Prologue
"Arise" spoke the soothing low voice.
Her eyes opened, staring at the masked face. The being who wore the mask wasn't really there, it was all on an LCD. Still, his presence was felt. Eyes that could be observed through the sockets of the mask were crimson red, and pierced her very soul, seeing everything her heart could hold. In the Galactic Terran Empire, no citizen had secrets.
"Arise" repeated the masked man behind the screen. Even an image, formed by thousands upon thousands of pixels of varying shades across the visible light spectrum, could inspire respect, even fear.
But such was the nature of the Emperor. He was made of billions of parts. His loyal citizens, the military which served him without question, the vast expanse of the Empire itself, all added to the grandness and the majesty, of the Emperor himself.
This day was not special, or unique in any way, similar to most days within the Empire. For eighteen years, 4 months and 16 days, Ovosh had risen, in response to her Emperor. Naturally, her body resisted the Emperor's command, and it was a bit of a struggle to rise from the modest comfort of her bed. But it was a protocol she had followed to the letter, and the instincts of the body could be overcome with routines, and repetition.
Ovosh wiped some gunk that had gotten beneath her eye, and walked most carefully to the sink in her room. She activated the water briefly, splashing some on her face. But, as she looked into the mirror, she saw something that frightened her. Staring back was a monster, a demon of some sort. It resembled her in a way, probably the most disturbing feature. Most noticeably, however, the demon had radiant golden hair, and piercing, pupil-less teal eyes, strikingly different from her black hair and brown eyes. A strange aura emitted from this creature, as golden as the hair itself.
But it was only for a moment that she saw this specter in the mirror. Ovosh was taken rather aback by it, especially since it resembled her. It was a waste of thought to think upon it, however. She went ahead to finish her morning tasks, calming down her hair to be presentable for morning announcements, putting on the necessary clothes to perform her role within the Empire. As she used the last of the water for neatening her shoulder-length hair, the prompt in the sink alerted her that she had 10 gallons remaining for this month.
As she exited her room, she could observe others doing the same. There was a twisting feeling in her gut, something that she would feel over the years, something that she could never pin down what it quite was. But now, at this moment, she knew what it was: resentment, anger, pride. She could never exactly explain why she felt these, but she knew what they were. And, she knew that they were undesirable emotions, something she had to purge, if she were to remain a loyal asset to the Empire.
Ovosh entered the elevator, which would lead to a check out room. From there she would board a rail to the grand hall of their city, where daily announcements would be made. Then, she would be able to work in her role, maintaining the city's power grid.
If only destiny had planned for her day to be that simple.