Guri

"Man, she's a smooth piece of work. You could stack ice cubes on her head and they wouldn't melt. Unarmed, unless she was hiding a weapon somewhere I couldn't spot it. Very attractive, too, but there's something spooky about her."

- Lando Calrissian, after a meeting with Guri

Guri was a Human replica droid, designed to be an almost perfect replica of a Human female, and the only one of her kind engineered as an assassin. She was created around 7 BBY by the Imperial researchers Simonelle and Massad Thrumble for Prince Xizor, head of the Black Sun crime syndicate. After being sold to Xizor for nine million credits, Guri served as his lieutenant and was one of the few individuals the necessarily paranoid crime lord believed he could trust. Xizor left Guri to attend to much of the day to day running of Black Sun and many incorrectly assumed that she was the leader of the syndicate. Guri also served as an assassin, eliminating several of Xizor's enemies, including Imperial Advisor Fendrilon Koozar, the Ubese bounty hunter Boushh and the leaders of the rival company Ororo Transportation.

In 3 ABY, Xizor charged Guri with arranging the assassination of Luke Skywalker, hero of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and son of Xizor's rival, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader. After an attempt on Skywalker's life by a Black Sun operative failed, Skywalker's friend Leia Organa sought Xizor's help in uncovering who was behind it. Xizor sent Guri to rendezvous with Organa and bring her to him on Coruscant. Skywalker later attempted to rescue Organa, infiltrating Xizor's Palace and confronting the Dark Prince. During the encounter, Guri fought with Skywalker, but was defeated by the young Jedi. However, Skywalker spared her life and Guri was able to escape the subsequent destruction of the palace.

After the fall of Black Sun and the death of Xizor, Guri set out on a personal quest to locate Thrumble and get him to purge her assassin programming so she could start a new life, though Xizor's niece, Savan, attempted to stop her and to ensure the droid's continuing service to Black Sun. Despite Savan's efforts, Guri was able to track down Thrumble on Hurd's Moon and was successfully reprogrammed. After defeating Savan, Guri teamed up with Dash Rendar, working together as a mercenary team before agreeing to serve as the template for a new range of human replica droids.

Creation
"One of only a handful of Human replica droids ever made&hellip; and the only one ever programmed to be an assassin. A perfect construct."

- Massad Thrumble

By around 7 BBY, the Falleen Prince Xizor had secured his place as the leader of Black Sun, the most powerful crime syndicate in the galaxy. Xizor's position necessitated a certain degree of paranoia and, with little trust for those around him, the Dark Prince sought out a completely loyal lieutenant, one who did not suffer from the same fallibilities as a sentient.

Meanwhile, the Galactic Empire had begun research into the development of Human replica droids, the project being led by Simonelle and Massad Thrumble. The researchers were able to acquire both the plans and a prototype of a Human replica droid that had been developed as part of the aborted Project Decoy, possibly with Black Sun's assistance, which would serve as the basis for Guri. Though Guri was originally intended to be only a prototype, Xizor quickly saw the potential of the project and commissioned them to construct a Human replica droid to serve as his second in command. The researchers modified Guri for Xizor's purposes and sold her to the Dark Prince.

Guri cost Xizor nine million credits, and he considered her worth every decicred. Her long, silky blond hair and clear blue eyes, combined with a fit and healthy looking figure, gave her the appearance of a beautiful Human woman in her early twenties. Her voice was cool and even, with no discernible accent.

Guri's lungs breathed air and her heart pumped blood, although, like all her organs, they were entirely synthetic, consisting of bio-fibers. Her bone structure was constructed of high-strength, polymer-covered alloys, and thousands of micro-gyros embedded in her joints gave her a perfect sense of balance. Both her bones and organs appeared entirely Human when scanned, as did her flawless, cloned skin. The skin was the only truly organic part of Guri's body, cloned from genuine Human skin specifically for her. Her muscles, however, would not fool scanners&mdash;in order for them to provide her with greater strength, they were made of a material that scanned as an unknown tissue. One of the few ways that she could be seen to differ from Humans was that her body temperature was ten percent cooler than was considered normal, cold enough to kill a Human.

Her AA-1 VerboBrain processor was extensively modified by Simonelle, the Ingoian scientist's biggest contribution to her development, to allow her to keep track of all the duties Xizor would require of her. Positronic Human behavioral programs allowed her to act Human &mdash;she could eat, drink and perform any other function needed to pass for a normal woman. She was also capable of emulating all of the "more intimate" functions of a Human woman, and Xizor occasionally made use of her abilities in that regard. The processor was also loaded with tactical assessment data, combat, espionage and assassination techniques. Guri's processor was so sophisticated that even when Project Decoy was completed after the Battle of Endor, it failed to produce a droid with Guri's level of autonomous thought.

Guri's eyes hid advanced sensors, providing her with infrared, low-light and telescopic vision, while her locked-access memory recorded input from her sensors, including audio recording. She also had an integrated, encrypted comlink for secure communications. Guri's ability with languages was also impressive&mdash;she could read and write in both Basic and Falleen, while her vocabulator and translator unit allowed her to speak a variety of languages including Basic, Falleen, Huttese, Rodese and Ryl. She was ambidextrous and could carry up to five kilograms in her internal storage.

Guri was unique as the only one of her kind programmed to be an assassin. Upon completion, her programming was complemented by extensive exercise to tone her muscles and combat training to ensure that she had all the skills required, including the use of a variety of weapons, though she would rarely need to use them. With her training complete, Guri's speed, combat skills and stealth capabilities made her the ideal assassin.

A unique creation
"I shall remain the only one of my kind. To create others with my abilities would compromise my utility to my master. That cannot be allowed."

- Guri, to Simonelle

After completing Guri, Simonelle and Thrumble went their separate ways&mdash;Thrumble continued to work for the Empire, while Simonelle started operating out of a hidden enclave in the Minos Cluster. Soon after Guri was turned over to Xizor, he decided to ensure her uniqueness by preventing her creators from producing any more like her. Thrumble's position within the Empire guaranteed his safety, however the creator of her processor had no such protection. Therefore, Xizor ordered Guri to travel to Simonelle's workshop and kill the scientist. However, Simonelle had anticipated Xizor's actions and constructed a replica of himself. Arriving at Simonelle's base, Guri entered the workshop and approached what she believed to be her creator. Striking quickly, she knocked him back into a computer console. Wasting no time, Guri grasped his neck and squeezed until blood began to pour from his eyes, nose and mouth. The confrontation was over in seconds and Guri returned to her master. The real Simonelle went into hiding to prevent Xizor from learning the truth.

Duties
Guri became Xizor's most trusted employee, serving as his lieutenant, chief bodyguard and enforcer. The "Dark Prince" made use of Guri to perform much of the day to day running of Black Sun, her duties including gathering information from the organization's vast network of spies, locating potential candidates to perform jobs for Black Sun, manipulating records to cover traces of their activities and organizing Xizor's meetings. She also performed roles in his legitimate businesses, including appointing Tavvar Va'ran to the position of Master Chef at the Manarai, an exclusive Coruscant restaurant which was part-owned by Xizor. Xizor came to value her advice and would frequently ask her opinion of his plans. However, her duties extended beyond these administrative duties and Xizor frequently made use of her abilities as an assassin to deal with his enemies and to enforce loyalty within Black Sun. Since she so frequently acted directly on Xizor's behalf, most of those outside Black Sun's upper levels assumed that Guri was in charge of the organization, an assumption which neither Xizor or Guri did anything to discourage as it provided him with a degree of freedom of movement and, from Guri's point of view, served as an added layer of protection for her master. Likewise, Guri's true nature was unknown to all but the Dark Prince.

New friends
"I am Prince Xizor's primary bodyguard, Your Excellency. I assure you that I can protect you from Jiliac's guards."

- Guri, to Durga Besadii Tai

After the death of Aruk Besadii Aora, his son Durga Besadii Tai enlisted the help of Black Sun in his quest to become leader of the Besadii kajidic, having them eliminate his rivals. This left the Hutt in debt to Black Sun and Xizor intended to use Besadii to get a foothold in Hutt Space and to take a share of Besadii's glitterstim operation on Ylesia. Durga, however, was unwilling to relinquish his power lightly. Guri suggested that she could eliminate Durga, but Xizor was adamant that it was better to manipulate the Hutt into falling into service to Black Sun.

It was eventually Durga's desire to discover who was responsible for the assassination of his father that led him to commit to Black Sun. An investigation uncovered evidence pointing to Jiliac Desilijic Tiron and Xizor dispatched Guri to deliver the evidence in person to Nal Hutta and to assist Durga in getting his revenge. Upon hearing the news, the Hutt was furious and set off to confront Jiliac under the Old Law with Guri at his side.

After reaching Jiliac's Winter Palace, the two Hutt leaders fought while Guri stood guard, ensuring that Jiliac's nephew, Jabba Desilijic Tiure, not get involved. When Jiliac lay dead, Durga emerged and, still angry but lacking the energy to fight Jabba, ordered Guri to kill him. She refused, stating that her orders were only to ensure Durga's revenge against Jiliac&mdash;Jabba was not to be harmed. Instead, she insisted that Durga leave with her.

Around 1 ABY, Guri, accompanied by two Black Sun enforcers, traveled to Dathomir aboard a YT-2400 light freighter to investigate the planet's recently established Quarantine Zone. While on Dathomir, Guri helped a spacer to conduct their own search of the Quarantine Zone, providing them with an encrypted code that would allow them to enter the zone, and telling them to make contact with Doctor Zahara Cody in Camp Alpha.

New enemies
"He tried to rascal Black Sun for more credits on a delivery for which there was an agreed-upon contract. That was&hellip; unwise."

- Guri, about Boushh

When the Ubese bounty hunter Boushh was hired by Black Sun but, after capturing the bounty, demanded fifty percent more than his contract had specified, Xizor sent Guri to meet with him. Guri took her ship, the Stinger, to Gelgelar for the rendezvous. Making her way to Boushh's location, she entered to find the bounty hunter standing behind a makeshift table, his weapon trained on her. Needing a distraction before she could strike, Guri went along with Boushh's demands, allowing him to frisk her for weapons and then placing a case full of credits on the table and opening it.

Boushh kept his weapon trained on Guri as he reached into the case to check it was all there. It was at this point that Guri got her distraction when the small dinko hidden in the case bit Boushh's hand, the pain causing him to drop his weapon. Guri's high kick struck him on the head and snapped his neck. Crushing the dinko in her hands, Guri picked up Boushh's corpse and returned to the Stinger, along with his Nimbanese prisoner.

Another target of Guri's was Fendrilon Koozar, an advisor to Emperor Palpatine who was known to interfere with the business of others. During one of Koozar's visits to the Manarai, Guri approached Master Chef Va'ran and requested that he give Koozar a "house special", a code which indicated that he should discreetly poison Koozar's meal. She remained at the Manarai to watch over the chef's work, leaving only after the tampered food was served to Koozar. Following Guri's instructions, Va'ran used a combination of chemicals which triggered a hallucinatory episode in Koozar&mdash;after leaving the restaurant, the Imperial wrested the controls of his luxury airspeeder from his droid pilot and was killed upon crashing into the Ministry of Land Management.

When the small time smuggler Owal Sopil, unaware that he was working on contract to Black Sun, attempted to skim cargo during runs, he was quickly apprehended and taken to a remote bunker complex on the Forest Moon of Endor where the local Black Sun Vigo would decide his fate. Guri was sent to accompany the Vigo on a visit to the bunker to deal with both Sopil and other matters personally. However, while she was there, Sopil's brother Reik, aided by the smugglers Dash Rendar and Lando Calrissian, mounted a rescue attempt. Guri joined the Vigo and three Abyssin guards in attempting to repel the rescue party.

At some point following the Battle of Yavin, Black Sun learned that the Corellian smuggler Dash Rendar was providing transportation to the swoop racer Kimmi Chyler as she traveled between races, while secretly transporting cargo for the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Guri was dispatched to intercept the smuggler while he was on Corellia for the race at Agrilat. Accompanied by a pair of Black Sun operatives, Guri tracked a pair of Bothan spies to Kor Vella, where they met with Rendar and his spacer bodyguard to pass on a datafile containing Imperial battle plans. Soon after the Bothans departed, Guri confronted Rendar and his companion, but they fought back and were able to escape.

The final swoop race of the season took Rendar, Chyler and the bodyguard to Mos Espa on Tatooine. Xizor Transport Systems was looking to sponsor a swoop racing team and Xizor held a party, to which the trio was invited. Guri was also in attendance with her master but refrained from confronting Rendar at the party. However, after the party, she and Xizor followed the group to a nearby cantina where Rendar was delivering a datapad to the Jedi Knight and Rebel hero Luke Skywalker. Xizor ordered Guri to kill the group and to take the datapad, but Skywalker and the others put up a strong defense. As the fight spread into the Mos Espa streets, Xizor was knocked down and Guri moved to protect her master. Deciding that they had learned enough about Rendar's involvement, Xizor opted to retreat, with Guri covering him as they fled.

On another occasion, Vigo Green, in an attempt to discredit his rival, Vigo Sprax, leaked a list of Black Sun's operatives under Sprax in the Sisar Run which tied several of Black Sun's cover operations back to the organization. Upon discovering the list's existence, Sprax mounted an operation to retrieve it before it could fall into the hands of the Imperial authorities. The datapad was eventually recovered by agents hired by Kalend Thora and Mal Biron, on behalf of Sprax and Guri traveled to Yen-2 to retrieve the datapad, which she promptly destroyed. More importantly, during the recovery operation, the agents had also uncovered information which implicated Green as the source of the leak. Returning to Coruscant, Guri informed her master of what had been discovered. Upon hearing that Green was a spy, Xizor called a meeting of all the Vigos where he had Guri throttle the traitor in front of the others. Green's violent death would serve as a warning to the other Vigos not to cross the Dark Prince.

Ororo massacre
"Go home, little girl. Leave now while I still permit it. And don't come back. You do, and I might find a use for you you wouldn't like."

- Tuyay's last words to Guri

Xizor later discovered that Ororo Transportation had been attempting to take over Black Sun's spice operations in the Bajic sector and he ordered Guri to send a clear message of the price of crossing him. Meeting with their representatives, Tuyay, Dellis Yuls and Z. Limmer, together with their Gamorrean bodyguards, Guri presented Black Sun's accusations which the group initially denied. Later in the meeting, however, Tuyay lost his composure and announced that they no longer intended to be used by Black Sun.

Moving quickly, Guri stood and leaped over the table picking up Tuyay and throwing him at the bodyguards, knocking them over before they had a chance to draw their blasters. Yuls moved to pull his own blaster but Guri grabbed his wrist and broke it before he could fire. Tossing the weapon away, she snapped his neck before piercing Limmer's throat with her fingertips.

As Tuyay got back to his feet, Guri grabbed his throat and began to choke him. Unaware that she was a droid, Tuyay futilely attempted to choke her back before losing consciousness. Taking a blaster from one of the downed bodyguards, Guri shot them both, together with Limmer and Yuls, in the head. Finally waiting for Tuyay to regain consciousness, Guri promised to pass on his message to Xizor, before shooting him in the eye. The entire confrontation was over in a matter of moments.

Hunt for Luke Skywalker
"You are attracted to this woman in a romantic way.''" "So?" "Such attractions have been known to cloud the minds of otherwise rational beings." "''Do not fear, my dear Guri. She could never replace you in my affections."

- Guri and Xizor discuss his feelings for Leia Organa

Shortly after the Battle of Hoth, Xizor learned that Luke Skywalker was the son of Darth Vader. Involved in a power struggle with the Dark Lord of the Sith, Xizor ordered the termination of Skywalker. The Dark Prince trusted Guri to oversee the operation, instructing her to pursue several possible leads on Skywalker. She was to determine his location by retrieving information from within the Rebel Alliance fleet and to attempt to bribe Alliance personnel to arrange for an accident to befall him. In addition, Xizor told her to have their operatives arrange for assassins in several key locations and to ensure that an operative followed Boba Fett, in case Skywalker attempted to rescue his friend Han Solo, who had recently been captured by the bounty hunter.

Guri made use of the Vigos in carrying out her instructions to capture Skywalker. The Rodian Clezo's "safari outfitting" service could be used to recruit a bounty hunter capable of tracking Fett without leaving any traceable connection to Black Sun, while the Nalroni Sprax had contacts within the Alliance, who frequently purchased starship parts from his salvage business. Guri started to get results within days, personally selecting a bounty hunter to pursue Fett and learning that he was heading for the Imperial enclave on Gall in the Zhar system. When Sprax reported that Skywalker's former starfighter group, Rogue Squadron, was also headed to the Zhar system, to a hidden base on Kile, Guri determined that there was a high probability of Skywalker making an attempt to rescue Solo in the system.

Sprax also informed her that Rogue Squadron's chief technician, Viera Cheran, was increasingly dissatisfied with her role within the Alliance. Hoping to enlist Cheran's help, Guri had one of Black Sun's moles approach the technician and offer her 50,000 credits to arrange a "technical malfunction" aimed at killing Skywalker if he were to rendezvous with the Rogues. Cheran agreed and Guri arranged for the credits to be transferred to her account, using a network of dummy financial corporations established by the Mon Calamari Vigo Perit to ensure that the payment could not be traced to Black Sun.

As Guri expected, Skywalker teamed up with Rogue Squadron in an attempt to rescue Solo on Gall. Cheran arranged for Wes Janson's astromech droid to take control of his T-65 X-wing starfighter and fire upon Skywalker's during the mission. Skywalker escaped the initial assassination attempt and Cheran was killed by Wedge Antilles while attempting to kill Skywalker upon his return to Kile. However, the situation turned in Xizor's favor when, unaware of the Dark Prince's involvement, Leia Organa decided to make contact with Black Sun in the hopes of finding out who was responsible for the attempt on Skywalker's life. Xizor dispatched Guri to Rodia to meet with the Rebel.

When Guri arrived at Rodia she was told to meet Organa at the Next Chance casino. Suspicious of Guri, Organa had arranged for some security in the form of Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca who would be nearby while she and C-3PO met with the Black Sun representative. The initial meeting achieved little, with Guri claiming that she had business to attend to on a local moon and had to cut the meeting short, however it did leave the Rebels with the distinct impression that there was something unusual about Guri.

Returning to Coruscant, Guri was debriefed by Xizor. Guri felt that Organa looking into Black Sun was dangerous and advocated killing her, together with Calrissian, Chewbacca, C-3PO and anybody who knew they had been to Rodia to leave no traces. However, Xizor had other plans for Organa and told Guri to meet with her again and bring her to Coruscant so that he might personally find out what she knew.

When Guri returned to meet with Organa again, the Rebels had installed a scanner device which quickly confirmed their suspicions&mdash;Guri was not Human, although it could not identify what she was. With the scanner having failed, Organa had C-3PO put a sleeping potion in Guri's tea, hoping that during the couple of hours she was knocked out, the Rebels could conduct a closer examination of her person and effects. After that failed to have any effect the two continued to trade diplomatic small-talk until Guri tired of proceedings and attempted to abduct Organa only to be restrained by Calrissian, Chewbacca and Dash Rendar, who had arrived after the first meeting, while the group decided what to do. After much discussion, Organa agreed to go to Coruscant with Guri in the Stinger, taking Chewbacca with her. To allow Organa to make it onto Coruscant without being identified, Guri provided her with Boushh's clothes and helmet, which she had kept after his death.

Fall of Black Sun
Xizor attempted unsuccessfully to seduce Organa but she could still prove useful to him as bait for Luke Skywalker. Sure enough, Skywalker came to mount a rescue bringing Calrissian and Rendar with him and linking up with Chewbacca who Xizor had allowed to escape. However, Xizor had underestimated how capable the group was. After losing two units of guards, he ordered Guri to bring Organa to him.

Organa, however, was already prepared when the droid arrived. She hit Guri over the back of the head as she entered the room, a blow that would have rendered a Human unconscious, but which only caused Guri to momentarily lose her balance. It was enough for Organa to get outside and lock the door. As she ran, Guri began to smash the door down. After making her way out of the room, Guri returned to Xizor and the two of them set off to confront the intruders personally.

When they finally caught up with them a firefight broke out. While Skywalker deflected blaster bolts with his lightsaber, the unarmed Guri took a heavy chair and hurled it down the corridor towards them. Chewbacca shot it down with his bowcaster. Realizing that they were outnumbered, Xizor retreated to a nearby room while Guri covered him and then called the guards for backup. As the guards arrived and a stalemate developed between the two groups, Guri slipped away.

A worthy challenge
"I am what I am, Jedi. I don't think there can be any salvation for me."

- Guri, to Luke Skywalker

The Rebels escaped after planting a bomb, leaving only five minutes before Xizor's Palace was destroyed. As they fled, the group ran into Guri. Having seen his abilities in the previous fight, Guri had decided that Skywalker would be a worthy challenge for her abilities. She persuaded the young Jedi to throw aside his lightsaber and fight unarmed. Using the Force, Skywalker was able to evade Guri's attacks. Momentarily losing his concentration, Skywalker was knocked to the floor by Guri who moved to strike a killing blow. With the help of the Force he was able to move away from her blow and used a leg sweep to send her to the floor, igniting his lightsaber.

Skywalker had defeated her, but rather than destroying her, he extended an offer for her to come with him and join the Rebel Alliance. Guri declined, explaining that overcoming the controls implanted in her programming would be impossible for the resource-strapped Rebels. Skywalker reluctantly abandoned her to the palace and made his way to the roof with the other Rebels to rendezvous with the Millennium Falcon. Guri, however, made her own way to the roof and, taking a para-wing glider, leaped from the top of the palace to safety. As the Rebels took off, Skywalker noticed the missing paraglider and came to suspect that she had escaped.

Aftermath
Xizor, too, escaped the destruction of his palace and attempted to stop the Rebels leaving Coruscant. However, the Dark Prince paid the price for his personal war with Darth Vader as the Dark Lord of the Sith arrived in his flagship, the Executor, and destroyed Xizor's skyhook, the Falleen's Fist. The death of Xizor at the Battle over Coruscant left a power vacuum at the top of Black Sun, leading to a power struggle between the Vigos to take over the organization.

The death of her master also had a big effect on Guri. Dropping out of sight, Guri spent months coming to terms with what had happened and contemplating her future. She was aware that, with the knowledge and abilities she possessed, she could have taken over Black Sun herself and become rich and powerful, yet at the same time she began to wonder just how Human she could be.

Journey to Hurd's Moon
"Guri is the key to all of my uncle's secrets. I must have her to take over Black Sun."

- Savan

Shortly after the death of Emperor Palpatine at the Battle of Endor Guri began a quest to locate her designer, Massad Thrumble. Since retiring from Imperial service, Massad had kept out of galactic events and was now the owner of a cantina on Hurd's Moon which served as a front for his workshop.

The journey to Hurd's Moon would not be simple, however. While traveling in the Stinger, Guri encountered a Star Destroyer, still loyal to the Empire. The Imperials ordered Guri to shut down her engines but the droid had other intentions. With the Star Destroyer in pursuit, Guri activated a spread of proton torpedoes from her well-armed vessel, destroying the Imperial capital ship.

While Guri conducted her search, she was unaware that there was another party looking for her. On Coruscant, Xizor's niece and last surviving relative, Savan, had plans to take control of Black Sun. Savan knew that Guri retained all of Xizor's secrets and that possession of the droid would give her a clear advantage over her rivals for the leadership of the criminal organization. Shortly after Guri defeated the Star Destroyer, the Rodian Prevaro approached Savan with news of Guri's whereabouts. Savan, in turn, contacted the Hiitian bounty hunter, Kar Yang, and hired him to locate and retrieve Guri.

Rescue of Doc
After arriving at Hurd's Moon, Guri made her way to the cantina, after first fighting her way through a group of thugs who attempted to rob her. Once there, she finally made contact with Massad, who instantly recognized her, and what she was. Guri explained that she didn't want to be an assassin anymore and asked him to reprogram her, offering him whatever price he wanted. Massad agreed to help but refused the offer of credits, explaining that he was more interested in the challenge than in money. However, there was one thing preventing Massad from helping Guri&mdash;his associate, a unique medical droid called Doc, had been kidnapped by Zan and Zu Pike for delivery to the scientist, Spinda Caveel. Without Doc to assist him, Massad would be unable to help Guri. In exchange for Massad's help, Guri set off for Caveel's base on Murninkam.

As the Stinger approached Murninkam, Guri came under attack from droid-controlled picket starfighters. Though she succeeded in destroying one the second managed to hit her ship, causing her to crash into a swamp on the world below. Neither Guri or her ship was seriously damaged, however, and as the Stinger sank into the swamp, Guri surfaced and began to make her way through the forest.

The journey was not easy and Guri had to fight her way through the myriad predatory creatures that resided there. She eventually found her way to Caveel's base. Although it was protected by a deflector shield, Guri took advantage of a small hole, opened to allow the Pike sisters to pass through on their swoops, leaping through the hole after them to gain entrance to the facility.

Once inside, Guri made her way to the laboratory, where she confronted Caveel and the mercenary sisters. As the Pike sisters reached for their blasters, Caveel stopped them. He too recognized what Guri was and wanted her taken alive. However, Guri easily foiled their attack, leaving them both unconscious on the floor. With some assistance from Doc, Caveel was incapacitated and the two droids fled the base on a swoop. Returning to the swamp, Guri summoned the Stinger which rose to the surface but she was unaware that Kar Yang had followed her to the planet and, as she prepared to leave, he attached a homing beacon to her ship.

On Coruscant, Savan learned that Yang intended to betray her and keep Guri for himself. However, Savan had one advantage over the bounty hunter&mdash;Savan possessed Guri's control codes, based on her family's genetics, which would force the droid to obey her. Therefore, Savan headed for Hurd's Moon to take control of Guri.

Reprogramming
The Stinger arrived back at Hurd's Moon, pursued by Yang. Returning with Doc to Massad's cantina, Guri was taken to the scientist's laboratory to begin her reprogramming. The risks involved were great&mdash;one slight miscalculation could cause Guri's entire mind to be wiped&mdash;yet despite this, Guri was adamant that she wanted to proceed. Just as the procedure was about to begin, Yang arrived. With his weapon trained toward Guri, Yang ordered the HRD to secure Massad and then led her out. However, Yang had underestimated Guri's abilities. Waiting until they were clear of Massad, she pounced on Yang, tearing at his heart with her bare hand. Moments later, the bounty hunter lay dead on the floor.

After recalibrating his instruments, Massad once more connected Guri and he and Doc began the reprogramming. When the procedure was complete Guri awoke with no memory of her time at Black Sun. There was no time to ascertain how successful the operation had been&mdash;Savan had arrived with a group of mercenaries to capture Guri. To make matters worse, Caveel and the Pike sisters had also come to Hurd's Moon to reclaim Doc, along with Guri's head, having abandoned hopes of taking her alive.

As alarms rang out in Massad's laboratory, alerting him to the presence of the intruders, another group arrived&mdash;Leia Organa and Lando Calrissian had uncovered Savan's plot and, accompanied by Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, had followed her to Hurd's Moon. The interference of the Rebels was enough to give the Pike sisters cause to reconsider the arrangement. Deciding to leave, the two killed their employer in the process. Savan, however, would not be so easily put off.

Escape
"The number you called is no longer in service. Sorry."

- Guri, after rejecting Savan

With no time to explain to Guri why so many people were after her, Massad and the two droids fled the laboratory, hoping to use the Stinger to escape. Their progress was slowed when Guri began to suffer delayed synaptic shock from her reprogramming and Massad had to support her as she walked. This allowed Savan's thugs to catch up with them. Acting on instinct, Guri defeated the mercenaries easily. Although she had forgotten what she used to do, she could still remember how to do it.

The group resumed their course for the Stinger but Savan herself soon found them. With her weapon drawn, she offered Guri a job working for her. When Guri refused, Savan whispered Guri's control codes. At first it appeared that the droid was indeed under Savan's control, but once the Falleen dropped her guard, Guri turned on her, knocking her to the floor. Later, as Savan was led away by the authorities, Massad explained to Skywalker about Guri's reprogramming. After speaking to her and realizing that she truly had no memory of her former life, Skywalker decided to let her go, giving her the chance of a normal life.

A new life
"There are parts based on hers in me, as well as all of our clients. She is our mother, if you like, and is held in great reverence."

- Stanton Rendar, on Guri

Afterwards, Guri walked into a bar, where Dash Rendar, also believed dead around the time of the death of Xizor, offered to buy her a drink. The two eventually formed a mercenary team, and were recruited by Admiral Gial Ackbar of the New Republic to help place a spy on the Tof fortress world of Saijo, teaming up with New Republic agents Kyle Katarn and Bey for the mission. Around this time, Guri was one of several agents who conducted shadow operations for the New Republic under the command of General Airen Cracken. Knowing what Guri was, Rendar quickly conceived of a plan&mdash;by copying Guri's technology, he could create more of the valuable Human replica droids. Guri agreed to serve as a template for the development of more HRDs and served as Rendar's partner during the research and development phase. Afterwards, the two went their separate ways, though the development of the technology continued through Onadax Droid Technologies.

Personality and traits
"Don't play stupid, dirt flyer! My name is Guri. Black Sun wants some answers."

- Guri, to Dash Rendar

Although Guri physically resembled a Human female, there was a coolness about her which could be attributed to her true nature as a Human replica droid. This coolness was part of her ability to kill without any sign of conscience or emotion, and she often considered killing to be the easiest solution to problems.

Programmed to protect Xizor at all costs, Guri was devoted to him in all matters of his life&mdash;she was even known to hold his clothes while he spent time with a mistress. As Xizor's most trusted advisor Guri was in the unique position of being able to speak her mind, saying things that no other would dare say to the Dark Prince and he valued her counsel when it was offered. Even so, Guri was not one to speak unnecessarily and would generally not offer an opinion unless it was requested.

Although often terse, Guri exhibited a sometimes playful sense of arrogance; for example, when she massacred the leaders of Ororo Transportation, she took the time to allow Tuyay, knocked out in the initial fray, to regain consciousness so that she could have the last word before killing him. This smug attitude and apparent enjoyment of power were further illustrated by her dry and self-assured responses when Leia Organa and the other Heroes of Yavin interrogated her. At the end of this interrogation, when her captors moved to remove the metal bonds they had trapped her with, she burst them herself in a dramatic show of superhuman strength.

Guri also wanted to be stretched to her limits, preferring to perform jobs which she saw as challenging. It was this desire to push herself to her limits that led her to seek out a duel with Luke Skywalker.

Following the fall of Black Sun, Guri lost what had previously been her main purpose in life, to protect Xizor. It produced a dramatic change in her personality as she began to question her programming and to wonder if she could be something more. Her quest for a new beginning was pursued with the same determination which she had always applied to her work with Black Sun, though neither her decision, or the process was easy for her and she was troubled by the memories of everything she had done.

Guri's reprogramming caused her to change further. Although she still possessed the ability to fight, she no longer had any memory of her time as an assassin, nor would she ever be one again with her assassination programming removed. She was also free to act independently, with her enforced loyalty to Xizor's family purged during the procedure. She also showed signs of a sense of humor&mdash;initially pretending to have lost her entire memory during the reprogramming and even smiling for the first time.

Behind the scenes
"Guri is Xizor's loyal, lethal, leggy henchperson."

- Description of Guri from Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 9

Guri was created for Shadows of the Empire, a 1996 multimedia project set between Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and appeared in its novel, comic and video game incarnations. After Lucasfilm began working on the project in, author Steve Perry was brought in to write the novel for Bantam Spectra. At an early creative meeting at Skywalker Ranch in November 1994, Perry proposed several characters who were incorporated into the final story, including Guri, who Perry envisioned as Xizor's most able lieutenant, bodyguard and assassin. Early designs of the character were produced by game designer Jon Knoles and comic artist Kilian Plunkett. The Topps Shadows of the Empire trading card series featured paintings by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt based on reference photographs; Olga Hildebrandt posed in costume as Guri for these images. Guri appears in both the Nintendo 64 and PC versions of the Shadows of the Empire video game and was voiced by Lisa Fuson in the PC version. At one point, Hasbro/Kenner had plans to create a Guri action figure in their Shadows of the Empire toy line, but it was never carried forward. Concept art exists that shows the Guri figure would have come with a large gun and depicted her with "battle damage".

Guri was later depicted in the "Reflections II: Expanding the Galaxy" set of Decipher's Star Wars Customizable Card Game, in which she is portrayed by an unnamed model. She also appeared in Perry's 1998 comic series Shadows of the Empire: Evolution, illustrated by Ron Randall, the 2009 Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game expansion The Shadow Syndicate and the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies. Joe Corroney's illustration of Guri in the Star Wars Insider 89 article "Underworld: A Galaxy of Scum and Villainy" was based on the appearance of artist Leah Mangue.

Jon Knoles experimented with different colors for Guri's attire, before settling on the mix of red and gray which is seen in both the game and comic. Guri's costume is similar in overall design in the Topps trading card series, but is colored yellow and blue and leaves her legs exposed. The Star Wars Vehicles trading cards, Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game and "Underworld: A Galaxy of Scum and Villainy" use the attire shows in the original trading cards, while the Customizable Card Game image used a costume design following the comic series.

There is some uncertainty regarding the date of Guri's creation. The Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook established that she was created by Simonelle based on the results of Project Decoy. Massad Thrumble's involvement, together with that of the Empire, was not mentioned until Shadows of the Empire: Evolution and was clarified in later sources. The novelization of Shadows of the Empire identified her skin as ten years old in 3 ABY, suggesting that her creation was circa 7 BBY, and this has been repeated in several other sources. Her inclusion in Rebel Dawn showed that she was indeed created prior to 2 BBY. Yet Project Decoy was supposedly conducted by the Rebel Alliance, which was still being established at this time. Therefore, Guri's creation would seem to suggest that work began on Project Decoy before the formal founding of the Rebel Alliance.

Appearances

 * Rebel Dawn
 * Shadows of the Empire novel
 * Shadows of the Empire audio book
 * Shadows of the Empire junior novelization
 * Shadows of the Empire comic
 * Shadows of the Empire video game
 * Kenner Shadows of the Empire Special, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Galoob minicomic
 * Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Ertl minicomic
 * Shadows of the Empire: Evolution
 * Specter of the Past
 * Shadows of the Empire video game
 * Kenner Shadows of the Empire Special, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Galoob minicomic
 * Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Ertl minicomic
 * Shadows of the Empire: Evolution
 * Specter of the Past
 * Shadows of the Empire: Evolution
 * Specter of the Past
 * Specter of the Past