Yanibar Tales is an anthology of stories set within the Force Exile Series written by Atarumaster88. The fourth overall story of the Force Exile Series, Yanibar Tales continues the adventures of Selusda Kraen and the Yanibar refugees.
Preface[]
Welcome, my friend, to a galaxy far, far away. Enter the realm of Jedi and bounty hunters, soldiers and droids, rulers and beggars, aliens and humans. From Stackpole’s Corellians to Traviss's Mandalorians, immerse yourself in 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.
Greetings, traveler. What brings you here to our remote corner of space? There’s little of value here if you’re after money, and little action for a thrill-seeker. After all, what significance does a dusty Outer Rim world have to the big galaxy out there? No, we’re a simple folk here on Yanibar, content to mind our own business and let the galaxy minds its own. Now, what did you say you wanted? Stories? Ah, you want to know if the scattered myths of three hundred years ago are true, if the legends of a great power that once lived here are more than old wives’ tales. They are. Once, this world was home to a great people-nothing special by themselves, but united, capable of great things. They lived and died here, all those years ago, as surely as you and I are standing right here. So, pull up a chair, grab something to drink, and I’ll tell you some of the old Yanibar tales.
Tales[]
Crossroads[]
- Story at Crossroads
Set in 14 BBY, Crossroads continues the story of the characters of the Force Exile trilogy a year after the events of Force Exile III: Liberator as Selusda Kraen, Milya Tayrce, and Spectre embark on a mission to the world of Ord Cestus. However, things do not go as planned and the trio must improvise if they are to complete their goal and escape with their lives!
Thunderchief[]
- Story at Thunderchief
Set in 12 BBY, it is a crucial time for the inhabitants of the Yanibar refuge. Three years into their existence, a burgeoning force of brave defenders has arisen, dubbed the Yanibar Guard and tasked with the defense of the colony. But with their accomplished leaders away on an important mission, it is up to the untested handful to stand firm when the fragile existence of the refuge is threatened.
The Price of Loyalty[]
- Story at The Price of Loyalty
Set in 11 BBY, Spectre Kraen and a small band of intelligence operatives and commandos from the fledgling Yanibar Guard are the only force stopping a criminal named Jertram Brell from exposing the secrets of the Yanibar refuge. Brell had previously helped launder credits for Yanibar, but was enticed by an Imperial offer for information about the old Separatist network that the Yanibar Guard took over. However, the presence of Imperial Intelligence agent Roxana Taskien—an old flame of Spectre's—threatens to complicate matters.
Hand in Hand[]
- Story at Hand in Hand
Set in 11 BBY, Hand in Hand finds the heroes of Force Exile almost five years into the existence of the Yanibar refuge. It has prospered and the inhabitants have come together, uniting the Force exiles into one people. As if that wasn't enough cause for celebration, once again the Yanibar community has been blessed with another joyous wedding, an occasion of festivity for the lucky couple and their friends and family. However, little do the newlyweds know what sinister plans have been laid for them on their wedding night.
Iron Maiden[]
- Story at Iron Maiden
Set in 7 BBY, five years after her first combat zone, Feran Slayn has achieved the rank of squad sergeant. Cool, dedicated, and utterly professional, she's seen enough action to have her idealism hammered into the same pragmatic steel she once criticized in her own superiors. All is going well for her, until she returns home from a simple liaison mission gone wrong.
Hard Code[]
- Story at Hard Code
It is 0 BBY, and armed rebellion against the Empire has begun flaring up around the galaxy. For their parts, the Force exiles are not immune from the lure of a chance to strike against the Empire. Teaming up with an elite Yanibar Guard unit, Cresh Squad, they launch a daring and seemingly foolhardy mission against an Imperial target, unaware of the full depth of the Empire's malice, unaware of just how dangerous this mission is.
Deception on R'alla[]
- Story at Deception on R'alla
A year after the Battle of Yanibar and the events contained in Force Exile IV: Guardian, Selusda, Sarth, Milya, and Cassi Kraen, along with their families and their friends Annita and Jorgesoll Knrr, have finally managed to get away from Yanibar for a much-needed vacation. They travel to the Corporate Sector world of R'alla, spending their leisure at a remote seaside resort. However, what they don't know is that R'alla harbors dark and dangerous secrets of its own, ones which will soon plunge them deep into the heart of a hidden and hideous conspiracy.
Rogues and Paladins[]
- Story at Rogues and Paladins
An outbreak of the Krytos virus on Yanibar in 7 ABY creates a bacta shortage. With the former Director of Imperial Intelligence, Ysanne Isard, controlling the bacta-producing world of Thyferra and inflating the price, the people of Yanibar Guard can ill-afford to pay outrageous prices to combat a virus that Isard created. Their only recourse is to steal some. Enter Paladin Squadron, an elite unit of B-wing starfighter pilots employed by the Yanibar Guard for the riskiest, highest-priority missions. Their veteran leader, Hasla Almani, leads the unit on a convoy heist deep into Isard's territory, determined to blast through its mercenary escort. What she doesn't know is that Wedge Antilles and his Rogue Squadron are waging their own private war against Isard, and they're targeting the same convoy.
Cloak and Datapad[]
- Story at Cloak and Datapad
It is 10 ABY and Sarth and Cassi Kraen are away from Yanibar to attend the Droid, Cybernetics, and Artificial Intelligence Exposition on Hosk Station. Their intent is to relax and spend time together, but what they don't know is that a famed New Republic Intelligence group, Wraith Squadron, is also on Hosk Station helping an Imperial scientist defect. Nor do they know that their peaceful trip will soon be interrupted abruptly by the misfortunes and antics of the Wraiths in a meeting that may change the destiny of a most unlikely candidate.
Redemption's Call[]
- Story at Redemption's Call
Time seems to fly for Sarth and Cassi Kraen. By 14 ABY, their son Akleyn is fully grown and a skilled doctor in his own right. Feeling a nostalgic leaning, Cassi journeys back to Bakura along with Akleyn and Sarth to visit her family. However, little do any of them know that fate will place Akleyn with a mysterious stranger, one who will change the way he views life and the Force.
Through Her Eyes[]
- Story at Through Her Eyes
As the only daughter of Selu and Milya Kraen, Rhiannon Kraen has everything she could want for—her needs are provided for, she is kept safe, and she lives with parents who love her. Yet as an adult, she becomes lonely as her friends move on with their lives. Seeking adventure, she ventures out beyond the sanctity of the Yanibar refuge in 17 ABY and meets a humble farmer, Kavlis Burke. Rhiannon finds herself strangely drawn to the Outsider, but her parents do not approve. Still, she persists in seeing him, though she is not entirely sure why…could it be love?
Excerpts[]
- Story at Excerpts
- Man in the Mirror, set in 18 BBY (Spectre Kraen)
- Spectre interview, taken down in 3 ABY
- Harsh Light, set in 18 BBY (Milya Tayrce)
- Milya interview, taken down in 8 ABY
- Explanations, set in 18 BBY (Cassi Trealus)
- Cassi interview, taken down in 9 ABY
- Paradigm Shift, set in 13 BBY (Sarth Kraen)
- Sarth interview, taken down in 21 ABY
- Closure, set in 18 ABY (Selu Kraen)
- Selu interview, taken down in 7 ABY
Excerpts is a place to meet the most significant characters of Force Exile, to delve into their minds and the core of their characters. Inside, you'll find a brief vignette about each of the five most important Force Exile characters, along with an in-universe interview with that character.
Champion of Yanibar[]
- Story at Champion of Yanibar
It's 22 ABY and Leia Organa Solo, Chief of State of the New Republic, has reconvened an ancient tradition, the Galactic Games, to celebrate the peace and prosperity of the New Republic. Millions of people have converged on Coruscant to participate and spectate, including a team from the Force exile refuge of Yanibar. However, ulterior motives abound, as the Yanibar team has agendas of its own while on Coruscant an even more sinister plot threatens the very core of the New Republic.
Boundaries[]
- Story at Boundaries
In 27 ABY, word reaches Selu and Milya Kraen that their daughter, long-departed to live among the Outsiders with her husband, Kavlis Burke, has been slandered. They consider the implications of their intervention, knowing that their certain boundaries in place for what they can or should do for her. Word of this vitriol also reaches Kavlis from his sons, and the farmer who has long prided himself on being an easy-going family man must decide how to best defend his wife's honor.
Nine Riders[]
- Story at Nine Riders
In 27 ABY, Yanibar Guard Army Lieutenant Ashli Tar-sonis, normally an analyst, joins the renowned Cresh Squad on a perilous mission deep behind enemy lines to rescue a captured ally from a deadly enemy. Tar-sonis is no commando, though, and her own anxiety threatens to render her paralyzed at the worst possible time. She and her companions must overcome overwhelming odds if they are to complete their mission and escape.
Blaze of Glory[]
- Story at Blaze of Glory
When a ruthless enemy sweeps across the galaxy seeking to destroy, conquer, and enslave, the Yanibar Guard realizes it cannot stand idly by while civilizations are destroyed. By 27 ABY, it is apparent to them that action is needed. To fight against the menace in their own small way, they have carefully developed an elite unit fielding a weapons system that might prove a useful tool against their foes. However, at some point, the new battle walker and its pilots must undergo a baptism of fire that will test not only their skills, but their dedication, resilience, and allegiances as well.
The Final Voyage[]
- Story at The Final Voyage
The crew of the cruiser-carrier Aayla Secura assemble one last time for its final voyage in 35 ABY. Many of them have been with the ship for years on end and their devoted service spans decades of time in the Yanibar Guard. But now, they must face the end of the ship's service and draw on the lessons that it has taught them. Only then can they accept what that fate will mean for each of them.
Behind the scenes[]
Development[]
The Yanibar Tales were originally not in main Force Exile storyline and their development has been more flexible than any other work, with Force Exile author Atarumaster88 employing more freedom in adding or removing tales than he does with other works. Their first conception came after Force Exile author Atarumaster88 realized that there was not room in either Force Exile III or Force Exile IV to include the wedding of Selu Kraen and Milya Tayrce. As such, he planned a short story to tell that story to be written after Force Exile III. The conclusion of that novel also had certain parts excised due to length, so the first Yanibar Tales to be written actually was Crossroads, which added a story element and a love interest for Spectre that hadn't made it into Force Exile III. The original driving story for the creation of the anthology, Hand in Hand, followed shortly thereafter.
For the next three Yanibar Tales, Atarumaster88 deviated both from his usual Force Exile characters and writing style to tell grittier war stories focused on members of the Yanibar Guard, specifically Cresh Squad, with the most deviant of these stories being Iron Maiden, due to its use of first-person narrative.
Beyond that, Atarumaster88 planned to write two darker stories set after Force Exile IV: Guardian, one focused on Morgedh clan Kel'nerh and the other dealing with school violence and involving Akleyn Kraen and Bryndar Knrr. Due to the already bittersweet ending of Guardian, Atarumaster88 canned both stories and replaced them with Deception on R'alla, merging ideas and characters from both of the canceled stories in a lighter form. Another follow-on story to Guardian was Rogues and Paladins, which sprung from a desire to write a story focused on a starfighter squadron.
After that, Atarumaster88 wrote the other story that he had conceived when first creating the Yanibar Tales, Cloak and Datapad. This light-hearted action-comedy was longer than previous tales and its end had to be curtailed to keep it at a reasonable length. The next few Yanibar Tales focused on the up-and-coming generation of Force exiles. Redemption's Call was an action-drama-romance focused on Akleyn Kraen, the son of Sarth and Cassi, though Atarumaster88 later considered it poorly-written. Canonical events also invalidated the original direction he intended for the story to go. With Through Her Eyes, Atarumaster88 was able to branch out in genre and write a pure romance story for Rhiannon Kraen, the daughter of Selu and Milya Kraen. Champion of Yanibar had been conceived in 2008 as a trilogy focusing on a Star Wars analogue of the Olympics, but was later simplified and reduced to a single novella. The novella centered on other members of the newer generation of Force exiles: Zeyn Kraen, Ryion Kraen, Ariada Cerulaen, and Qedai Sherum and is the longest of the Yanibar Tales.
Nine Riders was the next story written and was a return to the style and focus used in the earlier Cresh Squad stories, this time as a prequel for Force Exile V: Warrior. The other prequel story for Warrior, Blaze of Glory, was conceived from material cut from the novel's storyline due to pacing concerns. During this period, Atarumaster88 also wrote a number of vignettes for the main characters of Force Exile, using them as character sketches that were released along with in-universe interviews. Most of the questions in these interviews came from the beta-reader for Force Exile. 2012 marked the release of the next story, The Final Voyage, a story written in a more episodic fashion and with heavy Star Trek influences about the crew of a Yanibar Guard Fleet ship. The release was timed to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the Force Exile Saga.
While the Yanibar Tales were originally contained on a single page and even a single file on Atarumaster88's computer, he realized that he was going to write many more of these and so began giving them separate files and treating them more like individual works after the fourth story. Each story received its own article page on the Star Wars Fanon Wiki as part of a revamp of Force Exile article layouts in February 2012.
Atarumaster88 later had a concept for a short story dealing with Rhiannon Kraen around the time frame of Force Exile V: Warrior. As it was significantly different in tone and subject from the novel, he opted to write it as a stand-alone story, placing it shortly before the novel and titling it Boundaries. The concept for the story arose while writing Rhiannon in Force Exile VI: Prodigal and wanting to flesh out additional backstory for Rhiannon and her family, as well as establish the relationship between Selu, Milya, and Rhiannon after Rhiannon's marriage.
The next Yanibar Tale wasn't written until 2014. Following the completion of the Force Exile III: Liberator rewrite, Atarumaster88 began working on a pair of short stories that featured Spectre Kraen and the Imperial Intelligence agent introduced in the Liberator revamp, Roxana Taskien. While working on a Clone Wars story with the two characters, he also had an idea for a resolution story, which was completed earlier due to being shorter. Originally entitled Split Decision, it was retitled as The Price of Loyalty and released in November 2014. The Clone Wars story would take nearly three more years to complete. It was finally released in 2017 as The Cauldron. In 2020, A New Course, First Impressions, Second Guessed, and The Cauldron, were moved to a new anthology, Origins of the Exiles to partner with other new stories set in the Clone Wars that Atarumaster88 was writing.
Recognition and reception[]
Thus far, one of the Yanibar Tales, Iron Maiden, has won featured work status on the Star Wars Fanon Wiki. Cloak and Datapad won "Best Comedy" in the first Star Wars Fanon Short Story Contest, while Iron Maiden won "Best Action." Through Her Eyes won "Best Other Story" in the 2010 contest.
Cover image[]
The cover for the Yanibar Tales was made by Solus and is stylized considerably different from the Force Exile novel covers. Rather than show characters or ships, the cover is designed to be recall a weathered tome, with colors, textures, and themes that recall a desert world and a flowing, formal writing style for the text reminiscent of hand writing rather than the sleeker text of the novel covers. Minor changes were made to the lettering of the cover after first release to increase its visibility.
Disclaimer[]
This work aims to not conflict with canon, as established by Lucasfilm, Ltd. As with all Force Exile works, all terms copyrighted by Lucasfilm, Ltd. are their sole intellectual property, and the author does not seek to infringe on those copyrights. All comments should be left on the author's talk page or on the Yanibar Tales talk page. Also, edits to the anthology should be confined to spelling and grammar corrections. This work contains sci-fi action violence, mild profanity, some implied sexuality, and scenes that may not be appropriate for children. User discretion is advised.
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