Mon Cala
Geography
Known also as Mon Calamari and Dac, Mon Cala is covered by a great ocean with scattered reefs and atolls poking through the surface. Mon Cala is teeming with aquatic life, some of which have evolved unique forms of sentience. However, two species rule the planet: the squid-like Quarren are isolationist miners and laborers, while the fishlike Mon Calamari are engineers and explorers with their eyes on the stars.
Fauna & Flora
The Mon Calamari
The Mon Calamari are a species that values creativity, honor, and intelligence, and they are great patrons of the arts. Mon Calamari ballet is a unique art respected throughout the galaxy, and many popular shell horn bands and sculptors have come from Mon Cala. The Mon Calamari also consider shipbuilding to be an art form. The best shipwrights believe that it is not their job to bend the components to their design; instead, they allow the materials to suggest their own shape and use. Traditionally, the Mon Calamari’s cities are at least partially on the surface, where they can see the stars at night. Peaceful explorers at heart, the Mon Calamari have led a life of relative luxury for millennia on the backs of Quarren labor. The violence of the Clone Wars, followed by Imperial enslavement, was a cultural shock to all beings on Mon Cala, but particularly to the Mon Calamari. As a species, they suddenly recognized the need of all beings to be equal and free, and they vowed to do right by the Quarren, if given the chance.The Quarren
As a species, Quarren tends to focus only on the task at hand. They are often described as gruff or even rude to strangers. For thousands of years, the Quarren labored under the Mon Calamari, working long hours in dangerous conditions on mining and construction projects. Still, the Quarren are naturally drawn to mining, and their language has more words than most to describe gemstones and their qualities. Despite their lack of formal education, they also enjoy building Mon Calamari ship designs, seeing it as an opportunity to learn. The Quarren are also interested in the arts. Their singers double as lore-keepers, and from an early age, most children are taught hundreds of songs that explain the history of their ancestors. The Quarren obsession with gems has resulted in their perfecting the art of cutting and polishing stones. They have learned the art of coral-shaping from the Mon Calamari, growing intricate sculptures from living coral. The Quarren were much better adapted to endure Imperial slavery, and many secretly relished watching the Mon Calamari struggle to survive. Despite the new government and the Quarren's current peace with the Mon Calamari, the truce between the two remains uneasy. Many Quarren still harbor resentment toward the Mon Calamari and are unable to let go of old prejudices. However, most Quarren know that the Mon Calamari keep their word, and they are willing to try to make the new government work.Natural Resources
The main exports of Mon Cala are Seafood and High Technology Starships. However, most of the precious metals come from a nearby asteroid belt.
History
Though the initial discovery of Mon Cala occurred within the last few millennia, the Quarren and Mon Calamari had already developed their unique drives and taken to the stars. The Mon Calamari colonized nearby Ruisto, where they first encountered Republic scouts, as well as Mantan and Hinakuu. Meanwhile, the Quarren claimed Minntooine, Buchich, and Pammant for themselves. Another dozen key systems were settled over the millennia, defining the borders of Mon Calamari Space.
Eventually, Mon Cala was welcomed as an allied state of the Republic shortly before the New Sith Wars. Renowned for its citizens' skills as engineers and shipwrights, Mon Cala saw its economy boom; both the Quarren and the Mon Calamari became common sights throughout the galaxy.
The abyssal oceans of Mon Cala gave rise to countless lifeforms. While the Whaladons, the Knowledge Bank, and the Moappa all possess forms of intelligence, the Quarren and Mon Calamari are the dominant species of the watery planet. Unfortunately, Quarren pragmatism and Mon Calamari idealism have put the two species at odds throughout history.
Despite their differences, the Mon Calamari and Quarren united under Mon Calamari King Morn, the first of his line. A little over a century later, Mon Calamari convinced the Quarren to help construct genius mathematician Q-Viza’s cavitation drive ships to explore the vast ocean of space. The cavitation drives were slow, but the Mon Calamari eventually reached Mon Eron, the fifth planet in their system. As terraforming on Mon Eron’s subterranean oceans began, the Mon Calamari settled Ruisto, Mantan, and Hinakuu. The Quarren grew jealous when the Mon Calamari returned with stories of their new homes, and soon they coveted settlements of their own.
Decades after colonization efforts began, the Mon Calamari made contact with Republic scouts. As the centuries rolled forward, Mon Cala was given the opportunity to join the Republic. While the Mon Calamari relished the opportunity, the Quarren dreaded it. In the end, Quarren Chieftain Allat Za forced the king to compromise, and Mon Cala was instead made an independent allied state of the Republic. In spite of Allat Za’s victory, the Quarren continued to feel increasingly marginalized by the Mon Calamari, as if they were little more than sub sentient laborers.
Enslaved by the Empire
Quarren resentment simmered until it finally boiled over during the Clone Wars when the Quarren Isolationist League allied with the Confederacy. Twice, the Clone Wars brought devastation to Mon Cala as the Separatists tried to break the royal bloodline and deliver the throne to the Quarren. Prince Lee-Char survived the Clone Wars to be crowned the eighty-third King of Mon Cala. He achieved a measure of peace in his world, but it was short-lived.
When the Empire coalesced under Emperor Palpatine, one of his first acts was to punish the Republic’s enemies from the Clone Wars. Mon Cala, along with the rest of Mon Calamari Space, paid a terrible price for Quarren separatism. The Empire, led by Grand Moff Tarkin, sent an invasion fleet to punish the Quarren and all who would stand with them. Ironically, it was a small group of Quarren Isolationist League holdouts led by Seggor Tels that Tarkin tricked into sabotaging Mon Cala’s shield generators at Coral City, Foamwander City, and Reef Home. The king died in the assault, and the Mon Calamari and Quarren were enslaved by the Empire, forced to strip-mine their worlds and build Imperial warships.
Isolated incidents of sabotage and resistance began immediately, though it was years before the two sides began coordinating their efforts. United against a common enemy, the Mon Calamari and Quarren began making Imperial occupation of Mon Calamari Space very costly for the Empire.Tourism
Mon Cala is a populous planet with multiple species, each of which exhibits many cultural differences from city to city. The active ecosystems of Mon Cala’s oceans contain vicious predators and other dangers. As a result, most beings on Mon Cala cluster together in protected cities. Cities are often constructed around natural barriers, breakwaters, or reefs that isolate the citizens from danger. This same philosophy was applied to the colonization efforts in the surrounding sector of space.
Mon Cala City
The capital of Mon Cala is Mon Calamari City, though, since restoring their own government, the Mon Calamari and Quarren have taken to calling it Coral City. Coral City features the Royal Palace, from which Mon Calamari kings once ruled Mon Cala. The Dac Council continues to use the city as its capital, thanks to its high-tech infrastructure. The city is divided into two distinct districts. Coral City is a buoyant metropolis not unlike Bespin’s Cloud City. Far below the surface is the other half of the city, known as Coral Depths. City transit is accomplished via a network of current tubes. The rapidly flowing water spirits swimmers along at speeds in excess of thirty kilometers per hour. However, swimmers, sleds, and undersea mounts are also used throughout the city. A series of long, pressurized turbolifts dangle from the Coral City to anchored points in Coral Depths to facilitate rapid vertical transit without causing decompression sickness. (Coral City and the Coral Depths are part of Mon Cala City.)Coral City
The newest part of the metropolis is the buoyant Coral City. Half of the city complex is submerged, while the other half stretches toward the stars. The buildings and blisters are a variety of colors, mostly pearl, pink, salmon, and bright shades of blue and green. The city was built to better facilitate trade and negotiations with the Empire, which had a distinct lack of aquatic representatives.The Coral Depths
The oldest part of the city, Coral Depths embodies some of the earliest engineering marvels of the Mon Calamari and Quarren. Each building is hundreds of meters tall. Coral Depths is also home to the Royal Palace, where generations of kings once ruled over the seas. The palace is largely converted into a museum today, but it is still an impressive sight. It is a source of pride for the Mon Calamari, but a symbol of oppression to some Quarren. Coral Depths is also famous among young Mon Calamari Rebels as being the hometown of Admiral Ackbar.Quarren City
This major Quarren population center is just a few leagues from Coral City, down on the ocean floor. The city is a collection of disc-shaped dwellings networked into a metal framework anchored to the seafloor. It sprawls across a forest of tall plants that grow atop volcanic vents. The ocean depths are dark, made murky by the smoking vents. To help with navigation, much of the city is awash in bright-green lights. Located near the Alopia Rift, the city is composed primarily of support industries for the bustling mining activity in the rift. Many Quarren, even those who work at the farthest mining outposts, prefer to call on Quarren City when they need to resupply. Quarren Industrial is one of the city's more powerful factions. Until recently, Quarren City was considered the capital of the Quarren population. It was from here that, alongside Separatist Riff Tamson, the Quarren amassed a Confederacy army and attacked the Mon Calamari. (The Alopia Rift and Quarren Industrial Headquarters are a part of Quarren City.)The Alopia Rift
The Alopia Rift is home to thousands of Quarren mining camps, where heavy metals and precious gemstones are extracted. It is one of the safest mining trenches in use on Mon Calamari. Most are home to exotic life with poisonous stingers, and the hardy predators that feed on them. In the Alopia Rift, the biggest danger is the potential for a cave-in. The rift has been plumbed for so long that its structural stability has been undermined in some places.Quarren Industrial Headquarters
The creators of many models of mining vehicles, some of which are automated, Quarren Industrial has made a small fortune for itself drawing upon its wealth of mining experience. The company tests many of its new designs right in the Alopia Rift. Once they are refined, it sells them across the galaxy. Quarren Industrial's designs are among the best for undersea mining. However, it offers a line of repulsorlift mining vehicles as well, in hopes of breaking into new markets.Foamwander
The megalopolis of Foamwander is among Mon Cala’s oldest floating cities. One of the largest population centers on all of Mon Cala, Foamwander drifts in a small pattern around the Knowledge Bank. Originally much smaller, the city has undergone major construction and has grown tenfold. At a distance, Foamwander’s vaguely pyramidal, the pearl-colored outer shell is often mistaken for a large iceberg by newcomers. The city is one of the largest trade hubs on Mon Cala. While its surface contains docking bays for visitors, its bulk is below the waterline. Early resistance against Imperial rule was conducted by a group known as the Foamwander Five. (Datum District, Hangar Market, Coral Depths City and the Knowledge Bank are a part of Foamwander.)Datum District
In addition to trading goods, Foamwander also contains a bustling financial market. The Datum District hosts the exchanges where commodities and stocks are ruthlessly bought and sold. A number of holonet news outlets maintain offices within the district to monitor the pulse of financial outlooks for investments in Calamari Space.Hangar Market
The surface of Foamwander is almost entirely made up of docking bays, which all funnel toward a central marketplace. Here, all manner of offworld and local goods are available for purchase in bulk. Most of the commerce is conducted by independent merchants and traders, rather than large corporations. Paying full price without negotiating a little first is seen as rude.Coral Depths City
Often confused with the district of the same name below Coral City, Coral Depths City is a small, suburban community just outside Foamwander. Most Mon Calamari who live in Coral Depths City are merchants or financial traders who work on the floating city of Foamwander, but prefer to live surrounded by nature.The Knowledge Bank
A collection of semi-sentient mollusks not far from Foamwander City, the Knowledge Bank is a unique hive-minded organism that has recorded all history on Mon Cala since it achieved sentience. The Knowledge Bank is telepathic and in contact with schools of the non-sentient kulthka fish. These fish are ubiquitous throughout Mon Cala, and the Knowledge Bank passively records everything they see or hear. Considered one of the great wonders of Mon Cala, this knowledge resource has been protected by Mon Calamari priests for millennia. While many on Mon Cala know of its existence, great care has been taken to ensure the Empire never learns of it.
"Mon Cala is a valuable world in many ways--its people, technology, and civilization. Why, Emperor Palpatine himself enjoys the Mon Calamari Aquatic Ballet."
―Governor Wilhuff Tarkin on Mon Cala's importance.
Alternative Name(s)
Dac
Type
Planet
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Contested By
Related Reports (Primary)