17th January, Years 103.
After the cataclysmic revelation that shook the Empire to its core — the truth behind the Aelyzabeth Thors Syndrome and the mental instability of Lord Aelyzabeth von Thors — fear rippled across the entirety of human civilization. From the marble halls of the Galactic Parliament to the shadowed alleys of the Imperial Capital Berlyn, unease festered like a storm without end.
And yet, amidst the chaos, the central government endured — upheld not by reason, but by faith.
Standing firm at the heart of this trembling empire were the three pillars of loyalty:
Regent General Aelaera von Escheinsen, Regent of the Centory Kingdom Reich.
Walter von Yigzorch, Minister of Propaganda and Director of the National Office of Information.
Lea von Yigzorch, Chief Secretary to the Supreme Leader and Chairwoman of the CKF Financial Consortium.
Together, they declared before the world:
"Illness is no reason to erase greatness.Our Lord remains the architect of the Empire's Golden Age —the one who forged its economy, its armies, and its destiny."
Across the colonies and fleets, soldiers and citizens alike stood beside their ailing leadernot out of pity, but out of devotion to the Empire she had built from ashes.
But within the corridors of power, the first seeds of rebellion began to stir.
President Rudolf von Escheinsen, head of the Presidential Council,moved in secret alongside the conservative wing of the National Party —the very party Aelyzabeth had once commanded.They despised the centralization of power under her reign,longing for the return of the feudal autonomies of the old noble houses.To them, she was no longer the savior of mankind —but an Empress without mercy.
Meanwhile, Margaret von Thors, Aelyzabeth's elder sister and leader of the Democrat of New Hope,rose in the Senate with words that pierced like blades:
"An empire forged by iron and bloodshall never endure through fear and falsehood."
The liberal factions united in defiance.Mass protests ignited across the system, joined by the Communist Party of Interstellar Workers.And in the shadows beyond the stars, whispers told of foreign powers dispatching covert agentsto destabilize the Centory government from within.
The capital trembled…And on one fateful night, from her bed in the High Palace,Lord Aelyzabeth Thors — frail, fevered, and half-mad — signed the decreethat would change the Empire forever.
Directive Y-A IV-II
"The Imperial Armed Forces are hereby authorizedto employ maximum military forceto preserve the stability of the state and eliminate all enemies of the nation.Lethal measures are sanctioned against any form of protest or insurrection.No exceptions.All who oppose are traitors to the Empire."
At dawn, the skies above Berlyn, capital of Centory,burned crimson with the blaze of detonations.The thunder of guns echoed through the boulevards.Tanks of plasma-steel rolled across the marble streets,and the screams of the dying mingled with the drone of war machines.The blood of citizens darkened the dust of the cityuntil the earth itself turned black.
History would remember that day as —
"Iron and Blood Day."
Analysts and historians would later claim that Directive Y-A IV-IIwas not born of policy or strategy…but of the fractured mind of Aelyzabeth von Thors,whose sanity had crumbled alongside her fading mortal body.
Thus ends Chapter C-XIX.