Galen
The Dalepeak System was the first stop within the westmark sector of Highpass. It took the fleet just under a week a half to reach Dalepeak from the Vedra System, the last major system in the Highgard Sector on their tour of the kingdom of Highpass. Dalepeak was the second least populous stop of a major system they had made so far. Less than half a billion people called the system home, more than called Starfury in the Worthgard Sector home, but a far cry from the billions of most major star systems.
Dalepeak was one of the furthest western major systems of the Kingdom of Highpass. It lay on the border of the Nord Void, and the Northern Reaches. Raiderss, pirates, and marauders were common threats to the minor star systems which swore loyalty to the System-lord of Dalepeak, and Dalepeak itself. As they were with any system which lay along the border of any star nation.
System-lord Mark Cracken had been one of the lords of the Westmark Sector to support the rebellion against King Rodger. The Westmark Sector was the most divided sector in short rebellion that saw the death of King Rodger.
Lord Erik sat in the System-lord’s great hall as guests filtered in and out. Galen watched his father as he did at each stop, be it some minor star system with a few hundred, or a major star system with millions or billions. He was stoic, but was approached by lords great and small, and listened to their concerns. Above all though he drank and ate with them. Galen had yet to see anyone who could out drink his father, and it seemed that he had a reputation of more than just a fearsome warrior and tactician. Most feasts he remained one of the last to leave a hall after most the guests had long gone or passed out.
“Father,” Galen asked from his seat at the high table as most guests had begun to call it a night.
“Yes?” Lord Erik asked.
Galen let out a small sigh. “I was wondering, does it not bother you that we serve the kings of another Star Kingdom? We were once kings in our own right.”
Lord Erik nodded. “We were, Kings of Worthgard, Kings of Kingsworth, and kings of this, and kings of that,” he said with a small smile. “Before that we were a minor cadet branch of Clan Aegis. Things change. We have also been enemies to the Clan Dawn for much of our history, and it was King Rodger who had my father killed. Who had us forced from our home like thieves in the night.”
“I understand the hostility against the Dawn’s” Galen replied. “I Just mean, well most these lords seen you as a king. They call you king of Highpass behind your back in whispers. Some even claim that Aunt Meredith answers to you.”
Lord Erik laughed. “Meredith is my greatest friend, my greatest ally, and support, and she wouldn’t answer to me even if I could force her,” he said with a grin that Galen was not use to seeing. He let out a long sigh. “We all answer to someone. No matter what we call ourselves. It doesn’t matter if we answer to Highgard, or King Harwyn.” He shook his head. “I love Highpass, I love our home, and I love our ways. I will protect them with my life, and right now, at this point in history, we are stronger united with the Kingdom of Fist, than we are disunited as the weak lords of Highpass.”
Galen looked at his father, and nodded. “Surely Highpass was stronger united under a single ruler than it is with it’s loyalty split between the Wanes and Fists.”
Lord Erik shook his head. “We give taxes to them, but we are left alone. No king is trying to force the lords to convert to the Fabian Faith, and no king is invading our worlds. We are free to do as we wish so long as we do not attack the others powers. Furse Space is threatened by the Fabians, and we need to look at uniting, not fighting one another. We will make Highpass strong, and in return we will make Furse Space strong.”
“You believe that the Empire will be reborn?” Galen whispered.
Lord Erik smiled. “Of course it will be, it always is, and when it is, Highpass will be strong. Be is the Lynch’s, the Ironsides’, or another clan, Highpass is posed to benefit either way instead of being the battleground it has long been.”
“But Highpass is split between the Kingdom of Fist, and the Wanes, how can we be anything but a battleground?” Galen asked.
“Because both sides are united together. I could no more war against my sister than she could war against me. She keeps the King of Wanes happy, I keep the King of Fist happy, and in the meantime we do what the Kingdom of Highpass has needed for too long.”
“And what is that?” Galen asked.
“To rebuild,” Lord Erik said. “To rebuild, and grow our worlds. To build strong ties between the wars instead of against one another. We will grow strong by looking inwards.”
