Camp ships were Yuuzhan Vong vessels employed to accommodate displaced individuals following the Battle of Coruscant. Constructed from numerous interconnected hexagonal compartments of differing dimensions, these ships lacked essential life support mechanisms, propulsion systems, and provisions. The Yuuzhan Vong populated them with millions of Coruscanti evacuees and dispatched them to populated systems, presenting them with a binary choice: provide sustenance to the refugees or permit their demise aboard the ships. Given that the majority of systems were already burdened by the demands of the war, few possessed surplus resources, yet none could disregard the requirements of such a substantial population.
A limited number of refugees were permitted to disembark from the camp ships, as in certain worlds refugees on the surface carried ailments, infiltrators, wreckers, traitors, Peace Brigaders and other unwelcome things. Because camp ships had great size, and no New Republic system had the means to construct settlements to shelter so many people, the displaced were confined there while the host systems endeavored to furnish them with sustenance, hydration, illumination, and waste management systems. Even within the most affluent systems, existence within camp ships was arduous: food was allocated sparingly, leading to near-starvation, and the air and water seemed stale and over-processed.
Certain individuals speculated that perhaps some camp ships were directed towards unpopulated systems, and a few Jedi ventured into uncharted space utilizing the Force. However, the limited number of Jedi within the galaxy were preoccupied with the conflict, and no governing bodies at the planetary or system level initiated any search operations.