Beacons in The Dark

Chapter 4 - The Autonomous Emperor

"What makes this universe liveable is the chaos imposed by the ever thinking mind onto the already tumultuous nature of the cosmos." - Final words of Ong Badnu, 99th NeoZen Grandmaster

Far from the jeweled Superplanet of Alphanas sat the headquarters of the Holy Autonomous Empire on the planet Onlaad. It supported no other settlers or inhabitants other than the Imerial City know as Ando One.

In the midst of the gargantuan deserted city sat the Imperial Palace, an insane structure that dwarfed all of the other shell and governmental function buildings. It was not the size that only dwarfed everything else but the sheer regal beauty of the royal building. Resembling lost greek temples with high vluted porecrete columns thicker than redwoods and stretching kilometers into the sky so that clouds floating around and about the outer chambers like children circling a maypole.

There were entire gardens in the outside complex full of Etrian glowtrees that light the nights sky with their faint purple luminescence.

Inside the Great Palace, the Hall of the Autonomous Emperor, a room that could house a small city alone, adorned with statues of thousands upon thousands of different races adorned about like a stone army.

The dais leading to the royal throne was also Etrian glow-wood, but the throne upon which the Autonomous Emperor sat made it look tawdry indeed - a collected of rare gems fused together to create a single jeweled throne that threw out facets of rainbow light, whose beauty was so renowned that the dream poets of Bassan cried golden tears as they attempted to translate the smallest fragment of its beauty into mere words.

Upon this magnificent throned perched a figure show shimmered amidst even the glow of the throne.

The Autonomous Emperor  was man shaped, and covered completely in a layer of what looked like flowing chromium - the head was smooth and rounded, the face blank, not the blankness of small emotion, but the absence of actual features. It was said the Emperor was the perfected combination of human and artifical intelligence.

The Imperial Adviser, Anrus Anree, stood next to the throne, leaning closely to speak with the Emperor.

"We have received reports of growing Jhiva activity and related religious cults." he said in a thin, reedy voice, Anrus being a pale, mousy looking human.

The Emperor spoke, his voice a twin modulation of human and machine, "Once tapped, it is hard to bottle again. We have foreseen such events and as of yet sense no great danger. We are benevolent and a billion fiefs bend the knee to our holy rule, where there is chaos, we bring order and to the ignorant we bring enlightenment."

He continued, "Primus Nine has declared independence. Their parliament has order a stop shipment moratorium on all and future flame esther shipments. Viceroy Zakrus has decried Imperial Rule and released a manifesto entitled 'Autonomous Tyranny'. This I know. This has spread to four outlying planets, none of which are major shipping or Holy Armada military hubs."

Leaning forward, his chromium face shifting into a contemplative feature, false eyes conjured and narrowed in thought.

"We will dispatch the Galvinizers to Primus Nine; eradicate the intelligentsia, a few corporate heads and clergy, and as an artherthought, we shall utterly raze three of their major cities. Though we wish to teach a lesson to these dissidents, we must also show small measures of mercy as well. The children of the cities to be razed, twelve and under, will be requisitioned before the destruction so that they may begin their training as future Galvanizers and Holy Armada soldiers."

He leaned back in his throne and after a few moments, said, "Viceroy Zakrus will be branded a heretic, to be executed for treasonous crimes detrimental to the empire. Dispatch the forces at once, and bring a few thousand Armada Clerics to reinforce the faith."

Anree bowed and exited the chamber to execute his orders.