[Starhawk]

2411.0
Ensign Liza Adair had been in the prison cells on the Icaran colony of Tathys IX for a long time now, such a long time that she knew most of the guards by their first names and even made a few friends among them. She still had no illusions though she was over a thousand light years from the nearest Alliance world and she was a prisoner, no matter how nicely the guards treated her and her fellow Alliance POWs.
The interrogators decided she didn’t know anything of value about the Alliance only three months into her incarceration, and she was glad of it because the drugs they used to make her talk also made her throw up rather violently after they settled into her system. Her compatriots were not the only Prisoners here either, she had seen a group of men that didn’t look like anyone back on New Haven, they were shorter then the average Rebel and their skin color was an olive complexion and their heir was dark compared to the fairer features of the Rebs, they also spoke a language she had never heard before but she did remember hearing them mention some place called Nuovo Roma and there used to be an empire who’s capital was called Rome back on old Earth thousands of years ago.
She also saw a handful of others that looked like some of the Solarans her own people picked up after a skirmish on their borders and she often wondered just how far these Icarans were expanding and how long they were going to keep her and the other Alliance personnel prisoner.

The heavy thump of armored boots was not all that unusual in the prison corridors but this time Adair noted that there was a much softer clap that sounded like a standard Icaran jackboot, one that their army officers wore when not in battle. A few moments later the door to her cell slid open and two armored troopers stepped in the door, they both carried stunners at the ready and she smirked, a trooper in full armor was around 1.8 to 2 meters tall and a single backhand could break a human’s jaw easily so the stunners were really just for show.
An officer stepped forward wearing the black trench coat, the jackboots and the black cap with the Icaran eagle emblazoned on it. His rank insignia suggested a Colonel or at least she thought they did, her casual analysis ended abruptly when she noticed the grim look on his face, she immediately straightened her shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Miss Adair, as senior surviving officer of the Alliance Personnel on this base you are to inform the rest of your compatriots that you are to be released in four hours.” He saw her shocked expression and a brief grin crossed his face. “The war is over, but before you rejoice I must inform you that the reason the war is over is because your nation has been absorbed into the Icaran Empire, they’ve surrendered.” the Colonel actually looked remorseful as he handed her the flexy with the information.
For a stunned moment she couldn’t believe it, her people were in an economic decline because of their lack of valuable planets in their space, her destroyed task force was a massive economic investment, and with it’s destruction would likely never have been replaced in all the time that she had been in prison. But even with that economic decline and the military defeats they had suffered she just couldn’t imagine her entire alliance surrendering, after the realization sank in she collapsed down onto her bunk and tears swelled in her eyes.
“I’ll leave you too it then miss Adair, but you have to meet your shuttle in four hours.” the Colonel turned about smartly and went through the doorway leaving Adair in stunned silence.

Public Speech by Praetor Leonidas XIV
“Today Citizens of Icara the greatest victory our people have ever achieved thus far was confirmed by our diplomatic corps, The so called Rebel Alliance leadership contacted our pickets just over a month ago and surrendered their worlds to our Empire.” Praetor Leonidas paused as the crowds cheered and called out their praise, he then raised his hands to bring silence to the thousands of citizens who had massed in Icara City’s “Public Square”.
“Ladies and gentlemen, though these planets will one day bring our nation’s strength to double what it was before the Alliance surrendered they are currently poor worlds with crumbling economies, we have a responsibility to bring these worlds into the fold wholeheartedly and fully, there are over 6 billion Rebels that are no doubt confused and quiet a few will likely be resistant to the change that is coming their way. The are used to that feeble governmental system of Democracy, where every citizen has a voice and where the rich are practically above the law…..for this very reason our Empire had long ago abandoned Democracy for the much stronger government we have today.” Leonidas smiled broadly as he heard the cheering crowds.
Democracy was long ago considered to be a foolish form of government by all Icaran people as a “rule by the mob” was considered to be too fragile for a nation that believed in it’s right to expand and believed God chose the line of Praetors personally, and so Praetors were seen as more then rulers, they were living saints to their people and more often then not lived up to the expectations their people held out for them. So it was that when the Rebel Alliance surrendered it was seen as a justified expansion of Icara for the good of it’s people, and as Leonidas promised them, some day Icara would rule over not just one human nation but instead over every human world and every Phong world in the galaxy! For it Was their divine right to rule and they would never yield as long as even one Icaran drew breath to carry on the fight to unify mankind under Icara’s Praetor saint!