Imperial Reunification

Following the demise of Palpatine during the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Galactic Empire gradually began its disintegration, as Palpatine had neglected to establish a clear line of succession. Ambitious leaders sought to solidify their own dominion, leading to the emergence of numerous independent territories. Sate Pestage, a key member of Palpatine's inner circle, assumed the role of regent, but his lack of personal magnetism and authority rendered him vulnerable. Consequently, other influential figures within the inner circle formed the Imperial Ruling Council to challenge his rule. Ysanne Isard, the Director of Imperial Intelligence, skillfully manipulated Pestage and the Ruling Council against each other. After orchestrating the assassinations of several council members, she ultimately seized control of the Empire. Isard largely managed to maintain the Empire's cohesion for almost two years before the New Republic prioritized the capture of Coruscant, successfully achieving this during the Liberation of Coruscant in 7 ABY. The loss of the capital world resulted in a severe fragmentation of the Empire, with established warlords claiming the territories that Isard had abandoned. Isard herself established a small territory centered on the planet Thyferra. At this juncture, the central authority of the Empire devolved to a group of Moffs and advisors. However, their power was overshadowed by various warlords, most notably Zsinj.

The return of Grand Admiral Thrawn brought a short period of relative unity to the Empire. During this time, many factions declared their allegiance to the Grand Admiral. However, other factions only managed to cease hostilities amongst themselves. Warlords such as Prince-Admiral Krennel offered assistance by providing personnel and resources. This Imperial stability was threatened with disintegration following Thrawn's death at the Battle of Bilbringi. However, the Imperial Ruling Council returned, uniting with six Imperial Starfleet commanders to create the Imperial Coalition. In 10 ABY, the coalition launched a full-scale assault on Coruscant, forcing the New Republic government to evacuate the planet and go into exile. Just as it appeared that the Empire might actually prevail, internal conflicts resurfaced.

These internal conflicts only ceased when Emperor Palpatine reappeared in a clone body on the Deep Core planet of Byss. By eliminating the weaker commanders and identifying and executing the traitors, Palpatine successfully rebuilt the Empire into a formidable power. He dedicated all available resources to expanding his fleet, primarily through the utilization of superweapons. However, his clone bodies were inherently unstable and rapidly deteriorated. Before he could secure a suitable host, Palpatine was killed and Byss was destroyed shortly thereafter. This resulted in the loss of the majority of the rebuilt Imperial fleet and a significant portion of its personnel.

In 11 ABY, following a brief period of destruction, Admiral Daala was compelled to retreat to the Deep Core, one of the last Imperial territories. For months, she acted as a freelance diplomat, attempting to persuade the warlords to unite, or, at the very least, to cease their infighting. Following an attack by High Admiral Treuten Teradoc and the death of her first officer, Commander Kratas, Admiral Daala was pressured into serving Warlord Blitzer Harrsk.

Placed in command of Harrsk's fleet, Daala led the counterattack against Teradoc. However, before the battle could truly commence, Daala assumed direct control of the gunnery station and fired upon Warlord Harrsk's flagship, disabling it. She then threatened to destroy both ships using her ship's self-destruct mechanism. Vice Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, Thrawn's protégé (who was now leading Teradoc's fleet) and who was similarly dissatisfied with the state of the Empire, was intrigued and persuaded her to retreat with him to discuss a potential alliance.

Daala and Pellaeon arranged a meeting on the Deep Core asteroid of Tsoss Beacon in 12 ABY, hoping to convince the Warlords to abandon their trivial conflicts for the benefit of the Empire. The two organized a conference attended by the thirteen most powerful Warlords, including Blitzer Harrsk, Treuten Teradoc, and Sander Delvardus. Shortly after the meeting commenced, when it became evident that the cease-fire would not last, Daala activated the doors to slam shut and lock, preventing them from being opened for three standard hours. This forced the Warlords to engage in discussions about cooperation for the future of the Empire. However, they ultimately reverted to arguing over their petty rivalries, failing to reach any consensus.

Unfortunately, it became clear towards the end of the three hours that cooperation was impossible. Disgusted by the behavior of the remaining Imperial leaders, Daala released a potent nerve gas, for which only she and Pellaeon had prepared countermeasures. Many of the Warlords rushed to the doors, attempting to force them open. Superior General Delvardus fashioned a blade from his rank insignia, but failed to kill Daala in his final moments. The last to succumb was High Admiral Teradoc, whose size kept him firmly seated and prolonged the gas's effect. Shortly after the last of the warlords had apparently died, the doors unlocked and opened, the three hours having elapsed.

With the death of the warlords, Daala became the Supreme Commander, effectively establishing what would become the Imperial Remnant. She amassed a formidable fighting force consisting of millions of stormtroopers, 45 Imperial-class Star Destroyers, 112 Victory-class Star Destroyers, and one Executor-class Super Star Destroyer, the Knight Hammer, along with hundreds of AT-STs, Skipray Blastboats, TIE Fighters, TIE Bombers, and TIE Interceptors, Gamma-class assault shuttles, and Lambda-class shuttles. Many of the vehicles and vessels were newly constructed in factories she personally inspected, and many of the soldiers were new recruits inspired by her charismatic speeches. Daala's battle group swiftly and discreetly prepared for a brutal assault on the New Republic.

Having gained control over much of the Imperial territory in the Deep Core, Daala began reaching out to others loyal to the Empire beyond that region. While she did not forge strong alliances with many of these worlds at the time, she laid the groundwork for Pellaeon to eventually move the Imperial fleet out of the Deep Core and into the Mid Rim, where he launched his own new offensive against the New Republic.

In addition to military and political consolidation, Daala eliminated many of the restrictions placed on women and aliens. For the first time, women and nonhumans constituted a significant portion of the Imperial war machine. This improved morale and earned Daala the respect and loyalty of many Imperials.

Now commanding the "United Warlord Fleets" from the Deep Core, Daala initiated a campaign against the New Republic. The Moffs in the New Territories did not formally ally with her, but provided logistical and financial support. Daala planned to strike first at the growing New Jedi Order at the Praxeum on Yavin 4. To mask her true intentions, she dispatched Colonel Ivan Cronus with Crimson Command on a diversionary mission involving terror raids against targets of opportunity. Cronus bombarded Khomm, destroyed the Chardaan Shipyards, and attacked Porus Vida while Daala assembled her forces.

However, a promising initial campaign was completely undermined by a humiliating defeat at Yavin 4. Pellaeon arrived in the Yavin system with a fleet of 17 Star Destroyers, tasked with destroying the Praxeum. Daala followed hours later with the Super Star Destroyer Knight Hammer. Despite the absence of Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Knights valiantly defended against the larger enemy force. Kyp Durron, Dorsk 81, Kam Solusar, Tionne Solusar, and many other Jedi trainees engaged the Imperial forces in individual battles. However, they realized that they could not withstand such a massive force indefinitely. Having gathered for a final stand at the Great Temple, Dorsk 81 suggested that they combine their Force powers, similar to what they had done to destroy the spirit of the evil Dark Lord Exar Kun. The powerful surge of Force energy drove Pellaeon's fleet away from Yavin 4, costing Dorsk his life. Meanwhile, the Jedi Knight Callista Ming detonated charges on Admiral Daala's ship, destroying several critical systems. Daala ordered an immediate mass evacuation, and the dying Knight Hammer was abandoned, plummeting into the crushing atmosphere of Yavin Prime.

Following her disastrous defeat at Yavin, Daala promoted Gilad Pellaeon to the rank of full Admiral and relinquished command to him. Pellaeon decided to abandon the Deep Core, believing it could only serve as a refuge for Imperial ideals and could never sustain a viable society. He took the fleet and scoured abandoned armories for resources, recovering squadrons of droid TIE fighters, warships, and arms caches. His most significant acquisition was the most unexpected: the Super Star Destroyers Megador and Dominion, which had been left behind in Harrsk's shipyard Deep 3. These Super Star Destroyers became the cornerstones of Pellaeon's fleet. Much of the infrastructure in the Deep Core remained, however, and replacement warlords emerged to fill the void left by the men Daala had murdered. These new warlords lacked military strength but maintained tight control over their territories. Eventually, these replacements amassed enough power that Daala formed them into a coalition to fight the New Republic. However, Daala did not assume complete control this time, and the replacement warlords crumbled under a series of border assaults by the New Republic in the final Imperial campaign.

Pellaeon built upon Daala's groundwork and formalized the Imperial Remnant, expanding it by establishing strong alliances with the fortress worlds in the Mid Rim as part of creating a new and respectable Imperial territory in the New Territories after withdrawing from the Deep Core. From this position, it was easier for him to attack the New Republic, resources were more readily available, and the power of his Super Star Destroyers gave him the confidence to launch the Orinda campaign later in 12 ABY.

The Imperial Remnant continued to trouble the Republic until the signing of the Bastion Accords on the Chimaera in 19 ABY.