Roche asteroid field

The Roche asteroid field were a series of asteroids colonized by the Verpine in 25,180 BBY, including Nickel One (the capital), Slayn, Korpil, Roche G42, and Shantipole.

History
Some believed that the asteroids were the remains of the Verpine homeworld, possibly destroyed by civil war. The Verpine simply claimed that they did not know where their homeworld was located.

The government has been called by two different names in sources, the (Verpine) Hive and the Verpine Technocracy. This government referred to all the Verpine worlds in the Roche Sector as a cohesive whole and not the diseparate Hive-minded governments of each planet or system.

Roche joined the Galactic community prior to the Jedi Civil War, exporting Verpine shatter guns. In 3,996 BBY, a Verpine pirate named Raxsus Nuli tried to conquer a planet, but was arrested by the Jedi. When the Wookiees joined the galactic community, they traded with the Verpine for manufacturing processes.



The asteroids were the headquarters of Roche Industries and Slayn & Korpil. They were the only place where larmalstone was available. By 22,000 BBY the Roche asteroids had joined the Galactic Republic.

After the Battle of Yavin, the asteroids were the site of Project Shantipole, in which Slayn & Korpil worked with Ackbar to develop the B-wing starfighter. When the Galactic Empire became aware of this, Governor Bane Nothos blockaded the system. However, the Rebels broke the blockade with the B-wing prototypes and blew up Shantipole Research Station, resulting in Nothos's demotion to Commander.

The Verpine later joined the New Republic. In 4 ABY, a conflict broke out between the Verpine and the Barabels; the Barabels sold dead Verpine to the Kubaz as food. This dispute was eventually settled by Leia Organa Solo.



In 35 ABY, during the Swarm War, the Killiks tried to take over the Roche asteroids and other insectoid-inhabited worlds of the Galactic Alliance. The Jedi repulsed the invaders and saved the Verpine hive queen.

By 40 ABY, the Verpine agreed to a trade agreement with the Mandalorians for protection services in exchange for technological enhancements. The system was invaded by the Imperial Remnant shortly after, but the Mandalorians honored their agreement and came to the Verpine's aid.

To prevent future attacks on their colonies, the Verpine created the IX-6 heavy combat droids to supplement their defenses. Sometime after the establishment of Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire in 130 ABY, a fleet of Star Destroyers blasted several heavily populated Verpine asteroids to dust for the species' unwillingness to stop the production of the IX-6 model.

Behind the scenes
They were no doubt named after the Roche limit, with a pun on the similarity of the insectoid Verpine to cockroaches.

Appearances

 * Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel
 * Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight
 * The Courtship of Princess Leia
 * Dark Force Rising
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Star by Star
 * Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
 * Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
 * Sacrifice
 * Revelation
 * Invincible
 * Invincible

Notes and references
Roche-Asteroidengürtel