Black Archives
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The Black Archives was an Imperial facility located within the black hole cluster known as The Maw.
Constructed on an asteroid (or possibly a planetary fragment) at a stable point within the Maw's gravitational field, the Black Archives were used to catalogue and store various artefacts that were deemed to be inherently dangerous, or dangerous to Imperial security and secrecy. This included samples of dangerous pathogens and experimental bio-weapons; abandoned prototypes from research into weapons, speeders, androids, and cybernetics; and even former test subjects from research into cloning and bio-engineering.
For many years, the custodian and caretaker of the Black Archives was Lúka Jibral, an Inquisitor. Despite this, the Archives contained classified materials from not only the Inquisitorius, but also the Imperial Department of Military Research, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Imperial Intelligence.
History
The Archives were established shortly after the Galactic Empire was established, to secure and contain various weapons and espionage prototypes that had been developed during the Clone Wars. This included STE-IV, a reprogrammed and modified Super Tactical Droid that had been developed to infiltrate the Separatist Droid Army. Items relating to a number of individuals captured and killed during the Jedi Purge - including artefacts and DNA samples - were also archived at the facility.
In 13 BBY, gene samples from the Black Archives were used to create a number of prototype Force Sensitive clone templates, to be investigated as a possible countermeasure for Jedi fugitives still at large after Order 66. Three templates were created initially, with an additional two added in 11 BBY. Initial attempts proved to be flawed, but the project was revisited with three new templates in 3 BBY, after an increase in encounters by Inquisitors and ISB Agents with Force Sensitives in the Lothal Sector. The eight clones were named after the final letters of the Aurebesh alphabet: Cherek, Enth, Onith, Krenth, Nen, Orenth, Shen, and Thesh.
Prior to 8 ABY, the bounty hunter Hugo Montegue was captured by Imperial Intelligence. He became a test subject at the Black Archives, at first reprogrammed to assist in efforts to capture specimens of the Lupine species, and then later as a testbed for various genetic and cybernetic enhancements. ("Our Father...")
After the Alliance-Imperial Treaty of 10 ABY, revisions to galactic cartography placed Kessel and the Maw far outside the new borders of the Galactic Empire. The facility was decommissioned, with artefacts from the Archives being relocated to several classified new locations, under the auspices of Advanded Weapons Research. Shortly before the site was abandoned, it was attacked by the bounty hunter Chir'daki and his associates, who triggered a reactor explosion, destroying the facility and it's host asteroid. (Artifact Knights, "Vengeance")
Some artefacts from the Archives were intercepted by third parties. One item, the Shard test subject Lazuli, was later recovered by Lúka Jibral. ("A Lesson in Trust")
Appendices
The Black Archives are a Star Wars proxy for Area 51, as it is often depicted in popular culture. It ties extensively into the background of many characters, including:
