Though Ark-1 made it clear that TO wouldn’t be able to order the civilian government to cooperate with them, they still wanted to try. Maybe the civilians were selfish and self-centered, but TO knew that in the face of martial law and military intervention, they’d be willing to make some changes. No matter how selfish they were, they wouldn’t risk the possible destruction of their way of life and losing their independence for the sake of their current luxuries. That’d be stupid. 

When TO said this, DH pointed out that civilians were also stupid. It didn’t matter; they still had to try. 

After taking a few days to compile their arguments and go over the statistics that they needed, TO called for a meeting. All the praetors were now back in their own quadrants, but they could have their meeting digitally, each one using their personal communicators to have a meeting through their screens. When the time came, a series of screens popped up over TO’s desk, each one displaying a video of the praetors, of Vassel Buteo, and Minister Noss. 

TO didn’t have their armor on, but that was fine; their system would create an armored synth avatar, which would take TO’s place. It was perhaps the fact that TO wouldn’t be on screen directly that kept them from throwing up; they had never presented an idea to civilians before, and somehow it terrified them. Perhaps it was their nerves that helped them, that triggered a sudden jolt of adrenaline when they started talking. It was as though another part of themself took over and did the work with a kind of confidence that TO wished they truly possessed.

TO presented quickly the argument and concisely since they knew civilians got distracted and bored easily. Now that TO had experienced some distractions of civilian life for themself they could understand why. 

“Given that previous, more straightforward methods of dealing with the insurgency have failed, this seems to be the best way to deal with the current threats.” They glanced over to DH, who was sitting at their own desk. They gave a supportive smile and nodded for TO to continue. “Rather than attacking the insurgency and breaking down their defenses, we instead starve them of support. We create a new office to deal with civilian needs, focusing on the planet’s poorest, specifically those who fall under the Galactic Poverty Levels.” It wasn’t randomly that TO choose this; the people who fell beneath that level were more likely to get involved with the insurgents; or at any rate, those were the ones who got caught and had records and who the insurgency was targeting. 

The insurgents had something to give them; TO needed to take their leverage away. 

The stony faced praetors stared back at the screen, their lips thin and tight as they stayed silent as they stared at their cameras. To TO’s surprise, it was Noss who spoke first.

“Frankly, I think it might be a good idea.” he said, dabbing away the sweat on his brow. “At the very least, it would diminish civilian support for the insurgency.” 

If they had been on screen properly, TO was sure that even the civilians could read the surprise that made their ears quirk forward. They hadn’t even wanted Noss there; they seemed to TO to be ineffectual, slow-witted, and seemed better at simpering and fawning over them than they were actually doing anything to improve the planet’s security. 

Maybe he was just agreeing with TO because they were a synth. At any rate, they had at least listened.

Buteo cleared his throat, straightening his pose; unlike the other praetors who sat upright as though someone had carefully posed them in place, Buteo had listened while leaning to the side, head resting on his hand. “You said at the beginning, honored synth, that this was a suggestion, not an order. Am I correct?”

“Yes, that is correct.” TO said, their ears already drooping back. They couldn’t make it an actual order because of what Ark-1 said; they couldn’t risk the government itself developing issues with King Decon. 

“Then, as Vassal, I must say that I find this plan to be problematic.” He paused, weighing his words, “This plan will not work for us.” He finally said, “Perhaps it might work on other planets, but not here; not on Arkane.” 

The crab-like Praetor Sally nodded, “with my quadrant, I know it will not work; not without massive economic destruction.” 

“With all due respect, Praetor Sally,” Noss said, “I believe that if this doesn’t resolve this situation, martial law and massive Galactic Military intervention might be worse for your economy.”

“Perhaps, but that’s assuming there’s no other way.” Sally said. 

“Why wouldn’t the plan work for you?” TO asked. Yes, the plans that TO had in mind would have some cost, but they couldn’t see it creating a massive problem. Sally’s expression hardened, her mandibles clicking as her eyes rotated, focusing in on TO. 

“Well, with my quadrant, the biggest complaint from the poor here is that they can’t pay off their debts to our government. The solution would be to dissolve their debt, but doing that sets a dangerous precedent for other loan holders.”

“What do you mean by that?” TO demanded.

“Well,” she said, “Some might choose not to pay their debts even if they can. If they think we might eventually dissolve their debt, what’s the point of paying it?”

“Begging your pardon as well, honored synths-” Praetor Arde interjected, their beak snapping as they spoke, “But this feels as though we’re rewarding people for joining the insurgency, for the insurgency’s very existence and the support the civilians have given it. If we just do what the insurgency wants, then aren’t we letting them win?”

TO’s ears pinned back; were these people actually idiots? These were the leaders of Arkane! They had to be a little more broad sighted than the average civilian, right? “We are not doing what the insurgents want.” TO said, “We’re doing what the people want. The insurgents are just using that to tempt their support.” 

“I agree with Minister Arde, and Minister Sally.” Vassel Buteo said, “As a government, we cannot give our citizens things that the insurgents are offering. The insurgency is just making empty promises for a future that will never come. Even if we could give what they want, doing so would encourage the same actions in the future.”

“If we put this into place and maintained the program, then there should not be any insurgency in the future.” TO said, “Giving these civilians proper representations to share their issues and needs would make it harder for future insurgencies to have a foothold in your population.”

Buteo just inclined his head; deference, but not agreement. “On other planets, this solution might work, but it will not work here. We have a different culture, and a different mindset here than from other places.” He looked back up properly, “And besides that, we simply cannot give what they want.” 

“We already provide what they want, anyway!” The lizard-like Praetor Martha said, her braids swinging as she shook her head, “We have work programs here! Citizens can join up, and they get paid for their work, get a bed to sleep on, and food to eat. If they’re in financial trouble, then they can go there; they just don’t.”

“And we provide ample opportunities in government programs here to help citizens pay off their debts.” Sally said. 

Buteo nodded, “If you order this, we will of course comply.” the feathers around his neck puffed out slightly, “But if this is just a suggestion… my deepest apologies, but we cannot do that and maintain Arkane as it is. Some of the most powerful people on our planet will also resent this change and pull their support away from us.” He inclined his head again, “I hope you understand; we have to maintain our way of life.”

“Very well.” TO said, and they hoped the translator could pick up on their irritation, their anger. They doubted it; the translator always seemed to modulate the mood and tone of their words and create an icy, indifferent and cold tone instead. “I will continue my work privately, and attempt to resolve this as my predecessors did.” 

“Of course. We are in your service in the meantime, for King Decon.” 

“For King Decon.” TO snapped, then reached out and turned off the communicator.

DH leaned forward, their arms on the back of their chair as they watched TO’s face, “I wish I could say I was surprised-” 

TO rested their arms on the table, crossing them to create a concave pillow. They put their face down in their arms and gave a loud, long, frustrated groan. 

“Well, what did we expect?” DH said as they turned to their own consol again, “They’re civilians. You’re asking them to change things for other people, to make sacrifices. They don’t do that. They’re-” 

“Self-centered and selfish.” TO said, their voice muffled against their arms. “I know.” They lifted their head and sighed, “I just hoped that maybe the threat of unregulated AIs, a violent insurrection, and the possibility of martial law and military intervention might push them to make some changes to protect their planet and stop the insurgency.” They groaned again, leaning back until they were staring at the ceiling. 

“... Do you have another plan?” DH asked, their ears flicking down, their eyes wide in a mixture of fear and hope.

“That was the best plan I had.” TO said, “The only other one I had involves infiltration. That will require Pearla.” 

“The insurgent.” 

“The insurgent.” TO agreed. They hadn’t flagged her files; doing so would alert the Arkanian authorities, who would arrest her immediately, as Ark-1 had said. If she got arrested, then the best path to the leadership of the insurgency would disappear. 

They needed her, so not only had they failed to flag her file, they had removed the checks on her. They didn’t need to risk her getting caught because of something stupid. If they were to get involved with her, they also didn’t need the authorities causing them trouble. 

“Pearla won’t talk to us.” DH said, “She knows we’re synths.”

“I know.” TO said, “And I don’t have a plan for that… yet.” 

“Do you think you can make a plan?” 

“I’m sure I can.” TO muttered, “I just don’t know if it’ll be a good enough plan to make us retirees. I don’t know if it’ll work fast enough.” They raised their hands to their face and rested their palms against their eyes. Even if they succeeded, what would it matter if they were ultimately separated from DH?

The answer - or what the answer should have been- echoed in their head. It would matter because serving King Decon is all that matters.

How simple it would be if King Decon’s will was all that mattered to them. 

DH got up from where they were sitting, went over to TO, and wrapped their arms around TO’s shoulders. “... Maybe we can’t do it.” They said, their voice soft and sad and oddly resigned. “Maybe we won’t be able to become retirees…” 

“No! No we have to!” TO said, “We… we have to.” They turned around to face DH, twisting in their arms. “If we become retirees, then we might get to choose where we can stay! We can stay together and we won’t have to worry about being separated or corrected!” They thought of GiDi once more, on the day that C12 had to take them away. The image that was burned into their head was of the last sad look that GiDi gave them as they turned the corner and left their lives.

It still hurt every time they thought about it, and they knew - with some guilt- that if DH had been taken away from them, the pain would have been so much worse.

“I can’t lose you.” They whispered as they put their hands on DH’s arms. 

“... We might not have a choice.” DH whispered, “Even if we manage, C12 was a retiree, and he got separated from Snout. ” 

“That was different!” TO said, letting go of DH. “Snout wasn’t a retiree! If they were, then they wouldn’t have gotten separated! We can do this, I just-” They put their hands to their temple, closing their eyes as though trying to see the inside of their mind, “I just need a plan.” Their mind raced, their thoughts bouncing off the walls of their head as they tried to find a solution. They couldn’t. 

They didn’t have enough information; that was the problem. They couldn’t see enough to find the solution. All the information they had was from the reports, from the news, from the leadership and politicians of Arkane, and their own higher ups. What they needed was more information from the people on the lower rungs. They needed more inside information. 

“We need Pearla.” TO said firmly.

DH gave a loud sigh as they pulled TO close. “She won’t talk to us. She wouldn’t even give us her information, so we can’t even call her.”

“Right.” TO said with a sigh, “Lendulin and Petra did, but-” they trailed off, thinking. As inspiration flashed in their eyes, they pushed away from DH and pulled up their communicator. “I think the best thing for us to do now is to try to get closer to her, to learn more about her.” 

“How?” 

TO smiled as they sent off two messages. “Through her friends, of course.”