Ravens of Eternity

159 The Flow of Power, Pt Savoth lounged happily among his fellow senators in their favorite secluded drug-fueled hermitage. He slid a fancy mouthpiece through thin lips and inhaled deeply.

The tube it was connected to filled with a sparkling purplish smoke, which originated from a small tubular glass oven on the table. Inside of the bulbous oven in the middle were a number of purple flowers slowly turning brown from the intense heat surrounding it.

Savoth exhaled with a slow, deep breath before he laid back on his lounge chair.

“What’re we gonna do now?” asked the Senator next to him. “The Chosen got utterly destroyed out there.”

Savoth groaned in response. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with the mess that Gravoss had pushed into their laps. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

“What the High Patron wants,” he replied, “the High Patron gets. We can’t really sink ourselves mired in our own losses. What we’ve gotta do now is keep our eyes on the 7th Vote. If we lose there, we’re really done for.”

As the Senators indulged themselves further inside their little safe spot, the Zone’s Shieldmaster oversaw their safety from his hidden control tower. He paced around his control column and kept a tight lid on everything that was going on inside of it.

“Shieldmaster,” said a technician, “we’ve got a gondola incoming. Single person, privacy filtered. Heavily armored. Heading towards the gates, but not stopping.”

“Request auth codes immediately,” the Shieldmaster replied.

.....

“They sent it preemptively, sir. Tier 5, Designation SJ.”

The Shieldmaster’s eyes immediately widened, and his jaw slacked.

“Let the T5 through quickly!” he ordered. “Send an armed detail and offer to assist, no questions asked. Everything by the book!”

Without waiting, the armored gondola swept past the gates at a moderate speed and with great authority. It navigated down the Zone’s streets unerringly, straight towards the Red Door. It didn’t bother to head for any parking areas and instead set itself down right in front of the door itself..

An armed guard unit ran up to it in formation just as it started to open up. They all saluted as someone stepped out.

The guard’s captain greeted their guest with absolute respect. As he was about to open his mouth to offer their services, the guest’s gauntleted hand raised up to decline his offer. Then the guest walked straight to the Red Door, which opened quickly after being scanned.

The guest fished around for a badge and displayed it to the greeter and his guard, but there was no need to. They recognized who they were dealing with from the get-go, and were already opening the secure door next to them.

With heavy steps that reverberated along the floor, the guest walked down the hallway and through one of the many double doors along the sides.

Inside, the multitudes of Senators in the room could only watch with growing horror as the guest walked up to the corner where Savoth was seated.

“Senator Savoth,” said the guest.

Savoth popped his head up in annoyance to see who had disrupted his downtime. Fear quickly swept across his face as he saw Silver Justicar Severas looming over him. Her eyes were filled with a murderous rage.

“You’re coming with me,” she continued.

~

Savoth was roughly shoved onto a podium in the very center of a round assembly hall, somewhere in the Spiral Towers. Circling the podium was a long circular table that was set slightly higher than the podium itself. Seated at that table were two dozen Drogar – mostly Senators, two Gold Justicars, and Swarmfather Retholis.

At the central seat facing directly at Savoth was Senator Toreth, who had a grim smile etched on his face. Similar to Severas’ eyes, his were also filled with murder. But the kind that was calm.

Multiple EyeCasts hovered around the room, and caught every moment that passed.

Savoth swallowed his saliva nervously when he realized that this was the end for him. His mind immediately went to his ledger, and his contracts, and everything else he stood to lose. Then his mind turned to his family, and hoped they had enough squirreled away for themselves.

But he couldn’t let himself get dragged down by despair. If this was his last show, then he was going to do it with his back straight.

He looked straight at Toreth in defiance and squared his shoulders. As though the two were about to get into a duel.

“Senator Savoth,” said Toreth, “your presence here has been demanded because of your involvement in the recent attack on an Imperial Hostage Compound. As well as other attacks in recent months.

“This Chamber has uncovered your role as a co-conspirator and ringleader of Taloren’s Chosen, an organization that is well-known for its extremist rhetoric and violent actions. What do you say to this?”

Savoth gathered his courage even as it threatened to leak out from out of him, and harrumphed as convincingly as he could.

“It’s preposterous,” he replied. “I’m a member of the Imperial Senate, and these people are my constituents! They gave me my office, and in return, I’m simply doing as they wish. I’m their servant, not the other way around.

“They might be violent at times, but that’s my reason for existence, to help calm them and negotiate on their behalf. They might be unreasonable at times, but that’s simply a product of being ignored for years... decades!”

There were a few murmurs from around the room, and the sheer amount of eyerolling could be felt through the EyeCasts’ cameras. There were hushed whispers and comments about Savoth, many of which were disparaging, if not outright insulting.

“Assuming that you’re merely a servant,” pressed Toreth, “what is it you provide them? What laws have you... enacted or fought for on their behalf? What negotiations have you engaged in? Please enlighten the Chamber.”

“I’m not playing your foolish mindgames,” said Savoth. “I do as they ask as best as I can, despite the lack of support from the rest of the Senate. You can take a look at my records yourselves.”

“We have taken a good look at your records, Senator. And it shows your constituents have revealed support for 187 separate Measures and Codes, of which you have only voted for 9. Can you explain this inconsistency?”

Savoth forced himself to anger, and pounded a fist on his podium. Just as he had practiced over and over again in private.

“Inconsistent?” he yelled. “I’ve gone to great lengths to-”

He was quickly interrupted by a far more authoritative voice off to his side.

“This is absolutely pointless,” uttered Retholis. “You Senators and your idiotic doublespeak is the death of the Empire. Time to end it, and admit who you really are to the world, without the dressings and the fanfare.”

As Retholis spoke, hundreds of holographic documents filled the air between the podium and the table. It was all of the evidence that the Swarmfather had collected thus far, and as a whole, was sweeping.

Savoth’s name, or his clan’s name, or his companies came up over and over again across the documents. Lines began to form between the documents, all linked by his names and identities and organizations.

Soon, they showed a vast web of money flowing from Savoth’s district, out of his voters, through Savoth’s ledger, and then towards multiple members of Taloren’s Chosen.

“You’re not here to feed your people,” he continued. “You never were. You exist only to feed your ledger, at the cost of your people.”

Savoth’s eyes gaped wide in horror as his entire ledger was plain to see across the galaxy. The armor he built up around himself cracked, but he didn’t quite give up.

“Th-this could all have been manufactured,” he said. “All of these slanderous accusations – could have been made by my enemies! The enemies of my people! People like you, Swarmfather! All you want to do is see my people suffer, and to do that, you’ll even come up with the most outrageous lies!”

Retholis harrumphed lightly in response.

“These documents were gathered from your own databanks,” he said. “Untouched and unmarred. But if you, or your constituents won’t believe them, then perhaps we should introduce someone with more weight, shall we?”

The documents faded away, and was instead replaced with a large holographic image of Colviss just in front of Savoth.

Many gasped at the sight.

“For those who do not know me, or of me, I am known as Colviss,” she said. “In my previous life, I was a Justicar in direct service of Emperor Nyzareth. By the Codex of the Empire, I swear upon my death, and the deaths of my fellow sisters, that all that I say is true.”

Loud murmurs swept around the table at the sight in front of them. Like many Reborn, this one truly was legendary. She was a Justicar in the service of the First Emperor.

Adulation swept across all those who watched her.

Except Savoth, of course. All he could feel was a noose tightening around his neck.

“After being Reborn, I lost my way and my code,” she continued. “I took Savoth’s coin and under his orders trained many of Taloren’s Chosen. Though he never expressed his desires clearly, the intent was obvious – he needed their minds to be malleable, and also loyal.”

Colviss’ face was stoic, but hints of regret often came up to the surface. If only for a moment.

“I see,” said Toreth. “Are you saying that you brainwashed these people at Savoth’s orders?”

Colviss shook her head, to Savoth’s relief, brief as it was.

“I never brainwashed any of them,” she replied. “Instead, they’re ancient conditioning techniques.”

“Sorry, I don’t see the difference.”

“Understandable, Senator. With conditioning, they are still themselves – their minds are their own. They’re simply more susceptible to certain things, in preferring certain thoughts, in believing certain ideas. In listening to certain people.

“In contrast, if they were brainwashed, their core identities would have been removed and completely replaced instead. Doing so would have also been a violation of Imperial Law.”

“Colviss,” said Retholis. “Explain what these thoughts and ideas are.”

Before she could say anything, she was interrupted by Senator Toreth.

“I don’t need to hear them,” he said. “Or rather, I’ve heard more than enough from the Chosen. We know what they want, and who their leader is. It’s time to act on that knowledge.

“Savoth of the Levarii Clan, for crimes of Treason against the Drogar Empire, you are hereby stripped of all your titles, ledgers, and privileges. I, Senator Toreth, sentence you to death, immediately. If any here wish to refute or rethink, now is the time to speak.”

Savoth shivered where he stood, as the weight of his life drifted away from him. No-one around him said a word, and only stared at him in painful silence.

“Very well,” continued Toreth. “Take him to the Courtyard.”

~

Savoth was knocked down to his knees painfully. He was on top of an elevated platform at the very center of the Red Zone. The Spiral Towers loomed all around him, as dozens of EyeCasts spun around him.

To his side was Severas, who unsheathed her blade with a loud SHING.

One of the EyeCasts swung out in front of the two to capture the moment. So that it could give every citizen of the Empire a front-row seat of Savoth’s execution. His face was filled with fear, while Severas’ face was filled with satisfaction.

“To those who would dare threaten the Empire,” she said. “To those who would destroy the lives of many for their own sake. To those who would betray and defraud innocent citizens of the Empire...”

She lifted her sword above her head, and tensed her muscles to strike. Her eyes landed on Savoth, and every ounce of pity she held vanished. The man had caused so much pain, and she had the honor of ending it.

“...My blade will find you.”

She swung her blade down with speed and power, cut through Savoth’s neck, and removed his authority forever.