Zanno Takali

Zanno Takali was an adventurer, corporate heir, prominent member of the esteemed Takali family, Republic war hero, and member of the original Beacon Company. He died in 3949 BBY at the Battle of the Jagged Corridor while in command of the Republic capital ship, Persistence.

Childhood and school
Zanno Takali was born to Kepo and Raseni Takali in Takali Manor, a family estate outside Pieralos, the Nautolan capital of Glee Anselm. He attended the Pieralos Royal Academy, where he met Dartu Viridovix, heir to the Nautolan throne. After a brief but spiteful rivalry, the two became fast friends, often sneaking out late at night to partake in illegal swoop racing on Cortosis Ridge on the western edge of Pieralos. Because of this friendship, Zanno frequented the Nautolan Royal Palace throughout the rest of his youth.

Zanno slacked at school, preferring to rely on his charisma and money in sticky situations. However, due to his proximity to the Takali Droid Corporation, he developed an affinity for computers, often tinkering with broken and functioning Takali droids alike, much to the chagrin of his mother and father, who much preferred not to have their droid butler burst into profane song in the middle of high-society cocktail parties.

Throughout his childhood, Zanno enjoyed "subtly" flaunting his wealth, which, since his great-grandfather had founded and built up the Takali Corporation, Zanno saw as hard-earned.

Corporate subterfuge
When Zanno was 17, his father Kepo informed Zanno that he would not be receiving any inheritance, and that the leadership of the Takali Droid Corporation would be passed on to Rasba Guho, a Rodian and Kepo's longtime business partner. Zanno was turned out of the house, and stayed for two months at the Royal Palace with Prince Dartu.

Ambition and spite led Zanno and a reluctant Dartu to engage in an undercover investigation of the Takali Corporation. The two friends infiltrated the central Takali offices and discovered a datapad containing evidence of illegal transactions between the Takali Corporation and the Exchange, dating back as early as the founding of the company. It turned out that Rasba Guho was an Exchange affiliate, to whom Kepo had owed money when the Corporation began to lose capital in the market collapse of 3973 BBY. The pair delivered this information to King Viridovix, who advised caution when dealing with such sensitive matters. Despite the King's warning, Zanno confronted Guho about the corruption, causing the rodian to flee the planet.

Scandal and death
In the Takali offices, Zanno also discovered an encrypted datapad embossed with the Nautila Royal Seal--the symbol of Dartu's family. He kept the datapad hidden from Dartu and, after two weeks of intensive decryption attempts, was able to read its contents, whereupon he learned that it belonged to Queen Pitere, Dartu's mother, and contained letters detailing an affair with Kepo Takali. Once Zanno secretly confronted Pitere with this information, the queen not only admitted to the affair, but also revealed that Dartu was Zanno's half-brother.

Zanno immediately left the Royal Palace to confront his father with this damning evidence, but was shocked to discover that his father had been poisoned only an hour before Zanno arrived at Takali Manor. Unbeknownst to Zanno at the time, Kepo had been assassinated by Kosta'ken, a fellow future member of the original Beacon Company.

Aftermath
Kepo died the next morning, and, Rasba Guho being absent, control of the Takali Droid Corporation was transferred to Zanno's mother, Raseni. Zanno was once again welcomed into the family, and Raseni worked to redeem the Corporation's reputation after revealing and publicly denouncing her late husband's corrupt business policies.

Pitere also revealed her promiscuity in a public statement soon after Kepo's funeral, causing Dartu to abdicate his right to the Nautolan throne and request an off-world diplomatic assignment, on which he invited his newly-found half-brother to join him. Viridovix granted this request, and appointed Dartu as the Nautolan ambassador to Alderaan.

The Road to Alderaan
After brief preparations, Zanno and Dartu embarked for Alderaan. Upon reaching Alderaanian orbit, however, the Nautolan ship was ambushed by Mon Calamari pirates. Most of the crew were killed, and the rest (except for Zanno and Dartu, who managed to make it to an escape pod) were taken hostage. The Alderaanian navy pursued the pirates, but were unable to capture them.

Life on Alderaan
Dartu assumed his position as Ambassador to Alderaan, and the two friends began their new life. Zanno had a brief affair with Ilia Mellere, to Dartu's strong disapproval, as the relationship complicated his own professional relationship with the Mellere family and their enemies, House Thul.

Over the next year, tensions between Dartu and Zanno mounted, culminating in Dartu throwing Zanno out of the Nautolan embassy. Outcast and hurt, Zanno severed ties with Dartu and left for Coruscant.

Coruscant
On the Galactic Capital planet, Zanno engaged in many exploits, during which he encountered a Quarren by the name of Abiss Akels, a bounty hunter seeking to eliminate the Takali family on behalf of an unnamed crime lord. Zanno was forced to flee into the depths of the Coruscant underworld after an attempt on his life that involved several thermal detonators, and the Nautolan playboy was presumed dead by Republic authorities.

Hunted
Abiss tracked Zanno through the underworld of Coruscant, but she was apprehended by Republic authorities after framing Zanno for the murder of a Twi'lek family.

Beacon Company
''The following is an account of Zanno's personal exploits during the Beacon Company I campaign. For a full summary of the campaign, see Beacon Company.''

Recruitment
Facing trial for murder, Zanno was approached by Republic Commander Sekka, who offered him full amnesty in exchange for participation in a recon mission to Mon Calamari as a member of the newly-formed Beacon Company. Zanno accepted mainly out of a hunger for adventure.