Dharus

Dharus, a male of a species that remained largely obscure, operated as a pirate during the Galactic Civil War. Prior to 0 BBY, he became a privateer in service of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a partnership born out of the Alliance's willingness to collaborate with independent pirates for mutual gain. Dharus received a letter of marque that outlined the terms of their agreement. Adhering to Alliance protocols, a designated Alliance observer was assigned to his starship to act as a liaison and ensure compliance with the established terms. As stipulated in the letter, Dharus maintained his status as an independent partner rather than a formal member of the Alliance, thereby precluding the observer from issuing direct orders to him or his crew.

The crew of Dharus mistreated their assigned observer, leading to the observer's request to Alliance High Command for reassignment. A similar scenario unfolded with the replacement observer, as well as the third observer appointed to Dharus. The Alliance, taking notice of these recurring issues, launched multiple investigations into Dharus' activities but found no grounds to revoke his letter of marque. Dharus' fourth observer, Moris Malvarra, also sought a transfer before completing one-third of his designated tour time. However, Alliance Commander Ral'Rai Muvunc denied Malvarra's request, citing insufficient justification and assuring him that he would not be held accountable for Dharus' alleged reprehensible actions.

Dharus conducted his raids within Imperial territory, specifically targeting the Leisure Corridor, a hyperlane frequented by trade and tourism that stretched from Coruscant in the Core Worlds to Ebiwaan in the Sarin sector of the Outer Rim Territories. This region was heavily guarded by the Empire, including numerous patrol ships. Dharus relied on intelligence provided by the Alliance to carefully select his targets and evade potential ambushes. In exchange for this invaluable support, Dharus committed not only to attacking targets approved by the Alliance but also to capturing prisoners and hostages deemed important to the Alliance. Dharus was also known to capture, or to feign the capture of, Imperial citizens seeking to defect. As a Rebel privateer, Dharus shared the spoils of his raids with the Alliance, abiding by the conditions stipulated in his letter of marque.

Dharus rose to prominence as a privateer, gaining notoriety in certain circles. The Empire, accusing him of numerous raids on their vessels, placed a bounty of 40,000 credits on his head. The Alliance also capitalized on Dharus' exploits for propaganda purposes, using his actions to embarrass the Empire. Around 0 BBY, the independent bounty hunter Zardra pursued Dharus' bounty. Zardra positioned herself aboard the Culroon Minstrel, a Jesoni-class liner that appeared to be an easy target for Dharus. The Alliance failed to identify Zardra as a threat, as she was not an Imperial agent and masqueraded as an Imperial noble. Dharus and his crew fell into Zardra's trap, boarding the Minstrel, where the bounty hunter swiftly subdued the crew and captured Dharus. Zardra then delivered her prisoner to the Empire in exchange for the promised reward. The encounter between Zardra and Dharus brought fame to the Minstrel, transforming it into a popular cruiser among thrill-seeking dilettantes.

Given Dharus' importance to the Alliance, a Rebel team launched a covert operation to rescue the privateer. Catching the Empire off guard, they successfully freed Dharus six months after his capture, before he could even be brought to trial. Humiliated by this turn of events, the Empire increased the bounty on Dharus to 90,000 credits.

Dharus expanded his operations to the Parmel, Sarin, and Portmoak sectors, while still maintaining his initial base of operations in the Leisure Corridor. Initially, it was believed that the privateer operating in Parmel and Sarin was an imposter, not Dharus himself.

It was at this time that Dharus assembled a group of ninety-six sentients under his leadership, formally known as Dharus' Buccaneers. He commanded a three-ship fleet composed of two heavily modified SoroSuub Corsair-class cruisers, the Red Lancer and the Blue Queen, along with a CEC DP20 frigate, the Dark Revenge, which featured several illegal modifications. While the Red Lancer and the Blue Queen boasted enhanced weaponry, Dharus had to compromise on cargo capacity, speed, crew comfort, and security measures in the navigation computer. However, he was actively exploring the design of custom hyperdrive sleds to address this latter issue.

Each cruiser was manned by a crew of two, plus one gunner, while the frigate required forty-five crew members and forty-six gunners. Dharus' leadership skills quickly forged a loyal and cohesive multi-ship crew that functioned as a well-coordinated team. Typically, the cruisers would lie in wait near a hyperspace exit point, posing a threat to any ship that emerged. If the targeted ship jettisoned its cargo, the privateers would collect it; otherwise, the cruiser would employ ion cannons to disable the ship, allowing the frigate's crew to breach the airlock and board it. Despite his ruthlessness, Dharus was not gratuitously violent and maintained a relatively low violence rate for a pirate.

Dharus was known to personally pilot his flagship against waves of Imperial TIE fighters. He also achieved victory over an Imperial Star Galleon-class frigate before 2 ABY. Around this time, his cruisers were sighted in the Quence sector, near Elshandruu Pica. In response to this increased activity, the Empire expanded the list of charges against Dharus, adding treason, conspiracy, escape and flight, aggression, and illegal operation of starfighters to his existing crimes of piracy and theft.

As an active criminal, Dharus used Cynabar's Droid Datalog to express his fondness for Medtech FX medical droids. A user named Cormun identified Dharus and responded to his post, revealing his identity as a pirate, his areas of operation, and the potential profits smugglers could gain by selling him expensive parts for his FX droids.

Later, Cormun posted about the Cybot Galactica CLL-8 binary load lifter droid on the same datalog, expressing his desire for a combat modification package that would enable the droid to fight customs security forces. After reading this post at Elshandruu Pica, Dharus countered that a CLL-8 would require high-damage weapons to effectively engage armored Imperial customs troops, but the droid's limited intelligence would likely result in damage to the ship's hull, endangering everyone nearby. Therefore, the pirate concluded that arming such a droid was a foolish idea.

Sometime before 3 ABY, while at Elshandruu Pica, Dharus won the Short Hauler Nova Whisper from a Corellian commodities shipper named Tev Driscull. Dharus subsequently enhanced the ship's weaponry and added sensor stealth devices. However, a few months later, the Nova Whisper was seized by agents of the Corellian Security Force.

Following this incident, Dharus eventually retired from his life of piracy. However, in 19 ABY, he was called back into service by the species known as the Nhoras. The Nhoras were embroiled in a centuries-long conflict with another species, the Clatears. With the New Republic galactic government preoccupied with other matters, the Nhoras and Clatears resumed their hostilities. As the Nhoras were less militaristic than the Clatears, they opted to hire mercenaries, offering Dharus the substantial sum of 30,000 credits per day to lead their army. Dharus accepted the offer and took command of the Dhashaan Shield mercenary group, tasked with protecting the Nhora systems. He also assumed responsibility for the Nhoras' logistics and strategic planning.

Dharus belonged to an anthropomorphic species characterized by the absence of visible ears and a flat nose. He also possessed a prominent brow ridge. His features included bright red eyes, orange-brown skin, and long brown hair styled in a twin braid that extended both behind and in front of his neck, a style he referred to as a "ceremonial braid." Dharus favored brightly colored tunics, but consistently paired them with black pants and short utility boots.

A tall and physically fit sentient, Dharus was known for being boisterous, jovial, and pleasure-loving. He harbored a deep dislike for the Empire, which only intensified after his capture. He chose to offer his services to the Alliance as a means to not only raid Imperial ships but also to mock his victims.

Renowned as a skilled fighter, both unarmed and with blasters, Dharus was rarely seen without his preferred weapons: a hold-out blaster, a vibroblade, and a Caliban Model X heavy blaster pistol. He also carried comlinks, datapads, and medpacs. A devoted fan of the Borallis Metalworking & Materials PCW-880 fusioncutter, he relished using this tool to breach the airlocks of ships he intended to board. He also had an affinity for the FX-series of medical droids, particularly the FX-7 medical assistant droid, despite its obsolescence compared to newer models.

Dharus was initially introduced in Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim (1993), a supplement for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, published by West End Games and authored by Simon Smith and Eric Trautmann. The book featured an illustration of Dharus by Mike Vilardi. In 1997, Dharus was mentioned in four additional role-playing books by West End Games, as well as in Specter of the Past, a novel penned by Timothy Zahn. Scum and Villainy, a 2008 sourcebook for the Saga Edition of the Roleplaying Game, includes Dharus as an example character for the "master privateer" class.

Both Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim and Pirates & Privateers explicitly state that Dharus' species is "unknown." Based on his RPG statistics, Dharus is a highly skilled pilot specializing in capital ships. He possesses a commanding presence over his crew and can effectively intimidate those outside his command. He is also a proficient negotiator and gambler, with extensive knowledge of star systems and alien species. While Dharus attempted to design hyperdrive sleds for his crew, his technical abilities are limited.