Grand Vizier
Marlon Sularen Onrai Alicia Drey Darth Vinaze Derix Tirall Darth Apophion Nute Griimda Aerarii Tithe Alars Keto
The recess had come at the most opportune moment. The tension in the assembly had been more than she could stand, a real sense of disquiet that made for an impossible situation. She longed for the halcyon days of civility and decorum, lost as the Imperial Order had collapsed.
She made her way through the small gathering to where Tithe stood, watching the crowds below. There was such a conflicting sense of grief in the air; she felt proud and somewhat jubilant, yet knew she felt a prolonged sadness for the Father’s passing. She saw Aerarii Tithe, standing, lost in the parade below. It was strange to see such a prominent figure of Galactic politicking so closely, so intimately. She listened to him.
He flattered her, there was no doubt about it. But she did believe it to be, in part, a genuine statement of merit.
"When my appointment was announced for my current post, there was all manner of opposition laid before Korvan’s feet, objection after objection by dusty-mouthed Admirals and blustering oligarchs who saw my particular style as a threat to their own self-interest."
She looked at the former Chancellor and anticipated his interruption.
"Loyalty. I have loyalty in the hangarful’ she said, her rich, alto voice smooth with her otherwise femininity. She was a refined beauty, even in her mourning dress evoking a stylish, metropolitan woman in her prime. She was in her mid-fifties, tints of gray beginning to highlight her blonde hair.
"The Imperial office cadre didn’t like that I couldn’t be bought, couldn’t be whipped into submission by their prestige alone. I know the measure of a man, Chancellor."
She used the title with a hint of playful irony, all the while she looked solemnly down at the scene below, expansive and vast in scale. The funeral march that blasted was shrill, thunderous drums beating out a defiant cadence, like a heartbeat.
"The Emperor is like no man I’ve ever met before. When my remnant cell, under Ignacious, began the true task of rebuilding, we had such hope. We had a fire within us that dared to be extinguished, dared to be blown out. Korvan’s zeal and his passion kept us warm and safe in its glow, we privileged few who knew the man as closely as we did."
She breathed heavily.
‘But the Emperor? His flame is unlike any other, a flame that would scorch worlds with its brilliance.”
She sighed, putting her tightly bound hair into place.
“I do not seek power. I have tasted that, believe me. Like you, I know the one thing that defines how successful the wielding of power can be; its limitations. The Dark Side teaches us that ‘limitations are there to be transcended, to be overcome.’ I believe in our Emperor we have that means, at last.”
She heard shouting from behind her.
“What now!?”