Celot Ratua Dil

Celot Ratua Dil was a male Zelosian smuggler. Sentenced to a life of hard labor on the prison planet Despayre, he managed to escape to the Death Star, which at the time was being built above the planet. He lived there for nearly two years, falling in love with the Twi'lek Memah Roothes. After the Destruction of Alderaan, he joined a group of beings onboard who planned to defect. They managed to escape just before the Battle of Yavin, where the Death Star was destroyed.

Biography
A career criminal, Ratua was arrested by authorities in a port pub on Trigalis along with a pirate gang. Although he was not a member of the gang, he had been associating with them at the time, attempting to sell stolen meelweekian silk. Though he insisted he was innocent, the judge refused to allow him to undergo a truth-scan (saving the cost to taxpayers), and he was convicted and transported to Despayre, an Imperial prison planet.

As the planet was home to many ruthless killers, there were a large number of Imperial guards stationed on the surface. While a criminal, Ratua was only a smuggler, and was occasionally victim to bullying by other prisoners. However, he managed to largely avoid this due to his keen business sense and ability to find useful items and trade them to others while making a profit. Through this talent, and ability to avoid danger, he made friends with some other beings on the planet, including the guard Nova Stihl. Stihl taught a Teräs Käsi class, which Ratua frequently attended. Unknown to even himself, Ratua was Force-sensitive, a trait which combined with his naturally fast reflexes to provide him with very quick reactions.

Around 2 BBY, Ratua was able to escape with the assistance of a fellow prisoner named Brun. Brun allowed him to sneak onboard a supply craft, which he rode to a Machine Tool Storage Unit in polar orbit. From there he reprogrammed a service droid to include the crate he was in on the next cargo transport run to the Death Star, which was being constructed in-system.

Once on board the Death Star, Ratua assumed the alias of Teh Roxxor and hid-in-plain-sight. Pretending to be a civilian contractor who built garbage bins, he created a makeshift home for himself in an unused trash compactor. Thanks once again to his scavenging skills, he collected items that he could trade, often interacting with unsuspecting Imperial stormtroopers. He later met Memah Roothes in the Hard Heart Cantina. Ratua was immediately attracted to her, and as time passed, she found herself falling for him. After nearly two years of living a simple yet pleasant life onboard the massive battle station, he saw Nova Stihl. Unaware that he had been transferred to the station, he fled from him, fearing his former friend would turn him in. Around this time, Ratua developed a scheme that would allow anyone on the station to view normally restricted entertainment programming such as smashball. Through this, he was watching Despayre along with Roothes when the Death Star destroyed it. This act of cruelty by the Empire left a lasting impression on the couple.

Shortly afterwards, Ratua met Stihl in the Hard Heart. Though Ratua admitted that was a fugitive, Stihl did not turn him in as he felt he did not owe the Empire anymore. After the Destruction of Alderaan, Ratua met Stihl, Doctor Kornell Divini, pilot Villian Dance, Teela Kaarz, Rodo and archivist Atour Riten in the cantina along with Roothes. They planned to escape from the Death Star soon.

The group, aided by codes illegally acquired by Riten, would take an E-2T Medical Shuttle to freedom. They launched their plan during the Battle of Yavin. However, the plans were changed when Riten was forced to stay behind to allow the shuttle clearance to leave, and they were confronted by stormtroopers in the docking bay. Stihl and Rodo, both masters of Teräs Käsi, decided to stay behind and fight the Imperials, giving the others time to escape.

Though the shuttle was able to leave the Death Star during the battle, it did not get far before it was confronted by Darth Vader in his TIE Advanced x1. Vader sensed that the shuttle carried deserters, and ordered them back to the station. To ensure they followed his orders, he flew over to their shuttle. However, Dance was able to escape with a simple maneuver. Before Vader could pursue them, he was called back to the battle. The shuttle was free, only to be captured by a tractor beam immediately afterwards. Seconds after the shuttle was caught, the Death Star exploded, destroyed by a Rebel pilot.

Afterwards, the rest of the group decided to join the Rebellion. Dil suggested going back home to his family, and asked Memah to go with him. He revealed to Memah that he belonged to a very rich family which ran a real estate business on Coruscant. Memah was furious upon learning Ratua belonged to a rich family. When she asked Ratua why he became a smuggler, he replied, "I thought property management was boring."

Personality and traits
Despite his criminal occupation, Ratua was a kind being. He showed this side of him when he fell in love for Memah Roothes, who saw the good in him and eventually returned the feeling. Ratua did not care who ruled the galaxy prior to the Destruction of Despayre. After the shocking event, he began to come to the conclusion that the Empire was evil. He also began to desire to escape the station. Ratua was an excellent scavenger and trader, something he used to help him survive on Despayre and later the Death Star.

Behind the scenes
Ratua's only appearance to date is the 2007 novel Death Star, where he serves as the book's primary protagonist.

Appearances

 * Death Star