Aided by information sent by the Emperor’s former apprentice Exal Kressh, the republic
gathered a mighty fleet and launched their first major counter-offensive, targeting the
Sith homeworld of Korriban in 3678 BBY. Yet as was often the case in those early years,
the Republic was soundly defeated and driven from sith space. Continuing on for 28 years,
the Great Galactic War saw the Sith Empire make enormous gains in the outer and mid
rims while launching brutal attacks as far as the core worlds. Though the Republic did
eventually rally the full might of their realm to halt the enemy advance, they nonetheless took
tremendous losses that made it clear they were on the losing end of the conflict.
By the end of the war in 3653 BBY, many devastating battles were fought like on Balmorra,
Ilum, Manaan, Bothawui (both-a-wu-ee), Alderaan, Hoth, Serenno and many more, grinding down to a
stalemate rapidly depleting resources and manpower on both sides. Seeing no possible path to victory,
many in the Republic were ready to negotiate peace despite objections from the jedi order,
as were some within the Sith Empire, which desperately needed time to recover from decades
of losses. Yet the decision ultimately rested with the Emperor, who after decades of resistance was
once again falling under the mental influence of his captive Revan. For three centuries,
the former jedi and dark lord stopped the Emperor from waging the great galactic war, until he
overcame the manipulation and went through with his plans. But Revan did not stop trying to save
the republic, and so nearly 3 decades later his influence once more took hold, convincing the
Emperor to accept a partial victory, establish terms of peace and move on to other pursuits.
Authorizing peace talks led by the Sith Lord Darth Baras on Alderaan, the Emperor nonetheless wished
to end the war in a position of strength, and so while these negotiations went on, Darth Angral was
sent with a powerful fleet to strike at the heart of the republic, sacking the capital Coruscant.
Planning the strike in extraordinary detail, the Empire, aided by their Mandalorian allies,
laid waste to large swaths of the great city, including the Jedi Temple where Darth Malgus
led a sith army against Master Ven Zallow and his jedi defenders, ultimately killing the light
siders and republic chancellor while occupying the senate building. Learning of this terrible loss,
the Republic delegation on Alderaan felt no choice but to accept the terms of peace offered by Darth
Baras, ending the Great Galactic War with the Sith scoring an impressive, though incomplete victory.
Due to the Treat of Coruscant which formally ended the war, the republic’s capital world was
returned, while the Sith kept all systems they conquered and gained many more. Other worlds
were forced to leave the Republic, making them easy targets for the Empire. The jedi,
army and fleet were given a timeline to withdraw from all lost worlds and engagement, with the Sith
permitted to engage forcefully if they did not comply. The Empire even won the right to assign
supervisor droids to individual enemies they did not trust, ensuring their compliance with the
treaty. Ushering in years of tension, skirmishes, proxy battles and an overall state of cold war,
the Jedi Order were blamed by many on Coruscant for the loss and so they moved
their headquarters to their ancient homeworld of Tython where they might rebuild their strength.
Temporarily sated by his victory in the war, the Emperor retreated back to the shadows,
to focus on other interests, leaving their newly expanded Empire under the rule of
the Dark Council which consolidated power while competing to elevate their influence within the
government. Throughout the years of this prolonged galactic conflict, waging a massive interstellar
war was not the only priority of the Emperor, as even during some of the most intense fighting,
his attention was partially pulled away by his life as Valkorion in his true home of
the Eternal Empire. Critically impacted by the influence of Revan, it was possible the Emperor
grew curious about the concept of a loving family, something he never experienced, even as a child,
admiring the depths of his captive’s passion for Bastila Shan and the son they created.
Interested in experimenting with these concepts further, Valkorion followed in the footsteps of
Revan by falling in love with a strong willed warrior serving an order of force weilders,
assigning the Knight of Zakuul Senya Tirall to his personal guard where they began a
romantic relationship. Demonstrating what seemed like genuine affection through their
courtship and eventual marriage. Yet as his attention was pulled toward the many setbacks
and failures faced throughout his decades long Sith war, his attitude grew colder,
more distant and harsh, not only in his marriage but also with their children,
as Senya gave birth to elder twin boys Thexan and Arcann, as well as a younger daughter Vaylin.
Training his sons as powerful force users from an early age, Valkorion taught them a harsh dark side
philosophy that claimed they could have anything if they were willing to sacrifice. Perhaps
remembering his own childhood of solitary hardship and violence, the Emperor sought to fuel anger,
hatred and ambition in his sons, expecting the highest standards while offering no praise or
affection whatsoever. As expected the highly skilled and accomplished twins
grew increasingly resentful, though Thexan proved more temperate with his feelings,
while Arcann grew obsessed with gaining his father’s approval and at the same time hated
him for the emotional neglect. Somewhat ignored by their father in her younger years, Vaylin spent
much of her childhood with her mother, who noticed her growing force powers, and having witnessed
the treatment of her sons, tried to shield Vaylin from the machinations of her husband.
But in time the Emperor took note and investigated, realizing with a touch of
pride Vaylin was the most similar to him, capable of immense power and violence. Though Senya begged
him to help her, he instead brought the young girl to the barren, lifeless world Nathema, where she
was subjected to torture, cruelty and terrible pain through experiments and sith rituals,
which in time conditioned her mind and limited her power to ensure she did not become a rival for
power. Yet these experiences also greatly changed her personality to become a violent sociopath for
the rest of her life. With her sons entirely devoted to their father Senya was determined to
at least save her youngest child and so organized a rescue mission, only to learn it was too late,
as Vaylin refused to leave, filled with hatred for the mother who she believed abandoned her
long ago. Heartbroken and alone, Senya fled to the furthest reaches of the Eternal Empire.
Whatever fascination the Emperor felt with love and family, by the end of the Great
Galactic War his curiosity was sated, and as always he was ready to move on
to other interests. And so with the experiment concluded he allowed his marriage to fail and
determined to train his children as great force users to serve as powerful agents of
his will. Even so, he continued to harbor some semblance of affection for his wife,
thus allowed her to live and at times even remembered her fondly.