Imperial Justice: Servants of the Empire constitutes the third novel penned by Jason Fry within the Star Wars Rebels series of junior novels known as Servants of the Empire. This book saw its release on July 7 of 2015. Back in November of 2014, Fry finalized his initial draft of the novel, with the official title being revealed later in March of 2015.
Imagine discovering a vast conspiracy that permeates the entire Galactic Empire--and realizing you're the only one aware of it. This junior novel, filled with action, presents an original tale of suspense, secret operations, and personal growth, all taking place within the Star Wars Rebels universe.
Zare Leonis, a new student at the Imperial Academy on Lothal, is determined to excel as a model cadet. However, he secretly opposes the Empire and seeks the truth about his missing sister. Fortunately, he has his tech-savvy girlfriend, Merei, who is willing to assist him in any way possible—even if it involves dealing with criminals in the most dangerous parts of Capital City. Meanwhile, Zare must confront Captain Roddance, a formidable adversary who seems intent on pushing him to his limits. Join these rebellious cadets as they risk everything to challenge the formidable Empire.
In the aftermath of the rebel assault on the Imperial Academy, Zare Leonis continues his training to become an Imperial cadet. During a field exercise, he comes across Captain Piers Roddance, who instructs the cadets to secure "high priority target" droids. Although most of the staff and his fellow cadets believe Leonis' account of heroically resisting the rebel attackers, the hostile Nazhros Oleg suspects him of being a rebel sympathizer working with Dev Morgan and makes his life difficult. Nevertheless, the other cadets defend Zare due to their dislike of the egocentric Oleg.
Subsequently, Zare and his fellow cadets from Squad NRC-077 are questioned by the Academy authorities regarding their knowledge of seditious activities following the rebel attack. There are also reports of a crackdown at other Imperial academies on Lothal, including the Pretor Flats Academy. Leonis is interrogated by Captain Roddance, who correctly believes that Zare was involved in seditious activities due to his past associations with known rebels such as Beck Ollet, Jai Kell, and Morgan. Unable to find any conclusive evidence, Roddance is forced to release Zare but warns him that he is being watched. Roddance also subjects Leonis to a peculiar test, which he realizes is a test for Force sensitivity.
During the winter break, Zare returns home from the Imperial Academy to stay with his parents, Leo and Tepha. While on holiday, he advises his girlfriend Merei to cease her dealings with Laxo. However, Merei is unwilling and unable to do so, as it would require her to confess her illegal activities. In private, Leonis discusses his plan to travel to Arkanis to rescue his sister Dhara with his mother, who fears losing both her children. Leonis also observes the Empire's increasing oppression on Lothal and later learns that the Imperial authorities have initiated a security crackdown on Lothal.
After the winter break, Leonis and his fellow cadets are enlisted to assist in the Imperial crackdown. Their operations involve questioning local residents about their knowledge of illegal activities and detaining the children of fugitives. For these operations, Zare is partnered with his nemesis Oleg as part of Roddance's efforts to provoke him into breaking the law and being expelled from the Academy. To protect Leonis from Roddance's schemes, his mentor Lieutenant Chiron arranges for Leonis to be transferred to the Arkanis Academy the following Fall. Ultimately, Roddance's plan backfires when Zare takes charge during an anti-smuggling operation where Oleg attempts to shield his uncles from prosecution. As a result, Oleg is expelled from the Academy.
Following the anti-smuggling operation, Zare is summoned for a private meeting with Captain Roddance and the Inquisitor, who inform him that his transfer to the Arkanis Academy has been expedited as a "reward" for his loyalty to the Empire. While collecting his class-three code cylinder, Leonis encounters the rebel astromech droid Chopper, who gives him a note scribbled by Dev Morgan. After bidding farewell to his mentor Chiron, Leonis meets up with Morgan and informs him that the Empire is planning a massive operation at the Lothal City Capitol Building. Before he can learn Morgan's real name, they are interrupted by stormtroopers, and Morgan is forced to flee. Later, Leonis encounters Oleg, who wants to expose him for sedition. After defeating his old classmate in combat, he warns Oleg that he will not be so fortunate the next time they meet. Leonis then returns home to inform his parents of his impending transfer to Arkanis.
Meanwhile, Merei Spanjaf attempts to stay one step ahead of the Imperial authorities by taking an interest in her parents' Gandr and Jessa's investigation into the data breach at the Transportation Ministry. Spanjaf lives in fear that her parents will eventually discover that she was the intruder responsible for the breach. Her problems are further complicated when Yahenna Laxo, the boss of the Gray Syndicate who had previously provided her with the snooper programs, hires her for several courier jobs in Capital City. Merei conceals her illegal activities from her parents by pretending to revise with her classmates at her school's anti-intrusion club. Her father, Gandr, also provides his daughter with a locator for security purposes.
Unhappy about being indebted to Laxo, Merei confides in her Pantoran classmate Jix Hekyl, who deduces that Laxo is calling in a favor because one of their snooper programs has been detected by Imperial investigators. Additionally, Merei must deal with the witness who saw her at the Transportation Ministry and find a way to erase her account at the repeater service Bakiska's; a problem complicated by the fact that her information is stored at a secure warehouse in Capital City. To delay the Imperial investigators, Merei and Jix replace her profile picture with that of a similarly aged schoolgirl named Hestia Tarleton, a student at the Young Ladies' Seminary of Lothal Settlers.
While Jix's ploy of changing her photo successfully delays her parents' investigation, Merei becomes fearful when she learns that her mother, Jessa, plans to obtain a warrant to view accounts at Bakiska's. Later that day, Laxo assigns Merei a new job: collecting Credits from fugitives who have paid the Gray Syndicate to hide them. During this new job, Merei befriends Holshef, an elderly poet and artist who has incurred the wrath of the Galactic Empire. During the winter break, Merei meets up with her boyfriend, Leonis, but is taken aback by his preoccupation with his own problems. Despite being unhappy about working for Laxo, she refuses to go to the authorities, as it would expose her role in the data breach at the Transportation Ministry.
In response to the Imperial crackdown, Merei and Jix visit Bakiska's data warehouse in a desperate attempt to access her account. However, they are turned away by the warehouse staff, who report their activities to Laxo. Merei's problems are further complicated when Morgan's rebel associates contact her in an attempt to reach Leonis. Unwilling to draw further attention to herself, Merei tells them to send their droid Chopper to contact Leonis. In a final act of desperation, Merei records a fake hostage message to her parents before visiting Laxo's headquarters. As punishment for visiting Bakiska's warehouse, Laxo decides to sell her friend Holshef to a bounty hunter. Before he can carry out his plan, Laxo and his fellow criminals are killed during an Imperial raid. Believing that the Gray Syndicate had kidnapped her, the Imperial authorities launched a raid on the Gray Syndicate's headquarters.
Following her "rescue" from the Gray Syndicate's headquarters, Merei is relieved to learn that her parents have closed their investigation into the data breach at the Transportation Ministry. While she has managed to escape the Imperial authorities' scrutiny, Merei is horrified that her actions have caused the deaths of Laxo and his associates. After receiving a recorded message from Leonis informing her about his transfer to Arkanis, Merei uses her stolen decoder to access the Imperial Security Bureau's network. To her horror, she discovers that Leonis' transfer is not a promotion but part of a secret investigation by the Inquisitor to determine his Force sensitivity and investigate his links to Dev Morgan. Merei breaks the news to Tepha Leonis, who fears that she will now lose both her children.
Jason Fry, the author, has mentioned that while many consider this title to be their favorite within the Servants of the Empire collection of four, he personally found it "torturous to write" and remains uncertain if it fully achieved its intended purpose. The title itself presented unforeseen narrative challenges compared to the initial two installments of the series. He was, however, pleased that he was able to select the name for this title, a first for the series, and he believes it is a good one.