- "I have forged this empire to surmount all of my previous works; to span eternity."
- ―Valkorion
The Eternal Empire, also known as the Eternal Empire of Zakuul or the Zakuul empire, was a totalitarian dictatorship[1] that was based on the Wild Space planet Zakuul. It was founded by Emperor Valkorion before the Galactic War that Valkorion sought to use to reshape the galaxy. Valkorion used the Empire's Eternal Fleet to battle both the Galactic Republic and reconstituted Sith Empire on multiple worlds, which the Eternal Empire won, thus forcing both the Republic and Sith Empire to be its puppet states until the War against Zakuul.
History[]
Valkorion's rule[]
Origins[]
- "How is this possible? A second empire? Even you couldn't have built all of this. There must be another explanation."
"You presume limits to my power. There are none." - ―The Outlander and Valkorion
Emperor Valkorion, the first ruler of the Empire
Some time between the Ritual of Nathema and the Great Galactic War, the Sith Emperor Vitiate heard rumors of an ancient and unstoppable fleet of warships operated by sentient droids that had nearly wiped out all of Wild Space.[8] A powerful ship known as the Gravestone purportedly stopped the entire "Eternal Fleet" at a backwater planet called Zakuul,[9] and so Vitiate chose Zakuul as the world upon which he would build a new empire.[8] Vitiate found a Zakuulan warrior who went by the name "Valkorion" and took him as a new Voice.[10] The mind of Valkorion was completely suppressed,[11] and his identity was used by Vitiate to build and rule over Zakuul.[2] Zakuul's native Humans were a superstitious and nihilistic people who worshipped the ruthless Old Gods, and so "Valkorion" claimed to be the Demon Savior of Zakuulan prophecy—an immortal god of gods who would topple Izax the Ultimate Devourer and the rest of the Old Gods, and thus usher in a new age.[12]
The Eternal Throne room, Eternal Empire's seat of power.
Uniting the nomadic tribes of Zakuul, Valkorion declared himself the Immortal Emperor of a new Eternal Empire,[13] and established a city amid the swamps as he accelerated the Zakuulans' technological advancement. The city was not grand enough for Valkorion, and his rapidly growing civilization became based in the Spire, a golden metropolis that sprawled outwards from atop the Old World, as the first city became known.[4] Valkorion repurposed the three tribal leadership roles—Matriarch, Champion, and High Shaman—into the Knights of Zakuul, an order of Force users who were considered protectors of the people and were fanatical in their devotion to their Immortal Emperor.[13]
Eternal Throne in orbit over Zakuul
A subgroup of the Knights, the Scions of Zakuul, specialized in seeing the future and were obsessed with the idea of fate.[14] Valkorion used this to his advantage, using the Scions' Force visions to find the dormant Eternal Fleet.[8] To control the fleet, he gathered Zakuul's greatest minds and set them to work building the Eternal Throne: a throne in the starscraper that topped the Spire whose technology gave the Immortal Emperor control over[15] the GEMINI units that operated the fleet.[8] The throne took generations to complete, finishing around two centuries after the Jedi Civil War.[15]
Era of Prosperity[]
Young Prices Arcann and Thexan playing in the field
A young Knight named Senya Tirall joined Valkorion's elite guard, a the time when the Immortal Emperor had begun to phase out Humans from the Eternal Empire military in favor of droids such as the new Skytroopers. Tirall spoke out against the change, catching Valkorion's attention. Her willingness to speak her mind earned her a permanent posting to Valkorion's elite guard, and the two began a secret affair two years later. They were happy for a time until Tirall bore twin sons, Arcann and Thexan. Valkorion grew increasingly distant and barely acknowledged the presence of his family for weeks at a time as he concentrated his power and focus elsewhere.[4]
Valkorion's children experienced Zakuul's golden years.
Tirall also gave birth to a daughter she named Vaylin, and the child inherited her father's immense power—she made furniture move while still in the womb, and tore apart droids as a toddler.[4] Though distracted, Valkorion had been paying some attention to his children, and the similarities between himself and his favorite child both pleased and frightened the Emperor.[16] Tirall was horrified when her daughter crippled a guard after dropping a ball she had tossed, and went to Valkorion for help. Valkorion's "solution" was to install mental blocks that separated Vaylin from most of her powers and suppressed her violent and sociopathic tendencies, but also damaged her personality.[4]
Valkorion welcomes his daughter after her return from Nathema.
Tirall attempted to flee with her children, but they rejected her concerns and scorned her affections, so a broken-hearted Tirall returned to service in the enforcement division of the Knights on the outer fringes of the Empire, never to speak with Valkorion again.[4] In her absence, Valkorion remained emotionally distant from his children, teaching them his philosophy that one could achieve anything if they were willing to sacrifice, and changing their guards regularly to prevent them from becoming attached. Doing so reminded his children that while the Knights of Zakuul served his children, the Knights considered the three of them to be merely extensions of Valkorion's will.[17]
Revealed to the Galaxy[]
Arcann and Thexan would show the Eternal Empire's might to the galaxy.
The Eternal Empire had a network of agents which they used to spy on the outlands, a Zakuulan term for the Core Worlds.[18] The Empire itself remained hidden until around 3636 BBY,[19] when twin Princes Arcann and Thexan proposed a plan to test the capabilities of the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire in combat. Valkorion agreed, granting Thexan control of the Eternal Fleet though he ordered that Arcann remain on Zakuul. Arcann had disobeyed his father's wishes and led the assault alongside his brother regardless.[20] They fought on many worlds before finally striking at Korriban, where during the battle Arcann was grievously wounded.[21]
Arcann looks at his father in the moments after killings his brother.
Medics operated upon Arcann, and he had been fitted with a replacement cybernetic arm and eye.[17] The twin princes returned to Zakuul to present the lightsabers of fallen Jedi and Sith as trophies from the battle to their father, but Valkorion merely turned his back on them in silence. This infuriated Arcann, and overcome by the dark side of the Force he attempted to attack the Emperor, but Thexan pulled his brother back. Arcann turned his attention to his brother and lashed out at him, but their brief duel ended when Thexan was struck down by his brother with a cut across the stomach, killing him. Coming to his senses, Arcann cradled his twin's body in his arms before looking up to see Valkorion looming over him, asking his remaining son to come with him.[21] Thexan's death was covered up, and a funeral was held saying that he was killed while fighting in the Core Worlds.[22]
The Eternal Fleet outclassed any other spacecraft in the galaxy.
To hunt down their foes, the Sith Dark Council member Darth Marr formed a joint task force from Imperial and Republic forces for an incursion into uncharted Wild Space territory. Unknowingly, Marr's task force breached the borders of the Eternal Empire, and Valkorion sent the Eternal Fleet to face the intruders in response. The task force was destroyed and the survivors were scattered, while Darth Marr and his ally, the Outlander, were captured by the Eternal Empire and transferred to the Eternal Flagship of Prince Arcann, who took them to Zakuul and brought them before his father. Darth Marr immediately identified the Immortal Emperor as just another host body of Sith Emperor Vitiate, who in turn bluntly stated that the fate of galactic Core Worlds and people on them did not concern him.[2]
Valkorion's offer to share his power with the Outlander led to his demise.
Darth Marr was enraged by the indifference of his former Emperor and proceeded to attack, killing at least two Knights of Zakuul. Valkorion then killed the Sith Lord with a powerful blast of concentrated lighting, at which point his daughter High Justice Vaylin ordered all Knights and Scions of Zakuul to clear the room. Arcann used Valkorion's preoccupation with the Outlander to once again attempt to strike his father down, and in the resulting confrontation Valkorion's physical body received a mortal wound,[2] while his spirit refused to surrender to mortality and entered the Outlander's body in search of a new host.[6] Arcann sensed that his father's spirit was still present inside a new host body and ordered the Outlander to be immediately frozen in carbonite.[2]
Arcann's rule[]
A New Power in the Galaxy[]
Arcann and Vaylin ruled the Eternal Empire after Valkorion's death.
Arcann immediately assumed the Eternal Throne and proclaimed himself the new Eternal Emperor. He claimed that the Outlander had assassinated Valkorion for seeking to destroy Zakuul society and promised revenge on the Core Worlds, launching a full-scale conquest in retaliation.[2] The Eternal Fleet attacked both Republic and Empire at once, destroying their shipyards and blockading the major trade routes. The Eternal Empire had numbers and speed on its side; only ships powered with isotope-5 could hope to evade the more powerful Eternal Fleet warships. Within three months, Zakuul had achieved naval superiority over both sides, and by the end of the first year, the Republic capital of Coruscant and the Imperial capital of Dromund Kaas were both blockaded. Before long, Republic Senate sued for peace. The Minister of Logistics did the same for the Sith Empire.[3]
Zakuul became the new seat of power in the galaxy under Emperor Arcann.
Both sides sent emissaries - Senator Evran for the Republic, and Darth Vowrawn for the Empire - to Zakuul, where they were brought before Arcann.[23] The Emperor agreed to a ceasefire, provided that the Republic and the Empire pay heavy tribute to Zakuul and submit to armament restrictions. With little option left to them, both sides agreed. Even after this, the war between the Republic and the Empire continued - and Arcann allowed it to, provided that both sides acknowledge the supremacy of Zakuul, and continue to pay the tribute demanded of them.[3] Rather than control his new holdings with occupation armies, Arcann deployed hundreds of massive Star Fortresses in orbit around major planets. Any attempts at resistance were answered by the stations venting excess plasma from the sun generators into devastating beams fired at the surface, essentially holding the planets and their populations hostage. The fortresses were under the command of Exarchs, biologically and cybernetically enhanced Knights of Zakuul. [24]
Arcann and Vaylin ruled the Eternal Empire as Emperor and High Justice for five years.
Not long after he took the Eternal Throne, Arcann ordered the Knights of Zakuul to wipe out the Scions of Zakuul whom he detested for believing in prophecies and pre-ordained order of things.[25] Most Knights were loyal to the new Emperor and the order was carried out, often with Knights and Exarchs slaughtering the same Scions they served with side-by-side.[26] A number of Scions, led by Heskal, managed to survive and escaped into hiding,[27] while Senya Tirall was appalled with her son's actions and began working with the enemies of his regime.[4] To safekeep the valuables obtained in the years it spent pillaging the galaxy following the conquest, the Eternal Empire used the Gilded Star, a treasury ship guarded by a full battalion of Knights of Zakuul and Skytroopers with a vault so strong, it could survive the rest of the ship being reduced to atoms. The ship would spend most of its time hiding deep in the atmosphere of gas giant Vandin, only coming up annually for air.[28]
The Outlander escapes[]
Vaylin informs her brother about Outlander's escape.
In 3631 BBY, five years after the death of Valkorion, Lana Beniko mounted a mission to rescue the Outlander from the carbonite prison with her allies. Beniko located and unfroze the Outlander, and proceeded to escort them to the extraction point, but they ertr pursued by High Justice Vaylin. Vaylin destabilized a Sun Generator to block their escape route and cornered Beniko and the Outlander. Koth Vortena's shuttle arrived and picked them up, through the shuttle was damaged by Vaylin[29] and crashed in the Endless Swamp. Vaylin returned to the Eternal Throne room, where Arcann send skytroopers to sweep the area for large metallic sensor reading.[3]
Arcann and Vaylin learned that their mother was aiding their enemies.
The Outlander's accomplices were joined by Senya Tirall and managed to locate the Gravestone, the legendary starship that once overpowered the Eternal Fleet, and get it airborne. They faced the Eternal Fleet as they tried to escape Zakuul, whom Arcann ordered to blast the vessel. However, one omnicannon blast from the Gravestone destroyed more than twenty Eternal Fleet warships before jumping into Hyperspace.[30] The leader of the Scions of Zakuul Heskal contacted Emperor Arcann and revealed that the Outlander was hiding on the Asylum shadowport. Arcann ordered the Eternal Fleet to deploy,[4] and arrived to Asylum before his forced did to personally execute the Scions in their hideout, impaling Heskal on his lightsaber.[25]
Vaylin duels her mother on Asylum.
The Eternal Fleet then emerged from hyperspace and opened fire on the shadowport. Zakuulan forced took over the Control Spar, taking control of the docking clamps and keeping the Gravestone grounded. The ship was attacked by a group of Knights led by Vaylin herself, who was about to attack the Outlander when her mother Senya Tirall rushed to aid them, tossing the Outlander away and engaging her daughter. The Outlander went to the Control Spar alone and released the docking clamps keeping the Gravestone in place, but was ambushed by Arcann. During the fight Arcann was knocked off the Control Spar to the levels down below, and the rebels have boarded the Gravestone and escaped the Eternal Fleet blockade into hyperspace.[25] Arcann survived his fall and without further resistance, the Eternal Empire forces have completely leveled Asylum.[31]
War against the Alliance[]
The Battle of Asylum served as a rallying cry for those who wished to oppose Arcann's rule, with individuals from the Sith Empire, the Galactic Republic and the criminal underworld gathering on a remote and unsettled planet, where they joined in an Alliance against the Eternal Empire.[22] Resistance fighters across the galaxy took arms despite the threat of Star Fortresses. One such resistance cell on Bothawui prompted the Eternal Empire to demonstrate their power by firing a powerful laser from the orbiting Star Fortress, wiping out the entire cell.[32]
Arcann orders Vaylin to bombard five worlds in relatiation for the attack on Overwatch.
Despite a widespread search for the Gravestone and the Outlander that Arcann had ordered, neither Vaylin nor the Eternal Fleet patrols were able to located them for weeks. Losing patience, Arcann ordered Vaylin to bombard one inhabited world in five sectors each, hoping to either lure the Outlander out of hiding or give someone else an incentive to reveal their whereabouts. As his order was being carried out, the Outlander visited Zakuul once more and allied with the local terrorist and anarchist Firebrand for a raid on the Overwatch, destroying the controls for the droids that maintained the capital city of the Spire and plunging it into chaos. Arcann used this attack as an excuse for the bombardments, claiming that the targeted worlds supported the Outlander and that the attacks were retaliation for the acts of terrorism on Zakuul.[33]
Vaylin discusses with her brother the consequences of losing their fortune.
The Alliance made increasingly bold strikes against the Eternal Empire, but the whereabouts of its headquarters remained a mystery to Arcann and Vaylin.[34] One such strike was at Vandin, where the Eternal Empire's stealth treasury ship, the Gilded Star, was hiding in the atmosphere of the gas giant. As it went up for its annual resupply, Alliance operatives raided it and escaped with its treasure hull's content just as Vaylin arrived to inspect the ship. Vaylin told her brother that by stealing their valuables, the Alliance would inspire other worlds to rise up in rebellion, but Arcann assured her that the riches could be replaced and fear of his power would discourage any further uprisings.[28]
Vaylin discovers the Eternal Fleet slipping outside of her brother's control.
A distress call from a GEMINI captain revealed to Arcann that the Alliance was attempting to commandeer an Eternal Fleet warship. Arcann took his Eternal Flagship and a significant detachment of the Eternal Fleet to intercept his enemies, but the Gravestone escaped into hyperspace just as the Eternal Fleet arrived on the scene. Soon after, Vaylin noticed that all Eternal Fleet vessels outside their sector have stopped responding to the orders. Arcann dismissed this turn as of little consequence, determined to hunt down the Outlander and Valkorion before worrying about the Eternal Fleet.[35]
SCORPIO sits on the Eternal Throne.
The siblings were aware that in their absence SCORPIO, an advanced artificial intelligence, had taken over the Eternal Throne, controlling both the Skytroopers and the Eternal Fleet, and through it their entire Empire.[35] In an attempt to have her enemies destroy each other, SCORPIO revealed her actions to Arcann, informing him that the Alliance base was located on the planet Odessen. Arcann ordered his detachment of the Eternal Fleet to attack. In a countermove, the Alliance faced the Eternal Fleet with the Gravestone and dealt massive damage to it with the omnicannon. During the battle, the Outlander, Senya Tirall and Lana Beniko boarded the Eternal Flagship in an attempt to kill Arcann.
Arcann's injuries opened a path for his sister to claim his throne.
Seeing an opportunity for herself, Vaylin revealed Arcann's location to the Outlander, while also luring Senya away from him to confront her personally. The Outlander confronted and dueled Arcann on the bridge, when SCORPIO took control of the remaining part of the Eternal Fleet and had them to fire on the Eternal Flagship to eliminate both Arcann and the Outlander. Arcann was defeated and crushed by collapsing debris, while the Outlander retreated. Senya soon arrived and pulled Arcann from under debris just as Vaylin arrived on the bridge. She attacked her mother, but Arcann Force-pushed her away, saving Senya and enraging his sister. Vaylin vengefully retreated back to Zakuul, while Senya carried Arcann away escaped with the intention of healing him.[31]
Vaylin's rule[]
Partnership with SCORPIO[]
Vaylin claims her prize.
Vaylin returned to Zakuul, where SCORPIO welcomed her and explained that she only took the Eternal Throne to grant free will to the GEMINI droids. SCORPIO then willingly surrendered the Eternal Throne to Vaylin, offering to stay and advise the new Empress of Zakuul on how to destroy their enemies.[31] As the new Eternal Empress, Vaylin quickly proved herself an even more brutal leader than Arcann. During her coronation, she publicly executed a dozen Knights of Zakuul for failing to protect her brother after personally congratulating each victim on the great honor of dying at her hand, an act of cruelty that shocked Zakuul's citizens.[36]
Empress Vaylin and her advisor SCORPIO
Having purged the entire cadre of Arcann's guards, Vaylin replaced them with an elite unit handpicked from the remaining ranks of the Knights of Zakuul, which she called the Horizon Guard.[37] She also declared a bounty on her own mother, obsessively pursuing every lead.[38] Eventually, Vaylin learned of several dissident Knights planning on meeting with Senya on Ord Mantell and personally slaughtered the host before Senya even arrived. She then ambushed her mother and engaging her in a lightsaber duel. Single-mindedly driven to kill Senya, Vaylin attempted a finishing blow, only to hit a damaged hyperdrive which exploded, allowing Senya to escape.[39]
Empress Vaylin expresses anger at failing to kill her family on Voss.
After Ord Mantell, Vaylin tracked Senya and Arcann to Voss and invaded the planet with the Eternal Fleet to burn them out of hiding. Her forces landed in and captured the capital city of Voss-Ka, after which Vaylin gleefully ordered the planet to be burnt to ashes. The Alliance responded and engaged the Eternal Fleet, while a stolen Eternal Empire shuttle delivered a ground force to the surface. Eventually, Vaylin located all three of her family members inside the Shrine of Healing and ordered the Eternal Fleet to bombard the Shrine in an attempt to kill them all. However, before the Eternal Fleet ships could scorch the planet's surface, the Imperial fleet had arrived and caused the GEMINI units to flee the battle.[40]
Empress Vaylin listens to SCORPIO's plan.
Meanwhile, Arcann was healed in body and spirit and had escaped from Voss on his own. He had amassed a group of Zakuulan loyalists, willing to aid him in reclaiming the Eternal Throne from his sister.[41] When rumours from Dromund Kaas reported that the Outlander had died, SCORPIO noted that regardless of the truth the resulting disarray was the perfect opportunity to strike against the Alliance. They set up a trap for the Gravestone by capturing a civial cargo freighter Ridala and staging an attack on it by the Eternal Fleet. As the Gravestone piloted by Koth Vortena was hunting down the Eternal Fleet, Ridala sent a distress call and was allowed to land inside the Gravestone hangar.[42]
Empress Vaylin and SCORPIO
SCORPIO, Vaylin and a host of Knights of Zakuul and Horizon Guard emerged from the freighter and took control of the Gravestone.[42] The Alliance fleet arrived in response and engaged the Eternal Fleet, while the Outlander and Lana Beniko infiltrated the Gravestone in a boarding pod. SCORPIO noted that their enemies were onboard, and Vaylin went ahead to confront her father. SCORPIO gained full access to the Gravestone syste,s and instructed the GEMINI captains of the Eternal Fleet to travel to the coordinates that she had uncovered within its computers. Vaylin returned to the bridge to deal with SCORPIO's betrayal, but the droid was faster and shot Vaylin in the shoulder just as the Gravestone jumped into hyperspace.[43]
Iokath[]
The Empress of the Eternal Empire was trapped on Iokath.
The Gravestone and the Eternal Fleet arrived in the Iokath system, where the ships was engulfed by the blinding light coming from the planet. Both Alliance members aboard the Gravestone and the Eternal Empire personnel aboard the Eternal Fleet awoke on the surface of Iokath, separated from each other and placed in scenarios that resembled combat simulations. Zakuulan forces were more numerous, but suffered heavy casualties. Vaylin awoke in a room without exit and made one by smashing through a wall with the Force.[44] Vaylin then came across the remains of Zakuulan crews, which included a number of GEMINI captains. The Empress rallied her forces to take back the Eternal Fleet.[41]
Eternal Empire forces take back control of the Eternal Fleet.
Eternal Empire forces located the control console, from which the GEMINI captains released the docked Eternal Fleet warships. However, as the ships prepared to leave, they began smashing into the energy shield that completely surrounded the planet, and Vaylin ordered to find and disable its source. Vaylin brought a purifier droid drone with her aboard one of the ships, where a Knight informed her that half of the Eternal Fleet has been recaptured, while the remaining ships could be towed with the Tractor beams. Vaylin ordered the GEMINI captain to connect to the Purifier drone, which revealed that ARIES base in the southern hemisphere was about fire a weapon that would destroy organics and the GEMINI droids alike. Vaylin ordered the Eternal Fleet to bombard that fortress, to which the Purifier drone noted that the GEMINI functioned sub-optimally due to SCORPIO's free will protocols.
Empress Vaylin likes the idea of having full control over GEMINI droid restored to her.
The Alliance forces disabled the planetary shield, allowing the Eternal Fleet to escape. Vaylin insisted on killing her enemies first and ordered the Purifier drone to override the GEMINI captain's programming, restoring it to the default setting. ARIES' superweapon exploded and threatened to cover Iokath in deadly radiation, which prompted Vaylin to flee into hyperspace with the majority of the fleet. Determined to have a fleet that obeyed her without question, Vaylin brought the Purifier drone with her back to the Zakuul, where she plugged it into the Eternal Throne. The purifier used the connection to reprogram every single GEMINI unit, which Vaylin tested by ordering one ship in the fleet to destroy another, which it did without hesitation.[41]
The Grand Festival[]
Empress Vaylin revels in her success.
With her full control over the GEMINI captains restored, Vaylin sent the Eternal Fleet to hunt down and destroy Alliance patrols, outposts and supply convoys. She also sought to break her mental blocks and ordered the scientist Jarak to return to Nathema and find a way to undo the conditioning he had put on her under Valkorion's orders. To celebrate her achievements, Vaylin ordered her Magistrate of Revelry Indo Zal to organize a Grand Gestival at the Palace of the Eternal Dragon in her honor. During the party, Vaylin planned to execute a host of captured Zakuulan rebels by feeding them to wild beasts.[18]
Empress Vaylin gives her speech.
Shortly before the party started, Vaylin spotted Indo Zal sneaking around and realized that he was working against her with the Alliance, fitting him with a shock collar of his own. Vaylin made her address to the gathered social elite of Zakuul, which was also broadcast across the galaxy. At this point, the Outlander and Theron Shan revealed themselves to have infiltrated the party, mocking Vaylin in front of the crowd. The Outlander triggered her mental conditioning, causing Vaylin to lose control of her powers in front of everyone, and then detonated the Ion charges attached to the security relays. The ion blast disabled the prisoners' shock collars, leaving them free to attack, but also the locks that kept the wild beasts in place, releasing them into the crowd of civilians and the Knights of Zakuul.
Stung by her brother's betrayal, Vaylin leaves Zakuul for Nathema.
Vaylin prepared to face the Outlander in combat, but at this point Arcann arrived with his loyalists, launching at attack on the palace. Vaylin retreated from the main palace room to the balcony where Arcann approached and tried to talk her down peacefully, but Vaylin attacked him in a fit of rage. The two were interrupted by the arrival of the Outlander and Theron Shan, and Vaylin escaped to her flagship. From there, she witnessed a galaxy-wide broadcast of Arcann swearing his loyalty to the Outlander's Alliance. Enraged, Vaylin ordered the Eternal Fleet to bomb the entire Palace to rubble. Vaylin took her Eternal Fleet flagship to Nathema, leaving Zakuul in a state of chaos between her supporters and those who had risen up in rebellion.[18]
Collapse of an Empire[]
Downfall of the Empress[]
Vaylin breaks her chains.
A shuttle took Vaylin and a host of the Horizon Guard down to the Sanitarium's entrance, where an Abyssin Keeper directed her to Jarak. The Empress ordered the Horizon Guards to wait outside, and Jarak took her down to the main lab for a ritual, which Jarak ensured would break her mental bonds provided she did not die. Vaylin agreed to proceed, and Jarak began the procedure, dealing Vaylin enormous pain, and causing her power to lash out of control. Jarak fled to save his life, while Vaylin gathered all her remaining strength and overpowered Jarak's machines, causing them to explode. Vaylin's bonds has been broken, and she departed the surface of Nathema. Upon her return to the flagship, Vaylin used her newfound power to remotely trigger the Sanitarium's destruction, before ordering her ships to leave Nathema system.[45] She then immediately launched an assault on Odessen, intending to wipe the Alliance and her entire family that opposed her.[46]
Empress Vaylin before what would be her last fight.
Without the Gravestone, the Alliance fleet was unable to prevent Vaylin's ground forces from landing, and soon Zakuul Hovercrafts were deploying both troops and Eternal Empire Walkers. Overseeing the battle from her flagship's bridge, Vaylin ordered to pay whatever cost was necessary for the victory. She then received a call from the Outlander, who used taunts to lure her down to the surface for a direct confrontation. Vaylin captured one of the Outlander's allies as a hostage and invited Valkorion's vessel to face her on the Alliance base landing platform. There, Vaylin faced Senya, Arcann and the Outlander with a host of skytroopers and Horizon Guards at her side. After reaching out with the Force to snap her hostage's neck, Vaylin engaged her mother, brother and the Outlander in combat. After she was seemingly defeated, she let her power rage out of control, creating a massive Force Storm. Having no other way to stop her, the Outlander was forced to strike Vaylin down, ending her life.[46]
Valkorion's End[]
Arcann returns to his throne, only to give it up.
Vaylin's death had left the Eternal Throne empty, causing the Eternal Fleet's GEMINI captains to go rogue and revert to their most primal function of exterminating all organic life in the galaxy. Eternal Fleet warships began bombarding populated worlds across the galaxy, including Zakuul itself. The Alliance leadership departed for Zakuul,[46] where the Outlander, Arcann and Senya traveled to the burning city and made their way towards the Spire. They reached the Eternal Throne room, were Arcann offered the throne to the Outlander to atone for his past crimes. The Outlander claimed the Eternal Throne and send a signal to the Eternal Fleet, which immediately went silent. Valkorion's spirit inside the Outlander then revealed his true goal to eradicate their mind and take possession of their body. Inside the Outlander's mind, Valkorion summoned Vaylin's enslaved spirit, whom the Commander battled and defeated. The Outlander then used Dramath's holocron to free Vaylin from her father's mind control. Arcann and Senya joined the Outlander, and together they defeated the Immortal Emperor's spirit, ending his millennia-long existence.[6]
The final demise of Emperor Valkorion led to the end of his Eternal Empire.
In the following days, the Alliance had established complete control over the Eternal Fleet and what remained of Zakuulan military force, appropriating its vehicles and personnel for the new Eternal Alliance. The Eternal Alliance had relocated the Eternal Throne from the Spire to Odessen, where it was installed in the Alliance base, issuing the Commander's new orders directly to the Eternal Fleet.[6] The Eternal Empire was dissolved and replaced with an elected Zakuulan government led by Consul Axion. Axion assured the Outlander that Zakuulans would relinquish control of any colony worlds gained by the Eternal Empire and seek alliances with other worlds instead. Axion ended the message by saying that he hoped that the Alliance and Zakuul could negotiate a trade agreement beneficial to both governments.[47]
Politics[]
The ruler of the Eternal Empire held the title of Emperor (or, if the ruler was female, Empress), and the overall government system is an absolute monarchy. The head of government and military was the High Justice. The High Justice also was the second in command of the Empire, and had unlimited power when Vaylin held the rank under Arcann's leadership.
Military[]
The Eternal Empire's military was composed primarily of Skytroopers and the Knights of Zakuul. It did possess biologists, found mainly on the Star Fortresses, and other humans as officers, such as the rogue Koth Vortena. Other personnel in the Eternal Empire's military included Eternal Empire troopers and their variants. During Empress Vaylin's reign, the Horizon Guard was formed to serve her directly, and to surpass the Knights of Zakuul, who failed to defend her brother during the Battle of Odessen. The head of the Eternal Empire's military was the High Justice.
Society[]
Zakuulans were generally raised in the comfort and safety of The Spire, and led easy lives of intellectual and creative pursuits. Despite this, some occasionally felt compelled to seek out less high-minded excitement. The Old World, the remnants of Valkorion's first attempt at a grand city, offered an opportunity for citizens of the Spire to indulge their need for exhilaration. Many Zakuulans had paid at least one visit to cheer at the gladiator pits or sample the red-light district. Countless more simply ventured down to tour the seedy streets and thrill to the distasteful and the taboo.[48]
Behind the scenes[]
The Eternal Empire was first mentioned in 2015 on a swtor.com webpage promoting the expansion Knights of the Fallen Empire of the BioWare video game Star Wars: The Old Republic.[49]
The December 2016 Polish edition of Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, a reference book of the new Star Wars canon, includes an entry for the Empire of Zakuul. The book places it in the far west of the galaxy and in the Unknown Regions. However, the author of Galactic Atlas, Emil Fortune, stated that he did not know why or how Zakuul crept into the Polish translation of the canon reference book.[50]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: The Old Republic Cartel Market
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Galactic Strongholds
"Sacrifice" on The Old Republic's official website (article) (backup link) (First appearance)- Knights of the Eternal Throne on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- "Brothers" on The Old Republic's official website (article) (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne
- Jedi Under Siege: State of the Galaxy on The Old Republic's official website (backup link) (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Legacy of the Sith (Mentioned only)
Sources[]
- Knights of the Fallen Empire on The Old Republic's official website (backup link) (First mentioned)
- The War for Iokath: The Faction Battle Reignites on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- United Forces Rewards on The Old Republic's official website (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
- Koth Vortena on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "The Eternal Empire"
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter I: The Hunt
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter IV: The Gravestone
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter VII: The Lady of Sorrows
- ↑ According to Forums: Dear Story Team, What Year Are We Currently In? on The Old Republic's official website (backup link), the first chapter of Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire takes place in 3636 BBY and the ninth chapter in 3630 BBY. The expansion states that the Outlander woke up five years after the events of the first chapter, placing Chapters II through VIII in 3631 BBY.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter IX: The Eternal Throne
- ↑ Knights of the Fallen Empire: Characters on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "The Eternal Fleet"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "The Gravestone"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "Valkorion"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "The Voice of the Emperor (Warrior)"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "The Old Ways of Zakuul"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "Knights of Zakuul"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "Scions of Zakuul"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "The Eternal Throne"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "Vaylin"
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Brothers" on The Old Republic's official website (article) (backup link)
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter VI: The Dragon's Maw
- ↑ According to Forums: Dear Story Team, What Year Are We Currently In? on The Old Republic's official website (backup link), Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel takes place from early to mid 3638 BBY, and further Game Updates that were released in 2013 take place in the latter half of that year. The post also states that Game Updates released in 2014 can be placed in early and mid 3637 BBY, Shadow of Revan takes place near the end of that year, and that the events of Game Updates 3.1 through 3.3 can be placed in early and mid 3636 BBY. Therefore, the events of Game Update 3.0 and the Digital Expansion Shadow of Revan can be placed near the end of 3637 BBY.
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "Arcann"
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Sacrifice" on The Old Republic's official website (article) (backup link)
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter IX: The Alliance
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter II: A Dream of Empire
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Star Fortress"
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter VIII: Taking Flight
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Interlude: Shroud of Memory
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter VI: Asylum
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter XIII: Profit and Plunder
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter III: Outlander
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter V: From the Grave
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter XVI: The Battle of Odessen
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Mission: "Battle for the Stars" on Odessen
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter X: Anarchy In Paradise
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter XII: Visions in the Dark
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter XV: The GEMINI Deception
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Codex: "Vaylin: Empress of Zakuul"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Codex: "Horizon Guard"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Codex: "The Hunt for Senya"
- ↑ "A Mother's Hope" on The Old Republic's official website (article) (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter I: Wrath and Ruin
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter V: Ascension
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter II: Run for the Shadows
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter III: Dark Reunions
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter IV: Where Dreams Die
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter VII: Into the Void
- ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter VIII: End Times
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — The message The future from Consul Axion
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Codex: "Zakuul Society: Thrillseeking"
- ↑ "Sacrifice" on The Old Republic's official website (article) (backup link)
- ↑ Emil Fortune (@iucounu) on Twitter: "I wrote the Atlas; Zakuul seems to have crept into the Polish translation only. I am not sure why or how as yet." (backup link)
