For a long time, the Interim Ruling Council of the Empire, now under the control of Bacharan Valak (soon to be coronated Emperor), had been planning to invade and annex the Caspian Democratic Union, which spanned several systems. The CDU experienced considerable civilian casualties at the hands of the Imperial invaders, and the incident remains a point of considerable distrust towards the Empire. While not sufficient to push the CDU into the New Republic sphere of influence, it served to forment a policy of armed neutrality.