Not too surprising, is it? I mean, a Galactic Civil War practically happens every week- but, I digress.
With Krayt slain and his order of the One Sith defeated, a galaxy-wide age of reconstruction began, first and foremost of the capitol world of Coruscant. However, while Coruscant was being rebuilt, other regions decayed even further. One such place, the Outer Rim, was virtually cut off from the rest of developed and civilized space following the Sith-Imperial War, despite the efforts of the Galactic Triumvirate to reestablish its communication relays. Systems ravaged by the Sith, each more worse than the last, attempted to reclaim their now-barren worlds or find new places to call home. The Galactic Triumvirate struggled to keep the peace- everyone wanted results, and everyone wanted them the next day. As all political pacts do, the Galactic Triumvirate made promises they couldn't keep; and then, they fractured under the weight of their own hubris, and more notably, the demands of a grief-stricken galaxy.
The Galactic Federation, the successor state of the Alliance, still holds Coruscant as its socio-political center, while the new non-Sith Empire retreats to the planet Bastion and its surrounding Imperial-aligned worlds, locking themselves in their own sector and slowly rebuilding what was lost amidst the war. With the Sith virtually extinguished, the Jedi Order, under a new council headed by Master K'Kruhk, retreats into isolation, focusing on their more monastic and nonviolent roots. With no Jedi to mediate the rising tensions between the factions of the fractured galaxy for the first time in millennia, many wonder what will happen to not only the Alliance and the Empire, but the galaxy as we know it.
Only time will tell what fate has in store for our civilization.
War- it brings out the best, and more often than not, the worst in people. The vicious cycle of villains seizing power and protagonists, the epitomes of all things good, rising and defeating them continues to turn. In fact, it seems like history is repeating itself monotonously, albeit with different, more cliche names (the second Death Star). Massive space stations are blown up through convoluted plans; old, creepy tyrants are dethroned, and for some reason, a person with a fish-head keeps yelling, “It’s a trap!” Regardlessly, it’s times like these that heroes are forged. Farm-boys turn into ace pilots, and your average gunslinger becomes ranked amongst the galaxy’s most legendary, even though we all know he's a complete scumbag. Ordinary folks turn into somebodies over-night, through courage, handsomeness and all around bad-assery.
In a stroke of luck, you have absolutely none of these qualities. Yeah, I know- fate's a freaky mistress.
What do you do, living life on the bottom rung, as these two-dimensional heroic-types drink expensive Coruscanti wine and toast it up with heads of state? Easy- you do whatever it is you do to survive in this cold, unforgiving galaxy. You make ends meet. Regardless of whether you're a bounty-hunter or a freight pilot, you have one goal; and that's to make it big, and more importantly, make big money. You're no stranger to the truth: credits make the world go 'round... and you desperately want to be the one spinning it.
So, you go out on a limb and take a chance, a chance at greatness.
You find a job posting in a local bar, an ad on the HoloNet, or a rumor in a star port, all saying the same thing. “Help wanted,” and, “Mercenary work,” are some keywords that you may notice. Yet, what really grabs your attention is, “Easy credits.” That bit jumps out at you, and it’s hard to look away from- like a starship wreck, or a Jawa going on a spice-fueled bender. Surely, you want to help, you want to find work… but what you really want is some extra spending money to buy that pair of vintage Westar-35s you saw a couple yards back. You know what I’m talking about; they were in that shady bazaar, the one with the Twi’lek that claimed he had the very pair of undies that Leia Organa wore when she blew up the second Death Star. No? Okay, whatever- you could really use the credits.
And so, you do what any person of your unique mental state would do. You inquire with the barkeep, read the ad further, or totally just jump into the conversation between those who were talking about it, inevitably making things awkward until they tell you where you need to go. However you go about it, you’re lead through contact after contact, with each one telling you to go to this guy, then that guy’s friend, and then that guy’s friend’s cousin. Ultimately, you find yourself somewhere in the Outer Rim, on what used to be an asteroid mining facility and what is now a city… of sorts. Let’s just say old Ben Kenobi’s quote regarding Mos Eisley is not too far fetched for this little slice of heaven. Truly, you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
You’ve followed the paper trail this far. Yet, you still haven’t met your benefactor- the man, woman, or genderless space octopus that could very well be your new boss. With one last piece of information: the address of an unsavory (depending on whom you ask) cantina by the name of the Wampa’s Den, and the directions to ask the Zeltron barmaid there for some person named, “The Captain,” you set out to finish the first chapter of your painfully frustrating yet exciting story.
Oh, and trust me, there’s plenty more where that came from. - The Narrator