Rat (Human)

Rat was Human male scoundrel who operated as information merchant on the moon Nar Shaddaa during the Galactic Civil War. In 4 ABY, while passing through a busy Nar Shaddaa spaceport, Rat witnessed the Dark Jedi Thaum Rystra dock a starship at a private landing bay. Noting the lightsaber weapon that Rystra carried on his belt, Rat's interest was piqued and he surreptitiously followed Rystra and the Dark Jedi's companion, the Force-sensitive child Caeleb. Rat observed a gang accost Rystra and witnessed the Dark Jedi mind trick a Barabel thug among the group into killing the other gang members before taking its own life. The information merchant followed Rystra and Caeleb to a bar, remaining unseen, and eavesdropped on a liaison between the Dark Jedi and and agent of the Pamorjal Freeman's League terrorist group, of the Expansion Region world Pamorjal. After Rystra departed the bar, Rat waited thirty minutes and returned to the landing bay where the Dark Jedi had arrived on Nar Shaddaa, noting Rystra's starship to no longer be present there.

Four days later, a group of Rebel Alliance agents hunting Rystra made contact with Rat and the information broker agreed to meet with them at a Nar Shaddaa bar. Just as he sat down with the Rebels to conduct business, thugs of the Hutt crime lord Brinojja burst into the bar to apprehend Rat for their master. The information broker fled with the Rebels out of the back of the bar and through the streets of Nar Shaddaa, with the thugs and Brinojja's chief enforcer Verkoss in hot pursuit. Pinned down at a dead end, Rat and the Rebels were forced into a fierce lightfight with the thugs and were rescued by the Rebel engineer Maric Tovar, who airlifted the group to safety in the YT-1300 light freighter Lazy Katarn. Rat subsequently accompanied the Rebels as the freighter departed Nar Shaddaa and jumped into hyperspace.

Unnerved by his ordeal, Rat initially refused to leave the landing bay of the vessel until the Rebels helped him regain his composure. Once they had reached a safe distance from Nar Shaddaa, the freighter left hyperspace and Rat recommenced his negotiations with the Rebels. In return for sharing information on Rystra he demanded transit to Celanon City on the planet Celanon in the D'Astan sector and 1,500 to use as startup funds to setup his business afresh. Rat regarded this offer a discount on his usual fee; though uncertain of the value of his information on Rystra, the information merchant proclaimed that he would ordinarily charge 10,000 for such intelligence. After reaching agreement with the Rebels on his fee, Rat recounted his sighting of Rystra on Nar Shaddaa and revealed details that he had overheard from Rystra's conversation with the PFL of the Dark Jedi's intention to travel to Pamorjal and that Rystra had warned the PFL to be wary of his Rebel pursuers' combat capability due to their killing of the Dark Jedi's apprentice Tol Skaros.

Much to Rat's displeasure, the Rebels proceeded to Pamorjal, and docked in the city Beldon, seeking to catch-up with Rystra first prior to dropping Rat off on Celanon. In protest at the delay in his journey, Rat remained on board the ship while the Rebels left to look for clues regarding Rystra's location, refusing to disembark until he reached Celanon. However, misled by false claims from Rystra that the Rebels were agents of the corporation TaggeCo seeking to exploit Pamorjal's natural resources, the PFL blew up the Lazy Katarn in a rocket attack and Rat was killed. Following the attack, the Rebels noted Rat to be missing and futily attempted to contact the information merchant.

Rat was a fan of bootleg holovids and had watched many of them. He was an astute businessman and was willing to lie when conducting negotiations to further is aims. He was greatly rattled by his close encounter with Brinojja's thugs on Nar Shaddaa and feared for his life. Consequently, he was ineffectual in the battle, letting the Rebels take the lead in keeping his attackers at bay. In his flustered state he felt anger toward his Rebel rescuers for their role in the frightening experience, though once he cooled down he expressed his gratitude to them for saving him. He was capable of petulance and was vocal in his displeasure when the Rebels decided to travel to Pamorjal instead of transporting him directly to Celanon.

Rat was armed with a hold-out blaster and a knife. During his encounter with the Rebel agents who rescued him on Nar Shaddaa he wore street clothes.

Rat was created by Lee Pickler and appeared in the roleplaying adventure Soulsaber, the second instalment of the Child of Light saga, published by RPGA in 2001. He was later mentioned in the concluding instalment of the Child of Light saga, Light and Dark, in 2002.

In Soulsaber, the players roleplay as the Rebel agents that Rat meets with on Nar Shaddaa. In his negotiations with the Rebels regarding his fee for sharing information on Thaum Rystra, Rat initially proposes that he be paid 1,500 but can be can be persuaded down to a price of 1,000. Rat requests that, in return for his information, the Rebels ferry him to Celanon, and it is possible either that the players transport him directly to Celanon or instead to travel first to Pamorjal. If the players do agree to go first to Celanon, upon arrival Rat quickly disembarks in Celanon City and parts way with the Rebels. If the player characters instead opt to proceed directly to Pamorjal, Rat is vexed and remains on the ship when they reach Pamorjal, perishing when the vessel is blown up by the Pamorjal Freeman's League. Light and Dark confirms that the Rebels ventured directly to Pamorjal with Rat in their company, thus making the information merchant's death on Pamorjal the official outcome.