Mistryl Shadow Guard The Mistryl Shadow Guards were an elite group of all - female Human mercenaries , sent from their home planet of Emberlene to earn money in support of the devastated communities of their world . The Shadow Guards history was a long and tragic one , full of deception , greed , anger , and destruction , beginning long ago , with the loss of Emberlene . History . Three years before its destruction , Emberlene used its might and wealth to conquer its neighbors . They subjugated dozens of worlds in their sector , plundering their wealth , and destroyed anything of value that they couldn ' t take with them . The remaining planets in the sector decided that they could not stand idly by and wait for the armies of Emberlene to crush them underfoot . Pooling their resources , the governments of these worlds hired a mercenary army to fight for them . The mercenaries struck hard and fast , devastating Emberlene ' s forces and reducing the planet ' s infrastructure to rubble . Ensuing firestorms and air strikes against populated areas effectively ended the Emberlene threat , reducing its people to abject poverty . In the years after their destruction and partial reconstruction , the Eleven Elders decided to create a lie from this disaster . From a young age , the citizens of Emberlene were taught that many years ago , while the Galactic Empire was still young and early resistance had not been crushed , Emperor Palpatine ordered the destruction of Emberlene as an example to all . Emberlene had been a rich planet , full of splendor and beauty , and had made it apparent that they were ruled by no one but themselves . Fearing the planet ' s growing power and prestige , the Emperor sent his forces to destroy Emberlene as an example to those who thought they could escape the rule of the Empire . This lie was created to instill a sense of loyalty and pride in the people of Emberlene , as well as a false sense of duty amongst the Mistryl . Since then , the Mistryl hired themselves out as mercenaries , to earn enough money to support the millions of refugees left after the planet ' s destruction , and loathing the Empire ' s role in the disaster . At some point , Loruna Scathe left the Shadow Guard and formed a rival organization , the Azure Cabal , that competed with Mistryl Shadow Guard for contracts . Shadow Guards were sometimes employed by the Smugglers ' Alliance and in 11 ABY , two of them helped the Alliance to take control of the Spice Mines of Kessel . Organization . The Shadow Guard typically operated in small teams led by a commander known as the Team Prime . In 0 BBY , the team led by Manda D ' ulin consisted of six warriors , including herself , Karoly D ' ulin , Pav D ' armon , Shada D ' ukal , Sileen and Cai , together with two heavy starfighters , " Skyclaw " and " Mirage " . If a larger force was required , several teams could be called in — for example , Team Prime D ' ulin planned to assemble a force of twelve ships to escort the Hammertong convoy . On the other hand , Mistryl sometimes traveled as master - and - apprentice pairs , and individual warriors could be contracted out long - term as bodyguards . After the breakup of Manda D ' ulin ' s team , Shada D ' ukal traveled the Galaxy with trainee Dunc T ' racen aboard the freighter " The Fury " , before becoming Mazzic ' s bodyguard , a position she held from at least 9 ABY until she left the Shadow Guard to become Talon Karrde ' s lieutenant in 19 ABY . True to their mythos that Emberlene had been ravaged by Imperial forces , the Mistryl claimed that they never worked for the New Order , although when that loathing got in the way of a job , they often forgot this animosity , either through convenience or necessity . Equipment and methods . While the Guard were deadly at any time , the Shadow Guard were especially adept at close - quarters combat . They were well trained in martial arts , and also had a large amount of weapons training as well . They were trained to use hold - out blasters and vibroblades , and were also educated in the use of more exotic weapons such as hand claws , shock whip s , and zenji needle s . The Mistryl were legendary for their stealth and ability to remain unnoticed at all times . They had access to a huge database of profiles of galactic citizens . When needed , a guard could quickly use one of these and assume that person ' s identity in order to either get close to a target or get away from an area .