>>5848394>>5848399>>5848424>>5848430>>5848436"House Heinrich swore to defend the Empire, not the Emperor."
The Arthen patriarch stiffens with rage, but you continue.
"A week crop does not produce resilient seed. The next Emperor of the Vonduul line would've been of the same breed as his progenitor, if not of a yet fouler breed of degenerate."
"Corruption and decay does not vanish with the death of one man. Under their rule, the Empire I and my ancestors bled our red blood for was suffering."
"They... Their debauchery, had become a disease, and like any disease, treatment must be given lest it consume the host."
"I simply chose to cure what ailed the Eternal Empire, instead of allowing its vitality to be drained away until it expired..."
"Or another power put it out of its misery."
His gaze pierces through you but he does not interrupt.
"Maybe we lost eight-hundred million in those years, but how many more would we lose by getting fractured and snuffed out by external powers, eager to feed on a rotten corpse?"
"We are not the dominant force, the zenith of galactic life. There are wolves at our doors waiting for the first sign of weakness."
"Heinrich can strengthen the Empire where Vonduul weakened and debased it."
"That is my belief. History may not be so charitable to my memory, but everything I have done and everything I strive to do, is for the good of the Empire and her people."
The lord of Arthen interjects.
"Good? Millions dead, billions in disarray is good?"
You steel yourself and shake your head.
"The casualties of our brother war yet weigh heavily upon my mind, more crushing than the crown upon my brow. I shall not allow those eight hundred million dead, whose blood now stains my hands, to have perished without purpose or meaning."
"I dream of an era of ascendancy, prosperity and pride to honour their sacrifice, and I dearly hope House Arthen can envision this better tomorrow."
"In the end, all I wanted is for the Eternal Empire to be strong again."
"I shall waste no more time sabre-rattling or speaking hollow words. I've stated my reason and intent."
Lughan stares you down for a minute, then grunts. "Hmph."
He leaves you standing there in silence. The rest of the feast is pleasantly sparse, with a lack of the formalities most of the older noble lineages insist on.
According to your courtiers, after your discussion Lughan drank himself into a stupor in a rare breach of etiquette and retired to the palace's guest quarters without another word.
The next morning the Arthen shuttle leaves, Lughan onboard, but most of its passengers, the brunt of their household's future, are left behind in the Heinrich dynasty's care.
You aren't sure what to make of this but your strategic instincts tell you that could've gone far worse.
