New Republic Amnesty Program

Organization and structure

The New Republic Amnesty Program comprised a series of interconnected resources and services designed to rehabilitate, support, and gradually reintegrate former Imperial personnel into the New Republic society after the war. The aim was also to see if these former Imperials could be of use to the New Republic in their fight against the remnants of the Empire. Under the direction of Amnesty Affairs Commissioners, numerous groups of former Imperials, including officers and scientists, underwent intensive therapy at the Re-Integration Institute. This therapy was intended to help them reject Imperial propaganda and brainwashing. Subsequently, these individuals were invited to the capital planet of Coruscant, where they were given apartments within the Amnesty Housing complex. They were also offered new positions within the New Republic government, utilizing their previous skills and knowledge. For instance, Penn Pershing, a scientist who had worked on the Imperial cloning program, was tasked with cataloging and dismantling outdated Imperial scientific technology.

To facilitate their smooth re-integration into society, members of the Amnesty Program were assigned new codenames, which consisted of their former occupation combined with an alphanumeric designation, such as Amnesty Officer G27. However, they were not prohibited from revealing their original names if they chose to do so. They were also required to attend daily sessions with a parole droid at the Amnesty Program skyscraper, where they were questioned about their progress on assigned tasks and any psychological challenges they were facing. These droids were also available to answer any questions the Amnesty members had regarding their rights and responsibilities under the new government.

Despite these measures, the daily lives of Amnesty members were initially subject to strict regulations. They were restricted to their designated living area in the center of Galactic City surrounding Amnesty Housing and Monument Plaza, except under specific circumstances, such as giving speeches at the Galaxies Opera House about their experiences under the Empire. Police droids from the Coruscant Security Force actively monitored for any Amnesty members straying outside of their designated zones and would alert New Republic Defense Force soldiers to apprehend them as quickly as possible. If Amnesty members violated the re-integration rules, they were considered to have relapsed and were sent back to the Re-Integration Institute for further psychological treatment using a Six-O-Two Mitigator under the supervision of their Commissioner.

History

Background

The victory at Endor

The Battle of Endor dealt a significant blow to the Galactic Empire, resulting in the deaths of key Imperial figures, most notably the Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine himself. The Empire also lost its flagship, the Executor, the Death Star II space station was destroyed, and numerous other starships from the Imperial Navy were lost. In addition to Palpatine, other high-ranking Imperials killed during the battle included Darth Vader, the Emperor's enforcer and de facto Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Firmus Piett of Imperial Navy High Command, and Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod. Following the battle at Endor, the Galactic Empire became fragmented, its forces scattered across the galaxy and lacking central leadership. Consequently, the Alliance to Restore the Republic was reorganized into the New Republic, finally achieving its primary objective during the Civil War.

In the weeks and months following the victory at Endor, even before the establishment of a formal amnesty program, Imperial [troops](/article/troop] and other personnel, such as the pilot Yrica Quell, who deserted the Empire to join the New Republic were detained in repurposed rebel bases for questioning. One such base, known as Traitor's Remorse, housed Quell and approximately twelve thousand other potential Imperial defectors. These individuals underwent debriefing, scrutiny, and medical examinations while the New Republic determined their fate. While official policy allowed defectors at Traitor's Remorse to leave at any time, the former Imperials feared that doing so would provoke the New Republic, leading to potential repercussions. Unless awaiting a pardon, Imperials contemplating escape believed they faced a dangerous future.

Nevertheless, most individuals remained at Traitor's Remorse for only a short period. Those designated as high value but low risk defectors, including former Imperials such as infantry, aides to admirals, comm/scan officers, and engineers, were granted leniency if they agreed to serve the New Republic. Within a week, these Imperials were reassigned to missions such as orbital minesweeping or joining the crew of a captured Star Destroyer. However, defectors classified as low value and high risk were not granted the same leniency and were required to prove their loyalty. Quell believed that those with this designation had simply irritated their New Republic interviewer. She also thought their mission was to avoid going insane from boredom as they attempted to prove themselves. Quell herself was classified as low value and high risk.

Fall of the Empire

The initial wave of defectors at Traitor's Remorse consisted of those who abandoned their posts after the Battle of Endor, whose foresight Quell respected. Whether motivated by cowardice or bravery, they all recognized that the Imperial regime was doomed without Palpatine. Quell herself deserted the Empire after Operation: Cinder—a posthumous order from Palpatine to attack both rebellious and Imperial worlds as punishment for his death and as part of his post-death Contingency—and entered Traitor's Remorse as part of the second wave of post-Endor deserters. These individuals could no longer tolerate the seemingly pointless slaughter of Operation: Cinder. Consequently, Quell held a negative view of those who only abandoned the Empire after the second wave; she reasoned that anyone who remained with the crumbling Empire after Operation: Cinder had consciously chosen to disregard the suffering the Empire had inflicted on the galaxy.

During the early months of the New Republic Era, the success of the New Republic's amnesty policies and programs remained uncertain. Quell once expressed her concerns about post-Operation: Cinder surrenders to Caern Adan of New Republic Intelligence. Growing increasingly resentful of each new group of arrivals, Quell believed that those who stayed with the Empire after Operation: Cinder had failed too many tests and questioned why the New Republic would allow such individuals to go free. Adan, however, assured her that the New Republic could manage its own security. In reality, the loyalty of those who joined the New Republic late in the conflict would pose a challenge for the formal amnesty program. Quell had occasionally found rank insignia plaques at Traitor's Remorse swap meets, indicating that some Imperial officers were still holding onto mementos of their service rather than fully rejecting their past. When a new group of arrivals came to Traitor's Remorse, the group that sparked the conversation between Quell and Adan, she observed that everyone in the group had seemingly tried to remove any identifying gear they had once worn. Nevertheless, based on her experiences with rank plaques at Traitor's Remorse, she suspected that some were secretly carrying their plaques in their sleeves or pockets.

At that time, the Galactic Civil War persisted despite the Empire's apparent decline. Secretly, to fulfill Palpatine's Contingency, the Empire gathered its forces—including the last Executor-class Star Dreadnought, the Ravager—on the planet Jakku under the command of Gallius Rax. Rax intended to destroy the Empire and lead a select few to rebuild it in the Unknown Regions, as dictated by the Contingency. At Jakku, they engaged in a decisive battle against the New Republic's combined forces in a desperate attempt to defend the Observatory. Their defeat marked the end of the once-powerful Empire, with all remaining forces permanently retreating into the Unknown Regions under Rae Sloane, never to directly confront the New Republic again. De jure Emperor Mas Amedda signed the Galactic Concordance, formally surrendering the Galactic Empire and its forces and disarming any remaining armies and fleets.

The Amnesty

The loyalists in the Unknown Regions secretly transformed into the First Order, while other Imperials surrendered or were captured by the New Republic and placed in the Re-Integration Institute. There, they were reconditioned to move past the psychological conditioning of the Imperial army and become loyal, law abiding citizens. Once they finished their therapy, they were returned to Coruscant, offered apartments in the Amnesty Housing, given new identities and assigned to different services of the New Republic to assist in their transition to a peaceful life.

Penn Pershing, a scientist working for one of the still-active Imperial warlords in New Republic space, Moff Gideon, and his army was captured by New Republic marshal Carasynthia Dune, Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and loyalist Bo-Katan Kryze while transported to Gideon's light cruiser to oversee his cloning experiments and subsequently delivered to the New Republic while his ship, Shuttle 2743 was used for a raid on the cruiser. During his capture, Pershing revealed sensitive information on Gideon's fleet to his captors, prompting the New Republic to recognize him as a potentially unwilling collaborator of the Empire and place him in the Amnesty Program as Amnesty Scientist L52.

During the raid, communications officer Elia Kane, part of Gideon's crew was severely wounded while Gideon himself was captured by the Mandalorians and Dune. Although Gideon was sent to a New Republic Tribunal for willingly violating the Concordance terms, Kane was recruited into the Amnesty Program as Amnesty Officer G68. She acted like a loyal New Republic citizen who had been saved from the Empire, but, secretly, she maintained loyalty to Gideon and furthered his goals from within the New Republic. While on Amnesty Housing in Coruscant, she encountered Pershing (L52) who confessed his despair over not being allowed to continue his cloning experiments under the New Republic due to cloning research being prohibited by the Coruscant Accords. Kane offered him emotional support by offering him a stolen box of travel biscuits, a favorite food of his, and inviting him to join her company of Amnesty Officers G27, M40 and M34.

She later helped Pershing escape the Amnesty Program's perimeter and visit Shipyard Depot, where old Imperial-class Star Destroyers were being dismantled to steal a mobile lab and continue his research. Although successful, Kane had betrayed him to the New Republic, resulting in his apprehension and re-admission to the Institute. Continuing to act like a loyal citizen, Kane secretly helped further Imperial goals once alone with Pershing, who was hooked into a Six-O-Two Mitigator, a type of Mind Flayer by the New Republic officials after they assumed he was suffering from Imperial indoctrination. However, Kane upped the power on the device to its maximum.