Interim Ruling Council

The Interim Ruling Council was the legal governing body of the Galactic Empire after the death of Emperor Palpatine and throughout the Imperial Civil War. It ruled from 4 ABY to 8 ABY, when Bacharan Valak was coronated Emperor and the Empire was reunified.

After the death of Emperor Palpatine and the defeat at the Battle of Endor, the Galactic Empire became fragmented as numerous high-ranking Imperial officials and officers began carving out pieces of the Empire to claim their own.

They declared themselves Warlords, and set about establishing their own empires and soon began fighting with each other for control of more territory and resources. The Imperial Civil War began. In the midst of the Civil War, members of the Imperial Ruling Council, the Imperial Court, the Grand Admiral's Council, the Moff Council, and high-ranking military officers joined together, realizing the only way to defeat the rebellion was to remain unified. Thus, the Interim Ruling Council was born, its goal to bring back all the former Imperials who had gone Warlord and revitalize the Galactic Empire.

The Council was based off of Imperial Center and in the months after Endor set about finding a leader to represent the Council and to attract Imperials to their leadership. During this search for a leader, however, the Rebel Alliance struck Imperial Center in the Battle of Coruscant and drove away the defending fleet, taking the planet and forming the New Republic.

The leaders of the Council escaped from Coruscant before its fall to the distant planet of Dreven, a mysterious, dark planet deep within the Outer Rim. It was here that Warlord Tagger, a former admiral in the Imperial Navy, brought his large fleet, the Emperor's Pride Fleet, and was made the leader of the Interim Ruling Council. The Council called him "Emperor", but Tagger failed to rally the fragments of the Empire to his banner.

After Tagger's failure at the Second Battle of Coruscant, the Ruling Council replaced him with another Warlord who had recently joined at Dreven, Dobbs. Dobbs proved to be another weak and ineffectual leader, and was executed by a Dark Jedi, Wyth Skellhim, who proceded to purge the Ruling Council. Various Grand Admirals and Moffs were executed, including Grand Moff Valence, and Skellheim declared himself Emperor.

To the Ruling Council's dismay, however, Skellheim disappeared into the Unknown Regions. A dark cloud was cast over the Ruling Council, as infighting amongst the Council members broke out over who would lead the Council.

Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Direct of Imperial Intelligence, Dekan, attempted to install the easily manipulated Holger into power as a puppet leader, but fail. In the end, Alaric Darkstar arises to power, and stabilizes the Council. Darkstar declared himself Emperor and set about reunifying the Empire, launching several major campaigns against opposing Warlords.

Darkstar was capable in bringing a large portion of the Empire back together, but ultimately failed as more conflict broke out in the Interim Ruling Council. Skellheim had returned, and launched a campaign to reclaim his position of power from Darkstar. The Council became split, and many of the gains Darkstar had achieved were quickly wiped away. In the end, however, Darkstar proved victorious, and Skellheim was executed. Grand Admiral Thrawn withdrew his fleet shortly after, effectively reducing the Ruling Council to a mere few fleets remaining.

As a result of Thrawn's departure and the conflict against Skellheim, Darkstar abdicated and was replaced by Grand Moff Caldny. Caldny refused to take the title of Emperor, considering it a spot that no man other than Palpatine could fill. Caldny led the Ruling Council through several victorious campaigns, including the Battle of Etti IV, but with failing health and with little support from the rest of the Council, Caldny was replaced by the strong-willed and charismatic Warlord Bacharan Valak, whom had recently joined with the Ruling Council with his large fleet he had assembled, crushing various opponent warlords and claiming their resources and warships.

The size of the Ruling Council's territory was nearly doubled with the arrival of Valak. Massive re-militarization and industralization began, and the factories and shipyards produced more and more fighting machines for the Empire. The Ruling Council, at Valak's urges, began construction on the Advanced Death Star deep within the Outer Rim, and Valak's top advisors began formulating plans to reconquest the galaxy.

From 6 ABY to 8 ABY, Valak led a series of campaigns against the remaining Warlords and regained numerous fleets and star systems for the Ruling Council. In the latter days of 7 ABY, Valak crushed the last known resistance to the Interim Ruling Council, Lorn Rhys and his Vigiliant Movement.

The days of the Interim Ruling Council had come to an end in 8 ABY, when Bacharan Valak was coronated as the first official Emperor to succeed Palpatine in Castle Tsabak on Dreven. The Galactic Empire had been reunified, and the Interim Ruling Council was no more, replaced by the Imperial Ruling Council as Valak began a massive program of reorganization.