Regrad shifted a rook towards center stage, looking on with a mix of surprise and interest as Simon Kaine poured out a mix of his views and beliefs. He felt himself get a little colder, as their meaning became apparent - brushing aside such trivial low-blows about feminism and the like that were obvious provocation. He was tempted to pursue - to argue back, with spirit and passion, that if that is what Simon believes the Empire does he must surely be blind. He felt like shouting out the names of massacares and genocides and demand why all this death should be necessary to maintain his precious 'fear of failure' in the people-

Wait... "...Or is it, perhaps, not that you simply won't take that chance." Regrad looked up from the board. "Is it, perhaps, that you are the one who fears failure?"

Regrad leaned back, speaking slowly as the thoughts came. "I have heard speeches and snippets of conversations from Hyfe, and Zell. I have seen officers of the Empire in battle and their conduct in this galaxy. I can tell you, right now, that very few think about these things as much as you. To maintain this aura of fear and control, you maintain an army of bullies and small-minded bigots, or, that is all my people have encountered so far. Yet you now tell me that the Empire is a grander thing, that has outgrown its' emperors and escaped from the will of individuals - a very democratic notion of you, by the way - to the point that it is a self-maintaining, self-replicating thing rooted deeply in concepts that are actually meant to protect the people by blinding them, binding them, and enslaving them away from their own will.

"No one else but you has ever put forth such a philosophical, justified view on the Empire. On the other hand, few but you are pulling the strings, and would know its' true purpose. Does that make you wonder that perhaps what you have created is a far sight away from what you think it is? You say that the people must fear or they will hurt one another, but I say it is you who fears - you fear them, you fear the people whom you control. I hardly profess to know you, but it is evident in your stated beliefs that you simply trust no one to choose to do the right thing, and have built a system around that fear.

"So once again, I ask you - who would succeed the Empire? You may laugh at my allies, and even I may wish sometimes for wiser men then they, but wether the Empire continues or not without its' head, there are men in your Empire who would surely fight for the title nonetheless. Even when you are gone, can you trust any to wear the crown and take that power with it? Or are you perhaps forced to admit that without you and your enforced beliefs, the Empire could become the playground of mad sorcerers and warmongering admirals once again? The Empire can live without its' head, maybe, but can it live with one?"

Regrad had almost entirely forgotten about the chess game, and took a second to reappraise himself after Simon's last move. He took his rook, and placed it down the center of the board. "Check."

"...Or is it, perhaps, not that you simply won't take that chance. Is it, perhaps, that you are the one who fears failure?"


Simon looked back towards the unblinking, questioning eyes of the Azguard. "I have had the fear burned out of me by life's harsh realities. And failure is something every sane person avoids as best they can.

So you've seen our officers and their conduct? You judge us by the way we wage war?" Kaine's eyebrow rose a notch in question, "You think war is all about glory and honor and is a wonderful thing to be joined in?"

Kaine's eyes hardened. "Let me dispell this for you then. War serves only one purpose. To destroy and kill those who would otherwise destroy and kill you. And war brings out our creative genius to further the killing and destruction. To render the will of our enemies to ashes. To break their back.

War is the art of killing. Nothing more. So to judge a people based on their capacity to kill during wartime is hardly a reflection of a government in peacetime. If I based my judgement of your people during what I see in wartime, the hatred your species evokes when faced by an Imperial, I would think the Azguards felt no need for peace. I would think they care for nothing but their own bigotted hatred of Imperials.

You see? I can add motive to your acts as well as you add motive to mine. The Empire has fought many battles, many wars and there have been many enemies. If fighting these enemies makes us bigots in your eyes, what is that to me but an opinion that makes no sense. Should I lay down and die so you may think 'better' of us?

Better you change the way you arrive at conclusions I think."


His eyes went to the movement of the rook.

"And if you want to call our Empire a democracy, what is that to me? The Empire is what it is. We do not 'vote' our people in office. We appointment them by law and according to ability. Sometimes we have effective leaders, other times we don't. The first incarnation of the Empire under Palpatine showed us a weakness in our system that has since been corrected. We have departments, ministries...organizations that serve as checks and balances to other organizations. We have protectorates to keep other protectorates in check and in balance because we do know people's capacity for self interest does not go away. Unlike you, I do not dismiss and ignore the selfish tendancies and self serving motivations of my people. I do not put blinders on and simply 'hope' for the best and that people will find the 'good' in their hearts.

I act! I plan for and expect my agenda to move forward despite the way people are. And that, more than anything, has been the secret to my success, Regrad. You do not take what you know and apply it. You take what you know and ...and hope it'll all turn out better in the morning.

You leap off the cliff hoping something will happen to break your fall and I build the reinforced bridge.

You keep thinking that we are blinding our people, binding their free will but you've yet to define free will. You've yet to define what it is we are blinding our people too?

With INS, we assure our people that their government is working for their best interests. We have more security personnel than any government in the galaxy with an expense budget that would bankrupt a small nation! We set down a clear set of laws and all we ask is that they follow them the same as any other government. Is that binding them? Is that enslaving them?


Before, aliens were forced to work hard labor by the butt of a gun. We do not enslave our people. It is counter productive. Now, for the work to get done, we offer incentives. We offer them a choice.

You seem to think we are this big monster that simply tells people what to eat and drink on any given day. No. We have great variety and our people have a variety of choices.

The only thing we do not allow them to choose is how the government is run. Between a quick decisive act and debating it in a committee, which do you think is the more efficient? You may say that there is no guarantee the decision is right. I would counter that the same is also true from a committee. But right or wrong, the motivation is to serve the people by serving the law. There is no place for right or wrong.

We are governed by an evolutionary imperative. Not an emotional one. We deal with what is. Not what we'd like the universe to be.

You say you think I do not trust people to do the right thing? But the 'right thing' according to whom?

In my mind, right is following the law of the government and wrong is openly opposing it by militant and violent means. To you, the slaughter on Corellia was motivated by 'right'. But I've never heard you once lament the death and destruction that attack caused on both sides and the war it set off. All I hear his your fear of us, your hatred of us on holonet... and you harken back to the days of Palpatine as if he were still alive. You may consider Palpatine a bad ruler but he also did a lot of good for the Empire. The Republic was fractured and dying (the Clone Wars the exausting war of aliens refusing to live together )and he did the best he could. He may not have performed perfectly and he may have been the result of alot of hurt.. but he's dead. Move on!

I've never heard you say how much you regret the loss of life that is going to come from this declaration of war on the Dragon Imperium. All I hear is your population is foaming at the mouth ready to spread your religion of right and wrong and destroy those who oppose.

I hear the grand speeches about going to war as if it were some grand thing to lightly throw around. War kills, Regrad. It does not build up. It is destructive, harsh and will push your 'good' people to the limits of their morality. More than a few will cross that limit. That is what war does to people.

So, I would have expected a little bit more hesitation than, 'oh, they forced us to go to war.. oh well, let's sharpen our blades'."


The flanks of the pawns remained but the center was open, deceptively so. As always, the Azguard took the bait to try for the quick kill.


"But what about you, Azguard Regrad. I hear all these questions about me and my principles but what about you?

What Congressional and democratic body to you report too for decision making?

I do not see you give credit to any other government agency but yourself when war is declared. Do you not have to consult anyone with such a weighty decision?


Where is your family? Your wife? Sons? Daughters?

If you are not married, why aren't you? Given you are only in office for a few years.

Why do you give religious devotion to a beings residing on your world and worship them as Gods when their only claim to fame is that they are stronger?

And how can you support any being, no matter how advanced or strong, who takes advantage of less developed cultures toward their own selfish gratification?

All you are doing is killing in their name!

And that makes you right?

That makes them right?"

Kaine sat back, the disgust slightly evident. "And you think Palpatine was bad."


"What these so-called Gods are doing to your minds is immoral."


Kaine looked as the Rook moved down the board, taking the bait. And the Queen was always the bait. A seemingly powerful piece, highly versatile but also a crutch if one relied too heavily on it.

It drew one of Regrad's few remaining far reaching pieces straight down, again unsupported and he put his fingers on the king... shifting it over to the kill.

Despite this Sith mentality that seemed to take hold, Simon remembered that Hyfe had moved up the hard way. Through dogged determination and no little skill himself. While he was a mere Colonel, Hyfe was already an Admiral commanding so much more.

He knew, if the opportunity presented itself, Hyfe would put himself on the battleline with his soldiers and take to the cause. As he would have.

And then a sudden doubt occurred. He used to be sure of that. But the Serapis incident had shaken him and he was prepared to protect the Empire from Daemon, unless his sentiment took control.


Sentiment.


And if the Dracconis creature was to be believed, he squandered his best opportunity for Imperial Supremacy and the thought secretly galled him.


There was no room in this business for sentiment.


The stakes were so much higher.


It was no longer one Mya. It was thousands. It was billions. It was trillions of Mya's.


His mind crystalized as the King knocked the rook out of it's space.


While the alien continued talking about succession, his expression became one of irritation.

"Succession will take care of itself, Regrad. The best of the Empire will decide on another Emperor should Hyfe fall. If the leadership was totally destroyed, again, there are measures in place for who would lead. It is classified of course. But succession is the least of my worries.

At least no one will vote in Kyric."

He suddenly became annoyed, "What does it tell you, Regrad when one of your democratic worlds have 35% of it's population in support someone you are at war with? I am almost tempted to run as your successor. It would make things quite a bit easier."


A course of direction was becoming very clear. A holding action would not stave off the attacks.


Relentless in their foolish moral self righteousness despite their blatant hypocrisy.


"You've never known loss have you, Regrad? Not personal loss."

Regrad paused, to weigh this, as he cautiously advanced a pawn across the edge of the board.

"Personal loss? A little, now that you mention it. My parents died early in my life, and my sister and her husband died in a mountaineering accident several years before our arrival on the galactic scene. I've lost acquaintances, people I've known, and some good friends too - did you know one of my generals and highest confidents went missing on a relief effort to the planet Kiyar? The whole world was shut down by alien invaders and the entire relief effort lost. By the time we got there, the enemy had fortified and I realized it would cost us so much to take it back when preliminary scans revealed not a single survivor on the whole world."

He sighed. "If the Coalition had the strength and the technology, I would go after them." he gave a hard look to Kaine, and added "Hell, if we had the strength and the technology, I'd be after you - excuses aside, the attacks on Tynna and Bimmisari are acts of war, you know."

Regrad knew he was down to few pieces. How did that always happen? It'd been a moment ago that they'd faced each other equally, and now he was already being forced back to the edge. An underdog for life, he seemed destined to be - Although we started equally. It's my fault I'm in this position, so I might as well get on with it.

"I've never really had a chance to get married or fall in love. Azguards are a little different than humans in that respect, and I somewhat admire your ability to find time for affection no matter what else is occupying your attention. My kind is single-minded, pursuing one task to completion or death, and I've never managed to find time. Doubt I can really love any more, anyways." he added, and tapped the side of his head. "I've only got one brain. The emotional one full of most of my social interaction knowledge and instincts died early on in my first tour in the Azguardian Galactic Military. You can relearn how to talk, and how to communicate, but I don't think you can relearn how to love."

Despite the anger and passion of his enemy, Regrad seemed to deflate a little as his thoughts rolled by. "Now that you mention it... And once you framed it up about who we serve, or why, or what we believe in... It seems to have cost me a great deal to get where I am today, Kaine. I don't doubt it's cost you as well.

"I've fought hard because I believe that people should be safe, happy, and get along with each other in a society that is open and receptive. You seem to fight for a society where people ae safe, happy, and get along with each other. Is our only disagreement who gets to run this society, and how? Is that the root of our problem with each other?"

He was quiet, turning his last bishop idly with one hand around its' space.

No. The bombs falling on Dubrillion. The town destroyed on Tynna. The 'weapons test' on Bimmisari. The 'aggressive negotiations' at Roche. The forced occupation of Thispias. The destruction of Contruum. No matter how much he denies links to the past, the destruction of the Jedi Order. Alderaan. Froz. Countless other names burned into his mind.

But how hollow those atrocities sounded, afte repeating them for the thousandth time. He was tired. He was always tired. Somehow he'd ended up as the only driving force for what he believed in left in the galaxy, and how lonely he felt repeating those names to a vaccum. Armies marched for their orders, not their beliefs. Politicians lead for their votes, not their hearts. If he indeed died and was replaced even by a more logical choice, like Logan, or Marth, would the Coalition even be the same thing he thought it was? Or another misnamed Empire out for power and conquest?

Regrad hund his head - which at his height meant he was really just looking down at Simon. "You do have some good points, I must say. So what is it that separates us, that puts us opposite one another? Are we doomed to fight simply because our pieces are arranged opposite? Was I in error for making the first move - or you, for making yours? Tell me, Kaine, is there anything that keeps us fighting beyond the fact that we have fought in the past and that compells us to fight in the future?"

Regrad wasn't even sure if he could make his next move. He just looked blankly at the dwindling array of pieces he'd struggled to keep together in one corner of the board.

Simon gave Regrad a curious glance as he described the loss of his friend on Kiyar. That was something he could understand. Devotion to a comrade in arms.

"Band of brothers.." he whispered slightly.

"Feel free to transmit what you have on these aliens. If the Empire has any information on them, I will forward it to you."

As Regrad gave him a startled look and Simon explained further. "All you've described to me is yet another war-like society of aliens that we will have to deal with eventually. Your friend will be avenged."


Regrad continued talking, seeming to deflate until he tossed hard stare at Kaine, "Hell, if we had the strength and the technology, I'd be after you - excuses aside, the attacks on Tynna and Bimmisari are acts of war, you know."


Kaine could not help it. He laughed. Such an honest outburst was refreshing. "So you've hinted on the holonet many times."

Still smiling he looked at Regrad, "Of course Tynna and Bimmisari are acts of war. Just like the attack on a certain undisclosed prison facility was an act of war.


But war, Regrad, is a whole mosaic of such acts. It is the collage that paints an entire canvas of destruction and dying.

While our acts of war represent simply a singular mark, they do not, in and of themselves constituted war. And it is war that we want to avoid. We are ideologically different. And we both angle for advantage and we both will support operations to undo the other.

Perhaps in the future there will be another ambitious Captain or Admiral that thinks the Coalition has fallen asleep at their station and act. The only thing from preventing our advantage then is your vigilance. And the same with you. It is our responsibility to remain equally vigilant.

And as long as either one of us avoids painting the entire canvas, war will be avoided.


Yes, there will be deaths on both sides as we manaeuver our advantages. That is to be expected and that is the price you pay for your freedom and the price we pay for our security.


That is just a fact of life."


Regrad went on talking about the lack of capacity within him to love.


So, what is it you fight for then?


"...but I don't think you can relearn how to love."


And Kaine's heart felt a strange emptiness. Love. Almost an alien concept now. An abstract.

And intellectually, he knew he had lost something powerful with Mya. As if something had chiseled out his heart but instead of replacing it with hate, he became devoid of emotion. A petrifying coldness krept into him, preserving within this new fact about his life. A fact that led his mind down a path of frightening possibilities.


"Love.." he merely stated. "You should talk to Grand Moff Zell about his search for love. Though I think it is merely sex. He cheats on his wife regularly and I wonder if he even hides if from her?"

As Kaine just talked he saw that the alien before him was exhibiting some very human qualities. Fatigue. The futility of it all was sinking in and, strange as it was, Kaine felt a flicker of pity.



"..Tell me, Kaine, is there anything that keeps us fighting beyond the fact that we have fought in the past and that compells us to fight in the future?"


"We will always fight, Regrad. We follow our own evolutionary imperatives and they are opposed. I believe your society will crumble with the weight of corruption and you feel mine will destroy itself. But there is nothing that says, despite the fighting, that we have to go to war.

Minimize the damage of our scheming natures and in a few years, let's see who remains triumphant."


Kaine moved his hand over to one of his pawns. "For war is too destructive.." And he moved one pawn diagonally to attack, shifting the protected line into a domino-like creation that would start a chain reaction of killing pieces. Regrad had no choice but to remove the pawn which dictated the actions of the protecting pawn..

..and both flanks disappeared leaving the board almost empty but for the few pieces each held back.


"What has war accomplished?" he asked motioning to the board.


The field between us is clear and yet we still remain opposed to one another, no clear advantage.

Regrad sighed, and nodded agreement. "Though we have less pieces, the kings remain, and so the battle continues." He looked up from the board, and said "But in reality, are not kings just another kind of pawn? They are both our pieces, to move as we like. We value one more than the other, but in the end they are both just our tools."

In an act of defiance, he struck out with his last bishop, seizing a surviving black Knight. "In all honesty, Simon, my reason for coming today is not to trade chess analogies, nor to answer some divine calling. The galaxy is too large a thing to be directed by organizations, by institutions - even by democracy. Instead, it turns on the will of individuals, something with the focus and the control to move entire nations at a time. This you probably know far better than I, it is a fact I have only recently begun to fully appreciate. A single officer can decide the fate for so many people that our minds bend trying to imagine it all. A single leader can change the beliefs of a thousand worlds for a thousand years."

The bishop fell, but unconcerned, he attacked back with his last rook - and his last major piece. "The Black Dragon Empire is an isolationist thing, and doesn't possess the will, the doctrine, or the infrastructure to attempt galactic domination. The Union is a league of criminals. Vinda-Corp is a financial empire, not a physical one. Even the strange alien invaders that the Coalition encountered are not set to rule these stars."

The rook fell, and Regrad realized he was out of power pieces, and that Simon still had his queen. "As it stands there are but two individuals in the galaxy that I truly believe have the will and the power to shape the future - arrogance? Sometimes there is a thin line between it and the truth. Of all the Empire, you are its' true Emperor, in my eyes. The man who sits on the throne is no doubt talented, but he will not rule this galaxy, for it is not his to take. As for myself, I have the power in the Coalition, and it is founded on the promise of power over the galaxy - for a good cause, but power nonetheless."

Now Regrad was being pushed back, Simon's queen had pushed his king into a tight corner, and he was running low on options. "It helps that I have faith in my religion, and the Force, but it seems clear to me now that our purpose is not simply to follow our evolutionary imperative and wait each other out, for it will be a wait longer than both our lives as we wait for the other to make that first move. Though there are others in this galaxy, other pieces on the board, there can only ever be two players. We are opposed, as you said, but we are not all that different. That is what I came hear to learn, Simon - I wanted to learn with whom I am playing."

It seemed that at last Regrad's king was cornered. Making a final move, he reached to the far end of the board and moved an innocuous pawn, whcih had been long forgotten in the chaos earlier, the last step to the far side of the board. He removed the pawn, and placed his own queen, giving both himself and Simon a chance to appraise the board.

"Ah." he said, a small smile forming "It appears we are at a stalemate."

Indeed they were - their pieces arranged thusly, they would continue the same dance of checking one another forever. A single mistep off their current path would put the offender in checkmate, and so the game was a draw.

"We must play again, some time." he said, without a hint of sarcasm or insincerity in his voice. "I offer you a small memento of this meeting." he reached into his pocket, and removed a crystal "I found it during a recent trip to a distant province of the Coalition. By my beliefs, I would say it blessed with the light of Yunos, an orb of the sun, although you may perhaps see it as a token of goodwill after a game well played. Until we meet again, Simon. I will be watching your next moves with great interest." he smiled to his opponant, and gave a slight bow.

~

"There is a legend on a world I once visited. The legend of the Unseen King. Not a king hiding from public view or ruling from the shadows... but a legend of one ordinary man who was a farmer. Content to live his life in obscurity with his family. His devotion to his family was all and he lacked for want giving his allegiance to the ruler of the land. A true born noble and king; passed down from generation to generation. Well this king, upon seeing the happiness of this farmer decided he wanted to be happy as well and so seized everything this ordinary man had. His wife, his children and his farm. When they failed to bring the king happiness, he burned the farm and executed the family and left the ordinary man with nothing. After all, he was a peasant. A farmer. Let him rebuild his life once more. But experience changed this ordinary man. He was no longer content with obscurity. No. He wanted to be heard and he wanted to avenge. And so, this once seeming farmer roused his fellow men to arms and overthrew the king and his soldiers and became king himself. A man who at first had no desire to be anything more than what he was. Until experiences stirred that thing deep within of cruel capabilities and buried abilities.

It is a morality play for rulers: Beware the Unseen King. You never know quite the measure of a man until his steel is put to the fire."

Kaine's eyes looked up at the taller Azguard.

"I am a simple ordinary man. I have no force powers nor any claim to royalty or nobility. I am no god.. nor do I claim a position by snout counts.

My course of life was decided on at an early age by our august First Emperor, Palpatine. Had he acted differently, I might have lived and died in a simple and unassuming life. But he didn't and so here I am.

You look at the surface and base action on what you see, Regrad but that is not enough. One must look into another's eyes and see those thoughts that they would hide from even themselves. It is to know their motives and so know their moves even before they make them. It is to look at an ordinary citizen and know what lay behind the facade. What hidden thing remains within...unknown. At rest.


There are things I've done that I am not proud of. The people, the soldiers that have lived and died by my command are numerous and when it is all said and done, a century from now, I may go down as a villian for children's story books.

But I can only do the best I can motivated by those experiences that showed me the true nature of the galaxy we live in and of those that inhabit it."


His eyes hardened.


"Your faith gives you enough to cover your eyes to that true nature. Just enough to sooth the conscience... but the force? I have faith in the power of the force... but not in those who wield such power.


Those that think they can handle it wrap themselves in a cloak of self righteous piety setting a standard none of their followers can actually attain. The Sith Ranks are full of previous jedi who couldn't make the cut. Who did not have the self discipline to face up to the fact of life. That their parent were dead or whatever pain they feel they own license too. They are lonely cretins that are so scared of losing their power they will compromise in the end or drag everyone down with them.


However you have hit upon a very basic truth.


In the end, it he who has the strongest will who is to succeed.


Before, I would have thought you to crumble easily during the first few moves of this new war you've with the Dragons. You may have waited and gathered your courage to strike out in strong action but your will is not resolute. It does not last after the first encounter and never has.


How long did it take you to plan the last war? To coordinate between the goverment of the Outer Rim Sovereignty and the three main governments of the Coalition? You plotted. You gathered your hate.. You gathered momentum for your motivations... and when you had collected your strength, you struck at Corellia."

Kaine leaned forward, his eyes searching... knowing.


"But what did you hope to accomplish? You outnumbered our forces in the beginning stroke but we quickly matched... but if your second fleet had arrived, you would have outnumbered us greatly.

Could you have won the battle? I wonder. Oh, you could have smashed all the Imperial fleets there and they would either have died or retreated....you could have. But the conduct of your commanders at Corellia made that highly unlikely.

But would smashing the Imperial Fleet have constituted a victory? You would, at best, have been left with an effective force of about fifty percent of your second fleet had it arrived. Then what? Would you have kept them there to invest the planet in a costly takeover? And let's say you paid the butcher's bill and taken the planet defeating all of our defenses. What then? You would have been so far inside our lines keeping it supported would have been impossible and you would have been pushed back off Corellia within a week.

Perhaps you did think you could hold. But in my mind, that was not the fuction of your attack fleet on Corellia and why only enough ships were sent as defense. Without a practical goal, what did your attack fleet represent?"


Simon smiled grimly, "It represented your WILL, Regrad! It was the point on your spearhead! It was the cue that all subsequent attacks followed and took their lead from. We did not have to completely destroy you. We only had to blunt the point.

And we did! We held. Barely, but we held with an implaccable will of our own. And, instead of forcing you to fight to the death, we gave you a back door for your waining will to slip away from. And slip it did thus crumbling your nation's war resolve. When you went to the negotiating table, the Outer Rim Sovereignty was left out all alone and guess what damage that did to their will to continue?

And when Theren Gevel ripped their hearts out in the Ison corridor the game was up. You wanted to play the 'separate democratic government' and we let you. We dealt with the Sovereignty and Coalition separately which gave us much more negotiating clout and stamped your will to nothing.


And now here you are once more. Having gathered your strength which is nearly almost a match for what you had before. You have regathered the remnants of your courage and will and are going to strike at the Dragons.

If the Dragons crush your will, whether you achieve your goals or not, then there will no longer be two people playing the game. Your side will have forfeited any right to play."


Simon watched the board pieces narrow down in numbers, the result almost a mathematical exercise in inevitability.


"Ah." Regrad said, a small smile forming "It appears we are at a stalemate."


"We must play again, some time." he said, without a hint of sarcasm or insincerity in his voice. "I offer you a small memento of this meeting." he reached into his pocket, and removed a crystal "I found it during a recent trip to a distant province of the Coalition. By my beliefs, I would say it blessed with the light of Yunos, an orb of the sun, although you may perhaps see it as a token of goodwill after a game well played. Until we meet again, Simon. I will be watching your next moves with great interest." he smiled to his opponant, and gave a slight bow.


Kaine looked curiously at the crystal, a symbol of Regrad's faith and belief. And for a brief moment a moment of envy crept out that left his mind startled. Envy that Regrad could unquestioningly believe in something so radiant and beautiful.

Only to see it ripped asunder. Kaine truly felt regret at the knowledge of what his foe would soon face.

Only, the Azguard didn't see it that way. He had hope.


The lie of life. The promise of things hoped for but never beheld.


I could give him a similar trinket and send him on his way...

Kaine reached a gloved hand into his pocket and pulled out an old necklace of tiny skulls bound together, their sharp bleached teeth gleaming.

"These creatures killed thousands in the colony I grew up in before we even discovered their nature. The small town I was an orphan in was, for all practical purposes, abandoned. I and several of my child friends learned to live admid these creatures. We would kill them for food at times and at other times they would kill one of us.

It is a bit morbid," a sad smile broke out, "..but it serves as a reminder to me not to become complacent. Not to take things on mere faith. Not to depend on hope. We make our own future and we must guard our own back.

Keep it as a reminder, Regrad. If nothing else, in this democracy of yours, no matter how much you put faith in the things that you do.. guard your back and guard it well.


I do believe, in the end, that your democracy will fall. And if it does in our lifetime, I would hate for you to fall with it.


Guard your will when fighting the Dragons. They will not give you respite."


And with that, Simon took off one glove and shook the hand of his enemy. A gesture he would never try with his Emperor.

The irony touched the Supreme Commander's eyes and a grin formed at the humor in the thought.

Regrad sat in the silence and cold of his ship. The shuttle was no luxury cruiser, he had nothing to do but go over the conversation in his mind, and carefully examine the necklace given to him by Simon. It was so small, so delicate in his hands. We make our own future and we must guard our own back. He had been wrong, Simon didn't fear failure, and he didn't fear the people either. This meeting seemed to have brought nothing but more questions, more curiosity about the man he knew so little about.

"Sir, we're clear of Imperial space. I have no idea how, though - we should have been seen a dozen times over, I'm sure." The pilots were uneasy, definetly.

"Thank you, that will be all. Reestablish our previous path."

"Yes, sir. Right away." The relief was palpable. "We'll be home soon."

"Yes... good."

Was the meeting ordained by the gods after all? Was it just luck, maybe? Hell, it wasn't all that hard for a single ship to sneak into the Empire, and perhaps men of destiny were just drawn to each other? If it played any part in the fate of the galaxy, he certainly couldn't see how. Maybe lessons that would only be learnt looking back. Maybe questions he had never pondered before.

He definetly needed to get a chessboard.

Regrad gently pocketed the necklace, and turned to look out the window to the swirl of hyperspace, an endless lightshow allowing his mind to wander.

He... respected Simon. He respected the man. He hated what Simon believed in, what Simon represented, what Simon fought for - he knew he had to destroy the Empire, and to do that he would have to destroy Simon as well. He didn't waver in this belief now, not for Simon's talk of security or necessity, but for once he held something other than anger for the Empire. Understanding, in some small way, changed how he had viewed it for so long.

"The game is still far away, but there are moves to make before then." He spoke quietly, only to himself. "I will show him my will, prove the strength of my beliefs and defy his doomsday prediction. By actions, not just words, will the galaxy be changed, and now I shall match him move for move."



In a region that didn't quite exist, where the Force and the laws of physics congealed and things that were usually metaphorical or symbolic took on a shade of reality, a shadow and a light spoke in hushed tones.

"I played no part in this meeting, and yet it has brought Regrad no closer to the shadow, nor Simon any further out of it. Both still stand either side of the gateway, and yet... I wonder if there was not some othr force at work."

"I know, I wondered that too. The Force didn't play a role, we didn't... it seems... pure chance."

"Does that even happen any more?"

"It seems so. I can only wonder if there'll be further reprecussions. Let's watch, and see how this plays out - people need to be free to make their own destinies without our constant intervention."

Simon Kaine slowly made his way back to the Imperial Palace. Walking alone down the Grand Hall, lost in thought, he came upon Azrael Zell.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Zell demanded.

"Playing a board game with the Prime Minister of the Coalition.." Kaine remarked dryly and Zell scowled.

"Did you ask shit-for-brains why he's attacking the Dragons?" Zell quipped back not to be outdone. "Fine, if you aren't going to tell me, let he at least grab your attention with the news."

Kaine raised an eyebrow.

"The Coalition ships moved across their border. The war is on."


The white pawns move out...Soon, the White Knights will be pushed into the action..


"Check officer," Simon called the soldier over and handed him the crystal Regrad had given him. "Have the lab check this out. It's probably nothing but better safe than sorry.."

And when it was all said and done, Kaine simply did not trust in the good and innocent nature of beings. It would come back either tainted or clean.

"Sir." the soldier saluted confused but took the crystal with him.

"You buy that for a girl?" Zell asked, marginally interested. "Kaine, you want a girl, just bed her. Don't buy her things. They get all sorts of strange ideas then and girls with ideas are great annoyances."

"Out of the mouth of experience, eh Zell?"


Simon left the aging Grand Moff and continued on, his mind still on the game with the Azguard.


A surreal experience.


He felt it strange that he shared things in common with this alien of a species he knew next to nothing about.


We are both no longer capable of love.


He switched his comm channel to the IHC Directorate. "Command, issue an order to have a hyperspace probe launched to Kiyar. Send the receipt packet to my office when available."


Regrad was worried about succession and named me the silent Emperor, Kaine mused. I am now the bait.


He entered his quarters feeling the weight of the past upon his mind. The game had brought up things he considered dead and buried.

The old wounds coming up to breath.... and that hollow feeling where his heart use to be began to grow.


And as his eyes closed to sleep...


...his mind's eye saw....



everything.





"Mya..." his lips whispered..