Billal Batross

Billal Batross, a male [Human](/article/human-legends], was raised by the criminal figure Garris Shrike. His upbringing took place on the decommissioned Liberator-class troopship, known as the Trader's Luck, which orbited Corellia. This troop ship served as a residence for numerous orphans, whom Shrike had taken from Corellia's streets to use in various scams and thefts. Shrike demanded absolute obedience from these young thieves, and he quickly resorted to brutal beatings when they failed to meet his expectations. During his childhood, Batross developed a friendship with another of Shrike's wards, Han Solo.

In the year 10 BBY, Solo managed to escape from Shrike's criminal organization. Later that year, Solo gained acceptance into the Imperial Academy of Carida. Batross and other members of Shrike's organization became aware of Solo's new position. Shrike pursued Solo to the galactic capital, seeking revenge for Solo's perceived betrayal. However, Shrike himself was killed by a bounty hunter. Following Shrike's death, the Trader's Luck crime circle dissolved, allowing Batross to travel through the galaxy. Solo did not forget his former friend; as a cadet at the Imperial Academy of Carida, he offered to assist Batross in gaining acceptance into the Academy as well. However, Batross never appeared.

Eventually, Batross became a scoundrel. Seeking a way to make easy money, he undertook various illegal and semi-legal assignments for criminal figures across the galaxy. He claimed to have successfully conned a Hutt near Nar Shaddaa, earning him a small fortune. However, he later lost all of this wealth.

In 1 BBY, Batross worked for the Aleena crime lord Sollima. He used his position within Sollima's gambling network to skim money from Sollima's accounts. Sollima's accounting droid discovered this theft, forcing Batross to conceal his actions by secretly selling the droid to representatives of the Galactic Empire. The Imperials planned to use the information within the droid's data core against Sollima, in order to gain control over his casino world, the Hollow Moon. According to Sollima, the Imperials employed this method to avoid initiating a large-scale conflict with the Hutt sector, where the gambling station was located.

Despite the money he had stolen from Sollima, Batross still owed Sollima a debt he could not repay. In a desperate attempt to resolve his debt, Batross asked Sollima to allow him to retrieve the droid—which Sollima believed had been stolen by the Empire—and return it to him. Around this time, Han Solo was apprehended by Sollima on the Outer Rim world of Simbarc with a debt he also could not repay. Seeing an opportunity to help his old friend, Batross proposed to Sollima that Solo repay his debt by joining Batross on the mission to retrieve the droid. Sollima agreed and brought Batross into the room where Solo and his Wookiee companion, Chewbacca, were being tortured by Sollima's thugs. After Sollima explained the deal to Solo, the smuggler recognized his old comrade but declined Sollima's proposal, refusing to team up with Batross because he anticipated trouble based on their previous joint operations. However, after Sollima revealed his intention to take Chewbacca hostage, Solo had no choice but to join Batross on Sollima's mission.

Sollima provided the companions with a false landing code for the Imperial banking world of Moog Mot VI, where the droid was being held. The two departed on the mission, using Solo's starship—a modified YT-1300 light freighter called the Millennium Falcon—as transport, while Sollima took Chewbacca to the Hollow Moon and placed him in the gladiatorial arena. En route to Moog Mot VI, the two scoundrels had a conversation during which Batross repeatedly blamed his unfortunate situation on bad luck. Solo responded by stating that Batross should stop blaming others for his problems and start taking responsibility for his own life. Batross enthusiastically agreed, claiming that he shared Solo's point of view. Upon arriving at their destination, Solo transmitted the landing code received from Sollima, allowing the Millennium Falcon to bypass the Imperial Fleet guarding the planet. To enter the laboratory where the droid was being held, Batross had prepared Imperial uniforms to use as disguises. However, Solo noted that the suits were of poor quality, drawing on his experience with Imperial uniforms during his time in the Academy. The rank insignia were painted on instead of being present as badges.

After landing, Solo and Batross infiltrated the planetary Imperial garrison. Inside the garrison, Batross suggested that they raid the Empire's acquisitions and processing center on their way out to make some quick money. However, Solo was focused on their mission and refused to consider the proposal. After locating the laboratory where the droid was being held, Solo incapacitated the sole technician present and ordered Batross to take the droid and leave immediately. However, Batross had other plans. He shot the droid's data core with his blaster pistol to conceal his theft from Sollima. Since Sollima's direct orders were to return the droid intact, Solo became angry with Batross, fearing that this violation might endanger Chewbacca's life. Batross assured Solo that they could blame the shot on some Imperial stormtroopers and claimed to have the situation under control—just before the alarm alerted the guards to the presence of intruders inside the garrison. The companions quickly grabbed the remains of the droid and tried to escape to the Millennium Falcon, but encountered a squad of stormtroopers on their way out. Solo tried to find another route, but Batross chose to surrender immediately. While being led to the interrogation room, Solo demanded that Batross not reveal any information, regardless of the torture.

While Solo resisted the torture, Batross quickly broke down as soon as he was strapped in, revealing all information about Sollima and their mission. Captain Taavin of the Empire then ordered Solo's torture to be stopped and gave the prisoners a choice: stand trial for sabotage and treason against the Empire, or betray Sollima and help the Empire establish control on the Hollow Moon. He revealed that the Imperial authorities had already persuaded the Hutts to turn the moon over to the Empire and that all that remained was to get someone inside the gambling network to disable its defense system, which would significantly ease the establishment of Imperial control. Taavin explained that Batross and Solo would complete their mission, return the remains of the droid to Sollima, and then use the security key provided to them to override the gambling network's security code. With the only alternative being prison, the pair had no choice but to agree.

On their way back to the Hollow Moon, Batross suggested that they visit some of the gambling world's casinos first to make some easy money. Solo angrily responded that Batross's earlier willingness to change was fake. Batross reacted by admitting that he had always envied Solo's success, believing that Solo earned it by caring only about himself. A brief fight ensued between the two friends, which Batross lost. He accepted his mistakes, asking Solo not to give up on him. Upon arriving at the Hollow Moon, the two reached Sollima's office and presented him with the droid's data core, which Imperial engineers had modified to appear intact. Sollima was displeased with the violation of his orders and ordered the controller of the Hollow Moon gladiatorial arena to kill Chewbacca. However, by that time, Chewbacca had started a revolt among the arena's other slaves and was out of Sollima's reach. Displeased with the news, Sollima ordered his bodyguards to shoot both scoundrels. Batross pretended to betray Solo, revealing that Solo was working for the Empire. While Sollima was distracted, Batross activated a bomb hidden inside the droid's head and threw it at two of the gangster's bodyguards, killing both in the explosion. The Humans and Sollima survived the explosion without major injuries. In the ensuing chaos, Solo used Taavin's security key to disable the gambling network's defense system, allowing the Imperial Fleet safe passage.

Solo then contacted Captain Taavin—who was overseeing the operation from the bridge of his Star Destroyer—via comlink. Solo asked for extra time so that he and his companions could leave the moon, but the request was denied. Realizing that the invasion of his world was unavoidable, Sollima offered Batross a large sum of money to kill Solo. However, Batross refused, stating that he and Solo were partners. Solo then threatened Sollima with a blaster, seeking to learn Chewbacca's whereabouts, which Sollima revealed. Together, Batross and Solo made their way to the Millennium Falcon. After picking up Chewbacca, Solo piloted the freighter away from the Hollow Moon. Once it reached the moon's orbit, Solo decided to fly the starship directly past Taavin's Star Destroyer. Feeling that the scoundrels had served their purpose, Taavin resolved to let the ship go, allowing the Millennium Falcon with Batross, Solo, and Chewbacca aboard to escape the system.

Once the freighter was a safe distance from the Imperial Fleet, Batross expressed great joy that he and the others had survived. Overconfident, he believed that he would become the third member of Solo and Chewbacca's team and even suggested several possible future joint cons. However, Solo and Chewbacca had other plans. Tired of Batross's importunity and the fact that he constantly got them into trouble, they left him on the planet of Arbra amongst its native lagomorphs, despite Batross's protests.

Batross earned a living as a gambler, con artist, and occasional thief, but he was far less successful in these occupations compared to Solo. He constantly lost whatever small fortune he managed to acquire and lacked Solo's skill in these areas. Batross was also much less resistant to torture and even simple threats. He could be very annoying to those around him, expressing his envy and blaming his problems on bad luck and others. He was foolish enough to steal from a powerful crime lord, and when faced with a higher authority, he did not hesitate to betray his previous employer. When Solo met Batross several years after they parted ways, Solo's first reaction was to avoid working with him, remembering Batross's negative traits. However, Solo was later forced to cooperate with him. One of the first things Batross did aboard the Millennium Falcon was impudently eat some of Chewbacca's meat, which, according to Solo, could make Chewbacca very angry. Batross even had the audacity to offer Solo meat from his own cold unit.

While performing dangerous assignments for individuals such as Sollima and the Imperial officer Taavin, Batross was unable to fully focus on completing his mission. Instead, he looked for ways to make easy money. When presented with an opportunity to cover the tracks of his thefts, Batross destroyed Sollima's droid without considering that the act might ultimately cost Chewbacca his life. When Solo asked Batross not to reveal any information about their mission under torture, Batross proudly assured his companion that he would not break, although he did exactly that as soon as he was strapped in. In his defense, he later stated that he was allergic to pain.

Though Batross originally only admitted that he admired Solo's achievements, he later told Solo that he envied him and hated "living in his shadow." However, Solo remained calm enough to explain Batross's weaknesses, even admitting that Batross used to be a better pilot than he was. However, Solo added that Batross had thrown away his accomplishments to get rich quickly and had nothing to show for it. This speech had an effect on Batross. He finally began to realize some of his mistakes and asked his old friend not to give up on him.

Batross later pretended to betray Solo to Sollima, but it was eventually revealed that it was part of their plan all along. He also showed that friendship was more important to him than credits when he declined Sollima's proposal to kill Solo in exchange for a large sum of money. Observing Solo performing unorthodox and dangerous piloting during the escape from the Hollow Moon, Batross displayed nervousness and almost panicked. After the Millennium Falcon escaped the Khorya system, Batross overconfidently believed that Solo and Chewbacca would allow him to join their team, but the pair refused to deal with him any longer. To his great discontent, Batross was left on Arbra amongst the Hoojibs.

The character of Billal Batross was created by Jeremy Barlow and appeared in Han Solo and the Hollow Moon of Khorya, the first volume of Star Wars Adventures, a series of digest-sized comic graphic novellas published by Dark Horse Comics. Batross's appearance in the volume was penciled by Rick Lacy and colored by Michael Atiyeh. Barlow tied some elements of Batross's biography into the pre-existing continuity by establishing his childhood as a young thief operating under Garris Shrike, a character from The Paradise Snare novel by A. C. Crispin, and by finishing the story with Batross being stuck on Arbra, the planet of Hoojibs, who played a significant part in Marvel's Star Wars series of comics.