▁Empire , ▁Commander ▁of ▁the ▁legend ary ▁Tw enti eth ▁Fle et , ▁who ▁eventually ▁came ▁to ▁be ▁known ▁as ▁" the ▁Last ▁of ▁the ▁Imperial s ", ▁and ▁earned ▁this ▁title ▁well . ▁His ▁tact ical ▁genius ▁was ▁compared ▁with ▁that ▁of ▁Admir al ▁Pe ur if oy , ▁and ▁his ▁skill ▁at ▁handling ▁men ▁to ▁be ▁far ▁greater . ▁A ▁man ▁of ▁great ▁military ▁genius , ▁he ▁was ▁also ▁brave , ▁compet ent , ▁good ▁looking , ▁neither ▁too ▁young ▁nor ▁too ▁old , ▁a ▁tak er ▁of ▁calculated ▁ris ks , ▁and ▁good ▁to ▁his ▁men — in ▁short , ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁popular ▁general . ▁He ▁was ▁born ▁at ▁a ▁late ▁point ▁during ▁the ▁slow ▁fall ▁of ▁the ▁Empire . ▁Rio se ▁year ned ▁for ▁the ▁days ▁when ▁gener als ▁proved ▁their ▁worth ▁through ▁the ▁addition ▁of ▁new ▁territory ▁to ▁the ▁emp ire . ▁ ▁Rio se ▁got ▁his ▁chance ▁when ▁he ▁heard ▁rum ors ▁of ▁the ▁" mag icians " ▁from ▁Duc em ▁Bar r ▁and ▁others , ▁in ▁reference ▁to ▁the ▁scient ists ▁of ▁the ▁Foundation . ▁At ▁this ▁time , ▁the ▁Foundation ▁held ▁a ▁large ▁portion ▁of ▁the ▁peri ph ery ▁in ▁economic ▁control ▁and ▁word ▁of ▁the ▁Foundation ▁was ▁beginning ▁to ▁reach ▁the ▁Empire ▁at ▁the ▁Gal actic ▁Core . ▁As ▁a ▁stal wart ▁and ▁patri otic ▁def ender ▁of ▁the ▁original ▁Gal actic ▁Empire , ▁Rio se ▁was ▁shock ed ▁by ▁the ▁legend ▁of ▁H ari ▁S eld on ' s ▁plan ▁to ▁create