Riileb (species)

"Who the krazsch are you?"

- Tere Metallo uses a word of the native Riileb language whilst shocked The Riilebs were a sentient species of humanoid insectoids that were indigenous to the planet of Riileb. Members of the species were relatively tall, with gray knobbly skin and two antennae which were capable of detecting changes in the biorhythms of other organisms. Using their antennae the species could detect the mood of those around them, which made them good at setting others at ease and so resulted in others perceiving the Riilebs as a likable people. They also possessed four nostrils on a nose much flatter than a Human's, two of which were for inhaling and two for exhaling.

The Riileb homeworld was within Hutt Space, however after its discovery by Nimbanese scouts working for the Hutts the Riilebs refused to bow down to the Hutts and serve them. Following several attempted invasions of Riileb by the Hutts, the slug-like species gave up and the Riilebs retained their independence, making them one of the few species in Hutt Space to do so. Riileb society was controlled by the individual who held a piece of jewelry known as the ClanRing, which would traditionally belong to the eldest member of the motherclan, descendants of a mythical first Riileb who was also believed to have created the ring. The agent of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the New Republic named Tere Metallo was a Riileb.

Biology and appearance
"Do all Riilebs have this natural talent for games of chance?"

- A Corellian Smuggler comments on Tere Metallo skill at Sabacc

Riilebs were a sentient species of tall lithe insectoid humanoids who stood taller on average than Humans and just shorter than Wookiees between 2 and 2.75 meters tall. Members of the species shared a number of characteristics with Humans, possessing two arms each ending in a hand with four fingers and a thumb and two legs as well as their being two sexes of the species, male and female. They also possessed a mouth including teeth, nose and a pair of eyes on their heads from which they could also grow hair, although it grew nowhere else on their bodies. Unlike Humans though they possessed a pair of stamen like antennae atop their skull, which were remnants of their insectoid ancestry, and capable of detecting changes in other beings biorhythms including the pulse rate and blood pressure of Humans. Riilebs also had noses far flatter than a Human's with four nostrils, two of which were for inhalation and two of which were for exhalation. The species also had ear flaps as opposed to ears and fingers which were generally more slender than those of a Human. Riilebs' skin was knobbly and gray in color, whilst their eyes could be pink and their hair silver. They possessed a digestive system able to tolerate ale and tea.

Society and culture
"We have no games like this on Riileb."

- Tere Metallo speaks about Sabacc

As a people Riilebs were generally calm and collected although usually determined to succeed in any task they undertook. They were tolerant of the cultures of other species partially due to their ability to determine the moods of other using their antenna, including how stressed or nervous they were. Some Riilebs used this ability to their advantage in games such as Sabacc although no such games were played on their homeworld. Their ability to sense others moods also made Riilebs skilled at setting other beings at ease, resulting in many seeing them as a personable species. Riilebs spoke a language also known as Riileb, but were also capable of speaking galactic basic, as well as one of the native languages of the Wookiee species. While speaking basic some Riileb would revert back to their native language if shocked or angry, although sometimes for only as little as a single word of their native tongue. Some members of the Insectoid species would frown when acting in a serious manner, give a shrill screech when pleased and gulp down a lump in their throat if worried. The concept of marriage was a part of Riileb culture and females who were not married traditionally did not grow a full head of hair, although they were allow to have at least a single braid, which some individuals grew up to a meter in length and might entwine it with a silky black tie. Male Riilebs mean while always had a full head of hair. Riileb wore clothing similar to many other sentient beings in the galaxy including boots, pants and shirts. Riileb society maintained many aspects of its insect heritage and their cities were built on the same islands their ancestors inhabited, consisting of complex and twisted alleys and passages similar to the labyrinthine mounds their ancestors once built. The society was controlled by the being that held an item known the ClanRing, a piece of jewelry believed to have been crafted by the First Riileb, a mythical figure amongst members of the species. The ring would be rightfully held only by the eldest member of a group named the motherclan, who were believed to be direct descendants of the first Riileb. The eldest member of the group received the ring once they reach the age of thirty in local years, which was the equivalent of 21 standard years of age. Political intrigue, deceit and infighting was common amongst the motherclan however and those further down in the line of inheritance would often arrange for the heir of the ring to be removed, with at least one individual being sold into slavery.

History
The Riilebs evolved from a species of social insects on a swampy planet which shared their name within the Riileb system. Their ancestors also possessed antennae and lived on the few small islands of dry land found on their hot and humid homeworld. where they build complex labyrinth mounds. Their star system was located within the region of the galaxy which became known as Hutt Space and was considered to be part of the region as early as 4,000 BBY. During a period in which the planet was considered to be on the fringe of Hutt Space, the first contact from off-worlders was made with the Riilebs by a group of Nimbanese scouts who served the Hutt species whom controlled Hutt space. The Nimabanese attempted to persuade the Riilebs, who at the time had reached a feudal level of society, to agree to voluntary servitude to the Hutts but the insectoids rejected the idea. Following the refusal several attempts were made by the Hutts to take control of Riileb and enslave its people, but the Hutt forces, which were controlled by a Hutt named Velrugha, were successfully repelled by the natives each time. After several unsuccessful invasions the Hutts gave up and began searching for less resistant worlds to conquer leaving the Riilebs as one of the few independent species in Hutt Space, along with the Sakiyan species of Sakiya. Following the discovery of the Riilebs by the rest of the galaxy the they gained access to the standard levels of technology available throughout the galaxy, which they implemented on their homeworld. Due to its independence Riileb became known as a haven within Hutt Space for those wishing to avoid the Hutts. Despite this the planet did not see large amounts of interstellar traffic bar that looking to trade in heklu, amphibious animals native to the planet which were eaten and considered a delicacy within the worlds of the Core Worlds.

Riileb in the galaxy
"The Empire did this."

- Tere Metallo speaks of her facial scar

Riilebs were not a common sight in the galaxy but were not unknown by the galaxy at large. Many left their homeworld to become traders or use their mood detection abilities to excel at careers in bar-tending, psychiatry or as physicians.

Tere Metallo was a female Riileb who was born to the motherclan and stood to inherit the leadership at the age of thirty. However at the age of twenty five she was sold into slavery by a jealous sister. Metallo was rescued from slavery by a Corellian smuggler named Bek Nataal, who taught her a large amount about smuggling and piloting before he was killed during an unexpected inspection by Imperials. The Riileb was captured by the Imperials and imprisoned and tortured before escaping to Corellia where she took up work repairing ships. When she earned enough she brought her own ship, a Suwantek Systems TL-1800 freighter which she named Star Quest. For several years she made legitimate runs in the Mid Rim and during this took on a co-pilot named Matt Turhaya. During a stop on the planet Kabaira the pair ended up aiding members of a Rebel Cell, one of whom was an old acquaintance of Metallo. After their run in with the Imperials the pair began running supplies for the Rebel Alliance, although Matt was killed whilst doing so. Metallo eventually accepted a commission in Alliance Intelligence after the Battle of Yavin and used her work as a free trader to slip on to Imperial controlled world and provide intelligence from there. After the transition of the Rebel Alliance into the New Republic Metallo continued working for the Republic and shortly after Grand Admiral Thrawn's death took up a mission to destroy a secret Imperial research facility on the planet Sarahwiee. She and her crew, as well as a separate crew under the command of the Jedi Luke Skywalker, took a job from Imperials on the planet Garos IV to ship supplies to the facility, planning to destroy the base with explosives once there. During their flight to Sarahwiee, Metallo discovered that a member of the resistance against the Imperials on Garos IV had stowed away on their ship in hope of rescuing a friend who was being held on Sarahwiee. The Riileb agreed to transport the Human, who was named Alexandra Winger and unbeknownst to Metallo was the daughter of Matt, to the planet and help save her friend, a scientist named Carl Barzon. Once at the facility the group managed to successfully plant the explosives and rescue Barzon and escaped after a short fire fight with a number of Imperial stormtroopers.

Behind the scenes
The Riilebs first appeared in the sixth issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal series of sourcebooks for the West End Games roleplaying game, Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game which was released in 1995. They appeared in the form of the character Tere Metallo in the short story "Rendezvous with Destiny" by Charlene Newcomb. Tere then appeared again in the seventh issue of the adventure journal in another short story named "Passages" which was published later that year and also written by Newcomb which acted as a prequel to the first story. In 1997 the Riilebs were fleshed out as a species in an article called "Alien Encounters" in the thirteenth issue of the Adventure Journal which was written by Brian Smithson. The article was then partially reprinted in March 1998 in the role-playing source book also named Alien Encounters which was a collection of information from all of the Alien Encounters articles compiled by Paul Sudlow. Both instances gave the Riileb stats which favored perception and mechanics. The Riilebs also received and entry in the Star Wars Encyclopedia written by Stephen J. Sansweet in June of the same year. The Riilebs would not be mentioned again until 2008 when they received  an entry in the The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia written again by Sansweet, this time with aid from Pablo Hidalgo. The species were also mentioned in the 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas by Jason Fry and Daniel Wallace and the 2012 reference book The Essential Reader's Companion by Hidalgo.