Dutra Zeneta, a male Jin hailing from the Zchtek worlds, threw his lot in with the burgeoning resistance movement, which later became known as the Alliance to Restore the Republic. This decision was made shortly after the Galactic Empire oppressed his planet of origin. As a distinguished and exceptionally skilled commando and infiltrator, Zeneta took part in some of the Alliance's most treacherous operations, such as the Vidicx and Loac Campaigns. He also held a position within the esteemed Scandium Team, where he commanded Unit Theta. Zeneta was one of only six Scandium Team members to survive the Wellte-ir Massacre. As a consequence of the conflict, in which fifteen out of the twenty-one deployed operatives perished, Zeneta was plagued by persistent night terrors and suffered from depression.
Upon completing his twentieth assignment for Alliance Intelligence, Lieutenant Zeneta was presented with the standard options of retirement or a desk job. However, he instead appealed to Alliance High Command for a role as a Foster Agent, responsible for aiding stranded Alliance agents in their return to the Alliance. He also requested command of an entire team of Foster Agents, a concept that had never been considered before. His request was granted, leading to the formation of the all-alien Shroud Team. Zeneta and his team were deployed to Corint City on the world Pirik, located in the Divis Arm. There, they successfully facilitated the return of sixteen agents to the Alliance within a period of seven standard months.
Dutra Zeneta, a male Jin, came into existence sometime between 74 BBY and 70 BBY. In the early era of Emperor Palpatine's rule, the Galactic Empire suppressed the Zchtek worlds, the native habitat of the Jin. Zeneta departed from his world of origin and, in conjunction with numerous other Jin, joined the fledgling resistance. This resistance would eventually evolve into the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
Having undergone training as an infiltrator under the guidance of Alliance Intelligence, Zeneta was assigned to Scandium Team, an elite unit that at its peak comprised twenty-eight operatives organized into four teams. While the unit was based in the Tharin sector, it was deployed across the galaxy as needed. As the leader of Unit Theta, a group of highly skilled commandos known for both their success rate and high fatality rate, Zeneta participated in and survived some of the most dangerous combat operations undertaken by the Alliance during the Galactic Civil War. He was involved in the Vidicx and Loac Campaigns, as well as the Wellte-ir Massacre, which ultimately marked the end of Scandium Team's active service.
During the mission to the Wellte-ir system in the Trax sector, Scandium Team was confronted by two units of elite Imperial vehicles, one of which was later suspected to be a detachment of the Emperor's Royal Guard engaged in field exercises. Severely outnumbered, Scandium Team engaged in a four-day engagement on the plains of Bresnan. By the moment the team was extracted from the Umber Banks, fifteen of the twenty-one deployed operatives had died. Zeneta was among the six survivors, along with team leader Harovan Toth, infiltrator Korgath, heavy weapons specialist Opit-Wenbruh, aviator Aven Cholus, and desert Wilderness Fighter Rith Tar'ak. Scandium Team was subsequently disbanded, and the loss of so many comrades left the Jin deeply traumatized, leading to recurring nightmares and episodes of depression. Despite the psychological toll, Zeneta remained committed to serving the Alliance, firmly believing in its objectives.
At some point after 0 ABY, after completing his twentieth mission for Alliance Intelligence, Zeneta faced the standard choice for agents who had survived twenty missions: retirement or a desk job. Instead, he sought a position as a Foster Agent, recognized as one of the Alliance's most hazardous field assignments. Foster Agents served as contact points for operatives who had become stranded or exposed, providing them with a means to return to the Alliance. These agents faced the risk of exposure themselves, as their identities could be revealed to Imperial forces by captured Alliance operatives. Zeneta not only persuaded Alliance High Command to grant his request but also to entrust him with the command of an entire team of Agents. This concept was unprecedented, as Foster Agents typically operated alone. Due to the inherently dangerous nature of the work, General Vernan, the then-Chief of Alliance Intelligence, suspected that Zeneta harbored a death wish.
Zeneta, holding the military title of lieutenant, established Shroud Team, which consisted entirely of non-Humans. The Rodian Dheendo served as the unit's primary contact Foster Agent and Zeneta's second-in-command. Thilis-Brin, an Ishi Tib, functioned as the team's technical expert, while Tamo Lan, a Carosite, provided health services. Gondara, a teenage Aqualish, served as Lan's assistant. Shroud Team was deployed to Corint City, the main city of the world Pirik in the Divis Arm. Corint Metropolis was a fruitful recruitment area for new Alliance operatives and sympathizers and was often used by Alliance operatives seeking refuge. In addition, the population of Corint City was largely alien, with Humans only representing around 5 percent of the settlement's 10 million residents. This allowed the all-alien Shroud Team to blend in with the local population more easily. In the first seven standard months of its deployment—equating to eleven local months—Shroud Team successfully returned sixteen agents, including Togorian Agent Tynan Ryln Mei, to the Alliance. Shroud Team's success rate earned it a great deal of respect from other Foster Agents. In addition to its primary mission, Shroud Team also acquired provisions and equipment for the Alliance. Some the team kept for its own operations, others were for the use of the operatives whom they returned to active duty, and the rest was distributed to other Alliance units operating in the Divis Arm.
Zeneta often communicated with an intelligence droid equipped with a modified TranLang III communications module that employed specific code phrases and words to transmit information to a receiving agent. The information obtained by Zeneta in this manner facilitated the Alliance's capture of two command warships along the Sisar Run.
Dutra Zeneta had green skin and large, black orbs that, like all Jin, could perceive the infrared spectrum. He had long, black strands that reached his shoulders and a beard that ran along his jaw line and ended in a pointed tuft beneath his chin. At the age of seventy-four, he was considered to be middle-aged for a Jin. A combat veteran, Zeneta's body was covered in scars from near-fatal wounds. He considered himself to be a Rebel above everything else and truly believed in the Alliance's eventual victory over the Galactic Empire. A skilled tactician and leader, Zeneta was well respected by those under his command and his superiors, and he was a highly decorated operative.
A survivor of the Wellte-ir Massacre, Zeneta experienced recurring nightmares about the event and suffered from bouts of depression that affected his abilities if he let them overwhelm him. Like all other Scandium Team survivors, he often displayed a cynical attitude and developed a short temper. Zeneta rarely worked with other Scandium Team survivors due to the shared sense of loss and pain they all felt, and he preferred to spend his free time alone. Despite this, Zeneta was generally regarded to be a warm individual who treated those under his command well, a trait that extended to those operatives he was tasked with returning to the Alliance.
Zeneta had a wealth of experience from his years of service and often related the lessons he learned from his previous adventures to Shroud Team when its members encountered situations similar to those faced by Scandium Team. He had a policy of openly sharing advice, as he knew he had a lot of knowledge to impart. General Airen Cracken, head of Alliance Intelligence, was pleased that Zeneta was able to put aside his personal grief and assist in the training of new Alliance operatives, giving them the benefit of his experiences.
A skilled and physically fit commando, Dutra Zeneta was trained in both hand to hand and empty hand combat, and he was proficient with the use of energy weapons, with a specialty in wielding heavy energy rifles. He was also skilled in the use of explosives for demolition purposes, and he could operate weapons mounted on vehicles, flagships, and outer space conveyances. Zeneta was trained in space navigation and could pilot transports and space fighters, most notably the Z-95 Headhunter. He could drive anti-gravity vehicles and fast bike bikes; operate mechs, including All Terrain Scout Transports; and ride animals, such as the Cracian thumper. Zeneta was also trained in the use of battle armor.
Technically adept, Zeneta could operate detection, security, and communications equipment as well as the energy barrier systems aboard space transports. He was also adept at repairing and programming both automatons and electronic brains. In addition, he could repair repulsorlift vehicles, transports, and vessel-mounted weapons. The Jin was knowledgeable about alien species, cultures, and dialects and about the way governmental systems were run. He was well versed in police protocols and was well informed about Corint City's inner workings.
An able leader, Zeneta was respected by both his subordinates and superiors. He was a skilled forger, and his combat training allowed him to be stealthy when the need arose. Trained in first-aid, Zeneta was also adept at surviving in inhospitable conditions, and he specialized in urban environment survival.
During his deployment to Corint City, Zeneta generally wore civilian apparel—which included a blue padded vest with furred collar, white top, and digit free black hand coverings—and a headset communication device, and he armed himself with a modified heavy blaster longarm and a pair of grenades. Despite his trauma over the sundering of Scandium Team, he kept a 3D image of its members.
Dutra Zeneta first appeared in "Cracken's Rebel Operatives," a series of articles featured in issues of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, published by West End Games. Zeneta was featured in the article published in the tenth edition, released in 1996, and written by C. Robert Carey. A black-and-white illustration of Zeneta by Kathy Burdette accompanied his biography. A second article in the issue, "Cracken's Rebel Field Guide: Slicing Aids," namechecked Zeneta in its entry for a modified TranLang III communications module. The article was also written by Carey. In the subsequent edition, a colorized version of Burdette's image was included in the "Featured Artist" section.