Zariah's parents were representatives of a moderately successful Hutt crime syndicate. They moved around rather frequently while she and her younger siblings (twins) were growing up to avoid the attention of authorities, but became rather well known around the galaxy. After the Empire came into power, doing criminal business on the Core world became much too risky and expensive for the aging couple, and they decided to retire. Ghalar, the head of the crime family they served would have none of it, and the couple knew that they would be hunted for the rest of their lives. So rather than running, they went to Nar Shadda and sought an audience with their boss. Reminding him of their years and years of loyal, profitable service, they convinced the Hutt to strike a deal: they would retire in luxury to Coruscant, to live among the elites under falsified identity papers as obscure royals in exile. In return, the Hutt would have their daughter to serve in their place for the rest of her life. Zariah was just entering her teens then, and understood exactly what her family was doing to her at the time. She can still remember the combined looks of shame and satisfaction on her parents' faces as they left her in chains with the Hutt, and the spoiled laughter of her younger siblings.<br/><br/>To her surprise, her fate was not as dark as she'd imagined. Ghalar was smart enough to realize that the girl could be so much more than a concubine. The parents had originally tried to sell him the youngest girl, but he requested Zariah...he could tell she was listening to the negotiations; she spoke Huttese. He could see the spark of intelligence in her eyes, and he quickly put that intelligence to use. He explained all of this to the young girl as she stood before him in chains, laughing in that deep voice that would etch itself into her memory over the years. She was dressed in the finest suits, fitted with a discreet obedience collar, and was immediately put to work as part of his "office staff", greeting and looking after guests, acting as a personal maid to the Hutt and his consorts, and, eventually, overseeing minor negotiations. She was treated well, but had no real freedom. Her days were regimented in the extreme; she ate when he said so, worked when he said so, and was tutored when he said so. She learned languages, accounting, rudimentary marksmanship, and had extensive schooling in diplomacy.<br/><br/>At the age of 16, she was "freed" from her service in the Hutt's inner sanctum, and became a spy for him in his court. He still controlled many aspects of her life, but she was now able to establish contacts of her own...to be exploited for his benefit, of course. She was growing into a lovely young woman, which served only to make her more valuable as a diplomatic spy. Any other girl might have been satisfied with such a life; she was fortunate enough to have been sold to a relatively kind-hearted Hutt, and never knew poverty. But Zariah was no fool; she could see the way that Ghalar now looked at her; she was no longer a scrawny little girl. She noticed that the outfits bought for her (she was not allowed to buy her own clothing still) were becoming more revealing...it was humiliating to be seen in public in them.<br/><br/>Zariah began making small deals in secret with the various traders on Nar Shadda. Using her old clothes and her reputation as collateral, she began building a lucrative business as a deal broker over the course of a few years. This did not go unnoticed by the Hutt, but he watched with veiled amusement at her ambition. Finally, just as she was prepared to escape the planet with her hard-earned credits, he had her captured and brought back to him.<br/><br/>"Hur Hur Hur...." laughed the Hutt. "You thought I was a fool, did you, girl? You forget...I have raised you for many years now, I might as well be your father."<br/><br/>"You are not my father" Zariah said, a slight edge in her voice.<br/><br/>"No, but I would say I've taken much better care of you than he did. Why did you try to run away from me? You had everything you could want....ah, don't tell me: even after all the years, you still don't trust me, eh? I told you that I had no interest in you as a consort...you are too smart. I would never let a woman like you get so close to me, foolish girl. But if it is freedom you desire....I will make you this offer. It is not negotiable. Though you are still my property, and too valuable for me to give up, I will let you leave Nar Shadda. But you must earn it. I am taking every last credit you have made in your dealings, but I will transport you to the world of your choice. Rebuild your business, Zariah, and I will allow you to pay me tribute and remain free. Fail, and you need only contact me to return to this life. This is my gift to you on your 20th birthday."<br/><br/><br/>And so, Zariah chose Corellia, hoping that being so far from the Hutt's influence might give her another chance at freedom. It was a rough life at first, and she even had to take up dancing for the first few months of her new life, but in time she raised enough capital to get her back into the game. She started out in Spice distribution, eventually moving out of that dangerous field and into semi-legitimate trade. She began to meet traders, businessmen, and crime bosses who remembered her from Nar Shadda, and now, at the age of 23, she is a moderately successful "fixer" on Corellia. The Hutt, true to his word, visited her six months ago, just as she was moving into her new offices. Upon collecting his "share" of her profits, he informed her that she was no longer his slave. She was now a minor "franchise" of his criminal empire. "What is the difference?", she asked him. "A franchisee doesn't wear a collar, my dear", was his response.<br/><br/>Over the course of doing business, Zariah has dealt with the growing Corellian rebellion fairly often, funneling weapons and laundering credits for them under the Empire's nose. In this way she met Domi and the two have a "business friendship" of sorts. At first Zariah considered this simply a way to keep Corellian authorities, many of whom are sympathetic to the rebels, off of her back. In time, as she learned more about the Empire, she found a certain satisfaction in joining the fight against them. And though she'd never admit it, she's developed kind of a soft spot for Ghalar the Hutt, as well.<br/><br/>"Zariah Quibb: Female Human Scoundrel 2/Noble 3; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Defense +15 (+3 class, +2 Dex); Spd 10 m; VP/WP 25/10; Atk+5 ranged (3d8/20 or DC 18 stun, Blaster, heavy, range 8 m) or +1/+1 ranged (3d8/20, Blaster, heavy with Multifire, range 8 m); SQ Favor +2, Illicit barter, Inspire Confidence, Lucky (1/day); SV Fort +1, Ref +7, Will +5; SZ M; Rep 1; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 16, Challenge Code C.<br/><br/>Skills: Bluff+10, Diplomacy+12, Disable Device+11, Disguise+9, Forgery+8, Gamble+7, Gather Information+10, Hide+10, Knowledge (streetwise)+8, Listen+7, Move Silently+9, Search+8, Sense Motive+10, Sleight of Hand+7, Spot+7.<br/><br/>Feats: Influence, Stealthy, Trustworthy, Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols), Weapon Group Proficiency (simple weapons)."<br/><br/>Languages: Basic, Huttese, Rodian, Ryl