Beilert Valance

Beilert Valance, designated Cadet 404-913, was a human male who served alongside Han Solo as a cadet for the Galactic Empire at Carida Academy. Although Valance eventually did become an Imperial Officer, he left the Empire at some point, and became a Bounty Hunter.

Legends
Beilert Valance, also known as Valance the Hunter, was a former Human male Imperial stormtrooper non-commissioned officer who, after a crippling injury in combat, was rebuilt as a cyborg and, after leaving the Stormtrooper Corps, went into business for himself as a bounty hunter. His hatred of droids, and his own half-mechanical nature, was incensed when he chanced upon information of an unidentified Human who befriended droids. In his search for this boy, his path crossed with that of the former Star-Hoppers of Aduba-3, until finally locating Luke Skywalker and his droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. Rather than ending in a fatal firefight, their confrontation actually caused a change of heart in Valance, driving him to protect Skywalker from the Empire in hopes that one day the Rebels might create a society that had room for cyborgs like himself. His new mission brought him into conflict with Darth Vader, and he was ready to sacrifice himself on Centares, falling into the corrosive waters of Rubyflame Lake while trying to prevent Vader from learning Skywalker's identity.

Years later, Valance's robotic body was extracted from Rubyflame lake by a group of scavengers. Reactivated, the cyborg hunter embarked on a search for the fabled Great Life Jewels, which were rumored to have the ability to make him fully Human again. His hatred for droids gone after his meeting with Skywalker and C-3PO, Valance was accompanied in his quest by a droid companion named FR-D 8T-KA. Valance's search led him to a drifting Imperial Star Destroyer in the Unknown Regions. There, he once again encountered Skywalker and his allies, who were trying to stop Domina Tagge from using the power of the Jewels to unleash a devastating pandemic upon the galaxy. During the skirmish aboard the Star Destroyer, FR-D 8T-KA sacrificed his life to resuscitate the dying Valance. Moved by that sacrifice and now fully believing in Skywalker's vision of the galaxy where droids and organics could co-exist peacefully, Valance sacrificed his own life, taking the stones away from Domina Tagge and jumping into open space, into the gravity pull of a nearby sun. In his final moments, the power of the Jewels returned him his Human form, as he died smiling in the vacuum of space.

Canon
Beilert Valance born into slavery on Chorin, Valance became a miner like his father before him. He later left his homeworld and joined the Galactic Empire, who gave him the designation of Cadet 404-913.

Valance served alongside Han Solo as a cadet at Carida Academy, the Imperial Naval Academy on the planet Carida. He was involved in at least two altercations with Solo, and both ended up crashing during an exercise due to their conflict. While covering bombers during a battle on Qhulosk, Valance was shot down, leaving him with several permanent injuries. After being rescued by his fellow cadets, Valance enlisted for the infantry and was deployed to Mimban, where he was severely injured in the ensuing battle. The Empire repaired Valance's body with extensive cybernetics, but he was discharged from service. Valance turned to becoming a bounty hunter after failing to protect his homeworld from raiders, but eventually broke the Bounty Hunter Code by stealing bounties from other hunters.

During the Galactic Civil War, Hidden Hand crime syndicate hired Valance to hunt down Darth Vader. Leading the team of bounty hunters, which included Dengar, Chio Fain, Honnah, and Urrr'k, Valance eventually faced Vader on Heva, but most of his team was killed by Vader, and the cyborg himself was betrayed by Dengar. After capturing him, Vader offered to leave the bounty hunter alive if he worked with the Empire to destroy the Hidden Hand. Valance, however, made a deal with a group of Rebel Alliance operatives. After leading the Empire to the base of the Hidden Hand, Valance escaped, using his payment for the initial job to purchase weapons for the Rebellion, in exchange for the rebels rescuing his people from Chorin.