History Literature / SoulsInAVacuum

* WinWinEnding: In the end ''everyone'' gets what they want, even Vilmael. The Shadow Choir get to make their pilgrimage, the Followers of Rays get recognition and respect, and Vilmael secures a major economic victory for his house. [[PlayingWithATrope But the heroes come out ahead anyway,]] because Vilmael's selfishness has increased the internal tension in the Imperium and resolved the conflict between two allies against them.

* TheEmpire: The Denebian Imperium. The state religion both promotes literal worship of the nobility and advocates for seizing power by any means regardless of morality or compassion. They keep slaves, despite the economic inefficiency, to remind people of their place. [[UpToEleven When their embassy on Concordia wasn't allowed real slaves they made subsapient robotic slaves instead, in the form of aliens to make sure no one missed the point.]] Oddly enough they're at least nominally a meritocracy, since serfs are ''rarely'' promoted to the nobility for exceptional service.

* {{Expy}}: A few references. The Spider we meet acts like [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pinkie Pie,]] and of course there is the [[Franchise/MassEffect Paragons' Path and the background threat of The Annihilators]].

* WinWinEnding: In the end ''everyone'' gets what they want, even Vilmael. The Shadow Choir get to make their pilgrimage, the Followers of Rays get recognition and respect, and Vilmael secures a major economic victory for his house. [[PlayingWithATrope But the heroes come out ahead anyway,]] because Vilmael's selfishness has increased the internal tension in the Imperium and resolved the conflict between two allies against them.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Vilmael is unfailingly superficially polite, though he makes no secret of his disdain for other species. He presents himself as, essentially, a FriendlyEnemy speaking with BrutalHonesty. In truth he is a manipulative representative of an empire that keeps slaves [[ForTheEvulz simply to make a philosophical point.]]

* ReligiousRobot: The Silen, who inherited their religion from the creators they overthrew. This was in part because, when the government tried to keep them enslaved, many in the church advocated for their freedom and declared that they had souls.

* SpaceElves: The Denebian Imperium tend to choose bodies matching this aesthetic, being notably handsome even by human standards. [[LightIsNotGood They're quite also quite unpleasant.]]

* {{Precursors}}: The Denebians were one of them, and are the only ones who managed to survive and rebuild after The Annihilators went through. The cultural trauma forms the justification for their current religion.

* EvilVsOblivion: The Denebian religion frames itself as aiming to gain enough power to defeat The Annihilators, saving the galaxy. The rest of the galaxy will then be subjugated as slaves, [[AbsoluteXenophobe as is only fitting.]]

* {{Expy}}: A few references. The Spider we meet acts like [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pinkie Pie,]] and of course there is the [[Franchise/MassEffect Paragons' Path]].

* TheEmpire: The Denebian Imperium. The state religion both promotes literal worship of the nobility and advocates for seizing power by any means regardless of morality or compassion. They keep slaves, despite the economic inefficiency, to remind people of their place. [[UpToEleven When their embassy on Concordia wasn't allowed real slaves they made subsapient robotic slaves instead, in the form of aliens to make sure no one missed the point.]] Oddly enough they're at least nominally a meritocracy, since serfs are ''rarely'' promoted to the nobility for exceptional service.

* TheEmpire: The Denebian Imperium. The state religion both promotes literal worship of the nobility and advocates for seizing power by any means regardless of morality or compassion. They keep slaves, despite the economic inefficiency, to make the point. [[UpToEleven When their embassy on Concordia wasn't allowed real slaves they made subsapient robotic slaves instead, in the form of aliens to make sure no one missed the point.]] Oddly enough they're at least nominally a meritocracy, since serfs are ''rarely'' promoted to the nobility for exceptional service.

* TheEmpire: The Denebian Imperium. The state religion promotes both literal worship of the nobility and advocates for seizing power by any means regardless of morality or compassion. They keep slaves, despite the economic inefficiency, to make the point. [[UpToEleven When their embassy on Concordia wasn't allowed real slaves they made subsapient robotic slaves instead, in the form of aliens to make sure no one missed the point.]] Oddly enough they're at least nominally a meritocracy, since serfs are ''rarely'' promoted to the nobility for exceptional service.

* VillainousGloating: Before it's all over Vilmael has published a blog mocking everyone involved for how easy it was to manipulate them and laying out his process, step by step. [[spoiler: He is deliberately undermining his own original plan, at the behest of Anderzone, in exchange for a personal victory rather than a political one.]]

* EvilWillFail: Anderzone is unconcerned that, technically, Vilmael pulls out a win. Because, just as technically, in doing so he traded external conflict that would strengthen his empire for internal conflict that would weaken it.

* LikeAGodToMe: The Shadow Choir have a different view on divinity than many religions. They don't consider gods infallible, they consider them sacred. This means that, while mortals may be flawed, it's fine to worship them anyway because the sacredness means it will all work out in the end.

* AssInAmbassador: Vilmael, of the Denebian Imperium, who once greets someone by wishing for their loved ones to be gutted before their very eyes. [[AffablyEvil Politely.]] He is doing it deliberately, to throw others off their game, [[ItAmusedMe and for fun.]]

* AssInAmbassador: Vilmael, of the Denebian Imperium, who once greets someone by wishing for their loved ones to be gutted before their very eyes. [[AffablyEvil Politely.]] He is doing it deliberately, to throw others off their game.

* {{Expy:}} A few references. The Spider we meet acts like [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pinkie Pie,]] and of course there is the [[Franchise/MassEffect Paragons' Path]].

* FauxAffablyEvil: Vilmael is unfailingly superficially polite, though he makes no secret of his disdain for other species. He presents himself as, essentially, a FriendlyEnemy. In truth he is a manipulative representative of an empire that keeps slaves [[ForTheEvulz simply to make a philosophical point.]]

* PropheciesAreAlwaysRight: The Shadow Choir certainly think so, after enough hard work has been done to understand them at least. The conflict in the story revolves around a prophesy which all circumstances seem to indicate was perfectly accurate despite being made in the iron age, pre contact, and has finally been understood. [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane Anderzone is not convinced because, while he agrees about the circumstances, it's a big galaxy and there are uncountable prophesies: eventually some of them have to be right just by chance.]]

* DeathOfAThousandcuts: The conflict in the novel, despite affecting billions of people, is ultimately fairly small scale by galactic standards. Even a worst case scenario is hardly the end of the world. But it is one part of a large and dedicated effort to poison relations between the major powers that stand against the Denebian Imperium and needs to be stopped before it can corrode the alliance.

* {{Troll}}: Vilmael claims he messes with everyone around him to shake them up and throw them off their game. Anderzone thinks he just likes screwing with people.

* SpaceElves: The Denebian Imperium tend to choose bodies matching this aesthetic, being notably handsome even by human standards. [[LightIsNotGood They're quite also quite unpleasant.]]