text: [Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, serious]
  
  Year 35
  
  While you've never been excessively fond of these important meetings because they take you away from the battlefield, you like them even less nowadays due to having to see the Emperor in such a weakened state. You remember when he first started displaying the signs of being unwell; you dismissed it and thought that he'd eventually get better. Five years have passed since you found out and he's only gotten worse.
  
  He barely gets out of bed anymore. Most of these important meetings take place while he remains horizontal under his blankets. He's still mobile, but he tries to conserve his strength for when it's necessary.
  
  He's never even told you what it is that's causing his decline, though you've never thought to ask. (And Jacob certainly hasn't) It may just be old age finally catching up with him which means there is nothing that can be done hence why he doesn't bother bringing it up.
  
  Its funny how when you first met him that he looked so healthy. You thought he was immortal despite him telling you that he really wasn't. Now you know he wasn't just being humble.
  
  You and Jacob have been doing your best as usual in carrying out his most important orders. Though today the order is given specifically to you. You have to go meet with Marik.
  
  Marik's been running a secret experiment for the last sixteen years and says that its finally ready. The Emperor knew about it and actually told him to abandon it on more than one occasion, but Marik insisted that it would be a good idea, so the Emperor relented as long as it didn't interfere with project that would be of a more direct benefit for the Empire.
  
  When you arrive at Marik's underground lab, he takes you through a metal door that opens up to a platformed level, which overlooks a huge room. It's nearly the size of a small hamlet you think. There are several ladders that descend down to the lower level which contain translucent containers all hooked up with tubing and connected with each other and large strange machines. Even from this distance you can make out figures floating in liquid within the containers.
  
  This experiment: Breeding a new army of Eternals. The derro has been growing them in these tanks. Literally hundreds, possibly even a thousand.
  
  "So...this is what you were hiding behind this metal door when I came here over ten years ago. Knew something else was going on." You say as you stand on a balcony overlooking all the rows of tanks.
  
  Unlike you and your siblings these Eternals were practically "made." From your understanding they went from some woman's womb to the tank immediately. (You can only hazard a guess what might've become of the mothers, but nothing good no doubt) From there they've been getting "grown" into the perfect soldiers.
  
  Marik has explained to you the "science" of what he's done, but some of it is going over your head. Personally you don't even think Marik understands all of it himself, he just believes it all works. While Marik did use human babies for this second generation of Eternals most would probably tell you that there isn't anything human about them. Given what's been said about you as well you can't really disagree. You are better than the average or even above average human in every way.
  
  You watch as two of them are released from their tanks, already teenagers and able to understand everything that is told to them. They're given weapons and display great skill with them when ordered to fight each other. Probably just as good as most Empire soldiers.
  
  Still, there's something about these Eternals that doesn't sit right with you. Maybe its because Marik was involved and that his experiments can be hit or miss. Maybe its because you feel that without the experiences of training they don't truly know what its like to struggle and earn their place.
  
  Whatever the reason, you don't feel like they are Eternals. As little in common as you have with your own siblings you still feel a small bond there. You have nothing in common with these tank babies. They're something else as far as you're concerned.
  
  However, none of this matters. What does matter is if these so called new Eternals are going to actually be an asset to the Empire. From what you've seen they aren't without skill, but they're going to need to be field tested along with drilling the concepts of loyalty and duty into them.
  
  "Sure, they look pretty, but can they fight?" you say after seeing the demonstration. This annoys Marik. He starts sputtering and stammering to the point where you think he's going to go into a seizure.
  "You just SAW what they're capable of! How can you even say such a thing?"
  "Yes, they were okay for children. I suppose we can find a place for them somewhere. Perhaps we can..."
  "Bah! You're just jealous!" Marik interrupts.
  "Excuse me? Jealous?" you ask.
  "Yes! They're already the perfect warriors and didn't need any training at all! They didn't need all the hand holding nonsense that you had to go through to become a killing machine. Face it, these Eternals are the future!"
  
  You stare at Marik in disbelief that he dares to say such a thing to you. To his credit, Marik doesn't back down, he stares back at you, ignoring your eyes burning through him.
  
  "You can give me that stare of death all you want Eternal." Marik remarks.
  "Alright...open up ten of the tanks. Let's put them to a real test."
  "What? So you can incinerate them with your magic?"
  "If they're truly as good as you claim then my advantages shouldn't matter, but since you seem to be unsure of your creations now. I'll make it easy for you. Open up twenty of the tanks and I won't use one damn cantrip."
  
  Marik starts making that annoying high pitched laugh you hate so much then he suddenly gets very serious.
  
  "Were you planning on fighting them right now?" Marik asks.
  "While I'm sure watching me slaughtering twenty naked teenagers would prove my point, I said I was going to make this easy. No, you go equip your twenty creations with whatever armor and weapons you wish. I'll wait."
  
  You wait as Marik orders twenty tanks opened up and has a few of his derro friends herd these children into another room presumably to get outfitted. Marik soon follows behind to oversee personally.
  
  While you wait, you reflect on the fact that they're all the same age as you were when you first got to meet the Emperor. It was one of the greatest days of your life when that happened. This happy moment passes very quickly when you have to dwell on the fact that the Emperor is now on his deathbed. You have no idea what's going to happen when the inevitable happens. Sometimes you look at the Emperor now and you wonder if that is what you have to look forward to when you get old.
  
  Is that the fate of everyone? No matter how powerful? What's the point of it all? Will the Empire even survive when the Emperor dies? He doesn't have a successor. You have often wondered if you would be it, but he's never mentioned it. Even if you were, you can't imagine ever doing the job better or even as well than he could. Leading armies is one thing, but an entire nation? You don't know if you'd have the patience for it. You're a soldier not a ruler and yet you couldn't dream of serving any other ruler except the one you think of as father.
  
  Your mood starts getting worse because you also start dwelling on less pleasant aspects of your sixteenth year before you met the Emperor. It always comes back to her. Why the hell can't you get her out of your head?
  
  Even now the woman hasn't been seen in three years and yet she still comes back to fucking torment you.
  
  Alison's dead, the Emperor's dying, these new "eternals" are obviously meant to replace you, your own future is uncertain, Semra still haunts your thoughts...
  
  At this point you wonder if it wouldn't just be best if you let these damn tank babies kill you. It would at least be a warrior's death and you'd die when the Empire was going through a second golden age of sorts.
  
  You had some good times and saw several major threats to the Empire destroyed. Why stick around to see a man you have nothing but respect for continue to whither and die? Why see the potential slow decline of a nation you spent all your life trying to keep from the brink of chaos?
  
  Maybe it is time to step aside gracefully and be replaced...
  
  > Retire
  You think back to when you had to "retire" Kane. Different circumstances of course, but he knew when it was time. You know when its time too and the time is now.
  
  However, you aren't going to accept death so easily. It's going to have to be earned.
  
  Doesn't take long before twenty tank babies along with the other two that were involved in the first demonstration come out fully decked out in armor and weapons. Surprisingly the derro didn't deck them all out in the heaviest body encasing armor they could give them, though there are at least half of them dressed in such a manner. You can't help notice that the derro didn't limit their weapons to close combat, you see some with firearms.
  
  "Well here they are! Where the hell are you? Hehehehehehe! Did you lose your nerve and run away already?" Marik says calling out for you.
  
  Then you jump from the top of one of the tanks you climbed up on and bring your sword down on one of the tank babies, and quickly stab another in the throat with your dagger. You take advantage of their confusion by dispatching the ones with gunpowder weapons first. After snatching one of their flintlocks and blowing the head off of one, Marik tries to rally the tank babies with a simple instruction.
  
  "Don't just stand there letting him massacre the lot of you, kill him!"
  
  You cut down another three and begin to get into battle mode.
  
  "Marik, release more of them!" you shout ducking a mace at your head.
  "What?!"
  "I said release more of these tank babies! If they're going to replace me, they need to learn and these aren't going to be enough to teach that lesson!" you shout back and dispatch the mace wielding tank baby.
  
  You're too busy fighting to pay too much attention to what Marik is doing, but the sound of several tanks opening up followed by the sound several new footsteps are an indication that he listened to you.
  
  You slay more of them and demand that Marik keep throwing more at you. The tank babies aren't without skill, but you're proving to be a little too much for them to handle. Thoughts of "retirement" begin to leave your mind, and this thrill of battle is giving you that renewed incentive to live.
  
  Unfortunately you don't anticipate your derro host to take matters into his own hands. Seems Marik isn't pleased with you easily killing off his experiments.
  
  "Svelk loving bastard!" you hear Marik shout and then followed by a shot from a high platform above. The bullet hits you in the side and causes you to fall to the floor. The tank babies that you were currently fighting take advantage of the situation and gleefully stab at you or bludgeon you with maces and clubs.
  
  You try to get back up, but you're overwhelmed and too badly wounded. Boots stomp and kick your body followed by several blades through your internal organs. You're finally finished off by another gunshot to your head.
  
  Later on Marik explains to the Emperor that you insisted on fighting fifty of the new eternals to test them and that despite his warnings you were killed in the ensuing melee. If you were still alive you probably would be honored that the Emperor had Marik killed soon afterwards.