Captain Mordecai Valin sat quietly and contemplatively as he studied images of Riyuki 4, an Earth-like planet orbiting a G2 class star 237 light years from Imperial Centre. The Liu Bei, Captain Valin's battle cruiser, had been orbiting Riyuki 4, or simply R4 as Valin's crew had taken to calling the planet, for 16 standard hours following a brief but violent encounter with a rebel cruiser in high orbit above the planet. With the rebel cruiser reduced to particles of ionized dust, there was but one final matter to address -- the people of R4. Imperial policy was clear: "Should the people of an Imperial planet side with the forces of separatism, their rights as Imperial citizens are forfeit. In order to promote unity throughout the Empire, and in so doing, ensure the survival of human civilisation, the duty of any victorious Imperial commander is to destroy all major population centres utilizing mass drivers."

The message of the edict was clear - no mercy. And indeed, the Empire had shown no mercy on over a dozen worlds in which the populations had sided with separatist forces. Thus, Captain Valin's next course of action should have been clear. However, he could not bring himself to issue the final command.

"Riyuki 4: population, 7,089,568; primary industry, production of anti-matter for ship propulsion systems; secondary industry..." The androgynous voice of the ship's computer recited the bland details of R4 as Valin listened intently for at least the tenth time. Following the battle with the enemy cruiser, he had retired to his ready room, ostensibly to study damage reports and review the various protocols surrounding the deployment of mass drivers. In actuality, he was wrestling with the most important decision of his life.

Could he do it? Could he order the deaths of millions of innocent civilians? Was there not a better way? Unfortunately, the standing orders regarding the treatment of secessionist planets seemed to leave nothing open to interpretation. Yet, the statistics pouring forth from his ship's computer seemed to demand that he find another solution. 7,089,568... Was the Empire so precious a thing that the mass slaughter of innocents was an acceptable price to pay for its survival? Was it even his place to ask such questions? These were certainly the sorts of questions he had never considered before. Indeed, for seven hundred years the Empire had existed in a state of peace. Only in the last 10 years had discontent begun to manifest itself in the often violent form of revolt. Certainly, the Empire was not an end in itself. It existed for the benefit of the species. For too long humanity had squandered precious resources on internal squabbling. Millions had died in the early days of interstellar exploration and colonization, as Earth and Mars competed for resources and planets, while avaricious mega-corporations played the two sides against one-another.

The benefits of centralized control were all too clear to those who struggled to establish the first Galactic Imperium of Humanity, or simply the Empire, as it is most frequently referred to. The creation of the Empire had heralded the end of war in human space, as well as an end to corporate exploitation. Freedom and responsible interstellar commerce were allowed to flourish. However, controlling an empire encompassing 173 star systems is not a game for the timid. Opposition to the Imperial order was not tolerated in any form, and inevitably resulted in swift and severe punishment for the perpetrator and his family. It therefore came as little surprise when General Order 765 was issued, requiring the annihilation of any population in open defiance of the Imperium.

In a way, Captain Valin felt as if the survival of the Empire depended upon him. After all, the discipline of the Imperial officer corps and the Empire's consistency in policy implementation were its two greatest strengths. In other words, the Empire represented order, and for Captain Valin, or any other ship commander to defy Imperial policy, would represent nothing less than an open assault on the foundations of civilisation. If he refused to observe procedure, perhaps others would follow his example, leading to a progressive breakdown of order and discipline throughout the Imperial system. Such thoughts were too much to bear.

On the other hand, how could he perfunctorily order the deaths of 7 million people? A satisfactory resolution, to what had quickly mutated from simple doubt to a serious quagmire seemed distant, if not unachievable. Time was running out. He needed to find a solution before his crew began to suspect him of indecisiveness. It was at this point that Captain Valin turned his attention to a book of quotations secured in a small shelf in his ready room.

Slowly he opened the case that prevented the books from floating off their shelves during periods of zero-g. He carefully selected a passage he had read many times before. The quote he sought was by a 20th century economist named Friedrich Hayek. It reads as follows: "It is essential for the growth of reason that as individuals we should bow to forces and obey principles which we cannot fully understand, yet on which the advance and even preservation of civilisation depend." Carefully he considered the meaning of the words. The implication seemed clear. Slowly his doubts melted away as he replaced the book and made for the bridge.