Now that Malia of 'Cagga had her little city under perfect control, she was ready to export her efficiency plans to the rest of the moon cities.
And help them achieve a perfect society under her rule. Martial law, automated mining equipment to replace human workers, constant surveillance of everyone else.
Meaning that due to her improvements, they could lift off for their next target much sooner than expected.
Because they didn't have to take anyone except Royals and a few assistants with them.
Whatever happened to all those unnecessary people after they lifted was not their problem.
The only problem she still had was to get rid of those nuisances who keep helping people escape to Earth. But now they knew who was doing it.
And the trap to catch her was already baited.
Excerpt:
"THEY WANT WHAT?!?"
"Your Majesty, the mining machines want stories read to them before they start each shift."
"Stories! What is all this? Bring me the techs that installed them. What code did they put in them? Heads will roll, starting with the techs and ending with those cyborgs."
A throat-clearing at the doorway preceded a dozen young men with arms stacked full of reports, printed and bound in black. "Your print-outs as requested, Your Highness."
The men followed in single file, only to line up beside each other, facing the throne with their arms outstretched and heads bowed.
"What is the meaning of this? What are these reports?"
The first in line answered. "Your Magnificence ordered these a few hours ago to be printed and bound and delivered immediately to Your Greatness, using the official royal colors and signet. These are exactly the reports you requested, just as soon as we could finish binding them." He returned his head to a bow and waited.
Malia the Queen waved for an assistant and snapped her fingers, careful to not cut herself on the black, sharpened fingernails she had just recently acquired. "My tablet. Now."
A young woman with whitened hair scurried forward in her light gray jumpsuit, and offered Malia the Queen her tablet as she bowed her head.
Jerking it out of her hands, the Queen scrolled through her orders. Her frown deepened into a scowl.
"Summon my IT guy!" And the order was echoed as several nearby attendants pulled out their smartphones to text him as well.
A scattering of footfalls echoed through the hallways as a young frazzled-headed and bespectacled young man scurried up and pushed between the line of report-holders to kneel in front of the black throne that held his Queen. His own dark-gray jumpsuit didn't disguise his own shivering.
"Your Majesty ? what is your pleasure?"
Malia stuck out the tablet toward him. "How do you explain someone issuing orders in my name, hours ago ? when I was sleeping?"
The "IT guy" stood and took the black-edged tablet gingerly from her fingers, himself careful not to touch her in any way. Looking at the tablet and scrolling through her orders, he confirmed the data-stamps. Then offered her tablet back with bowed head.
"Your Majesty, someone has been 'spoofing' your identity to request these reports ? I'll have to check into their routings and other meta-data to verify and track down who it was. If you'll excuse me, I'll get right onto this."
"Go, then. Do nothing but this until I have your report ? or your head."
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