It had been some time since the 'Storm Trooper Act of 902 ABY' had passed in the assembly, but it took even longer for enough palms to be greased to actually put it into effect. As per Kaila Irons proposal, a 'Federal' Legion was being created to both support existing Legions, and form a sizeable recruiting pool. Veterans of this newly formed Legion would be plucked into successful careers elsewhere, in the 'Emperor's Fist', or the 'Jutrand Raiders'. The Corps were made as specified, and they were pulled from multiple worlds.
Darth Meritum had to give Irons credit for that much, the Null Legion (Zero Legion) would at the very least be not as subject to corruption or foreign loyalties like some of the other Legions were. He already had concerns about how Gerwald Lechner might use his newly formed Legion against the Empire if something happened to Empyrean. That was ignoring Darth Carnifex and Darth Malum of House Marr - each with their own armies only just short of a fully fledged Legion.
Perhaps then, this newly formed Null Legion would be an answer to that. Imperial Authority was lacking when the Emperor wasn't present, but this would give him more sway. Meritum didn't want to be able to force people to do his bidding, but knowing he had the true backing of a Legion himself, inexperienced or not, would at least make other Sith think twice before denying him a request.
Ships waited to take these men, each in massive Corps, to their respective places in the Empire. Most would be given garrison duty, to reinforce their borders from prospective incursions. The rest would be sent to the war fronts; the Holy Worlds under threat by the Empire of the Lost, Diarchy, and Mandalorians; the Rimma Trade Route to shore up the First Legions conquests; and the remnants of the Rimward Trade League to bring the Second Legion's raids to a quicker end.
A massive undertaking, all things considered, but one that would benefit both the economy and the military. Contracts to supply this new Legion, however, were going to cost the treasury something fierce. Meritum sighed at the thought, realizing that he would have to ask the Sith-Imperial Banking Clan, not to mention the Economic Council, for funds to support supply lanes. The last thing the Sith Order needed was word getting out that they were somehow starving their military on the fringes of their space.
With that, he turned and moved back towards his transport. The Voice of the Emperor needed to finish more than a few bits of paperwork, and this short trip to see the Null Legion in action was only distracting him further.
0 Legion, "Null"
Cirqa 902 ABY
