Dlarit estate

The Dlarit estate was owned by the politically and corporately influential Aerin Dlarit, the patriarch of the Dlarit family. The mansion was located in a remote area of rainforests on the planet Thyferra, where it was surrounded by a dense area of akonije trees and other flora. The building was set on a small knoll at the lower portion of a group of high mountains, which were once part of an extinct volcano. Waterfalls cascaded down the mountains to the rear of the mansion. The result was a backdrop that mercenaries—who infiltrated the Dlarit estate in 7 ABY—found to be visually impressive, with one even referring to the view from the mansion's front as paradisiacal. The estate itself was made of natural stone, and its location at the foot of the mountains made it appear to tower over the rain forests when seen from a distance. Breezes from the mountains and the mist of the waterfalls helped combat the heat from the humid air outside the mansion and also created a constant hum of natural background noises.

Due to the remoteness of the Dlarit estate and the forest terrain surrounding it, almost all travel to and from the mansion took place by airspeeder. Only one single-lane track navigated the terrain southward from the estate to a main through-way. Visitors had to pass several gates along the forty-five kilometer–long path as it meandered through the forests and around the natural rock outcroppings. The rain forests around the mansion gave way to a large clearing at the front of the Dlarit estate. An electronically locked, enclosed solarium served as the entrance to the building. The solarium led to a doorway into the lower floor of the main estate house. From there, a stairway led to the main floor, where a large hallway had several doors to the mansion's various rooms. Among those rooms was the private office of Aerin Dlarit, which included a high-backed chair and a desk with a built-in holoprojector plate. The plate displayed a slowly rotating meter-tall hologram replica of a statue of Aerin Dlarit atop a pedestal surrounded by throngs of well-wishers applauding at the base.

The thick rainforest foliage, huge mountains and thunderous waterfalls surrounding the Dlarit estate already served as a natural obstacle for those attempting to reach the mansion. Nevertheless, the building was further reinforced by multiple, elaborate security measures installed around the estate. The estate was protected by a ring of well-hidden Tritracker Air Defense batteries and ground-based anti-aircraft artillery laser cannons designed by CoMar Combat Systems. Additionally, the multiple gates and natural rock outcroppings along the lone pathway served as ambush points in the event of an invasion.

Furthermore, various sensor arrays were positioned around the estate to monitor anyone attempting to approach through the rainforest. The arrays were muted on the mountain side of the estate, however, so that the movement of water and sound from the waterfalls did not constantly trigger alarms. This proved to be a major security weakness exploited by an Ashern strike team during a raid on the Dlarit estate in 7 ABY. In addition to the elaborate electronic security system, patrols of Human guards made regular rounds both inside and outside the mansion. The external patrols focused their efforts primarily on the side of the estate facing the mountains and waterfalls.

The Dlarit estate was owned by Aerin Dlarit, a multi-millionaire who was heavily involved in the Xucphra Corporation, one of the two bacta-production and distribution corporations on Thyferra. It was also the childhood home of Erisi Dlarit, Aerin Dlarit's daughter, who became a highly-placed spy for Imperial Intelligence chief Ysanne Isard. In that capacity, Erisi Dlarit was placed as a pilot into the New Republic's elite Rogue Squadron, where she provided intelligence information directly to Isard. After the New Republic recaptured Coruscant, Erisi Dlarit realized her identity was about to be compromised and she fled from Rogue Squadron. Afterward, she ran the fighter wing of Isard's newly-formed Thyferran Home Defense Corps. Following a planetwide coup supported by Isard and Xucphra Corporation in 7 ABY that led to the Bacta War, Aerin Dlarit was promoted to general in the defense organization. During this time, he continued to live at Dlarit estate, which also included a large staff of servants and maintenance employees tended to the home.

Although Aerin Dlarit was largely a figurehead in the Thyferran Home Defense Corps, his high-profile status made him a strong symbolic target for assassination at the hands of an anti-Imperial mercenary group led by Elscol Loro and Sixtus Quin, who agreed to help the local freedom fighters attempt to wrest control of Thyferra back from Isard. The mercenaries planned to infiltrate the Dlarit estate and kill Aerin Dlarit; the prevailing feeling was that committing the assassination inside his own home would add greater impact to the deed.

Loro's group were assisted by the Ashern, a group of Vratix fighting against Human control of the bacta cartel. The Vratix were the native species of Thyferra who had produced bacta for thousands of years before their business efforts were dampened by the monopolies of Xucphra and their rival company, the Zaltin Corporation. To help Loro, the Ashern sliced into planetary computers and conducted surveillance on the mansion using satellites owned by Zaltin. In doing so, Loro's team discovered that the sensor devices along the mountain side of the estate were muted and this was therefore a weak spot from which to launch their attack. During the raid, the mercenaries successfully infiltrated the mansion, killing two security guards and stunning Dlarit in his office. Iella Wessiri, a former New Republic agent working with Loro on the team, at that moment suggested a different plan. Rather then killing Dlarit, they stripped him naked and created a hologram of the humiliation, which served the propaganda purpose of weakening the will of both the Xucphra Corporation and the Thyferran Home Defense Corps.

The Dlarit estate was created by Michael A. Stackpole for his 1997 novel X-Wing: The Bacta War, the fourth installment in the X-Wing series of novels.

• The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons