A/N: ELLO! I'm new to this whole fanfiction business, but of course I've been hearing about them forever. I thought I'd try my hand at making one, since I actually had a story I was passionate enough about writing that I'd be willing to take some time out to make it. I understand that with Star Wars in particular, finding where your story relates to the canon/legends can be a bother if you actually take it seriously.
For mine, it's set in the year 12 BBY (except the prologue) and it's pretty much an entirely original story. However, this is NOT an AU. All the canon, and Legends-canon has occurred in my story the way it originally did. This story is about a set of OCs, but could possibly exist within the galaxy during this time. So you can expect references and plot-points related either directly/indirectly to canonical material, as well as characters from said material. Truth be told though, I've picked a lot of the stories content from relatively unknown stuff. I don't think many of you will know about a lot of the stuff here, and so I'd urge you to look up some of it, if you truly want to get more insight into the significance of these events.
This is appropriate for BOTH Teen and Adult audiences (at least... I think it is). But be sure to leave any comments if you disagree with the rating.
I hope you enjoy!
THE FOLLOWING WORK IS PURELY FOR NON-PROFIT ENTRAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS (Yet...) OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/CONTENT EXCEPT FOR THE OCs.
Prologue
Osuno Whett
Renatasia III, Mathilde (Capital City)
13 BBY
Seven-hundred days.
That's how long until the celebrations would end. That's how long until they arrived. That's how long until the golden fields of Renatasia would be coated with a gory red.
Osuno sat at a table on the patio of a large house, gazing out at the dancing fields of wheat, their golden surfaces glimmering with the orange hue of the settling sun. The gentle breeze brushed against his grey skin. From behind, clamorous cheers filled the air, accompanied by the pleasant aroma of a celebratory feast.
His thoughts were interrupted when a voice said: "They're certainly enjoying themselves aren't they?"
Osuno glanced across the small table, eyeing his curious companion seated on the other side. Vuffi Raa.
Vuffi Raa was dressed in a two-tone uniform identical to Osuno's. White for the jacket's base colour, and black for both its buttons and their trousers. His grey face was young, but bore enough lines that if he was to say he was slightly older than he was, it would be believable. And that's exactly what they both–but especially Vuffi Raa–needed to be, believable.
Vuffi Raa rubbed his cuffs, regarding the glass of juice stood on the table.
"I suppose," Osuno said, the pitch of his voice high.
"Do you think…?" Vuffi trailed off. He blinked several times, staring at the juice with a contemplative look. He turned to look at the house before turning back to Osuno. He leaned forward, whispering: "Do you think the Centrality can really help these people?"
If by help you mean 'destroy', Osuno thought, then you can bet they'll give them all the help they can get. But he simply shrugged. "Who knows?" He said. "If it was just the Centrality handling this, then maybe. But with the Empire shadowing it…"
Vuffi's eyes flickered down. He frowned.
Osuno sighed. "I'm sure it'll be fine." He looked at the fields. "This planet is abundant in crops. Its agriculture and manufacturing would serve as a great primary output. The Centrality has no reason to turn down extra resources, and the Empire only has older fleets out here in the Rim. I'm sure that Renetasia has more than enough to offer."
Vuffi remained looking down, his frown firm. "There are dozens of planets like that," he said, his tone sharp with a budding irritation as he clenched his fist. "Their potential didn't stop the Empire from razing them, it just gave them another reason to."
Osuno sighed, taking a sip of his juice. The sweet, fruity taste was a pleasant alternative to the beverages on his homeworld of Lekua V. Thankfully, it wasn't known for its poor tasting drinks, but rather for its impressive universities. The Lekuan people were a humanoid race that were generally tall, grey-skinned and had high-pitched voices.
Osuno himself had been what his people called an 'Ottdefa'; a professor. He specialised in anthropology in the Centrality University. It's no wonder that he was chosen for this task. If he was to gather information on these people, enough so that the Empire and the Centrality could subdue them with ease, he'd have to have an eye for the inclinations and social structures of a foreign society in a short period of time.
Thankfully for them, he did.
The task was simple enough. He and Vuffi Raa were posing as representatives of a galactic civilization eager to welcome the Renatasians. And whilst it was in fact Osuno who was in charge, for this mission, Vuffi Raa would appear to be, whilst Osuno acted as his assistant.
Osuno tried to rationalise the decision as being tactical. That Vuffi Raa's true nature would be more welcoming and therefore more endeared by the Renatasians. And whilst there was truth to such a notion, the real truth of why he done it was considerably more selfish.
It was Osuno who had rediscovered the colony, and his education and skill set made him a natural choice for gathering data on it. The Centrality and the Empire were working together–or at least, that's what the Centrality liked to believe. But if that had been true, then perhaps Osuno wouldn't be suffering from a severe case of guilt.
No, to say he was guilty would be an understatement.
At the sound of loud laughter, Osuno turned towards the house. Vuffi Raa also perked up, almost immediately trailing the sound to the bright doorway.
A woman in a thick brown tunic stumbled out, a man and another woman following behind her. They placed their hands out, trying to catch her before she toppled down the small set of steps that led down to the outer patio where Osuno and Vuffi were seated.
For a moment, it looked as though she might fall, but she simply slouched down, seating herself on one of the steps. She held her head, laughing with unmistakable joy. The man and woman who accompanied her also laughed, their drinks in hand. They seated themselves beside the woman.
The Renatasian man noticed Osuno. He gave him a deep smile, raising his glass in thanks. Osuno raised his glass in response, attempting to give an equally joyous smile. The man then turned to regard the two women. They spoke amongst themselves, mostly in quiet voices, but still with mirthful tones. Occasionally, the first woman would shout a few words with ridiculous happiness.
Osuno closely considered the specimen. His grey eyes studying them. At first, he couldn't understand why they were so overjoyed by the prospect of being found by a galactic civilization. They were well-fed, clothed, and safe. They seemed to have enough understanding of morals and manners that it was obvious social cohesion was a notion to which they subscribed. Their factories, whilst by no means the largest he'd seen, still well-kept and managed considering their disconnection from the rest of the galaxy.
That was a result of their lack of technology. They had no means to create a fleet, and only possessed a handful of small, tattered and aged starfighters. Besides, they didn't seem like the warring type. They were kind, and welcoming. Even so, there was something Osuno saw in their eyes, a hardness that didn't come from soft living.
Then again, he considered, they all seem to do some form of manual labour. Even the children seemed to play their part in manufacturing and farming.
He would begin touring their world from tomorrow. Taking his first steps towards aiding them form a unified world government–something which was rarely possible on most other worlds with the Empire's ever-watchful eye. But to what end? It's not as though his world government would last more than a few months beyond its establishment.
It was a shame. This community the Renatasians had built was an example of what a world in the Outer Rim could look like. A model of the beauty to be found even in a forgotten part of the galaxy such as this. But of course, like all things of such a nature, it was to be claimed and conquered by the Empire, but only after they completely destroyed it.
And I'm going to help them do it, Osuno thought regretfully.
He knew he would never manage to live it down. He knew that he'd be chased by nightmares and the shadows of the dead. He knew he'd dream every night of their festive faces dissolving into ash because of his actions. But he was just a man, another cog turning in the great machine that was the Empire. It was a might makes right galaxy now, and men like him were sought out for their specialities.
Osuno raised from his seat. Vuffi Raa regarded him. Osuno managed a slight smile to his friend before turning his attention to the humans who sat on the steps. He watched them, saw their joy and their blissful ignorance to the impending doom that awaited them. He took a deep breath, casting aside the thought, before taking a step towards the house.
He turned back, peering over his shoulder at Vuffi Raa. "Let's head inside," he said. "I want to enjoy myself before this is all over."
Vuffi Raa smiled, raising from his seat. He nodded.
The pair of them made their way into the house, the booming cheers and clinking cutlery growing louder as they approached up the small steps, passing the people who sat there. Vuffi Raa happily made his way inside. Osuno paused by the doorway, the succulent scent of the feast seducing his stomach.
A tear trickled down his grey face. He quietly chuckled to himself, shaking his head before wiping it away.
He turned back to admire the shimmering golden fields, doing all he could to ignore the monstrous fate that would arrive...
...In Seven-hundred days.
A/N 2: I hope to update this at least weekly, but in the event I don't, I might compensate by releasing twice in a single week. I'm aiming for at least 60,000 words for the entire length of the final story, which for me is probably too short! Nevertheless, it's my goal for now. I'm not writing ahead at the moment, so what you see is all I've got. I know how this story ends, and the back-stories for these characters, but that's about it.