Imperial remnant (Core and Inner Rim)

"Sources report all Imperial vessels within the Core and Inner Rim staying within the boundaries defined by the treaty. A few prominent members of the Provisional Senate have speculated that the New Republic's war with the remnants of the Empire has finally come to an end and that a final surrender may be imminent."

- A news holo a month following the Battle of Jakku

The Imperial remnant was a political fragment of the former Galactic Empire that formed part of a complex of Imperial territories that existed in the known&mdash;galaxy during the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War in the years of the New Republic era. Whereas several Imperial remnants formed during the waning months of the Galactic Civil War, the cold war remnant was established in the aftermath of the Empire's final defeat at the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY. It was spread across predetermined boundaries in the Core Worlds and Inner Rim under Imperial sovereignty.

Following Emperor Palpatine's death at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Empire fell into chaos and had gradually reseeded from the outer territories to the Core which by 5 ABY had all but collapsed during the Battle of Jakku where the Empire formally surrendered and signed the historic peace agreement&mdash;the Galactic Concordance with the New Republic which dissolved the Empire, but allowed for remnants that had broken away from the Empire to remain as long as it followed treaty stipulates that forced war reparations and disarmament treaties, give up the capital of Coruscant and ban the recruitment of stormtroopers while permitting elements of the Imperial Navy that were still loyal to the state to be confined to the agreed areas.

In response to the new reality, the Empire itself, consisting of many Imperial nobles, technologists, warlords, and officers rejected the treaty and embarked on an exodus into the Unknown Regions in an effort to escape the gaze of the New Republic, where they reformed the Empire into the First Order&mdash;there in secret from the known galaxy, it began to rise.

Early foundations
"If an Empire cannot protect its Emperor then that Empire must be deemed a failure. It collapses not only because its central figure is gone, but because it must not be allowed to remain!"

- Emperor Sheev Palpatine, to Gallius Rax

For a millennium, the Galactic Republic presided over the galaxy, and sought to uphold peace and prosperity&mdash; with the help of the Jedi Order and in the belief the Sith had faded into history, the Republic was able to maintain a peaceful era. But the Republic over time became slow and corrupt with politicians unable to deal effectively with disputes that arose in the Galactic Senate. As corruption took it grip on the Republic, the then senator of Naboo Sheev Palpatine, secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious&mdash; elevated to Supreme Chancellor during the Invasion of Naboo and setting his plan in-motion for the restoration of the Sith Empire. As a failsafe, Palpatine developed the Contingency, whom was unwilling to share his future Empire as a Sith Lord with a successor and would destroy his Empire should he perish, he entrusted Galli, a child from Jakku&mdash;to oversee planning.

Gradually amassing far more emergency powers than would be ordinarily allowed at the height of the Separatist Crisis as the galaxy fell into chaos. The Clone Wars broke out with the Confederacy of Independent Systems for three years, Palpatine used this to made changes to the Galactic Constitution and eventually issued Order 66, using the Jedi attempted arrest appear to be a 'Jedi rebellion' and purge the Jedi Order, he used this as a pretext for his proclamation of the New Order, officially ending the thousand-year-old democracy and replacing it with the Galactic Empire and appointing himself as Galactic Emperor while wipe out the remaining Separatists, thus ending the Clone Wars and hailing the start of the Imperial Era.

Origins
"...the best way forward is to establish a formal splinter Empire. Set up a truce with these New Republic slime-dogs, allow them to go their way, and we go ours."

- Arsin Crassus suggesting a truce with the New Republic.

Following the Galactic Empire's fragmentation in the aftermath of the crushing defeat at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Galactic Civil War began to tip in the favor of the Rebel Alliance. With Emperor Sheev Palpatine killed and the second Death Star destroyed, the Empire became leaderless. The loss of both the Emperor and the Imperial Ruling Council above Endor resulted in a massive power vacuum, leading to a number of admirals, moffs, and other warlords either trying to seize control for themselves or seceding from the Empire entirely. Although Grand Vizier Mas Amedda tried to maintain order within the leadership, the aftermath of the Emperor's demise left him with little real power. As a result, the Empire almost completely fragmented within weeks due to the lack of a single leader and collapse of Imperial rule beyond the Core began to take effect, while others like Arsin Crassus began suggesting the Empire sue for peace with the New Republic

Several months after the Battle of Endor, Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax managed to unite a portion of the old Imperial Navy into a single force, effectively declaring himself the new leader of the Empire and establishing an advisory council to run it, making Grand Admiral Rae Sloane its public face. Unbeknownst to his associates, Rax secretly intended to carry out a contingency order given to him by the late Emperor himself, which would see the Empire being completely disassembled. Amassing his united armada above the Inner Rim world of Jakku, he planned on luring the navy of the recently established New Republic to the desert world so that both fleets could destroy one-another in one climactic battle. His plan was thwarted by Sloane, even though the Empire was ultimately defeated.

Corewards Retreat
Shortly after the Battle of Jakku, the Galactic Concordance was signed between Amedda and Chancellor Mon Mothma of the Republic, marking an official end of the war, the Empire then retreated to the Core Worlds and Inner Rim and would launched no further major offensives. Despite this, the conflict would not truly die down for some time. In order to prevent the holdouts of the Empire from regaining a foothold in the galaxy, a series of stipulations were set in place in accordance with the conditions of the treaty. Subsequently, noncombatant functionaries within the old Imperial government were given conditional pardons provided they complied with the articles of the Concordance. As a result, the Empire quickly became a rump state, while a new government was established by the New Republic on the capital world of Coruscant led by Ammeda, although, in reality, the former Grand Vizier was little more than a puppet, making the provisional government a client state of the New Republic's newly asserted hegemony.

After the formation of the provisional government on Coruscant, the borders of the Empire's reorganized ascendancy were drawn, as determined by Mon Mothma, thereby denoting the constraints of Imperial sovereignty. These new borders, which conditionally allowed the Empire to peacefully co-exist with the New Republic, were ultimately confined to most of the Core and the Inner Rim, both regions contained some of the wealthiest and most prestigious planets that were historically loyal to the Empire. Despite that, Coruscant would not fall within these boundaries, with the provisional government remaining a vassal state of the New Republic under the rule of Mas Ammeda. Several other Core Worlds would fall under New Republic control as well, such as Hosnian Prime, which would eventually become capital of the Republic. Those other Core Worlds that did not fall under remnant jurisdiction would ultimately join the new galactic government.

While all noncombatant functionaries who served in the old Imperial government were given conditional pardons, provided they acted by the articles of the Galactic Concordance, the still living Imperial officials who refused to surrender were branded as war criminals. Heeding reluctantly to the provisions of the agreement, all Imperial forces and starships retreated within the new boundaries that were determined by the Galactic Concordance. Unlike the Imperial holdouts that continued to fight the New Republic with no regard for the peace treaty, the Empire itself adhered to the constraints by halting the training of stormtroopers, the closing of Imperial academies, and agreeing to keep all vessels within the remnant's borders. Despite the relatively sizable naval presence, these stipulations heavily regulated what remained of the Empire's military-industrial complex, greatly limiting the Imperial ability to wage war.

Tensions arise
Although the Imperial remnant in the Core agreed to the terms of surrender, a great deal of resentment between the Republic and certain Imperial hardliners remained. These remnants of the Empire entered into a cold war with the Republic that would last for years. While the remnant in the Core maintained peaceful relations with the New Republic, many rogue military elements of the Old Empire would eventually retreat into the Unknown Regions, where a new state was eventually formed, existing separately from the rump state in the Core.

Military
The Imperial remnant inherented the Imperial Navy from the Galactic Empire and was allowed to operate following the disbanding of the Empire. The Galactic Concordance, therefore, allowed the Imperial Military to continue existing. However, due to both the defeat at Jakku and the division of the ascendancy as a whole, the fallen Empire's once-unchallenged military was much weaker than it had once been.

Although the Concordance called for all Imperial forces to retreat into remnant space, some rogue warlords refused, along with the illegally established faction that became locked into the cold war with the New Republic. In spite of all this, loyal portions of the Imperial Navy adhered to the terms of the Concordance and confined themselves to the predetermined boundaries. In turn, the now-reduced Imperial Navy would exist as the region's dominant military force. Despite the presence of these Star Destroyers throughout the Core and Inner Rim, they did not attack the Republic, as the remnant maintained a peaceful co-existence with the reigning galactic government.

Whereas the more aggressive hardliners refused to accept pardons, those Imperial officers who agreed to the New Republic's strict stipulations were not branded as war criminals. While the Imperial Navy remained confined to the region, the requirement that it close down its Imperial academies meant that no further stormtroopers could be trained, although this did not necessarily apply to standard infantry. Still, despite the established presence of a military, the stipulations placed upon it from the New Republic made it difficult for the remnant to renew the Empire's campaign against the former Rebel Alliance.

Appearances

 * Lost Stars