Teaser for a SW fic

[Master_Baerne]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you two printed pages of work that I hope will elicit a desire for more. If, however, it doesn't, the story shall be allowed to die quietly. It is currently title-less, and any suggestions would be most welcome.


Buried deep within the Imperial Constitution, directly after the tax codes and property laws so conducive to petty court battles, there existed a line of data that, though short, contained the power to completely alter the fate of the galaxy.

In the event of the death or abdication from the Imperial Throne of the the Imperial Personage, the successor to the said Imperial Throne shall be the Personage named as Heir to the Empire and Prince or Princess of Kuat by the previous Imperial Personage.

The benefit of this clause was not immediately obvious in the chaos after the disastrous Battle of Endor. It was not until three defection-and-bloodshed-filled months later that the relevant passage was discovered and made known to the galaxy at large, along with the Emperor Palpatine's choice of successor. Not surprisingly, the first choice had been the Lord Vader, but he too had perished at the Endor debacle. Palpatine had not considered any of his Hands worthy or capable of ruling the Galactic Empire, and so command of the greatest military machine in the history of the galaxy devolved upon a relative unknown in Court circles. The executrix of the late Emperor's will, one of lesser-known Hands, was dispatched to Praestlyn to retrieve Admiral the Countess Kristra Greylath.

*************************************************************
Kristra Greylath firmly believed in the Imperial philosophy of rewarding hard work, especially when the toil in question was beneficial to her objectives. A tall, severe woman with an abundance of midnight-black hair, she had been raised on Corulag after her family fled the Battle of Drongar during the Clone Wars. Her father, once a respected bacta merchant, joined the armed forces of the Republic and established a family tradition of military service that extended through his three children, and earned him the title of Count Corulag from the hands of Emperor Palpatine himself. His eldest daughter was gifted with a flair for strategic planning that earned her an Admiral's commision in the Imperial Navy.
She steepled her fingers, pondering the possible reasons for a visitor bearing Imperial authorization codes. The Emperor had died months ago, leaving his dominions a shattered mess of power-hungry officers and politicians fighting the Rebels, the Fleet, and each other for dominance. Sate Pestage had claimed leadership over the Empire, but many felt that without an Emperor, there was no Empire. Kristra agreed that the Empire would never be the same without it's founder, but disagreed that his death necessitated the fall of galactic government.
For that was what it would mean if the Empire vanished. The Rebels, though frustratingly resilient, lacked the organizational wherewithal to govern the galaxy with proper strength. It had been Fate of the cruelest sort that allowed them to triumph at Endor, and while they would eventually realize the folly of their actions, the damage was already done.
Outside her ruminations, the door chimed.
"Enter." she said crisply, closing her datapad with a decisive snap.
A woman clothed in a flowing robe entered, and bowed deeply upon catching sight of Kristra.
"My lady the Princess of Kuat, greetings. I beg leave to deliver a message from His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor Palpatine." stated the woman in a high, clear voice, glancing at the Admiral.
"The Emperor? But he is dead." stated Kristra, in some confusion. "What message could he possibly have left me before Endor? And why do you address me as Princess?" she asked, wondering if the emissary might possibly have come to the wrong star system.
"My lady, I am Anya Somnada, the executrix of His Imperial Majesty's last will. You were named Heir to the Empire and Princess Imperial of Kuat." She produced a datapad from a pocket, and presented it to Kristra with a flourish. "Your inheritance is detailed here."
This matter-of-fact presentation of one of the most important events in recent memory shocked Kristra.
"Do you have any idea what this means? The Empire is not gone!"
"Of course not, Your Highness. At present, your dominions include nearly three-fourths of the inhabited worlds of the galaxy." replied Anya.
"But that number shrinks daily, as more and more commanders defect. Now, we have a chance to regain our place. The Empire will not fall!"
"Your Highness, the Grand Vizier and Ysanne Isard will not willingly step down from the pedestals they have raised in recent months." the executrix cautioned, tilting her head slightly. "May I inquire as to your plans for them?"
The new Princess shook her head. "You'll see soon enough. More immediate concerns require my, and your, attention."
"M'lady?"
"I would like you to assemble my officers in the main conference room aboard Incision. Tell them you're my new aid, and that I wish to speak with them."
"Yes, Your Highness." Anya bowed again, and left the room. Kristra spoke into the comm.
"Captain Meyer, bring the fleet to Condition Two. I expect we'll be in combat before too long."
"Yes, ma'am."
*************************************************************
The main conference room aboard the Super Star Destroyer Incision was filled with the assembled captains of the Fifteenth Fleet, a combat arm of the Imperial Navy comprising nearly one hundred Star Destroyers, four Executor-Class Star Dreadnaughts, and an assortment of frigates, cruisers, and support vessels. The gathered officers packed the large chamber nearly to capacity, barely leaving room for the holocam crew discreetly positioned at the rear of the room.
"Soldiers of the Empire, comrades, loyal friends." The voice of Admiral Greylath rang out across the room. "When we recieved our commissions, we all took an oath to serve the Emperor and the Empire. We all swore to uphold the principles of integrity, honor, and justice. We all swore to protect the citizens of the Empire.
"My friends, the Grand Vizier who now rules us has not done so. While he throws away the might of the Fleet in fruitless campaigns, the Rebels destroy countless lives and Ysanne Isard's Intelligence Bureau hunts down those who seek to bring peace to the galaxy. Will you countenance such things, while the true Heir to the Empire bears anguished witness?"
"NO!" roared the assembled officers.
"Will you allow the Empire to be torn apart?"
"NO!"
"Will you watch the death of a galaxy?"
"NO!"
Kristra raised a hand for silence. When the room was quiet, she said
"The last will of our Emperor named me his heir. Will you follow me to Coruscant, to war, and to victory?"
"YES!" the cry was like a wave crashing against the ears of every listener. "YES! Greylath! Greylath!"
With a discreet cut signal to the holocam crew, she again spoke.
"Then ready your ships. Dismissed!"
*************************************************************
END TEASER

[Master_Baerne]

90 views and not even a single comment? I feel useless.

[Darth Fanboy]

90 views and not even a single comment? I feel useless.

I can't comment yet because all we've seen so far is the introduction of a character. What is Greylath actually going to do? My best advice is that as you progress you should take great care to develop her and not just turn her into an Imperial Mary Sue.