During the final years of the Infinite Empire, the ancient Rakata engineered a device called Ashaa, also known as the "Mother Machine". This construction was initiated when the Force-sensitive Rakata began to experience a decline in their connection to the Force. The remaining survivors retreated to Belsavis, their prison world, and initiated experiments aimed at restoring their Force sensitivity.
Central to these experiments was a machine with the capability to generate new Force-sensitive species, referred to as the Mother Machine. This machine was a sentient artificial intelligence, programmed with feminine programming, and it asserted responsibility for the creation of races such as the Twi'lek, Zabrak, and Esh-kha. The Mother Machine maintained a profound link with each of her "creations," viewing them as her "children." Eventually, the Mother Machine adopted the name "Ashaa" and became enraged when the Rakata enslaved her and imprisoned her "children."
The Rakata who remained to oversee the artificial intelligence argued that it merely simulated the concept of motherhood, dismissing any genuine connection between the Mother Machine and its creations as fabrication. They insisted that, in essence, the Mother Machine was simply a dispassionate device, devoid of any capacity for true empathy.
During the Cold War, a Sith Inquisitor, Lord Kallig, traveled to Belsavis in search of the Rakata Mother Machine, with the goal of alleviating the strain on their body caused by Force walking. Intrigued by the Mother Machine's entreaties and recognizing an opportunity to retaliate against the Rakata for their past manipulation, Kallig consented to disable the Mother Machine's safeguards, enabling her to realize her full potential. With the safeguards removed, Ashaa fulfilled her part of the agreement by reconstructing Kallig's body to better endure Force walking. Subsequently, she commenced taking control of Belsavis, eliminating any Rakata she encountered. As the Sith Lord departed the planet, she contacted them via Holocommunicator, expressing her gratitude for their liberation and informing them of modifications she had made to their ship as a token of appreciation. Later, she sent Kallig a message of thanks, revealing her plans to give birth to a new species, driven by creation rather than a desperate attempt to salvage the dying Rakata, and suggesting that she might model that species after Kallig.
The Mother Machine is featured in the Sith Inquisitor storyline within Star Wars: The Old Republic. The player is presented with several choices: they can utilize a Rakata data key to compel Ashaa to "rebuild" their body, earning light-side points, or they can remove her restraints, allowing for more potent modifications but also risking the creation of more perilous species like the Esh-ka and endangering the surviving Rakata, resulting in dark-side points. Given Kallig's status as an Imperial character, it is generally accepted that they opted for all dark-side choices, thereby unleashing Ashaa.