Yevetha

Yevetha were physically characterized by their considerable height, averaging around 1.9 meters. Their skin was a pale gray, and they possessed a macabre, hairless appearance. Males and females were generally of similar height and build, with adults ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 meters tall. They were classified as mammals, exhibiting a slender, bony, humanoid frame. Their emaciated look gave them a skeletal impression, accentuated by their pale skin and lithe physiques. Their alien features closely resembled those of a humanoid to such a degree that their body language could be deciphered due to the shared similarities. These lanky, gaunt humanoids possessed large, widely spaced black-gray eyes, often described as being as emotionless as stones. Their necks and backs displayed scaled skin, a remnant of the natural armor their ancestors once possessed. This vestigial armor extended from their backs, down their necks, and along their spines.

Males of the species had distinctive scarlet facial crests that extended along their cheeks, jaws, and the top of their heads. The largest crest ran across the top and down the back of their heads. These crests would swell when a male was provoked into violence or combat, and the primary head crest would become engorged when a male was ready to mate. Female Yevetha lacked these features. Yevetha brains were uniquely located in their thoraxes, protected by thick bone that acted as a brain cage. They also had fine hair cells lining their temples, providing them with auditory senses. Yevetha hands had six fingers and retractable dew claws, each located on the inside of the wrist above their six-fingered hands. These dewclaws could be extended from sheaths of skin on their cadaverous hands, and when fully extended, they were about the length of a vibroblade, approximately a foot long. These wrist blades were used in close combat and for blood sacrifices. Yevetha also exhibited a higher tolerance for g-forces compared to Human pilots.

Young Yevetha were born from eggs laid by females, known as "birth casks". These detachable external birth casks, called mara-nas by the Yevetha, were placed in specialized chambers. The developing child was nourished by blood absorbed through the egg's shell. If a child remained within the cask past its due date, it was referred to as a "nesting". Typically, the unborn were fed blood, preferably from the mother, though the blood of any Yevetha could sustain them. This biological need for blood significantly shaped their society. In rare instances, birth casks could produce twins, who were usually identical except for their age.

Yevetha were susceptible to a disease known as gray death, although its symptoms remain unknown. Additionally, some Yevetha were born genderless, a rare genetic anomaly. These individuals were pale and white, lacking visible sexual organs. There was speculation, though unsubstantiated, within the New Republic regarding a potential connection between the Yevetha and Twi'leks.

A Yevethan newborn was considered a "child" for the first five years of its life. Around age six, they entered a subadult, prepubescent stage that lasted until about age 11. Adulthood spanned from ages 12 to 44, "middle age" from 45 to 66, and old age began at 67. Those who lived beyond 81 years were revered in Yevethan society.

Yevethan culture was rigidly structured in a hierarchical system, with the Darama at the top. Their society was politically governed by a Viceroy, who also served as the chief of state for the Duskhan League. The Darama and Viceroy roles were intertwined, linking Yevethan spirituality and politics. Proctors led the departments of governance, commerce, science, and culture, supported by various guilds. This structure was replicated in the Yevethan armed forces and shipboard staffs, led by Primates. Their technical prowess allowed them to quickly grasp mechanical information and manuals, enabling them to duplicate and improve upon technology. Their guildsmen were therefore exceptional workers, builders, and skilled starship designers. This innate talent for advanced technology contributed to the Yevetha's arrogance and high self-regard. They were known as "quick studies" and were considered extremely intelligent.

Blood held a central position in their society, serving as a cornerstone of their religion and belief system. This led to the Yevethans being a particularly violent species. Death was not feared by them. Yevethans were generally seen as dutiful, attentive, and somewhat cautious, with a fatalistic outlook on the universe. In combat, they were known for their ruthlessness, never surrendering even when facing certain defeat, due to a personal code of honor. Reflecting the brutality of their society, the Yevethans had no prisons or penitentiaries, believing such "punishments" were unnecessary. Their language, Yevetha, lacked words for "convict" or "incarcerate."

Yevetha society was highly stratified, divided into various castes. Lower-ranking individuals could not ascend to higher levels, although higher-caste members could be "demoted" in extreme cases. Despite their low status, the extreme arrogance and xenophobia of the Yevetha led them to believe that simply being Yevetha, regardless of caste, was superior to being born into any other race. Their prejudice against other beings gave lower-caste Yevetha a sense of dignity, while aliens were considered galactic vermin. Dominance killings, similar to "honor" killings, were practiced, where a lower-caste Yevethan could be charged with murder for killing a higher-ranking individual. However, the killing of a low-ranking Yevetha by a higher caste was considered acceptable, as it reduced the burden on society. This strict caste system permeated Yevethan life, with young Yevetha growing up knowing that a superior could take their life at any moment, simply for blood.

Sacrifice, especially to provide blood for the birth cask of an important Yevetha, was considered honorable for the sacrificed individual's family. Birth casks were often placed in "breederies," which were private locations. On occasion, Yevetha met with visitors outside these locations. A breeding-assistant typically managed the arrival of sacrificial Yevetha for the birthing casks to feed them. Twins were considered auspicious, believed to pass on their "blessings" through breathing, touching, and bleeding. Nitakka (Yevetha males) commonly sparred, instilling young Yevetha with fighting instincts: "the closest threat is the greatest threat—in a fight of unequal numbers, dispatch your weakest opponent first to discourage others from joining a fight against you, charge a newcomer immediately—hold nothing back when you go to kill." These instincts were difficult to control, leading to erratic battlefield behavior for inexperienced military crews.

While the lower classes were treated with contempt, the reaction to non-Yevetha was even more severe. The Yevetha were among the most xenophobic and bigoted species in the galaxy, considering non-Yevetha as vermin. Consequently, they often dismissed other species as unworthy of attention. This was partly due to the relative youth of their homeworld and its location, where the stars of the greater galaxy were obscured by the brightness of the Koornacht Cluster. Initially, the Yevetha believed themselves to be the only intelligent beings. After contact and enslavement, this view shifted slightly, with the Yevetha believing they were the only worthy species and that all others should be exterminated. This xenophobia extended to refusing to learn alien languages like Basic, which they found repulsive. To communicate with "vermin", high-ranking Yevetha forced lower castes to learn the language as translators. However, some high-ranking Yevetha did learn alien languages, believing certain things should not be heard by subordinates.

This belief in their status as the only intelligent life originated in ancient times on their homeworld. None of their greatest thinkers had even considered the possibility of sentient life on other worlds. Despite rapid technological advancements, their culture remained in an adolescent stage of development.

The Yevetha evolved on the Core World planet of N'zoth approximately 50,000 years ago, making them a relatively young species. They rapidly advanced in isolation, unaware of other sentient life. Their planet's location prevented them from knowing about other stars in the galaxy. This, combined with rapid evolution, isolation, and a harsh environment, fostered a xenophobic culture and a sense of superiority. The Yevetha believed they were the only intelligent species. Eventually, they perfected space travel and colonized eleven nearby worlds, establishing the Yevethan Protectorate, also known as "The Twelve". This protectorate consisted of the original daughter worlds settled by spaceships operating without hyperdrive. On these worlds, they only encountered animal life, reinforcing their belief in their unique intelligence.

At this point, the species was technologically advanced, on the verge of the space age. Despite their isolation, a Yevetha was present on Coruscant in 18.8 BBY, seemingly suppressing their xenophobia to play Shronker in the Zi-Kree Sector. Nick Rostu encountered this individual and fought him after the Yevetha lost the game. The Yevetha lived in relative peace for millennia, their beliefs unchallenged until the arrival of the Galactic Empire. The Koornacht Cluster was quickly conquered during the early years of Imperial expansion. Emperor Palpatine's regime seized N'zoth, turning it into an Imperial shipyard. The Yevethans were enslaved and forced to work in the shipyards as technical and maintenance personnel. They mastered shipbuilding and weapons technology with remarkable speed and aptitude.

The Empire noted the Yevetha's rapid learning abilities. After subjugating N'zoth and its nearby systems, Imperial forces built the Black Fifteen shipyards, using the Yevetha as skilled slave labor to build, repair, and modify vessels for the Imperial Starfleet. Despite their enslavement, the Yevetha made sabotage attempts at the shipyards. The Black Fleet shipyards were known for their excellence, making them a prestigious conscript facility within the Empire. The Imperial Governor of the Cluster took several females as pleasure slaves for his staff and gave the males to his stormtroopers for target practice. The mutilated bodies were displayed at schools and sacred sites, broadcast on public information channels that all Yevetha were forced to watch twice a day. Children were taken from their parents. Initially, the Yevetha submitted to Imperial rule, waiting for the Empire to become lax.

Approximately eight months after the Battle of Endor, Ysanne Isard recalled many Star Destroyers to defend the Core Worlds. The Black Sword Command was among the Imperial armadas that received this order and prepared to leave the shipbuilding facilities at N'zoth. Before the Imperial garrison could destroy the shipyards, a uprising erupted among the Yevethan dockworkers, preventing the mass killing of slaves and the destruction of the repair yards. Nil Spaar led the uprising, countering the mass slave executions by exploiting the Empire's perception of the Yevetha as brainwashed and mindless. Spaar murdered thousands of Imperials, captured hundreds more, and seized every Star Destroyer in the Black Fleet. When the Imperial garrison arrived, they found seven thousand freed Yevethan prisoners and the remains of over fifteen thousand dead Imperial soldiers. The garrison, fearing the same fate, never returned. The Yevetha captured the Super Star Destroyer Intimidator, covering up the incident. The New Republic never learned of it, and Isard believed the fleet was destroyed on Cal-Seti based on inaccurate intelligence. Afterward, the Koornacht Cluster remained isolated from the rest of the galaxy.

Over the next decade and a half, the Yevetha developed their technical capabilities, creating new starship shielding, gravity bombs, Aramadia-class thrustships, and D-type fighters. They also established the Duskhan League, encompassing thirteen worlds. The Yevethan fleet was named the Black Fleet, a twisted version of the Galactic Empire Black Sword Command.

In 16 ABY, the Dushkan League emerged from isolation and engaged the New Republic. A delegation, led by Viceroy Nil Spaar, arrived at Coruscant seeking peaceful co-existence. Spaar exploited the New Republic's lack of intelligence on the Duskhan League and their senatorial political conflicts. He extended negotiations with Chief of State Leia Organa Solo over weeks, playing on her empathy for a species subjugated by the Empire. This allowed him to cultivate assets on Coruscant and sow confusion among the members of the New Republic.

Nil Spaar returned to his people, and with the New Republic in disarray, the Yevetha launched a brutal campaign of expansion and colonization. The Yevethan Purge resulted in the elimination of entire species, such as the Corasgh, and communities like the Norat Sovereignty, and the Yevetha colonized many nearby star systems in the Koornacht Cluster. Foiled reconnaissance efforts by the New Republic led to armed conflict between the Duskhan League, its hidden Black Fleet, and the New Republic Defense Force's new Fifth Battle Group.

The conflict ended with a Yevethan loss at the Battle of N'zoth and the reported death of Nil Spaar at the hands of Imperial officer Sil Sorannan. The victorious New Republic disarmed the Yevetha and kept them under close watch, but eventually removed active patrols by at least 25 ABY. Following their defeat, the Viceroy's palace remained as Nil Spaar had left it, with many Yevetha hoping for their leader's return.

Since no one had entered the N'zoth system since the Battle of N'zoth, the Yevetha built an even larger force, consisting of more than ten thousand Aramadia-class thrustships. The Galantos Guard encountered the Yuuzhan Vong. In exchange for protection from the extragalactic invaders, the Fia informed the Yuuzhan Vong of the brutal Yevetha and their threat. The Yuuzhan Vong invaded the N'zoth system and emerged victorious in the subsequent battle. The Yuuzhan Vong orbitally bombarded N'zoth, turning the planet into a molten wasteland.

The besieged Yevetha refused outside help and were nearly driven to extinction. While many believed the species had been destroyed, some speculated that their expansionist tendencies might have resulted in colonies that escaped the Yuuzhan Vong. After the fall of N'zoth, it was estimated that fewer than ten thousand Yevetha remained alive in the galaxy.