Kips, originating from the planet of Kip, were a sentient species. They were known for their relatively small size. Zorba Desilijic Tiure found himself imprisoned on their world due to his unlawful activities involving the extraction of ulikuo gemstone resources.
A strong adherence to the principles of law and order characterized Kip society. Their legal framework lacked both an appeals process and the possibility of prisoner extradition.
Their planet, a humid environment marked by mud and caves, yielded ulikuo gems, valued for their aesthetic qualities and practical uses in industry. The Kips deemed the unauthorized extraction of these gems illegal and of great cultural importance. The consequence for such illegal mining could be a lifetime imprisonment.
A single galactic standard year was equivalent to a period of three years on Kip.
During the time of the Separatist Crisis, the Kips apprehended Zorba Desilijic Tiure and charged him with the crime of illegally mining ulikuo gems. His ship, known as the Zorba Express, was seized. Prime Justice Doori-Doori delivered a sentence of forty-five standard years of incarceration to the Hutt for his transgression, while also instructing local security to remain vigilant against any potential escape attempts. Bequin Fobas, Zorba's lawyer, made an attempt to appeal the ruling, but was reminded that the Kips' system did not allow for such appeals. Subsequently, the Hutt Grand Council sought to have Zorba extradited to Nal Hutta, a request that the Kips denied. Republic Judiciaries were consulted as an unbiased third party and validated the Kips' decisions. The unlawfully mined gemstones remained hidden, their location known only to Zorba.
News of Zorba's predicament spread throughout the galactic community, with the case being highlighted in an edition of HoloNet News. Aruk Besadii Aora, a rival of Zorba, publicly criticized and defamed the Hutt in the news report, while Jiliac Desilijic Tiron announced that the Hutts would not challenge the court's decision. Zorba was then confined to the Girigard Subsurface Correctional Facility
Despite viewing his imprisonment as a break from the pressures of his criminal lifestyle, Zorba served a considerable portion of his sentence, remaining in Kip's custody until 5 ABY. In that year, alien pirates, under the command of Ysanne Isard, launched an assault on Kip, which they had conquered, liberating all inmates from the Correctional Facility. Zorba unearthed his concealed gemstones and fled the planet, reclaiming the Zorba Express, which the Kips had been unable to operate.