Bartokk

Belonging to the insectoid lineage, the Bartokk's robust exoskeleton provided a degree of protection against weaponry, akin to many manufactured armors. Sporting a bipedal stance and four additional arms, the Bartokk possessed a single primary hand, yet demonstrated the capacity to manipulate weapons and tools with all four appendages. When adopting a defensive posture, a Bartokk could lower itself onto four legs and launch attacks with the remaining two, brandishing their sharply edged claws. Their primary visual organs, bright red in hue, were positioned on their head. Additional eyes were located on their lower abdomen.

As a hive-minded species, all Bartokk were interconnected via a telepathic network, facilitating the exchange of intelligence and thoughts within a 500-meter radius. Beyond granting them sentience, as they were barely functional outside the hive mind, this telepathic bond also served as a safeguard against flanking maneuvers by predators. The Bartokk possessed remarkable regenerative capabilities, enabling them to recover from nearly any injury, provided their brains remained intact. If a Bartokk's brain was bisected, each half could regenerate into a separate twin, creating an entirely new individual. Furthermore, detached body parts retained functionality, allowing them to continue fighting even after decapitation.

The Bartokk's hive mind dictated their society, fostering a unified and cohesive expression of personality shared by all members. Their homeworld exhibited mild radioactivity, resulting in occasional mutations that, while seemingly insignificant to most species, warranted exile within Bartokk society. Culturally, the Bartokk were regarded as enigmatic and formidable by species acquainted with their assassin guilds. These guilds operated throughout the galaxy, notorious for targeting political figures of the Galactic Republic. They would use sheer numbers to overwhelm the target's defense forces, after neutralizing major defense emplacements and communications first. Bartokk traveled in hives of fifteen and were unrelenting in the pursuit of prey, even if it may result in the death of the hive.

The Bartokk's arid homeworld lacked technological sophistication, with the Bartokk residing in hives devoid of modern equipment. Upon encountering external societies, the insects integrated technologies developed by other species, adapting them to their biological requirements. Lacking an indigenous language, the Bartokk communicated via telepathy, although they could learn other languages to interact with other species.

Emerging from a radioactive planet situated in the Outer Rim, the Bartokk evolved from insects, with a potent hive mind developing within each hive. Establishing several assassin guilds, these Bartokk were known to never give up as they hunted their prey throughout the galaxy. During the era of the Galactic Republic, the Bartokk species harnessed technologies from other societies to construct their own starships. Developing a six-winged starfighter and spike-hulled freighters, the Trade Federation approached several sub-hives to defend the development of the Federation's naval forces.

Following the establishment of the New Republic, Jedi trainees within the Jedi Order Tenel Ka, Lowbacca, Jaina Solo, and Jacen Solo deemed them worthy adversaries, narrowly repelling a hive dispatched to assassinate the Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium Ta'a Chume. The hive, contracted by Ambassador Yfra, failed in their mission and were eliminated. With the rise of the Diversity Alliance, the Bartokk collaborated with the group as assassins, systematically eliminating the leaders of rival hives to expand their ranks.

While most Bartokk encountered across the galaxy were members of an assassin guild hunting for their prey, members of the species which had been exiled tended to gain work in local militias as they lacked the creativity which came with being part of a hive mind. Like many insectoid species, the Bartokk were not known to have any Force-sensitive members, either among the Jedi Order or the Sith Empire.