History of the Regal Imperial Defenders/Year Three

History of the Regal Imperial Defenders

&mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; Strength, Honor, Brotherhood, but Never Forever  &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; As RID ushered in the beginning of a new non-standard year, Si’dhol officially volunteered to decommission the beleaguered Fort Serenity of Lok, and move its residents to Erich’s small settlement of Fort Ironwolf on Tatooine. This merger, as we called it, was a decision I wholeheartedly agreed with. We were spread too thin, and our pool of active members was not as strong as it had once been. We were sure that moving the residents of Fort Serenity to Tatooine would allow Fort Ironwolf to expand in size.

In an effort to bolster our ranks, we looked to our allies in SHBF, fully known as Strength, Honor, Brotherhood, Forever. As you may recall, SHBF was the offshoot of The Imperial Order, the organization which had split in two after a heated internal dispute. It was not too long ago that SHBF had assisted RID in quelling Rebel activity on Tatooine. However, SHBF was waning in its relevance, like so many other Imperial organizations before it. Members were leaving its ranks for other more established organizations, whereas others were abandoning their duties altogether. Many took leave, never to be seen again. It was an unfortunate sight to behold, but one that we had grown accustomed to. Remnants from TIO were even reported to have infiltrated SHBF in an attempt to undermine it. Loyalists of the once mighty TIO undoubtedly held the members of SHBF responsible for bringing about the downfall of one of the finest Imperial institutions the galaxy had ever seen.

Nevertheless, the downfall of SHBF posed some opportunity for RID. Several of the Imperials who left SHBF looked to us for a new home. Individuals such as Zaca and Laico Reliv expressed an interest in joining our organization. Laico was a worthy Imperial who had served dutifully in DW, and then TIO, before leaving it to join up with SHBF to become one of its six council members. We were more than willing to admit Laico and others like him with open arms. Unfortunately, Laico’s time in RID was short lived. Although he claimed to greatly admire us, he soon made the decision to leave RID in order to a help a friend of his named Resik with founding a new Imperial organization. This new organization, named Obscurus Circulus, was based out of the city of Dark Haven on Rori. We all understood Laico’s desire to help his friend, and wished him the best. Indeed, Obscurus Circulus, or OC for short, quickly grew to become one of the most well known Imperial organizations in the galaxy.

Despite his loss, there were more where Laico came from, including Issele Eshiw, a high-ranking and well known Twi’lek member of the Galactic Empire. Issele had once served as a member of Dark Sovereignty under Deft Aklin, before Deft and many other members of DS left to form the new organization known as Crimson Nova. Issele served in NOVA for a time, before it too began to collapse (apparently Deft defected to the Rebel Alliance around this time, but the details are unclear). In search for a stable Imperial organization, Issele settled on The Imperial Order. However, as luck would have it, TIO was in the midst of its internal struggles during that time, and split only around three weeks after Issele joined. Although Issele had made close connections to people on both sides of the quarrel, she ultimately decided to leave TIO and join up with SHBF. In the process, she became SHBF’s Community Diplomat, and one of the six members of its council alongside Laico. This was a decision that had prompted Bishen Sienar of TIO to accuse her of being “untrustworthy.”

Although Issele had planned on staying with SHBF for the long haul, she soon looked to RID when it became apparent that around 80% of SHBF’s enlisted members were abandoning their duties. Issele was a self-professed diehard Imperial, and she was very interested in unifying the Empire. Indeed, Issele had already interacted with Cerex and me in the past as part of the now largely defunct Imperial Network. Although I had yet to work with her very closely, I was well aware of her reputation. She was a very passionate Imperial, and appeared to hold a genuine admiration for RID. Me and the rest of RID were more than willing to accept such a valuable Imperial to our ranks. Strength, honor and brotherhood were all tenets that TIO and SHBF held dear. However, these principles were not unique only to them. RID, and all the Galactic Empire stood to benefit from such ideals. With Issele’s help, we could finally begin work on establishing a new Imperial Network to replace the one built up by Cairne and his friends in ISF and TIO.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Issele began work on establishing a new Imperial Network called the CORE. This was sure to be a long, drawn out process, but thanks to her diplomatic skills, the CORE soon took hold as Imperial leaders from multiple organizations pledged their support. Eventually, a communications platform was established to allow Imperial members of the CORE to interact with one another effectively. Unlike the original Imperial Network, Issele intended for the existence of the CORE to be more secretive in nature. We did not want the Rebel Alliance to be completely aware of the full scope of the Empire’s coordination. Still, the CORE embodied many of the same principles as the original Imperial Network. For this reason, the CORE could be viewed as almost a direct successor of the former Network. However, the CORE still needed a lot more time to mature. Unlike the old Imperial Network, the CORE was loosely constructed, and did not seem to have the same sense of cohesion. Nevertheless, something had to be done to maintain the strength of the Galactic Empire. With patience and perseverance, we believed that the CORE would grow to become a truly successful network. &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; Fort Leviathen &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; In the meantime, other matters were at hand. My cousin, Hel’mut Yovel, emerged to become an official member of the Regal Imperial Defenders. Unlike me, Hel’mut did not carry on the appearance of a typical Imperial. He almost always wore a helmet to obscure his face, and usually wore some form of extravagant, grotesque attire. Nevertheless, I knew Hel’mut could be used a vital asset to further RID’s interests. I titled him “warlord,” and granted him many powers within RID. Hel’mut was to be my right-hand man, a tool to be used for the betterment of our people. At once, I made plans to use Hel’mut for a number of initiatives.

Meanwhile, RID soon found itself in possession of a new fortress on the barren world of Lok. Leviathen Tirak, the respected Trandoshan member of RID, established a new outpost southeast of Lok’s Mount Chaolt volcano, next to the city of Ziost, along a region known simply as the Plains of Dust. Leviathen named the settlement Fort Leviathen, an apparent homage to a complex of Imperial facilities he had once operated on Tatooine which bore the same name. According to Leviathen, he established Fort Leviathen as a mere personal venture or “novelty” as he called it. However, Leviathen quickly found himself enjoying his role as mayor, and expressed his desire to expand the outpost into a serious city. Although I was supportive of Leviathen, I was wary of having RID overextend itself. We had only just decommissioned Fort Serenity to consolidate its citizens to Fort Ironwolf. We also still had Fort Talanel to contend with on Talus (although admittedly, it was largely left to its own devices). Leviathen acknowledged that RID was primarily focusing its efforts on Fort Ironwolf, but he still desired to see Fort Leviathen become recognized as an official subsidiary of RID.

I agreed to indulge Leviathen’s wish, if for no other reason than he seemed to be a very competent leader. I told Leviathen that as soon as Fort Ironwolf was stabilized, we would devote more attention to his newfound fortress. Leviathen assured me that he could maintain the integrity of Fort Leviathen mostly on his own, and ensure its success without heavily burdening RID. Leviathen envisioned that his fortress could be turned into a mercenary stronghold, welcoming a large number of individuals from outside of RID. By relying on an influx of these non-RID citizens, Leviathen believed he could run the fortress almost autonomously, with only minimal management input from RID. I saw merit in Leviathen’s proposal. Unlike Fort Oasis and Fort Ironwolf, the majority of Fort Leviathen’s citizens did not necessarily need to be members of RID. So long as Leviathen and a small core of his citizens were loyal to RID, we could maintain sufficient control over the settlement without spreading ourselves too thin. With that, Fort Leviathen was added to the growing list of RID properties, including our capital of Fort Oasis, the growing village of Fort Ironwolf, and the largely independent village of Fort Talanel. The declining settlement of Nal’Shaadar, originally operated by Dak’Won Jasp, was no longer recognized as an official RID settlement by this time. &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; Battle of the Imperial Oasis &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; As a newly inducted member of RID, Issele wasted no time organizing combat missions for the Galactic Empire. Accordingly, she issued out instructions to capture a group of Rebels in Mos Eisley, including two high ranking members of The Revenant Guard of Alderaan named Epani Tesh and Crim’Fuzor, and a suspected Force-sensitive individual of IOI named Kylun. To achieve this objective, we started by conducting an organizational meeting in Fort Oasis to explain the situation to RID. I later tasked Erich’ Ruhl with assembling a small task force to search Mos Eisley for the Rebels, capture them, and deliver them safely to the Imperial Oasis. Upon doing so, the Rebels would later be brought before Inquisitors of The Honored Maidens for questioning. Erich’ agreed to apprehend these Rebels, and amassed a squad consisting of individuals outside of RID. Although the Twi’lek member of TRGA by the name of Crim’Fuzor apparently eluded capture, Erich’ and his squad succeeded in capturing Epani Tesh and Kylun, and brought the two Rebels to the Imperial Oasis as prisoners.

However Xaneth, the distinguished leader of TRGA, was well aware of their capture, and prepared an army of Rebel soldiers to attack the Imperial Oasis and rescue the captives. To prevent such a brazen initiative, RID called upon their allies in the Galactic Empire to secure a perimeter around the Imperial Oasis and safeguard the prisoners, both of whom were being temporarily held on the outpost’s landing pad. In addition to multiple Imperial soldiers, stormtroopers and shock troops, the Galactic Empire also called upon the aid of an infamous bounty hunter, the ruthless assassin droid by the name of IG-88. In anticipation for an impending Rebel assault, I myself equipped a suit of stormtrooper armor. I was accompanied by a large retinue of RID members, including Issele herself, who was wearing her distinctive black Imperial uniform. Additional Imperials, including Amaste Liegoxi, Azureus Bishop, and a stormtrooper named Matasi Mitou were also present. Our defense force was not only sizeable; it was also capable, at least for the most part. Soldiers of the Dim-Side organization were present, and incompetently destroyed six B2 super battle droids that were intended to augment our forces. Dim-Side predated RID, and although they claimed to be an Imperial organization, they were often viewed as an insufferable army of thugs. Dim-Side, or -D S- as they were often called, had even served under Weifert as an institution of the Europa Network. Nevertheless, despite their frequently contemptible behavior, -D S- did in fact comprise of many extremely skilled warriors. We were sure that they would be used to great effect against any Rebel soldiers. Furthermore, the partially barricaded walls of the Imperial Oasis, and the steep mountain terrain of the surrounding valley provided us with a faux sense of security. It seemed as though any Rebel attack on our position would be doomed to failure.

Nevertheless, we knew the Rebels were amassing a perhaps even larger force of soldiers. A short distance to the south, Rebels were using the Jawa Mountain Fortress as an improvised staging area for their upcoming rescue mission. An assault on the Imperial Oasis was most certainly inevitable, but we were not exactly sure when or how the Rebels would attack. I originally suspected that the Rebels would attempt to attack the oasis from the northwest, as this would catch us by surprise and provide the Rebels with an excellent vantage point of the entire Imperial Oasis compound. It seemed to me that a direct march from the south would be too obvious, and too disadvantageous. Regardless, the Rebels did elect to do just that. After securing defensive positions in the trenches surrounding the Imperial Oasis, we spotted a large wave of Rebels marching in from the south, without impediment. They had very large numbers, so it made little difference which direction they chose to attack from. As soon as the Rebels were in range, a massive firefight ensued. A blinding and deafening mass of blaster fire, orbital bombardments and explosions erupted throughout the area surrounding the Imperial Oasis. The Rebels fought fiercely, and although they managed to reach the confines of the Imperial Oasis outpost, they had failed to secure the prisoners. After many minutes of fighting, the Imperial forces managed to successfully suppress this first wave of Rebels. However, this initial victory was not without considerable losses on our side. With diminished numbers, our forces regrouped to prepare to repel a final wave of Rebels marching in from the Jawa Mountain Fortress.

After once again taking the time to equip our forces and establish defensive positions, we witnessed the final wave of Rebels charging in from the southeast. Although this final wave consisted of fewer Rebels, they still had enough firepower to overwhelm our weakened defense force. Nevertheless, defeat was not certain, at least not yet. Once again, as soon as the Rebels were in range, a violent battle erupted. Unfortunately for us, the wearied Imperial forces were not acting as disciplined as before. Restless, and eager to repel the Rebels, many Imperials strayed outside the safe confines of the Imperial Oasis outpost to chase down individual Rebel soldiers. This dispersed our already diluted defense force, allowing the Rebels to successfully pick off the vulnerable Imperial troops. I shouted to the Imperials to fall back into the outpost. Although many did so, the tide of the battle had already turned against us. Many Imperials were killed, and the Rebels were beginning to surround what was left of our forces. The Rebels continued to push us into the small confines of the Imperial Oasis, forcing many Imperials to flee or seek safe haven within the multiple domiciles within the outpost. Any hope of repelling this final wave of Rebels was lost. In the end, the Imperial forces were defeated, and the Rebels succeeded in occupying the oasis.

The Rebels succeeded in freeing the two prisoners, and abandoned the Imperial Oasis to bring them back to the Jawa Mountain Fortress. The few Imperials that remained regrouped in Fort Oasis to form a final line of resistance. In a desperate attempt to recapture, or even kill the prisoners, our remaining Imperial forces assembled on a mountain ridge overlooking the Jawa Mountain Fortress. The many Imperials who had fought to defend the Imperial Oasis during the initial two waves were now reduced to a small task force of only eleven or so individuals, including me, seven other stormtroopers, and three other Imperial soldiers. Nevertheless, our forces bravely charged down the mountainside towards the numerous Rebels amassing in their staging area. A brief firefight ensued, and although we managed to mow down five Rebels or so, our task force was swiftly defeated by the overwhelming numbers of the Alliance Army. The defeat of the Galactic Empire during the Battle of the Imperial Oasis was a disappointing turn of events. We were almost certain that we would be successful that day. Instead, the Rebel prisoners were freed, and although we had put up a good fight, RID and its allies were ultimately defeated by the skilled soldiers in TRGA and other Rebel units. To add insult to injury, Issele had even been arrested by TRGA, and brought back to their city of Revanance on the planet Lok as a prisoner. &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; Rescuing Issele &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; &mdash; With Issele held as a prisoner within the densely guarded Rebel city of Revenance on Lok, Ty’e X’lor recommended forming a special operations group to rescue her. Although Ty’e had announced plans to retire from Imperial service not too long ago, he postponed these plans and continued to serve RID as a trusted advisor. I agreed with Ty’e’s proposal to form a task force, and after days of planning, a rescue operation was finally attempted. From what I recall, the task force comprised of myself, and perhaps a few other RID members. We were also supplemented by a few stormtroopers from at least one other Imperial organization. Although Ty’e wished to participate in this rescue operation, he was unable to do so due to a miscommunication. Nevertheless, our force was capable, and so we embarked to the planet Lok and prepared to sneak into TRGA’s home city.

As our task force cautiously entered the city of Revenance, we noticed that the streets were eerily quiet, with no Rebel in sight. Our squad was ordered to fan out, and search the entire city. It did not take long before Issele was spotted on the open roof of one of TRGA’s structures. Our squad regrouped and filed into the building. Just as we were about to rush upstairs to free Issele, a group of Rebels emerged out of nowhere to surround the prison facility. “A trap,” we thought! Although our small task force was vastly outnumbered, we had no choice but to attempt an escape. Fortunately, luck was on our side. Just in the distance, we witnessed at least a dozen fearsome rancors mysteriously emerge to attack the Rebels. These gigantic rancors, a species native to the planet Dathomir, provided enough of a diversion for us to hurry Issele down the stairs of the Rebel facility, and out the front door. Because the rancors distracted the Rebels, our squad managed to successfully excise Issele from the city. However, it did not take long for the Rebels to turn their attention towards our squad. After managing to kill at least six of the rancors, the Rebel forces began firing on us before we could successfully flee the city. Although we managed to defeat at least a few Rebel soldiers during the course of the violent skirmish, the Rebels were picking us off one by one. We had no choice but perform a forced retreat from Revenance. Although the Rebels had succeeded in overpowering our task force, it did not matter. Our mission was accomplished. Issele was rescued. The timely aid of the ferocious rancors was later explained by Issele as a “freak incident.”