Fandom Star Wars: Cold War

[JR McCormick]

OVERVIEW

 

[JR McCormick]

The year is 3647 BBY on the Jedi home world of Tython.


It has been 6 years since the Treaty of Coruscant was signed. A peace agreement that brought an end to the Great Galactic War in 3653 BBY.


The Galactic Republic was strongarmed into the treaty following the twenty-eight year conflict with the Sith Empire that saw the galactic government crumble under the pressures of war and economic struggles. The concept of a cessation of hostilities between the Republic and Empire was first proposed by the Sith Dark Council, under the leadership of the Sith Emperor. Although wary of possible ulterior motives, the Republic's Galactic Senate accepted the offer out of desperation. The two governments organized a summit to take place on the Core World of Alderaan, where delegations from both factions would meet to deliberate the terms of peace.


While representatives of the Empire and the Republic conferred, the Sith launched an unexpected assault on the Republic capital world of Coruscant. The Sacking of Coruscant placed the Republic's capital firmly under the control of the Sith Empire, and gave the Imperial delegation on Alderaan the leverage they needed in order to demand the Republic's surrender of the war. The leader of the Imperial delegation—the Sith Lord Darth Baras—authored the Treaty of Coruscant and presented it to the representatives of the Senate and the Jedi Order for their signatures. They signed the document, ending the Great Galactic War and declaring the Sith Empire as the victor.


The treaty divided the galaxy in two and demanded that all Republic forces and Jedi withdraw from open conflict with the Empire and that the Senate cede a number of outlying worlds to the Sith. The agreement was heavily opposed by certain interests within the Republic, including Jedi Master Dar'Nala, General Elin Garza of the Republic Military, and the Royal House of Alderaan. Such opposition to the treaty has led to the initiation of a galactic Cold War.


Covert operations and boarder skirmishes continue... bringing with them the constant threat of reigniting a catastrophic war.


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COLD WAR

The Cold War was an intense eleven-year standoff between the Sith Empireand the Galactic Republic after 3653 BBY. The Treaty of Coruscant ended the Great Galactic War, sealing the Sith Empire's victory. Peace was gained, but tensions between the Empire and the Republic remained high. In the ten years after the War, fear and uncertainty gripped the galaxy. Border skirmishes and proxy wars between the Empire and Republic erupted and the uneasy truce between the two foes appeared to be on the verge of collapse.


The terms of the punitive Treaty of Coruscant called for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Republic and Jedi forces from battlefields across the galaxy. As the Treaty went into effect, worlds once allied with the Republic were left defenseless, and were quickly absorbed by the Empire. Coruscant was also placed under the rule of the Sith Empire for a short time.


As the Jedi returned to their ruined temple on Coruscant, they were met by anger on the part of the Senate, who placed blame for the war at the feet of the Order. The Jedi, unable to stay on Coruscant, where public opinion had turned against them, relocated to the world of their origin, Tython. Although his Empire was stronger than ever, the Sith Emperor no longer seemed to desire total conquest. He handed over control of the Empire to the Dark Council, a body of twelve Sith Lords who would oversee the day-to-day affairs of state. The Dark Lord went on to pursue his own mysterious goals as the Sith consolidated their power.


Border skirmishes and proxy wars between the Empire and Republic erupted and the uneasy truce between the two foes appeared to be on the verge of collapse. The conflict included small battles in the Outer Rim and other conflicts fought by proxy. One such conflict was the Civil War on Ord Mantell between the corrupt planetary government that remained loyal to the Republic and a guerrilla force of separatists wishing to secede.


Although the situation could easily have erupted into another galactic conflict, neither side was ready to wage a full-scale war. During the Cold War, Kel Dor Jedi Master Gnost-Dural made a record of the events surrounding the treaty at the behest of the Jedi Council on Tython.

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THE TREATY OF CORUSCANT

The Treaty of Coruscant officially ended open hostilities between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire in the Great Galactic War and divided the galaxy between the two superpowers. The treaty established deadlines by which Republic forces and members of the Jedi Order were required to withdraw from battles against the Sith. If these deadlines were not met, Imperial forces were authorized to engage those forces of the Republic which were in violation of the treaty. Harsh restrictions were even placed on Republic personnel who were acting in compliance with the treaty. For instance, all Republic vessels were required to announce their arrival to the airspace above a planet to Imperial authorities.


Furthermore, to ensure compliance with the various clauses of the document, the Empire included a provision that allowed them to assign protocol droids to shadow certain individuals within the Republic and remind them of the mandates of the Treaty of Coruscant.


The peace agreement also dictated that the Republic revoke the membership of a number of outlying worlds, thereby denying them the protection benefits that came with a seat in the Galactic Senate. Additionally, the Sith Dark Council also demanded that the Republic turn over seven star systems that were largely uninhabited and strategically unimportant. Other than the cessation of open warfare, the treaty only benefited the Republic in that it called for an end to the Empire's assault and occupation of Coruscant, the capital of the Galactic Republic. Although it was only a small delegation of diplomats that agreed to the Treaty, the agreement could only be overturned within the Republic by a vote in the Galactic Senate.

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ALDERAAN PEACE CONFERENCE

The Alderaan peace conference was a meeting between representatives from the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire to discuss an end to the Great Galactic War. The war began after the return of the Empire to known space in 3681 BBY and dragged on for the following three decades. By 3653 BBY, the Sith Emperor sought a quick end to the conflict and directed his Dark Council to extend an offer of peace to the Republic's senate. The Senate, desperate for a reprieve from the devastating war, accepted. Plans were made for a summit to be held on the Core World of Alderaan.


The Sith had no intention of allowing the war to come to a peaceful conclusion however, and so orchestrated the Sacking of Coruscant to take place in conjunction with the peace conference. While the Sith delegation, led by the Sith Lord Darth Baras, met with the Republic delegation led by Cerean Senator Paran Am-Ris, Darth Angral of the Sith Empire lead the attack on the Republic's capital world of Coruscant. The attack ended with Coruscant being held hostage by the Empire, giving Lord Baras the leverage to take control of the negotiations on Alderaan. The Republic delegation was forced to sign the Treaty of Coruscant, which brought an end to the war, but also forced the Republic to withdraw all its forces and rescind support from long-time allies.

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SACKING OF CORUSCANT

The Sacking of Coruscant, also known as the Battle of Coruscant, occurred at the end of the Great Galactic War between the Galactic Republic and the resurgent Sith Empire. Centuries after the supposed destruction of the original Empire, a surviving faction of the Sith returned from the Unknown Regions and waged a massive war against the Republic. After decades of fighting, the Republic was overwhelmed and inundated both economically and militarily, while the Empire continued to gain ground.


At what seemed to be the height of their campaign, the Sith surprised the galaxyand extended an offer of peace to the Republic. Although cautious of the Empire's intentions, the Galactic Senate of the Republic accepted the much-needed reprieve. Unbeknownst to the Republic, the Sith had no intention of allowing the war to come to a peaceful conclusion.


While Republic and Imperial delegations convened on Alderaan for treaty negotiations, the Imperial-employed Mandalorian Shae Vizlatraveled to the Republic capital worldof Coruscant and deactivated the planet's defense grid. This allowed for the Sith Lord Darth Malgus to enter the Jedi Temple alongside a group of fifty Sith Warriors and lay siege to the ancient edifice.


The Warriors had a violent altercation with the Temple's Jedi defenders, led by Master Ven Zallow, but were victorious in their mission. With the Jedi defeated, a fleetof Sith warships under the command of the Lord Darth Angral descended upon the planet, bombarding the cityscapeand deploying Imperial soldiers and warriors to the surface. Although the surviving members of the Jedi Orderand the Republic Special Forces Division attempted to defend their capital, the Sith forces overwhelmed them. By the time the fighting had ended, the Jedi Temple had been reduced to rubble, six members of the Jedi High Council had been killed, and Lord Angral had assassinated the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.


All communications into and out of Coruscant were locked down, leaving the rest of the galaxy to guess at the carnage that was unfolding on the surface.


For two days, the Empire blockadedCoruscant and occupied the world, ruling it under martial law. The Coruscanti people were prohibited from leaving the world, and travel across planet was heavily restricted. DarthAngral became the provisional governor of Coruscant, while his subordinate, Darth Malgus, oversaw the orbital security. During this time, the Sith looted the world, executed Republic senators, and kidnapped a number of locals. On the second day of the occupation, renegade Jedi Knight Aryn Leneer targeted Malgus for his hand in the destruction of the Jedi Temple. Her hunt led to a number of breaches in the security of the Sith quarantine force, but the Imperial hold over Coruscant remained. It was estimated by both Sith and Jedi that the death toll lay somewhere between the tens of thousands and one hundred thousand.


With the Republic's capital securely in their grip, the Empire was able to take command of the negotiations on Alderaan. After the two-day long occupation and the destruction of much of Galactic City, the Republic delegation was forced to sign the controversial Treaty of Coruscant. Although it brought an end to the Great Galactic War and returned the capital to its original occupants, the treaty's highly biased mandates set the stage for the Cold War and forced the Republic into a debilitating position of weakness within the galaxy.


As such, reconstruction of Coruscant was delayed and then drawn out for several years, with residents in the poorer areas of the planet being forced to make a living in the ruin left behind by the Sith. The planet's lower levels fell under gang control, and were largely ignored by the Republic government, which was headquartered on the very same world.

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REDISCOVERING TYTHON

Soon after the Great Hunt ended, hyperlanes to the planet collapsed and the world was left abandoned for several centuries. Tython had not been forgotten, however; new hyperlanes into the Deep Core were paved in 3651 BBY by Jedi Knight Satele Shan in the wake of the Sacking of Coruscant by the resurgent Sith Empire.


Leading Jedi scouts to reclaim the world, Shan reestablished a Jedi presence on the world, making Tython the Order's fortress world during the Cold War between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. In the same time period, a group of Twi'lek Pilgrims landed on the world and established a small settlement near to the Jedi headquarters. Constructing their Temple near the ruins of Kaleth, the Jedi kept their distance from the illegal Twi'lek settlement despite pleas from the Matriarch to assist in warding off Flesh Raiders.

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SITH EMPIRE

After capturing and securing much of the Outer Rim in the early stages of what would become known as the Great Galactic War, the Sith Emperor began preparing for the push towards the Republic's bastion in the Galactic Core. Despite several setbacks in its campaign towards the core, the Empire surged forward once more, crippling the Republic economy through an alliance with the Mandalorian warrior clans.


However the blockade was eventually broken by Hylo Visz, and reinforcements from the Republic which brought the war into another stalemate. After nearly 3 decades of fighting, the Empire surprised the galaxy when the Dark Council extended an offer of peace to the Republic. Desperate, the Republic senate accepted, but during peace talks on Alderaan, the Empire launched a sneak attack on the Republic capital of Coruscant. The attack was a rousing success for the Empire, allowing the Sith to force the Republic to sign their draft of the document that would end the war, the Treaty of Coruscant.


With the war at an end and the Empire stronger than ever, the Emperor retreated from the public view and passed responsibilities of the day-to-day maintenance of the Empire to the Dark Council. As a result of the Empire's co-existence with the Republic, an interstellar Cold War emerged in the immediate aftermath of the Great War, during which time the Empire engaged in proxy battles and small conflicts with the Republic and its allies.