Eternal Empire

"*I forged the Empire of Zakuul to surmount all of my previous works. It will span eternity.*"
―Valkorion
The **Eternal Empire** was a government based on Zakuul by Emperor Valkorion sometime before the Galactic War of 3640 BBY. Valkorion used the Empire's large fleet to battle both the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire on multiple worlds, with which, he thought he could reshape the entire galaxy.

## History

### Origins

Some time between the First Jedi Purge and the Great Galactic War, Vitiate, the Sith Emperor, traveled into Wild Space in search of the Eternal Fleet, a supposedly unstoppable fleet of warship commanded by sentient droids. His journey brought him to Zakuul, where he discovered a culture of superstitious Humans who worshiped the ruthless Old Gods. Taking on the identity of "Valkorion", he unified the nomadic tribes of Zakuul into a civilization utterly devoted to him, creating the Eternal Empire, installing himself as their Immortal Emperor. He formed a new Force-user order called the Knights of Zakuul to rise above the light and dark sides of the Force. A subgroup of the Knights, called Scions, used their visions to locate the Eternal Fleet and slaved control of its sentient GEMINI droids to his Eternal Throne.

## Galactic War

The Eternal Empire remained hidden until the Galactic War, when Valkorion's twin sons, Arcann and Thexan proposed a pre-emptive strike against the greater galaxy to test the strength of both the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire. Valkorion sanctioned their proposal, but commanded that only Thexan would lead their forces. Arcann disobeyed his father and joined his brother, resulting in him being wounded in action on Korriban. When the twin princes returned to Zakuul to present their trophies, Valkorion merely turned his back to them. Giving into his anger, Arcann lunged to attack his father, only to be restrained by Thexan, resulting in Arcann accidentally killing his twin. Thexan's death was then covered up, publicly blamed as a casualty in the Core Worlds campaign.

When the Outlander and Darth Marr were captured by Arcann, one of the sons of Valkorion, after a major battle in which Marr's ship was destroyed, the Emperor had a talk with them. Both the Outlander and Marr knew that Valkorion was the Sith Emperor Vitiate, whom they had been searching for. Valkorion stated that he would share his Eternal Empire with them if they would kneel. Marr replied that he would never again kneel to Valkorion. Marr was then executed by Valkorion, after he stole a saberstaff from one of the Knights of Zakuul. The Outlander was given the same choice to kneel before Valkorion, an opportunity that almost no one else received. After a string of events that seemingly lead to Valkorion's demise, Arcann claimed himself to be Emperor of the Eternal Empire and froze the Outlander in carbonite.

Arcann used the death of his father to wage a conquest of the Core Worlds that would see the Republic and Sith Empire on the losing end, with the Eternal Fleet favoring ambush tactics and the massive technological superiority to destroy the bulk of both sides' fleets, within a matter of months. At the end of the first year, the capitals of both Coruscant and Dromund Kaas were blockaded; only ships outfitted with the element Isotope-5 were capable of outrunning them, but could never truly compete. After 3 years of conflict, the governments of the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire had formed treaties agreeing to limitations, and to pay tributes to the Eternal Empire, making it the sole superpower within the galaxy. Afterwards, massive battle stations known as Star Fortresses were placed in orbit of certain planets in the galaxy, to keep rebellions from forming and to ensure that the tributes from both governments were paid. The fortresses were under the command of Exarchs, biologically and cybernetically enhanced Knights of Zakuul.

But as the galaxy suffered, the Eternal Empire itself did also in ways that many did not or wished not to see. Arcann's rule had become oppressive and cruel with his sister Vaylin, no longer restrained by her father, causing death and destruction in her wake as her powers in the Force continued to grow.

In 3635 BBY, Lana Beniko and Koth Vortena freed the Outlander from carbonite imprisonment, acquired an ancient ship that once took on the Eternal Fleet called the Gravestone, and created an Alliance determined to destroy the Eternal Throne.

## Collapse

By the end of the war with The Alliance, Emperor Arcann had been dethroned, Empress Vaylin was killed, and Valkorion was destroyed through the use of a powerful holocron, all by the Outlander.

When Vaylin was killed, no successor to the throne was present, allowing the Outlander to take control. The Eternal Empire was then dissolved, its holdings acquired by the Alliance, which would reform into a full fledged government known as the Eternal Alliance.