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Personal Log: The Nature of an Empire
Duty. Order. Justice.
These are the basic tenants that the Empire is built upon. From my earliest days in life this mantra of expectation was drilled into me. At school, I was told how my duty was to serve the Empire as a citizen and uphold its ideals and legacy in my heart. In public, every street corner, every business and every road was blazoned with the iconography and of the Empire. The soldiers in the streets, the propaganda, for that is what it is, playing on every holoscreen available. The police officers raiding the homes of criminals and enemies of the state, and the public executions of the proven threats to our way of life. That was supposed to teach us justice. Every aspect of Imperial life has been carefully crafted to teach the next generation what they must do, what is expected of them to help protect the Empire, and help it grow.
When I found out my family were criminals, is it so shocking then that I had them arrested? It was raining that day, so many years ago. The flashing lights of Alashan local authorities washed across my family home, and the rain pouring down my families face obscured any tears that may have been in their eyes. They accused me, hated me, called me a traitor to the family, but they had betrayed the Empire. By dealing in criminal affairs, black market smuggling and other crimes of the sort, they had gone against the very ideals of the nation they had been citizens in for so long. I felt no pity or remorse as they were loaded into the prison transports. It was on that day that I understood that the personal feelings and desires of the individual could not come before the greater needs of the Empire.
I joined the Imperial Navy that same day, though for logistics sake they filed my paperwork as the day after. My families assets and resources had been confiscated during the trials, and so I was forced to give up my chance at attending the likes of Bastion or Prefsbelt. I was accepted into Rampart, and did my time there. Here, I saw the faces of the men and women who came from nothing; from worlds so poor the income of an entire village would barely keep a core world family fed for a day, and outsiders looking to earn their place in the Empire through service. I bonded with them, made some of the only friends in my life there, and my beliefs were reinforced. I graduated Rampart the top of my class, and earned my commission on a Core World star destroyer. It was there that I came to understand the 'true' nature of an Empire.
Political machinations saw good officers fall from favor and incompetent fools rise. The unity of Imperial leadership was shattered with the death of the Emperor, and in its wake, a Triumvirate of powerful individuals came to rule. They each have their own personal motivations, their goals and ideas for how the Empire should be run. While theoretically united in power for the good of the Empire, the nature of that power puts them into competition with one another. How many of our Empire's recent actions can be summed up by one power player attempting to force another into a position of disgrace, or risking the Empire for a chance at further personal advancement.
The nature of idea of an Empire is good, no matter what outsiders say. The order and justice brought by a centralized authority helps ensure fairer treatment for all. It is a truer system of peace than the chaotic democracies of the central and southern galaxy. If it is done correctly. It is a more peaceful system than those overseen by militant and uncontrolled Force User sects who put their organizations goals above the needs of the state. When it is overseen by a single, selfless individual who can put their own petty desires and goals aside for the greater good of the Empire, everyone prospers in unity.
It is a grim necessity, then, that sometimes this unity must be fought for with blood.
This personal file has been confiscated and classified by the Officer of Internal Security and Naval Intelligence. All inquiries into this file are to be sent to Officer REDACTED on Bastion. No actions are to be undertaken at this time as further inquiries are made in this investigation.

Personal Log: The Nature of an Empire
Duty. Order. Justice.
These are the basic tenants that the Empire is built upon. From my earliest days in life this mantra of expectation was drilled into me. At school, I was told how my duty was to serve the Empire as a citizen and uphold its ideals and legacy in my heart. In public, every street corner, every business and every road was blazoned with the iconography and of the Empire. The soldiers in the streets, the propaganda, for that is what it is, playing on every holoscreen available. The police officers raiding the homes of criminals and enemies of the state, and the public executions of the proven threats to our way of life. That was supposed to teach us justice. Every aspect of Imperial life has been carefully crafted to teach the next generation what they must do, what is expected of them to help protect the Empire, and help it grow.
When I found out my family were criminals, is it so shocking then that I had them arrested? It was raining that day, so many years ago. The flashing lights of Alashan local authorities washed across my family home, and the rain pouring down my families face obscured any tears that may have been in their eyes. They accused me, hated me, called me a traitor to the family, but they had betrayed the Empire. By dealing in criminal affairs, black market smuggling and other crimes of the sort, they had gone against the very ideals of the nation they had been citizens in for so long. I felt no pity or remorse as they were loaded into the prison transports. It was on that day that I understood that the personal feelings and desires of the individual could not come before the greater needs of the Empire.
I joined the Imperial Navy that same day, though for logistics sake they filed my paperwork as the day after. My families assets and resources had been confiscated during the trials, and so I was forced to give up my chance at attending the likes of Bastion or Prefsbelt. I was accepted into Rampart, and did my time there. Here, I saw the faces of the men and women who came from nothing; from worlds so poor the income of an entire village would barely keep a core world family fed for a day, and outsiders looking to earn their place in the Empire through service. I bonded with them, made some of the only friends in my life there, and my beliefs were reinforced. I graduated Rampart the top of my class, and earned my commission on a Core World star destroyer. It was there that I came to understand the 'true' nature of an Empire.
Political machinations saw good officers fall from favor and incompetent fools rise. The unity of Imperial leadership was shattered with the death of the Emperor, and in its wake, a Triumvirate of powerful individuals came to rule. They each have their own personal motivations, their goals and ideas for how the Empire should be run. While theoretically united in power for the good of the Empire, the nature of that power puts them into competition with one another. How many of our Empire's recent actions can be summed up by one power player attempting to force another into a position of disgrace, or risking the Empire for a chance at further personal advancement.
The nature of idea of an Empire is good, no matter what outsiders say. The order and justice brought by a centralized authority helps ensure fairer treatment for all. It is a truer system of peace than the chaotic democracies of the central and southern galaxy. If it is done correctly. It is a more peaceful system than those overseen by militant and uncontrolled Force User sects who put their organizations goals above the needs of the state. When it is overseen by a single, selfless individual who can put their own petty desires and goals aside for the greater good of the Empire, everyone prospers in unity.
It is a grim necessity, then, that sometimes this unity must be fought for with blood.

This personal file has been confiscated and classified by the Officer of Internal Security and Naval Intelligence. All inquiries into this file are to be sent to Officer REDACTED on Bastion. No actions are to be undertaken at this time as further inquiries are made in this investigation.