Proposal for a Zero Command-Empire Reborn Alliance Faction

[ErichZann]

I’ve been lurking on Wookieepedia and I think I’ve discovered a connection that could flesh out Zero Command significantly. In this article on Hethrir's Empire Reborn it states http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Empire_Reborn :

(Hethrir) consolidated their presence in the Outer Rim, while alliances with Deep Core warlords such as Admiral Harrsk were pursued to strengthen their Core support.

I tracked down the wiki citation to this promotional material released for the video game Jedi Outcast http://web.archive.org/web/20060421182646/http://www.lucasarts.com/products/outcast/html/spin.html:

Report from Rogue Leader:
While returning from a routine patrol to Phaeda, Rogue Squadron encountered an old Sentinel-class Imperial shuttle near Cairn, but it was lost in the asteroid field. I want to request an intelligence report on all unaccounted Cygnus Spaceworks or Sienar Fleet Systems transports and landing craft sold to the Empire, as well as a list of possible current owners for this type of ship. I recommend increasing the New Republic presence in the Lenico system until this ship can be identified. It is unlikely that the starship is acting independently. Rogue Squadron is currently heading into the Deep Core to look into the connections between Admiral Horrsk (sic) and the rumors of rogue Imperial ships forming allegiances with the warlords in that region.

Despite the misspelling of his name it seems clear that there was some level of cooperation between the Hethrir and our megalomaniacal warlord. With the fleets of Zero Command and the ground and hero units of the Empire Reborn added together there is enough material for a significant faction. Hethrir's forces also add somewhat to the territory of Zero Command. The Cult of Ragnos could also be used for more material if needed. No mention has been made of Tavion's cult being associated with Hethrir after Desann's defeat but the forces at her disposal lead me to suspect she had the backing of Hethrir- that massive fortress of Taspir III seems like it would be beyond the reach of a lowly failed apprentice to a dark side adept.

There is more than enough Legends Cannon material for this faction, far more than for Eriadu Authority or Greater Maldrood, in fact.

[t78]

All those dark jedi and Reborn would make it different in terms of ground forces- different even to the PA.

But what about space? That's the problem. With a few tweaks, the EA, and Zsinj could be made more distinctive compared to the IR. What would ZC look like though? If the EA is capitals and long-range, Zsinj is balanced, the IR is capitals and heavy frigates, PA is carriers, and Maldrood is whatever the team have planned, what would make Harrsk different?

[Jorritkarwehr]

Interesting find. I don't think most of the Empire Reborn transfers to EaW very well, though. Aside from a dark Jedi type or two and possibly mark 1 droid walkers, I'm not sure this would bring any new units to the table. It would open up a lot of hero options, though, which is something Zero Command would certainly need if they get fleshed out.

[ErichZann]

I am digging through various Star Wars wiki articles and I am putting together a comprehensive unit, hero, and planet roster for Zero Command/Empire Reborn and hope to post it in a few days.

Really, there is a ton of  small references across various media which put together would create an impressive new faction.

I have zero modding ability so when I create the roster I am going to create two versions. The first one would be the bells and whistles version with ships and ground units drawn from cannon sources but may not be present in the mod and which would require someone with modding and editing skills to create.

The second version of the roster will simply include unis already present in the base game, Thrawn's Revenge: Warlords, or that will eventually show up in the Thrawn's Revenge Clone wars mod. The purpose of this secondary roster would be to enable someone with minimal modding skils to just swamp in already existing assets.

[Lord Xizer]

Well there's a few issues here.
Hethrir did attempt to forge alliances with the Deep Core Warlords, not just Zero Command. By the time of Desann(who was working for Hethrir) launching his Empire Reborn offensive Harrsk was dead and Zero Command reunified into the Empire under Pellaeon.
Further The Disciples of Ragnos were formed after Hethrir and the Empire Reborn movement were destroyed, so the time lines don't add up.

[ErichZann]

I am still planning on putting together a faction profile but I am too busy at the moment.

Well there's a few issues here.
Hethrir did attempt to forge alliances with the Deep Core Warlords, not just Zero Command.

There is nothing in Legends that contradicts and much that directly, or indirectly support such an alliance.  Zero Command is the only one mentioned by name. I would argue that since Zero Command was only mentioned by name it probably was the most prominent and the other warlords mentioned are just small fry like Moff Foga Brill or nonentities like Grand Moff Gann.

If you want to argue that Hethrir was working with Greater Maldrood or Delvardus then provide evidence for it.

By the time of Desann(who was working for Hethrir) launching his Empire Reborn offensive Harrsk was dead and Zero Command reunified into the Empire under Pellaeon.

Hethrir forged an alliance with Harrsk and then Harrsk died. That does not contradict that fact that there was an alliance.

Let's take the logic you use here and apply it to the Pentastar Alignment of Powers.

The PA was formed in 4 ABY.

Jerec was part of the PA and died 5 ABY.

Grand Moff Kaine died 11 ABY and the PA was annexed by the Imperial Remnant in 12 ABY.

Jerec was only a member of the PA for about a single year, possibly less before he died. Under your logic, since Jerec and his dark Jedi died years before Kaine and the end of the PA, they should not be included as heroes for the PA.

That Harrsk was only briefly associated with Hethrir I am not disputing. I am only asserting that he was briefly but definitely associated with Hethrir. Much in the same was that Jerec was only briefly but definitely associated with the PA.

Further The Disciples of Ragnos were formed after Hethrir and the Empire Reborn movement were destroyed, so the time lines don't add up.

In my original post I already stated "No mention has been made of Tavion's cult being associated with Hethrir after Desann's defeat but the forces at her disposal lead me to suspect she had the backing of Hethrir- that massive fortress of Taspir III seems like it would be beyond the reach of a lowly failed apprentice to a dark side adept."

I already acknowledged there is nothing that states Tavion was working directly Hethrir at the time. But the fact remains that the bulk of her dark side force users were directly recruited from Hethrir's surviving reborn.

Here's how I suspect it went down: After Desann died Tavion was given his position within the Empire Reborn by Hethrir. All of the surviving Reborn would serve under her and she would serve Hethrir. When Hethrir died she already had the loyalty of the Reborn and struck out on her own.

I also find some similarities between Tavion's scheme and Hethrir's in the Crystal Star. Keep in mind that in the Crystal Star Hethrir's plan was to make sacrifices to Warru so the alien creature would bestow even greater dark side powers to Hethrir. Tavion took the Scepter of Ragnos and drained locations of their Force energy to resurrect Marka Ragnos.

This is all speculation but it is interesting to consider that maybe Tavion's plan was actually Hethrir's.  If Warru wouldn't give Hethrir what he wanted, maybe Plan B was to resurrect Marka Ragnos and have him instruct him further in the dark side.

I find it amusing to think that Hethrir would have trusted an interdimensional vampiric slime being more than an ancient Sith Lord.

In game terms, I think it might be fun if Hethrir's faction were to capture Korriban they could recruit Marka Ragnos as a hero. Like how Greater Maldrood can recruit Moff Getelles and Admiral Larm upon capturing Antemeridian sector

[kucsidave]

If you want to argue that Hethrir was working with Greater Maldrood or Delvardus then provide evidence for it.
Hethrir forged an alliance with Harrsk and then Harrsk died. That does not contradict that fact that there was an alliance.
Let's take the logic you use here and apply it to the Pentastar Alignment of Powers.
The PA was formed in 4 ABY.
Jerec was part of the PA and died 5 ABY.
Grand Moff Kaine died 11 ABY and the PA was annexed by the Imperial Remnant in 12 ABY.
Jerec was only a member of the PA for about a single year, possibly less before he died. Under your logic, since Jerec and his dark Jedi died years before Kaine and the end of the PA, they should not be included as heroes for the PA.

Dude, you should know something.
Xizer is wookiepedia walking on legs. Usually it is not worth it to go into an arguement with him, as he will prove you wrong with facts. And either way, he did not say that Hethrir  can't be a hero, he said that the Empire Reborn and the Desciples of Ragnos are the ones that does not fit. He also pointed out that Hethrir was proposing an alliance to multiple warlords. If my memory is not playing a trick on me, Daala did the same which ended with the warlords bickering for hours on end, and the only solution was that she gassed the whole chamber.
And Just to point out,

If you want to argue that Hethrir was working with Greater Maldrood or Delvardus then provide evidence for it.

Xizer never mentioned any specific warlords, so where the hell you pulled those two out, I have no idea.

[ErichZann]

Dude, you should know something.
Xizer is wookiepedia walking on legs. Usually it is not worth it to go into an arguement with him, as he will prove you wrong with facts.

Then it is extremely fortunate that my main critique of his post was based on his faulty reasoning and not on his knowledge.

And either way, he did not say that Hethrir  can't be a hero, he said that the Empire Reborn and the Desciples of Ragnos are the ones that does not fit.

I addressed this in my very first post and in my third post. I'm not entirely sure how I can rephrase this since it seems I am unable to convoy myself clearly. Let me quote myself again:  The Cult of Ragnos could also be used for more material if needed. No mention has been made of Tavion's cult being associated with Hethrir after Desann's defeat but the forces at her disposal lead me to suspect she had the backing of Hethrir- that massive fortress of Taspir III seems like it would be beyond the reach of a lowly failed apprentice to a dark side adept.

The reborn under her command in Jedi Academy are recruited directly from those who survived Jedi Outcast. And Legends material state that in Outcast they were working for Hethrir even though he was never directly mentioned in the game. From this it can be inferred that some or all of her other forces were recruited from Hethrir's surviving forces.

To flesh out a faction, it requires units. The ground units you fight in Jedi Outcast/Academy would contribute towards this. From Jedi Academy you have the New Reborn and Sith Cultists,  the Hazard Troopers you fight on Vjun, the Jump Troopers you fight on the Kril'Dor mining platforms, and the imperial saboteurs with stealth field generators. 

He also pointed out that Hethrir was proposing an alliance to multiple warlords. If my memory is not playing a trick on me, Daala did the same which ended with the warlords bickering for hours on end, and the only solution was that she gassed the whole chamber.
And Just to point out, Xizer never mentioned any specific warlords, so where the hell you pulled those two out, I have no idea.

Xizer's exacts words were: Well there's a few issues here. Hethrir did attempt to forge alliances with the Deep Core Warlords, not just Zero Command.

His argument was meant to dismiss the proposal for Zero Command. I infer from his statement that he is including Greater Maldrood and Delvardus because the inclusion of those two warlords would preclude a separate faction with Hethrir and Harrsk. First because within the mod they already exist as faction. Second, because within the Legends material Harrsk was in a bitter struggle with Maldrood.

This seemed like the mostly likely meaning of his statement. His statement would make much less sense to me if he were including other deep core powers since 1) they do not exist in the mod and 2) there seem to be no Legends book like Darksaber detailing specific military skirmishes between Harrsk and other core warlords.

An alliance with Hethrir and Prakith does not preclude an alliance with Zero Command. It only means potential recruitable heroes such as Moff Brill and the Imperial Inquisitors.

An alliance with Hethrir and Grand Moff Cinzero Gann does not preclude an alliance with Zero Command. It only means a potential recruitable hero in the form of the Grand Moff himself.

An alliance with Hethrir and Admiral Malfkla Yzu does not preclude an alliance with Zero Command. It only means a potential recruitable hero in the form of the Admiral himself.

Therefore, I inferred that he was speaking specifically about the GM and EA. I could be mistaken but I think my interpretation is highly reasonable.

[Lord Xizer]

I am still planning on putting together a faction profile but I am too busy at the moment.

There is nothing in Legends that contradicts and much that directly, or indirectly support such an alliance.  Zero Command is the only one mentioned by name. I would argue that since Zero Command was only mentioned by name it probably was the most prominent and the other warlords mentioned are just small fry like Moff Foga Brill or nonentities like Grand Moff Gann.

If you want to argue that Hethrir was working with Greater Maldrood or Delvardus then provide evidence for it.

Hethrir forged an alliance with Harrsk and then Harrsk died. That does not contradict that fact that there was an alliance.

Let's take the logic you use here and apply it to the Pentastar Alignment of Powers.

The PA was formed in 4 ABY.

Jerec was part of the PA and died 5 ABY.

Grand Moff Kaine died 11 ABY and the PA was annexed by the Imperial Remnant in 12 ABY.

Jerec was only a member of the PA for about a single year, possibly less before he died. Under your logic, since Jerec and his dark Jedi died years before Kaine and the end of the PA, they should not be included as heroes for the PA.

That Harrsk was only briefly associated with Hethrir I am not disputing. I am only asserting that he was briefly but definitely associated with Hethrir. Much in the same was that Jerec was only briefly but definitely associated with the PA.

In my original post I already stated "No mention has been made of Tavion's cult being associated with Hethrir after Desann's defeat but the forces at her disposal lead me to suspect she had the backing of Hethrir- that massive fortress of Taspir III seems like it would be beyond the reach of a lowly failed apprentice to a dark side adept."

I already acknowledged there is nothing that states Tavion was working directly Hethrir at the time. But the fact remains that the bulk of her dark side force users were directly recruited from Hethrir's surviving reborn.

Here's how I suspect it went down: After Desann died Tavion was given his position within the Empire Reborn by Hethrir. All of the surviving Reborn would serve under her and she would serve Hethrir. When Hethrir died she already had the loyalty of the Reborn and struck out on her own.

I also find some similarities between Tavion's scheme and Hethrir's in the Crystal Star. Keep in mind that in the Crystal Star Hethrir's plan was to make sacrifices to Warru so the alien creature would bestow even greater dark side powers to Hethrir. Tavion took the Scepter of Ragnos and drained locations of their Force energy to resurrect Marka Ragnos.

This is all speculation but it is interesting to consider that maybe Tavion's plan was actually Hethrir's.  If Warru wouldn't give Hethrir what he wanted, maybe Plan B was to resurrect Marka Ragnos and have him instruct him further in the dark side.

I find it amusing to think that Hethrir would have trusted an interdimensional vampiric slime being more than an ancient Sith Lord.

In game terms, I think it might be fun if Hethrir's faction were to capture Korriban they could recruit Marka Ragnos as a hero. Like how Greater Maldrood can recruit Moff Getelles and Admiral Larm upon capturing Antemeridian sector

Wow there simmer down a mite Manka cat, touched a nerve.

I'm saying that Hethrir wasn't actually part of Zero Command- unlike Jerec and Kaine who were part of the PA, so you kinda shot yourself in the foot with that technicality. We also know that Hethrir had ties to more than just Harrsk because it's stated both on wookie that he helped fund renegade Imperials and sought resources very indirectly from the DEEP CORE WARLORDS. This implies multiple alliances and agreements, not just with Harrsk. We know that Hethrir really only made a solid deal with Fyyar who by all accounts was part of the Imperial Remnant-after Harrsk and Zero Command were already gone- we know that Roganda Ismaren and her son Irek tried to forge and alliance with Harrsk and that they later fled to Zero Command for shelter before hiding on Coruscant with Cronus(before THAT went WAAAAY South) The point is it's a very long stretch for Hethrir to be a hero for ZC since their very tenuous connection was not exclusive by location or association, Roganda and Irek could be though-they were directly associated-not loosely and indirectly.
Also as to the Empire Reborn, they lost nearly all influence when Fyyar and Desann were killed, Hethrir was eaten by magic interdimensional blob thing shortly after and after that the tattered remnants of the Reborn were gathered up by Tavion who had backing from a very small(likely single) Imperial Commander years after both Harrsk and Hethrir had both gone the way of the Dodo. My point is that the Empire Reborn was not part of Zero Command-it was it's own entity, you can make arguments for the Antimeridian, Sy, Lott and Gendarr on proximity and communication while not having any evidence that they weren't in at least communication with the Maldrood due to the locations.

The problem with Zero Command is that in addition to being yet another Warlord faction, they wouldn't bring anything new to the table, they didn't really expand or do anything of note(even less than the PA in terms of lore until Darksaber), we have virtually no information on what they did or who was associated with them until roughly era 4(which was around the Reunification timeline) So for most of era 1, 2 and 3 we have a hero roster that is basically Harrsk. In era 4 you get Harrsk, Daala, Irek, Roganda and maybe Kratas, but then you have a timer til Daala kills Harrsk and you become the IR. You could introduce the remnants of Grand Admiral Batch's command that murdered him and defected to Harrsk but we have no names and they didn't have any remnants of the TIE Phantoms- so that's just maybe some Star Destroyers. Maybe add in Grand Admiral Batch for Zero Command- but he was murdered by his crew who went to join Harrsk-so he probably wasn't keen on the idea. You could stretch things and add in the Empire Reborn but that is still era 4 and gives you 2 Dark Jedi heroes and nothing really new to the game-save maybe the Planetoids Hethrir owned and Shadow troopers(basically weaker generic dark jedi) which again doesn't fix the first 3 eras of it just being Harrsk(and part of era 1 no Harrsk since he's tied to the Empire early on) Tavion was never associated with Zero Command as by the time Desann was making his bid Harrsk was already gassed, so the Disciples of Ragnos would be a split off from the Imperial Remnant, rather than Zero Command.

Look I feel ya on this man, I am extremely passionate about the Warlords and have argued for more of them included but most of them like Zero Command either burned out fast or there is just nothing on what they did. Zero Command works as a splinter faction of the Warlords AI but would be exceedingly difficult to implement as a Player faction for the sheer fact there's just nothing there until era 4 at which point they have about 3/4 of a year until Tsoss beacon- reunification event.

you'd basically have this as a possible era 1 hero roster
Harrsk in Shockwave
Maybe Grand Admiral Martio Batch in ISD Meniscus(stretching)
(era 2,3 same)
Era 4( Irek, Roganda(Dark Jedi), Drost Elegrin(Economy), Garonnin(Economy) Nasdra Magrody(Tech, build speed bonus) Hethrir, Desann, tavion(Dark Jedi stretch) Daala(gorgon) and Kratas(Shockwave?) Harrsk(Whirlwind)
Era 5 Tavion?

That's the trouble.

[t78]

If the Empire Reborn were soliciting all the warlords, then what if they could be an option for EA or GM? An option, or era progression that allows Reborn ground melee units for one of the existing warlord factions?

[Corey]

Despite the misspelling of his name it seems clear that there was some level of cooperation between the Hethrir and our megalomaniacal warlord. With the fleets of Zero Command and the ground and hero units of the Empire Reborn added together there is enough material for a significant faction. Hethrir's forces also add somewhat to the territory of Zero Command. The Cult of Ragnos could also be used for more material if needed. No mention has been made of Tavion's cult being associated with Hethrir after Desann's defeat but the forces at her disposal lead me to suspect she had the backing of Hethrir- that massive fortress of Taspir III seems like it would be beyond the reach of a lowly failed apprentice to a dark side adept.

There is more than enough Legends Cannon material for this faction, far more than for Eriadu Authority or Greater Maldrood, in fact.

Sure, there's a lot of potential information on characters that could be used, but I don't think what's there, even if you amalgamate all of those groups, really supports them as great choices for a playable faction slot. They may have more source material than Maldrood or Eriadu because you get things like Jedi Knight focusing exclusively on them, but the key factor there is how large or important the factions actually were, not necessarily how many places in lore we can draw information from. While Maldrood and Eriadu may not have the most references, what we do know about them, especially at their heights, positions them as much more important players on the galactic level.

Even if we grant that the alliance being pursued was actually formed, and was so tight an alliance as to be worth combining the factions (which I'm fine with, really- we've allowed other factions to absorb some smaller Warlords for heroes for less), the result is still a pretty minor faction. It would be a fine way to add some heroes to make a hypothetical playable Zero Command with some semblance of progression if they survived early, but the core problems that made Zero Command not make the playable cut aren't solved by adding the even more minor Empire Reborn- they don't have the territory, they don't have the military power, they don't have the clout in basically any way. We really don't need a 6th playable Imperial faction (7th if you want to count Yevetha), and Zero Command/Empire Reborn, even together, make the smallest one, with the least relevance to any given campaign. I do think it would make more sense, if we ever had the resources to make as many new infantry/character models as it would take to make Desann, Tavion, etc, rather than diluting the Imperial pool more, make it be something that different factions are vying for if they happen to survive to those points in a progressive GC, independent of whether we're ever at a poitn where other stuff has been fleshed out enough that ZC becomes a viable choice for expansion. We have a limited, hardcoded number of faction slots to work with, which we're fast approaching, and the Zero Command minor faction is first on the list to be rolled into the generic Warlords if we ever need another slot. Sure, Harrsk was the one whose name was explicitly stated, but it was an example in the context of pursuing allies in general.

[ErichZann]

I have been very busy  and haven’t had time to write this up like I wanted so instead of one large post I’ll try to write two or three smaller posts.

As a reminder I will create a bell’s and whistles faction profile that include ships and units not in the mod yet. Next to the new unit I will offer a suggestion on a ship or unit that already exists (either within the mod, the base game, or the upcoming Thrawn’s Revenge Clone Wars) and that could serve the same function. The purpose of this would be to enable the creation of this new faction with very minimal modding. Someone who has the talent could simply swap existing resources in.
In this post I will be covering the heroes available to Zero Command itself in Era one.

Zero Command Era 1: The Deep Galactic Core

General Overview

To make Zero Command a unique playing experience I've given some thought to the lineup of units and strategies available to Harrsk. Due to his location in the Deep Core I’d want Harrsk’s forces to have a Dark Empire esthetic.

The Supreme Warlord developed an erratic personality after suffering brain damage at the Battle of Endor. The damage to his mind was so severe that he would alternate between calm and suicidal aggression and fritter away the lives of his men on pointless offensives. Due to Harrsk's erratic personality he probably had a hard time recruiting new men. Harrsk's lack of resources is illustrated by the fact that he didn't have enough to repair and crew the Megador and Dominion and opted to let them languish in his Deep 3 facility.

Unlike, say, the Pentastar Alignment which equips its fighter forces with swarms of outdated fighters and bombers, Zero Command has more limited resources and would have to protect the lives of their pilots by supplying them with more modern and durable hardware. Zero Command falls well short of the extravagance the New Republic lavishes on their fighter/bomber arm but stands better compared to the Empire and other warlord factions. Harrsk would field a small number of elite human pilots  supported and protected by a larger swarm of disposable droid units.

His similarly limited ground resources would be the same. A small number of troops have to perform the duty of larger army formations, thus they would be equipped with heavy firepower and be designed to instill fear and demoralize the enemy before the battle has even started.

To cut down on personnel further, Harrsk would avoid manpower intensive ships such as Dreadnaughts, and instead prefer newer, more efficient Imperial ships. Heavy hitting, hangerless capital ships like the Tector and the Allegiance would be a mainstay of fleet.

Due to his proximity to weaker warlord factions Harrsk’s hero and unit roster can be bolster by an early conquest of his neighbors.

Era 1 Heroes

Supreme Warlord Harrsk

Space Hero Commanding the battlecruiser Ilthmar's Fist. The battlecruiser was one of two that fought at Endor (the other was destroyed). No mention is made of what type of battlecruiser, but if the Empire had a Preator or Bellator at Endor they probably would not have lost, so I’m going to assume something smaller and less powerful.

Something like a Procurator class battlecruiser. They  were 2,5000 meter ships manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards before the Clone Wars. They served as a advertisement of the type of large and prestigious ships KDY was capable of building. During the Clone Wars they were likely upgraded to more modern specifications like the larger Mandators.

The only problem is they don’t exist within the mod and the only non-canon model I know of is a very nice one done by Fractalsponge. If no Procurator model is available then an Allegiance class battlecruiser will more than suffice.

Special Commander Bonus: Press the Attack!

Harrsk’s split personality causes him to disregard the his own safety and that of his men. Grants a 10% offensive boost to Haarsk and all forces in the battle but at the cost 15% penalty to shields.

Special Ability: Summon Arrowhead Command.

Prior to Endor Harrsk was in charge of Arrowhead Command and charged with defending part of the Core Worlds. As a personal favor to his friend Admiral Piett he attached Arrowhead to Darth Vader’s command to bolster the forces at the Battle of Endor. Once the battle was lost he retreated to the Deep Galactic Core. Two Tector’s and 3 Imperial Star Destroyers joined him and I assume that these made up the portion of Arrowhead Command that was present at Endor.

Summoning 5 capital ships of that type is a bit overpowered so I think Summon Arrowhead Command should bring 1 Tector and the Imperial Star Destroyer Whirlwind into the battle commanded by “Bolla Thoath”.

The real Bolla Thoath died at Endor but when Harrsk was wounded he developed a split personality. The more measured and sane part of his personality assumed the identity of Thoath and it was the alternate personality who countermanded many of Harrsk’s more suicidal orders. When “Bolla Thoath” and the Whirlwind arrive in the battle it should completely negate Harrsk’s previous ability, Press the Attack! While Thoath is on the battlefield all Zero Command forces should receive a modest 5% defensive bonus.

Grand Admiral Martio Batch

After fleeing for his life after failing the Emperor legends material stated that his own crew assassinated him before they took his fleet to join Zero Command. Much like how Grand Admiral Syn can be recruited by Greater Maldrood, even though he was killed by Ackbar, Grand Admiral Batch can be recruited by Zero Command.

Space Hero Commanding the Star Destroyer Meniscus. Since Grand Admiral Batch preferred hiding and escaping to fighting so he gives all forces a 5% bonus to speed.

Odik II Capital of Shadowhand Sector


By conquering certain worlds the various warlord gain additional hero units. Odik II is the capital of Sector 5 “Shadowhand”.  During the Empire, Grand Moff Gann blanketed his sector under various security cordons and only allowed authorized personnel to enter. Massive and secretive construction projects were well under way by the time of Endor. After the death of the Emperor Grand Moff Gann found his authority eroded by his subordinates like Admirl Yzu who kept the Grand Moff around as a figurehead but retained the real power for themselves and effectively became a warlord.

I. Grand Moff Gann Economic/Security hero. Grants steep price discounts for structures, ground buildings, shipyards, defense platforms but not for units. By shrouding the entire Deep Galactic Core in Secrecy gains the ability to completely hide the space and ground units at his location from enemy spies. Not that helpful against the AI but if you can ever play a multiplayer campaign it could be very useful.

II. Admiral Malfkla Yzu Space Hero. Commands a generic Imperial Star Destroyer. Modest 5% bonus to offensive capabilities of forces under his command.

The Constitutional Protectorate of Prakith- Fortress World and the location of the terrifying Citidel Inquisitorious

A minor world located within Sector 5, Prakith gained notoriety after it became the headquarters for the Imperial Inquisitorious and for the brutality and rapaciousness of the Imperial Governor Foga Brill. Like Admiral Yzu, Governor Brill remained loyal to his superior Grand Moff in name only but acted independently. He curried favor with Admiral Yzu who promoted him to Moff.
After Endor and the breakdown of Imperial Authority Moff Brill created a secretive and isolationist police state fanatically dedicated to order and obedience . Prakith became a fortress world and the population was wracked with suffering as Moff Brill attempted to extract every resource for his military effort. He created his own “Prakith Grand Imperial Navy” to protect the space under his control and to waylay any ship unwary enough to fall into his clutches.

I. Moff Foga Brill Economc hero. His cruelty and active delight in inflicting pain grants the governor a time discount for construction time at his location by finding new ways to motivate his subordinates. His obsession with order allow him to construct Imperial Prison Complexes at his  location. The prison complex prevents hostile civilians from spawning during ground battles and serve as forced labor camps where prisoners must toil and die. The prisons grant a slight price and time discount to units built on worlds where they are present. The time discount stacks with Brill’s time discount. Moff Foga Brill is also corrupt and open to bribery. Decreases the credit generation at his location.

II. Captain Ors Dogot Space Hero/Spy Unit. An officer in Moff Foga Brill’s Grand Imperial Navy, Captain Dogot command the Imperial Patrol Frigate Bloodprice. A Patrol Frigate is a Nebulon-B Frigate with 1/3 of the decks removed to cut down on crew requirements and equipped with a complex array of sensors to monitor space for nearby ships. On the Galactic map Dogot provides intelligence on surrounding systems. In battle he commands an Imperial Patrol Frigate. If no new model is available the standard Nebulon-B can be used.

III. Captain Gegak- Space Hero. Prakith officer and commander of the Adz Class Patrol Destroyer Tobay. Power to Weapons special ability. The Adz Class Destroyer is an interesting looking ship and no model that exists in game seems to come close to it. It is only 150 meters long so a CR90 or IPV could be an adeqate substitute.

IV. Captain Voba Dokrett- Space Hero. A Prakith officer who commands the Gorath, a strike cruiser variant. Only 300 meters long while a standard strike cruiser is 450, the Gorath is equipped with breaching pods to capture enemy ships. Special ability to capture enemy vessels during combat. A standard Strike cruiser model can be used since there is only a slight difference in size.

V. High Inquisitor Antinnis Tremayne Space Hero/Ground Hero. A feared and efficient member of the Inquisitorious, Tremayne remained alive long after Endor. Later in the war he pledged loyalty to Lord Hethrir and informed him of the fabled Lost Valley of the Jedi. In Space he commands the Imperial II Star Destroyer Interrogator. On the Ground his special abilities include saber throw. (I am a bit torn about including Tremayne as an Era 1 Hero. Canon material does mention his link to Hethrir which would make him era 4 hero. But Prakith is the headquarters for the Inquisitorious and it would seem odd not to include at least 1 inquisitor hero when you control their headquarters. If Tremayne is too far fetched I’m sure there some other inquisitors kicking around who either haven’t been killed or who haven’t already pledged themselves to an existing warlord faction).

And those are the Era starting heroes and heroes recruitable on conquered worlds. The post has gone long enough. In the next installment I will talk about the units available to Zero Command in Era 1.

[Ordo]

Why wouldn't Harrsk be on Whirlwind in early eras? From what we know that was his command ship until around 12 ABY when he completed Shockwave.

[ErichZann]

Why wouldn't Harrsk be on Whirlwind in early eras? From what we know that was his command ship until around 12 ABY when he completed Shockwave.

He is in command of Whirlwind. Captain “Bolla Thoath” is a figment of his imagination,.

[Ordo]

Oh, I misunderstood this paragraph then

Supreme Warlord Harrsk

Space Hero Commanding the battlecruiser Ilthmar's Fist. The battlecruiser was one of two that fought at Endor (the other was destroyed). No mention is made of what type of battlecruiser, but if the Empire had a Preator or Bellator at Endor they probably would not have lost, so I’m going to assume something smaller and less powerful.

Made it sound like he would command Ilthmar's Fist

[Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus]

I agree with Xizer and Corey in regards to there being 5 playable Imperial factions already, and that's coming from me, an Imperial fanatic, who only ever plays as one of those 5 factions, lol. At heart, I'd love to see Zero Command be playable, too. But when I try to analyze everything rationally, it does make sense to just have them as a non-playable one. Because they were indeed less significant and influential to the grand scheme of things than the factions that are already in the mod, and remained largely isolationist and inactive in the first 2 Eras of the TR timeline. Having said that, I would actually like them to have at least a few more heroes to accompany Harrsk. Martio Batch gets my vote here, for sure, even if it is a stretch. As someone who loves Grand Admirals I'd love an opportunity to at least kill him, lol, if there's no way of having him as a playable hero.

And speaking of hardcoded faction slots, there are 21, if I remember correctly. Some of those are used for minor things, such as rancors or asteroids, right? Well, what if you align them instead with the minorest of non-playable factions, like Prentioch's Dominion, Antemeridian or Elrood Sectors? That'll hardly change anything, or benefit those factions in any way (unless the ground maps for Moorja, Antemeridian or Elrood have rancors on them, which I don't think they do, but you can always change a map for a planet, I bet), but you would save a faction slot, or two, for possible future use. Idk if I'm saying obvious things, or if there is a good reason why this hasn't been done before already, so I hope I haven't wasted everyone's time with this paragraph.

[Corey]

And speaking of hardcoded faction slots, there are 21, if I remember correctly. Some of those are used for minor things, such as rancors or asteroids, right?

There are only two "functionality" factions- Hostile and Neutral, both of which need to stay.

This is what it currently looks like:

1. New Republic
2. Imperial Remnant
3. Warlords
4. Neutral
5. Hostile
6. Hapans
7. Empire of the Hand
8. Free
9. Zsinj
10. Eriadu Authority
11. Pentastar Alignment
12. Greater Maldrood
13. Zero Command
14. Free
15. Hutts
16. Free
17. Yevetha
18. Corporate Sector Authority
19. Mandalorians
20. Free
21. Free

With most free ones, we have something we're reserving them for.

[Lord Xizer]

He is in command of Whirlwind. Captain “Bolla Thoath” is a figment of his imagination,.

Again this wouldn't be a bad idea for a submod, I myself am trying to get one up and running(if RL would just stop being erratic, inconsistent and irrational for a bit, i might be successful even) I just don't feel Zero Command brings enough to the table that is different than what is already in the main mod(and again this is coming from someone who as the team can tell you nagged them about ALL the Warlords until their ears bled lol) There comes a point where you have a faction just for it's own sake, not because it really brings anything new to the table and then it's just a clone of one already in with a different picture over it. With the virtually nonexistent data on Zero Command before the Ismaren's plot in era 4 we have Harrsk mocking Isard during the Bacta War(which we get second hand) and an offhand reference to the Deep Core Warlords with his name dropped but no context until Shadow Hand. We know he used very standard Imperial gear and vessels-he mass produced ISDs, couldn't crew the two Dreadnoughts he had(which he apparently inherited after Shadow Hand somehow) and had a TIE Shuttle for his personal transport. He used Stormtroopers and didn't ever really do anything outside his own turf much save for a brief expansion.
While the PA didn't do much until just before Shadow Hand we have a wealth of data and sources on them and people associated with them that make them much easier to flesh out as a faction, same with the GM and EA, we have names, dates, campaigns and ships that are fairly robust until era 4(ironically the opposite of ZC, which starts with 1 to 2 heroes tops and only gets more with stretches in era 4)
Again you could do your ideas in a submod, like I am trying to as well, but I just don't see enough justification to fill a faction slot with another Empire clone with less unique and new units than almost anyone else when that slot could go to factions like the Ssi Ruuk is all I'm saying. The team is already straining the game's capabilities quite a bit.
I admire your passion for Zero Command, and trust me when I say I would like them in a Deep Core campaign solely involving the big 3 of the Deep Core Warlords duking it out-but again that is more of a submod than main mod thing.

[Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus]

There are only two "functionality" factions- Hostile and Neutral, both of which need to stay.

This is what it currently looks like:

1. New Republic
2. Imperial Remnant
3. Warlords
4. Neutral
5. Hostile
6. Hapans
7. Empire of the Hand
8. Free
9. Zsinj
10. Eriadu Authority
11. Pentastar Alignment
12. Greater Maldrood
13. Zero Command
14. Free
15. Hutts
16. Free
17. Yevetha
18. Corporate Sector Authority
19. Mandalorians
20. Free
21. Free

With most free ones, we have something we're reserving them for.

I knew less than I thought I did, which was to be expected. Thanks for clearing it up, Corey. Btw, I see "Hutts" at #15, I've never seen them in ICW, or not yet anyway. I've only completed Endor Aftermath and Reunification so far. Are they in era-progressive GCs? Come to think of it, I haven't seen Mandalorians either.

[Jorritkarwehr]

The Hutts are coded in, bit not used anywhere except possibly some indigenous units. Mandalorians have a small fleet over Mandalore in several GCs.