Aftermath of Destruction (Part 1)
The Ssi-ruuvi Imperium, which had dominated a sector of the Unknown Regions for centuries, was ultimately destroyed under the blows of the Endless-class Super Carrier.
Legally speaking...
Why "legally speaking"?
Because the Marines and Shepard Squad aboard Eternity, along with the Fourth Legion, had actually eliminated less than one percent of the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium's strength.
But they had indeed killed its highest rulers, including the Ssi-ruuvi Emperor, and crippled the Imperium's highest administrative institutions.
Thus, this war between the Duchy of Dawn and the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium could be said to have ended in victory for the Duchy of Dawn.
On the surface.
After news spread that Kriyak Palace, the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium's capital, had fallen and that the Ssi-ruuvi Emperor, Great Xirithut, had committed suicide, an enormous uproar erupted throughout the Imperium!
The Ssi-ruuvi Imperium had an extremely rigid caste hierarchy, while Great Xirithut and the Golden Bishops, as the supreme political and religious leaders, guided the thoughts of its people.
What did Great Xirithut's defeat and death mean?
To the people of the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium, the shock of Great Xirithut's defeat and death was roughly equivalent to a devout Christian hearing that Jesus had led a great army into battle, only for the entire army to be annihilated and Jesus himself to be slain by the enemy...
It was that level of shock.
Great Xirithut's downfall had nearly overturned the faith of all Xilu people!
After confirming Great Xirithut's death, Lieutenant General He Ru issued a proclamation across the entire sector. He demanded the surrender of the entire Ssi-ruuvi Imperium and announced the abolition of its caste system. Most importantly, he declared that the Pia'ek people would be freed from slavery and granted the same civil rights as the Xilu people.
This was the most