Slssk

Slssk
Biographical information
Homeworld	Hutlar
Died	0 ABY, Aduba-3
Descriptive information
Species	Hutlarian
Gender	Male
Pronouns	He/him
Eye color	Red
Skin color	Orange

"Ten years as a gladiator on Loovria didn't kill my first mate. What makes you think this target stands a chance?"

―Beilert Valance

Slssk was a Hutlarian male who served as the first mate on former Imperial stormtrooper commander Beilert Valance's bounty hunter crew during the era of the Galactic Civil War. Noted for his martial prowess even among his warlike species, Slssk cut his teeth as a gladiator on Loovria, garnering a fearsome reputation. Eventually, he hooked up with Valance, participating in the hunter's brutal annihilation of Anglebay Station, an unarmed and neutral medical station on Telos IV. Afterward, Slssk followed Valance to Aduba-3 as part of Valance's quest to track down a mysterious "Luke Skywalker" who had become the object of his utter obsession. There, they blundered into a trap set by the Lepi smuggler Jaxxon, and Slssk was shot dead by the Lepi's partner, Amaiza Foxtrain.

Biography

"We're rounding up all the robot orderlies, captain."

―Slssk to Beilert Valance

Slssk at his post aboard the Kill Switch.

A male Hutlarian, Slssk was a native of the planet Hutlar, located in the Mid Rim Senex sector. Although Hutlarians were notorious for their toughness, but during the era of the Galactic Civil War, Slssk became a legend even among his own kind. For ten years, Slssk survived uncommon brutality as a gladiator on Loovria, covering his orange skin with scars in the process. After his days as a gladiator ended, Slssk went into bounty hunting, joining the crew of unhinged former Imperial stormtrooper commander Beilert Valance. Slssk's reputation preceded him—in certain circles, he was nearly as feared as Valance himself—and the Hutlarian became Valance's first mate, serving aboard the starship Kill Switch.

However, in 0 ABY, things took a dark turn for Valance's crew. Just a few weeks after the Battle of Yavin, Valance told his gang that he had a new mission, one that he would pay for himself: completely annihilate Anglebay Station, a neutral, unarmed and defenseless medical station on Telos IV. Although many of even the most hardened members of the crew balked at Valance's plan, the mission continued nonetheless, and Slssk joined Valance in storming the hospital and massacring patients and staff. Valance, who was partially driven by a roiling hatred of droids, specifically directed Slssk to round up and destroy the station's robot orderlies. Slssk and the crew quickly destroyed the station, but not before coming across a piece of chatter connecting a Nar Shaddaa-based smuggler named Jaxxon to an unnamed "farmboy" wanted by the Empire in relation to the escape of Alderaanian Princess Leia Organa from Imperial captivity.

Valance had become utterly obsessed with the farmboy in the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin, and ordered Slssk to focus all his efforts on learning as much as he could about Jaxxon and the connection to the farmboy. That trail led the Kill Switch to the Outer Rim farmworld of Aduba-3, where they believed Jaxxon, Rebel hero Han Solo and a character they believed to be Valance's farmboy had teamed up to defend a small farming village from a swoop gang. The Kill Switch arrived to find that Jaxxon and his partner, Amaiza Foxtrain, had preceded them there. Jaxxon made a run on the Kill Switch with his ship, the Rabbit's Foot, only to be blasted down to the planet's surface. Slssk and the gang gave chase, only to find that Jaxxon, Foxtrain and the local villagers had taken up position in the nearby fields. It was then that Slssk and his compatriots realized that they had blundered right into a trap: the villagers stampeded their banthas, massive beasts who violently trampled Valance's gang. Many were killed, but Slssk managed to survive the stampede. A fighter to the end, Slssk attempted to rejoin the battle and attack his enemies, but was swiftly shot and killed by the quick-triggered Foxtrain.

Personality and traits

Uncommonly tough even among members of his species, Slssk's warlike reputation and his pockmarked body evoked an intimidating image. In fact, Valance used Slssk as an avatar for his crew's martial prowess: if someone asked whether his gang was up for taking on a certain enemy, Valance had Slssk remove his battle armor, using his first mate's scarred torso and his history as a gladiator on Loovria to answer in the affirmative. Although many of Valance's men were unsettled by the violent missions he dispatched them on, Slssk stayed loyal to Valance until the end, doing the hunter's bidding until it caused his death.

Behind the scenes

Slssk made his first appearance in Star Wars (1977) 16, written by Archie Goodwin and released in 1978. The Hutlarian's name was given as both "Slssk" and "Slzzk" in different panels of the comic, and was definitively established as "Slssk" in The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale, a set of Star Wars Miniatures scenarios released between 2004 and 2005. The Hunt Within greatly expands on Slssk's background and species, with this new information coming as an invention of author Jason Fry. During his debut appearance in the Marvel Star Wars comics, Slssk was illustrated by Walt Simonson.

Appearances

• Star Wars (1977) 16 (First appearance)
• Star Wars (1977) 108 (In flashback(s))

Sources

• "The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale: Part 2" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
• "The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale: Part 3" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
• "The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale: Conclusion" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)