Vanguard Network Exclusive: THE RESTORED EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Restoration Executes Concurrent Strikes in Hemei and Metellos Systems

Operation: Shadow Veil

In the late hours of Year 25 Day 214, the Restored Empire conducted a daring operation deep within the Hemei system. Under the personal command of Lord Admiral Hatori Hoorl, a small strike team of elite Tactical Assault Commandos embarked on a mission to further destabilize the Meridan Empire and strike a critical blow against the Order of the Sith.

Operation: Shadow Veil, began on the outskirts of the Parmorak sector, where the Lord Admiral's strike team awaited a signal from a covert ally within Jai Meridan’s “Galactic” Empire. This ally provided the crucial access codes needed to infiltrate a secret Sith location. With the stolen code clearance received, Lord Admiral Hoorl and his team moved swiftly and decisively, securing the site with minimal resistance.

Based on intelligence provided to the Lord Admiral’s strike team by another informant with ties to Meridan’s Imperial High Command, Tine Delirium, a former Stormtrooper General and Navy Admiral was known to be at the target location conducting an inspection of Imperial facilities. Delirium, also known as the infamous Darth Ardenta to those within the Sith Order, was also the leader of the Death’s Hand fighter squadron which used her authority to regularly interfere with legitimate galactic commerce and to “disappear” enemies of the Meridan Regime. Caught completely unaware by the suddenness of the Restoration’s strike, Darth Ardenta surrendered with only token ineffective resistance and was taken into custody without incident, calling into question the supposed abilities of the vaunted Sith Order. Numerous items were confiscated, including high-value Sith artifacts and Darth Ardenta’s personal lightsaber. Two other individuals were also taken into custody; their identities have not yet been released at this time pending a debrief by the Restoration’s Foreign Service Office.

Darth Ardenta, a Sith known for her penchant of torturing Imperial citizens with her personal “Pleasure Whip,” has since been transferred to the Restoration’s Order of Imperial Knights and their leader, Lord Protector Sven Jazzel. It has been reported that she will be held in custody until trial, where she will face justice for her crimes against the Empire and its people. Delirium's Sith lightsaber has been handed over to Director of Rebel Intelligence, Jonas Kanuteau, as a sign of good-will and in recognition of the continuing armistice between the Restored Empire and the Rebel Alliance.

The capture of Darth Ardenta has left some wondering if the Restored Empire is playing the 'kidnap game' of the Meridan regime. When asked for comment, High Moff Cataldo Blackstar had this to say: "The Restored Empire does not kidnap anyone but follows the traditional standards of conduct for interstellar war. Any enemy personnel who surrender are placed into protective custody until such time as they may be repatriated to their government at the cessation of hostilities or during a prisoner exchange. In the event a captured belligerent is suspected of having committed war crimes or similar gross violations of law, they will be held until a trial by Court Martial and shall receive such lawful punishment as is customary after being afforded the opportunity to present their own defense and version of events. It is not the policy of the Restoration to presume guilt based on hearsay nor to act in a heavy handed fashion to curtail the liberties of sentients without cause. The same cannot be said for Meridan’s regime."

Operation: Midnight Specter

Near-concurrently to the operation in Hemei, High Moff Cataldo Blackstar of the Restored Empire, in coordination with tactical elements of Rebel and Resistance Intelligence, led a devastating strike against critical Meridan Empire shipyards in the Metellos system. Receiving the access codes to the facilities in Metellos from a disgruntled member of the Corellian Engineering Corporation, the High Moff and his team were able to disrupt shipyard operations and to secure building materials conservatively estimated at worth over half a billion credits.

Entering the system from multiple hyperspace entry points, participants in Operation Midnight Specter evaded enemy sensors and patrols which had been clandestinely mapped in the weeks prior to the assault. Upon breaching the airlocks of the shipyards, High Moff Blackstar’s teams discovered that the facilities were tooled for the production of capital-class warships. Realizing the possibility of their use against civilian targets, and recognizing the imminent threat these warships posed to the Restoration, High Moff Blackstar and his teams moved quickly to disable the facilities. Due to the lax security the “Galactic” Empire maintained, Restoration strike teams were able to gain access to the control rooms of each shipyard. Overriding the stations’ IFF tags, the teams turned the Meridan regime’s own weapons against them, crippling the shipyard's production capabilities.

As the strike team was preparing to exfiltrate the facility, a group of workers still loyal to the false-Emperor Jai Meridan, took up arms against High Moff Blackstar's team. The loyalist workers opened fire on the soldiers of the Restoration and its allies in a brave, though ultimately futile, attack. Despite the attack, the strike team successfully withdrew from the shipyard relatively unscathed, leaving behind two significantly weakened Meridan Empire facilities. Seen tagging along with the strike team were several dozen workers who had thrown down their weapons and decided to join the efforts of the Restoration.

These two daring operations underscore the Restored Empire's commitment to safeguarding its citizens through the administration of justice and guarantee of security. Both Lord Admiral Hoorl's and High Moff Blackstar's leadership, and their seamless coordination with Rebel and Resistance Intelligence, highlight the strength and unity of the true Empire and its capacity for simultaneous, far-reaching operations. When asked to provide comment on the operations, Lord Admiral Hoorl had this to say: “In recent months, many have underestimated not only our resolve, but our capabilities. Those that underestimate us do so at their own peril. It's clear that Jai and his cronies have grown fat and lazy, and complacency is rampant in his High Command. The bare minimum under the Meridan regime is failure, and this outcome, our victory, was expected.”

Stay tuned to Vanguard Network for continued coverage of the Restored Empire's efforts to restore order, justice, and security across the galaxy.