Turn Sent
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Byzantium Secundus, The Imperial Palace
Banners of crimson, gold and gunmetal gray flutter over the heads of a multitude of dignitaries from across Known Space. Indeed they throng around me, standing before the ancient Throne of Mankind. Vacant since the fiery coronation of Emperor Vladimir Alecto. One step closer to the center of the Galaxy...
...one step closer and the greatest warriors of Humanity would cut me down with pleasure. Clad in the finest armor and wielding weapons of terrible power; trained to martial perfection yet degraded and forced to face a lifetime of pomp and ritual. They face me with grim decorum. To have even a tenth of them at my command...
The Marshal of the Imperial Guard finishes his proclamation, an ancient oath of allegiance to a dead man's pretensions.
Countless millions watch an event not seen in their lifetimes.
No pressure.
"I solemnly accept my duty as Regent of the Empire. I swear to uphold this honor you have elected me to and to protect the Empire of Man against enemies both within and without."
"To that end, I have decided to appoint Santiago of the Hazat as Commander of the Stigmata Garrison. That Houses martial prowess is what we will rely on in defeating an enemy that wishes to consume all we hold dear. I speak of the Symbiots, those vile aliens which gnaw at the gates and slither in the darkness shrouded from the Empyrean. We know of their attacks on our borders, as well as infiltrating our homes."
"To this I name Flavius Li Halan as Minister of the Imperial Eye. His famous piety will guide him in seeking out the wretches that insinuate themselves on our worlds and attack us where we least expect them. Even now I hear rumors of their presence on Rampart and Bannockburn. We shall need the Eye's talents now more than ever."
"I announce my first edict as Regent: I swear to destroy these demons and seek them out in their very nests beyond the quarantine. We have already begun, as the Imperial Fleet has destroyed a massive invasion over the skies of Stigmata at my command. Rejoice noble and commoner alike, a new age dawns for mankind."