《Earthbound [Sci-Fi Short Story]》 Arrival Travel through the transference system vaguely reminded Elisa Woodward of that time when she went into cryostasis on the Dolya, the ancient colony ship whose mission went awry and ultimately landed her in her remote colony in the Messier 39 star cluster. She relived one of her first traumatic experiences after that endless voyage; her seeing the streaks of ghastly bloodshot bruises on her skin. She imagined what she must have looked like on the inside at that time, as most of the radiation damage had been caused by her own decaying atoms that had failed to pass the test of time. Time, time... 0.0389148300416... her mind calculated. Percent! Time of my existence not spent in stasis. The transference process made the strangest thoughts come up. Time, time... One cannot rewind time... But one can go back. Elisa awoke abruptly in an immaculate arrivals cabin. The opposite wall displayed a spectacular projection of a savannah, as if viewed from a considerable height. Its swaying grass was caught in a crimson sunset. The scene was animated, and Elisa could make out herds of animals wading through a distant glittering river. Stylized silver letters swirled in the breeze. WELCOME TO EARTH The dizziness wore off quickly. Elisa jumped out of the transference booth and the device closed behind her, readying itself for the next arrival. The cabin contained a small washing basin and a mirror. Elisa was pleased to find that her body closely resembled the short but athletic stature of her original. She noticed that this version''s skin was slightly paler and more youthful in appearance than her original''s biological 27 years of age, devoid of blemishes as it was. Her hair was still slightly moist. The walls surrounding the arrivals booth were lined with a wardrobe containing finely cut clothes and shoes. Most of it was undoubtedly fashionable, but not to her taste. She looked for something practical and quickly settled on dark pants and a thin turtleneck shirt. A copper-colored collar caught her eye, so she removed her Provider dogtag from her neck and replaced it with some difficulty, as the collar''s lock was fiddly. Browsing through the jackets, she selected a dark green faux-leather one with black trims and a zipper on the front. It felt comfortable and practical, with a useful layout of pockets. Elisa slipped her dogtag into the inner pocket. As she stepped through the exit door, she found a tall and slender hostess awaiting her. "Good afternoon, your notability. Welcome to Earth. Oyana for the Feudatoriate, to serve at your pleasure," she said curtly, in a well-spoken manner carried by a warm, ringing voice. The hostess radiated class and possessed an innate beauty by any standard. Attractive sapphire eyes accentuated by bright green and golden make-up drew attention to her glowing round, dark-skinned face. She wore tall boots under a voguish ashen and beige robe held together by what Elisa assumed to be a blue and golden Feudatoriate badge at the shoulder. Her thick black hair contained a copious amount of small golden accessories and swirling filigree. "Thank you," Elisa responded, hiding her discomfort. This hostess was a contracted disposable. Why have contractors on an already overpopulated planet?, she wondered, although she was relieved that there had been no abasing behavior. "If your notability would follow me, please," the melodious voice asked. Elisa nodded and followed the hostess through a wide corridor and a lobby clad with precious veined black, bone, and salmon colored stone. Exotic tropical plants bearing yellow and pink flowers stood primly, lining the walls. Stylish furniture was occupied by a colorful ensemble of people, many of them dressed in what appeared to be a diverse variety of elaborate, traditional ethnic garbs. Draped from the walls of the lobby were hanging banners that bore the hexagonal symbol that Elisa knew represented the Service Department of Conveyance, the organization responsible for operating the Transference network. The far wall of the lobby was transparent and gave a vista to a spectacular view. Piercing through a silver cloud cover at least two hundred meters below were countless vast spires under a bright yellow sky. The view extended hundreds of kilometers, although the visible part of the cityscape did not reach that far. Near the northern horizon, Elisa could see the thin curve of what she knew would have to be a launch ramp. This was a megastructure allowing vessels and cargo to be flung into orbit and beyond at a favorable cost. To the left and right of it, the thin purple refractive lines of beamed energy trailed in the direction of the sun, some of its energy radiating away in the atmosphere and producing a small amount of visible light. Her guide paused to let Elisa admire the vista. "Your notability finds the view elating?" "It has changed considerably. For the better. Back in my time, we did not have structures as tall as these, and the clouds were not so white. Is one of those Cyrus, in the distance?", she asked, referring to the Solar collector near Mercury that powered much of Earth during her time. "Cyrus is still operational, your notability. But in present times, most energy is gifted by the Providers. Earth would not have thrived without them." "Naturally," Elisa answered. "Nothing ever seems to thrive without the Providers." Her sarcasm was lost on Oyana, who smiled sincerely. "I agree wholeheartedly with your notability," she replied. "Would your notability care for some refreshments?" "No thank you," Elisa replied, before turning away from the windows. "This way, please, your notability," Oyana''s pleasant voice directed, as she mustered another smile. Elisa followed her through another series of corridors until coming to an elevator lobby. There was a security checkpoint manned by broad-shouldered guards in blue uniforms. Elisa only now noticed how nearly all the people she had seen so far had colored skin, while all the security officers were white, without exception. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Oyana motioned that Elisa should go through the checkpoint first. She did and stood in front of the security desk and thought of removing her dogtag for inspection, but the officer gestured that it was unnecessary and instead looked at details on his monitor. "Welcome home, your notability" he finally said. "Thanks," Elisa replied as she went through. Oyana followed immediately afterward and directed her into a large elevator. Two dozen people in pristine clothing were inside, waiting. The elevator rapidly sped downwards, but the journey still took several minutes. Elisa eyed the people around her, noticing how each wore elaborately decorated dogtags. The doors finally opened into a domed terminal hall at least half a kilometer across. Elevator shafts were surrounded by escalators both up and downwards, leading towards the public transit capsule platforms below and the aero platforms above. On top of six raised pedestals placed at strategic intervals above the teeming crowd, Elisa spotted enforcers of the Compliance department in full combat gear. "Expecting an invasion?", Elisa asked her hostess above the noise of the relentless shuffling masses and intercom announcements. "Riots, your notability." "You need SIX Compliance enforcers to deal with riots?" "No, your notability. Earth is garrisoned by Compliance." "Garrisoned? What does that mean?" "Effectively it means enforcers on every block, your notability." "You don''t have to say ''your notability'' in every sentence." "As you wish." They cleared the checkpoint and made their way towards the escalators. Elisa was surprised by how colorful people dressed and how spotless clean the terminal plaza was. More exotic plants lined the spacious walkways. "How many enforcers?" "To my knowledge there are roughly fifty million enforcers garrisoned on Earth." "Fifty million?! Each carrying ordnance that can easily reduce one of these sky-rises to rubble?" "Precisely. That is why there is at least one on every block." "That is like a gun to everyone''s head." "I am ashamed to say Earth has repeatedly upset the Providers, your notability." "What happened?", Elisa asked, surprised. "These people here, they look far more civil than what I was used to... Not like rioters." "The people that are present here are citizens." "Who is rioting then, the contractors?" Oyana froze, a shocked and hurt expression staining her previously happy face. "I''m sorry," Elisa said, and Oyana instantly composed herself. "The helots are rioting, your notability." "Helots? I haven''t heard of that stratum before." "There was much turmoil in the aftermath of humanity¡¯s subjugation. Since integration was a lengthy process on Earth, the Providers withheld full citizenship to the masses. Everyone was merely granted helot status, and most of them still are such. Citizenship remains extremely rare. And without citizenship, it is not possible to leave Earth on one''s own accord." "So most people are stuck here? This is not what happened to our colony. How are the relations between Earth and the other human worlds?" "At Feudatoriate level, I am pleased to report all is well. However, the helot masses remain discontent. It is, as you say, a powder keg. The tiniest spark, and there are riots." They rode up the escalator and were politely greeted by a uniformed Feudatoriate pilot, who ensured they were seated before closing the door of the vehicle. After the aero zoomed out of the hangar, it was immediately surrounded by fog, restricting visibility to a few hundred meters at best. At least that hasn''t changed. Welcome home indeed, Elisa thought. She glanced out of the window. Row after row after row of imposing, densely packed ranks of tall, unappealing condominiums jutted imposingly out of the gloom. At set intervals, the pattern broke to a riot of color as they flew past an amenity block. The craft ascended, rising above the cityscape, filing into an orderly traffic pattern. The recognizable pattern of urb-blocks kept repeating below. The world as a wallpaper, Elisa thought. Every so often, the monstrous foundation of a sky-rise could be discerned, towering seemingly endlessly upwards before vanishing into the clouds. Water rippled over the cabin''s windows. Even though there was no rain, the air was so laden with humidity its contents latched onto the craft. Not much time passed before the aero descended towards another sky-rise hangar. Elisa estimated they had traveled less than twenty kilometers. After passing through another busy terminal hall and another security checkpoint, Elisa and Oyana found themselves racing upwards once more. This was no express elevator. There were frequent stops along the way up, people milling in and out, paying them little mind. Finally, the doors slid open and they walked from the elevator landing area into a vestibule that rivaled the transference station''s lobby in opulence. "Ah, weeeelcome and good eveninnng," a well-groomed red-haired man in a black suit and a bowtie greeted them. His drawn-out voice rang through the otherwise deserted foyer. "The notable ser Woodward and estimable Oyana, ''tis such a pleasure that you grace us with your visit. Ah, Lonza for the Corzant Pension, at your service," he introduced himself, broadly smiling throughout. "Thank you," Elisa said. "If you would go this way, my most esteemed guests, you will be shown to your suites." His white-gloved hands made a broad gesture towards the main corridor, yet he made no move to lead or follow. Elisa went ahead regardless. She did not have to proceed far before another black-suited, red-haired man appeared around a corner. "If you would follow me please, most esteemed guests..." he said with a smile and familiar wide gesture. "Ser, are you also Lonza?", Elisa asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "Oh, you grace me too much, your notability. Indeed, I am Lonza, for the Corzant Pension." "If I say something to you, will the other Lonza back there know?" "We share our experiences immediately, your notability. Lonza will know." They arrived in a splendid foyer dominated by a marble and gold stately staircase covered in red carpet. The place appeared quiet. Elisa had more questions. "Could you tell me at which capacity the Pension is operating, Lonza?" "Ah, your notability. We are currently only operating at 7.2% capacity." "On such a populated world, that seems awfully low. Is there an explanation for this figure?" "There is indeed, your notability. The Corzant Pension is contracted exclusively to the Feudatoriate. We serve their short-term visitors. Regrettably, the number of visitors has been dropping steadily year over year." They ascended the stairs to the first floor landing and went into a corridor to the left. Approaching from the other end was a grey tabby cat with prominent white paws and a blue collar. "Good evening, Linzi!" Lonza spoke in greeting to the cat. The cat raised its tail, but otherwise gave the humans wide berth. After they passed, it rolled its back onto the carpet. "You keep animals here?" Elisa wondered. "It pleases me to inform your notability that Linzi has been a member of staff for two hundred and forty years, entertaining our esteemed guests," Lonza replied cheerfully. Elisa was surprised and couldn''t help but ask the rhetorical question. "Your cat is immortal?" "Indeed, your notability. The Providers extend their grace to beloved pets." Elisa stopped. "Lonza, how old are you, if I may ask? This particular instance of you, I mean." "I am six, your notability." "And what of the oldest current instance of Lonza at the Pension?" "Eleven years and five months, your notability." "Do you see my point?" "I''m afraid not, your notability," Lonza said, smiling helplessly. Elisa paused and thought, but did not know what to say. "Please take us to our suites, Lonza." "My pleasure, your notability." Transit Elisa was preparing herself for lunch. Her suite had been unlike anything she had ever slept in, a small palace situated a slight bit above cloud level. It even had its own balcony, although remaining there for too long was not advised at present altitude. Cans with supplemental oxygen were available on a rack next to the door. In the morning, she had received various Feudatoriate dignitaries in the Corzant Pension''s stately conference room, each representing a Subsidiarity on Earth. She remembered Kandun Erem, who like most dignitaries had approached her to speak passionately about the possibility of population transfer to Elisa''s colony. Mutual agreement between Feudatories permitted the transfer of people between planets, even those that did not hold citizenship, Elisa learned. Kandun Erem could supply highly motivated people for her colony, he had claimed. Hamishi Okar had invited her for lunch and a tour of his Subsidiarity situated only a few hundred kilometers away, which Elisa politely declined. The long meetings had already left her dreary. She summoned Oyana. "Ser Oyana, I have a personal question." "My notability graces me amply today," she said smiling. "What would you wish to know?" "When you are not performing your duties, where do you go? Do you have a home?" "I do," Oyana answered with pride, much to Elisa''s relief, as the latter remembered the millions of tightly packed Service Department of Flow contractors she had seen on Maxproxemix, their eternal work days only affording them short breaks in recuperation pods. "It is tiny, but yes, I have a home." "How tiny?", Elisa asked, concerned it would be a recuperation pod as well. "Eight cubic meters, your notability." "Oh!" Elisa''s eyes lit up. "That is quite nice! Back when I was on Earth, living with my father, we only had twelve cubic meters with the two of us. And once I got to space, I had to make do with three. Would you say it is possible to go for a visit after lunch? We still have four hours to spend until the ceremony." Oyana frowned. "I am afraid the milieu is... not too great." "What do you mean?" "So far you have only seen the citizen areas, your notability. The dignitaries you met earlier, those are all citizens or above." Elisa knew, as like herself, certain dignitaries were styled ''the notable''. "It is not indicative of the average conditions on Earth, I am sorry to say." "This sounds like an excellent reason to visit your home. So I can experience the real Earth instead of hiding up in the ivory towers." "You might not like what you may see," Oyana warned. "I want to see, and not have wool pulled over my eyes by a bunch of fat cats." "As you wish, your notability." "First, let¡¯s have lunch." === Elisa and Oyana rode down the escalator and boarded a waiting transport capsule, walking through the aisle until they found two adjacent empty seats. Where the terminal had been spotless, the transport capsule was covered in the type of grime that no amount of scrubbing could remove. The surfaces were not the only unpresentable feature in the cabin. Elisa realized immediately what Oyana was referring to when she spoke of the helots, as she spotted several specimens in subfusc dark clothing draped across the seats. Then they slowed down and entered the next station. Some of the citizens got off, only to be replaced by more soulless-eyed helots. Why does human trash always have to dress in garbage bags? Elisa wondered. As the capsule left the station, the freak in front of them turned around and looked over the seat. Irregular white teeth shone in a scarred face. "Ey serra, what ya doin'' wif dat bugga dispo?" Oyana glared back. "Do shut your mouth," she said in a firm tone. "Ey, yer wif fudi!" the tramp jeered loudly, having spotted Oyana''s badge. "Dispo slutta for yer party t''nite? Dispo ''arlot, har har har, ah pakka!" Several other passengers started grinning. "Aybe me come alon'' an'' hava lekki feast''nite!" The man pontifically licked the palm of his hand, then moved to grab Elisa''s hair. Oyana was faster, drawing a small pistol from a fold in her robe and blasting the hand clean off. Instead of relenting or displaying shock, the man''s eyes immediately turned wild, and he attempted to launch himself over the backrest at Oyana. A second shot flashed and took a good chunk of the man''s head off, whose body thrashed wildly for a moment, then toppled into the seat behind him before sliding sideways onto the cabin floor. "Ya see dat? Ya see dat?" another passenger shouted in surprise and excitement. "Dat serra took ''is ''ead off, har har har!" Much of the cabin burst in frantic but incomprehensible conversation and laughter as blood pooled on the floor, then flowed forward in several crimson streaks as the transit capsule decelerated for the next station. "We should get off, your notability," Oyana said to Elisa, urging her out of the seat. As the capsule pulled into the station, Elisa saw four blue-clad security officers waiting for them, with more attempting to clear a segment of the platform against a mass of people that all wanted to rush in and take a look at the scene. The doors opened. Oyana holstered her pistol and disembarked first. To Elisa''s surprise, the officers paid her no heed and let her pass. Elisa followed, and was also let through unimpeded. Then Elisa stiffened, as a group of bald, pale-skinned workers cleared the cordon from the opposite direction. Each bore the all-too-familiar livery of Flow and one was hauling what looked like a wheelie bin along. Behind them, an officer shouted into the cabin, "All up and out, please." The request was met by protests. Some passengers started arguing. "We''re not throwing you off, you can board the other cabins...", Elisa overheard as they moved away, while the passengers shouted profanities in return. She heard a noise and turned around just in time to see the blue shape of one of the security guards tumbling backwards out of the cabin, a frenzied passenger latching onto him. Elisa quickly followed Oyana off the platform, as more officers came rushing in from all directions, brandishing stun batons. "Welcome home, my arse!", Elisa cursed. "I am sorry your honor was violated, your notability." "What the fuck is wrong with these people?" "This is what most normal people on Earth are like, your notability." This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "They are violent morons! Why don''t they use Provider tech to upgrade their brains to have more than one pair of neurons?" "The helot masses despise Providers and distrust their technology, your notability." "Stop the notability crap!" "As you wish." "Let me guess, they violated First Policy repeatedly, and the Providers garrisoned them into compliance?" "Indeed." "Fuck them." Oyana remained silent. "Something else. Why did they think I was a disposable?" Oyana expressed embarrassment. "Because of your skin..." Elisa looked shocked, as the pieces clicked into place. "All the whites are disposables? Why?" "The populace is free to choose any physical appearance. White is the color primarily associated with colonists. The native helot population predominantly chooses black and male, in physically stronger configurations. When the Providers introduced disposables, there was a demand to have them stand out. Because there is no native white population, no-one objected to the appropriation of that skin color. Looking white and¡­ female¡­ I am sorry¡­" "But you are a contracted disposable too?" "The Feudatoriate has all its contractors genomed for dark skin. We are treated more respectfully that way." Elisa buried her face in her hands, her knuckles pale. "Fuck. FUCK!" She was no longer in the mood to ride the transit capsule further to visit Oyana''s house and said they would wander the upper-level streets around the station instead. They went past malls and elaborate animated holo-gardens. As they went on, red lanterns in an alleyway to her right caught Elisa''s attention. "I want to see what is in there," she said. Oyana nodded. They encountered an old man in a traditional shirt standing in the door of a mahjongg house. Behind him, tiles could be heard shuffling across lacquered wooden tables. The man laughed, then beckoned them with an underhanded gesture of his fingers. "You sers look lost. Ha! What brings you to this place?", the old man asked. "You grace me too much, ser," Oyana replied. "Please, allow me to introduce her notability," she said, completing the forms that indicated the way in which they were supposed to be addressed. "Apologies, your notability," the old man grinned. "If you can find the time, would you care to come in? I offer you a pot of zhenmei on the house." Elisa nodded, and they followed the man inside. At the entrance were two traditional carved wooden chairs with a table in between, above which hang a painting of a Chinese woman in a traditional blue robe. Two red banners on either side of her contained black Chinese characters. Elisa translated. Good fortune wherever you may go, it read. Patrons briefly looked up at the strange visitors, but then refocused their attention on their games. The old man clapped at a server, dressed in a pristine red dress adorned with crane birds. "Zhenmei," he said sharply, then motioned for his guests to join him at a table in the corner. As soon as they were seated, the server brought cups and a pot of steaming, fragrant tea. "You may call me Elisa," Elisa finally said. "And this is Oyana." "Pleased to meet you, Elisa. I am Yee," the man introduced himself. "Are you a tourist?", he asked. "No, just here because the Feudatoriate invited me." "Ha!," the man said. "With hair like that, I thought you were a Folkeforening tourist. Only that there are no sights to see around here. And then I saw her badge." "Better than taking me for a disposable, I guess," Elisa laughed. "People think that?", Yee snarled. "Within ten minutes of riding the public transport, no joke," Elisa replied. "Most people are fools. If I didn''t feel so attached to Arobi I''d move off-world myself. But I was born here. And I have family. I am not going to move because of the helots. Those are not my customers, anyway, ha!" Elisa looked around and across the mahjongg tables. Most patrons had skins with East Asian characteristics, with a few of indeterminable stock. "Still, the riots are bad for business. They smashed this place three times already. Every time the Feudatoriate sends contractors to mop it all clean and rebuild. But it is an endless cycle. If this keeps up, I will have difficulty replacing my own contractors," he said, glancing at the server girl. "Could you explain something, ser Yee?", Elisa asked. "This world has three trillion people. There do not seem to be that many establishments compared to the amount of housing areas I saw. Then why do I see disposable contractors everywhere? Why not employ a helot or a citizen?" Yee burst into laughter so loud that heads turned his way. "No joke?", he said after he finally regained his breath. He poured the tea, first into Elisa''s cup, then Oyana, then his own. "Sorry, I don''t know much about how things work on Earth." "Helots don''t work, Elisa. Can''t, or don''t want to, probably both. Ever since the Providers appeared six millennia ago and started handing out everything for free, they just sat on their ass. And nearly everyone that gains citizenship transfers out of here. The Providers encourage them to live on these grandiose new worlds they terraformed for us. There are now over three hundred billion ex-Solarites living in the TRAPPIST-1 and Kepler 42 systems, not sure you heard of that." "I did not know...", Elisa said. "You see this tea?", Yee said rhetorically. "It doesn''t come from Earth. Earth is a dead world. Little is produced here." "Then where does it come from?" Elisa asked, then took a sip. Yee pointed a finger upwards. "Every two months, a Provider Mover appears. The large type. Loaded with everything you need to sustain 3 trillion people in luxury. Food, clothing, radioactives, crates full of fine zhenmei tea, shiny stuff to stock the malls..." Elisa''s eyes became narrow. "Yet the helots riot?!" "Ha! Worse," Yee scowled, while drinking from his cup. "They broke every Provider Policy. Kept trying to rebel, formed their parallel corrupt institutions of power... Then one day all over media was this call to stop sharing data with the Providers, so directly calling for a mass First Policy violation. Many helots got carried away and..." "And Earth got garrisoned?" "First thing that showed the Providers were angry was that not one Mover, but three enormous ones appeared in orbit. Of a size unseen before and since. And instead of the usual manna, it rained combat drones. Ha! Endless streams of combat drones. More combat drones than we have people. When they were done, it seemed there was one at every door and window. It was a sight to behold. And then the ultimatum came. People went compliant overnight. The Movers disappeared. Within a week, the drones had disappeared too. But the garrison remained. Then we found the Feudatory was missing." "Compliance took him?" "Her. She hasn''t been seen since." "Consequences for failing to uphold the Provider''s Policies in a Feudatoriate one governs are... severe. It is the burden of lordship." "I wouldn''t know, I''m just a citizen, not a notability. Either way, we have Ross as our new Feudatory now, and while he is better at upholding the Policies, all other problems remain. The Providers are still despised, the riots still rage, ha! Compliance won''t interfere, as hating, vandalizing, even murder are not Policy violations. So there just isn''t a good way to stop rioters." "So the ungrateful shits bite both the hand that feeds them and the one that wipes their butts for them. You could begin by shooting them!" "Ha! We already do, we already do! The carnage is beyond imagination. And the next day, Flow has issued them a new skin, as even helots have that right, and they go bitch about their brutal mistreatment. While my establishment is still in shambles!" "Do they target you because you''re Asian?" Elisa ventured. "No, no, this is not a race issue," Yee answered. "It''s a class issue. Or a mentality issue, not sure. Anyone with a business like myself, anyone caught working, anyone thought to actually, you know, do well, contribute, enjoy life - those are the targets. Contractors and citizens and their property, mainly." "I don''t know what to say," Elisa replied softly, looking at Oyana. That piece of shit on the capsule will be walking again tomorrow, but if anyone gets Oyana, she won''t be coming back, she thought. At least not in one piece. "I do," Yee said, grinning "I hope one day, those enforcers just let off¡­ clean this place out for good." Elisa nodded slowly. "We have to go back," she realized. "Thank you so much for the tea, ser Yee." "My pleasure talking to you, Elisa. And you too, Oyana. I hope to see you both again one day. You''re always welcome here." Finale The dignitaries applauded as Elisa entered the Feudatoriate council hall, high up the same spire that housed the Corzant Pension, and came to stand next to the central lectern. As the tumult died down, Hamisi Okar began his brief speech. "Notable Elisa Woodward, it was nearly seventy thousand years ago that you last walked the Earth, and today I have the honor of welcoming you back home." The assembly cheered. "May your deeds be an inspiration to us all, as you are the living proof that a Solarite is capable of achieving great things in the face of adversity. Not only did you travel further than any human ever before..." Appropriating my deeds to glorifying your own tribe, while all we have in common is that we happened to be born on the same rock, Elisa thought, Just like you use the term ''Solarite'' to appropriate the achievements of the people of Mars and Luna and countless other places... Her face was locked in a smile and did not betray a glimpse of the inner monologue. "...you also saved a great many of your crew, and not just them, you rescued a Provider, proving once and for all that we humans have equal value. There are moments when the Providers need us, and it is not always the Providers on top." Elisa did not like where this was going. "You have already been awarded for your valor by the Providers themselves as you bear the status of court intendant, more proof that Solarites can and do deserve Provider honors." I actually put my ass on the line and did something to deserve these honors, Elisa thought. "For now, all we can do is acknowledge your incredible achievements with honors of our own, thus, on behalf of the Feudatory, I hereby present you with the Golden Person of Merit award." The cheering and applause began again as Hamisi handed a small trinket box containing a golden medal to Elisa. "Thank you," she said smiling, but was silently glad the aggravating speech had come to an end. She wanted to make off, but the assembly began crying for an acceptance speech. Elisa grumbled. This was not part of the schedule and had way too much potential to go wrong, but Hamisi urged her towards the lectern and made it impossible to run off without giving serious insult. "Thank you, thank you so much," she spoke, smiling as the assembly applauded once more. She waved a handful of rebellious locks of hair out of her face. "Really, I feel humbled by the award you just gave me, as the things I went through involved a lot of luck on one hand, and a lot of hard work on the other. Often when we are in difficult situations, we cannot see the outcome of our choices beforehand. We must make tough decisions and address the problems head-on as they come. In a way, I felt that what I did was not exceptional, as I was merely doing my duty. And to be absolutely honest, I was just doing my damn best for my crew to survive. Looking forward, I see a bright future of the Messier 39 colony, in no small part thanks to the tremendous help the Providers have given us in the form of resources, personnel, infrastructure, and above all, the marvelous technology that has rendered each and every one of us immortal. These are no small gifts, and we will be forever grateful for them." The crowd started to murmur. Better just end it quickly now, Elisa thought. "Of course we will never forget our roots. We look forward to developing a positive future relationship with the people of Earth and the other worlds in the Solar System." That seemed to brighten the audience up a bit, but overall many people looked as dissatisfied with Elisa''s speech as she had been with Hamisi''s. "Thank you, thank you," Elisa concluded. "Elisa, Elisa," Someone shouted over the disorganized jumble of conversation that followed. The man moved forward to an open microphone, and the hall became quiet once more. It was Kandun Erem. "In the spirit of our positive future relationship, would you consider pledging to open your colony to immigration from Earth? It would be the right thing to do, considering our terrible living conditions here on Earth." "I will definitely consider it, but I think it is too early to make such a pledge right now," Elisa said. Kandun did not relent. "Please reconsider that position," he said. "After all, did you not bring a disposable from some backwater Provider world called Maxproxemix, and granted him the rights to stay at your colony? Surely your real flesh and blood brothers and sisters of Earth would be more eligible than a fabricated creature?", Kandun said smirking. This revelation caused an angry hiss to pass through the audience. Before Elisa could think of a tactful reply to this disastrous turn of events, a woman pushed herself to the microphone. Haroona Faris, it was announced. "Elisa," she began in an accusatory tone. "For millennia the Solarites have toiled, expended our limited resources and strip-mined our once beautiful planet to send colony ship after colony ship into space. Our best people were robbed from us. We never received anything in return for this selfless sacrifice that we have made for humanity, generation after generation. Don''t you agree it is high time to compensate the people of Earth for all that was taken from us?" She yielded the microphone, and agreement sounded throughout the hall. Elisa yielded to frustration and snapped back. "Do the Providers not supply Earth with everything it needs?" "Not enough housing!" "Earth is no paradise world like your colony!" "We suffer under the Provider yoke!", people called out from the audience. "We lost over half our crew and went through hell to build that paradise, and we only made it through thanks to those Providers!" "We want compensation for what the colonists took from Sol!" another shouted. "I took nothing from you! My ship, the Dolya, was not even built in Sol, but commissioned by the Centaurans," Elisa shouted back, her voice hoarse. "In my time, those Solarite ships were constructed in space with materials from the belt and the outer moons. That same belt and those same moons were supplying Earth with resources throughout all this. Earth never lifted any of that to space! They were a net receiver from everyone else in the Sol system!" People were now actively booing Elisa and shaking their heads. "Don''t you dare rewrite history with your colonist fantasies!" Haroona had found her way back to the microphone. "What do you want from me, Haroona? You want to come to my colony? We have the equivalent of 50 hour work weeks. Want to work in the quarry and take one of our toploaders out for a spin?" "How dare you! Those Providers have rotted your brain!" Chaos erupted. Elisa tried to carry herself through a few more verbal exchanges, until the audience began to physically pelt her with objects. Elisa ducked behind the lectern, then made a quick dash for the side door, leaving her award behind. She almost collided with Oyana. "Your notability! How did it go... What is happ¨C" "Get us out of here! Back to the hotel! Quickly!", Elisa screamed, grabbing the hostess by the arm and dragging her along. Oyana quickly fell into a running trod after her. Behind them, a group of presently very undignified dignitaries tumbled over each other trying to squeeze through the door at the same time. "You bitch!", one of them raged. "Stop them! Someone stop them!" Both Elisa and Oyana possessed far greater stamina and more practical footwear than anyone in mass of pomp and overdressed dignitaries. They reached the elevator and closed the doors, with time to spare. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Minutes later, they barged into the Corzant Pension''s vestibule. "Ah, there you are. I think I should bar the doors. Am I right, your notability?", Lonza stated with his characteristic broad smile. Linzi the cat rested quietly on the counter. "Please do," Elisa said, still panting. A second Lonza emerged from behind one of the pillars carrying a tray of refreshing cold drinks. "You were expecting us?" Elisa asked, as more Lonzas appeared and worked in unison to first barricade the main entrance, and then shove nondescript crates beside each of the pillars. "Hard not to, your notability. You are plastered all over media." A holographic projection filled most of the wall behind the front desk and displayed the major headlines. Hysterical colonist leader disrupts Feudatoriate council, it read, amongst a great many out-of-context quotes and soundbites that made it seem like Elisa was spewing unprovoked insults at calm and reserved dignitaries. Elisa felt ashamed of herself and cursed, having been baited into a trap so easily. "You might also want to see this, your notability," Lonza continued. The wall changed to display security camera footage of the lower levels of the sky-rise. An angry mob was assaulting the security officers, and the elevators had been shut down. Compliance''s enforcers stood motionless on their pedestals, as if oblivious to the carnage below them. Before long, a banging noise could be heard against the door. Even though the ground level security hadn''t been breached yet, angry people within the sky-rise had joined in on the riots. Oyana received a message. "Um, Elisa?" "Yes?" "The Feudatory himself just summoned you to an immediate audience." "Well, great, but how do we even get there?" Lonza interjected. "Your notability, if I may? I am pleased to inform you the Corzant Pension has its own hangar and several aeros to facilitate an evacuation in case of an eventuality such as this one. If you would follow me, please?" he said, grabbing the sleepy Linzi off the counter. Before long, the exterior wall opened its concealed door and disgorged a single craft, which vanished into the roiling clouds. Back in the Corzant Pension, the main doors gave way. The vestibule looked deserted, which made the rioters pause. Opposite the entry, projected on a giant red holographic window was the text: TRESPASSERS WILL BE DISPOSED!!! A piece of classical music began playing. The rioters disregarded it, and barged into the hotel. In unison, a smiling Lonza wearing dark sunglasses emerged from behind each of the vestibule''s pillars. "I warned you," each of them said simultaneously in a teasing voice, raising the pistols they carried in either hand. As the music picked up, hell broke loose. Sind Blitze, sind Donner, sang the choir. The text on the red holographic display disappeared and was replaced by intensely flickering blue strobe light. In an instant, the entire front row of the mob collapsed, crimson blossoming from head wounds. Moments after they sagged to the ground, the second row was felled. The black-suited gunslingers did not let a single shot go to waste, as they divided targets amongst them and slew them with pinpoint accuracy. in Wolken verschwunden? The staccato of their weapons fire grew less cohesive as bodies stopped dropping uniformly. The front of the mass of people began wavering, but the pressure of the frenzied mob behind them urged them forward into the killzone. Er?ffne den feurigen Abgrund, o H?lle, Some of the rioters carried weapons of their own, but they had difficulty bringing these to bear, their line of sight blocked by the mass in front of them, and the gunmen being picked off the instant any of the Lonzas had a clear shot. One rioter raised an automatic weapon above his head and fired blindly over the rest of the crowd. The Lonzas avoided it easily, and the subsequent volley of return fire took care of the arm. zertr¨¹mmre, verderbe, verschlinge, zerschelle Three more Lonzas emerged from behind the counter and began firing heavy automatic rifles into the crowd from across the vestibule. This gave the rest of the Lonzas on the floor the opportunity to retreat behind their pillars and reload their weapons from the crates full of ammunition that were concealed there. mit pl?tzlicher Wut As they re-emerged, the would-be invasion had turned into a slaughter, and before long, the slaughter turned into a rout. The blood had become a tide that drained itself into the gap below the elevator doors,cascading down the elevator shaft. Across a fifty meter stretch of hallway, corpses lay piled up at least three layers high. den falschen Verr?ter, das m?rdrische Blut! All of the Lonzas had remained unscathed. Inside the aero, classical music played softly. Lonza chuckled, while Linzi licked itself clean in the passenger seat. === "Leave us!", Ross Nnamani roared. As the door was shut, Ross exploded. "The outrage!", he bellowed in a deep basso voice. "You came here as my guest, were cloaked in glory by my council, and THIS is how you repay me?" Elisa trembled involuntarily in the face of the well-controlled outburst of anger. Ross'' words carried a special kind of gravitas that made them slam home into people''s minds. "Do you have any inkling of comprehension on the amount of chaos you unleashed?" A holographic projection filled the ceiling of the vaulted office of the Feudatory. Mobs ran rampant through the streets, lynching any white-skinned contractor they could find. Images showed the bodies of dozens of slain Flow contractors dangling from a bridge, of uniformed servers dragged by their hair from the premises of their restaurants,butchered in the streets by machete-wielding thugs, and a dead security officer being violated by a masked man holding a stun baton. Elisa did not need to see more of the grotesque images to learn about the devastation that unfolded below. A quick glance out of any of the floor-to-ceiling office windows showed the clouds bleeding an intense fiery yellow in the dark sky. She was silent. Much to her surprise, Ross smiled, the mask of his anger dropping from his face. "I thank you for this." "What? I don''t follow..." Elisa spoke in a voice that betrayed confusion. "The helots can devastate the lower levels and slay as many disposables as they please. It doesn¡¯t put a dent in my energy allowance. They¡¯re not inflicting any serious damage. The underlying infrastructure is quite secure." "You¡¯re condoning the riots?" Ross shrugged. "Helots desire for banal entertainment. I provide." Elisa was shocked. "Not everyone enjoys these riots. What about the people that try to lead normal lives?" "My dear Elisa, you made it to titled nobility, yet you haven¡¯t figured out the system¡¯s inner workings?" "You had six millennia, I had six months. Enlighten me." "The Provider Empire is a meritocracy. A person that has a character compatible with anything resembling a functional society, like say, everyone in your colony, is automatically granted citizenship. Here, such people represent a tiny minority. They are free to leave for worlds that suit them better. Regrettably, these are not the kind of people I must cater towards." "But Earth is humanity¡¯s homeworld!", Elisa protested. "And these are humanity¡¯s people!", Ross cast back. "We planetary rulers are not here to please everyone. Earth is just one planet of the quadrillion or so worlds the Empire has. And I can guarantee you one thing, the offering is so diverse that any given person is going to be plain miserable on most of them. You yourself left Earth long ago. Why was that? A honest answer, if you please." "I... did not fit in. I could not use my talents. I saw the Martians and Centaurans were living in much better conditions. Earth¡¯s society was stagnant...", Elisa admitted. Ross gave Elisa a telling look. "But the Provider technology could fix all of this!" "Fix them? You mean change them into someone they are not? How can you fix a person that does not want to change? In the past six thousand years, none of these idiots have spent a minute on self reflection. They fail to realize that they, and no-one else, are the cause of their own predicament. Not the Providers, nor the Colonists, the contractors, or whomever happens to be the scapegoat of the month. Besides, the Providers are very clear. Those that comply with their Policies are to be provided for. Even the helots." Elisa was silent for a long time. "Why did you involve me in all of this?", she finally asked. "You? You had the perfect qualifications to stir the pot. A Solarite hero caught out of her own time, holding diametrically opposite views. It¡¯s quite polarizing. Both citizenship grants and emigrations will go up for the foreseeable future. The council''s involvement was all the better, using you as a pawn in their silly xenophobic scheme. None of this will be traced back to me." "So, what will happen now?", Elisa asked. "Well, the desired result will be amplified if I make a martyr out of you. I''ll have to banish you from Earth." "I see," Elisa said. "No big loss." "However, I have a small favor to ask of you", Ross continued. "It''d be so much more effective if I had you disposed too. It would send a clear message to the citizen populace that conditions will not be changing any time soon." "What are you offering in exchange for this... favor?" Elisa ventured. Ross held his arms wide. "A favor for a favor." "I prefer equal and immediate trades. A life for a life," Elisa said. "Details, my dear notability." "Oyana. Transferred to my colony, today." "Deal," Ross said without hesitation. "Excellent. Now, if you don''t mind, I''ll see myself out." "I don''t mind at all." She turned her back on Ross, stepped outside onto the balcony, and leaped into the clouds. Elisa woke to a sunny midday in her Messier 39 colony. She was home.