DD-BD

The Pyke Syndicate’s Kessel operations are run from a control center overseen by Quay Tolsite. To save credits, Tolsite has assembled a staff largely of droids, which monitor the miners’ output. Tolsite controls his mechanical charges with restraining bolts.

Quay Tolsite is the director of the Pyke Syndicate’s operations on Kessel, which would be an enviable job except for the damaging effects of the planet’s noxious atmosphere on Pyke bodies. Tolsite carries a ring of code keys required to access key systems in the mining facilities.

During the Clone Wars, the Pykes became the galaxy’s preeminent spice dealers, gaining control of mining operations on Kessel and funneling illicit substances to Coruscant’s most influential crime families. The Pykes’ stronghold is Oba Diah, but they are a powerful presence on nearby Kessel. Pyke sentinels keep a close watch on miners sentenced to extract spice and coaxium from Kessel, as well as on the smugglers hired to ferry these valuable cargos to offworld purification plants and refineries.

Coaxium is a rare form of hypermatter that is essential for faster-than-light travel. Starships’ hyperdrive reaction chambers are coated with a thin layer of coaxium, which is energized to allow passage into hyperspace. Unrefined coaxium is mined on worlds such as Kessel, but is dangerous to transport. Highly volatile, it explodes if jostled or allowed to get too hot.

A self-made droid built from astromech and protocol parts, L3-37 is an enlightened navigator who cares deeply about droid rights. Her ability to connect directly with the Millennium Falcon’s navicomputer lets the freighter plot faster routes than those traveled by more cautious ships. L3-37’s habit of speaking her mind and her relentless advocacy for mechanicals can alienate organic beings.

Kessel is a noxious mining world where workers endure harrowing conditions extracting spice and coaxium for shipment offworld. The Empire sentenced many prisoners to be used as slave labor by the planet’s economic rulers, the criminal Pyke Syndicate.