Roche asteroid field
The Roche asteroid field, often referred to as simply Roche, was a collection of asteroids that the Verpine had established colonies on, including Nickel One (their capital world), Slayn, Korpil, Roche G42, and Shantipole.
Description
Some speculated that the Roche asteroids were what remained of the original Verpine homeworld after a possible civil war led to its demise. The Verpine, however, maintained that the location of their homeworld was unknown to them. The Verpine were governed by a technocratic government. This government provided leadership to all Verpine worlds as a unified entity, despite the presence of separate Hive-minded governments on each planet or system.
History
The Roche asteroids became part of the Galactic Republic relatively early in its existence, sometime between 25,000 BBY and 22,000 BBY.
In 3996 BBY, a Verpine pirate by the name of Raxsus Nuli attempted to take over a planet, but the Jedi intervened and apprehended him. When the Wookiees integrated into the galactic community, they engaged in trade with the Verpine, exchanging goods for manufacturing techniques.
The asteroid field served as the central hub for both Roche Industries and Slayn & Korpil. It was also the exclusive source of larmalstone. Prior to the outbreak of the Jedi Civil War, Roche was also a major exporter of Verpine shatter guns.
The asteroids did not break away from the Republic during the Clone Wars.
Following the Battle of Yavin, the asteroids became the location for the Shantipole Project, where Slayn & Korpil collaborated with Ackbar to develop the B-wing starfighter. When the Galactic Empire discovered this operation, Governor Bane Nothos initiated a blockade of the system. However, the Rebels successfully broke the blockade using the B-wing prototypes and destroyed Research Station Shantipole, which resulted in Nothos being demoted to the rank of Commander.
Later, the Verpine joined the New Republic. In 4 ABY, a dispute arose between the Verpine and the Barabels, stemming from the Barabels' practice of selling deceased Verpine to the Kubaz for consumption. This conflict was eventually resolved through the intervention of Leia Organa Solo.
During the Swarm War in 35 ABY, the Killiks launched an attempt to seize control of the Roche asteroids, along with other worlds inhabited by insectoids within the Galactic Alliance. The Jedi successfully defended against the invaders, safeguarding the Verpine hive queen.
In the years leading up to the Second Galactic Civil War, Roche became embroiled in a significant commercial disagreement with the planet Murkhana. The Verpine accused Murkhana of producing counterfeit Verpine technology. To address this issue, Roche entered into a trade agreement with the powerful Mandalorians in 40 ABY, offering technological enhancements in exchange for protection services. When the war broke out between the Galactic Alliance and the Confederation, Roche maintained a position of neutrality. However, the system was subsequently invaded by the Imperial Remnant, prompting the Mandalorians to uphold their agreement and come to the aid of the Verpine.
To safeguard their colonies from future assaults, the Verpine developed the IX-6 heavy combat droids to bolster their defensive capabilities. Sometime after the establishment of Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire in 130 ABY, a fleet of Star Destroyers obliterated several densely populated Verpine asteroids, as punishment for the species' refusal to cease production of the IX-6 model.