Broken but not defeated

Hans Model -Commandant of the Stormtrooper Corp in Degurechaff's army- walked through the corridors of the Government Building in Eriadu. It was massive and the General Staff not only worked there but also lived here. His office was near the main meeting room, but he didn't want to go there. He passed that door and instead went directly to the room of the Chief of the General Staff, Cassio Tagge, a famous general among officers for being a proficient, dependable, and capable officer. But he lacked the experience of a Commanding General. A staff officer.

His greatest abilities were his anti-fraud protocols, which have helped the army clean house. His emphasis on logistics, the motto -Spaceships run on time- came after he was able to speed up the process of surface to space logistics at a fraction of the cost. But most importantly, he was very important because of his ability to sense problems through rational thinking. He was the first one to say that the Death Star was weak, he warned Vader about the problems with taking the local armies of Endor and changing them with the 501st and in his most recent record he warned Tanya that Tatooine was worth nothing and conquering it -even if it was a founding planet of the New Republic- would cost the Empire more lives that is worth it, saying that the best option was to destroy the agonizing planet.

While he never expected the Hutt offensive, his words came true nonetheless. And that's why Hans Model came to him. He needed advice.

When he reached the door of Tagge's office he used his knuckles to knock on the door made of durasteel. A small but convincing "You can pass," was heard from the Office.

Hans opened the door but before he could enter he noticed two Death Troopers marching, since the Imperial Intelligence's attempt on Degurechaff's life so many months ago the Death Troopers swore loyalty only to Tanya and acted as her personal guard. This meant that they were the first and last defensive troops in the Government Building called -The Palace- for its aesthetics. Hans sighed angrily at the view of the Death Troopers and entered the office.

Cassio Tagge raised his head from the reports he was reading to see Hans Model entering the office. His uniform showed that he held the rank of Fieldmarshall of the Stormtrooper Corp. He had many medals, even the Hero of the Empire medal in the Stormtrooper version, one of the most difficult medals to get. It was the flag of the Empire, but replacing the three standar colors of the Empire with precious metals, if he sold that medal he would probably gain about a million credits only for the value of the metals.

"I always wondered how you gained the medal Hero of the Empire" Cassio said to Hans, as he put aside the reports, putting his complete attention on his companion. He didn't know enough about him to hold respect or hate toward him. Hans was a silent man and only talked when he was asked something. For this reason he was surprised that the man came toward him to talk about something.

"Can I sit?" Asked Hans.

"But of course." Answered Cassio, Hans nodded and advanced toward the chair, sitting and putting an uncomfortable minute of silence in the air as he remembered how he gained the medal.

"My original legion was killed in battle, almost no survivors. We were the first ones to go to Mimban and we suffered the consequences. You had to be there to understand the horror. We were supposed to fight an enemy in open battle. Our training never said that our enemies would hide themselves under the mud and shoot us as we marched. They never trained us for the fog of the battle covering the planet all the time constantly where not even our best technology could warn us of an offensive. After every battle, when we were cleaning the bodies of our fallen comrades, mimbanese that made themself look dead would raise from the mud and start killing us as we were not ready for battle. We were the first ones to go on and the first to leave. In a month our Legion dropped to fifty percent of strength, in the second month only a thousand Stormtroopers were alive. I was Captain in those times and after all my superiors died I took command of the surviving Stormtroopers. Marching toward a hill I held that defensive position for six months after reinforcements finally came. Six months, for six months I held that hill, we had to drink water from the mud and eat the corpses of the mimbanese and our own comrades to survive. It was… hell. But I do not expect you to understand it, as a desk officer…"

Cassio Tagge gulped. He never was on the front leading troops. He since always has been a desk officer, he could lead a battle correctly but he never suffered from food shortage, from the trauma of the war. And the hate this man shared with him for a single second made his entire nervous system freeze.

"Why the Star Destroyer didn't give you support? Why did the Empire not send reinforcements?"

"Because the Senate started to investigate the situation of Mimban. They stopped all military operations in Mimban until they were happy enough to say that military intervention was the right thing to do. Allowing us to leave the planet was considered a military operation. Eight months, for eight months I survived in that brown hell as those fat fuckers of the Senate feed themselfs in the most expensive food and drinks. Bitching around how the Emperor acted and judging the Stormtroopers without knowing our suffering. Since that day I have hated the Imperial Senate and… I felt happy that it got dissolved by the Emperor… sadly to hear now that Degurechaff is repeating the same mistakes of the early Empire"

Cassio felt… uncomfortable. He, contrary to Hans, actually applauded that Degurechaff restored in some form the Imperial Senate and with that decision he declared his loyalty toward her. All the steps toward a semi democratic system supervised by a monarch were good. The Totalitarian aspect of the Empire never convinced him and he knew many others actually were not happy with the Emperor Palpatine.

He remembers the times when half the military was openly debating constantly every decision of the Empire. The early years of the Empire Armed Forces had great minds discussing and debating things that could be defended or criticized. But for years the Emperor purged the military until there were more incompetents and tarkinist -that in his book mean the same- now pluralism and freedom of debate has been restored in the Imperial Armed Forces -at least in Degurechaff territory- and this debates like being in favor or against the Senate did not meant that one day you would die in mysterious conditions or judged by crimes you didn't commit.

"I am sorry to hear that Model. The waste of imperial lifes is always a shame."

Hans nodded, Cassio could swear that his companion of work was not in the real world but in his mental world. He heard that many military men obtained mental health problems from war.. Could Hans face the same problem?

"They were good young men… they didn't deserve to die like that… When I returned years later I fucking killed everyone of those fuckings aliens, until the last one I saw. Civilians, military men, me and my new legion didn't stop until all the local population disappeared. Only then I avenged my Legion. I was called back then the butcher of Mimban. My new legion returned as heroes, but when talking to our families, to our friends that were not in the military. They called us monsters. They just were not capable of understanding our actions. In those moments where my new legion discovered the truth behind our service. Many collapsed, we knew that what we did was rational, we knew that what we did was justified. The Empire compensated us for what we did and called us heroes. But our people didn't. In those moments of despair and depression was…"

"I am sorry," Interrupted Cassio, "I know… life has been difficult with you. But you came here for something, didnt you? I knew it was my fault for asking but…"

"I came here for advice, and to understand me you need to hear my story."

Cassio looked at the papers and his datapads in his desk, he had to reform several Imperial Army divisions after the battle of Tatooine and had to handle a lot of ascensions. He knew that if he heard Hans' story he would need to work extra to finish the paperwork in time.

He sighed.

"I am sorry then for interrupting, please continue."

Hans nodded as he started to caress his left arm with his right arm. Ridiculous for Cassio to have that habit but he couldn't say that outloud.

"As I said, in those moments of despair and depression was the first time I met the Emperor. He heard of how I handled the defense of that Hill and he ascended me to a new Legion, the 1043th Stormtrooper Legion. Specialized in defensive warfare. I never liked defensive battles because of that damned hill. But the Emperor changed that, he said inspiring words, he converted me into a useful tool of the Empire, he allowed me to leave the depression I was sinking in. Every Stormtrooper in one moment or another has suffered depression, the Legions that have suffered this are the ones that their original planets have betrayed the Empire. We are defenders of the Empire, not the people of the Empire. Because the people of the Empire hate us. Our faith in the Emperor and his ideals is what allow us to keep going and not kill ourselves, what allowed me to survive the next years and become Field Marshal was my faith in the Emperor, knowing that a man that controlled a Galaxy knew my name and spend minutes of his precious time in giving me motivation to keep going. But there is no longer an Emperor, his ideology is not here anymore. The Degurechaff side of the Empire has replaced the Emperor's ideals with the ones of reformism. And do not understand my words as disloyalty, I am loyal to her and will kill and die for her. But tell me, if the people hate the Stormtroopers, if there is no ideology to have faith in and no Emperor to swear eternal loyalty… Why are we fighting?"

Cassio Tagge as leader of the Imperial Army has seen a lot of crises happen, logistics, morale, military collapses. But the Imperial Army was loved by the people, they were common people, heroes of the Empire and the people loved them. If what his companion told him is true for most of the Stormtroopers in Degurechaff territory… This could be one of the greatest crises in her territory.

"How long has been this sentiment in the Stormtrooper Corp?" Asked Cassio.

"Well, I have been in contact with other fieldmarshalls in the other side of the Empire."

Cassio raised his eyebrows at that declaration.

"It hasnt been prohibited." Answered Hans seeing how the eyes of Cassio were already judging him.

"Fair."

"This sentiment has been… common in all the Galaxy, but the True Imperial part of the galaxy at least still… has the Emperor ideology on top. That helps to ease the death of the Emperor. In our part there is nothing helping out the Stormtrooper Corp to deal with the Emperor's death."

"Has there been… any real consequences?"

Hans seemed like he didn't want to talk. But then he surrendered, knowing it would be known sooner or later.

"A Stormtrooper Legion has gone rogue, the 406th. I thought I had things under control but the creation of this almost imperial senate has been too much for the Commander of the Legion to accept. Between the declaration of Degurechaff as a traitor to the Emperor and the Stormtrooper Legion I sent to kill them only twelve hours passed. But they were gone off the planet. The Stormtrooper Legion checked the rest of the military forces on the planet, the two hundred thousand conscripts and the local training officers commented that a Star Destroyer entered in orbit to take the Legion. They thought they were being sent for a Degurechaff push to Coruscant"

Cassio Tagge took several seconds to analyze the situation. Things were worse, far worse than he expected.

"A push to Coruscant?" He asked as he tried to gain time for him to think all the possible situations and consequences of an entire Stormtrooper Legion going rogue and disappearing with a Star Destroyer.

"Yes, many believe that with the Moff Council collapsing and so many warlords appearing Degurechaff will march north and establish order in the Galaxy"

"That would ruin us. We cannot afford such a thing with our actual military capacities" Answered Tagge without giving it a second thought, only stupid people or ignorants could believe that Tanya was in a position to afford an offensive toward the Core. She just changed communications encryption in her territory to make all the warlords and what survived of the official government existed to go into the defensive. She needed time, not another war.

"Alright, so first of all what do you need advice on? How to deal with the situation?"

"No, no, no. I will take care of that myself, it's really just a Legion going rogue. That's not a problem. What I wanted you advice on… is how to deal with the identity crisis is facing the Stormtrooper Corp?"

Cassio Tagge's heart started to go faster as he realized that his companion didn't see the crisis that was just happening. He wanted to call him a fool and an idiot for ignoring it but he was dealing with the situation and found the original problem, the identity crisis the Stormtrooper corp has been facing for months. So at least he wasn't incompetent.

"First of all, this is the greatest crisis Degurechaff has ever faced. We should go immediately and talk with Tanya to..." He said, raising from the chair and putting his both hands on the desk, ready to start running towards the Degurechaff office the moment Hans accepted it, but then he saw Model's sword in his belt.

Incompetence is treason.

Isn't it incompetence to allow a Stormtrooper Legion to go rogue? He looked to his own belt, the damned small sword.

He already threatened Rano Resuci of death for incompetence. What were the possibilities of him and Model being killed and replaced for their incompetence?

Degurechaff shouldn't know anything about this. If she killed people for accepting a hundred credits bribe, she would kill them for allowing a Stormtrooper Legion to go rogue and disappearing with an unidentified Star Destroyer.

Cassio started to panic as he realized that Tanya would begin a complete purge of the Armed Forces if she was given enough evidence that there is incompetence and treason in them. The Stormtrooper Corp for the Legion going rogue, the Imperial Army because of the two hundred thousand conscripts in the planet that somehow didn't suspect anything and the Imperial Navy because an unidentified Star Destroyer allowed this traitor Legion to escape.

He couldn't allow her to purge the Armed Forces, it would destroy the last sane territory of the Empire. He had to solve this crisis in silence, no matter the cost.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hugh Dowding was a very skinny man, brown eyes, white hair and a very large and fine mustache, a decade ago he left the piloting of starfighters to become a Starfighter officer, leading wings from Star Destroyers and organizing training and doctrines. When he was ascended by Tanya Degurechaff to the position of head of the Starfighter Corp in the Supersector he believed this would be the peak moment of his career. The moment where he would do things right and would gain the honor and prestige of doing a very good job in a position of such relevance.

But in fact, since he ascended he has gone down. The first humiliation came when he was excluded from the General Staff position by Degurechaff. Saying that the Starfighter Corp didn't had the relevance as they were a support branch of the Imperial Army, the Stormtrooper Corp and the Imperial Navy.

Of course she acknowledged the relevance of the Starfighter Corp. Is just that she didn't thought they had nothing to aport to the General Staff meetings.

That was humiliating, but he accepted and continued his work, ensuring logistics, keeping the meritocratic system of the Starfighter Corp, developing the different fighters, analyzing the possibility of changing the TIE fighter with the TIE interceptor and expanding the project TIE defender. But then more humiliations came.

Degurechaff replaced the twenty five percent of her Task Forces fleet's fighters with droids. Droids! The elite pilots of the Starfighter Corp replaced with fucking droids! Every Starfighter pilot was a innate ace but that fucking whore just decided to replace them with droids. Saying that they were better and cheaper.

Never ever in imperial history the Starfighter corp has suffered such a humiliation. And while the average pilot coped with it, continuing their missions as usual, more and more were approaching their superiors and asking the same question.

Do we have a future in Degurechaff's Empire?

And their officers asked that same question to him because they lacked an answer.

And he couldn't answer because he didn't want to destroy the morale. But if things continued this way the only answer was that Degurechaff did not have a plan for them to have a future in the Empire.

That made his blood boil in anger.

He knew that droids were more agile, tolerated better the G forces, of course they didn't need to be trained and of course they were cheaper even than the TIE fighter. In general terms droids were better in everything to a human controlling a fighter. But the problem with droids was first their limited range. Most droid starfighters range is of ten kilometers while the maximum range of starships were of thirty kilometers. Meanwhile the range of human handled starfighters depended on the fuel capacity and in the case of the TIE it was nearly infinite as long as there was a star close enough. And if the main spaceship was destroyed the starfighter could continue the fighting contrary to the droids that if their main spaceship was destroyed would go rogue and probably destroy themselves in the lack of orders.

As leader of the Starfighter Corp he had only one duty, to keep it alive and functional. He would fulfill his duties by any means necessary. That's why he was in front of the head of the Imperial Navy office.

He knocked the durasteel door and a brief "You can enter." was heard behind the door. He opened it and entered the office. Admiral Garrik Trier was a little bit fat but looked very healthy, gray hair he was captain in the Clone Wars but he didn't see much action as he was part of the General Staff of the Republic, analyzing naval battles and creating counter strategies to the most dangerous admirals or captains the Confederacy of Independent Systems had to offer. He became an Admiral in the Imperial era, fighting in the Outer Rim thousands of pirates that he successfully killed the moment he analyzed their strategies. That's why he became leader of the Imperial Navy in Degurechaff territory, because he analyzed and his analysis led to victory. A competent officer and a veteran. No one had nothing bad to say about him and he was very sympathetic with everyone.

"Oh, it's you!" He said, rising from his chair and approaching Hugh Dowding with open arms, hugging him as the durasteel doors closed.

"How have been you doing Hugh? It has been some weeks since the last time I saw you." He said, changing from a hug to putting his left arm on Hugh's shoulders as he walked him into the chairs in front of his desk, sitting him and leaving to take some alcohol.

"I have been visiting the academies all around the Supersector, to ensure the meritocracy is being taken seriously. You know how we are."

"Oh but of course, you are all born aces, that's why I like you, competent not like so many bastards I have met in my life." He said with a deafening laughter.

In a matter of seconds he put two glasses with a very orange liquid in them. He sat in his own chair and took his glass. "Come on Hugh, for a good Empire," He said, raising his glass.

Hugh did not raise his glass.

"The Empire has collapsed."

"It would have collapsed anyway. At least Degurechaff saved this part of the Empire." Laughed Garrik with happiness, drinking from the glass the liquid that burned his tongue and throat. Hugh did not, looking at the orange liquid.

"I wanted to talk to you about something. That's why I am here."

"What is? Talk with freedom, now offices don't have ISB or Imperial Intelligence recording devices." Laughed again Garrik as he continued to drink from the glass.

"Degurechaff has continued to humiliate the Starfighter Corp. You said that with time things would be better but they are not. We are being set aside from any position of power or decision, my pilots are being replaced by droids in the Task Forces fleets. What will be next? Completely replacing the Starfighter Corp with droids? And after that? Will she kill us because we are a danger to her ideals?" He throwed the sword from his belt to the table. "Tell me, tell me what is this bullshit I am forced to wear?"

Garrik's smile disappeared slowly as he took a more serius appearance, he drinked the glass and left the empty glass in the desk. Around him were ten datapads showing constantly information and several holograms of different spaceships of the Hutt navy with annotations written in the hologram by Garrik. It didnt mattered if he was now leader of the Imperial Navy and that he could delegate the analysis to other officers. It was his most relevant skill and he still used it for the benefit of the Imperial Navy.

"I understand you, but understand me, I cannot push things around just because your honor has been damaged. Degurechaff works on the rule of efficiency and logic. Make your corp more cheap and efficient and she will not replace you with droids."

"How I am supposed to make train pilots cheaper than a programmed droid brain that can be mass produced for a cost of five thousand credits per brain. Training each Imperial Pilot to grant the best results cost a million credits. We cannot compete in the matter of cheapness because we cannot put the training of years directly in to the brain of our pilots"

"Then you will be replaced unless you convince otherwise. I am afraid I cannot do more."

Hugh felt angry, but he knew how Garrik was and how he survived Imperial politics. He was a friend of everyone but did not compromise himself with no one. A neutrality that many respected but that was dooming the Starfighter Corp to inexistence.

If he wanted the Starfighter Corp to survive he should take more extreme measures.

He took the glass and drank it in less than three seconds, leaving the glass on the desk.

He had an idea, but it was a very dangerous one, that could potentially mean his execution. But this was Degurechaff's fault for not leaving him an option.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bertoff Hissa looked to the table that before was used by the Moff Council to rule the Galaxy in detriment of the Regency Council. Now it layed empty, only him stayed in this big room. He was once the most powerful man in the Galaxy, now he was a man slowly sinking in depression as he realized his beloved Empire had collapsed.

For a single second he still had hope, he had around fifty percent of the Core in his control together with several moffs that have declared their loyalty to him. But he couldn't act, as the moment he opened the holo-map of the galaxy and saw how the Empire had lost more than ninety percent of their territory made him fall deeper in his depression.

The battle of Mon Cala lost, because the bastard of Zsinj conspired against him, accusing him of attacking his fleet in the middle of the battle. What a madness. Bertoff wanted the best for the Empire. How could he have planned this on purpose? Only a madman would thought that killing the Moff Council wouldn't end in a bigger civil war that they already were in.

Bertoff sighed as he looked to the ceiling. He could end his suffering with a single shot. What was even the point of continuing living without an Empire that keeps safe the Galaxy from itself.

A small sound came from the durasteel doors that opened as a figure walked in, she was a woman of very high stature for her gender. Her two-colored hair looked ugly in Bertoff's opinion but he would never say that loudly, as in Coruscant the walls have ears.

"Ysanne Isard. Have you ever realized that your name is pretty similar to the word insane?"

"The ignorant think the intelligent are insane," She commented as she approached Bertoff, sitting in front of him in one of the many chairs of the table.

"Why are you here?" Asked Bertoff as he didnt had the patience to deal with here, "Are you still angry that Degurechaff outsmarted you?"

"And are you that Degurechaff also outsmarted you? And Zsinj?"

Bertoff gulped, as it was true that both outsmarted him and ruined the Empire in their arrogance. In the silence Ysanne smiled and begun to talk again.

"The situation is bad, Degurechaff has encrypted her part of the Empire in basically a declaration of independence from the Empire, hundred of Moffs have declared independence in the Mid Rim and Outer Rim, the New Republic is winning in Kashyyyk and now Ackbar plans on attacking Coruscant. And he will probably succeeded"

"Please, I am not in humor for trying to guess what you want, straight to the point"

"The Moff Council failed because the lack of unity, I have found a person that would give the Empire the unity we need"

"And who is that? A Grand Admiral? Some bastard of the Emperor's inner circle?"

"The bastard of the Emperor that I rescued from Naboo"

Hissa opened his eyes wide as he heard those words come out of her mouth. Was there a legitimate successor to the Emperor? Why didn't he know anything about it?

"Why did I never know about him?"

"Because I do not believe the Emperor wanted to give the Empire a image of himself as someone that left bastards behind."

"What's your plan?"

"In the New Emperor government there will be no opportunity for disunity, you will be given the rank of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Empire. But you will have to accept the Emperor's authority and accept that the Regent Council will become part of the civilian government"

"Whatever, I will accept whatever is needed in order to bring back the Empire!" Bertoff said, raising from his chair and slamming both of his hands on the table.

"That's good to hear," Said Ysanne as she smiled.

—-------------------

The COMPNOR was the only official political party of the Core side of the Empire. While they lost most of their power in the south with the separation of the ISB and the COMPNOR they still held strong in the rest of the Empire even with the breakdown. Most of Moffs did not dared to touch the COMPNOR.

But yet, Martin Torman was passing through the worst months of his life. Since the death of the Emperor the Party secretaries died every few days, like if someone was taking care of purging selectively the leadership. In this situation he was elected as new secretary of the party. He feared his death would come soon and had the ISB of Coruscant taking all measures to protect his life. But even in that moment he knew that he was not safe.

A small sound of someone knocking his door surprised him. He was living in one of the skyscrapers of the Coruscant surface, so it did not have the same protection the official buildings had. But, he had enough bodyguards with him that he could create an army. As they positioned themselves to protect the secretary, Martin prepared himself.

Martin pressed the button on a remote control, opening the doors and showing Ysanne Isard behind the doors with a smile.

"Forty bodyguards would have not saved your life Secretary of the COMPNOR" She said with a smile as she slowly entered the room.

"Why are you here?" He asked, nervous.

"To say to you that your life is no longer in danger. My Death Troopers have discovered the New Republic terrorist cell and have killed them all. And we have enough evidence to believe they where the ones against the attacks to the COMPNOR"

Martin sighed in relief, he was a little bit fat, bald and looked old. His modest clothes were not fit for a man of his position but he never was a man of luxuries.

"Thank you for your efforts." Martin said as he raised and approached Ysanne, giving his hand for a handshake. She accepted it with a smile.

"It is nothing, I am a servant of the Empire and the Empire cannot survive without the Party. The True Imperials have to hold themselves true to the ideology of the Emperor not like the reformists of the south."

"Never have words spoken in such a way held so much truth in them." Commented Martin as he allowed himself to finally feel safe after months of paranoia.

"By the way, Secretary, I need to talk with you about something I found and I think you need to be the first to hear it."

"Yes of course, what is it?" Martin asked.

"I have found a bastard son of the Emperor."

Martin's face turned serious for the first time since the meeting had started.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sate Pestage looked at the woman in front of him with hate in his eyes. The whore of Ysanne Isard was amassing power extremely fast and he couldn't stop her as the Regency Council had no armed forces and only the loyalty of few planets in the Core.

The only reason the Moff Council did not purge them was because it would decrease the legitimacy of their government. But with the dissolution of the Moff Council they gained the loyalty of more planets in the Core.

But their power was still small in comparison with the beast of the Imperial Intelligence and Bertoff Hissa.

"I have found the bastard son of the Emperor…"

"Have you?" Asked Pestage with irony. "What a coincidence that the Moff Council dissolved and the COMPNOR secretaries have been killed for months, all with a fortunate coincidence that you have found the legitimate successor of the Emperor."

Ysanne smiled.

"I believe in coincidences."

"I do not," Answered Pestage. "And the only reason I stay alive is because you need me."

"There is no need of a Regency Council with an Emperor, to believe that I need you is an overestimation of yourself, Grand Vizier."

"You need me, if not I would be dead. You need the executive power on the side of your Emperor. And I control the executive power of the Empire. With the COMPNOR on your side you control the Judicial power and I am more than sure that you have already put Bertoff Hissa on your side. So you also control the Armed Forces."

"You are getting old man, the times of conspiracies have already passed as they have destroyed the Empire. It is time for unity under an Emperor."

"I wonder, how Ackbar got himself the battleplans of the Moff Council."

"I wondered about that too, the Imperial Intelligence is working on finding the New Republic spies."

Both Sate and Ysanne looked at each other. The smug face on Ysanne said to Sate all he had to know.

She already won.

"I will keep my role, the executive power will be under my fist. And I will accept your Emperor."

"Thank you for your cooperation Grand Vizier." Said Ysanne with a smile as she turned around, leaving the room they were in. The Royal Palace was an enormous monstrosity and as Ysanne walked through the corridors her smile widened, giving it a creepy nature that would freeze the blood of anyone who could see it.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bertoff Hissa, Martin Torman, Sate Pestage, Ysanne Isard and other representatives of the Empire's remaining government in the Core were waiting in the throne room of the Royal Palace in Coruscant. The news that the bastard son of the Emperor was found revitalized the will of the Core to keep fighting and today was the day that these men would be presented to the organs that allowed the Empire to keep living. More than a thousand persons in the Royal throne room awaited holding their breath.

Something everyone noticed was the disappearance of the Royal Guard. Since the rumors appeared they abandoned their posts and their position was unknown. The Royal Guard was replaced by Deathtroopers painted in white, black and red.

"August Palpatine entering." announced a man.

Everyone put their eyes on the young man, he was not older than thirty and he was human, he had brown hair and golden eyes that didn't looked human -wich immediately started small rumors in the people present-. He was handsome and very tall, strong but not enough that you could see his muscles through his fine silk clothes. He lacked of facial hair and his hair was short.

Behind him, Royal Guard Death Troopers marched in silence, carrying the same color patterns that the ones that were protecting the Royal Palace in the disappearance of the Royal Guard.

The bastard son of Palpatine had in his shoulders a cape emblazoned with the Imperial flag that reached to his feet. His clothes made of the best silk in the galaxy were of the colors of the Empire.

He walked in silence to the throne and when he reached it, instead of sitting he turned around. The Death Troopers went to his sides, showing a formation that would make the most brave man flee because of the fear of death.

The Emperor never had a crown in the Empire, but the Regency Council saw an opportunity to create a physical symbol of being Emperor, a physical symbol that represented the coronation of an Emperor. A crown that was not made to be worn and only used to crown the future Emperor. Made of gold, and more than a hundred gems that created the Imperial flag in front of the crown.

Sate Pestage had this crown in his hands, and he approached the Emperor to crown him, but when he was about to crown him August took the crown in his own hands, coronating himself in front of all the representatives of the elites of the Empire.

"For too many months the Empire has suffered the incompetence of the people that were left behind after my father's death." He said, his voice was heard through all the room even if no one knew how. "I have not been raised to be Emperor, I have not ruled before. But I will do all that is in my hands to recover the Empire from usurpers, warlords and the fools of the New Republic. I will rule in justice and with my interest being the best for the common people of the Empire. My first command as the Emperor will be an ultimatum to Tanya Degurechaff, supposed successor of Lord Vader that seems reluctant to use his surname."

The Emperor took a breath of air and prepared to deliver the ultimatum. His hands were sweating but no one could see them. He had always lived in riches on Naboo without knowing the truth of his situation until Death Troopers had kidnapped him one day. The next thing he knew, he was Palpatine's legitimate son and he was to be crowned Emperor.

"Tanya Degurechaff has three days to kneel and swear loyalty to me, recognizing me as her Emperor and accepting my authority. Or I will consider her a traitor to the Empire and treat her accordingly."

Ysanne started to applaud first, then slowly all the room applauded, except for one person. Sate Pestage, that looked with suspicion to Ysanne that was on his left.

"What's your plan?" He asked.

"To win the Emperor's Game."

"You lost on Degurechaff territory."

"You believe I lost? Or I made it look like I lost?"

Sate Pestage didn't know if what she said was to confuse him, or she was telling the truth.

"Why would you lose on purpose?"

"Because to win sometimes you need to lose" She said with a small smile on her face.

"You will not betray me, no?" He asked, not knowing why, maybe because he was scared, maybe because he wanted to have an excuse to abandon Coruscant.

"Of course not, we together will be the advisers of the Emperor, we will share the power, not kill each other for power. Only that way can the Empire survive, with cooperation."

Her arguments were convincing, but Pestage was a paranoid man and he only nodded, not knowing what to do. Should he trust her or run away while he could?