System: Ryloth system, Ryloth
Starport Type: Limited services
Traffic: Rare
Control: None
Landing: Crew
Docking Areas: Landing field
Docking Fee: 25 to 100 credits per day
Customs: Local inspection
Services: Food, lodging, repair services (limited)
Capsule: Kala'uun is one of the Twi'lek cities on the searing surface of Ryloth. Contained within the rock formation known as the Lonely Five, Kala'uun is a bustling city which enjoys trade with several smugglers and free-traders who are daring enough to brave Ryloth's hostile environment and the narrow entrance to the city.
The starport is actually a landing field at the bottom of an immense cavern within one of the mountains forming the Lonely Five. Most of the starport services are located on this ground level, although access tunnels, turbolifts, stairways, ramps and ladders connect this level with other levels perched in the cavern high above the starport, as well as the four other caves comprising the city. Access to these other areas is limited to Twi'leks or their authorized guests, and guards enforce the restriction.
Kala'uun's starport is run by one of the five members of the city's head-clan. A small contingent of pirates and a few starfighters, left here by the slave lord Voorg the Thandicant, provide minimal protection to the starport from outside threats. They are also a constant reminder of the secondary role of the head-clan in deciding policy for Kala'uun, as well as the Twi'leks' continual vulnerability to slavers.
Type: Terrestrial
Temperature: Hot
Atmosphere: Type I (breathable)
Hydrosphere: Arid
Gravity: Standard
Terrain: Barren, caves, desert, mountains, wasteland
Length of Day: 19 standard hours
Length of Year: 289 local days
Sapient Species: Twi'leks (N)
Starport: Limited services
Population: 11.5 million
Planet Function: Homeworld
Government: Head-clan
Tech Level: Industrial
Major Exports: Ryll, slaves
Major Imports: Mid and high technology
Capsule: Perhaps best known as the Twi'lek homeworld, Ryloth is an inhospitable planet filled with twisted rock formations and mountains. One side is constantly baked in the heat of Ryloth's sun, while the other side barely survives the perpetual night. Heat storms and other air currents keep the dark side warm enough to sustain life, although most lifeforms survive only by taking refuge in deep caves during the intense storms which blast through Ryloth's canyons and mountain ranges.
Several Twi'lek cities exist just beneath Ryloth's surface, either build into the rocky terrain or built up to blend in. Each city is autonomous and is governed by a five-member "head clan." Each member is the head-clan is responsible for overseeing one major aspect of the city: production, agriculture, power, air and water, and starport services are often major areas governed by a head-clan member.
While most cities have landing facilities for starships, few broadcast their location. Twi'leks have often been targets of slavers, whose oppressive policies of tribute sap the Twi'lek economy, demoralize the populace, and keep the Twi'leks little more than a passive species dependent on others for space travel and contact with the outside galaxy.
Okay, so all these heat storms blow randomly through the mountains of Ryloth's dark side, and you're going to Kala'uun. how do you keep your ship from being blasted out of control and smashing into the surface? First, keep your eyes open for oncoming heat storms. Sensors can indicate the slow temperature change that rides the head of the storm — once you notice the temperature steadily rising, you have about one minute before you're blown away in the storm.
Second, stay out of the canyons. Sure, flying through the narrow canyons and passages between rock formations is dangerous to begin with, but Kala'uun's a lot easier to spot from that low altitude. If you ride just above the peaks, you'll be better off, even if it is harder to find the city.
Third, when you do spot a heat storm, pull up. The storms tend to be more violent at lower altitudes — and there are more rocks to hit down there, too. Ride high over the storm until it runs its course, then continue your search for Kala'uun.
Koh'shak is a sneaky little womp rat. He knows his position as a member of Kala'uun's head-clan is the lowest in terms of power and prestige, so he tries to compensate by collecting whatever taxes he can to fill his clan's coffers, and tries even more to encourage spacers to give him gifts.
Don't try to impress Koh'shak — or other Twi'leks — with false pretenses, attitudes and facades. They don't care whether what you're wearing is the latest fashion from the Core Worlds, or whether your ship can make the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs. They care about what you're going to give them in exchange for visiting their city and taking advantage of their hospitality. They might not care that your vest is made from koolach silk, but if you give it to them, then they'll care. And if you care to offer them decent gifts, then they'll care about you.
I've heard that for every two caves in a clan warren there's one secret door with a hidden package behind it. I've also heard that almost every Twi'lek knows of a secret passage to some other location within the city. Apparently the shifty Twi'leks enjoy sneaking around to other clans to spy and interfere in clan affairs.
Some rumors claim that the secret caverns are so extensive that one could travel from a clan warren at the top of a city cavern to the main level without actually passing through a clan warren entrance along the ledges of the main cavern. This is good to know if you're a visitor and want to gain entrance to the restricted areas in Kala'uun, or if you're a guest of a clan and need to sneak off — or escape — when your host is suddenly kidnapped, enslaved, or murdered in political intrigue.
If you can befriend Mal'aa or her serving maids, then you've made a valuable friend in the seemingly friendless city of Kala'uun. Mal'aa cares about her patrons, almost more than the suspicious and scheming Twi'leks of the rest of the city.
Once, when I first came to Kala'uun, Mal'aa helped me evade a small group of Twi'leks which came to the Kitchen at night to abduct me. They had discovered I was a friend of Tru'eb, an outcast from Kala'uun, and thought I had come back to help him return to take his rightful seat on the head-clan. Luckily Mal'aa got wind of the abduction plot before the other Twi'leks arrived. Acting quickly, she woke me up and hustled me off to the secret passages behind the cooking furnaces until the other Twi'leks had left.
Slavers. Most visiting spacers ignore these ruffians. It isn't wise to provoke them — getting on Voorg's bad side by harassing his cronies is a good way to find yourself enslaved. And don't start arguing with the Starport Master — these guys have a habit of showing up right when tensions are high. Just leave them alone and you'll be okay.
The slaver's presence is a sad reminder of the invisible chains Voorg has around the city. Without them Kala'uun would be prey to other slavers and marauders. The rundown old Z-95s are enough to protect the city from attack by other ships, as well as ward off unwelcome spacers. And if you're not careful and pick a fight with these ruffians, they'll follow you out on your departure and attack you from behind — just to get a parting shot.