Alexsandr Badure

Alexsandr Badure, a male Human, had a lengthy career in the military and was a highly skilled pilot. His military service began during the final years of the Galactic Republic, and he saw action in conflicts such as the Twi'lek Spice Conflict, the Corellian Territories Engagements, and the Outer Rim Wars. While serving in the Republic Military, he began his tenure as an instructor at the esteemed Academy of Carida, before becoming a line officer following the rise of the Galactic Empire. Badure received numerous commendations during his time in the Imperial Navy. However, he eventually faced repercussions for operating an illicit gambling ring on his flagship, which led to his permanent reassignment as a flight instructor at Carida. Among the young pilots he trained was a Corellian by the name of Han Solo, a gifted and audacious individual whom Badure taught almost everything he knew about flying. Badure gave Solo the nickname "Slick" after Solo miraculously landed a malfunctioning U-33 orbital loadlifter with Badure and his entire class aboard. In return, Solo referred to Badure as "Trooper."

Badure ultimately chose to leave the Imperial service in order to pursue his own path across the wide galaxy, accumulating and squandering several fortunes over the subsequent years. Badure and Solo maintained their friendship and crossed paths again after Solo and his Wookiee partner Chewbacca entered the smuggling trade. On one occasion, Badure saved the lives of both Solo and Chewbacca during a failed Kessel spice run, earning him a life debt from the pair. In the years that followed, Badure experienced financial difficulties and eventually found himself in the Tion Hegemony, where he took on contract work at a mining camp on the underdeveloped planet of Dellalt. Amidst the harsh and dangerous conditions of the camp, Badure formed a bond with two young Human sisters, Lanni and Hasti Troujow, and the three began to support each other.

Life on Dellalt was far from ideal, but after some time, they stumbled upon what they believed to be a promising lead towards a significant score. Dellalt was the location of the treasure vaults belonging to the ancient galactic tyrant known as Xim the Despot, and it was intended as the final destination for Xim's legendary treasure ship, the Queen of Ranroon. According to legend, the Queen of Ranroon vanished after the decisive Third Battle of Vontor and became a popular legend. However, during a brief work assignment, Lanni Troujow discovered an ancient log-recorder bearing the name of the Queen of Ranroon, which they hoped would lead them to the location of the long-lost treasure. Lanni placed the log-recorder within Xim's vaults, but shortly afterward, she was killed by a local criminal named J'uoch, who was also seeking the log-recorder. With one of the sisters gone, Badure and Hasti left Dellalt behind, hoping to find assistance in their quest to locate the treasure. They saw the Queen of Ranroon as their ticket to a new life—Troujow intended to use her share to purchase her childhood home and settle there with Badure, caring for her father figure as he grew older.

By 2 BBY, Badure and Troujow's search had led them to the planet Rudrig, where Badure found what he needed to finally pursue the Queen of Ranroon. At the prestigious University of Rudrig, Badure connected with S. V. Skynx, a Ruurian scholar specializing in pre-Republic history and languages, who was eager to help solve the mystery of the ancient vessel. Then, while searching for a capable ship and a trustworthy pilot, "Trooper" encountered an old acquaintance: "Slick" himself, Han Solo, who along with Chewbacca had continued a moderately successful smuggling career that had brought him to the Tion Cluster. Recognizing Solo and Chewbacca's skills, Badure sought to call in the favor he had earned during the Kessel Run years prior, asking the smugglers to assist them in their search for the Queen of Ranroon in exchange for a share of any treasure they might find. Although Solo initially declined the offer, Chewbacca valued a life debt above all else and convinced the Corellian to join them. The newly-formed crew nearly failed to leave Rudrow—an attack by a group of assassins required Solo to perform some impressive groundcoach driving to escape, and Badure took a stun bolt in the process—but they managed to reach Solo's Millennium Falcon and set course for Dellalt with Skynx.

However, before they could retrieve the log-recorder, Badure and his crew were attacked by J'uoch and her gang, who were also after the ancient treasure. Badure and Troujow protected each other during the ensuing battle, as the Falcon's crew quickly found themselves outnumbered before escaping into the wilderness surrounding the local settlement. There, they witnessed J'uoch and her men stealing the Falcon, forcing them—along with Solo's droids Bollux and Blue Max—to continue on foot. The subsequent journey through the Dellalt mountains lasted weeks, and the group faced several dangerous situations, including navigating a complex rivalry within the aquatic Swimming People of Dellalt. After an exhausting trek, they eventually stumbled upon what appeared to be a hidden landing field deep within the mountains—however, upon closer inspection, they discovered that the ships parked there were fake and were soon overcome by an unusual phenomenon that rendered them all unconscious. They awoke inside a vast network of underground tunnels and chambers and realized that they had been gassed by a group known as the Survivors, primitive, inbred descendants of Xim's honor guard. Although the Survivors intended to sacrifice Badure and his group, they managed to escape through misdirection, using Bollux and Blue Max to distract the Survivors as they made their escape. Badure returned to retrieve their confiscated weapons and nearly lost his life, but with Chewbacca's help, he succeeded, and the group escaped relatively unharmed.

Reasoning that the presence of the Survivors indicated that they were close to the treasure's location, they pressed on, eventually encountering a surprising sight in the hills beneath J'uoch's mining camp: a thousand fully operational war-robots from Xim's ancient and renowned Guardian Corps, the same "thousand guardians" that were said to have accompanied the Queen of Ranroon on its final voyage. They arrived just in time to see a man Troujow recognized as the assistant steward of Xim's treasure vaults command the droids to attack J'uoch's camp, forcing Badure's team to make a desperate push through the ensuing firefight in order to board the Millennium Falcon in time. Badure charged into the battle with a blaster pistol in each hand—"Trooper" was nearby when Troujow threw J'uoch off a bridge to her death and prevented his friend from following the criminal over. Badure's group ultimately reached the Falcon and escaped with the help of a skilled gunman named Gallandro, who had followed Solo to Dellalt to settle an old score.

Despite their adversarial history, Gallandro offered to help them secure the treasure, which the group believed was located deep within the same ancient vaults they had already visited. As the heist began, Badure and Troujow guarded the entrance while Solo and Gallandro searched inside. They eventually followed after to find Gallandro dead—the vengeful gunman had challenged Solo to a duel within the vaults, only to be vaporized by the complex's ancient security system. Together, the group delved deeper to find the hidden rooms containing the treasure, but were disappointed to discover that the Queen of Ranroon contained war materiel rather than gold or jewels: items such as kiirium ingots that, while commonplace in the present day, were incredibly valuable in Xim's time. While Solo and Chewbacca, hoping for a substantial reward, were disheartened, the rest of the crew was less so. Skynx was thrilled by the academic significance of such a find and immediately hired Badure, Troujow, and the two droids to help him sift through the site, a task he anticipated would take years. From there, they parted ways with Solo and Chewbacca, as Badure remained on Dellalt to pursue his new life's work.

By 2 BBY, "Trooper" Badure was a large, physically imposing man, standing taller than his old friend Han Solo. He had begun to develop a paunch, and his hair had started to turn white, but he still possessed much of the considerable physical strength of his youth. Known for his generosity and openhandedness towards his friends, Badure formed close relationships with Han Solo and Chewbacca, as well as the Troujow sisters on Dellalt. Badure was protective of the Troujows, having looked after the sisters on Dellalt, and Hasti reciprocated the sentiment, planning to care for Badure as he aged.

Badure also held Solo in high regard, dating back to their days at the academy, drawn to the man's confident attitude and exceptional piloting skills, although he was sometimes frustrated by Solo's lack of responsibility. Despite experiencing considerable hardship in his later years, Badure maintained his jovial and friendly demeanor, also forming a bond with Skynx during their journey to Dellalt, as well as with the droids Bollux and Blue Max. Although past his physical prime during the hunt for the Queen of Ranroon, Badure was still quite capable, able to contend with younger men in hand-to-hand combat and retaining a good aim with a blaster. However, he was sometimes reluctant to kill—after years in the Imperial military, he developed a dislike for unnecessary loss of life.

Alexsandr Badure made his first appearance in Han Solo and the Lost Legacy, a novel written by Brian Daley and published in 1980.