Chapter 14: Major Factions and Powers
The New Republic
The New Republic remains the dominant galactic power, with membership including most of the Core Worlds and significant portions of the Mid and Outer Rim. Its capital rotates among member worlds, currently residing on Hosnian Prime, a prosperous world in the Core that has become the de facto center of Republic government despite the rotating system. The Senate debates endlessly on matters large and small, with Populists and Centrists locked in a perpetual struggle that prevents decisive action on most issues.
The Republic Defense Fleet, diminished by the Military Disarmament Act, maintains a token presence throughout Republic space. Most systems rely on their own defense forces for protection, leading to a patchwork of military capabilities that varies enormously from one sector to another. Wealthy Core Worlds maintain formidable fleets; poorer Outer Rim systems make do with whatever they can afford. Pirates, slavers, and other criminal elements exploit the gaps in coverage.
The Resistance
General Leia Organa, hero of the Rebellion and sister of Luke Skywalker, has watched the First Order’s rise with growing alarm. Her attempts to warn the Senate have been dismissed as warmongering, her evidence discounted as inconclusive. The political establishment, comfortable in its belief that the Empire is truly defeated, refuses to take the threat seriously. Some even accuse her of seeking to restore the militarism of the war years for her own political gain.
In response, Leia has begun organizing what she calls the Resistance—a private military force funded by sympathetic politicians and wealthy individuals who share her concerns. Operating outside official Republic channels, the Resistance gathers intelligence on First Order activities, conducts reconnaissance missions into the Unknown Regions, and prepares for a conflict that Leia believes is inevitable. The organization is small in this era, but growing, attracting veterans of the Rebellion and younger idealists who believe Leia’s warnings.
Criminal Organizations
The power vacuum left by the Empire’s fall has been filled in part by criminal enterprises that now operate with impunity the Empire would never have tolerated. The Hutt Cartel has reasserted its dominance over much of the Outer Rim, controlling the spice trade, slavery operations, and various smuggling networks. Other crime syndicates—Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, the Crimson Dawn remnants—compete for territory and resources in a shadow war that the New Republic seems unable or unwilling to address.
For ordinary citizens of the galaxy, particularly those far from the wealthy Core Worlds, life has not improved notably since the Empire’s fall. They merely have new masters to fear, new tribute to pay, new dangers to navigate. Many wonder if the Rebellion was worth it. Some, in the darkest corners of their hearts, remember the order that the Empire maintained and wonder if perhaps it wasn’t so bad after all.
The Imperial Remnant
Not all Imperial forces retreated to the Unknown Regions. Some remnants persist in the known galaxy, holding territories that the New Republic has not yet bothered to reclaim. These remnants range from isolated moffs controlling a handful of systems to warlords commanding small fleets that prey on shipping lanes. The Galactic Concordance technically governs these entities, but enforcement is spotty at best.
The First Order maintains contact with some of these remnants, providing them with resources and direction in exchange for intelligence and occasional military support. These arrangements are always deniable, conducted through intermediaries and cutouts that prevent any direct connection between the Unknown Regions and the remnants in the known galaxy. Should any remnant be captured and interrogated, they could reveal nothing that would lead back to the First Order’s true locations.
Chapter 15: Key Locations
Hosnian Prime
The current capital of the New Republic, Hosnian Prime is a prosperous Core World that exemplifies both the best and worst of the restored democracy. Its cities are gleaming showcases of post-war reconstruction, its people enjoy freedom and prosperity that would have been unimaginable under Imperial rule, and its political institutions are the envy of the galaxy. Yet beneath the surface lurk the same problems that plague the Republic as a whole: corruption, complacency, and a dangerous unwillingness to acknowledge threats until they become impossible to ignore.
The Unknown Regions
This vast unexplored territory is home to the First Order’s primary bases and operations. Few reliable hyperspace routes penetrate its depths, and those that exist are jealously guarded secrets. The First Order has spent years mapping safe passages through the region, establishing a network of installations that are effectively invisible to outside observers. Starkiller Base, the Supremacy, and dozens of other major facilities operate here without fear of discovery.
Exegol
The hidden Sith world where Palpatine dwells is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the galaxy. Even within the First Order, only Snoke and a handful of his most trusted agents know of its existence. The planet cannot be found by normal means; navigation requires following a Sith wayfinder, ancient devices of which only two are known to exist. Here, in the darkness, Palpatine plots and plans and waits for the moment when he will reveal himself and reclaim his Empire.
Luke’s Jedi Temple
The exact location of Luke Skywalker’s training academy is known to few outside his immediate circle. Luke has deliberately kept it secret, wanting to protect his students from those who might wish to harm the nascent Jedi Order before it can establish itself. The temple is a place of peace and contemplation, where the Force flows strongly and students can focus on their training without distraction. It will not remain peaceful forever.
Cantonica and Canto Bight
On the world of Cantonica, the city of Canto Bight serves as a playground for the galaxy’s wealthiest beings. Here, war profiteers, corrupt politicians, and criminal lords mingle in casinos and resorts that cater to every vice. The First Order has extensive contacts here, laundering credits, acquiring luxury goods for its officers, and recruiting among those who will do anything for the right price. The New Republic officially disapproves of Canto Bight’s excesses but lacks the political will to intervene.