- "You can't make a living off of kindness. You can't profit from honesty. And you can't succeed with legality."
- ―Stanson Rend
Stanson Rend is a politician and criminal boss. He was once the esteemed Ethnarc of the Yridian Kratocracy, harboring a strong alliance with leaders of Tarentum. Due to unforeseen circumstances, he is now an ally of Arcona, working with the leaders of House Qel-Droma and Shadow Gate within the shadowport of Ol'val.
Origins
Childhood
Stanson Yohan, sixteen years old.
Stanson Rend was born Stanson Yohan to a middle-class family on Coruscant. His mother later left his father, a merchant, for a richer man, which left the former drinking himself to death. Stanson was left in the hands of his uncle and aunt, who paid little attention to him and left him to entertain himself. At a very young age, Stanson wandered the streets of Coruscant, eventually getting himself tangled in a web of criminal activity. He even began peddling drugs, including the popular death stick, as young as nine years old.
Eventually, Stanson got involved in more dangerous criminal activity, including burglary, smuggling, and even extortion involving his own relatives. He also gained a penchant for gambling, finding various ways to cheat the system and win large amounts of credits. He was initiated into a gang at the age of fourteen, moving up the ladder with his dedication to the life of crime. As his adolescence took place during the beginning years of the New Republic, Stanson worked under more dangerous circumstances due to the fact that he would constantly have to evade law enforcers.
By the time he was seventeen, Stanson left Coruscant and stowed away on a freighter ship to Tatooine. While he has never mentioned his exact reasons for doing this, some guess that he was on the run from Coruscant police forces and therefore went to a more reclusive planet. It was on Tatooine, however, that he met Grisham Tankman, head of a criminal family from Corellia. Tankman made the young boy an offer to become the heir to his family, as his own son had been murdered during a face-off in Kor Vella. Stanson eagerly followed Tankman to Coronet City, where the family, known simply as "Gelu Templum," resided.
Getting Away With Murder
Stanson Yohan kills a notorious drug lord for poisoning Grisham Tankman.
Stanson settled into his new position as family heir with ease, but despite his comfortable situation, he felt that something was missing. Besides drug vending, Stanson worked in the family's illegal weapons' arsenal, and he slowly but surely began to beef up his body. Although he was already well-toned to begin with, his experiences on Coruscant had given him an insecurity complex, and he intended to make up for it by becoming stronger. Ultimately, the Stanson that people knew on Corellia was built like a brick, intimidating to the core, and always carrying an SSK-7 on his person.
Gelu Templum, while losing its political influence in Coronet, still maintained its criminal roots. After ten years of status quo criminal activities, Stanson abruptly assumed the position of family leader after Tankman suspiciously died in a city club. Hellbent on finding the killer, he traced the evidence back to a local druglord, who had poisoned Tankman's drink with a mixture of glitterstim and other spices. Stanson then mercilessly shot the druglord three times in the head with his blaster and was arrested two days later.
While on trial, Stanson noticed the intricate workings of each criminal family's influences in the judicial system. While Gelu Templum quickly crumbled and left him no support, a man from another criminal family, Adrian Rend, held strong connections with various Corellian politicians and judges. When Stanson was surprisingly found not guilty of the murder, he discovered that Adrian had tampered with evidence, believing the younger man to be a suitable candidate for his family due to his boldness and experience. Adrian brought Stanson back to Coruscant, where he advised him to begin a career in, of all things, politics.
Political Activity
Rending Governmental Fabrics
Stanson Rend works as an advisor to political leaders.
The sudden changes in scenery and recent events in the newly christened Stanson Rend's life had left him a very different person. Dropping the intimidating bodybuilder persona, he had lost an extreme amount of weight, becoming incredibly lanky but extremely debonair in his appearance. He looked and acted like a gentleman as he worked as an ambassador, a secretary, and later an advisor to political and military leaders of the New Republic. Eventually, he began to manipulate them to his liking, offering them exclusive trading outlets in exchange for gaining control of gambling and loan sharking within the entertainment districts of Coruscant.
As a newfound businessman, Stanson knew the consequences of staying in such a large, influential place for too long. At some point, the family's criminal activities would be found out, and their political power would dwindle, similar to the fate of Gelu Templum. After Adrian's sudden death by cardiac arrest, Stanson discussed the possibility of moving toward the Minos Cluster, where business was growing since it had been sold to regional holders in the Yridia system. Pleased by his remarks, the most prominent members of the family decided to name the man their new leader.
In a quick moving process, the entire Rend family traveled to Yridia IX in 27 ABY, six years after Stanson had begun his political work on Coruscant. With their move came immense connections to illegal dealings still in the Core Worlds, and it proved useful in Eden. After all, as Stanson soon discovered, the entire system was under the control of Clan Tarentum, a part of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, and they were in need of quick ways to get ammunitions, rare gases, and other supplies without much travel. Rend made his offers to the Eden government as well as to the current clan summit, and his family was quickly accepted as a large yet secretive economic and political force. With governmental power growing for himself and his family, Stanson began to take advantage of his affiliations, as Tarentum was a strong military presence and could offer him a great deal of power and political presence.
Changing Tides
Stanson Rend, governor of Eden City, circa 31 ABY.
Unlike many people, Stanson was aware of the dangers targeting the clan and the world that he now inhabited. Yridia IX was an immense trading and commerce hub, making it a sufficient target for enemies. Also, due to Tarentum's constant wars, taxation was continually imposed upon the populace. With that came consequences, and Stanson knew that the current governor of Eden, Eduardo Griffin, could pose a threat to Tarentum's activities due to the governor's self-oriented concerns.
After a meeting with Tarentum after the Ninth Great Jedi War, Stanson gradually recognized Griffin's intentions to threaten the clan. When a large bulk freighter crashed onto Yridia IX on the same day, Stanson quickly came up with a plan to remove Griffin from the position. He tricked the governor into thinking that Tarentum was responsible for the crash and subsequently accused him of treason after the governor sent out mercenaries to capture or kill any Tarenti remaining in Eden. He then shot Griffin in the knee with a hold-out blaster, offering him a chance to survive if he left the Yridia system. Griffin accepted that fate over death, and Stanson ordered his men to have the ex-governor taken back to Coruscant, which was Griffin's homeworld as well.
After contacting Tarentum about Griffin's treacherous activity, Stanson was appointed the new governor of Eden City and subsequently Yridia IX. He would later kill Griffin in a stand-off within his own office.
Kratocracy and Departure
Stanson after fleeing Yridian space, circa 35 ABY.
In 33 ABY, the political game shifted in Yridia. Stanson had become a recognizable figure within the system, and the Tarentum summit had new plans for him. Consul Ronovi Tavisaen Tarentae oversaw the governmental changes that created the Yridian Kratocracy, a tyranny enforced by cunning on the clan's end. Stanson, as a stalwart ally of Ronovi's, became instrumental in the hierarchy of the kratocracy, and he was appointed Ethnarc shortly thereafter. While he was certainly considered a figurehead, he was in fact highly involved in proceedings on all levels within Yridia.
Two years went by, and after an invasion of Yridia IV and a Rakghoul infestation in the system, the kratocracy slowly crumbled. Ronovi resigned as Quaestor of the now House Tarentum, and Stanson suddenly saw himself opposed by some of the highest members of Tarentum, including the Sith King. Informed that Maxamillian von Oberst, the Hound of the Sith King, was set to kill him, Stanson acted efficiently and stealthily. He escaped to Yridia III and placed a double in his office on Yridia II, avoiding death and living in hiding. It would be months until Ronovi discovered him and invited him to join her on her journey to the Dajorra system, where she would work as a member of Arcona.
Stanson followed Ronovi and her apprentice Giovanni Palermo to Estle City, where Dralin Fortea, Aedile of House Qel-Droma and friend of Ronovi's, took an interest in his political ties and his lingering connections with the Rends back in Yridia. The Aedile took the man to Port Ol'val, where he was introduced to Solus Gar, the leader of Shadow Gate. Stanson would ultimately become vital once again in the control of a populace, something he quietly and calmly reveled in.
Characteristics
Stanson Rend, present day.
Appearance
Stanson, while still a relatively young man, has felt the test of time against him. While still a handsome man, his hair has grayed prematurely, though he keeps it combed and maintains a neatly trimmed beard. His body has undergone major changes since his years as a bulky, muscular man in his youth, and he remains tall and lanky to the present day.
Despite looking older than he really is, Stanson is extraordinarily debonair, as any criminal boss seems to maintain. He wears formal attire constantly, normally wearing long sleeves to hide the numerous tattoos he received in his years as a gang member. He seems to unintentionally pose since he has become more political, constantly sitting with his hands folded in front of him or standing with one hand in his pocket as if he were getting his picture taken all the time.
Personality
Like his looks, Stanson has changed personality-wise over time. While at first being very quiet yet aggressive as a youth, he has become smooth, refined, and conversational. He normally keeps to himself until he finds it right to speak, and he handles things with grace these days rather than the force he used as a younger man. His tone is gentle, almost calming, even when the words he speaks are intimidating.
Stanson will side with anyone who gives him the better deal. His constant moves from planet to planet and family to family speak for that. For now, however, he is comfortable with what he has, and he is happy with his fortune. He is also very loyal to the Rends as the head of the family, treating his members as if they were his siblings; however, he will not hesitate in killing any of his family members should they betray him.