Diversity Alliance

The Diversity Alliance came into being as a consequence of the injustices perpetrated against non-Human species by the Humanocentric Galactic Empire's New Order. An earlier incarnation of the Diversity Alliance was the Alien Combine, established in 3 ABY, but it was hesitant to engage in extreme actions like terrorism. The Empire annihilated the Combine.

Among the individuals who founded the Diversity Alliance was Nolaa Tarkona, a Twi'lek hailing from Ryloth. The Empire had subjected numerous Twi'leks to enslavement; her half-sister Oola had been sold as a slave to the Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure and met her end when he fed her to his pet rancor. Determined to avoid a similar fate, Nolaa, while enslaved, rebelled against her captors, leading to her overthrow of the Ryloth government and her ascension as the first female Twi'lek leader in galactic history. Twi'leks who did not adhere to Nolaa's ideals were either killed, exiled, or forced to work in the ryll mines.

Shortly thereafter, Nolaa initiated the Diversity Alliance (funding it with Ryloth's ryll profits) and disseminated her message of alien solidarity to numerous species across the galaxy. She conducted numerous rallies on various alien worlds, cultivating support for the Alliance. Numerous aliens joined her cause, including Wookiees, Quarren, Ugnaughts, Trandoshans, Duros, and Chironians. To outside observers, the Diversity Alliance appeared to be a peaceful movement prioritizing aliens, but in reality, it was a violent anti-Human terrorist organization.

Their activities encompassed providing aid to aliens, rescuing alien slaves, sabotage, piracy, toppling Human or pro-Human governments in predominantly alien regions, and propagating their message to aliens. Their supporters included several prominent alien politicians in the New Republic Senate, numerous local alien governments, the splinter United Council of Bith Musicians, which pledged to perform pro-Diversity Alliance and anti-Human songs during their tours, and a sub-hive of the insectoid Bartokks. Despite their anti-Human stance, Nolaa employed the services of a few Human bounty hunters such as Ailyn Vel - disguised as her notorious father Boba Fett - and Dengar, although she regarded them with suspicion.

In 24 ABY, an alien scavenger named Fonterrat unearthed the Emperor's plague storehouse in the Deep Core. Within it lay a cache of lethal diseases created by General Evir Derricote nearly two decades prior. Despite the defeat of the Galactic Empire, this plague warehouse and its deadly disease reserves remained intact. Fonterrat, aware of their animosity towards Humans, offered to sell a navicomputer module containing information to Nolaa Tarkona, though he refused to interact with her directly, suggesting she dispatch a neutral party to meet him on Kuar.

During negotiations, he also provided her with a sample of the virus, which she used to seal his payment. The neutral party turned out to be a wealthy Human merchant and shipping magnate named Bornan Thul (owner of Bornaryn Trading). In exchange for the navicomputer module containing the asteroid's coordinates, Bornan paid with a timelocked case filled with credits.

Bornan was then expected to deliver it to Nolaa at a trade conference on Shumavar, but upon discovering the contents of the plague warehouse, he went into hiding. Enraged, Nolaa hired numerous bounty hunters to locate Thul and retrieve the navicomputer. Among these bounty hunters was Ailyn Vel.

Later, Bornan's son Raynar Thul (a student at Master Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4) sought to find his father with the assistance of his classmates Jacen, Jaina Solo, Tenel Ka, the Wookiee Lowbacca, and his translation droid M-TD. They searched his last known locations, spanning from ancient ruined worlds like Ziost to the droid foundry world of Mechis III.

Fonterrat also traveled to the all-Human colony on Gammalin, where he inadvertently unleashed the plague, wiping out the population. Before the plague took effect, Fonterrat was imprisoned by the colonists. With everyone on the colony dead except for Fonterrat, he perished in his cell due to starvation, as there was no one to care for him. Meanwhile, Nolaa Tarkona continued her campaign to rally support among the alien species of the galaxy by visiting the Chromans of Chroma Zed, where she recounted Imperial oppression.

Subsequently, Lowbacca was recruited into the Alliance by the female Wookiee Raabakyysh and journeyed to their headquarters on Ryloth to gain deeper insight into their operations. Simultaneously, the Human Zekk - a friend of the Jedi - rescued Bornan from bounty hunters and learned the reason for his disappearance, as well as the existence of the top-secret Imperial plague warehouse. Bornan also revealed that Boba Fett (actually Ailyn Vel) had accessed his ship's navicomputer and stolen the coordinates of the plague warehouse. Ailyn Vel then presented this information to Nolaa, who intended to unleash a Human-specific plague upon the galaxy.

Sensing that Lowbacca was only aware of the Diversity Alliance's public image and not its underlying anti-Human sentiment, Lowie's Jedi companions traveled to Ryloth, only to be arrested by local authorities and forced to work in the hazardous ryll mines of Ryloth. These mines were operated by Human slaves who were pilots or smugglers that crossed the Alliance or kidnapped captives taken from small spacecraft in neighboring systems. Conditions in these mines were brutal, with slaves being worked to death and provided with minimal food or rest.

However, Lowbacca soon learned of the fate of his Human companions through Raabakyysh. The enraged Wookiee turned against the Diversity Alliance and aided them in escaping the planet's harsh terrain and zealous Diversity Alliance troops. The Jedi also discovered that the Diversity Alliance was amassing weapons for its war against Humans. They, in turn, were rescued by Zekk, Luke Skywalker, and Lusa (a Chironian who had abandoned the Diversity Alliance due to the death of her Talz friend). The Jedi then fled offworld to the galactic capital of Coruscant.

This incident garnered widespread galactic attention, prompting a special session in the New Republic Senate to address the matter. There, before thousands of Senators and representatives, Luke requested that an inspection team be dispatched to Ryloth to investigate reports of Diversity Alliance aggression. Upon learning of this, Nolaa Tarkona instructed one of her trusted associates, the Devaronian Kambrea, to entertain the inspection team and conceal any evidence of Alliance aggression. She also prepared a fleet to travel to the plague warehouse.

Meanwhile, after recording an encrypted message to his wife Aryn Dro Thul explaining their plan, Bornan, Raynar, Zekk, Jacen and Jaina Solo, Tenel Ka, and Lowbacca gathered explosives and proceeded to the warehouse with the intention of destroying it. They were nearing completion of the wiring when Diversity Alliance ships arrived. During the ensuing confrontation with Tarkona in the warehouse, some of the plague canisters ruptured, releasing a Human-specific virus. Bornan sacrificed himself to prevent the plague from spreading, instructing Raynar to evacuate himself and his friends from the asteroid.

Simultaneously in space, a New Republic fleet under Han Solo defeated the Diversity Alliance fleet. However, Nolaa Tarkona managed to escape, although she later perished on a remote asteroid from a Twi'lek-specific disease. Meanwhile on Ryloth, fighting erupted when the New Republic inspection team discovered stockpiles of weapons. However, the fighting was quelled by the Twi'lek Kur, who convinced the Alliance soldiers that they had been misled and that Humans and aliens should collaborate. This marked the end of the Diversity Alliance, which collapsed with Nolaa's death.

Following the demise of the Diversity Alliance, the Cooperative Council of Independent Planetary Governments was established to foster cooperation among the species of the New Republic and rectify the injustices of the New Order. Kur was also appointed as the head of Ryloth's new government, which dispatched two representatives to represent Ryloth in the New Republic Senate: one male and one female.

Delegations from every species on every world that had been aligned with the Diversity Alliance were also brought in for meetings with the Chief of State Leia Organa Solo on the capital of Coruscant. The investigation team assigned to investigate the Diversity Alliance also informed the Senate about information obtained from interviewing former members of the Alliance, including finding out why they joined. Lowie's droid M-TD would provide translations during these interviews since he was fluent in over 16 different languages.

News of the Alliance's collapse spread throughout the galaxy. Lowie's sister Sirrakuk also became a liaison to war-torn worlds and to investigate and report any incident of violations of sentient rights. The young Jedi trainees which had played a major role in the defeat of the Diversity Alliance would return to the Jedi Praxeum. Later, the threat posed by the Alliance would be considered little to that posed by the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong which instigated the Yuuzhan Vong War in 25 ABY.

• Nolaa Tarkona - Twi'lek leader of the Diversity Alliance
• Corrsk - Trandoshan member of Nolaa's inner council and General in Alliance military forces
• Hovrak - Shistavanen member of Nolaa's inner council and Adjunctant Advisor
• Kambrea - Devaronian representative on Nolaa's inner council
• Rullak - Quarren representative on Nolaa's inner council
• Lowbacca - Wookiee recruit
• Lusa - Chironian recruit
• Raabakyysh - Wookiee recruit
• Sirrakuk - Wookiee recruit