October twenty third, the year of our sky Gods, 3526, Somewhere in the Third Kingdom of the Seventh Dominion (Alpha Centauri). My name is Annalise. And this is my last will and testament. I have no possessions to give and no one left to inherent them. I only have my story. I have been exiled to this desolate planet by the Bureau of Deferential Virtue. A case was made against my honor and decency when it was discovered my family was secretly in league with the separatist organization, The Society of Dissenters. My father was sent to the dungeons and likely did not survive. My sweet mother, given over to slave traders and sent to the sixth dominion. I fear I will never seen them again. I was charged with treason and found to be a conspirator and agitator; a deviant who opposes the very laws made for us in good faith that we would all live harmoniously under Imperial rule. It was all a cruel joke. There was no peace or unity across the Seventh Dominion, especially not for those labeled “Aberrants.” Only faction among faction of Separatists and Collaborators all vying for dominance and the Imperium’s highest mandating office, The Unification Guild, trying desperately to force the entire Dominion to all fall under the rule of one “Emperor Supreme.” Our new Emperor took his seat as the divine ruler in 3521, five long years ago. The first wave of new laws went into effect the following year. It was a brazen move to make such sweeping changes so quickly and I could tell that father was nervous. I was only sixteen then and he didn’t share the details of his work. He thought me too young for such anxieties. Had I been a son, he may not have been so secretive. It agitated me at the time and for that, I now feel so ashamed. If only I had known how much he tried to protect me and how close I was to losing him. If I am truly guilty of treason in my heart, it is only the treasonous act of not believing my father’s love for me and mistaking it for disappointment. I remember the day of the Emperor Furair’s first speech. I was in the square, practically swallowed by the mass of people crowded into the streets waiting to get a glimpse of the new Emperor, a man steeped in mystery and prophecy. I was there to see my father in his Imperial uniform, standing on the high platform with the other Arch Dukes, but I was curious about Furair, too. I’d heard people say he was the first in over a century to not be born from one of the five high houses of the Third Kingdom and he was the youngest Emperor the Seventh Dominion had ever seen. It was a more innocent time and there was hope that he would bring about peace. His first few words were about the “heartbeat of all the planets of the Third Kingdom” being the “pulse” of the entire Kingdom that could bring unity and harmony to the entire Dominion. It was inspiring and in my naivety, I wanted to believe in him and maybe I did a little at first. But, over the years as new laws passed and I saw changes in the world around me and in my father - he was no longer a proud Duke of the Third Kingdom. The uniform he once loved, I once admired, now seemed like an ill fitting suit. Our planet became more strict and oppressive. The new rules meant to protect us seemed to only limit our individual freedoms. Especially the freedoms of anyone who didn’t fit in or belong amongst the majority. I began to no longer trust this new Emperor. After seeing so many of his appearances and hearing him speak time and time again; if I could sum the man up with one word, it would be smug. Maybe I had grown too cynical in my young adult years or maybe I had seen what those in high power really meant to for those of us they saw as beneath their station in life. One thing I did know, this new young Emperor could never lead us to the enlightened age we all had hoped for. He could never understand the heartbeat of the entire Kingdom or lead us to any measure of harmony. Not while he had a cold, dark heart of stone that only craved power. Such a man could never lead us to the Age of Light like he claimed. He would only cause suffering in the name of his own glory. I know that now, but that naive little girl wanted a better future and I thought I could fight for it. I thought that allying with The Dissenters gave me a chance to stand up for what I believed. But now, here I sit in this wasteland awaiting my execution. There will be no trial. No justice. Everyone on my home planet will likely be told that I was abducted by The Dissenters for ransom against the Imperium. That my father traded secrets and committed treason in order to save his only child. That my mother had also fallen victim to the evils of the separatists. All the propaganda and the lies. The people will eat it up greedily. I’m not angry with them. They don’t know any better. It’s the Imperium itself, the great big machine that keeps on whirring along, destroying everything in its path. Those in charge think they are wiser and better than the rest of us and the only way to keep the peace is to keep us uninformed, complacent and ignorant. Always under their control. That they are the masters that pull all of our puppet strings throughout life because we are too dense to know what’s good for us. They are the true enemy, the true evil among us. And I hope whomever receives this letter will spread the truth throughout the entire seven Dominions and help end their tyranny and free us all. This is my last will and testament. All I have left to give is the truth.