IM-455 modular garrison

"Their pacification is your security"

- Rothana Engineering motto for the IM-455 modular garrison The IM-455 modular garrison, also known as The Peacekeeper, was the Empire's standard base deployed on planets to keep the peace and serve as a home for its troops. It was built by Rothana Heavy Engineering.

Characteristics
"Greetings! As the commander of an IM-455 modular garrison you are in possession of an impregnable fortress that stands as a symbol of Imperial power."

- Rothana's official statement about the garrison

Garrison bases consisted of eight levels, topped by a sensor and communications tower. Levels one through to five, all identical in size and shape, consisted mainly of the large surface vehicle bays where all the surface vehicles were stored, maintained and deployed from. They also contained most of the personnel quarters as well as the armory, detention cells and most other key base areas.

Level six held the officer's quarters, TIE fighter pilots' quarters, command rooms and so on. Level seven consisted entirely of the TIE/LN starfighter hangars. Level eight was the deployment chutes and control rooms for the base's TIEs. TIEs were launched, retrieved and manipulated by the base's powerful suite of tractor beam projectors. Garrison bases also had underground sub-levels which contained the generators and main infrastructure.

Models
Although the basic garrison was a standardized model, there existed several variations:

Oceanic garrisons
There was an aquatic model, the oceanic garrison, which lacked the underground levels and had several powerful repulsorlifts to keep it afloat. In addition, it was equipped with underwater hangar bays. The contingent included seatroopers and AT-AT swimmers.

Orbiting garrisons
An orbiting garrison were two standard garrisons locked together base-to-base, but this variation was rarely deployed. These garrisons were only deployed in orbits around extremely hostile and dangerous planets. This provided the troops on the ground with an orbital fire base and also made the headquarters extra secure. Orbiting Garrisons could support a full TIE wing and several orbital tugships. Since the garrisons lacked engines, the tugs were the only means of propulsion.

However, orbiting garrisons created a controversy with the Navy, which considered all space-deployed units their jurisdiction. In the end, the command on orbiting garrisons was split between Navy and Army, with one base commanded by an Admiral, the other one by a Major General. Additional, a new orbital defense platform for the Navy was put into production.

Hostile-environment garrisons
For planets with unfriendly climate, there existed a hostile-environment garrison, which was equipped with sealed airlocks on all entry points on an extra life-support sub-level.

Garrison complexes
Several standard garrisons could be deployed in close proximity to form a garrison complex. The buildings would be connected via underground tunnels and walkways. The largest complexes were constructed of up to six garrisons arranged in a ring. Like orbiting garrisons, these complexes were rarely constructed. Only worlds of major strategic importance required such a great headquarter. Most complexes were headquarters of an Army, Systems Army, or a Sector Army and commanded by a General.

Personnel


Imperial garrisons were commanded by a Major General and housed 3000 base personnel divided as follows:


 * 300 command personnel
 * 500 support/services personnel
 * 200 technical personnel
 * 200 science personnel
 * 100 medical personnel
 * 100 gunners/weapons technicians
 * 80 walker technicians
 * 70 trade mission/diplomatic personnel
 * 60 ground crew technicians
 * 25 controllers
 * 25 sensor technicians
 * 10 speeder bike technicians
 * 50 Imperial Intelligence officers

Combat forces

 * 50 walker crewers
 * 40 TIE fighter pilots
 * 800 stormtroopers
 * 200 perimeter support troops
 * 150 base security/detention troops
 * 40 scout troopers

Vehicle complement

 * 30 TIE/LN starfighters and 5 TIE bombers
 * 10 AT-ATs
 * 10 AT-STs
 * 50-100 speeder bikes and/or landspeeders
 * 100 miscellaneous vehicles (construction, cargo, maintenance, etc.)

Defenses
Garrison bases were equipped with three heavy twin turbolaser turrets and six heavy laser turrets, as well as tractor beam projectors.

Though shielded, garrisons also possessed extensive ground defenses such as anti-infantry and anti-vehicle minefields and a ten-meter high electrified death fence. This had variable power settings, so it could either severely shock an individual or fry them outright in an instant, depending on the base commander's choice.

To get through the fence and into the base, units had to pass through force field gates. These were flanked by two guard towers with stormtroopers on constant duty and positioned evenly around the fence's perimeter. Running behind the fence and parallel to it was an elevated catwalk patrolled by stormtroopers with guard towers (each equipped with electrobinoculars, floodlights, and alarm systems) spaced every 100 meters.

Some garrison bases were positioned to use the terrain to their advantage, such as setting them into mountainsides or on outcroppings. These tailored their ground defenses accordingly. Garrison bases also possessed air recyclers and advanced environment and filter systems allowing them to be deployed almost anywhere, from hostile worlds to asteroids.

History
Boba Fett once took an assignment to capture a criminal, conveniently the brother of a base commander, on the order of Jabba the Hutt. His actions to capture the criminal forced him to destroy most of the base, including two AT-ATs, two AT-STs, and the commanding general. The engagement gave the criminal the time he needed to escape.

Star Destroyers like the Imperial-class could carry one of these installations, while an Executor-class Star Dreadnought could carry up to three. Prefabricated bases were dropped from orbit in ready-made pieces and assembled on-site by Imperial engineers and construction droids. The Y-85 Titan dropship was essential to this purpose onboard Imperial ships larger than Star Destroyers.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Weekly 60 (The Kingdom of Ice)
 * Star Wars: Force Commander
 * Battle for the Golden Sun
 * The Abduction
 * The Truce at Bakura
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Dark Force Rising
 * The Last Command
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Dark Force Rising
 * The Last Command