“And what then?”

  “Well, there are enough of the Empire’s troops on the ground currently that we’d have a sizable security force afterwards, allowing us to counter any resistance as we travel to each world and repeat the process, snuffing out the Empire in a few short steps.”

  “And who controls those converted worlds?”

  “Let’s start with this one, but my advice would be we speak with the U.E.R Council – once we’ve resolved the immediate threat – and forewarn them about the vast territory they’re soon to inherit.”

  Internally, my mind reeled. I could envision the path laid before me, and I could already feel the weight of its proposed actions. I’d experienced the after-effects of this technology, and I knew it was no small thing.

  “What about you?” I asked, turning toward Amorina. “What do you make of all this?”

  “I think we should do it.”

  I threw my hands up and huffed, frustrated by her response.

  “Why?”

  “You travelled across the galaxy to save me. From what? The Empire’s tyranny. But I am not the only person who suffers at the Empire’s hands, Raith. Millions of vulnerable people are mistreated and abused, meeting the wants of the Empire’s high and mighty. If we run away, we’re leaving them to the same fate you came all this way to save me from.”

  I hated it when she was right.

  “That’s … that’s a valid point. But why us? Why can’t someone else pull the trigger?”

  “I think what Zavis said earlier is true: because of who you are, or rather, because of who you used to be, you can control a power most people can’t. The advisors aren’t going to let Zavis activate the device, but they will let you activate it.”

  “Okay, fine, say all of that is true –”

  “It is true,” Amorina interjected.

  “What about the consequences? This course is undoubtedly not without them!”

  “No choice ever is, Raith. The trick is deciding which ones you can live with.”

  Yes, I thought, that was the trick, wasn’t it? Already I was struggling with the burden of my past, divided in both mind and soul. So too was humanity, torn between two sets of ideals and teetering on the brink of war unless peace could be established without bloodshed. That’s what the MIND AI was – a technology for modifying ideology and neutralising dissidence – after all, if everyone believes the same thing, they’re unlikely to fight one another.

  “Per Unitatem Nos Ortum …” I muttered, appreciating the irony. If I went ahead with the plan, the Empire would achieve its unity, only via its collapse rather than its conquest.

  “Yes, Raith, yes! I’m almost certain this wasn’t quite what your forebears imagined when they chose the motto, but how fitting is it in the face of what we plan to do!”

  “I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”

  “What do you need to be convinced?”

  I glanced at Amorina – I knew what I wanted. “Can you guarantee our safety?”

  “Not completely. But I’ll be there, in the Embassy, before you arrive. From there, I’ll guide the other advisors, should their actions detract from our goals. When you’ve got the device, I’ll pass you the holochip, you can swap the AI over and activate it, and from that point, we’ll be fairly safe.”

  I looked over at Amorina.

  “It’s your choice – we can’t choose for you. But we need you. A lot of people need you.”

  I looked down at my hands, hard and calloused from working the farm. How simple life had seemed, tending to the fields, and how I wished I could simply teleport back there and pretend none of this had happened. Amorina would be there with me, as would our kids; we’d just be a happy, farming family, free of humanities problems and politics.

  “I know you want to forget all of this but ask yourself, if we went home right now, could you rest knowing you could’ve helped so many people and didn’t?”

  Amorina’s words skipped past all of my defences, striking me right in the core. I knew my inaction would haunt me. I took one more moment to think about my aspirations; how my mother and father would be there too, visiting our farm, happily watching over the strangers that’d become family. I wondered what choice my father would advise on if he were here.

  “Every time the darkness arises, it’s my job to refocus you. To remind you of which wolf to feed.”

  As his words sprung forth from my memories, I knew the answer to that question as well – he’d always steered me away from my dark tendencies.

  I looked up to find Amorina and Zavis’s expectant faces.

  “Sorry, I just had to think for a moment. On Gaia, the man who took me in and became a father to me – he always helped me control the darkness within. He explained to me, many a time, that two natures are at war inside each of us – a good nature and an evil one. As long as we live, these natures fight one another, seeking to dominate and conquer the other. But we have the power to choose which one we want most to be.”

  “And which nature do you want?” Zavis asked.

  “The good one.”

  ***

  A squadron of soldiers found us within minutes after we ventured out of Zavis’s abode. They forced us to our knees whilst one soldier ran ahead to prepare the Embassy for our arrival.

  “Search them, remove anything they’re carrying and take that thing off his head.”

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  “Emperor or not, I’m in charge right now. Soldier, remove that thing!”

  A young soldier stepped forward, ready to carry out the orders of his superior.

  “Trust me, kid, you don’t wanna take this device off my head. I’ll kill you once you do.”

  The blood drained from the soldier’s face, and he looked back at his commanding officer.

  “You pathetic coward! I’ll do it myself.”

  The Commander stepped forward, shoving the young soldier aside, and then he tugged the suppression device from my head.

  The darkness within roared into life, burning through my insides like a wildfire, hot and uncontrollable.

  I felt my face contort into a twisted smile as a dark and malicious chuckle rolled from me. Then before I even realised what was happening, my hand shot forward, pulling the officer's knife from his belt. Standing up, I drove the blade up, underneath his ribcage and into one of his lungs. Continuing to hold the knife, my free hand came up and grabbed the officer by his hair, pulling back his head so that his stunned face looked into my own.

  “I told you I would kill you once you took that device off.”

  “Who … are … you …?”

  “I am Tynan Khidar, the third ruler of the Empire, and I will not be suppre –”

  I let go of the officer as the device was shoved back onto my head. As the officer fell to the ground, I looked around the remaining soldiers.

  “Sorry about that, guys – anyone else want to try taking this off?”

  The soldiers collectively shook their heads.

  “Good call, lads, good call.”

  Moments later, the soldier who’d gone ahead to prepare the Embassy arrived back.

  “They’re ready for you now.”

  Chapter 12

  Planning is Essential

  2149, Common Era – Planet Earth, Inner Rim, United Earth Republic

  The guards around us moved quickly, rushing us up the stairs towards the Embassy’s opening doors. Republic ships now encircled the Empire’s vessels in the skies above us, locked in a tense standoff whilst some diplomats undoubtedly tried to explain away and resolve the tension. As we crossed over the threshold of the Embassy entrance, the soldiers in front of us parted to reveal the six remaining advisors.

  “We thought of you as our Lord, but you are scum!” an advisor to my left sneered.

  “But you will be cleansed of your filth soon enough!” another added.

  “My loyal advisors,” I said, spreading out my arms. “Please forgive my actions these past hours. I was coming to terms with the truth, stolen from me all these years. I have returned, willingly, to accept my destiny, and we must act quickly to do so, for outside chaos threatens to erupt, and I too wish to be free of the filth within that so cruelly ended Chunta’s life.”

  The two advisors who’d spoken out appeared taken aback, their faces growing pale.

  “Forgive us, Your Grace. We didn’t realise you were in control when we spoke just before.”

  “Obviously! But come now, let’s do us all a favour and activate the conversion device, aye? Trim the rancid fat as they say.”

  The advisors nodded. “Soldiers, take this wench down to the cellars and have at her, punishment for leading our Lord astray! Kill her when you’re done,” one of them commanded.

  “I advise a different course – keep her with us. Let her punishment be watching her filthy lover replaced by the light of our Grace, and we can kill her afterwards. Additionally, should His Grace lose control before we’re able to remove his dissident side, she can be used as leverage,” Zavis said.

  The advisors shared some glances and then nodded.

  “Very well, two of you, stick with us and bring the whore. The rest of you may go and spend some time in the pleasure lounge.”

  Two soldiers stepped forward, grabbing hold of Amorina on both sides, as the rest of the soldiers walked off to enjoy their rewards.

  “Follow us.”

  The advisors turned, leading the way through the maze of halls once more.

  ***

  We were led to the control room that overlooked the chair-based conversion device.

  “Why here? Does the device not need to be out in the open to work?”

  “It does not, Your Grace. It is powerful enough to pass through almost all materials.”

  An oval-shaped device sat upon a table in the centre of the room.

  “So, this is it?” I asked, pointing towards it.

  “Yes indeed, Your Grace.”

  I walked over to study it closer. Zavis had explained its appearance well to me: about thirty centimetres long, with a handle at either end. Its centre was a sphere, a fusion reactor, on top of which was the control unit. On either side of the reactor were the Theta wave emitters.

  “What must I do?”

  “Grip the device by its handles. There is a trigger on either side, and both must be pressed to initiate the process,” said Zavis, sliding the device across the table towards me.

  I reached forward to take hold of it, briefly making contact with his hand, taking the holochip. As my hands rested on the surface of the device, I shuddered, feeling its power within. It vibrated beneath my touch, filled with enough energy to encompass the planet in its mind-altering signal.

  “Is something wrong, Your Grace?”

  “No, I was merely admiring the craftsmanship of it and the power it contains. Very impressive.”

  I looked at the control unit, reading its display which read “Awaiting Input.” On the side, I could see a slot with a holochip already inside – the AI 2.0. I pressed the chip inward, releasing the lock and causing it to spring outward.

  “What are you doing?” an advisor exclaimed as I pulled the chip out.

  “Sorry, fat fingers!”

  I dropped the 2.0 chip onto the table and moved the 1.0 chip towards the slot, intending to insert it.

  “He’s not the emperor! Sabotage!” the same advisor screamed, shoving me to the floor.

  I watched, horrified, as he picked up the 2.0 chip and went to place it back in the slot. Bang!

  The advisor's eyes widened as he looked down at his chest and the red stain rapidly growing upon it. He looked up at Zavis, uttering a confused “Why?” before falling over backwards. The other advisors turned towards Zavis, eyeing up the gun he still held.

  “Why indeed, Zavis? What is the meaning of this madness?”

  “I am doing that which needs to be done, as I always have.”

  Zavis glanced down at me and motioned towards the device. I began to get up, but one of the advisors held up his hand.

  “Move, and she dies,” he said.

  I looked over at Amorina to see that both of the soldiers had produced a knife, and each one was holding the blade to Amorina’s throat.

  “Alright, I’ll stay here.”

  “Good. Zavis, when did the Insurgency get to you? It’s the only explanation for this betrayal.”

  “You fools! I am the Insurgency!”

  Zavis’s words were a spark; all the advisors ignited, yelling and screaming at Zavis about how wicked and deplorable he was. In turn, Zavis began hollering back, trading insult for insult. I looked over at the soldiers; they too were distracted by the commotion, their eyes darting between Zavis and the other advisors. I slowly brought my left arm up towards my head.

  “Hey, Bitsy – I need you!” I whispered.

  My watch unwrapped itself and jittered in my hand.

  *Hello! What do you need?*

  “Take this,” I said, handing Bitsy the holochip. “In a moment, I’m going to throw you up onto that device on the table.”

  Bitsy took the holochip, using two of its legs to hold it against its body, and then turned to look up at the table and the conversion device.

  “On top of the device is a control unit; in its side is a slot for a holochip. You need to place the one I’ve given you inside it. With me so far?”

  *Affirmative!*

  “Then I need you to go over to those soldiers and attack them.”

  *I am not made for offence – I have no weapons.*

  “Just … poke one of them with your feet, as hard as you can. Think you can do that?”

  *I think so.*

  “Great, thank you, Bitsy! I’m going to throw you in 3 … 2 … 1!”

  With a flick of my wrist, Bitsy flew through the air and landed beside the device. The clatter of his landing caught the soldiers’ attention, but as they turned to look at the table, I called out.

  “Hey, you guys!”

  They both looked towards me.

  “Listen, I don’t think the advisors are going to resolve things any time soon, so what do you think – can we cook up a solution between ourselves?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Bitsy climbed onto the device.

  “You’re no emperor! We aren’t making any deals with you!”

  “Are you sure about that? This is a one-time opportunity!”

  “Yeah? And what do you have to offer us?”

  I watched Bitsy insert the holochip and then scurry off the device and down the leg of the table.

  “I promise not to kill you and allow you to live out your days freely instead of rotting in prison.”

  The soldiers laughed, oblivious as Bitsy scuttled across the floor towards them, slipping into the trouser leg of one of the soldiers.

  “You are in no position to offer – Ow!”

  The soldier jerked, letting Amorina go in surprise.

  “Ow!” he yelled again, bending over to reach his leg.

  I looked over at Zavis and saw him glancing at me.

  I nodded, and I watched Zavis rotate his gun-toting arm. Bang!

  The second soldier also let go of Amorina as the bullet found its mark. I pushed myself up, frantically grabbing the device. I rested my thumbs on the triggers, and the screen lit up: “User recognised. Awaiting input.”

  “Whatever lies Zavis has told you, you don’t need to do this!” one of the advisors cried out.

  Suddenly I became acutely aware of the power I was holding. I held in my hands the ability to change the world … literally. Was I making the right choice? If I pulled the triggers, I was condemning billions to mind alteration and any possible fallout that it entailed. If I didn’t pull the triggers, the advisors would swap the chips again and, as Tynan, get me to pull the triggers anyway, still condemning billions to an arguably worse fate.

  “What are you doing, Raith? Activate the device!” Zavis yelled.

  I looked up at Zavis. How much did I trust this man and the thing’s he’d told me? Was he playing the long game, and this was all one big double bluff?

  “Don’t listen to him, Raith! You don’t need to activate the device!” an advisor cried in response.

  I looked towards the advisors. If Zavis were playing a double bluff, the advisors would be in on it … right? Surely they would be – and yet, they didn’t seem to be; their faces were twisted by fear, sweat beading upon their brows, hands shaking and eyes pleading for inaction. I turned back towards Zavis.

  Is this the right choice, I asked myself, still hesitant, did I even have a choice in the matter? Of course, I did, I thought; it’d been made clear that I was destined to pull the trigger – my choice lay in deciding which version of the AI I unleashed upon the world.

  I looked down at the device; it still read “Awaiting input.”

  I knew there’d be no going back once I pulled the triggers; I’d be changing the lives of everyone on the planet – some would only feel the effects mildly, whilst the conversion process would completely transform others. But events were already in motion, I couldn’t reverse course now. I could only decide which direction we went in.

  I looked up again, facing the increasingly aggressive shouts of both Zavis and the advisors.

  “Trigger it!”

  “Don’t trigger it!”

  Back and forth, they shouted, adding to the pressure I was feeling. I turned around to look at Amorina.

  “What do I do?” I pleaded.

  “It’s a difficult decision because either choice has penalties. I know you don’t want to lead, but one often becomes a leader by the measure of the actions they must make!”

  Like a glass breaking, my indecision shattered – the who and how of why it was me holding this device, left to take this action – it was suddenly crystal clear.

  I turned towards the advisors, just in time to catch another shouted command.

  “For fucks’ sake, don’t pull the triggers, Raith! Don’t destroy what your family built!”

  I looked the advisor dead in the eye and a mocking smile split my face. “Why shouldn’t I? It’s mine to destroy!” I said, pressing on the triggers.