11 Maker of Will

APEX LABORATORY - The Emperor's personal laboratory. As the name implies, it is at the tip of the Tetrahedral Palace, two and a half kilometers from Sadareepo Plateau's surface. Even Emmer Xai is forbidden to go there without his parent's presence. Lexai and akhmadian intellectuals know that the Emperor has a forbidden room, and they could only surmise that it is where the Emperor developed a way of making Kers creatures intelligent. Emmer knows that this is also where his father keeps the Crystal Memory Staff before retiring to bed.

Emperor Egher and Prince Emmer entered the only passage to the Apex. They opened a vault, and entered a cubicle whose space is good for three Mekholis. There is no other lift to the Apex except through this one. It was designed in such a way that anybody who uses this lift goes only one way. The lift returns to the Apex whether or not the Emperor is in the laboratory.

The two waited for the lift to go down from the Apex. When it did, they entered and began a conversation.

"We stimulated the earth-human's brain so he can talk the Mother Tongue."

"What did you learn from our extragalactic visitor?"

"The vehicle got lost on its way to Capella. From what he reported, I think the Mother Wormhole that our ancestors made transcended through time when it was opened. Somehow, they were at the proper time and space coordinate when the Wormhole we created thousands of years ago opened. It was a statistical improbability but it happened nevertheless."

"There could be others from other time periods who will appear near Hammada. It is best that we place Star Sailors there so they can monitor anything similar to what happened. Incidentally, how is he?"

"He calls himself Zebedee Ontulan, an Asian of Malayo-Polynesian roots. He kept on asking whether we could revive Maria, his consort."

"What did you tell him?" The Emperor's face turned apprehensive, as if afraid that he already knew what his son is going to tell.

"I told him that she's dead, although her body was preserved and is still in orbit around Hammada. I also told him that she would be maimed for the rest of her life or worse, she might not recognize him if we revive her. He saw her before I sent her body away."

"You didn't bury the dead ones in space?"

"Not yet. I will do that after I study them."

"You should bury them in Hammada. Zebedee himself will provide you enough data, without resorting to studying their bodies. If he seeks a partner, a female human from any planet in Andromeda will do. Although they might experience a cultural shock."

"Some humans do not immediately seek a partner after knowing the death of a loved-one. They still have to mourn."

The Apex is the Emperor's laboratory, and this is only Emmer's second time to see it. He could still remember the day when his father and mother surgically implanted something inside the head of a Kersi creature, who later turned out to be Leeh Xamai, his personal bodyguard.

The Emperor led him to inside.

"You should be familiar with these things by now, since I consider you under my training. The table here is where we operate on Kersi creatures, if you wish to add to a personnel. You can imagine how much time I spent here when I operated on hundreds of Kersians. At that time, the robots were still very useful, and they also operated on thousands of Star Sailors and Palace Servants before your grandfather, Emperor Kowes decided to retire the robots. Now, we have to operate often. I decided to let you know the method, since I might not be able to cope with the demands of sending Star Sailors and Imperial Forces to our subject planets."

"Do you still use other types of robots?"

"The dungeons still use mechanized machines, which can also be classified as robots on manufacturing our Deu crystals, although the oinoskambs harvest the Xai crystals now."

Emmer looked on the table. Just like most objects in the Palace, this one is made of quartz crystal, so clear that the objects on top seemed afloat in the air.

"Tell me, Father how did you get a huge creature like Xamai, or any Guardian for that matter?"

"Xamai is my first successful experiment. I studied much the behavior of many Andromedan creatures and the Kersi are the easiest to control without much problem. Lexai and akhmadians are far too intelligent, almost like humans. Kuralla, their home planet was close enough to Xavenon. As a Kersi creature, Xamai cannot be easily captured. I even baited myself to him."

"What?" Emmer uttered in shock.

"I was not afraid of him, since I have studied them well enough to know that I can control their mind."

"Can we do that to humans?"

"We can, but it requires a lot of strength to overpower them, since their minds are not too different from ours. The difference is more on mental strength rather than ability. Our minds are stronger, but not better than humans, and we are less prone to impulses and violent behavior. Humans can imitate that but not for long. Given the right stimulus, humans always behave predictably."

His father picked something from the table.

"This is your tool when you operate on a newly captured Kers creature. The slot at the middle is where you place the Leip crystal. It is very automatic. But you can program this for any creature, including us."

Emmer took the device from his father. A thing that looks like a headband but a lot thicker. A slot, for the Leip crystal embedding is at the center. From what he can see, a small drill to the skull, so imperceptibly tiny and while the side of the band controls the creature's sensory perception. He remembered that a similar band was strapped on a sleeping Xamai. When Xamai awoke, his father had programmed its mind, and the creature responded as expected. From then on Xamai can speak the Mother Tongue and exhibit characteristics of an intelligent, yet loyal being. Xamai has become a Kersian.

"You can help me select the appropriate creature for programming."

"Can we totally program a creature to respond to our command without question?"

"In principle. But even if one has studied the mind of a creature, with its strengths and weaknesses extensively, I cannot guarantee 100 percent obedience. However, that is itself an advantage, since the creatures can express their abilities without resorting to rebellion."

Emmer looked around. He saw the Staff, his father's symbol of authority. Lying on a wooden table, two meters in length, topped with a metallic cube. He once saw his father look at it when making decisions. As if it can tell him something. His father detected his curious gaze.

"You will be able to know much of its secret as soon as you ascend the throne. I cannot tell you anything about it, even if I wanted to."

"I am sorry, father. It doesn't mean that I am interested in it."

"You should be, after all, you will hold it one day."

What is good about staying up in Apex is that one can see from two and half kilometers up the wonderful view of Sadareepo plain. Entirely green, with marks of other colors such as brown and white, Emmer can see the Xai plantation to the north. The cloudy sky seemed much closer and he can feel the power of his father from this vantage point. Sadareepo is inhabited only by Kersians, mekholis, and some humans. A large section of it can be seen from this Apex and somehow, the center of the Andromedan Empire looks empty. No technological wonders cover the plains of Sadareepo, no magnificent buildings nor large cities surround the Tetrahedral Palace. There are other cities along the lakes and rivers, but these cities are only for the Kersians and humans who work for the Mekholis. Even these cities do not approach the megacities of ancient earth, at best, they are only communities. Local mayors organize the small city states of Xavenon, for the purpose of serving the Palace.

Several dignitaries will arrive from everywhere, an estimated one million creatures, to witness the reorganization of the entire Imperial command, from Star Sailors and Couriers, to the Military and the Palace Servants. Only a million out of a billion leaders. Some of them are representatives of regions of star systems rather than just one planet.

While thinking of those things, he realized that this vantage is similar to the top of Obelisk, which Emmer visited once when he was still a boy.