Bar Jaraniz—also known simply as the Jara'—was a seedy tapcaf located on Nar Shaddaa, the so-called "Smuggler's Moon" of Nal Hutta. Situated in one of the Outer Rim world's rougher neighborhoods, the Jara' vowed never to close, codifying that sentiment in a sign hung over its permanently welded-open doors. The tapcaf served a variety of beverages, including water and ale, in addition to fanciful cocktails that were constructed right before a customer's eyes. Attracting an eclectic clientele, often made up of mercenaries, gangsters, and bounty hunters, Bar Jaraniz weathered its fair share of gang violence and other shoot-outs over the years, but managed to remain true to its advertised promise of remaining open for business.
In the year 24 ABY, the Yuuzhan Vong agent Nom Anor traveled to Bar Jaraniz in disguise and under the alias "Udelen," seeking to hire a mercenary's services. There, he met with a Mandalorian soldier by the name of Goran Beviin. After some initial trepidation, Beviin agreed to work for Anor, unaware of his true nature or agenda; the two exchanged payment and assignment details, before the Yuuzhan Vong agent subsequently departed the Jara'. Though his business was concluded, Beviin remained at the tapcaf for some time after, in order to join a Mandalorian mother and daughter—Briika and Dinua Jeban—who'd come to Bar Jaraniz that evening in order to celebrate the young Dinua's recent coming of age.
Bar Jaraniz was located on Nar Shaddaa, the planet Nal Hutta's colloquially-named "Smuggler's Moon," situated in the region of the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories known as Hutt Space. An unsavory tapcaf often referred to simply as the Jara', the establishment's outer facade showed signs of blaster-charring by the year 24 ABY, especially around its doorframe. A sign over the Jara's entrance indicated that the tapcaf never closed, a promise that was seemingly ensured by the fact that the bar's doors had been welded permanently open, though only the owner could truly say what the reason behind such a decision was. Customers of Bar Jaraniz could park their vehicles in a nearby airspeeder lot, which featured enough space to accommodate vessels as large as a combat-ready starfighter.
The interior of Bar Jaraniz featured a variety of seating options for patrons to choose from, from tables with chairs, to high-backed, dimly-lit booths lining at least two of the tapcaf's walls. Customers could also take a seat at the Jara's long serving counter. The Jara' served several beverages, including simple glasses of water, ale by the mug or bottle, and elaborate cocktails made fresh at the counter by the tapcaf's bartender. One cocktail that Bar Jaraniz offered featured fruit segments, skewers, and a serving of sky-blue vosh with lumps of geref. Bartenders at the Jara' worked in shifts, some lasting from late evening through to dawn. Bar Jaraniz supplied guests with napkins, and the tapcaf possessed a refresher located in the rear of the establishment. By 24 ABY, the Jara' had established a special Buy-One-Get-One-Free night in the fifth month of the year.
The Jara' wasn't known for being crowded on a typical evening, though the tapcaf could count numerous local gangsters among its regular clientele. In addition, Bar Jaraniz was frequented by mercenaries and bounty hunters who would come in search of paying work. Due to the often rough nature of the tapcaf's crowd, patrons customarily made all efforts not to stare at their peers or get involved in another's business for fear of being vibrobladed. The Jara's management was apparently proud of the bar's strict, unwritten etiquette on that matter, despite it ultimately failing to stop a number of minor skirmishes between patrons over the years.
Established on Nar Shaddaa many years for the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the known galaxy, Bar Jaraniz developed into a seedy tapcaf that often attracted a rough clientele of criminals and mercenaries. In addition to acquiring the simplified Jara' nickname, the bar endured a number of gang wars, shoot-outs, and other armed disagreements between business partners over the course of its operation.
In the fifth month of the year 24 ABY, the Mandalorian mother Briika Jeban brought her daughter Dinua to Bar Jaraniz on an unusually crowded Buy-One-Get-One-Free night. Dinua had recently passed her verd'goten, the traditional trial heralding a Mandalorian's coming-of-age, and the two women engaged in a rowdy celebration at the Jara' that evening. While the mother and daughter drank and enjoyed each other's company, the Jara's bartender soon welcomed another Mandalorian by the name of Goran Beviin to the tapcaf. Arriving in search of a prospective client known as "Udelen," Beviin was directed to a nearby booth by the barkeep, where he unknowingly sat down with a disguised Nom Anor, an advanced operative of the exta-galactic Yuuzhan Vong. Keeping his true identity and intent hidden, Anor attempted to hire Beviin to assassinate Tholote B'Leph, a supposedly corrupt politician on Ter Abbes. Tensions rose between the two when Beviin realized the strife that would ensue should B'Leph die in accordance with Anor's wishes, and a suspicious Beviin even drew his blaster on the other man when Anor reached below their table in a manner consistent with someone going for a weapon. Though Briika Jeban was prepared to come to Beviin's aid, the situation was ultimately defused as a misunderstanding, and Beviin temporarily left the Jara' to consider Anor's proposal.
Returning to his Gladiator-class assault fighter, which he'd left at a nearby lot, Beviin contacted his friend and the reigning Mand'alor, Boba Fett. After a brief discussion in which Fett urged Beviin to accept the job, as both he and his husband were in need of the credits after the difficult year their farm had, Beviin returned to the Jara' and agreed to Anor's terms. Satisfied, the Yuuzhan Vong operative departed Bar Jaraniz without ever touching the glass of water he'd been served upon arrival. Beviin remained behind, however, ordering drinks for the Mandalorian mother and daughter still in the midst of celebrating. At their table, he congratulated Dinua on passing her verd'goten and offered up a toast, as was Mandalorian custom, before discussing the recent loss of Dinua's father. Sympathetic, Beviin volunteered to pass along any excess work that came his way to his two new friends.
Bar Jaraniz was first introduced to the Star Wars universe in the New Jedi Order era e-novella entitled Boba Fett: A Practical Man, written by author Karen Traviss and published in August 2006.