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@ -0,0 +1,363 @@
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, . . + . o
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. ,
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* -o- . . * .
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, * -0====>
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/ / '
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/ / ___ ___ // ___ ___ ___
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/ / // ) ) || / / //___) ) // // ) ) // ) ) //___) )
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/ / // / / || / / // // // / / // //
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/ /____/ / ((___/ / ||/ / ((____ // ((___( ( ((____ ((____
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--------------------- [SB-129 Class Starship] ----------------------
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## TRANSMISSION RECIEVED 2314-01-27 ##
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"What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"
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The question puzzled St'Wek. Not only because he hadn't had a work to
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"be at" for quite some time now, but also because he seemed to find
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himself in an unfamiliar place and thrown into a conversation with a
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likewise unfamiliar person out of nowhere. He didn't remember what he
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had been doing just now but he knew that he had never been where-ever
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he was at the moment.
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"Uhm. No.", he said plainly since the stranger seemed very annoyed by
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his general cluelessness. He didn't appreciate being stressed by a
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strange, thin alien in an boring building with all-white (or very
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brightly coloured) furniture that lacked any ornamentation. He began
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to become very annoyed now at this lazy excuse for an exposition.
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"Where am I?" he asked.
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The alien rolled his eye (for he had only one of those).
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"We don't have time for this", he said, "You're pairing up with
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Lataz, he's starting in the extraction department today. You should
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count yourself lucky that we need employees so badly at the moment or
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you'd be.. well, you know."
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"No. I don't", said St'Wek, "And I'm not really looking for a job,
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actually, so if you could show me the nearest exi-"
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The thin man had gone already. In his place now stood a smaller
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creature with a quieter voice. "Please come with me", it said.
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"Fine. But I don't actually want to. And I will complain the whole
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time."
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Lataz shrugged and lead the way.
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"I've been working here for most of my life", he said after a pause,
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"But I've never worked extraction. I don't even quite know what they
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do there. No one does, but you're aware of that of course, sorry."
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"No, I'm actually not. Nor do I care much. My hot tip is that they
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might be extracting something. Will you tell me where I am?
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Are we on a ship or a planet? And where are my friends?"
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Only with the last sentence did St'Wek remember his two companions
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and he instantly became more worried.
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The small man was visibly irritated. "You must know where you are!
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This is Bhel and you are at LEAD. As you well know", he laughed
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uncomfortably, "No one could just walk in here by accident. The place
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is very well guarded and they don't let just anyone in."
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"My friends, what about my friends!", St'Wek demanded.
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"I just met you, I don't know anything about you or where your
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friends are. Sorry. This way."
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St'Wek followed his guide through a maze of identical corridors to a
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central door protected by every security measure he'd ever heard of -
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and then some. After Lataz had finished leaving a sample of seemingly
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every cell in his lanky body the door whizzed open.
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On the other side lay a great hall filled with all manner of
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cyclopses looking intently at a large screen that took up the entire
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wall opposite the door. At his left and right St'Wek observed that
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the walls were minimalistcally decorated with black banners
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that showed a symbol which looked a bit like a closed eye with a
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stream of water in the background. Underneath this were letters
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of some kind. He guessed they must say "LEAD", though the only way
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to know for sure was to ask someone.
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The ability to read had never been granted to him, after all.
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He followed his nervous guide mindlessly and found himself standing
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among the people, staring at the big screen. It whizzed on now,
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depicting a close up of someone's face. A woman, St'Wek guessed,
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though it was never really a sure thing with aliens. They could look
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and sound all kinds of ways, sometimes that didn't mean anything. He
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didn't even know what exactly Xēcnes was, come to think of it.
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"Esteemed LEAD workers", the giant face said, "We are honoured to
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welcome you to the extraction department. You each have worked in one
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of the many other departments and have achieved a reputation as good
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workers, as people who put the well-being of the collective above
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all. People who can be trusted to do what is necessary."
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"In my time, some were outraged by my research. But while they
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twiddled their appendages and shook their heads, saying how very
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unfortunate it was that the population was diseased and dying,
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I took action. They said it was the way it had always been, that
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there was no changing it. I showed them the means to their salvation
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but they turned away and feigned ignorance.
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Imagine where we would be if these voices had won, if Mehtr Pakal
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had never been allowed to use her theories and allow the disease-free
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present we live in today. The estimated lifespan has almost doubled
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over the past 20 cycles. Grandparents need no longer fear seeing their
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own grandchildren for the viruses they may carry. The birth rate
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has increased, since potential parents are no longer afraid
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that their children will die from infections."
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"But this miracle would be impossible without the work you do every
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day. So as the privilege of working in extraction befalls you,
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remember why we are here. All of you are miracle workers, heros.
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Angels of mercy."
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The face disappeared and the crowd was pleased with itself; shaking
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its hands and welcoming itself to the family. The giant screen split
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in two, revealing itself to be a door also. As the great wall parted
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with a loud rumble, the screams started to wash in from the
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other side.
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_
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^'#~
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<(.l.)>
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--
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---| |-----------------------------------------------------------
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The first thing Aanya of Faino noticed was that she was staring.
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She was staring, but not at anything in particular. She was staring,
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but she wasn't seeing anything. She concluded that this was a silly,
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ineffective thing to do, so she decided she should actively see
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whatever it was she was aiming her eyes at.
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Her eyes were aimed at a marble statue of an old man with only one
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eye, but three legs, as if to make up for it. The statue was painted
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in a warm red.
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Out of his eye the man was crying pure water, which gathered in a
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pool below. Over the water hovered a long insect with thin wings,
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which Aanya instinctively grabbed and shoved into her mouth.
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It didn't taste like anything and didn't fill her stomach one bit.
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"What a waste of time" she thought.
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Once she had started to become annoyed, she realized she had a much
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better reason to be annoyed. Such as not knowing where she was
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or how she had gotten there. Aanya of Faino frowned.
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"Aanya", someone called. "Aanya, where are you now?"
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"I don't know", said Aanya, more to herself than anyone.
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"Ah there you are", said the small one-eyed creature which now came
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into view. It was hard to guess the age of an alien species
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you had never seen before, so Aanya didn't.
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"Come on, dear, mother is waiting. She's having another boring
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meeting and I have to attend. You must come with me and keep me
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entertained so I don't die of boredom."
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The cyclops took Aanya by the arm and dragged her through the roofed
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garden with the sad water fountain into the house.
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Aanya let this happen. Not much else to do, really. Other than...
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"Where am I and who are you?", she asked while running to keep up
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with her arm.
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"No games Aanya, we're running late already. More walking,
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less talking."
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So that didn't clear anything up. Aanya decided to reschedule
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her annoyance to a later time and to simply indulge this strange
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person as long as it did no harm.
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She was slowly but surely developing a headache.
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The walls here were very warm, it really irritated her eyes.
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No use in being annoyed on top of all that.
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Aanya of Faino had only recently learned that there was a color
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called "purple"; worst of all that she was apparently reflecting
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this color. That was a bizarre concept that she didn't waste any
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more time thinking about. While others like Xēcnes could see purple,
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Aanya's visual spectrum began at green and ended somewhere around
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short-wave infrared. So when she said things like "the walls here
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are very warm and it's a strain on the eyes" this was not due to
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synesthesia or anything of the sort; if she said the walls looked
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warm then it was because the walls were warm.
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Finally they arrived in a large hall with a long table at the center.
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The walls were off-white and the chairs around the table bent in on
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themselves in a way that might have been quite artistic, but not,
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as far as Aanya could imagine, comfortable. Despite this many of
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them were occupied by larger one-eyes persons with stern looks and
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figurative long white beards.
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"It's the council", explained the smaller creature, "She's been
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looking forward to this for half a season now; to finally present
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her idea." Aanya nodded. This sure was a situation.
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"Welcome, council, and thank you for seeing me. I promise you
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you will not regret your decision!", a high voice from behind Aanya
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said. It belonged to someone in a red dress who closed the door
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upon entry. The meeting had started, apparently. The person
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lightly pushed Aanya and her companion away on her way to the table.
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"Yes", said a sceptic voice, "You've promised quite the miracle
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this time, Mehtr. If it wasn't for your well documented success in
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the fields of microbiology, we would've laughed and thrown your
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letter right out. Instead of just laughing."
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The small cyclops beside Aanya frowned. At least, that's what Aanya
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thought the expression meant. The person in the dress just smiled.
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"I can hardly blame you. It is fantastical, isn't it? To think
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the people in this room could be the ones to end disease on Bhel
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forever." A pause.
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Everyone else in the room looked at eachother in half amused, half
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tired disbelief. Wham! The sound of a fist on the table, though
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Aanya got the feeling it was not out of anger but rather
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a calculated action.
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"I know everyone here has lost someone. I know you are tired and
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maybe you have no energy for childish hopes. But I do not have the
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luxury to turn my head away from sick children and the dying poor.
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My own daughter has mere seasons left to live-"
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Aanya noticed an appandage raised in her direction and felt a cold
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rush pierce through her, it was like being called out by the General
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when you hadn't been paying attention. Then she remembered the
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gleeful cyclops next to her and scratched her head scales in
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embarassment.
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"- and I cannot just stand by when I know I have a shot at saving
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her life and other mothers from the sorrow of losing a child."
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Aanya regarded the girl. She didn't seem sick to her at all, she'd
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been dancing down the corridor just a little while ago and she was
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visibly rooting for her mother. But then she didn't know anything
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about these people and their diseases.
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She hoped the child wasn't contagious.
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"Yes, yes, you may spare us the theatrics, we are not your sponsors.
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Just explain to us how you intend to save the world."
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And the "Mehtr" woman did. Aanya didn't understand much of it.
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Biology was never her sort of topic, too many fluids and mutations.
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Technology was always more or less the same. After a while she
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resumed her morning activity of staring at nothing in particular.
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But there was one thing, near the end, that made the council shift
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uneasily in their seats. Mehtr kept going, unbothered by this,
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until finally one of the members jumped from their seat and cut
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her off.
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"Stop.", they demanded with barely contained disgust.
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"I'm sorry, did you say you want our permission to inject Tauwian
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cells into our children?" A dissatisfied rumbling resounded
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from the other members.
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The woman seemed undeterred. "Yes. Well, after appropriate testing,
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of course."
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"That's horrific", a voice exclaimed, "I don't want any dirty
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Tauwian substances in my family blood. Why, these people are barely
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distinct from animals!"
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"Please calm yourself", said Mehtr. "I can see you're uneasy, so a
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demonstration is in order. Iakeō, darling, would you fetch
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the ratbird."
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The girl nodded enthusiastically and shot out of the room, wafting
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a breeze of air into Aanya's face in the process. They waited.
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Then Iakeō returned with a creature in a cage that did in fact
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resemble a mash-up of a rat and a bird. Its feathers were thin
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and its eyes were watery, it didn't look too well.
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"Thank you. As you can see this poor animal has contracted the
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incurable seurian flu. Harmless to us Heek, of course, but a vet
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would have to put it down. With just a small injection of my
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universal vaccine, which yes, contains what you so ellequantly
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described as 'dirty Tauwian substances'..."
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She injected the ratbird with a clear liquid.
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It shifted and protested and after the vial was empty it sat still
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for a moment. Then it spread its wings for all to see, as it rapidly
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grew more feathers and the color returned to its small furry body.
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The crowd gasped. A lot of "I don't believe it"s and "Incredible"s
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could be heard.
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"While they aren't as intelligent and civilized as us, Tauwians
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have a fascinating phisiology, without which this wouldn't be
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possible. It is a matter of shifting your focus away from sullying
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our racial purity. Think of this much the same way you think of using
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the secretions of the pigfly to anethezise patients. You said it
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yourself, after all, they are barely distinct from animals"
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Aanya let a long hard "Hmmmmmmmmmmmm" slip out of her mouth.
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She didn't know much about these Tauwian people or their
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intelligence but she did feel like comparing them to animals was the
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start of something very nasty indeed.
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The council did not seem to think so. The grim expressions of its
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members appeared to lift away from their faces and fly out of the
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window like a ratbird.
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vwv
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(0 0)
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~ ~
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/ | | \
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\ | | /
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---.= =.-------------------------------------------------------------
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The grey desert seemed to stretch endlessly between the abandoned
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buildings. Xēcnes had been walking for a while now in hopes of find-
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ing anyone or anything living. And there had been plants of course,
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loads of them (though not very pretty and mostly grey, not that it
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bothered Xēcnes) but no sentient creature, no one to talk to.
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No one to tell Xēcnes what planet this was and where the rest
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of the Lovelace crew was staying.
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It was not pleasant at all, it was rather boring and lonely. Xēcnes
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didn't mind being alone, of course, in that lovely room on the ship
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with a record of Earths history to read through or old ship recordings,
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but this was just depressing. And it reminded the small crustacean
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too much of home.
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Still, there had to be a reason for its presence here.
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If Xēcnes couldn't believe that anymore, couldn't believe that some
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cosmic force was guiding the path, that every action contributed to
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the holistic ecosystem of the universe...
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Well, what would be left of home then?
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What would be left of Planet 7ːɹi?
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Xēcnes had seen many curious things so far. Scientific equipment,
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barred doors, empty fountains with rusty plugs and statues of one-
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eyed people that were probably important figures, or at least
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famous ones. All in all the place presented a nice little mystery,
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but what fun was it to solve it all alone? To solve it without
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Aanya's sceptical yet helpful comments and St'Weks periodical
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declarations that he didn't care, though he clearly kind of did.
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Xēcnes sighed, insofar it was possible to do with those mouthparts,
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and climbed through the shattered window of a nearby house with
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barred doors. The inside didn't look much like the inside of a house.
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Really, it looked like a bit of outside that someone had built a roof
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over and then called it a day.
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There was sand and broken wood lying in the dirt, there was no
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furniture and childrens toys with missing limbs were spread out
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across the room. It reminded Xēcnes of human horror movies, the only
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thing missing from the athmosphere was a childs laughter or singing
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blowing in the wind. Hm. What a terrible thing to think about,
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this had been a real inhabited planet after all.
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Probably. Xēcnes wasn't sure if it was a planet, or if it was wholly
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deserted. Planets are usually very big.
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There! A weak light in the dirt. Xēcnes dusted off the notebook-like
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device, that seemed to consist of many self-illuminating blank pages.
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It seemed like it had once been brand new, when it had belonged to a
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living person. The only page with writing on it was the first.
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Xēcnes read:
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> Our fountains are filled with blood
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> but we don't know it,
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> we don't see it,
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> we don't recognize it, because it's see-through.
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> We don't see the blood on our hands
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> because it blends into normality
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> Or we do see it, do we know what we've done
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> but don't care - who would care for transparent blood?
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> We bleed red, this is all that matters.
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> I wonder what the founder would say if he knew
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> What he would say if he knew that thousands of seasons
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> after his death
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> he'd be crying blood on every street corner. Would he be
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> disgusted? I like to think so but I know it's not true.
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> He wouldn't care any more than we do now.
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> Something has to die so that something else may live -
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> is it that simple? Or is it just easier
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> to keep the white walls clean
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> when the blood won't leave a stain?
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> And when the blood started to turn red
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> did it suddenly matter? When the walls were sullied
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> and we couldn't pretend it was water anymore
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> was it suddenly a tragedy?
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> Or was it just fair?
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> Was it what we deserved?
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c \
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( o o )
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_ II _
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|______|
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/ \----------------------------------------------------------
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## END OF TRANSMISSION ONE ##
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@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
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0Lovelace - The Fountain of Youth (1) /Lovelace/04.txt
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0Leaps And Bounds - terminal_fragments /Leaps And Bounds/terminal-fragments.txt
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0Leaps And Bounds - penultimate, um /Leaps And Bounds/thunderstandin.txt
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0telitru - notci xi so /telitru/009.txt
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