- "Failure? The ISB has created the most groundbreaking intelligence network the Empire has seen and accomplished more in weeks than the entire Imperial army. An army whose mindless show of force allowed a rebel fleet to escape from Hoth. It is the ISB that will win this war—"
- ―Director Sliro Barsha, to Darth Vader
Sliro Barsha, also known as Sliro Ruback, was a human male who served as a director within the Galactic Empire's Imperial Security Bureau. During the Galactic Civil War, he served as the crime lord of the criminal syndicate Zerek Besh, which secretly served as an ISB covert intelligence gathering division that would infiltrate the underworld to retrieve intelligence from various criminal organizations in the galaxy and find the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "We had everything, Sliro."
"You had everything. I was your father's mistake."
"You had a place at the table."
"I had scraps. And you never let me forget, for one second, that you were the favorite." - ―Jaylen Vrax and Sliro Barsha
As a child, Sliro was part of the wealthy Barsha family of Corellian industrialists. His father considered him a mistake and his brother, Jaylen Vrax, was the favored son and heir to the Barsha family. The pressure of expectations and underestimation from his family made Sliro's childhood difficult and caused him to hate his father and brother.[2]
Revenge and promotion[]
- "The Clone Wars were over. Our factories were set to build thousands of Destroyers for the Imperial fleet. We would have been the richest family on Corellia."
"I did what I had to do."
"You accused us of plotting against the Emperor. And for what? A promotion?" - ―Jaylen Vrax and Sliro Barsha
After the end of the Clone Wars, the Barsha family was due to secure the contract for Star Destroyer manufacturing for the newly established Galactic Empire, potentially making them the most powerful family in Corellia. Sliro, however, sold out Vrax and the rest of his family to the Empire, earning a promotion within the Imperial Security Bureau in exchange for his service. Around this time, he programmed BX-series droid commando ND-5 to hunt down and kill every member of the Barsha family. His brother Vrax was however able to reprogram ND-5, using him as his bodyguard and beginning a quest to find Sliro and, in turn, take revenge for his family.[2]
Undercover crimelord[]
- "Who's the mark?"
"A boss named Sliro. Runs a syndicate called Zerek Besh. They're new, they're rich, and rumor has it they've got the underworld scared." - ―Dennion describes Zerek Bess to Kay Vess
Sliro Barsha advanced through the ranks of ISB, and following the strategic failure that was the Battle of Hoth he was assigned to create a specialized division that would pose as an underworld syndicate to elicit a response from the Rebel Alliance which was known to employ smugglers and criminals for its missions. The ultimate goal of this division, which was given the name Zerek Besh, was to uncover the Rebel Alliance's new base of operations and detain its leadership. Barsha was given the rank of ISB Director and assumed ultimate authority over Zerek Besh as its "crimelord".[2]
Within mere weeks, the syndicate started growing its influence and activities. Funded by millions of Imperial credits from ISB's black budget, Zerek Besh quickly began actively competing with larger groups such as Crimson Dawn, making Barsha one of the most notorious crimelords in the galaxy. He maintained a private resort named Westhill Palace on Canto Bight and secretly collected information on Imperial bases, installations and callsigns without his superiors' knowledge.[2]
Syndicate War[]
Main article: - "A rumor persists at the leadership level that you are displeased with the Hutts after their attack on the Executor. That you intend to end the Empire's long-standing arrangement with Jabba and his people and will select another syndicate to replace them. At first, I thought nothing of this—it seemed almost reasonable. But then, my contacts in several organizations—Zerek Besh, Papa Toren's group and a few more… all told me the rumor came from exactly the same place. […] The source of this rumor… the reason the Syndicates are at war… is Crimson Dawn."
- ―Director Barsha, to Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader
In 3 ABY,[1] the Syndicate War erupted as part of Lady Qi'ra's plan to destabilize the Empire and destroy the Sith.[4] Due to his role as the supposed head of a major syndicate,[2] Barsha was in a unique position to observe the happenings in the underworld[4] from within.[2] He was summoned to Coruscant by Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine to report on the cause of the conflict. Barsha explained that the crime lords believed Palpatine to be seeking a replacement for the Hutt Clan's favorable relationship with the Empire, and understood the mastermind behind the rumor to be Qi'ra and the Crimson Dawn.[4]
Hunting Kay Vess[]
- "I'm out."
"You stop now, I recoup my losses. I'd say your meager fortune on Niamos should cover it."
"How could you possibly—"
"You're mine, Vail. Finish the job." - ―Sliro Barsha rebukes Vail Tormin when she tries to quit her mission
At some point during that year, Canto Bight criminal Kay Vess was hired by Alliance undercover operative Dennion as part of a crew they were putting together to rescue Asara Deyn from Barsha's mansion under the pretext of an inter-syndicate vendetta robbery. Vess successfully broke into one of Barsha's vaults, but after realizing that there were no credits inside she demanded the payment she was promised upfront. Deyn and Dennion tried to reason with her, but Vess threatened them with her blaster. In response, Dennion stunned her and escaped, leaving her for Barsha and the Zerek Besh to find. Finding Deyn gone and Vess alone in the vault, Barsha interrogated her on her Rebel contact, but Vess escaped with the help of her pet merqaal Nix. Despite being hunted by Westhill security, Vess reached Barsha's private hangar and stole his EML 850 light freighter, the Trailblazer, escaping Cantonica.[2]
Infuriated by Deyn and Vess' escape and the loss of his personal shuttle, Barsha used his authority as leader of Zerek Besh to place a death mark on her. He also hired the assassin Vail Tormin to personally track Vess down and either bring her back to him or kill her. Tormin managed to locate Vess on the moon Toshara where the Trailblazer had crashed, but she was ambushed by ND-5 who took Vess away. Barsha was greatly disappointed with Tormin's failure and threatened to "discard" her like his family had done with the EMLs they manufactured if she couldn't do her job.[2]
Meanwhile, Kay Vess, now working with Barsha's brother Vrax, was making her way around the galaxy putting together a crew with the intention of robbing his main vault and stealing his entire Zerek Besh fortune. During one of these missions, Vess and Tormin worked together temporarily to expose one of Barsha's spies planted in Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine. Upon learning of his spy's execution, Barsha came to Tatooine to meet with Bib Fortuna who Jabba dispatched in his stead. Barsha explained that he intended for the spy to be discovered to understand the weaknesses of Jabba's security based on how long it would take them to find him, and proposed a deal: Fortuna would give him all the information he had on Kay Vess and Barsha would help him grow his influence to succeed Jabba as the head of his empire.[2]
Sometime later, Barsha traveled to an ISB space station where he contacted Vail again. This time, the assassin declared her intention to abandon the mission of hunting Vess down; however Barsha simply stated that if she chose to do that, he would recoup his losses by taking over the fortune she had stashed on Niamos, forcing Vail to comply. Just then, Darth Vader arrived at the facility to personally announce the Emperor's displeasure with Zerek Besh's failure to uncover any significant rebel networks despite the massive resources they collected from the Empire to do so. Barsha tried to argue that the syndicate had successfully infiltrated the underworld and done more in weeks than the Imperial Military had failed to do during the war, but Vader shattered the glass in Barsha's office and pointed the pieces at him, giving him one last chance to deliver the rebels or perish.[2]
Unbeknownst to both, Kay Vess had infiltrated the facility to steal Barsha's master key and had witnessed the confrontation, discovering Barsha's true allegiance. Upon returning to Vrax, she and Riko Vess confronted him before the rest of the crew, forcing him to admit that he knew Barsha was an Imperial but the money they would be stealing from him was still enough to cover the increased risk.[2]
Vail's betrayal[]
- "Your lives are over. Your families, friends, gone. There's nowhere in the galaxy you can hide from the ISB."
- ―Barsha threatening Vail
The crew agreed and they went through with the robbery, successfully infiltrating Westhill and the vaults. However, after opening the main vault, they found Barsha and an army of Zerek Besh operatives waiting for them inside. The operatives quickly surrounded the team, and Barsha ordered Vail to execute an unarmed Kay Vess. Vail, however, killed his enforcers and pointed her weapon at him. Shocked, Barsha reminded Vail and the crew that killing an ISB Director would have terrible consequences for them and their families. Vail simply knocked him unconscious, remarking that she didn't want his death on her, before joining Vrax's crew and stealing the memory core containing all of Barsha's stolen Imperial information.[2]
Failure and death[]
- "Lord Vader drives a hard bargain. In exchange for the Akivan rebels and the return of some very sensitive information...You really haven't figured it out yet?"
"The terms, Jaylen."
"The Empire is giving me Zerek Besh. And you." - ―Jaylen Vrax reveals his deal with the Empire to Barsha
Vrax secretly contacted the Empire and informed them of Barsha's information gathering operation, arranging a deal. In exchange for returning the stolen data, he would be appointed the new head of the Zerek Besh division and would be free to do with Barsha as he pleased. In a final confrontation on board the Star Destroyer Revelator, Vrax revealed himself and the deal to Barsha, furiously questioning his brother's betrayal of their family. Refusing to listen to Barsha's explanations, he had ND-5, the droid originally meant to kill every last Barsha, shoot Sliro instead, ending the Director's life.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
Barsha first appeared obscured by shadows
Sliro[2] Barsha first appeared in the fifth issue of the 2021 comic miniseries Star Wars: Crimson Reign. The issue was written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Steven Cummings, and published by Marvel Comics[4] on June 22, 2022. Prior to the release of the issue, the director was revealed in a preview article of the issue released on StarWars.com on June 15 of the same year.[5] Barsha's actual appearance was obscured by shadows in the issue, appearing just as a black silhouette from the shoulders up;[4] his finalized appearance was eventually featured in the 2024 video game Star Wars Outlaws, where he serves as a major antagonist and was given the first name of Sliro.[2]
Appearances[]
- Crimson Reign 5 (First appearance)
- Star Wars Outlaws
Sources[]
The Emperor Sets His Sights on a New Enemy in Marvel's Star Wars: Crimson Reign #5 – Exclusive Preview on StarWars.com (backup link) (First mentioned)- Star Wars Outlaws: Official Story Trailer on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (First identified as Sliro)
- Star Wars Outlaws: Creative Director Julian Gerighty Breaks Down the New Story Trailer on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars Outlaws: Story Trailer Developer Breakdown on the official Ubisoft YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars Day 2024 Games and Experiences Deals! on StarWars.com (backup link) (Picture only)
- Star Wars Outlaws: Official Game Overview Trailer | Ubisoft Forward on the official Ubisoft YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars Outlaws' Julian Gerighty Talks Kay Vess' Journey: "This Is a Survival Story" on StarWars.com (backup link) (Picture only)
- Star Wars Outlaws: Behind The Scenes – Navigating the Underworld on the official Ubisoft YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
- The Sights and Scoundrels of Star Wars Outlaws on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars Outlaws: Official Launch Trailer on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 227 (Picture only)
- This Week! in Star Wars Dispatch: Star Wars Outlaws Has Arrived | This Week! in Star Wars Dispatch on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Sliro in the Databank (backup link)
- Vail in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Visit a Galaxy Far, Far Away with our Star Wars liveblog direct from San Diego Comic-Con 2024! on www.thepopverse.com (archived from the original on August 5, 2024) dates the events of Star Wars Outlaws to 3 ABY.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 Star Wars Outlaws
- ↑
Sliro in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Crimson Reign 5
- ↑
The Emperor Sets His Sights on a New Enemy in Marvel's Star Wars: Crimson Reign #5 – Exclusive Preview on StarWars.com (backup link)