Episode VI: The Golden Age of the Empire
Chapter 29: The Empire Reigns Victorious
The Alien War continued and the Rebel Alliance's small numbers continued to fight on fruitlessly against the winning Galactic Empire. At the start of the war, fifty-five percent of the galaxy left the empire while forty-five remained loyal. Now thirty-five of the fifty-five had returned while the other twenty continued to fight on. The Galactic Alien Only Society was now practically dead. Only a few leaders and planets remained; the rest had been ruthlessly slaughtered. The small amount of independent systems that remained were struck down one by one as the rebels moved from planet to planet in an attempt to evade the Empire. Though they were able to keep this up for about four months, at the time of the government's third anniversary, the alliance was finally tracked down on Alderaan.
Lady Zenevieva and her forces invaded the Core world, putting all residents in camps and killing the remaining rebel leaders and officers there, Bail Organa and Mon Mothma included. Bail's wife, Queen Breha, however, managed to escape Alderaan in the confusion of battle with their two-year-old adopted daughter Leia, aka Leila Skywalker. Not entirely sure of where to go, the Queen fled to Dagabah.
The Empire didn't realize Breha was gone until she'd already left the planet. Arica had some of the fleet track the ship she escaped on, but they eventually lost it in the Outer Rim. Nonetheless, the Emperor ordered the entire fleet to search both the Outer Rim and Unknown Regions for the Alderaanian Queen. A bounty was also placed on her head, so that helped. She would not be able to go anywhere in the galaxy without being spotted.
Being that the Empire's attention was now set on the capture of the remaining rebel leader, Breha Organa, most of the fighting stopped. But this did not mean the war was over. Until Breha surrendered herself to the Empire would it end.
In the four months Breha and Leia spent in hiding on Dagabah with Jedi Master Yoda, the Galactic Alien Only Society was officially eliminated; the leaders and planets terminated. The remaining independent star systems surrendered themselves to the Empire; the political leaders being sent to jail while the planets were enslaved. The other aliens, whom somehow were able to evade Imperial assassination, fled to Outer Rim Hutt worlds like Tatooine. Yet at that point, the Emperor could careless. He gave an address over the HoloNet stating that non-Humans were more than welcome to roam certain Outer Rim worlds if they so wished it, but with the warning that if they stepped into Imperial space ever again – the Mid and Inner Rims, Colonies and Core regions – they would be shot down on site.
What made Alderaan's Queen finally leave Dagabah for Coruscant to give herself up, in such ending the war, after four months of hiding with her daughter, was a conversation she had with Yoda. The two of them decided it was time an end was brought to the rebellion against the empire. For the longer it lasted, the more innocent blood would be spilled. No one needed that. She would surrender herself and accept whatever fate the Empire deemed upon her. Leia, however, would remain on Dagabah with Yoda. For how long no one knew. It depended chiefly on whatever fate the Empire put on Breha. If she was killed, which she probably would be, Leia would remain until her Jedi training was complete. But if Breha was merely sent to prison, a possibility, Leia would remain until her release.
Giving her adoptive daughter one last hug and kiss, Breha boarded her ship and returned to the Core. She sent word ahead that she was coming and was commanded to dock at the Imperial Palace. Upon doing so and exiting the ship, she was immediately handcuffed and taken before the Emperor and Empress.
There she apologized for everything: the Rebel Alliance, the war, running away from Alderaan when it was invaded. Just everything expect anything to do with the Jedi of course. Nothing of that was mentioned.
When asked where she'd been the past four months she responded, "in hiding on the Hutt world, Nar Shaddaa."
Before leaving Dagabah, Yoda taught Breha a trick of mind where a non-Force sensitive person was able to lie to a strong Force sensitive person without them being the wiser. It'd been difficult at first, but she'd gone over this mind discipline so many times now that it was easy to do. So when she told the Emperor and Empress she'd been on Nar Shaddaa the past four months, they believed her.
They also believed her when she replied to their question as to where her adoptive daughter was, saying she didn't know. She'd searched the Palace for her but found her nowhere. She assumed Imperial forces had either captured or killed Leia, the main reason she fled the planet alone. The emperor and empress denied the claims of the toddler Princess being captured; as for killed they didn't know, though it was possible.
When asked what made her come back, she said she couldn't stand to live with herself in safe hiding while others suffer because of her. So she returned.
The interrogation session ended soon after and Breha was taken to the planetary jail to await trial. The trail was the next day and Breha was tried for her crimes against the Empire. The final decision was either death or ten years imprisonment. When the court voted, surprisingly, the majority was in favor of jail time instead of death. This was because most felt that there had been enough killing in the war. They didn't need anymore. In the time Breha was to be in prison, Alderaan's Regional Governor would rule and represent the planet in the Senate. And at her release, the title of 'Queen' would be restored to her, but the Regional Governor would still act as the planet's Senator.
Breha Antilles Organa's ten-year sentence of imprisonment ended the year and four month long Alien War, restoring peace once more to the galaxy.
