Rathe Sreethyn, officially known as Prince Juvex, was a noble, diplomat, and politician of the Galactic Empire. Hailing from the Senex-Juvex region, he was the heir of House Sreethyn, the most influential aristocratic family in the Juvex sector. His father, Lord Valendor Sreethyn, was an advisor of Emperor Palpatine, and thus the younger Sreethyn also chose to serve the Empire. He became a consul-general of the Imperial Diplomatic Corps during the Galactic Civil War. Following his father's death aboard the Death Star at Yavin, Sreethyn inherited the title Prince Juvex of the First Rank. The Prince became a prominent member of the Empire's diplomatic service in the years prior to the Battle of Endor.
Following the death of the Emperor at Endor, Sreethyn worked on Coruscant to try to preserve the Imperial bureaucracy and keep the Empire from crumbling while being involved in the power struggles of the Ruling Council. The Prince became an ally of Imperial Intelligence Director Ysanne Isard, since they both shared the goal of keeping the Empire from falling. Sreethyn did not like her personally, but acknowledged that she was more competent than most of the Ruling Council members. After Grand Vizier Sate Pestage attempted to defect to the New Republic, Isard appointed Sreethyn as the Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet, making him the nominal chairman of the Ruling Council and head of government. The Prince served in that capacity until the fall of Coruscant in 6.5 ABY.
He later served as a diplomat of the Imperial Remnant and was a close adviser of Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. Although the Senex-Juvex region became part of the New Republic in 12 ABY, he was allowed to continue to use the title of Prince Juvex by Pellaeon. Sreethyn worked as the Remnant's chargé d'affaires to the New Republic before and during the Yuuzhan Vong War, later serving as the Imperial ambassador to the Galactic Alliance.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Rathe Sreethyn was a Human male born on the planet Juvex in 21 BBY, to Lord Valendor of the noble House Sreethyn, who also became the Moff of the Juvex sector. The young man was raised during the Imperial Period, part of the first generation that spent most of their youth living under the Galactic Empire. Since Lord Valendor expected Rathe to succeed him as the head of House Sreethyn, he got his son involved in politics from an early age. The young man learned diplomacy, galactic history, and other languages, including Huttese, at various private schools in the region. Along with being active in Senex-Juvex court politics, the younger Sreethyn took many trips to the galactic capital of Coruscant. These trips showed him that there was a much bigger galaxy beyond his home Juvex sector, and he quickly developed greater ambitions than his father had expected. The younger Sreethyn made the most of their visits to Coruscant, getting to know Imperial advisors and bureaucrats.
At age eighteen, four years before the Battle of Yavin, he gained his father's reluctant permission to attend the Imperial Academy on Coruscant. It was a school for the future Imperial elite, and Sreethyn thought that graduating from it would be his best opportunity to gain power. At the Academy, he learned not only politics and administration, but also other important skills that a leader may need, including basic piloting, marksmanship, the martial art Teräs Käsi, and survival skills. The young noble eagerly immersed himself in his studies, and graduated at the top of his class in 0 BBY. It was not long after that that he got accepted into the Imperial Diplomatic Corps, due to his extensive knowledge of history and languages, as well as his extensive experience in traveling throughout the galaxy on missions for the Senex-Juvex Ancient Houses.
However, the success was dampened by the sudden death of his father. An old friend of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Lord Valendor Sreethyn was invited by him to be aboard the first Death Star. He was present at the Battle of Yavin and perished with the battle station was destroyed by the Rebellion. Enraged, the younger Sreethyn came to view the Rebels as a group of terrorists, and saw his Imperial service as not only a way of advancement but also a way of honoring his father. Emperor Palpatine, whom the elder Sreethyn had known during their days as senators in the Galactic Republic, granted his young heir the princely peerage title that he gave his father, and from then on, he was officially known as Prince Juvex. Any doubt that the Prince may have came to have in the Empire because of the destruction of Alderaan was swept away by the death of his father, and strengthened his view in the Empire's righteousness.
Imperial diplomat[]
Sreethyn spent the next four years working in the Diplomatic Corps, with his first posting being as a secretary at the Imperial consulate on the Outer Rim world of Abridon. However, what Prince Juvex expected to be an easy and rather boring assignment turned out differently, as he was ordered by the Consul-General to investigate the Abridon Nationalists and their connections to the Rebel Alliance. He worked together with Vermillion Zatsef, a member of the Diplomatic Services of Imperial Intelligence who was also posted at the consulate. The two of them found connections between a number of minor nationalist leaders with the Rebels after investigating their known safehouses. Those that were known to have Rebel ties were subsequently arrested, and Sreethyn was promoted and given a transfer to a different planet.
Post-Endor power struggles[]
Later career[]
Personality and traits[]
Sreethyn.
An idealist and optimist, Sreethyn believed that the Imperial system was the most effective government for the galaxy, and that it could eventually be reformed for the better. He resented corrupt officials that committed criminal acts and came to view himself as the savior the Empire needed. Despite his youthful idealism, and his generally charming outward appearance, the Prince could be manipulative, cunning, and cold-blooded when the situation called for it. Those were traits necessary for surviving in Imperial court intrigues and power struggles. Sreethyn viewed the existence of the aristocracy as necessary to advance society forward, but still avoided getting entangled in the "spider's web" of the Imperial court. He also believed that the Rebel Alliance was little more than a terrorist group, and thought that the idea of a republican government successfully leading the galaxy was "laughable."
The Prince considered himself an intellectual and studied galactic history extensively. He remarked once that, had he been born a commoner, he would have become a historian. Sreethyn's knowledge of the subject aided him in his political career, as he often applied strategies that he learned from history and was able to outmaneuver his opponents. However, his talents also lay in administration, which allowed him to get a lot of work done in the office and effectively run the Imperial government as premier. He was also a good negotiator and had spent a number of years as a diplomat of the Empire.
Initially, Sreethyn was viewed to be a foolish man without any political ambitions by the court. His quiet demeanor and reluctance to engage in court affairs The Prince made no move to change this belief at first, remembering that Palpatine had been able to become Supreme Chancellor by using other senators' underestimation of him. It was precisely for that reason that the Ruling Council and Isard decided to appoint him to the position of Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet. Once in office, Sreethyn continued to give the appearance of weakness while efficiently running the government and preventing the bureaucracy from falling apart.