A salmaca beast made its home within a cave located on the planet of Batuu. The cave was accessed via a tunnel, which opened into a massive inner space that served as the salmaca's nesting ground. Around the time of 379 BBY, the salmaca commenced attacks on residences within the neighboring settlement of Peka. During her Jedi Trials, the Jedi apprentice Rooper Nitani ventured into the cave and successfully resolved the village's issue with the salmaca.
Near the settlement of Peka on the planet of Batuu, a salmaca creature had established its residence in a cave. A tunnel served as the entryway to the cave, eventually expanding into a vast area where the salmaca built its nest. The chamber's size was such that the light from a lightsaber could not fully illuminate it. The salmaca's nest was constructed from a collection of discarded materials and refuse. A makeshift storage area contained the remains of several gant spiders, which served as the salmaca's primary food source. The air temperature inside the cave was lower than the outside temperature.
The salmaca took up residence in the cave circa 379 BBY, drawn in by a nearby colony of gant spiders. The salmaca began to invade homes in Peka during the night, stealing junk and valuables to add to its nest. During one of these incursions, the salmaca made off with the droid Dee-Twelve and a shield that belonged to Jedi Master Silandra Sho. Sho had intentionally left the shield out for the salmaca to take.
The following day, Sho gave her Padawan, Rooper Nitani, the task of recovering the shield as part of her Jedi Trials. Nitani eventually made her way to Peka, where she found out about the salmaca and its cave from Jerlyn, a villager whose family owned Dee-Twelve. Nitani agreed to address the village's issue, and a group of four villagers, including the Weequay named Kaxx, led her to the cave. Nitani, accompanied by P3-7A, a church droid who was with her during her trials, entered the cave while the villagers waited outside. Due to the cave's darkness, P3-7A used a lamp to provide light, and Nitani activated one of her lightsabers.
Upon entering the cave's large chamber, Nitani noticed the makeshift larder where the salmaca had stored the remains of the gant spiders. She came to the realization that the creature might have been protecting Peka from the dangerous arachnids. She then discovered Dee-Twelve beneath the sleeping salmaca's paw. She used the Force to persuade the salmaca to roll over, freeing Dee-Twelve from the creature's nest.
After sending Dee-Twelve out of the cave with P3-7A, Nitani began her search for the shield. Just as she spotted it, the villagers entered the cave and started firing blasters at the salmaca. Calling on the Force once more, Nitani used the shield to deflect the villagers' blaster fire and disorient the salmaca, which had tried to attack them. Nitani then instructed the villagers to leave, and they complied. After the villagers had left, Nitani deactivated her lightsaber, plunging the cave into darkness. The salmaca determined that Nitani was not a threat and went back to sleep. Nitani then retrieved the shield and exited the cavern. After the villagers learned about the gant spiders, Nitani successfully convinced them to leave out junk each night for the salmaca, eliminating the need for it to raid their homes.
The salmaca cave was featured in the short story "Shield of the Jedi," penned by George Mann and included in the 2023 young-adult anthology titled The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life as part of the larger Star Wars: The High Republic project.