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Karrde, Talon

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a smuggler and information broker, Karrde learned the ropes of smuggling from Billey. It was during this period that Karrde discovered the whereabouts of the Katana fleet by accident, when a botched operation left his crew's ship in an uncharted area of space. After leaving Billey's operation, Karrde became one of Jorj Car'das' most trusted lieutenants. When Car'das suddenly disappeared about five years before the Battle of Endor, Karrde stepped in and took control of the operation. He quickly solidifed his power base, surviving seven different assassination attempts, four of which seemed to have Car'das behind them. Karrde commanded a group of highly-skilled thieves and mercenaries from his starship, the Wild Karrde. He more or less took control of most of the galaxy's smuggling after Jabba the Hutt's demise, although it was not a position he desired. He surrounded himself with the best people he could hire, including Mara Jade and the young slicer Ghent. During the time when Grand Admiral Thrawn returned from the Unknown Regions to harry the New Republic, Karrde found himself in the midst of the struggle when he intercepted Luke Skywalker in an empty section of space. He then hosted Han Solo and Lando Calrissian at his base on Myrkr, but forced to abandon the base when Imperial forces raided it. Karrde continued to assist the New Republic from a distance, and was instrumental in the recovery of a crystal gravfield trap receptor for the Republic. He was later instrumental in the formation of the Smuggler's Alliance. During the Caamas Incident, Karrde decided that it was time to search out Car'das, if not for his own personal reasons then to recover a copy on the Caamas Document. While Car'das did not have a copy of the Document, he did have complete history records of Moff Disra, Grodin Tierce, and Flim, which Karrde, with the help of Shada D'ukal, managed to return to Admiral Pellaeon aboard the Chimaera. Once Disra was brought to trial, Karrde's actions allowed the Republic and the remnants of the Empire to initiate a peace treaty. Ever the opportunist, Karrde proposed that he be allowed to set up an Intelligence agency that provided the same information to both the Empire and the New Republic. That way, there could be no secrets between them, especially if Karrde's agency remained neutral. Both sides agreed to the proposal. For a while, Karrde himself served as the primary liaison between the Republic and the Imperial Remnant. However, individual systems and sectors began to ask for the same information, and Karrde's once-adequate network soon became overwhelmed. After receiving some bad information from irresponsible agents, Karrde decided to start downsizing his operation and move toward retirement. When the Yuuzhan Vong began their invasion of the galaxy, Karrde went into hiding, like many other smugglers, hoping that the mobility of a starship would keep them one step ahead of the alien invaders. Karrde continued to relay any information he could to the New Republic, unaware that the Yuuzhan Vong were purposely leaking misinformation across the galaxy. When Karrde's news of certain shipments proved to be nothing more than the bait for a trap, he lost favor with the government. When the Yuuzhan Vong finally surrendered to the Galactic Alliance at Coruscant some five years after their invasion began, Karrde was one of many members of the Smugglers' Alliance and pursue more legitimate goals. The galaxy needed to be rebuilt, and there were too many honest ways to make a living.