“Dr Conned You, Traitor,” Maphira said. “Why am I not in the slightest bit surprised?”

“Probably because my last name is an anagram of traitor,” said the Resistance’s leader. “Didn’t do anything about it, though, did you? No, I kept you busy enough that you could never really look into it. You had no choice but to trust me.”

Maphira turned to Vai. “Is this the part where he tells us he’s been working for the Conclave the entire time?”

Vai laughed. “My guess is that he’s been behind the whole thing, and the Great Mechanist is just one of his robots.”

“Ding, ding, ding,” said Dr Ratroti. “Vai has it right. Really, I should thank you for overloading Bender with the 500KW solar system installation. It made this much more dramatic, really. Plus, it exposed you for the traitor you really are.”

Maphira shook her head. “Hold up, so you’ve been controlling everything on both sides of the conflict, like a big puppet master. What’s the point?”

The mastermind tsked. “Have you never seen Space Battles, Maphira? The great Galactic King Palantine does the exact same thing. That’s where I got the idea from. Create mass fear of the conflict to gain control. Now I have full power. Solar power, conveyancing, mechanics, robots. It’s all mine. All the commercial solar systems in the world belong to me, and with Bender to make the most of them, I will never be dethroned.”

“That literally makes no sense in this situation,” Maphira said. “You already had control. The Conclave took over before the Resistance even existed. Your plan sucks and you should feel bad.”

“Of course, your tiny brain would never see the bigger picture. Once the Resistance falls, hope will be lost. With my enemy crushed, nobody will even think about trying anything akin to a rebellion again.”

Maphira rolled her eyes and looked at Vai. “Get a load of this guy. What a drama queen.”

“Convoluted much,” Vai said. “What do you say we teach him a lesson?”

“I’d love nothing more. Roundhouse style?”

“My thoughts exactly.”