The Purge AAR
The lab was dark and empty. But in the gloom, there was a dim, red light. On a small monitor, bright scarlet numbers ticked.
Not a single soul was there to witness the silent ticking of the scarlet numbers. But the lab was not abandoned – on the contrary, it was outfitted with cutting-edge technology and was clearly well-maintained.
Suddenly, a voice traveled from the hallway outside.
"I don’t care what the Council has decided! We can’t let this force loose on our neighbors. It goes against everything we stand for!"
The voice belonged to an elderly male. He looked disheveled and sleep-deprived. Sliding beside him was a middle-aged female with a grave expression.
She uttered an exasperated noise and replied, "Look, Uofl, we’ve been over this. I know that what we are doing seems terrible. But it’s too late to go back now. Yes, we will be causing an incredible amount of suffering. But it’s all for a greater cause. This is the only way to ensure the galaxy’s survival. The storm is coming."
The elderly male entered the lab room, and the female followed him. Either of them could turn on the lights in the room with a thought, but the darkness was oddly fitting for the situation, so they both refrained from using the mind trigger that would signal their wishes to the room's AI. The use of such commands had almost become an unconscious reflex for their species since they started integrating their brains with technology.
Uofl pointed at the numbers on the display.
His finger was shaking, and he seemed to be on the verge of breaking down. "Look here, Akgr, there’s still time! We have 3 more microns before the programming triggers the project!"
The female grabbed Uofl with two of her six limbs and shook him violently.
"Pull yourself together! We are consuls, this manner of acting is not befit of your station. You’ve seen the readings. Something is approaching our galaxy, and we need to be ready to face it. This is our only chance!"
The male spun on her suddenly, sending small blobs of blue saliva flying. "Face it, Akgr?!? You mean huddling in underground tunnels for more than a hundred cycles, hoping that our dread creations do not detect our presence? Hoping that the blind spots we’ve hidden in the programming hold throughout the years, that they don’t exterminate us like they will exterminate all those who they come across?"
Akgr waved her middle arms in a conciliatory gesture, and replied, "I know, it’s not noble. It’s not brave. But it’s our only option. The factions, empires and corporations in this galaxy will never pool their resources and work toward a common goal, even if that common goal is their survival. We need millions of ships to fight what’s coming. The only way to put all those resources to one goal is to take this quadrant by force, for the good of the galaxy."
Uofl slumped a little, her words having the desired effect. He said, "But to kill so many... Trillions of entities... We don’t even know if this... project," he spat the word, "will work. We might be committing a terrible crime for nothing..."
Akgr glanced at the timer and back at the defeated-looking old male. She said in a soothing tone, "The models show that this project has the highest probability of success out of all the alternatives. And yes, it could be for naught. The mass readings of the oncoming... whatever that is... is off the charts. But we have to try. For the good of the galaxy."
As the clock ticked over to 23:59, Uofl’s eyes widened, and his slumped back suddenly turned straight. Something was stirring in him, and as he was visibly invigorated. His chest rose proudly, and his legs assumed a steadied and tense stance, the ancient pose of a fearless warrior ready to fight.
"No, Akgr. I cannot have this on my conscience. This is WRONG!"
As he shouted the last word, his hand dove for the abort button next to the timer. Moving frantically, Akgr swung two of her arms in an upward motion, deflecting Uofl’s hand from the panel. She could barely see in the gloom of the lab, but she had been positioned and ready. At the same time, one of her hands reached into a pocket and pulled out a sharp blade.
Without hesitating, she drove it into the soft spot on the side of his neck. Uofl wore a shocked look on his face, still not understanding what had happened. She twisted the blade, and a microt later his eyes glazed over as he fell to the ground.
A big pool of vital fluids instantly started forming under his sprawled body. In the dim lab, the dark blood was barely visible to her, the light of the scarlet letters blocking out anything else.
The blade clanged as she dropped it to the ground. Her knees gave way as it dawned on her what she had just set in motion.
Her voice was but a faint whisper. "For the good of the galaxy."
The lab was dark and empty. But in the gloom, there was a dim, red light. On a small monitor, bright scarlet numbers ticked.
Not a single soul was there to witness the silent ticking of the scarlet numbers. But the lab was not abandoned – on the contrary, it was outfitted with cutting-edge technology and was clearly well-maintained.
Suddenly, a voice traveled from the hallway outside.
"I don’t care what the Council has decided! We can’t let this force loose on our neighbors. It goes against everything we stand for!"
The voice belonged to an elderly male. He looked disheveled and sleep-deprived. Sliding beside him was a middle-aged female with a grave expression.
She uttered an exasperated noise and replied, "Look, Uofl, we’ve been over this. I know that what we are doing seems terrible. But it’s too late to go back now. Yes, we will be causing an incredible amount of suffering. But it’s all for a greater cause. This is the only way to ensure the galaxy’s survival. The storm is coming."
The elderly male entered the lab room, and the female followed him. Either of them could turn on the lights in the room with a thought, but the darkness was oddly fitting for the situation, so they both refrained from using the mind trigger that would signal their wishes to the room's AI. The use of such commands had almost become an unconscious reflex for their species since they started integrating their brains with technology.
Uofl pointed at the numbers on the display.
His finger was shaking, and he seemed to be on the verge of breaking down. "Look here, Akgr, there’s still time! We have 3 more microns before the programming triggers the project!"
The female grabbed Uofl with two of her six limbs and shook him violently.
"Pull yourself together! We are consuls, this manner of acting is not befit of your station. You’ve seen the readings. Something is approaching our galaxy, and we need to be ready to face it. This is our only chance!"
The male spun on her suddenly, sending small blobs of blue saliva flying. "Face it, Akgr?!? You mean huddling in underground tunnels for more than a hundred cycles, hoping that our dread creations do not detect our presence? Hoping that the blind spots we’ve hidden in the programming hold throughout the years, that they don’t exterminate us like they will exterminate all those who they come across?"
Akgr waved her middle arms in a conciliatory gesture, and replied, "I know, it’s not noble. It’s not brave. But it’s our only option. The factions, empires and corporations in this galaxy will never pool their resources and work toward a common goal, even if that common goal is their survival. We need millions of ships to fight what’s coming. The only way to put all those resources to one goal is to take this quadrant by force, for the good of the galaxy."
Uofl slumped a little, her words having the desired effect. He said, "But to kill so many... Trillions of entities... We don’t even know if this... project," he spat the word, "will work. We might be committing a terrible crime for nothing..."
Akgr glanced at the timer and back at the defeated-looking old male. She said in a soothing tone, "The models show that this project has the highest probability of success out of all the alternatives. And yes, it could be for naught. The mass readings of the oncoming... whatever that is... is off the charts. But we have to try. For the good of the galaxy."
As the clock ticked over to 23:59, Uofl’s eyes widened, and his slumped back suddenly turned straight. Something was stirring in him, and as he was visibly invigorated. His chest rose proudly, and his legs assumed a steadied and tense stance, the ancient pose of a fearless warrior ready to fight.
"No, Akgr. I cannot have this on my conscience. This is WRONG!"
As he shouted the last word, his hand dove for the abort button next to the timer. Moving frantically, Akgr swung two of her arms in an upward motion, deflecting Uofl’s hand from the panel. She could barely see in the gloom of the lab, but she had been positioned and ready. At the same time, one of her hands reached into a pocket and pulled out a sharp blade.
Without hesitating, she drove it into the soft spot on the side of his neck. Uofl wore a shocked look on his face, still not understanding what had happened. She twisted the blade, and a microt later his eyes glazed over as he fell to the ground.
A big pool of vital fluids instantly started forming under his sprawled body. In the dim lab, the dark blood was barely visible to her, the light of the scarlet letters blocking out anything else.
The blade clanged as she dropped it to the ground. Her knees gave way as it dawned on her what she had just set in motion.
Her voice was but a faint whisper. "For the good of the galaxy."
