Port Hope

"There it is...Port Hope! I know its only a dusty asteroid gentle beings but its home to me...and now you..."

- Unknown Rebel Transport Captain, carrying Refugees

Port Hope is combined Rebel Safe World and Shadowport run by the Rebel Alliance. It's located in the small Kharak System of the Outer Rim Territories, deep in the system's very heavy asteroid belt. The Port serviced the Rebel Alliance where it would be one of few shipyards under their direct control and where it would be notable in that it was the primary yard which modified Dreadnaught Class Heavy Cruisers into Alliance Class Assault Frigate.

History
Port Hope would be originally known as MO-V to the Republican Mining Commission and was part of their Mining-Outer Project which was an experiment for the RMC to start mining resources in the Outer Rim therefore the RMC only mined the single asteroid and not any of the other asteroids in the Asteroid Belt of the Kharak System. They would mine this asteroid for over fifteen years before they moved on to other locations leaving behind the mined-out asteroid. A few years later saw the abandoned asteroid becoming a Grand Army of the Republic Forward Repair/Refit Depot during the bloody Outer Rim Sieges of the Clone Wars. The Republic Combat Engineering Team would quickly build a new GAR R/R Depot into the asteroid which included a large hanger for small ships and transports, several interior factories, and a large shipyard onto the surface of the asteroid. This new base allowed the GAR Fleet to repair and refit its ships without heading towards Coreward facilities.

Several weeks into the Outer Rim Sieges the Separatist Fleet would discover the Base and launched an attack where the defending GAR forces retreated after losing much of its strength during the following battle. The GAR would believe that the base would be destroyed by the victorious Separatist Fleet but thanks to their own losses they retreated instead of destroying the facility. Therefore it remained abandoned once more almost intact for several more years before a lucky pilot of the Rebel Alliance Support Services stumbled onto the base about several months after the formation of the Alliance.

After this discovery the Alliance Support Services and Alliance Ordnance and Supply moved into the system reactivating the base as well as expanding it. They first built a huge exterior circular city section at the top of the asteroid which was for refugees to live due to the decision to make the facility part port/part safe world for the Alliance. Over the next few months after the completion of the base over five thousand refugees would arrive at the base and would find a new home on the asteroid.

Over time the population of Port Haven would start mining the nearby asteroids in an effort to give the Alliance needed resources. These resources mainly used by the Port's factories to build weapons and parts for the purpose of supplying the Alliance. This would go a long way to keep the Alliance forces supplied with the needed equipment to keep running. However even then it was only a small amount of equipment and parts not enough to keep the Alliance fully supplied.

Over a year and a half before the Battle of Yavin when the Alliance managed to get their hands on several aging Dreadnaught Class Heavy Cruisers they where taken to Port Hope where the New Hope Shipyards started a project to rebuild the ships. This project would turn the old ships into brand-new Alliance Class Assault Frigates which gave the Alliance Fleet its first home-grown ships. This experience would later be used a year later when the loss of the Rebel EF76 Nebulon-B Escort Frigate Salvation along with the destruction of several Imperial owned Nebulon-B Escort Frigates would see former Kuat Drive Yards Rory Swann and noted Starship Engineer Walex Blissex redesigned the ship into the new Nebulon-B2 Heavy Frigate fixing some the more noted weaknesses in the design. Following this the New Hope Shipyards would once again be used to rebuild ships for the Alliance Fleet. This time several Rebel acquired Nebulon-B Escort Frigates being compelty rebuilt into this newer design which gave the Rebel Fleet a handful of powerful sub-capital ships when they where finished.

Around 0BBY a few months before the famous Battle of Yavin Port Hope would continue to serve as a safe port for the Alliance, and a major fleet base for the Alliance Fleet. However it has since started to service smugglers allied with the Alliance becoming a pseudo-shadow port. Later that year it would become a full shadowport when it became one of the main port of call for Alliance Privateers. It also became a good port for the Privateers giving them repair and modification services in the form of the New Hope Shipyards, while having a good place to have some shore leave.

Port Hope would continue on to serve this way for next few years and would see it becoming one of the more safe ports in the sector. Finally by the time of the New Republic it became one of the main Republic Ports in the Outer Rim.

Defenses
During Port Hope's time as GAR R/R Depot-IV it was defended by a detachment of the GAR Open Circle Fleet, which would fail in fully defending the Depot. When the Alliance took control of the abandoned Depot it would build it up into Port Hope. However the Alliance knew that it would need defenses therefore added numerous concealed turbolaser and missile turrets to defend itself. The former refugee inhabitants of Port Hope would want to defend themselves as well and form a Defense Militia out of volunteers from New Hope City. The Militia would sport a few dozen starfighters and a few light gunships. They would later receive a pair of DP-20 Frigates from the Alliance which would be used to patrol the Kharak System.

The Alliance would also station a few ships at the Port to help in its defense. Normally this would be a handful of Corvettes and a frigate or two. The defense fleet would be rotated to give the crews of the Alliance Fleet some needed R&R.

In all its time as an Alliance Safe World it never was attacked by the Empire, there where several patrols that stumbled into the system but thanks to good placement of sensor buoys these patrols would either be destroyed or lead off. During one time in 1ABY an Imperial Victory-II Class Star Destroyer and support ships would arrive in the system. Thanks to shutting down everything in the Port and docking all of its attendant ships would see the Imperial force go right past the Port without a single glance.

New Hope City
After the Alliance took possession of the facility they would build a large exterior city section on the top of the asteroid which would become New Hope City. It would be home to numerous refugees fleeing Imperial aggression or families of notable Rebel Figures. It has since become a quiet and safe place for shore leave for both regular Alliance ships and Privateers.

DockVille
A portion of New Hope that is bellow the main city and running on top of the Port's Main Docking Bay and Hanger, hence the name. There are numerous bars, catinas, hotels, and other notable facilities to serve the weary pilots and crew of the Alliance Fleet which dock at the Port.

New Hope Shipyards
The New Hope Shipyards where originally built by the Grand Army of the Republic Combat Engineering Teams as part of the GAR R/R Depot-IV. These shipyards where only designed to refit and repair ships therefore can't built totally new ships. After the GAR abandoned the facility it would found and used by the Alliance to the Restore the Republic which started to use the newly named New Hope Shipyards to repair their small amount of ships. Later the Shipyards would be reasonable for the new Alliance Class Assault Frigates, and Nebulon-B2 Heavy Frigate which where complete rebuilds of ships. When the Alliance started to commission Privateers the New Hope Shipyards would be used to help repair their ships and refit them if needed.

The Dove Catina
One of many different different bars and Catina along the DockVille Section of New Hope. The Dove however is one of the most popular of these establishments. It is also the official watering hole of the Port Hope Defensive Militia and many of the assigned ships.

Swann's Chop Shop
A notable salvage and part shop run by former KDY Engineer Rory Swann. It also sports a small used starship section for the use of Privateers and Rebel-Aligned Smugglers.

Privateer Commission Office
The Privateer Commission Office is for the Privateers to get info and to report on their various actions. It also serves as a drop-off for the Alliance's cut of a Privateer's Loot.

Hope Mining Commission Office
Since the start of New Hope City one of the major exports of the Port and New Hope is mining resources therefore this office exists for those interested in what they are mining.

Behind the Scenes
This is an idea I got when read about the Rebel Safe Worlds which I combined with an older idea which had the Alliance possessing a secret shipyard which was the one that transformed the aging Dreadnaught Class Heavy Cruisers into Assault Frigates. I then combined another idea I had recently which had the Modified Escort Frigates in the X-Wing Game Series being similar in that the Alliance rebuilt them for their own use. After I read Pirates & Privateers I turned Port Hope into a Rebel-aligned Shadowport.

I also invented the class-name for the Rebel Assault Frigates for I couldn't find an official canon name for them. I may throw up my own dedicated profile for them later on.

Appearances
I have plans to add Port Hope to some of my Star Wars Story Ideas but it may not play a very big part. Therefore I am allowing Port Hope to be used by anyone willing to use it. Just stick with what I outlined here similar to info printed out in the RPG Books. Just message me on this page's Talk Page, or my own talk page.