Force Exile III: Liberator

Force Exile III: Liberator

 * A novel by Atarumaster88

Preface
''Welcome, my friend, to a galaxy far, far away. Enter the realm of Jedi and bounty hunters, soldiers and droids, rulers and beggars, alien and human. From to Stackpole’s Corellians to Traviss's Mandalorians, come to a universe with the exotica of Zahn, the wit of Allston, the grimness of Stover, the daring of Ostrander, the imagery of Luceno, the detail of Wallace, and most importantly, the vision of George Lucas, to whom we owe it all. And if you listen close enough, you’ll hear the sweet sounds of John Williams’ score in the background. Welcome to Star Wars.''

The Hawk-bat'' shuddered as another near-miss from a turbolaser detonated near the aft quarter of the sleek freighter. The impact of the blow threw Sarth Kraen into a wall across from the overheating shield control circuitry he was trying to bypass. From a muffled groan coming from down the hall, he could tell that the hit had had a similar effect on Cassi. He struggled back to his feet, retrieving the dropped hydrospanner and other tools rolling around on the deck. Cursing at sight of the now burned-out circuitry and the shower of blue sparks it was emitting, he quickly shut off the entire relay before it literally blew up in his face. Keying the intercom, he shouted a message to his brother Selu in the bridge flying the ship.
 * “Selu! We can’t take any more hits! The shields are gone!”

''Up in the bridge, Selu heard his brother’s report; it was not new information, as his own readouts already told him their dire straits. With the Corrupter in hot pursuit and now stripped bare of their protective shields, he had but one option- a jump to lightspeed. Glancing at the navicomputer, he willed it to complete its calculations, but to no avail. Selu had a quick flash of intuition and could almost see the crosshairs of several weapons emplacements on his ship and knew it was time for a desperate maneuver. Throwing the hyperspace lever, he held his breath as stars elongated and the Hawk-bat shot into hyperspace, narrowly evading the final salvo of brilliant green turbolaser bolts. They were safe, but for how long? Blind jumps into hyperspace, performed without the benefit of navicomputer calculations, were eschewed by even the most veteran spacers as a sure way to suicide. ''

Galactic Empire officials

 * Ajaur, Inquisitorius
 * Ait Convarion, Imperial Navy
 * Kinman Doriana, aide to the Emperor
 * Gillam, Imperial Navy
 * Terena Jasnan, Imperial Navy
 * Sandy Neach, Imperial Navy
 * Jack Nebulax, Imperial Navy
 * Norres, Imperial Intelligence
 * Marth Royner, Imperial Navy
 * Almos Terthbak, Imperial Navy
 * Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith

Other

 * Annita Daowot, Commenor Investigator
 * Jorgesoll Knrr, restaurateur
 * Lena Kraen, Teacher
 * Samtel Kraen, Attorney
 * Sarth Kraen, Crewmember
 * Selusda Kraen, Ship captain
 * Milya Tayrce, Crewmember
 * Cassi Trealus, Crewmember

Sections

 * Part 1
 * Part 2
 * Part 3
 * Part 4
 * Part 5 {due out 10 February 2008)
 * Part 6
 * Part 7
 * Part 8

Summary
Force Exile III: Liberator continues the saga of Selusda Kraen. Now the captain of the Hawk-bat in his own rights, Selu must come face to face with a destiny he does not desire. As time races down for them, each member of the Hawk-bat’s crew must choose their own path. The fate of thousands depends on it.

Behind the scenes

 * Much of Force Exile III was originally labeled as Force Exile II in the original planning stages of the novel. That was changed in the third draft. The final draft is the fifth.
 * Force Exile III, like all the other Force Exile works, opens on an Imperial or Republic Star Destroyer, as do all the movies and Timothy Zahn's books.
 * The name Almos, in Almos Terthbak, is intentionally one letter away from “almost”, signifying Terthbak’s character as almost useful.
 * For the first time, the author included a Star Wars Fanon character that he did not invent: Jack Nebulax, created by Jack Nebulax. Nebulax’s involvement in Force Exile dates back to the first draft, and the author did not wish to lose that connection. The author worked heavily with the creator of Jack Nebulax to ensure continuity and proper development of the character.
 * The scene where the crew of the Hawk-bat is sliding down towards Revan’s tower posed some difficulty for the author, as he while liked the idea of a giant slide, the concept might have seemed to whimsical.
 * Chapters 5 and 6 were almost entirely written in one setting by the author.
 * The Battle of Narokgar is an anagram of Ragnarok, the final apocalyptic battle of Norse mythology.
 * The author did consult with a forensics expert when writing Force Exile III for research information, as he did for Force Exile II.
 * Force Exile III was originally planned to be only six segments, but the author felt that the work needed more exposition and increased the number to seven.
 * For the cover, Milya Tayrce was originally to have been portrayed by an image of . However, the author could not find a suitable image that did not crop off the top of her head, and Aubrie Wyn only appears in comics, so any image would clash with the otherwise live-action shots generally employed in the covers. Instead, the author resorted to using an image of Jessica Alba for Milya Tayrce.
 * There is a great amount of Christian imagery and symbolism written into Chapter 6 of Force Exile III, and a varying degree in Chapter 5. Spectre’s doubting is comparable to the doubting of the apostle Thomas in John 20:29. He is contrasted with the child-like faith of Cassi, who believes without needing a sign. This role for Cassi was chosen also as a nod to Lucy of the Chronicles of Narnia.


 * The Battle of Narokgar is symbolic of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Revan and Srynassa are, during the battle, counterparts of God the Father, and God the Son. Srynassa offers herself as a willing sacrifice on the central of the three pillars on top of the hill, recalling that Jesus Christ was crucified on Calvary on the middle cross. The death of Srynassa by arrows is a reference to Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.” Where Srynassa absorbs and drains all of the dark side of the Force into herself is a reference to the preceding verse, which states “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.” The light side army could not win on its own against the Sith, so Srynassa accepted her fate, not defending herself while under attack, much as Christ was silent during His trials.


 * For most of the two chapters, the twelve Force ghosts symbolize the twelve apostles of Christ, with Judas Iscariot being represented by Kreia, the betrayer.


 * Selusda Kraen, the one who had received the Jedi Code and the Force beforehand, but was unable to lay down his own self to take up his call, is representative of the Apostle Paul prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus. Selu has to literally see the tunnel of light and realize that he must lay down his own desires and emotions to fulfill the prophecy. This tenet of the Christian faith can, among other places, be found in Romans 8:5. Selu’s decision to renounce himself and accept his calling to be a leader is a direct parallel to the conversion process.


 * The character of Lieutenant Terthbak was not conceived until late in the development of Force Exile III. The author felt that Force Exile II was not always humorous enough and he developed the crew of the Observant as comic relief.
 * Terena Jasnan’s last name is directly inspired by the merry starfighter pilot.
 * Sandy Neach’s name is a play on “sandy beach.”
 * The proposal scene between Sarth and Cassi was moved around several time, as was the seduction scene between Jasnan and Terthbak.
 * The three villains of Force Exile III- Ajaur, Nebulax, and Doriana- represent the three opponents of a Christian. Ajaur represents the desires of the flesh, Nebulax is Lucifer, the cunning trickster, and Doriana is the world, the path of reason and material rewards.
 * Force Exile III’s title of “Liberator” was chosen over alternatives such as Unifier or Leader. Both were rejected.
 * The prophecy originally read "and save those of the Force from the long night of fear." It was changed to "free" to flow better with the title.
 * Selu’s repeating of the calming exercise seven times is symbolic of Naaman’s bathing in the Jordan River seven times to be cured of leprosy in 2 Kings 5:14.
 * The line “Foolish Imperial- if you survive, you will remember this as the day you nearly defeated Captain Sula’nbask of the Bloodlust,” spoken by the pirate in Chapter 9 is an homage to the Pirates of the Caribbean character Captain Jack Sparrow.
 * Nebulax’s precise timing of the torpedo slingshot maneuver is a veiled reference to his Force-sensitivity, which is not explored in Force Exile III for proprietary and plot reasons.
 * The figure that Terthbak speaks with after the Belsavis scouting run is indeed Darth Vader.

Themes

 * The themes written into Force Exile III are destiny, leadership, and love.
 * The theme song for Force Exile III is “Rebirthing” by Skillet.

Disclaimers

 * This work aims to not conflict with established canon.
 * Please leave all comments on the author's talk page or on this talk page.
 * Don't change anything besides spelling/grammar errors please!

Rating

 * This work contains sci-fi action violence, mild profanity, and scenes that may not be appropriate for children. User discretion is advised.