Official portrait of Emperor Kieran II. | |
| Office | Emperor of the Reydovan Empire |
| Term of Office: | 2406-present |
| Predecessor: | Kieran I |
| Successor: | incumbent |
| Royal House: | House of Devaneaux |
| Date of Birth: | January 30, 2376 |
| Place of Birth: | Scholograd, Reydovan Prime |
| Profession: | Diplomat |
| Portrayed by: | Ben Foster |
Kieran Elias Devaneaux, Jr. (full titles: His Imperial Majesty Kieran II of the House of Devaneaux, Emperor of the Imperial Reydovan Empire) (born January 30, 2376, Scholograd, Reydovan Prime) is a fictional character created by Joshua Underwood in the Star Trek universe. Kieran II is the son of Emperor Kieran Devaneaux I and his wife Celest, and has been portrayed by Ben Foster since September 2006. The birth of Kieran Devaneaux's son and heir was mentioned in January 2006, during the Fragile Peace/Alliances era.
Early Life[]
Kieran II was born in Scholograd, where then-Grand Admiral Kieran Devaneaux and his wife Celest resided. Kieran and Celest took the child into exile with them when Kieran's father, the evil Artimus Devaneaux, conquered Reydovan Prime in February 2376. Along with Chancellor Joshua Underwood and senior members of his government, they took up shelter in the Chateau Thelian, the residence of the Federation President, at the behest of President Meriah Broussard. It was there, when Kieran II was five weeks old, that the Grand Admiral was crowned Emperor Kieran I and began to move towards reconquering Reydovan Prime. On the Ides of March, 2376, Kieran did precisely that, killing Artimus in his own throne room and ending the threat once and for all.
After setting up shop in the Imperial Palace, Kieran II was raised almost exclusively by his father - his mother, Celest, was a cadet at Starfleet Academy at the time - and tutored by the Governor-General of Reydovan Prime, Alexander Ross. In 2380, Ross became Chancellor, and Joshua Underwood took up the tutoring himself. Growing up with his brothers Dominic and Travis (Kieran's daughters, Anastasia and Ashleigh, were often kept secluded from their brothers in childhood, only seeing them at family meals and public appearances), Kieran II was a very precocious and hyperactive child. However, as he grew older, he grew to respect the aging former Chancellor - Underwood was like a second father to him. In 2388, on his twelfth birthday, the full station of Crown Prince of the Reydovan Empire was bestowed upon him, and he began to take matters of statecraft seriously...seriously enough to focus on that rather than tormenting his siblings.
In 2394, on his 18th birthday, Kieran II began to train to be a diplomat and the "public face" of the Imperial House, allowing his father the Emperor to focus on matters of state. He kept in close touch with his mother, Celest, now a Starfleet captain and commander of a ship of the line, and had a very close relationship with his father. The Emperor seemed proudest of his two eldest sons, as well as the work of his daughters...it was Travis who was the family enigma. Travis in later years voiced open dislike and disgust with his father and his siblings, not realizing that the Emperor was in the same room with him...
Transfers of Power[]
Distraught over Travis' hatred of him, Emperor Kieran committed suicide by hanging himself in his quarters on August 25, 2406. His body was found by Joshua Underwood two days later. The funeral was a grand spectacle, honoring a man who had not only kept the Empire intact, but made it strong over the last three decades. The funeral took place on August 31, 2406.
In a public ceremony the day after his father's funeral, Emperor Kieran II was crowned at the Cathedral of the Fallen Heroes in Montagne Noire. The coronation was attended by Joshua Underwood and all of the Emperor's advisors, as well as a delegation from the Federation - the Emperor's great-grandmother Catherine Britanov, her brother, former President Saxtus Fayhan, and her children, retired SFMC Major General Anatoliy Britanov and Starfleet Captain Vasily Britanov. Retired Admiral Kiran Joshmaul, now a Federation Councillor from Earth, was also in attendance. Travis, most notably, was not.
When word of the Emperor's suicide reached the public - and also word of Travis' grudge against the him - the public went into an uproar. They demanded that Travis - still technically a Reydovan citizen but only because of his birth on Reydovan Prime - be extradited by the Federation to stand trial; in their belief, Travis had killed his own father. Underwood, infuriated at Travis' selfishness but maintaining a cool head, recommended instead that he be declared persona non grata, banished forever from the Reydovan Empire. Kieran II, while not fond of committing such an act against his own brother, was as incensed at Travis' refusal to attend their father's funeral and so gave the order. A message was sent via closed diplomatic channels to the President of the Federation, Nosredna Blade.
Controversies In His Early Reign[]
Kieran II had not held the throne longer than three days before he began a radical restructuring of the Imperial government. His first act was to call for elections for the Chancellorship, and supported his military advisor, Marshal Jeremiah Neill, Count of Easthaven. Neill was a military genius and a legend in both the Federation and the Reydovan Empire, but considered a political outsider. However, that did not prevent the people from electing him in a landslide.
One of his more controversial moves was his declaration against his brother Travis. While Underwood only recommended exile, Neill took it a step further. Harboring no loyalty to the Federation anymore - having resigned as Commandant of the Starfleet Marine Corps twenty-one years earlier - Neill issued an Imperial edict with his Emperor's blessing, threatening the destruction of any craft - even Starfleet vessels - if Travis was onboard. That effectively cut the Emperor's ties with Joshmaul and Underwood; Joshmaul now focuses on his service in the Council, while Underwood has requested to rejoin Starfleet once more.
After Jeremiah Neill was defeated in battle by his brother Ethan Neill in the Battle of the Korolev Expanse, the Emperor was forced to replace his Chancellor with August von Spee. With Spee as his Chancellor and his father's gesture to merge the Empire with the Gorak'nar Commonwealth remaining unmade, Kieran decided to go forth with his father's plan at last. Contacting High Inquisitor Velenkayn VI and agreeing that it must be done, Emperor Kieran II will be confirmed as the joint sovereign of a new duumverate, ruling over a Greater Reydovan Imperium, on January 1, 2407.
| Preceded by: Kieran Devaneaux I |
Emperor of the Reydovan Empire September 1, 2406-January 1, 2407 |
Succeeded by: incumbent |
| Preceded by: Title created |
Emperor of the Greater Reydovan Imperium January 1, 2407-present |
Succeeded by: incumbent |