A civil war broke out in the Freeworlds Territory in 4 ABY between the pro-Imperial factions in the region and those wanting to restore the independence of the League of Tapani Freeworlds. The League was assisted by a coalition of Tapani Noble Houses, led by House Mecetti, which sought to gain more influence over the Territory.
Imperial occupation[]
Seeking control over the strategically important Shapani Bypass, the Galactic Empire occupied the Freeworlds Territory in 3 ABY and declared the creation of a new sector, the Shapani subsector. It was also a measure to take direct control over the region's resources, including its various shipyards. This was opposed by both the Tapani noble houses and the autonomous government of the region, the League of Tapani Freeworlds, but they were not consulted by the Empire about it. It was placed under the authority of Moff Liard Gustavu and his military occupation forces, forcibly disbanding the League and arresting some of its leaders. The Imperial forces were mainly based around the Shapani Bypass to protect the vital route.
The Imperial occupation was relatively benevolent at first, but the region's citizens were overworked in order to meet the demands of the Empire's war machine. Many Freeworlders sided with the Empire and also provided assistance in policing the new subsector. However, after the death of Galactic Emperor Palpatine at the Battle of Endor and the fragmentation of the Empire, the local governments of the Freeworlds began to form resistance organizations. They made contact with the Tapani houses and the former Freeworlds Common Navy, which had been taken over by the Empire and turned into an auxiliary force for the Imperial Fleet.
By 4 ABY, the resistance groups infiltrated the pro-Imperial organizations and began to prepare an uprising: gaining influence in local corporations, recruiting volunteers, and bribing low-level Imperial officials to gain weapons. Their ranks consisted of different Freeworlds individuals from all walks of life, with bounty hunters and smugglers providing assistance. They also made contact with the Tapani noble houses, particularly House Mecetti and House Cadriaan, who aided the resistance with funds and intelligence. The former had lost influence to its rivals ever since the rise of the New Order and wanted the Empire to leave, while the latter had historical ties to the Freeworlds.
As Grand Vizier Sate Pestage began redeploying Imperial units from the Shapani subsector to the more important Core Worlds, the Common Navy and other local allies were used by the Empire to maintain order. That was chosen as the time to strike by the former League officials, who comprised the civil government of the various anti-Imperial resistance groups.
Beginning of hostilities[]
The uprising began about four months after the death of the Emperor, with the rebel ships of the Freeworlds Common Navy arriving in the Tallaan system. Tallaan was a bustling and vibrant world which was the center of trade in the sector and served as its capital, and was home to a large resistance group, thus becoming the first target. The Imperial presence in the system was led by an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer and included three Victory-class Star Destroyers, along with some smaller vessels, and an Imperial Army garrison on the ground. The Common Navy outnumbered them, but possessed smaller ships. However, they had the element of surprise and were able to cause considerable damage in the opening stages of the space battle.
Riots were incited on the ground by resistance leaders, and the Trade Commission, the planet's government, chose to remain neutral. The Imperial garrison was overrun and firefights broke out, at which point the Tallaan government joined the upstarts, declaring its allegiance to the League of Tapani Freeworlds. The Imperial defense flotilla and the Common Navy took about an equal amount of damage, but the Common Navy had more ships to begin with. Moff Gustavu gave an order to destroy the Tallaan Shipyards to prevent them from falling into the hands of the rebels, but they were not carried out as the Freeworlds ships positioned themselves between the shipyards and the Imperials. Eventually, the Moff gave them an order to retreat.
News of the liberation of Tallaan spread across the Freeworlds Territory despite Imperial attempts to censor it, and soon riots had broken out all across the sector, including at Aleron, Neona, Lamuir IV, and Mrlsst. Gustavu was hesitant to deploy what little Imperial Fleet elements he had under his command, concentrating them at Fondor, and did not trust those Freeworlders that remained loyal to him. His indecision cost the Empire. Within days, those planets and several others had declared independence and reformed the League. At that point, the Moff sent a task force to defeat some of the upstarts, and they managed to recover Mrlsst and Lamuir temporarily, as well as a host of smaller worlds.
Insurrection[]
Nonetheless, the fires of rebellion had spread too much. Gustavu chose to gather his forces to defend the important Fondor Shipyards and key points on the Shapani Bypass. Imperial Center recognized the urgency of the situation and deployed Imperial reinforcements there to assist the beleaguered Moff in late 4 ABY. However, due to more pressing concerns, the Imperial government was unable to provide enough for a general offensive in the region. He used them to defend important positions and instead deployed Freeworlders loyal to him to fight against the League forces, hoping to stall the rebels until more help could arrive.
Meanwhile, the resistance was having its own problems. The League, recognized by the Tapani noble houses and the New Republic, had begun to assert itself but was still facing disunity among its forces. The Mining Guild-affiliated corporations and some of the other large companies sided with the Empire since it had allowed them to gain more profits. Weapons and other supplies were also limited, which caused them to lower the scale of their operations. A stalemate began along the front, with the League entrenched in the 'liberated zones' while the Imperial loyalists and the Moff's forces controlled some of the strategically-important worlds and routes.
The next several months were characterized by low-level skirmishes across the region, with no major fighting taking place. The leaders of the League negotiated with the noble houses to bring in their House Defense Forces to assist the Common Navy and change the tide of the war, but they were reluctant to overtly get involved against the Empire. As news of the New Republic's successes reached them, however, House Mecetti brought up the issue to the Tapani Great Council.
Operation Tapani Storm[]
With the Empire reeling from the New Republic's advances in other regions, the High Lord of House Mecetti viewed the situation as the perfect chance to reestablish the Tapani sector's independence. Therefore, he supported sending troops to the Freeworlds Territory, to help get rid of the Imperial forces and to gain more influence for the noble houses over the Freeworlds. The Great Council eventually approved his proposal after some debate.
House Mecetti was joined by its two allies in the endeavor, House Reena and House Calipsa, which both possessed modest fleets. House Melantha, having gained the most from the Empire's occupation and not wanting to lose all of its influence, also agreed to send troops, and House Cadriaan decided to contribute in order to help its Freeworlds allies. House Pelagia, which was still recovering from the earlier purge against it, and House Barnaba, which had a small force, decided not to participate.