Zend, Salla

[Rose]

Salla Zend

[No Picture Avaliable]

Basic Information -

Species: Human
Gender: Female
Vehicle: Starlight Intruder
Affiliation: Smuggler

Expanded Universe -

As a talented, mechanically inclined woman, Salla Zend had a number of options open to what path her life would take. She was always fascinated with technology, but the idea of working as an engineer for someone else did not interest her. She signed on as a tech aboard a corporate transport, traveling from port to port, always with an ear open to new possibilities.

Salla eventually saved up enough credits to secure a loan on her own ship. Soon after, she entered the arena of professional smugglers. She met up with the likes of Shug Ninx, Lando Calrissian and Han Solo. She grew familiar with smuggling peril, clocking impressive Kessel Runs aboard the Millennium Falcon with Calrissian.

Han first met Salla Zend when they both smuggled spice to the Stenness system. Their relationship was initially one of friendly competition, seeing who could pull the fastest Kessel Run, or who could cut the better deal from the tight-fisted 'Nessies. Their relationship eventually evolved into something romantic.

Three years later, Salla's nav computer malfunctioned and deposited her vessel on a collision course with a neutron star. Solo came to her rescue, but Zend lost her vessel and was quite shaken from the experience. The next day, Salla began to take stock of her life, and thought it was time to settle down. Marriage became a very definite possibility in her mind, but not Solo's. He parted company with Salla, never seeing her again until well after the deafeat of the Empire at Endor.

Six years after the Battle of Endor, scattered Imperial forces began actively hiring free traders and cargo haulers for renewed military initiatives in and around the Core Worlds. Never one to turn down an opportunity for profit, Salla Zend began cobbling together a freighter transport, the Starlight Intruder, from parts scavenged from all over the galaxy. Salla worked in Shug Ninx's space garage in the Corellian Sector of Nar Shaddaa, putting in time on the Intruder in her off-hours.

Licensed for Deep Core hauling, the Intruder was just the ship the New Republic needed to penetrate the Imperial Deep Core, to stab at the heart of the renewed Empire, and rescue a dark side-corrupted Luke Skywalker. Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo visited Nar Shaddaa, recruiting the aid of Ninx and Zend for a cool 100,000 credits. There were more than a few uncomfortable moments for Han, as he had to deal with both his wife and his ex-girlfriend.

The Starlight Intruder was not quite ready for the trip just yet, so Solo, Organa Solo, Ninx, Zend and Chewbacca began work on the ship right away. The vessel was ready in time to save Solo from the bounty hunter Boba Fett. With the Falcon magnetically attached to it, the Starlight Intruder jumped toward the Deep Galactic Core and the Imperial stronghold of Byss.

At Byss, the Intruder docked with the massive Imperial Freight Complex, allowing the Falcon to continue closer to the restricted Imperial Citadel. The Falcon docked within the Citadel, and Imperial troops moved to take Solo, Organa Solo, Chewbacca and C-3PO captive. At the last instant, Ninx and Zend -- hidden aboard the Falcon -- powered up the freighter, and blasted their way out of the Citadel, while the New Republic heroes infiltrated deeper into the stronghold.

Returning to the Freight Complex, Salla and Ninx hid the Falcon inside the cavernous holds of the Hyperspace Marauder, a transport operated by fellow smugglers Lo Khan and Luwingo. Their respite was short, however, as a massive Imperial hunter killer probe droid spotted the Falcon within the Marauder. It opened fire, crippling the Marauder, but not before the Falcon could escape. The probe droid grabbed the Falcon in its tractor beams, and dragged the ship back into its holds.

Salla and Shug, both technical geniuses, took control of the probe droid themselves, rewiring it so it would obey their commands. Using its laser cannons, Salla fired into the Imperial Citadel, freeing the New Republic heroes. Once aboard the Falcon, they all left the dark Imperial world -- all except Luke Skywalker, who stayed behind to face the resurrected Emperor Palpatine.

Rocketing toward the besieged world of Mon Calamari, the heroes hooked up R2-D2 to the ship's transmitter, so that it could disrupt the Master Control Signal of the massive Imperial World Devastators ravaging the watery planet. Salla and Chewbacca piloted the Falcon as close to the Devastators as they could. The plan was successful, and the attack on Mon Calamari was stopped.

Salla and Shug returned with the New Republic to their temporary base on the fifth moon of Da Soocha. Salla was eager to return to Byss, to reclaim the Starlight Intruder. When Solo, Chewbacca and Organa Solo returned to Nar Shaddaa to seek out the old Jedi Vima-Da-Boda, Shug and Salla tagged along. It was Salla who wove the Falcon through the spires and metal canyons of the Smuggler's Moon, evading pursuing bounty hunters.

Salla and Shug found the space garage destroyed by agents of the Empire. With their prize vessels scuttled, Salla complained loudly to the New Republic heroes about the capital loss, and the inability to rescue her ship. Leia Organa Solo, concerned with matters of more importance, paid little attention to Salla's troubles. Salla was ready to cancel all ties to the New Republic.

Aboard one of Ninx's remaining ships, the Salvager Three, Ninx and Zend stole necessary permits to penetrate the Deep Core. At the Imperial Freight Complex, she found disheartening news from Lo Kahn and Luwingo: the Starlight Intruder had been torn apart by Imperial-sanctioned scavs and melted for slag.

During their stay at the Complex, the smugglers heard that a New Republic initiative to infiltrate Byss aboard captured war droids was going badly. Salla organized other smugglers to aid the commandos. Shug Ninx's Starhook Ten, Lo Khan's Hyperspace Marauder and Uz Bonearm's Bespin Bandit penetrated the Citadel, strafing Imperial war beasts and buying the Republic troops precious time. Shortly thereafter, Salla and Shug helped fend off an Imperial attack on the Republic safeworld of New Alderaan.

Salla is a statuesque human female, with wide, tightly curled black hair, orange eyes and an exotic beauty. She is a perfectionist, and had struggled hard to make the Intruder the ship that it was. She always wished she had more time to devote to the ship, referring to it as a "he" whereas male spacers usually describes their ships as a "she."