Quelev Tapper

Quelev Tapper, a male Human, was the head of a smuggling organization that was active during the Galactic Civil War. Following the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the downfall of the Galactic Empire resulted in massive profits for Tapper's group. However, by 6 ABY, his operations were located firmly within Imperial territory, and a governor discovered the location of Tapper's headquarters. The smuggler's base was then targeted for destruction by an Imperial force. Talon Karrde, a chief smuggler, was in the area on business and offered his assistance to Tapper. Tapper and one-fourth of his organization survived the Imperial assault. Subsequently, Tapper and Karrde agreed to a merger, with Tapper incorporating his organization into Karrde's operation. Consequently, Tapper became Karrde's second-in-command and most trusted lieutenant, and the two would frequently investigate potential business opportunities together.

During 6 ABY, a rumor reached Karrde that the Emperor's Shadow, a ship belonging to Emperor Palpatine, had crashed on the planet of Kaal in the Yushan sector. The rumor also suggested that the ship was equipped with a cloaking device. Karrde and Tapper journeyed to Kaal to investigate. Karrde adopted the guise of Syndic Pandis Hart, the chief purchasing agent of the Sif-Uwana Council, while Tapper acquired a submersible from a local dealer and began searching for the yacht near the Unis Islands. Karrde, as Hart, entered into negotiations with Tirgee Benyalle, the ruler of Kaal. Benyalle was selling the rights to buy and harvest food from Kaal, attracting delegations from the Galactic Empire, the New Republic, and Moff Utoxx Prentioch, a Warlord. While the others were negotiating for complete rights to Kaal's food production, Karrde planned only to request that the Sif-Uwana Council be allowed to conduct its own harvesting operation in a specific area. Tapper's mission was to locate the yacht's wreck, allowing Karrde to define an area for the deal to secretly recover the vessel.

Tapper's search was successful, and he located the yacht submerged near the Unis Islands, relaying its location to Karrde. Tapper remained on station while Karrde negotiated with Benyalle. Shortly after, Karrde instructed Tapper to rig the ship to explode. Tapper complied, placing charges throughout the wreck. The reason for Karrde's order soon became clear; the negotiations had broken down when Admiral Uther Kermen of the Empire declared his intention to seize the planet and its resources by force. The delegations were meeting on Tirgee Benyalle's luxury sail barge, touring the current harvesting operations, when Kermen made his move. Over several weeks, Kermen had positioned his own agents among the sail barge's crew, who attempted to take control of the vessel at his command. Karrde had allied himself with the New Republic delegation, who had saved Benyalle from Kermen's attack. The New Republic gained control of the sail barge, and Karrde steered them toward the Unis Islands, parking them above the crashed yacht. Tapper surfaced the yacht, taking on Karrde, Benyalle, the New Republic delegation, and the remaining loyal members of the sail barge's crew. The submersible sped away from the sail barge as the charges Tapper had planted on the yacht detonated, destroying both the wreck and the sail barge above. With his reasons for being on Kaal eliminated, Karrde withdrew from negotiations with Benyalle, allowing the New Republic to strike a deal with her.

Before his Imperial troubles, Tapper had discovered the location of a hollowed-out asteroid that had been largely stripped of ore, but the attack on his organization occurred before he could exploit his discovery. After joining Karrde, he informed him about the asteroid, and Karrde established a temporary base within it. In 7 ABY, Karrde and Tapper met with Booster Terrik, a former smuggler operating on behalf of Wedge Antilles, the leader of Rogue Squadron. Antilles and the rest of Rogue Squadron had resigned their commission from the military after the New Republic announced it would not intervene when Ysanne Isard, formerly in command of Imperial forces based from Coruscant, the galactic capital, seized control of Thyferra and its Bacta Cartels. Cut off from official New Republic support, Antilles and the Rogues fought a private war against Isard and needed supplies. Terrik, a long-time friend of Antilles' family, acted as a middleman in procuring proton torpedoes, concussion missiles, and their respective sensor packages and launchers. A deal was struck where Karrde would supply the necessary equipment in exchange for bacta that Rogue Squadron had "liberated" from convoys controlled by Isard.

Karrde appointed Melina Carniss, a former employee of Jabba the Hutt, a crime lord, to liaise with Terrik. Tapper was infatuated with Carniss. As the conversation ended, Tapper casually suggested attempting to locate the legendary Alderaanian armory ship Another Chance for Antilles, or the shipyard that had constructed the Death Star battle station, noting that finding either seemed as likely as destroying the Bacta Cartel with a handful of snubfighters and freighters. Terrik pointed out that the Rebel Alliance had, in fact, recovered the Another Chance before the Battle of Hoth, and cautioned against betting against Antilles. Tapper apologized, intending no offense.

As part of a regular equipment delivery, Tapper commanded the Starry Ice, one of Karrde's freighters, leading a convoy of six ships to rendezvous with Rogue Squadron and their allies for the munitions transfer. The meeting was scheduled near the Graveyard in the Alderaan system. Rogue Squadron and their Twi'lek and Gand allies were covering a dozen freighters under Booster Terrik's command, led by the Pulsar Skate. As the transfer was about to begin, Isard's Immobilizer 418 cruiser Aggregator and Victory-class Star Destroyer Corrupter emerged from hyperspace. As the freighters dispersed, Antilles led the starfighters against the Imperial force. The battle resulted in the destruction of the Corrupter and the retreat of the Aggregator. Antilles demanded the surrender of the surviving TIE/LN starfighters and the various escape pods from the Corrupter, which was accepted. Antilles arranged with Tapper to recover the escape pods and extract any ransom he deemed appropriate from the survivors. Tapper was also interested in acquiring the surrendered TIE fighters, but Antilles refused, classifying them as prisoners of war. Tapper relented, noting that Antilles would soon be buying spare parts for the captured starfighters from Karrde.

Antilles worried that increased security on Karrde's deliveries following the attack in the Alderaan graveyard would cause him to cancel the arrangement, but Terrik assured him that Tapper could convince Karrde that they remained trustworthy. It was later discovered that Melina Carniss had sold the meeting's location to Isard. Karrde and Terrik arranged for Carniss to leak the location of the Rogue's base at Yag'Dhul, precipitating the final battle in the Bacta War that brought down Isard.

A year later, Tapper accompanied Karrde to Varonat, a planet on the Ison Corridor, aboard the yacht Uwana Buyer. Karrde had heard that Gamgalon, a Krish, was using Morodin-hunting safaris as a front for illegal activities. Curious about the nature of the business and whether Karrde could involve himself, he again posed as Syndic Pandis Hart, while Tapper assumed the role of Captain Seoul, his pilot. Feigning hyperdrive trouble, the Uwana Buyer landed on Varonat, in the settlement of Tropis-on-Varonat. There, the pair enlisted a hyperdrive mechanic to repair the drive on the Uwana Buyer—which had been expertly sabotaged by Chin, one of Karrde's associates—and allowed Fleck, Gamgalon's come-up flector, to "convince" them to join one of Gamgalon's safaris. Karrde agreed, and Tapper, playing the role of hired employee, argued that he should be allowed to join Karrde on the hunt. Paying 17,000 credits to join the safari, Tapper and Karrde utilized the services of Great Jungle Outfitters, a shop that catered to supplying safari hunters with every need.

Returning to the Uwana Buyer, Tapper remarked that he hoped their shopping trip had given Gamgalon's people enough time to search the ship to determine if they were a threat. Investigating a noise from the aft section, Tapper and Karrde found a young woman working on the hyperdrive. She introduced herself as Celina Marniss. Her knowledge of the hyperdrive failure, along with her general attitude, impressed Tapper and Karrde. Additionally, her name led them to believe there was more to her than met the eye. They had previously known a "Melina Carniss," and the name "Celina Marniss" was suspiciously coincidental. After a night's sleep, Tapper and Karrde joined the safari expedition. Led by Falmal, a Krish, the group consisted of two other guides—Buzzy, a Human, and Jombo, a Rodian—and four other hunters: Hav and Jivis, two Duros; Tamish, a Thennqora; and Cob-caree, a Saffa. Loading into Aratech Arrow-17 airspeeders, Tapper and Karrde were accompanied by Falmal as the party headed for a base camp in the jungle. From there, the expedition hiked through the jungle for several hours to make camp near the Morodin hunting area. During a rest break, Tamish noticed that a Morodin had passed through the area, indicated by a patch of ground discolored by the slime trail produced by Morodins. Tapper and Karrde noted a series of plants growing neatly along the slime mark, as well as a piece of metal embedded in the ground that Tapper tentatively identified as a transpond marker. Before they could investigate further, Falmal told them that the plants were non-native Yagaran aleudrupe plants resulting from careless hunters dropping seeds of aleudrupe berries during a hunt, and quickly moved them on.

Several hours later, after setting up camp, Tapper and Karrde discussed their fellow hunters, concluding that they were not fellow smugglers disguised for clandestine meetings with Gamgalon, but rather wealthy, bored beings seeking adventure. Initially, Karrde believed the safaris were merely a way for Gamgalon to conduct secret meetings away from prying eyes. Karrde then suggested they could be legitimate businessbeings Gamgalon wanted to deal with, rather than criminals, but Tapper pointed out that confidential meetings could easily be held elsewhere. As they began discussing the transpond marker and whether it was part of a larger sensor array, a low growl, characteristic of the Morodin, was heard from the nearby jungle. Falmal ordered the party to split into the same groups that had traveled together on the airspeeders, so Tapper and Karrde remained with the Krish. Following him into the jungle, they tracked the Morodin slime trails and encountered one of the creatures. Falmal urged Karrde to shoot it, but Karrde hesitated because the beast remained still, and he advised Tapper to hold fire as well. Tamish and Cob-caree, accompanied by Jombo, emerged from the forest and killed the creature.

Over the next two hours, pilots and airspeeders shuttled meat and trophies from the kill back to base camp. Tapper helped with the process, doing both his and Karrde's share of the work, while Karrde retreated from the group, isolating himself with a melodium, fiddling with the comm-relay hidden inside to locate Gamgalon's transpond markers. Tapper joined his boss when the work was done, commenting that many in the camp thought Karrde was sulking. Karrde told Tapper what he had been doing and led him into the jungle. Immediately, the comm-relay picked up a signal, which they followed to the site of the recent Morodin kill, discovering that the earth around the slime trail had been freshly cultivated. Hearing a noise from the direction of the camp, they attempted to take the long way back, but ended up deeper in the jungle. On a hunch, Tapper suggested heading toward a ridge overlooking a depression he remembered seeing on a map. Reaching the ridge, they discovered a valley and a herd of fifty Morodins. Observing them briefly, Tapper and Karrde concluded that the beasts were, in fact, a sentient species.

Gamgalon and his Krish companions apprehended Tapper and Karrde, having received information from Falmal's suspicions about the pair. Gamgalon then detailed his scheme to Tapper and Karrde; the Morodin slime caused specific chemical reactions in the seeds of aleudrupe berries that, when blended with rethan-K and promhassic triaxli, generated a blaster gas mixture as potent as spin-sealed tibanna. The transportation of all three components was completely legal and would not raise any red flags with customs officials. The safaris were simply a disguise for the planting and harvesting of the berries, and Gamgalon had bribed the local Imperial governor to ignore the fact that he was hunting a sentient species. Gamgalon could not permit any information about his operation to be revealed, even though Karrde attempted to negotiate a deal with him. Tapper seized the blaster rifle from one of the Krish's hands, shoved it into the guard's chest, and then ran for cover behind a tree. As Tapper aimed the rifle at Gamgalon and Falmal, he was hit by two blaster shots fired by another Krish hidden along the ridge. Tapper died with a final breath. Celina Marniss later rescued Karrde by distracting Gamgalon and Falmal with recorded Morodin roars and subsequently killing them. As Karrde and Marniss departed the planet aboard the Uwana Buyer, Karrde revealed his true identity to her. Marniss reciprocated, introducing herself as Mara Jade.

Quelev Tapper was a male with fair skin, brown hair, and green eyes. He was slender, handsome, and physically imposing. He was always serious and business-oriented. He was naturally distrustful, making him the ideal counterpart to Talon Karrde's refined manners, and he often played the role of "Hypothetical Hrongar" when Karrde presented his more complex plans. Tapper occasionally had hunches that usually proved to be valuable, and Karrde quickly learned to trust his associate's gut feelings. Like Karrde, he believed that idealists caused significant problems in the galaxy. Being more cautious, Tapper preferred to have substantial support when entering an unfamiliar situation.

Tapper was proficient with a blaster and typically carried a blaster pistol. He was also skilled in melee and unarmed combat, and carried a knife. He was a skilled pickpocket and could be stealthy when necessary. Tapper possessed knowledge of alien species and languages, planetary systems, bureaucracies, and businesses. He could pilot small spacecraft and navigate them through hyperspace, and he was trained to operate the weapons and shields on those vessels. He could also repair the ships he was trained to pilot. Tapper could also drive repulsorlift vehicles and submersibles, and operate communications, security, and sensor equipment. He also had some knowledge of explosives. A shrewd businessman, Tapper was skilled at negotiating deals through persuasion or conning, and he was well-informed about the value of the goods he traded. He always carried a comlink.

Quelev Tapper made his debut in First Contact in 1994, a short story by Timothy Zahn for the first issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal. Peter M. Schweighofer contributed supplementary game information in the roleplaying section accompanying the story, and Mike Vilardi provided the image of Tapper. First Contact was later reprinted in Tales from the Empire and on Hyperspace. The original black-and-white image of Tapper was colorized when the story was reprinted on Hyperspace. Tapper later appeared in The Kaal Connection in 1995, written by Schweighofer with Zahn. The Kaal Connection was subsequently reprinted in Classic Adventures: Volume Four — The Best of the Journal. Tapper's only other appearance was in X-Wing: The Bacta War, written by Michael A. Stackpole and published in 1997.

Tapper has been mentioned in subsequent articles and reference works, typically when discussing Talon Karrde's or Mara Jade's backgrounds. However, in many instances, these sources disagree with the original source regarding certain details. In 1995's The Essential Guide to Characters, Tapper is referred to as "Tapper Quelev," and the work states that Tapper's organization joined Karrde's shortly after the Battle of Endor, and that Tapper worked with Karrde for four years before his death, contradicting First Contact's claim that Tapper had been with Karrde for only two years. The Smuggler's Alliance article in Star Wars Gamer 3, published in 2001, states that Tapper was killed on "Tropis-on-Varonat," rather than simply "Varonat." The former was the name of a settlement located on the planet. In The New Essential Guide to Characters, released in 2002, Tapper is mentioned in Karrde's entry. However, the entry places the merging of Karrde's and Tapper's organizations at four years after the Battle of Endor, which equates to 8 ABY. As The Kaal Connection—the events of which are also referenced in Karrde's article—shows, Tapper was working with Karrde by 6 ABY, two years earlier. Karrde's entry also places Tapper's death at six and a half years after Endor, in 10 ABY. As the Thrawn Crisis depicted in Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy was placed at five years after the Battle of Endor, and Tapper was dead before then as Mara Jade was referenced as serving with Karrde's organization for five and half months by the opening of the first book in the trilogy, Heir to the Empire, these references are incorrect.

Tapper is mentioned twice in The Official Star Wars Fact File. Firstly, in Mara Jade Skywalker's entry in The Official Star Wars Fact File 27, he is simply referred to as a "safari hunter." The entry goes on to state that Jade was living on the planet "Tropis" at the time, rather than Varonat, and that she rescued both Talon Karrde and his companion, when, in fact, Tapper died on the planet. In Talon Karrde's entry in The Official Star Wars Fact File 50, Tapper is consistently referred to as "Tapper Quelev." It also states that Tapper's organization merged with Karrde's four years prior to his death after Karrde rescued him shortly after the Battle of Endor, instead of the two years stated in First Contact.