Stend VI existed as a planet within the Outer Rim Territories. It was part of the Stend system, which itself was situated in the Juris sector. This terrestrial world, positioned along the Five Veils Route hyperlane, possessed a temperate climate. Its landscape was largely defined by mountains, plains, and developed urban areas. The population of Stend VI, predominantly Human, operated under a democratic government, even as the planet functioned as a manufacturing center for the Galactic Empire.
Though seemingly a typical Imperial world, Stend VI became rife with ongoing conflict, fueled by the rise of multiple swoop gangs. Among these, the Skulls became notorious for terrorizing the innocent. In contrast, the Knights adhered to the principles of the Jedi Order and stood against the Skulls. The local police were overwhelmed by these gangs. Initial Imperial Military efforts proved insufficient, leading to the formation of the specialized Dark Riders unit, composed of mounted Storm Commandos.
The Pits, a notable cantina on Stend VI for swoop pilots, served as a lively hub where disagreements either escalated into physical altercations or were resolved on the cantina's private racing circuit, Raptor Run. Blizz Pinnix, a celebrated racing champion, owned The Pits and occasionally participated in Raptor Run races. While Pinnix owned the establishment, Kaylo NaKuda, a Herglic businessman, managed The Pits. NaKuda also owned Kuda's Compound, a neighboring vehicle repair shop and dealership staffed by slaves. During the Imperial era, a group of individuals collaborated with Pinnix, the Knights, and Sector Ranger Narra Mesyne to bring about the downfall of the Herglic crime lord.
Stend VI was a terrestrial planet found in the Outer Rim Territories' Juris sector, specifically within the Stend system. It was the sixth planet from its star, situated along the hyperlane known as the Five Veils Route, linking it to both the Ninzam and Vergesso systems. The planet completed an orbit every 230 local days, each consisting of twenty-three standard hours. Stend VI also had three moons, two of which were prominently visible in its sky.
This Outer Rim world featured standard gravity and a breathable Type I atmosphere, along with a temperate climate that included relatively mild winters. The planet's surface was composed of mountains, plains, urban areas, and a moderate hydrosphere. No significant predators posed a threat to the population.
During the Galactic Empire's rule, Stend VI saw the emergence of several swoop gangs, leading to frequent aerial skirmishes. The Skulls are considered the first true gang, established around 2 BBY when Jeng Seth, a seventeen-year-old sociopath, grew tired of extorting shopkeepers for protection money and picking pockets. Finding excitement in the lawless streets of Stend VI, Seth gathered his friends to form the Skulls, who then engaged in robberies and terrorized the populace.
In response to the Skulls' terrorizing activities, Finegan Flint, a twenty-year-old idealist and local swoop mechanic, began assembling his own group to counter Seth's gang. Inspired by stories of the Knights from the disbanded Jedi Order, Flint and his friends confronted a Skull, demanding surrender to the local police. This sparked a conflict that escalated into a gang war. Flint's group, known as the Knights, embraced Jedi ideals, but were seen by both local law enforcement agencies and Imperial forces as just another criminal organization.
By 2 BBY, the Skulls had relocated to the Hook Nebula. A new swoop gang, the Razers, emerged on Stend VI, continuing the Skulls' terror campaign while specializing in vehicle theft. The Knights shifted their focus to combating the Razers. The Rebel Alliance, cautious of escalating violence, maintained a small presence on Stend VI and attempted to recruit Knights between 0 ABY and 4 ABY.
The Razers were eventually hired by Kaylo NaKuda, a local Herglic businessman, who bought stolen goods from them to sell as legitimate merchandise at low prices. NaKuda's illegal activities, including slavery, prompted Narra Mesyne, a Sector Ranger Special Enforcement Officer, to gather evidence against him. Mesyne disguised herself as Miraj, a new speeder bike racer, to win the Raptor Run race and collect a prize.
Cohden K'Reye, a Corellian scoundrel, visited Stend VI during the Imperial era. They frequented The Pits, a cantina, and later described it in a treatise about recreational spots in the galaxy. Captain Nuendo Rash also visited The Pits, where he was overheard discussing a contract to transport medical supplies to Fortress Keremark on Risban in the Tion Hegemony, leading to his arrest.
Blizz Pinnix, owner of The Pits, once sought to have Stend VI host a qualifying race for the Triple Crown of swoopchasing. The Triple Crown races occurred on Najiba, Neftali, Redcap, and Socorro, with qualifying races traditionally held on Garos IV, Omman, and Tatooine.
During the swoop gang conflicts on Stend VI, the Empire responded to the police's requests for help by sending a wing of repulsorlift sleds. Initially effective, the sleds were eventually overwhelmed by the swoop bikers, resulting in numerous Imperial vehicle losses.
In response, Imperial commanders formed the Dark Riders, a specialized squad of elite Storm Commandos led by Lieutenant Irlyn Resk, a renowned scout trooper, riding modified speeder bikes. Resk secretly desired to seize the Black Raptor, Pinnix's famous swoop, for himself.
When Pinnix discovered the Black Raptor was missing, he offered a large reward for its return, attracting bounty hunters, mercenaries, and others eager to find the vehicle. Suspects included swoop gang members, NaKuda, and Lieutenant Resk.
Eventually, a group found the swoop bike, claimed the reward, but faced threats from Stend VI's swoop gangs.
Around this time, NaKuda's use of slaves at Kuda's Compound was discovered, leading to the capture and enslavement of a group. There, they met Sil Vaturha, a Twi'lek slave. They escaped, presented Pinnix with evidence of NaKuda's crimes, and, with the help of Pinnix, Miraj, and the Knights, defeated the Herglic crime lord and his forces.
By 37:6:8, Stend VI had become a favored neutral meeting place for certain pirate groups. Grady Mannd, the Defense Minister of Stend VI, unsuccessfully tried to use the local military to drive the pirates away.
On that date, Sektor Newsline 242 broadcasted a report from Queo City on Stend VI, discussing the sudden decline in attacks by the Khuiumin Survivors pirate gang. Mannd believed the Survivors had relocated, citing the absence of reported gang members on Stend VI.
Stend VI had 2.2 billion residents, mostly Humans. The population was governed by a representative democracy allied with the Galactic Empire, serving as a manufacturing and processing hub. The society had advanced technology and an Imperial-class starport, exporting goods and importing foodstuffs.
Initially appearing peaceful, Stend VI became home to infamous swoop gangs that proved especially problematic for the Empire. These gangs caused significant property damage and loss of life. The Stend VI Security Forces struggled to combat the growing threat due to a lack of trained personnel and equipment, with even Imperial repulsor sled patrols proving ineffective.
The Pits, a swoop racer bar, was a prominent location on Stend VI, situated in an urban area with low buildings and trees. It had a ground floor with a street entrance and an underground level. The main entrance was unique: built with the motto "Why walk when you can fly?", most pilots entered through the Hive, a tall tower on the roof.
The Hive featured hundreds of cubicles for docking aerial vehicles, managed by Hive Traffic Control, a transparisteel structure at the top of the tower. The Hive also had turbolifts to the ground level, which housed a museum of repulsorlift vehicle history, including trophies of Blizz Pinnix, the owner.
Turbolifts connected the ground level to the underground cantina, a lively spot filled with swoop and speeder bike pilots of various species, including gang members. Pinnix always wore a helmet, so his appearance was unknown, allowing him to be present unrecognized. Kaylo NaKuda oversaw daily operations, hiding his criminal activities from Pinnix.
Disagreements were common and often settled on Raptor Run, though brawls with blasterfire sometimes occurred. Chugg, a Reigat racer-turned-bouncer, kept conflicts under control. Droids were not welcome, and rumors claimed they ended up in a spare parts storeroom.
Kuda's Compound, a large building next to The Pits, was owned by Kaylo NaKuda, who also managed the cantina. It offered vehicle repairs, modifications, and sales of new and used vehicles and parts. The Compound offered competitive prices and resident mechanics. Chugg, NaKuda's bodyguard, could be found there when not working as a bouncer at The Pits. However, the Compound's success relied on illegal methods.
Most vehicles and parts were stolen by the Razers or smuggled in, allowing NaKuda to offer low prices.
The "mechanics" were actors, while the real work was done by slaves in hidden garages. Subdermal implants tracked their movements and prevented escape. One slave, Sil Vaturha, a Twi'lek female orphan, possessed exceptional technological skills.
Raptor Run, originally an Imperial Ordinance Detonation Test Area spanning hundreds of square kilometers, was filled with rocky cliffs, canyons, and winding paths. It also contained fields of craters and ruined buildings from munitions testing.
Blizz Pinnix bought the land cheaply and turned it into The Pits' private race course. The eighty-five-kilometer course was notorious for causing career-ending injuries, often fatal, to over a thousand racers. Only three had completed it in under twenty minutes: a young Tatooinian, the stunt racer Lev Xestra, and Pinnix himself, who held the record. Pinnix occasionally raced on Raptor Run using the Black Raptor.
Stend VI was first mentioned in Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim, a 1993 sourcebook by Simon Smith and Eric S. Trautmann for West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. The 2009 book The Essential Atlas placed the Stend system, and therefore Stend VI, in grid square P-17.
The 1997 sourcebook Wretched Hives of Scum & Villainy provides adventure seeds set on Stend VI for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. This article assumes these scenarios play out without contradiction. Alternate scenarios involve player characters interacting with Narra Mesyne, either assisting her investigation or being hired by Kaylo NaKuda to uncover a spy, potentially hindering or capturing Mesyne.