Approved Lore Dark Star Hellions: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Swoop Gangs

[Zark San Tekka]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: Mostly as a thought exercise, but also to establish some referential credibility to Mynock's claim as a journalist of repute.
• Image Credit: Cyberpunk Bikers by Denys Tsiperko
• Links: Dark Star Hellions

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Media Name: Dark Star Hellions: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Swoop Gangs
• Format: Holobook
• Distribution: Scattered
• Length: Medium
• Description: Dark Star Hellions is a non-fiction account of Mynock's experiences while embedded as a member of the Hellions for over a year. This holobook elucidates on swoop culture and gang lifestyle as well as recounts Dubrillion's journey with one of the main Seswenna chapters "rock hopping" from their native sector all the way up to Questal to link up with the Nebula Masters. It comments on the public perception of swoop gangs and is written in an irreverent, stylistic personalized manner.

SOCIAL INFORMATION

• Author: Mynock Dubrillion
• Publisher: NewsNet
• Reception: As lauded as it is controversial, Dark Star Hellions was hailed as a tour de force and the beginnings of Mynock's renown as a writer. It was also protested and banned throughout many worlds with more socially conservative cultures, having been derided by some as a glorification of gang activity and under representing the systemic role these groups tend to play in lower level narcotics trafficking across the galaxy.

CONTENT INFORMATION

"The Edge... There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."​

Part One: Dark Star Rising - Part one examines the origins of the Dark Star Hellions and details many themes, styles, and values common to most Outer Rim swoop gangs. It touches on the differences between Outer Rim and more Coreward based gangs, describes common public reaction to the Hellions, and examines common law enforcement tactics used to combat these outlaws.

Part Two: Rock-Hoppin - Part two begins by describing "rock hoppin", the practice of either hitching rides on bulk transports from planet to planet or in some cases, stowing away. It is considered an extremely dangerous practice and this section describes how the Hellions have gone so far as to determine which species of crew were least likely to vent unwelcome passengers into space. The rest of part two introduces Mynock into the narrative as an honorary Hellion, observing and even sometimes participating in spectacles of debauchery on each world they visit on their way to Questal.

Part Three: Big Trouble in Little Jar'Kai - Part three details an altercation on Naboo between the Hellions and some locals in the refugee city of Little Jar'Kai which eventually escalates into Mynock and the rest of the gang fleeing from Royal Security Forces on their bikes and culminating in a brief shootout in which a single security officer was wounded and two of the Hellions were stunned off their swoops and arrested, while the rest including Dubrillion successfully evade capture. This particular example of gang violence is recounted and deconstructed by Mynock from the Hellions' perspective, and while it readily highlights the many questionable choices made by the bikers on that night it also presents Jar'Kai's constabulary as somewhat over reactive and exaserbatory in their use of tactics, leaving the reader questioning if either side was unquestionably in the right.

Part Four: The Spice Must Flow - Part four deals directly with outlaw swoop bikers and their role in the galactic narcotics trade. Perhaps even more controversial than the previous section, the holobook asserts that by and large the Hellions are primarily low level spice pushers, dealing mostly in death sticks, slick and marcan herb. It also details a widespread pattern of stimulant abuse throughout most swoop gangs. Dubrillion presents a case which appears to lay much of the blame at the feet of more corporate level interests, but many of the book's critics highlight evidence of a larger role in this trade swoop gangs play than the author's limited perspective of a single Hellions chapter.

Part Five: Time After Time - The final part of this holobook deals with the social upheaval that tends to lead to the formation of gangs like these, citing in particular the Cloud-Riders who played a not insignificant role in the formation of the original Alliance to Restore the Republic. Interspersed throughout are character studies of some of the Hellions Mynock spent the most with time with. Ultimately flowing into an account of their arrival on Questal, it ends after both chapters attend a funeral service for a veteran Nebula Master who was killed in a shootout with a rival swoop gang.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Swoop Gangs is a mostly non-fiction accounting of Mynock Dubrillion's time as an embedded reporter for NewsNet inside the Dark Star Hellions, one of the most notorious and long lived of these gangs still operating in the Outer Rim. Mynock has described the experience as "transcendent", having admitted in interviews about the piece that he had been close at several points to losing himself in the assignment entirely.

First published as a series of essay articles for distribution through the NewsNet's independent courier service, Dark Star Hellions was later compiled into a single unabridged volume and a limited run of holobooks were released on several planets in the Core and Outer Rim. Dubrillion openly encourages the sharing of his work, so transcripts are freely available on the HoloNet, but officially licensed physical editions are much less commonplace.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

 

[Zeradias Mant]

Approved.