“It’s my pleasure, sexy! You know I love you, right?”

  “I do. And you know that I love you more than anything else in this world?”

  “I do!” Amorina said as she leaned in for another kiss. This time I met her and took control, deepening it until we were both gasping for breath.

  As she pulled away, her smile had deepened, and her eyes shone. “As much as I want to go another round with you, we should get to town before your parents start to question why the trip takes so long!”

  ***

  The EV glided along the road once more, this time with Amorina curled against my side. As symphonic music scored our trip, I mused on my personal journey with Amorina. Two years ago, she had been the first person to extend her hand in friendship, seeing me as an evolving personality full of potential rather than fearing me as someone strange and unknown as others did. Since then, she’d become so much more to me: a friend, a confidant, a voice of reason, and a lover. As I looked out the window at the passing farmland, I smiled. She didn’t know it yet, but I’d applied to be given a farm to manage – a place where we could be together and that we could call our own. The EV rounded the next corner, and the township came into view; built around the remnants of the founding colony ship, it was the central hub for all the surrounding farmlands.

  ***

  “Is there anything else you’ll be needing, young master Raith?” asked one of the shop keepers.

  “Um … possibly,” I said, glancing at him. “Has my father produced enough to get one of these?” I asked, pointing to the stand of Arachnobot Fives, newly arrived from Earth.

  “Let me check for you,” the keeper said as he went over to a terminal.

  I grabbed one of the Arachnobots off the shelf. They were robotic devices capable of operating as either a smartwatch or a spiderlike robot.

  “Your father does have enough produce on record, but it will use your entire annual surplus.”

  “That’s fine. Everything on the farm is in good working order. We can afford to spend a little.”

  I pocketed the Arachnobot, then turned and walked out of the building. I checked inside the EV, ensuring all the farm supplies were loaded in, and then glanced around for Amorina.

  “Raith,” I heard her voice calling over the noise of the town.

  “Raith! Over here!”

  I spotted Amorina on the other side of the road at her mother’s coffee shop. As I walked over, she pushed a seat out with her foot.

  “Do you want a coffee?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “I thought you might. Mum is already making your favourite.”

  I smiled as I sat down, appreciating Amorina’s foresight.

  “How’s yours?”

  “Perfect,” she said, taking another sip, “as always. Mum’s never made a bad one yet.”

  Amorina’s mother made fantastic coffee, and my mouth began to salivate at the thought of my own taste of perfection arriving.

  “Did you get something for yourself, as you mentioned?”

  “Yeah, I did. Remember that old Arachnobot that I’ve got back at the farm?”

  “Yeah. What about it?”

  “In the store, they had fifth-generation ones fresh from Earth. So I got one.”

  Amorina chuckled. “You know they only send us their outdated tech, right? Plus, it takes like two years for it to get here from Earth, so they’re always a generation or two ahead.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, but it’s still an upgrade for me.”

  “Raith! Good to see you again.”

  I looked up as Amorina’s mother placed a coffee in front of me.

  “Hi, Anne! Good to see you too. How’re things?”

  Anne beamed at me with the same smile that I had so often seen grace Amorina’s face.

  “Things are good. A steady flow of customers and a happy, healthy daughter – what more could I want?”

  “More customers?” I said with a wink.

  Anne laughed. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t say no!”

  Suddenly, a rumble permeated the air, coming from somewhere high in the sky. A chilling silence fell over the town as all laughter and conversation ceased, and people turned their gazes upwards. As Amorina looked up as well, I watched the blood drain from her face.

  “What is it? What’s happening?” I asked, glancing upwards.

  “It might be nothing … maybe just a meteor,” said Anne unconvincingly, her face equally pale.

  I looked around at the townsfolk, all staring at the sky, fear written across their faces.

  “You’re telling me people are this concerned over a meteor?”

  Anne turned to look at me. “You’d better fucking hope it’s just a meteor!” she snapped.

  My eyes widened in shock “Why? What’s the alternative?”

  A boom erupted from the sky, and the surrounding crowd gasped as people started pointing. I looked up to see eight points of light descending.

  “Dropships!” someone shouted – a cry soon echoed by others.

  Moments later, the light disappeared, revealing the dark metallic shuttlecrafts.

  “What do dropships mean?” I asked

  “It means,” Amorina said, turning towards me with a tear-stained face, “it’s a Soul Harvest!”

  Chapter 2

  The Soul Harvest

  2146, Common Era – Planet Gaia, Outer Rim, Tynan Empire

  “Raith, listen to me!” Anne shouted, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me to my feet. “You need to take Amorina now! Take her and run as far as you can. Hide. Hide and don’t come out until you see the ships leave. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I understand! But what’s a Soul Harvest?”

  “There’s no time for questions! Go. Go now! Both of you!”

  We leapt to our feet, running over to the EV as the dropships’ paths diverged overhead.

  “Raith, they’re going to surround the city!” Amorina yelled as she climbed in.

  “I know! Vehicle, drive to our place, now!”

  “Commencing journey to our place.”

  The EV started moving down the road, respecting the town’s speed limits. I knew we’d never make it out before the dropships landed.

  “We need to go faster …!”

  “I know,” I muttered back.

  “What?” Amorina asked.

  “Nothing. Vehicle, drive faster!”

  “I am already travelling at the maximum speed allowed by this zone.”

  “Vehicle, drive faster! That’s an order!”

  “I am already travelling at the maximum speed allowed by this zone,” the EV insisted again.

  “We need to go faster!”

  “I know!” I yelled, fighting the inner darkness.

  “Then do something about it!”

  “I can’t! The vehicle won’t disobey the speed limits!”

  “Weakling!” the darkness snarled at me inside my head as it took control.

  “Empirical override forty-two – get us out of the city limits at maximum speed.” The words came out of my mouth, but it was not my mind controlling them.

  As the darkness relinquished its control, the EV accelerated.

  “Watch out!” Amorina screamed.

  Ahead of us, people dived out of the way as the EV sped through the streets. There was a sickening crunch as first one person, then another, failed to dive out of the way. Amorina screamed with each impact as another two people fell victim to the speeding vehicle. But I was frozen in shock, my own scream trapped in my throat as the car continued its destructive path. The command I’d given appeared to have overridden not only the EV’s speed but also its safety systems. As another bloodcurdling impact burned itself into my memory, I wondered how I’d come to know such a command.

  “Make it stop!” Amorina screamed.

  “Vehicle, stop!”

  The EV’s brakes slammed on, locking the wheels, and skidding down the street. After several metres, it came to a stop, just on the outskirts of the town. To our horror, we watched as a dropship touched down in front of us.

  “Shit, shit, shit, shit!” Amorina yelled as its doors opened and Imperial soldiers exited.

  As the soldiers fanned out and a group started running towards us, I figured now was as good a time as any to understand what was happening.

  “Amorina – I still don’t understand. Why are they here? What does it mean?”

  “It’s a Soul Harvest!”

  “Yes, that’s been mentioned! Still doesn’t mean I understand what that is!” exasperation was seeping into my voice along with the strain of what had just occurred.

  “The Empire is going to kidnap people to be used as labourers, soldiers, skilled workers, and sex slaves. It happens every three years or so. I’m surprised your parents didn’t talk to you about this – it’s what happened to Livietta, after all.”

  “Wait – Livietta – the reason she’s gone is that she was taken during a Soul Harvest?”

  “Yes!”

  As the gravity of Amorina’s explanation sunk in, the soldiers started banging on the EV.

  “Come out willingly, or we’ll extract you by force!” a soldier shouted at us.

  “We should get out,” Amorina whispered.

  I nodded, hoping that if we cooperated it would go smoother and Amorina would be unharmed.

  “Vehicle, open the doors.”

  As the doors opened, multiple hands reached into the interior, grabbing hold of Amorina and I, throwing us onto the dirt outside.

  “Take them into the centre!”

  More hands grabbed us, hauling us to our feet and marching us back into the town. Carefully glancing left and right, I observed the soldiers more closely. Their dark form-fitting suits and full-face helmets hid the people within, a dehumanising tactic to increase their intimidation. Each soldier appeared to be carrying a rifle and a handgun. On the left shoulder of the uniforms was the Empire’s insignia. It was in the shape of a shield: red-tipped black wings creating the sides, and a fist rising through the middle grasping onto a banner, with the words “Per Unitatem Nos Ortum” written across it, forming the top of the shield.

  “Through unity, we rise …”

  Great, I thought, the darkness can translate Latin. Wait, how did I know it was Latin?

  As we walked into the town centre, I saw that most townsfolk had been detained, sitting in a group surrounded by soldiers.

  “Line them up!” someone barked behind me.

  The soldiers complied quickly, hauling people to their feet and shoving them into line, Amorina and I among them.

  “Begin the assessments!”

  The soldiers began moving along the line, checking each person for unspoken criteria. One soldier stood out in front of the crowd, presumably the commanding officer, watching as the assessments took place. The soldiers were neither kind nor careful with their evaluations, dropping the men’s trousers and tearing off their shirts, then hastily checking their genitals and squeezing their arms and legs. Mouths were pried open, ears yanked, and eyes held open. The women fared no better – the soldiers tore off their skirts and dresses, groping breasts and probing between their legs.

  I watched with dumbfound horror; I’d never witnessed such poor treatment of fellow human beings before.

  “Lies …”

  Fine, I thought, I can’t remember ever having witnessed this.

  My disbelief continued as not a soul objected to the unfolding chaos. As one of the soldiers arrived before Amorina, I knew I couldn’t stay silent.

  “Leave her alone!” I yelled out.

  As I went to take a step forward, a fist connected with my jaw, snapping my head back, but before I could recover, a second fist slammed into my gut. As I doubled over, a pair of hands grabbed my head, pulling it up and driving it down onto their knee. I felt my nose break with a sickening crunch and was shoved aside. I collapsed to the ground, pain surging through my body.

  So that’s why nobody objects, I mused.

  As I tried to stand, I felt a boot plant itself in-between my shoulders, holding me down.

  “What is she to you, shitface? Your wife? Your girlfriend?” asked the owner of the boot.

  I wondered if they would treat her better or worse, knowing we had a connection.

  “Fine, don’t answer me. But you’re going to watch.”

  True to his word, he yanked my head up by the roots of my hair and held it so I had a clear view of Amorina. I watched as they subjected her to the same cruel treatment that the other women had experienced, albeit with the soldier’s hands lingering longer and squeezing harder. As soon as they let her go, the boot came off my back, and the hand released my hair with a shove, banging my head on the packed earth.

  “Get up – get back in line!”

  I slowly rose to my feet and stumbled back into the line.

  “Pathetic …”

  Yep, I thought, just the positive affirmation I needed.

  “All right, let’s keep moving. Persons nine zero seven, one two eight, five five nine, four eight five, four seven, one two three, six one two, and two two one – labourers,” the Commander ordered.

  Several soldiers moved forward, grabbing eight people from the line. Presumably the numbered individuals that’d been called out – although I wondered when and how we were assigned numbers.

  The soldiers led the selected eight down the road, back towards the dropships. The Commander called out two more groups of eight, designated as soldiers and skilled workers.

  “Finally – two two seven, one eight nine, four two nine, six seven three, nine four six, four nine, five one four, two zero four, five zero five, and six eight five … sex slaves.”

  The soldiers moved forward, and my heart dropped as I watched them walk up to Amorina.

  “No!” I cried out, rushing toward her. “Leave her alone!”

  Before I’d made it two metres, I was grabbed by the neck and yanked backwards. Then they kicked me in the back, and I fell forward onto my knees. Someone grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling my head back and pressing a knife to my throat.

  “And why in the hell should we do that, shitface?”

  I glanced to my right and saw the Commander coming closer.

  “Why should we leave her alone?” he asked as he approached.

  “Because she’s a human being. They’re all human beings. Not just objects you can come and claim when you feel like it.”

  A wave of laughter swept through the soldiers and the Commander as he stopped before me.

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong. This world, Gaia, isn’t a United Earth Republic colony – it’s a Tynan Empire colony, which means there’s one key difference. You are not a citizen of the Republic, but you are the property of the Empire.”

  “No! You are my property …”

  “Ergo, we can do whatever the fuck we want with any of you. Whenever, wherever, and for whatever reason we so deem!”

  “Assert yourself! Claim your property!”

  Now is not the time, I thought, trying to suppress the darkness.

  “Command them!”

  “Okay, well … take me instead. Leave her here and take me!”

  Another round of laughter moved through the soldiers.

  “You are thick, aren’t you?” the Commander mused. “There isn’t much demand for the likes of you for this designation. The Empire’s commanders don’t much like fucking white trash asshole.”

  I was at a loss. What now? I couldn’t overpower the soldiers; they wouldn’t take me in Amorina’s place – how could I save her?

  “Command them! Command your property!”

  The problem with the darkness was it never took over if I wanted it to – only when I fought it could it take control. So I fought it.

  “Command them!” it hissed, angrier than before.

  No, I told it.

  “Command them!” it cried, growing louder in my head.

  No!

  “Then I will command them!” and the control I had over my own body slipped away.

  My mouth opened, air passed over my vocal cords, vibrating to produce my voice and yet the voice that came out wasn’t mine; it didn’t sound like me, and it didn’t use my words.

  “Attention, soldier! Be silent and obey me!” my voice held an air of authority that I had never heard myself use before.

  The knife disappeared from my throat as all the soldiers and the Commander snapped to attention, as if by magic.

  As quickly as the darkness had assumed control, it relinquished it, leaving me somewhat unable to issue a follow-up command.

  Breaking free from their momentary lapse of control, I was seized again, and the Commander backhanded me across the face.

  “How the fuck did you just do that, you piece of shit?” he shouted.

  My mind reached for any possible, rational explanation, but the only one it landed on was magic, so I shook my head, just as unable to answer the Commander as I was to answer myself.

  Another backhand strike struck me across the face. “How the fuck did you do that?” he yelled, his face twisted with anger and confusion.

  “Magic?” I replied, hoping to avoid another slap.

  The Commander struck me again. “Don’t get smart with me – how the fuck did you do that?”

  “You command what you own …”

  Eh, what the hell, I thought, it’s not like I had a better answer to give.

  “You, ah … you command what you own?” I replied.

  The Commander’s eye twitched, and I watched his hand curl into a fist.

  Well, this went about as well as I thought, I mused, as his fist came flying towards me.

  ***

  “Raith? Raith? You need to wake up. Raith! Wake up!”

  As a voice started to register in my brain, I realised I was lying prone on the ground and that the commander’s punch must’ve knocked me unconscious. My brain was cycling through its start-up tasks like a computer, reorienting itself with the conscious world and its place in it.

  “Raith! Wake up, god damn it!”

  As if my speech recognition had come online, I realised Anne was speaking to me.