June–July, Space Era Years 104.
29th June, S.E. 104 —On the distant world of Tiraxinosys, the Empire's foremost Special Economic Star, tragedy struck. The planetary governor, appointed directly by the central authority, died suddenly of cardiac arrest.The news rippled through the stars, for Tiraxinosys was no mere colony — it was the beating heart of interstellar trade, the crossroads between Centory and its foreign partners within the Sub-Crownland network.
To prevent a vacuum of power, Lord Aelyzabeth von Thors, Sovereign of the Empire, issued a direct decree from the capital: George Sergisther, the star's Trade Tax Officer renowned for his integrity, was to ascend immediately as the new Governor of Tiraxinosys.
George Sergisther, now a man in his thirties, came from a merchant lineage humble yet astute. He understood the language of markets as one might read the pulse of life itself. Upon assuming office, he addressed a letter directly to Lord Thors — requesting authorization to reshape the star's economic model into a form he called "Regulated Capitalism."
It was a doctrine that diverged boldly from the technocratic socialism of the Centory Empire, a vision that sought balance between liberty and order.
"I do not wish for men to drown in riches," he declared before the Sub-Council of Tiraxinosys. "I wish only that every man may rise by the strength of his own hands."
He proposed the liberalization of trade, the attraction of off-world investors, and the transformation of Tiraxinosys into a glittering interstellar trade port and tourist haven, blessed with a warm, tropical climate — a paradise in contrast to Centory's capital world, now entering its new ice age.
After careful deliberation, Lord Aelyzabeth approved his petition, perceiving in Tiraxinosys a proving ground — an experimental garden where free enterprise could bloom without threatening the Empire's core stability.
The Birth of the Thorsian Code.
30th June, S.E. 104 — Thorsian Research Complex, Advanced Bio-Technological Division.
Lord Aelyzabeth Thors unveiled a creation that would shake the foundations of civilization —a nanotechnological miracle known as the Thorsian Senser-Menter, or TSM.
She named it "The Nanotech of Truth."
TSM was an unprecedented fusion of nano-engineering, artificial intelligence, and neuro-biological design. Once integrated into the human body, it synchronized with the optic and neural systems, allowing individuals to perceive the inner essence of others — visualized as ethereal projections within one's consciousness. Only those inoculated with the TSM vaccine could perceive these visions; the uninitiated would see nothing at all.
"Men fear one another because they do not understand one another," said Lord Aelyzabeth at the unveiling. "When truth becomes visible, deceit shall cease to exist."
The TSM could display up to fifteen categories of data — name, age, gender, faith, lineage, financial status, health, education, occupation, and more.
Yet the most controversial revelations were the immutable metrics decreed by the Lord herself — truths that no one, not even the government, could conceal:
True Sentiment toward Others — expressed in hues of color: green for benevolence, red for hatred, black for deceit, blue for uncertainty.
Personal Honor Value — ranging from 50 to 10,000, descending to −5,000. Those whose score reached the abyss were automatically condemned to death.
Moral Integrity Score — from 10,000 to −10,000. To fall to the lowest depth meant the system itself would deliver execution.
Family Honor Tier — nine ranks, from Obscure to Legendary.
Personal Relationship Status — single, married, courting, divorced, adulterous, or widowed — displayed as absolute truth, immune to falsification.
All readings were drawn directly from the subject's neural resonance — beyond manipulation, beyond corruption.
The Great Uproar.
When the Imperial Council decreed that all citizens must receive the TSM inoculation in the name of "transparency and the abolition of deceit," the stars themselves trembled.
Mass protests erupted across a hundred worlds — human rights leagues, liberal scholars, and the Free Science Union of Helia condemned it as "the greatest violation of human privacy in recorded history."
"We do not seek a world of mirrors," declared the Helian Free Science Union. "We seek a world where secrecy and dignity may yet breathe."
Yet others heralded it as the next step in mankind's evolution —a civilization of unveiled truth, where falsehoods wither beneath the light of understanding.
At last, Lord Aelyzabeth von Thors addressed the High Council of Centory. Her voice, calm yet commanding, echoed through the great hall:
"Freedom is not the concealment of truth —it is the courage to face truth without fear."
And with that, she affixed her seal upon the decree that made Thorsian Senser-Menter the official National Vaccine of the Empire.
That day was forever inscribed in the annals of time as "The Dawn of the Cold Transparency."— The beginning of a new era for the Centory Empire, and the first chapter of mankind's long march toward a world without lies.
Thus ends Chapter-C-XXVI.