Heir to the Empire
Visions of the Past
CIRCA 877 ABY
Siyndacha Aerin
| THEMEThe Empire needed heroes. Not the kind who fought and died to secure single victories, but those who saw the bigger picture to the problems it faced. There was once a time when the Empire had true heroes in abundance. Ideologues had not infected its way across the boundless worlds of the Empire, and a common uniting cause would see them fight, even when the galaxy screamed at them to give up. There had once been a time when the rank-and-file who served the Empire would see their Imperator and know what it was that kept them pushing forwards. They could see the injustices just on the other side of the border, as it was still possible to point at the existential threat of the Sith, before the Imperials were forced to point towards their own.
Felists.
Tarkinists.
It mattered little to him now, though the lines had been drawn even for him. Lucien inspired, he fought with his men without fear or hesitation, and he honored them when inevitably they would perish. He'd attained the strength to protect the ones he loved with all of his might. The resources to crush those who would stand against him with an iron fist, if need be. But he was the benevolent warlord of the Empire, the true heir to the Rurik, where all else remained pretenders, or too distant to claim. The Empire had reached the zenith of its power, and there existed a throne left empty, purposefully, by him.
There were always many who urged him to do just that; to claim the throne that was his by right was an easy task to the masses, for who else was better suited than the one who championed the people who made the Empire what it was? It was an easy task, indeed. Yet the ramifications that would follow would prove more catastrophic than a vacant throne for a much-divided Empire. There were too many ramifications, always, no matter what path he chose to walk. Politics had never been a passion of his, yet his position demanded he think always before he would act.
"Only time will tell."
Luc would occasionally remark, at least when he was in the company of his closest companions, but rather than wasting himself away under the shadow of Rurik's empty throne on Bastion, the Heir to the Empire would focus his attention where the Empire much needed it. Battlefields persisted on the edges of the Empire's borders, where the Sith presence still existed as a fragment of its former power. Skirmishes with their former allies in the Core threatened to ignite their southern flank into all-out war, those sentiments being artificially-driven by the Tarkinists who demanded a direct confrontation before the year's end. In the end, there was little that he could do to stop it, and so he found himself once more at the sight of another Imperial battlefield, far away from home.
The Jedi Temple of Ilum.
The Empire had arrived like the wrecking ball that it was, descending upon the world with long-standing grievances plaguing its collective narrative. Whilst the ground forces waged their conventional battles across the planet's surface, a large section of the Imperial Knights had been seized by Lucien's decree to accompany him where the force had willed him to be. There was nothing he could do to stop the rampant strip-mining, nor the skirmishes between two parties who equally wanted war, but what little he could do, force-willing he would try. Knight-Shuttles touched down upon frozen ground in unison, depositing their complements before leaving the area to the safety of their fleet in orbit.
They took up positions around the temple, establishing a clear blockade that prohibited any allied forces from entering the vicinity. The rest would enter the Temple at once, effectively commandeering the Temple for themselves whilst the battles outside their perimeter were waged without end. There were still many who had not fled when the Empire had suddenly attacked, and it would be the Knights who'd guarantee their protection, for the time being anyway. Eventually the conflict on Ilum would cease, and when it did he'd ensure these... hostages would be safely returned to the Core.
Hours after their arrival, Lucien and his Chapter of Imperial Knights had secured full control of the Temple, and accounted for those who still remained in full. The fighting had been corralled away from their sector, giving them time to consolidate themselves and those in their charge. Lucien had wandered away from the busiest section of the Temple by then, extricating himself from the improvised command center with purpose in his step. He was accompanied by only one other Knight-- someone who he'd recently grown to trust, if only ever-so-slightly. Trust was a commodity that was rare in a time where political divides were all too common, but the force had willed them together, and so he went with the flow.
They proceeded down an empty corridor of the Temple, the cold interior barely exuding any warmth with the Temple's main power supply being knocked out. Luckily for them, the Imperial Knight Cloaks were pretty good at insulating warmth.
"Have you ever been to Ilum?" Lucien would eventually break the long silence. "Before today, that is. Under better circumstances." He continued on, leading them down a different path that led them to the more ancient interior of the old temple. "High Command would have us believe that they've consolidated most, if not all of the sources of Kyber crystals on this world, but..." Lucien came to a stop, his gaze shifting to the old stones on the wall to their right. He pressed one in, the force guiding him where his eyes would fail in his discretion. The wall opened up, revealing a circular path through the earthen wall. A feint glimmer of light could be seen on the horizon near the end, though the two still had a ways to go.
"There's a few unclaimed deposits left; Caverns that are ancient enough to be missed from their intelligence reports." Lucien spoke plainly, not needing to name who he was referring to directly. The elements who stood against him were open with their hostility, even as the two sides worked to keep the Empire from shattering under its own weight.
Their steps were slow as they proceeded down the damp earthen tunnel, slowly descending into an array of ancient caverns steeped heavily in the force. "...And hidden they will remain, Syn. You will take this place to your grave, force-willing." Lucien's gaze shifted across to the Knight, a soft smile curling onto his lips despite the eminence of the threat beneath his words.
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