The Republic: An alliance of almost a million worlds in the Core and Mid-rim regions, they have existed for almost twenty thousand years.

The Sith Empire: An Empire of worlds in the outer rim. They have been at war with the Republic several times, yet were forced to surrender in the last war 1000 years ago when their Emperor, the last fully trained Force user in the Empire, was killed by a Republic strike force. They rely heavily on the Dark Side of the Force and are currently in a state of cold war with the Republic.

The Confederacy of Independent Systems: An alliance of worlds in the mid and outer rim. They utilize droids for many menial jobs, unlike the Republic which heavily regulated the use of droids in most industries. They have a very strong economy which can compete with the more numerous and more densely populated Republic.

The Hutt Systems: A collection of poorer worlds in the outer and mid rim which are under the control of the Hutt clan. They tend to be technologically inferior to other, richer worlds. These worlds tend to be ruled by a single Lord which has absolute control over the world or system. They are common locations for what are criminal activities in other nations, being heavily reliant on slavery, smuggling, and drug trades.

Name: Sheev Palpatine (secretly Darth Sidious)
Species: Human (Naboo)
Force: Fully CIS trained, Darkside
Force techniques: mind trick (made more powerful with the Dark Side and an emotional target), telekinesis, premonitions, lightning, Life Manipulation
Combat Techniques: Lightsaber forms I, II, III, and IV. He's good with a blaster, but rarely uses one.
Equipment: Red fencing saber, Q2 blaster, millions of credits and several ships
Personality: Detail oriented and manipulative. He likes creating detailed plans to manipulate situation in his favor.
Bio: Born to a rich merchant family on Naboo, when his family found out that he was Force Sensitive they hired a mentor from the CIS to train him in the ways of the Force. He excelled in his studies, including business and finance training, and when he was a young man he got a job with a shipping company as a sector administrator. This kept him away from home, living on a CIS world in his sector.
One day he met a Muun trader named Hego Damask, and they became friends. Soon he learned that his friend was from the Sith Empire, and was a very powerful user of the Dark Side. He offered to teach Palpatine about the Dark Side, and how to draw strength from your emotions, if Palpatine would teach him about Force theory in general.
Palpatine agreed and, one day after translating what was left of the tattered remains of an ancient Sith scroll in Plagius's collection, he learned about an ancient Sith technique for manipulating life itself. It was incomplete, however, as much of the technique had been lost with age. He told Damask about it, but that he didn't fully understand it yet. Damask was impatient, however, and demanded that Palpatine teach him this technique. Palpatine taught him a working version of it, though he knew that use of that version would slowly cut you off from the Force. Not knowing this, Damask used the technique at every opportunity, even creating a future apprentice for himself within the womb of a slave girl on the Hutt planet of Tattooine.
Eventually this weakened Damask, now calling himself Darth Plagueis in secret, until one night Palpatine waited until he was asleep and used a completed version of the technique to drain the life from him, killing Plagueis and making Palpatine appear 20 years younger. As he had convinced Plagueis to leave him everything in his Will, Palpatine was able to quit his job at the shipping company and return home, to Naboo. There he ran for the Republic Senate and won, convincing the people that what they needed in a recession was a Senator with over 20 years of business experience.

There is civil unrest on the mid rim world of Naboo.

The planet has been in an economic depression due to price decreases in the rare metals and spice which is mined in the Naboo system, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems has used the situation to spread propaganda among the citizens, seeking to convince the system to join them.

Jedi Master Yoda, head of the Jedi Sentinels, has sensed a dark side plot in the system and sent his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi with Jedi Master Qui-gon Jinn, head of the Jedi Consulars, as he travels to Naboo to seek a solution to this problem.

The form of a maroon Consular Class ship entered orbit of the blue and green planet below. "Master," said a ponytailed young man sitting at a console behind the copilot. "There is a CIS droid control ship in geosynchronous orbit near the planet's Capital.

"A warship?" asked the pilot, worried.

"No," said an older man in robes, leaning over the pony-tailed man's shoulder to look at his screen. "A civilian ship belonging to the Trade Federation. Likely here to demonstrate their droids to someone on the planet."

"Master Qui-gon," said the younger man, "That could be an attempt to sway the leaders of industry to their cause. After all, the Republic has strict limits on droid labor, the CIS has none."

"True," said Qui-gon. "The situation may be more complicated than we first anticipated." He looked at the pilot. "Set us down in the Capital city of Theed. We will need to speak with the Queen as soon as possible." He then looked at the younger man. "Obi-wan, when you have finished your scans, please meet me at the boarding ramp. I'd like to be able to go to the palace as soon as we land. It could be a long walk, as they likely haven't sent a speeder for us."

"Yes, Master." he said as Qui-gon left the bridge. About a minute later, after verifying that there were no other suspicious ships nearby, he went to meet the Master.

"Is something troubling you, Padawan Kenobi?" Qui-gon asked, noticing the concerned look on Obi-wan's face.

"Something doesn't feel right." he responded.

"I don't sense anything."

"Oh, it's not about the mission, Master, it's something elsewhere, illusive." He "felt" around with the Force, but nothing stood out to him.

"Downplay your anxieties, Obi-wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs."

"But Master Yoda said I should be mindful of the future." Kenobi argued.

"Yes, but not at the expense of the present. Be mindful of the living force, young Padawan."

"Yes Master," Obi-wan said, nodding his head. It wasn't Yoda's way, but he couldn't find a flaw in such teachings. Perhaps it was simply that watching the future was more useful to a Sentinel like Master Yoda than it was to a Consular like Qui-gon. After all, many plots could be stopped by knowing about them before they began, but leaders needed to understand the present to govern properly.

Once the ship had sat down at the space port they lowered the ramp and left the ship, following the hallways to the street outside. There they spotted a member of a species Obi-wan was not familiar with polishing a yellow and black checkered four-person speeder. "Master, I don't recognize that species. Do you know anything about them?"

"He's a Gungan." Qui-gon responded. "Twelve hundred years ago the Hutts conquered this world, enslaving and technologically uplifting the local primitive race of amphibians, the Gungans. It was captured by the Sith during the Great Wars two hundred years later, and then ceded to the Republic when they surrendered. The Gungans never liked the Republic Colonists, though, and tend to avoid Republic Cities. Curious."

Obi-wan nodded as the gungan ran over. "Hello, dere." it said, "Meesa called Jar-Jar Binks. Yousa needen a ride inta town?"

Obi-wan shrugged and looked at Qui-gon, who didn't object. "Yes, we could use a ride. Do you know the way to the palace?"

"Oh, yes." said Jar-Jar, "Da palace is da mostest fanciest building in da city. Everyone knows da way." He motioned towards his taxi and the two got inside the closed-top vehicle. Jar-Jar ran around to the driver's seat and got in, starting the meter and beginning the drive.

After a few seconds of silence Obi-wan decided to start a conversation with the driver. "I was under the impression that your people didn't like large cities, so I was wondering if that was true."

"Yes, sa. Dassa true."

"Then why have you chosen to do business here? Does it simply pay better?"

Jar-Jar shook his head. "No, dassa not it." He paused for a few seconds, then continued with a sadness in his voice. "My friend, my have been banished."

Obi-wan was surprised by the answer. "Why were you banished, Jar-Jar?"

"Oh, itsa longo story, but the basics is that meesa, uh, clumsy." That admission appeared to pain him.

Obi-wan was still confused. "You were banished because you were clumsy?"

"Yousa mighten be sayin dat. Meesa was chef for Gungan leader, Big Boss Nass. But one day meesa carryin him a burning desert and meesa trip, spilling it on da table and startin a fire. When itsa put out, Boss Nass was bery angry, and banished me. He give meesa only until sunrise to leave da city. So meesa come here, buy a speeda, and now meesa a cab driva."

Obi-wan nodded as they pulled up in front of the palace steps. Jar-Jar got out, ran around to open the door, then held his hand out as they stepped out of the cab. Obi-wan paid him, plus a few extra credits and Jar-Jar handed them a plastic card. "If yousa needen a ride anywhere else, just give meesa a call, okeeday?"

Obi-wan nodded and Jar-Jar closed the door, then continued polishing his cab where he had stopped at the starport.

At the top of the steps Qui-gon stopped, causing Obi-wan to look at him. "There's something off about that gungan." Qui-gon said.

"He's likely just of substandard intelligence." Obi-wan responded.

"True, but I don't thing that's all of it." Qui-gon scratched his chin then, and a few seconds later caught himself. "But we didn't come here to solve the mystery of the cab driver. We came here to stop a succession. Come." He motioned and Obi-wan followed him into the Palace.