Geonosis is the second planet in the Geonosis system. Geonosis was ringed by several belts of asteroids and orbital debris, making the reddish planet appear quite lovely from space. These asteroids - formed when one of the planet's moons was struck by a two-kilometer-wide comet - continually fell to the planet's surface, causing massive groundshakes and depositing large amounts of ores in the sand.

In the decades after the impact, Geonosis itself was pelted almost constantly, and it was estimated that ninety-nine percent of the planet's lifeforms - both plant and animal - were wiped out in a massive, planetary extinction. Only the hardiest and most tenacious species survived, most of them insectile, and these were further weeded out by smaller impacts. The survivors proved to be some of the most ruthless and predatory species in the galaxy. Despite the high metal content of the planet's crust, the gravity on Geonosis was slightly less than standard. The planet was orbited by four major and eleven minor moons.

Geonosis is marked by spectacular yet uninviting vistas. Radiation storms occasionally blast the surface, driving lifeforms underground for protection. Dense high-altitude fog produces gloomy, night-like conditions that may last for weeks.

A harsh rocky world less than a parsec away from Tatooine, Geonosis is beyond the borders of the Galactic Republic. Its uninviting surface is marked by mesas and buttes, and barren stretches of parched desert hardpan. The rocks and sky are tinted in red, and the creatures that evolved on Geonosis are well equipped to survive in the harsh ecology.

The most advanced lifeform are the Geonosians, sentient insectoids that inhabit towering spire-hives. The Geonosians maintain large factories for the production of droids and weapons. Save for attending to clients that venture to the planet to place orders, the Geonosians typically keep to themselves. 

Life on Geonosis has adapted for such circumstances, and many creatures are bioluminescent. 
A casual glance of the planet's desert plains would suggest the world is uninhabited, so carefully crafted is the Geonosian architecture. Immense, organic spires are actual hive-mounds built by the Geonosians, and upon closer inspection, escaping steam and exhaust vents betray its artificial nature. Geonosians cultivate a parasitic creature called a phidna that excretes raw material that Geonosian artisans mix with stone powders to form a rock paste substance.

The rings that orbit Geonosis are a mixed blessing. Geonosians harvest their rich metallic content for raw materials used in their secretive manufacturing processes, however the asteroids themselves form a security liability. Corporate spies can hide within the ring, and asteroids falling through the atmosphere are so common that cunning pilots can exploit the laziness of Geonosian scanner operators by flying down to the surface with only the most basic of sensor stealth.

The droid foundries and the planet's remote location made it an ideal base of operations for the Separatist movement that spread through the galaxy in the later years of the Republic. The Archduke of Geonosis, Poggle the Lesser, hosted an important meeting of the heads of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The commerce barons in attendance pledged their mechanical military forces to Count Dooku, the charismatic leader of the Separatist movement. The Separatists were ready to wage war, but their plans were overheard by Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

The Jedi was taken captive, though he managed to dispatch a distress call to the Jedi Council. With their forces spread throughout the galaxy in an effort to maintain the peace, the Jedi Council was only able to dispatch 200 of their ranks to Geonosis. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, was sentenced to death in a huge execution arena. He and his compatriots, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, had to face down three terrible arena creatures before the Jedi reinforcements arrived. 

While the Jedi could easily contend with the Geonosians, they had not counted on the sheer size of the droid army laying in wait. Scores of battle droids poured into the arena, slaying many Jedi. A scant few Jedi remained before even more reinforcements arrived -- in the form of the newly created Republic clone army. With the arrival of these forces, the first battle of what was to become known as the Clone Wars began on Geonosis. The Republic military, led by the Jedi, were able to drive the Separatists into retreat.

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