For a period of almost 3000 years, Zypger were dominated by the Eternal Empire, the state that had unified Zypger IV, its core worlds, and its outer colonies. The Eternal Emperor, regarded as the reincarnation of the previous holder of the title, was carefully sought out after the death of the previous monarch during a lengthy interregnum. He (and it was always a he) was also the chief hierophant of the largest Zypger religion, with near-unlimited power restrained only by custom. This had worked well enough for a period, and the Zypger Unification Wars had happened during the Noble Millennium, a time of near-unbroken rule by moderate Eternal Emperors or regents.

This came to an end with the Idg-Nauh-Iauh-Egis, the Four Bad Emperors, a period of uninterrupted misfortune and tyranny. Eternal Emperor Rnys launched a ruinous military invasion of Vatna space, supporting the campaign with heavy taxes and military rule. After his assassination, his successor Eternal Emperor Bxic was utterly dominated by a cabal of military and industrial figures who continued the war and cracked down on the populace further. By this point, interplanetary transport was beginning to break down under assaults by Vatna privateers, and Bxic perished under unclear circumstances during a famine and plague that swept Zypger IV.

Eternal Emperor Zavuu made peace with the Vatna, but when faced with demands by his people at large for reforms, he doubled down and deployed for formidable Zypger military against its own people on a large scale. Forced to look elsewhere for support, Zavuu joined the Star Confederation as an associate member and negotiated favorable trade deals, but this led to an intense period of brain-drain and capital flight. The final straw for many Zypger was Zavuu’s announcement that he would be succeeded by his young son Zabuq, who the Eternal Emperor declared to be his “preincarnation” who would rule as Zabuq II after his death.

A bomb in the Emperor’s box at the Great Opera put this plot into motion, and Zabuq II was duly enthroned, but the young Eternal Emperor was inflexible and temperamental. He quickly found himself facing a large-scale, organized rebellion, and his own troops melted away. The entire royal family was killed when the imperial barge was fired upon by rebel fighters, and since both the religious officials in charge of the transition and the ceremonial items used to determine an imperial reincarnation were aboard, the millennia-long reign of the Eternal Emperors came to an end.

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