Vanquo

Located in the Outer Rim Meerian sector, Vanquo was a mining world and a resource world for the nearby ecumenopolis Taris. Situated in a system of the same name, Vanquo was within traveling distance of other worlds, such as Suurja and Jebble. A rocky, mountainous planet covered in forests and trees, Vanquo was a rugged world with a harsh winter. On clear nights, Vanquo had a brilliant starry sky, with at least one green moon visible from the planet's surface.

In 3976 BBY, the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, led by their chief, Mandalore the Ultimate, began to carve out an empire by conquering unaligned worlds in the Outer Rim, far from the sight of the Galactic Republic. After amassing a sizable amount of territory, Mandalore launched out toward the Core, contesting resource worlds near Taris, including Vanquo. One of the worlds caught in the Mandalorian advance, Vanquo became part of a Republic Navy security cordon known as the Jebble-Vanquo-Tarnith line, along which heavy, stalemated fighting occurred in the early days of what became known as the Mandalorian Wars.

In 3964 BBY, Vanquo, by now dotted with mining camps, had become a destination for many refugees uprooted by the Mandalorian crusades. Although the Mandalorians loomed, business continued as usual for the mining crews across Vanquo. That year, Vanquo was visited by wanted fugitive Zayne Carrick, accused of the massacre of his Jedi classmates on Taris, and his crew as they tried to lay low from Jedi pursuit. Using Carrick's Force talents and his Arkanian Offshoot friend Jarael's convincing portrayal of the Jedi Master Q'Anilia, the group was able to convince the staff of a mining outpost that the Mandalorians were attacking. The crew abandoned the camp, leaving it and all its resources to the hungry fugitives. However, the Mandalorians, led by Commander Rohlan Dyre, began their actual attack soon afterward with a large paratrooper landing, as Carrick and his friends were still gathering supplies—although Jarael was mistaken for a real Jedi and was captured, the others were able to escape.

The battle was personally coordinated by Mandalore the Ultimate and his lieutenant, Cassus Fett, and was mainly a diversionary tactic, meant to draw Republic forces and open the way for Mandalore's main thrust toward Taris. On the other side, the Republic forces were led by Captain Saul Karath aboard the battleship Courageous. As the mining camps on the night side of the planet were seized and an orbital screen was being set up so the Mandalorians could attack the major settlements on the day side, a major space battle raged over Vanquo. The Vanquo offensive turned out to be a rousing success, as the left flank of the main Republic fleet was drawn to Vanquo, clearing the way to Taris, and the Mandalorians ended up seizing the planet. Over the course of the conflict, Vanquo proved to be a stronghold that the Republic was never able to break.

In the aftermath of the Mandalorian Wars, Republic heroes Revan and Malak turned to the dark side and led a new Sith Empire against the Republic. Although Vanquo never fell within Sith borders, in 3956 BBY, the Sith led an offensive toward Taris, resulting in a Sith victory and the complete devastation of the planet, a push that started at Vanquo. In the later years of the Galactic Civil War, Vanquo's region of space fell within the empire of Imperial Warlord Zsinj. During the Yuuzhan Vong War beginning in 25 ABY, the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong invaders attacked Vanquo after their successful conquering of Bandomeer. The Yuuzhan Vong won the battle and continued their offensive on toward the Core. By 137 ABY, Vanquo fell within the territory of Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire.

By the time of the Mandalorian Wars, Vanquo had become inundated with a large number of refugees fleeing the looming Mandalorian menace, many of whom had come from nearby battlegrounds, such as Jebble and Suurja. With Vanquo already possessed of a sizable population of miners at camps spread across the world, many of these hungry, desperate refugees attempted to plunder from the miners' stores. There was also a civilian population mainly centered at several major settlements on the other side of the planet from the mining camps.

At the time of the Mandalorian Wars, there were a number of mining camps spread out across one side of the planet, nestled within Vanquo's natural mountainous terrain. There was a communications system set up between some of the various mining settlements, with an official Republic channel to provide necessary information to the outposts. On the other side of the planet were several major settlements, along with an aid station frequented by refugees from the Mandalorian attacks.

The planet Vanquo made its first appearance in Knights of the Old Republic 7, a comic written by John Jackson Miller and released in 2006. The planet was also seen in the next installment of the Knights of the Old Republic series— in both its appearances, Vanquo was illustrated by Dustin Weaver. Vanquo was mentioned in a number of other Knights of the Old Republic issues and stories based on the comic series. More information on Vanquo and the Vanquo system were given in The Essential Atlas and its online companion, along with its entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

• Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Essential Atlas