Chapter VI: Father and Son

[10 years later: 1057 AC (After Calamity)]

[Perspective: Emperor Derrius Chamba]

Emperor Derrius Chamba watched contentedly as his son gazed excitedly at the holographic display of the interplanetary system maps, which showed a realistic rendering of the nine-star systems and the three imperial worlds within the empire's territory.

The boy's face was filled with excitement and curiosity, reminding Derrius of his own youthful days filled with wild imaginations of the unknown.

'Oh, how I long for the days of my youth.' He thought.

In recent months, the emperor had made a concerted effort to spend more time with his son, as he was now 64 and his health was failing.

He was determined to remain on his feet through sheer force of will, but his main concern was that the boy was still too young to safely inherit the throne upon his death.

Despite these concerns, the time spent with his son rejuvenated his spirit. The child's bright, freckled smile reminded him of the sweet memories he once shared with the boy's mother, a time that now seemed like a lifetime ago.

These memories were often bittersweet for the emperor, but he always tried to find a silver lining, even after the loss of his one true love.

"Father, look! Is that Jaya?" the boy asked in gleeful excitement.

"It seems she was still able to give me one last parting gift," Derrius thought as he looked at his son.

"Yes, Jaya Jidan. Did you know you were named after this world by your mother?" he responded as he moved closer to observe the holographic image with his son.

Jidan looked up at his father, his eyes bulging in surprise.

"Really?!" he exclaimed.

He was elated to learn that his mother had given him a name that originated from such a beautiful world.

"Well, of course. You are her son after all. It's a name befitting for one with such fiery red hair, don't you think?" the emperor said with a wink and patted Jidan on the head.

Jidan smiled, showing a grin with two missing front teeth.

"Father, could you tell me more about Jaya?" he asked.

"Well, for one, it is a mineral-rich world. The red hue you see surrounding the planet is a product of the abundance of Dion ore, a material used to power the interplanetary portals as well as the material used to construct most of our infrastructure. It is very dense and durable. Out of the three worlds within our territory, this planet is one of the most important commodities in our empire. It is the heart of our military and material resource production," Derrius explained, zooming in on the holographic image of the planet.

Real-time data showed people working in the mines, distributing ore from station to station, and endless construction sites as far as the eye could see.

"Wow. Is it really more important than Atlan?" Jidan asked inquisitively.

"In more ways than one. Don't misunderstand me, however. Atlan is very important. After all, it is our capital world. Long ago, before the calamity nearly destroyed our people and forced us to retreat to this isolated pocket of the galaxy, our ancestors used Atlan as a lesser farming colony to serve operations for this relatively isolated quadrant," Derrius explained.

Jidan looked at his father in disbelief.

"Atlan was a farming colony!?" he exclaimed.

His reaction made the emperor chuckle a bit.

"It may seem hard to believe, but a lot can happen in a thousand years. Since our arrival on Atlan, this world has become somewhat of an ecumenopolis, where much of our farmlands have been repurposed for urban centers due to our increasing population size and limited planetary resources. Today, most of the farming on Atlan is done by the operations of hydroponic farming centers."

"So wouldn't that make Atlan more important if all of our people are on this planet?" Jidan questioned.

"A lot of people think this way, and they are not wrong to believe that, but in the long term, the lifeline of Atlan will always be heavily dependent on our other two worlds, Jaya and Alpha. Jaya allows us to build, and it is where much of our military operations reside, while Alpha is reserved for our farming, restricting that world to only food production due to its relatively smaller size and its rich ecosystem," Derrius explained.

"So then, Atlan is like a home, and everything else is what keeps the light on." Jidan asked,

Derrius smiled at his son's analogy.

'That is an accurate assessment, indeed.' he thought.

"That's an interesting way to put it, but yes, that is correct. Also, keep in mind that Atlan is where most of our administration and research facilities reside, so while Jaya and Alpha could be considered the heart and backbone of the empire, Atlan could therefore be considered the brains behind the operation," Derrius added.

Jidan nodded attentively, as if he was absorbing and compiling all the information he was being told. He then focused his attention back on the holographic image of Jaya, staring at it in complete silence.

The emperor watched the child and pondered about his future.

'One day, he will be in command of the empire. I just hope he will be ready,' he thought.

"Father, the Atlan military academy named after my mother is also here, right?" Jidan said, breaking the silence.

"I see that you have been paying attention to your studies. Look here," the emperor said as he made a sweeping motion several times on the display.

At the emperor's gesture, the map instantly moved, covering thousands of miles on the planet. When the map finally slowed and came to a stop, the display showed the academy's campus, which spanned miles and miles, resembling a small city.