A reimagining of the Post Empire Era

It's a time of great unrest and confusion in the Galaxy. Five years of bloody fighting following the destruction of the Second **** Star and the **** of Emperor Palpatine, the fledgling and aptly named New Republic struggles to consolidate its power amongst the fractured totalitarian dictatorship, having finally signed a tumultuous peace treaty with the remaining Imperial Warlords. Coruscant remains the center of the primary political body, but numerous portions of Imperial territory has fractured into interstellar fiefdoms run by the former regime's regional governors. Certain splinters such as Ardus Kane's Pentastar Alignment have declared independence and neutrality in the face of current and former governments, along with their close partners and guarantors the InterGalactic Banking clan, while others such as those under the control of Warlord Zsinj have stubbornly remained outspoken against the New Republic in the name of their fallen Emperor. Needless to say, the newly elected Chancellor Leia Organa Skywalker finds herself in an arena she'd hoped she was more prepared to handle, but in retrospect, co-leading a rebellion seemed far simpler of a task than rebuilding the Republic from the ground up in a galaxy long tainted by Palpatine's influence.

Nonetheless, the New Republic, now backed by numerous systems previously too weak or frightened to openly defy Palpatine's Empire, had a far stronger foundation than the Rebellion could ever hope to achieve and maintained an effective, if loose, semblance of order in its cooperating systems. The uneasy peace allows Luke Skywalker to finally focus fully on his development as a Jedi, as well as lay the groundwork for a new Order as he scrounged the Galaxy for hidden caches of Jedi knowledge hidden away during the Emperor's rule. As much as he desired to begin finding and training **** Sensitives as soon as possible, he understood that there were some fundamental flaws in Yoda's order and philosophy that were in dire need of fixing, lest he run the risk of repeating the mistakes of the past such as his Father's fall. Yoda himself took great care to teach such lessons to Luke during the few times he could reach out from the Netherworld of the ****.

As for Han Solo, he returned to what he did best, smuggling, though his cargo and employers were nothing like the old crime lords he'd run for in his youth. With Imperial Remnant presence still heavy in the galaxy, he and a few other scoundrel friends such as lifelong partner Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian had taken it upon themselves to run supplies into Imperial Space to aid in local militias and resistance movements, as well as spring slaves from bondage and delivering them back to New Republic space as refugees. It was perhaps the most dangerous type of work he could ever take in a post-Empire galaxy, but with his fiancé Leia constantly occupied with running a new government, he felt it was the best use of his peculiar set of skills in the grand scheme of things. His beloved of course would never let him slip back into business with seedier clientele anyway.

You sat back in your computer chair, reading over the lore you were building and smiled to yourself, your own "opening crawl" so to speak coming together with each word typed. Empowering every line with your Godly ability, you felt this new Star Wars variation take shape across space and time. After all, you had endless material to draw inspiration from, both from the original EU and the new Disney EU, and make this reimagining a reality. You smirk to yourself at that last thought, feeling the shudders of countless nerds across the fandom at the implication of actually using such taboo material in your own creation. Contrary to the more vocal opinions, you maintained as objective of a stance on the sequels as possible. Palpatine being resurrected was nothing new to you and still fit his character, you found the concept of the extremist First Order intriguing, and you actually enjoyed the written dialogue between the various characters, new and old. If given different direction and executed in a new manner, the Sequel trilogy could've actually been... good. Maybe not Academy Award worthy, but still enjoyable for old and new fans alike. Squaring your shoulders, you got back to work to meld the best of both worlds.

Palpatine wasn't without his contingencies. Operation: Cinder is carried out as planned, and while some planets such as Naboo, Saleucami, Fondor, and Kuat are spared either by Rebellion forces or disobedient Governors, dozens of other worlds are glassed in what appears to be one last act of madness by the late Emperor. In truth, the mass burning of worlds was both a literal and symbolic smokescreen to keep the New Republic occupied with lesser Imperial powers while the most important and valuable assets thrived unnoticed in the Unknown Regions. The officers to disappear from the front lines under the cover of these Terror Attacks, Palpatine's best, brightest, and most loyal, would go on to include General Maximillian Veers, Admiral Rae Sloane, and Commandant Brendol Hux, followed by their own fleets, armies and auxiliary support forces. Officially in the Empire, prior movements into the Unknown Regions were disguised as exploratory and scientific ventures to discover new Hyperspace lanes and habitable worlds for expansion, only to be "lost" in the uncharted and chaotic corners of the Galaxy. In truth, these expeditions were laying the groundwork for Palpatine's First Order and, in tandem with Grand Admiral Mitt'raw'nuruodo and the Chiss Ascendency, would grow to challenge the New Republic once more, taking all of the advantages and military might of the Greater Empire, whilst eliminating its more crippling flaws. Most importantly, it would serve as a vehicle for Palpatine's resurrection in his Post-Order 66 pursuit of Eternal Life.

It was here in this new Galaxy you planned to make your own mark of greatness. The Father, the Son, and the Daughter had all disappeared into the Netherworld of the ****, leaving you free to step forward largely unopposed. Would you step into the role of a paragon of light by aiding the New Republic in rebuilding the Galaxy and ushering in a new Golden Age? Would you take control of the still developing First Order in Palpatine's stead and carry out your own conquests? Would you keep to yourself and have fun in-between the various greater powers, taking and claiming whatever and whomever you wished as your whims command? And if you did, would you be a Jedi? A Sith? A Bounty Hunter or Scoundrel? Or maybe something else entirely?