Mazzic

Mazzic was a male Human smuggler from Corellia. Originally a free trader, he turned to smuggling and ran an independent smuggling organization during the Galactic Civil War. Mazzic hired the Mistryl Shadow Guard Shada D'ukal as his bodyguard where she hid her deadly abilities and posed as his female companion.

During Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic, Mazzic joined Talon Karrde's Smugglers' Alliance after his friend, Lishma, was killed by Imperial forces during a meeting at Whistler's Whirlpool Tapcafe on Trogan. He struck back at the Empire, destroying a half-completed Star Destroyer being constructed at the Bilbringi Shipyards.

Biography

Early life

Mazzic was a Human male born on the planet Corellia^[1] in the Core Worlds.^[4] Mazzic eventually left his homeworld, although he flatly refused to discuss the reason why with anyone. He became a free-trader, running cargo and goods for the Galactic Empire until they double-crossed him. During the altercation, a friend of his was killed; some speculated that the dead friend was, in fact, Mazzic's wife,^[1] and that the Empire murdered her in an effort to get to Mazzic.^[2] Leaving Imperial space, Mazzic struck out for the Corporate Sector, running legitimate cargo. However, he found dealing with the Corporate Sector Authority to be worse than dealing with the Empire. Mazzic soon began smuggling weapons to contract laborers on Corporate Sector planets, and even extracting workers from their work camps while evading Authority cruisers. However, Mazzic actively denied events from his past, covering his tracks and cultivating a background that was cloaked in rumor and conjecture. As a result, little was actually known about Mazzic, and that was the way he liked it.^[1]

Expanding operations

After discovering the profits to be made from smuggling, Mazzic returned to Imperial space and began running contraband where he gained a reputation for successfully evading Imperial Customs officials.^[1] By 0 ABY,^[5] Mazzic had been an active smuggler for several years, and had established a small organization. Fellow smuggler Han Solo ran cargo for Mazzic on several occasions.^[6]

While building his smuggling organization, Mazzic purchased a Starwind-class pleasure yacht from a Rodian smuggler who had decided to retire to the Outer Rim Territories. Naming the ship Distant Rainbow, Mazzic used it as his personal vessel, modifying the ship by enhancing its weapons^[1] to include dorsal and ventral quad laser cannons. Mazzic based the design off holos he's seen of Solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon, although he would never admit to it.^[7] He also upgraded the countermeasures packages^[1] with a suite designed to fool casual sensor scans and augmented the repulsorlift engines^[7] to improve the ship's lift-to-mass ratio.^[1]

The pride of Mazzic's fleet, however, were the two Preybird-class starfighters, Raptor and Skyclaw. Mazzic had been able to observe the protoype of the fighters around 1 BBY through connections at SoroSuub Corporation when the company were attempting to market the fighters and became enamoured with the design. Due to budget considerations, the Preybird line was discontinued, with only a few production models made. Mazzic acquired two of the ships at a reduced price through his contact. Over the course of several years, Mazzic overhauled the flight computers and weapon systems on the ships to create deadly war machines.^[1] Intimidating to behold, more than one better-armed ship surrendered to Mazzic when faced with the pair of Preybirds. Mazzic's main concern was that the vessels would one day be destroyed as he knew replacing them would be an expensive proposition.^[7]

In 0 BBY, Mazzic recruited a young woman named Winter into his organization. She was a specialist in procurement operations, tracking shipping manifests and reviewing warehouse records to find information and equipment Mazzic needed. The information usually consisted of individuals attempting to hide their merchandise, so Mazzic contacted them and offered his smuggling services. The equipment was simply stolen if Mazzic wanted it. Two months after recruiting Winter, Mazzic employed Kell Tainer, a young Human demolitions expert.^[6]

Winter was also an intelligence agent for the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and had been assigned to work undercover in Mazzic's organization. She used his resources to locate supply and weapons storehouses, then after Mazzic's people had removed whatever they needed, she arranged for the Alliance to sweep in behind them and take the rest. Winter was sure that Mazzic suspected the connection, but never mentioned it, seeing the benefits of the situation.^[6]

Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Solo was contracted by Eanjer Kunarazti on the planet Wukkar to recover 163 million credits stolen from his father by the Black Sun Sector Chief Avrak Villachor. Aware that he did not have the skills to pull of the heist alone, Solo enlisted information broker Rachele Ree to contact a number of individuals to form a specialized team of scoundrels to pull off the job. Mazzic was one of people that Solo wanted on his team, but he was unavailable. Instead, Mazzic sent his two newest recruits, Winter and Tainer, in his place after reviewing the skills that Solo was looking to acquire for the mission.^[6]

The Rise of Thrawn

In 7 ABY,^[8] Mazzic hired Shada D'ukal, a Mistryl Shadow Guard, as his personal bodyguard.^[9] The Mistryl were a secretive group of female warriors^[1] from the planet Emberlene who were hired out by their leaders, the Eleven Elders of the People, to support the world after its near destruction at the hands of its enemies. The Eleven assigned D'ukal to work with Mazzic, believing that his organization would grow into a galaxy-spanning network with considerable influence.^[9] D'ukal refused to discuss her associations with the Mistryl to Mazzic, proclaiming that to do so would break an oath of secrecy. An attractive young woman, she cultivated the image that she was little more that a decoration on Mazzic's arm, and the smuggler allowed rumors to circulate that she was his love interest. D'ukal was, in fact, a highly trained commando with considerable combat prowess.^[1]

In 9 ABY, Mazzic responded to a communication from fellow smuggler Samuel Tomas Gillespee to meet with him and Talon Karrde at Whistler's Whirlpool Tapcafe on the planet Trogan. Mazzic wasn't the only other smuggler in attendance, being joined by the Brubb Brasck, Par'tah the Ho'Din, the Duros Ellor, Dravis, Clyngunn the ZeHethbra, and Niles Ferrier. He attended the meeting with D'ukal at his side, and sat with his friend, the Gotal smuggler Lishma, and listened as Karrde attempted to unite the various smuggler factions against the Empire and their leader, Grand Admiral Thrawn, by supplying the New Republic with intelligence as they gathered it. The Empire had been in retreat since the Battle of Endor five years previously, but Thrawn's return from the Unknown Regions and his subsequent campaign against the New Republic was shifting the balance of power in the galaxy. The gathered smugglers were unconvinced; Mazzic felt that the risk of helping the New Republic outweighed the cost of defying the Empire, and chose not to get involved, especially as he heard that Thrawn was paying well for smuggled goods and services, although he admitted having no fondness for Thrawn's newly-grown clone forces.^[3]

As the meeting drew to a close with the general consensus being to remain neutral, the assemblage was attacked by an Imperial Army contingent from the local garrison under the command of Lieutenant Reynol Kosk. As the gathered smugglers and their bodyguards fought off the attack, Mazzic concentrated his fire on the Chariot command speeders while D'ukal used all her skills to cut down the enemy. As the smoke cleared, the smugglers had suffered a single casualty—Lishma, who hadn't even been shooting. The Imperial attack and Lishma's death galvanized Mazzic and he agreed to sign on with Karrde. As other members of the group affirmed their own intentions to help and track down Thrawn's clone transfer routes, Mazzic and Ellor decided to strike at the Empire in their own way.^[3]

Getting Revenge

Targeting the shipyards at Bilbringi, Mazzic led a sabotage team in a daring attack against an under-construction Star Destroyer which resulted in the destruction of the half-completed vessel. As the attack group retreated, their exit vector was covered by two Corellian Engineering Corporation gunships that Ellor had "borrowed" from the New Republic while they were in dock at refueling stations around Duro that he had part ownership of. Grand Admiral Thrawn, reviewing the incident, used his keen grasp of tactics and strategy to determine that Mazzic had perpetrated the attack with aid from Ellor.^[3]

While investigating the Joiol system, Mazzic was captured by Imperial forces and taken via shuttle to the Chimaera to meet with Grand Admiral Thrawn. Expecting punishment for the destruction of the Star Destroyer, he was surprised when Thrawn told him that he was willing to forget the incident. The Grand Admiral informed him that neither he, nor any senior Imperial official, had ordered the attack on Trogan, and in fact the garrison had strict orders to leave the meeting alone. Mazzic was suspicious of Thrawn's claims until the Grand Admiral pointed out that if he had planned the attack, there would have been no survivors. Mazzic came to believe Thrawn as he had always felt they had got away too easily. Thrawn also informed him that the troops had been hired by a third party to attack the meeting; while Thrawn had his suspicions about who that individual was, he refused to divulge the name. With the meeting concluded, Thrawn arranged for the shuttle to take Mazzic to the backup base on Lelmra that his organization had retreated to after Mazzic's capture.^[3]

Confronting Karrde

Armed with Thrawn's information, Mazzic arranged for a friend to investigate Imperial military records to confirm Thrawn's claims that Kosk was hired independently. The search turned up proof in Kosk's files that he was hired by Karrde to attack the meeting. Mazzic had suspect that Karrde was the likely culprit since he had the most to gain by uniting the smugglers under his banner. Unknown to Mazzic, Thrawn had planted the evidence in the Imperial records implicating Karrde, and had arranged to have Niles Ferrier use his Defel associate to plant matching evidence in Karrde's office aboard the Wild Karrde.^[3]

Believing that Karrde had betrayed them, Mazzic arrived for a meeting on the planet Hijarna with a squad of enforcers and requested that the meeting take place aboard the Wild Karrde. When Karrde asked why, Mazzic asked him if he had something to hide, to which Karrde replied that he did—as did all of the smugglers assembled. In the end, Karrde relented and took the assembled smuggler chiefs down to the docking bay where the Wild Karrde was berthed. They were met by Dankin at the entrance to the Wild Karrde, who sensed that something was amiss, used a coded signal to warn Karrde's people to encircle the group in case of trouble. Mazzic aimed his blaster at Karrde's head to get his people to fall back. Karrde noted that only the eight smuggler chiefs could fit in the Wild Karrde's wardroom, to which Mazzic agreed.^[3]

In the wardroom, the eight chiefs—Mazzic, Karrde, Gillespee, Dravis, Ellor, Clyngunn, Par'tah, Brasck and Ferrier—settled around a table. Mazzic requested access to Karrde's office, which Karrde supplied and sent Ellor and Par'tah to retrieve all the datacards inside, as well as a couple of datapads. While waiting for the pair to return, Mazzic relayed his meeting with Thrawn and his discovery that the attack on Trogan had been a set-up, although he admitted that Karrde hadn't been named specifically but that he was the one with most to gain. Mazzic knew that Imperial records could be falsified, and wanted to check for proof among Karrde's own records that he was the one who hired the Imperial squad. Karrde countered by asking if Mazzic really thought he would leave evidence lying around, and noted that before Mazzic's arrival there had been a suspected intruder aboard the Wild Karrde. Ferrier, who had used his Wraith to plant the evidence Mazzic was seeking, accused Karrde of attempting to deflect the blame.^[3]

Ellor and Par'tah returned, and they started looking through the datacards until they found the planted evidence. During the ensuing conversation, Ferrier slipped up, citing the name of the squad's commanding lieutenant when he shouldn't have known it. Mazzic and Karrde immediately started to suspect something amiss, and started to question Ferrier until Karrde revealed that he had not invited the ship thief to this particular meeting. Mazzic, now coming to suspect Ferrier, turned his blaster on him. Realizing that his cover was blown, Ferrier produced a thermal detonator. While the Wraith held the other chiefs in the wardroom, Ferrier had Karrde take him to the bridge and fly him to his gunship. Mazzic and the others overpowered the Wraith, but could not stop Ferrier from reaching his ship and taking off, trapping the Wild Karrde under a conner net. As the gunship ascended into orbit, Karrde allowed Mazzic to call in the Raptor and Skyclaw to destroy the gunship.^[3]

The Battle of Bilbringi

Mazzic met with Karrde and Gillespee in a tapcafe, where Karrde passed on information to them that the New Republic was looking to secure a CGT array. Karrde's information indicated that the New Republic was committing two whole sector fleets to engage the Empire at Tangrene in an effort to secure one. Karrde was of the opinion that if the New Republic was willing to fight for one, they would be equally willing to buy one off of them. When Mazzic asked if Karrde intended to sneak into Tangrene ahead of the New Republic and nab the array, he was surprised when Karrde instead intended to target the CGT array at Bilbringi.^[3]

Mazzic thought Karrde was crazy since half the Imperial fleet was stationed there. Karrde countered that Thrawn would probably only leave a skeleton force there since he would anticipate the New Republic's move at Tangrene. Mazzic considered the logic of the move, pointing out that the security procedures had probably been overhauled since Mazzic and Ellor had raided the shipyards. Karrde considered that to be a bonus in their favor since the Empire would not have found the holes in their new security setup yet. Mazzic provisionally agreed to the mission as long as Karrde could get confirmation on the timing of the Tangrene assault since he did not want to be at Bilbringi if there was a chance that Thrawn was close by.^[3]

Mazzic brought his forces to Bilbringi, stealthily inserting themselves into the usual freighter traffic. Mazzic's part of the plan was to go for the CGT array at the main command center. As they waited, an Imperial fleet exited hyperspace, and Mazzic, along with several of the other smugglers committed to the raid, believed that Karrde had sold them out. Mazzic intended to go down fighting, and Aves offered him command of the combined smuggler forces. Mazzic intended to take it anyway, and told the smugglers they had to deliver their first punch together. However, Aves realized that the Imperial fleet was not configured in an enclosure formation but for entrapment, coming to the conclusion that Imperials were not there for the smugglers. The New Republic assault on Tangrene was actually targeting Bilbringi. Mazzic told the assembled smugglers not to panic; the New Republic's presence would distract the Empire so they should stay on schedule and see what happened.^[3]

After the arrival of the New Republic fleet, Mazzic and the smugglers prepared to grab the CGT array and make a run for it. Aves contacted Wedge Antilles, commander of Rogue Squadron, to inform him of the situation and their plan. To the smugglers, it did not matter what direction they went after securing the array, but it might matter to the New Republic. Aves and Antilles agreed on a direction for the smugglers to take on their way out, hitting a Golan I station from behind as the New Republic attacked from the front. As the smugglers punched through, it opened a hole in the Imperial defenses that the New Republic could exploit. The Battle of Bilbringi ended with an Imperial retreat after Thrawn was assassinated by his own bodyguard, Rukh.^[3]

The Caamas Document Crisis

In 19 ABY,^[5] Talon Karrde sent word to Mazzic and Clyngunn's people informing them to apprehend the Devaronian Lak Jit if he approached them. Jit had uncovered a datacard from the Mount Tantiss ruins on Wayland revealing that the Bothans were complicit in the devastation of the planet Caamas. Mazzic was contacted by a Garoos associate, Cromf, who had found Jit. A meeting was arranged, and the smuggler agreed to meet the Devaronian at the Dona Laza tapcafe. Mazzic took D'ukal along with him, with Griv as backup. Despite Karrde's insistence that Jit not be allowed to talk to anyone, Mazzic wanted to hear what he had to say. Due to having to pay Cromf a finder's fee for Jit, Mazzic was annoyed he was not going to break even on this venture and wanted to know if the information that Jit was carrying was worth anything. If so, then Mazzic was determined to get a cut of it. D'ukal visibly showed her disdain for Mazzic's plan, causing him to remind her that was how the game was played.^[9]

Jit arrived at the tapcafe, and Mazzic greeted him with a glass of Vistulo brandale. Jit began by telling Mazzic that the information he had could not be verified since he no longer had the evidence, and that he knew he could not ask for money in exchange. Mazzic made a show of promising payment if the value of the information was worth it. Jit relayed the information that not only was Emperor Palpatine responsible for the destruction of Caamas, but that the planetary shield generators had been sabotaged by a group of Bothans. The theory that Palpatine had been behind the assault was a long-held belief, but the information implicating the Bothans was new. After hearing Jit's story, Mazzic had D'ukal render the Devaronian unconscious with a swift blow to the base of his left horn. Taking Jit into custody for Karrde, Mazzic wondered if he could bargain Karrde's bounty up. When D'ukal asked him what they were going to do with the information, Mazzic informed her that no one was going to care about a planet destroyed half a century ago.^[9]

Shortly after handing Jit over to Karrde, Mazzic travelled to Borcorash with D'ukal and Griv. A mutually profitable trade had been arranged with a Kubaz representing a Hutt cartel. In exchange for a small case of Sormahil fire gems, Mazzic agreed to deliver a case of ryll. Meeting at the ultra-private top floor of the Resinem Entertainment Complex, Mazzic had his suspicions about the meeting. While Griv accompanied him to the meeting, D'ukal was tasked with scaling the complex and covering them from above. The exchange occurred without incident, with both sides checking the merchandise they received. As Mazzic bid farewell to the Kubaz and his Human associate, he heard a tapping on the room's skylight. Above, D'ukal had a blaster rifle trained on the Kubaz, having appropriated it from an assassin who the Kubaz had set up to kill Mazzic. Mazzic threw D'ukal a little salute, leaving the room with Griv. Shortly after, D'ukal resigned as his bodyguard.^[9]

Personality and traits

Mazzic was a tall, muscular, Human male with long shoulder-length black hair. He was considered to be a good smuggler and an excellent pilot, and the people in his organization respected him as a leader.^[1] Mazzic projected an air of a suave, sophisticated ladies man^[3] and was known to have good taste.^[10] However, Mazzic had a suspicious nature and was a poor strategist, distrusting anyone who was not part of his organization.^[1]

No-nonsense and forthright, Mazzic had little tolerance for deception^[1] but was fanatical about preserving his own secrets. He had many friends within the smuggling community, and while he did not put his trust in many people, those who he did come to trust he treated as if they were lifelong friends.^[2] However, Mazzic had those individuals thoroughly checked out first before placing his trust in them. Others considered Mazzic to be trustworthy and competent, and a good judge of character. People such as Han Solo were willing to trust anyone Mazzic vouched for, although they did admit that he had been proven wrong in the past.^[6]

Prior to Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic, Mazzic was willing to take the money the Empire offered while still be suspicious of their motives.^[1] He was also willing to deal with the New Republic depending on who was offering the most money.^[3] That changed following the Imperial attack on the smuggler meeting at the Whistler's Whirlpool Tapcafe; Mazzic became reckless after the death of his friend Lishma,^[1] and his keen sense of justice^[2] made him determined to make Empire pay for coming after him and his friends.^[1]

Skills and abilities

Mazzic was a trained combatant, physically fit and able to engage in both blaster and melee combat. He was knowledgeable about alien species, languages, and planetary star systems, and was particularly well versed in the bureaucracy of the Imperial Navy.^[1] Mazzic was fluent in Basic and Mistryl.^[2]

As a smuggler, Mazzic was streetwise and capable of bargaining, conning, or persuading his way to obtaining items of value. He was also a competent gambler and forger. An excellent pilot, Mazzic was comfortable flying space transports, plotting astrogation routes, and operating the craft's sensors, weapons, and shields. He was capable of repairing starship systems, as well as repulsorcraft. Mazzic also had first aid training.^[1]

Equipment

Mazzic carried a heavy blaster pistol and a comlink. He typically wore a black flight suit accompanied by a short black cloak. As the head of a smuggling operation, he owned a Starwind-class pleasure yacht, the Distant Rainbow, and a pair of Preybird-class starfighters, the Raptor and the Skyclaw.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Mazzic first appeared in the 1993 novel The Last Command by Timothy Zahn.^[3] The character was identified as a Human in West End Games' The Last Command Sourcebook, published a year later in 1994.^[1] In 1998, Dark Horse Comics published a comic book adaptation of The Last Command; in that series, Mazzic was illustrated as a dark-haired, blue-skinned alien^[11] later identified as a Myke, a Near-Human species, in Star Wars Handbook 2: Crimson Empire.^[12] However, later sources, such as the article "The Smugglers Alliance" in Star Wars Gamer 3, continued to identify Mazzic as a Human.^[2] As the majority of sources dealing with Mazzic's species identify him as a Human, this article assumes that Mazzic is a Human from Corellia and not a Myke as depicted in The Last Command comic series.

Appearances

• Scoundrels (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
• The Last Command (and unabridged audiobook) (First appearance, in book)
• The Last Command abridged audiobook
• The Last Command 2
• The Last Command 3
• The Last Command 4
• The Last Command 5
• The Last Command 6
• Specter of the Past (and unabridged audiobook)
• Specter of the Past abridged audiobook
• Vision of the Future (and unabridged audiobook)
• Vision of the Future abridged audiobook

Sources

• A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
• The Last Command Sourcebook
• The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook
• A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded
• "The Smugglers Alliance" — Star Wars Gamer 3
• "Ships of the Smuggler's Alliance" — Star Wars Gamer 4
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Unknown Regions

Notes and references