#Lore24 – Entry #350 – Sci-Fi Month IV #15 – Tightening Fists, Growing Discontent
Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum
AG: “I take it that the spread of the Elvish Imperium’s control would hinder your further exploration of the draconic ruins that had been discovered since the expansion from Andyllion?”
RV: “It would, yes. There was a specific something I was looking for, had been looking for since the Age of Legends, in fact; I’ll get back to this soon enough, I promise. I could travel mostly where I wished, being an elf, but I didn’t want to have the many eyes of the emperor upon me. I learned quickly that I was as much of a threat to Halaxaes as any of his enemies, for I was a power he couldn’t control. There were several attempts on my life as I came out of my seclusion and learned of the new state of the galaxy, even rating the attention of one of the Hands of Mausolus when more mundane methods had failed. This one was the newest Hand, Twilight Tokikatsu, not the legendary Korvalis Nightrunner, who was still active at the time, and would be so for a while yet before he would “retire”. Still, I very nearly met my end at their hands at least twice.
Sending the Hand of Mausolus after me was the second strike Halaxaes would earn. Now, it’s common that you allow three strikes before retaliation, but I long ago lowered it to two. I resolved upon my second escape from the Hand of Death that Halaxaes would need to be dealt with. As much as it pained me, I would have to put my research on hold for a time and see this little struggle for ultimate control of the galaxy ended in a way that would satisfy me. I could have perhaps simply eliminated him then and there, but I’ll admit to being rather incensed at his actions, so I vowed to make him suffer.”
AG: “I see. How exactly did you go about this?”
RV: “I would remain in hiding, and let the story spread that I was afraid of Halaxaes. I would do nothing directly to him, not at the time, anyway. Rather, I would do what we elves do best, plant seeds and watch them grow over time; I had played this game centuries upon centuries longer than him, after all. I would let the fool continue his expansion, let him tighten his grip to the point he could tighten it no more, to allow a proper discontent to grow upon the many worlds he would oppress with his military might. The many space citadels he would create would help to ensure that discontent, as would the creation of the Sentinels.”
AG: “You refer to the massive space stations that were capable of destroying an entire planet, yes?”
RV: “That’s correct. Sentinel Prime was the first and largest of them, supposedly the only one that still survives in fact. Halaxaes was nothing if not insistent that bigger was better, and the idea of building a station capable of hyperspace travel that could easily match an entire fleet and still have enough left to obliterate a planet was the pinnacle of his power. It shows how small minded he was, in my opinion; I can think of at least a half a dozen measures that would be more efficient when it comes to destroying a planet or laying waste to a system, in terms of manpower, resources, and time. But, all are more subtle and hardly as blatantly obvious a threat to intimidate the populace into compliance, so his ways were not entirely without merit. I just prefer more subtle methods of control, I suppose.”
AG: “A more corporatized method, would you say?”
RV: “I would.”
Note: Rivalle seemed quite smug at that response.
AG: “So you would allow Halaxaes to continue expanding his empire; what did you do in the meantime?”
RV: “I helped encourage that discontent, helped to shift funds and resources to the growing rebellious groups in various systems, all under different identities I developed. I even worked with several groups of Malvaxor worshippers to help start plagues and famines throughout many worlds where the Imperium was at tis strongest, just to keep Halaxaes and his people distracted, keep that little bit of discontent simmering within those most loyal to the emperor. This would of course spread to other systems as resources were pulled from them to compensate, further growing the hatred against the Imperium. It would only be a matter of time before the cracks would grow too wide to cover up.
I would also begin working on another golem during this period, quite a special one in fact, with a particular purpose in mind. Halaxaes had a most beloved son, you see, Ruvaen, who was his right hand, a most devoted boy with no small arcane talent himself, a master swordsman and seasoned soldier, too, though he notably lacked his father’s ambition, otherwise he likely would have tried to wrest control of the empire from him some time before. So, he would be my next target, and it was for him that I built this special golem.”
AG: “Was the golem to assassinate him? Was that what attacked him during the raid on Auralus that would spark the war against the Imperium in earnest?”
RV: “Oh no, not at all, quite the opposite in fact. This golem was meant to save his life.”