did Lather not have his laser sword to defend himself? And what had transpired between the two to cause Terminus to gun Lather down in public? All of these questions become moot however, when one realizes that at the same time of this incident reports exist that put Terminus in the Elrood Sector at the exact same time.

Summary

The legend of Terminus the Hunter is a long and curious one. Spanning over almost a century, what or who this hunter is may never be known. Perhaps there are others brandishing the facade of the hunter to further their own careers. Perhaps Terminus is truly a half-man half-weequay seeking vengeance. No matter the case, until there are more answers than questions, this elusive hunter may remain one of the most popular myths in the known universe.

Terminus Timeline

Below is the timeline showing events/sightings involving Terminus the Hunter. (BE stands for "Battle of Endor", and will be used as the standard reference point in measuring time.)

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-(96 Years Prior to BE): Birth of Termius(?)
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-(73 Years Prior to BE): Fenna Massacre. (First Appearance.)
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-(52 Years Prior to BE): Starchild Incident
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-(33 Years Prior to BE): Records from the Palace of Danga the Hutt show a "Terminus" listed as a retainer.
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-(29 Years prior to BE): Imperial records show a Terminus the Hunter being issued an Imperial Bounty Hunting Permit. Also registers a ship to BOSS: "The Spirit of Quay".
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-(27 Years prior to BE): Terminus the Hunter turns in several bounties in the Outer Rim territories.
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-(24 Years prior to BE): Terminus turns in bounties on Galandroz the Pirate and Berzerk Tonda, both bounties averaging 300,000 credits)
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-( 23 Years Prior to BE): Rumors abound that Terminus was killed in a violent explosion in the corporate sector. Rumor suggests that his ship, "The Spirit of Quay" was led into a trap and gunned down
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-(5 Months prior to BE): Terminus and an unidentified cat creature prevent a cataclysmic explosion on the planet Kadon.
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-(4.5 Months prior to BE): Terminus and an unidentified cat creature shut down a swoop gang/pirate operation on the planet of Clac'dor VII. Several Weequays are eyewitness to the event.
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-(4 Months Prior to BE): Terminus contacts Kud'ar Mub'at informing the assembler he is available for jobs.
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-(2 Months Prior to BE): Terminus is spotted on security footage from a luxury liner engaging in battle with Krish Assassins. He is fighting alongside several unidentified individuals.
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-(BE+2 Months): Terminus is charged with the murder of Trevis Lorne, a freelance security specialist.
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-(BE+8 Months): Terminus is seen on the desert planet of Tatooine. Eyewitness accounts show him entering Chalumun's Cantina and gunning down a Trianni crate buster named Din Lather.
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-(BE+8 Months): Terminus is spotted in the Elrood Sector tracking down a Weequay by the name of Rug'kka. Rumors persist that he followed the Weequay into the Kuras System. Reports end at this point.

Write up by Bob Rodgers