Empire Day

“Can you believe it, Keleon?” asked D’Dhenn. “Two thousand one-hundred and forty-four years of the Empire. That’s a lot of years.”
“Yeah, and a lot of history.”
“It’s amazing we’ve survived Universe for that long,” said Oyi.
“Whaddya mean?” uttered Gir. “We’ve managed to thrive for this long by being the ultimate badasses!”
Whispers was silent, simply staring at us as we sat at outdoor furnishings in this ruined city.
The city was called… Yennen? Something like that. On the planet of… Thuria, I believe. It was a Jiralhanae world, but we had gassed or burned them off of this rock a few weeks earlier. Now it was ours, and we were here waiting for the colonists and Internal Troops to arrive. Reconstruction was their job, not ours. So we waited… and waited… and waited. I had heard that they should have arrived before Empire Day, but that turned out to be a bold-faced lie. Now I expected them to come next year, although there were whispers of rumors leaking from Communications that they were going to be in orbit “very soon.” “Very soon,” I thought, is rather relative.
Then, our squad leader, Sgt. B’Scorak, appeared, carrying a crate full of bottles, which had a dark purple liquid.
“What’s that, sir?” I asked.
“Iphara,” said B’Scorak as he placed the crate down with a thud, the bottles clinking in the container.
“That’s some of the best wine around!” exclaimed Gir. “How’d you get it, sir?”
“Did a little cajoling and wagging of the silver tongue. Just don’t report this to the Quartermaster and we should be fine. Now come on, each of you has your own bottle.”
We all clamored for a bottle. Well, all of us except for Whispers. I grabbed the remaining one and offered it to him, to which he sullenly nodded. I raised my eyebrows, offering it one more time in silence, as excited conversations brewed between the rest of our squad. He stared at the bottle for a little bit, before sighing and taking it, almost reluctantly I might add.
“Have we got glasses, sir?” asked Oyi.
“Glasses?” answered B’Scorak. “Oyi, I’m lucky to have walked away from there with the bottles, let alone glasses. You still got your canteens, right? Use those.”
“I still got water in mine, sir.”
“I guess then you should empty it and fill it with this fine stuff. It’s not even synthesized, it’s actually organically grown.”
“Not… not from Iphara itself?” asked D’Dhenn.
“Oh yes it is. Legitimately from the vineyards.”
“Woah… this stuff is worth its weight in gold out here.”
“Which is why you should enjoy it.”
We all opened the bottles, the distinct deep-sounding pops of the caps coming undone as we impaled them with our bayonets, twisted, and pulled. Then, we finished the contents of our canteens: Oyi, D’Dhenn, B’Scorak and myself drank what little water remained, while Gir and Whispers tossed their water out. Whispers had a full canteen, while Gir’s was half-full.
“Happy Empire Day,” said Sgt. B’Scorak as he raised his canteen.
“Happy Empire Day!” we all enthusiastically replied. Well, all of us except Whispers, who only slightly raised his own canteen as we all thus drank some of the Iphara, the sweet purple liquid passing our lips, enriching us with newfound energy and glee.
After a few minutes of drinking, joking, and laughing, we noticed that some soldiers were setting up a giant holoprojector in the center of the plaza we were in. Most of the rubble had been cleared, but there were still a few burnt-out vehicles and piles of bombed debris littering the sides of the space here or there, but they posed no problem with moving heavy vehicles around. After several more minutes, they were finished, and one of them turned on the projector. The beginning notes of His Majesty’s Imperial Anthem played, and we all, almost instinctually, stood up at attention, even Whispers, who did so almost as quickly as any other man. The projector then displayed the live image of the Emperor himself. We all stood perfectly still, our eyes fixed on His Majesty.
“Men and women of the Army, Navy, Cosmic Defense Force, and other branches of our Empire’s glorious Armed Forces, at ease.”
We loosened up our poses, but did not sit down.
“For over two thousand years, the Erdellian Empire has been the arch-protector of All-Erdellia, and of every Erdellian, everywhere. Now, we celebrate the 2144th anniversary of the birth of our Empire, founded by my ancestor, Barzea the Great, thanks only to the innumerable sacrifices of countless Erdellian men, women, and children. Now, our hard labors, and the hard labors of a hundred-hundred generations, have paid off. We are at the height of our power. We fear no alien. Indeed, at this very moment, we operate deep in the heart of alien territory, striking them at their core, shattering them with our unstoppable might. Now, I deem the fighting to have been sufficiently won. Our mission has been accomplished. We have brought the Xyphonites, our age-long foes, to their knees, and their nation has crumbled into ruin, reduced to petty fiefdoms and squabbling principalities, waging incessant wars amongst themselves. Surely, they shall not rise again for as long as All-Erdellia keeps a close watch on them. Thus, while I am suspending further military operations against the Xyphonites, we must remain vigilant, for any lapse in our attention could result in the return of the Xyphonite threat, a threat that cost our species many billions of lives over the course of five centuries.
“On this Day of the Empire, we will be at rest, even our soldiers abroad and on the frontlines. They shall make no offensive action against the Xyphonites, and they shall hold their positions at this current time unless the situation necessitates their relocation to more sensible venues. I furthermore intend to bring home most of the deployed troops, especially those drafted in the partial mobilization I had issued a year ago. Soon, you shall meet again with your loved ones, in your own homes, with victory carrying you all the way back on shimmering wings. We must be especially mindful today of those who cannot return to their homes. Those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Those who died defending our nation and our species. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten.
“With the drawdown of deployed troops and the dawn of peace, prosperity will return to our great Empire. Shops will be full. Theaters will be packed. Groceries will be fully stocked. Interest rates will be lowered. Hybrid healthcare will revert to fully universal healthcare. Subsidies for cheap fuel, energy, hot and running water, and sanitation will resume. The Empire shall thrive once more. Life will return to our cities, to our homes, sons and daughters will reunite with parents, parents with their children, siblings with siblings, and we can all be together once again.
“And with this Day of the Empire, comes new faces in our Universe. Our intrepid explorers and scientists have discovered a new intelligent species, Humans, and our relations are being built upon goodwill, understanding, and a mutual enemy in the Xyphonites. Let us hope that this species will enjoy friendly relations with ours for future generations. And on the topic of aliens, we must also remember to not hate the Xyphonites themselves, but to hate the Xyphonite government that held them hostage. Now, with that evil, self-serving government wiped from the face of Creation, we must aid the Xyphonites, uplift them, bring them out of the ruin and poverty of their millennia-old system of failure, and into the light of a new age. An age of peace, prosperity, and happiness. Together, All-Erdellia will show them the light.
“On this Day of the Empire, I salute you, soldiers, sailors, airmen and women, and Cosmic Troops of our glorious Armed Forces. Without you, surely our species would have been rendered extinct by the nefarious machinations of un-Erdellian minds. You are the finest beings to have lived in the Universe, and it is a privilege and an honor to lead you all in these trying times.
“As Emperor, it is my duty to not only protect our species, but to love our species. And I do. With all my heart, I love each and every single member of All-Erdellia. Everyone, from Mori J’Dallot, an Ythrian who is studying economics in Ythria Global University, to Ashor pur Cullop, a sanitation worker living in Paranis City right here on Krett, to Legionary First Class Keleon Bryndaryn from Zond, fighting on the frontlines on a Xyphonite planet, to Rendaril Terythion, a policeman on Mydaria. I believe it is your birthday today, Rendaril. Most auspicious. Happy Birthday. All of you and all others not named are in my hearts, and I think about you all every time I make a choice when leading our Empire. You are what keeps us going. You are what makes our species great. You are why I serve.
And so, with this Day of the Empire, let us remember the brave, the courageous, the hardworking man and woman on the home front, and those who cannot return. All of your sacrifices do much to enrich and preserve our great Empire and our illustrious species.”
The Emperor took hold of an object off-screen and brought it into view. It was an ornate glass, filled with Iphara. He raised it up slightly, the liquid slightly splashing against the sides of the container. He smiled slightly. “Happy Empire Day, and may All-Erdellia live forever!”
“Happy Empire Day, Your Majesty!” we all replied. The holoprojector then turned off.
“He said your name, Keleon,” said Whispers in a low voice. We all turned to him as he sipped some Iphara from his canteen.
“Yeah, you must have friends in high places!” added D’Dhenn.
“Eh, he probably had someone randomly pick my name from a lottery. There’s trillions of us after all.”
“Don’t be so humble, Bryndaryn,” said B’Scorak. “The Emperor speaking your name means you will live forever, in the memories of those trillions.”
Unfortunately for B’Scorak, that fact did much to humble me.
Category:The Weekly