War of the Throne

The Imperial Civil War was a short conflict fought in 12 ABY by the Loyalist forces, those loyal to Emperor Osbourne, and the forces of Lorn Rhys and Vassili Korolov. The conflict was fought mostly at Selene and Dreven, although these were not the only battlegrounds.

The battle that took place over Selene was probably the most memorable event of the conflict. Rhys, having hijacked the flagship of the Imperial Navy and the Emperor, the Dark Eminence, rammed the Executor-class Star Dreadnought straight into Imperial City on Selene, effectively destroying the planet. Osbourne had been captured in his Palace prior to the hijacking, and was thus spared from utter annihilation.

Not all who opposed Rhys and Korolov were Loyalists, however; merely phony loyalists, attempting to cut a piece of the prize for themselves. All opposition, however, was swiftly wiped out by Rhys and his military.

As the Civil War drew to a close, Danik Kreldin, an admiral and the Empire's most decorated and infamous pilot, made his own attempt to reclaim the throne in the name of Osbourne. His attempt, however, was stopped by COMPNOR, and Kreldin escaped to begin the Neo-Imperial Movement with fellow Imperial veteran Fianar Reanus.

The survivors of the Loyalists joined up with the Neo-Empire, but before long, this Movement was also wiped out by Rhys, and the Imperial Civil War was brought to a close. The leadership of Lorn Rhys, however, would never remain firmly in place. Less than a year later, Rhys was overthrown by Warlord Malign, and many of the changes brought about by Rhys were turned around and Selene reconstructed.

The Imperial Civil War had a massive toll on the Empire. Not only did the Empire lose control of Coruscant and many more key planets, but it left Selene a wasteland, the Dark Eminence destroyed, and many of the Empire's top military professionals either dead or deserted. It would not be until the Imperial Blitzkrieg of 14 ABY that the Empire would revitalize from the affects of the Civil War.