Imperious Interruptus

[Dorriun Vakel]

For millennia, Coruscant had served as the seat of galactic power. It was the ultimate symbol of intergalactic might, mainly because it was the intersection of many hyperspace lanes that allowed for ease of access to a wide range of the galaxy. In short; whoever controlled Coruscant, had the ability to control a large section of the galaxy. And for many years, that's exactly how it was. The old Republic, the Galactic Empire, the New Republic and plenty of others in the hundreds of years since. But through those years since the loss at Endor, the Empire had never given up hope that one day it would be their turn once again to rise from the ashes and usher in a new era of galactic domination. For a time, they were well on their way. The Imperial Confederation, the new face of the Empire, had taken Coruscant and for a time were quite powerful. But a series of stupid decisions by the higher ups had led to the current state of affairs. Today, Coruscant had celebrated the coronation of a new ruler. The Empires second fall from grace was now complete.

Vakel sat in his chambers aboard his star destroyer that orbited the city planet. He had watched the festivities broadcast on Holonet News just hours before. Now, night had fallen on the throne of the new Imperium. His mind dwelled on the the day and what lied ahead in the future. He was fully aware of the split that had arisen in the Empire. Those who welcomed the Imperium and those who wanted to push them aside and discard them like the usurpers they were. However, in the end, it didn't matter how Imperial citizens felt in the matter. What mattered was who had the support of the Imperial military. If the military decided to stand against the Imperium, Vakel's hopes of getting his throne back might yet become a reality. However, if they sided with Imperium apologists, it could cause problems going forward.

Normally none of this would be of any concern but it was becoming more and more clear that Shran was sympathetic to the Imperium, or at the very least was open to working alongside them. Shran, while never having garnered much support within the Imperial Confederation, had since become very popular among both Imperial citizens and the military alike due to his efforts to save the Empire. He was a staunch believer in the cause and that was something that won over the hearts of many in the days following the loss of the Confederations leadership. All but one. He was supposed to be their savior and they treated him as such. Dorriun knew that he either needed Shran on his side, or he needed to dispose of him in a way that wouldn't simply martyr him. After the coronation ceremony, Dorriun had summoned Shran to join him aboard the Ravager to discuss the future of the Empire.

 

[Shran]

In light of recent events, Shran was actually quite pleased with how things worked out. By cooperating with Grayson rather than fighting him, Shran was able to secure a spot in the Imperators inner circle which, all things considered, was probably the best outcome that could have happened. of course Shran was not blind to the discontent of many imperials, such as the Emperor himself. However, what these people failed to realize is that the union with the Grayson Imperium was only ever a means to an end. It allows the Empire to recuperate and rebuild under the protection of Grayson and his forces. Of course, there were limits to this idea. Lord Grayson would never intentionally allow the Imperials to mass a force that could match or even best Grayson's own forces. Although, these were limits that would need to be circumvented somewhere in the future. For now Shran would have to focus his attention on convincing the holdouts that this alliance was for the best.

Shran's shuttle arrived on the star destroyer, not long after the initial summons was sent. As he walked off the ramp, he was greeted by several officers, waiting to receive him, including the ship's first officer, Commander Terris. "Welcome back Chancellor. The Emperor is waiting for you in his chambers."

"Not chancellor anymore, Terris. High Lord now, actually. My willingness to allow Grayson to take the throne has rewarded me in a position of trust with our new Imperator. He's tasked me with making sure the rest of what's left of the Empire follows my example. Now, before I meet with the Emperor, I intend on meeting with Captain Gorah. I assume he's in his office, yes?"

"Yes sir, I'll alert him that you are on your way."

Shran nodded and headed for the nearest elevator. When he arrived at the captains office, he waved off his guards, who waited outside as Shran entered the office. "Captain, it's good to see you again." He said as he walked in, taking a seat on across from captain.

Captain Gorah stood and saluted before sitting back down after Shran was seated. "I hear congratulations are in order for a promotion. High lord. That's quite a shiny title they gave you."

"It pays to know when to kiss the ring and when to take it. Today was a day to kiss it."

"Just be careful who's ring it is you kiss more. People are starting to talk. Many who are loyal to the emperor are starting to suggest that you're a traitor to the Empire."

"I'm going to be meeting with the Emperor after we finish here. Hopefully we can get things smoothed over. An empire divided cannot stand." Shran sat back in his seat and let out a sigh. "Have many been expressing feelings of discontent?"

The captain gave Shan a knowing look. He reached under his desk and pressed a button, disabling the listening devices in the room. "It's just us now. You can thank Graf. The paranoid rat had everyone and everything rigged. Intelligence still doesn't know I found a workaround. But back to the point; there's mixed feelings among the crew an I've heard similar with other captains. We are all with you. Or crews will need to be reeled in. We can do it but it'll take time. You'll need to buy us that time."

"You have three weeks, captain. If the emperor's disposition hasn't changed by then, it'll be time to take him out."

"I'll leave that to you."

"Take care captain," Shran stood and headed to the door, turning back to give one last look to the captain, "and keep me apprised of any new developments."

Shran left the office and then resumed his course to the emperor's chambers that were just below the main bridge. He entered the dimly lit room, again telling his guards to wait outside. Despite having just been given an even higher position of power, this was the one room in the entire galaxy where Shran felt completely powerless. The room was only illuminated by a large window that allowed light from the stars in. Just in front of that window was the emperor's command chair. In theory he could oversee an entire war from that chair alone. As Shran walked closer, he cleared his throat. "You summoned me, my lord?"