Despite the urge from my body to pull the trigger and my consciousness justifying such an extreme action… It almost felt primitive to do so… As if I was doing something wrong and the only excusable clause was to spew my brain across the floor and feel as the light slowly leaves my eyes.

… Yes, I did do something wrong…

… I challenged their authority…

… I am nothing, for they are everything…

… I shouldn’t have ever said that… What was I thinking…

… I should punish myself…

“… Miya.”

… My life’s purpose is to serve, not to have opinions…

“… Miya…”

… I must end myself before I cause them any more trouble… Before I make myself useless and—

“… Miya, that’s enough.”

Despite the excessive ringing in my ear and the whiteness clouding my eyes, I could still make out a voice saying my name. After a few moments, I shake my head with a sudden gasp. My heart pounding through my chest, the taste of blood on the back of my tongue along with the room echoing my heavy breaths.

The faint flowery scent invokes my nose once more and causes me to sigh in relief. A softness covers my front. Despite my eyes being unable to adjust, I make out long hair braids moving past my eyelashes like shutters on a window.

My chin leans onto an object which is also soft yet firm as another object starts to brush the top of my hair and lead down to my neck in a caring manner.

… Is this what they call… A hug? And for whom is performing such an action… And why, to me, of all people? Did I perform a good deed? Am I being praised?

After several blinks, several waves of blue and green shoot past my eyes, then my vision returns to normal. I look to my left, Emelia’s cheek pressed against mine as she continues to hold me and caress my hair. The hand holding my gun trembles in her grasp as she moves it away from my noggin.

I finally come to my senses noticing we’re now sprawled on the ground, my hand wielding my pistol lowers to the ground. Emelia raises her head and gives me a concerned look over, then smushes my cheeks together with her hand and turns my head with a concerned gaze.

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“… Are you alright? Y-you’re back?” Emelia asks as she continues to survey my face and body.

“Yuesh mwa’am.” I answer with my tongue pressed against my inner mouth.

Emelia's eyes light up as she jumps to the floor and extends her arm forward. “Fascinating… You didn’t give in to the psychological prompts implanted in your consciousness.”

I take her hand and stand back on my feet, holding a hand up to my head with heavy eyelids. “I don’t… Understand…”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t. But that discussion is for another time, I just needed to know that you wouldn’t succumb like the others.”

Emelia then leans her back onto the table, crossing her arms under her bosom with a scratch of her head. “This is my second day as the Coordinant of this sector; I was recently promoted after a successful raid in the Vlador territory. The last Coordinant was, removed, due to them using their influence to make his subordinates do things they never wanted to do.”

“Is that why I almost wanted to put a hole in my head without a second thought?”

Emelia nods her head. “Precisely why. In the camps set up on Planet 4056-E they do something to you, make you slaves to your will. Then they continue to drive it into your head with a drug of unknown origin.”

“I-I don’t understand… Why are you telling me of all people this? It’s not my place to question how the Federation—“

My statement is cut short as Emelia gives me an intense stare with piercing eyes. My hand instinctively rubs my arm with my head pinned to the ground.

“… I didn’t mean to speak out of line… Sorry.”

Emelia’s eyes soften as she raises her hand toward me but stops midway. “I didn’t mean to… It’s just, it’s not right, what they’re doing in this sector. The higher you go in the chain of command the more you’ll see other individuals feel the same. But here, it stops with me.”

She then takes a small silver pamphlet from her coat pocket and lays it flat in her hand. A holographic screen materializes in front of her, forming a bustling city with neon blue and white lights and hovering star-craft cruising above the city ground.

Emilia looks past the screen towards me. “Do you know where this is?”

My eyes search the blinking lights until something clicks in my head. “That’s… The capitol Striotask, home to the highest-ranking Ya’valt both of wealth and servitude. It’s located on Planet 399-G, Grukiamen.“

“… False,” Emilia shakes her head as she places the pamphlet on the table. “It’s actually located back on 4056-E.”

“What? But… The scholastic space logs say that…”

“And I’m telling you that it’s fabricated. After the Federation’s planned assault on 4056, they never left. In fact, they were so intrigued with how humans carried themselves that they decided to stay.”

According to the planetary space logs, 4056-E was destroyed several years ago during their war with the human race… If what she’s saying is true, then the Galactic Federation’s biggest accomplishment is but a hoax.

“… Precisely.”

My eyes widen as I take a step back. My thigh knocks into the silver chair at my backside, making it stagger before crashing onto the floor with a soft thump.

“Y-you could read my thoughts… This entire time?”

Emilia nods her head and gives me a soft smile.

“I could hear every single undisciplined and controversial thought you’ve had thus far, Miya.”