Slave :
Is something amiss, Emperor?
The Emperor :
Not at all.
Everything is Unfolding
as I’d Hoped.
Slave :
You and Captain Burnham
have come quite a long way
over these last months.
You must be pleased.
The Emperor :
I’d only ever wished
to Rule with Her.
And now I shall.
You will remain with me
rather than return to Her Service.
I am afraid that will not be possible, Emperor, in the end.
I regret that I will not remain
here with you.
Vahar’ai is coming for me.
The Emperor :
Who told you that?
Slave :
I feel it.
It would do me
The Greatest Honor
if you would be the one to cull me.
The Emperor :
I Will Do No Such Thing.
Slave :
I apologize for overstepping.
I-I never should have…
The Emperor :
Vahar’ai…
…is not an End.
Slave :
Emperor?
The Emperor :
When The Madness comes,
lock yourself away.
In a few days’ time,
You Will Still Be Alive,
and You Will Be Changed Forever.
Slave :
But that is merely a fable.
The Emperor :
I have witnessed it myself.
Slave :
H-How…. how is that possible?
The Emperor :
I knew a Kelpien once,
in Another Time, Another Place.
His Name was Saru.
He Survived Vahar’ai,
and it made him stronger.
He was A Captain of a Starship.
Slave :
….You must have travelled far Beyond The Empire.
You are placing a great deal
of Trust in me.
The Emperor :
My Corpse would already
be eaten to bones
if I could not accurately judge
between Loyalty and Flattery.
Your Regret was genuine
when you thought
You were leaving Me here,
as was Your Pain
when Your Comrade fell.
Slave :
He… He would have li…?
My Sister, My Family,
they would all still be…
The Emperor :
Survive.
That is how you Honor Them.
Teach others What You Know.
That is how you Avenge Them.
Slave :
You are not Terran.
The Emperor :
Of course I am.
Slave :
The Way You Speak…
The Emperor :
Enough.
Slave :
Please, return to where you are from, Emperor.
Should you fail to do
What is Expected of You,
They will KILL You.
The Emperor :
This is My Home.
Now and Forever.
And I Will MAKE it
What it Needs to Be..
That is How I Will Survive.
Do you understand?
Slave :
I-I believe so, Emperor.
The Emperor :
Leave Me to My Bath.
