Shadows of the Dark Side/Galactic Empire

Politics

The Status of the Jedi

The Jedi Order is still officially proscribed as a result of their attempted coup against then-Chancellor Palpatine. However much Leia Organa and Mon Mothma might privately wish to rehabilitate it, and however evil Palpatine turned out to be, his account of events is supported by the surviving historical record, even discounting the 20 years of propaganda piled on top of it. If the Jedi Order is to be publicly restored, some evidence exonerating them will need to be uncovered; even Luke Skywalker denies any current affiliation with them, saying, "It's true that I was instructed by the last surviving Jedi Masters, but when they told me that the final test to become a Jedi would be to kill my father, I refused to do so, and left their tutelage."

Imperial vs. Irregular Forces

Rebel forces that remained with Leia Organa and Mon Mothma have yet to be integrated into the Imperial military, instead existing in parallel as the so-called Irregular forces. The one exception is the Royal Starfighter Guard, which has added the Red and Blue X-wing squadrons to the Gold and Silver TIE Avenger squadrons. All are periodically rotated into service with Irregular and Imperial forces as Rogue, Bandit, Guardian, and Shield Squadrons, respectively.

Senate Restoration Delay Controversy

Controversy has arisen over the delay in the reconstitution of the Imperial Senate, particularly with the new line of Senate-class Star Destroyers nearing the end of their design phase. Empress Leia maintains that she and her councillors are working on the structural reforms needed to resolve the problems that led to the Clone Wars, and that the Senate will be restored long before the first flight of the new vessels (slated to be named for Delegation of 2000 members Bail Organa, Padmé Amidala, Meena Tills, Tundra Dowmeia, and Grebleips) is completed.

Ships

Imperial Fleet

Senate-class Star Destroyer

The proposed Senate-class represents a swing away from the gunship back to the carrier role. Closer in scale to a Victory or Venator, the Senate design is meant to combine a hefty complement of 144 starfighters, firepower comparable to a Victory II, and powerful shields using technologies pioneered by the Mon Calamari. In compensation, it has a reduced capacity for troops and cargo, though it can reconfigure one for the other with a little advance notice (at a rate of 10 cargo to 1 humanoid passenger, and vice versa). Only the flag apartments (comfortable accommodations for up to 50 people, meant for admirals, senators, or other dignitaries—and their staffs) cannot be readily converted into meaningful cargo space.

TIE/ad Avenger

The TIE Avenger is a multi-purpose starfighter developed from the TIE Advanced x1 flown by Lord Vader at the Battle of Yavin as one of the Empire’s many proposed answers to the T-65 X-wing starfighter; it won out over the competing TIE Defender design on the basis of its lower cost and the ability to be launched from existing TIE racks. However, the Battle of Endor pre-empted any plans to put the craft into large-scale production, leaving the Avenger as a rarity assigned only to the Royal Starfighter Guard and the Imperial Fleet’s most skilled aces.

TIE/lb Liberator

Though marginally less capable than even the basic TIE/ln, the Liberator is designed to be cheaply and easily assembled from standard TIE and speeder parts common all over the galaxy, the better for resistance fighters in Tarkin- and Zsinj-controlled territory to acquire them in numbers.

• TIE Designs
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  TIE Avenger

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  TIE Avenger

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  TIE Avenger

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  TIE Avenger

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  TIE Liberator

Irregular Fleet

MC85 Sphyrna-type Carrier

Meant to supplement the more turbolaser-heavy Star Cruisers (and, now, Star Destroyers), the MC85 Sphyrna Type is a dedicated starfighter carrier. The horizontal hammerhead bow is heavily armored, and each end is capped with a massive sensor/comms blister and a set of five heavy turbolaser blisters. These allow for the support and coordination of starfighter engagements at extreme range, while providing a modicum of built-in long range firepower. The main hangars open on the aft surface of the hammerhead, looking back along the relatively slender main hull and its projecting wings, which are studded with point-defense quad laser cannons.

R-25 "Lancet" A-Wing

A successor to the original prototype R-22 "Spearhead" on which the Irregulars' RZ-1 A-Wings were based, the "Lancet" incorporates many improvements designed to match (and in some cases, exceed) the performance afforded by the Irregulars' modifications. Where the Irregulars sacrificed weight of fire and the protection of a deflector shield to make their A-Wing lighter and faster, the "Lancet" compensates with larger engines, allowing the fighter to not only keep its shield generator, but add two more laser cannons and a pair of droid-assisted turret mountings that can independently track a designated target.

BTS-Q2 H-Wing Bomber

A further development and refinement of Koensayr's BTS-A2 design, the Q2 corrects for many of its immediate predecessor's shortcomings while retaining many of its strengths. With its oversized engines, more stable handling characteristics, and components shared with the older Y-wing, the Q2 H-wing is faster, more maneuverable, and easier to maintain than its main competitor, the B-wing, although its firepower remains more vulnerable to supply disruptions.

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  BTS-Q2 H-Wing

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  Cockpit

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  Bunk

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  Astromech, Bomb Bay, Magazine

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  R-25 "Lancet" A-Wing

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  Shield dome

NPCs

Empress Leia Organa

Though she has claimed the Imperial Throne in an effort to bring open warfare to an end, Leia is deeply uncomfortable with the constant reminders of her blood relation to Darth Vader (née Anakin Skywalker), notwithstanding her brother Luke's assertions that he possessed and was at the last moved by a deeply buried goodness. She also continues to cherish the memory of her adopted family, and has developed a habit of referring to Vader/Anakin as "our father" when speaking to Luke or formally as Empress, and reserving "my father" for the man who raised her, Bail Organa of Alderaan.

Lord Commander Luke Skywalker

Although finding it difficult to adjust to being part of his sister's court and the noble title he's been obligated to accept, Luke is making the best of it by focusing on practical problems: keeping Leia alive, and passing along the teachings of the Force. With the most impulsive of the Emperor's acolytes having spent themselves in the past year and a half and the creation of a new Royal Guard, he has now turned the bulk of his attention to the latter task, and begun establishing the Order Inquisitive. So far, most of his time is taken up with research, poring over records retrieved from his father's and the Emperor's private facilities by various field teams.

Viceroy Han Solo

A rare sight around the Imperial Palace, Han spends as much time as he can criss-crossing the galaxy with Chewbacca. Although now too well-known and "respectable" to return to life as an independent trader, he makes himself feel useful by serving as a fast courier for Irregular commanders and governors – anything to avoid life at court as much as possible.

Chancellor Mon Mothma

Reviving the pre-Imperial title of Chancellor to replace the position of Grand Vizier, Mon Mothma oversees most of the day-to-day operations of the new government, though Leia takes an active interest in keeping abreast of the developments and often offers advice. Her biggest project at the moment is finalizing the plans for the restoration of the Senate.

General Baron Lando Calrissian

Lando has had much less trouble integrating himself into court life than Han Solo, managing to acquire the title to the Imperial resorts on the planet Manaan. Unfortunately, the native Selkath have proved unwilling to listen to him or his negotiators long enough to learn the difference between Calrissian and their former occupiers, instead slaughtering any off-worlders they see. Calrissian has gained control of the spaceport facilities, but is hesitant to embrace further violence to take control of the rest of the resorts. He has appealed to Luke and his students in hopes that the nascent Jedi might prove able to reach a diplomatic solution that has escaped his own messengers.

Admiral Kyn Kenatus

The commanding officer of Capital Fleet, Admiral Kenatus used his position to pressure Mas Amedda into acknowledging Leia's claim to the throne for the sake of ending the Galactic Civil War. He disapproves of Tarkin's decision to reject Leia's authority, but has a special disdain for the many military officers who have gone pirate or warlord, with Zsinj the most hated of them all.