by David Garofalo
In a random corner of the universe is located a galaxy brimming with starlight from billions of stars. Of the uncountable long-lived stars halfway through their lives that gave rise to life on their planets, one is situated 2/3 of the way out from the galaxy center. And on one of its planets lives a kingdom called Emenras, ruled by A King. From afar, the planet has a pale blue appearance and the Kingdom of Emenras appears to be an oasis nested among the stars, mostly because A King is surrounded by de Flower, making the gardens lush, filled with aroma, and creating a welcoming impression.
The creatures of Emenras speak in a strange way that nobody in the galaxy understands despite being able to read the writing, which is often on the wall. The Kingdom of Emenras demands submission, which requires work and constant supervision from A King and his vassals. For those interested in advertising their submissive nature, a special portal designed for submission is built into A King’s castle with a bright sign reading “Submissions welcome”. If you come to submit, you will be met and greeted by All the King’s Men who are trained to gauge the caliber and sincerity of your submission. Submissions deemed legitimate and true, receive the wax seal of A King’s approval and your name will appear on the official edict of the kingdom classified as “submitted and accepted”.
The Kingdom of Emenras is occasionally challenged by the Mondians from a nearby planet that is thought of as irrelevant and distant because objects viewed only in rearview mirrors are closer than they appear. Mondians threaten to invade and impose their modification of the laws of the land. When A King is challenged by such dark matters, he appeals to his imaginary halo in grandiose speeches designed to impress, motivate, produce allegiance, create common purpose, form armies and quell invasions, despite the fact that Mondians have never been detected in the kingdom because they lack the resources for interplanetary travel.
The closeness of Emenras to its parent star makes it warmer than on nearby planets, which is ideal for A King without clothes. But it also attracts the attention of the nearby Kingdoms of Apjay and of Aenay, because their yearly holidays occur only every 700 days. War, however, has become a thing of the past and a common vision has now been imposed in a treaty agreed to by all planetary kingdoms about how the galaxy must be, and peace reigns, mostly. The few who question established norms threaten the stability and endanger the reputation of planetary kingdoms and are therefore confronted by skilled gatekeepers trained in the art of maintaining and ensuring uniformity, so as to avoid the risk of their planet being demoted, excluded, and turned into a dwarf. The result is that everyone indefinitely rotates in the same plane.
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