A discussion on what makes a good villain got me thinking about the Secession War, and whether I could add a little more to that piece of history. The result is very heavily inspired by Admiral Bosch from Freespace 2.
Last Will and Testament of Gustav Kleptner
Emperor of the Galactic Workers' Party
Commanding General of the Coalition of Independent Stars
22451607
I, Gustav Kleptner, being of sound mind and body, though history may disagree with the former and I have my doubts about the latter, do declare this my last will and testament.
It has been twenty years since I first set in motion the events that would eventually become the Secession War. Twenty years of violence, bloodshed, and atrocities greater than mankind has ever known. I harbor no illusions about what I have done, nor what I have created.
The ship I reside within as I write this was not built by human hands. Its technologies are far beyond our current understanding, and we have only begun to unravel them. It was found, abandoned, preserved, a museum piece on a barren and lifeless world. A world which had been cracked open by a war more ancient than our species.
As we approach the fringes of the galaxy we have found countless similar worlds bearing the artifacts of ancient civilizations, but not once have we found the smallest trace of life. The United Nations Interstellar Treaty has hidden this knowledge from the public, to keep people from asking the inevitable questions these ruins raise. How many civilizations before us had relegated their warships to museums and monuments, only to be destroyed? How many have hammered their swords into plowshares, only to be tilled by those who did not?
The Coalition of Independent Stars is an army of useful idiots, driven by fear, insecurity, and hatred. Ignorance has always been the greatest weapon of tyranny, and old wounds open all too easily. I am merely a fool who has created a monster I am now powerless to control. My only regret is that I will forever be remembered as a butcher of innocents.
That is not to say this assessment is unfair. I cannot deny that tens of trillions have died as a result of my actions, or that many more will do so. I cannot dispute the condemnation of my enemies, or the verdict of history. I do not expect history to ever forgive me, even if it does vindicate me.
What my enemies will never understand is that I have done this for the sake of humanity, not out of any desire for power or wealth. Like the scientists who split the atom three hundred years ago, I have split mankind and unleashed a power too great and terrible to comprehend. I can only hope that it is not too little, too late.
I go now onto the stage, to play my part to the final act. I leave no heir and no successor to what I have created, as it is a burden that nobody but I should bear. To humanity, I leave the harsh lessons of this war and the strength to stand against whatever lurks in the darkness on the edge of the galaxy. For the first time in my life, I actually feel at peace.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
System logs recovered from the wreckage indicate that the gravimetric point defense failed less than an hour after the above file was last accessed. The Inglorious was destroyed shortly after with all hands aboard. There were no survivors.