Chapter 67

Habricht gestured to the door at the far end of the Council Chamber just as it opened, revealing the eleven-year-old boy. He had short auburn hair carefully parted to one side. His face was covered by freckles. At his neck was a pendant with the symbol of House Aurelian—a sunburst. The robes he wore were more expensive than most of those adorning the councilors, Habricht knew. No one short of royalty could afford such fabric. If it didn’t sell the illusion, nothing would. Combined with the fact the robes were black and white, the two most differing colors and those of mourning in the Empire, there would be few councilors who opposed the boy.

Behind Cassian was a contingent of the Imperial Guard, all wearing black and red armor and wielding their standard issue long-barreled ceremonial rifles. The sight was always an imposing one. Even silhouetting a child made it no less intimidating.

The boy looked around uncertainly, stopping just inside the entrance. His face held a certain amount of fear. Habricht expected that much. After all, he had not obtained the opportunity for making such public appearances. Making the first of such showings in this manner would not be easy on the nerves for anyone. He stopped at the doorway, just as Habricht had instructed for him to do so. Cassian drew himself up as best he could. His nervousness was palpable throughout the room.

Habricht cleared his throat and took a step forward, gesturing to Cassian.

“Council of Hyperia, I present His Imperial Highness Cassian of House Aurelia, Prince of House Valkor, son of our late Emperor, and designated heir to the throne.” Habricht took a few steps towards the boy before turning back to the Council at large. Some of them had stood. Whether it was to get a better look or to show respect for the boy’s alleged position, Habricht couldn’t tell. Regardless, he continued, “By the intention of his father, he now comes to receive the confirmation which only death served to deny our late sovereign. I ask you now to rectify that oversight and formally crown him as Emperor of Hyperia.”

A silence descended upon the chamber. Habricht saw Feilhaber’s face contorting through several different expressions ranging from outrage to confusion. None of the councilors seemed to want to be the first to speak. All remained silent and in their chairs, staring at Cassian. The boy, to his credit, didn’t back down. He stood as tall as possible, exactly the way he had been taught.

Finally, after nearly a minute of silence, the same councilor as before cleared his throat. He stood and straightened his robes.

“Prince Cassian Aurelia, it is an honor to meet you.” He bowed low, and the boy returned it uncertainly. Cassian’s eyes flicked to Habricht, who did and said nothing. “I am Councilor Franz Hartstein from the Second Prefecture of New Athens. I would like to be the first to formally welcome you to the Council Chamber.”

<Exactly as we rehearsed,> Habricht said through a CAM message to Cassian. He did his best to say it gently to prevent startling the boy. To his credit, Cassian didn’t even flinch.

“Thank you, Councilor Hartstein.” Cassian turned to the rest of the councilors. “It is a privilege and an honor to stand here before you, though I wish it were under better circumstances. My father was a great man, not only for his taking me into his family after the assassinations that plague my own. He led this empire and upheld the tenets that have guided us for so many centuries. Honor, bravery, loyalty, supremacy. Those facets of society that bind us together and ensure we are able to get through of any disaster. Not only do we emerge intact, but we always emerge stronger than before. Upon my confirmation, I will ensure I work every day to continue following them and allow us to come out of this ordeal together as one, just as we always have.”

Some of the councilors—nearly a quarter—stood and applauded. Habricht couldn’t help but smile at that. There were at least some he would have to do nothing to convince of the boy’s legitimacy. Though he suspected this was only because they were hoping to advance their own stations by agreeing with Habricht.

<Very good,> Habricht messaged Cassian. The boy seemed to relax slightly at the words, though he avoided looking directly at Habricht.

“Nothing but words.”

The statement came from none other than Feilhaber. He stared at Cassian with an intensity Habricht had only seen directed at himself. Habricht felt his irritation with the man reach a fever point and wondered why he had never gotten rid of him before now. Then again, it was not easy to remove a councilor.

“A well-rehearsed speech, indeed.” Feilhaber walked across the room to where Cassian stood then turned and faced the Council again, pacing in front of the boy. To his credit, Cassian did not falter from where he stood. “Our Empire, if it is to endure, cannot now surrender the throne to this child, who has been hitherto unknown to us. Not only do we not yet have confirmation of the child’s identity, but it would mean making one of the most consequential decisions of our generation with little to no information."

“Might I remind you that the throne is not a toy for the Council to play with?” Habricht folded his hands behind his back and stared at Feilhaber. “We have laws for a reason. Those laws must be upheld, otherwise what is the point of them?”

“If the child is a legitimate heir,” Ganex said before Feilhaber could comment, “then we must continue to make a distinction between military and civil command. His wardship under Legate Habricht should come to an end and a suitable replacement found.”

“While I am not a member of the Council,” added Tober Delargivic, some of the first words he had spoken the entire meeting, “might I propose a compromise? If it is determined Cassian of House Aurelia is a true heir to the throne, then the triumvirate proposed by Councilor Feilhaber could take over the hard work Legate Habricht has thus far provided in ensuring the boy received a proper education. That way, there is still a method of removing any of the regents by the Council in the event they fail in their duty. And, as far as I can tell, there is nothing in our constitution that indicates a regent be only an individual. A group could just as well—better, perhaps—serve as a regent to Cassian. Again, assuming he is confirmed.”

As he spoke, Delargivic looked to Habricht, a beseeching look in his eye. He was handing the legate an olive branch. A chance to get what they both wanted. Obviously, hence why he used the word “compromise.” Habricht considered the offer. He still held sway over Cassian. After all, he was the one that truly rescued the boy. Sure, he said it was under the Emperor’s orders and allowed Cassian to think the Emperor adopted him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t the one that provided for the boy over the last year.

“I am willing to support the triumvirate if the Council believes that to be the best course of action.” Habricht shrugged. “All I care for is the safety and security of the Empire. If the triumvirate regency is what is best for it, then that is fine by me.”

“First, we must determine the status of Cassian, and if he is the legitimate heir to the throne,” said Feilhaber. “I must say, I find the claims to be dubious at best. There is no precedent for an unknown adopted child being a legitimate claimant to the throne.”

“You must remember,” said one of the generals, a supporter of Habricht, “that the Emperor had every intention of making the adoption known to the Council and confirming him as his heir. If not for his untimely demise, the appropriate determination would have been made ahead of time. That is hardly a reason to deny the prince.”

“While that may be true, the Council cannot cede power to a child who has obviously been in close contact with Legate Habricht.” This councilor was closely aligned to Feilhaber, always voting in line with him. “I mean no offense, but it is obvious that the legate has developed a close relationship with Cassian. Confirming such an heir would amount to the same as ceding the throne to Habricht himself.”

“How is that any different than an emperor appointing the supreme commander of his military?” asked another general. Her voice raised to a fever pitch that grated on Habricht’s nerves despite her agreement with him. “It is natural for an emperor to become close to the legate in charge of all forces. After all, they must be aligned in order to properly carry out the Emperor’s will. Unless you believe the military should be opposing the Emperor.”

“I didn’t mean to suggest such a thing,” answered the councilor, raising a hand to settle her, which only seemed to achieve the opposite. “I only meant, how do we know that this boy isn’t just going to be a puppet to Legate Habricht?”

“I’m no one’s puppet,” Cassian shouted. His body shook slightly as he took deep breaths to try calming himself. Habricht sighed; the child should have remained quiet. That was the plan after all. When his body steadied, he continued, “It is true that Legate Habricht has cared for me over the last year, and I for him, but I was adopted by the Emperor. I was taught the ways of the royal family. How to fight, how to lead, how to behave. While I still have a long way to go, I will work hard to maintain the legacy laid before me. It is the Empire I am and will remain loyal to, not a single man.”

“What guarantees can you make towards that end?” asked Feilhaber. He sneered down at Cassian. “How can we ensure your words are true?”

“Bold of you to question an Imperial Prince,” Cassian answered, frowning up at Feilhaber. The scathing look the boy gave the councilor sent a chill down Habricht’s spine. Apparently he learned well. “I did not have the honor of seeing how my father ruled, but I can assure you, I will not tolerate such disrespect when I am being addressed as emperor.”

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Feilhaber took a step back but said nothing further. There was a look of fury on his face that Habricht had only seen directed at himself. Cassian, however, did not back down. He stared back just as intensely. A silence fell over the chamber that went unbroken for several seconds. Finally, one of the councilors cleared their throat.

“Of course, we all know the Aurelia Family as being of royal blood.” This addition came from a member of House Veyrhardt, one of the oldest and wealthiest in the Empire, though with no imperial relation themselves. “At least, we should all know. They are related to the Valkors, rather distantly at this point, but related nonetheless. And they are the closest living relatives. Therefore, they are the natural heir, even though our late Emperor was not able to officially designate them.”

“Personally, I feel the whole adoption argument is a moot point for that exact reason,” said another councilor. “We can sit here and argue for the rest of the century over whether the adoption was legal and legitimate. All it does is delay the inevitable. It does not negate the fact Cassian of House Aurelia is the next in the line of succession. After all, his entire family is dead, meaning he is the last remaining member.”

Habricht nearly let loose a sigh of relief that a councilor finally brought that up. After all, it was why he chose the boy: Even if the Council refused to recognize Cassian as Lucius Valkor’s heir, they would have to accept him as the next in the line of succession. Otherwise, it would lead to exactly the crisis Feilhaber had described. While Habricht was certain he would come out the other side the victor of the civil war that would follow, it would lead to nothing but a splintering of their Empire. Especially with them already fighting a war on two fronts.

“Shall we put it to a vote then?” yet another councilor said. “Either we accept Cassian Aurelia is heir to the throne or we do not.”

Some of the councilors muttered their acquiescence to the suggestion. Others merely sat silent. Yet more, particularly those of the Constitutional Reformation Party, seemed ready to argue more, but a look from Feilhaber quelled them. Habricht was glad to see the man seemed to be realizing there was little chance he had of changing the facts.

“I would like to remind the Council,” said the councilor who initially welcomed Cassian, “that this is simply a formality—Cassian of House Aurelia is the natural successor to the throne.”

“Yes, we are aware of that argument,” Feilhaber replied. He waved a hand dismissively. “Now, let’s get on with this vote. A time limit of one hour for this vote sounds reasonable to me. Any objections?”

None came. A moment later, the holoprojector changed to show the vote tallies. Currently, both “For” and “Against” sat at zero votes. A countdown started at the top of the empty bars. It slowly ticked down from one hour. Immediately, conversations broke out around the chamber as the councilors began working on deals for their support or opposition of Cassian. Several of them cast looks not only in the direction of Cassian but also Habricht. A few, he heard, muttered to ask how he had found the boy. One or two questioned why Habricht truly kept him a secret. None, of course, would be able to truly know.

Habricht cast his vote quickly as being “For” the confirmation of Cassian. He was one of the first to input his vote. At the beginning, a dozen or so votes appeared in both columns, each one keeping pace with the other. Then, they petered out as the councilors continued their muttering.

Around Habricht, he could hear some details of the deals being made. The quid pro quo nature of the Council always made him sick. They should be working to make society better, not attempting to further themselves. It was always the same though. Each councilor saw many votes—especially monumental ones such as this—as opportunities to advance their own goals. If that didn’t come to an end, it would surely mean the eventual downfall of the entire empire.

But there was nothing he could do about it now. He knew that he had even participated in it from time to time. It was impossible to completely avoid if one wished to get to the position he occupied. If one was part of the game, they had to play it. Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to want to get rid of it. Eventually, he would be able to truly fix the system. It would just mean that rot would need to be excised.

With that thought, his eyes flicked to Feilhaber, Ganex, and Delargivic. The trio of men were surrounded by a group of other councilors. Some were already members of their party while others were undecided voters, though Habricht knew that wasn’t exactly true. They already made up their minds and were going to vote against the confirmation; they just wanted to see what they could get out of Feilhaber in exchange for that vote.

Still, many more of the councilors flocked to members that Habricht knew were firmly on his—and therefore Cassian’s—side. They needed to reach at least two thirds of the Council in order to successfully confirm Cassian as heir to the throne. A brief examination of the division showed at least that many talking to his supporters. That put him at ease. Not that there was any real doubt in his mind of Cassian not being confirmed. Still, Feilhaber could usually be awfully persuasive. Unfortunately for the councilor, this was not one of the times that would help him.

Over the next fifty five minutes, not many votes came in. Many of the ones that did so were against the confirmation, allowing it to briefly take the lead. But with over ninety percent of the Council still having not voted yet, that didn’t worry Habricht. Slowly, the rest of the votes trickled in over the last five minutes of the vote. At first, there weren’t many that came in. But as the timer ticked closer and closer to zero, they surged like a fleet of Hyperion warships over an unsuspecting enemy.

By the time the countdown reached zero, every single councilor had voted. Seventy eight percent of them voted for the confirmation of Cassian. That left only twenty two percent against. A resounding victory.

Feilhaber seemed furious as he looked at the tally. He cleared the display and returned it to the map of the galaxy. Looking around, he cleared his throat.

“Let the record show Cassian of House Aurelia has officially been confirmed as heir apparent to the Hyperion Throne. Now, on to the next order of business: who will serve as his regent until he is of age?” Feilhaber glanced at Habricht, who smiled at him. The councilor did not seem amused, which made Habricht smile even wider. “We have two options before us. Either Legate Habricht continues to serve as the boy’s mentor and in a regency position, or we form a triumvirate of myself, Legate David Ganex, and Governor Tober Delargivic.”

“I think the triumvirate, while unorthodox, is the best option to ensure the well-rounded education of Prince Cassian, as well as guarantee a level of impartiality from the military,” said Councilor Hartstein, who had voted in favor of Cassian’s confirmation. A rumble of agreement came from the Council.

As if everything that needed to be said had been, the vote counter appeared once more on the holoprojector. At the top was a countdown of only ten minutes. Shortly thereafter, voting commenced. There were few deals to be made here. Some people approached Habricht to ask what he would give them in exchange for their support. In all these cases, he waved them away. He wasn’t concerned of whether he would be regent or not. There was plenty of time to rectify any mistakes made.

Nearly ninety five percent of the Council voted for the triumvirate. Only those with undying loyalty—primarily some of the military leaders—to Habricht voted for him. This was fine, though it made Feilhaber giddy. Then the giddiness evaporated from him as he remembered what he would have to do next.

“Let it be known that this Council has formally recognized Prince Cassian of House Aurelia, son of the late Emperor Lucius Valkor, as heir to the Throne of Hyperia.” Feilhaber sounded as if the words caused him physical pain to speak. Despite that, after finishing the sentence, a smile returned to his face, just barely visible. “The boy shall be placed under the guardianship of the triumvirate appointed by the Council made up of Councilor Harald Feilhaber, Legate David Ganex, and Governor Tober Delargivic. This triumvirate, together, will serve as regent for Prince Cassian until his attains the age of maturity, that being eighteen, and is formally crowned Emperor.”

Feilhaber turned to Cassian.

“Prince Cassian, it will be our honor to help guide you on your journey to discovering who you are as a ruler.”

Cassian’s eyes flicked to Habricht. He nodded imperceptibly to the boy.

“Thank you, Councilor. I look forward to working with you and the other members of the Council during both my education and eventual rule,” Cassian said after turning back to Feilhaber. Then he turned to the rest of the chamber and stepped forward, clasping his hands behind his back. “And to all of you, who have served our Empire with grace and knowledge, I make a promise to you. We will mourn. We will crack. But we will not break. We will emerge stronger through the ashes of the loss of our late emperor, my father. This, I swear.”

A round of applause went up around the chamber. More than Habricht thought would do so. Nearly eighty percent of the councilors clapped, and many stood. Cassian looked around the room. The boy couldn’t keep the childlike smile off his face. It was a shame his childhood was ripped away from him. Some things just couldn’t be helped.

The outcome was the best Habricht could have expected. It could only have gone better if the Council agreed to allow him to serve as regent. That part, however, did not matter so much as getting the boy into the position of heir to the throne. Now, he was in a prime position to influence the child into doing exactly what was necessary to purge the Hyperion Empire of the filth that ran rampant through the upper echelons of its society.

Starting with the likes of Councilor Feilhaber.

Before he had the chance to leave the room and return to his office, footsteps approached from behind him. He turned and found Feilhaber, Ganex, and Delargivic all standing there behind him. The only one smiling was Delargivic, as if he was posing for a photo op. Just the thought made Habricht wanted to shake his hand in disgust, though he restrained himself.

“Legate Habricht, it is an honor to finally meet you in person,” Delargivic said, bowing his head slightly. “I’ve heard great tales of the victories you’ve won over the years. Your Hades moniker was well earned from what I understand.

“Thank you, Governor.” Habricht nodded his head in acceptance of the praise, though part of him wondered what exactly the man wanted. If he was with the likes of Feilhaber and Ganex, it was likely nothing good. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well. My apologies for not being able to make it out to Arcadia, but my work keeps me quite busy. What can I do for you?”

“Perhaps it’s better if we speak privately,” Feilhaber said. “Your office, perhaps?”

Habricht inclined his head, thinking over the matter. On one hand, being alone with the three men was not something he would have preferred doing. On the other, there was little they could do to truly harm him now that Cassian was confirmed as heir to the throne and the Council effectively served as regent. If the three of them would give up their power as readily as they said they would if the Council demanded it, at least. There was little harm that could be done by humoring the group.

“Very well.” He gestured to the door leading out of the chamber. “Right this way.”

Habricht led the way towards the exit. Cassian still stood nearby and started for the legate before noticing the impromptu entourage behind him and stopping. Habricht gave the boy an almost impossible shake of his head, then sent a message through his CAM.

<We’ll talk later. Return to your chambers.>

The boy didn’t reply. Instead, he simply stood there and watched as Habricht made his way out of the chamber. One thing was certain: Whatever Feilhaber and his posse wanted to discuss, it was not going to be good.