The Nihilist Party

By Roy Anthony

At a time when corruption is the main fuel for one of the most powerful galactic-governments in history, a group, The Nihilist Party, emerges to attempt to unveil the corruption to the public.
A member of the party, Aris, is captured on a foreign planet in an attempt to expose a massive cover-up by the government. His wife, Quora, who is a journalist, is the only person that could possibly save him. But to do so she has to dive into a sea of lies and deception laid out by her very own government.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roy Anthony
• Release date: Oct 23, 2020

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/ THE NIHILIST PARTY / 121

The Nihilist Party

by Roy Anthony

I didn't mean this novel to be political, by any means. It was intended to be read in fun. Though it was meant to be just entertainment, this novel was inspired by how I feel we are currently being misrepresented by members within our government.

In this novel, I attempt to imagine what would happen if citizens were fed up with the way their government exploits them. The disenfranchised citizens have no hope for their future, and everything has been taken from them by the people that swore to protect them. So, the people end up embracing the nothingness and hopelessness they are left with, and this makes them more dangerous than ever. And from this, they form the Nihilist Party, to fight back against the oppressor.

Chapter 1

In a large conference room, hundreds of people sat and waited for the speaker to take the stage. For a packed house, it was surprisingly quiet, Quoramehr Coraemin thought. She watched as everyone waited – eyes glued to the podium. In her mind, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Quoramehr was in her mid-forties, while everyone else in the crowd seemed younger. She was also in standard government attire – a monotone colored one-piece suit that clung to her body.

She had heard about Bratlik Sortmax. Heard that he spearheaded a new movement, the Nihilist Party. Of course, the Galactic Council, or GC, frowned upon it. As a GC Universal Journalist, she was taking a risk just being there – attending an underground meeting for such an organization. Still, she only went because one of Bratlik’s advisor’s said the leader would like to give her an exclusive interview after his speech. That’s what she told herself anyway. In truth, she could have showed up at the end of the event, when the speech was over. But that would not have served her ulterior motive. She hoped to run into someone she hadn’t seen in years. So Quoramehr lied to herself, saying she might get a story out of the event, even though she never covered topics like new political movements. Maybe she could pass the story to one of her colleagues.

Suddenly, an older man walked onto the stage and everyone stood up and cheered. A large white flag was dropped in the background. It was simple – only a circle with a horizontal line running through it filled some of the flag’s white space. The older man arrived at the podium and raised his hands. Everyone became quiet and calmly sat down.

Thank you all for coming here this evening. Batlik spoke calmly, but his voice was a little rough. Most of you are humans, but we have different species here as well, and I appreciate you for having the courage to come and hear an old human speak. Some of the crowd lightly chuckled. To those of you who are new here and came to see what the big fuss is about this Nihilist stuff, I commend you for taking the time to hear us out. You could have just listened to GC propaganda. But now, you can hear it from the horse’s mouth – you can hear what Nihilist Party members believe in. Everyone wants to know what this Nihilist Party is about. Is it full of creatures who have no beliefs and want to see the world burn for the sake of burning? If you let our government-controlled media tell it, that is exactly what we are about. But that is a lie. It’s not the first lie they’ve told about us, and it definitely won’t be the last. The crowd chuckled again, as did Quoramehr, even though she was technically part of the lying government entity Batlik was talking about. But the truth is, the Elite created us, and when I say Elite, I’m talking about the GC politicians and the wealthy that work with them to suppress us. We are what a system creates when it neglects its citizens and exploits them for profit, leaving the citizens with nothing. How many of you feel like our current system has been taking everything from you, is still taking, and shows no interest in ever helping you? When someone takes everything from you, you are left with NOTHING. But what happens when you embrace that NOTHING? You know what it does? It frees you. Those in power have corrupted and exploited every form of our society. Everything we believe in is used to defile us and to do the bidding of those in power. And when we do their bidding, are we rewarded? No. And if they do decide to reward us, they only reward us for ruthlessness. They reward us for being morally corrupt. They want us to be soulless, like them. Those in power punish those of us who believe in doing what’s right and standing up for righteousness. We are just slaves to the Elite. They exploit us and keep the riches that WE work for, that WE bleed for, that WE die for. So, do you really want to know what the Nihilist Party represents? His voice rose, and he began to speak with authority. We are citizens of the GC who are tired of corruption from those who are supposed to be representing US, the citizens, within the GC. Instead of representing us, they only represent what is best for their personal interests. They are supposed to negotiate deals that will help their citizens, not just themselves. They say that their actions are for the betterment of every GC citizen, but they do nothing but spew lies. So, to distract us from their lies, they use fear, religion, food, medicine, disease, money, and entertainment to keep us blind to their corruption.

That is why in the Nihilist Party, we embrace the fact that life is meaningless, and there is no significant meaning to our existence. Since we embrace and accept the meaninglessness of life, we don't fall for their tricks. Embracing the meaninglessness of life creates a deep void within the mind, but in the Nihilist Party, we fill this void with truth. That is why we are fearless when seeking the TRUTH. And that is why the Elite can't control us. So, to be in the Nihilist Party is to be free from the influences of the powerful. And to dedicate ourselves to being truth seekers.

We are out here desolate, without any help from those that swore to protect us. When our politicians swear into the GC, they swear to protect all GC citizens. All! The Elite has made their fortune on our misfortune. But the GC wasn’t always like this. Just like most things, it became corrupt over time. It was founded to protect civility and that which was right and just throughout the Galaxy. You all know that. If you’re from a planet that has been in the GC for the last sixty years, you recited the beginning paragraph of the Criterion in school. What is it?

The members of the Galactic Council, Batlik began.

The entire crowd joined in and recited. In order to form a more perfect Galaxy, to establish justice and to protect Universal trade from those who wish to break up our law and to protect the welfare of the essential minerals, resources, and citizens of every member. We are to fight for every citizen of this Galactic Council, at all costs. We are many planets, but only ONE Council. Everyone recited.

But when everyone stopped, Quoramehr was the only one who continued. The Criterion is based on thousands of years of historical planetary research throughout the Universe. Everyone looked at her. Some with smiles. Others with skepticism.

Some of us know it better than others. The crowd laughed as Bratlik cracked a joke and continued on with his speech. Quoramehr was relieved that the leader took all eyes off of her. It sounds nice, doesn’t it? The GC was created to keep the citizens of the GC safe from invaders. To protect us against barbaric planets. The GC was supposed to be for the civilized planets. Each planet that aimed to enter the Council was supposed to be inspected based on the Criterion, ensuring that only the righteous and upright could join. The Great Abend Tollehmax created the Criterion to safeguard the future of the GC. But today, they let in any planet that allows the ELITE to take resources from the planet, no matter how corrupt and barbaric that planet may be. And the Elite are willing to jeopardize our safety for their greed, as they live high in the clouds. Safe from the terror they left below. I believe the creators of the GC had the right intentions. But where our current leaders have taken the once Great Galactic Council does not represent these intentions. I dare you to find one GC representative who truly represents your needs. A representative you can trust. You can’t do it, there are none. If our leaders followed just that paragraph, there would be no need for a Nihilist Party. But, since there is a Nihilist Party, we will be the seekers of truth within the Galaxy. WE WILL expose the corruption that the GC politicians commit throughout the Galaxy! WE WILL stand for justice and protect the weak! WE WILL make sure the Elites hear our voices and get the corruption out of the GC! To do this, we must give up everything for the future of our children. We will make having NOTHING the most dangerous thing to the Elites. That’s what the Nihilist Party is about!

The crowd stood up and cheered as Batlik reached his hands towards the audience, seemingly embracing their applause. Batlik slowly exited the stage as the crowd continued to clap and yell.

In the midst of all the commotion, Quora felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and found herself staring at one of Batlik’s assistants. Quoramehr Coraemin? the assistant asked.

Quoramehr looked back at the mature looking assistant, somewhat startled. Yea, that’s me. But you can just call me Quora.

The assistant whispered in Quora’s ear. Mr. Sortmax would like to meet you backstage.

The assistant didn’t wait for Quora to respond. She made her way backstage, using a back entrance not immediately visible to the crowd. Quora simply followed her.

She led Quora to a small, quaint room. There, Batlik sat at a table surrounded by a couple of other creatures – fellow members of the Nihilist Party. They all stopped talking and stared at Quora as she entered the room.

Quora observed the way Batlik sat with all the others. The way he was positioned, she would have never known he was the leader of the Party – the group sat amongst each other as equals. Quora was used to interviewing influential people who needed to assert their dominance in every setting. Batlik was also influential, but in a different way.

Batlik, she is here. announced the assistant.

Excuse me. He said, addressing the other members. I would like to have a few minutes alone with Universal Journalist Quoramehr.

The others looked at Quora as if she was the enemy, then slowly exited the room. One Party member stayed. She stood against a blue table and observed Quora with a smirk on her face. Lyseen will stay here. I hope you don’t mind. Batlik said as he pulled up a chair for Quora.

Lyseen was of the Calimer species – Quora knew that for sure. It was a fortunate species in