The Trade Federation Home Defense Legions contained Neimoidian Royal Guards, battle droids, vulture droid starfighters, C-9979 landing craft, Multi-Troop Transports, and Armored Assault Tanks. The Neimoidian soldiers were equipped with bronze armor and long blaster rifles. The Trade Federation Home Defense Legions also made use of an enormous fleet of Lucrehulk-class Battleships.
The Trade Federation Home Defense Legions were a planetary defense force, active as part of the Trade Federation's private military and was associated with the government of the planet Cato Neimoidia. They were tied to the Quellor sector of the galaxy's Colonies region, tasked with overseeing protection of the sector's string of wealthy Neimoidian Purse Worlds, such as Cato Neimoidia. To protect the Quellor sector and its associated Neimoidian planets, the defense legions employed an enormous home defense fleet that catered Lucrehulk-class Battleships and droid control ships retrofitted from cargo transports.
For surface-based engagements, dressed in bronze armor and armed with long blaster rifles, prideful soldiers from the Neimoidian Royal Guard directed the defense force's mobile and versatile legions of battle droids. These stockpiled droids were landed from C-9979 landing craft that were escorted by vulture droids. The Neimoidian Home Defense Legions could deploy entire companies of battle droids at a time, ferried in from their Multi-Troop Transports under tank cover from Mark I Armored Assault Tanks. In terms of fulfilling specialized operations, the defense forces had several elite commandos to serve as part of their special forces, of whom performed covert assignments, assassinations and other missions that overlapped in interests between both the Federation and Neimoidian government. After the Trade Federation pledged their military to the Separatist Alliance, the Home Defense Legions were organized into the Separatist Droid Army under the tactical and logistical command of Supreme Martial Commander General Grievous.
In the era of the Galactic Republic, a home defense force was established to protect the string of wealthy Neimoidian planets—the Purse Worlds—across the Colonies' Quellor sector. The organization was dictated by the Trade Federation, but also had associations with the planet Cato Neimoidia's government. Prior to the Clone Wars, a conflict fought between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems, soldiers such as Ruug Quarnom served within the defense legion, Quarnom of whom was a special forces commando. She participated in dozens of missions and covert operations, sabotaging or protecting supply lanes, blockades, or other interests of both the Federation and Neimoidian government, until she was demoted to a royal guard for questioning the former's judgement of the Jedi Order.
On the verge of the Clone Wars, the Trade Federation and five other major galactic corporations pledged their signed allegiance with the Separatist Alliance, offering military and economic power in exchange for greater financial increase. These military forces were redistributed into the Separatist Droid Army, under new logistical and tactical leadership from Supreme Commander General Grievous. After the war began, breaking out in 22 BBY and lasting until 19 BBY, the Quellor sector and its Purse Worlds were blockaded by the Republic's 2nd Fleet. Suffering from this action, the sector deployed its enormous home defense fleet to oppose the Republic fleet, holding them off with their Lucrehulk-class Battleships and other vessels.
The Trade Federation Home Defense Legions were mentioned in the new Star Wars canon in Rise of the Separatists, a 2019 supplement to Fantasy Flight Games' series of Star Wars Roleplaying products. They were originally created for the Star Wars Legends continuity, first appearing in the HoloNet News article "CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 14:10:05 Edition," written by Pablo Hidalgo and published in Star Wars Insider 71 in 2003.
- Rise of the Separatists