Tiss'shar

"As with most species, there exists no stereotypical manner that defines the Tiss'shar, though they are generally recognized as some of the best assassin and gunbeings credits can buy."

- Tem Eliss, The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life

The Tiss'shar were a species of predatory sentient reptiles from the planet Tiss'sharl. They were comparatively strong, dexterous, and intelligent, and possessed slender frames with long necks and short tails. Their mouths were filled with sharp teeth, and their eyes were dark and glassy.

Members of the species were well known for their considerable business savvy, and Tiss'shar businessbeings could be found throughout the galaxy. They were also known for their cunning assassins, who were sought after for their efficiency and business-like demeanor. Tiss'shar politics were dominated by the Tiss'sharl League, a group of successful business leaders who ran Tiss'sharl's government. Tiss'shar politicians were known for their cutthroat practices, sometimes involving assassination of other members.

The species was caught up in an Imperial scheme eight months after the Battle of Yavin. Ordered by Darth Vader to reduce the prices of one of their world's products, the President of the Tiss'sharl League was approached by an agent of the Rebel Alliance, only to discover that drawing out Rebels was the actual purpose behind Vader's demand.

Biology and appearance
"They possess great strength and excellent agility, showing their hunter/predator heritage."

- Tem Eliss, The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life

The Tiss'shar were bipedal therapods descended from predatory reptilians native to the humid jungle continents of Tiss'sharl. They were relatively strong and agile, with long necks, slender torsos, wider hips, and a short but wiry tail. Their mouths were filled with short, sharp teeth, and their large tongues were pink and constantly moving. Their large eyes were black and appeared glassy as a result of the clear, resilient film that covered and protected them. Many Tiss'shar had prominent sickle-shaped claws on the first toe of their feet; some also possessed a crest of feathers atop their heads.

There were six subspecies of Tiss'shar, distinguished most easily by the markings on their scales. The sil-ar were the most common, and had diamond shaped markings on the backs of their heads and torsos, and on their limbs. The kal-ar were another common race, having thin, concentric bands beginning at the base of their jaws and going all the way to their feet. Other races included the ask-ar, which had red markings resembling masks on their faces; the orl-ar, which had green scales punctuated by yellow-orange stripes; the nil-ar, which had thin red bands around their eyes, wrists, ankles, and tails; and the isk-ar, which were albino Tiss'shar with translucent white scales and no other visible markings.

Society and culture
"I am also here to instruct each of you&mdash;league councilors, officers, the honorable Vice President&mdash;that your President is to suffer no repercussions for the Empire's decision. I do understand your local politics."

- Darth Vader

Tiss'shar social structure was inextricably tied to business. Nearly all Tiss'shar families had a corporation as a patron, which provided the family with its material needs in exchange for the dedicated labor of its members. Patron corporations regularly supplied food, housing, health care, education, and security services. While most companies native to Tiss'sharl focused on enviro-technology and modern weaponry, they also produced many other high-end products such as hyperdrives and droids. Tiss'sharl was open to companies from offworld, and some of the most prominent corporations from around the galaxy set up offices there; however, these companies' less generous benefits packages often meant they could only attract less skilled Tiss'shar to their payroll.

The predatory instincts of the Tiss'shar, redirected into the realm of business, served them well. While no stereotype fully defined the species, they often were considered aggressive, resourceful, calculating businessbeings. These traits also made them excellent assassins and gunfighters, renowned galaxywide for their efficiency. Most Tiss'shar had an appreciation for the art of the deal, and conducted their business legitimately; even those who chose the path of the assassin remembered that they were conducting business and respected their contracts. Tiss'shar tended to focus solely on success, tackling problems with a detached and calculating approach. They often preferred subterfuge over overt physical approaches when solving disputes.

Government among the Tiss'shar was also tied to business. Tiss'sharl was governed by the Tiss'sharl League, a body consisting of those businessbeings whose companies posted the highest profits for the previous five local years, with each local year being roughly eleven standard months long. The body was not restricted to Tiss'shar; foreigners were also eligible to become a part of the League, which was headed by a President and Vice President, with officers and league councilors filling out other roles. Tiss'shar politics by the time of the Galactic Civil War were extremely cutthroat, with advancement often occurring as a result of assassination.

The Tiss'shar language was made up of hisses, shrieks, and lisping vocalizations. The written form of Tiss'shar consisted of sharp lines and curves in series, and was described as possessing a violent-looking aesthetic.

Tiss'shar typically did not wear clothing other than a simple tool harness, though that was far from an absolute rule. Citizens of the capital city could be seen wearing garments of various sorts covering their upper torsos. Members of the Tiss'sharl League and their guards often wore elaborate outfits about their necks and shoulders, and guards also wore wide-brimmed helmets. Assassins sometimes wore a face-concealing cowl.

Tiss'shar cuisine, befitting their predatory nature, was served unheated. Meat was served still attached to the bone of the creature of origin, with no attempt made to disguise the source; small animals were served whole.

History
"How can the Rebellion protect Tiss'sharl from the shadows?"

- President Si-Di-Ri

Tiss'sharl was a planet in the Outer Rim Territories near the Hydian Way, a hyperlane first blazed in 3,000 BBY by Freia Kallea. The Tiss'shar came under the undisputed authority of the Tiss'sharl League in approximately 1,000 BBY. The rule of the League provided stability and abundance for the Tiss'shar, though it also eventually fostered the cutthroat politics that characterized it during the Imperial era.

By the time of the Galactic Civil War, the Tiss'shar were well-integrated into the galaxy. They were key players in the galactic economy, with Tiss'sharl the focus of extensive import and export activity, often generating a trade surplus. Many galactic corporations, including TaggeCo, had set up offices on the planet. The world was loyal to the Empire, with Moff Giiedt serving as Imperial liaison to Tiss'sharl.

The election prior to the Battle of Yavin left Si-Di-Ri in the Presidency of the Tiss'sharl League, with his friend Astre-De-Kay as Vice President, and Geor-Dan-Thi appointed to the League Council. Geor-Dan-Thi soon rose in power, as Mayor Antha-Kres, Secretary Lai-O-Sid, and Astre-De-Kay all soon died under questionable circumstances. Many, including Si-Di-Ri himself, believed Geor-Dan-Thi, by then Vice President, was not finished rising through the League's hierarchy through assassination.

The Galactic Civil War brought new challenges. Darth Vader visited the world three times in a year, each time demanding a lower selling price of TaggeCo blaster cartridges. Vader's third visit occurred eight months after the Battle of Yavin, following the death of Moff Giiedt. Vader brought Giiedt's replacement, Commander Demmings, and spared him the task of demanding yet another price cut, to 1,000 credits per 5,000-cartridge container.

Si-Di-Ri secretly met with former Senator Timi Rotramel of Mon Calamari, who was sent by the Rebel Alliance to offer Tiss'sharl protection from the Empire, including the establishment of an Alliance base. Despite the pressure the Empire's demands were making on Tiss'sharl's economy, Si-Di-Ri refused Rotramel's offer, as the Rebellion was on the run and in hiding from the Empire, and thus was not a viable alternative in his eyes. His refusal occurred just as Vader arrived at the meeting. The raise in prices had been part of a gambit by Vader to draw a Rebel emissary to Tiss'sharl, though he had expected Princess Leia Organa instead of Rotramel. Vader killed Rotramel, and, in light of Si-Di-Ri's loyalty and unwitting assistance in the gambit, allowed TaggeCo to retain its current prices. Si-Di-Ri, realizing he was ultimately a pawn in spite of his position, and realizing the position was not worth the constant risk of assassination, chose to resign his post, the first President of the Tiss'sharl League in recent memory to do so.

Tiss'shar in the galaxy
"Tiss'shar encountered off of their homeworld are often of two disciplines: business or killing."

- Tem Eliss, The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life

The Tiss'shar were known across the galaxy as shrewd, resourceful businessbeings. Tiss'shar merchants could be found on all of the major hyperlanes, and Tiss'shar corporations were aggressive in their search for new markets and business opportunities throughout the galaxy. Tiss'shar who didn't care for more legitimate means of gathering wealth often became corporate or freelance killers. such as the bounty hunter Xufal D'uat.

A large number of Tiss'shar found their way into the Corporate Sector. A significant population of them lived on the urban planet Media, located on the Sector's Lucaya Cross hyperlane. Some Tiss'shar in the sector found work in legitimate business, while others served as "protection agents" and corporate assassins. Uul-Rha-Shan, a former gunrunner turned gunslinger, was hired by Corporate Sector Authority Viceprex Mirkovig Hirken to serve as his bodyguard.

Yet other Tiss'shar turned to piracy. One of the most infamous was Abin-Ral-Xufush, the notorious leader of the Shadow Wing pirate fleet. Another Tiss'shar pirate was Pao-Neh-Lo, an experienced and merciless member of the crew of the privateering vessel Far Orbit.

As non-humans, Tiss'shar faced some discrimination during the time of the Galactic Empire. Like many non-human races, they were not welcome on Coruscant. Non-Tiss'shar sometimes referred to them derogatorily as "snakes."

Behind the scenes
The Tiss'shar first appeared in the form of the reptilian thug Uul-Rha-Shan in Brian Daley's novel Han Solo at Stars' End, in 1979, though the species would go unnamed until Uul-Rha-Shan's write-up in the Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook, published in 1993. The species itself would first be explored in Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies two years later.

The appearance of the Tiss'shar has varied with time. In the comic adaptation of Han Solo at Stars' End, Uul-Rha-Shan appeared as a robust, almost amphibian alien with a protruding snout. This depiction was apparently forgotten years later, when Mike Vilardi illustrated a more slender, lizard-like depiction of him for Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook. This version of the Tiss'shar would inspire later images drawn throughout West End Games's publications, as well as the image in Wizards of the Coast's Ultimate Alien Anthology. In Star Wars Empire 31: The Price of Power, the Tiss'shar acquired an appearance much more like dromaeosaurid dinosaurs such as Velociraptor.

Star Wars Empire 31 artist Joe Corroney at first had difficulty drawing the reptilian protagonists of the issue, but eventually adjusted and came to enjoy the task. The depictions of various Tiss'shar in that comic suggest far more outward variety than the six subspecies described in the Ultimate Alien Anthology.

Appearances

 * Han Solo at Stars' End
 * Han Solo at Stars' End comic
 * The Far Orbit Project
 * Star Wars Empire 31: The Price of Power