Empire-in-Exile

Empire-in-Exile
Political information
Type of government	Military autocracy
Head of State	Orphaea Imperium
Commander-in-Chief	Draith Shadux
Executive branch	Moff High Council
Legislative branch	Moff High Council
Judicial branch	Imperial Intelligence
Affiliation	None
Societal information
Capital	Halowan
Territory	Fakir Sector
Language(s)	Galactic Basic
Currency	Galactic Credit
Historical Information
Formed from	Katana Fleet
Date of establishment	Year 15 Day 260
Date of dissolution	Year 16 Day 127
Status	Defunct
Holosite	N/A

"As the senior Imperial officer prior to the ascendancy of the current regime who is not attached to that regime, it is my duty to form a government in true succession to Imperial thought, as well as my sad duty to inform the galaxy that, for the fifth time since Emperor Drayson formed it from the ashes of the failed Galactic Republic, the Empire is once again at war with itself."

— Orphaea Imperium

The Empire-in-Exile was a short-lived militant force formed in opposition and competition to the Galactic Empire, claiming that the dynasty established after the Fourth Imperial Civil War has proven to be incompetent and supporting former Executor Orphaea Imperium as the legitimate successor to the Imperial throne. The formation of the Empire-in-Exile represented the commencement of a new Imperial Civil War, the fifth since the Empire’s formation in 10 BCGT, but saw no notable conflicts between parties.

Ideology

The Empire-in-Exile follows a more egalitarian form of traditional Imperial ideology, in particular eliminating species-based discrimination and loosening economic and security controls. Initiatives include the "Victory Without War" programme focused on developing diplomatic and economic relations regardless of prior alliances and affiliations, and a more open and inclusive approach to leadership and foreign relations described as the "New Order with a Personal Face." Other changes include the establishment of a paramilitary association called the Imperial Knights, which allows members to follow light, grey, or dark side teachings in the Force in the service of the Empire.

History

Conclusion of the Fourth Imperial Civil War

"I'm happy to stay around but I have one condition - well, a request. Be a damn good Emperor - if I never make it there myself, at least history will prove I was right."

— Orphaea Imperium to Thomas Cherokee

At the close of the Fourth Imperial Civil War, Emperor Vodo Bonias resigned in the face of then-Grand Moff Orphaea Imperium's successful coup d’etat and the Imperial High Command’s unwillingness to accept the catastrophic losses that would result otherwise. The negotiations bringing an end to the conflict, Thomas Cherokee ascended to the throne with Imperium as Executor. Shortly afterwards, Cherokee reneged on the agreement, returning Imperium to his original position as Grand Moff (although no longer the senior officer of regional government) and appointed his long-time advisor Guinar Ndengin as Executor. While disappointed, Imperium acquiesed, recognising the need for stability and a peaceful transition after the years of domination by Bonias, and recognised that Cherokee might be able to provide that stability. Tensions remained, however, as the Throne remained wary of Imperium and restricted his activities, much to the frustration of Imperium. When Imperium began to neglect his duties as Grand Moff of the Coruscant Oversector, he was pressured into stepping down and announcing his retirement himself to save face. He was assigned to the newly created position of Inspector General instead, although Imperium considered the position beneath him and merely a tool to keep him away from the Empire's more important matters. A disillusioned Imperium resigned shortly thereafter and disappeared from the galactic stage for several months. Despite these personal conflicts, the Empire was generally prosperous, including the Imperial acquisition of the territories of the Ailon Nova Guard, and Cherokee passed the throne to Ndengin in due course.

Reformation of the Imperial Union

Commencing his reign with the Empire at the peak of its diplomatic, military, territorial and economic success, Emperor Ndengin followed the course set by his predecessor. He hit a major roadblock however with the complete reformation of the Imperial Union, with every constituent faction other than the Empire resigning membership before subsequently unifying as the neutral Galactic Concordiate. Imperial diplomats claimed that these events were due to disagreement between the constituent states regarding military defence contributions. Detractors cited Executor Seele's lack of tact as a key obstacle in negotiations and claimed he belittled the other heads of state throughout the lengthy and arduous diplomatic process. Despite Seele's voluntary removal from the charter discussions after only a month, several delegates of the Imperial Union signatories continued to cite Seele's abrasiveness from months earlier as reasons to refuse support for the key planks of the new charter. Its public perception suffered after the loss of several allies, but two new members signed the new charter of the Imperial Union shortly after and, later, the Anzatan Commonwealth.

Bending the Knee

The second event cited by Imperium was the kidnapping of Executor Seele by Syn, second-in-command of the Eidola Pirates. Seele had been lured to Eidolan territory and subsequently captured and held for ransom for the pricely sum of one of the Empire’s prized Super Star Destroyers. Despite vocal protests by several Imperial officers, quoting Seele himself that "no one is indispensible," Ndengin was accused of bending the knee to pirates by delivering the Super Star Destroyer now known as the Ragnarok to Eidola. This action caused great debate within the Empire and dissatisfaction outside, with one of the future founding members of the Empire-in-Exile movement retiring in protest shortly afterwards. The small movement also placed much of the blame on Imperial High Command, which they considered to be composed based on personal loyalty to Ndengin and Seele, and/or lack of personal influence to pose a challenge to the established leadership.

Seeds of Dissent

Serious thoughts of revolution began to ferment in the head of Orphaea Imperium, who considered the events his chance to return to the forefront and reclaim the position he considered rightfully his. He was soon joined by several retired Imperial officers and others who were supportive of the Empire but who had been dismissed by the Ndengin regime and remembered the egalitarian Imperium’s service.

Despite the circumstances behind his departure, Imperium’s willingness to wage war against the Empire he had helped build was lacking, and while he encouraged the groups to unify in message, he also opened discussions with the Throne in the hopes of acting as an intermediary to help address the perceived issues. The Throne dismissed the complaints as ravings of disloyal subjects and a man who only wished to become Emperor himself. While support from the outside was strong, the movement failed to gain traction in the Empire itself and the absence of a willing leader in Imperium led to the movement going quiet, with its supporters resigning to other pursuits or moving further underground. Imperium himself returned to his own pursuits.

A handful of the original dissenters who approached Imperium remained in contact, and eventually Imperium was swayed that the leadership of the Empire had failed, and those claiming to lead would not be removed through diplomatic means. While the furor and support post-kidnapping had dulled, as the senior-most Imperial officer serving at the establishment of the post-Bonias regime that was not irrevocably tied to the current regime, Imperium wished to establish an Imperial regime true to his own vision after the Fourth Imperial Civil War and declared the formation of the Empire-in-Exile on Year 15 Day 260 with himself at its head, with the objective of restoring competent and legitimate leadership over the Galactic Empire by whatever means necessary.

Legacy

While the movement gained the support of several long-retired Imperial officers and opponents of Emperor Ndengin's regime with no prior Imperial affiliation, it failed to attract any but a few individuals actively involved in the Galactic Empire at that time. Although Imperium's movement convinced the Imperial Throne of the need to internally adress the incidents that led to the creation of the Empire-in-Exile, the dissenters were accused of having no legitimate cause and being a personal movement based around Orphaea Imperium. Little was heard of the Empire-in-Exile since its inception and when its leader become less involved, nobody was able to fill the void. On Year 16, Day 127, the Empire-in-Exile was effectively dissolved. Its members went their own ways, some forming a new incarnation of The Jensaarai and others even reapplying for service in the Galactic Empire.

Government and Politics

The Empire-in-Exile was an autocracy, advised by an appointed Moff High Council. The Commander-in-Chief was also the heir presumptive, while the senior government officer of the Council was known as the High Moff and served as head of government. Each member of the Council held the title of Moff in addition to their standard civil or military rank; unlike prior iterations of Imperial structure, governance of a sector was no longer a prerequisite to serving on the leading council, nor was it a guarantee of appointment.

Civil services were loosely organised under four departments:

• the Imperial Mission served as the diplomatic and information arm of the government;
• the Resources and Engineering Corps supervised infrastructure and resource operations;
• the Department of Defence Materiel managed hardware research and procurement; and
• the Merchant Marine handled civilian transport and logistics.

Economics and Territory

As an exile movement, the Empire-in-Exile had not invested significantly in territorial dominance, preferring to operate on a more mobile basis. However, the Empire-in-Exile did maintain control of the the Fakir Sector, including the significant Yirt-4138-Grek-12 shipyard complex.

Foreign Relations and Military

The Empire-in-Exile sought to maintain positive relations with all groups which are not overtly opposed to it, including those factions which would traditionally have been foes such as the Galactic Alliance. The Empire-in-Exile maintained a full diplomatic advisory service with travel advice for its citizens.

Like other Imperial factions, the Empire-in-Exile maintained a navy, army, and intelligence service. The Empire-in-Exile also maintained a force-based paramilitary organisation, the Imperial Knights which, while somewhat cloistered for training purposes, were encouraged to maintain relationships and continue service in their prior capacities where possible.

See Also

Similar movements

• Order of Darkness
• Imperial Core
• Dark Empire
• New Imperial Order

Individuals

• Orphaea Imperium
• Draith Shadux
• Guinar Ndengin
• Seele

References

Empire-in-Exile
Leadership	Orphaea Imperium · Draith Shadux
Departments	Imperial Navy · Imperial Army · Imperial Intelligence · Imperial Mission · Resources and Engineering Corps · Defence Materiel · Merchant Marine
Territory	Fakir · Marasa Nebula