AEA7
E, Eris, Erim [He, His, Him; She, Hers, Her respectively]
It means so much to be apart of the universe’s most technologically advanced civilization; the Druintes know this well and carry the distinction as a badge of honor. They hesitate to call themselves a superior race because while they realize that their culture has produced by far the most advanced engineering and medical technologies in the universe, they are lacking in other disciplines that are mastered to a greater degree by other beings. They are apt to tout their civilization’s accomplishments in mixed-species company, though.
Of course, I am generalizing, that is to be expected. There will always be outliers and they generally rise to positions of power within Druinte society. This is not the case for all varieties of Druinte outliers. Those who would reject the Druinte ideal of perfect cooperation to stand out front and lead rather than blend into an effort or endeavor to advance a project, are rewarded with the ability to direct the efforts of an entire civilization of veritable geniuses. Those who would embrace the concept of family and intimate relationships between two Druintes, which is counter to Druinte social norms, are shunned as selfish perverts who are unwilling to give completely to the aims of the greater good and prioritize their love and attachment above all else. The percentage of Druintes who choose the taboo lifestyle is very low compared to the total population and many of them live on the outskirts of Druinte society near the coast of the vast Druont ocean. The abuses they suffer from mainstream Druinte society ranges from benign ribbing to discrimination and shunning.
Today on Druont, an envoy from the MDDS is rapidly approaching the coastal city founded by social Druintes. The city does not have an official name, though social Druintes who live there call it Choice, or a Druinte word that loosely translates to the English word ‘choice’. The delegation is on official business from Lead Scientist Duraq 33, who has been under pressure to silence the campaign of the social Druintes in the Druinte capital of Triusia. Occasionally, the social group will make their way to the capital and speak to Druintes moving through the city to advocate for the population to abandon the social customs that forces solitude and discourages intimate social interaction. The entire planet of Druont has been grappling with the issue of suicide that in recent history has been problematic for the number of orphans requiring care that the planet’s government is struggling to provide. The planet Druont has a planetwide policy that guarantees that all Druintes receive food and shelter in order to ensure that the population is able to work toward the society’s greater scientific aims, but some argue that the large population of orphans makes it impossible for the government to ensure that the basic necessities of the orphans are met. The number of orphans has inexplicably skyrocketed though some attribute this to the recent push by the MDDS to create an archive of information that will outpace the Bromeris Eternity Archive. The Druintes working to create technology to rival the Bromeris technology are under immense pressure to produce and many have determined that the dearth of their skills is evidence of their ineffective preparation in life to the point, and they end their lives after giving birth to what they believe to be a better iteration of themselves. Their shortcomings, though, are due mostly to the Druinte scientific method that is so ingrained in each being of the planet that they struggle to comprehend the library sciences of the Bromeris that allows for such efficient gathering and cataloguing of information that is the reason their archive is so extensive. Social Druintes seized the opportunity to try and convert mainstream Druintes to their social ways and they claim that only through meaningful emotional connection can a Druinte truly appreciate their own sentience. But the MDDS has existed for much of Druinte history and is wary of a return to a time when Druintes did not put the aims of the government above all else. It is hard to see if the social Druintes have been successful in changing the minds of any mainstream Druintes.
The delegation currently on its way to Choice has the goal of shutting down what the government recognizes as illicit sexual practices and stopping the spread of their influence. When they arrive in their pod traveller at the tall wall barring their entrance, they disembark their ship and one of the delegation, Pruitt, engages a small computer. Pruitt pecks at it furiously with two fingers as the delegation lines up behind erim, readying themselves to enter the city. When Pruitt is done, the door to the city opens and reveals the main road of the coastal town that is lavish and colorful by comparison to the capital city of Triusia. There are no pyramids in Choice; conversely, pyramids dominate the Triusia landscape. Choice has individual, rectangular buildings that are occupied by the coupled Druintes and their children. They also have roads on the ground that the social Druintes drive over. Pod travellers are not permitted to drive over the ground in Triusia because of the number of Druintes in the city.
The MDDS delegation files orderly into the city, following the main road to the city square. As they march, social Druintes line up along the road to watch. It is clear that the delegation is on official business and many of the social Druintes are nervous about what will happen next.
Among the social Druintes present is Falstraq, who does not live permanently in the coastal town, but spends as much time there as e can since the death of eris partner, Belfrat. Falstraq is an employee of the Druinte Hall of Orphans and has been on the frontline of the suicide issue for a while now. E has been implementing protocols with select groups of mainstream Druintes and with various groups of orphans to test the effectiveness of psychotherapy that was introduced by the Druinte known as Eakran, who has been off planet for some time. Falstraq is convinced that psychotherapy will work, but the desired result could take at least a generation to produce. The MDDS is not a patient entity, however, and the numbers at the Hall of Orphans only grows.
Falstraq follows the procession of the MDDS delegation just as many of the other social Druintes do. When they reach center city, the social Druintes surround the delegation as Pruitt prepares eris computer and passes it to another in the delegation who issues an official proclamation before everyone gathered.
“This settlement has been disbanded by decree of our lead scientist!” The reader of the proclamation yells loudly so that eris words can be heard by as many as possible. “You will all be assigned living quarters in Triusia, specifically at the Hall of Orphans.”
Falstraq is stunned. E has no idea what is going on, there was no indication that the MDDS would force the integration of social Druintes; in fact, the MDDS has encouraged the separation of social Druintes in order to ‘quarantine’ their values.
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