Unholy Star, Beyond Faith

The Starlight. and, A Coming Together.

King Violaceae II lay naked on the chaise lounge situated on the canvas-covered platform in the centre of the royal courtyard. "Eighteen." He raised and lowered his right leg. "Nineteen." He raised and lowered his left leg. "Twenty!" He completed the exercise with his right leg and exhaled an exaggerated breath that was met with a cuckoo from one of the peacocks roaming the area.

"Processor, how did I do? I'm really feeling that in my hamstrings."

"That was close to a personal best, your Majesty."

"Well, aren't you going to congratulate me?"

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

The King continued to lay, staring at the ornate patterns on the newly commissioned roof cover. He had become anxious having a clear view into space. Even though there was a garrison of his best assault fighters guarding the parameters of the area, there was always the chance that someone had discovered a new tech that would allow them to spy on him from a great distance. He liked the feeling of not wearing clothes, and his worst fear was that someone would release footage of him engaged in his royal duty and without clothes.

"Processor, are you sure that nobody can penetrate the canvas with a camera?"

"Yes Sire. There is no known imaging technology that could do that."

"Well, I'm thinking about adding another layer anyway."

The King sat upright and stretched. "Processor, I'd like an update on the state of that silly Reformation. I'm considering lending assistance to the Church. To be quite honest, I'm getting sick and tired of their nagging for such."

"The Reformation can be categorised into two areas of interest. Area 1: The locally organised civil movements that have been informally established in response to the Reformation's abolition of the Terminatio Die. Such activity has increased twenty point nine per cent following the Kingdom's defeat at Geolan. It affects seventy-three point one per cent of the Kingdom's stellar and non-stellar regions. Similar patterns are surfacing at Sovereign states; particularly at Ophiuchia where ninety-four of said state's regions are experiencing civil unrest."

"Civil unrest: Explain."

"Generally peaceful movements where sections of the population have embraced the abolition of the Terminatio Die. The number of Illegal genetic refreshes has increased by an abnormal rate, and such offenders have received physical protection against the Church such that they are untouchable."

"Against the death dealers?"

"Yes Sire, the remaining death squads. In several cases, the Church has been ejected from the region. Most notably of these in your Kingdom are the Outer Hebrides and the Albion systems."

"Interesting." The King yawned. "I'm getting sleepy. Is there anything we can do to improve the situation?"

"The Kingdom's non-intervention is already being considered, by external parties, as complicit support for the Reformation's movement."

"What does this mean? I don't understand."

"It means that you are being seen as supporting the Reformation movement."

"Really? How interesting. Should I support the movement?"

"That is a decision for you and you alone, Sire."

"Processor, what would you do?"

"A logical course of action would be to consult with the Tuath Dé, they are, after all, the sacred heart of the Kingdom."