Star Wars: Immortal Devotion - The Spiral

Chapter 5 (Full)

Anton Butler walked slowly among the flowery atrium of the royal Imperial gardens, taking in the evanescent beauty that engulfed him. He admired the intricacies of each new flower he discovered, and wondered what exotic worlds they had originated from. As he continued his stroll, he took in a deep breath, noting all of the unique, natural smells, some pleasant while others not. He loved finally being free, or at least the feeling of being liberated from his duties, even though he would be in the eternal servitude of the Empire. At least now he wasn't gallivanting around the galaxy, and was instead, given the liberty to simply breathe. He was offered an opportunity not many in the ranks of the Empire had received, and he had taken full advantage of it.

Being the Prime Minister of Seswenna was no easy task, but it was much more relaxed than his prior position as an Imperial Admiral. The constant push to be better than one's peers or face severe reprimand from your superior officers, or heaven forbid, Lord Vader, had taken a serious toll on the, then, Admiral Butler.

He had lost every desire to travel among the stars. Anton had always imagined the glorious wonders of the cosmos; the exotic locales, the intricate societies, and the unimaginable creatures that awaited him. However, everywhere he traveled during his time in the navy, he was met only with the same mounds of smoldering ruin and rubble across countless worlds.

But he was free of that now. Free to live a life, watching his daughter and his...

He shook his head, not wanting to fill his mind with any unpleasant thoughts on a night like this. As the rising moonlight began to shine through the glass ceiling of the atrium, illuminating leaves of bright purple and polychromatic spots, Anton realized that he had lost track of time. His daughter must already be waiting over a plate of cold food by now.

That girl couldn't do anything without him being there, although, the older they both got, the more he didn't mind. He would need to get back soon before she died of starvation.

As he opened the ornate doors into the dining hall, he saw Eureka lift her head up from the table. "Hello father," she said, rubbing her eyes. "You finally made it! I must have fallen asleep. I'll go fetch the maid servant so that they can heat up your meal."

Anton chuckled as he took a seat across from here, "No need, my dear. I grew quite used to cold meals during my days in the Republic." "And the Empire?" she asked, passing him a plate. "No, they treated me quite good. In fact, they still do."

Eureka smiled. "Of course," she said as she looked down at her meal hungrily. "We must always thank the gracious Emperor for everything he has blessed us with." Anton grinned in admiration of his daughter. What a fine Imperial dignitary she could have made.

"Euri, my dear, don't you want to get away from here? Travel among the stars? See worlds aside from Seswenna?"

The young woman looked down thoughtfully at her plate, mid chew, and then swallowed looking back up at her father. "I don't think so. Your stories are more than sufficient enough for me. Between here and Bakura, I've been on enough adventures to last me a lifetime."

Anton began to eat, worried that his daughter didn't even know the definition of adventure. She was almost twenty, but had no friends, no life experience, and no real goals in life. At least to his knowledge. He knew she had everything should would ever need due to the hefty pension they were receiving from the Empire, and he wanted to keep her as close and as safe as possible, but he also wanted her to have a better life than he had. And there was no foreseeable way she could do that stuck on this peaceful, dreadful Imperial world.

"If you're sure," he said smiling contently.

"I am father," she replied with a concerned smile, "I need to be here to take care of you. You're always so busy with all of the political things the Empire has you doing. I thought for sure you'd be done with them once you retired..."