In the galactic year 76549870 you were named the fiftieth Emperor of the Galactic Empires. Your father Thaddeus the bold has his body frozen into a carbonite statue and placed in the procession of kings.
Your Chancellor, Ito, steps forward:
"Your majesty there are things the must be attended to. Your royal brothers and sisters."
Ito shows you the sum total of your father's progeny. 16 girls and 7 boys. Their ages ranging widely.
"I suggest you consider the danger of your brothers trying to seize power or your sisters marrying some upstart general."
You think about what your father would do. He was a decisive man who got things done. While Ito's loathsome suggestion hints that you should have your brothers killed and your sisters forbidden from marriage is harsh and cruel, there is cold logic to it.
"Your soldiers are prepared. You need only give the order. |