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THE CROWN JEWEL
Timeframe: approximately 6 years after the
Battle of Yavin
The New Republic launched its master strike to reclaim the Core
Worlds, and especially the throne world of Coruscant. The planet
fell to Republic hands with little difficulty, but at this point,
the major conflicts concerning the New Republic were internal.
One of the most famous racial conflicts occurred constantly between
the bickering Bothans and Mon Calamari. One such confrontation
nearly sent the New Republic staggering in the footsteps of the Old.
Related stories: X-Wing
series.
THE WARLORD ZSINJ
Timeframe: approximately 7-8 years after
the Battle of Yavin
Approximately three years after the foundation of the "New
Republic" Leia Organa, now minister of state for the Republic
met with the female ruler of some of the richest worlds in the
galaxy, the Hapes system. This ruler promised the New Republic her
worlds if Organa would marry her son, Prince Isolder. In turn Leia
would become the new ruler of Hapes.
However, there were two flaws. The queen didn't want Leia ruling so
she attempted to assasinate her son; and Han Solo had become firmly
entrenched on spending his life with Leia. This fixation on Leia
drove Solo to kidnap her and gamble to buy her a planet. Although
she refused to go, Han had other plans. She awoke in the Millennium
Falcon's hold en route to Dathomir, the planet Han won for her.
Upon arrival, the group noticed that Dathomir was at the heart of
the Warlord Zsinj's territory, and was not worth what Solo gambled
on it. The group landed and were discovered by a group of female
force-trained witches who waged war with other Dark Side witches on
Dathomir. The witches were descendants of Jedi who once inhabited
Dathomir.
Not knowing the evil lurking in the queen's heart, Luke set off to
find the pair by her orders and in order to avoid embarrassment for
the New Republic. Prince Isolder, also determined on winning the
hand of Leia, followed Luke. Isolder landed safely, but Luke's ship
was destroyed by a circuit trap placed by the backstabbing queen in
early entry into Dathomir's atmosphere. Luke floated to the ground
atop cushion of the Force and discovered the witches with
Isolder.
After numerous battles with both Dark Side witches and the Empire,
the group headed for Coruscant with Isolder conceding defeat to
Solo, who married Organa the next day.
Related stories: Iron
Fist, Solo Command and The
Courtship of Princess Leia.
THE POWER OF STRATEGY
Timeframe: approximately 9 years after the
Battle of Yavin
The quick rise of Grand Admiral
Thrawn, and his uncanny ability to rally Imperial ships to his
command, proved just how fragile the New Republic was. An unknown
leader from an earlier age, he appeared with what seemed only one
motive: Destroy the remains of the Rebellion and New Republic.
Through the use of amazing strategy and unexpected strikes, the
Grand Admiral gripped the New Republic at its throat, but once
again, the death of the Empire came at the hands of an unsuspected
primitive species. The noghri, originally inducted to the Empire by
Darth Vader had led a life consisting only of servitude to the
Empire, whom they believed were cleansing their planet. Through the
efforts of both children of Vader/Anakin Skywalker, the New Republic
showed the noghri the Empire had actually poisoned the planet and
persuaded the race to the New Republic's side. Thrawn
was violently murdered by highly trained assassins from this race
who discovered his treachery.
The era of Thrawn's campaign
was not only a time of external struggle, but of aforementioned
internal struggle as well. A Bothan by the name of Borsk Fey'lya
accused the Mon Calamari Admiral Ackbar of treason against the New
Republic and Ackbar was jailed.
Through the efforts of Luke, Leia, and Ackbar's other friends, his
name was cleared and Fey'lya was incriminated. The Bothan, contrary
to popular belief, was not evil at heart, but a normal member of his
race. The bothan race is well known for their hunger of power and
positions of authority, Fey'lya merely capitalized on this instinct.
Related stories: Heir
to the Empire, Dark Force Rising
and The Last Command.
THE RENEWAL OF PALPATINE
Timeframe: approximately 10 years after the
Battle of Yavin
Following the time span during which Thrawn
practically flattened the New Republic, the Emperor Palpatine rose
again.
After each death, the malevolent leader of the Empire transferred
his soul to a new waiting clone, contained in the clone vats on
Byss, a core world. Sensing his return, Skywalker decided to face
the evil incarnate. Sucked up by a force storm on Coruscant, Luke
was transferred to the dark planet of Byss and decided, like the
Jedi Ulic-Qel Droma before him, to eat at the Dark Side from the
inside. He apprenticed himself to Palpatine in order to learn the
secrets of the Dark Side, hoping one would topple the evil side of
the force. He was drawn in too far, just as his Master, Yoda, had
forewarned. Luke became more and more demented, using the Dark Side
to help the New Republic destroy hideous World Devastators that
attack the planet of Calamari, but using the Dark Side
nonetheless.
His sister, Leia, realized what has happened and set off with Han
Solo to find him. Through a series of run-ins with an undigested
Boba Fett and many vengeful Hutts the two arranged transport to Byss
and help Luke turn to the light. Leia met Palpatine and the two
exchanged curses, when the Emperor claimed he will take control of
her third child, later to be named Anakin Solo. Leia stole the
withered daemon's Jedi Holocron, a small clear cube which projects
holographic data on the early Jedi, and united with Luke in the
Force. The power of the link between twin brother and sister
overpower the Dark Side's hold on Luke and the two escape to
freedom, leaving Palpatine to be destroyed by his self-created force
storm.
While thinking Palpatine dead, he sprang up again like the phoenix
of traditional Ithorian legend. He began work on creating an army of
Dark Side warriors who were ultimately defeated by Luke Skywalker.
Skywalker was making progress in discovering Jedi artifacts and
students with the discovery of Kam Solusar, and the duo's discovery
of the Ysanna tribe, a clan of long-descended Jedi on the planet of
Ossus. He receives two new students from the tribe, Jem, a young
Jedi woman, and Rayf, an adolescent Jedi boy.
Han and Leia concerned themselves with other matters during this
time, especially dodging bounty hunters. They returned to Nar Shadda
to retrieve Jedi Vima Da Boda and carried her off, dodging Boba
Fett, and demolishing a Star Destroyer by crashing it into the
smuggler's moon.
They fled from Boba Fett into a gas cloud, the Solo's ship damaged
considerably. There they met King Empatojayos Brand, ruler of the
isolated Ganathan civilization. Empatojayos was a Jedi, who now was
encased in a suit of prosthetics, thanks to Darth Vader.
Then, the war droids sabotaged by the New Republic and sent to the
Empire and containing Lando Calrissian and a New Republic strike
force arrived on Byss, to face Palpatine's new super-weapon, the
Galaxy Gun, and the virtually impenetrable citadel that was the
reason Byss was chosen as target. The new super-weapon was employed
to strike the new base and there the New Republic core nearly met
doom. The strike on the citadel failed and their new base
demolished, the new government headed forthe fringe regions, only to
be hunted by more Dark Siders of the Emperor.
The Dark Siders were destroyed however thanks to the cunning of the
five Jedi stationed there and the New Republic re-grouped once more
to regain Coruscant.
Related stories: Dark
Empire, Dark Empire II and Empire's
End.
THE QUEST FOR JEDI
Timeframe: approximately 11 years after the
Battle of Yavin
After the temptations of Luke by the dark side of the force, he was
urged to begin an academy to train force adepts throughout the
galaxy.
After searching out many different trainees, Yavin IV was selected
as the site to begin the Academy and the school was stationed
there.
Meanwhile, Han Solo was on course for Kessel, home of the spice
mines and Kessel glitterstim (the potent mind-enhancing drug. He was
shot down by the current owner of the mines. After realizing he shot
down Han Solo, the owner, Moruth Droole, acted on his long-standing
hatred of Solo and threw him in the mines.
There the Captain met energy-sucking spiders, absolute darkness, and
Kyp Durron. Han found that Kyp has some Force aptitude and they
escaped to the Maw, a cluster of Black Holes nearby. Kyp used his
innate Force talent to guide their stolen ship through the Maw where
they found an Imperial top secret weapons lab with a prototype for
the Death Star. Meeting a brainwashed scientist, Dr. Qwi Xux, on the
way through their capture at Maw, they eventually escaped the
installation and the Four star destroyers hiding there.
The ship they fled in was the Sun Crusher, a creation of Dr. Xux's
while she was brainwashed. This small ship with impenetrable quantum
armor and resonance torpedoes that destroy stars is the most
horrific weapon the galaxy has seen. Numerous visits are made back
and forth to the weapons lab and eventually the Sun Crusher ended up
in the Dark Side influenced hands of Durron. Kyp went on a New
Republic killing spree, taking out many centers of Imperial
domination before putting Luke Skywalker into a coma. While Luke was
disabled, the Imperials attacked the secret planet where Leia's
third baby is being raised and Admiral Ackbar and Leia rushed to
save her child.
Luke was finally allowed out of his coma after his students
obliterated the shadow of the Dark Lord of the Sith's spirit that
held Luke in stasis. Luke then found Durron and converted him back
to the light.
During Luke Skywalker's search for Jedi School candidates, Admiral
Ackbar embarrassed the New Republic by crashing his B-wing into the
Cathedral of the Winds, the impressive monument belong the race
known as the Vors.
The glass structure shattered into billions of sharp fragments,
shredding all those inside and creating a galactic catastrophe for
the New Republic. Later Ackbar found that the accident was not his
fault as his B-wing was tampered with and the tamperer was
brainwashed by the Empire.
Related stories: Jedi
Search, Dark Apprentice, Champions
of the Force, I, Jedi and Jedi
Academy: Leviathan.
THE HORRORS OF PLETT'S WELL
Timeframe: approximately 12-13 years after
the Battle of Yavin
Eight years after the battle of Endor, a vacation-ambassadorial trip
to Ithor led Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Luke, and two of Luke's new Jedi
students to the Outer Rim to investigate a gear in Palpatine's
Jedi-extermination plan that went haywire.
The Eye of Palpatine was designed in complete secrecy to follow its
artificial intelligence's timetable and collect stormtroopers from
many different systems, and then transport them to the world of
Belsavis to wipe out a Jedi stronghold there. The ship was a hive of
weapons encased in a large asteroid. However, fifteen years ago,
during Palpatine's rampant bid for power, two Jedi discovered the
ship and decided they must stop it while they could. The ship was
left floating inactive in an asteroid field for thirty long years.
The Time of Meeting on the planet Ithor was, and is today, the most
fantastic homecoming in the universe. The nomadic herd ships of the
Ithorians would return home to their peacefully untouched jungle
home and link in orbit to create a grand spectacle. At the center of
it was Han, Leia, Luke, and his students. As usual they were
accompanied by Chewbacca, and two familiar droids. After a
frightening and unusual disturbance of a drugged, insane, unkempt
man rushing towards Han mumbling threats. They set off in search of
knowledge of a place known as Plett's Well, or pletwell, to find the
mumbling man's (Solo's ex-smuggling buddy Drub McKumb) object of
delusion.
They investigated Belsavis while Luke and his students decided on
searching Pzob, a rugged planet inhabited by warring Gammorrean
tribes, the Klaggs and Gakfedds.
En route to Pzob, Luke's ship passed through an asteroid field, and
unexpectedly woke an unseen enemy in the field. Something blasted at
his ship and nearly killed the entire group, when they landed on
Pzob.
They became stuck in the middle of tribal wars when all the life
forms in the area were abducted by an awoken ship. Something had
disturbed the Eye of Palpatine, and it's intelligence, known as the
Will, sent it to pick up troopers at the first stop, Pzob. It
abducted Luke and students Cray Mingla, the latter being a brilliant
AI engineer, and Nichos her fiancee, a man's spirit encased in a
droid. The ship continued to pick up other species from many
different planets, including races of jawas, sandpeople, Kitonaks,
Affytechans, Talz, and other unknown creatures.
Meanwhile, Han and Leia had their hands full deciphering lore of
Plett's well on Belsavis. Their adventures led them trough crypts
filled with crazed trapped smugglers and to a new threat, Irek
Ismaren, a young egotistical Jedi definitely tinkering with the Dark
Side, and son to one of the Emperor's concubines. Leia later
discovered Irek stretched out with his mind to summon the Eye of
Palpatine to Belsavis, thinking it was a ship able to be programmed
instead of one with a set agenda. Captured by the young Dark Jedi
and his Imperial family and friends to be held hostage Organa had
little hope.
Luke, onboard Eye of Palpatine had set his plans into motion to find
where the opposing faction of Gamorreans were holding his student
Cray.She was to be executed, but was saved by Luke with the help of
Callista, the spirit of the Jedi woman who died to stop the Eye of
Palpatine 30 years ago. Luke and Callista began to communicate
through computer terminals and quickly became friends and later
became more. Luke knew the ship must be destroyed, but wrestled with
his love for Callista, offering her a droid made with her memories.
She refused his offer, knowing she could not regain the life she
once had through mechanical eyes.
Eventually, all the creatures onboard were rounded up safely,
stacked aboard transport craft and left, with Luke among them. Cray
and Nichos stunned Luke and placed him aboard the transports in
order to prevent him from killing himself while they attempted to
destroy Eye of Palpatine. The Eye of Palpatine dissipated in a blaze
of glory with Luke screaming for his lost students and lost
love.
Han rescued Leia from the Jedi adolescent, Irek, and met Luke in
Belsavis' medical center. A lifepod ejected from Eye of Palpatine
was rescued and opened to reveal a very different looking Cray. In
fact, it was not Cray at all, but Callista. She explained how Cray
willed her body to Callista so she could be with Nichos in the
afterlife. She lost her ability to touch the Force, but she still
had Luke, and they left for Yavin IV together.
Related stories: Children
of the Jedi, Darksaber, Planet
of Twilight and Murder in
Slushtime.
THE WONDROUS WARU
Timeframe: approximately 14 years after the
Battle of Yavin
Luke, Han, and Leia's more recent adventures were in the diplomatic
nature. Solo, wanting a vacation joined Luke in chasing after a
rumored being that sounded strong in the Force. The being was called
Waru and lived on a space station near a black hole. Also in orbit
was a crystal star which was spiraling towards the pinpoint of the
hole. This star created interference in the Force and seriously
affected Luke's abilities. Meanwhile, Leia searched for her three
children, who were kidnapped while she was on a diplomatic mission.
The kidnappers wanted the children to sacrifice to Waru. It turned
out that Waru was a creature from another dimension on the other
side of the black hole that wished merely to return to his own
side.
To do this he needed force energy and sucked it from force adepts
especially. The three children were meant to be sacrificed before
the almighty Waru but were saved first. Instead Luke was drawn into
the creature, which had no dimensions on its inside and was saved
only through Han, Leia, and the children. Waru instead depleted the
evil Force adept, Lord Hethrir who kidnapped Leia's children: Jaina,
Jacen, and Anakin, in the first place. Both Hethrir and Waru
disappeared, one dead, the other home.
Related stories: The
Crystal Star.
THE CORELLIAN CONFLICT
Timeframe: approximately 18 years after the
Battle of Yavin
While life slowly calmed down for the Galactic heroes, a shadow
approached Han one day while he performed maintenance on the Falcon.
This shadow was New Republic Intelligence agent Belindi Kalenda. She
pleaded with Han to set a front for the many NRI agents on Han's
homeworld of Corellia who had not reported after going into the
Corellian system. She explained that he could use his upcoming
part-vacation, part escort for his Chief of State wife as a time to
act suspicious and draw some heat away from the agents on Corellia,
if they were alive.
The New Republic Intelligence however were not the only snoopers on
Coruscant. The Human League spies watched the meeting.
The trip to Corellia was mostly uneventful and depressing,
especially for Han, who remembered the lights and excitement of his
childhood on Corellia. They were gone now and isolation and racism
swept Corellia like a repulsor. The normally diverse planet was
subject to both archaeological digs to discover the first of the
Corellian system's three prominent races to achieve certain goals,
and groups such as the Human League who catalyzed the xenophobia.
Apparently, as Han and Leia's children found out, they most likely
weren't looking for bones, when they discover a huge chamber
intended for some unknown use.
The trip to Corellia was unfortunately quite eventful for Belindi
Kalenda as she attempted to enter the Corellian system, only to be
shot down. After a horribly dangerous blind hyperspace leap and a
harrowing night water landing, Kalenda dropped into the populace to
try to follow the tension building and the pivotal point of Han,
Leia, their children, and the vacation and trade meetings they were
there for.
Luke, having left with Lando Calrissian to a spot very near the
Corellian system, was unable to accept the message for Han and Leia
sent through him. It was instead directed by unnamed hands to Mara
Jade, who presented it to Han and Leia. Inside was a threat
requiring they followed successive directions forthcoming or stars
would be destroyed, much as three small life-free solar systems
already found.
At this, riots began, planted by the Human League, all throughout
the Corellian system, and a huge interdiction field sprang up to
consume the whole system, trapping everyone to the will of the Human
League and its Secret Leader, Han's cousin, Thrackan Sal-Solo.
Later, in jail, Solo was aided by a Selonian in escaping the Human
League compound. Meanwhile, large repulsors were discovered across
the system the scale of planets instead of Corellian archaeological
landmarks.
The Human League enlisted these to crush incoming ships, but a New
Republic task force, led by the escaped Skywalker, and equipped with
interdiction field breakers, discovered this first. Leia escaped her
prison as well to meet her friends and Han above the world of
Selonia, where the group was poised to face the group responsible
for new star explosions, and other impossible technological
phenomena, possibly the race that assembled an entire solar system.
Related stories: Ambush
at Corellia, Assault at Selonia,
Showdown at Centerpoint. |