Kina Margath

Kina Margath was a Human female who made her home on Elshandruu Pica, a planet serving as the sector capital for the Quence sector, located within the Outer Rim Territories. She was the proprietor of Margath's on Elshandruu Pica, a sprawling entertainment center situated in Picavil, the planet's primary city. This extensive establishment featured bars, nightclubs, high-end hotels, and casinos, with the 27th Hour Social Club serving as its central attraction. Margath inherited ownership of Margath's from her parents sometime between 14 BBY and 10 BBY and transformed the complex into a flourishing enterprise, recognized throughout the galaxy for its superior service and excellence, employing over 1,500 full-time staff and approximately 4,500 part-time employees. The complex typically hosted between 10,000 customers on slower days and up to 100,000 during peak times. Margath meticulously monitored customer numbers and was known for her ability to maintain an accurate count.

Margath often spent her leisure time at the 27th Hour Social Club; its prominent reputation and location at the entrance of Margath's meant that it was frequently the first experience for visiting patrons. Margath was amused by the diverse mix of species and cultures and enjoyed observing people enjoying themselves. The 27th Hour Social Club famously guaranteed that if they didn't have or couldn't make a customer's drink order, the entire tab was free. This promise led to an ongoing, informal challenge, with customers constantly trying to discover new or rare drinks from across the galaxy to get a free bar tab. While this offer cost Margath thousands of credits over the years, it resulted in a drinks database containing over fourteen million recipes.

In contrast to the Galactic Empire's policies regarding trade restrictions and prohibition, Margath also served as an operative for the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War, specifically as a Foster Agent. Foster Agents were tasked with locating Alliance operatives who had been orphaned—agents who had completed missions but missed their scheduled extraction—and ensuring their safe return to the Alliance. Margath was happy to let Alliance operatives use her businesses as safehouses, provided they didn't attract Imperial attention. This role was perilous, as Alliance operatives who knew Margath's name as a contact point could potentially reveal her identity if captured by Imperial forces.

In 1 ABY, on 35:9:15, Margath's was targeted in a raid by the intergalactic jewel thief known only as the "Tombat." This skilled thief breached the complex's security vaults and stole gems and settings belonging to the resort's guests. The total value of the stolen items was six million credits, with over two million of that amount attributed to a necklace of Corusca stones in a mythra setting owned by Lady Landric, the wife of Moff Landric of the Emmo sector. The Tombat left behind a single quella stone in their place, which was their signature. Margath was disturbed by the heist, as it threatened Margath's reputation as a secure business resort. In response to the theft, Lady Landric announced a comprehensive investigation of the complex. Two days later, Margath's staff discovered that all the stolen jewelry had been returned to the security vaults, along with another quella stone. Inspector Toorka, who was in charge of the initial theft investigation, suggested that the Tombat had simply had a change of heart about the theft, dismissing the idea that another equally skilled thief had outsmarted the Tombat and returned the jewels.

In 2 ABY, Captain Sair Yonka of the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Avarice began an affair with Aellyn Jandi, the wife of the local Imperial Moff, Riit Jandi. Margath discovered the affair and befriended Aellyn, agreeing to keep it a secret from the Moff. Yonka and Aellyn used Margath's for their meetings, and Margath allowed rumors to circulate that Yonka was courting her. In return, Aellyn ensured that Margath's business received favorable treatment from Moff Jandi, and Yonka provided her with exotic drinks from the planets he visited, helping the 27th Hour Social Club maintain its promise of being able to supply any known drink to a customer. Around the same time, Margath acquired a small supply of high-quality Skannbult Likker, a drink known for its inconsistent quality. Regarded as the most potent fire-water in the galaxy and unique to the planet Skann in the Astal sector, Skannbult Likker was made locally by the world's farmers. While low-quality, quickly brewed rotgut was easily found, the high-quality product was rarely available off-world. Margath refused to disclose her supplier, selling double measures for between fifteen and twenty-five credits, though the rapid turnover and limited supply made her consider raising the price to twenty credits per single measure.

In 7 ABY, Commander Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron resigned from the Defense Force of the New Republic—the successor to the Alliance to Restore the Republic—after the liberation of Coruscant, the galactic capital. Ysanne Isard, the former Director of Imperial Intelligence, had taken control of the planet Thyferra and the Bacta Cartels by allying with the Xucphra Corporation, but the New Republic was reluctant to get involved in what was technically an internal Thyferran matter. Therefore, Antilles and his allies waged a private campaign against her. Seeking to learn more about Isard's forces, Antilles requested information on her starships and commanders, including Captain Sair Yonka. Margath responded with a detailed report on Yonka's affair. Using this information, Antilles and the Rogues ambushed Yonka while he was visiting his mistress and offered him a deal to defect to their cause, which he accepted.

Around 7 ABY, Margath purchased three GAT-12 Skipray Blastboats, which were stationed at the starport on Elshandruu Pica. In a bold move, Miktiss, a Saurton pirate, stole the three ships while a low-level criminal working for him created a diversion. Miktiss and his pirates made off with the ships before the planetary patrol vessels could respond. Margath vowed to discover who had stolen the Blastboats. By 11 ABY, Margath's was regularly supplied with drink recipes and concoctions by the smuggler Booster Terrik. Terrik's son-in-law, Corran Horn, believed Terrik was attracted to Margath and found her charming, but Horn's wife, Mirax, thought Margath was too young for her father.

Kina Margath was a consummate businesswoman, projecting an image of confidence and professionalism at all times. Though soft-spoken, she possessed a quiet authority, and people naturally followed her lead. Always impeccably dressed, Margath was effortlessly elegant and appreciated the finer, more exotic things in life. Her opposition to the Empire's stance on free trade restrictions led her to offer her time and resources to the Rebel Alliance as a Foster Agent. However, her involvement with the Alliance didn't prevent her from making deals with those who could provide her with exotic goods, such as Imperial Captain Sair Yonka, and she used the situation to her advantage by providing information about his affair with the local Moff's wife to the New Republic.

Her role in managing Margath's complex gave her extensive knowledge of alien species, cultures, and languages, as well as a working understanding of bureaucratic procedures. She had an interest in gambling and was capable of programming and repairing computers and operating security systems. Margath carried a hold-out blaster and was trained in its use, and she typically carried a selection of fake IDs, as well as a forgery kit. She kept between 5,000 and 12,000 credits on her person at all times and was assisted in managing her empire by three Cybot Galactica 3PO-series protocol droids and two Cybot Galactica XC2 administration droids.

Kina Margath was initially mentioned in Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim, published by West End Games in 1993. The publication included detailed information about her and her business, Margath's, along with an illustration of Margath by Mike Vilardi. In 1995, Margath was briefly mentioned in The DarkStryder Campaign within the biography of the Saurton pirate Miktiss, information that was later reprinted in The DarkStryder Campaign, Deluxe—which combined The DarkStryder Campaign and its three supplements into a single boxset—in 1998. Also in 1995, Margath was mentioned in the Galaxywide NewsNets section of Star Wars Adventure Journal 8. However, her name and the name of the complex were incorrectly spelled as "Margrath" and "Margrath's," respectively.

In 1997, Margath was mentioned in X-Wing: The Bacta War, and in 1998's I, Jedi, both written by Michael A. Stackpole. Margath was also featured in entries in 1998's Star Wars Encyclopedia and its updated version, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, in 2008.