Vanquo

Vanquo, a mining world providing resources to the nearby ecumenopolis Taris, was located in the Meerian sector of the Outer Rim. Part of the Vanquo system, it was within reach of other planets such as Suurja and Jebble. This rugged planet, covered in forests and trees, was mountainous and experienced severe winters. On cloudless nights, the sky above Vanquo was filled with bright stars, and at least one green moon was visible.

In 3976 BBY, the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, under the leadership of their commander, Mandalore the Ultimate, initiated a campaign to create an empire by conquering independent planets in the Outer Rim, far from the Galactic Republic's influence. After gaining considerable territory, Mandalore turned toward the Core, targeting resource-rich planets near Taris, including Vanquo. As one of the planets affected by the Mandalorian offensive, Vanquo became part of a Republic Navy defense line known as the Jebble-Vanquo-Tarnith line, which saw intense and deadlocked combat in the early stages of the Mandalorian Wars.

By 3964 BBY, Vanquo, already home to numerous mining operations, had become a destination for many refugees displaced by the Mandalorian crusades. Even with the looming Mandalorian threat, the mining operations on Vanquo continued. In that year, wanted fugitive Zayne Carrick, accused of the massacre of his Jedi classmates on Taris, and his companions arrived on Vanquo, seeking to avoid detection by the Jedi. Using Carrick's Force abilities and Jarael, his Arkanian Offshoot friend's convincing impersonation of Jedi Master Q'Anilia, the group successfully convinced the staff of a mining outpost that the Mandalorians were attacking. The crew abandoned the camp, leaving it and all its resources to the hungry fugitives. However, the Mandalorians, led by Commander Rohlan Dyre, began their actual attack soon afterward with a large paratrooper landing, as Carrick and his friends were still gathering supplies—although Jarael was mistaken for a real Jedi and was captured, the others were able to escape.

The battle was personally coordinated by Mandalore the Ultimate and his lieutenant, Cassus Fett, and was mainly a diversionary tactic, meant to draw Republic forces and open the way for Mandalore's main thrust toward Taris. On the other side, the Republic forces were led by Captain Saul Karath aboard the battleship Courageous. As the mining camps on the night side of the planet were seized and an orbital screen was being set up so the Mandalorians could attack the major settlements on the day side, a major space battle raged over Vanquo. The Vanquo offensive turned out to be a rousing success, as the left flank of the main Republic fleet was drawn to Vanquo, clearing the way to Taris, and the Mandalorians ended up seizing the planet. Over the course of the conflict, Vanquo proved to be a stronghold that the Republic was never able to break.

Following the Mandalorian Wars, Revan and Malak, Republic heroes, embraced the dark side and led a new Sith Empire against the Republic. Although Vanquo remained outside Sith territory, in 3956 BBY, the Sith launched an offensive toward Taris, resulting in a Sith victory and the complete destruction of the planet, an offensive that originated from Vanquo. Later during the Galactic Civil War, Vanquo's region of space fell under the control of Imperial Warlord Zsinj's empire. During the Yuuzhan Vong War starting in 25 ABY, the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong invaders attacked Vanquo after their successful conquering of Bandomeer. The Yuuzhan Vong won the battle and continued their offensive on toward the Core. By 137 ABY, Vanquo fell within the territory of Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire.

By the time of the Mandalorian Wars, Vanquo had experienced a surge in population due to the influx of refugees fleeing the approaching Mandalorian threat, many of whom had come from nearby battlegrounds, such as Jebble and Suurja. With Vanquo already possessed of a sizable population of miners at camps spread across the world, many of these hungry, desperate refugees attempted to plunder from the miners' stores. There was also a civilian population mainly centered at several major settlements on the other side of the planet from the mining camps.

During the Mandalorian Wars, numerous mining camps were scattered across one side of the planet, nestled within Vanquo's mountainous terrain. A communication system linked some of these mining settlements, including an official Republic channel for providing essential information to the outposts. On the opposite side of the planet were several major settlements, along with an aid station frequently visited by refugees fleeing the Mandalorian attacks.

Vanquo first appeared in Knights of the Old Republic 7, a comic written by John Jackson Miller and published in 2006. The planet also featured in the next issue of the Knights of the Old Republic series—illustrated by Dustin Weaver in both appearances. Vanquo was mentioned in several other Knights of the Old Republic issues and stories based on the comic series. Additional details about Vanquo and the Vanquo system were provided in The Essential Atlas and its online supplement, as well as in its entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.