Umbara

The Planet Umbara

Umbara is a dark shadowy planet located in the Ghost Nebula. Because of its isolation from the galaxy, its inhabitants, the native Umbarans, have developed more advanced technology than the rest of the galaxy. The capital city of Umbara is Umbara City. Umbara has three moons, Khalva, Fulzhar, and Paruhn.

## Climate

The climate on Umbara is relatively chilly compared to most habitable planets, but it is still within a traditionally habitable range. The temperature across the surface changes with altitude rather than longitude due to the primary heat source of the planet being geothermal rather than solar. This means that the Northern hemisphere is somewhat colder than the slightly warmer southern hemisphere.

## Culture

Umbaran society is built on a many tiered caste system. This cutthroat social order causes many Umbarans to attempt to improve their position through any means possible, leading to the creation of a brutal backstabbing populace. Because of the scheming tendencies of their culture, they are also highly militarized in order to make it easier to suppress any potential coups or revolts. The name Umbara is the Galactic Basic translation of the Umbaran name for the planet, which itself is based on the Umbaran word for Umbra.

Some of the best ways to move upward in Umbara's caste system are through the military or Umbaran Espionage Bureau.

The planet has an estimated population of 6.6 billion, but it's likely higher thanks to some lower castes being ignored.

Umbaran scientists developed a Bacta substitute called Phalla, named after the goddess of healing in an ancient Umbaran religion.

## Demographics

Umbara has a population of approximately 6 billion, though census totals are notoriously unreliable. The Umbaran Espionage Bureau frequently has to check up on the results, removing dead people and registering newborns that were misreported, often intentionally.

## Education

Each of the planet's 12 largest cities had a trade school specializing in a certain important field of knowledge based upon the strengths of that city. At a younger age, a variety of subjects were taught with the intent of determining each student's best topic. Once a student's aptitude had been properly assessed, they would be transferred to a trade school fitting their needs, regardless of age. For less desirable topics of study, there were smaller trade schools in smaller cities, but they were far less prestigious than the primary 12.

If a student failed to show aptitude in any field by the age of 20, they would have to decide between being assigned to the labor force, where they would fill any empty labor positions, or join the Umbaran Militia as an enlisted soldier.

## Government

The 12 largest cities are run by councilors that are on the Umbaran Advisory Council. Umbara is split into 15 regions, each run by a Regional Overseer. One of these regions was Villunga. Smaller cities are run by Deputy Administrators appointed by the Regional Overseer. The Regional Overseers decide on the boundaries and designation of cities in their district.

There is no police force on Umbara. Instead, the Umbaran Military and Umbaran Espionage Bureau work together to enforce the law.

## Geography

The planet Umbara was primarily covered in land, although there were plenty of small seas across its surface. There are also deep underground aquifers to provide water.

## Geology

The surface of Umbara was rich in Doonium, which was a major export of the planet. The planet's geological activity was primarily in the form of underwater volcanic vents, and tidal forces heating the planet's core, though there were a small number of weak geysers that could be found near fault lines inland. Hot springs are also common on Umbara. These geothermal activities are a key source of heat for the planet.

The tectonic plates on Umbara are relatively large, and at this point in geological history, the boundaries are fairly pronounced, with either tall inland mountains or wide ocean chasms marking the different tectonic plates.

## Military

### Militia

The Umbaran Militia is a large ground-based army that is currently volunteer-based. However, many Umbarans choose to volunteer as it is a quick way to improve their social standing in Umbara's hierarchical social structure, resulting in a very large militia.

The militia consists of 335 numbered sections of 179,177, making the militia total roughly 64,024,296 manpower. The entire structure is led by Grand General Porious Gorlani, leading from Militia HQ in Umbara City. Umbara city itself has a large military presence, with the 5th, 21st, 36th, 46th, 51st, and 78th regiments garrisoned there. Each section is led by a Section General with 5 Generals as support staff.

The army also has an armored division which often attaches tanks to the infantry units. The Umbaran Armored Divison has roughly 1,000 Heavy Hover Tanks, 850 Mobile Heavy Tanks, and 350 Impeding Assault Tanks.

### Navy

The Umbaran Navy is not nearly as powerful as many in the galaxy and is the weakest of the Umbaran military's three branches. It consists primarily of small capital ships, of which roughly 750 are in service.

### Air Force

The Umbaran Air Force consists of primarily Dominator U-3 Starfighters, and has roughly 3,000 in service. Umbaran pilots are heavily trained to be able to safely and skillfully pilot their sensitive and high tech fighters.

## History

Umbara was settled early in Galactic history by human colonists from elsewhere in the galaxy. These colonists came to Umbara, but were unable to leave because the ionized particles of the Ghost Nebula disabled their engines, leading to a crash that destroyed their hyperdrive. The survivors formed a violent and hard fought civilization based around their crashed ship, which is now located in Umbara City. Over time, these humans adapted to the planet and became Umbarans.

These early settlers had very limited technology, even for the time, but eventually they learned to use the resources around them to expand their scientific knowledge.

Most of Umbara's cities originally developed near the planet's shallow seas and rivers. However, most expansion as time went on went to the interior rather than the oceans. As such, most major cities are far inland, while coastal and river cities are much smaller and focused on agriculture.

Umbara has frequent revolts and revolutions, and while most fail, the history of poor treatment of the lower castes continually incites these uprisings. Some notable uprisings occurred in 309 BBY and 38 BBY.