Galactic Empire

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Galactic Empire
Political information
Head of State	Emperor Jai Meridan
Head of Government	Grand Vizier Marcus Elensar
Commander-in-Chief	Executor Elaine von Veritrax
Executive branch	Imperial High Command
Branches	The Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (COMPNOR) Regional Government Imperial Intelligence
Imperial Military	Imperial Army Imperial Navy
Nationalised corporations	Corellian Engineering Corporation Imperial Droid Corporation Imperial Mining Corporation Imperial Munitions
Societal information
Territory	Emerald Region Amber Region Ruby Region
Capital	Coruscant
Official language	Galactic Basic
Currency	Imperial Credits
State religious body	Order of the Sith
Historical information
Formed from	Galactic Republic
Date of establishment	Year 0 Day 5

"The Empire is built on Order. It is built on professionalism and precision. Fealty, Fidelity, and Service, as the Imperial Academy has taken for its maxim. It is beyond setting the standard, as no other group may compare to activity, organization, dedication, camaraderie, and opportunity. None can hope to call themselves our equals, and there are none who may usurp our dominance."

— Charon

The Galactic Empire, also known as the New Order, is the rightful government of the galaxy, currently ruling over the area of the galaxy known as the Core, as well as territories in other Outer Rim. It is the most militarily capable and economically dominant government of the galaxy.

History

"Our struggle, our struggle to bring peace and order to all, to bring enlightenment to those that remain unenlightened, is glorious. Should we not, we risk future generations forgetting why we exist; we risk the galaxy torn asunder again. Our struggle must endure, lest we forget."

— Orphaea Imperium

The early history of the Galactic Empire, while relatively recent on a galactic scale, is largely undocumented. As the fortunes of individuals and groups have changed in the Empire, and Emperors themselves risen and fallen, historical documents have been altered, misplaced or outright destroyed. Much of what remains is lacking, and has been pieced together with what remnants, poorly sourced and often blatantly propagandic, remain from those years.

Origins

After a thousand years of growing mismanagement and corruption, the Galactic Republic fell. More and more factions, both political and economic, grew weary of the stagnation and bureaucracy to the point where they gathered together to seceed and declare themselves independent from the Republic. Events rapidly deteriorated until armed conflict was inevitable. The 'Separatists', armed with vast droid armies, fought openly with the newly created Clone Army of the Republic. At the same time, other political bodies and trade groups broke away to form their own independent territories as their own.

The Separatists, eventually, were worn down and broke apart due to their massive losses and internal factionalisation, its members collapsing into obscurity or being absorbed by others so only a few largely independent factions of varying influence remained. However, the damage was done, as the galaxy collapsed into innumerable wars between local warlords.

Hiram Drayson, an ambitious but not particularly skilled Admiral of the Republic Navy, forcibly took control of what was left of the Republic and declared the First Galactic Empire with himself as its Emperor. The formation of the Empire and his ascension to the new throne meant little, as rival claimants (including his own commanders) warred against him. At the end of the final battle of the war, Captain Vodo Bonias of the Imperial Navy turned his fleet against the Emperor's, destroying much of it and forcing Drayson to flee with what remained of his force.

Suntzu, Commanding Officer of the Imperial Navy, was next to sit on the throne. However, his reign was no better, as General Balsaraph of the Imperial Army formed his own rebellion with the intention of taking the throne himself. The resulting campaign was short and brutal, with newly appointed Moff Bonias' forces routing Balsaraph's and forcing the latter into hiding with Drayson.

Around this time, the former Emperor Drayson reappeared along with those that followed him - including Balsaraph - in the form of the Order of Darkness. This group was short-lived and quickly dissolved following the death of Drayson. Operating with many of the Empire's ships and personnel, Drayson and Balsaraph directed operations against the Empire. They were greatly assisted by Lady Dyvel, an Admiral in the Imperial Navy. Dyvel defected to the Order of Darkness with many of the Empire’s ships and funds. Officer Evax also defected taking many of the land assets over to the Order as well. After serving as ruler of the Galactic Empire for only one month, Emperor Suntzu abdicated, a decision which the Order of Darkness heralded as a victory.

The first reign of Vodo Bonias saw no relief for the Empire. Years of infighting had caused economic ruin on many worlds, and corruption was entrenched in the Imperial bureaucracy. The members of the Imperial government hoarded the wealth of worlds as billions of sentinents starved. The breaking point was when a young female Imperial Army officer was raped in front of, and by, the Imperial High Command, the news of which turned the population against the Imperial bureaucracy and the Emperor. With the wrath of the citizenry and the Imperial Army held back only by the increasingly deserting Imperial Navy, and to restore order to the Empire, Bonias abdicated in favour of Executor Spytek.

Spytek, through luck and a population tired of strife, brought to the Empire a measure of the peace and prosperity that had been so craved and sorely lacking for many years. Accounts of Piett's rise to the throne differ.

One account depicts the Sith Lord Piett overthrowing Spytek with military force, under the guidance of his master Vodo Bonias. Another has the Emperor himself, lacking in personal influence over more capable and charismatic officers such as Admiral Gorn Veynom and Surface Marshal Trey Connel, deciding to abdicate in favour of these two officers. The Empire immediately fell into yet another civil war as the forces of Veynom and Connel fought over Coruscant itself. However, the throne ultimately went to Grand Admiral Piett, entering with his own fleet, obliterating the already tired forces of both and declaring himself Emperor.

Piett

For a time, the reign of Emperor Piett was good, if conservative. Few reforms were made, and institutional and structural problems of the Empire remained, which could have been accepted but for except for the machinations of a handful in the Empire. Neither Veynom nor Connel were willing to accept second place, and soon joined their forces in an attempt to overthrow Piett. Their attempt was unsuccessful, with themselves and their supporters either being arrested (such as Admiral Gunther von Esling) or fleeing Imperial space (such as former Emperor Bonias). Piett, however, pardoned and reinstated both ringleaders and those supporters that remained.

Slowly but steadily suffering from bouts of paranoia after the attempted coup, and increasingly frequent and vivid visions through the force, Piett eventually retired in favour of Connel and departed for the Outer Rim. He had reigned for nearly one year.

The Great Break, the Imperial Core and the Dark Empire

Despite Piett's words, succession would again be decided in battle. Grand Admiral Veynom quickly rallied his forces against the new Emperor in a short but bloody campaign that saw Connel victorious but Veynom remain head of the Navy.

As time passed, both Veynom and Minister Ranma saw visions through the force, believed to originate from the former Emperor Piett, and both decided to depart for the unknown regions in order to find Piett.

It should not have been expected that Veynom would meekly accept Connel as Emperor, and as subsequent events proved, this was indeed the case. Some time prior to leaving for the Unknown Regions, Veynom had rallied his supporters to break with the Empire, a move taken a few days subsequent to his departure by his successor and friend, Fleet Admiral Simms. A large number of officers and enlisted hijacked Imperial ships and declared they would form a new Imperial government. Because of this, some believe Veynom went to explore the Unknown Regions to seek ancient secrets and allies as well as a new base for their government, the Imperial Core.

The Empire was now divided into two groups - the Galactic Empire, with Connel at its head and claiming direct lineage from Drayson, and the Imperial Core, proclaiming Veynom the true Emperor. However, Veynom never returned, leaving Simms to rule in his stead as Lord Protector. These divisions did not go without notice by the rest of the galaxy, with many regional governments expanding by taking systems now abandoned by the Empire and beyond the control of the Core.

Over the course of the next half year, the Imperial Core drew support from many pro-Imperial Systems, becoming a sizable government in their own right. With support dwindling, Emperor Connel soon decided to step down in favour of Mccarthur. As Connel departed Coruscant, his shuttle exploded. Months later, it was discovered he had not been killed in the blast, and later accepted the post of Minister of Defence under Mccarthur before finally retiring.

Little of significance was achieved during Mccarthur's reign, however a number of noteworthy events did occur. An alien artifact was discovered by members of TetraCorp that by an unknown means stimulated the transformation of an unknown number of humans into non-humans.

Also during Mccarthur's reign, the Rebel Alliance, a group dedicated to restoring the Republic, proposed a peace treaty between the Alliance and the Empire. Days later, the Alliance withdrew their proposal, claiming that it was merely a test of the Imperial leadership, however public opinion towards the Alliance was clearly shaken. The next day, the Empire reaffirmed its demand of unconditional surrender.

Eventually, Mccarthur abdicated in favour of Executor Charon. When Mccarthur abdicated on Year 2 Day 212, Charon was chosen as his successor. After assuming control of the empire, Charon began extensive reforms of Imperial laws and government. He also heavily centralized the bureaucracy of the Empire, which had remained unchanged and outdated since the rule of Emperor Piett. During this time, Charon's conquest of the Tatoo system extended the Empire all the way to the Orus Sector. He also established the first Imperial Port Authority in Year 3 Day 59.

Not long after Mccarthur's abdication, the Imperial Core saw its first leadership change as Lord Protector Simms, having lead the Core since its foundation, stepped down in order to focus on training in the Force. Jennifer Dreighton took his place as Lady Protector.

Around this time, Veynom made an announcement from the Unknown Regions that had major ramifications across the galaxy. Ultimately it was his old followers in the Imperial Core who deciphered the meaning of the message which revealed the location of an old Death Star weapon that was hidden in an unexplored region of the Outer Rim. The group quickly tracked down the weapon, intending to take command of it for use against their enemies. Unfortunately, the weapon itself proved to be incomplete and irreparable, though the operation was still of great value to the Core in that they recovered a veritable treasure trove of lost information and data from much older times. Additionally, the speed with which they solved the Admiral's puzzle and the mounds of recovered information granted them a great deal of prestige in the galaxy as more systems and people flocked to the banner of the Imperial Core.

Return of the Sith

Some months later, the Sith - including Simms - returned to the limelight under the leadership of the Sith Master and former Galactic Emperor, Warlord Vodo Bonias. They merged with the Imperial Core to create the Dark Empire - now the third largest government in the galaxy. It was roughly a year later when negotiations commenced for the reunification of the Dark Empire and Galactic Empire. Charon, ever distrustful of Vodo and his followers, agreed to the merger reluctantly but retained his position as Emperor. It is reported that Charon was somehow coerced into accepting the merger.

Count Greyson Uebles, an Imperial aristocrat and member of the Dark Empire, was appointed Executor. Many Dark Empire officers were similarly integrated into the Galactic Empire in a variety of positions. These same officers would later use their positions to overthrow Charon. Warlord Vodo formed a secretive fleet outside the chain of command that incorporated many loyal and high ranking officers as well as several Dark Jedi. Later this sect would become known as the Order of the Dark Hand. Vodo also managed to preserve the secretive MJ-12 intelligence branch which had been essential in the Dark Empire's success.

As the months passed, the merger between the Galactic Empire and Dark Empire proved disastrous. Suspicion and in-fighting were rampant. It was at this time, the terms "Charonist" and "Vodoist" arose to describe those who remained loyal to Charon and those who supported Vodo in his bid for the Imperial Throne respectively.

Eventually, Charon ordered ISB-General Matrel Byden to arrest Vice Admiral Jennifer Dreighton for a protocol violation. At the time, Dreighton was commander of the Dark Hand Fleet and a personal confidant of Vodo Bonias. The arrest of Dreighton proved to be the final straw for Vodo's followers, who rose up against Emperor Charon. Executor Uebles seized the opportunity and ascended the throne, overthrowing Charon as the new Emperor on Day 133 of Year 4.

The result was yet another civil war, which ultimately led to the vast exodus of many Imperial personnel loyal to Charon; thus turning the tide of galactic opinion against Charon's usurper, Emperor Uebles. The Empire was in a state of chaos as many officers and enlisted throughout the many branches left.

In the wake of this catastrophic event, Emperor Uebles reorganized the government of the Empire, appointing new Moffs and other leaders. Other branches underwent similar reforms over the next year as the Empire attempted to pull itself back together and ultimately Uebles' reign was marked as a period of major reform though he was unable to achieve much success in reviving the Empire. Many military victories have, however, been recorded during Uebles' reign, including Operation Beta and Operation Tenax. Uebles abdicated within a year in favour of his mentor, Vodo Bonias.

The Second Reign of Vodo

Emperor Vodo immediately reformed the majority of branches within the Galactic Empire. He administratively organized Imperial Intelligence under COMPNOR, then under the command of Grand Vizier Frank Bach. Vodo then restructured the Imperial Navy and appointed Zerk as the new naval commanding officer. Under Vodo, the academy system was revised, restructured, and reinstituted. Mere months into his reign, Emperor Vodo boasted victorious in two major campaigns, Allied Tion and the Bacta Wars.

Despite these successes, there were losses. Imperials continued to defect to other governments, and the Empire suffered the assassination of Grand Moff Qel Droma and the loss of the New Anzat Order as a vassal state.

When many naval officers petitioned Emperor Vodo to remove Zerk from his position, Zerk was reassigned as the Grand Moff of the Imperial government whilst Vice Admiral Angelus Goth was appointed the new naval commanding officer. Joint leadership of the Imperial Navy was granted to Rear Admirals Crog and Slicer during more restructuring of the military. Once discussions were over and new policies established, the newly-promoted Vice Admirals Crog and Slicer became the naval commanding and executive officers respectively.

Just as Zerk garnered enemies within the Navy, he alienated many of the people under his command as Grand Moff. Also, despite his new position, Zerk maintained a major influence over naval structure and policies, continuing to clash with many ranking naval officers. Many - Charonists, in particular - petitioned the Emperor to again take action. On Year 6 Day 303, a group of officers and enlisted held a secret meeting to discuss the course of the Empire and the future of the New Order.

They came to the conclusion that the Empire could not prosper under Vodo. The reformers seized control of an Imperial holonet transceiver and broadcast the group’s mission: to remove Vodo from the throne and appoint an Emperor worthy of the vast Empire he would rule. Ten days after the initial broadcast, the reformers formed a group of their own, the New Imperial Order, and selected Garen Karrade as its Steward.

The Galactic Empire sought to eradicate those loyal to the New Imperial Order from their ranks, and many were arrested and executed for treason. Both Imperial governments continued to rapidly grow and garner support. The vanguard of progress within the Galactic Empire, achieving victories against Eidola, the Katholic Republic, SoroSuub Corporation and the Trade Federation, resulted in the passing of the City-State Accords, which brought many territories under the direct control of the Empire, The 12 Colonies, and Mandalore.

In a historic move to bring about order and peace to the galaxy, Emperor Vodo signed a mutual-defense accord with King Jessy James of the Hapes Consortium. Designed to counter the threat from the Rebel Alliance, Falleen Federation, and SoroSuub Corporation, the treaty brought the economies of the two largest governments in the game, as well as defense forces, in order to bring about joint growth. Later, the Trade Federation and Mandalore also joined the Imperial Union.

On Year 10 Day 160, the New Imperial Order and Galactic Empire reunified. Thomas Cherokee, the leader of the New Imperial Order, was appointed as Executor, a position that had been vacant since the resignation of Arturus Goth.

Government and Politics

The Galactic Empire is an absolute non-hereditary monarchy, ruled by the Emperor with the support of his advisors. The Executor serves as second-in-command of the Empire and heir apparent of the Emperor, acting on behalf of the Emperor when the latter is absent or incapacitated. The Executor serves directly under the Emperor and is considered part of the Throne.

The Inner Circle is the highest executive body of the Empire, tasked with assisting and advising the Emperor in the highest affairs of state. The composition of the Inner Circle is at the discretion of the Emperor but includes no less than the leaders of the Order of the Sith, COMPNOR, Imperial Military, Ministry of Industry, and Imperial Intelligence, as well as a representative of the Council of Moffs.

Under the Inner Circle is the extended Imperial High Command, consisting of the collective commanding officers of all the branches, Director of the Imperial Security Bureau, Vizier for Diplomacy and all sector governors of the Empire.

Moffs, appointed by the Throne, are the governors of the sectors of the Empire on behalf of the Emperor. A Moff has command of all citizens and military units within their sector and has near absolute discretion regarding the political and economic development of their sector. The Moff is usually assisted by a Sector Adjutant, typically the second-in-command of the Sector and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the sector. Lesser Governors are responsible for the development of individual systems, and lower officers individual planets.

The Imperial Security Bureau, a sub-branch of COMPNOR, is responsible for law enforcement within the Galactic Empire. ISB maintains the Imperial Code of Laws and ensures that protocols and procedures are followed by all Imperials. Most charges are brought up by the ISB; however, the Imperial Military may court-martial any within their ranks as needed. Imperial Intelligence personnel are outside the purview of the ISB and are handled by II's Internal Organization (INTORG) department.

Society and Culture

The role of art and media in the Galactic Empire was primarily didactic; cultural expression served as an instrument for inculcating New Order ideology. The Coalition for Progress, a sub-branch of COMPNOR, oversees many aspects of Imperial Government not directly related to politics, the military, or economics. Artistic and written propaganda was managed by the Art Team and Imperial News Bureau respectively as departments under the Coalition for Progress.

Competitive sports (particularly Bolo-ball, Shockball, and Podracing) are also popular within the Galactic Empire. The Imperial Gaming Commission regulates all gambling, as well as organizes and oversees all sporting events, within the Empire. Their responsibility is to ensure all events run fairly and that winnings are correctly distributed.

The Galactic Empire is a militaristic society; the Imperial Military is greatly revered and supported by the average Imperial citizen, with most - if not all - politicians and officials rising to prominence through their service in the military early in their careers.

The Empire also advocates Humanocentrism, the tendency to view the galaxy from the perspective of a Human majority. The Imperial policy of Human High Culture is not actively anti-nonhuman; it simply classifies nonhumans as cultural and ethnic minorities. The foundations of the Empire rest on the views of the Human majority, and as such the Empire heavily promotes such views through COMPNOR. The Order of the Sith welcomes acceptable Force-sensitives of all species within their ranks, and could in no way be viewed as xenophobic.

Economy

The Ministry of Industry manages the various companies and corporations that contribute to the Imperial economy, including the Corellian Engineering Corporation, Imperial Resource Extractions, Magnaguard Manufacturing, Myorzo Weapon Systems,Primus Medical and Imperial Resource Conversions. These nationalized factions enter into a contract with the Galactic Empire with the agreement that they will only trade with the Empire, its allies, and any neutral factions. In fact, trading with enemies of the Empire, all named in the Blacklist, is forbidden for all Imperials and is a punishable crime according to the Imperial Code of Laws.

Regional Governments have been focusing on building up cities on the planets and systems within their Sectors, which provides more jobs, better standards of living, and stronger economies for the Sectors and, in turn, the Empire overall.

Military

The Imperial Navy and Imperial Army make up the Imperial Military.