Once an independent corporate and manufacturing world, Balmorra was defended by the Republic and conquered by the Empire during the war. Now the corporations have mostly fled, local collaborators have been rewarded with positions in the Imperial puppet government, and an entrenched and well-armed resistance opposes the Empire's rule.
Despite brutal retaliation by the Imperial military against military and civilian targets, the battle to eliminate the resistance drags on. Droid factories and industrial waste sites have become battlegrounds. The main Balmorran spaceport is in the city of Sobrik, an Imperial military stronghold heavily fortified against resistance attacks.
- faction: Independent, levels: Empire 16-20, Republic 32-36
- location: Colonies Region, status: Occupied by the Empire
- terrain: War-torn Plains
- key facts: The Sith Empire has taken a special interest in the manufacturing facilities on Balmorra, but a local resistance stands between them and full occupation
Companions from this world: Doc (Jedi Knight companion), Zenith (Jedi Consular companion), Malavi (Sith Warrior companion), Tanno (Trooper companion), Akavi Spaar (Smuggler companion)
Locations
Balmorran Arms Factory (Empire)
The Balmorran Arms corporation has been one of Balmorra's largest and most influential manufacturers of weapons, military equipment and droids for over a century. Its products cemented Balmorra's reputation as a producer of high-quality technology, and shortly before the Imperial invasion, the company built a new factory headquarters--at the time, declared the most state-of-the-art arms production and research facility in the galaxy.
When the Empire invaded, however, the Balmorran Arms Factory found a different purpose. The compound's massive walls and production facilities became the core of the Balmorran resistance effort, giving Republic troops and Balmorran soldiers an impenetrable fortress with a nearly endless supply of resources and weaponry. In the years since, the factory has been under constant siege, but has never fallen. Rumor has it that the resistance has even taken advantage of the factory's research facilities, developing devastating new technology to drive the Empire off Balmorra.
Balmorran Arms Factory (Republic)
Built shortly before the Imperial invasion by the prestigious Balmorran Arms corporation, the Balmorran Arms factory is unrivaled in its weapons production and research capabilities. It was designed to construct military equipment ranging from personal arms and armor to droids and heavy vehicles, all with top-notch quality and efficiency.
Due to its tremendous manufacturing capacity, the fortress-like factory was one of the last holdouts of the resistance during the Imperial invasion, providing an almost inexhaustible supply of weapons and supplies to the besieged Balmorran people. Once the Empire finally gained control of the factory, however, the Imperial military wasted no time in putting the facilities to its own use.
Bugtown (Empire)
Bugtown represents the deadly, shattered remnants of Balmorran technological pride--ground zero for the planet's Colicoid infestation. Known originally as Lab 352, the genetic research facility came to be known as Bugtown when the Empire invaded. One of the Empire's many acts of sabotage involved releasing the results of Lab 352's biological experiments: the vicious, mutated Colicoids. The insects quickly overran the area, killing the facility's staff.
Since the initial invasion, the Colicoids have gradually spread from the Bugtown ruins out across the planet. Why the Balmorrans were mutating Colicoids is unknown--everyone behind the experiments seemingly died when the creatures were set free. Still, if answers are to be found, they will be found in Bugtown's databanks.
Bugtown (Republic)
Once a genetic research facility called Lab 352, this complex became known as "Bugtown" after the Colicoids--mutated insectoids used as experimental bioweapons--were released from the facility by Imperial saboteurs. The Colicoids took over the area surrounding the laboratory and began to infest the rest of the planet.
Republic forces have managed to retake the old laboratory, clearing out the Colicoids and establishing a forward outpost. While much of the Colicoid infestation remains, the population has been contained by the Imperial and Republic fighting; for now, the Republic can keep its unorthodox base.
Camp Conquest
The former site of the resistance's "Outpost Victory," this base was built into a crater formed during the Imperial bombardment of Balmorra. Losing the outpost was costly for the resistance, and the Empire renamed it to remind the Balmorran people of the consequences of defiance.
Camp Conquest now serves as a forward base and prison camp for the Empire, housing several command and control centers alongside holding cells for high-value prisoners. Well-guarded by turrets and shields and boasting a significant terrain advantage, the camp is a symbol of Imperial oppression and domination.
Camp Jacent
Camp Jacent was established in the ruins of a Balmorran factory town, formerly used by the resistance to launch guerilla strikes against the Empire. Now, it is a strategically placed and defensible supply base for Imperial troops.
Before the Imperials set up camp, the area was occasionally referred to as Ghost Town, as every last inhabitant had been massacred during the Imperial invasion. Buildings were left abandoned and damage sustained to the town went unrepaired, leaving it a graveyard of scrap metal and scorched ground.
Ghost Town
One of many small, unnamed factory towns on Balmorra, the place now known as Ghost Town was the site of experimental industrial farming operations meant to produce man-made, dense, nutrient-rich plants capable of feeding hundreds with only a small quantity.
Ghost Town saw all its inhabitants massacred during the Imperial invasion. Since then, the resistance has crept into the area, using the abandoned buildings to launch guerrilla attacks on Imperial forces and a nearby cave system as a base for anti-aircraft assaults on Imperial squadrons. The small gardens have also been brought back into operation, supplying food for the resistance.
Hazard Vault 305 (Sith Inquisitor)
To protect their thriving industrial world, the Balmorran government commissioned a series of tightly sealed underground vaults for storage of the toxic waste produced by the planet's many factories. One of these, Hazard Vault 305, was built into a pre-existing cave to collect the waste from the Balmorran Arms Factory; the Balmorran government did not suspect that the cave had been used by the Sith Lord Tulak Hord to hide one of his artifacts.
During the Imperial invasion of Balmorra, missile barrages damaged the hazard vault, causing its contents to leak and providing a way inside for anyone capable of surviving the deadly waste.
Okara Droid Factory (Empire)
Prior to the Imperial invasion, Balmorra was one of the galaxy's foremost producers of military droids, due in no small part to the Okara Droid Company. When the Empire invaded, its technicians uploaded a virus to the company's manufacturing center--the massive, automated Okara Droid factory--in hopes of turning the factory against the Balmorrans.
The virus worked too well, and the factory's defense droids and systems took over entirely, resuming production operations and attacking any and all life that came near. The Empire is currently making efforts to bring the factory under control, but so far has had little success.
Okara Droid Factory (Republic)
Another victim of the Empire's many acts of sabotage during its initial invasion, the Okara Droid factory was one of the most productive droid manufacturers on Balmorra. Imperial technicians uploaded a virus into the automated factory's system, turning its military droids against the Balmorran population. But the virus was too successful--the droids fully secured the factory and continued production, forcing the Empire to take it back through military action.
Now, after several hard-fought battles, Imperial soldiers have moved into the factory and established a base of operations there. Technicians are hard at work reversing the damage they caused, and hope to resume production of military droids to supplement the occupation force.
Outpost Traken-4
Named for the old Traken-4 ChemWorks, Outpost Traken-4 is now held by the Balmorran resistance. The ChemWorks were destroyed in the Imperial bombardment of Balmorra, and the entire area surrounding the outpost is covered in pools of deadly chemical waste.
The toxic pools have been a boon to resistance defenders at the outpost--the choke points leading around the pools are well defended, making a large-scale assault impossible. Resistance fighters stationed at the outpost must rotate to other locations on Balmorra frequently, however: the long-term effects of exposure to the chemical waste are unknown.
Outpost Victory
Built into one of the craters created by the Imperial bombardment, Outpost Victory began as a small outpost of resistance fighters. Over the years, however, it has grown into one of the resistance's major outposts, guarded by enormous anti-aircraft guns and shields to defend against orbital strikes. Imperial prisoners captured by the resistance are often held in Outpost Victory, and lately there have been unconfirmed rumors of a Republic presence at the outpost.
Sobrik
Sobrik was the original capital of Balmorra before the more advantageous location of Bin Prime was chosen to replace it three hundred years ago. Since then, the city of Sobrik has first shrunk, then been almost entirely obliterated by bombing runs and rebuilt by Imperial engineers.
Sobrik was one of the last cities to hold out during the Imperial invasion of the planet; because of this and its close proximity to the state-of-the-art Balmorran Arms and Okara Droid factories, the Empire has made Sobrik the headquarters of its occupation, maintaining tight control over the remaining civilian population.
Troida Military Workshop (Empire)
The Troida Military Workshop epitomizes the "new" Balmorra. Ostensibly an independent business, it nonetheless answers to the Empire and serves as a supply depot and weapons manufacturer for Imperial headquarters in Sobrik. Its overseers are expected to worry about Imperial edicts first, and profit last.
Not surprisingly, its workers have been known in the past to harbor resistance sympathies. Nevertheless, its production remains strategically vital to the Imperial war effort, and caravans between Sobrik and Troida have been subjected to frequent guerrilla attacks by the resistance in an attempt to cut off the lifeblood of the Empire on Balmorra.
Troida Military Workshop (Republic)
For most of the Imperial occupation, the Troida Military Workshop kept supplies and goods flowing into Imperial headquarters in Sobrik. Balmorran resistance members often staged raids on Troida convoys, denying the Empire resources while securing much-needed supplies for themselves. But Troida's workers--ordinary citizens forced to work under Imperial oppression--also harbored resistance leanings, resentful that their independent company answered only to the Empire's directives.
As the resistance on Balmorra crumbled, Troida became a rallying point for surviving resistance fighters. Imperial control was cast off, and now the workshop is the largest remaining base for the persistent Balmorran freedom fighters.
Datacrons
Galactic History 28: The Battle at Primus Goluud
Galactic History 29: Sadow's Escape
Galactic History 30: Rise of the Sith Emperor
Galactic History 31: The Ritual of Nathema
Galactic History 32: Long Exile
Galactic History 53: The Conclave at Deneba
Galactic History 54: Ulic's Fall
Galactic History 55: The Ascension of Exar Kun
Galactic History 56: The Brotherhood of the Sith
Galactic History 57: The Brotherhood's Power Grows
Organizations
Balmorran Resistance (Empire)
Since the Republic was forced to withdraw from Balmorra following the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, the fight against the Empire has been carried out by a diverse group of native Balmorran resistance fighters. The resistance, led by many former members of the Balmorran army, has carried out repeated guerrilla strikes against Imperial forces, using their superior knowledge of the planet to harass the invaders.
Joined occasionally by mercenaries from sympathetic worlds and--according to popular rumor--supplied by the Republic, the resistance has single-handedly ensured that the Empire is unable to claim complete control of Balmorra, holding and fortifying such vital tactical locations as the Balmorran Arms Factory and Outpost Victory.
Balmorran Resistance (Republic)
Balmorra's resistance fighters are more than patriotic guerilla warriors. People from all walks of life, from farmers and teachers to poets and musicians, risk everything to keep the dream of Balmorran freedom alive. Part of the Empire's lack of success rooting out these rebels is due to an inability to detect such nondescript enemies until it is too late.
Over the years, thousands of ordinary people have made the ultimate sacrifice for Balmorra, learning to hoist a blaster, training in burnt-out factories and toxic wastelands, and willingly dying to strike a blow against the hated Empire. To much of the citizenry, the resistance is made up of heroes--friends and neighbors who refused to suffer in silence. Other Balmorrans, however, wish the resistance would fade away, and believe it is past time to peacefully accept Imperial governance.
Persons of Note
Admiral Ivernus (Bounty Hunter)
The Imperial admiral in charge of the Balmorran military, Admiral Ivernus is an intelligent officer who commands the respect of his inferiors. He manages the war from a distance, preoccupied with the Empire's other conflicts, but watches with a keen eye.
Ivernus was awarded the Empire's highest medal for planning Balmorra's initial invasion, and in spite of the ensuing quagmire, has continued to rise in esteem. As a target of the Great Hunt, he will not be easy to lure to the planet or to catch off guard.
Akaavi Spar (Smuggler)
- Companion of: Smuggler
- Ranged Damage
- Crew Skills Bonus: +10 Armormech, +2 Critical Bioanalysis
- Primary Weapon: Electrostaff
- Secondary Weapon: Generator (non-shield)
Akaavi Spar was born into a respected Mandalorian clan and became one of its finest warriors. She killed her first foe--an abusive Abyssin mercenary--at the age of eight using an improvised flamethrower. This victory earned her the nickname "firehand" among her clan and marked the beginning of an impressive career as an Imperial bounty hunter. Akaavi captured and killed all manner of targets in her youth, from career criminals to Jedi.
When her entire clan was framed for crimes against the Empire and executed, Akaavi alone survived the brutal purge--but her outlook on the galaxy changed forever. With no connection to her Mandalorian heritage, she became a wandering mercenary loyal to no one.
Brel Orus (Trooper)
Millions of Balmorrans have fought and died to defend their world from the Empire's brutal conquest. Brel Orus is not one of them.
Where other corporate leaders refused to give up their life's work to the invaders, Orus sold out immediately, securing himself a cushy bureaucratic position in the new Imperial regime. He now oversees the confiscation and storage of Balmorran corporate technologies from the comfort of the Empire's headquarters in Sobrik, safe from his fellow Balmorrans and largely unnoticed by his Imperial overlords.
Commander Rylon (Sith Warrior)
One of Darth Baras's spies, Commander Rylon is a true loyalist who has mastered the difficult art of serving the Empire by blending in with the enemy and gaining his trust, serving for years as a commander in the Republic-aided Balmorran resistance.
Until recently, only his son--a young Balmorran officer--has known his identity, but now he is in danger of being revealed by a Jedi Padawan with the peculiar and powerful ability to detect a person's true allegiance. Darth Baras sees a threat to one of his agents as a threat to his entire operation and has ordered that Commander Rylon be eliminated, along with his secret.
Darth Lachris (Empire)
A powerful Sith Lord with a despotic temperament, Darth Lachris has never failed in war. Her successes in the Empire's battles have brought her to Balmorra, where she faces the challenge of putting down a resistance that has remained one step ahead of the military since the fight for the planet began.
Darth Lachris is sharp and wary, expecting a scheme behind every action her enemies take. Trained by Dark Council member Darth Marr, she is a warrior at heart with an embittered understanding of political necessity--and a lust for all the galaxy's bloody pleasures.
Darth Lachris (Republic - Jedi Consular)
A powerful Sith Lord with a despotic temperament, Darth Lachris has never failed in war. Her successes in the Empire's battles have brought her to Balmorra, where she faces the challenge of putting down a resistance that has remained one step ahead of the military since the fight for the planet began.
Darth Lachris is sharp and wary, expecting a scheme behind every action her enemies take. Trained by Dark Council member Darth Marr, she is a warrior at heart with an embittered understanding of political necessity--and a lust for all the galaxy's bloody pleasures.
Doc (Jedi Knight)
- Companion of: Jedi Knight
- Ranged Healer
- Crew Skills Bonus: +5 Underworld Trading, +5 Critical Biochem
- Primary Weapon: Blaster Pistol
- Secondary Weapon: Scattergun
The brilliant med-tech known simply as "Doc" is driven to bring quality health care to underserved star systems. This has led Doc to keep some unusual company: pathosis-riddled crime lord Fashaka Four-Toes, the Red Band Rebels of Cadinth and even the Imperial military during a brief stint impersonating a member of the Imperial Medical Corps on the conquered planet Sullust.
Doc has a talent for using bad people to save good lives--a fact he emphasizes to anyone within earshot. Some characterize Doc as a blowhard and scoundrel, but these individuals have never required his impressive surgical skills. Doc has visited every major galactic battleground over the past five years and saved more lives than even he can count.
Lieutenant Major Pirrell (Bounty Hunter)
Depraved, unscrupulous and conniving, Lieutenant Major Pirrell is an ambitious but cowardly Imperial officer determined to advance up Balmorra's chain of command at any cost. Pirrell's service record in the Imperial Navy stands as a bland testament to the inevitability of a middling bureaucracy to exist anywhere; no matter where in the galaxy he was stationed, Pirrell always managed to find a position closest to the most influential members of command and farthest from any of the actual fighting.
Major Bessiker (Sith Inquisitor)
A proud Imperial officer who rose to notoriety during the Sith's return to the galaxy, fighting with distinction at Coruscant and Begeren, Major Bessiker was made chief supply officer on Balmorra near the end of the war. As the Empire has provided fewer and fewer resources to support the ongoing pacification of Balmorra, Bessiker has almost single-handedly propped up the Imperial war effort, scavenging and repurposing old equipment and improvising armor and weaponry in a pinch.
Bessiker comes from a distinguished Imperial lineage, and in spite of his connections among the Sith--both his brother and his son trained on Korriban--Bessiker has never complained about his posting on Balmorra or the difficulty of his job.
Malavai Quinn (Sith Warrior)
- Companion of: Sith Warrior
- Ranged Healer
- Crew Skills Bonus: +10 Armstech Efficiency, +10 Diplomacy Efficiency
- Primary Weapon: Blaster Pistol
- Secondary Weapon: Vibroknife
An officer in the Imperial military, Malavai Quinn is loyal to the Empire and everything it stands for: order, the glory of the Sith and the conquest of the Republic. Following his mysterious disgrace at the Battle of Druckenwell, he was stationed on Balmorra where he occasionally carried out small missions for Darth Baras (to whom he owes much of his career's early success).
Duty-bound and honorable, Quinn is not afraid to express earned admiration for his superiors, but he is neither a bootlicker nor a mindless servant. He values competence alongside loyalty and will do whatever is necessary to thwart the enemies of the Empire as a whole and Darth Baras personally.
Numen Brock (Smuggler)
The petty thief and underworld fence Numen Brock spent his formative years helping Balmorran criminals smuggle high-tech weapons to offworld crime syndicates. That all changed the day Numen met the Balmorran resistance and discovered his inner patriot. He soon became a folk hero to the guerilla fighters by using his underworld contacts to obtain food and weaponry for the rebellion.
Numen's victories attracted the Republic's attention, and undercover SIS agents on Balmorra seized on the opportunity to use his smuggling network to aid the resistance without openly engaging in the war. Numen views the Republic with a genial cynicism, perfectly willing to take what its representatives give as long as they understand he's still his own man.
Station Chief (Imperial Agent)
Not every Imperial Intelligence officer is privileged with a designation and number. The tens of thousands of Imperials who serve as the espionage agency's backbone have a variety of ranks and maintain the daily flow of information from hundreds of worlds to the Citadel.
The position of station chief is a vital, if often unrewarding, rank within the Intelligence hierarchy. Station chiefs are posted to planets by Keeper or the Watchers and tasked with maintaining order and monitoring the population. It's a station chief's responsibility to make sure suspicious activity is reported, to use his or her resources to contain local threats, and to support the Sith, the military and the Ministry of Logistics.
Tanno Vik (Trooper)
- Companion of: Trooper
- Melee Tank
- Crew Skills Bonus: +5 Critical Armormech, +1 Critical Underworld Trading
- Primary Weapon: Vibrosword
- Secondary Weapon: Shield Generator
One of the most talented demolitions experts to ever serve in the Republic military, Tanno Vik is charming, highly skilled and completely amoral. Born to the lawless streets of Nar Shaddaa, Vik is accustomed to putting his own interests first; enlistment was merely a convenient means of escape after betraying one criminal partner too many. But once he got his hands on the most advanced weapons and explosives in the galaxy, he was hooked.
During training, Vik impressed his instructors with his unprecedented speed at locating structural weaknesses in everything from buildings to vehicles, ensuring that he always planted his explosives where they would do the most damage. He was even considered for entry into Special Forces division, but his belligerent attitude and disregard for authority held him back. Criminal accusations were registered against him throughout his short service career, leading to his eventual conviction and discharge.
Warren Sedoru (Jedi Knight)
Warren Sedoru was already one of the most acclaimed Jedi Knights of the order when the Sith Empire attacked the Republic at Korriban. He was one of the first Jedi to lead a counterattack against Imperial forces and scored several early victories against them. The price of these triumphs was high, however.
Records indicate Warren was critically injured over a dozen times in battles from Alderaan to Yavin Four. Although he survived these near-deaths without need of cybernetic replacement parts, Warren's connection to the Force began to diminish. When the Republic signed the Treaty of Coruscant, Warren dedicated himself wholeheartedly to peace. He gave up his rank as Jedi Knight and became a Padawan to Master Tol Braga.
Zenith (Jedi Consular)
- Companion of: Jedi Consular
- Ranged DPS
- Crew Skills Bonus: +15 Treasure Hunting Efficiency, +1 Underworld Trading Crit
- Primary Weapon: Sniper Rifle
- Secondary Weapon: Scattergun
"Zenith" is the codename of a Balmorran revolutionary fighter who has made a career out of hurting the Empire. Once a member of a powerful resistance cell broken up by Imperial infiltrators, Zenith has struck out on his own, gathering followers from Balmorra's oppressed population to launch sneak attacks, raids and bombings against the occupying Imperial forces.
Years spent in hiding and seeing the plight of Balmorran citizens have left Zenith with a deep-seated paranoia and hatred of the Empire--especially Balmorra's Sith governor, Darth Lachris. Nothing enrages him more than those who collaborate with the oppressors; he has been known to refuse aid to Balmorrans who cooperate with Imperial soldiers. The sacrifices he has endured have also nurtured Zenith's ambitions--when Balmorra is finally free, someone will have to ensure her new government is strong enough to prevent another occupation.
Species
Colicoid
A highly intelligent and voracious insectoid race, Colicoids are relatively isolated in the galaxy, but their dedication to droid design and advanced technology have put them at the cutting edge of scientific research. They are not aggressive, strictly speaking, but they have little regard for other species despite their robust mercantile operations. To Colicoids, the technology trade is a useful means to an end... but a mildly distasteful one.
Dedicated also to the improvement of their own species, a group of Colicoids calling themselves the Creation Nest aided the establishment of an experimental facility for mutating their own kind in Balmorra's so-called "Bugtown." They found that their mutated "cousins" were able to metabolize the toxic waste on the planet and made excellent, if unpredictable, weapons. The Colicoid emissaries were not deterred when Bugtown was overrun, hoping to continue to perfect the experiments in the future (albeit without the Balmorrans' aid).
Gran
Gran are a typically peaceful and reflective race physically characterized by their three eyestalks and long snouts. Traditionally highly communal, Gran found away from their home planets often stray from the stereotype; high-profile Gran outcasts have earned the species an unfair reputation as thugs, shady dealers and underworld enforcers.
In reality, Gran appear in all walks of life--particularly within the Republic, where their generally calm demeanor, matched with their intimidating appearance, has made them excellent negotiators. This is not to say that all Gran are equally calm--one famous group of Gran gangsters was responsible for the deaths of thirteen rivals on Hutta after a fight over territory broke out in the local cantina.
Bestiary
Bormu
The enormous and majestic bormus once moved in herds across Balmorra - until the Imperial bombardment wiped out many of the slow-moving behemoths and the pollution from Balmorra's destroyed factories poisoned the land and the bormus' food supply.
Despite their size, bormus are incredibly gentle beasts and formerly relied on their herds for protection, stampeding potential predators. Now that they are on the brink of extinction, lone bormus are easily picked off by smaller, faster predators.
Dragonbat
Dragonbats are nocturnal hunters often found in the dark places of warm and temperate worlds. They are able to draw sustenance from carrion as well from fresh meat, and this wide-ranging diet makes them adaptable to many environments--making them a pest to sentient creatures and a source of fear for fellow animals.
Dragonbats generally hunt alone or in small packs, but they occasionally gather into massive "swarms." The swarm is combination mating ritual and battle royale, where the weakest of the species are culled by stronger members, who may then reproduce. While vicious, this ritual helps ensure dragonbat genetic diversity while capping the creatures' population.
Mutated Colicoid
The product of secretive experiments conducted on Balmorra prior to the Imperial invasion, the mutated Colicoids are mindless, bloodthirsty insectoids with many legs and sharp claws. Originally created in the lab facility known colloquially as Bugtown, these monstrosities escaped during the Empire's conquest and have overrun parts of Balmorra (including the lab facilities where they were created).
The creatures seem particularly drawn to Balmorra's hazard vaults and other zones of heavy pollution. By feeding on the toxic waste, they appear to grow stronger and more vicious.
Wingmaw
Wingmaws are a biological oddity, an evolutionary branch of Balmorran life that developed on an isolated chain of islands; it was only six hundred years ago that wingmaws were accidentally carried to the mainland by unwary explorers. The creatures maintain insect-like social structures despite their reptilian appearance, frequently traveling in groups and favoring open spaces to dark caves.
The wingmaw population on Balmorra has increased rapidly since the Imperial invasion, as the creatures' primary predator--the Balmorran maweater, another transplant from the island chain--was completely wiped out during the bombardment. Unchecked, the wingmaw has become a threat to Imperial and resistance soldiers alike and wreaked havoc on the rest of the Balmorran ecosystem. They are bold carnivores and scavengers, happily swarming on a lone fighter or an unprepared convoy.
Zeldrate
The zeldrate is a sleek predator that used to hunt bormus in the Balmorran plains--but with the bormu population dwindling, the zeldrate has increasingly targeted sentient prey. Imperial troops and resistance fighters wounded during battle are common victims, but bolder zeldrates have assaulted full squads.
Prior to the invasion, zeldrates were hunted for a caustic chemical secretion useful as a cleaning solution for industrial parts. Today, with Balmorran industry operating below half capacity, the zeldrate population has seen a slight increase--balanced by the fact that they are often killed seeking easy prey on the battlefield.
Lore
Balmorran Corporations
Prior to the Empire's invasion, Balmorra was one of the galaxy's leading independent industrial worlds. It maintained a close relationship with the Republic, but remained aloof of most galactic struggles due to the strength of its corporations--including Okara, Balmorran Arms and Traken Industries. As a leading weapons and droid manufacturer, Balmorra was a corporate-run oligarchic democracy, centered on the capital of Bin Prime.
The Empire took pains to leave the corporate hierarchies intact when the occupation began in an effort to smoothly transition back to full industrial production. Corporate executives who refused to cooperate were forcibly removed and replaced, and today's Balmorran corporations are puppets for the Empire--sometimes eager, often not.
Balmorran Pollution
As a thriving center of industry, Balmorra has never been a pollution-free planet and has grappled with the problem of waste produced by its many factories for many years. Still, unlike many of the similarly industrial Hutt worlds, Balmorra and its corporations have continually sought ways to safely dispose of its waste and keep the planet habitable.
For these reasons, facilities such as the Traken Waste Processing plant and the hazard vaults--a system of underground sealed storage facilities for toxic materials--were created. During the Imperial bombardment, however, many of these facilities were destroyed, releasing the toxic byproducts of Balmorran industry into the environment and destroying huge swathes of land.
Colicoid Queen (Bounty Hunter)
While Colicoid society is not as rigidly hive-oriented as that of some insectoid species, Colicoid physiology ensures that a fertile queen will always hold a privileged position in life. Despite the fact that most Colicoid queens spend their lives being served tirelessly by their drones, workers and warriors, queens are extremely dangerous and often more than twice the size of even the largest warrior breeds.
Queens are also the only Colicoids to sport a unique poison stinger that--combined with their size and strength--make them the most deadly defenders of a nest. Fortunately, a queen will usually only fight when her young are threatened.
Imperial Military on Balmorra
The Imperial military presence on Balmorra is understaffed and undersupplied. After the incredible success of the initial bombardment, the Imperial military has been harassed at every turn by Balmorran resistance fighters while more pressing conflicts elsewhere in the galaxy draw the attention of Imperial High Command.
The military makes its headquarters in Sobrik, where it is commanded by the thirteenth Imperial governor of Balmorra since the bombardment--along with those officers unfortunate enough to have been assigned to the military quagmire.
Imperial Subjugation (Empire)
After the initial invasion of Balmorra, the Empire found itself facing immense opposition. Many former members of Balmorra's army remained on the planet in the form of a loosely organized resistance force, taking advantage of their superior numbers and knowledge of the terrain to wage an ongoing guerrilla war. Resistance soon came in other forms, as well: rebellious citizens, treacherous factory foremen, saboteurs posing as allies and terrorist cells all tried to thwart the Empire's attempts to fully control the industrial world.
In response, the Empire has placed the territories it controls under strict lockdown, using a combination of propaganda and military policing to subjugate the unruly Balmorran population. Curfews are enforced and all citizens must apply for official IDs--a process that tests their loyalty to the Empire--or else be marked as resistance sympathizers and arrested. Punishments for attacks on Imperial infrastructure are regularly meted out against perpetrators' families, or even against the entire population; the lesson must be taught.
Imperial Subjugation (Republic)
The Empire's long occupation of Balmorra has been marked by overt brutality against the citizenry and near-constant battles with resistance forces. Although the planet was conquered through ingenuity and highly original tactics, the subjugation of its people has followed standard Imperial doctrine: suspension of civil liberties, establishment of brutal prison camps and summary public executions of known rebels.
Where most worlds crumble into slave-like obedience after only a few months of such oppression, Balmorra's people refuse to surrender after years of suffering. The resistance has outlasted the predictions of both the Republic and Empire and survived multiple purges carried out by ambitious Moffs and sadistic Sith Lords. Indeed, the Empire's experience on Balmorra has forced it to re-evaluate its approach to conquest and dominance.
Operation: Blackout (Imperial Agent)
- Category: Infiltration / Threat Elimination
- Location: Balmorra
- Date: Classified
- Primary: Cipher Nine
- Secondary: Station Chief Lekern Renald, Sanju Pyne
Operational Summary: Planet Balmorra hosted anti-Imperial terrorist cell--part of the Eagle's network. Cell specialized in recruitment and training of terrorist assets; assets would gain experience as part of Balmorra's resistance before being sent to support cells elsewhere in the galaxy.
By infiltrating the local cell, Cipher Nine successfully neutralized the terrorist leader Gray Star (see details for method and suggested follow-up). Cost of infiltration was within acceptable range.
Cross-reference: Gray Star, Zenith, Eagle, Dominator, Lachris
Republic Relations with Balmorra
The Republic government's relationship with Balmorra's people has been a complex, turbulent affair. Before Balmorra's conquest, the planet was a proudly independent trading partner of the Republic; when the war came to Balmorra's doorstep, the Republic offered troops and ships to help protect its ally.
But Republic protection wasn't enough. Balmorra was conquered, and after the Treaty of Coruscant the Republic officially withdrew its forces. For years afterward, small contingents of Republic troops left behind on the planet continued supporting the resistance in secret, but the Balmorran citizenry, as a whole, felt misused and abandoned.
A recent covert operation involving small groups of SIS agents, Jedi and military advisors ended in disaster when the Empire hunted down these interlopers and forced the Republic to once again abandon the oppressed citizenry. Now that the Republic military has fully committed its forces to the planet, the resistance fighters and their government-in-exile are understandably wary of fully embracing the alliance.
The Barrager
One of the great conundrums facing modern war strategists is how to defend a planet from orbital bombardment without encircling it in a costly permanent defense fleet. Most major governments employ planetary shields as a countermeasure, but these offer no protection against dropships bearing armies whose first objective is to destroy shield generators.
The war technologists of Balmorra spent decades researching an offensive method of protecting their planet. The result is the Barrager superweapon, a series of planetary scale turbolasers that can target and destroy whole enemy fleets in orbit, neutralizing both bombardment vessels and landing parties in one fell swoop.
For years, the primary obstacle preventing completion of the Barrager was the enormous power costs associated with such a weapon. How its engineers overcame this dilemma is unknown, but at last report the weapon was nearly ready to go online.
The Invasion of Balmorra
The Empire launched a two-pronged attack on Balmorra during the war, believing Balmorra's weapons production facilities and proximity to the Core Worlds to be of great strategic importance. The first prong of the attack involved slicing and reprogramming the networked security systems that guarded the planet's factories, lab facilities and weaponry--in effect, turning Balmorra's defenses against itself.
The second prong was direct bombardment, aided by Balmorra's compromised orbital defense towers and satellites. This attack devastated the planet's primary military forces and central government, leaving a unified response nearly impossible.
Eventually, the Empire landed a full invasion force. By this time, the Republic had come to Balmorra's aid but was forced to abandon the planet with the Treaty of Coruscant--after which, the Imperial military declared victory and established its headquarters in Sobrik. The Balmorran resistance proved more wily than the Empire anticipated, however, and Balmorra's factories proved difficult to control, leading to a years-long morass in which the Empire is still mired.
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