Quoted By:
“...Earlier in my reign, when I realized my folly, I confided in the Threemind network, who roleplayed as my distant ancestor, Talacent. But while speaking to this... hologram, I decided then and there what I wanted to do with my reign, which was Defend my People. This universe is a dangerous place. But looking back through our history... I can't seem to see us ever being at serious risk of annihilation. It is more as though we are driven by pragmatic self interest.”
“One could argue that pragmatic self interest is indeed a defense mechanism. Securing resources for oneself and ones progeny is necessary for survival, as those resources are coveted by your enemies, who will use them to destroy you if you do not secure them yourself.”
“I understand our philosophy, Cijan Anak, but I do not necessarily think it is true. The Hegemony is a collection of Jaxtians and only Jaxtians, yes, but each one is an individual. What determines who is “one of us”? Is simply being a Jaxtian enough? The loyalists, in deed or spirit? What of the clones or future-Jaxtians who will have so little in common with us we may as well not even be the same species? What about our machines, who could outlast us all when the final stars burn out from the sky, programmed with our drive and purpose?”
“That's so far away, Lord Hass. I think you're getting too philosophical yourself.”
“I tell you this only because you were once a Supreme Ruler yourself- multiple times I have been tempted and had the opportunity to sacrifice my own citizens for our own ends. I'm certainly not protecting them if I did that, but I sent soldiers to die as well, and they did so gladly.”
“They died protecting their people too, my lord.”
“Then WHO are the people? Those of noble blood? Can't be that, I proved it not so. Or is it only onself,, myself, who is worth of preservation? Does the scrapping away of purity ever end? But it cannot be just anyone, not just any sentient creature either. Talacent learned that mistake himself, sometimes, you have to reject those who would masquerade as your allies for their own gain. The body spends immense resources to nourish its own cells, and yet some of those cells are cancerous. Who, exactly, am I supposed to be protecting?”
“To be honest, my Lord Takar, throughout the course of my life I had often had a similar thought, back when the Hegemony had multiple intelligent species living under its banner. But in the end, no great matter of scholastic thought or philosophy can truly answer it. Your own analogy of the body works best. Remove the cells that are cancerous, but keep the healthy tissues. In other words, protect your friends and kill your enemies. No other answer can suffice.”
>Quest continues tomorrow, stay tuned!
