Governor's Gambit - Star Wars SI into Imperial Governor

[SomeoneSomewhereSomehow]

And Myto Sector showcases why their stuff...
Is going to sell when the efficacy and lethality is thus evaluated.
Those Whirlwinds killed more rebel scum than the paper thin TIE/In!

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On the other hand, the performance of their escort cruiser is very likely going to push away any usage for the foreseeable future, since the Imperials likely weren't used to it being an escort ship and deployed them too aggressively, losing several to surface-to-orbit defenses.

 

[Siphon]

Interesting to see the differences, though I think Las is panicking a bit too much. He just needs to fudge things for about a year and the Empire is done.

Hell, stage a fake rebel attack on the Coaxium mine.

The Mid Rim retreat, probably did not go as canon.

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There was a POV chapter of Ackbar, I think, who mentioned the PDAs allowed them to better track their resources and realize it was a fool's errand earlier and thus disengage faster.

 

[Rustic]

I think it would be funny if his escape ship was stolen just before he tries to die.

 

[Notsae66]

I think it would be funny if his escape ship was stolen just before he tries to die.

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Honestly, considering he's deliberately adding a dangerous vulnerability to his schedule, I'd expect someone to try to assassinate him during a ride, forcing him to use his prepared ship and the plan to become nonviable. He's inheriting the Empire, especially if he doesn't want it! Ol' Sheev's ghost would never let anyone sit happily on his throne, thus Las being absolutely out of his mind with terror at the prospect might amuse him enough to stay dead for awhile longer. Probably not, but a man can dream.

 

[Yacov]

Random Theory-crafting: The Potential Fate of Fringe Rebel Alliance Groups Post-Endor in the GG Timeline

Intro
Another little thought rabbit has taken hold. This time looking into how various fringe groups within the Rebel Alliance may react after the Emperor bites it. One key thing to remember is that the Rebel Alliance is a very different and separate entity than the New Republic despite the latter claiming to be a successor to the former. The RA is more akin to a decentralized movement attempting to unify and coordinate various anti-Imperial groups. While the NR is a state with a government, defined borders, and all the desire for consolidation and centralization that comes with that. Beyond the 1sts through 5ths on the ground and the Reds and Phoenixes in the sky and void, there are probably hundreds of little groups, cells, and underground networks with their own cultures and agendas distinct from the central RA forces. "Rogue" actors were tolerated and oftentimes encouraged by the RA (to a point) while the NR could and did often frown upon deviation from state policy and control.

Rebel groups outside of what will be New Republic territory are an interesting subject to consider. As the news of Endor gradually spreads, it is going to lead to a lot of Rebel groups deciding now is the chance to start an uprising to take advantage of the resulting Imperial pandemonium regardless of what the core of the wider Rebel Alliance movement wants. These local groups might not care about the wider picture when the local Imperials are seemingly collapsing right in front of them.

It will be extra inconvenient timing if for instance, the emerging NR government decides to hold off expanding in a specific cell's direction or worse, redirect the cell's support and funding to other areas of interest or towards internal policies. Turns out a government anchoring its legitimacy on civilian (and internal interest group) support tends to place relief programs for thousands of citizens in their own territory higher in priority than funding a couple dozen insurgents out on some remote world beyond their territory, who knew. Once the NR is founded, former Rebel Alliance cells outside their borders are going to face some difficult choices if they aren't part of the initial "in crowd" inside of what ends up being core (not necessarily Core, although there will be overlap) NR territory.

What happens if the seemingly inevitable local collapse of Imperial forces after the Emperor's death doesn't occur? What happens if the expected internal and external support for the local uprising doesn't materialize? These potential factors combined with Imperial signs of weakness immediately after Endor provided a perceived opening are going to result in a variety of likely fates for Rebels off the NR's beaten path.

Integration into the New Republic
This is arguably the best outcome for any remote Rebel cells. They stage their uprising and either succeed at overthrowing the local Imperial government against all odds, or fail and a sufficient number of Rebels get away. The former outcome likely sees the new government send word back to the New Republic and integration into the NR's borders to enjoy benefits from their new distant overlord such as a minuscule amount of political representation, paying NR taxes, and being very low on the priority list for aid from the wider NR. The latter result likely sees the defeated Rebels fleeing to NR territory to escape Imperial retribution and obtain shelter.

Now the fleeing remnants result can have some potential knock on effects. Namely these Rebellions in Exile are likely to start agitating and lobbying within New Republic space to send forces to liberate their homes from Imperial rule. These lobby groups are probably going to be disunited, probably not work well together, and advocate their single issue within the New Republic Senate whenever they can. They are going to oppose slowing down the war against the Empire and its successor states since it leaves their people out in the dust. They are probably going to be in the opposition to the ruling coalition most of the time as the ruling coalition is likely to have a lot of Core folk who are not going to be keen on spending the resources to liberate some dirtball in the Outer Rim.

Death
This is another common, but less good fate for a bunch of these localized uprisings against the Empire. Namely the Rebel cell and their local allies stages their uprising, the Imperial forces rally or just not break immediately, and the uprising gets massacred because the Imperial forces still have way more firepower than them. This leads to most of the Rebels dying or being captured and their civilian supporters facing brutal retaliation whenever a link to the uprising (real or imagined) is uncovered.

The real question is the local population's reaction to the failed uprising since the Rebels are no longer in any position to do any further actions. Maybe they interpret it as martyrdom and it ends up being a rallying point for future dissent against the Empire. Maybe the massacre is effective in dissuading the population from whatever cause the local Rebels were advocating for such as a return to an old form of government. Maybe the Empire's response is so successful in its objectives that the population not only gets cold feet for local dissent, they end up hating the wider Rebellion and the New Republic for bringing the Empire's wrath upon them. This is going to be awkward should the NR send any agents afterwards to try to rekindle further anti-Imperial movements. Why should they believe the NR when they got massacred the last time they did?

Going to Ground
This middle of the road outcome can stem from either the local uprising being defeated, but not completely wiped out, or the local leaders of the uprising decide to be cautious and not trigger the uprising after Endor. Either way they keep a low profile, maybe pull back on a few of their ongoing operations, and continue to build their strength. Not causing an immediate problem, but maintaining aspirations of overthrowing the Imperial government. Not really a final outcome as much as a continuation of the status quo.

Going forward this outcome has the local Rebel cell remaining an ongoing problem for the Imperials as they remain either too entrenched, fortified, or more likely too hidden for the Imperials to deal with permanently. With the chaos of the Post-Endor period, circumstances are likely to slide into the local Rebel group's favor. The local Imperials are likely distracted dealing the collapse of the chain of command and dealing with whatever warlord or "legitimate government" they now answer to. All this chaos is going to give room for the local Rebels some room to arm themselves, increase their numbers, and just make themselves an absolute nuisance for the Imperial government using their likely outdated and patched together forces. Local Rebel cells like these are likely to maintain at least some positive relations with the New Republic and would likely provide them extensive local support show the NR try to take the system.

Burnout
The Burnout outcome has the local Rebels suffering a large enough loss of faith or morale that the entire network dissolves and most decided to fade back into the general population. This can be due to a variety of factors. Lack of support or contact from the wider Rebellion or the New Republic for long periods, mounting losses during or even before the post-Endor uprising is launched, things not immediately getting better after the Emperor dies, supplies drying up due to the galaxy being thrown into chaos from the Empire's fall, or just fatigue from doing this Rebel thing for up to two decades or more. The Emperor's death represents a great chance to get off the Rebel ride as technically the Big Bad has been defeated. Whether your local goal has been met or not, the threat that united all these disparate and varied groups, a dominant Empire, is now in the decline. Many of the less committed Rebels with not much stake in the fight are more likely to take this path and attempt to return to their pre-Rebel lives.

Burnout gives the possibility of these local Rebels finding a different path than just continuing to fight the Empire as they once did. Maybe they open up a cantina or a repair shop. Maybe they wallow in poverty and despair after giving everything to the Cause. Maybe they live a fugitive's lifestyle until finally getting busted by the Imperial authorities or a bounty hunter. Maybe they get picked up by a plucky group of fresh Rebels later down the line who visit to strip up more trouble as the grumpy uncle character. Either way, burned out ex-Rebels are not that much of a problem for the Empire in the short term.

Loyalty Shift
This is arguably the worst outcome for the wider Rebellion and the New Republic. Where going to ground keeps the faith, and burnout has disillusionment turn to apathy, a loyalty shift has that disillusionment turn to anger. How dare the Rebellion abandon them when they needed them! How dare the Rebellion not show up to support their uprising! How dare the Rebellion deceive them into thinking they could win with their numbers! How dare the New Republic try to claim victory when their local cell is still shedding blood, sweat, and tears! How dare etc, etc, etc. Whatever the reason, the local Rebels are disillusioned and frustrated to the point they cut their ties with the Rebellion or the New Republic, but still retain the will, training, and the equipment to keep fighting whomever they want to fight. This opens the doors to serving other masters, or even themselves.

A common option for these ex-Rebels is going full criminal. Banditry, brigandage, piracy, joining up with a syndicate, or another form of criminal activity to support themselves. The same skills that made them effective as Rebels will make them effective in the Underworld. Dodging Imperial authorities and dodging other forms of authorities are not that dissimilar after all. This is going to be an option I imagine a good portion of pro-Rebel smugglers are going to take once the Rebellion transforms into the New Republic and "go legit". Smugglers were criminals before and during their time in the Rebellion, not too out there that they would just keep doing what they were already doing. Other insurgents may have been raiding Imperial caravans and convoys long enough that it is all they know how to do only now with Rebel training and what funding they received. Without the cause of the Rebellion to restrain them, these insurgents may start going after "softer" targets to keep themselves fed and well supplied to the detriment of everyone else. Also there is always the lure of getting paid lots and lots of Credits in exchange for violence and other indiscretions. Times get tight enough around the galaxy and people are going to get tempted to follow who has the money.

Another loyalty shift could be towards the Empire. Now most Rebels would get executed or tortured, then executed for trying to defect to the Empire. However there are examples where known ex-Rebels have been employed by the Empire. There have also been cases of unknown Rebels being employed by the Empire. The local Imperial government often doesn't actually know every Rebel within the local Rebel network. Not like any sane applicants are going to put "Rebel" on their resumes for an Imperial job. These ex-Rebels are going to be very effective at hunting down other Rebels if they manage to stay in their employer's good books.

Then there are the independents. The local Rebel cells who break off to just do their own thing while not going full criminal. The main variation is going to be whether or not they succeeded in their local uprising. If these now ex-Rebels succeed in overthrowing the local Imperial government, they may look around, say "screw the New Republic, got mine", and start their own mini-empire under their control. If the ex-Rebels didn't succeed in an uprising, well now there is a rogue army or fleet that is better trained and equipped than most PDFs wandering around the immediate area and all the problems that come from that. This rogue force could go mercenary, become criminals down the road, join up with one of the new statelets that forms after the Empire's fall and wants a bunch of trained and well equipped troops for their military, or find a softer target and just take over that in order to make that their new base of operations.

Regardless of where their new loyalties lie, militant ex-Rebels are a huge problem for the New Republic. This is because no matter how much the NR disavows the actions of these now ex-Rebels, some of the bad press from their actions is still going to blow back on the NR by association. It is not going to be a good look if Z-95s and Y-wings bearing Rebel iconography start strafing merchants and killing innocent civilians, no matter who now owns the starfighters. Even worse if they intentionally do it under the guise of the Rebellion in order to lure folks into a false sense of security. They still got their old codes and uniforms to sell the deception after all.

Another issue for the New Republic concerning ex-Rebels is the potential information security risk. An ex-Rebel unconcerned with his previous comrades can tell all sorts of juicy secrets about the Rebels to their new masters, or the highest bidder. Codes, ciphers, prominent figures, tactics, operating procedures, etc. Even though the Rebel network was compartmentalized, there is still enough general knowledge for any defector to do some real damage. Then there are stories of the ex-Rebel's previous actions while they were in the Rebellion's employ. If an ex-Rebel mouths off that the Rebellion was the one that for instance, blew up a major piece of infrastructure and caused widespread utility failures across an entire planet, suddenly that planet may view the New Republic that spawned from the Rebellion in a far less favorable light. If the New Republic can't get a lid on these potential leaks, their propaganda public relations department are going to have their hands and hand-equivalents full.

Conclusion
It is easy to assume that the transition from the Rebellion into the New Republic was seamless and total. That whatever cells were left outside of New Republic territory kept the faith, loyally and patiently waiting for their superiors to come and subsume them into the new galactic hegemony. However I much more enjoy seeing the fall of the Empire and rise of the New Republic as a time of chaos, confusion, and conflict in priorities and politics. Where the New Republic is forced to shed and abandon some of its Rebel character and fringe elements in the name centralization and standardization. Folks are always going to be left behind during a major transition of a galaxy spanning organization. If the New Republic crawls out weaker or stronger but more fractious after Endor, that number of cells they are forced to abandon or that abandon them may be higher than canon or legends. A weaker or more fractious New Republic might struggle more to unite its varied allies, "warlords", and factions. Even if these abandoned or abandoning Rebels remain at most minor bit players on a galactic scale, their stories and fates could still be interesting and impactful on the local scale.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[AdrianXIV]

Another loyalty shift could be towards the Empire. Now most Rebels would get executed or tortured, then executed for trying to defect to the Empire. However there are examples where known ex-Rebels have been employed by the Empire. There have also been cases of unknown Rebels being employed by the Empire. The local Imperial government often doesn't actually know every Rebel within the local Rebel network. Not like any sane applicants are going to put "Rebel" on their resumes for an Imperial job. These ex-Rebels are going to be very effective at hunting down other Rebels if they manage to stay in their employer's good books

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I feel that WEB might be mistaken by some people as such "Empire-employed ex-Rebel Rebel-Hunters", given that they're Mindanese "secret black ops group" that uses Rebellion-style tactics

 

[Heidao]

Snip

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Still halfway listening to this through my text to speech, but we have to consider first which "canon" is the author taking?

Are they taking the OG Legends with the Yuuzhan Vong or Disney's train wreck?

Cause we can finagle a survival path for him with the former but he's screwed on the latter. The eventual Warlords that form in the former can see him carve out a line to protect Myto as he joins either side, by the Rey-verse timeline can see him being used to fight the New Republic in the grand smokescreen so Palpy can bust out his pocket fleet of planet killer star destroyers.