Subjugation of Ralltiir

"When peace and stability are threatened, it's the Emperor's duty to intervene, to ensure his subjects' security and well-being."

- Lord Tion to Princess Leia Organa

The Subjugation of Ralltiir initially occurred about three weeks prior to the Battle of Yavin in 1 BBY, but an insurgency would go on for years afterwards.

Prologue
"Enough of them were sympathetic to the Rebel Alliance to require purification here. The Empire will exert close guidance over them for their own safety."

- Lord Tion

The Ralltiiri High Council began to oppose the Galactic Empire in the early period of the Galactic Civil War, and much of the population were becoming sympathetic to the cause of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

The Empire initially countered this by infiltrating and sabotaging Ralltiiri banking accounts of nonhumans and Rebel sympathizers, making the financial center useless to numerous factions throughout the galaxy.

Due to the high amount of Rebels and Rebel sympathizers present on the planet and seeing Rebel-supported counteractions against the financial records, the Imperial task force leader, Lord Tion, was ordered to quell Rebel activity in the system.

The takeover
The planet was bombarded by an Imperial fleet led by Tion's Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Devastator. Despite an attack made on the flagship by the Griffon Flight Wing, the operation continued as planned.

Ground troops landed in the capital of Cambrielle and began to root out Rebel elements, while also shutting down the city, effectively crippling the Rebel network before it could react.

The High Council was eliminated as a demonstration of the futility of rebellion, people suspected of having ties to the Alliance were executed, and the population at large were herded into death camps. Martial law was declared.

Tion also sealed off the entire Ralltiir system and would not even permit relief organizations to travel through the blockade. This severely damaged commerce in the Darpa sector.

Darth Vader also arrived on the planet to oversee its subjugation, though he held no command of the task force itself.

Princess Leia's mission
While the "purification" campaign was taking place, Princess Leia Organa's ship, the Tantive IV, landed in the capital's spaceport. She was officially on a diplomatic mission to deliver spare parts and medical supplies to the High Council of Ralltiir; unbeknownst to the Empire, her cargo was secretly military-grade equipment meant for Alliance operatives.



A Ralltiir Rebel named Basso had information about the Death Star project implanted into his memory. Having made his way to the space port along with a small team of Rebel operatives, he attempted to reach the princess and get the information safely delivered to the Alliance. During the diversionary attack, Basso was injured, but he made his way to Organa's entourage and was hidden inside her landspeeder.

Finding the situation to be deteriorating, and having a wounded Rebel in tow, the princess decided to leave the world immediately. She nearly had her cover blown when she encountered Darth Vader, who demanded to search through her cargo. Tion also activated a surveillance system allowing him to monitor any spoken conversation in the city. Using Lord Tion's affections for her and the fact that any search would have to be cleared with him for it to be legal, Organa managed to escape the planet with her cargo and passenger secure.

Aftermath


"Yes, we're safe, but the people of Ralltiir are not. Vader and Tion will carry out their "purification", and there's nothing we can do to stop them. The Empire is too powerful--and there's only so much that talk can accomplish"

- Princess Leia Organa

When the blockade was finally lifted, Ralltiir was still occupied by Imperial forces. This led to commercial interests relocating to other worlds as Ralltiir was no longer seen as a free and stable financial center. This led to a decline in the system's economy, eventually crippling it.

After the initial military operation, Ralltiir saw a long-lasting campaign between Imperial and Rebel forces, with the planet remaining a hotbed of Rebel activity. This was partially due to the corrupt Imperial Governor Dennix Graeber, who had been installed as a puppet leader by Tion, to oversee public Rebel executions and the enforcement of harsh restrictions.

Graeber secretly sold arms to Rebel cells on the planet, thus strengthening them and increasing their activity on the planet. This lead Emperor Palpatine to increase the military operations on Ralltiir, giving Graeber a reason to continue the brutality that had begun in 1 BBY. Ralltiir's landscapes were devastated in the fighting and little order existed.

Significant events during this period included the Ettam massacre, four days before the Battle of Yavin, and the Battle of Ralltiir one year later.

Due to its horrific fate and role in securing knowledge about the first Death Star, Ralltiir was one of the first planets to receive aid from the New Republic after the Battle of Endor. It became the first Core World liberated from the Empire by the Republic's military forces.

Appearances

 * Star Wars radio drama
 * Star Wars: Empire 5: Princess... Warrior, Part 1
 * Star Wars 2: In the Shadow of Yavin, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Empire 13: What Sin Loyalty?
 * Star Wars: Empire 38: The Wrong Side of the War, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Empire 38: The Wrong Side of the War, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Empire 38: The Wrong Side of the War, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Empire 38: The Wrong Side of the War, Part 3