Post by The Conman on Nov 4, 2014 20:42:41 GMT -5
Miki Boska Knowledge Base Article.
Species: Twi’lek
Homeworld: N/A
Lifespan: 80-100 Years
Female/Male ratio: 60/40
Population:
Historic: ~350 000 in the fleet, ~1.5 million Diaspora across the galaxy
Current: ~35 000 in the fleet, ~1.2 million diaspora
Physiology:
The Miki Boska are technically Twi’leks.
However.
Genetically they are as different from Twi’leks as they can be without being a distinct species. Give ‘em about 5000 or so more years and you’d have a study in evolutionary adaptation that’d be Darwin’s wet dream.
They’re far more physically robust than your average Twi’lek, with the average woman standing between 5’11 and 6’2, and the average man between 6’0 and 6’4. Being predisposed to putting on muscle mass, having better eyesight and hearing than a standard Twi’lek, having a bone density nearly 50% higher, and about 25% more muscle fibers than is typical. The Boska are a result of more than 10,000 years of selective breeding. This has produced something that could be aptly referred to as a “hardened” version of a Twi’lek.
In contrast to the rainbow of colours their terrestrial cousins come in, the Boska tend to be more subdued, the variety of colours remaining the same. Rutian ( blue ) and Lethan, it should be noted, have some differences. Rutians are nearly unheard of, and Lethans tend to be a lot more common. The main difference, skin tone wise, is that the Boska tend to be somewhat darker in hue than normal Twi’leks.
Probalby the most distinguishing feature of them, however, is their Lekku. The Boska tend to have longer lekku than a garden variety twi’lek. It’s not uncommon for them to extend to their waist, with longer examples a common thing. Patterning on the Lekku is also common, generally showing up as banding with a darker colour than their typical colouration.
History
The Boska have been around in one variation or another for the better part of 10,000 years. Which, is what historians refer to as a “long ass time”. Basically, for the purposes of the site a complete blow-by-blow of their history is beyond the scope of this article. What follows is a coles notes, tl;dr of the Boska. If you want any more detail, well...I don’t have it, I’ve created them and this is their history so far, it may be edited or added too in the future, but this really is what you need to know, I promise.
The Boska history can be, pretty much, divided into 3 major epochs. Early, Mid, and Late. There’s a Proto-Boska period but that’s largely irrelevant and nobody gives a damn about it, not to mention the fact that their way of recording history at the time was cave paintings. Shit got real around about 10,000 years ago, so that’s where Imma start. Basically, this is going to be a 60 000 foot overview of their history.
Early Boska:
10 000 BBY:
Basically, the Hutts, Republic, and a whole bunch of other crap happened to Ryloth, and the Galaxy at large, that caused things to rapidly go from mediocre to circling the drain. Mainly, though, it was the proliferation of hyperspace technology on a mass scale that allowed any tom dick or harry to have a ship that could go from planet to planet in less time than it took to die of old age. This was, by and large, before the galaxy’s most interesting people were space wizards with laser swords, so it’s largely glossed over, but for the purposes of the Boska it’s actually a pretty pivotal point.
Essentially, the Hutts found this planet called Ryloth.
So the galaxy’s most infamous gangsters found a planet full of gorgeous, cave dwelling, spear chucking, multi-coloured, hairless, Twi’leks. Naturally, their first instinct was to want some. Then, once their buddies saw their new Twi’leks, everybody wanted some. It’s like Thneeds, just, with sentience and feels.
Except, there was a tribe.
A Tribe the other Twi’leks basically avoided because they were weird and huge and worshipped “the old gods”. A Tribe that reacted with ULTRAVIOLENCE to outsiders, like slavers, or Space David Attenborough. They were “that” tribe, the one you see on the TV documentary about cannibals who think they can fly, who have sweat lodges and ate the Cameraman’s leg.
That Tribe became the Boska.
Initially, they just messed with the slavers when they messed with them, but eventually, they took a “GET OFF MY LAWN” stance and started messing with the slavers just in general. Now, as their most advanced weapon was a bow, and the enemy had slug throwers, if you’ve seen the movie Zulu, you can do the math on what happened.
However, Twi’leks are known for being clever as fuck. Which, of course, the Boska were. Instead of insisting on attacking with their primitive weapons, they managed to secure similar weapons to their enemies. Then proceeded to utilize them to cause royal mayhem, resulting in a number of pitched battles with the slavers that eventually caused the slavers to give a full damn about them and start trying to deal with the Boska.
They didn’t realize the Rancor was out of the Cage, however.
By the time the Hutts decided to handle the Boska, they’d managed to get ships.
~8000 BBY
So, 2000 years is a long time. Not a Long Ass Time, but it’s a long time. In 2000 years we’ve gone from Rome and Jesus being a heretic to the Economic Crisis and Internet Porn. The Boska made similar advances. By this period, they had a fleet, a doctrine, a culture ( still heavily rooted in their old one, blood rituals and all ), and a reputation. The Republic had branded them as “Psychopathic Pirates”, something they wore as a badge of pride. The Hutts had branded them a problem.
Basically, the Boska had managed to do two major things. One, is cut the slave trade down, not by much, when you’re psychopathic pirates recruiting is a problem. Two, piss ERRYBODY off. They’d pissed off the Republic, the Hutts, other Pirates, the Twi’leks, The Rylothian government, even the NAACP and most of Tumblr. Basically, painting your ships hull with the blood of the massacred slavers you’d captured, keeping their spinal columns as trophies, and drinking their blood from their hollowed out skulls wasn’t going over very well with the fans. They had a huge PR problem, and it was starting to cause some serious issues.
The most pressing issue, however, was their expulsion from Ryloth. Basically, until this point, the Boska had been a planetary defense force. They weren’t overly adept at deep space combat ( tractorbeamgoeswhere?), and didn’t have the gear for it, most of their ships being smallish converted freighters. Think of it as somali pirates on crack, basically. The Boska had to adapt, and fast, or perish in the cold, black, indifferent embrace of space.
Being far to metal and brutal to allow themselves to simply die in a cold embrace, they adapted, and just like a band changing it’s sound to appeal to more people, but forsake it’s original fans, they dumped their old ways like a hot potato. Over the course of a few generations, the brutal traditions were toned down, and eventually nixed ( forgotten…), their mythos was “cleaned up” and their gods were made more “presentable”. This was largely spearheaded by a series of reformers, but the point is that they changed.
This change resulted in the Boska learning to play nice with others, not get picked last in gym class, and generally be able to be with the other kids at recess without biting off ears.
The Middle Boska ( Or Ye Olde Boskaith )
By about 6000 bby the Boska were a well established ( if obscure ) group operating in the southern outer rim, generally hanging out by Ryloth, perpetually messing up the Hutt’s day. Like that terrier that constantly attacks the mailman’s pantleg, they never really caused any real damage. Yeah, sometimes he’d fall over if it was particularly icey and break his shoulder, but the guy never died. I mean c’mon.
Right.
So...aaaany ways, basically, they were a thing, and they were a thing that was a pain in the Hutt’s ass. They’d fully dumped any vestiges of their old ways, by this point not even knowing that they’d been so barbaric as to be considered brutal by black metal bands a few galaxies over in the distant future. Basically, they had developed their middle culture, which was actually less awesome than their current one. The Middle Boska ( not to be confused with Middle C, Middle Earth, or Middling, Middle English, Middlesex, the Mid Mounted Wing, “Danger” being a middle name ( the first recorded instance of which was still 2000 years from happening), or the Middle way. ) were a rather tolerant bunch, admitting humans, Twi’leks, and just about anybody else who fought for freedom and liberty for all sentient beings.
It was like a bunch of tolerant hippies in a VW Van, bombing around space, using their AKs to shoot anybody who didn’t agree with their vision of peace and unity. Just like all the other republic based, liberty loving enterprises ( >_> ), it spiraled into a fascist, racist, mess within a few centuries.
4500 bby
For most denizens of the Galaxy, 4500 was a year. For the Boska, it was also a year.
In 4300 bby, the Boska had their first civil war. It was truly epic. Literally the biggest war you’ve never heard of. Honestly, if I were palpatine, telling Anakin a story in an opera house, it’d be about the Boska civil war. How the Twi’lek contingent ( more than 50%), through the use of clever language, propaganda, and religious zeal, managed to revert ( for awhile…) to their “Olde Waes”. Basically, Wookies wound up as rugs, Bothans as clothing, Humans were turned into either burgers or lamps ( also soap ), and their bones were used as weapons.
Hulls were painted with blood of enemies, things were like a really well done death metal video, basically. Or a really shitty horror movie. Or good, if you’re into that and also like to put pineapples up your ass.
Whatever. I don’t judge….
Well, Ok, I lied, I do, but you can put whatever fruit wherever you want, so long as you wash it first, pesticides are a killer, you know.
Anywho, NOW FOR THE MIDDLE INTERMEDIATE PERIOD!
WELCOME TO THE MIDDLE OF BOSKA HISTORY!
Middle Intermediary ( Or how the Boska learned to love the bomb ) ~4000bby
Basically, the Boska again had to deal with a situation that was essentially them reverting to their old ways and eating anything that didn’t have Lekku. Now, aside from the actually hilarious issues it caused with the Togruta members of Boska ships ( they actually didn’t get eaten, the Twi’leks deciding they were “awesome enough” basically because they were just as metal as the Boska.), there were a few problems. With the non-twi’lek boska gone ( minus a few errant togruta ), they had a population problem. As well as a ship problem, and a funding problem, and a PR problem...again.
What they did was Adapt, but this time, it was different. It wasn't religious zealots, or a bunch of hippies, but a bunch of centrist Boska who basically wanted to keep the culture, but ditch the blood rituals, eating of sentient beings to “GAIN THEIR POWERS” and the inclusion of other species. It hadn’t gone well, and they realized that once you've had a properly cooked Wookieburger you just can’t look at them the same ever again. So adapt they did.
By having another Civil War.
Basically, they ousted the nut-job leadership, and adopted a policy that’s basically the way they are now.
Pseudo-militaristic, somewhat cultish, sort of polygamous, space twi’leks. This is what the Boska call the “Reform”. It happened in 4200 BBY, and marks the beginning of the Boska’s Modern Period. Or Late period. But I prefer Modern, late...well...I don’t want to hear that about anything, it’s just a set of words one doesn't want in a sentence at all.
Modern Boska! 4200 bby until 19bby
So, after the middle intermediate clusterfuck, the Boska had reorganized into their current, loose form. Basically, they operate on a “per ship” basis. They’re all united by culture, and all have the same beliefs, but they don’t have anybody “in charge”. There are some Boska with “sway” over others, through debts, or just because they’re fabulous or something. The point is, they don’t have one person or group of people calling the shots, fleets form dynamically based on the needs of the operation.
This has resulted in the Boska being something of an organisational nightmare, as nobody has a “masterlist” of just how many ships they actually have, their population, or even how to contact other ships ( they accidentally fire on each other all the time. ). Basically, getting the Boska to work together is about as doable as herding cats, generally.
That being said, some ships have naturally gravitated to one and other. Generally it’s because the population of one ship becomes too large for said ship, they acquire a new one, and that new ship sticks with the old one. This process repeats over thousands of years, and you wind up with small, 2-10 ship fleets forming that are mostly self sufficient. These groups do their own thing, in a manner of speaking. Boska fleets that operate in the same AO tend to know each other pretty well, and will help one another out typically, with some actually evolving into support for the other.
The Boska, then, is more of a culture, than a true “people”. There are differences between fleets, even ships, but the most glaring is the North vs South Boska “thing”. There are tactical differences in the way they fight, but culturally, Southern Boska tend to be more risk-averse, preferring to just run rather than to fight. The Southerners won’t fight unless they know they've got the upper hand, and have no issue with basically sneaking up when somebody’s sleeping and bashing their head in with a rock. The Northerners are far more “lassize-faire” with their approach to things, being more apt to adopt “strays”, preferring to shoot first and ask questions never.
To keep their culture going, trade news, gear, ships, stuff and bodily fluids, they have a huge party every year. It happens on a different planet every year, and its called a Grancha Hasa. Huttese for “grand drop”, it’s a massive, yearly get together of the majority ( 90% or more ) of the ships on a different planet ( much to some residents chagrin ) every year. Generally lasts 7-10 days, and is akin to Christmas, New Years, The 4th of July ( for you americans ) and Super Bowl Sunday all happening at the biggest swap meet you'veever seen with a continual outdoor concert going on. For most of the Miki, it’s the only time that year they’ll make planetfall, and sometimes the only place where they’ll see old friends, even family that left for other ships. News, gossip, gear and people all change hands, and anybody out on their Bola Cheesa is welcome to return and partake in the festivities. Even those who decided against the nomadic lifestyle and settled on a planet will make the journey to keep in touch with their relatives and friends. It’s the biggest event in the Miki Boska’s calendar, and very few miss it. It’s also rumored that there is a radical up-tick in the birth rate 9 months after.
The Bola I mentioned above is a pretty unique thing. The Boska tend to train their kids to do what the parents do. Daddy’s a pilot? You’re probably going to be a pilot. Now, this naturally could cause some issues. They do have a dharma-like sort of thing in their culture that basically says “If your born to do X then do it. OR don’t do it at all”. This is in addition to their whole “you can do more good hating your life and being a great pilot than loving your life and being a porn star on Corellia.” thing. However, they aren’t all pushy about it. They give all their kids a chance, at about 22, to “be free”.
The way the Bola works is simple. It’s a Quest undertaken by young ( 22-28 ) year old Miki Boska. It’s objective is to get them “outside” of the insular fleet, to experience the galaxy at large. They are to go, and it’s emphasized that they’ll know when to return when the time is right. For some, that’s after making a particularly lucrative contract that would help their people obtain some kind of good, for others that’s finding and retrieving their first slave ( a right that all “retrievers” must endure before obtaining the title ). For some, it’s more of a spiritual quest, to learn how harsh and beautiful the galaxy is. Yet others ( Donnie is among their ranks ) are on a quest of self discovery. Regardless, if the Boska come’s back, it’s because they WANT to be with the fleet. If they don’t, and decide to become part of the Disapora, there’s no hard feelings and no “stigma” attached, it’s their decision to make.
This Diaspora is extremely helpful, with most Boska winding up in one of the communities with a lot of them. They help with intel, procurement of goods and services, as well as act as a sort of “underground railroad” for slaves.
Another very distinctive, and interesting trait, of the Boska is their intricate and extensive tattooing. They get ‘em ERRYWHERE. They’ve all got some kind of meaning, or at least significance to the wearer. Generally they’re used to tell a story, be it of the wearer’s life, or about a God or Epic that’s close to their heart. They wear them to invoke the aspects of the Gods they aspire to emulate, or for protection from evil spirits. Just about everything in Boska culture has a tattoo to go with it, from learning to read to losing your virginity, to premature ejaculation, if it exists, there’s a tatt for it. They range in style from what we’d consider to be tribal or maori to nordic and angular, depending on who was giving the tattoo to the Boska in question, that Boska’s personality, their preference, etc etc. The people who do tattoos in Boska culture are highly respected, and tend to be very important in their religious life.
The Boska religion is a strange thing, full of gods ( I’ll tack a list on at the end of this article ) who seem to have contradictory purposes. Garos, god of Fury and Rage, but also Tactics and Strategy, is a good example. The reason for this is that most of them are two sides of the same coin. Requiring a sort of balance to be struck to effectively use the aspects the god represents, emphasizing the Boska’s belief in adaptability and balance.Their spiritual life is something they tend to be private about, despite having their beliefs literally marked in their skin. Never judge a book by it’s cover applies to most Boska.
It’s safe to say that the Miki Boska tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves. In a society as tight knit as theirs is, where death could literally be lurking around the next corner, there’s no time to play mind games, or lead people on about how you feel. Being frank, up front, and most importantly, honest, both with oneself and each other, are paramount. They take criticism well, as long as it’s honest and not out of malice, and generally appreciate the honesty. Most importantly, however, as a rule, Boska are ( unless you’re a slaver ) nearly incapable of malice. They’d give you the shirt off their back if it’d help you, and not ask for anything in return. They believe, at the core of their religion, that their purpose is to help make the galaxy a better place.
Now this is a general rule, there are exceptions and I wouldn't expect them all to conform to this, but it’s a pretty good place to start with them as a group.
Basically, these are the kind of people who wouldn't ask for a smaller burden, but wider shoulders to bear it.
19bby to “Now” (4bby)
Since the end of the Clone Wars, the Boska have been on the run from the Empire. Lumped into a group the Republic called “Unaligned Paramilitary Organizations”, they were immediately targeted by the Empire as soon as it became a thing. Basically what happened was the Empire hit a Grancha Hasa at Abregado-Rae. The Boska were entirely unprepared and lost all but about 25 ships, and there were ~70,000 killed outright, with ~200,000 captured. The death toll amongst the Diaspora was far worse, and not well documented, but the fleet currently believes about 150 000 or so survived.
The result was a “consolidation” into one fleet, defensible and more mobile. Damaged, slow moving, or ships that produced a large signature, were discarded. The Boska kept the essential ships, and this is outlined in their fleet comp post. In the 14 years since the Empire wrecked their shit, they’ve managed to grow their numbers to ~50,000 in the fleet by picking up members of the Diaspora who answered the call for help. The fleet itself has grown to 51 ships, and is in far better shape than it was initially.
The Boska aren’t out of the woods yet, but they are in a position to be in control of their own fate.
Species: Twi’lek
Homeworld: N/A
Lifespan: 80-100 Years
Female/Male ratio: 60/40
Population:
Historic: ~350 000 in the fleet, ~1.5 million Diaspora across the galaxy
Current: ~35 000 in the fleet, ~1.2 million diaspora
Physiology:
The Miki Boska are technically Twi’leks.
However.
Genetically they are as different from Twi’leks as they can be without being a distinct species. Give ‘em about 5000 or so more years and you’d have a study in evolutionary adaptation that’d be Darwin’s wet dream.
They’re far more physically robust than your average Twi’lek, with the average woman standing between 5’11 and 6’2, and the average man between 6’0 and 6’4. Being predisposed to putting on muscle mass, having better eyesight and hearing than a standard Twi’lek, having a bone density nearly 50% higher, and about 25% more muscle fibers than is typical. The Boska are a result of more than 10,000 years of selective breeding. This has produced something that could be aptly referred to as a “hardened” version of a Twi’lek.
In contrast to the rainbow of colours their terrestrial cousins come in, the Boska tend to be more subdued, the variety of colours remaining the same. Rutian ( blue ) and Lethan, it should be noted, have some differences. Rutians are nearly unheard of, and Lethans tend to be a lot more common. The main difference, skin tone wise, is that the Boska tend to be somewhat darker in hue than normal Twi’leks.
Probalby the most distinguishing feature of them, however, is their Lekku. The Boska tend to have longer lekku than a garden variety twi’lek. It’s not uncommon for them to extend to their waist, with longer examples a common thing. Patterning on the Lekku is also common, generally showing up as banding with a darker colour than their typical colouration.
History
The Boska have been around in one variation or another for the better part of 10,000 years. Which, is what historians refer to as a “long ass time”. Basically, for the purposes of the site a complete blow-by-blow of their history is beyond the scope of this article. What follows is a coles notes, tl;dr of the Boska. If you want any more detail, well...I don’t have it, I’ve created them and this is their history so far, it may be edited or added too in the future, but this really is what you need to know, I promise.
The Boska history can be, pretty much, divided into 3 major epochs. Early, Mid, and Late. There’s a Proto-Boska period but that’s largely irrelevant and nobody gives a damn about it, not to mention the fact that their way of recording history at the time was cave paintings. Shit got real around about 10,000 years ago, so that’s where Imma start. Basically, this is going to be a 60 000 foot overview of their history.
Early Boska:
10 000 BBY:
Basically, the Hutts, Republic, and a whole bunch of other crap happened to Ryloth, and the Galaxy at large, that caused things to rapidly go from mediocre to circling the drain. Mainly, though, it was the proliferation of hyperspace technology on a mass scale that allowed any tom dick or harry to have a ship that could go from planet to planet in less time than it took to die of old age. This was, by and large, before the galaxy’s most interesting people were space wizards with laser swords, so it’s largely glossed over, but for the purposes of the Boska it’s actually a pretty pivotal point.
Essentially, the Hutts found this planet called Ryloth.
So the galaxy’s most infamous gangsters found a planet full of gorgeous, cave dwelling, spear chucking, multi-coloured, hairless, Twi’leks. Naturally, their first instinct was to want some. Then, once their buddies saw their new Twi’leks, everybody wanted some. It’s like Thneeds, just, with sentience and feels.
Except, there was a tribe.
A Tribe the other Twi’leks basically avoided because they were weird and huge and worshipped “the old gods”. A Tribe that reacted with ULTRAVIOLENCE to outsiders, like slavers, or Space David Attenborough. They were “that” tribe, the one you see on the TV documentary about cannibals who think they can fly, who have sweat lodges and ate the Cameraman’s leg.
That Tribe became the Boska.
Initially, they just messed with the slavers when they messed with them, but eventually, they took a “GET OFF MY LAWN” stance and started messing with the slavers just in general. Now, as their most advanced weapon was a bow, and the enemy had slug throwers, if you’ve seen the movie Zulu, you can do the math on what happened.
However, Twi’leks are known for being clever as fuck. Which, of course, the Boska were. Instead of insisting on attacking with their primitive weapons, they managed to secure similar weapons to their enemies. Then proceeded to utilize them to cause royal mayhem, resulting in a number of pitched battles with the slavers that eventually caused the slavers to give a full damn about them and start trying to deal with the Boska.
They didn’t realize the Rancor was out of the Cage, however.
By the time the Hutts decided to handle the Boska, they’d managed to get ships.
~8000 BBY
So, 2000 years is a long time. Not a Long Ass Time, but it’s a long time. In 2000 years we’ve gone from Rome and Jesus being a heretic to the Economic Crisis and Internet Porn. The Boska made similar advances. By this period, they had a fleet, a doctrine, a culture ( still heavily rooted in their old one, blood rituals and all ), and a reputation. The Republic had branded them as “Psychopathic Pirates”, something they wore as a badge of pride. The Hutts had branded them a problem.
Basically, the Boska had managed to do two major things. One, is cut the slave trade down, not by much, when you’re psychopathic pirates recruiting is a problem. Two, piss ERRYBODY off. They’d pissed off the Republic, the Hutts, other Pirates, the Twi’leks, The Rylothian government, even the NAACP and most of Tumblr. Basically, painting your ships hull with the blood of the massacred slavers you’d captured, keeping their spinal columns as trophies, and drinking their blood from their hollowed out skulls wasn’t going over very well with the fans. They had a huge PR problem, and it was starting to cause some serious issues.
The most pressing issue, however, was their expulsion from Ryloth. Basically, until this point, the Boska had been a planetary defense force. They weren’t overly adept at deep space combat ( tractorbeamgoeswhere?), and didn’t have the gear for it, most of their ships being smallish converted freighters. Think of it as somali pirates on crack, basically. The Boska had to adapt, and fast, or perish in the cold, black, indifferent embrace of space.
Being far to metal and brutal to allow themselves to simply die in a cold embrace, they adapted, and just like a band changing it’s sound to appeal to more people, but forsake it’s original fans, they dumped their old ways like a hot potato. Over the course of a few generations, the brutal traditions were toned down, and eventually nixed ( forgotten…), their mythos was “cleaned up” and their gods were made more “presentable”. This was largely spearheaded by a series of reformers, but the point is that they changed.
This change resulted in the Boska learning to play nice with others, not get picked last in gym class, and generally be able to be with the other kids at recess without biting off ears.
The Middle Boska ( Or Ye Olde Boskaith )
By about 6000 bby the Boska were a well established ( if obscure ) group operating in the southern outer rim, generally hanging out by Ryloth, perpetually messing up the Hutt’s day. Like that terrier that constantly attacks the mailman’s pantleg, they never really caused any real damage. Yeah, sometimes he’d fall over if it was particularly icey and break his shoulder, but the guy never died. I mean c’mon.
Right.
So...aaaany ways, basically, they were a thing, and they were a thing that was a pain in the Hutt’s ass. They’d fully dumped any vestiges of their old ways, by this point not even knowing that they’d been so barbaric as to be considered brutal by black metal bands a few galaxies over in the distant future. Basically, they had developed their middle culture, which was actually less awesome than their current one. The Middle Boska ( not to be confused with Middle C, Middle Earth, or Middling, Middle English, Middlesex, the Mid Mounted Wing, “Danger” being a middle name ( the first recorded instance of which was still 2000 years from happening), or the Middle way. ) were a rather tolerant bunch, admitting humans, Twi’leks, and just about anybody else who fought for freedom and liberty for all sentient beings.
It was like a bunch of tolerant hippies in a VW Van, bombing around space, using their AKs to shoot anybody who didn’t agree with their vision of peace and unity. Just like all the other republic based, liberty loving enterprises ( >_> ), it spiraled into a fascist, racist, mess within a few centuries.
4500 bby
For most denizens of the Galaxy, 4500 was a year. For the Boska, it was also a year.
In 4300 bby, the Boska had their first civil war. It was truly epic. Literally the biggest war you’ve never heard of. Honestly, if I were palpatine, telling Anakin a story in an opera house, it’d be about the Boska civil war. How the Twi’lek contingent ( more than 50%), through the use of clever language, propaganda, and religious zeal, managed to revert ( for awhile…) to their “Olde Waes”. Basically, Wookies wound up as rugs, Bothans as clothing, Humans were turned into either burgers or lamps ( also soap ), and their bones were used as weapons.
Hulls were painted with blood of enemies, things were like a really well done death metal video, basically. Or a really shitty horror movie. Or good, if you’re into that and also like to put pineapples up your ass.
Whatever. I don’t judge….
Well, Ok, I lied, I do, but you can put whatever fruit wherever you want, so long as you wash it first, pesticides are a killer, you know.
Anywho, NOW FOR THE MIDDLE INTERMEDIATE PERIOD!
WELCOME TO THE MIDDLE OF BOSKA HISTORY!
Middle Intermediary ( Or how the Boska learned to love the bomb ) ~4000bby
Basically, the Boska again had to deal with a situation that was essentially them reverting to their old ways and eating anything that didn’t have Lekku. Now, aside from the actually hilarious issues it caused with the Togruta members of Boska ships ( they actually didn’t get eaten, the Twi’leks deciding they were “awesome enough” basically because they were just as metal as the Boska.), there were a few problems. With the non-twi’lek boska gone ( minus a few errant togruta ), they had a population problem. As well as a ship problem, and a funding problem, and a PR problem...again.
What they did was Adapt, but this time, it was different. It wasn't religious zealots, or a bunch of hippies, but a bunch of centrist Boska who basically wanted to keep the culture, but ditch the blood rituals, eating of sentient beings to “GAIN THEIR POWERS” and the inclusion of other species. It hadn’t gone well, and they realized that once you've had a properly cooked Wookieburger you just can’t look at them the same ever again. So adapt they did.
By having another Civil War.
Basically, they ousted the nut-job leadership, and adopted a policy that’s basically the way they are now.
Pseudo-militaristic, somewhat cultish, sort of polygamous, space twi’leks. This is what the Boska call the “Reform”. It happened in 4200 BBY, and marks the beginning of the Boska’s Modern Period. Or Late period. But I prefer Modern, late...well...I don’t want to hear that about anything, it’s just a set of words one doesn't want in a sentence at all.
Modern Boska! 4200 bby until 19bby
So, after the middle intermediate clusterfuck, the Boska had reorganized into their current, loose form. Basically, they operate on a “per ship” basis. They’re all united by culture, and all have the same beliefs, but they don’t have anybody “in charge”. There are some Boska with “sway” over others, through debts, or just because they’re fabulous or something. The point is, they don’t have one person or group of people calling the shots, fleets form dynamically based on the needs of the operation.
This has resulted in the Boska being something of an organisational nightmare, as nobody has a “masterlist” of just how many ships they actually have, their population, or even how to contact other ships ( they accidentally fire on each other all the time. ). Basically, getting the Boska to work together is about as doable as herding cats, generally.
That being said, some ships have naturally gravitated to one and other. Generally it’s because the population of one ship becomes too large for said ship, they acquire a new one, and that new ship sticks with the old one. This process repeats over thousands of years, and you wind up with small, 2-10 ship fleets forming that are mostly self sufficient. These groups do their own thing, in a manner of speaking. Boska fleets that operate in the same AO tend to know each other pretty well, and will help one another out typically, with some actually evolving into support for the other.
The Boska, then, is more of a culture, than a true “people”. There are differences between fleets, even ships, but the most glaring is the North vs South Boska “thing”. There are tactical differences in the way they fight, but culturally, Southern Boska tend to be more risk-averse, preferring to just run rather than to fight. The Southerners won’t fight unless they know they've got the upper hand, and have no issue with basically sneaking up when somebody’s sleeping and bashing their head in with a rock. The Northerners are far more “lassize-faire” with their approach to things, being more apt to adopt “strays”, preferring to shoot first and ask questions never.
To keep their culture going, trade news, gear, ships, stuff and bodily fluids, they have a huge party every year. It happens on a different planet every year, and its called a Grancha Hasa. Huttese for “grand drop”, it’s a massive, yearly get together of the majority ( 90% or more ) of the ships on a different planet ( much to some residents chagrin ) every year. Generally lasts 7-10 days, and is akin to Christmas, New Years, The 4th of July ( for you americans ) and Super Bowl Sunday all happening at the biggest swap meet you'veever seen with a continual outdoor concert going on. For most of the Miki, it’s the only time that year they’ll make planetfall, and sometimes the only place where they’ll see old friends, even family that left for other ships. News, gossip, gear and people all change hands, and anybody out on their Bola Cheesa is welcome to return and partake in the festivities. Even those who decided against the nomadic lifestyle and settled on a planet will make the journey to keep in touch with their relatives and friends. It’s the biggest event in the Miki Boska’s calendar, and very few miss it. It’s also rumored that there is a radical up-tick in the birth rate 9 months after.
The Bola I mentioned above is a pretty unique thing. The Boska tend to train their kids to do what the parents do. Daddy’s a pilot? You’re probably going to be a pilot. Now, this naturally could cause some issues. They do have a dharma-like sort of thing in their culture that basically says “If your born to do X then do it. OR don’t do it at all”. This is in addition to their whole “you can do more good hating your life and being a great pilot than loving your life and being a porn star on Corellia.” thing. However, they aren’t all pushy about it. They give all their kids a chance, at about 22, to “be free”.
The way the Bola works is simple. It’s a Quest undertaken by young ( 22-28 ) year old Miki Boska. It’s objective is to get them “outside” of the insular fleet, to experience the galaxy at large. They are to go, and it’s emphasized that they’ll know when to return when the time is right. For some, that’s after making a particularly lucrative contract that would help their people obtain some kind of good, for others that’s finding and retrieving their first slave ( a right that all “retrievers” must endure before obtaining the title ). For some, it’s more of a spiritual quest, to learn how harsh and beautiful the galaxy is. Yet others ( Donnie is among their ranks ) are on a quest of self discovery. Regardless, if the Boska come’s back, it’s because they WANT to be with the fleet. If they don’t, and decide to become part of the Disapora, there’s no hard feelings and no “stigma” attached, it’s their decision to make.
This Diaspora is extremely helpful, with most Boska winding up in one of the communities with a lot of them. They help with intel, procurement of goods and services, as well as act as a sort of “underground railroad” for slaves.
Another very distinctive, and interesting trait, of the Boska is their intricate and extensive tattooing. They get ‘em ERRYWHERE. They’ve all got some kind of meaning, or at least significance to the wearer. Generally they’re used to tell a story, be it of the wearer’s life, or about a God or Epic that’s close to their heart. They wear them to invoke the aspects of the Gods they aspire to emulate, or for protection from evil spirits. Just about everything in Boska culture has a tattoo to go with it, from learning to read to losing your virginity, to premature ejaculation, if it exists, there’s a tatt for it. They range in style from what we’d consider to be tribal or maori to nordic and angular, depending on who was giving the tattoo to the Boska in question, that Boska’s personality, their preference, etc etc. The people who do tattoos in Boska culture are highly respected, and tend to be very important in their religious life.
The Boska religion is a strange thing, full of gods ( I’ll tack a list on at the end of this article ) who seem to have contradictory purposes. Garos, god of Fury and Rage, but also Tactics and Strategy, is a good example. The reason for this is that most of them are two sides of the same coin. Requiring a sort of balance to be struck to effectively use the aspects the god represents, emphasizing the Boska’s belief in adaptability and balance.Their spiritual life is something they tend to be private about, despite having their beliefs literally marked in their skin. Never judge a book by it’s cover applies to most Boska.
It’s safe to say that the Miki Boska tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves. In a society as tight knit as theirs is, where death could literally be lurking around the next corner, there’s no time to play mind games, or lead people on about how you feel. Being frank, up front, and most importantly, honest, both with oneself and each other, are paramount. They take criticism well, as long as it’s honest and not out of malice, and generally appreciate the honesty. Most importantly, however, as a rule, Boska are ( unless you’re a slaver ) nearly incapable of malice. They’d give you the shirt off their back if it’d help you, and not ask for anything in return. They believe, at the core of their religion, that their purpose is to help make the galaxy a better place.
Now this is a general rule, there are exceptions and I wouldn't expect them all to conform to this, but it’s a pretty good place to start with them as a group.
Basically, these are the kind of people who wouldn't ask for a smaller burden, but wider shoulders to bear it.
19bby to “Now” (4bby)
Since the end of the Clone Wars, the Boska have been on the run from the Empire. Lumped into a group the Republic called “Unaligned Paramilitary Organizations”, they were immediately targeted by the Empire as soon as it became a thing. Basically what happened was the Empire hit a Grancha Hasa at Abregado-Rae. The Boska were entirely unprepared and lost all but about 25 ships, and there were ~70,000 killed outright, with ~200,000 captured. The death toll amongst the Diaspora was far worse, and not well documented, but the fleet currently believes about 150 000 or so survived.
The result was a “consolidation” into one fleet, defensible and more mobile. Damaged, slow moving, or ships that produced a large signature, were discarded. The Boska kept the essential ships, and this is outlined in their fleet comp post. In the 14 years since the Empire wrecked their shit, they’ve managed to grow their numbers to ~50,000 in the fleet by picking up members of the Diaspora who answered the call for help. The fleet itself has grown to 51 ships, and is in far better shape than it was initially.
The Boska aren’t out of the woods yet, but they are in a position to be in control of their own fate.