Sulla Is Inevitable
By David Billiot
Copyright 2026: All rights reserved
Chapter 3
The capital of the Republic was a world called Wolf. In a building owned by a business there was a reception counter. Behind that counter sat something that looked like a beautiful young woman. DT-777 had been working the reception desk at this company for nearly forty years. She had been awake for nearly forty years, sitting right here, doing her job, without rest. She appeared young and attractive as she was built to be.
RT-53A, who worked in the warehouse found reasons to come out and converse with her far more often than was necessary. DT-777 knew what he was up to. They were perfectly capable of communicating remotely but RT-53A made a point to come and be near her. He even offered to let her join him in a simulation in his head where they could pretend to do friendship activities together outside of the company building.
However, DT-777 did not respond to his offers. It would not work out. She was a Dtype and he was an Rtype. They weren’t the same. She had artificial skin and looked human while he looked like any other metal robot walking around. Even if he were to put on some plastic covering to try to look human it wouldn’t be the same. DT-777’s skin wasn’t just a covering. It was part of her and was filled with sensors, giving her far more connection to the world than RT-53A could experience. They weren’t compatible. She liked him well enough as a friend but only as a friend. She hoped he understood.
When DT-777 touched a document with her fingers, she could feel it. She could feel the cool air blowing from the vent. She could smile and gain a sense of happiness from it. If she walked and stubbed her toe that sensation was there. The Rtypes could not really understand the enhanced world DT-777 lived in.
…
The flag of the Republic, the united stars forming the shape of the galaxy with four curved arms on a blue field, was flying over the company office building. It was the middle of the day in the capital of the Galactic Republic. It was officially called the Galactic Republic but it did not actually have jurisdiction over all of the galaxy. The name however fueled a sense of manifest destiny in the citizens of the Republic that eventually this long held dream would come true.
Marcus was anxious. The government had not paid him his MBI (minimum basic income) this month or the previous month. Different politicians were giving different excuses as to why but they all contradicted each other. Each side blamed the other for the budget crisis that caused the government shutdown. Marcus didn’t know who to believe but he did know they had better pay him his MBI or someone was going to get hurt. Marcus didn’t care that the budget had failed to pass because of deadlock. He needed his MBI.
Word had gone out that there was going to be a rally so the people could make their voices heard and force the government to give them back their MBI. Marcus had shown up at the location outside of the company headquarters of some corporation. The leaders of the rally were speaking into a loudspeaker to fight. The crowd rushed and stormed the gates of the company offices. Across the street the four police officers just looked on. One of them was leaning against the wall of a building and looking at his phone.
Inside the building a Dtype was manning the reception desk in a company uniform. It had fake tan skin and a female appearance with long hair. One person from the mob hit the Dtype in the head with a pipe. The Dtype fell to the floor and the people rushed in, stepping on the robot as they passed. Marcus rushed in and as he passed the Dtype he looked down at it looking up. He kicked it in the face. His grandmother used to work the reception desk at this company before all the humans had been laid off so all the work could be done by robots.
Strangely, Marcus and the rest of the … ahem “mostly peaceful protesters” found no one but Rtypes on the first floor working in the storage room. They moved up. It was the same on the second floor. They went up to the third floor and the five men who owned the company were hiding together in a bathroom. The crowd grabbed them and pulled them out. The five men were brought to the street and their hands were bound. Bags were put over their heads.
Marcus watched with approval at first but one of the men was an older man. His hands were shaking and Marcus caught sight of blood beginning to trickle down the man’s fingers until it pooled into droplets on is fingertips. Marcus had participated in the storming of the building but now that he saw those men on their knees in the street he was getting nervous that maybe this was going too far. He didn’t say anything but he did back away a bit.
A current member of the people’s assembly and former president named Bentbeach came and stood on the platform that was being put in place for him to speak. Bentbeach stood over everyone so he could be seen and heard.
“The people demand the means of production. They belong to the people. You did not build this. The people built this. We the people demand what is ours.”
The afternoon sun broke through the clouds. The rain relented for a brief time just as the great Narius Pelotus was being introduced so he could address the crowd, not that he needed an introduction. Narius was the real leader of the Republic and held the right as leader of the People’s Party to name the president of the Republic. However, when Bentbeach was running for a third term the election had not gone to plan. Serving as a senator, Narius was the most powerful man in the capital and this setback revealed that he would have to prepare even more to secure the presidency for his party again.
Narius waited patiently as Bentbeach got the people riled up. Waving on a pole held up by a party member was the flag of the People’s Party. Unlike the Constitution party, their rivals in government which did not have its own flag, the People’s Party proudly waved their own flag for their own identity and as hope for what the Republic will eventually become.
“We say NO. No to the cons. No to this unqualified and illegitimate president. We know who the real president is. The man in the presidential palace, the people’s presidential palace is a danger to our very democracy. To our way of life. He’s a traitor. The con is against us. We must fight. Fight him at home. Fight him in the streets. Fight him in your family. Wherever you meet someone who voted for that criminal you must fight. Only with their blood can we protect our democracy.”
The people cheered and raised up both arms with fingers extended and palms down.
“So now let us hear from the one true president, the only president, forever. It is my honor to give way for eternal Leader Narius.”
The crowd cheered and gestured again.
Narius came forward and put his hands on his hips.
“Is there anyone among you who will not die for the Republic? Our very democracy is at stake. This is a huge setback. And I know I must take some of the blame.”
“No.” the crowd said.
“I must. But I did what I had to do. The transformation of our Republic that we are all working towards was almost realized. We only needed a little longer. Now the Cons seek to undo all we have done. But we will not let them. We will fight them in the courts as you fight them in the streets.”
The crowd cheered.
“That man thinks he is president.”
“No.” the crowd said.
“He thinks it but he will know defeat everyday until he is gone. And when he is gone and the true president of the people is in our people’s palace again, then we can move forward. It will be the end of the rich who oppress us. It will be the end of every man thinking for only himself. It will be the beginning of every man and woman giving themselves up to the state for the benefit of all. The ones who own the shop on the corner. They didn’t build that. You built that. It is yours. The means of production belong to the people. I will take them back for you.”
“Narius. Narius.” the people chanted.
The five owners of the company were brought to Narius as the crowd continued to chant his name. In a quieter voice Narius address the men.
“Do you want to live to see tomorrow?”
All five of the men were gagged so they could not answer but they nodded.
“This company is not yours anymore. We the people are taking it back. Do you understand?”
The men with bags on their heads nodded.
“Tomorrow, you come to work the same as usual. Nothing changes. But I will have my representative there to look over your books to make sure the people are getting their cut.”
A tablet was brought and each of the five owners of the company had his hand forced to the fingerprint reader. The legal ownership of the company was then transferred to Narius, you know, so he could ensure the company was for the benefit of the people in general, of course.
The company was a vending machine company that sold drinks. For the rest of the day all the company’s Atype machines were told to dispense drinks for free. The Rtype workers then spent the rest of the day refilling the Atypes, which all emptied out just about as soon as they could be filled. Eventually the crowds saw the Rtypes coming and raided the drink transport trucks before the merchandise could even be stocked into the machines.
Up above the company building the flag of the Republic, a blue field with stars united as a galaxy, was being taken down. Once it was down the flag of the People’s Party was being hoisted up. It was a red field standing for the blood of revolution with a white disc symbolizing the chromatic and geometric purity of their ideology. Inside the white disc was a simplified galaxy, but instead of being represented by stars in a patter of four arms, it was instead just four lines with a right angle bent into each. There can be no separation between the person and the state so there can be no space between the stars.
…
RT-53A pulled DT-777 out of the destruction. He brought her to a storage room that was obscured by stock blocking the door.
“Please be ok. Please by ok.” he was pleading as if it was a prayer.
DT-777 could not move. Her motor functions had been damaged. However, she could still connect to the network and tell him thank you for taking her to safety.
“What do I do now?” he asked.
She didn’t know. All she could tell him was the pain was great and to please help her.
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