Such were the last moments of the
fortunate age when I still believed in the distinction between past
and future, when I still lived with the lightheartedness that brought
me the ignorance of my death's exact moment.
Finally, the figure I had
been waiting for during weeks, hidden in this cliff-side cave, loomed
on the horizon above the orange waves of this ever raging ocean. The
Brotherhood had gone through a lot of trouble to learn that the
emperor was used to come here alone, and most importantly incognito.
Why would he take such risks? He was not the first and and would not
be the last tyrant to make inconsiderate decisions for the sake of
satisfying his appetites.
But, as the saying goes,
no plan survives contact with the enemy. On observing the approaching
figure of the ship, under the light of the quadruple moonlight, I
soon realized that it was much bigger than usual. It was one of the
ones that allowed for very long distance travels. Fortunately though,
it came to land as planned on the landing area fringed with jungle,
near the drop-off's edge.
Hacking the module
controlling the airlock took much longer than expected, but I managed
to complete the task shortly before the noble courtesans from the
nearby city whose charms the emperor had come to appreciate came out
of the ship. Having waited for their figures to have disappeared into
the lush vegetation, I sneaked up to the airlock and entered the
ship.
It seemed all too easy.
But I had no time for such hesitations. I tossed that feeling aside
and tried instead to find my way on the map that was displayed in the
entrance hall.
Suddenly, I was
interrupted by the sound of an object hitting the floor between my
feet. It was a dagger.
“Come on, let's
fight,” I heard behind me.
I turned around and, on
seeing the imposing figure of the emperor, I was instantly filled
with dismay, unable to move. The despot pressed a button on the
remote control he was holding, before throwing it on the ground to
smash it with a kick. The entire ship started humming. It was taking
off. The tyrant hurled himself towards me, knife out, and took
advantage of my stupor, not to deal me a fatal blow, but to merely
stab me in the thigh.
The pain revived my
instincts. I pushed him back vehemently. He fell head over heels,
which allowed me to pick up the dagger he had thrown earlier. The
rumbling of the ship intensified, and the push multiplied the
sensation of our weight. We were probably passing swiftly through the
planet's atmosphere. I was facing him, ready to strike. He shouted :
“I have been
waiting for this moment for years, son.”
These words rooted me on
the spot, perplexed. We remained for some time in this position. I
was standing, he was lying on the ground, and we were sizing up each
other. When the din had diminished, he continued :
“You think you are
upright and fair. Honest. Moral. Virtuous. Incorruptible. But the
truth is you and me, we are the same. Your actions are not completely
guided by altruism. Just like me, you have deep inside yourself the
cancer of egoism. Sooner or later, it turns into a thirst for
recognition. Then into ambition. Ask yourself: hy are you even taking
all these risks in the first place?”
I decided I had
heard enough. Ignoring the pain that stroke my thigh, I plunged on
him. He made a gesture as inexplicable as unexpected: he tossed his
knife away, and presented his flank to me so that my dagger would
penetrate it easily. He then seized my hand, pushed it back slowly to
extract the blade from his flesh and probably pushed a hidden button,
because it vanished into the handle. I glanced at the knife he had
just used and thrown away, but its blade had also retracted. I
wrenched myself from his weakened grip and got up with difficulty, on
one leg.
“First, it's
purely ego, he said. The music of praise breeds your addiction to
glory. Then, little by little, the thirst for power draws in.
incommensurable wealth and ever refined pleasures finish the job. One
day, you wake up and you realize that you cannot do without all those
any more. That day, you realize that your principles have lost their
value.”
I decided to let him talk.
He was dying anyway. What harm could he do against me? I had
accomplished my mission. I just had to bandage my thigh and wait for
him to die. Seeing that I was not listening carefully, the emperor
changed his tone.
“You think you've won? You think
you'll get away with this just like that? Don't you think it's been a
bit too easy? Let me tell you: I programmed this ship for a trip far
beyond the horizon of perceivable universe. It will not be back
before five hundred billion years. I cannot escape my destiny, I am
going to die soon. But you, you will stay here putting everything
upside down to reprogram the route, but to no avail because I
destroyed the control interface. After having drunk and eaten
everything there is on this ship, you will try to hold up for as long
as you can. But since you desire to live, you will eventually get
into the time dilation tank and wait for the moment of arrival.”
I stood in front of him,
incredulous. The tyrant was now lying in a blood puddle.
Painstakingly, he picked up the dagger, pulled out the blade and tore
open the top of his pants.
Unfortunately, I don't
have the time to narrate what happened to me afterwards, as my time
is now running out. I spread open the fabric to show him the scar I
have on my thigh. My majesty has just enough breath to explain him,
before collapsing:
“Time is
circular.”
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