The chalice was a beautiful thing as Brigadier General Maxim looked at in the low lighting of the spacious officers' lounge. He brought the glass to his nose and sniffed, closing his eyes at the sweet aroma of the liquor. Without hesitation he brought the glass to his lips and let its warmth slide down his throat until his stomach began hungrily digesting.


" What do you think, General?"


The Grand Admiral's Chief of Staff took another sip while the gears and cogs in his mind considered a possible answer. Problematic was the course of his inner monologue, however, for he never on the same level as the taller Kuati man. Baron Desaria was a Guardsman, an aristocrat by birth and upbringing. Maxim on the other hand had begun his career after abandoning the mining industry so prevlanet in the branches of his family tree. He was low born, the son of a mineshaft train operator, having become an officer only by scoring high on his military entrance exams. To be certain, he had known Desaria since he was a Rear Admiral, but in all that time never felt entirely at ease.


Desaria noticed the confusion the other man was trying so hard to contain. " The cognac, General, the cognac. Relax, I'm not seeking your evaluation of my methods today; you disapprove."


It was not a question. Had Maxim taken a third sip, he might have choked. " Sir?"


" I've spent thirty years in uniform; I can read a soldier even at attention. So, forgetting the cognac, tell me why."


The General stood from the green-ish colored chair near the door of the lounge and moved over to where the Grand Admiral stood, looking out at the world of Yuri below. From orbit, the planet seemed serene, peaceful even - it might have been to, were it not held hostage by the guns of the warships in orbit. He could see why Desaria and most officers found comfort in a window's view. " It seems somewhat out of character for you. I've never known you to bluff. Duplicity, deceipt, deception - spending time in the company of a few Intelligence types, sir?"


Grand Admiral Desaria wrinkled his brow. The General went on. " Personally, I think it's wonderful."


That was too much for the Commandant of the Guard, and a scornful look crossed his face, contorting his militant demeanor. His eyes narrowed, realizing true contempt for the traits the Chief of Staff had ascribed him. To this, the Brigadier General only smiled.


" The cognac, Grand Admiral, the cognac!"





A stylus had staved off far more destruction that any machine of war ever wrought. Though men bred for war, men built for battle, would disagree with every molecule of their beings, diplomacy was a neccessity to any government, indeed every military. Some of the more rabid in the ranks of the galaxy's armed services went so far as ignore it completely, killing and devastating well after a foe's arms went up in surrender; some, but very few. Where did the rest stand?


Hmm, where indeed? I suppose, despite myself, I enjoy peace as well as the next man. It gives us a chance to rebuild and rearm and ready ourselves for the next war. By the Gods I give thanks for there will always be another war to fight, another enemy to conquer.


Grand Admiral Desaria watched the Daimo sign the accord ceding sovereignty of his realm to the Empire. The man resembled a dignitary from some far away land, wrapped more in robes and sashes than clothes as many knew them. There you have it then; we've conquered the near and now claim the distant. We have advanced beyond the point we once only imagined.


The Daimo of Yuri, a king in all but name, flicked his wrist one last time, affixing his signature to the final copy of the flimsiplast sheets spelling out his capitulation. His powdered face was proud and contemptful but he bowed all the same. Aravin Fetherod, Minister of the Interior and representative of the Emperor, bowed in kind. The Daimo puffed out his chest to summon what dignity remainded, leading his entourage from the room. A yeoman called 'at ease' and the assemblage disappeared.


" Easy enough for you, Grand Admiral Desaria?"


" That it was, much more so than I expected," Desaria replied, hoping the politician would depart as quickly as he had arrived. " Are you off to Coruscant?"


" Hardly. I must head to L'ieston and sign for that world if General Vos manages to take it."


Not exactly a supporter of the SS, Desaria shook his head. He stepped through the doorway into the hall and grasped the hand of the Minister extended before his departure. " Not if, Minister, when. The bloody business of the day is done here and I imagine my counter part will have his affairs in order by the time you arrive. He may be SS, but he's still an Imperial. Gloria Imperium."


The Minister, rebuked, took his reminder in stride and smiled. " Gloria Imperium, Baron."

It hadn't taken long.

After the surrender of the fleet, word arrived from Yuri that the government had surrendered there. No aid would be coming from the portions of the Combined Fleet that had been lucky (or unlucky) enough to be stationed at the second planet of the Yuri-Li'eston Confederation. With the Empire's warships now in complete control of space, and with the ships from their own Combined Fleet training their guns on Li'eston, the government had little choice.

Still, there were some holdouts. There always are. Guerilla fighters that melted into the woods and mountain areas of the planet. A few terrorist cells in the town. But for the most part, the people were actually behind the Imperials. It was not the threat of force, or the blasters of the Imperials, or the dread of the SS, but rather popular opinion that won the day. Too long, many thought, had their inefficient democracy been stifling their interests at the expense of the large gas-mining corporations. Too long had their concerns been swept under the rug simply because the large lobbying firms slipped the politicians enough money to keep them in their mansions. Too long had the political spectrum been dominated by the big companies. No longer.

When the first SS soldiers set foot on the planet, cheering erupted from those gathered to see the event. For their part, the soldiers were stoic behind their black helmets and facemasks, not even twitching to look at those praising them. Still the cheering continued. The soldiers marched first to the largest mining office in town, the Tibetania Mining Corporation, and forced open the doors. Inside, the business executives cowered behind their unarmored bodyguards, who themselves trembled with fear.

The soldiers moved slightly to the side, and an officer, also in black armor, stepped forward. It was impossible to tell who he was other than the fact that he bore a Colonel's insignia. Anyone watching would, of course, assume that he was the commander of the regiment present. He produced a piece of flimsy from a pouch on his belt and began to read, "All persons present, be it known that Tibetania Mining Corporation is now under the direct control of the Empire and its regent, His Excellency Emperor Daemon Hyfe. Anyone who interferes with its business, or attempts to resist the transfer of ownership, will be considered a traitor to the Empire and is authorized to be shot on sight. Signed, General Wesley Vos, commander of the Imperial SS, and Governor Burrows of Li'eston."

The CEO of Tibetania stepped forward. "I protest this action! I built Tibetania with my own two hands from the ground up! If you think the Empire is going to take that away from me, you're out of your-"

He never finished. In the blink of an eye the colonel had drawn his sidearm and the sound of a single shot filled the room. The CEO's eyes went wide, his voice stopped, and a single round hole appeared in his forehead. The man slowly collapsed to his knees, then to his face as the rest of the executives stared in shock. When they looked up, they realized that their bodyguard was gone, leaving their weapons behind. It didn't take them long to surrender.

The people, of course, loved it. A vote was taken, and by a 85-15% margin the old government, other than Governor Burrows, was voted out of office, and the Empire was made supreme ruler on the planet. A government was immediately set up, with Governor Burrows now becoming Regent Burrows and choosing those whom he wished to have in government with him. Of course, the treaty was very generous to the people of Li'eston. The Empire demanded 10% of whatever taxes the Regent collected, as well as the exclusive right to purchase mined gases at cost. So long as the planet obeyed Imperial law and abode by those terms, the Regent was free to govern as he pleased.

Wes, of course, had orchestrated the entire process. The capture of Li'eston would have excellent propaganda value, as the people were in favor of Imperial rule and had elected them by popular vote. It was interesting, Wes thought, that the recent action had been carried out as a joint operation between the SS and the Imperial Guard. The Guard, holding that they were honorable above all else, saw the SS as the prime example of all that was dishonorable in the Empire. And yet, here they were proven wrong. The conquest of Yuri and Li'eston was, without a doubt, the work of men of honor.