Memories of the King
King Erik awoke. All was dark. This was his seventh time waking up in this state, and he’d started to grow used to it. Besides, it was temporary. That’s what his friends all said, and he couldn’t bring himself to disbelieve them. He would be healed soon. For the time being, he had work to do. There was a pretender on the throne.
Erik couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t touch, could barely think. But, thanks to some neural implants, he was able to communicate. In his mind, he composed a message, which he had been told would transmit to a computer monitor.
Greetings. Pray tell me, who am I speaking to?
Erik did his best to seem calm and composed. He made a conscious effort to use the mannerisms he would have used while presiding over his court. It rang just slightly false.
It’s Simon, my lord. I am sorry to have woken you. But I must both offer my service and ask your aid.
Simon had been one of his closest friends. It was good to speak with him again, even in this limited way.
You need not be so formal with me Simon. Haven’t we been through enough?
There was a pause before the response came.
Of course.
Now, what is it that you have come to me with? What has our dear usurper done this time?
Erik had always been fond of puzzles, and he found it exciting to challenge the usurper king to a battle of wits. It wasn’t often that he came across opponents who were so skilled, so he took some pleasure in the opportunity to come up with different plans, even though his current situation was far from ideal. Erik would need to find out the identity of the usurper. Perhaps some spies could be commissioned.
In any case, it seemed that the king had been working hard to find the resistance cell. Curfews were starting to be established. Additionally, the government was starting to assign and mandate ID codes which would be necessary for a number of things. Most worrisome was the fact that these codes would be needed to both buy goods and travel. The government suspended these rights to individuals it considered suspicious. And the government’s propaganda machine was starting to be successful in convincing the populace of the necessity of these members.
Erik was incensed by the news. It was his people that were being punished. He would do all he could to ease their suffering. So, he thought about the information for a second. Slowly, he alighted on a plan. It wasn’t a perfect one, but the hope was that it would be effective. So, he explained to Simon his plan to frame a member of the government for having resistance sympathies. This could be done through spreading rumors over the net, as well as through forged communications. If all was successful, faith in the regime would be undermined and the despot would be placed in an uncomfortable situation with regard to one of his most useful supporters.
There was a long moment before Simon replied.
That is enough. Thank you.
There was a short pause.
I am sorry, my lord.
And Erik felt everything grow dark, as he once again returned to unconsciousness, as the darkness swallowed him again.
King Erik awoke. All was dark. This was his seventh time waking up in this state, and he’d started to grow used to it. Besides, it was temporary. That was what his trusted friends and advisors had said. Yet there was a piddling little doubt and a sense of deja vu. It felt like he had been unconscious for quite some time. Perhaps his friends were trying to mislead him on his situation, hide from him the bad news? He pushed his worries and fears aside and sent a message to whoever had woken him up.
Hello. Pray tell me how long has it been?
Erik felt somewhat guilty about the question. There were more important things to worry about.
It has been just over a week since you last spoke with us. You’ve needed your rest.
An entire week had slipped by without his notice. It was a disquieting thought. Although, he would have thought that more time had passed. Erik chose not to dwell on such thoughts. He refined his composure.
My apologies for my apparent rudeness. Greetings. Pray tell me, who am I speaking to?
This is Simon. I’m sorry to have woken you. We do want you to get your rest so that you may heal and wake soon. But, we need your help. I’m afraid that your usurper is proving quite difficult to face. Our resistance is falling apart.
This was indeed bad news. Erik listened as Simon described the state of the resistance. It appeared that in response to increasing restrictions and regulations, the resistance had framed a member of the usurper’s inner circle. It had been a risky and dangerous ploy but likely their best one. Erik internally applauded whoever came up with it, for they could possibly rival him in skill.
In any case, the ‘reveal’ of the council member’s resistance sympathies had caused a rift in the government. The false king had been forced to denounce the presumed traitor. As a result, the populace lost some faith in the government. But such actions didn’t bolster people’s opinion of the resistance. To regain support, the false king had announced his intentions to find and exterminate those members o the resistance.
Erik, once king, had been fighting the usurper since he had fallen. Erik knew not the false king’s name, nor his face. And though Erik had only awoken four times, and had only matched wits with the king four times, it felt like their duel had been going on much longer. And something inside him cracked, just a little. Even in his current state, even as powerless as he was, he would not let his people die at the hands of the false king.
After some time, Erik revealed to Simon a plan. They were to hold a charity event. The hope was this would gain sympathy for the resistance. It would also be a front to smuggle certain goods. And there was another motivation behind it. Erik didn’t tell Simon, knowing that he would dislike it. But Erik explained all of the details of how the event should go. It was risky; it was risky. But he hoped it would be worth it. He would find the identity of the false king and rest the kingdom away from him.
We will make sure to implement your plan, my liege. Thank you.
Erik felt a glimmer of something. He filed away the thoughts for later. After all, he would need to carry out the rest of the plan when next he awoke. As this happened, he thought of a minor amendment to his plan.
We will see you soon.
And all was darkness once again. Erik scrambled to hold on, fighting against whatever was dragging him away. He tried to use his neural link to send a message, but it failed him. He faded away.
The king awoke. He felt groggy, as though he were fumbling in the blackness. He was disoriented and felt as though something was missing. There was a glint of memory shining through. Before he could compose himself, a message was sent to him. This was highly out of the ordinary. Something was wrong.
Why
Erik didn’t understand. He was not yet fully conscious, unable to think clearly.
My King. How could somebody do this?
Erik’s head was clearer.
Hello, who is this?
He could not help but feel slightly afraid. But he listened as Simon told him of what the usurper had done, was doing. All known resistance members were rounded up and summarily executed. Erik’s confusion and trepidation were replaced with anger. It was cold and hard like a stone.
Erik. I need you to tell me why someone would do such a thing? How could anyone fall so far?
Erik paused for a second, mulling over his response. As king, he had to make difficult choices. People looked to him as an idealist, a beacon of hope. Erik did not know if he could be such a thing in his current state: buried, wounded, and usurped. He felt the tiniest modicum of sorry for the usurper.
I would guess that it’s easy to focus on what you believe is right, what you deem is necessary. I don’t know, or want to know, what would motivate someone to act as our usurper does. But I suppose that if one believes in their cause wholeheartedly, or in themselves, they can justify atrocities.
There was a long moment in which there was no response. Erik felt odd, wondering if he had said or done the right thing. And it felt awful to be immersed in the swirling blackness, with no knowledge or contact with the outside world, accompanied only by his thoughts. Erik wished dearly that either Simon would speak with him again, or else that he could fall back asleep.
Then came the response.
I think I understand.
Then after a moment.
That will be enough.
And Erik was thrust back into unconsciousness.
King Erik awoke. All was dark. This was his seventh time waking up in this state, and he’d thought that he’d grown used to it. He felt groggy, as though he were fumbling in the blackness. He had forgotten something, he was sure of it this time.
Hello?
Erik was glad that tone didn’t carry over the monitor. He hoped dearly that whoever was at the other end of the monitor would be oblivious to his fear.
Who is it? What’s going on?
To him, his pleas certainly sounded desperate. But he couldn’t worry about that. He calmed himself. He needed to put the pieces together. And he was hit by flashes of memory.
This is Simon. I am sorry to have woken you but I need your analysis of our current situation.
Erik, the king, stayed silent. Some memories were returning to him. They were only fragments. Those memories had mostly been wiped away, shattered. But they were enough of a start. Erik knew three things. First was that his memories seemed to have been wiped several times. The second was that he couldn’t trust the person at the other end of the monitor. They might not even be Simon. And lastly, Erik realized that there was something they weren’t telling him about the identity of the usurper.
But Erik was broken from his thoughts as more messages were sent.
We lost a score of fighters yesterday. They’re gone. I need you to tell me why.
And so Simon recounted the story of a charity event meant to redeem the resistance in the eyes of the populace. The resistance had planned it for a week, planning everything just right so that it would go perfectly. And the false king had been there. The resistance members had to scatter. Not all of them made it out.
Erik instantly grasped the true purpose behind the charity event. Charity was one thing, dying whilst helping there was another matter. Those brave souls had likely been sent to their deaths. But what scared him was that there was a horrifying familiarity to the story. Erik faintly remembered coming up with a plan for a charity event. He knew not what he had done.
Erik considered giving this information to the people on the other side of the monitor. He didn’t know if he could trust them. They would lily be horrified. But the one thing he knew was that he would do what it took to keep his people safe.
If Erik had had eyes with which to see, he would have closed them.
The purpose of the charity was to make martyrs out of those attending.
Those words hung in the air. They were the darkness that threatened to smother him.
I understand.
There was a pause.
Why must you always do this.
Simon?
Erik had momentarily forgotten that the people on the other side of the monitor might not be Simon.
Whats going on?
Erik thought that he might have been able to put together the pieces. But at that moment he was at a loss for words. No guile came to him
You betrayed us.
There was a dreadful minute in which only those words hung in the air.
We didn’t want to believe it at first. But you grew more and more despotic. I still can’t believe what you became.
Everything was falling into place. What the person was saying, it felt right to Erik. And that horrified him. There was an aching familiarity and understanding that filled him.
Eventually, it came to the point where we had to do something. Not doing so would be unconscionable. People were dying. So, we took up arms against you. And we didn’t stand a chance. With all of your guile and cunning, we could not defeat you.
And Erik understood what had happened.
We needed some way to match you, our king. And we found none equal in skill. So we turned to the one person that we knew to be the king’s equal. I’m sure you’ve figured it out. You are good at these sorts of puzzles
You made an AI copy of the king to plan tactics for you.
The revelations were coming quickly and Erik was struggling to understand it all. He may have been quickwitted and good with tactics. But the revelation of his existence still staggered him.
Why did you tell me this?
This isn’t the first time this has happened. You always were good at figuring these things out. It seems that we are still unable to adequately wipe the memories of our aI constructs. We’ve had to reboot you from scratch before. And, I still have some respect left for the king you once were, the friend I once had. It’s slowly drying up. But this is the last courtesy that I can extend to a sick friend before his death.
Why must you always betray your ideals? Why must you always leave us with ashes?
This was enough.
There was silence.
I am sorry, my lord.
And all was forever blackness.
