The 734th Sector Group

Since I've gotten a lot of questions about the Imperial forces deployed in my story, here's some details.

This story takes place in the Star Wars: Legends continuity, so some of this may contradict information from Disney's new canon. I wouldn't know, as I pay very little attention to it. The year is 7 BBY - seven years before the Battle of Yavin, five years before the founding of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and twelve years after the Declaration of a New Order. This Imperial force is part of the 734th Sector Group - mostly because I just stuck in what I thought was a large number in Chapter 25 and didn't stop to think that, with 1024 sectors under Imperial control, this would actually be a fairly moderate-priority group, probably stationed in the Mid Rim, not one assigned to the far edge of the Outer Rim. I suppose this at least gives me a good reason for the fact that they weren't already under-supplied from the start and actually have competent commanders. Of course, the force in-system isn't anywhere near the entire Sector Group - that would involve hundreds of thousands of infantrymen, tens of thousands of tanks, and thousands of starships, including twenty-four of the famous Imperial I-class Star Destroyers. I won't deny being a cruel and sadistic SOB, but that would both be extreme overkill from an in-universe perspective and no fun to write or read. Instead, the force that initially arrives at Equestria is as follows:

734th Sector Group, Third Fleet, Fourth Systems Force, Third Squadron, Light
First Attack Line
Vindicator-class heavy cruiser Implacable
Commanding Officer: Admiral Sturm Gavrisom (co-commanded by Captain of the Line Ulan Cortess)
Vindicator-class heavy cruiser Eradicator
Commanding Officer: Captain Tam Sedratis
Vindicator-class heavy cruiser Enforcer
Commanding Officer: Captain Bren Loor
Second Attack Line
Vindicator-class heavy cruiser Star of Lianna
Commanding Officer: Captain of the Line Kodai Hurada
Acclamator-class assault ship Dauntless
Commanding Officer: Captain Hukno Dinn
Acclamator-class assault ship Intrepid
Commanding Officer: Captain Odan Dor
Skirmish Line
Carrack-class light cruiser Guardian
Commanding Officer: Captain of the Line Markus Fanir (line flag transferred to the Ardent upon Fanir's death, captaincy of the Guardian given to Lieutenant Dar Fenn)
Carrack-class light cruiser Ardent
Commanding Officer: Captain Korl Rann (promoted to Captain of the Line upon Fanir's death)
Carrack-class light cruiser Valourous
Commanding Officer: Captain Ronnan Bel
Carrack-class light cruiser Resolute
Commanding Officer: Captain Sedan Wermis
Recon Line
Vigil-class corvette Manka
Commanding Officer: Captain of the Line Fein Cenik
Vigil-class corvette Nexu
Commanding Officer: Captain Hurst Banir

734th Sector Army, Second Systems Army, Second Army, First Corps, Line
Commanding Officer: Major General Davar Aerin
First Battlegroup, Line
Commanding Officer: High Colonel Marl Himner
Second Battlegroup, Line
Commanding Officer: High Colonel Tanis Bur
Third Battlegroup, Line
Commanding Officer: High Colonel Thel Antilles
Fourth Battlegroup, Reinforced
Commanding Officer: High Colonel Kell Alder
Fifth Battlegroup, Auxiliary
Commanding Officer: N/A

183rd Legion, Fourth Regiment, Second Battalion
Commanding Officer: Commander CC-8156 "Coldcase" (command transferred to Lieutenant CL-7382 "Colicoid" after the death of most of the battalion)

A technical note before I get into what all of those things were: a blaster cannon is weaker than a laser cannon of the same "weight," which is weaker than a beam cannon, which does less damage per unit energy consumed than a turbolaser but fires a continuous beam instead of a bolt (despite all of these weapons being essentially the same thing - plasma). An ion cannon does very little direct damage but fires plasma that's heavily ionized, disabling electronics and rapidly bringing down shields. A mass driver does just what you'd think - fires a physical mass. These can range in destructive potential from "modern machine gun" to "powerful rail gun." The ones mentioned below are closer to the strong end of that scale and are about as powerful as medium turbolasers.

Vindicator-class heavy cruiser: This is one of the most common capital ships in the Imperial Navy, deployed when Star Destroyers aren't available and lighter craft just aren't sufficient. Designed to replace the old and inefficient Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser, this 600-meter long craft has a crew of 2551 men, a full TIE wing of forty-eight TIE/LN starfighters, twelve TIE/sa bombers, and twelve TIE/br boarding shuttles, and an armament of twenty-five light turbolasers, twenty-five light quad turbolasers, twenty point-defense laser cannons, twenty point-defense ion cannons, and a tractor beam array.

Acclamator-class assault ship: Designed as a front-line battleship for the Grand Army of the Republic before the start of the Clone Wars, the advent of larger craft like the Providence-class carrier/destroyer and the Venator-class Star Destroyer caused it to be relegated to a support role. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, it was considered totally outdated and used mostly as a transport for ground troops and supplies, though desperate and impoverished governments would continue to use them as warships for decades. 752 meters long, this ship has a crew of 700, can carry half a corps, and is armed with twelve quad turbolasers, twenty-four point-defense laser cannons, and four proton torpedo launchers.

Carrack-class light cruiser: The Carrack was designed as an escort for heavy cruisers during the Clone Wars - a role it fulfills with unparalleled mastery. It's heavily armed and armored for a vessel its size, as fast as a starfighter, and extremely maneuverable. This 350-meter long miracle of engineering has a crew of 1092 and is armed with ten heavy turbolasers, twenty point-defense laser cannons, and a tractor beam array.

Vigil-class corvette: Intended for scouting duties, this ship is 255 meters long, has a crew of 200, and is armed with three dual heavy turbolaser turrets and three dual light turbolaser turrets.

TIE/LN starfighter: This 8.99-meter tall starfighter's pros are its high speed, exceptional maneuverability, fairly powerful twin laser cannons, and low cost. Its cons are everything else. It lacks armor, secondary weapons, shields, a hyperdrive, life-support systems, or even landing gear. As a result, TIE pilots must wear sealed flight suits and rely on specially-designed racks to enter and exit their fighters. Additionally, its lack of particle shields means that it can't go above 1200 km/h in a standard atmosphere without being torn apart. TIEs are designed to overwhelm superior enemy fighters by sheer force of numbers and are considered totally expendable.

TIE/sa bomber: Slower and less maneuverable than their fighter counterparts, these 7.8-meter long craft are slightly better armored and have a maximum atmospheric speed of 850 km/h. In addition to their laser cannons, they carry up to fifteen metric tons of physical ordnance in their second hulls that they deliver with pinpoint accuracy.

TIE/br boarding shuttle: This variant of the TIE bomber has had its bomb bay converted into a pressurized transport pod that can comfortably hold a squad of stormtroopers. Unlike other TIEs, it has a landing gear that allows it to unload these troops in enemy hangers.

Line Battlegroup: Consisting of mostly Army troopers with a few tanks, this formation is mostly used for holding ground taken by more powerful battlegroups and is considered insufficient for assaulting enemy fortifications.

Reinforced Battlegroup: A good mix of Army troopers and armored elements, reinforced battlegroups are considered capable of adequately carrying out both offensive and defensive missions.

Auxiliary Battlegroup: Auxiliary battlegroups lack a commanding officer outside of the corps's major general, as they are never deployed as a unit. Instead, "auxiliary battlegroup" is a term used to refer to the forces assigned to a corps that fall outside of the traditional Imperial Army Order of Battle - three regiments of CompForce troopers and the partial-strength TIE wing housed in the garrison.

Imperial Army troopers: The basic infantry of the Galactic Empire, they're usually used to garrison peaceful worlds or attack low-priority planets. Decently trained and usually loyal, but poorly equipped.

CompForce troopers: Recruited from members of COMPNOR (the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order, the Empire's social engineering agency), these volunteers are subjected to brutal "training" intended to instill total loyalty to the Emperor and incredible resilience to the hardships of war. Used for the most suicidal assaults, they are universally hated by their Army compatriots, who see them as incompetent soldiers and are annoyed by their practically religious devotion. In turn, CompForce troopers hate the basic infantry and see anything less than fanaticism as one step away from treason. Horribly trained but absolutely loyal and modestly equipped.

Stormtroopers: These are the Empire's elite shock troops and front-line combatants. Originally composed only of clones of the infamous Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett, the Stormtrooper Corps began accepting normal human recruits after 12 BBY, when the 501st Legion crushed an army of clones bred by the Kaminoans to liberate Kamino from the Empire. Clones eventually became severely outnumbered by human recruits in all legions except the 501st, which was allowed to stay a purely clone force until the Empire lost its cloning facilities after the Battle of Endor. Highly trained, extremely loyal, and well equipped.

Scout troopers: These stormtroopers are scouts and snipers, equipped with a lighter variant of the typical stormtrooper armor and a helmet with advanced visual settings. They're considered elites even when compared to typical stormtroopers. They are well aware of this, and they make sure nobody else ever forgets it. As a result, they're hated by both Army grunts and stormtroopers, and unlike the CompForce troopers, they don't have a direct line to the not-so-secret police. This makes them a common target of violence from their fellow troops, and Imperial commanders often have to isolate them from the rest of the army to protect them.

Storm commandos: Only those stormtroopers who have proven themselves as truly elite on the field of battle are allowed into the special forces of the Stormtrooper Corps. These troops engage in covert operations ranging from assassinations to kidnappings to sabotage. Their black armor combines the full-body coverage of stormtrooper armor with the advanced helmets and light weight of scout trooper armor, and adds a sensor-dampening polymer coating. These are the best soldiers in the galaxy, surpassed only by the specially-bred Clone Commandos assigned to the 501st Legion's Imperial Commando Special Unit.

74-Z speeder bike: Though older than the BARC speeder used by the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars and 20 km/h slower, with a top speed of 500 km/h, this 4.4-meter long bike is the vehicle used by Imperial scout troopers, as it's also three hundred credits cheaper. Armed with a forward-mounted blaster cannon.

All Terrain Scout Transport: This 8.6-meter tall bipedal walker was designed near the end of the Clone Wars. Lightly armored but heavily armed, it can reach speeds of 90 km/h on even terrain and is used for scouting and hit-and-run attacks. Armed with twin chin-mounted heavy blaster cannons with a range of 2 km, a short-range light blaster cannon on its left side, and a concussion grenade launcher on its right.

TX-130T fighter tank: This upgraded version of the TX-130 Saber-class fighter tank is an 8.3-meter long repulsorlift vehicle capable of moving at 193 km/h and boasting improved shields and armor. Armed with two heavy laser cannons, two missile launchers, and a gunner-controlled beam cannon turret.

All Terrain Attack Pod: While this 11-meter tall walker is classified as bipedal, it has a third leg that it deploys for stability when it's firing its main weapon, a powerful mass-driver cannon. The range and accuracy of this weapon have earned the AT-PT the moniker of "sniper artillery." When not firing its massive main gun, it moves at a maximum speed of 60 km/h and is protected by an underslung medium laser cannon and a manned heavy blaster cannon turret on its top.

S-1 FireHawke Heavy Repulsortank: This heavily-armored, 10.1-meter long repulsorlift vehicle can move at an incredibly impressive 400 km/h and is armed with a turret-mounted heavy laser cannon with a range of 5 km and a medium blaster cannon with a range of 1 km.

All Terrain Tactical Enforcer: Designed before the Clone Wars to be the Grand Army of the Republic's main battle tank, this six-legged walker has a maximum speed of 60 km/h and is 13.2 meters long and 5.02 meters tall. By the end of the war, it had been mostly delegated to providing support for Juggernauts, though it still saw front-line service until the All Terrain Armored Transport entered use in 1 BBY. It's heavily armored and armed with six light laser cannons and a manned mass driver turret.

HAVw A5 Juggernaut: Designed during the Clone Wars for use by Planetary Security Forces, this ten-wheeled behemoth became one of the most numerous armored vehicles in the galaxy, and most of them were acquired by the Imperial Army when the Galactic Empire nationalized the PSFs. 21.8 meters long, 10 meters tall, and capable of moving at 200 km/h, this vehicle is very slow at turning. Its designers' solution to that issue was to give it a secondary command cabin at its rear, so instead of turning around, it will simply drive backwards. It's heavily armored and armed with three heavy laser cannons, a medium blaster cannon, and two concussion grenade launchers.

Okay, that's it. Of course there's other stuff I could mention, but hopefully I describe it all well enough in the story itself (plus this is way too long already and probably mostly filled with stuff you already know).