Civil War Event

Or even a group of entire systems. In fact, I am looking for an event that cascades into more colonies and systems switching (up to a third of the player's empire) to the rebel empire if the initial battles of the Civil War are lost by the player (perhaps a scripting event saying that the heroes of the rebellion rally more worlds to their cause, or if a any survivors escape from an apparent player victory, a scripting event that tells of the rebel heroes successful escape from Imperial pursuit and rallying more worlds to their cause).

The ultimate series of events would start out as a chain of planets rioting. If the rebellion is not dealt with quickly, say the player doesn't put troops on all of those planets within a few months, the next event would be a sudden declaration of independence by the rebel empire as an entire system declares independence from you. Correspondingly, most, if not all of the players ships and even entire fleets within a specific radius near the rioting planets mutiny and execute the player's Imperial officers, and the event log also reports of traitorous admirals surrendering their forces to rebel control - an obviously well thought out plan by the instigators of the rebellion (they've been planning this since you came to power, remember what your mother told you that your father had to face in his lifetime?).

Once independence is declared by the rebel empire, the first few skirmishes between their forces and yours will determine how far the rebellion spreads. If you lose all skirmishes in the next turn (meaning you don't destroy the rebels entirely in that battle and some escape or live beyond the turn), additional planets switch to the rebel empire, and any major battles involving 5% of your total forces or more that you lose (meaning you don't wipe out the rebels completely and the survivors live to the next turn) then entire systems switch to the rebel empire; up to a third of your former empire.

Perhaps further losses on your part will result in up to half of your empire switching sides. Battles that the rebel empire loses against you (meaning they attack you but don't destroy their targets in a turn) result in nearby planets reverting back to your control, up to a third of the rebel empire's.

Such a Civil War event/script would come close to paralleling real historical and fictional civil war stories as traitors serve both sides in the early part, public opinion counts as the middle part (winning or losing), and decisive battles count as the resolution (the actual "liberation/unconditional surrender" or "defense/independence").

Perhaps a final scripting event could be such that even you as the player wind up joining the rebels through a storyline in which you as Emperor realize that the rebels are against your corrupt bearucracy/barons and not necessarily against you, and as you realize you too are powerless against your own beurucracy/barons as you face assasination attempt after assasination attempt, you are then given the choice to leave your empire and take control of the newly independent colonies to defend them (and the fleets they have captured) in the face of your former empire and hope to depose the beurucrats/barons and seek to reclaim your throne for your people.