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A PROUD IMPERIAL COLLECTIVE
From the shadows, the Tarkin Initiative has cooperated with the myriad factions who call themselves "Empire," offering a wealth of funding, research projects, and manufacturing power. There have been many who've sought the Initiative's support, and each has failed miserably in its charge to not only impose order, but maintain it.
The time has come for warlords and exiled generals to stop playing Empire and become one. With no one else willing or capable to take charge, it falls to the Tarkin Initiative to accept the mantle. No longer will it wait for the next great Empire to rise—it will rise itself, and usher in a new Imperial Era for all the galaxy to witness. It will become a final Empire to end all Empires.
Yet there is much work to be done...
And the work begins with you.
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Below is an extensive—but by no means comprehensive—variety of roles to play in the Tarkin Initiative. Whether your character is new or recurring, the information found here can greatly inform your character's foundation in the Initiative and offer a clear direction for future development.
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Boots on the ground, rifles raised for the Emperor—the Imperial Army is the undervalued yet indispensable backbone of the Tarkin Initiative's growing military. Comprised of volunteers and conscripts from dozens of systems, the Army stands both as the Initiative's spearhead and its last line of defense. Army troopers are expeditionary units tasked with subjugating worlds intent on resisting Imperial control. They often fight alongside the elite Stormtrooper Corps, taking on support roles and reinforcing priority sectors.
"Bring peace and prosperity to the galaxy, install a regime loyal to the Emperor and eradicate the hostiles." — Lieutenant Alayus Bolandin
Far more recognizable due to widespread garrisoning, the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps is an autonomous branch of elite troopers serving alongside the Imperial Army. Unlike Army Trooper conscripts, Stormtroopers are well-trained and deeply devoted individuals who often train at one of the Initiative's clandestine military academies. They stand as the Empire's chief enforcers, tasked with carving out enemy forces and pockets of resistance wherever they may hide.
"Stormtroopers are the knife's edge. We are the first to go in. We face the enemy where they are strongest. We do not stop until we have achieved our objective. The Imperial Army walks in the path we blaze." — TX-5532
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The Imperial Starfleet is the Initiative's primary naval branch, inheriting a proud tradition that traces back to the New Imperial Order before it. The Starfleet is tasked with patrolling Imperial space, subduing rebellious systems, and preventing prying eyes from threatening the Empire's assets on the ground and in space. It is the largest of the Initiative's branches and is comprised of naval crewmen, logistics, fleet troopers, special forces, and an officer corps. The Starfleet is often the first to arrive whether combat is inevitable or a simple show of force would suffice.
"The starfleet is a sea. It is endless, cannot be beaten, and given enough time turns even the strongest rocks to sand." — Grand General Cassio Tagge
Consisting of TIE fighter pilots and Imperial officers, the Starfighter Corps operates in tandem with the Imperial Starfleet to exercise superiority over hostile navies. While some pilots are occasionally assigned to air support roles for ground forces in the Army Air Corps, the majority of the Corps' personnel remain in space. Its units range from standard TIE fighters and interceptors to bombers, escort craft, and landing shuttles. Pilots are trained at prestigious academies and undergo a variety of simulated and live-fire training exercises to ensure maximum combat readiness.
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The Imperial Security Bureau, or ISB, is the Tarkin Initiative's internal security and intelligence apparatus charged with protecting the Empire against security threats both domestic and foreign. Prospective personnel are often drawn from the Empire's academies, where cadets deemed particularly skilled are assessed for candidacy. ISB agents are among the Initiative's most loyal officers, exemplifying unwavering fealty to not only the Emperor, but to the very concept of the Empire itself. They are ruthless, cunning, and dedicated to their charge.
"We're here to further security objectives by collecting intelligence, providing useful analysis, and conducting effective covert action." — Dedra Meero
Perhaps equally powerful as blasters and armor is the Initiative's propaganda machine. The Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (COMPNOR) is responsible for perpetuating Imperial doctrine and acts as an instrument for manipulation and control while maintaining the appearance of a social ideological organization. COMPNOR works in close conjunction with the ISB to ensure that indoctrination is a full-circle model in systems under Initiative control. Its programs target the youth and influences Imperial bureaucracy to the highest level.
The darkest and most secret division of the Tarkin Initiative's intelligence branch is the Inquisitorius, an organization of Force-sensitive operatives who have a singular goal: the extermination of Jedi and other high-risk political dissidents. Inquisitors are rare and powerful, coming to be through abduction via Project Harvester or, more commonly, the capture, torture, and re-education of Force-sensitives encountered by Imperial forces. Serving alongside the Inquisitors are the deadly Purge Troopers, who are trained to eliminate Jedi with lethal brutality. They despise the Imperial Knights, who the Inquisitorius view as pathetic lapdogs underserving of power or privilege in a true Empire.
"The Inquisitorius. A project of mine, long planned. Slaves to the light side once, now awake. Hunters, one and all." — Darth Sidious
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On paper, the Imperial Senate bears resemblance to the old Alliance Senate that once enabled autonomous systems to voice their political concerns and reach compromises with the greater democratic assembly. In practicality, it is a farce; the Imperial "Senate" is far more akin to a military junta than a traditional assembly, full of Moffs and Imperial Governors who act only to further the Empire's agenda. There is a certain degree of representation that remains legitimate, but the ultimate political power rests with the Emperor, who presides over the Senate fully.
Inspired by the Knights of the Fel Empire, the Initiative's iteration of the Imperial Knights stand as an elite order of dedicated bodyguards that serve to execute the Emperor's will. They are a counterbalance to the shadowy Inquisitorius, a failsafe that ensures Sith influence can never again corrupt the Imperial state. The Knights also double as a front-facing, public extension of the throne, a palatable order for the people of post-Alliance worlds who have grown accustomed to the affairs of the New Jedi Order. Alongside them serve the Royal Guards, an elite force of non-Force-sensitives who protect Imperial politicians. The Knights are kept on a tight leash, but there is undeniable animosity toward the Inquisitorius.
"We are Imperial Knights. We do our duty by the Emperor and by the Force—no matter the cost." — Sigel Dare
The highest order of the Empire is the Emperor himself, a being who stands as the epitome of order, stability, and perseverance. In decades past, each Empire to rise since the fall of the New Imperial Order (NIO) has been ran as a puppet state for insufferable Sith Lords acting against the very nature of the Imperial doctrine. It is the dedicated goal of the Tarkin Initiative to not only establish an Empire to end all Empires, but to ensure that its figurehead is a true Imperial beholden to no other code or tenet than that of the Empire itself. For so long as he governs a secular Empire untarnished by Jedi dogma or Sith savagery, the Initiative shall stand firmly behind him.
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Since the time of the First Galactic Empire, the criminal underworld has found itself entwined with the Empire's plants for galactic conquest. For bounty hunters and mercenaries, a strong Imperial presence often means a steady flow of credits that can be spent on most worlds across the galaxy; for the Empire, the underworld's cooperation opens countless doors that would otherwise remain shut—if not hidden entirely. Imperial officers, governors, and moffs make extensive use of underworld operators to carry out less than legal jobs.
"You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive. No disintegrations." — Darth Vader
Though bitterly humanocentric at its core, the Empire could not have survived without the summative support of wealthy banking clans, trade guilds, and megacorporations beneficing the state. Friendly relations with entities such as the Trade Federation and Techno Union are no lost on the Tarkin Initiative, and as such, a great deal of time and effort is placed in fostering symbiotic relationships with corporate partners. In doing so, the Empire not only secures its own future, but undermines that of the competition.
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