Everything That Has a Beginning

He chose law because in statute and precedent, he saw both the struggle towards universal justice and simple logic, from first principles to complex argument. In the pursuit of that reason, he could do what was ‘right’. He paid no heed to the stereotypes or horror stories. He knew himself too well to think he would be twisted in that way. He would serve justice, even if that meant no hope of promotion, no great wealth.

As a young man, he wanted so badly to control the world. Dreams plotted his course and gave him energy to fight through schools and tests. He would make a difference to the world.

‘Morpheus?’

Morpheus stared at the woman beside him. He blinked and saw the grime of his cabin on the hovership, Kubla Khan. Far from the paradise of Xanadu, however, the ship was dark and the room so small it choked him. The young man he had been sank into the recesses of his mind, whispering as he went, and a damp cold took hold of the frightened being he had become.

‘The captain wants you at the Core,’ said the woman.

‘Why?’

‘He wants to show you the real world.’