The Sith Reform

The Sith Reform is a movement and organization headed by Archons Ardedech and Fiemmit. Though it operates largely independently, the group still technically answers to the Dark Council and Emperor of the Sith Empire.

History
Darth Ardedech, Darth Fiemmit, and Darth Venate were high-ranking Sith in the Sith Empire, but viewed the petty power plays and bickering with distaste. Their disdain for the politics of the Empire meant his power base remained small for many years, but when the Great Galactic War began his views were vindicated. Many Lords and lower Sith flocked to the Darths, whose followers practiced his teachings of Sith unity and therefore remained more stable than that of other Sith during the turmoil of the War.

Once Vitiate's true plan was revealed and Acina rose to power, Ardedech, Fiemmit, and Venate's power base became one of the strongest individual power structures in the Sith Empire. Ardedech claimed the title of Justicar, and Fiemmit and Venate that of Archon. The group dubbed their following the Sith Reform to symbolize the changes they would bring to the Sith - for the better.

This consolidation of power, which took a few years to settle, concerned Acina [and her successor], but with the impending threat of a renewed war with the Republic there was little she could do. The Archons maintain loyalty to the Empire, the Dark Council, and the [Emperor/Empress], at least on the surface, however. They knew that while the Empire might allow their ambitions, direct challenges or disrespect would be answered in full.

Many Imperials joined the Reform movement along the way, finding the lack of power plays and xenophobia refreshing and far more stable. Admiral Maximilian Valerius was one such addition, bringing with him a small flotilla due to his influence and power.

Beliefs
Archons Ardedech and Fiemmit believed that the trials of the Sith and the discipline in the Imperial military negated the need for restrictions on who could apply - either an individual would succeed or they would fail. Xenophobia was, therefore, a meaningless and ignorant restriction, forcing the Sith and military to pass up potentially-valuable assets.

The Archons despise the constant bickering and power plays of the old Sith Empire as well, and joined Empress Acina in pushing for a more stable and cooperative Sith Empire.

Ardedech in particular hated the easy power and simplistic abilities that many Sith coveted, preferring to immerse himself in complex rituals. He believed that such dedication to a single task created a deeper connection to the Dark Side, providing the practitioner a greater power than most simple abilities provided.

Sith Ranks

 * 1) Justicar: Justicar is the highest rank in the movement and is held by Ardedech alone. Ardedech is the ultimate authority of the Reform movement.
 * 2) Archon: Archons are the most powerful members of the Reform next to the Justicar. They advise, execute his will, and rule when he is busy. Fiemmit and Venate are the only present Archons.
 * 3) Councilor: Members of the Council mirror the Dark Council - it is a group of advisors to the Archons and Justicar, providing guidance, controlling their own portion of the Reform, and ruling when the Justicar and Archons are absent.
 * 4) Darth: Darths are the highest-ranking non-ruling individuals. They have mastered the Dark Side to various degrees and are often placed in positions of power by the Justicar, Archons, or Council.
 * 5) Dark Honor Guard: The Dark Honor Guard is a small order of specially-trained, powerful defenders who protect the leaders of the Reform movement. They do not rule or instruct, with some small exceptions, but remain some of the strongest warriors in the movement.
 * 6) Lord: A Sith Lord is roughly equivalent to a Jedi Knight. A Lord earns their title by completing their training and taking on the responsibility of instructing others.
 * 7) Sith: A wielder of the Dark Side of the Force who has passed their Apprentice trials. These are the most plentiful Sith throughout the Reform, and make up more than half of the Dark Side presence inside of the Reform.
 * 8) Apprentice: An Apprentice is a Sith learning to wield the Dark Side from a specific master, typically between the ranks of Lord and Darth.
 * 9) Acolyte: An Acolyte is a Sith learning the basics of the Force and the Dark Side from several, non-dedicated masters.

Imperial Command
These are Imperial Officers of O-7 and higher.
 * 1) O-11 Grand Admiral: Grand Admiral is the highest Naval rank in the Empire and currently in the Reform there is no one that holds his position. Whomever would hold this rank would have supreme military control over all Reform Naval units and sub units and be one of the major figures of the Imperial High Command.
 * 2) O-10 Fleet Admiral: Fleet Admiral is the rank given to those who are in control of Sector Groups or a major fleet. They answer only to the Grand Admiral. The fleets commanded could be an assortment of ships in the armada or more specific assault, bomber, support, or planetary suppression operations.
 * 3) O-9 Admiral: As of now there is only one Admiral and currently the highest ranking officer in the Reform, Admiral Maximilian Valerius. Admirals are flag officers and are responsible for high military command at the battle group and fleet level and some times their tasks can be administrative/political.
 * 4) O-8a Vice Admiral: Vice Admirals are known as "section admirals". An admiral may have two or three vice admirals under their command to act as their liaisons in various sections of a specific sector in space. This rank is often refereed to as an administration position as these vice admirals lead the more integral part of a sector group.
 * 5) O-8b Commodore: The rank of Commodore are base administrators. They are equal to in rank of a Vice Admiral. Rather than being assigned to a sector in space to run naval operations, commodores are often assigned specific stations or bases of great interest for the Reform to act as the main governing body of the area.
 * 6) O-7 Rear Admiral: Rear Admirals are known as "front-line admirals". They are the lowest rank of the admiralty and they're often in charge of smaller flotillas and still see much front-line action, hence the nickname.

Upper Imperial
These Imperials rank from O-3 to O-6 and are typically known as "Middle Officers"
 * 1) O-6 Captain: Captains are the life blood of any Navy. Typically captains are veteran officers that take command of a singular warship within the Reform. They are line officers of the fleet that are always ready at any given notice to take up the banner when the call comes for war.
 * 2) O-5 Commander: Commanders are mid-tier officers that rank below captain. They could be given the command of a ships such as frigates and in some cases destroyers, but mainly a commander is often the rank given to the 1st officer to a captain. Commanders must be the "right hand" of any ships captain, usually taking the role as the captains voice to the crew.
 * 3) O-4 Lieutenant Commander: The rank of Lieutenant Commander would often be the rank to those onboard a ship that were placed in-charge of a specific field of expertise or job. For example; the head of engineering or security on board a ship, station, or navy controlled base would often be lieutenant commanders.
 * 4) O-3 Lieutenant: Lieutenant is the most widely used rank within the Navy. They make up a majority of command personnel and they're often placed or in-charge of small task groups on missions or in their work sections of a ship.

Imperial Officer Cadet
These are junior officers when entering the fleet and are O-1 to O-2.
 * 1) O-2 Junior Lieutenant: Junior Lieutenant is the rank given to Ensigns that are in command training. Though not bestowed all the privileges of a full lieutenant they are expected to act and fulfill their duties as one. Many of their tasks would be ones normally given to a lieutenant to further their training as an officer.
 * 2) O-1 Ensign: Ensign is the lowest ranking Imperial officer, often given right out of the Imperial Academy. They act as midshipmen, often fulfilling roles on the bridge such as communications or navigation. Ensigns are sometimes given supervisory roles over enlisted crewmen however they're too junior to command a real billet and cannot take command of any situation unless for the absence of a lieutenant or any superior officer. Typically they're assigned simple tasks like watch officer, envoys or military aids.

Imperial Command
E-9 is the highest Enlisted Rank to be considered in Imperial Command.
 * 1) E-9 Master Chief: Master Chiefs are the most fearsome enlisted personnel around. These are career men and women who embody the core values of the Imperial Navy and act as a right hand to their officer counter-parts. It's not unusual to witness a Master Chief to tell a younger officer off if they're screwing up and most wouldn't question it due their experience. (117)

Upper Imperial
Enlisted in the Upper echelons are those of E-7 and E-8 and should be treated with the same respect as their officer counterparts.
 * 1) E-8a Senior Chief: Senior Chiefs are senior enlisted that tend to be the experts in their field and job within the Navy. They tend to command along with their officer counter-part and more or less lead and teach their troops personally while an officer typically overseers the overall operations.
 * 2) E-8b Gunnery Chief: A Gunnery Chief is a special staff officer employed as the principal advisor to officers at all levels to assist in the development of training plans and employment of weapons. The Navy Gunnery Chief is typically stationed onboard larger warships or command bases and make sure that all Naval personnel are trained with all modern Imperial weapons and strategy.
 * 3) E-7 Chief: Chiefs are technical experts and tend to be in charge of various departments on board ships and act as the face of them. These jobs are tasks such as "Boatswain's Mate" which train, direct, and supervise personnel in ship's maintenance duties or "Quartermaster" is in charge of the watch-to-watch navigation and the maintenance, correction, and preparation of charts and navigation.

Mid Imperial

 * 1) E-6 Petty Officer First Class: These leading Petty Officers act as experienced leaders and are typically heads or experts in their field onboard a ship. First class petty officers normally serve as leading petty officers of a division, and direct the activities of a division.
 * 2) E-5 Petty Officer Second Class: These are the second grade of Petty Officer. To achieve this rank one must advance themselves form the Third Class of Petty Officer and show that the personnel is becoming a leader and expert within their specific field onboard a ship or base.
 * 3) E-4 Petty Officer: Unlike lower ranks there is never an unassigned Petty Officer. All Petty Officers are experts in their field and are graded according to seniority and leadership skills. Petty Officers can be electricians, mechanics, ship/base security, and more.

Low Imperial

 * 1) E-3 Leading Hand: A Leading Hand is senior of all junior enlisted personnel. Leading Hands work along side Petty Officers to receive training when being introduced into a field. To showcase their leadership skills they'll be given tasks onboard a vessel with lower ranking enlisted. These junior enlisted will often be the ones to make sure that the ship is cleaned, the mess is stocked, and other less technical ship duties.
 * 2) E-2 Specialist: The second lowest rank in the Navy, Specialist are are Crewman that have received more time in service. Though many of their tasks may seem menial it is still for the betterment of themselves and the Empire.
 * 3) E-1 Crewman: The lowest rank in the Navy, Crewman, are the general bulk of most crews. Most Imperial recruits come out of training as Crewman and are actively learning their tasks and jobs while on active duty.

Spheres
The Sith Reform is divided into five Spheres of Influence, which reflect the five Spheres used by the Dark Council of Acina's Sith Empire. Each of the Spheres has set duties and its own rank structure, led by the Councilors under Justicar Ardedech and his Archons.

Sith Doctrine
The Sphere of Sith Doctrine oversees and controls the exploration, discovery, and dissemination of arcane and historical knowledge. Keeping records of events, developing Force powers, rituals, and rites, and debating and refining the Sith Reform’s understanding of Force theory are some of Sith Doctrine’s most sacred duties, as well as ensuring an understanding and fanatical devotion to the philosophies of the Reform Movement.

Military Command
The Sphere of Military Command is the Sith Reform’s shield and sword. The Reform’s military contingent consists of both Navy and Army and, though technically part of the Sith Empire’s military structure, it reports directly to Justicar Ardedech and the Warmaster on his Council. The Military Command sphere is tasked with liberating and enlightening captive or struggling planets and their populations, be it from criminals or enemies of the Empire. This Sphere is also responsible for assaulting the Reform’s enemies and defending the Reform’s holdings against said enemies.

Scientific Advancement
The Sphere of Scientific Advancement is tasked with exploring technology and biology, manipulating it to gain power for themselves and the movement, and in general learning what they can about the natural world. They must develop, design, and assist in the construction of ever-more powerful technologies. This Sphere focuses on what parts of nature to explore and manipulate to best serve the Reform.

Civil Administration
The Sphere of Civil Administration must ensure internal security, stability, and prosperity for the movement. They oversee budgeting concerns, civilian and military construction projects, as well as the safety of all Reform members and citizens from potential internal threats. They are the civilian governing body of the Reform’s planets, systems, and sectors.

Galactic Influence
The Sphere of Galactic Influence was created to learn about the movements and intentions of foreign bodies, then to utilize the information to create alliances and supply information for the betterment of the movement. This Sphere contains both diplomatic and intelligence organizations.