Penn Zarang was a male human individual with red hair, who gained acceptance as a cadet within the ranks of the Galactic Empire.
Penn Zarang resided with his parents, who operated a depot located on Syngia Station within the Sertar sector. Zarang's mother and father were uninterested in politics and were focused on earning a living. A band of Zygerrian slavers made port at the station to conduct repairs on their hyperdrive and decided to eliminate any potential witnesses. Zarang sought refuge in a maintenance shaft, but both of his parents were abducted. His mother passed away during the voyage to Zygerria, and his father was murdered due to his advanced age. Zarang concluded that his parents' lack of political involvement had left them vulnerable. Consequently, he resolved to enlist in the service of the Empire to foster stability, even in remote regions like the one where he was raised.
Having been admitted as a cadet to the Arkanis Academy on the planet Arkanis, Zarang aspired to become an officer within the Imperial Military. However, Zarang struggled academically and was soon identified as one of the academy's least successful students. While not at the very bottom, he frequently received academic warnings. During his time at the academy, he formed a bond with Zare Leonis. Leonis developed an affinity for the young cadet, as he was among the few cadets at the academy who treated him with kindness, despite having heard that Zarang was generally considered a "loser."
The pair shared meals together, and Zarang introduced Leonis to Scaparus Port, a small port-town that afforded Leonis the opportunity to utilize a comm booth to communicate with his family and girlfriend on Lothal. En route to Scaparus aboard their diplopod mounts, Zarang shared his personal history with Leonis. Zarang recounted how witnessing the deaths and enslavement of his parents at the hands of Zygerrian Slavers had spurred him to serve the Empire. He believed that a powerful Empire with a substantial military could shield individuals like his parents from the predations of pirates and slavers. While Leonis sympathized, he privately questioned whether Zarang would follow orders to kill protestors, displace farmers, and separate children from their parents.
Regrettably, Zarang's subpar academic performance made him a target for the Commandant's Cadets, a clandestine group comprising some of the academy's top-performing students, handpicked by its supervisor, Commandant Brendol Hux. Meanwhile, Leonis had been identified as a potential candidate to join the group's ranks. When the time arrived for Leonis to undertake a task to gain entry into the group, he was instructed to kill Zarang. Leonis was appalled by the prospect but pretended to comply to avoid raising suspicion.
He disclosed what he had been asked to do to Lieutenant Chiron, an Imperial officer who had been transferred from the academy on Lothal. Chiron devised a strategy to safeguard Zarang's life. With Zarang's assistance, a portion of nerf was buried on the academy grounds to serve as a substitute for Zarang's body. However, this deception marked the end of Zarang's tenure at the Arkanis Academy. Chiron vowed to personally advocate for his case with Governor Tarkin if necessary and arrange for his transfer off-world to another Imperial Academy.
Penn Zarang was a friendly human boy who was an Imperial cadet at the Arkanis Academy. Zarang had red hair and many freckles on his face. He was friendly and approachable towards Zare Leonis, a new transfer student from the Lothal Imperial Academy and secret rebel sympathizer. Zarang joined the Imperial Academy in order to help make the galaxy a better place. Zarang was traumatized by the experience of seeing his father killed by Zarracine slavers and his mother enslaved. As a result of that experience, he came to believe that a strong Empire and strong military would protect the Galaxy from pirates and slavers.
While he was not an exemplary student at the Arkanis Academy, Zarang still believed that he was not the worst performing student and was shocked and horrified when Leonis informed him about the Commandant's Cadet's plot to kill him. Despite this brush with death, Zarang still wanted to serve the Empire as an officer and relcuantly accepted Leonis' and Chiron's offer to help him.
Penn Zarang first appeared as a secondary character in Jason Fry's junior novel Servants of the Empire: The Secret Academy, which was published on October 25, 2015. His lines are told from the point of view of Zare Leonis, one of the novel's two main protagonists.