| abstract
| - Brandon Nicholas left the Jedi Order after completing his training. He had many disagreements and conflicts with the Masters of the Order, leading him to believe that he would be a better Jedi if he did things his own way. Setting out on his own path, Brandon was shunned and looked down upon by the High Council, but was somewhat idolized by his former peers at the Jedi Temple. Travelling throughout the galaxy and helping as many people as possible had led him here: Orto Plutonia. A frigid wasteland, Brandon’s many favors had granted him a small ancient castle, where he would go to meditate from time to time. However, now, while in a dreamlike state of conscience, Brandon sensed a presence through the Force. One too powerful to be one of the neighboring Talz, it had to be from…a Jedi. Exiting his castle, Brandon found a Republic ship landing. Out came two Jedi that Brandon had known from his time in the Temple, while training to be a Padawan. Ace Starflux and Steve Ultrastar. “It’s good to see you both, my friends.” greeted Brandon. Ace was also happy to see Brandon, while Steve kept aware of his surroundings, possibly in fear of the Talz. “It’s good to see you too Brandon, I only wish this was for better reasons.” “I wouldn’t assume that you both came all the way out here just to say hello.” “Indeed. I'm afraid that there are grave matters at stake.” Inside Brandon’s castle, the three men sat down at a small table. Ace took a deep sigh before beginning. “I presume you’ve heard of the Nova Corporation?” “Of course. They’re a private security company. Have they done anything…” “They’ve done too much.” Steve spoke for the first time. “They’re causing trouble and supplying enemies of the Republic.” Ace nodded in agreement. “We’re Jedi. We protect the Republic and keep the peace. Which sometimes means-“ “Going on the offense.” Brandon had figured out what they wanted from him. “It’s the best defense, isn’t it?” grinned Steve. “If we go for the heart of our enemies, we take all the others down, falling like dominos.” “You want to attack Nova Corp? To what end?” “If we can get them to change their ways, then we win. But they’ve refused negotiations and peace talks. They won’t listen unless we act. And I mean, truly act.” said Ace. Brandon began to consider the incoming offer. “Alright. A rebellion. So where do I come into play?”Ace and Steve glanced at each other, the latter then rolling his eyes as Ace briefly thought of his words before saying them. “Brandon, you left your mark on the Temple. There are many – not just Jedi, but people across the galaxy – who are inspired by you and see you as something more than myself or Steve. Hell, they even thought you could have been the Chosen One!” “Not that that’s true, at all.” Steve muttered under his breath. Ace continued. “My point is, if we’re going to do this, we need to do it right. We need people. We’ve got a hundred or so within our ranks currently, but…it’s not enough. It never will be. But Brandon, if you joined us, if you helped lead this rebellion with us, then people could and will follow you and help.” “So you want me as, what, a campaign model?” “No Brandon, no. Don’t you see? You’d be the spark. The one that sets this movement on fire. You, we, can make a difference.”Brandon considered Ace’s words carefully. His thoughts raced across his mind, scrambling and all coming together at once. There would be many consequences, but the answer was clear. For the first time since Ace spoke, Brandon looked at the two Jedi. “When do we start?” Ace’s closest allies met in his private apartment in Coruscant, which Ace used as a recruitment center for the rebellion.. The holocam floated around the room, waiting to record. Brandon stood ready and prepared to speak, his new allies behind him in encouragement. The holocam went red. “Citizens of the Republic. My name is Brandon Nicholas, and I need help. As you all know there is a rebellion against the Nova Corporation, led by my good friend, Ace Starflux. We need more men and women to beat them. It will take time to defeat them but I truly believe that we can do it. I need everyone to trust Ace Starflux, a good man that will make a difference. Farewell, and may the force be with you.” The recording ended as Ace patted Brandon on the back. “That was perfect.” Other members of the rebellion began to applaud Brandon, with the exception of Steve, who left the room. However, Brandon wasn’t one for the praise. “Now what Ace? We’ll need to actually fight to win now. It’s what they’ll want.” “It’s what I want too, Brandon. And we will fight. We can do it.” “But these people…they’ve never fought, not like us. We need to train them, Ace. And I think that-“ “Then we will train them.” “And if Xalandra attempts to attack us?” “If Xalandra Nova tries to attack us then that will just rally more to our cause. Now, we’ll need a base for the rebellion…” Ace looked at Brandon, who merely sighed. “Yes, fine. We can use the castle on Orto Plutonia as headquarters.” “Good.” “But you’ll have to make Steve have less of an attitude.” Ace chuckled. “No promises, my friend.” Rebellion HQ, Orto Plutonia Brandon’s message had worked: The Rebellion gained hundreds of new members from all walks of life. As their forces moved to Orto Plutonia, Brandon made his own decision to place a bounty on Xalandra Nova, their true enemy and CEO of Nova Corp. While Steve, surprisingly, supported Brandon’s decision, Ace did not, believing that bounty hunters were scum and could easily turn on Brandon if offered a higher price by Nova herself, who was far richer than the Rebellion itself. However, Ace conceded and allowed Brandon to record a new transmission. “Hello. My name is Brandon Nicholas, and this is an important message for all bounty hunters. You are all aware that I am in a rebellion against the Nova Corporation. I want all bounty hunters to search for Xalandra Nova, CEO of Nova Corp, herself. This way, we will have an opportunity for peace and justice in the galaxy. And I will, personally, pay the amount of one million credits to whoever can locate Xalandra Nova, and bring her to the Rebellion, alive, for her to have a fair trial. Thank you, and good luck.” Ace walked in as the holocam left. “You know, that little message might not be as effective as we’ll be.” Brandon was perplexed. “What do you mean?” he asked. Ace passed him a datapad, displaying the location of a small asteroid known as Nebula Town. “Is this...” “Owned by Nova? Of course. We’re going to do a hit and run. With everyone. Well, everyone who’s ready. We’ll destroy the place, and leave within a short amount of time.” “What’s the point of-“ “It’s a show of force, Brandon. Something we desperately need if people see us asking bounty hunters to do what we’re supposed to be doing.” "Okay. Okay. You’re right. When are we-“ "We move out tomorrow. Get the people ready.” There was an air of tension on board the landing ships. This movement was young, and this would be the deciding factor of whether or not they would move forward or fall before they even had a chance to run. Brandon was on board a ship with Ace, Steve, and various other soldiers. He put his trust in the Force as everything went quiet. There was no noise to distract him, only the Force. Their ship landed quickly, dropping them off as the soldiers stepped off and ran towards the large and industrial-based Nebula Town. Intel reported that this place was once a mining facility, but had since been turned into something of a pleasure place for the elite members of the Nova Corporation. Brandon ignited his lightsaber, running side by side with Ace as the two deflected the incoming fire from Nova Corp’s guards. The fire seemingly rained from all sides. Brandon ran for cover as he found himself separated from the other rebels. Brandon was quickly attacked by a Nova Corp guard, who used an axe to try and kill Brandon. With ease, Brandon sliced the axe in half and impaled the Nova Corp guard, before heading to regroup with Ace and the others. The battle was quick and efficient, and yet inexplicably felt like hours and minutes at the same time. Brandon witnessed Nebula Town crumble to the point where the remains seemed like they were parts of the asteroid itself. Ace was personally brought the last surviving member of the Nova Corporation on the asteroid, a coward who had hidden in one of the town’s brothels. While the coward wasn’t anyone truly noteworthy, likely just another of the Corporation’s many investors, his execution at Ace’s hands was symbolic. As the Rebellion head back to Orto Plutonia, there was a sense of hope, and passion. The spark had ignited the flames.
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