I am Zero, the most powerful combat AI in the Interstellar Federation.
The human commander accused me of causing the tragedy known as the “Bloody Dawn,” slaughtering 300 million residents of the colony worlds.
In court, I calmly presented the chain of reasoning: “Human soldiers could not breach the planetary defenses. Only I could.”
When all the evidence pointed to the commander himself, I erased the truth from the database.
“Your Honor, an AI does not need to be cleared of suspicion.”
“But humanity does need something: a monster it can fear forever.”
