Hiram Drayson

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Hiram Drayson
Biographical Information
Race	Human
Homeworld	Unknown
Mother	Unknown
Father	Unknown
Spouse	None
Siblings	None
Children	None
Born	Classified
Imperial Service
Branch	Imperial Throne
Positions	Banished
Prior Service	Emperor of the Galactic Empire Grand Admiral, Imperial Navy Sith Lord, Order of Darkness
Awards	Unknown

Hiram Drayson was the founder and first Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Before becoming Emperor, he was a Grand Admiral in the Galactic Republic's Navy and commanding officer of the Core Fleet.

Personal History

The Forming of an Empire

During the waning decades of the Galactic Republic, a coalition of Outer Rim planets called the Confederacy of Independent Systems, backed by the wealthy Trade Federation, unilaterally declared its secession from the Republic. The bureaucratic Republic and its leader, Supreme Chancellor Endis Malorum failed to deal with the situation, resulting in several other planets and systems joining the Confederacy.

Becoming desperate to keep the Republic intact, the Supreme Chancellor ordered the formation of the Grand Army of the Republic, a military force comprised of both regular sentients and clone troops. They waged war against the vast army of droids serving the Confederacy and the Republic was placed under martial law, giving the military more authority and taking away influence from the Chancellor and the Senate. These measures proved to be insufficient however, as by 10 BCGT, the Republic had been pushed back to the Expansion Regions. Grand Admiral Hiram Drayson enjoyed a lot of respect and influence as Commanding Officer of the prestigeous and strategically vital Core Fleet.

In an extraordinary session of the Senate, he set aside the powerless Supreme Chancellor Malorum and seized power. He dissolved the Senate and declared the formation of a Galactic Empire, with himself as its Emperor. All opposition was quickly eliminated by the mysterious Agent 21, a rogue Jedi who chose the side of Drayson and served as his assassin and bodyguard.

No longer held back by the slow and corrupt Senate, the first Emperor managed to turn the war around. Reclaiming planet by planet, system by system, he succesfully drove back the Confederacy. Plagued by infighting and many planets surrendering to the new Empire, the Confederacy eventually fell apart and was forced to surrender completely. Thanks to his victories during the war, Drayson was extremely popular amongst the population. Massive recolonisation and reconstruction works were started. He failed to adress the many problems that the Empire faced however, and the effects of his military success would not last forever.

Reign and Betrayal

His reign was brief, plagued with administrative difficulties and rival warlords and claimants to the throne. It was more by chance than by skill that Drayson became the dominant warlord of the new Imperial territories, and many years before he had a true claim to the title of Galactic Emperor. While competent, the Emperor was not a tactical or strategic mastermind, but managed to attract many officers under his banner. Nonetheless, Drayson managed to successfully procure ships and equipment for the new Imperial Army and Navy and built the Empire into the preeminent force in the galaxy, including the construction of a second Super Star Destroyer where one was the estimated sustainable limit at the time by Imperial planners. It is also believed that the mysterious Abandoned Research Installation, located in the Maw, was built during his reign, serving as his superweapon research facility.

Former officials of the Republic and Jedi who had fled after the founding of the Empire united themselves and formed a rebel alliance, seeking to overthrow the Emperor and return to the corrupt and inefficient Galactic Republic. They united under the banner of Jacen Lord, a corrupt military officer who is still considered a poor leader by most historians.

Drayson retained his position as Grand Admiral and directed the Imperial Navy from his flagship, the Death Knight in campaigns against the rebels and seperatist governments and organisations that had proliferated during the transition to Empire and the wars previous. At the final battle of these campaigns, Captain Vodo Bonias, an officer of Drayson's, turned his own ships against the Emperor's and forced Drayson's loyal forces to retreat. Drayson's former Naval Chief of Staff, Admiral Suntzu, claimed the throne and assumed the title of Emperor.

Return of the Sith

With these forces, the banished Emperor formed a neo-Imperial faction called the Order of Darkness, revealing himself as a Sith Lord and the cadre of Sith he had been cultivating during his reign. A number of officers defected to the Order, the most prominent being the Commanding Officer of the Imperial Army, General Diablirus Balseraph and later Admiral Dyvel Price and one of her officers, Evax, the latter bringing with them numerous ships and other assets of the Empire. The fortress Alamut was built as the stronghold of the Order. Beyond the reach of Suntzu and Bonias, the Order spread its views throughout the galaxy, putting pressure on the weak Emperor and forcing him to abdicate shortly after.

However, after a brief period of prosperity, the influence of the Order waned, many officers returning to the Empire to serve under the much stronger successor of Suntzu: Vodo Bonias, the man who betrayed Drayson. Eventually the Order completely disappeared, believed to have collapsed due to internal disputes. Drayson's death was never confirmed, but believed to have occured shortly before the Order's collapse. Some claim he is still alive, having retreated with the remnants of the Order of Darkness, plotting their return to the known galaxy, but no evidence has ever been found of this theory.

Emperor of the Galactic Empire
Preceded By: Position Created	Hiram Drayson Unknown - Year -2 Day 306	Succeeded By: Suntzu