Shadows of the Dark Side/Galactic Empire

Politics

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 entering the 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 somewhat 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 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 MC 85 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.

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

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 uncomfortable in his sister's court and with 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

Despite their similarly humble origins, 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 Kenatus

The commanding officer of Capital Fleet, Admiral Kenatus used his position to pressure Sate Pestage 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.

Admiral Balar Cray

As an Imperial admiral, Balar Cray commanded several intelligence operations against the Rebellion (in which Syrine Bex played several major roles), then defected to their cause and brought his protege with him, only to end up back in Imperial uniform when Leia Organa claimed the throne.

Garik "Face" Loran

Famous for his roles as the child star of The Black Bantha, Jungle Flutes, Win or Die, and other Imperial propaganda films, Garik Loran's career took a turn as he was entering puberty, when a Rebel cell embedded in the Imperial media machine reached out to recruit him. Garik's celebrity and access to Imperial high society made him a valuable source, and several times information he provided was crucial to the success of a covert mission.

Zolomon Zan

An apolitical TIE pilot whose Force Sensitivity helped him to survive engagements in such cheap, expendable fightercraft, he was sidelined before the Battle of Endor when his planetary garrison surrendered to the Rebellion. After Leia's succession to the throne, his record caught the eye of Lord Skywalker, who recruited him for the Order Inquisitive. He served as the fledgling Order's pilot for their first few missions, but was then taken hostage by Mara Jade as she escaped from the Imperial Palace.

Kai Arcton

Kai was a backwater doctor living on a small mining colony when he recovered an injured Zo'isi Thulia from a crashed starship. After nursing her back to health, she departed, only to return with a Star Destroyer (captained by Rodon Carcharias) and have the colony destroyed from orbit. The Force was with Kai, and allowed him the foresight to evacuate his friends into the mines ahead of the bombardment, but the experience pushed him to join the Rebellion as a medic.