Rondale Merced and Vance Caelli made their nephew Pret Swain (pictured) a full partner of their company, the Caelli-Merced Syndicate.
Rondale Merced, also known as Lee Merced, was an infamous smuggler and weapons dealer who was a prominent member of the Black Bha'lir, an organization of smugglers and pirates that was based in the Outer Rim Territories' Socorro and Omman Minor systems. They and their fellow Black Bha'lir member Vance Caelli were uncles of Pret Swain, a young man from the Core Worlds planet Alderaan.
At some point by the time of the Galactic Civil War, Merced and Caelli founded the highly profitable corporation known as the Caelli-Merced Syndicate. The company was based on the planet Socorro and manufactured illegal weapons—with it being the only weapons manufacturing enterprise on Socorro—as well as ground vehicles and upgrade components for starships.
At the time of the destruction of Alderaan by the Galactic Empire in 0 BBY, Swain was visiting with his uncles on Socorro. When news of the event reached the planet, Merced and Caelli offered the devastated Alderaanian, who had nowhere to turn, to become a full partner of the Caelli-Merced Syndicate and help run the company—an offer that Swain accepted. At one point, Merced and Caelli both disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving Swain as the sole leader of the corporation and rendering him relatively paranoid.
Similarly to their partner Vance Caelli and nephew Pret Swain, Rondale Merced had a smooth and amiable personality.
Rondale Merced was introduced in The Black Sands of Socorro, a 1997 sourcebook authored by Patricia A. Jackson for use with West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game.
- The Black Sands of Socorro