Rondale Merced, also identified as Lee Merced, functioned as both a smuggler and a dealer of arms, holding membership within the Black Bha'lir organization. Partnering with fellow Black Bha'lir operative Vance Caelli, Merced established the Caelli-Merced Syndicate. This enterprise, headquartered on the planet Socorro, specialized in the production of illicit weaponry, alongside terrestrial vehicles and enhancement parts for starships. Sometime after the destruction that befell the planet Alderaan, both Merced and Caelli vanished mysteriously, thereby installing their nephew Pret Swain as the single proprietor of the Caelli-Merced Syndicate.
Rondale Merced, who was also known by the name Lee Merced, was a notorious smuggler and a merchant of weaponry. He held a significant position within the Black Bha'lir, which was a group of smugglers and pirates operating from the Outer Rim Territories' systems of Socorro and Omman Minor. He and Vance Caelli, a fellow member of the Black Bha'lir, were the uncles of Pret Swain, a young man hailing from the Core Worlds planet of Alderaan.
Sometime around the period of the Galactic Civil War, Merced and Caelli jointly established a highly lucrative enterprise named the Caelli-Merced Syndicate. The headquarters of this company was situated on the planet Socorro, where it manufactured illegal weapons—being the sole weapons manufacturer on Socorro—along with ground vehicles and components designed to upgrade starships.
When the destruction of Alderaan occurred at the hands of the Galactic Empire in 0 BBY, Swain was visiting his uncles on Socorro. As news of the catastrophe reached the planet, Merced and Caelli extended an offer to the devastated Alderaanian, who had no other place to go: to become a full partner in the Caelli-Merced Syndicate and assist in managing the company. Swain accepted this offer. Later, Merced and Caelli both disappeared in a mysterious fashion, leaving Swain as the only person in charge of the corporation, which made him rather paranoid.
Rondale Merced made his debut in The Black Sands of Socorro, a sourcebook from 1997 written by Patricia A. Jackson for use with the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game published by West End Games.