Second Imperium The Second Imperium was an Imperial splinter faction led by the Dark Jedi Brakiss and the Nightsister Tamith Kai , who both served under the leadership of Emperor Palpatine , in actuality a hologram projection created by four Imperial Royal Guards . The ultimate goal of these individuals was to bring about the return of the order of the Galactic Empire . The Second Imperium was a thorn not only in the side of the New Republic , but also Luke Skywalker ' s new Jedi Praxeum . The conflict with the Imperium took on a personal nature for the Solo twins when their friend Zekk joined and eventually was named the Second Imperium ' s Darkest Knight . The Second Imperium ' s regime finally came to an end after only four years during the Battle of the Jedi Praxeum . During this battle , Zekk was turned back to the light side of the Force , the Imperium ' s ground forces were decimated , and Brakiss perished when the Shadow Academy ' s self - destruct mechanism was activated . History . Origins . Following the destruction of the second Death Star , and the rise to prominence of the New Republic , many Imperials longed for a return to the former glory days of the Empire . With the formal declaration of peace at the signing of the Bastion Accords in 19 ABY , some officers in the Imperial Remnant , as well as remaining Imperial Warlord forces from Admiral Natasi Daala ' s Deep Core skirmishes , decided to take matters into their own hands , rejecting these accords as a " sham " and splitting off from the official Imperial Remnant . Four Imperial Royal Guards ( who had formerly been Stormtroopers promoted by Daala to guardsman status ) took advantage of this dissent , founding the Second Imperium . Using holograms of Palpatine , stretching from his earliest days as the Senator of Naboo to Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic to Emperor of the Empire , they impersonated him , creating a charismatic leadership figure to rally the Remnant dissenters . Blinded by their own aspirations and ambition , and given the Emperor ' s track - record of escaping death , many were all too eager to believe the ruse as true . The Imperium grows . Between 19 ABY and 23 ABY , the Second Imperium grew steadily , following the path of earlier splinter movements , such as the Empire Reborn , in maintaining secrecy . At one point , it pledged itself to the command of Natasi Daala . Among those recruited to the Second Imperium was the former - Jedi and Imperial spy Brakiss , disillusioned after the defeat of Kueller in 17 ABY by Luke Skywalker and the Republic . Brakiss was tasked with creating a new cadre of Imperial Dark Jedi to counter those of Skywalker ' s Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 . He used funds appropriated by the Imperium to construct a cloaked space station called the " Shadow Academy " to serve as a mobile academy for his Dark Jedi . It was equipped with training facilities not only for Dark Jedi , but also for stormtroopers and TIE pilot s . It was Brakiss ' s hopes that these Dark Jedi would help maintain order across the faltering remnants of the Empire . He recruited heavily from the Nightsisters of Dathomir , forming a leadership cadre consisting of a number of the witches such as Tamith Kai , Vonnda Ra , and Garowyn . Initial recruitment began on the planet Dathomir , with prospective students shipped off to the " Shadow Academy " to begin indoctrination and training . In 22 ABY , the Second Imperium was joined by the TIE pilot Qorl , who had been eking out a life on the jungle moon of Yavin 4 since the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY . Qorl was placed in charged of the growing starfighter corps of the Second Imperium . He also revealed information on Skywalker ' s Academy gleaned from the Solo twins Jacen and Jaina when he forced them to repair his damaged TIE Fighter before escaping into hyperspace . With this information , a daring plan was launched to kidnap some of these students . It was hoped they would prove easy to corrupt , and their disappearance would strike fear into the New Jedi Order . Initial clashes with the Jedi . Thus , a bold plan to kidnap trainees from the Jedi Academy was hatched . During a raid on Lando Calrissian ' s GemDiver Station which orbited the nearby gas giant of Yavin in 23 ABY , the Imperium used a small fleet consisting of a modified assault shuttle and four Skipray Blastboats to kidnap the Solo twins and their Wookiee classmate Lowbacca . Fellow trainee Tenel Ka Djo , and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker , began tracking them in a beat - up blockade runner " Off Chance " . The three kidnapped trainees were integrated with the rest of the calls , but the Solos resisted all indoctrination attempts , as they had done years earlier against the Empire Reborn . Brakiss forced the twins to fight each other under holographic disguise , making each think the other was Darth Vader . Both escaped unharmed from the encounter and prepared to escape the space station . Skywalker and Ta ' Djo discovered the recruitment camp on Dathomir and infiltrated it as prospective trainees . They were transported to the " Shadow Academy " in a cutting - edge ship " Shadow Chaser " , by one of the Nightsisters , Garowyn . En route , they overpowered her , jettisoning her out of the ship in an escape pod . ( She was later recovered by the Second Imperium . ) Arriving at the space station to rescue the students , Luke and Tenel Ka found them partway through their own escape , ( aided by their former opponent Qorl ) . After a brief confrontation with the leaders of the " Shadow Academy " , they successfully escaped together , taking the prized " Shadow Chaser " with them . At greater cost to the Second Imperium , Skywalker and the Republic were now aware of their existence . Consolidation . In the wake of that inglorious endeavor , the Second Imperium adopted different tactics . Moving the Shadow Academy close to the Republic capital of Coruscant , they launched attacks on the bulk cruiser " Adamant " which was carrying weapons and hyperdrives . These parts were integrated into their burgeoning fleet . This also gave them the opportunity to gather more recruits . Rather than targeting children from the upper classes , instead they began targeting the dregs of galactic society . The promise of purpose and direction proved a powerful motivator , and the recruitment drives a success . Agents were sent to the lower levels of Coruscant , where they recruited gangs , such as the Lost Ones and their vicious leader Norys , and other rogues such as the orphaned street urchin Zekk — a former friend of the Solos . Force detector s stolen by Brakiss when he fled the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 were used to identify any recruits with Force - sensitivity , such as Zekk and Welk . However , it was not long before the Academy ' s presence was discovered . The Solo twins along with Lowbacca and Chewbacca used orbiting solar mirrors to burn out the Academy ' s cloaking devices , thus exposing it to the defending Republic forces . Despite a hasty retreat into hyperspace , the mission to Coruscant was a success both in terms of military ordnance and personnel gained . Continuing with their training program , the two strongest students — Zekk and Vilas — were faced off against each other in a duel to the death in a zero - g chamber in the heart of the " Shadow Academy " . Zekk , alone , emerged alive and was crowned Darkest Knight . As part of his new promotion , he was placed in charged of an Imperium task force which attacked Thikkiiana City , a major city on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk and an important computer center . This task force of Dark Jedi and stormtroopers raided the city ' s computer units , making off with important components to continue the refitting of the Imperium ' s fleet . When faced with his former friends , the Solos , Zekk faltered and refused to kill them , instead revealing that the Jedi Praxeum was to be the next target of the Imperium . The raid was a success , although the Imperium did lose two of their leaders : Garowyn , who fell to her death in the forests , and Vonnda Ra , who was eaten by a syren plant . Final Battle . In a gesture of confidence , the " Emperor " and leader of the Second Imperium arrived at the " Shadow Academy " in a massive repulsorlift isolation chamber . Refusing to see even Brakiss , he was attended and represented only by the four Royal Guards . This caused Brakiss to be concerned about the Emperor ' s health . Later , from his isolation chamber , the Emperor prompted Brakiss to launch an assault against the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 . Initially the battle proceeded as planned . An Imperium commando team , led by Commander Orvak , flew under the protective shield and destroyed the deflector shield generators . Following this , a Second Imperium ground force consisting of Stormtroopers and Dark Jedi surrounded the Jedi Praxeum , while TIE Fighters and TIE / sa bombers bombed the surrounding jungle . In space , the " Shadow Academy " and a fleet of refitted Star Destroyers and battle cruisers blockaded Yavin 4 . The arrival of the Republic fleet under Admiral Gial Ackbar changed the course of the battle . Below on the surface of Yavin 4 , a number of personal confrontations were occurred . Tenel Ka faced off against Tamith Kai , in a bitter confrontation stemmed by the history of conflict between Dathomiri clans . More importantly , Brakiss was confronted by Luke Skywalker , his former master . Defeated and ashamed , Brakiss fled back to the space station , making his way to the isolation chamber . He demanded to see the Emperor . Blocked by two of the Royal Guards , he attacked in anger , cutting them down with ease and entering the chamber . There , he discovered a third Royal Guard working on a bank of controls , computer screens and holographic generators and realized that the Emperor ' s return had been a ruse all along . In fear , the remaining guard used his " Emperor ' s " override controls to activate the Shadow Academy ' s self - destruct systems , destroying the Shadow Academy and killing all onboard . With the destruction of the Shadow Academy , the battle turned in favor of the Republic and the remaining Imperium troops and Dark Jedi were killed or captured by the Republic , thus bringing an end to the Second Imperium ' s informal four year rule . Aftermath . The fourth guard managed to escape on a shuttle and headed for parts unknown . He was later killed by the anti - Human Diversity Alliance in 24 ABY after he refused to reveal to them the location of the Emperor ' s Plague Storehouse . The final holdouts of the Second Imperium would only be defeated by Admiral Ackbar in 25 ABY , just prior to the start of the Yuuzhan Vong War . Ackbar would retire from service following the end of the mopping - up operation against the Second Imperium . Many of the Shadow Academy students were rounded up by the Republic forces . Some , like Zekk , would later return to the Jedi Academy as students . Others , however , could never recover from their training . The dark side would dominate their destiny forever . One such student was Welk , who along with the Nightsister Lomi Plo was captured during the Yuuzhan Vong War , and imprisoned on the Koros - Strohna " Baanu Rass " which orbited the planet Myrkr . During a Jedi mission to Myrkr in 27 ABY the strike team encountered two Dark Jedi . Faced with a common enemy , Lomi Plo and Welk agreed to assist the Jedi in finding the voxyn queen in return for safety and protection . Towards the climax of the mission , they stole a repaired freighter , " Tachyon Flier " , and fled into the Unknown Regions with the Jedi Raynar Thul and Lowbacca ' s translator droid M - TD onboard . Much later , in 35 ABY , it was revealed that the ship had crash - landed on Woteba , setting all three aboard on fire and mutilating them . They were rescued by the Killik s — a species long believed to be extinct for millennia since their disappearance from their homeworld of Alderaan around 30 , 000 BBY . Eventually , all three were absorbed into the Killik hive mind , thus effectively becoming Joiner s . All three also became the leaders of the hives they joined . Raynar Thul became UnuThul while Lomi and Welk became the leaders of the Gorog nest of Killiks , also known as the Dark Nest . On the same year of the Killik rediscovery , Welk was slain by Master Luke Skywalker during a raid on Kr ' s Gorog hive . Under the influence of Lomi Plo and UnuThul , the Killiks and their Joiner allies instigated the Swarm War in 36 ABY and waged on both the Chiss Ascendancy and the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances . After a series of fierce battles , Lomi Plo was killed during a duel with Skywalker on her flagship " Admiral Ackbar " while UnuThul was captured and placed in the custody of the Jedi , thus ending their hold on the Killik hives . Personnel . Leadership . The official leader of the Second Imperium was the then - long believed to be deceased Emperor Palpatine , with it being believed to be the case by the various Dark Jedi due to the fact that he had resurrected himself twice before . In actuality , however , " Palpatine " was just a series of holograms as well as various voice recordings modeled after the deceased Emperor , with the real leaders of the Second Imperium being four surviving members of the Emperor ' s Royal Guard . Three of them were killed by Brakiss , two when they refused to grant him entry to give the Emperor an urgent notice , and the last after he learned the deception , while the fourth managed to escape . Dark Jedi commanders . Fitting for a Dark Side - aligned faction of the former Galactic Empire , the Second Imperium was mostly helmed militarily by various Dark Jedi and Nightsisters . Brakiss was the main commander of the Second Imperium as well as one of the founders , and was fanatically devoted to Emperor Palpatine . His ties to the former emperor lay as far back as when he was a baby when he was recruited by the Inquisitorious due to being Force - sensitive . Although Luke Skywalker attempted to train him in the ways of the Jedi , he ultimately failed . Brakiss eventually was killed when the Shadow Academy self - destructed by the one remaining royal guard shortly after learning their deception . Tamith Kai was the second in command to Brakiss , a female human Nightsister from the Great Canyon Clan , and acted as the assistant instructor . She also held a bit of a rivalry with Brakiss regarding their apprentices . She was ultimately killed during the assault on the Jedi Praxium when her platform was sabotaged . Garowyn acted as the person in charge of various supply deliveries to the Second Imperium ' s forces . She was ultimately killed on Kashyyyk in an encounter with Jaina Solo and Chewbacca , while attempting to retrieve her ship . Vonnda Ra was a Dathomirian Nightsister and , like Kai , a member of the Great Canyon Clan . She was in charge of bringing in Force - sensitive recruits to the Second Imperium . She ultimately was killed during the Battle of Kashyyyk by being devoured by a siren plant while fighting the Wookiee Sirrakuk . Jeng Droga , a former Emperor ' s Hand , and who had served Palpatine multiple times , was one of the people who eagerly joined the Second Imperium due to thinking Palpatine returned from the dead , and was in charge of leading the assault on Yavin . He ultimately fell in battle with Kyle Katarn , due to being left furious upon learning that Palpatine ' s return was all a lie . Shadow Academy trainees . Due to the Second Imperium being primarily a Dark - sider organization , there were several Dark Jedi who had been trained under the Shadow Academy . Zekk was a former member of the Jedi , who after being captured and recruited into the Shadow Academy became proficient enough in the Dark Side to become a Darkest Knight . He then was one of the Dark Jedi who personally led against the Jedi Praxium on Yavin 4 . Despite this , he ultimately warned the Jedi not to go inside the temple due to a bomb being present . Tamith Kai suspected that Zekk had loyalty issues beforehand , which were ultimately proven true . Vilas was a Dathomirian Nightbrother who belonged to the Great Canyon Clan , like Tamith Kai . He was also considered her best student , as well as the rival of Zekk . Ultimately , in a duel to gain the title of Darkest Knight , he fell to Zekk . Lomi Plo and Welk were trainees when the Shadow Academy fell , with the latter being Tamith Kai ' s second - best student after Vilas . They ultimately survived and went into hiding . Eventually , Welk and Plo were inducted into Darth Krayt ' s One Sith faction of the Order of the Sith Lords , and eventually instigate the Dark Nest Crisis and Swarm War before ultimately being killed . Military personnel . Owing to it being a splinter branch of the Imperial Remnant , and by extension , the Galactic Empire , some of the non - Force wielding personnel were former members of the Imperial Military . Qorl , a former TIE pilot acted as one of the TIE pilots for the military forces , and was part of the invasion force against the Jedi Praxium on Yavin 4 , and also was responsible for capturing the " Adamant " . He was ultimately shot down . Ironically , this defeat also convinced him to give up on the Empire . Norys acted as a TIE pilot for the Second Imperium ' s military forces . Unlike the others , he neither was Force - sensitive nor did he have any military background . He instead came from a gang known as the Lost Ones and joined largely for the sake of power . His more sociopathic actions disturbed his commanding officer , Qorl , who later ended up killing him due to disobeying orders and recklessly trying to destroy the " Lightning Rod " . Commander Orvak acted as one of the soldiers dispatched to disable the shield generators within the Jedi Praxium via his TIE stealth . He ultimately wasn ' t able to escape the Great Temple after rigging it to explode in time , however , as he had been bitten by a crystal snake and regained consciousness just long enough to see the bombs detonate . Dareb was the subordinate to Orvak and also involved in the mission to disable the shield generators . He ended up killed when his TIE stealth crashed into a tree , thus forcing him to collide into the invisible shield . Despite being one of the founding members of the Imperial Remnant , Admiral Natasi Daala had some involvement with the Second Imperium . Equipment . Being an offshoot of the Galactic Empire , the Second Imperium had access to various Imperial vessels . These included Imperial Assault Shuttle s , Star Destroyers , and TIE / LN starfighter s . They also had access to their own vessels as well , such as the rounded barge - shaped Battle Platform s . Some of their TIE / LN starfighters were also modified to include cloaking devices , appropriately known as TIE stealth s . Two were utilized during the Assault on the Jedi Praxium . The " Shadow Chaser " was a unique shuttle class in the prototype design , with its design being derived from the likes of the " Theta " - class T - 2c shuttle and the " Lambda " - class T - 4a shuttle . Brakiss considered it the finest small ship they had while Garowyn was particularly attached to the ship . It was mostly used as a transport shuttle for delivering supplies . The most notable vessel , however , was the mobile battlestation " Shadow Academy " that acted as the headquarters and training center for the Second Imperium ' s darksiders . It was ultimately destroyed by its self - destruct sequence going off by one of the Emperor ' s Royal Guardsmen after Brakiss learned to his fury that the Emperor had not actually been revived . Behind the scenes . The Second Imperium was the antagonist for the New Republic in the first six Young Jedi Knights novels . It was assumed at the time of their publishing that they were an offshoot of the Imperial Remnant , a fact that conflicted with later sources that stated this series took place four years after the Pellaeon – Gavrisom Treaty in " Vision of the Future " . This was retcon ned in " The Essential Chronology " by stating that the Second Imperium was founded by Imperials who did not hold Pellaeon ' s belief of peace with the New Republic .