Hyena Bomber Droid

The effectiveness of droid starfighters has been debated in strategic circles for generations. While droid starfighters are capable of maneuvers that would crush even the sturdiest organic pilot, they lack the resourcefulness and cunning that living pilots bring into combat. To counter their shortcomings, vulture droids often attack en masse. Like the ground-based battle droid infantry, vulture droids were, for a time, controlled by a central command ship, but later generations were granted a limited degree of independence. When not in flight, the droid starfighter can transform into a walking mode allowing them to be used in surface patrols.

Ryloth is the principal planet in the Ryloth system located in the Outer Rim near Tatooine. It is home to the Twi'leks, a humanoid species with two large, fleshy head-tails growing from their skulls. The Twi'leks call these prehensile appendages lekku and can communicate through subtle lekku gestures, although they also speak Twi'leki. During the Clone Wars, scheming Separatist warlords blockaded and invaded Ryloth, hoping to steal its riches. But after the war, dreams of a free Ryloth evaporated under the iron fist of Imperial occupation.

A remote planet, Dathomir is drenched in blood-red light from its central star. The planet has continents overrun by twisted vegetation, with forests of bent trees burdened by large, cocoon-like fruit. Bordering dense swamplands is the massive stone fortresses of the Nightsisters, a witch clan. The Nightsisters kept to themselves, but had on occasion been known to offer their services to those who piqued their interests. Far from the Nightsisters lived the Nightbrothers -- a tattooed clan of Zabrak warriors were subservient to their female counterparts.

At over three kilometers in diameter, these enormous vessels resemble flattened disks with a central sphere containing the ship's bridge and reactor assemblies. The disk is broken at the front of the craft, revealing two mammoth docking bays lined with forward docking claws. The reclusive Neimoidian commanders typically seal themselves in the ship's spacious bridge while their legions of droids handle the operation of the mighty craft. The most important vessel in a Separatist battleship flotilla is the Droid Control Ship, which transmitted signals to the battle droid armies used by the Trade Federation and Separatist forces.

The Confederacy of Independent Systems, also known as the Separatist Alliance, was a collection of star systems and corporate titans that left the Republic and fought for independence against the Republic’s clone armies and Jedi Knights. The charismatic former Jedi Count Dooku was the Alliance’s political leader, while its military power came from credits and assets donated by powerful galactic trade groups. No one suspected that the Alliance was actually a tool of Darth Sidious, who had engineered the Clone Wars as part of a Sith plot to rule the galaxy.

For over a thousand years, the Galactic Republic stood firm as a democratic union that governed the galaxy. The Republic was governed by the Galactic Senate, consisting of elected officials from each system and world, and Jedi Knights served as peacekeepers. With the rise of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, however, the Galactic Republic -- and democracy -- would crumble.