The battle aboard the ship is swift and brutal. The welfare officer is disposed of in the first engagement, the collar caught in a blast of wind as the archer draws and fires her bow in less than a second. The arrow cuts the welfare officer down, but that’s just the beginning.
The soldiers turn their attention towards seizing the ship and there are few battle-ready forces there to defend it. Too few.
The ship is an asset that anyone would want to claim for themselves, but without the right skill set it’s a near-impossible task. The strangest part of it all is that there are people on board the ship that should have the power to completely shrug off any attacks from the soldiers-turned-criminal, but they’re not fighters.
They were trained by their culture that any such violence is unacceptable, and thus they’re cowering with those too weak to do anything, along for the ride because they’re unwilling to use their strength to take control of the situation. The soldiers, no longer held back by the rules imposed on them, easily overcome the few defenders but the pilot is hurt in the conflict and pulled away from the enchantments controlling the vessel.
Without the pilot, the ship is about as good as any old naval vessel, it falls from the sky. Those too weak die on impact, those who are stronger will have to find a way to survive until they can reconnect with civilisation, and the soldiers will have to survive apart from the society that they betrayed, the society that betrayed them.
Is there something we could have done to change this story?
Could we have safely guided the vessel to port, rather than letting it fall?
I doubt it.
If we were more prepared, if we were stronger and more capable, then we could have stepped in and taken control of the situation. We’re not capable of that yet.
How many tragedies are currently occurring outside of sight, stories we could change the ending of?
There are already countless tragedies in my sight within the monarch, the republic, and the academy above, but I have no good way of stepping in to change things. Not today at least, but maybe tomorrow when I’m stronger.
Instead, I must do what I can with the strength that I have. I will save my own people from suffering, at least as much as I can, and to that ends, I need to have organisations to work on my behalf.
“We’re calling it a labour department,” June says, smiling brightly as she walks us through the facility. Employees are hard at work at their desks and conversing over tables as they move through paperwork stored and transmitted through brain-chips. “The primary purpose of the organisation is to match unemployed people with work that needs to be done, work that they’re suited to.
“Just about everyone in our empire is happy to find employment, and it’s not just for their own sakes, they want to be useful. They want to be important, and most people find that through meaningful work. We just have to provide them with training and direction.”
“Others are a little more difficult,” Slan says. “The majority of our people are gremlins, who are inspired to work because of their culture, those who don’t work don’t eat. They just need the direction and education that June was talking about, the colonists from the Lord’s colony don’t even need that, but there is a minority of our citizens who aren’t so easy to work with.
“There are people who are struggling through various issues that the healers can’t fix. These mind doctors that you’ve brought are working with them, but it seems that there’s no easy solution. We have, however, found odd jobs and tasks that suit them as suggested by these therapists.”
“Are there any problems?” I ask, glad to hear everything so far but concerned with how badly all this could go. Every society fails at times, sometimes even the best of intentions can lead to tragedies, and I do not want that to happen here.
In regards to this department, we will eventually have to deal with issues like worker shortages, or unemployment. These are problems we have even back on Earth, but solutions were rarely as brutal as can be seen in examples brought up by my advisors.
Eating the unemployed, or mass producing a few hundred kids to fill out your workforce with subjects trained from birth for the role, are just two of the ‘pragmatic’ solutions that have been described to me. While I am willing to consider any idea that is brought up, some options are rather easier to discard than others.
At least understanding these options has given me good inspiration to avoid the problems that would require that kind of solution. Directing labour to the right places now could be the difference between eating and starving in a year’s time.
“There were a few troubles here and there but nothing we couldn’t solve,” June says happily, finishing up her speech and turning her glittering eyes to me.
“I think for the moment, trying to perfect what we’ve developed would be unproductive,” Slan says, more moderately “We should keep watch over the labour department and see how well it functions.”
“I have my panel of experts already invested in observing,” I say, shaking my head. I’ve spent the morning with them walking through my city and taking in the changes. The streets are a little busier than the last time I was here, all sorts of people are wandering back and forth. Those who are strolling or paused seem to be enjoying themselves, and only a few times do we cross paths with anyone particularly gloomy.
“People need to feel like they’re a part of something, like their lives mean something,” June says. “A hunter should feel satisfied in bringing back the meat for everyone to eat, a smith should be satisfied seeing their metal tools used by others, it’s important to find that satisfaction in your work. To know and feel like you’re doing something meaningful. I’m glad that I get to help make that happen.”
“People work for more than just the money,” I say.
“Yes, but money still matters,” Slan says. “More than just using it to buy things that you need, which should be an obvious point, it’s proof that a person is valued. A person needs to see that their labour is productive, and they need to be properly rewarded for it.”
“Working just for the pay-check is no way to live at all, but everyone still needs food to eat, a place to sleep, and a hole to shit in,” I agree. “One more thing before I leave, do you have any plans for a logistics department?”
“Logistics?” June asks.
“People to keep count of everything,” I say. “I’m not sure how normal governments go about this, but I need to know if we’ll have enough food when we get to next year. For that, I need to know roughly how much food the farms will have, how good the hunting is, how much food we get through trade, and how many mouths we’ll be feeding.
“I need to know how much crystal we have and whether we can keep producing mana shards at the same rate that we are right now, and a dozen other things. There are problems that could sneak up on us if we don’t have people paying attention to these matters.”
“An interesting problem,” Slan mumbles, his long serpentine tail curling up around him. “We’ll look into that and put it into our schedule.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Thank you, and well done with all this,” I say, glad that I trusted them with this. “This department alone changes things for thousands of people, and more with each day. Keep up the good work and if there’s anything you ever need, come right to me and I’ll see that you get it.”
“When I was talking about purpose, I wasn’t just talking about the labour department,” June says, smiling brightly. “Working on this, I’ve found something I can do that changes things. I can do something about the problems I see, and it’s like… it’s like a dream.”
“If everyone is half as enthusiastic about their work, then I think we’ll build a utopia by accident,” I say. “Don’t burn yourself out.”
“I don’t think that’s possible for her,” Slan says, peering at his partner with a frustrated sigh. “We won’t keep you any longer, you have others to check on?”
“A few,” I admit, saying my goodbyes and moving on through the busy streets. The city is teeming with life, and its own burgeoning culture built from the bits and pieces that we’ve gathered together here. Music is the biggest difference, as anyone with a voice and two sticks to clap together can make music.
Some are imitating grand performances that they can’t quite do justice to, while others are making music of their own, raw and rough, but based upon alien themes and genres that seem vaguely familiar. Then there are those like the gremlins who never had time for too much of this before. They’re the least shy about hollering badly performed music, but there’s a raw emotion carried in the desperate hunt for the right note that holds charm regardless.
I’ll be surprised if they don’t develop new musical genres by the time they grow into their talents.
At first, when I was dreaming of making this empire I was considering how to make the details work, somewhat afraid of how I’d resolve all the issues that I don’t understand. The truth that I’ve found instead is that this society isn’t really, truly mine. Not like something a person can own.
I run things here, I’m powerful enough to get whatever I please and make changes wherever I see problems, but still, I’m just a part of this. The culture, the music, the industry, I can influence these things, make new rules or institutions to crush or develop our society in any direction I please, but in the end, it’s the people that make this empire.
They decide what music is good and what is not, they decide what they want to buy and what they would rather leave on the shelves, and they decide what to farm, and how to treat one another. I have more power here than almost anyone, but I’m still only a part of a greater whole. The most important thing that I can do is to grant others power to enact positive change in the way that June and Slan have while ensuring that no corruption is allowed to fester here.
There’s a good reason I can’t do everything myself. In order to properly develop a good institution, a person needs to look through a whole lot of history, talk to a lot of people, understand the cultures and values of those using the institution, and then slowly design it, adjusting it as needed.
It's a full-time job and then some, it’s more than one person, even a superhuman, can achieve.
Instead of taking a hands-on approach, I’m keeping a little distance and acting as overseer to the projects, giving ideas here and there but largely letting my managers handle the details of the work. If it were me, I’d probably develop the labour department completely differently with a larger focus on good wages and incentives, but I’m quite sure that it wouldn’t be quite as productive as what June and Slan have built.
If there are issues with this labour department as it is, then I’ll assist in determining the issues and leading the repair or replacement of it. I can’t build everything myself, but I must be responsible for keeping it all running.
I clear up my thoughts as I approach my next meeting. There is too much happening at once and it’s starting to get to my head.
“Kyra, you’re back. You wanted to check on our work?” The scientist waves me inside where I see a gathered group of animals sitting at attention as another scientist stands over them with a treat in hand.
The rats are acting like dogs, the dogs like kids, and the cats are being jerks like normal. The scientists are excitedly analysing it all as they encourage a Labrador through some simple division problems. I expect some of that excitement to die when the cows start leaving behind written wills for their mourning families.
Is your burger really worth it?
The question only leads to the harsh realisation that much of the universe will answer with a definitive ‘yes, now quit bitching and get in the food processor’. Or, actually, most of the beasts around don’t really care that much for food preparation and will eat the cow whole rather than wasting time talking to it. The Unified States will demand the cow behave itself without telling it right from wrong so as to call it a justified killing when the burger gets to the table.
The scientists here have a few other projects going on, and I take a moment to discuss the computer chip that I’m still struggling to use. I guess I’m not as amazing as I was hoping I’d be.
They’ve made a few changes to try and make the idea work better but the interface between digital and organic data processing is difficult to completely bridge.
I move to the next thing and the next thing after that, cleaning up all the business I can before finally settling down with Nel and the others for dinner.
“You look ragged,” Nel says, resting her hand on her belly. She’s not quite showing yet, but it won’t be long before her pregnancy is made visible. It still feels so distant.
“We can’t ever be like Unity,” I declare. “If we’re all made into one person, then I’d have to do everything myself and that’s just crazy.”
“Yes, well that is one reason to reject such an operation,” Nel remarks dryly. “Regardless, I’m glad to have you all back, I was getting lonely.”
“I’m glad to be back,” I say relaxing into the chair.
Soft music flows out from a box in the corner of the room, I recognise Ria’s crystalline voice. Pleasant scents fill the room from a flower on the table flickering with soft pink flames.
I need to train, I need to build, and there’s a long list of matters to attend to, but for now, for today, I’m going to embrace life. I’m not Unity, and I refuse to follow in its self-sacrificial path. I’m not some sombre creature living to enact my ideals.
“Nel,” I say her name crawling up to her side and resting my head on her shoulder. She pulls me closer, Vii and Eshya are close by, while Adler dozes off on her own.
“Kyra,” Nel says my name, the sound rolling off of her lips with a sweet familiarity and a deep longing mirroring my own. To love and be loved is more than spending time together, it’s more than the moments of lust.
To be different but the same, puzzle pieces fitting around each other, longing to be ever closer but never quite one whole.
I don’t want to rule for the sake of the empire, for the people, for some distant ideals, or even to make a mark on history. I want an empire to protect this, and there is no point in spending my whole existence protecting something that I can’t find the time to embrace.
“Forget it all, just for now,” Nel whispers. “Look only at us and forget everyone else and everything else.”
I acquiesce, it was my intention from the start. We don’t speak of love or affection, we have no need to explain the warmth glowing inside of each of us, slightly different but complementary.
At some point Adler wakes, joining us without any of the hesitations that she usually struggles with. Vii chirps happily, making cute noises to agree or disagree as we turn our minds to foods. Eshya laughs at some embarrassing things as we talk of our pasts, and the future that we have to look forward to.
The night lasts long, and we soon forget the meaningless conversations, but the warmth of this night lingers on. Even when I forget today, hundreds of years from now, this warmth will still be with us, burning in our hearts until time itself grows old.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Stats and Skills
~Mana Form:
Current mana density: 44,394 / 60,892 units
Current mana volume: 22,069 / 30,271 shards
Mana volume at crystallisation density (Max. mana volume):
Kyra: 30,271 shards
Kyra’s armour: 20,777 shards
Kyra’s throne: 1,109,298 shards
~Forms
Mana Canon
-Annihilation Heart (Adapted)
-Blood Fuel (Adapted)
-Bone Magic Storage (Adapted)
-Nail Shifters (50,000 mana shards)
Dancer
-Flash Nerves (Adapted)
-Quick Perception Mind (Adapted)
-Burst Reflex Muscles (35,000 mana shards)
-Layered space Muscles (80,000 mana shards)
Turtle
-Rebinding Tissue (Adapted)
-Catalyst Sweat Glands (140,000 mana shards)
-Repulsive Skin (Adapted)
-Prehensile hair (Adapted)
-Fatty Tissue Blood Storage (100,000 mana shards)
Investigator
-Wide eyes (Adapted)
-Wide ears (Adapted)
-Sharp nose (Adapted)
Misc.
-Clean bowels (Adapted)
-Mana Drive (Adapted)
~Favourited Skills:
Magic:
-Annihilation Magic (Customised)
-Fire Magic (Functional)
-Space magic (Broken)
-Force magic (Functional)
-Ice magic (Broken)
-Wind magic (Broken)
Movement:
-Hand-to-hand casting (Functional)
-Mana surge movement (Functional)
-Stealth (Functional)
Senses:
-Eyes of an Empire (Customised)
-Combat Awareness (Functional)
-Watchmen (Functional)
-Hidden bug (Mastered)
-De-tagging (Mastered)
-Anti-stealth sight (Mastered)
Special:
-Spirit Transformation (Broken)
-Conformity (Broken)
-Training mana form (Functional)