Baes was a planet in the Vall`to sector of the Unknown Regions. The homeworld of the Laquil, it was equally (if not more) famous for the Baes Shipyards in orbit. Baes was originally a member world and military depot of the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob, but was conquered and absorbed into the Golden Empire during the Great Liberation.
Geography[]
The surface of Baes was temperate, with a variety of climates and extremes as the poles and equator. Many of the habitable reasons had large cities and bustling spaceports, though some areas of relatively pristine nature were preserved as parks or resorts for the wealthy. While Baes had large oceans, its surface water also appeared in chains of lakes and rivers which stretched for hundreds of miles.
Baes had two moons, both of which had complex space stations on them. The moons were defended by turbolaser batteries and their own shield generators, in addition to Baes's own defenses. At least two battlestations were also in orbit.
Much of Baes's near space was taken up with the Baes Shipyards; light from the shipyards and their near-constant space traffic could clearly be seen at night on the planet's surface.
Society and culture[]
Though it was the homeworld of the Laquil, Baes was a relatively heterogeneous society by the time the Golden Empire acquired it. Its use as a Tetrarchy military depot had assured the constant presence of a variety of alien species, and as a result, distinctive Laquil culture had largely faded. However, Baes was widely considered a very pro-military planet, given that much of its revenue derived from the Shipyards and military personnel were constantly present. The Royal Starfighter Academy was located at Baes.
During its first several decades as a member of the Golden Empire, Baes acquired the reputation of needing a firm hand to govern, especially in its Consul.
History[]
The sentient Laquil had dominated Baes long before the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob arrived in 214 BBY. Laquil technology had improved to the point that the Laquil had established several permanent space stations—precursors to what would become the Baes Shipyards—and had explored the Sontac system with both probes and manned craft. Tetrarchy forces arrived from the Mezlag sector and defeated what resistance the Laquil could muster. Rather than enslave the people, however, the Tetrarchs offered them membership in the Empire.
Baes became the Tetrarchy's military depot in the Vall`to sector, the martial counterpart to the economic powerhouse that was Vall`to. The Baes Shipyards were expanded many times over, becoming a major manufacturing plant for the Tetrarchy Navy as well as an operations base. The subsequent invasion of the rest of the Vall`to sector was launched from Baes, as were forces sent to quell uprisings.
Baes was again crucial to invasion in 102 ABY as the first site of what became the Golden Empire's capture of the Vall`to sector. The Battle of Baes was brutal and violent, and saw the destruction of one of Baes's orbital battlestations and several capital ships on both sides before the Tetrarchy fleet finally surrendered. Acquiring the Tetrarchy ships for itself, the Armada used Baes as a jumping-off point for its followup conquest of Vall`to and the liberation of the rest of the sector. Amassing its forces, the Empire launched from Baes to invade the Mezlag sector.
In the aftermath of the war, Baes experienced a brief period of economic instability before Rin Sakaros elected to overlook past offenses and move forward. Tetrarchy collaborators were executed, but Baes was given the Baes Shipyards as a planetary governmental possession (they had previously belonged to the Tetrarchy central government). The Shipyards quickly received exclusive contracts to manufacture the Empire's starfighters, which also contributed to Baes's economic recovery.
The Royal Starfighter Academy was established on Baes in 107 ABY.
Baes saw a number of Consuls over the years, including a few native Laquil. Toblus Dijrek was considered weak-willed and indulgent by Rin Sakaros, who deposed him and replaced him with the Centurion Sorrik. After the Nightmare War, Princess Breek Zagrev took over as Consul in 149 ABY.