The Independent Colonies of New Tython, referred to colloquially as the Independents, comprise one of four national groups on New Tython. Comprised of colonies largely founded by non-humans, and around their respective cultures, these autonomous groups are held under the same protections and statuses under the Treaty of Menat Ombo and are allies, yet each colony is independent of its peers and governs itself by its own means.
History
Tythonian Arrival
The first colonists that would one day become a part of the Independents came to the world beside the first human and alien colonists of the planet New Tython, though their actual settlement occurred a couple of years later. Settling on an unclaimed island off of the coast of Sanulu, these intrepid Mon Calamari and their Quarren compatriots landed their various transport ships in the waters off its shores to scout the area. Finding it rich in fish, as well as small but sufficient stores of other useful elements, they disassembled their vessels and used their parts to build the beginnings of their settlement - the Dac Compound.
The Compound would largely keep to itself, with society led by the more numerous and prosperous Mon Cala while the Quarren, a smaller and less-affluent group, found themselves in the service, maintenance, and labour fields. They were contacted by the Jedi upon the founding of the Kotahitanga-Unity Defense Force, and while some soldiers from their marine corps would join the militia forces, they politely refused to allow them to garrison the island or to answer to the laws of Menat Ombo.
Geonosian Migration
Several years later, the remains of a Geonosian hive that had fled their homeworld arrived on New Tython, guided there by their young leader Xaezhul. There, after discussions with the Jedi, they were permitted to settle within the Hunonum Desert. Setting up a new home, their settlement gained the name Hununku Pi, or "Shifting Hive", from the Harakoans. Their home would prosper, threatened only by desert predators and the occasional disagreement with the locals, and would even grow to include a small subterranean foundry - this would contribute to the KUDF via the Legion of Steel.
However, the Geonosians were quite insular with all parties on the planet, going on to mind their own affairs beneath the ground. Their limited contact with the surface world came in the form of droids and other tech being sold to interested buyers, in exchange for supplies and resources. This would change with the Fall of New Tython, where their hive would see its spire toppled and its people forced to hide below ground once they refused to do more than barter with the Thuron Monarchy.
Slaves and Rogues
Two more groups would come to settle the planet, though these would join with the Jedi at first. A group of Wookiees, once slaves to the Galactic Empire, broke free of bondage and would in time ally with the KUDF as The Chosen; these berserkers would provide the Jedi with a deadly force of irregulars, while their families were freed from slavers across the galaxy and brought to New Tython. With the planet's fall, they would retreat to the rainforests, and were promptly left alone by the outmatched mercenaries once their deadliness was tested.
The second group would join considerably later. Following the fall of Purity Rock, the Jedi would encounter a Nebula-class Star Destroyer under the name of Fey'lya's Last Stand. The ship, hailing out of Bothawui, was crewed by Bothans tired of the cutthroat intrigue of their world as well as the constant civil wars of the Galaxy, and instead sought a peaceful existence. They agreed to ally with the Jedi, on the condition that they would be allowed to settle on New Tython following the conclusion of hostilities.
Amending the Treaty
Following the Liberation of New Tython, the Jedi gathered all the peoples that had fought against Cy Thuron - Tythonians, Harakoans, and others - and negotiated the Treaty of Menat Ombo. Proposed first following the capture of the Dac Compound, this document was set to ally the colonies of the planet, but was objected to by Chairman Mughim Viik on the grounds that it took away colonial freedom. Amendments were made, and the Independent Colonies of New Tython were enshrined in law.
The new Treaty would guarantee those Colonies who wanted to be allies under the Treaty, but refused the rule of Menat Ombo and its laws. These colonies would be ruled by their own chosen governments in their own way, and on their lands the laws of said colony would apply. They would be peaceful allies of the other groups, but would maintain sufficient forces to protect and enforce their own lands; these would join with the forces of their allies should the planet again fall under attack. Finally, they would trade and negotiate freely and peacefully with the other groups, and allow any citizen - be they colonists, native births, or even Jedi hopefuls - to depart from their colonies if they so chose.
The Treaty was signed in 38 ABY, and the Independent Colonies became one of the planet's four national groups.
Cities, Towns, and Settlements
Dac Compound
Dac Compound
This settlement is comprised entirely of Mon Calamarians and is situated off the coast of Sanulu by approximately six nautical miles. Trade to this settlement is restricted due to the difficulties presented by the city's geographic isolation. Comprised of nearly 10,000 Mon Calamarians and a few Quarrens, this city prefers the ideal of isolationism and is largely forgotten about in many cases by the other cultures on New Tython.
Anchored to a fixed position in the Bythic Ocean by an island six nautical miles east of Sanulu, Dac Compound is considered to be a small city and home primarily to New Tython's amphibious population. A marvel of engineering by the skilled Mon Calamari, Dac Compound is often referred to at the 'Floating City.' Under constant maintenance by the former shipbuilders and engineers, the city completely covers the island with its large, rounded structures - a fairly obvious reminder of Mon Calamari homeworld, Dac's vast floating cities. The city's constant influx of Mon Calamari refugees and inhabitants has posed challenges to the small island's capacity for living space. As a result, Dac Compound had slowly expanded over the years. Extending past the island's shorelines, floating platforms constructed primarily of lightweight alloys used most commonly in shipbuilding had been erected, connected to and stemming from the island.
The rounded and vaulted style of Dac Compound's construction was originally created in reference to the planet Dac, the homeworld of both Quarren and Mon Calamari. Because of the striking similarity to the style of Mon Calamari starships, large portions of Dac Compound were created using various ship parts, remodelled and repurposed to serve as homes, facilities and public structures.
The Dac Compound, in addition to fielding militiamen for the KUDF, maintains its own Marine Corps for protection. These soldiers are proficient on land, but are unmatched in aquatic combat and indeed are only rivalled by a few fishing and seafaring Harakoan tribes. The Marine Corps wear austere uniforms of white and deep blue, inspired by marine life, and though largely Mon Calamari they do contain a small Quarren populace. Marine Corps soldiers do not typically pilot terrestrial or aerial vehicles, though they do operate submersibles and light speeders while also maintaining anti-air defenses.
Primary languages spoken in the Dac Compound are Mon Calamari and Galactic Basic.
Gradrrbecca
Gradrrbecca is The Chosen’s colony, and is situated in the rainforests of Kamuekiko. It was founded after the retaking of New Tython, as per the terms of the Treaty of Menat Ombo. This would lead to a large-scale search of the continent. The Wookiees focused their efforts initially in the rainforests that had already been explored and mapped; however, many native Harakoans inhabited these areas, and their primary search was fruitless.
The Wookiees then turned their attention to the unexplored rainforests and jungles. Their best scouts were sent out to find good locations. An experienced wookiee named Chynrook found a very suitable site for the wookiees, deep in the uncharted areas of Kamuekiko. He reported this information back to his chief, Rytum. Rytum accompanied Chynrook to the prospective place, and he approved. He summoned all of the Chosen to the site, where they began construction of their colony. This only took about two months to complete, due to their superior knowledge of treetop life and talent with engineering.
Upon the colony’s completion, a meeting was held where the city would be named. After a long discussion, three words remained. These were Graa, Becca and Drrl. Graa means Peace in Shyriiwook and Becca is the word that represents the defence of justice. Drrl means safety among the trees. These concepts were argued about, and no conclusion was forthcoming. After a number of tedious days, the words were combined to form the name: Gradrrbecca; literally meaning Peace, Integrity and Safety. This later became the colony’s motto.
Gradrrbecca is situated on the east coast of Kameukiko, among the dense rainforests. The area hasn’t been fully charted or explored, and the Chosen are among the first to brave its depths. The site is a large cluster of trees that expands for miles. The trees’ distribution is tremendous for a Wookiee settlement; its immensity is spanned by ropes, bridges, and huts to form a colony built literally within the branches of trees. There is an abundance of material that can be used to make the traditional platforms and walkways used by the Wookiees.
Though the Wookiee berserkers of The Chosen formed the original population of the colony, it has since been bolstered by their families, reproduction, the liberation of Wookiee slaves, and the immigration of off-world Wookiees into the colony. While the warriors of The Chosen are the primary defenders of Gradrrbecca, all Wookiees within follow their cultural traditions of hunting and survival, a fact that adds to their natural stealth and strength to make them formidable defenders of their homeland.
The primary language of Gradrbecca is Shyriiwook; its secondary language, understood but not spoken, is Basic.
Rashk
Rashk is the colony of the Bothans. Granted asylum and land rights on New Tython by the Jedi on condition of service, and agreed upon during the signing of the Treaty of Menat Ombo, the crew of the Fey'lya's Last Stand and their passengers - both family and friends - were allowed to settle. The colony of Rashk is the result, a large expanse of grasslands in the southwest of Owyhyee. The Bothans are pioneers and homesteaders who seek to find a peaceful rural life on New Tython.
All able-bodied Bothans were sent to find a great area for the colony. Bothans are renowned for their abilities as scouts and intelligence gatherers, and the Bothans of the Last Stand didn't disappoint. A myriad of potential sites were found. The Bothans then visited each of these sites, comparing the potential places for the colony. After long discussions, these leaders decided upon a vast expanse of grassland and forest in Owyhyee, for both tactical and resource-related reasons.
Rashk is situated in the south west of Owyhyee, surrounded by plentiful grasslands and numerous woodlands. This provides the perfect conditions for a pioneering culture, where agriculture and hunting can be carried out, in addition to academic pursuits; at the same time, there are few areas for large groups of enemies to gather, as well as expanses of terrain too large for enemies to efficiently sweep the entire terrain for traps and hidden emplacements.
The name of the colony, Rashk, derives from a word in the native language of the colonists. This is a Bothese word that means peace and tranquility. This both represents their desire to maintain and protect their peace, but also the tranquility that they have found. The citizens of Rashk are only about the population of a small town, spread between homesteads and farms; thus, their soldier division is nonexistent. Instead, their law states that they can protect their territory and, in fact, have a duty to do so; they use their skills as hunters, scouts, and saboteurs to hinder enemies and wage guerrilla war, should the opportunity ever arise to defend their homes. In times of planetary invasion, they bring to the table gifted service as scouts, espionage agents, and intelligence officers - to say nothing of their naval service.
The primary language of Rashk is Bothese, though they also have a tradition of learning Basic and Bocce, with many even studying Harakose.
Hununku Pi
Hununku Pi is a small Geonosian Hive located in the Honunom Desert on the Planet New Tython. Though they are not part of the Independent Colonies at present, they have peacefully dwelled in the Hunonum Desert for years since they were brought to New Tython by their leader, Xaezhul. The Jedi of Odan-Urr are currently approaching them for Treaty negotiations.
Hunuku Pi used to look like a traditional Geonosian hive with a notable spire at the centre, however during the reign of Cy Thuron the spire was collapsed to hide the hive's position following their refusal to serve the False King. Though plans exist for one, another spire has not been erected since. Below the spire's former location, the hive sprawls through tunnels and chambers below-ground, including areas for resource management, dwellings, and even a chamber for the birthing of new larvae. Though their exact location is unknown, the tunnels are theorized to spread more than a kilometer below the surface of the desert and to extend all around for several miles.
Below the tunnels is the foundry, quite massive in general size but still quite smaller than those on Geonosis proper; from here, Legion of Steel droids as well as general defense and service droids are manufactured. The Foundry is the heart of all Geonosian trade on the planet, as well as the hub of their defensive and infrastructure abilities, and thus its location is a secret guarded more tightly than even the birthing chamber locations. The Geonosians are ruled, as on their homeworld, by their traditional Caste system; however, due to their lower numbers and remote locale, some rules and traditions are at times flexed to accommodate their changing needs.
The name Hunuku Pi is Harakoan and roughly translates to 'Shifting Hive', It was given its name by the locals due to the nature of the location of the Hive, as the entrance tunnel of the hive is regularly closed and re-opened in another area of the desert so that no non-geonosian can find the entrance. This, even moreso now that the spire is gone, gives it the appearance of a hive that moves around the desert. Though the Geonosians within have warriors armed with force pikes, as well as limited sonic weaponry and some blasters, they rely primarily on a standing force of battle droids to protect them from invasions. Should they join the Treaty, these would join the standing army of the planet under Treaty control, but for now they stay within the hive and keep it safe.
The primary language of Hununku Pi is their native Geonosian, but many also understand Basic and Huttese due to their past dealings and have learned some Harakose for trade.
National Personification
In terms of statehood, the Independents can only loosely be called a nation in the traditional sense. Rather, they constitute a body of allied nation-states, each of which is bound by similar laws that prevent bloodshed, encourage trade, and allow for autonomous governance and defense within the nations themselves. This protects every other faction from the Independents themselves, while still giving them the freedom to engage in any forms of government that their people would desire. The only caveats to this freedom are that they must allow citizens who wish to leave the Independent Colonies the right to, and that the Jedi may be called in under special protections by citizen demand to investigate any worthwhile crime or possible violation of their freedoms and rights.
The Independent Colonies do trade with one another, and allow the migration of their peoples and expansion of communications to all corners of the world. However, whereas the Tythonians are eclectic and ever-changing while the Harakoans are often shaped by their surroundings, the Independents tend to be fiercely traditional; some colonies will even refuse outsiders who wish to join them, as no law in the Treaty says that they must accept newcomers. That said, they are still obligated to provide forces and intel to the alliance of Treaty signatories should the planet come under attack; they must unite with the other nations against a violating party if one group rises up, and they are under the same obligations to respect other territories as the ones that protect them.
Overall, the Independents are a very unique splash of culture on the planet of New Tython; their specialized skills, services, and goods provide a lucrative economic opportunity for them, while also increasing flow of goods and personnel to the entire planet. Finally, their Force-sensitives - should the individuals in question so choose - provide a healthy dose of culture and diversity to the Jedi of Odan-Urr.
Special Recognition
This article was put together as a collaboration between the work of Odan-Urr's founders on the Dac Compound, as well as the competition contributions of Seridan Brehevik and Xaezhul. Seridan's work laid the groundwork for Gradrrbecca and Rashk colonies, while Xaezhul's creation of Hununku Pi formed the basis for the hive. These contributions were gathered, expanded upon, and reformatted to form their modern incarnations.