INFO: 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 understand the value of life. They were also known for their massive database about xenobiology.
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.
RACE: Kallidahin (AKA: Polis Massan)
HEIGHT: 1.4 Meters Tall
SKIN: Gray
DISTINCTION: Commonly mute, four fingers, lack of facial features, telepathic
LANGUAGE: Massan, galactic basic
HOMEWORLD:Kallidah was the homeworld of the Kallidahin species. The planet's Archaeological Research Council established a Research Base on the nearby Polis Massa asteroid colony to try and uncover evidence of an evolutionary link between the Kallidahin and the extinct Eellayin natives. The entire population of Kallidah abandoned their homeworld and moved to Polis Massa to work on the project.
BIOLOGY AND 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.
CULTURE AND HISTORY: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.
ORIGINS:Although most of the galaxy believed the Kallidahin to be the original inhabitants of the planetoid Polis Massa, the species had actually evolved on a different world known as Kallidah, in the Subterrel sector.
The planet Polis Massa, in the more isolated limits of the Outer Rim Territories, was instead the original home of a subterranean civilization known as the Eellayin. Many centuries before the battle of Yavin, Polis Massa exploded due to a natural disaster whose cause would remain unknown in further years. The native Eellayin mysteriously vanished afterwards and the Kallidahin and the Republic subsequently considered the Eeyallin to be extinct. The planet became an asteroid field, with the biggest asteroid being renamed Polis Massa.
Given Kallidahin reticence, few details were known of their past before the sixth century BBY. At some point in the past, this species made a deal with another one to learn the cloning techniques from the secretive clone-masters known as Kaminoans. The Kaminoans agreed to the deal in exchange for certain xenobiological data in the Kallidahin archives. Although the Kallidahin did not become as elaborate as their intructors, they managed to employ the technology in attempts to re-build biological matter they had found in archaeological digs. They believed themselves to be descendants of the ancient Eellayin species once native to Polis Massa, although they kept this conviction in secret. The Kallidahin also learnt to use cloning for medical purposes, although they were not as advanced as the Kaminoans in this field.
Later, in the sixth century BBY, the Archaeological Research Council decided to establish a Research Base on the largest of the asteroid remnants of the Polis Massa system, by-then known as Polis Massa, to unearth evidence of this evolutionary link.
Circa 519 BBY, the entire population of Kallidah left their homeworld to mine at Polis Massa. They travelled to the biggest asteroids in the system to start looking for clues. The main objective of the species in successive years would be discovering their real connection with the Eellayin. Although their civilization officially covered the whole asteroid field, only the biggest asteroids had a settled population. They organized their new life in Polis Massa, centered around an archaeological dig that would be surrounded by a mining colony. As the asteroids lacked a natural atmosphere and the Kallidahin were oxygen-breathers, they resorted to airtight buildings. They built their new capital, Polis Massa Base, and organized imports of food, water and machinery, even if the system had no real exports. They also built, in one of the closed habitats, a high-quality medical center mostly equipped for the physiological needs of Kallidahin patients.
In later centuries, they found many artifacts and remains of the Eellayin, although real proofs of the relation, commonly coming from the depths of the Polis Massa asteroid, were scarce. The species had trouble with treasure hunters wanting to plunder their digs, and with the raising piracy in the Outer Rim Territories. The inhabitants of Polis Massa were quiet in their work to avoid attracting any undesired attention and refused to get involved with the rest of the galaxy, but nevertheless they kept their politeness when dealing with aliens.
When their initial research began to take dozens of decades, the Kallidahin chose to remain in Polis Massa and continue their task for as long as needed; soon, they had been away from Kallidah for so long that the species had no living memories of their own origin. At that point, aliens in the galaxy began calling the Kallidahin with the name of Polis Massans because they had been living in Polis Massa for centuries. The species humbly accepted their new name, feeling honored and with no objection.
At some point during their research, the Kallidahin found the remains of Wiyentaah, an Eellayin city, and built an excavation, The Local Dig, over it, to carefully unbury the metropolis little by little. As many of the newly found artifacts were fragile, they were kept in sterile, well-kept rooms.
Other cultures began to speculate about the real connection between the Kallidahin and the Eellayin, but the Kallidahin were silent in that respect. As the Kallidahin were always anxious to learn about xenobiology, many other species believed that their traditional drive was their real motivation. They said they wanted to preserve the memory of the lost Eellayin, but certain outsiders believed they really wanted to resurrect their ancestors using their cloning technology. The newly-called Polis Massans had previously cloned extinct lifeforms in other places. Following this theory, they had not succeeded in cloning Eellayin because they had not found adequate genetic material.
The Kallidahin also began building droids through a company known as Polis Massa Pria Assemblage. They mostly manufactured machines for their own use instead of exporting them, mainly archaeological droids and miner droids; but they also needed help in skills beyond xenobiology, like obstetrics. Apparently to that end, they built the Chroon-Tan B-Machine, which had a face inspired in the species's.
Another alien who had had contact with the Kallidahin was Yoda, a renowned Jedi master. Yoda had dealt with the Kallidahin Maneeli Tuun, operational head of the medical center of Polis Massa and firm supporter of the Galactic Republic.
ORDER 66:In 19 BBY, Yoda became a fugitive and, along with his ally Bail Organa, he went to Polis Massa looking for a haven. He had chosen this asteroid field partly because it was a remote place, adequate to be harbored, and partly because he knew he could count on Tuun. Yoda was soon joined by his allies Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, droids C-3PO and R2-D2 and pregnant, injured Senator Padmé Amidala, all of them travelling in Amidala's star skiff. They asked the Kallidahin to help during the childbirth.
However, the available obstetricians were mostly members of an archaelogical dig team, with only two of them being seasoned physicians; the others were exobiologists. Amidala's condition was so severe that they had no time to look for more prepared doctors. The doctors even had to operate in their mining bodysuits, not having a minute to change clothes. The Kallidahin who treated her were Maneeli Tuun, Dznori Xam and Selif Xam, with the added presence of Osh Scal, a non-medic supply officer.
Recognizing their unfamiliarity with Human parturition, the Kallidahin consulted their databank and resorted to a Chiewab Amalgamated GH-7 medical diagnosis droid, an advanced droid of which they had several units, to deal with Amidala's injuries; and a seldom-used Chroon-Tan B-Machine to help with the childbearing.
Although Amidala had twins, Luke and Leia, she had lost any will to live and slowly refused to recover. The Kallidahins and the droid did everything in her power to save her life, but failed. R2-D2 secretly recorded all the events with his holocam.
Still wanting to keep the birth a secret, the Jedi decided to simulate that Amidala was still pregnant when she had died. The discrete Kallidahin agreed to keep the secret, even if they probably did not understand the galaxy-wide importance of it. Kenobi and Yoda asked them to erase any record of the birth, including a memory wipe of the used medical droids. However, the doctors had performed safety tests to the newborns, consuming several supplies, and the supply record was forgotten during the deletion. The Jedi and Organa left soon afterwards, heading to Naboo to bury Amidala.
