Cheating Again

Again, posting some stuff that needs to be written up anyway. Oh, well, it's wordcount.
Some Star Wars Future stuff:

General History
100 years have passed since the Battle of Endor, now generally considered to mark the fall of the Galactic Empire. The century has not been a kind one for the galaxy. The whole time period is now generally regarded as part of one long drama, the Fall of The Republic. Although the New Republic attempted to reestablish the traditions and authority of the Old Republic, they were constantly beset with chaos, infighting, and attackers from outside. The Republican system had been ripe for the fall for decades, perhaps centuries, before ever Senator Palapatine decided to make himself Emperor. The New Republic did not so much fail to catch a falling vase as fail to catch a falling safe.
For the first 35 years after the Battle of Endor, they tried their best. But the pressure became too great. External foes, such as the Yuuzhan Vong, while eventually defeated, cracked the New Rebulic's carefully constructed system. But it was not external pressure, but internal, that finally burst the galaxy apart. The first of what are now called the Succession Crises began 37 years after Endor. A group of systems demanded independence from the New Republic, citing numerous greivances, including unfair trade policies, humanocentrism, and a general failure by the New Republic to live up to its defense commitments. The Republicans tried to keep the systems within their government, but the local governers were adamant: they wanted out. The New Republic was unwilling to use force to keep local governments in, so they were eventually forced to let the systems go. This was the match that started a raging bonfire. System after system demanded independence. As systems became autonomous, they began to fight one another, over trade rights, religious and species divisions, or over old grudges. A thousand brushfire wars broke out across the galaxy, and the Republic's death knell sounded.
The Republic, of course, did not entirely disintegrate. They kept control of most of the Core Worlds, including, of course, the governing planet of Coruscant, as well as the economic powerhouses of Kuat and Corellia, and many smaller worlds that depend on the great systems.
Outside Republican space, two other major organized groups have defined themselves.
The first is the Imperial Remnant, now again calling itself the Empire. As the Republic collapsed, the Empire began to again gain power, without the constant threat of the Republican military. Also, many systems began to think of the time of the Empire as a time of stability and prosperity, and longed to return to them. Thus, the Empire regained some of its former power and prestige. Currently, the Empire occupies a chunk of the Outer Rim area, with about 4 days travel time between it and the nearest border of the Republic.
The final major power in the galaxy is the Free Worlds Alliance, a loose federation of worlds that has arrisen to combat the anarchy of the galaxy. It is notas centralized as either the Republic or the Empire, existing primarily as a forum for disputes between members and as a mutual defense organization. It is also almost entirely composed of non-human worlds. Many of the species that make up the Alliance believe that humanity has unfairly dominated the galaxy for too long, both during the Empire and before it, and they see the reformed Republic as simply a new method of perpetuating this. Alliance space lies almost opposite Empire space from the Republic, with a trip of about 5 days between Alliance and Republican borders.
Between and outside these three major powers, thousands, if not millions, of other systems exist. Most have no government higher than the system level, and some even have independent planets within a system, or even independent nations on a planet! Sometimes, a few systems band together to form a small regional power, but these are few and far between. Various regional powers, particularly crime syndicates like the Hutts, sometimes tie several systems together, but they rarely provide actual government, simply a single source of banditry.

The Jedi
"Jedi" is the current word for anyone who uses force powers. The average citizen of the galaxy makes little distinction between "dark" and "light" side. Every being who exhibits a unusual mental power is given the Jedi label.
Users of the Force still play a role in the new order of the galaxy. However, the Jedi are no longer divided into a simple two opposing groups. Like the Republic itself, the Jedi have fragmented, into subsections and independent schools, all of whom claim to be the "true" inheritors of the Force. Seven major "schools" of Force users now exist, and innumberable minor schools that span only a single planet make life even more complicated.
The seven great schools are those whose reputation and influence span the galaxy. They include the Skywalker School, the Solo School, the Republican Legion, the Imperial Guardians, the Sith, the Order of Light, and the Grey Cloaks.
The Skywalker School is perhaps the school with the best claim of descent from the original Jedi Order. Founded by Luke Skywalker, the first of the New Jedi, the school's home base is still the Jedi Academy, on Yavin 4. The Skywalker School is the second largest group of Jedi in the galaxy, after it's splinter daughter group, the Solo School. Ideologically and politically, the Skywalker School is commited to one thing above all: the maintenance of peace and good government throughout the galaxy. Skywalker Jedi act as freelance mediators, peacekeepers, impromptu judges, and simply heros, wandering space, looking for people to help. They generally have a policy of letting local people decide their own government, only stepping in to help when the government fails, and they rarely act to remove what a society has put in place for itself. Though some Skywalker Jedi take permanent positions in a system, most continue to roam, trusting in the Force to bring them to new problems that need their skills to solve it.
The Solo School is also directly descended from Luke Skywalker's teachings, by way of his neice and nephew, Jania and Jacen Solo. The Solo twins split from Luke after the fall of the New Republic, when Luke refused to use the Jedi to force the squabbling systems to rejoin the galactic government. The twins firmly believed in the ultimate benefit of a single, unified government for the galaxy, and they formed their own group, followed by those Jedi who thought likewise. Their basic goal is the same as the Skywalker School: peace and happiness for the greatest number of people in the galaxy as possible. However, their methods differ. Whenever possible, Solo Jedi work towards greater unity and cohesion between systems. Their internal organization is more structured than the Skywalker School as well, with individual Jedi often sent on specific assignments rather than simply going where whim takes them. The Solo school is based on the Noghri planet of Honoghr.
The Republican Legion is the organization of Jedi devoted to defending the Republic and promoting its interests. They are descended from several notable Force-using patriots of the New Republic, most particularly the famous X-wing pilot and member of Rogue Squadron, Corran Horn. The Republican Legion are considerably less concerned with the good of everyone than either the Skywalker or Solo Schools. Those who are concerned about such matters at all tend to be of the opinion that having the whole galaxy within Republican hands would be of most benefit to all, but most are simply strong Republic patriots. The Legion has a loose organization, more of an old boys network than a true hierarcy. They are scattered throughout the Republic's military, and, more rarely, its diplomatic services. The most powerful are usually high ranking, since their Force powers tend to make them obvious canidates for promotion. Many Legionares are starfighter aces, and it has become tradition for the Republic's crack squadron, Rogue, to include at least one Legionnare.
The Imperial Guards are the Empire's counterpart to the Republican Legion. They descend from various members of Emperor Palapatine's personal staff, whom he trained in using the Force. Despite this dark origin, and contrary to Republic propaganda, however, most Guardsmen are not particuarly dark. In fact, the Imperial Guards are probably, on average, more disiplined and controlled than the Legionnares. The Guards have a very formal organization, with strict division into ranks, culminating in the High Prelate, who reports directly to the Emperor and Prime Minister. The Guardsmen are trained to fight in small, highly effective units, typically deployed in tactically important situations. The simple appearance of a unit of Guardsmen, with their highly distinctive red uniforms and lightsabers, can often cause an opposing force to retreat. Guardsmen also act as intelligence agents for the Empire, travelling incognito both inside and outside their borders, reporting potential trouble, and, in many cases, removing it before it can become a serious threat to the Empire.
The Sith are not really a school in any formal sense at all. They have no identifiable founder, and it is uncertain whether they descend from the pre-Empire Sith cult at all. The Sith gains a new member whenever a Jedi totally gives into their passions, and allows the Dark Side to take over completely. Sith are typically passionate, cruel, and violent. Most simply wander from world to world, taking what they want from the weak and enjoying their power. Some set themselves up as petty dictators, although this usually attracts attention that eventually brings them down or forces them to move on. A Sith sometimes takes an apprentice, although this usually simply means a Force-talented youngster who is willing to put up with constant abuse in order to learn what they can by observation. When such a student gains enough knowledge, they inevitably challenge their teacher. Usually, there is only one victor in such a duel, thankfully for the rest of the universe. Sometimes, though, both master and student survive and go their separate ways, which creates yet another Sith to trouble the world.
The Order of Light is the school most devoted to mastering the "Light" side of the Force. Its origins were those Jedi who, in the early days of the new order, decided that the only way to avoid temptation was to completely remove any aspect of the Dark side from themselves. The Order is generally considered fairly successful in this task. However, this very success leads to the Order being fairly unimportant in galactic affairs. True mastery of the Light Side seems to lead, more and more, to stasis, an attitude of "destiny will take its course", and an unwillingness to actually do anything about the world. Members of the Order are generally mystics and pilgrims. They sometimes wander the world, but not usually to right wrongs or dispense justice. Instead, they seek inner harmony and enlightenment.
The Grey Cloaks are probably the most pragmatic of the major school. More than any other group of Jedi, their view of the Force is basically mechanistic. They see it as a tool to be used to advance themselves, and little more. The Grey Cloaks also have no strong political agenda. They generally have only one motive: profit. The Cloaks have mastered the arts of stealth and spying, using highly trained skills as well as the Force to mask their presence. They sell this expertise to the highest bidder, offering one of the most reliable information and espianoge networks in the galaxy. The Grey Cloaks have no known central hierarcy, and their origins, like their actions, are shrouded. However, the Cloaks do seem to be able to act on a wide scale, with cooperation between members across the galaxy, when it proves needed.

Metaphysics
The Force is not quite as the Jedi of the Old Republic claimed it. The Force does have two sides to it, true, which are in opposition. However, they do not simply map to "good" and "evil" the way the old Jedi would have us believe.
Instead, the Force is divided into an active side and a passive side. The active side is that commonly identified as the "Dark" side, and the passive the "Light" side. The active side thrives on emotions, movement, and energy. It tends to fuel powers that directly manipulate the world. Such powers include many of the obvious Jedi tricks, such as telekinesis, mind altering, and the notorious Force Lightning. It is notable that even the old Jedi used many powers that primarily depended on the Dark side to function.
The passive side of the Force lives in stillness, calm, and stasis. It fuels powers that prevent change, preserve the status quo, and sense the world as it is. It is also the part of the Force used to fortell the future; basically, it assumes that everything will continue to go as it currently does, and looks at the expected outcome.
Both sides of the Force have their inherent drawbacks. A Jedi with only the active side of the Force is a constant whirlwind of change and passion. He has no stability within him, and every emotion is uncontrolled. He follows every whim. To be totally controlled by the active side of the Force is something close to madness. A very powerful active adept constantly twists the very fabric of the world around him, warping the minds of those around him, even the very laws of reality.
A Jedi in touch only with the passive side of the Force, in contrast, is totally still. She is completely calm, emotionless. She is perfectly still, sensing everything around her, and doing nothing about it. A passive side master would sit on her hands while entire species were destroyed, explaining that it was destiny. An adept of the passive side of the force can freeze space and even time around her, extending her stasis to everything in her immediate vicinity.