Kallidahin
Species: Kallidahin (aka - Polis Massans)
Home Planet: Kallidah & Polis Massa
Kallidahin
The Kallidahin, also known as Polis Massans, were a race of sentient cetaceans native to the world of Kallidah, having obtained their misleading name due to their extensive century-spanning digs on their adopted home in Polis Massa. The Kallidahin lacked facial features and were commonly mute, resorting to signs and telepathy to communicate. Though they had little contact with other species and were considered hermetic, they were known for their extraordinary medical, archaeological and xenobiological skills, and were regarded as compassionate beings who understood the value of life. They were also known for their massive xenobiology database.
Members of this species were mainly concerned with their excavation in Polis Massa, where they were secretly trying to find proof of any relationship between their own species and the original inhabitants of Polis Massa, the extinct Eellayin. Although they did little to contact the wider galaxy beyond their business with the similarly secretive Kaminoans, they were kind to any visitors. The Kallidahin helped Jedi Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi several times, including trying to save the life of their ally Padmé Amidala and taking care of the last stages of her pregnancy. In later years, the Alliance to Restore the Republic built an outpost in Polis Massa that was eventually raided by the Galactic Empire, but the locals were unmolested during this time.
Biology & Appearance:
The average Kallidahin was a short, thin being unable to walk as fast as a Human would or, on average, to compare to a Human's strength. They had skinny bodies covered by soft gray skin that, being thick, smooth and partially insulating, pointed to their aquatic, cetacean ancestors. Their fibrous figures were also surrounded by anatomical features known as growth rings. During the Old Republic era, xenobiologists could not identify the evolutionary reason that led the species to develop this tree-like trait.
The head was connected with the body through a long, thin neck. A member of the species had a flat, pale face, covered by an osmotic membrane that left them featureless. The only facial feature was a pair of black eyes. Those visual organs lacked any expressiveness, but they were deep-focus and useful for work deep underground and for research in the field of medicine. A member of this species also had thin arms with nimble gray hands, each with four long, dexterous fingers including an opposable thumb.
Most Kallidahin were mute due to a natural lack of vocal cords. Their language, known as Massan, combined computers, sign language, and the use of their mildly telepathic brains. Their telepathy was not related to the thought-transmission used by adepts of the Force, although it worked similarly when broadcasting thoughts and simple feelings to willing receivers in a fifteen-meter area. The Massan language has been described falling beyond the Human auditive spectrum when used in its purest form. Some members of the species had a difference allowing them to speak audible languages such as Galactic Basic Standard.
Society & Culture:
The Kallidahin had galactic-wide fame because of their compassion and kindness, while their also characteristic discretion was not as widely known. They held a great value to freedom and life in any form and had such a peaceful nature and respect towards life that only rarely they would follow a soldier's career. Although they were able to protect themselves and their culture should the need arose, they were not an aggressive species and rejected direct confrontations even when the greater goals of the species were at risk.
They felt an overwhelming desire to gain data about alien species. They were gifted xenobiologists but, not being the greatest experts in diplomacy, preferred study from afar instead of mixing directly with the object of interest. This kind of information fascinated them, as they were an analytical species, and they felt the research was particularly important when related to the origins of their own species.
The species also had galactic-wide fame for their skill in the field of archaeology and medicine. Their medics, while not as abundant as their excavators, were known for being dedicated healers. Many members of the species were miners or speleologists, and wore form-fitting bodysuits fitted with all manner of signaling devices, medical equipment and utility pouches. The majority of these miners were seasoned spelunkers, and dug deep into the core of the asteroid field of Polis Massa to locate prize artifacts. All of them were committed and enthusiastic workers who commonly enjoyed a full day of work in the core of that asteroid field.
History:
Origins:
Order 66:
The Imperial Inquisition:
Soon afterwards, the by-then Emperor Palpatine set up the Inquisitorius, formed by special Intelligence agents, including an Inquisitor Malorum in charge of the planet Bellassa. A source informed Malorum about the burial of Amidala, telling him that a Jedi had taken the corpse from Polis Massa to Naboo. Malorum wanted to discover more details about this to use the information against his rival Darth Vader — secretly the father of Amidala's children.
Malorum hired Boba Fett, a teenaged bounty hunter, to examine the medical records of the Polis Massa clinic and also Naboo. Never giving his own name, Fett visited Polis Massa as an Imperial investigator, copied all the files and took them to Malorum. Thanks to the precautions taken after the birth, those documents were useless to Malorum.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi joined forces with former Padawan learner Ferus Olin against Malorum, particularly when Kenobi discovered Malorum's interest in Polis Massa.
Malorum dispatched a new agent, an Inquisitor by the name of Sancor, who was an expert in record security. The personal interest of the Inquisitorius might have led the Kallidahin to suspect that the birth was more important than they had previously thought. Sancor dealt with Tuun and searched the memory banks of the medical droids. Sancor later asked Tuun for the supply records and the presence of supply officer Osh Scal. As Schal was among the few members of this species who had an audible voice, Sancor could question him personally.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, following his instincts, split up from Olin to visit Polis Massa. Kenobi intercepted Tuun before the Inquisitor could find Schal and the Jedi asked Schal to forge the records Sancor was analyzing, giving him a more important, although fictional, fugitive to track. Kenobi also disguised himself as a Kallidahin and met with Sancor, pretending to be Scal; during the questioning, Kenobi tried to misdirect the Inquisitor.
However, Sancor saw a graphic depiction of the real Scal in the records and noticed that Kenobi did not look like him. Sancor attacked Kenobi and Tuun, but Kenobi scared him by activating his lightsaber. Sancor tried to escape from the system to report to Malorum. Kenobi and him struggled, and Sancor was killed. In order to cover Kenobi's tracks, Tuun then sent a message to Malorum, describing the "accidental" death of his envoy who fell from an observation platform and landed on sharp chirurgical tools.
Kenobi had to leave the asteroid soon afterwards. He met with Olin and asked him to take care of Malorum. Kenobi specifically asked Olin to not allow Malorum to discover whatever had happened in Polis Massa.
Malorum met with Darth Vader soon afterwards and mentioned that he was researching events in the planetoid Polis Massa. Darth Vader forcefully requested Malorum to forget any work in that direction. Olin, who was secretly eavesdropping on the conversation, was sure that Malorum would continue probing Polis Massa.
Malorum personally visited Polis Massa soon after this event; however, even he was unable to find anything there. He then tried his luck on Naboo and discovered useful information. Malorum was then found by Olin and died while dueling him; the truth about the birth in Polis Massa remained a secret.
Galactic Civil War:
During the first days of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a movement that started in 2 BBY, the Rebel command mounted a secret base on Polis Massa. The Alliance launched several operations from this base, although the crew did their best not to disturb the nearby excavations.
The Empire raided this base repeatedly without achieving its destruction; during all these conflicts, the digs of the Kallidahin were untouched. In 0 BBY, when Darth Vader sent his elite 501st Legion to recover important information that the Rebels had stolen, the Empire annihilated the base and killed all the Rebels, again without disturbing the nearby Kallidahin.
Later Conflicts:
During the Yuuzhan Vong War (25-29 ABY), the Yuuzhan Vong invaders found no reason to raid Polis Massa: it was too remote and held no strategic value or important resources that they could use. The later Dark Nest Crisis of 36 ABY was similarly clement with the Kallidahin. During this campaign, however, R2-D2 showed his holorecording of Polis Massa to by-then adult Luke Skywalker, his wife Mara Jade Skywalker and his nephew Jacen Solo, along with other files of Padmé Amidala's later days. By then, Jade was suspected to have murdered her husband's mother, and the droid's files served to clear her name.
Kallidahin in the Galaxy:
Perceived by others as silent and weird, Kallidahin were considered among the most mysterious species in the galaxy. The mute, faceless sentients were not social creatures in the way Humans could be. They limited their contact with other species as a way to protect their work. The Kallidahin had a massive database with xenobiological information about many alien species, but nevertheless they had little face-to-face contact with other cultures. Probably the most exhaustive contact the Kallidahin had with another species was with the Eellayin, an extinct people whose memory they tried to preserve in their digs.
The Kallidahin, commonly restricted to the Polis Massa system, rarely encountered any other sentients beyond the pirates and treasure hunters who wanted to profit from the local's hard work. The Kallidahin had dealt with the similarly reclusive Kaminoans in the past, obtaining important technology in exchange for their data on xenobiology, but the Polis Massans would rather be secretive about the results of their work.
Sometimes, the Kallidahin went beyond the borders of the Polis Massa system, commonly for exobiological reasons, but in that case they did not go too far. Soon before the Clone Wars, some exobiologists of this species were sent to a different planet in the Subterrel sector to perform research. The local fauna included fierce predators, but the exobiologists managed to keep them at bay using Kamino saberdarts they had obtain in their deals with the Kaminoans. Another traveler to the planet, a Besalisk known as Dexter Jettster, witnessed the use of the saberdarts and was impressed with them.
Although their personality and telepathic abilities could have given them excellent careers in the Jedi Order, or in certain criminal activities, there were no known precedents of Kallidahin Jedi or rogues.
Some Kallidahin, including Maneeli Tuun, supported the Galactic Republic following their firm beliefs, but they remained mostly beyond the reach of the Republic's judicial arm. Jedi Master Yoda, and later Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, were known to have trusted this cetacean of firm ideals.
Attribute Dice: 12D
DEXTERITY 1D/3D
KNOWLEDGE 3D/5D
MECHANICAL 2D/4D
PERCEPTION 2D/4D
STRENGTH 1D/3D
TECHNICAL 3D/5D
Special Abilities:
Natural Telepathy: All Polis Massans are mildly telepathic. This telepathy works just as the Force power projective telepathy does, but for Polis Massans it is a Perception skill. Like projective telepathy, Polis Massan telepathy is modified by relationship and proximity.
Deep-Focus Eyes: Grant a +1D bonus to search visually.
Expert Medics: Polis Massans treat the Medicine advanced skill like a regular skill for advancement cost purposes.
Move: 9/11
Size: 1.3-1.6 meters tall
Source: Wookieepedia (For the Kallidahin Description)