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Cestus Cybernetics

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this huge automaton producer was based on the planet Ord Cestus. It was originally formed by a group of Industrial Automaton engineers who had been imprisoned on Ord Cestus for a variety of crimes. Among their duties was the excavation of caves and mines, and they discovered that Ord Cestus had a wealth of mineral and metal resources that would perfectly suit a droid manufacturing facility. After bribing their prison guards and acquiring backing from the warden and many other individuals, the engineers managed to create the facility that became Cestus Cybernetics. The corporation got its start by subcontracting to the Baktoid Armor Workshop, but eventually grew large and wealthy enough to break off on its own. Over time, Cestus Cybernetics virtually enslaved the native X'Ting, forcing them to work as miners and diggers to extract the ores that were needed for production. It was believed that Cestus Cybernetics was behind the Great Plague that nearly wiped out the X'Ting a century before the Clone Wars, as a way to quell the growing unrest among the X'Ting laborers. Despite these theories - many of which were later proven true - Cestus Cybernetics became known as the galaxy's primary producers of the most advanced, non-military security droids. It purchased a wealth of high-end, military-grade manufacturing equipment, and retooled its lines to utilize some of the more exotic and proprietary technologies. As the Clone Wars began, Cestus Cybernetics allied itself with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, supplying parts and droids for the Separatist forces. The rapid pace of droid development led Cestus Cybernetics to produce the first bio-droids, which were based on a "living circuit" design that allowed droids to learn about and anticipate an opponent's moves. These bio-droids were designated as JK-series security droids, although with programming changes they could be modified to become combat droids. Their ability to anticipate their opponent's actions earned them the nickname "Jedi Killers". Cestus Cybernetics was able to sell these high-tech automatons because, ostensibly, the corporation was a part of the original prison facility, allowing the corporation to operate under a corrections license. However, Doolb Snoil eventually discovered that Cestus Cybernetics had purchased the lands on which they built their facilities with synthstones. This constituted an illegal deviation from the Coruscant Accords, and rendered the purchase invalid.