Star Wars: 30 Years Later The Real Story

Inner Rim - Planet Riosa

"The planet Riosa had been always called a Diamond encased in Vines. The reason for this was that it had rich veins of minerals and prime matter necessary for the construction of ships and vehicles in both the planet itself and in the asteroid fields present all aorund the system. It also had a very rich and fertile soil which allowed the cultivation of one of the most dėsɨrėd and coveted grapevines that permitted the the production of a wine so delicious that it was said to be able to transport the drinker into a dream of pŀėȧsurė and ecstasy impossible to describe in words. For many years, the planet had always profitted from both industries, but the mining industry was the most important due to all the conflicts that the galaxy being the most important of those, the Clone Wars. The Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems had both ordered massive quantities of minerals and matter prime which the system in the territory of Riosa had to sell. However, reaching those sediments was not easy since veins were normally surrounded by radioactive matter and accidents were prone to occur.

For a time, it was very costly to pay the medical fees and the compensation to the families of the workers. Even droids and machines would suffer a quick corrosion which would made them useless very quickly. This did not stop people to mine of course. It was a quick and practical way of getting credits if you survived long enough and many debt drowned people would go trying to pay their debts, mostly to the criminal syndicates that plagued the region. It was common that they force their desperate debtors there to work until they paid the last credit of until they died, whatever happened first. The Rinnrivin Di's cartel was the head of the underworld forces and they protected their territory ferociously and had a tight control on Riosas' political and social affairs. That was of course, until the Empire came.

Soon after the Empire had been created, the syndicates and crime cartels received visits from a certain dark lord who was an envoy from the Emperor himself informing them of the changes which would apply since then. According to the terrified survivors of said visits, the offer was simple and direct.

'Work for the Empire or be destroyed.'

Many cartels and crime lords had laughed at these and decided to take the situation as they usually did. However, the result was swift and brutal and many syndicates and crime lords along with their families vanished in mere hours. This 'envoy' was capable of reducing literal armies to dust with just a red lightsaber in hand. After making many of those syndicates 'examples,' the rest, which included the Rinnrivin Di's cartel just decided to side with the Empire and started to work with even more brutal methods.

Riosa was annexed and its factories were commandeered by the Empire. The Wine industry was put aside with all citizens dedicated exclusively to the extraction of the minerals necessary to build what in the future would be known as the 'Death Star.' Every able person was forced into mandatory labor and pushed to their limits to reach ridiculous and ever increasing quotas which were frequently picked up by Darth Vader itself.

The wine industry, though having received heavy damage, also helped to its renown. Since the production of the popular liquor had stopped, the "Riosa Dream" that still existed gained a status of rare collectible and its price rose to an unimaginable amount which did not reduce even after the Empire fell and the production restarted.

Decades into the New Republic rule, the planet had flourished thanks to the two industries since people still like to drink and people still like to fight each other and Riosa provided the tools for both activities."

The young officer that was reading this segment of Riosa's history stopped looking at the panel and nested himself in the chair he was using while stretching and rubbed his eyes which were tired.

- "What time is it?"- asked his fellow officer next to him.

- "You're asking that again... Seriously, Don't you know that when you want the time to pass faster, it only makes it slower?"- said the young officer with impatience.

- "What can I do then?"- asked the annoying officer next to him.

- "I don't know... read something"- replied the young officer with a tone that clearly indicated his lack of interest.

- "I'm not like you who needs to study for an exam"- said the annoying officer with a bored tone- "I wish something interesting happened..."

- "Whatever you say, buddy..."- said the young officer.

The young officer called Josh Palermo was in his last year in the officer's school and was about to graduate. It was doing his practicum in the Orbital Defense Belt which was a group of Military Space Stations orbiting the planet while controlling any entry or take off of starcraft which main mission was the protection of the planet but that most of the time work as a Customs office. Josh did not want to return to his read so he changed the image in the panel and look in the news and so a picture of Ransolm Casterfo responding to some questions with an ironic smile.

- "You're smiling so widely"- commented the annoying officer next to him with a teasing tone- "let me guess you are thinking of your pretty girl or better of your hero..."

Josh got as red as a bete to this comment. He had always admired Casterfo and the day he had entered the adcademy he had given a very passionate and now embarrasing answer in front of everyone including his friend here present who always made sure to not let him forget.

- "You'll never let it go, won't you?"

- "Nope..." .

Josh shook his head in defeat while looking the firm and strong figure of his hero. Ransolf Casterfo was without a doubt one of the most popular political leaders in the Centrist faction whose background had been extremely impeccable to the dismay of his opponents. He was everything the centrist faction wanted to see in a leader. He was tough, and straightforward. He did everything he needed to do and always managed to do so. He was smart and cheeky and wanted the values they all considered key in any society: order, independence and strong leadership for strong civilians. No weak minded, bubble safety, government dependant children like certain Populist faction who only knew to ask for things without doing the hard work.

He, along with Leia Organa had managed to get rid of the syndicates and crime lords, and all mining operations were now under the strict supervision of the Centrist government who put a lot of emphasis in safety measures. There was a rumour that Casterfo's parents had died due to the terrible conditions of the mines during the Empire. It was very known he detested the Empire government, even though he considered a rigoruous system was necessary to create order and law which were maxims for the Centrist faction.

- "If only all were like the Supreme Chancillor"- thought Josh thinking on how the rest of the Populist senators looked at them- "pure jealousy."

Once the empire had fallen, they had been hit hard since everyone viewed them as "Empire loyalists." They could care the less that it was the population of Riosa that suffered the most during those years of conscripted mining or that their economy was devastated since the Empire did not pay them at all and that the Syndicates just abused their power even with more impunity. Since the New Republic gave its back to them , Riosa gave its back to the New Republic and they were not alone. Many systems joined them and they maintained a strong position. The Centrist faction was born from there and they were very clear.

- "We will not allow another Empire to rule us under the pretense of Democracy!"

The senators and leaders of the Centrist faction cooperate with each other and managed to start a massive economical revolution based on the two things they did the best. And so they built a new and powerful economy with "Oil and Wine" and after 30 years of hard work, they had returned to the top of the top and those who before questioned them now depended on them to create the shield against the First Order. Due to the mistreatent of the New Republic which had a vast majority of Populist senators led by Leia Organa, many families and politicians were sympathizers of the First Order since at the beginning it seemed to be another faction that just like them were fed up with the attitude of the New Republic and their Populist Overlords

- "Hosnian Prime was their biggest mistake"- thought Josh remembering that terrible day.

Many of the planets in the Hosnian system had been centrist leaning and the fact that the First Order had not cared about destroying them along with the rest, was a slap on the face of the Centrist Faction and thus the silent agreement was broken. After that, Senator Casterfo started a rageful campaign of revenge against the First Order which started with the attack on Starkiller Base and continued to this day.

Josh just put away the tablet and wished that the time to change shifts arrived sooner so he could meet his fiancee. He smiled at the image of the smiling face of his childhood friend who was now waiting for him. He smiled thinking of the rest of the day when he saw a signal which announced a jump from hyperspace in their zone.

- "Another trade... strange, there is nothing scheduled until 6 hours...."- said Josh checking the program.

- "Wait a minute... the jump is too close... who is the idiot piloting that vessel?"- said his annoying colleague next to him- "I just hope it's not an emergency jump or we will have to make lots of paperwork."

- "Multiple signals...?"- said Josh shocked to see the massive number in the systems- "Wait... what?"

- "Nobody told us of this..."- said his annoying friend

- "Call HQ and inform this.... this is just too strange for us to..."

Almost immediately, officer sees how multiple warships and star destroyers appear on their orbit which started to shoot at them without delay. The Space station trembled violently and immediately the alarms started to sound indicating they were under attack.

- "Damn!"- shouted his friend while grabbing his desk to not fall- "The First Order?"

- "They can't be this crazy!"- said Josh swearing every single profanity he could remember while activating the communication systems to alert all the sector if necessary- "here Falcon 928 on sector SD-4441. We are under attack... I repeat, we are under attack... Massive number of attackers... reinforcements needed!"

- "Here Eagle 100. Acknowledge!"- said a voice through the intercom- "Resist there and repel the enemy! Over!"

- "What?"- Josh was shocked since they did not tell them if they were going to send help.

- "Red alert, all personnel go to their battle stations..."- the commander entered the main ċȯċkpit and immediately relayed his orders- "Activate all combat systems and shoot the enemy... status report".

- "Massive presence of enemies"- said an officer trying to deliver as much information as possible- "no communications established, considerable damage on external hull and defense systems but stable and operative."

- "Send alert signal to HQ"- said the commander and Josh immediately reported.

- "Signal sent"- said Josh using his most professional tone- "Response was to hold up and repel the enemy. No reinforcements acknowledge."

- "What does that mean?"- asked the commander who looked confused

- "Sir, we are receiving multiple reports of attacks in different sectors and planets reporting similar attacks"- informed the annoying officer next to Josh.

- "So they are attacking in multiple places"- said the commander realizing the grave situation they were in. They were alone since reinforcements could not be sent to all places at the same time- "That makes no sense, though... the First Order does not have the size for such strike."

- "Captain, we are detecting familiar signals among the first order starships... they are New Republic vessels"- reported an officer on the other side of the room with a shocked voice.

- "What does that mean...? Show me..."- ordered the commander and a holographic panel appeared on the air showing StarHawk-class battleships, Liberty-class Cruisers, and ȧssault frigates fighting alongside with the Star Destroyers of the First Order. The commander started to tremble- "Has the New Republic betrayed us?"

Almost immediately, the attacks increased in potency and the alert signals multiplied reporting the damages suffered in the last seconds. Josh did not understand why the New Republic was siding with their most bitter enemy-

- "So be it then!"- shouted the commander whose enraged voice resounded like a thunder- "if they think we will just sit down here waiting to be destroyed, they must have forgotten how nasty we can be!"

The fury was contagious and Josh started to operate the systems he was in charged with a renovated decisiveness. Josh had always aspired to be a worthy representative of the Riosa community and be like his hero. How could he aspire to be like his role model if he were to fall now and die without even fighting.

- "All weapons fire"- said the commander with fire on his eyes- "Focus on the closest vessels."

- "Even the allies?"- asked an officer who seemed to doubt his commander's orders.

- "Especially them... They are not allies anymore... change their tags... they are considered hostile and they must be destroyed at all costs!"

- "Yes Sir!"

Scenes like this were repeating all over the galaxy. Kuat in the Core worlds, Hevurion and Orinda in the Mid Rim, Arkanis in the Outer Regions. They also were being attacking along with any centrist planet around them without any previous warning. They all had a single thought.

"We have been betrayed by the New Republic!"

(...)

Phindar Planet Orbit - Galactic Voyager

Kihdoo Motri was a young Mon Calamari engineer who as most of his kin was a very quiet and soft spoken individual who loved machinery and had thrown himself into the life of engineering. All knew that once a Mon Clamari decided into a course there was nothing that could stop them from doing that until the end of said course. In the case of engineering, he knew very well that there would be no end to it, since development and knew designs would be limitless even after he died. He had graduated with hhonors New Republic Academy of Sciences and it was due to this that he had gotten the possibiulity to get a position in the fglagship of the new republic where the legendary Mon Calamari Supreme Commander of the New Republic defense Force and grand admiral Gial Ackbar. The day he received the acceptance he could only dance and jump in exhiliration. A very different feeling of how he was feeling right now.

- Team 34, take the route 65 and go down the Port pulse engine- ordered Quidrit Voodraac the engineer chief in the Galactic Voyager- "team 45 go route 23 and reach the anti matter system hatch... team 47..."

He was now floating along with a team of engineers going as fast as they could all over the place trying to fix and reboot the systems manually. Quidrit Voodrac was a veteran technician who had been ȧssigned as his supervisor and was a rough and tough Mon Claamari very different of the common one. He was ill spoken and he said anything he wanted, but he was extremely apssionate about his craft. He had disciovered that he came from a long linage of engineers. He had fought with the rebel alliance since the beginning of the civil war and even though he had gotten a well deserved retirement plan with all the honors, he had decided to return and put his skills to service of the fight once again, only this time against the First Order. A very noble mission that would gain his favour, but when he asked him about it he simply said:

- "I was bored to death so I used this as an excuse to see and analyze the blueprints of the new vessels that the New Republic was using."

He said with a cheeky smirk that defleted all Kihdoo's admiration and make him feel really scared. It was also the same whenever he started to study any new model or design that he found interesting.

- "Hehehehe... oh you're beautiful... look at here, Kid... it's like seeing a beautiful lady in a nice dress for the first time"- Kihdoo thought that his wife would smack his head had she known his thoughts but then he said something that was in his mind until now- "Only an engineer would understand. You do, don't you? The passion for analyzing new and amazing inventions, find its weaknesses and design even better systems and brag about it to others!"

Kihdoo felt something burn inside his soul. It was just as he said and it was exactly the reason why he had decided to follow this career. Many thought engineers were petulant big headed jerks who only knew how to brag. Honestly, they were absolutely right, but it was that attitude that made you advance in this competitive and ruthless career. A violent shake returned him to the present where he was advancing through the tunnels of service that onnly the engineers and technicians knew and had access to.

- "Blegghh!"- one of the youngest in his team was getting his last meal out of his system as the zero gravity started to affect him.

- "You'll get used to it"- said Voodraac as he continued to ȧssign different tasks to the rest of the teams- "Team 23 go route 8H to the south and take care of life systems... Team 24, go route 56K and get to the gravity management system.

Many would think that being an engineer or technician was a safe task, but in reality, the studies showed that in space battles the biggest toll of victims were not soldiers but service and technical staff like them, so they have to be ready to have accidents and even die a silent and unglorious death.

- "Nobody sings odes for engineers, Kiddo"- said Voodraac once when they were drinking in a day off- "They praise the pilot for his skill at flying, but not the technician that made the starfighter capable of fly like that without breaking in the air. They recognize the valour of the soldiers who fight, but nobody talks of the expert who maintain their armor, weapons and vehicles to get ready for battle. They give medals to the captains and commodores, but nobody give anything to them, the engineers, who make sure the vessel, structure and systems are in optimal conditions."

It was an ungrateful and unfair occupation, but necessary one. According to Voodraac, the sooner the youngsters realized that, the sooner they would grow practical and stop dreaming about a glorious and rewarding job.

- "It will make you happier too in the end"- said the old Mon Calamari- "since nobody gives a crap about you, it's you, and only yourself, who needs to find a reason to stay in this career. May it be money, a personal goal or a crazy sense competition round with other engineers. It doesn't matter what it is... but you need something to make you stay in the game, understand?"

- "Team 34, take the route 65 and go down the Port pulse engine"- Voodraac ordered the last teams around them- "team 45, go route 23C and reach the anti-matter system hatch... team 47..."

He was giving them orders as they moved and the teams simply turned to their respective routes while knowing the time was of the essence. Kihdoo received a communication in his device which had been protected from the EMP attack.

- "Engineer Voodraac"- said Kihdoo as soon as he received the message- "The scouts have open a safe route to the main reactor core"

- "Perfect, I would not leave that to anyone else"- said the Chief Engineer with his typical "humble" attitude- "I know this vessel better than anyone!"

Kihdoo had spent a lot of time wiith this supervisor of his to notice that he was angry and very agravated and as a fellow engineer, he understood why. Voodraac had participated in the development and improvement of this Star Cruiser and he knew that they had placed the best anti-EMP defense system to date, which made the First Order attack impossible. He could not explain how it had affect them and that made his blood boil. Even now they were receiving a merciless barrage of attacks which would not stop until the destruction of the Voyager

Even without their shield systems, the Voyager was a very strudy maid and could take the onslaught for a time. Thats why they went and immediately started to restart all the systems manually, but the vessel was massive and they would need some minutes and even if they restarted the systems the damage could be just too much if they delayed.

- "Just you wait bastards... I'll dismantle that farkled vessel and attack you with an even better system... just you wait you sculags!"

Kihdoo simply followed the veteran engineer in front of him who showed no fear nor weakness, but only a mad outrage and for some reason, the young Mon Clamari thought that he looked like a powerful giant capable of tear apart anything on his way, and he swore to ȧssist him to the best of his abilities and one day surpass him like the good engineer he was.

(...)

Phindar planet - Helanmip

Freshly graduated Private Ruwee Durron was on the Flying transport vehicle along with many other soldiers on route to the last enclave of the enemy in the town of Helanmip. According to the data, the enemy had gather their remaining forces there for last stand. They also received the information that their their commander was there and it was absolutely necessary to take him down in order to give a massive blow to the First Order. He started to check his blaster and equipment once again due to the anxiousness which he felt before every battle he had. This the battle was definitely going to be hard but he had trained for this and it was not his first battle either.

- "Approaching landing zone!"- he heard the voice of his commander through the intercom in his helmet- "estimated time... 7 minutes!"

He took a deep breathe and then he saw the star fighters and bombers escorting them. He noticed two star fighters flying in the distance and he recognized both of them. One was the fighter of Captain Poe Dameron, hero of the Resistance and destructor of the StarKiller Base and the other one was Red 5, which belonged to the legendary Rebel alliance hero, the Scourge of the Empire and the best pilot of the galaxy, General Luke Skywalker. He had never talked to him, but he had seen him in action in some battles against the First Order. He could use all the praises he knew and they would not be enough to describe the feats of this man. The general was simply a monster and he was glad he was on his side. He felt sorry for the poor Hut spawns waiting for them.

- "Arrival in 5 minutes"- said his commander once again throught the intercom- "we'll go in after the bombers do their job!"

He saw the Rogue Squadron accelerating while positioning themselves to bomb the enemy settlement and soften the meat for them to enter with better prospects.

Chrrrrrk!

Ruwee felt a small short circuit in his helmet and the electronic panel went silent along with his intercom. He did not have time to recover from this since the transporter where he was started to fall down at great speed.

- "WE HAVE LOST ALL POWER!"- he heard a voice coming from the ċȯċkpit even though he was not sure since his helmet was off and he could not see very well.

- "VESSEL DOWN... BRACE FOR A HARD LANDING!"- shouted his commander taking out his visor and using his strongest voice which was lost in the wind as they fell down.

He managed to secure himself using the belts of safety and as he did this, he managed to take a peek on the window and he noticed many star fighters also going down along with them. He was confused and with many questions on his head when the terrible impact sent him into the darkness.

- "...up..."

- "... you... wake..."

- "Stan... nd up... wake.... soldier up"

He heard someone's voice and when he tried to open his eyes, he noticed that everything was going round and round in his head. Soon, he started to feel pain all over his body, so at least he knew he was alive. He started to check if everything in his body was complete and in its right place. After some minutes, he was sure enough to stand up and looked for his weapon which was attached to him by a belt. He opened the visor in his helmet and noticed that many people were around him, possibly injured and others just waking up like him. He also saw others not moving at all, but before he could do anything he heard shouts in the distance.

- "Ahhhhhh!"-

Those were definitely shouts of battle coming from behind the dust curtain that now covered all the place. He ȧssumed the enemy was coming, but he found it strange not to hear blasters shooting. He found cover and started to prepare his blaster rifle, only to find that his gun did not work and was dead. He saw others around him having the same problem and soon they all started to show confusion and panic. They only have a kind of knife that could be used for meele, but if the First Order had working weapons, only defeat waited for them.

- "PREPARE TO RECEIVE THE ENEMY!"- he heard recognising the voice of his commander and immediately he looked for his knife wondering how have the First Order managed to set this situation. It was too much to be a coincidence. He slid the knife into the point of the rifle making it look like a bayonet but he wondered if they could do anything with it.

WOOWOOWOOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOOOO!!!

He heard a strange sound and then he saw Red 5 falling from the sky in a very strange way as if it was parachuting. When it made contact with the terrain it vanished the dust all around it and the Republican soldiers could see the enemy forces running in the distance to their position for a moment before the sdust returned once again.

Shhhick!

They heard the sound of the ċȯċkpit opening and they could see a figure jumping down in front of them. He waved his hand and all the dust was swept away. The man... no, the legend which had destroyed the Empire was there with a decisive gaze and clad in a black robe which danced in the wind along with his gray hair. He looked at the enemy coming to meet them and then he returned the look to the Republican forces transmitting a powerful aura which made all present know that everything would be fine. General Luke Skywalker took his lightsaber and turned it on which a powerful movement.

Phsckshioooowww!

The green lightsaber only made his figure stood even more and in the eyes of everyone, then they all remembered that he was a Jedi... a warrior of ancient times... a legend in person and they all felt their fighting flame increase.

- "ALL UNITS!"- the general shouted as he raised his lightsaber with such such power and authority that Ruwee found himself on his feet waiting for his next words- "WITH MEEEEE!"

General Skywalker started to run to the enemy and before he could notice it, Ruwee was following and he noticed that he was not the only one since he was surrounded by his fellow soldiers who like him were eager to fight side by side with their General.

- "AHHHHHHH!!"

General Skywalker roared and soon all the soldier roared as one feeling like lions eady to butcher their enemies. They had all fallen from their transports and were still injured and shocked but they knew that the only way to win was following the battlehardened warrior leading them with a lightsaber in hand.. Ruwee also knew that as long as he was here, they would win.