Editing Tytania:Volume 2 Chapter 1 (section)

=== IV ===
Many tribute gifts were delivered from Tytania to Emperor Harsha&nbsp;VI, the nominal sovereign of the Vardana Empire. This took place on the 20<sup>th</sup> of August, which coincided with the anniversary of Harsha&nbsp;VI’s coronation. The Landless Clanner Ajman visited the court in person and delivered a brief congratulatory address, though this in itself was of no particular significance.

After the Clanner’s departure, a vast array of gifts remained at the court. Jewels, precious metalworks, paintings, sculptures, furs, a pleasure yacht, and two thoroughbred horses. A five million dakar donation was also made to the Imperial Museum. Truly, no one could accuse Tytania of being stingy. Yet the Emperor was not impressed.

“Hah, trying to win my favour with money and gifts? The usual Tytanian approach. Judging the hearts of others by their own values.”

Harsha&nbsp;VI attempted to infuse his voice with contempt but failed, his lips twitching insensitively. Tytania was simply too immense a presence to be treated with contempt.

If one could merely resign oneself to the status of a puppet of Tytania, the position of Emperor of the Vardana Empire might well become the object of others’ envy. Although merely formal, courtesy and respect were paid in full, and one could indulge in every luxury in one’s private life. Should any major national crisis arise, Tytania would handle it with her authority and military might. All the Emperor need do was to attend ceremonies and affix his seal and signature to imperial edicts.

Harsha&nbsp;VI’s father, Harsha&nbsp;V, who bore the same name, made no attempt to wrest real political power from Tytania’s grasp. He issued edicts as Tytania saw fit, appointed and dismissed ministers, and remained, from start to finish, a figure whose sole purpose was to legitimise Tytania’s interests and actions. Having renounced his desire for and attachment to earthly power, he found happiness in other pursuits. Tytania provided him with several beautiful women, and he devoted himself to the scholarly study of classical theatre, authoring eight scholarly works during his lifetime. All of these were regarded as masterpieces, underpinned by rigorous scholarship, extensive knowledge and keen analytical skills. While there was no doubt that he was gifted with intellect, he never applied it to the realm of state affairs. Was this something to be regretted?

However, during Harsha&nbsp;V’s thirty-year reign, the Vardana Empire enjoyed stability across all political, military, economic and social spheres under Tytania’s leadership. During his reign, not a single minister was murdered or executed, and the only punishments meted out were imprisonment and exile. There were only three military campaigns, large and small, all of which took place in outer space on the empire’s periphery, and they resulted in no civilian casualties. Apart from this, there were numerous instances in which Tytania’s private militias engaged in combat for Tytanian interests, but these need not be included in the count.

Thus, during the reign of Harsha&nbsp;V, peace was largely maintained, and there was no disruption to the lives of the people. Repression of the anti-Tytania movements was also eased, and, to use a conventional expression, “the people enjoyed an era of peace”. Harsha&nbsp;V once spoke indirectly about his position, which had been that of a puppet of Tytania from start to finish:

''“The authority of the Vardana Imperial House is of no concern to the people.”''

He never uttered any further words to justify himself.

His son, Harsha&nbsp;VI, was unable to adopt the same mindset as his father. The cracks in his resolve were reflected within the palace. Anti-Tytania movements were frequently instigated, and each time they were suppressed with bloodshed.

''“That man, Fan Hyulick, perhaps he could free me from Tytania’s shackles. Might it be possible to win him over to our side?”''

Harsha&nbsp;VI shuddered at his own thoughts. His resentment towards Tytania had been building up over a long period, and it now seemed as though the nebulous resentment within him had taken on a definite direction. The only person who knew what was in the Emperor’s heart was Empress Aisha, but she did not agree with her husband.

“Your Majesty, I understand your distress, but such thoughts are nothing but an illusion. Please cast aside these doubts.”

Empress Aisha was three years younger than her husband and was now thirty-one. During their six years of marriage, they had produced one son and one daughter. She was the daughter of a lower-ranking noble of the Empire, neither particularly striking in appearance nor exceptionally gifted. Recently, she had even begun to show signs of becoming overweight. However, it seemed that her depth of thought surpassed that of her husband.

“Let us speak hypothetically. Let us imagine that this man named Fan Hyulick were to succeed in overthrowing Tytania, what guarantee is there that he would not become a second Tytania? He may well hate Tytania, but he has no reason to feel any loyalty to our Vardana Empire.”

Inviting in a wild beast to drive out a thief. Such folly must not be committed. Empress Aisha offered this counsel, and Harsha&nbsp;VI was forced to acknowledge its validity.

However, as is the case with many humans, a rational conclusion failed to satisfy his emotions. Deep within the Emperor’s heart, a vague, formless discontent lingered, gradually intensifying and beginning to grow. It would not take long before this led to the rationalisation of his impulse: ''“If I am going to regret it anyway, better to regret doing it than not doing it…”''



According to the sarcastic observation of Duke Jouslain Tytania, Tytania was a hotbed of second-rate talent. Among this gathering of talent was a man in his mid-forties named Donald Farah. He was a figure of the utmost ordinariness, with no distinguishing features other than appearing slightly younger than his actual age.

This man had become an indispensable figure in Tytania by virtue of specialising in a single skill. This skill was not diplomacy, administration, finance or military affairs, nor, of course, scholarship or the arts. His skill was elections.

His schedule detailed, down to the day, month and year, on which planets elections for heads of state or parliaments were to be held, extending as far as twenty years into the future. He gathered and analysed every last detail of information regarding the electoral landscape and the movements of candidates, and made predictions about the results. If his predictions favoured Tytania, that was sufficient; if they did not, he took action to turn the tide in her favour. He manipulated information, distributed money, offered inducements, and even resorted to intimidation and violence. He spent most of the year travelling between star systems where elections are being held, and Clanner Ajman even lent him a dedicated spaceship for this purpose.

Although Farah’s official title was merely that of a Counsellor of the Clanner’s Court, it was said that the number of politicians who had gained or lost their positions as a result of his interference in elections was enough to fill an entire biographical encyclopaedia.

Interfering in elections required vast sums of money. Farah was provided with an almost limitless supply of funds for his activities. A pipe was connected directly to Tytania’s vaults, and simply turning the tap would cause vast quantities of gold coins and banknotes to pour out. In the process of doling out those funds, there were countless opportunities to slip a certain amount into his own pocket. If he were to embezzle even just 0.1% of the campaign funds, Farah could live a life fit for a prince. Even then, the obstinate Ajman man would hardly take offence.

Yet, to this day, Farah had never slipped even a single copper coin into his own pocket. While it was true that, as a Counsellor of the Clanner’s Court, he earned a handsome salary, he must nonetheless be described as incorruptible. This served to heighten the trust placed in him by Tytania’s central authorities. There were plenty of petty, despicable scoundrels who exploit elections to line their own pockets and revel in the delusion that they are influencing the political landscape. Farah drew a clear line between himself and such scum. While he would utilise them to achieve his ends, he held them in contempt and never sought to become too familiar with them.

''“Farah is the greatest democrat in the entire universe. There is surely no other man who loves the electoral system quite as much as he does.”''

Clanner Ajman had once made this remark with a wry smile.

Farah’s passion and interest in elections were so pure that even the stern and dignified Ajman could not help but smile wryly. If the electoral system were to vanish from human society and the world were to descend into despotism, Farah would have no choice but to either take his own life out of despair or become a radical revolutionary to overthrow such tyranny.

It was this very Donald Farah who had discovered Fan Hyulick, Tytania’s public enemy, on planet Bargash.
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