The Star Walker hung like a dark omen over the ravaged world of Kaelus Prime. From its observation deck, Julius, clad in his command armor, helmet raised, contemplated the grim spectacle. The planet, which had sworn allegiance to Bastion, was now torn apart by uprisings and gang wars, its leaders corrupted by thirst for power and profit. From space, the explosions were merely silent flashes, a macabre beauty masking the suffering below.
At his side, motionless and silent like statues of beskar, stood his four Pillars. Their midnight blue armor was complete, topped with helmets shaped like knightly great helms, revealing nothing of their features. They were the living symbol of his absolute authority.
"They bent the knee, but their hearts did not follow," Julius murmured, more to himself than anyone. "Greed is a cancer that eats away at even the strongest oaths."
Data, ever present, broke the silence. "Lord Commander, report from Sergeant Colle of the Silver Wings. Positive contact has been established with a Votann League, designated Ur-Khasis. They appear open to an exchange of information. Furthermore, the 'Judge' program is operational and ready for deployment."
Julius remembered. Months ago, he had used the System to acquire the Judge Program from the Judge Dredd universe. This program granted his agents the power to judge, convict, and execute criminals summarily, delivering immediate and merciless justice. He had also purchased the DNA of Joseph Dredd himself, creating clones with enhanced physical and mental capabilities, equipped with the iconic armament and armor of the Judges.
A slight smile touched his lips as he recalled the first time he saw the face of the primary clone, a young, impassive double of Sylvester Stallone, the actor who had first portrayed Judge Dredd on screen. The resemblance was striking, an ironic touch in his empire-forging project.
"Good, Data," Julius ordered, turning away from the destructive view. "Schedule a meeting with the leader of this Votann League. I want to meet them in person. And begin the deployment of the Judges to Kaelus Prime. Immediately. I want order and law to reign in my worlds. Justice that is clear, swift, and without mercy."
He walked towards the viewport, his blurred reflection superimposed over the fires of war on the planet.
"I have become like an Emperor," he observed, his voice neutral. "I command, and it shall be done."
His gaze briefly met his own reflection in the viewport. A cold, determined light shone there, a spark of the same inflexibility he was about to unleash upon Kaelus Prime. The image troubled him for a moment. It was the face of a tyrant, as certain of his own justice as the Emperor on Terra was of His.
But he mentally shrugged the thought away. Doubt was a luxury he could no longer afford.
"This world needs hard men," he declared, turning his back on his reflection. "So, I will become one."
With that, he left the observation deck, his Pillars moving in perfect synchrony behind him, to prepare to meet the representatives of an ancient power and to usher in the new era of his reign: that of Judgment.