Beyond the Rim (real-world)

Beyond the Rim is an upcoming short story written by Laurent Bastien, Sreeya Bhattacharyya, Matthew Quarles, and Brandon Rhea. The story will focus on the lives of three young residents of the Outer Rim Territories who yearn for adventure and find themselves caught up in the Rim Wars.

The story is intended to provide an introduction to Rhea's upcoming novel, Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One, in which the main characters of Beyond the Rim will appear. If successful, the short story may be followed by an undetermined number of sequels.

Publisher's summary
'''Beyond the borders of the Old Republic lies a region ruled under the iron fists of tyrants. These are the Outer Rim Territories, a galactic hive of scum and villainy exploiting a desperate and starving peoples.'''

For centuries, the Hutt Cartel has ruled the Outer Rim. In response to the tyrannical measures taken by the newest Hutt leader, a small band of Outer Rim rebels from the border worlds have taken action against their oppressors, launching the Rim Wars.

With little knowledge of the conflict, three young thrill-seekers find themselves together with a rebel pilot. Their hopes for adventure and excitement are answered when they are swept up in a battle between rebel and Hutt forces, a battle that will change their lives and, ultimately, the lives of everyone in the Outer Rim forever.

Conception
Beyond the Rim was conceived by co-author and story concept creator Brandon Rhea on July 27, 2011. Rhea wanted to write a short story that was set before Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One, his upcoming novel, as a way to introduce the backstory of the novel. However, he did not want to write the story alone, so he considered speaking to other authors and asking them to be co-authors. Rhea ultimately chose Laurent Bastien, Sreeya Bhattacharyya, and Matthew Quarles.

Once the story and character concepts are presented to the authors, Rhea's intention is to have them role-play the story, with each author portraying one of the four primary characters in the story. Once the story is role-played, Rhea will edit it together to form a cohesive narrative.

The story is currently in development.