FALL OF THE EMPIRE

D E F E A T     A T     E N D O R

During the difficult weeks immediately following the debacle at Endor, the problem was all too apparent to the Imperials.
In an absolutist state, power must be wielded absolutely. But by whom?
It became increasingly apparent that succession to the throne was something the Emperor, so circumspect in everything else, had never seriously prepared for.
When the Emperor was killed during the Battle of Endor, the speed with which the Empire's structure disintegrated amazed even some Alliance strategists.
Obviously something was going very wrong in the Empire.

Some felt an unwitting heir might prove better than no heir at all, so a genealogical trace was proposed.
Unfortunately, nearly all of Palpatine's personal records had been deleted from the known libraries. Nor had the Emperor left a will or any final orders.

During these chaotic months, the one person who might have offered some clue to a resolution was Grand Vizier Pestage.
As Steward of the Imperial Personal Archives, he was privy to Palpatine's most secret holo-communications and recordings.
If an heir was to be found in the Emperor's correspondence, this was where to look. Pestage refused, providing no explanation.

Many feared Pestage might have his eye on the throne. He had been running many of the day-to-day affairs of the Empire on his own even before the Battle of Hoth,
allowing the Emperor to go about his arcane studies. To some minds, it seemed quite likely he might claim some executive privilege.

The ranks of Imperial Advisors, never cooperative in the best of times, felt a new kinship and closed ranks against Pestage.
Within weeks he was impeached as Vizier, formally censured, and stripped of his properties, titles and privileges.
All that saved him from the disintegration booth was his surprising offer to retire permanently to private life on Byss, the Emperor's personal sanctuary world.
Little did anyone suspect his real reasons for doing this.

If the Emperor had not left a designated successor, and there was no constitutional procedure for one, then those with ambition felt they must make a new emperor from among themselves.
But the Empire seemed uncontrolled and uncontrollable. Charismatic leaders who seemed capable of asserting power were toppled by jealous rivals and their own greed
as time and the Alliance fleet trampled the once great Empire.

This crisis in authority was now seriously harming the war against the New Republic, and public confidence was eroding rapidly.
Of course, the rule in the individual sectors had not changed significantly in the inner portions of the galaxy, but as Mon Cal cruisers, Corellian Corvettes and the rest
of the Republic fleet drove Star Destroyers from planet after planet, there was a growing sense that the 'Imperial juggernaut' would face defeat.
Soon, when many spoke of Palpatine, it was as an emperor, no longer as the Emperor. Sheer arrogance led them to blame Palpatine for the failings of the Empire, rather than look to their own weaknesses and folly.

It proved nearly impossible to coordinate the hundreds of surviving task forces across the sea of space.
Access codes changed overnight, troops received inconsistent orders, and commanders were intractable and independent. The Navy might order a system under Rebel siege defended,
only to find a few weeks later the same fleet had been, with all proper procedure, redirected to an insignificant fortress world deep in the Core.

Furthermore, each planet to join the New Republic was one less world to pay taxes into the once limitless treasury, causing one fiscal crisis after another.
This wasn't helped much by the fact that Palpatine had always kept the left hand guessing what the right was up to, so any attempt to streamline the enormous spending programs proved futile.
All attempts to guarantee proper apportionment of credits vital to perimeter defense efforts failed. Huge sums continued to be spent on useless projects, like the long delayed palace in the Corporate Sector.
Most notable was the ceaseless construction on the prototype Eclipse-class Super Star Destroyer.
Designed as a flagship for the late Emperor, it was typical of the type of self-aggrandizing acts that had once been obsequiously approved, yet couldn't now be justified.
Clearly, naval planners felt traditional ships of the line were what were needed to handle the Rebellion, not some grandiose yacht sitting for years in space dock with no sign of completion.

The Empire disintegrated under its own weight, splintering into countless independent factions with cautious allegiances to other factions, and all swearing loyalty to the "Empire."
All this time, while party officials, admirals and advisors jockeyed for some clear mandate, the New Republic was more than ready to fill the vacuum.
Of course, they had their work cut out for them: strategically the Empire was dying like a wounded vornskr, but just like a vornskr, that was when it was most dangerous.

With so much chaos, it was unsurprising that dozens of systems opted out of either side and formed independent system-states.
Neither Empire nor Republic could spare the personnel or the resources to make much of an appeal to these iconoclasts.
Both sides resolved to settle the more important matter of which government would survive first, and then parley with these worlds.

The Republic steadily forced the Empire back, claiming system after system, sector after sector. Some Imperial factions fought to the death, such as those under Lord Shadowspawn;
others surrendered and were absorbed into the growing Republic.

Others proposed peace plans. For example, tree years after Endor, Admiral Betl Oxtroe began making secret overtures to members of he New Republic to negotiate the creation of a parliamentary monarchy.
She proposed Ederlathh Pallopides, an eleven year old remote grandniece of Palpatine, as heir. The Republic's provisional Council would replace the Imperial advisors
in exchange for amnesty for the military. Sadly, the first round of talks had only begun when the Admiral fell to an assassin's blade, presumably wielded by Noghri, and the plan was forgotten.

Four years after Endor, the New Republic controlled half the galaxy and was able to claim Coruscant, once the capital of the Empire.

The Coming of Thrawn

Five years had passed since Endor, and the strains were threatening to tear the Empire apart, when from the outlying regions of the galaxy came a series of ident codes.
Unquestionably authentic, they accompanied a holo message from the last surviving Grand Admiral, named Thrawn. The squabbling ministers knew just how important a Grand Admiral could be to reverse the tide of defeat.
Even the most myopic of them knew how empty rule would be without an Empire to rule over.
Putting aside their differences for the time being, they managed to arrive at a consensus: a war hero such as Thrawn might be exactly what hey needed.
As a non-Human, he was a complete outsider with no power base save his own competence. He could rely on no support other than what they chose to give him.
Such a situation could prove advantageous, if he could accomplish all he claimed. If he could destroy the New Republic, they might make him their figurehead Emperor, with their power behind him.
And if he eventually proved too independent for them, he could always be eliminated.

For half a year, Imperial supporters allowed themselves to remember the "glories" of the past. Thrawn was Emperor in all but name.
While Thrawn's fleet was but a small portion of the Empire's once unimaginably vast war fleet, and Thrawn's support was far from universal or even enthusiastic,
he had managed to bring the New Republic to its knees, even blockading Coruscant with a deviously simple siege weapon. Imagine, then, the ministers' disappointment when, after so promising a start, he ultimately perished.
True, he had won back much of their lost territory, but the job was still unfinished.

After Thrawn's defeat, the remaining fleet commanders joined with the Ruling Circle and within days had recaptured vital Imperial systems.
But they still weren't satisfied: although bloodied, the New Republic still controlled much territory.
The ministers, munitions tycoons and functionaries turned immediately back to their plotting. Only now, there was more to be won.

The Mutiny

Now that the final victory over the Alliance seemed inevitable, the factions of the Empire tried to establish a government.
The Old Republic had endured many calamities, and yet survived them all. Until the collapse of order that spawned the Empire itself, the Republic had survived
for millennia against disasters, plagues, wars and betrayals. Surely the Empire could shake off its lethargy and restructure itself to suit the coming times.

As time passed, it became apparent this change was not forthcoming. There were a great number of governors, admirals and sector Moffs who opposed changing the Empire.
Many saw an opportunity to further their own agendas and ignored the Empire's call for help. Not to say all who served the Empire were corrupt or cynical or depraved.
There were many, many noble souls who struggled to keep the core beliefs of the Empire intact, to keep it ready for the coming wars. But these "fanatics" were ridiculed, hunted and driven out.
The majority of them fled to the Deep Core, for they knew the truth of what was to come.

What none had dared speak in more than a whisper in years past was now a topic of open debate among the ruling bodies of the Empire.
The most important officials in the government, Imperial Advisors like Ars Dangor, blithely suggested the new ruler be selected from their ranks by election.
All the Advisors would convene in the old Senate building on Coruscant and, in secret negotiation, would select a ruler and crown him.
They would then sit in as a legislative body, overseeing the new ruler's decisions.

The Moffs and Grand Moffs, front line governors of the realm, approved ... with a single caveat: they must be allowed to join the convocation.
They further suggested participants get a number of votes equal to the number of worlds they controlled.
Realizing this would stack the odds in favor of the governors, the advisors politely demurred.

None of this sat well with the COMPNOR leadership. These followers were CompForce chiefs and other New Order purists in the government.
As far as the "true believers" were concerned, the Empire was the New Order, and to make any decision based on political convenience was nothing short of treasonous.
They demanded litmus tests of ideological purity.

Most intransigent of them all were the officers of the Inquisitorius. Charged with rooting at all that smacked of the old ways during the Great Purge, they had long since outlived any usefulness.
Though a new Grand Inquisitor hadn't been appointed since Lord Torbin died in an accident on Weerden, they were unaware of their unpopularity.
They felt persecuted by COMPNOR, military and advisors' operatives, believing them secretly beholden to Rebel interests.
They resented the independence of the military and staged show trial after show trial to cow resistance.

Meanwhile, the navy and army had quite different opinions. It had always been they who had maintained the Empire, by force when necessary, so who better to rule than those who controlled the power?
Realizing how useless a direct claim to the throne would seem with the war still raging, they appointed themselves kingmaker, even if they had to turn the power at their command against their fellows.

Grand Admiral Thrawn's huge success was limited to retaking territory, not uniting the Empire itself.
Instead of reuniting the disparate elements of the Empire, the unfinished victory only served to push them farther apart.
With victory almost within reach, the stakes were suddenly that much higher and the potential for bloodshed had risen proportionately.
The navy demanded the right to pick a new Grand Admiral from the chain of command and continue as planned. Of course, the Army demanded a say in the matter as well.

In response, the bureaucracy claimed the warlord's defeat invalidated this claim and had crippled the offensive.
With regional armies and CompForces at their disposal, they felt confident enough to rattle their weapons.

Finally, after months of political maneuvering, the standoff ended. The inevitable occurred, as tensions escalated and violence exploded.
The remnants of the Empire were now engaged in a full-scale Civil War. No one is sure how or why, but fleets bombarded rival worlds from orbit, destroying whole planets.
Unlike the attacks by the New Republic, which avoided wholesale destruction of property and lives, no such mercy was granted by Imperials.

What side you supported even determined what the conflict was called, much as the war against the Empire had gone by many names: "Rebellion" to the rulers, the "Galactic Civil War" to the Insurgents.
Most outsiders called this conflict "The Imperial Civil War." COMPNOR/ISB purists called it "The War of Purification," while those opposing the militarists began calling it "The Mutiny."
Most just referred to it as the "Time of Destruction."

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect was the role played by those who still maintained a link to the Dark Side.
Though the opportunity existed, none of them made any sort of claim on power. Most believed the supporters of the Dark Side dead or sufficiently discredited, and most of the contenders preferred it that way.

Since the Emperor had given his two major secret police agencies overlapping authority, they fought constantly.
Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) and the Ubiqtorate of Imperial Intelligence even assassinated each other's operatives on a regular basis. Now, with full-scale war raging, their tenuous truce collapsed.
Imperial Intelligence published proscription lists naming "enemies." Partisans were offered incentives to betray and assassinate their fellows and by doing so gain possession of their property.
Initially very successful, this method of operation was duplicated by ISB, and eventually by others as the sides splintered further.

Seeing a window of opportunity provided by these corrupt and greedy holdovers from the Old Republic, the New Republic pressed its advantage to the fullest,
sending its captured Star Destroyers to stir up even more trouble. But no one, not the numerous pretenders to the throne nor the Republic's leaders, could see that the Mutiny was not an accident.
It was being allowed to happen, all involved manipulated by some unseen and unknown-known player.

The Heir to the Emperor

To a degree unseen since the days of Xim the Despot, Palpatine had created a state that simply couldn't function without him. It was no accident that the Empire was collapsing around his grave.
No one could doubt his fondest wish had been that, if he should fall, then the universe would burn on his funeral pyre. And burn it would after Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, hurled its master to his doom.

During the height of the Mutiny, signs began to appear of a purpose behind the confusion. The Grand Vizier wasn't acting out of some notion of tradition when he preserved the integrity of the Emperor's Archives.
He was simply following his master's commands. It was quite kind of the advisors to allow him to retire to Byss. To him, time would solve all mysteries and crises.
He already knew that a true heir to the Empire had indeed arrived. It was the original emperor, Palpatine himself.

To be sure, there had always been "fanatics" who claimed the Emperor would one day return, but few paid them any heed.
No one in their wildest nightmares thought Palpatine had survived. But he had --still weakened from this metamorphosis, the Emperor would do nothing to regain control.
He was still too vulnerable to take command back, but as the years passed and one pretender after another rose and fell, he grew stronger and angrier.

While it was imprudent to reveal his return, he could still hinder or aid those who caught his fancy.
It was, in fact, the Emperor who had given all the various orders and counter-orders that were impeding the petty plans of the various factions.
Here then was the reason so many of the warships Thrawn needed had vanished into the fortress systems, forcing him to rely on the Katana fleet of lost Dreadnaughts.
It was the Emperor, also, who ordered that the construction of new palaces and his flagship continue. All in preparation for the day when he would announce himself to the galaxy and take his throne back.
But first, more time to heal, then the destruction of the revolutionaries who had caused him so much trouble.

Palpatine knew precisely why the Empire couldn't last without his dread power: he had designed it that way.
No one ever suspected how much he relied on the Dark Side of the Force. He shaped those of his government by using the Force against them.
He used it to control his fleets and to drive his soldiers on to victory. He used it to destroy his enemies from a distance and learn of conspiracies against him.
Without it, there was no way the Empire could endure, as he had designed it. The Dark Side flowed through him like some primordial ichor and was the key to all his power.
It was the key to his destiny: for the Dark Side, coupled with his mastery of cloning, was the key to immortality.

Soon he was ready to strike. Fully healed and in greater control of the Dark Side than ever, he finally acted to end the Mutiny.
In the past, he had been content to let his "children" tear each other to shreds. Such destruction would cull out the weak, the cowardly, the stupid.
Now that he was truly indestructible, he could afford to set his standards higher.

None of those struggling to seize power ever realized they were being observed from the audience chambers on Byss. All things were weighed and considered by the Emperor.
Spies moved everywhere with confidence, probing loyalty, checking for those most likely to prove worthy. Then, when the time was right, they were brought before him.
Depending upon the person's reaction, the Emperor either rewarded their loyalty with a place in his new Empire or extinguished their lives.
The incompetent and the recalcitrant were executed and their battalions decimated in the ancient, barbaric tradition, as a sign of his new, merciless posture.
If, by dying, they would make the survivors better servants, then so be it. There would always be throngs to replace them.

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