Cloud City during the Thrawn campaign

Here's the setting for our ongoing Star Wars story!

In 9 ABY, Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the last surviving leaders of the Galactic Empire, re-emerged from the Unknown Regions to wage a renewed war against the New Republic. This conflict, known as the Thrawn campaign, was the New Republic's first major setback as the Imperial Remnant, once believed to have been gone for good, launched devastating strikes on Republic worlds. Bespin lay relatively close to what remained of the Empire, and became one of the Grand Admiral's prime targets. Cloud City was soon reoccupied by the Empire, this time more aggressively than before.

The Empire took over the planet's tibanna shipments, seeking to deprive the New Republic of this vital resource while bolstering its own arsenal of energy weapons. The new Imperial administration reinforced Bespin's defenses and declared martial law, enforcing nightly curfews and spying on citizens to hinder local resistance movements. The people of Bespin, who had gained more equitable treatment from the New Republic, generally resented the Empire's hostile takeover and struggled to maintain production while resisting Imperial interference.