2136- October, 2005

"Hey, Kellie, it's Caren. Yeah, I was just wondering if you'd noticed the space junk blocking Rigel? Yeah, the huge, round-looking thing. No, I have no idea where it came from; it just appeared from another galaxy or something. Do you think we should have George Lucas check it out? Hee, hee. Okay, it's old, but I'm bored up here! My boss expects me to be awake for every single new development that the stars don't throw at us.

"Anyway, oh! It's closer now. It's bigger, too. You see that? It looks like a… uh… one of those things from Star Wars they were either building or destroying. Is that live lava on it? Naw… has to be a reflection or something. Are you watching this? Can you believe it? What do you think it is?

"Hang on… Kellie, what happened when the Star Wars thing made it to a planet and charged up enough power? Didn't it destroy the planet?"

Two Years Later

Tara hated this hiding. She was one of the lucky ones, not having to lurk in the alleys or gutters nor having only rags as clothes. Her family, though all turned robots themselves by the infamous "Death Star" years earlier, hadn't given in to the mind control placed upon them by Dr. Nefarious, either. Tara's mother sometimes compared her to Anne Frank- a teenager having to keep out of sight of people who want to destroy her. Tara would often say to her mom, "Why doesn't someone just kill him? Rip out all of his wires?"

Her mom would answer, "It isn't that simple. Dr. Nefarious and the robots he's created are far more complex that what humans used to create. He's advanced our technology many years beyond what it used to be."

Her parents worked with other robots that were loyal to Dr. Nefarious; they had to be careful about what they said around co-workers. Just a slip and Tara would end up as a "Squishy Slave," as organic beings were referred to. Or worse, if he was in a robot-making mood. So, Tara was hidden, making sure that no harm came to her. But she was restless. She dreamt nightly about killing Dr. Nefarious and freeing Earth. She talked about it constantly; it was talk that made Tara's parents very nervous. While she waited every day, she studied fighting on the internet, wondering if it would be enough to overcome him.

"Maybe we should let her..."

"No! I am NOT going to allow her to suffer what we went through. Besides if my daughter becomes a robot, she may not be against him!"

Tara's dad sighed. "Okay, Lynn. But what if she doesn't fail?" Her mom was silent. "Tara is eighteen. Under the old laws, that was old enough for you to decide what to do for yourself. She's an adult." Her mom began to sob. "I say, let her go. We may see her again, you never know. At least someone is trying, Lynn."

Tara crept into the room. Her parents looked up at their daughter, still fleshy and whole. Her mother had to relent. Tara would eventually go crazy if she had to stay in the house for the rest of her life. As much as she hated to think about it, Lynn wanted her child to get a chance at a life that wasn't filled with fear- even if it cost her her life.

"Mom," Tara said. "I will get rid of Dr. Nefarious. I can't waste my energy waiting on a hero who'll never come." She took in a deep breath and prayed that they wouldn't lock her in her room. "I'm going to do it tomorrow."

Her dad half-smiled, got up, and walked over to a drawer. He got out a pen-sized rod and a belt device. "The belt device is a Hologuise. No one will know you're a human while you wear that," he said. Tara took it and pressed a button on the rod. A hot, orange beam shot out of it like a light saber. Both she and he smiled at it.

"We're working on a way to mass-market these things," her dad said sadly. "It's so that when Dr. Nefarious brings Gadgetron to Earth, we can sell them like switchblades throughout the Solana Galaxy."

The citizens of Earth, on top of being turned into robots, had been surprised to find out that their planet was located on the far reaches of, not the Milky Way galaxy, but the Solana. Dr. Nefarious made that extremely clear when he shut down NASA (now Nefarious' Aeronautical and Space Administration) and gave a very long speech on the stupidity of organic beings. Tara had been in attendance, as had many of the others who'd escaped the beam. Nefarious' rant only fueled her hatred of him, and it encouraged her to seek a means of destroying him. And now, she had the tools to pull it off.

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Tara left before dawn. Sneaking out the back door, she was given a good luck sendoff before edging down the alleyway. The autumn darkness hid her enough until she was far away enough to equip the Hologuise. The belt device hummed on her side as the illusion conformed to her shape. When it had completely enveloped her, Tara strode up to Nefarious' palace. She walked through the gates for there weren't any guards. He's very confident, isn't he? She approached the front doors and opened them.

Inside, the bustling of a thousand robots announced the growing empire that Nefarious ruled. Tara walked around the antechamber, looking for a hint as to where her target was. Finally, she saw his butler, Lawrence, strutting around. She eased behind him and followed his path. As they passed, other robots moved aside for Lawrence. Some said good day or hello, and others wished longevity to Dr. Nefarious. Lawrence acknowledged them with only a nod. He looked straight ahead, and he ignored most of the workers. Tara gazed at her former friends and neighbors. Is this what you have been reduced to? You all are not only working under Nefarious' tyranny, but also his arrogance?

"Excuse me, madam." Tara froze. She'd been too busy raging to notice that Lawrence had seen her. "Are you lost?"