gM6OjP0.jpg

Carlac
High Warlord Halketh
23rd Day of the Seventh Month
red.png

ChVAW7n.png

A steady calm washed over his layered figure upon his crossing of the threshold, emerging from the shaded dark of his transport to grace the stage assembly. The peoples of his world had been gathered, drawn from their places of employment, their homes, and their free time for an announcement from their government- the same broadcasted boldly across all of New Imperial space. It was expected, in a way, the toppling of The Sith Empire had brought his fellows to their stages to declare victory in penned formality, though his proclamation had been tardy, and perhaps such is why his lengthy absence was finally noted at last.

Ascending the narrow steps built upon his assembly, the murmuring crowd collapsed into collected silence, the citizens gawking in disbelief that their Warlord had returned to them at last, dissolving their greatest fear that he had fallen in battle, and could no longer protect them from the iron fist of their greater faction. It was he who stood between the subjugation of these peoples, uniting them under a banner of liberation they would not otherwise know beneath the rays of the Iron Sun. It was he who rallied passionately for the same to be extended across the New Imperial Order's territory, and it was he who suffered the consequences of the suggestion. He was more than their governor, he was their protector, their shelter, and their guiding hand in a galaxy consumed by uncertainty and chaos. At once, a cacophonous cheer erupted across their eager faces, thrumming the boards beneath his boots with the uproarious applause and celebration of his return to his home.

It was enough to crack a smile across his scarred lips and urge the raise of his hands, waving them curtly to soothe the masses. "Steady, steady," He hummed, leaning forward to speak into the microphone positioned centrally, "what a wonderful thing it is to return to my home and my family." The applause did not cease. "It was my sole desire to return to you as swiftly as I could, however, I found myself lost along the way. And yet, I found my way back regardless, navigating the wicked seas to rejoin you all where it is I am needed most." The rare expression of delight held upon his weary face and he nodded in emphasis of his point, "Though I know you are all fully capable of running the planet without my hand, as you've proven time and time again when I must away with my peers." His hands finally found rest upon each side of the podium, gripping the wood with a characteristic anxiousness.

He had a loaded gun, all that was left was to pull the trigger.

"The Sith Empire has fallen, at last, our greatest enemy will plague us no longer." He announced, giving pause to allow the crowd to express their elation, however stale the news may have been, "However, with this new dawn finally realized, a plethora of problems has arisen spitefully alongside it." The people quieted down immediately. "Never would I have thought myself a man to wage war, but in my time serving you all, I have found myself doing precisely that, for we have all labored deeply upon this world and I shall not see it threatened. I shall not see our order and way of life disturbed."

He could have heard a pin drop in the thousands amassed before him.

Snow fluttered down lazily upon the tranquil wind.

"The New Imperials see us as an asset, a people to work as cogs in their machine, and for the time, I'm certain we were all content with that. We could live our lives the way we deserved to. I did not indoctrinate your children. I did not falsify records nor documents to deceive you all. I did not draft you into military service to die for a cause that has nothing to do with you. I did not scorn and exile you for being different nor possessing power beyond my comprehension." His tone took a much darker, grimmer edge as the words rolled off his fervent tongue, "My brothers and sisters, I am no Imperial. I never have been. I never wanted to be."

Somber nods of agreement were exchanged between members of the audience, though the dire silence remained unbroken. Dozens of citizens gasped softly, shaking their heads with disbelief.

"The New Imperial way is to crush and dominate. It is to eradicate. It is to subjugate and rule, as wicked as the first foes they honed their blades for. I will not suffer you the fate of the tightening Imperial noose, no, we will not allow anyone to come to our home and desecrate what we all have slaved for years to rebuild; our lives."

Jaws tightened.

Hearts fluttered.

Gazes steeled.

"I have spent my absence with value, establishing alliances and forging new bonds with the like-minded who would stand by us as the New Imperial wolves come rushing in to feed upon us. All that I ask, my brothers and sisters, is that you stand by my side to protect what you have given everything to build. To safeguard your legacies, your families, your homes..."

An eruption of rallying cry rattled his heart in his ribcage, launching it into his throat swiftly. His words choked, lodging themselves where he could not pry them free. The overwhelming rise of emotions from those before him burned his senses, filling his Sight with nothing but red-hot passion and icy determination. He had spent years disseminating doubt about their "allies" on the planets beneath his thumb. This had been perhaps one of his greatest orchestrations and it was with great mirth swelling in his breast that he saw it, at last, coming to fruition.

"...henceforth, from this day, The Carlac Providence no longer recognizes the oversight and governance of the New Imperial Order. We declare independence for ourselves, so that we may continue to weave our own destinies and fates, so that we may thrive free of the burden of ironed yoke and shackle!"

The warlord's ears rang with the thunderous roar echoed back at him. He gave it time to run its course, to settle, before he wet his lips to continue: "Make no mistake, they will come. They will hear my words today and see the fire in all of your hearts and they will fear it. They will come to crush it. We won't let them, stand by me, fortify our home, barricade our planet, arm yourselves. It is our duty, not only to those who have labored to shape this future for us, but to ourselves to ensure our lives are in our hands. Stand by me, my dearest Carlac, when the wolves come knocking. Stand together, so that we may never know the weight of their burdens upon our shoulders again!"

Halketh's shoulders heaved with the exuberant breaths drawn and cast between his lips, clouding the icy air before him as the deafening crowd frenzied with their flaming hearts. None stood idle, then, motion had taken them all, casting them in different directions with minds to do precisely as he had suggested of them; ready their defenses. He watched the ribbons of motion dance across his Sight until his attention was seized by his attendant grasping his shoulder. A turn of his head angled his ear so that he could understand the words imparted upon him. His smile twisted with sinister delight.

"Yes, disperse it throughout the territories, I want all of them to see it. I want us to be an inspiration."

With her affirmative response, he turned himself, strolling back across the assembly to duck into his transport's cabin thusly. "Summon The Brotherhood," he ordered casually, reaching to collect a wine glass from its holder as he tucked into a seat, "they will want to be here for this."