This is a story of a young man.
A man with great potential, and greater ambition.
For this young man everything would start when he was picked for something special,
something he always dreamed of; he was assigned as a Governor for a beautiful planet,
which he would always call “Home”.
In a galaxy of 1.1 million planets a single planet may mean nothing. Even a cluster of planets deemed worthless, like a speck of dust on a wall. But it was good enough for him, for he knew “everything starts small”.
Galaxy’s sheer size and unforgiving nature would easily frighten anyone, but not him. He
saw fortunes in its darkness and opportunities in way it works.
Starting from a rather poor planet might seem unfair, yet it had its perks:
- A well-functioning economy,
- A healthy flow of tax income,
- A formidable armada compared to neighboring planets,
- Ready to go dark matter harvesters, and
- Donations from ever benevolent Galactic Federation.
One could live peacefully on such a planet, minding his own business, collecting taxes,
investing, supporting research and taking no risks at all. Or, one could go the distance,
subdue anyone on his path, test his wits, push his limits and reach the apple on top of the
tree.
He knew that it won’t be easy, and he knew that it won’t be beautiful. Yet he felt ready,
ready to reign his own destiny. The perilous path he chose was not a game, at least, not for the faint hearted.
He knew that he should be ready to:
- Invade,
- Assassinate,
- Sabotage,
- Assimilate,
- Ignite Up Rises,
- Bribe,
- Migrate, and
- Sacrifice.
But did he have the stomach to:
- Undermine Allies,
- Betray, and
- Lie?
He wondered if any humanity would be left in him at the end.
History was full of evil carved out of good men. Was he any different? Could he stand
against the urge or would he yield to the nature of men, a creature with a hollow heart that
nothing could fill?
Would he turn into something he always hated, and was dignity something just for the
weak?