Chapter 32: Succession

The Normandy was pushed to her limit to reach the mass relay and from there jump all the way back to Earth. It took five hours, and to Jane they seemed unending.

When had that disease started? More importantly, why didn't Benedetta say anything about it before? From Anastasia's words, it seemed even the princes had not been informed. Thinking about it more calmly, that was exactly something Benedetta would've done: make sure that nobody got worried about her health. She was always willing to share personal problems, but when it was about her body, the Empress never considered it something to preoccupy someone else aside of the medics.

That thought could not distract Jane from the fact that the woman who had raised her like the mother she never knew was about to die, and at half the life expectancy of Humans in that day and age. Shepard felt something akin to a crisis of faith: was this in some grand scheme of the Flux? No, the psionics always said that the Flux is not the expression of God, it doesn't decide our fate, though the contacts with the Jedi Order were creating new doctrines to spur all around the Milky Way.

By the time they had reached Earth, Jane could simply not wait anymore and took the Kodiak herself, with only Garrus and Tali managing to jump aboard, speeding all the way to the Imperial Citadel in Rome. A guard told her that Benedetta was in her room, and that the whole imperial family and the ministers had already arrived.

She hurried to the chamber, and outside of it she found several politicians, military officers, and also Marina Torrella, the wife of Prince Francesco. The two women saw each other and Marina walked to Jane, whom had the chance to notice that the consort was visibly pregnant.

"Jane. Just in time." she whispered. "Your father is already here."

"Of course." Jane tried to sound encouraging, but just couldn't. "The princes already in there?"

Marina scoffed. "All except Federico. We can't raise that vagabond no matter how much we try."

Jane decided not to comment on that. Federico had officially left the palace the year before, renouncing his titles and apparently started wandering the galaxy with some friends, but he rarely sent word home.

"How is the Empress?" she asked instead.

Marina lowered her head and wiped away some tears. "I couldn't stay inside. It's too painful…"

Jane reached her shoulders with her hands to give her some needed human contact. Considering that she had the second child of the Crown Prince in her womb, she needed to get rid of as much stress as possible. Then to her help arrived a child of age 5, who grabbed her hand.

"Hey, Marco." Jane greeted merrily.

The young prince gave her a smile. "Hi, miss Shepard." he said in a tone well-versed given his age. But his face could not hide his sadness, clearly he was trying to be strong for his mother.

After sharing that moment, Jane strengthened her resolve and made her way to the door.

She had to push through the crowd of important men and women standing in front of the door, until she reached the grand wooden slab guarded by two men of the Imperial Guard. One of them was James Vega. He gave her a tired smile and tried to sound friendly.

"Hey, Lola." using the nickname he had given her when she was a kid.

Jane walked past him, but returned the smile and passed her hand over his plated shoulder to greet him, then it was time to go inside.

The first people she noticed were Claudio and Anastasia, standing at the bottom side of the large bed. On the right side, next to the wall, stood John, surprisingly dressed in casual clothing, but after all Jane was wearing her hoodie, too: Benedetta would've hated when her closest friends and family arrived at her house dressed in uniform for a simple visit.

On the left side of the bed, which faced the large windows, there were Francesco and Scott, both knelt down and with the latter holding the hand of his wife.

Finally, Benedetta was under the sheets, wearing a pink pajama, breathing with difficulty. Jane had just been informed that the tumor turned out to be caused by an extremely rare disease linked to the fact that she was a mix of psionic and biotic organism. It incredibly rapid-growing and it had actually caused damage to her lungs. Genetic therapies could only delay the inevitable, so the Empress had decided that she was at the end of her road.

When she entered and approached the bed on the side where her father was, Jane couldn't hide an expression of pain as well. At that point Benedetta tiredly turned her head toward the younger Shepard.

"Hey, Jane. You made it."

Despite the situation, Jane tried to keep the joking tone of her adoptive mother. "You would've been very angry if I didn't."

Benedetta huffed out a laugh and smiled, though her eyes were giving out pain from the lungs. She then turned her gaze onto the eldest Shepard, whose face was inscrutable.

"Looks like you'll have to win this war by yourself, John." she joked.

John returned the joke. "The cheers will all be for you, at the end."

They exchanged another nostalgic gaze. No doubt they remembered everything that had happened since they had met on that far 2182. John becoming a candidate for the Imperial Guard and the Spectres at the same time, so that Jane was welcomed at the imperial court while he was outside in the galaxy. Eden Prime and the threat of Saren and Sovereign. The time that John was killed and, while Cerberus built him back, Benedetta kept investigating on the Reapers and, most importantly, took legal guardianship of Jane for those years. The secret battle with the Collectors and the final showdown in the Reaper War.

There was no doubt that few people had marked the recent history like those two, even if people had tended to forget that John had continued to help Benedetta rebuild the galaxy and had played a vital role in suppressing wannabe warlords and separatist movements aiming to exploit the anarchy that followed the battle of Earth of 2186.

Jane didn't remember if she had ever seen her father cry, but at that moment he seemed damn well ready to.

Benedetta turned her head toward her family. Howard still wasn't letting her hand go. With a feeble movement, she managed to raise her fingers and caress his right cheek.

"Thank you, my love...for everything." she said, posing her gaze on her children as she said that.

"Kids. I know you are scared…" she started, then took a moment to cough and draw her breath again. Anastasia started sobbing. "but you have become wonderful people. Whatever you will happen, know that I am proud of you."

Francesco decided that he needed to show a bit of confidence in front of his mother and extended a hand of his own to touch her arm. "We will manage, mother. You don't have to worry anymore." he said softly, the tone sounding overall firm.

Benedetta gave him a proud smile, water started to shine into her eyes.

She laid her head back on the cushion. A swirl of psionic energy suddenly left her body and dispersed into thin air.

Then, still with a smile on her face, Empress Benedetta IV passed away.

"Beni?" Howard said trembling, but being the one holding her hand, he was the first to notice that there was no more pulse in her body. He called her again, but he was already breaking down and finally started crying with his forehead leaning on the hand of his dead wife.

Anastasia started crying loudly, covering her face in her hands. Claudio turned her toward him and they hugged, leaning each other's head on the respective shoulders.

Francesco didn't try to hide the tears. Despite them, however, he made his best to try and comfort his father by gripping his shoulder tenderly.

Jane turned her head toward her father and saw him pinch the bridge of his nose, but all he managed to do with that was to squeeze out a couple tears that had already swelled up into his eyes and they trickled down his nose. She herself wanted to explode, but there was a thing that needed to be done, and right now she was the only person that seemed in the condition to do so. She massaged her father's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him while she didn't hide her pain.

John removed his fingers and looked at her with eyes still red and a heavy breathing. He, however, gripped her hand thankfully and nodded to her.

With a heavy footing, Jane managed to walk back to the door, opened it and walked outside, into a crowd that was expecting news, yet everybody seemed to be expecting the worst.

She gathered her breath and spoke out after a second with a ragged but loud tone.

"The Empress is dead."


October 30, 2226.

Morale on the Constantinople couldn't have been lower.

The news of the Empress' death had simply shocked the crew, as well as the entire Federation, to the core. Jordan was no exception, and that day he found extremely difficult to focus on the perfection of the plan to stop Project Necromancer.

He decided to leave the ship and stroll around Camp Garibaldi. The atmosphere, however, was not that different. The soldiers did their duty in silence and there were only very few jokes thrown around to try and lighten the mood.

Jordan understood very well that all of them felt uncertain. Benedetta had been the firm point for most of their lives, the benevolent mother of the people who never wavered in the face of danger and always strove to ensure peace for the Federation unless there was no other option. Now the nation was facing two wars at the same time and many wondered if the successor, Francesco, would be up to the challenge.

In a twisted way to find some relief, Bridger had started to think that, maybe, he wouldn't survive the upcoming operation and he wouldn't live long enough to see if everything would go south.

He reached the proving ground, and there found a sight that convinced him to regain his footing and will to fight: the entire Jedi Order training alongside three Assault Brigades of the Alliance, the Mandalorians and a platoon-worth of N7 teams and SpecOps. Wolffe and the Lothal Militia were providing the blaster fire against which the assault division was going to confront.

Looking upward, Jordan also saw one of the last gifts the Empress had given to anyone: the Infinity-class cruiser Ibn Battuta, fresh out of the dockyards over Elysium. It was going to be her first mission to bring about the suicide squad aiming for Byss.

What also was peculiar to this mission was its utmost secrecy: only the Order and the Federation were taking part in it. Jaral and Ezra had decided they would notify the other UACT allies only when the operation would be ready to go. Even Darvos was still left in the dark, to the point where he and Jaral were straining their relationship a bit.

And speaking of the siblings, right now they were training in mock duels against Kota, Cal and Ahsoka, in preparation of their foreseeable next fight against the Astartes. The elder Jedi were giving it their all, and even if with a certain degree of struggle, the siblings were surprisingly holding their own against all three of them. Or four, perhaps, since BD was also trying to shock them from time to time to simulate the technological abilities of the twins.

They too, like every citizen of Lothal, had been rocked by the sudden news of the Empress' death. After all, she was the one who supported the Rebellion since the very first contact, and without whom the Federation may have never entered the war and help liberate Lothal and the newly established nations in the Outer Rim.

Yet, the siblings were not giving up. They were still striving to build a better tomorrow for themselves and the future generations. That thought alone was enough to have Jordan shake out of his pessimistic numbness and find the strength to fight again.

"Inspecting the troops, Captain?"

He turned his head and saw Sergeant Nyx walking in his direction.

"More or less. Your team is taking a break?" he replied courteously.

"Yes, sir. We were part of the last simulation. Rather, your children have been training non-stop for three hours. It's amazing."

"They are determined to stop Palpatine and secure their future. They are going until they have any breath left in their lungs."

Vetra took a moment to analyze the Captain's face. "Try not to sound too happy." she quipped.

Jordan sighed. "It's just...this operation relies on another crazy plan." he lamented.

"So far, all their crazy plans worked."

"Yeah, and Jaral ended up spending a month inside an imperial research facility. I don't even know how they find all this optimism."

"I know the feeling." Vetra sighed.

Jordan looked at her. "Something happened with your little sister?"

The Turian nodded. "She just texted me that she wants to volunteer for the Project Legionnaire for Turians. For now, though, she will have to go through basic training."

"Isn't she just 15?"

"She'll turn 16 two months from now, and with the never-ending need for manpower, the Hierarchy has decided to loosen the margins for volunteer recruiting."

"Gods. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's her choice." Vetra replied stoically. "I don't share it, but Sid is capable enough to make her own decisions."

Jordan pondered on those words. He had already concluded that he had to let Ezra and Jaral choose their own path. They had decided to take a huge risk in order to defeat their enemy without sacrificing billions, and he had to support them no matter the cost.

"I'll say this, however." Vetra continued after a few moments. "Those two are very lucky to have a father like you."

The Legionnaire knew that Vetra's familial situation was problematic. Her father had disappeared for a long time, probably after entangling himself with criminals, and her mother was in the military, caring only for their career. She and Sid had grown up pretty much alone. Therefore, hearing that compliment coming from her carried a whole load of significance.

"Thank you, Vetra. Now I feel better." he said with gratitude.

"First thing you taught us is that we're a team." she said in a lightly cheerful tone. "Gotta support each other, right?"

Jordan chuckled. "Right."

"The crew is with you, Captain. 100%. Whatever crazy idea your kids have, we trust you will make sure it will work."

With those words, Vetra walked away to rejoin her unit, leaving Jordan to contemplate the situation for a little longer before deciding that he needed to get back to work and prepare the attack.


November 2, 2226.

Having the supply chains finally restored and restless just made everything feel different. Iulius was now free to prepare the offensive against the Commonwealth knowing that the new Joint Chiefs Commission was now made up of friends and colleagues he trusted and who were giving him everything he needed.

The Emperor had only released a short statement in which he congratulated Lord Vader and Iulius for their service in rooting out the corruption in the Empire, but he didn't get much more involved in the matter.

The sudden death of the Empress had provoked mixed feelings in the Grand Admiral. Mostly he welcomed this news because he figured that the Federation would need time to deal with the shock, which likely meant the Federation would be more cautious, leaving Iulius free to deal with Iblis.

On the other hand, he didn't know anything about the soon-to-be-Emperor Francesco. Would he be more aggressive in seeking the defeat of the Empire? Would he be more cautious, perhaps even try to broker a peace? That variable was continuously a problem for the Mid Rim General Staff, as they were divided over whether this was the best time to go on the offensive.

Also, Iulius had grown to personally admire and respect the Empress. The more he studied her long rule, the more he thought that the Empire could learn a lot from the Federation over how to run a galaxy-spanning state with countless species and different interests.

While he considered all of this and read a report, the bell buzzed and Namedra entered through the door.

"Make yourself at home, Chief." Iulius courteously invited.

"Thank you, Lord Tanis." she replied with a smile that underlined the confidence the two had been building lately. She then headed for one of the two elegant chairs in front of Iulius' desk in his Naboo office. She handed over a datapad and then sat down.

Iulius took the datapad and while he lit it up he spoke. "I called you here for clarifications about the new assault bomber. What has gone wrong?"

"I'm sorry to report this, but progress on the project has been stagnant." she answered frankly. "We understand your intentions, yet to realize them we are in need of rethinking half of our knowledge about physic…"

They talked for a while. Namedra was incredibly passionate and professional at the same time when it came around building ships. She reported that the production of the new escort carriers and MTC was on schedule and even already in surplus, but she focused mostly on the new project that Iulius had commissioned. She had come up with a rudimentary blueprint for the new assault bomber, to supplant the TIE Bomber with a new generation of vehicles that could operate well with the Avenger and the Defender, but making a bomber that fast while not reducing its firepower had turned out to be extremely difficult for the knowledge of the engineers of Andromeda.

And as she kept explaining, Iulius became increasingly distracted, because calling her to discuss the project wasn't the only reason he had called her in his office.

She was there because Iulius wanted to see her.

It had definitely started after Karlinus. Seeing how Namedra, a civilian, didn't flinch in front of an enemy attack and instead gave a huge help in activating the defenses had impressed Iulius. Since then, he had quickly started realizing that he found that woman attractive...and that he had fallen in love.

He thought he had learned the feeling with Qathora, but actually that relation had only turned out to be a distraction for both of them. Qathora was still a person he trusted completely and she was devoted to his cause, but they had decided to set aside any romantic feeling for a long time.

Now, though, Iulius felt completely different: many times, when his mind wasn't immersed into his duties, he had found himself wondering what Namedra was doing. He had given her an important position as head of the naval production of the Mid Rim so she would reside on Naboo, where the specific ministry was, both because she deserved it and to have her closer.

"Therefore, I apologize, my Lord, but I doubt we will have the project ready in the short period." she concluded.

"I know you're doing your best, Nam." he reassured her in a casual tone, but calling her with the abbreviated name had her lower her gaze and clear her throat while she passed a hand while fixing her hair.

"Thank you for your comprehension...Iulius." she said, not managing to hide a visible happiness.

Iulius smiled friendly, but here came the part that he honestly felt oppressing.

He stood up and handed her the datapad. "Allow me to see you out." he said invitingly.

Namedra was taken by surprise and after a few moments she stuttered. "N-no need to worry yourself...I know my way around…"

"I'm done for the day, anyway." he said, partially lying, because he was done only with the desk job, but now he had to supervise a drill exercise. "But if my company is not appreciated…"

Namedra sprang up at light-speed, her posture feigning indifference. "Not at all…" she bumbled. "It will be a pleas-an honor." she grabbed the datapad and hurried her pace toward the door.

Iulius found her reaction funny and followed her. They walked outside, past the Death Troopers who didn't move from the door, as he had previously instructed.

Even if he had offered to walk with her, they actually went for almost the entirety of the building in silence, walking down three floors and for several minutes that made Iulius a bit more nervous, but when they approached the main entrance he finally spoke again.

"You know, Nam, I really appreciate all the help you're giving me."

Namedra didn't reply immediately. "Oh...it's nothing. It is I who need to thank you for the opportunities you're giving me."

This time it was Iulius who hesitated. A part of him wondered if she was acting that way only because she felt appreciative of the impulse he had given to her career. But then he buried that thought: she had shown interest in him since he was only a Captain with no power over her. He checked around to make sure nobody was close enough to hear them, then turned again and spoke naturally.

"Nam, I'm serious. I don't want to waste our time, so I'll tell you upfront: I really like you."

He saw a trembling on the woman's mouth, which then turned into a wide smile as she lowered her head for a moment. He waited until she regained her composure so she could reply. "I like you too. Since the first time we met."

Iulius felt more relieved than he thought he would. He had convinced himself that perhaps she was going to turn him down for some reason, but hearing her say that put all problems to rest.

"I have a free in five rotations." he added later, trying to sound casual. "Would you like to have dinner with me?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. Then see you later." he concluded with a smile.

They walked away from each other, both trying to appear serious but hardly succeeding.


November 8, 2226.

"I, Francesco. First of my name. Head of the Vignoli Dynasty according to our family rules. By the will of the people and their representative, I accept this crown. I swear I will wear it in respect to the Constitution, and I will fulfill my duties in the best interests of the Imperial Federation and its species. May the Gods be witness to my oath, and may the people overthrow me if I stray from this intent."

Francesco was standing atop the small altar where the throne was. In front of him was the President of the Imperial Parliament, Rakuja Betappari, holding a cushion with a small gold and silver crown resting atop of it. The new Emperor was holding his right hand raised at the height of his head in a gesture of solemn promise.

Beneath him, among a significant crowd of politicians, generals and other VIPs there was Jane, who had been invited to the ceremony along with John, standing next to her and closer to the altar. The other two princes were standing next to the throne, waiting until their younger brother was done with the vows. Howard was standing behind him, as a symbol of the encouraging father that tradition demanded. Marina and Marco were standing in front of one of the three minor chairs next to the throne reserved for the main consort and princes.

The coronation of Francesco had been quite rushed, as he didn't want an expensive ceremony while the nation was shifting to a war economy. After he was done there and the pictures of him on the throne would've been taken, Francesco had decided to get outside the palace and walk among the sea of people waiting outside to see their new monarch.

The new Emperor finished his sworn in and Betappari thus made a bow with his head and extended his arms to expose the cushion with the crown. Francesco took it with both hands in a slow and humble demeanor typical of his character, then he turned toward the crowd, rose the crown and slowly put it on his head for all to see.

He then enlarged his arms and looked at the sky. This was the moment he was expected to invoke his patron deity. While religion didn't play much of a role in politics anymore, the choice of a patron was still a declaration of how the monarch intended to rule.

Jane knew Latin very well, so she didn't need the translator which was right now disabled.

"Audite caeli. Sapientum Athenae in hoc tempore dubii obtestor." he proclaimed loudly but with a dignified voice.

Athena. The goddess of wisdom and tactics. Jane found it a fitting choice: anyone who asked for the guidance of such divinity intended his actions to be guided by logic and prudence, but not disdain extreme measures if there was no other choice. That just fitted Francesco's character perfectly.

When he lowered his hands, signaling that his plea was over, a cheer erupted in the room.

"Long live the Emperor!" "Long live the Emperor!" "Long live the Emperor!"

She eagerly joined the chanting. She might have had her own intimate doubts, but she knew Francesco and she knew that he was going to be the perfect successor of Benedetta.

When the chanting was over, Francesco sat down on the throne and the camera drones swarmed around him to stream that moment.

A thunderous applause followed. Clearly, Jane wasn't the only one to feel that way. Marina took place on the smaller throne and took Marco on her knees. After around half-an-hour Francesco I decided it was time to show himself to his people and headed out, followed by the crowd.

Outside of the palace, an endless stream of people acclaimed him as he left the door. It wasn't much of a surprise: Francesco had always founded his political career in pushing for fair laws, defending the rights and economic stability of the workers. Since the start of the war he had also constantly kept the attention on the orphans and widows, promoted charity events and insisted on a slow transition to the war economy, so that the people could still have their basic needs covered.

"Looks like he has a good start." Jane commented with her father.

"He is a good person, but that's what worries me." John replied with an objective tone. "Politics are cruel and good intentions can only carry you so far if you don't know how to take them. I sincerely hope that Beni has prepared him properly."

"I trust she did. But I guess we'll only have to wait. In the meantime, I guess we have two wars to win." she concluded.

"Yeah. We do. You should tell Mazak to prepare the Normandy, we are heading to Korlus as soon as possible."

"How's the situation there?"

"If the planet is the same junkyard I remember, it's now wonder our men are having a hard time advancing there. It's almost impossible to move the land vehicles there."

"And what about the Commune?"

"We'll keep investigating, but first we need to help take Korlus. I already have a plan, just wait until I call you."

"You got it."