Preparing for War

In the year 0 ABY, a segment of the crew serving aboard the Imperial EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate Far Orbit stages a mutiny, rejecting Imperial authority. Under the command of Captain Dhas Fenoep Vedij, the ship sets course for the Mid Rim's StarForge Nebula, which is the location of the space station designated StarForge Station. Upon arrival, the crew of the Far Orbit intends to engage in negotiations with representatives of the Alliance to Restore the Republic concerning their potential role as Alliance-affiliated privateers. Upon entering the nebula, the Far Orbit, utilizing an Alliance-provided navigational chart, undertakes a search for the space station, which is in constant motion to evade capture by the Empire. At this point, the narrative can diverge into one of two possible paths.

One potential outcome involves the Far Orbit, despite the challenges posed by the station's mobility within the nebula, successfully locating StarForge Station before the expiration of six hours and before the station's defensive vessels intercept them. Alternatively, a different scenario may unfold: after six hours of unsuccessful searching, a group of four BTL Y-wing starfighters originating from the station encounters the frigate. Maintaining a cautious distance, the pilots request clarification regarding the frigate's intentions with the station and, upon being satisfied that the frigate's presence in the nebula is legitimate, guide them to the current position of StarForge Station.

Upon the Far Orbit's arrival at the station, the frigate's crew is shuttled to the facility, where they are greeted by StarForge Station security personnel, who outline the station's regulations. While the majority of the crew is granted freedom of movement, a select group of six mutineers, including Captain Vedij, proceeds to the Lean Nuuti Bar and Grill, a recreational establishment that serves as the venue for their meeting with Alliance representatives. There, they order flangth and Shasa ale accompanied by ootoowergs, which is the prearranged signal for an Ithorian Alliance member who is awaiting their arrival. He approaches their table and, after informing them that ootoowergs are currently unavailable, requests that two members of the group accompany him to the kitchen to explore alternative options. In reality, these two individuals, one of whom is Vedij, are being escorted to a private location to conduct negotiations with the Alliance. Simultaneously, four alien thugs approach the remaining crew members and, following a series of insults, initiate a physical altercation.

The altercation can conclude in one of three ways: either one side emerges victorious, with the losing side obligated to purchase drinks for the victors at the Lean Nuuti Bar and Grill. Another outcome is a stalemate, in which the aliens offer to buy the mutineers drinks as a gesture of reconciliation. The final possibility is that Captain Vedij, having successfully concluded the agreement that will officially designate the Far Orbit as an Alliance-affiliated privateering vessel, returns in time to witness the ongoing brawl. He commands his men to cease fighting, effectively ending the conflict, and then escorts them to their designated quarters on the station.

In the interim, some of the crew members explore StarForge Station's marketplace in search of supplies. Among the various vendors, one can find establishments such as Just Armor, Starwind Chandlery, Weezo's Gun Shop, and Nuyu's tattoo parlor. Within the marketplace, the Far Orbit's personnel procure a variety of items for both the frigate and themselves, ranging from essential ship supplies to weaponry and protective armor.

On the following day, Vedij issues a call for new recruits to bolster the Far Orbit's crew. After a considerable number of individuals gather at the designated recruitment area at the station's docks, Vedij outlines the privateers' objectives and the specific skills and qualifications they seek in their crew members. The applicants represent a diverse array of species and backgrounds, including the bloodthirsty assassin Kanarak; a spacer known as Swifty Yonsen, who possesses a formidable reputation; the Gamorrean named Gruk; a Falleen aristocrat named Xad; the skilled gunfighters Katiz Xemir and Cemma the Younger; the Tiss'shar pirate Pao-Neh-Lo; the Sluissi engineer Napvansa Tadavv; and the somewhat dimwitted Human named Mii Heswop.

The officers and higher-ranking crew members then proceed to select certain individuals based on their demonstrated talents, skill sets, and performance in a series of rigorous tests. These tests include simulating combat against Imperial TIE/LN starfighters while piloting a Nebulon-B frigate and an unarmed combat competition, in which the top five participants are granted positions on the crew. Another assessment involves the hopefuls showcasing their marksmanship abilities by attempting to score five hits on a moving target within a timeframe of thirty seconds. The final test requires the applicants to devise an emergency navigation course within a minute using a datapad. Upon being offered a position, the new crew members are transported to the Far Orbit. Once the Far Orbit has acquired a sufficient number of crew members, the ship departs from StarForge Station.

Due to the inherent differences between the Imperial mutineers and the newly recruited alien crew members, tensions and conflicts soon begin to surface within the Far Orbit. One or more of the following incidents may occur:

• Shortly after departing from the space station, a dispute erupts in the Far Orbit's galley over food preferences, leading to a full-scale brawl between the two factions. [1]
• Kanarak, a notorious killer, harbors a deep-seated prejudice against Humans, viewing them as inherently weak and vulnerable. Consequently, he initiates a campaign to kill all the Humans aboard the vessel shortly after the Far Orbit leaves StarForge Station. [1]
• Gruk, a physically imposing Gamorrean, engages a Human in a duel, resulting in the man's severe spinal injury. In retaliation, a group of Humans plots to exact revenge on the aliens using clubs, leading to isolated incidents of violence on both sides. [1]
• Stemming from the friction between the Imperial mutineers and the fringe Humans, a career pirate officer challenges a mutineer officer to a duel, with the express understanding that lethal force is prohibited. Vedij accepts the challenge in the hope of resolving the ongoing series of skirmishes between the two factions. [1]
• Following an incident in which an important alien crew member offends a group of Human speciesists, the crew member is fatally stabbed. This act further exacerbates the tensions between the alien and Human factions. [1]

Preparing for War marks the initial roleplaying game adventure scenario featured in the 1998 publication The Far Orbit Project, which serves as a supplement to West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. Penned by Timothy S. O'Brien, The Far Orbit Project can be considered a thematic sequel to the earlier work Pirates & Privateers, continuing the focus on privateering activities by following the vessel Far Orbit in its engagements against the Galactic Empire within and around the Core Worlds' Ringali Shell. Spanning twelve pages, the adventure scenario features illustrations by Joe Corroney. As the first adventure scenario in the book, Preparing for War is succeeded by the scenario titled The Hijacking of Shipment 1037.

Fringe characters, controlled by the players, begin their involvement on StarForge Station and have the option to join the Far Orbit's crew for various reasons after encountering the mutineers at the Lean Nuuti Bar and Grill. The non-fringe player characters are those who participated in the mutiny aboard the frigate and experience Preparing for War from its inception. The fringe characters also have the option to observe the mutineers from a distance. If the fringe player characters choose to participate in the fight on the side of the privateers, Vedij will extend a personal invitation for them to join the privateers on their missions against the Empire.

All subsequent adventure scenarios following Preparing for War operate under the assumption that the Far Orbit is aligned with the Alliance. Consequently, certain potential outcomes of events within this scenario that the player-controlled characters can instigate are considered non-canon, while others are regarded as the canonical choice. Of the two possible scenarios that can unfold during the Far Orbit's search for the station, either is consistent with the overall narrative of the frigate. However, given that the scenario in which the Y-wings locate the Far Orbit first is presented as the more probable outcome, this article designates that outcome as canon. Another potential course of action is for the players to have the Far Orbit open fire on the starfighters using its weaponry. However, as this would invariably doom the mission by severing all ties with StarForge Station, this article deems this possibility as non-canon. Regarding the altercation in the Lean Nuuti Bar and Grill, all potential outcomes are compatible with the scenario's overarching plot, and thus any of them can be considered consistent with continuity. Furthermore, the fight can escalate into a larger brawl if the fringe player characters become involved.

The players of the scenario determine which non-player fringe characters are selected to join based on the applicants' performances. However, given that Kanarak and Gruk are featured in later plot developments within the adventure scenario, this article assumes that they were among those chosen. During the period of internal strife between the alien and Human crew members, a mutiny is a possibility, although a relatively unlikely one.

The frigate Far Orbit was first referenced in the 1990 publication The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook and made its initial appearance in Preparing for War. It subsequently appeared in the other adventure scenarios within The Far Orbit Project and was mentioned in several later works, including The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.