Of Imperial Machinations
09 Feb 2022Iridium Nova
It seems some people think that I should be clairvoyant when it comes to matters of politics and Intrigue because of my line of work. Everyone is taking about the goings-on in the Empire these days and I'm somehow supposed to be an expert on it. The only thing I've learned in my line of work is that humans are as conniving as they are unpredictable. Of course they are, always trying to get the drop on the competition. You have to be unpredictable if you want to win.Earlier I was asked if I think the Emperor is still alive. I answered: "does it even matter?". No, I wasn't being apathetic. Here's the thing: she disappeared from the public eye quite a while ago. There's no way to prove it either way now. Anyone can write messages and sign her name. A public appearance wouldn't do it either, those can be faked. Genetic testing, biometrics, molecular analysis, all dependent on computer systems and records which can be hacked, faked, or conveniently lost. Sure, a good fake will fool a lot of people and maybe I can never be convinced because of what I've seen. Not everyone has the experience I do, but there are plenty who do, or close enough at least. The problem is that there would always be doubt, and rightly so. There would be plenty of people who call fake, and because there'd be no way to prove them wrong (or right), there would be division. So in the end it doesn't really matter if she is alive. There's already division. What'll likely happen next is down to the strength of two main factions: Aisling Duval and everyone else who doesn't want her on the throne.
The timing isn't chance. Aisling brought this up now because there was already a little doubt. Now, there's a lot of doubt. She has triggered an investigation which her supporters can use to "discover" the death of the Emperor and secure her bid for the throne. However, if her opposition gets their way, the Emperor will triumphantly return. But it'll hardly be a unified Empire. There's too much doubt now. The Emperor will need to purge all doubt (usually this is done by brute force), and the Empire will become a police state. The feds might get nervous when someone tries to beat them at their own game and that'll probably lead to war. So, in the end the best thing for the Empire will probably be Aisling Duval. But the feds still won't like it.
I guess a better question is: "Was the Emperor ever even real?". For all we know, she could have been a fake all along. For all I know, she's a freaking Thargoid.
Great. Now I sound like Kit Fowler.