“Our recent endeavors have proven our most profitable in years, and we’ve only just begun. The Fringe Wars—”

*Applause*

“Yes, I know! The Fringe Wars marked a dramatic increase in weapon sales to both sides. Our litigators representing Czerka Arms are taking in millions of credits in legal fees, all straight to the bottom line. And of course, the UniStar Conglomerate had nothing to do with the attacks. There is no legal link between any of our subsidiaries and the horrible violence wreaked on planets like Bakura and Dantooine. Really, it could be said that Jabiim hardly changed at all!
Nonetheless, our legal department is the best in the galaxy, and will stop at nothing to protect the reputation of all UniStar partners, so there is nothing to fear. Especially not with the best quarter we have had in a decade.

And that’s only the beginning. This is a crucial time for the Conglomerate. We’re undergoing dramatic structural and strategic changes. If we follow our commitments to excellence, and accept nothing but perfection from our subsidiaries, then I’m not afraid to say it, friends; we are standing on the precipice of a bright new era for UniStar.”

*Applause*

“Thanks to our generous new Partners, we’ve been taught to unshackle ourselves from the way our industry is ‘supposed’ to do things, to see new opportunities and develop aggressive new strategies. There are hundreds of planets with inadequate defense grids and unstable economies, desperate to be lifted from their squalor. UniStar is more than happy to intervene. The Group now owns star systems, my fellow shareholders, willingly signed away by their own populace. And we will own many more in the days to come. This is an exciting new opportunity to deliver on our promises of responsibility, efficiency, and ultimately, profitability. This is an exhilarating time, and we all have our part to play in building this new reality.

There are dark days ahead for the galaxy; the rabble will do anything to escape what is coming. UniStar will be there to help.”

*Applause*

– Speaker of the Board, Rand Casadi,
minutes from the UniStar Conglomerate’s 174th Shareholder Meeting

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The Republic is stretched thin! Systems beyond their reach are left to their own fate. More and more Outer Rim worlds succumb to civil war, crime, and corruption. In the midst of chaos, shadows move in an orderly fashion. The UniStar Corporation is growing, and its hands are everywhere.

But something even darker is at work. Who is orchestrating this aggressive expansion? Who is pulling the strings behind this new tyranny?

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Strange things are happening across the Outer Rim…

• Worlds are being destabilized by the mysterious UniStar Conglomerate and its proxies. Economies are being toppled, officials blackmailed, people kidnapped, entire systems put under martial law. “Acquired” systems are organized into Corporate Security Zones, and are forced to suffer under strict patrols and new regulations. Thousands of citizens are being arrested on exaggerated charges and imprisoned in local detention centers, before being moved to privately owned prison complexes off-world, sites notorious for selling their prisoners for legal unpaid labor.

• Crime lords and powerful merchants vanish, or pledge allegiance to the UniStar conglomerate. UniStar-owned Mining companies are granted permits they had previously been denied, allowing them to destroy local villages in search of the valuable metals underneath. Security agencies and mercenaries are disappearing or joining corporate security under UniStar subsidiaries.

• All these events are linked directly to the UniStar Corporation or one of the conglomerate’s subsidiaries, and all of it is covered by the law. The UniStar Corporate Litigation Department is as frightening as any of their paramilitary hit squads. If openly opposed, UniStar has the means and control of the system to destroy anyone who would even think to stand up to them. All who have tried find their accounts emptied, their officials arrested, their villages ransacked, and their outposts occupied. Anyone who claims to have evidence against UniStar will be discredited for slander and on the streets within days, or worse. In more and more systems, UniStar is becoming the law. Acting against them requires discretion and stealth.

Your people have vanished…

Commlink channels buzz with dead noise. Members of your Faction have gone missing. Heroes, champions, the strongest warriors and most elite operatives, even the normal citizens of your planets, are silently disappearing in the dead of night. No one knows what’s happening, but in every single case, the evidence points to the shadowy UniStar Conglomerate and the many who serve them.

Your Faction must investigate the purposes behind the UniStar intrigue and find those who have disappeared. It is a time for spies, agents, and intelligence operatives. Dispatch your best to get to the bottom of these dark events.

Intel is hidden on 40 systems in the Outer Rim. If you build on one of the 40 systems and your entry earns 7XP or more, you uncover a piece of intel that will help your faction in Episode III, part 2.

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Rules

• Build entries showing your Factions’ agents on Outer Rim systems gathering information among the locals, searching for clues, or infiltrating UniStar operations, gangs, and guilds (or going in guns blazing). Feel free to use things like Andor, Rogue One, and other Star Wars spy content as inspiration. You may submit as many entries as you wish.
• Your builds should be unique to the terrain and culture of the planets they are on. Show the distinct character of the place you choose. (Consider featuring one consistent protagonist (or team of protagonists) in all your builds, showing their journey throughout the story of the Episode.)
• Your Faction will decide the identity and number of those who have gone missing from your Faction, ultimately determined by your Faction Leader. More will be revealed about the missing in Part II of the Episode.
• If your faction has access to the system, it will earn IP in that system.
• Your entry must visibly display the color YELLOW. It can be as subtle or obvious as you want.
• Episode III, Part 1 will run from November 1st through December 31st. As long as its December 31st somewhere in the world, you can still post your entry. Until December 31st, all entries are considered Works in Progress, and you can continue updating them throughout the Episode if you wish. Episode III, Part II will be revealed on January 1st, and run through January 31st.
• All entries must feature creations built specifically for this Episode. Nothing built before November 1st can be entered.
• All entries must be posted on the forums on swfactions.net. All entries must include “episodeiii” in the tags, and some variation of (Episode III, part 1) in the title.

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Prizes

• 3VP will be awarded to the Faction that uncovers most pieces of Intel
• 1VP will be awarded to the Faction that uncovers second most pieces of Intel
• 1VP will be awarded to the Faction with the Player’s Choice build of Part I, voted on after the Episode concludes.
• 1VP will be awarded to the Faction with the highest XP average per entry
• 1 Free Choice of Asset awarded to any Faction that earns 10XP per active member (active members are decided by members having an account on the Factions forum).
• Physical Prizes will be revealed in the near future. Points towards winning Physical prizes will be counted from both Part I and II of Episode III.