Chapter 32 31:
"So... this is the year 4203 after Argal," he read, interested by the content of the information recorded by the nato.
He turned pages, but in just a single line, his eyes had simply narrowed.
"Totalitarianism is what can be known as a political system, in which the State seeks to eliminate every distinction between the public and the private...".
Nouwlan frowned. Those words did not belong to any doctrinal text he knew.
But he could intuit that this supposed totalitarianism seemed to be related in some way to the empire. No, perhaps it did not emphasize the empire itself, but rather.
"its functioning." He thought, believing he had deciphered the meaning of those words.
What deer in the empire gave ideas like this to this nato?
This type of reflection even bordered on treason toward the empire, perhaps this conception of what he perceives as "totalitarianism," was responsible for his rebelliousness.
In fact, the simple fact of being able to think and intuit these suppositions made him feel that he was on the right path. Without feeling proud of this, he continued reading.
Especially, when he saw this nato's determination in drafting his thoughts, his research, about the history of the empire.
"so then, this is another day, I suppose.
Well.
Life on Viltrum is difficult, and a shift toward the decline into which this race, my race, seems determined to throw itself with diligence.
But to understand this decadence, you, who are reading this, I have to explain to you the reasons why my people are hated by the universe, apparently.
Everything has a beginning, the deceased, but great emperor.
From this man so grandiose and unique in the entire galaxy even, is where all this empire stuff and the rest begins.
So this is the information I have found regarding the formation of the Empire born from a great worldwide unification under the leadership of the deceased Argal.
Allow me to write again, this guy was impressive, a complete eminence. I could think of so many important men throughout my life and they would probably fall short before him.
But apparently, from the moment of his death, although he was truly murdered, the entire empire seems dragged into an agony without restraint undermined by ourselves.
But what can I do, a mere class 15 nato? I can only witness the death of the empire".
Nouwlan closed the notebook abruptly, his gaze seemed to pale.
This nato, the insolence of this nato. He wanted to stand up and apply the punishment he deserved, but.
He could not rise from the chair. In fact, he did not want to stop reading. In fact, uncomfortably, he felt fascinated. Korr-add's words about decadence and totalitarianism seemed to resonate dangerously with his own repressed and deep thoughts.
Thoughts that he never dared to bring into the light, no matter the circumstances. It was doubt.
It was an open secret that the empire was under certain difficulties, both in its birthrate and consequently, due to the lack of Viltrumite manpower capable of sustaining the iron control they had maintained throughout all their territory.
Also, the project of finding that ideal race, disguised beneath a pile of propaganda, was a clear response from the imperial council to the desperate crisis regarding the lack of genetic variety among the Viltrumites.
For the first time, he allowed himself to think that perhaps the empire was not so perfect.
Filling himself with courage, he looked at the dark binding in his hands, opened the pages to where he had left off and continued reading.
"but well. Here I am going to summarize for you an analysis of the structural, technological and ideological factors that made possible the eastern hegemony and subsequent imperial consolidation, as well as the internal contradictions that led to the Great Purge and the establishment of the Regime of the current Regent.
The key word is the following: Viltrumite unification.
Another key word?: intelligent atoms.
The rest, such as totalitarianism, the genetic purge, worship of Argal, for the moment are only consequences of these two in question.
Historically, as far as we know according to the records authorized by the empire, prior to unification, the planet Viltrum was structured into five sovereign political entities.
These, denominated as super states, were territorial units, designated as Eastern State, Western State, Northern Confederation, Southern Kingdoms and Central Dominion.
These super states maintained for approximately millennia a system of multipolar equilibrium characterized by permanent low-intensity wars, endogenous technological competition based on a scientific-military infrastructure in isolated form and ethnic homogeneity with political fragmentation, although it is interesting to know that the Viltrumite population at that time did not present substantial phenotypic or cultural differences between states, but rather responded exclusively to historical dynamics of power and territorial control.
In that same order, the multipolar equilibrium, although functional for the perpetuation of the ruling elites of each super state, presented unsustainable structural contradictions in the long term.
Among them, the most important and problematic was the current problem, demographic sustainability.
Viltrum always had a relatively low birthrate, currently more aggravated by our longevity, which, at that time, the useful life of a Viltrumite did not exceed 200 years.
Added to the chronic wartime mortality of the era, it generated a population stagnation which, according to retrospective models of the empire, would have led to the gradual extinction of the species in approximately ten thousand years.
This demographic factor, little understood at the time but evident in retrospect, constituted the structural condition that would make possible the emergence of a unification project.
And well, from there Emperor Argal emerges.