Two weeks ago, one of the most influential figures of this galaxy ended his existence after becoming the victim of a senseless act of gratuitous violence.
He wasn't someone who stole the spotlight. Never appearing on the Galactic News, only communicating through traders-only networks. Nevertheless, his slightly conical, rusted helmet was etched in our collective minds.
THE EARLY DAYS
In year 8 (I was only 6!), Malrin began his trading career with the purchase of his first facility: a tavern on Monbale. He overpaid for it, spending roughly 425,000 credits, and unfortunately failing to turn a profit: in the first month, the tavern caused him to lose 60k credits. Malrin kept investing and that's how I first heard of him. My spacefaring father was always looking for a larger freighter; one of those old models that you could easily repair and maintain yourself. Whenever dad was home - usually during the Koh'hibril season - he remained riveted to the trade section of the holonews, and our bedtime stories were not filled with Jedi or princesses, but rather with the Journal of Teniel Djo, or other similar events of that time... And here comes the story.
“LET ME TELL YOU ALL A TALE…”
Malrin acquired a few Bayonet cruisers, back in the days when they were advertised everywhere. Utono Brutza the Pirate offered to buy one, and even suggested using a middleman, a totally unknown sentient. Malrin accepted, and immediately got notified that this unknown being was, in fact, one of Utono Brutza's accomplices. However, instead of just reporting the scam, Malrin wrote a thoroughly enjoyable piece of poetry; I can still remember my father's voice theatrically reading the first sentence: "Let me tell you all a tale..."
From that day, Malrin's opening sentence to his misfortune became the staple of every bedtime story in our house. And it was only the beginning...
THE KNIFE HEIST
One year later (I was 7!), one of the biggest heists in this galaxy happened: Ulen Orsela bought, for 2000 credits, a knife from Zeven Mohebbi. That knife was left unattended, and was picked up by Rin Minetti, who then declared the bladed weapon was not only his, but that any further complaint would end up listing Ulen as a “skammer and theif” to major weapon companies (I managed to find a copy of the article, and kept the delicious spelling mistakes). Azarin Isard offered to settle this incident by offering Ulen 2500 credits, and even the charismatic and respected Hal Breden uttered words of wisdom, saying that he could've bought that knife himself at the nearest shop for the same basic price of 2000 credits.
Then the unthinkable happened: Malrin Avet, in his rusty armour, stood and not only declared that he had captured the two culprits but that he was now ready to bring them to anyone who wanted them, if the theft was proven. Immediately, the traders went WILD (unrelated to the trader named Kyria): Skye Sarn, Jerac Elensar, Leon Shade, Brady Markin - everyone started bickering to get these potential culprits.
I do not remember how this story ended. However, for the next decade, all my brothers and sisters knew that if we did not give back our siblings' toys, Malrin would come and send us to prison for knife theft.
THE RICHEST TRADERS
I can safely assume that this brief incursion into peacekeeping helped him build a solid reputation, because within a few months, Malrin reappeared in an unexpected way: in Shane Darman's top 20 richest traders in the galaxy. Not only was he in the top 20, but he even rose to 9th place in the survey, with a total worth of 33 million credits in assets! Fifteen years later, these amounts seem a little humorous, but at that time, only Aklari Clise, Arjuna Ketwol, Vee Null and Calista Hawke had managed to cross the 100 million mark. Of course, the Pirate Queen herself was by that time over 11 billion credits, but the credibility of her ill-gotten gains is questionable, given how it could've been one of her elaborate schemes.
THE STARSHIP DATABASE
After this brief appearance, Malrin devoted most of his energy to a massive project - maybe the reason why so many people remember him today, without really being able to pinpoint why. Around Y13, Malrin released the first holosite ever designed as a starship database: you could track any ship through a network of volunteers registering all sightings in the database: name of said ship, galactic ID, owner, location, and date of the report.
Many traders remember him passionately (some would say aggressively) advertising his tool whenever someone was looking for the owner of a ship. Then, after roughly two years of existence, Malrin had to close his holosite due to heightened risks of slicers corrupting his database, or even using it for more nefarious purposes, such as hijacking and altering the voice pitch of his distinctive rusted armour. During the time it remained online, Eidolan trader Syn became increasingly annoyed by Malrin's persistence in promoting his tool, but as soon as it closed, the Falleen trader became one of the first people to openly admit she missed it… probably one of the highest praises anyone could hear about their own creations.
THE FINAL CHAPTER
In more recent years, Malrin pretty much vanished into anonymity, preferring to use the old fashioned communication systems of our parents rather than the more modern, faster, and more intrusive forms of communication we use today. His affection for older technologies might have caused him his most cruel blow.
Roughly two months ago, Malrin Avet was performing personal duties in the Derra system. Without any prompting, a fleet of pirates led by Krodo Rask unleashed a barrage of fire, turbolasers, and death upon the system. Malrin's Ardent-class Fast Frigate “The Hammer of Oshura” was immediately engulfed in the whirlwind of destruction, and all the labours of his lifetime disintegrated with senseless violence.
Barely able to flee for his life, Malrin Avet ended up in an escape pod, but it was more of an instinctive reflex: decades of work had ceased to exist in the wreckage of his ship. A few days later, he chose to fly into the nearest sun, unable to move on from the annihilation of a lifetime of honest, selfless efforts.
