Characters from the Mos Eisley-Cantina ************************************** NAME: Figrin Da'n OCCUPATION: Musician RACE: Bith SEX: Male HEIGHT: 1.5 meters - Better known as "Fiery Figrin", Figrin Da'n is probably one of Mos Eisley's greatest gamblers. While no one is sure just how large a fortune he has amassed, it is quite clear his tastes are expensive. He supports and manages a four piece band and owns quite a collection of musical recordings that couldn't have come with small change. He also carries a stash of the finest Corellian Spice with him, an expensive habit that best explains why he often appears incoherent and acutely aware of himself at the same time. Despite this, he is one of Tatooine's most knowledgeable citizens. As an extraordinary gambler and entertainer, he makes acquaintance with nearly everyone who is in town for more than a few days. He is regarded as Jabba the Hutt's favorite bandleader, although Figrin realizes that means little as the crime lord has a reputation for being fickle. Figrin knows well the price of crossing the wrong people in this area. Information is not a petty commodity in Mos Eisley. In fact, it can match a large sum on the gambling table, which is the only way you will get anything out of Figrin Da'n. As a race, the Bith are a highly evolved humanoid species with enlarged craniums and two opposable fingers on each hand. Their large lidless eyes are filled by their weak irises, giving them a pupil-less appearance. Their tiny mouths are covered with large baggy epidermal sacks and their noses are barely noticeable between their eyes. Most of their physical appearance can be attributed to their fast and severe evolution. Their highly developed brains have grown to facilitate a greater aptitude for creative skills such as language, art, and music. They are also extremely adept at scientific reasoning and mechanical engineering. Their eyes are finely tuned for working on extreme detail in microcircuitry, which has allowed them to develop technology to handle nearly every daily need. However, as the Bith are very well developed for abstract thinking, they lack instinctual behaviors such as fear and physical passion. Everything in the physiology of the Bith and the atmosphere of the planet indicates that their homeworld of Clak'dor in the Mayagil Sector was once a beautiful green planet. The nose on their faces is good for air intake only as exhalation occurs outwardly through the skin. The folds beneath the eyes do the smelling, measuring and identifying pheromones and molecules far better than most species. This suggests a wide variety of chemicals in a healthy active atmosphere. But after a brief chemical-biological war between two cities over copyrights to a stardrive, the planet now lays in waste, shielding its population in large domed cities. NAME: Garindan OCCUPATION: Spy RACE: Unknown SEX: Male HEIGHT: 1.85 meters -Hailed as Mos Eisley's most prominent spy, Garindan, better known to many as "Long Snoot", gathers information and sells it to the highest bidder. He can be seen skulking about dark corners in the Port City, noticeable only to the locals who quietly signal his presence with a playful brush of the nose. Should Garindan ever catch them mocking him, however, he would most likely play ignorant, maintaining his carefully built image as a fool. But those who know him know not to underestimate his craftiness. Little is known about Garindan. No one in Mos Eisley is familiar enough with the planet Kubindi to recognize him as part of the Kubaz race. Many debate whether his long snout is part of his alien physiology or merely a disguise. Few have seen him with his hood drawn back and fewer still have been able to trail him more than a few minutes, let alone to his home. It is assumed that he lives a luxurious life as he has been known to pay a great deal for certain items and bits of knowledge. He has also been seen playing some rather large hands at the gambling table. Although he isn't known to be a big winner, he always seems to come out ahead in one commodity or another. Few trust Garindan, including the powerful crime lord Jabba the Hutt. Jabba makes it standard practice to mislead the spy with false information whenever he needs to conduct business in secret. Thus far, Garindan hasn't gained anything on the Hutt, following every possible lead, solid or not, in the hopes of learning that one juicy fact about Jabba that will fund his retirement. The local Imperial Prefect has taken notice of his activities and realizes that he can be a dangerous adversary given the opportunity. It is for this reason the Imperials took it upon themselves to initiate contact with the informer and put him to regular use. He is seen quite often reporting into a hand comlink set to a private Imperial channel. It was through this network that the Desert Sands stormtroopers were alerted to Skywalker and Kenobi's meeting in Docking Bay 94. Garindan is very crafty and cautious, but not very brave. One of the more valuable lessons learned from trading data with the Jawas is the benefit of staying alive. Vengeance postponed is dependably more successful. Garindan has proven this on many occasions. Those of Mos Eisley are not alone in their ignorance of Kubindi lore. The mysterious Kubaz are generally seen as repulsive creatures, thick and dark green, almost black, with bristly tufts of hair jutting from the top of their head. Their large eyes are painfully sensitive to red wavelengths of light, forcing most Kubaz to wear protective lenses when offworld. And if their appearances weren't creepy enough, their affinity towards insects as a staple to their diet turns most heads away. Kubindi suffers from reoccurring severe solar flares. One such seizure razed Kubindi's surface, killing nearly all indigenous plant life. The people began to raid insect hives, equipped with strong tools for crushing, thick hide for protection from stings, and a sticky prehensile tongue for probing the deeper corners of the hives. The Kubaz wandered the planet, hunting their tiny prey, who became more and more clever in hiding their hives. Soon the food became scarce, and they began to farm their own insects. This led to widespread hive rustling. Hive Wars were fought and lost over insects that may or may not have been stolen. This problem was solved by genetically designing custom strains of insects with individual patterns representing each herd. Now that Insecticulture was a relatively safe means of support, the Kubaz began a worldwide trade system, broadening the market by exchanging crops of bugs. As technological advancements allowed faster trading and more accurate account tracking, Kubaz society became denser and more complex. It was only a matter of time before they reached towards space. Kubaz now inhabit the sixth, eighth, and eleventh planets orbiting Ku'Bakai, sharing these worlds with few outsiders. They live in close-knit family apartments and rarely separate from their mate. The children go to a creche at the age of five where they are cared for by a single, usually widowed adult female. NAME: Greedo - DECEASED - OCCUPATION: Bounty Hunter RACE: Rodian SEX: Male HEIGHT: 1.65 meters - Bounty hunting is a profession veiled in honor on Rodia. Every year, prizes are awarded to those who surpass in various categories such as "greatest accuracy with a distance blaster" and "quickest catch". And if there were a prize for "most careless", Greedo would win hands down. He epitomized the smarmy bounty hunter profile, petty and arrogant to the last letter. Having traveled across the galaxy working for agencies on both sides of the law, Greedo eventually found himself working for the infamous crime lord, Jabba the Hutt. Both parties found this alliance advantageous; Greedo enjoyed the challenge and notoriety, Jabba liked the low price. From that day on, Greedo had been absolutely overbearing, bullying his way across Tatooine, adding to his collection of "trophies". It was in building this collection that he ran across Han Solo. Had he not grown to be so smug, he might have noticed Solo drawing his blaster under the table. As a race, Rodians are historically hunters. Their small planet in the Tyrius system is thick with tropical growth and was at one time teeming with all sorts of lifeforms. Greedo's ancestors never found the need to farm their food when the Jungle provided plenty to hunt for. As they developed greater tools, however, the large game eventualy became extinct, leaving little left to challenge them. To fill this absence, they created fierce physical competitions and bloody wars that would last thousands of years. It wasn't until the first visitors to their planet arrived that they stopped fighting amongst themselves and focused their sights into space. Over the bodies of the Old Republic scouts, the Rodian Grand Protector pointed upwards and smiled. Rodian Hunters take pride in their trade, frequently braving the void to retrieve their quarry. They are efficient in the kill, preferring thermal detonators to blasters as few species can escape a grenade. They allow just enough witnesses and remains to verify their kill to the Guild on Rodia, where they receive large awards for a successful hunt. It is with this award in mind that they carry out their duty. The bounty itself is often negotiated in trade for the body. NAME: Kabe OCCUPATION: thief RACE: Chadra-Fan SEX: Female HEIGHT: .96 meters - Like her large furry counterpart, Muftak, Kabe was left orphaned by slavers who thought she was too small for any profit. The Chadra-Fan were easy prey after the Chadran disaster left their simple civilization in ruins. Pirates and slave-traders swept across the planet, gathering everything of any value, including the population themselves. Not that the Chadra-Fan were a very valuable item on the black market; they were too small for labor and considered too unclean for domestic use, despite their strict hygiene. Even by these standards, Kabe was rejected and left to die when the slavers made a hurried escape from Mos Eisley. In spite of her dark origins, Kabe is remarkably fun-loving and innocent. Although she is still a child, she is surprisingly skilled in many trades of the street. In addition to gambling over a snifter of Mos Eisley's strongest Juri juice, she excels at using her size and speed to make her a skillful thief. Muftak usually protects her from those who would look to turn her in. Such a large guardian allows her free reign in most of the city. Among the Jawas, Kabe is a nuisance almost worth doing something about. Her favorite game involves dressing as a Jawa and collecting a non-existent "service tax". The tiny merchants have been violently confronted for refunds several times too many, pushing them closer and closer to abducting the child and tossing her to the Sarlaac. Like Kabe, Chadra-Fan are chronically social creatures, avoiding solitude like an illness. In fact, they will impose themselves to solitary confinement as a means of committing suicide. On their homeworld of Chad, they live in large clans, focusing a lot of attention on the children. Marriage usually lasts until death and is the only excuse to leave the clan. When inter-clan marriages occur, the clan with the fewest members welcome the couple. Chadra-Fan have a very high metabolism, explaining their high level of activity and relatively short life spans. 40 is considered a respectable age for a grand elder. This high energy consumption contributes to the ease with which they adapt to other environments. All they truly require is a sufficient amount of methane to breath and methyl alcohol to drink. This energy is often spent building useless devices and avoiding sleep. These small rodent-like humanoids have oversized hands and feet that make climbing trees a simple task. This is a beneficial trait since what little of Chad isn't completely submerged in water is either dry and mountainous or swampland, the most hospitable areas being the latter. Chad occasionally bears devastating hurricanes that quickly strike bayou-side habitats. The latest of these "Great Waves" destroyed the heart of Chadra-Fan civilization, leaving them wide open to slavers and pirates. Today, the Chadra-Fan are still trying to rebuild their primitive society. Name: Kal Nkai Race: Arcona Sex: Male Occupation: Farmer Height: 1.65 meters Hailing originally from the Arcona home world of Cona, Kal Nkai found himself in the Mos Eisley cantina sharing his misery with the other denizens. As a fairly young member of his species, 16 by human standards, Goldeye as he is known to the regulars, has already gathered a lifetime's worth of pain. During a long and violent water war between his Grand Nest and an adjacent one, Kal Nkai's family was forced to abandon their homestead and find other, safer grounds to hunt for their life sustaining water pods. His father, Kal Mpon, firmly believed that fighting amongst themselves was a futile effort, as it only wasted time that could be spent fighting their common enemy, dehydration. Not only was it a misdirected effort, but the strain of battle only increased their thirst. So they left their nest and headed for lands they could settle without getting caught in a fight. Still a child, Kal Nkai hadn't yet learned the difference between helpless and harmful plant life, so he relied greatly on his parents' judgment. His father accepted the responsibility of testing the flora for defense mechanisms, but even his vast experience didn't prepare him for the new life forms they found in the wilderness. Free water was scarce; even the plants fought to keep it in creative and sometimes deadly ways. One form issued an odorless paralyzing gas when disturbed. Kal Nkai found his father's dead body beside one after he'd been missing for over a week. With no water in storage and even less experience in dealing with their new surroundings, Kal Nkai and his mother were desperate. Kal Nkai had heard of a prospect settlement run by offworlders nearby and decided it would be well worth the time to offer his services in exchange for imported water. They agreed to employ him as a package runner and soon he was delivering full time. It didn't take long for him to realize the packages he ran were full of salt, an illegal narcotic substance on Cona. But he had a responsibility to his mother and continued to play ignorant. Soon, however, the residue on the packaging and in the settlement office found its way through his skin, prompting Kal Nkai to give in and try the stuff. He liked it. Being in such close contact to the source, he used more and more, continuously denying his addiction. So long as it didn't interfere with his work or income, he was alright. The time came when the settlement ship had to return with their ore and stock up with more liquid currency. The prospectors teased Kal Nkai with stories of their wondrous homeworld covered in saltwater, and his mind raced. After a brief discussion with his mother highlighting all the fabricated benefits of his leaving, she wished him farewell. The trip across the galaxy was a long one, full of trade stops and layovers. It was during a stop on Tatooine he learned of his mother's passing. His grief and helplessness drove him from the ship into the Cantina, where he stayed for nearly four straight days. The crew of the settlement ship tried to pull him away so they could make their next stop, but he wouldn't budge. He wasn't ready to move on, absolutely unwilling to return to Cona. The ship left without him, stranding him with only two weeks worth of provisions. Since then, he has been forced into moisture farming, a trade he's genetically suited for. His heat sensor and multi-band vision allows him to locate subsurface stores and water pockets much easier than most farmers. But he isn't looking to succeed, only survive. What little extra spending money he makes is usually dropped on molded salt licks. NAME: Labria OCCUPATION: questionable RACE: Devaronian SEX: Male HEIGHT: 1.8 meters - If every spaceport has its mascot drunkard, Labria is Mos Eisley's. In sharp contrast to his remarkably sinister appearance, Labria is noted as one of the city's most pathetic citizens. He considers himself one of the best information brokers on Tatooine, selling factoids and tidbits to anyone with money, but rarely knows anything worth buying. While it's pretty difficult to tell when he's really drunk or just faking in order to gain confidences, everyone who knows him avoids mentioning anything of importance. In those few instances he hears something that sounds important, he doesn't bother to check the validity of the source, which usually impacts the value of his word. He does, however, supply Garindan with a great amount of information about Jabba the Hutt. Unfortunately, his facts are usually planted for the sheer purpose of misleading the spy. As far as Labria is concerned, if there is anyone at fault, it is Garindan who is obviously too simple minded to understand the information as it is given. He has begun saving money in a local bank under the pseudonym "Airbal", convinced that no one will recognize it as "Labria" spelled backwards. He is hoping to be able to afford an Imperial commission. No other race has a more distinct separation between genders than the Devaronians. The males are hairless humanoids noted for their red skin and large, twin horns. The females, however, are larger with thick calico fur and no horns. How this occurred in evolution is a mystery. The species descended from a long chain of horned creatures, which helps explain the pride Devaronian males take in grooming their horns, but doesn't help in explaining how the females became so radically different. Even their disposition is remarkably different. While the men are ironically passive and unimpressive, the females are aggressive and often overbearing. This is most noticed as the reason for the geographic separation of the sexes. The males tend to live in the lowlands, fishing the vast webwork of rivers and lakes. The females on the other hand prefer to live high in the mountains, cultivating large industrial centers, working mines and factories. Devaronian males suffer from severe wanderlust, and the many riverways provide only so much satisfaction. The Devaronians were one of the first races to develop stardrives, and this was just to get away. There are very few corners of the known universe that doesn't host at least one Devaronian. And once a Devaronian leaves one world, it is not very likely he'll ever return. NAME: Momaw Nadon OCCUPATION: Fugitive RACE: Ithorian SEX: Male HEIGHT: 1.95 meters - Once the proud leader of the Grand Herd Ship TAFANDA BAY, Momaw Nadon found himself caught between the past and the future. Despite the neutral ways of the peaceful Ithorians, he was forced to take sides in the Civil Conflict spreading throughout the Galaxy and was subsequently banished from his homeworld for it. Although the Ithorians crossed the stellar freeways in great merchant "herd ships", they were oblivious to the existence of any Rebellion or any Imperial trouble. It wasn't until the Star Destroyer CONQUEST emerged from light speed in orbit over Ithor that they even recognized the increased monitoring for smugglers. As traders of unusual merchandise, they allowed the Empire this inconvenience. The Ithorian elders maintained they had nothing to hide. This all soon changed. As a largely ecological species, Ithorians have learned to co-exist with their world and develop a sacred relationship with all living things. This is evident in the great Herd Ships designed to support all sorts of life forms by simulating any conceivable environment in various biospheres all contained within the hull. The TAFANDA BAY was the flagship of the Ithorian Ground Fleet, offering tours to off-worlders free of charge. It was through these tours that the Empire learned of several valuable agricultural practices whose secrets were protected by Ithorian religion. As dual-throated speech is very difficult to reproduce, the Empire found it difficult to find spies able to infiltrate the TAFANDA BAY records department. No self-respecting Hammerhead would betray the sacred trust of the Mother Jungle. After several varied attempts to gain the secrets, the Empire reverted to traditional means of espionage. But before they could gather the information, the six Imperial agents were discovered and banished. This infuriated the CONQUEST's captain and he took the Herd Ship by force. Either they turn over the requested information or the planet would be turned into a lifeless moon. As herd ship leader, Momaw was torn between being banished as a religious turncoat and blasphemer or sentencing the Mother Jungle to death. Nobly, he chose the former. Before his excommunication, Momaw urged his people not to remain complacent. It was time, he said, to pull the weeds before the garden of the Galaxy is choked by the presence of the Empire. This caused the elders to strongly reconsider their neutral stand and place a high priority on the matter for the next Herd Meet. Momaw now roams the Spaceports, offering assistance to the Rebellion where he is able, even if it is only shelter in his secret hideaway. NAME: Muftak OCCUPATION: unknown RACE: unknown SEX: Male HEIGHT: 2.1 meters - Muftak is as much a part of Mos Eisley as the Cantina is. Born to an unknown set of parents and left orphaned on the steps of Docking Bay 12, Muftak grew up strong and street-wise. He knows most of Tatooine's inhabitants and probably sees more than Garindan and Figrin Da'n combined. He is gentle and easy to befriend, testament to his companionship with Kabe. But one should not get the wrong idea. Make a single foul comment and you could wind up missing more limbs than you started out with. Muftak holds no allegiance but to himself and Kabe. His only concern is the here and now, making just enough money to get by in the warm abandoned docking tunnels he calls home. A long conversation with Momaw Nadon is currently his favorite pastime. NAME: Ponda Baba OCCUPATION: Smuggler RACE: Aqualish SEX: Male HEIGHT: 1.85 meters - As one of the frontier's most average smugglers, Ponda Baba worked his way through the galaxy pillaging small rewards from weak people. He briefly shared a partnership with a Grueshite arms dealer named Jothel Merritt, but that was cut short by the untimely appearance of Jodo Kast, the galaxy-renowned bounty hunter. That day, Ponda decided he was better left to work alone. His career stumbled along slowly, a stolen cache of spice here, a burned out cargo barge there. It wasn't until his first encounter with the notorious Doctor Evazan that he decided to take on another partner. He was making minor repairs in Truuzdann, a small spaceport in the Corellian system, when Evazan ran into the docking bay pursued by Jodo Kast. Ponda's first instinct was for revenge, quickly running off the bounty hunter with fire from a turret hidden beneath his ship. He kindly took the doctor aboard, secretly planning on collecting the bounty himself, but after counter-weighing the advantages of working with the doctor, he decided against it. He and Evazan then began to terrorize the underside of the galaxy as Ponda had only dreamed. It was Ponda's overconfidence in the doctor's reputation that lost him his right arm. Usually bullish and tough in the doctor's presence, Ponda chose a fight with a young Luke Skywalker. Expecting perhaps a poorly drawn blaster or feeble slap across the head, Ponda was caught completely unprepared to deal with Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber. In a matter of seconds, he learned one of the most valuable lessons of his life. It is believed that Ponda and Evazan now run the Millennium Falcon's routes for Jabba the Hutt. He hopes to one day be able to afford a cyborganic arm so that Evazan might graft it in place of the one he lost. Names: Bringe and Probos Race: Duros Sex: Male and Female, respectively Occupation: Charters Height: 1.9 and 1.75 meters respectively Bringe and Probos, tract mates from the Duro star system, find themselves in Mos Eisley quite often. It has become a favorite place to rest after coming in from charting deep space regions beyond the Outer Rim. Under the employ of the Empire, they make many trips across the border, mapping new systems and developing shipping routes between the Imperial mining establishments and the Core planets. They trained at the Duro Academy of Deep Space Exploration, so they excel at navigation by limited star markings. They can each boast three independent jumps into the void, for no reason other than bragging rights. Little beyond that impresses them. On their most recent jaunt past the Rim, the couple discovered a star with three dead planets, each rich in Helixell, a key mineral in Duros hyperdrive fuel. The two were silent for hours after receiving the remote geological survey, both thinking the same thing: whether to report their find to the Empire or claim the land for Duros. As Duros is currently politically neutral, such a move would definitely put the government in a tight position. They would have to find ways of dealing with or circumventing the Empire's Observation Posts. Such a move could be defined as breaking towards rebellion and breaking towards the Alliance. Bringe and Probos are normally extremely loyal to their employers. In fact, having spotted Skywalker and the droids in the cantina, they were tempted to turn them in to the authorities at Desert Sands. They thought this might reaffirm their dedication to the Empire long enough to secretly lay claim to the Helixell. At this time it isn't known whether the two have made any report to either side. NAME: Lak Sivrak OCCUPATION: Scout RACE: Shistavanen Wolfman SEX: Male HEIGHT: 1.82 meters - The Wolfman of Mos Eisley, one of the city's most recent refugees, is a mystery even to those as powerful as Jabba the Hutt. Many speculate that he must be one of the Shistavanen Wolfmen from the Uvena system, a tribe of quiet hunters who excel at survival on unexplored worlds. From the notches cut into the stock of his blast rifle, others have surmised that he is a master scout and, with the Empire sealing off the Outer Rim, that leaves very little territory left to practice his trade. The Imperial authorities don't take well to trespassing. Only from thoroughly weeding through Alliance files is it known that Lak Sivrak was at one time one of the Empire's best explorers. Not concerned at all with political matters, he spent most of his time charting hostile territory light years away from even the hint of civilization. He was completely oblivious to the existence of any Rebellion. So when he ran across a colony of Rebels displaced from their destroyed home worlds, he took them as settlers and offered to assist them. In those months, they told him of the Empire's tyrannical practices and the Alliance's noble efforts against it. When it came time for him to move on, he promised not to divulge their secret to his employers. The Imperial Navy, however, discovered the Rebels during a follow-up expedition and conducted a thorough interrogation of the prisoners. Lak Sivrak was branded a traitor. After blasting several stormtroopers, he took to the underground where he is now being hunted by the Empire. Ill feelings towards his old employers and very tight financial strain has given him cause to seriously consider joining the Alliance.