Riesstiu IV the Second

Riesstiu IV the Second

Character Information
Race	Taiidan
Homeworld	Hiigara
Gender	Male
Date of Birth	9104 GSY
Date of Death	9510 GSY

Riesstiu IV the Second was the Emperor of the Taiidan Empire. Although he ruled with an iron fist, his grip was not absolute. Tax revolts in the outer reaches of the Empire were a common occurrence, as the Emperor's rampant paranoia led to a prohibitively large and expensive military.

Biography[]

Information regarding Emperor Riesstiu's origins are very limited. The earliest known records of an individual with the name "Riesstiu" was an accomplished Admiral of the Imperial Taiidan Navy's border fleet during the ancient war with Hiigara. Described as a celebrated hero of the Taiidan people for his bravery and strategic acumen in battles past, Riesstiu would go on to declare himself as Commander of the entire Taiidan Navy and lead a brutal counterattack against the Hiigaran Empire.

This counterattack would shatter the already severely weakened Hiigaran Empire, who had already suffered catastrophic losses due to the Bentusi's intervention earlier. After the combat was over, Admiral Riesstiu's demands were clear, the Hiigarans would either be exiled, or enslaved to the Taiidan. Being enslaved was too bitter a pill to swallow for even the most broken Hiigaran to accept, so exile was chosen.

Reign[]

Emperor Riesstiu held dominion over 150 star systems, but not easily. Riesstiu was rapidly approaching his 4th century of life, and his pogroms and agendas were becoming more and more erratic as his paranoia and distrust of those around him increased. Even The Taiidan Assembly of Lords, a token political body whose task was merely to "rubber stamp" edicts from the desk of the Emperor, began to question some of Riesstiu's more outrageous demands.

Sparking a Rebellion[]

A powerful group of military, political and economic figures had been plotting a coup in secret for years, staying only steps ahead of one purge or another as they looked desperately for the trigger that could sway 360 billion souls against their God-like Emperor. Oddly enough, it wasn't the plight of the Kharakian Exiles as much as the mindless obedience of the Taiidan navy which created that trigger. When the first propaganda images spread through the Empire, showing yet another victory, this time against an ancient and forgotten enemy, it soon became obvious that a serious mistake had been made on the part of the Emperor's political advisors. Instead of reassuring the Taiidan people that their nigh-immortal Emperor was all-seeing and all-powerful, the Taiidan reacted with near-universal horror and disgust. Again and again they were forced to watch one of their fleets commit an act of genocide against 300 million aliens, who had committed no crime greater than entering hyperspace and violating a long-forgotten treaty.

The Emperor reacted quickly and ordered the Home Fleet to hunt down and destroy the Exiles before they could penetrate Taiidan space, but it was too late. The political damage had been done, and the secret conspirators launched their coup against an obviously mad Emperor. While the initial groundswell of support was very strong, the conspirators and the general public seriously underestimated how prepared the Empire was for just such a rebellion, and how far their leaders were willing to go in order to maintain their stranglehold on power. After the first few heady days of rebellion, the Emperor declared full martial law across the Taiidan worlds. According to his edict, no act performed in the defense of His Throne would be judged in civilian courts.

The death and destruction that followed this announcement throughout the Empire beggars the imagination. For every military unit that defected to the Coup, 2 others launched an orgy of brutal reprisals. Dukes and Governors that were unwilling to massacre protestors en masse were executed and replaced by ones who would. Entire rebellious asteroid cities were exterminated when navy corvettes destroyed their life support systems, and the slow death throes of millions were recorded, to be shown as an example to the rest of the population. By the end of the first month it was obvious to all but the most optimistic that the Emperor's grip on the Taiidan could not be thrown off. The final blow was nearly struck at the battle of Vorshan's Rift, where the gathered rebel Navy was ambushed and devastated due to a high level defector, who led the rebels into a trap. The ranking surviving military member of the coup fled for his life, directly into the arms of the one force in the galaxy that was successfully resisting Imperial power: the returning Exile Fleet. Luckily for the rebellion, the Exiles aided the Rebel officer, allowing him the chance to escape and regroup the tattered remnants of his fleet.

When news broke that the Exiles were actively aiding the rebellion, it was the final insult to the Emperor. Riesstiu declared that he would personally command the Taiidan High Guard fleet in their crusade against the interlopers. The final battle took place high above the Exile's ancient Homeworld, Hiigara, and when it was over the Emperor lay dead and his Elite guard fleet was shattered. In the resulting chaos, the Rebels seized their last chance and destroyed the Imperial Gene bank. Without a clear line of succession through cloning, the Emperor having long ago executed any living relative who might try to kill him and take power, the Imperial structure collapsed. In its place was erected a new Taiidan Republic.

Trivia[]

In Homeworld the villainous Taiidan Emperor is left unnamed and serves the purpose of the Empire's evils and corruption incarnate. In the Homeworld: Cataclysm Manual the Emperor was given the name "Riesstiu IV the Second," the title being "IV the Second" because he is a clone of the first Riesstiu IV. In Relic Entertainment's official backstory section for Homeworld: Cataclysm, however, the Emperor is referred to as Khaldeesh II. However, in the Homeworld 2 backstory, the name Riesstiu is again used, this time in reference to the Taiidan admiral who defeated the Kushan during the War of Sajuuk.
It is likely that Riesstiu is inspired by several other fictional emperors of Space opera, most notably perhaps Emperor Palpatine of Star Wars. Both were aged, exhibit abnormal powers and are insane, are reputably pure evil and had clones. On the other hand, it is also a bit likely that Riesstiu is inspired by the God Emperor of Warhammer 40,000 who has lived for millennia over an ancient and galactic-spanning empire. It is also possible that the emperors of Dune and Foundation played a role in influencing Riesstiu's design as both universes contain corrupt galactic empires on the brink of collapse, ruled over by ruthless or weak emperors.
Riesstiu IV is rarely in most sources given credit for telepathic abilities Riesstiu exhibits perhaps the most explicit demonstration of psychic abilities in Homeworld canon (with the exception of Makaan). He does, for example, communicate directly with Karan S'jet from across the breadth of space during the pre-mission cinematic for the last mission of the Homeworld campaign ("Karan. You've taken one step too close to me."). Shortly after Karan is disabled and the Mothership Fleet uncoordinated.
He is said to have died in the Year 0 AHL, in the final Battle of Hiigara and the end of the Homeworld War, though many claim he survived the fight and is waiting somewhere in the galaxy, biding his time and plotting revenge.

Sources[]

Preceded by:
Riesstiu IV

Emperor of the Taiidan Empire
406 BHL – 0 AHL

Succeeded by:
Title abolished, eventually Makaan