Shalim Avesta, originating from Makeb, was a Human male who excelled as a businessman and a political figure. Following the Hutt Cartel's conquest in 3638 BBY, he effectively became Makeb's de facto Chief of State due to his leadership roles in both the Avesta Mining Corporation and the Makeb Business Council.
About three centuries prior, during the Mandalorian Wars, the Avesta family played a key role as founders of Makeb. They were instrumental in establishing the Business Council, which, for decades leading up to the conquest, was headed by an Avesta family member. Before the takeover, Shalim had spent years in mining negotiations with the Hutts. He was caught off guard when the Hutts secured the allegiance of the InterStellar Regulators, Makeb's mercenary defense force, and launched their coup.
While the majority of his family evacuated Makeb, Shalim chose to stay behind and organize resistance against the Hutts from his secluded plantation. Meanwhile, his brother, Pollus, took an active role in leading resistance forces in the field, and his niece, Lemda, a geophysicist, worked to identify the cause of the groundquakes affecting Makeb. In a desperate move, Shalim reached out to Supreme Chancellor Leontyne Saresh of the Galactic Republic, promising to formally integrate Makeb into the Republic in exchange for the removal of the Hutt occupation. Saresh responded by dispatching Republic heroes to assist Makeb, coordinating with Shalim and his allies.
Shalim initially tasked the Republic strike team with locating Lemda, who was being pursued by the Regulators. Upon her return, Lemda revealed that her research indicated the Hutt's extensive deep-mining of the planet's core had made it unstable, threatening Makeb's destruction. However, she had overheard the Regulators discussing "Project Failsafe," which she believed was the Hutt's contingency plan to save Makeb. The strike team later discovered that Failsafe was actually a massive ark being constructed by Toborro the Hutt for the Hutts' escape from Makeb. Recognizing the ark as a chance to save his people, Shalim directed the strike team to seize it.
After the ark was captured, Toborro the Hutt deployed an army of Regulators to attack the Avesta Plantation. Shalim provided tactical guidance to the Republic strike team against the Regulators, including a key suggestion to retract the laser bridge that a droid army was attempting to cross. Following the destruction of the Storm Carrier, along with the treacherous Vice-Commandant Grevin, Toborro contacted Shalim, stubbornly refusing to surrender and sending his war droids to assault Tarlam, an attack that the Republic successfully defended against.
Later, a Republic engineer named Gez Addar was brought to Makeb to inspect the Ark. He confirmed Toborro's claim that the Ark needed isotope-5 to launch. To access the fuel rods, the Republic forces sought help from an unexpected source: Dr. Juvard Illip Oggurobb, a respected Hutt scientist who had designed both the Ark and a series of war droids powered by isotope-5. Dr. Oggurobb offered his expertise on Toborro's technologies in exchange for safe passage off-world. Toborro had intensified his mining operations to the maximum, which further destabilized Makeb's core.
After the mining lasers were deactivated, Shalim's camp was contacted by Cartel leaders on Makeb. They had witnessed Toborro's madness and were willing to defect to the Republic in exchange for passage on the Ark. Shalim refused to cooperate with the very Hutts who had conquered his world, but the Republic agreed to take them along, subject to certain travel restrictions.
Following Toborro's defeat and the subsequent retrieval of the isotope-5 fuel rods necessary for the Ark's launch, Shalim boarded the Ark with the rest of his people. After the Ark reached safety, Shalim met with Chancellor Saresh, who expressed her displeasure at his lack of transparency regarding Makeb's deteriorating condition. The Republic strike team defended Shalim, reminding the Chancellor of the thousands of refugees on board the Ark and offering suggestions on how to resolve the situation. Shalim then bid farewell to his allies, expressing his gratitude for their help.