Erisi Dlarit

Erisi Dlarit was an Imperial spy who infiltrated Rogue Squadron, then later led the Imperial starfighter forces during the Bacta War. A Human female born on Thyferra, her wealthy family were prominent members of the bacta-producing Xucphra Corporation. With hopes of protecting Xucphra's interests, Dlarit became spy for Imperial Intelligence Director Ysanne Isard. She was hand-picked by Commander Wedge Antilles to join the newly reformed Rogue Squadron in 6.5 ABY.

Dlarit developed a romantic interest in Corran Horn during her time on the elite squad, but he largely rebuffed her advances. She orchestrated the sabotage and attempted murder of fellow Rogue pilot Bror Jace, a member of the rival bacta company Zaltin, but otherwise provided little in the way of useful intelligence to Isard. As the New Republic recaptured Coruscant, Dlarit provided Horn's starfighter codes to Isard, which resulted in Horn's capture and imprisonment about the Lusankya. As the Krytos virus devastated Coruscant, Dlarit helped slow down treatment of the disease by betraying a bacta convoy in the Alderaan system, which was subsequently destroyed by Warlord Zsinj. After Horn escaped the Lusankya, Dlarit fled Coruscant just before her identity was compromised.

Dlarit joined Isard and Fliry Vorru at Thyferra, where Isard took over the planet and gave Xucphra exclusive control of its bacta cartel. Isard established the Thyferran Home Defense Corps, and placed Dlarit in command of its fighter wing. Dlarit led an attack on Halanit, an unarmed civilian colony that had purchased bacta from Rogue Squadron. It proved to be a slaughter, but Dlarit felt no remorse for the victims. Dlarit began to grow disillusioned with Isard's arrogance and instability, and plotted with Vorru to abandon her. However, when Rogue Squadron launched an assault at the Battle of Thyferra, Corran Horn engaged Dlarit in a dogfight and shot her down over one of Thyferra's moons, killing her.

Early life
"My people are with Xucphra, the true leader in bacta production and refinement."

- Erisi Dlarit

Erisi Dlarit was born and raised on Thyferra. Her father, Aerin Dlarit, and the rest of her family were prominent members of the Xucphra Corporation, one of the two conglomerates which, along with the rival Zaltin Corporation, held a monopoly on the production and refinement of 95 percent of the galaxy's supply of bacta. Her uncle was a prominent investigator with the company. The Dlarit family were made multi-millionaires through their position with Xucphra, and Erisi grew up in a life of luxury as a result. Her childhood home, the Dlarit estate, was an enormous and visually stunning mansion in a remote location among the Thyferran rain forests, complete with servant staff, elaborate security measures and a gigantic mountain backdrop with gorgeous cascading waterfalls. Like her father, Erisi reveled in the comforts and status her wealth afforded her, and she treated the opportunity and material advantages afforded to her as if they were her due. As a result, she developed a blithe disregard for money and a strong sense of superiority in those she considered below her social class.

The bacta cartels remained officially neutral throughout the Galactic Civil War. However, since it was Imperial decrees that allowed the bacta cartels to develop their monopoly, the Xucphra harbored secret loyalties toward the Galactic Empire. The Dlarit family shared similar leanings, although their first and foremost loyalty was toward themselves. Erisi grew to develop a strong passion and conviction for the Xucphra Corporation, as well as a genuine love for her home planet of Thyferra. She also developed an equally strong hatred for the Ashern, a movement of Vratix who rebelled against the Xucphra and Zaltin after growing disenchanted with the Human control over the bacta cartel. Erisi and her family considered them nothing more than murderous traitors.

After the tide of the war turned in favor of the Alliance to Restore the Republic following the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Dlarit family feared their grip of power might become jeopardized. Since their monopoly formed under the Empire, they feared it would end altogether under the New Republic form of government. As a result, the Dlarit family became involved with Ysanne Isard, director of Imperial Intelligence and the de facto leader of the Empire. Erisi Dlarit agreed to serve as a high-placed Imperial spy. By now, she had developed considerable skill as a starfighter pilot, and Isard plotted to plant Dlarit in an important position in the New Republic Defense Force, where she would report directly to Isard.

Assignment to Rogue Squadron
"There are times one must place higher ideals over personal safety."

- Erisi Dlarit's claims about joining Rogue Squadron

Dlarit was one of eleven pilots hand-picked by Commander Wedge Antilles to join the elite Rogue Squadron when he reformed the famed squad in 6.5 ABY. Dlarit underwent countless hours of X-wing simulator training to prepare for the assignment. Her appointment was in part political, as the New Republic sought to place a representative from both the Xucphra and Zaltin corporations in the squadron to appease both bacta conglomerates. However, Antilles assured Admiral Ackbar, the Supreme Commander of the New Republic Defense Force, that none of the pilots selected for political reasons were inferior to any other candidates. Neither Antilles nor any of the other Rogue pilots displayed any visible resentment toward Dlarit for the political pressure from which she benefited. Due to her assignment to the elite squadron, Dlarit became consider a hero by many on Thyferra.

Bror Jace, a prominent member of the Zaltin Corporation, was placed in Rogue Squadron as well. Although she secretly despised him due to his position with her rival company, Dlarit outwardly displayed a form of camaraderie with Jace based on their shared Thyferran background. Still, she publicly described Jace as "rather haughty and obstreperous", and said of spending time with him, "Better the Moff you know than the Emperor's new Envoy." Although secretly serving Ysanne Isard, Dlarit ostensibly claimed she believed so strongly in the cause for the New Republic that she was willing to leave her life of luxury and security in order to serve higher ideals. She was assigned Rhysati Ynr as a roommate and wingmate, and given the call sign Rogue Eight. Nawara Ven, a fellow Rogue pilot and Ynr's lover, suggested the two women would develop a sense of jealousy and competition, but that proved not to be the case, as Dlarit and Ynr outwardly appeared to get along very well.

During Rogue Squadron training exercises, Dlarit tended to perform among the middle of the pack, outperforming such pilots as Lujayne Forge and Peshk Vri'syk, but failing to match the talent of Jace and Corran Horn. She readily and publicly acknowledged that she was not among the best in Rogue Squadron, although the arrogance she displayed while not undercover suggests that modesty may have been an act. During this time, Dlarit appeared to develop a romantic interest in Horn, although it is impossible to tell how genuine her affections were given her status as a spy. Dlarit openly flirted with Horn and was physically familiar with him, taking his arm as they walked together and casually touching him as they talked. During a training run on Folor, Antilles secretly provided Corran Horn's targeting data to the other Rogues, allowing them to get higher scores at Horn's expense. Afterward, when the Rogue pilots felt badly about the lesson, Dlarit volunteered to personally invite Horn to the DownTime tapcafe, where he bought her a drink. For his part, Horn was attracted to her physical beauty and acknowledged some romantic interest in her, but immediately sensed their differing backgrounds made them unlikely partners for each other.

Battles of Hensara, Talasea and Vladet
"I knew I wasn't going to make it. I'm not the best pi­lot in this unit and I was certain I would die fighting against the frigate. And then you did what you did and I felt as if a great crushing weight had been lifted from me."

- Erisi Dlarit to Corran Horn after the Battle of Vladet

Erisi Dlarit and the rest of the squadron saw their first action at the Battle of Hensara at Hensara III. The mission was to protect the Battle of Yavin, a New Republic frigate that had crash-landed on Hensara III, from capture by the Imperial Strike-class cruiser Havoc. The battle was a Rogue Squadron victory with no casualties among their ranks, and Dlarit scored at least two individual kills. Shortly thereafter, the squad was moved to a training base on Talasea, which was intended to serve as a staging area for an eventual move against Imperial-occupied Coruscant due to the planet's proximity to the Galactic Core. One night, however, a platoon of Imperial stormtroopers were dispatched to the base by Admiral Devlia, based on information provided by Imperial Intelligence agent Kirtan Loor. Dlarit escaped the attack unscathed, but Lujayne Forge was killed in her sleep and Horn, Gavin Darklighter and Andoorni Hui suffered serious injuries during the assault. Dlarit attended Forge's funeral and feigned regret at her death, which severely damaged the squadron's morale.

Dlarit participated in a retaliatory strike Devlia and his forces at their Vladet base, the Grand Isle. Dlarit and the other Rogues provided cover as the Y-wing bombers of Defender Wing destroyed Grand Isle. Once the bombing was complete, however, the Imperial Carrack-class cruiser Expeditious and Lancer-class frigate Ravager dropped out of hyperspace, leaving the New Republic starfighters and their CR90 Corellian Corvette Eridain outgunned. The New Republic forces were saved by a novel plan from Horn, who had Warden Squadron target his own X-wing with their proton torpedoes, then flew directly toward the Ravager and dove under it at the last minute, causing 32 torpedoes to strike and destroy the ship. Despite the success, however, General Horton Salm ordered Horn confined to his quarters after the battle in anticipation of a court marshal for failure to follow orders and taking command of Warden Squadron without proper authorization.

Dlarit visited Horn in his quarters and, while alone, confessed to him that after the Expeditious and Ravager came out of hyperspace, she believed she would be killed becaue her starfighter skills were not adequate enough. When Horn saved the fighters, Dlarit said she felt as if a "great crushing weight had been lifted" from her. Whether these were her true thoughts or a deception is impossible to say, but Dlarit claimed the experience made her feel closer to Horn, and she made a sexual advance toward him. Horn attributed those feelings to an emotional spike one often feels after a near-death experience, and the need for a positive experience to counteract it. Although attracted to Dlarit, Horn felt conflicted due to his developing romantic feelings toward the smuggler Mirax Terrik. While he did not explicitly rule out a romantic relationship with her at a later date, Horn rebuffed her advances, claiming he did not want to get involved with someone in the squadron. Dlarit encountered Terrik while leaving Horn's headquarters. In direct contrast to her warm and friendly nature toward Horn, Dlarit was extremely cold and rude to Terrik, and tried to discourage her from visiting Horn by claiming he could not see civilian visitors. Terrik was equally cold toward Dlarit, who she began to disparagingly refer to as the "bacta queen".

Borleias and betraying Bror Jace
"She was in a position to forewarn the Imps about Bror Jace's return to Thyferra. And there was no love lost between them."

- Corran Horn, later reflecting on Erisi Dlarit

Rogue Squadron was later transferred to Noquivzor, which was to serve as a launching point for an attack against the Imperial-controlled Borleias. The fourth planet in the Pyria system, the New Republic Provisional Council determined Borleias' close proximity the Galactic Core made it an ideal location from which to launch attacks against the capital world of Coruscant. However, due to recent security leaks to Ysanne Isard, who had accelerated her counterintelligence efforts against the New Republic in recent months, the identity of the planet and and other basic information about the mission parameters were kept confidential from the military forces. Even Antilles and Salm were kept in the dark about the details, and Borleias itself would be identified only by the codename Blackmoon. These security measures successfully prevented Dlarit from providing Imperial Intelligence any critical information about the assault. Dlarit never fell under suspicion for any of the intelligence leaks, in part because she was not the source of those specific leaks, but mainly because the suspicion fell on pilot Tycho Celchu, who many believed to be a spy due to his recent escape from the Imperial prison Lusankya.

The first attempt to capture Borleias proved to be a disastrous failure for the New Republic due to poor planning by the Bothan General Laryn Kre'fey and to secret defense measures installed by the Imperial General Evir Derricote. During the battle, Erisi's X-wing was destroyed by TIE interceptors, forcing her to eject. It was feared the punishing nature of the battle would not allow a rescue for Dlarit and the other the ejected pilots, Nawara Ven and Ooryl Qrygg. But Celchu, who was forbidden from combat but was monitoring the battle in the unarmed Lambda-class shuttle Forbidden, flew into the combat zone to pick them up. Dlarit, Ven and Qrygg recovered from their injuries after sessions in bacta tanks at Noquivzor.

She recovered prior to the second attempt to take Borleias, but was unable to participate in the battle due to a shortage of functional X-wings. She helped the other Rogues prepare by participating in simulator exercises with them, and feigned sadness and regret at being unable to join them in battle. Due to the continued security measures, Dlarit and most of her colleagues remained unaware even of the names of the planet, let alone any details. Before the battle began, she repeatedly tried to trick Horn into giving up information, at one point claiming she wanted to know where the planet was so she could establish a memorial for Horn and the others in case they died there. She was unable to obtain any information, and Horn did not take notice of her attempts. Later, before the battle began, Dlarit tried to persuade Terrik to stay away from Horn promising to use her Xucphra connections to assist her smuggling if she did, and threatening to use them to end her career if she did not. Terrik considered the offer, but ultimately rejected it. The squadron went on to successfully capture Borleias in the second battle.

After the battle, Bror Jace received news that his great uncle was dying, and Celchu arranged for him to be sent home to Thyferra on a "recruiting mission" so he could spend time with his family. Dlarit inquired to Jace about this, and Jace confided in her the circumstances of his return home and information about the route he was taking. Dlarit passed this information on the Isard with the hopes that Jace would be killed, which would not only to improve her standing as an Imperial spy, but also be a blow to Xucphra's rival bacta company. Based on Dlarit's information, Isard arranged for the Interdictor cruiser Black Asp to pull Jace's X-wing from hyperspace and destroy it.

Jace was presumed killed in the attack, but unbeknownst to Dlarit or anyone else, Jace was not about the X-wing, and he had in fact intended to destroy it himself anyway. The news of Jace's great uncle was actually a farce, and Jace intended to go underground after his supposed death to help plan a budding partnership between Zaltin and the Vratix. In fact, Jace told Dlarit about his return home with the specific intention that the Xucphra watch for his return and receive news of his supposed death. Dlarit's betrayal of Jace and the subsequent Black Asp attack only provided further cover for his plans, although the truth of his survival would not become publicly known for several more months. Dlarit's betrayal of Jace, too, was initially unsuspected, and Celchu fell under further suspicion of being an Imperial spy because he had made the arrangements for his return to Thyferra.

Reconnaissance assignment
"Commander, there is no way the two of us can do that job alone, even if we have help from forces already there. We're all going in, aren't we?"

- Erisi Dlarit pressing Wedge Antilles for information

Along with the rest of Rogue Squadron, Dlairt participated in the Battle of Mrisst, a response to Warlord Zsinj's scouting of the newly-established New Republic base at Borleias. Dlarit flew along with Corran Horn and Rhysati Ynr under One Flight, a division of Rogue Squadron led by Captain Aril Nunb, who had just recently joined the suqd. During the battle, the squadron engaged the Zsinj transport ship Contruum's Pride, which led to a battle with the ship's TIE fighters and interceptors. Dlarit's X-wing was targeted by one of the interceptors and she had difficulty evading it, but was saved by assistance from Nunb. The Battle of Mrisst ended a victory for New Republic with no casualties. Afterward, Wedge Antilles pulled Horn and Dlarit aside and gave them instructions for a secret mission on Coruscant, which remained under Imperial control. The assignment was so secret that datafiles provided to Horn and Dlarit by Rogue Squadron's quartermaster droid M-3PO were infected with a self-extracting virus that would destroy the data once viewed, so they had to memorize the contents.

Horn and Dlarit were ordered to adopt disguises, rendezvous with existing ally forces on Coruscant, gather reliable data about the planet's defenses and determine the locations of tactical targets. Erisi correctly deduced the job was too large for two people alone, and attempted to learn more information for Isard by repeatedly pressing Antilles about whether the rest of Rogue Squadron were being given their own assignments with the ultimate goal of capturing Coruscant from the Empire. But Antilles neither confirmed or denied her suspicions, and said Horn and Dlarit would be working as part of a cell system, through which nobody was allowed to know about more than their portion of the network. These security measures, meant to protect the mission from security leaks, were so strong that even Antilles did not know about Horn and Dlarit's travel arrangements to Coruscant. Antilles asked both pilots for permission to transfer money for the financially expensive mission from their personal accounts, to be reimbursed to both later, and Dlarit surprised both men by volunteering $10 million from her personal fortune.

Dlarit was assigned the disguise identity of Ris Darsk, a an arrogant and wealthy Kuati traveling to the Imperial Center in order to conceive a child with her telbun, a Human servant and impregnator considered property to their Kuati masters. Horn was to pose as Darsk Ristel, Dlarit's telbun, and the disguise required Dlarit to treat Horn with great disrespect, or ignore him altogether. In private, Dlarit was apologetic for having to treat Horn this way, but Horn privately felt at some level, Dlarit did genuinely feel socially superior and entitled to her preferential treatment due to her wealthy Tyferran upbringing. Horn and Dlarit spent a great amount of time with each other in close quarters due to their training, which increased the sexual tension between them to the point that they would kiss each other on the mouth. Nevertheless, Horn continued to resist Dlarit's attempts at sexual intimacy. In addition to his feelings for Terrik and his concerns about his differing background from Dlarit, Horn feared having sex with Dlarit would make them both let their guard down and endanger the mission. Once the training was complete, Horn and Dlarit traveled to Coruscant on the starliner Jewel of Churba, where Horn was listed as baggage and Dlarit berated him mercilessly as per their disguise.

Upon arriving at Coruscant, they were picked up in a shuttle by their contact, Winter, who went by the alias Rima Borealis for the mission. Winter provided Horn and Dlarit with new identification cards and set them up in rooms at the Hotel Imperial. Dlarit once again discern information about what role the other Rogue pilots were playing in the mission, but Winter did not provide any information. Horn and Dlarit began their reconnaissance mission, all the while maintaining their roles as Kuati and telbun. Per his role, Horn acted in a submissive fashion while in public with Dlarit, trailing her respectfully, paying for things she bought and carrying her belongings. During their first few nights on Coruscant, Winter had Horn and Dlarit monitored by a team to ensure no Imperials were taking an interest in them. They spent the next week studying the basic security and peacekeeping forces on Coruscant, as well as the medical services and facilities. During this time, Dlarit reported their movements directly to Isard about the operation, but due to the cell system nature of the operation, she was not able to provide much useful information.

They eventually made their way into the Grand Corridor, the centerpiece of the Imperial Palace, where Horn confided in Dlarit and Winter the tragic circumstances of the murder of his father, Valin Horn. The story appeared to further endeared Dlarit to Horn.When Horn spotted Kirtan Loor, an Imperial Intelligence agent with whom he had a long history of rivalry, Horn kissed Dlarit in order to conceal his face until Loor was gone. The incident did nothing to dampen the sexual tension that continued to grow between them, and Dlarit later tried to seduce him at their Hotel Imperial room. Horn was extremely tempted, but yet again stopped himself: in addition to all his previously identified reasons for resisting a relationship with her, he felt an unexplainable feeling that engaging Dlarit romantically would be a disaster. This was likely a tremor his Force-sensitivity, which unbeknownst to him often served to heighten his instincts. Although frustrated to be rebuked yet again, Dlarit said she would respect Horn's decision, and claimed to be impressed with his self-control and logic, although her true feelings on the matter are impossible to say due to her continued role as an Imperial spy.

Recapturing Coruscant
"I never dated Erisi." "No, you just pretended to be her Kuati impregnator, then kissed her in full view of the Grand Hall of the Galaxy in the Imperial Palace. Clearly no relationship there at all."

- Corran Horn and Mirax Terrik

Shortly thereafter, Horn stumbled across a stormtrooper raid against the anti-Human Alien Combine, among which most of the rest of Rogue Squadron was involved. Dlarit was not present, but Horn helped the Rogues escape the raid. Afterward, Horn and Dlarit were quarantined from each other for several days because it was unclear how much information, if any, had been relayed to Imperial Intelligence. Later, Dlarit was reunited with Rogue Squadron, where she was once again partnered with her roommate Rhyasti Ynr, rather than Horn. The Rogues which was assigned to take down Coruscant's planetary shields in preparation for an invasion. The squadron was assigned to infiltrate an Imperial warehouse to obtain memory cores, which were to be used to gain access to Coruscant's central computer system. However, due to information the Imperial spy Zekka Thyne provided Kirtan Loor, the warehouse mission was compromised and attacked by stormtroopers. Dlarit and Ynr provided cover with blaster rifles, which helped allowed the Rogues to escape in a transport driven by M-3PO.

Afterward, Rogue Squadron developed a plan to bring down Coruscant's shields by redirecting an Orbital Solar Energy Transfer Satellite to boil off one of Coruscant's reservoirs. Horn suggested taking control of the construction droid and send it crashing toward Imperial Center, which would result in its evacuation and allow the New Republic to take control of it unopposed. Dlarit was one of five pilots assigned to provide air cover in Z-95 Headhunters, with Horn taking the lead among them. Before the mission began, Horn confronted Celchu, who by now he was convinced was the Imperial spy in their midst. After the confrontation, Horn told Dlarit he planned to make exposing the spy his priority after the mission ended. Concerned that this would result in her eventual exposure, Dlarit arranged to help Horn check over his Z-95 Headhunter before the flight, and obtained the fighter's codes. Wedge Antilles did not allow outside contact prior to the engagement, so she could not warn Isard about the plan to take down Coruscant's shields. However, she was able to transfer Horn's starfighter codes to Isard during the battle, so Isard could take control of the ship during combat and subsequently capture or kill Horn. Celchu also knew the codes, so Dlarit knew suspicion for this betrayal would also ultimately fall on him.

The battle was a success for Rogue Squadron, but Isard's agents used overrides to take control of Horn's fighter and capture it, creating the appearance that Horn was killed. In fact, he was taken captive at the Lusankya prison. It is unclear whether Dlarit knew Horn was alive or not during this period; Wedge Antilles later speculated Isard told Dlarit of Horn's survival and promised him as a reward to her for her continued loyalty. Despite Horn's supposed death, the Rogue Squadron victory allowed the New Republic to take control of Coruscant. Shortly thereafter, however, Isard released the Krytos virus, a devastating disease she had specifically engineered to infect only alien species. The virus was designed to be treatable by bacta, and Isard hoped the New Republic would spend so many resources treating cases of the illness that they would eventually go bankrupt.

Krytos virus devastation
"While sending her out might endanger her, holding her back might be taken incorrectly by officials on Thyferra, dooming that deal." "But if she dies, that could also hurt us. The Thyferrans seem to set great store by Erisi Dlarit's flying with Rogue Squadron. I suppose we will have to let her go."

- Pash Cracken and Mon Mothma debating whether Erisi Dlarit should participate in a mission

Due to the loss of Horn and the addition of Asyr Sei'lar and Inyri Forge, Rogue Squadron was reconfigured and Dlarit's call sign was changed to Rogue Four. Rogue Squadron was assigned to help with the governmental transition on Coruscant and combat the Krytos virus. The urgent need for bacta allowed the Xucphra Corporation to thrive, further increasing the wealth of Dlarit's family. Outwardly, Dlarit claimed to be communicating urgently with her family about the need for more emergency bacta in greater quantities and reduced prices. However, since Dlarit was secretly working for Isard, it is unlikely any such backdoor efforts were taking place at all. Dlarit participated in the Second Battle of Yag'Dhul, a successful attempt by Rogue Squadron to a recapture a large Zaltin bacta supply that had been seized by Warlord Zsinj. The New Republic was notified about teh stolen bacta by Qlaern Hirf, an Ashern Vratix who was aboard the convoy at the time of the theft. During the battle, Dlarit and Ynr engaged the TIE Fighters patrolling Yag-prime, an Empress-class space station orbiting Yag'Dhul. Dlarit and Ynr successfully drove the TIEs away from the station and the rest of the Rebel fleet, and Dlarit destroyed at least one of the fighters with a proton torpedo.

After the battle, Dlarit spent more than an hour questioning Antilles about the identity and location of the Ashern rebel, insisting he could not be trusted and would jeopardize the safet of the squadron. Although actually trying to secure information for Isard, Antilles mistook her concern for guilt over her failure to have saved Horn's life during the liberation of Coruscant. Antilles insisted he had no information about the Vratix, but promised to pass her concerns along to General Airen Cracken, head of the New Republic Intelligence Service. Later, Qlaren Hirf approached Antilles and offered to develop rylca to combat the Krytos virus, with the hopes Antilles would help the Vratix join the New Republic in exchange. Antilles specically decided to keep Hirf's presence secret from Dlarit due to her concerns about the Ashern. As a result, Dlarit was unable to obtain any information for Isard about the rylca production efforts.

During this time, Tycho Celchu was placed on trial for treason against the New Republic and the murder of Corran Horn, and prosecutor Halla Ettyk called Dlarit forward as a witness. Under questioning from Ettyk, Dlarit described the suspicion with which Horn viewed Celchu during their time on Coruscant, and the fact that he had publicly confronted Celchu just before the mission where Horn was eventually killed. Her testimony was damaging for Celchu and provided her further cover, since he was on trial for some of the security leaks for which she in fact was responsible. When the court recessed, the Rogues were assigned a mission to Ryloth to purchase a large quantity of ryll kor, a rare grade of ryll to be used for production of rycla. Antilles, Cracken and New Republic Chief of State Mon Mothma considered forbidding Dlarit from participating in the mission due to her Xucphra associations. However, they ultimately decided pulling her from the mission would anger Thyferra and Xucphra, whose bacta the New Republic desperately needed.

Abandoning Rogue Squadron
Rogue Squadron was assigned to large bacta convoy from the Xucphra cartel through the the Graveyard of Alderaan to the New Republic. Antilles did not believe the high-profile squadron was ideal for the secret mission because they were bound to be watched, but Provisional Councilor Borsk Fey'lya and others felt having Dlarit participate in the convoy escort would send a positive message to the Thyferrans. Dlarit betrayed the location of the bacta convoy to Isard, in part because the destruction of the convoy would lower the New Republic morale on Coruscant and allow Xucphra to drive their prices up even higher. Additionally, Mirax Terrik and her ship, the Pulsar Skate, was expected to be among the convoy, and Dlarit sought to kill her over their past rivalry regarding Corran Horn. Isard leaked information about the convoy to Warlord Zsinj, whose forces attacked and destroyed the convoy during the Second Battle of The Graveyard, although Terrik was in fact not present and escaped death. During the battle, Dlarit saved Nawara Ven's life by destroying a TIE Fighter that he could not evade. Ven returned the favor a few minutes later by destroying a TIE that was on Dlarit's tail.

Later, when it was learned the Coruscant-based terrorist group Palpatine Counter-Insurgency Front planned to destroy a bacta storage facility in the planet's Alien Protection Zone, Rogue Squadron was assigned to thwart the attack. Dlarit expressed concern during the brief's mission about the potential for high civilian casualties on the crowded planet, but given the disregard she would later show for innocent civilian lives, this apparent compassion was likely an act on her part. During the battle, Dlarit and Ynr provided cover for the rest of Rogue Squadron around the high orbit of the skyhooks, which provided surveillance and intelligence for the squadron as they destroyed airspeeders laden with explosives meant for the storage facility. The bombs were eventually destroyed. Around this time, Isard learned Corran Horn had escaped the Lusankya prison, which was actually aboard Isard's flagship Executor-class Star Dreadnaught, also called Lusankya. That ship was secretly buried underneath the planet surface of Coruscant, and Isard knew Horn's escape would lead to its eventual discovery by the New Republic.

As a result, while the Rogue Squadron was still in battle, Isard escaped Coruscant by emerging the Lusankya from underneath Imperial City and propelling into orbit with the help of a massive repulsorlift platform. Dlarit saw this and realized her own Imperial spy status would likely be compromised eventually, so she decided to escape along with Isard. Dlarit pursued a TIE Interceptor heading toward the Lusankya, ignoring Antilles' orders to break away and avoid getting close to the massive ship. Dlarit destroyed the Interceptor, then claimed she was caught in the Lusankya's tractor beam and called for help, feigning fear in her voice. Several of the Rogue Squadron pilots, including Gavin Darklighter, wanted to assist her despite being heavily outgunned. Antilles, however, recognized the effort would be fruitless and ordered the squadron to stand down as Dlarit's X-wing was taken aboard the Lusankya. In reality, Dlarit was not captured by a tractor beam, but simply docked willingly with the Lusankya and lied to Rogue Squadron so she would not compromise her identity.

The ruse, however, was short-lived. Because of Horn's supposed death, Antilles had added a subroutine to all the Rogue pilots' astromech droids, so he was able to pull diagnostic data from Dlarti's R5 unit. Because the astromech did not report the damage that Dlarit claimed her X-wing sustained, Antilles realized she was not actually captured by a tractor beam against her will. From this, he easily deduced that she was a spy working with Isard. Additionally, Horn learned on the Lusankya that Tycho Celchu was not a spy. Since Dlarit was the only other person who knew his Z-95 Headhunter's codes, Horn realized it was she that sold Horn out to Isard, not Celchu. Horn and Antilles also realized Dlarit was in a position, and had a motive, to betray Bror Jace. These revelations ultimately led to Celchu's vindication at trial. Upon further analysis, the New Republic Intelligence Servce quickly deduced Dlarit had in fact provided very little useful information to Isard during her time as a spy. Aside from Horn's capture, Dlarit was responsible only for the destruction of the bacta convoy at the Graveyard and the supposed death of Bror Jace, who the New Republic would learn in the next few weeks was not in fact dead.

The Bacta War declared
After leaving Coruscant, Isard and Dlarit returned to Thyferra, where Isard's forces supported a revolution that placed the Xucphra Corporation in charge of the entire bacta cartel. This gave the already wealthy and powerful Dlarit family unprecedented power, as they now controlled the full monopoly they previously shared with Zaltin. With the New Republic still in desperate need of bacta and rylca to combat the Krytos virus, Isard believed by taking control of Thyferra would ensure the Krytos virus would continue to ravage Coruscant and destroy the New Republic. Recognizing this threat, Wedge Antilles and his Rogue Squadron pilots resigned from the New Republic to launch a private assault against Isard, thus starting what would later become known as the Bacta War. The Rogues, especially Corran Horn, took Dlarit's betrayal personally and were particularly angry about and hateful toward her. Privately, however, Wedge Antilles felt a small degree of admiration mixed with his anger for Dlarit, based on how well she hid her role as an Imperial spy through very difficult situations.

Isard established the Thyferran Home Defense Corps, a defense organization of Xucphra volunteers established to work in conjunction with the ground-based stormtroopers to defend the planet. Erisi Dlarit was placed in command of Defense Corps' fighter wing. Isard made this decision not only based on Dlarit's piloting skills and her knowledge of Rogue Squadron, but also for the strong symbolic value, since by now Dlarit was considered a hero among many on Thyferra. Isard's Thyferran forces comprised of the Lusanyka and the Star Destroyers Avarice, Virulence and Corrupter, and as such Dlarit had access to a tremendous amount of equipment and resources. She personally led Elite Squadron, a TIE Interceptor squad she claimed was equal to Rogue Squadron, and trained other Defense Corps squads including Might and Virile squadrons. Unlike many, Dlarit seemed to have little fear of Isard, and at times Dlarit's strong personality and Isard's sense of superiority caused the two to clash. She openly questioned her decisions, argued against her and, occasionally, even spoke to her in a sarcastic and insulting manner when challenged.

Dlarit was tasked with training Isard's starfighter forces, but she grew frustrated with their lack of commitment and discipline when compared to Rogue Squadron. From the beginning of the Bacta War, Isard lobbied for her squadrons to be equipped with X-wing fighters, which Dlarit insisted her superior fighters to the TIE Interceptors. But Isard, unwilling to concede that anything associated with the New Republic was superior to her resources, refused Dlarit's requests. Dlarit also sensed that the Imperial forces working with the Thyferran Home Defense Corps looked down on her and her colleagues as incompetent, idiotic and inferior compared to the true Empire. This image was further perpetuated when Ashern commandos, working with Antilles' forces, conducted a raid on the Dlarit estate on Thyferra, stripping Aerin Dlarit naked and distributing hologram images of the humiliation with the hopes of undermining the Xucphra Corporation's regime on the planet. The raid proved to be a major source of embarrassment both for the Defense Corps and Erisi Dlarit personally. To make matters worse, her Imperial colleagues made no effort to hide the news from Dlarit, nor concel their contempt about the Corps personnel from her. This fueled Erisi Dlarit's desire to seek retribution against her enemies. Despite the disrespect afforded her by her Imperial colleagues, Dlarit's knowledge of Rogue Squadron proved a strong asset for her. Based on her past with them, she correctly suspected the Rogues established their base on the Yag-prime space station. However, Pash Cracken signed a fake report indicating the station had been destroyed and Dlarit, believing the report to be genuine, did not investigate or discover the base.

Bombardment of Halanit colony
Isard received word that a small colony on Halanit had accepted bacta from Rogue Squadron, and had insufficient resources to pay for the amount they received. Hoping to deter any other planets or systems from accepting the squadron's help in the future, Isard dispatched Dlarit to retaliate by attacking the unarmed world. Flying a TIE Interceptor, Dlarit led four other Interceptors from Elite Squadron into Halanit, where they provided cover for TIE Bombers as they dropped thermal detonators and proton bombs on the main colony. Once that was complete, Dlarit and the Interceptors engaged ground targets and suppressed fire as shuttles carrying stormtrooper squads headed toward the surface. Once she destroyed all the colony's anti-ship defenses, Dlarit flew through a large hole the bombers created in the colony, skillfully spiraling through it into a chasm, where she opened fire on crowds of civilians and bridges. Internally, she acknowledged the civilians were unarmed and defenseless, and those who survived the initial onslaught would later starve or freeze to death on the icy world. However, Dlarit harbored no feelings of guilty of compassion for them, and justified her lack of mercy with the thought that the colonists should have left Halanit one they recognized they were so poor they could no longer afford bacta from the Thyferrans.

Ait Convarion, the Imperial Navy commander who transported from the Corrupter to Halanit to lead the stormtrooper ground assault, was visibly impressed with Dlarit's performance and personally invited her to join him in monitoring his troopers. Dlarit felt she had demonstrated her pilots were worthwhile fighters, although she recognized that Convarion's invitation was partially intended to demonstration Convarion's superiority due to the might of his stormtroopers. Shortly after she joined Convarion on the colony surface, however, a lone X-wing launched from Halanit and began attacking the Imperial forces. Dlarit recognized from pilot's skill that he or she was a member of Rogue Squadron, and rushed back to her Interceptor to engage the X-wing. However, the engine was frozen due to Halanit's cold temperatures, and by the time Dlarit was airborne, the X-wing was already escaping. She communicated with the pilot, who was quickly identified as Gavin Darklighter, and attempted to goad him into surrendering by mocking him as a coward. Darklighter did not take the bait and, before escaping into hyperspace, he vowed that Dlarit would die for what she did on Halanit. He later informed Rogue Squadron of her role in the unarmed colony's destruction.

Not long after the Battle of Halanit, Isard's Minister of Trade Fliry Vorru located a rendezvous point in the Alderaan system where Rogue Squadron was expected to receive a large shipment of munitions and spare parts. Vorru suggested sending Dlarit's forces to attack the Rogues, but Isard did not want to send all her ships in case the information was false. Instead, she dispatched the Corrupter and the Interdictor Cruiser Aggregator Dlarit attempted to convince Isard to let her participate in the mission, but Isard refused. She pointed out the starfighter squadrons aboard the Corrupter and Aggregator received excellent evaluations, but Dlarit countered that they had never engaged in battle before, and felt her Elite Squadron would be better equipped to fight Rogue Squadron. The battle proved to be a failure for Isard, but rather than acknowledging Dlarit's instincts were correct, she blamed Dlarit and her training of the Corrupter and Aggregator pilots for the loss. Dlarit was furious at the accusation, and the two women argued so fiercely that Flirry Vorru feared Isard would execute Dlarit.

Around this time, Vorru and Dlarit were both harboring concerns that Isard was insane and gradually losing control of her military campaign. Aware of Dlarit's considerable influence with the bacta cartel, Vorru decided to seek an ally in her, which he felt could help him maintain a position of power and influence if Isard had to be eliminated. At great personal risk, Vorru defended her before Isard, possibly sparing her from execution at Isard's hands. Dlarit took notice of the intervention and, although she recognized Vorru was politically posturing, his actions appeared to win him Dlarit's favor. Vorru even began to grow sexually attracted to her. Later, in private, Vorru approached Dlarit and proposed developing contingency plans that would ensure the survival of the bacta cartel in the event of Isard's demise. Dlarit, who believed Isard was so consumed with hatred for Wedge Antilles that she could destroyed Thyferra is left unchecked, agreed with Vorru's proposal.

Battle of Thyferra and death
After the Avarice and its captain, Sair Yonka defected from Isard's forces to the New Republic, Isard decided she had to draw Antilles out by forcing him to make a hasty attack against her. To that end, she developed a plan to intern Thyferra's Vratix population and kill more than one million of them, then continue to kill two thousand a day until there the surplus population was reduced to a small number. Despite the genocidal nature of the plan, Dlarit favored the idea, and only suggested keeping that Isard limit the announcement of her policy to the Thyferran population, so that Antilles would not become suspicious of a trap when word eventually got back to him. Isard agreed, and ordered Dlarit to prepare her forces to engage Rogue Squadron, either at Thyferra or at their base, if its location could be discovered. Shortly after the development of her Vratix plan, Isard's spies indeed confirmed that Rogue Squadron were based at Yag'Dhul, and she ordered the Lusankya and the Virulence to destroy the space station.

Before that attack, Vorru approached Dlarit and suggested even if Isard successfully wiped out Antilles and the Rogues, she would eventually fall from power because the New Republic would recognize the threat she posed and would commit their forces to destroying her. Vorru told Dlarit he had generated wealth to purchase a plan and establish a profitable operation there. He proposed that, after Isard destroyed Rogue Squadron, Vorru and Dlarit travel to the Virulence on an inspection of facilities, and stage an accident that would appear to result in their deaths. From there, Vorru would establish his planetary operation, where Dlarit could develop a staff of pilots to protect it. Dlarit accepted the plan, claiming she now firmly believed Isard's actions would eventually destroy Thyferra and she did not want to be present to see it happen.

However, the information leaked to Isard about the Rogue base proved to be a trap, resulting in the surrender of the Virulence and the loss of Lusankya's starfighter compliment. Rogue Squadron then launched an assault on Thyferra, where Dlarit scrambled her starfighters from the planet to engage them. Elite Squadron's TIE Interceptors, however, was last in the line of Thyferran Home Defense Corps ships to be launched for the attack, after Virile and Might squadrons. Once she launched, she realized Virile and Might were too spread out to properly engage Rogue Squadron. She ordered Virile Squadron to fall back and wait for Might before engaging, but Virile Lead refused, asserting his orders came from Isard and insisting they could take Rogue Squadron on themselves. As Dlarit predicted, however, both Virile and Might squadrons were easily defeated and destroyed by the Rogues. Afterward, Dlarit led Elite Squadron into battle, hoping Virilie and Might at least tired the Rogue pilots down.

During the battle, Ysanne Isard appeared to have fled Thyferra on the shuttle Thyfonian, and she ordered Dlarit and Elite Squadron to cover her until the ship could escape into hyperspace. Dlarit followed those orders, engaging Rogue Squadron X-wing fighters as they protected the ship. Although most of her fellow pilots died around her, Isard proved a much better fight. She engaged Nawara Ven and, despite his attempts to evade her, successfully destroyed Ven's X-wing and forced him to eject. Corran Horn had his R2 unit Whistler tap into Dlarit's communication frequencies and the two taunted each other, with Dlarit making disparaging remarks about the death of Horn's father. They engaged each other one-on-one, but Dlarit recognized a head-to-head assault against Horn would be suicidal. Instead, she led Horn away from the rest of the battle toward Thyferra's largest moon, evading whenever Horn was about to get a good shot. Although Horn knew himself to be the better pilot, he found Dlarit a more difficult opponent than he expected thanks to the speed and maneuverability her TIE Interceptor afforded her. Dlarit was also familiar with the performance capabilities of Horn's X-wing, which she used to great advantage during their dogfight. However, Horn believed he could use Dlarit's arrogance against her.

Horn began to gradually inflict damage on Dlarit, but was informed by Rogue Squadron he had to finish her fast and get back to the battle, or else the Thyfonina would escape. Horn fired his final pair of torpedoes at Dlarit's interceptor. She immediately beggan maneuvering to avoid them, and Horn switched to lasers and transfers his aft shield power into the engines so he could catch up with her faster fighter. Dlarit rolled toward the Thyferran moon's surface in order to avoid the torpedoes. One crashed harmlessly into the moon, and she avoided the other by flying over a ridge-line on the moon's surface and then back down, interposing it between her fighter and the torpedo. The skillful flying successfully shielded her from the torpedo's blast, but also blinded her aft sensors to the presence of Horn's X-wing. He came over the ridge and opened fire, shredding both solar panels from Dlarit's interceptor. The ship crashed into the surface and rolled a great distance until it was little more than a pile of debris, resulting in Dlarit's death. As he flew away, Horn noted that the lack of an explosion made Dlarit's death particularly unspectacular, something he was confident Dlarit would have hated.

Personality and traits
Born into wealth and power, Erisi Dlarit developed a strong sense of arrogance and self-importance at an early age. She considered superior to those below her social status, and felt she was entitled to the riches and position afforded to her. Even while undercover in Rogue Squadron, where she presented herself as idealistic and noble, her fellow pilots could detect and air of conceitedness around her. Likewise, when she posed as Kuati during her covert mission on Coruscant, Horn felt part of the powerful and egotistical disguise personality was genuine on Dlarit's part.

Dlarit's first and foremost concerns and loyalties were to herself, her family and the Xucphra Corporation, so much so that she cared little about innocent civilian lives. This was clearly demonstrated during the Battle of Halanit, where she not only slaughtered thousands of innocent and unarmed people, but felt absolutely no sympathy for them. She justified their murders with the belief that they should have left their struggling colony long ago, and that their decision to purchase bacta from Rogue Squadron ultimately hurt the Xucphra Corporation's interests.

Erisi Dlarit was extremely physically attractive, to the point that she was distracting to the men around her. She recognized this about herself, and at times was able to use it to her advantage, like when she caught the attention of Flirry Vorru, who asked Dlarit to join him abandoning Isard. Dlarit engaged a subtle way of winning over men by speaking in a vaguely flirtatious way and touching them casually, but not promiscuously, during casual conversation. At other times, she was less subtle, like when she kept her flight suit unzipped just enough to let Corran Horn see her cleavage. Her charms ultimately failed, however, to win Horn's affections, as he resisted two overt attempts Dlarit made to engage him sexually. At all times, she displayed a confidence that made her seem simultaneously attractive and intelligent.

Talents and abilities
Dlarit was an excellent starfighter pilot. Although generally performing in the middle of the pack among the elite Rogue Squadron, she was far superior to her counterparts when she later took control of the Thyferran Home Defense Corps. She was also able to pull off particularly difficult maneuvers, such as spiraling through narrow chasms at the Battle of Halanit and diverting proton torpedos by dropping to a low orbit over a lunar surface at the Battle of Thyferra. Additionally, Dlarit was an extremely intelligent and observant woman. This was demonstrated by her correct deduction that the Rogue Squadron base was likely at Yag-prime. While some in the Empire, most notably Ysanne Isard herself, were blinded by their sense of Imperial superiority, Dlarit could stay more pragmatic, like when she realized X-wing starfighters had benefits TIE Interceptors did not and unsuccessfully tried to persuade Isard to start using them.

Also unlike Isard, Dlarit did not underestimate her enemies: she recognized the threat Wedge Antilles presented in a way Isard did not, and she recognized the need to avoid a head-to-head fight again Horn due to his superior piloting abilities. Dlarit could also detect very subtle body language and motivations. For example, when Ait Convarion asked Dlarit to join her and witness his ground assault on Halanit, she easily recognized that he was trying to demonstrate his superiority to her. In recognizing this, she was able to avoid his attempts to belittle and condescend her. Similarly, she quickly recognized that Flirry Vorru was seeking an ally against Isard in Dlarit, and she just as quickly deduced that she could used Vorru's vanity and desperation to her advantage. Dlarit was also extremely courageous and defiant, as demonstrated by her willingness to openly question and even insult Isard, a woman most everyone else feared.

In the course of her time as an Imperial spy, Dlarit proved herself to be an excellent actress with a talent for manipulating others and concealing her true feelings and emotions. Despite serving in the elite Rogue Squadron and interacting with some of the New Republic's finest minds, she was able to operate for months without arousing suspicion of her true identity. Despite her secret Imperial loyalties, Dlarit was able to convey a pretend love of the New Republic that appeared so genuine, she was even able to generate tears while expressing fear for her Rogue Squadron colleagues before the Second Battle of Borleias.

However, despite this apparent self-control, her emotions could switch in a matter of seconds, as demonstrated by the passion she showed around Horn melted immediately away to cold hostility toward Mirax Terrik the moment they were alone together. There were also times when her true feelings started to bubble to the surface so strongly that she could not conceal her anger or jealousy. In one such instance, when Horn asked to be alone with Terrik, Horn thought he would have preferred to be "under the Ravager's guns" than facing her stare.

Corran Horn
Since Erisi Dlarit was serving as an Imperial spy during her time on Rogue Squadron, it is impossible to say how genuine her feelings for Corran Horn were. Nevertheless, Dlarit appeared to be extremely attracted to the pilot and made repeated physical advances toward him throughout their time together on the squad. While in casual conversation, both publicly and privately, Dlarit acted in a physically familiar manner with Horn, often in such subtle ways as taking his arm while they walked together and touching his shoulder as they talked. One two occasions, she explicitly tried to engage Horn sexually: once after he saved the squadron (and, subsequently, her life) at the Battle of Vladet, and again after learning about Horn's tragic past during their time together on Coruscant.

Horn resisted her advances for a number of reasons: in part because he felt their backgrounds and social statues were far too different, in part because he was attracted to Mirax Terrik, and in part because his instincts told him a romance with Dlarit would be a terrible idea. However, Horn was physically attracted to Dlarit, was tempted by her many times, and the two even kissed on the mouth on occasion. Dlarit claimed to admire Horn for letting his emotions guide rather than simply giving in to temptation. But after it was revealed that Dlarit was an Imperial spy, their feelings for each other changed drastically. Horn developed a strong disgust for Dlarit, and a large part of his decision to defect from New Republic to fight Ysanne Isard was based on a desire to bring Dlarit to justice. During the Battle of Thyferra, the two exchanged strong words of hatred with each other, a Dlarit even went so far as to mock the memory of Horn's dead father. Their conflict ultimately led to the dogfight that resulted in Horn killing Dlarit during that battle.

Flirry Vorru
Once Flirry Vorru started to become concerned with Ysanne Isard's growing instability, he decided to seek an ally in Erisi Dlarit. Vorru wanted to establish an operation that would keep him wealthy and comfortable once Isard's Empire fell apart, and he felt Dlarit's power among the bacta cartel would help him secure that end. Vorru defended Dlarit during an argument Isard, possibly saving her life, and seemingly earning some degree of Dlarit's trust. Around this time, however, Vorru developed an unexpected sexual attraction to Dlarit, and envisioned starting a romantic partnership with her. Dlarit quickly became aware of these feelings and, much as she did with Horn, acted in a physically familiar manner with Vorru, touching him casually as they spoke and talking in a slightly flirtatious way to him. However, it is unclear whether she had any feelings for Vorru or was simply exploiting his feelings to secure her own future. Just prior to Dlarit's death, Vorru proposed fleeing Isard and establish a secret business operation with Dlarit. Vorru expressed he wanted her for her personal company as well as her piloting expertise. Dlarit told Vorru she planed to accept the invitation.

Behind the scenes
Erisi Dlarit was created by Michael A. Stackpole for his novels in the X-wing series, first appearing in X-wing: Rogue Squadron and playing significant roles in X-wing: Wedge's Gamble, X-wing: The Krytos Trap and, most especially, X-Wing: The Bacta War. To date, she has not been featured in a work by any other author.

Appearances

 * X-wing: Rogue Squadron
 * X-wing: Wedge's Gamble
 * X-wing: The Krytos Trap
 * X-wing: The Bacta War
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge