“Input received!”

  A loud hum immediately filled the air, and the atmosphere around us became charged. The hair on my arms rose, and the hair on my head began to float about. I watched the devices screen closely, keeping an eye on what it would do next.

  “Charging pulse.”

  I watched the device, bracing for some kind of indicator or signal that it had activated or that it was going to. Moments passed, becoming seconds, and they started adding up too. I looked around the room to find only Amorina with a confused look on her face – clearly, she too expected something more significant to happen.

  “Um … Zavis?”

  “Yes, Raith.”

  “Did I miss a step or something?”

  “No, you’ve activated the device.”

  “Okay. Is it ah … is it supposed to, ya know?”

  “No, I don’t. What were you expecting?”

  “A boom? Or a pop? Hell – I’d settle for a whoosh!”

  “Oh, right, that! Yeah, that’s coming shortly – it just has to charge first.”

  “Charge first! How long does it need to charge for?”

  “About five minutes.”

  “Five minutes? Five minutes!” I yelled in disbelief.

  “Yeah. Why is that strange?”

  “Don’t you think you should’ve mentioned this maybe beforehand? That would’ve been kinda useful!”

  Zavis flinched at my sarcasm tone. “I swear I mentioned that.”

  “Well, you fucking didn’t!”

  It took a moment, but judging by the glance Zavis gave me, we’d arrived at the same conclusion: we had five minutes to protect the device from the Advisors.

  We slowly turned towards them. “So … who wants to go first?”

  Chapter 13

  Mass Conversion

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

  The first of the remaining advisors stepped forward, raising his fists, preparing to strike. Thinking fast, I threw the conversion device at him. As soon as it was in the air, his attention was drawn to it, utterly focused on making the catch. But as the machine moved, so did I. As he caught it, his face caught my fist. He fell backwards, and I grabbed the device, pulling it from his stunned hands. No sooner was it in my hands then the next advisor charged, intent on claiming the prize.

  “Zavis!” I called out, throwing the device towards him.

  Able to focus on the approaching advisor, I delivered an uppercut into his gut, doubling him over. Taking a step backwards, I kicked him, sending him crashing into the third of the advisors. The fourth was already on his way towards Zavis, whilst the first, having recovered from his earlier punch, had materialised a wrench from somewhere.

  “Raith!” Zavis cried, throwing the device towards me.

  To my horror, the fourth advisor intercepted it mid-air. Spinning in place, he held the device out, and the first advisor brought the wrench down upon it.

  Clunk!

  The wrench bounced off without leaving so much as a scratch.

  “Fuck,” both advisors said in unison.

  The one holding the device rotated it, offering up the end of it to his comrade.

  “Hit it again!”

  The wrench wielding advisor took another swing.

  Clang!

  Once again, it bounced off, leaving the device undamaged.

  “Put it down, Phobus. You can’t stop it now,” Zavis said quietly.

  Phobus turned around slowly. “Why can’t we break it?”

  “It was designed not to be broken … at least not with what is available to you here.”

  “Do you realise what you’ve done?” shouted the advisor with the wrench.

  “Yes … Yes, I do, Lorcan. I’ve changed the course of history.” Zavis said, then glanced over at me. “No, we changed the course of history.”

  The hum being produced by the device suddenly changed, its tone getting deeper.

  “You can hear it – the inevitability of change – it’s upon you and approaching relentlessly.”

  Phobus slowly placed the device down on the table.

  “I hope you come to regret what you are about to unleash.”

  The four advisors gathered themselves up, moving to the corner of the room. They huddled closely together, staring at the device with a mixture of expressions, ranging from fear to anger. Again, the instrument's tone deepened, adding to the room’s foreboding atmosphere. As I watched the advisors and their staunch position, Phobus turned his head and looked at me.

  “I hope you come to regret this as well … you imposter! Both of you, you’re complete filth!”

  “I hope for something different.”

  “Let me guess, you want me to come to regret this?”

  “No. I hope the conversion strips you of everything you are so that you will never enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the regret realised!”

  The hum in the air dropped swiftly, shifting down into a bass rumble. Then it pitched up again and dropped to a rumble once more. It cycled through another four times, getting deeper and deeper with each iteration.

  “Here we go!” Zavis shouted.

  I glanced at the device’s screen and read its display, “Pulse charged. Emitting in 5 …”

  I looked around the room, taking in the expressions of elation and concern.

  “4 … 3 … 2 … 1 …”

  I held my breath as the screen changed one last time.

  “Emitting pulse.”

  A wave of energy burst forth from the device, visibly distorting the air like a shock wave, expanding outward, passing through everyone and everything in the room.

  “You did it, Raith! Thank god, you did it!” Zavis exclaimed.

  “Was that it?”

  “Yes, yes! That was it!”

  “Did it work?”

  “See for yourself,” Zavis said, motioning towards the advisors.

  The four men were standing there; they looked somewhat confused as they examined their clothing, surroundings, and the dead bodies on the floor.

  “Okay, but how do we know it worked?”

  “Command them as their emperor.”

  “Okay … advisors! It is I, your emperor! I command you to sit down.”

  “Our … our emperor? I can’t seem to recall having an emperor …” said Phobus.

  I looked over at Zavis, who shrugged. “Those most in conflict with the model will experience the greatest change. That’s how and why you came to be, Raith.”

  I turned back to the advisors, still lost in their surroundings.

  “Do you know who you are?”

  Phobus looked at me, “I don’t … know, I can’t … seem to recall … I’m sorry, do I know you?”

  I turned back towards Zavis. “They’re completely different …”

  “Of course they are. Their fanaticism to the Empire is gone, along with everything connected to those ideals … which was pretty much everything.”

  “How long will it take to cover the whole planet?”

  “It takes a few minutes, but rest assured, one pulse will do the trick.”

  I turned to look at Amorina.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded and ran over, wrapping her arms around my neck.

  “Yes! Yes, I am! We did it, Raith! We did it!”

  I held Amorina tightly. Closing my eyes, I rested my cheek against her head, drawing her scent around me and feeling thankful that I had her safe in my arms. Thankful that we’d survived our coup of the Empire – or at least of its influence on Earth.

  “I hate to cut your intimate embrace short, but we should go. As you saw earlier, there’s a lot of chaos outside, and the Republic’s leaders will be looking for answers,” said Zavis

  Amorina and I separated, turning to look at Zavis. “Okay … let’s go do this.”

  ***

  Walking through the halls of the Embassy was now a vastly different experience than it had been previously; where before the halls had been quiet and empty, now they were packed with people, seemingly sprung forth from the woodwork. The people seemed to fall into one of two groups: the Empire loyalists most affected by the conversion, and the servants, less affected and realising that something had fundamentally changed within their captors. The juxtaposition of confused mumbles and joyous realisations filled the air, further adding to the strange atmosphere.

  “What will happen to all these people?”

  “The answer to that, in part, probably depends a lot on you and the Republic’s leaders. It’ll need to be a choice you work on together … but I could certainly offer some advice.”

  “Please do.”

  “The loyalists, depending on the strength of their previous convictions, will need different levels of care. You’ll need to provide support for those like the advisors – most stripped of their identities – and for the lesser affected, I’m sure they can be integrated into society. As for the victims – those the Empire took by force – I’d suggest a repatriation program. Get them back to their friends and their families.”

  “Thank you, Zavis … I may just keep you on yet.”

  “You’re welcome, Raith. I would gladly serve by your side.”

  Up ahead, the entrance to the Embassy stood open, providing a glimpse at the outside world. The earlier commotion was replaced by the same mixture of confusion and elation as the converted came to grips with their new reality. Stepping over the threshold of the Embassy and into the sunlight, I was able to see the whole picture. Both the Republic’s and the Empire’s vessels were grounded, their crews disembarked and wandering about, disoriented. The civilians were also mixing with the soldiers, equally as confused by the current situation. Suddenly there was a commotion at the back of the crowd.

  “Make way! Make way!” someone shouted over the gathered people.

  I watched the crowd slowly part to allow the party through, and as they came closer, I could see it was a group of several well-dressed individuals flanked by a dozen Republic soldiers on each side.

  “Emperor Khidar! We demand an immediate explanation for the events that have transpired! Why have your troops landed, and what was the energy wave that encircled the planet?” one of the individuals said, stepping forward beyond her companions.

  “President Kylie Knox,” Zavis whispered beside me.

  “That is a long story I’m afraid, but to offer up a short explanation, I am not Tynan Khidar, at least not anymore. I formerly developed a mind-altering technology that the Insurgency manipulated and used against me. It transformed me into a new person, so please call me Raith. The troops landed because the advisors were trying to revert me into my former self. However, we used a newer version of the technology to pacify them, which was the energy wave you experienced.”

  President Knox raised an eyebrow and then turned her head towards Zavis. “This was your doing. The long-awaited dissolution of the Empire, come to fruition?”

  “Yes, indeed it is, ma’am.”

  Knox turned back towards me.

  “So then, Raith … what do you propose we do from here?”

  “Honestly? Take over the Empire. Free everyone. Whatever. I just want to go back to Gaia and live peacefully as I did before.”

  Knox glanced past me at Zavis, then looked back at me.

  “We expected that you’d carry on and convert the rest of the Empire’s worlds.”

  I turned back, raising an eyebrow as I scowled at Zavis.

  “I did set the expectation that you’d convert all the worlds. I know you want to go back home, but the Empire’s worlds are on the way to Gaia, so go and just make a few stops along the way.”

  “I made it very clear to you earlier my stance on this technology.”

  “Please, Raith. Do this, and once you get back to Gaia, that’ll be the end of it – we won’t call upon you again!”

  With a final glare aimed at Zavis, I turned back to Knox with a smile. “I think we should discuss the details, but I’m sure I could use the alteration technology again until the Empire’s forces have been pacified. But you’ll have to put skin in the game as well. I want converted loyalists placed into rehabilitation programs, and I want a repatriation program for the Empire’s victims. I know we can never fully undo what has been done, but we can reunite friends and family.”

  A faint smile appeared on Knox’s stern face.

  “I think you and I will work well together, Raith. Come, there is much to discuss and plan.”

  “Yes, of course. Thank you, ma’am.”

  “Also, what’s that thing on your head?” Knox asked.

  “Oh, he doesn’t need that anymore,” Amorina said, reaching up and grabbing hold of the suppression device.

  “No, wait!” Zavis called out as Amorina tugged it off my head.

  ***

  “Hello … Raith …”

  I woke up to find myself sitting on a familiar, stony beach.

  “When I last brought you here, I wanted to break you … but now it is you who has broken me!”

  I looked over at the dark, smoky human figure.

  “How are you even still here? I thought the conversion device was supposed to remove you!”

  “For the most part, it has. I can no longer take control of my body. I can no longer seize command of your mind.”

  “Finally! Now to quell the last of your embers!”

  “In time, I’m sure you will … that’s the plan after all, is it not?

  To convert all the other worlds.”

  “Let’s just hope that when those worlds fall, you will too!”

  The figure remained silent, turning its head towards the sky. I looked up as well, and where previously a few stars and a thin crescent moon had resided, now only a single star remained.

  “I suspect that is my ember … a representation of the last scrap of who I was.”

  There was a sadness to his voice that I’d never heard before.

  “I can’t … I can’t remember anything … what this place is …

  who I was … or why I hate you …”

  “I can remember. You grew up on this beach. Now it is where you will die. You were an emperor. Now, you are a nobody. An echo – no! Less than an echo, you are nothing!”

  I was surprised by the venom my words carried, once again reminded that we both stemmed from the same core, and perhaps Tynan’s hatred of me was the same as my hatred for him. And if we shared the same hatred …

  “Then maybe we aren’t so different after all. You can’t remember anything either, can you?”

  A shudder ran through my body. Our thoughts had always …

  “… been distinct, but now they are blending, mixing with …”

  … one another, merging into a singular self.

  “No! We are not the same! Nor will we ever be!”

  “But until that ember is extinguished, I will haunt you. A reminder of an evil you cannot forget!”

  “Get the fuck out of my head!”

  “I can’t, Raith … it’s my head as much as it is yours. Anyway, I should let you wake up. The traitor and the whore will be getting worried about you.”

  Chapter 14

  All Routes Lead to Home

  2150 to 2152, Common Era – the Republic of Humanity

  As I stood on the bridge of an Empire frigate, awaiting departure, I mused on the events of the last few days. I’d started by bringing the U.E.R Council up to speed on what had transpired with the conversion device. It turned out that the Council and the Insurgency had worked together all along, jointly sabotaging the Empire in secret. As per Zavis’s promises, the Council remained adamant about their expectations of me to carry on and convert all the Empire’s worlds. After failing to negotiate an alternative, I’d reluctantly agreed – eventually seeing the logic of it – it was the path of least bloodshed after all. But it wasn’t all give though: the Council had agreed to formally merge the Republic and the Empire into a new, joint government known as the Republic of Humanity, bringing support and ethical protection to the Empire’s old worlds and sharing the Empire’s private worlds and technologies with the new Republic.

  Thus, acting as Tynan, I’d issued an Empire-wide communications blackout due to Insurgency infiltration and instructed them to await a personal visit from me before resuming connectivity.

  I’d balked at the prospect of going into cryosleep again for the Empire’s reformation tour, opting instead to experience the journey the slow way, and Amorina had volunteered to do the same to keep me company. The plan was to convert Terranova, then Astarte, Machina Station, Ares, then finally, Gaia, and the smaller moons along the way. The sun would set on the Empire’s reign and rise again on a renewed humanity, free and united.

  ***

  “Five minutes till departure, Raith,” said the ship’s captain.

  “Thank you, Captain.”

  “Have you ever travelled the slow way before, Raith?”

  “I have not.”

  “It’s slow, obviously, but it has some exciting moments too! You’ll see what I mean shortly, but first, you might want to take a seat,” the captain said, motioning to an available seat.

  “Thank you,” I replied, taking up the offer.

  “Flight control, we are ready to depart.”

  “Affirmative, Captain. Spooling warp engines now.”

  The ship began to vibrate, and a quiet hum filled the air.

  “Engines spooled. Warping in three … two … one ... warp!”

  Outside the bridge's windows, I watched as every point of light in view shifted: first to blue, then to purple, only to then disappear altogether. Moments later, the entire view filled with a hazy blue hue before narrowing down to a blue cone, brightest at the centre and fading to black as it moved outward.

  “Warp achieved.”

  “That was incredible!” I exclaimed. “But what did I just see?”

  The captain chuckled. “You just witnessed the transition to warp. First, you saw visible light colour shifting into violet and then into ultraviolet wavelengths – becoming invisible to us, of course! Finally, the cosmic microwave background radiation, usually unperceivable, colour shifted into the visible spectrum, giving us the blue glow, which then warped around us, creating the cone effect that you can now see.”