Horst ( Keycard ) Horst was a Human male who served as an officer with the rank of major for the Galactic Empire during 0 BBY . The officer was stationed on the Imperial held planet Danuta , located in the Mid Rim . Danuta was the location of an Imperial research facility that held the schematics to an Imperial superweapon known as the Death Star . The facility was located in the capital city of Trid , and from a small security and operations station embedded into a rock wall outside of the facility , Horst held in his possession a red key that allowed access into the facility ' s lower levels . The officer was accompanied by a stormtrooper and an Imperial commando , while at least two stormtroopers protected the security station ' s access lifts . All of them were killed by the Rebel mercenary Kyle Katarn when he raided the facility . Biography . Horst was Human male who had joined the Galactic Empire , and by 0 BBY had made his way into the officer corp as a Major . Horst was stationed on the Mid Rim planet Danuta , where he worked at an Imperial research facility located in the capital city of Trid . The officer was assigned to carry a red keycard that would allow access into the facility ' s lower levels , which contained schematics to an Imperial superweapon known as the Death Star . Horst primarily worked in a security and operations station located right outside of the main facility , which was embedded into a rock wall . The station could be reached via two turbolifts , and was guarded by at least two Imperial stormtroopers . Later during the year , a mercenary named Kyle Katarn , working with a fledgling resistance group known as the Rebel Alliance , infiltrated the facility armed with only his Bryar pistol and extensive Imperial knowledge that he had attained after years of schooling from the Imperial Academy of Carida , located on the planet of Carida . Katarn made it through the main facilities before making his way outside and into the security station . Horst was accompanied by two others by this point , including a stormtrooper and an Imperial commando , who was eating a doughnut . When Katarn made it to the security station , he killed the commando , who was unarmed , and killed the stormtrooper who was in mid - sentence while ordering the agent to identify himself . Katarn held Horst at gunpoint , asking for the key . Horst instead opted to draw his blaster pistol , and was killed by the rebel in return . After overcoming a brief stint of shock at the officer ' s stubbornness , Katarn gathered the keycard and used it to access the lower levels of the facility , later attaining the schematics with the help of Meck Odom , an Imperial officer who made a friend out of Katarn at Carida . Personality and traits . Horst was trained to serve the Empire , and did not take rebels lightly , regarding them as scum . The officer had an adherence to melee weapons , instead preferring to rely on the accuracy of his blaster pistol . Horst was also fairly stubborn , and as opposed to handing a keycard to Katarn while at gunpoint , Horst instead tried to kill the intruder , a move that ended fatally for the officer . He had light skin and brown colored hair , and also possessed a heavily scarred face . Equipment . Horst owned a blaster pistol , but despite his knowledge of the weapon and his accuracy with it , he was not able to prevent Kyle Katarn from killing him and stealing his keycard . He wore a brown colored uniform . Behind the scenes . Horst first appeared in the 1994 video game " " . All officers looked the same throughout the game , and as such certain attributes of their appearance may be truly ambiguous . All Imperial troopers in the game were voiced by Denny Delk , though the Imperials were collectively credited as " Stormtrooper " . The officer also appeared in the 1997 novella " " , written by William C . Dietz , where the encounter from the game was further detailed , giving an exact number of the other Imperials that accompanied the officer . The officer was not given the name Horst , however , until his appearance in the based on the novella . While changing the game ' s difficulty level would affect the number of enemies in any given level , this article assumes that " Soldier for the Empire " is the correct telling of events . In the audio adaptation of " " , he was voiced by Gary Groomes . Between appearances , there is a discrepancy . While in the novella and in " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " Horst is an officer killed in a skiff explosion , the audio drama gives the name Horst to the officer who holds a red keycard that Katarn must secure , who also appears in the novella and who appears in the game . This article assumes they are two different characters who share the same name .