With the recent release of Force and Destiny, I thought it was time to treat my players to something a little different. Though there were Jedi elements present in Edge of the Empire and Age of Rebellion, this new book enables us to fully dive into the world of the Old Republic.
My latest project, this is a campaign set 3,600 years before the Battle of Yavin, when the Sith Empire threatens to enslave the galaxy under the tyranny of the Dark Side. It focuses on five padawans who are thrust into the tumultuous galactic war when their transport ship crashes on a planet, killing their masters. The player characters are then required to make some difficult choices, not only to survive the harsh alien world, but to solve the mystery surrounding a Sith plot to destroy the Jedi.
As with past campaigns, the campaign book contains some original fiction and a collection of material to help my players get their bearings in a world we have only ever encountered through the Dark Horse comic books and Lucasfilm video games. Below is an excerpt from one of those pieces of fiction.
Soren flexed his hand. He could feel the dried blood against his skin but nothing seemed broken. His head was pounding. What happened? Where am I? The last thing he could remember was looking out the viewport at Raxus 7, it’s blue ice fields glistening as their orbit took them out of the planet’s shadow side. Master? Master, are you okay? There was no reply. Taking control of his breathing, he stretched out with the Force. He could sense the other padawans. A few were injured but alive. Where is the crew? Master? He stretched out even further with the Force. But, where he expected to find the presence of his master or the crew, he found only emptiness. Panic began to form at the edge of his awareness.
“Canji? Canji, are you there?” Soren called. A muffled grunt came in reply.
Shifting his weight, he rolled over in the pile of wreckage that surrounded him. “Canji, wake up. Wake up!”
“What happened? Where are we?” replied Canji.
“I think we crashed. But, I can’t sense Master Aroko. I can’t sense anyone.”
“What? What do you mean you can’t sense them?”
There was a moment of silence, as Soren supposed Canji was trying to sense the anyone too.
“Toku! Toku!” yelled Canji. “Master Toku!”
“What happened?”
“Jannis? Jannis, are you okay?” shouted Soren.
“I think so. I can’t sense the crew.”
“We crashed. And, I think,” Soren paused. It was one thing to think it. But, to say it out loud would make it real, too real. “I think the masters are dead.”
“No!” cried Canji. “Master Toku! Master Toku!”
“Canji! Canji! Remember the code.” Soren admonished. “We need to stay calm. They may still be alive. There may still be some of the crew alive. And, they need our help.”
Everything in him wanted to scream, to yell, to rage. The emptiness was so overwhelming. It all seemed so senseless, so meaningless. What am I going to do now?
Get up, Soren. The voice was familiar.
“What?” Soren said out loud.
Get up, Soren.
“Master Aroko? Master, where are you?”
Get up, Soren.
Pushing aside debris, Soren sat up. His muscles were stiff and his body rebelled against the movement. As he stood, he winced. His ankle gave way under his weight. It was broken. He shifted his weight and looked around the damaged cabin. Strewn among the wreckage, like rag dolls, were the dead bodies of the crew. And, underneath a bulkhead, there it was. A familiar brown jerkin, now blood stained, lay there twisted and torn. With tears forming in the corner of his eyes, Soren stood there frozen.
“Master?”
Heroes Not Included 
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