On Brentaal IV, Warmaster Raelos stood aboard his flagship, watching the final Republic defensive station explode after the short space battle that just occurred. He had the Emperor's approval to do what needed to be done to take Brentaal IV.
As such he orchestrated this campaign which was designed to completely overwhelm the Republic's defenses even with reinforcements. So far, the battle had been going well and he saw no reason to make any drastic changes.
"Warmaster, the last orbital platform is destroyed," his tactical officer reported. "Republic ground forces are requesting terms of surrender." He was actually kind of surprised that the Republic army had surrendered as Brentaal IV was a Republic stronghold in the region, making it vital to the Republic.
"Accept their surrender," Raelos ordered. "Deploy occupation forces and begin securing the hyperspace routes to Coruscant. I want supply lines established within a week. Then we wait for the Emperor order to attack Coruscant."
The officer nodded and returned to his station. Raelos turned his attention to the tactical display, looking at the hyperspace lanes between Brentaal IV and Coruscant. He imagined that the Republic would try to fortify every attack point, throwing everything they had left into defending their capital.
It was already projected to be the bloodiest battle of the war and hopefully it would be the last major battle to bring it to an end.
In the meantime, Raelos would go down to the surface and speak with the Republic officers who surrendered. As his transport ship descended through the atmosphere, he thought about what would happen after the war. The Imperium would be in a position to effectively seize power and control the galaxy.
They could do this in multiple ways, whether it be through direct control, proxy control, or some other form of manipulation. He was sure that since Daimon didn't want the war to happen that he would set up something that would ensure a long-lasting peace.
A few minutes later, the shuttle touched down at what had been the Republic's main military command center. Republic soldiers stood in formation outside, disarmed and surrounded by Imperial war droids. Their expressions were a mixture of relief and apprehension at what their fate was going to be.
A Republic general stepped forward as Raelos walked down the ramp. The man was in his sixties and his uniform showed that with all of his war medals and other decorations. He saluted, a gesture that Raelos found interesting given the circumstances.
"General Marcellus Tarn, Republic Defense Forces," the man introduced himself. "I've been authorized to negotiate the formal surrender of all Republic forces on Brentaal IV."
"Warmaster Raelos." said Raelos introducing himself. "Your decision to surrender has saved countless lives that didn't need to be wasted, General. Both your soldiers and mine." He said this, though he knew that the casualties would be ten times more on the Republic side than it would be for them.
"Well, I won't say much but the situation in Republic command is a little dicey right now with a few officials wanting to end the war. As such I've been given the authority to surrender if I saw the situation was not optimal. Plus, I've been a soldier for forty years," Tarn explained. "Long enough to recognize when a battle cannot be won. I've seen enough death in my lifetime and this war has been the worst of it."
Raelos was glad that those within the Republic High Command were making moves as this would make it easier to bring an end to the war. "I'm glad some people are finally taking steps to end this war. Though had you possessed adequate reinforcements, this battle would have lasted considerably longer."
Tarn grew angrier just thinking about the so-called reinforcements as he had requested them long ago. "The reinforcements never came. Chancellor Thrace promised three additional fleets, but we have received nothing but excuses and propaganda broadcasts telling us to hold the line."
"A common story that I have heard one too many times," Raelos said. This wasn't the first world to be left to fend for itself by the Republic, but it was an important one so Raelos was still confused as to what really happened.
"We've heard of similar situations from prisoners that we've taken. The Republic's leadership appears more concerned with maintaining their political positions than supporting their military, which I must say is disappointing."
"You won't get an argument from me on that point." Tarn gestured toward the command center. "Shall we discuss terms inside? My officers are waiting."
They entered the building, passing through corridors lined with nervous Republic soldiers. In the main conference room, a dozen Republic officers stood at attention. Their body language showed signs of exhaustion and defeat, but he could also see that they were not yet broken. These were professional soldiers who understood they'd lost, not fanatics who would fight to the death for fake propaganda.
"Gentlemen," Raelos began, "I'll make this simple. All Republic military personnel on Brentaal IV are now prisoners of war. You will be processed, cataloged, and placed in confinement until the war has ended. Your wounded, if any, will receive medical treatment. Officers will be separated from enlisted personnel but otherwise treated according to military protocols."
One of the younger officers raised his hand hesitantly. "What about the civilian population? Brentaal IV has over two billion people in the major cities alone."
"Civilians will be left alone provided they don't engage in hostile actions," Raelos replied. "Imperial administration will be established to maintain order and ensure basic services continue. Your planetary government can remain in place under Imperial oversight. Despite what lies you may have told we're not here to terrorize the population, Captain."
The officers exchanged glances, clearly not expecting such a response.
Curious about something else, General Tarn spoke up as the other officers weren't asking any more questions. "Warmaster, if I may ask, what are your Emperor's intentions for the Republic once this war concludes? Will we be absorbed into the Imperium? Dissolved entirely?"
"That's above my authority to answer definitively," Raelos admitted. "But I can tell you that Emperor Daimon has no interest in ruling the Republic directly. That would just cause more stress and trouble than he or any other Imperial official needs at the moment. Though if the Republic threatens our interests or engages in the kind of aggressive expansion that started this conflict, then things could change."
"Then why fight this war at all?" another officer asked. "If the Emperor doesn't want to conquer us, what was the point?"
"The point," Raelos said, thinking in his own head. In the beginning he had heard it from the Emperor during one of their private meetings. "The point was to stop a Republic administration that decided to start a war based off of lies. Your Chancellor Thrace and his militaristic faction started this war, not us. We will simply finish it and then leave, though not without some concessions."
The room fell silent. No one could argue with that assessment. The Republic had indeed been the aggressor, something that many of these officers had privately questioned even as they followed orders.
"One more thing," Tarn said. "There are approximately five hundred thousand wounded soldiers in medical facilities across the planet who fled here from other planets. Our supplies are critically low. Can you..."
"Medical supplies are already being dispatched from our fleet," Raelos interrupted. "Your wounded will receive treatment. We're not monsters, General. Despite what your propaganda may have told you."
Tarn nodded, looking relieved. "Thank you, Warmaster. I'll have my staff prepare a complete inventory of all military assets and personnel for your records."
"Appreciated. One of my officers will coordinate with your staff on the logistics." Raelos turned to leave but stopped when a question popped into his head. "General, off the record, how many of your fellow officers share your willingness to end this war?"
Tarn thought long and hard about the question before answering. "More than you might think. More than Chancellor Thrace knows, certainly. The rank and file are exhausted. We've been fighting for two years with no end in sight and high casualties. The only ones still enthusiastic about continuing are the politicians who've never seen a battlefield."
"That's what I suspected." Raelos sighed and then departed the command center.
On the ride back to his flagship, he was thinking about the last thing that Tarn had told him. 'It's always the politicians' he thought to himself.
He had been in the Imperium for centuries and had seen how politicians work. Though in the Imperium's case it would be nobles who were technically politicians. You had the good ones who truly tried to make a change for the better, but then you had the psychos who sought out the power for their own benefit.
The Imperium had a handle on it though. Sure, those types of people were allowed into power because you can't always initially tell if a person will abuse their power. But when it happened, they were dealt with swiftly and either imprisoned for life or executed in some cases.
This was because a position of power in the Imperium was something granted to certain individuals by the Emperor. So, if a person was to abuse that power and use it against the people, then they were effectively using the Emperor's power against his own people.
This was one of the many things that Daimon hated and quickly created a solution for in the early days of the Imperium.
However, it was different for the Republic as it was a democracy which came with its own faults. The belief that everybody has the right to life and liberty was not something that Raelos believed in. And the word "Liberty" was a noble word that creates a false sense of comfort for the people.
And liberty without order is not freedom, it's entropy. People expect that if enough people shout loudly enough, truth will somehow rise to the surface, but that line of thinking is wrong. In reality, it is power that rises above the truth.
Raelos was so lost in his internal thoughts that he didn't even notice that they were already docking in the hanger of his flagship. Once he realized he walked back to his command chamber to continue preparing for the Coruscant invasion.