The Kalmec was a criminal organization formed by members of the Wookiee species that operated on the planet of Ralltiir during the last years of the Galactic Republic. By posing as a group of social activists, the Kalmec infiltrated various influential positions and established an intelligence network that gathered information from across the galaxy. Following the outbreak of the Clone Wars, a conflict fought between the Republic and the separatist Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Kalmec aided the Separatists by sowing seeds of discontent among the populations of various Republic-held worlds.
The Kalmec was a criminal organization based on the planet of Ralltiir that was made up entirely of Wookiees, a furry, sentient species from the planet of Kashyyyk. Operating under the guise of being a group of social activists, the Kalmec quietly infiltrated a number influential positions. They provided an information gathering system for powerful organizations and they employed Wookiees all over the galaxy to gather intelligence. The Kalmec engaged in various illegal operations and they also delivered spice and other pleasantries to wealthy individuals. Members of the organization shaved the hair from their shoulders to reveal their pink-colored skin beneath, which they claimed was intended to demonstrate that underneath their fur, Wookiees were just like all other sentient beings and did not deserve to be treated like animals. Some among the Kalmec enjoyed fighting and killing, and would on occasion participate in gladiatorial matches. The term "Kalmec" was not a word from Shyriiwook, the native language of the Wookiee species.
The Kalmec operated during the years following the Battle of Naboo in 32 BBY and became one of the most accomplished criminal organizations on Ralltiir. Inspired by the Wookiees' success, the male Ithorian cook Kikow established a small Ithorian-operated smuggling ring on Ralltiir, known as the Herd, which he modeled on the larger Kalmec. At some point, the Ithorian tourist Vareesa Enan acquired a pet Ralltiir tiger while on vacation on Ralltiir, and the Kalmec lieutenant Furellas arranged to have the Wookiees smuggle the creature off-world for the tourist.
During the Clone Wars, the Kalmec gathered information for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a separatist regime that opposed the Galactic Republic. The Wookiees also aided the Confederacy by sowing seeds of discontent among the populations of a number of worlds loyal to the Republic, committing vicious crimes in an attempt to undermine confidence in the galactic government. In about 21 BBY, a band of Kalmec pit-fighters traveled to the space station Burnout in the Thaereian system and were scheduled to appear in the station's . Shortly before they were due to fight in the combat ring, the Wookiees encountered a group of freelance agents on the lower levels of the station and attacked them, as a warmup for their upcoming bout. However, the agents defeated the Wookiees.
Furellas was a Force-sensitive female Wookiee with light-brown fur who became a lieutenant within the Kalmec, and she shaved her shoulders as a sign of her membership. She was an acquaintance of the Ithorian Kikow and during the time of Vareesa Enan's visit to Ralltiir, Furellas met with Kikow in the Cambriele Exploration Auditorium, a museum located in Ralltiir's capital city that was a popular neutral ground for underworld business meetings. Kikow introduced Enan to the Wookiee and Furellas subsequently purchased a Ralltiir tiger kitten for the tourist from a market stall, which she suggested Enan name "Little Kikow." However, she warned the tourist to be careful whom he told about the tiger, because it was illegal to sell or transport the creatures, so she introduced the Ithorian to some of her Kalmec colleagues and arranged for them to transport the kitten off-world, on Enan's behalf.
Kaarror was a male Wookiee who was born on Kashyyyk and early in his life, he was captured and sold into a life of slavery. Shortly after he came of age, he was won by the Chevin slaver Phylus Mon, who saw something in the Wookiee and decided to free him. Kaarror later joined the Kalmec and supervised some of their shipments of spice. He was promoted through the ranks of the organization and eventually shaved his shoulders, and during his time among the Kalmec, he was a party to murder, extortion and gambling. However, Kaarror's new life ended when he came into contact again with Phylus Mon, who forced the Wookiee to work for him once more. Circa 20 BBY, Kaarror accompanied Mon to the Cularin system and was among a party of Mon's minions that journeyed into the depths of a Sith fortress on the planet Almas. There, they sought to discover the secrets of the creation of Sith battlelords—warrior-leaders that were bonded to their subordinates via the Force—and after finding a tome that detailed the rituals needed to create Sith battlelords, Mon performed the ceremony in hope that it would bond him to Kaarror and several other of his minions and captives. However, due to the presence of the Darkstaff, an ancient Sith artifact of which Mon had gained custody, the ritual failed. Instead of bonding them to Mon, the staff ripped the Force essences from the bodies of Kaarror and the other individuals on whom the ceremony was performed, and transferred them into a crystal pyramid.
The Kalmec were created by Morrie Mullins and first featured in A Traveler's Journals of Ralltiir, a series of articles that were published on the website Wizards.com in January 2003 as part of the site's Planet Hoppers feature.