The Amaxine warrior crisis marked a time of political upheaval within the New Republic Senate. This period occurred roughly twenty-four years following the Battle of Endor. The crisis involved the New Republic and the Amaxine warriors, a paramilitary group secretly backed by the First Order. This First Order, a vestige of the old Empire, began funneling resources through the Rinnrivin Di's cartel to the Amaxine warriors, aiming to rebuild the Imperial Navy. Over seven years, Rinnrivin established a vast criminal enterprise centered on smuggling operations and gambling activities. Ultimately, Rinnrivin's actions had a severe economic impact on the Gaulus sector.
After the Ryloth government requested assistance, New Republic senators Leia Organa and Ransolm Casterfo launched an investigation into the criminal network, discovering its ties to the Amaxine warriors. The Amaxines, under the command of former Imperial officer Arliz Hadrassian, bombed the Senatorial conference building on Hosnian Prime in a failed attempt to divert the attention of the Galactic Senate. This incident directed Leia and Ransolm's focus toward the Amaxines. The conflict also happened alongside political tensions between the Centrists and Populists, two influential factions within the Galactic Senate, and plans to establish a new position known as First Senator.
During a visit to Daxam IV, Casterfo earned Hadrassian's confidence and learned that the Amaxines' primary base was situated on Sibensko, a planet in the Expansion Region. Simultaneously, Leia and her team found that Rinnrivin was also concealing himself on Sibensko. Before the senators could journey to Sibensko, their relationship fractured when Lady Carise Sindian, a secret agent of the First Order, revealed Leia's true lineage as the daughter of Darth Vader. As a result of the political fallout, Leia's reputation was damaged, and she was compelled to withdraw her candidacy for First Senator. Despite this, Leia and her team proceeded to Sibensko and obtained evidence linking the Amaxines to Rinnrivin.
An explosion obliterated Rinnrivin's cartel and the Amaxines, destroying their underwater headquarters. Although most of the New Republic Senate believed that the threat to the Republic had been eliminated, Leia disagreed and urged vigilance. Seeking revenge for the loss of her Amaxine warriors, Hadrassian assassinated Tai-Lin Garr, a Populist politician and the new Populist candidate for First Senator. Lady Carise also manufactured evidence to implicate Casterfo due to his association with Leia. Disheartened by the internal conflicts and complacency within the Senate, Leia resigned and established a new paramilitary organization called the Resistance.
The Galactic Civil War ended with the defeat of the Galactic Empire during the Battle of Jakku, which occurred one year after the Battle of Endor. The New Republic, which succeeded the Alliance to Restore the Republic, entered into a peace agreement with the remaining forces of the defeated Empire, known as the Galactic Concordance. This agreement placed strict limitations on the Empire's military and required them to pay war reparations. Over the subsequent twenty-nine years, the "Old Empire" dwindled into a group of political hardliners who eventually retreated into the Unknown Regions. There, they established a new military regime called the First Order, which admired the policies and principles of the Old Empire. Believing that the Imperials no longer posed a threat, the New Republic shifted its focus to reshaping galactic politics.
Approximately thirteen years before the destruction of the Hosnian system, the First Order began using a paramilitary group, the Amaxine warriors, to channel billions of credits to the Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di's cartel. In return, Rinnrivin's cartel directed a significant portion of its revenue from smuggling and gambling to unidentified entities and shell corporations on Centrist worlds, which then funneled the funds back to the First Order. The First Order used these funds to rebuild the old Imperial fleet, which had retreated into the Unknown Regions following the Galactic Concordance.
On the surface, the Amaxine warriors served as financiers and partners to Rinnrivin's cartel. Their leader, Arliz Hadrassian, a former TIE fighter pilot who admired the Old Empire and despised the New Republic, also began gathering troops and starships for an armed rebellion against the Republic. Hadrassian maintained a fragile alliance with another First Order agent, the New Republic Senator Lady Carise Sindian, a prominent member of the Centrists faction in the Galactic Senate. Lady Carise channeled Rinnrivin's profits back to the First Order. While Hadrassian viewed the Amaxine warriors as the vanguard of the First Order, Lady Carise saw them as a diversion that would allow the First Order to "restore order" to the galaxy.
By 28 ABY, Rinnrivin's cartel began to severely disrupt interstellar trade in the Gaulus sector, which included the planet Ryloth. Rinnrivin's smuggling operations siphoned revenue from legitimate commercial activities. Legitimate ships were attacked, and merchants were forced to pay protection money. Rinnrivin's cartel thrived in the Gaulus sector due to lax New Republic financial regulations and infrequent naval patrols along the galactic trade routes. The New Republic's hesitation was due to constant disputes within the Galactic Senate between the Centrists and the Populists. The Centrists advocated for a stronger central government and military, while the Populists supported the autonomy of individual worlds. Several Centrists, including Lady Carise, admired the Old Empire and had secret connections to the First Order.
With Rinnrivin's cartel severely impacting Ryloth's economy, the planet's Emissary Yendor traveled to the New Republic capital of Hosnian Prime to urge the Galactic Senate to take action. While some senators questioned Yendor's claims and argued that it was an internal matter, former rebel leader and Populist senator Leia Organa and her Centrist colleague Ransolm Casterfo agreed to investigate the cartel. The two senators traveled to Bastatha, a casino destination in the Outer Rim Territories that housed Rinnrivin's headquarters.
Despite their differing viewpoints, the senators developed a friendship when Casterfo rescued Leia from Rinnrivin, who had tried to bribe her into easing the Republic's ban on illegal spice. Although Rinnrivin and his associates escaped, Leia and her team managed to find computer data showing that Rinnrivin was funneling most of his profits into shell corporations in the Outer Rim. They returned to Hosnian Prime and called for the investigation to continue. However, the Senate was distracted by a Centrist proposal to create a new office called First Senator that would have greater executive power over the military and economy.
Senator Casterfo successfully convinced the Senate to adopt the proposal by highlighting the gridlock within the New Republic. After the Populists failed to block the motion, Leia's colleagues Senators Tai-Lin Garr and Varish Vicly encouraged her to run for First Senator, citing her charisma and reputation as a rebel leader. Preoccupied with matters on Hosnian Prime, Leia dispatched her pilot Greer Sonnel and the starfighter pilot Joph Seastriker to Pamarthe to investigate whether Rinnrivin was recruiting pilots from there. Greer was from Pamarthe, and Leia believed she was well-suited for the mission. There, the two pilots discovered that Rinnrivin was hiring Amaxine pilots from nearby Daxam IV, a desolate Centrist world.
Joph's initial investigations revealed that the Amaxines were operating in Centrist-aligned worlds. Suspecting that certain Centrist senators were harboring the paramilitary group, Leia convinced Casterfo to investigate the Amaxine presence on Daxam IV. Casterfo, an avid collector of Imperial artifacts, used a planned meeting with a potential seller on Daxam IV as an opportunity to travel there. Meanwhile, Leia met Lady Carise, who was interested in becoming the Supreme governorship of Birren. Since the previous governor, Lord Mellowyn, had died, Leia and her son Ben Solo were his designated successors because Leia was the adopted daughter of Bail and Breha Organa. As Leia was not interested in royalty, she arranged with the Elder Houses for Lady Carise to obtain the title.
Later, Hadrassian bombed the Senatorial conference building on Hosnian Prime to create a distraction for the Senate and cause chaos. Although Lady Carise had requested a distraction, Hadrassian's actions only drew more attention to the Amaxines. While no senators or staff were killed, the "Napkin Bombing" was the first security incident since the end of the Galactic Civil War and led the Centrists and Populists to blame each other. Despite the political infighting, Leia and Casterfo decided to continue their investigations into Rinnrivin's cartel and the Amaxine warriors. After initial evidence suggested that the bomber was a Twi'lek, Leia and her team decided to travel to Ryloth. She sent Casterfo and Greer to investigate the Amaxines on Daxam IV.
At the Ryloth archives, Leia and her team, including C-3PO, Korr Sella, and Joph, discovered evidence that Rinnrivin had previously been a minor figure who had risen to power under suspicious circumstances seven years earlier. Meanwhile, Casterfo befriended Arliz Hadrassian and gained her trust by posing as an Imperial sympathizer. Greer also discovered that the Amaxines had a large military encampment and at least five starfighter squadrons based on Daxam IV. After obtaining the helmet of Hadrassian's brother, who had been an Emperor's Royal Guard, Casterfo trained with her Amaxine warriors and learned that the organization had a larger base on the watery Expansion Region world of Sibensko.
Armed with this information, Casterfo contacted Joph, C-3PO, and Korrie, and also informed them that Rinnrivin had several spy satellites above Ryloth. After C-3PO sliced into one of Rinnrivin's satellites, Leia and her team discovered that Rinnrivin was hiding on Sibensko. Able to track Rinnrivin's movements through his satellite, Leia traveled to Harloff Minor near Coruscant and met with the crime lord. While Rinnrivin was not involved in the Napkin Bombing, he expressed admiration for Leia and attempted to bribe the prospective First Senator. Leia also planted a tracking device on a holocube that Rinnrivin had given her for slaying Jabba Desilijic Tiure. She returned the device to the crime lord, claiming she did not need to be reminded of the past.
Upon returning to Hosnian Prime, Leia and Casterfo shared their findings. Casterfo was also able to take video recordings of the Amaxine warriors and starfighters. While Leia agreed to lead the investigation into the Napkin Bombing, Casterfo agreed to investigate his fellow Centrist senators for possible links to the Amaxines. Knowing that several Centrists were avid collectors of Imperial artifacts and relics, Casterfo hosted a private reception. While his fellow Centrists did not reveal any incriminating information, several expressed admiration for the Old Empire and disdain for the New Republic. Meanwhile, Lady Carise stumbled upon a keepsake chest and music box on Birren which revealed Leia's identity as the daughter of Darth Vader.
Due to Sibensko's reputation as a criminal haven, Leia made plans with Joph, Greer, and Casterfo for a covert mission. Joph and Greer traveled to Chrome Citadel disguised as smugglers and managed to obtain a smuggling job from Sibensko. Leia was also distracted by the Populist efforts to prepare her nomination for First Senator. Meanwhile, Hadrassian contacted Lady Carise and informed her that she had recruited Casterfo as a "sympathizer." However, Lady Carise realized that Casterfo was working with Leia and decided to drive a wedge between the two friends. Knowing Casterfo's hatred for Vader, Carise disclosed the secret information to the junior senator.
Feeling betrayed by Senator Organa, Ransolm Casterfo disrupted a Senate hearing on Leia's candidacy for First Senator by revealing her true parentage as the daughter of Darth Vader. Cornered, Leia confirmed that Vader was indeed her father. This threw the Senate into chaos, and many of Leia's political allies turned against her. Korrie resigned in protest, and Leia quickly sent a message comforting her son about his grandparentage. Most importantly, Leia's friendship with Casterfo was severely damaged, with the two blaming each other for the scandal. Despite this setback, Leia's husband Han Solo and several friends and companions, including Tai-Lin Garr, Varish Vichly, C-3PO, Joph, Greer, the former Chancellor Mon Mothma, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, Gial Ackbar, and Nien Nunb, stood by her.
Despite the political uproar, Leia was determined to continue her investigation into the Amaxine warriors' presence on Sibensko. After withdrawing her nomination for First Senator, Leia managed to secure leave from the Galactic Senate. Disguised as an indentured servant, Leia traveled with Greer, Joph, and C-3PO to Sibensko. While Greer and Joph loaded a shipment of detonators destined for Hosnian Prime, Leia and C-3PO managed to access a computer in a cantina in the Sibensko underwater city. C-3PO downloaded banking records proving that the Amaxine warriors were financing Rinnrivin Di's cartel.
While C-3PO returned to Greer and Joph's freighter, Leia stayed behind to spy on the Amaxine base in the underwater city. She was cornered by Rinnrivin Di and two of his henchmen but escaped by causing a water tunnel to collapse on them. Leia took a lift into the Amaxine base, where she discovered they had several starfighters. She was soon pursued by several Amaxine youths but escaped up a landing platform that rose to the sea. The Amaxines dispatched two starfighters, a Y-wing and a B-wing to destroy her. However, Leia was rescued by her husband Han Solo, who arrived on a modified racer. During a brief dogfight, the couple shot down both starfighters.
The B-wing crashed into the underwater city's ammunition depot, destroying the Amaxine base and eliminating the organization as a threat to the New Republic. The death of Rinnrivin also likely decapitated the leadership of his criminal cartel. Later, Leia addressed the Senate on her investigation into Rinnrivin's cartel. While the Amaxines and Rinnrivin's cartel had been eliminated, the Senator warned the Galactic Senate that other threats to the Republic still existed. She urged the senators to abandon their complacency and petty differences to protect the Republic. However, Leia's warning was met with hostility and skepticism until Casterfo defended her and pointed to the pro-Imperial sympathies of the Amaxine warriors. Casterfo's actions earned him the ire of Lady Carise, who decided to eliminate the dissident Centrist senator.
Following the events on Sibensko, Lady Carise ended her support for the remaining Amaxines, finding Hadrassian more of a liability than an asset. After learning about Tai-Lin Garr's plans to stand as the new Populist candidate for First Senator, she decided to eliminate her problems by hiring Hadrassian to assassinate Tai-Lin. Hadrassian then killed herself before she could be taken into custody. With Hadrassian's death, many believed that the Amaxines were Rinnrivin's partners and financiers and that they had staged the Napkin bombing. Following Tai-Lin's assassination, Lady Carise fabricated evidence framing Casterfo as an ally of Hadrassian, who had supplied her with funding and intelligence.
Lady Carise and her Centrist colleagues then officially disowned Casterfo as a rogue member of their faction. Due to the political tensions, the Senate passed a motion to suspend future elections, including those for First Senator. Lady Carise supported this motion since it allowed her to begin planning another motion to secede the Centrist worlds from the New Republic. Lady Carise decided to follow the late Hadrassian's request to secede from the Republic and join the First Order. However, Senator Organa determined that Lady Carise had been responsible for the revelations into her parentage and Casterfo's frame-up. On the grounds that Lady Carise had violated her oath as Supreme governor, Leia convinced the Elder Houses to expel Lady Carise and strip her of all her titles.
Disillusioned with the Galactic Senate, Leia prepared to resign as Senator. She also invited several rebel veterans and New Republic personnel to a secret meeting in the Senate complex's hangar bay where she founded the Resistance, a paramilitary outfit aimed at protecting the Republic. For the next six years, the Resistance monitored the movements of the First Order, which had begun to cross the Trans-Hydian Borderlands and made repeated incursions into New Republic space. While General Organa regularly petitioned the Republic for support, the Republic leadership was too preoccupied with other matters. The New Republic tolerated the Resistance but was wary of risking war with the First Order.
Over the years, Leia recruited more Republic personnel, including the starfighter Commander Poe Dameron to her cause. Dameron and his fellow pilots Iolo Arana and Karé Kun would play an important role in exposing the Centrist Senator Erudo Ro-Kiintor's dealings with the First Order during Operation: Sabre Strike. During this period, the First Order's Supreme Leader Snoke succeeded in seducing Leia's son Ben Solo to the dark side of the Force. Ben adopted the persona Kylo Ren and became the leader of the Knights of Ren. Kylo Ren destroyed his uncle Luke Skywalker's Jedi and caused the latter to flee to Ahch-To. After the Resistance embarked on a campaign to find Luke, the First Order launched a preemptive strike on the New Republic, using Starkiller Base to destroy the Hosnian system. In response, the Resistance launched an attack and destroyed Starkiller Base.
The Amaxine warrior crisis is the central narrative in Claudia Gray's 2016 novel Bloodline.