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Lisa's Return to Earth

Written by Martino :: [Monday, 09 June 2014 23:35] Last updated by :: [Tuesday, 10 June 2014 16:57]

As soon as Lisa’s ship entered the atmosphere of the planet Ignita she had a signal on the screen: “Give your dates, your destination and the reason of your staying on Ignita”. She pressed three buttons which transmitted the information to the authorities: “Lisa Kira-Jason, the governor’s palace, delivery of secret results ordered by General Armin.”

“Okay. Prepare for control!”

She sighed. It was not more than one year ago that you could travel to Ignita as easy as anywhere on Sverkcheloy or its moons. Now she, a Sverkcheloian, even on an official trip, was treated like a human-like creature from a colony. She knew the reason only too well as she had it on her computer.

The army ship approached and sent out its searching ray. Lisa slowed her ship down and let them control everything.

“Okay, Madam! We’ll report it to the governor! Thank you and have a good time here as far as it is possible.”

Either the code numbers of the general made it easier for her or the soldiers were not especially careful. In such a little amount of time it was impossible to check a ship for hidden weapons or dangerous computer programmes.

 

The fact that she, a civilian, was responsible for a top-secret military programme, said a lot about her position and the danger of the situation:

When Lisa had returned from Earth she had shown the Terrestrian programmes she had helped making and the Kryptonian software from the Fortress of Solitude to all her friends and was surprised at hearing that what she had done in such a little amount of time was remarkable, even on Sverkcheloian standards. Both Uncle Fred, an engineer, and Lisa’s Informatics teacher told her it probably would have taken them more time to connect Kryptonian and Sverkcheloian technology. Both of them recommended her to specialize on Non-Sverkcheloian software what she did in her last year at school and in the army.

As her father had been afraid of, Lisa’s mind was a little too rebellious for a good soldier. She finished the year she had enlisted for and continued her career outside the army. She did not regret, however, having enlisted although she had only reached the rank of a corporal and often done detentions while serving. She had got to know some important people who, despite of her disobedience, had recognized her talent.

Now, at little more than twelve Sverkcheloian years, she was a high paid specialist in her subject, one of few who were not officers and perhaps the only civilian to receive top-secret assignments by the army. Her father, first annoyed with her behavior in the army, was now extremely proud of her and she was proud to earn quite a lot more than him and be treated as an equal by generals.

 

She slowed down her ship, made the computer search for the governor’s palace, headed for its airport and landed. Before she left the ship heavy-armed soldiers had already surrounded it. Lisa was wearing an armoured suit and carrying a gun with her, as it was recommended.

The soldiers recognized her ship and the reflections of the scanning ray. As Lisa had already seen sometimes, they were unsure whether to salute because she was the governor’s guest or not to do it, because she lacked a high enough military rank.

“Lead me to the governor!” she commanded. The corporal obeyed.

At first the secretary did not want to let her enter but when she told her who she was and what she wanted the door to the governor’s office opened at once.

“Welcome, engineer Lisa, and thanks and congratulations for acting so fast.”

“I’ve done it as well as I’ve been able to, General Rudolph” Lisa answered and shook the governor’s hand. “And I would have sent it before visiting you if it wasn’t so dangerous.”

“So is it true? – Please sit down and tell me!”

Lisa sat down: “It is true. The signals are definitely Zoldan. I’ve not been able to decode everything. There haven’t been any Zoldans or Zoldan robots on Ignita so far nor have rebels managed to get to Zolda but the rebels are in contact with them and they know some Zoldan weaponry systems.”

“Have the Zoldans been able to decode our information system so far?” the governor asked shocked.

“As far as I can see they haven’t but it is possible – and as Ignitans can … go everywhere they want and some of them even work for the army the rebels might be able to inform the enemy. You know better than me what that means!”

The governor remained silent.

 

Lisa was smart enough not to criticize the governor’s measures. He had conceded the Ignitans a constitution, a parliament and equal civil rights including the right to move freely on Ignita, to visit Sverkcheloy and other planets where spaceships of the Ignitan government flew to and even the right to attend Sverkcheloian schools and formations if they passed the necessary exams. Very few Ignitans did, but there were some.

The Ignitans, however, had thanked it by electing Mps who demanded equal rights in the whole Empire. Some of them even openly claimed independence and terrorist organisations had become stronger and stronger. Nearly no tourists dared to come to Ignita any more and soldiers either received doubled salaries if they came or were sent here for punishment.

The last parliamentary elections of the Empire had brought a great majority for supremacists and militarists. The new parliament had demanded General Rudolph’s demission and, as the king denied, deposed him. Ten days ago the people had had to decide and, although by a quite slight majority, King Sandor II. Was dismissed.

In Lisa’s opinion the governor would better not have conceded his subjects too many rights which they, as an inferior race, could not handle. He had, however, given her the actual job and she was not a politician or judge.

 

“We’ll need more soldiers and equipment here, of course. And we’ve got to watch out. When the rebels attack it might be too late”, he said at last. “Well, I’d beg you to tell my experts what you’ve found out. And this evening I’d be happy if you were my guest.”

Lisa left the governor’s office for the computer specialists’ and copied the decoded Zoldan programmes. “I think this compiler will work. You should be able to read the communication between the rebels and the Zoldan army – if you suspect you aren’t inform me at once, please!” she advised the leader, an upper-lieutenant called Roman.

“I think so, too. Er, are there any signs that the enemy has seen he’s been hacked?”

“I suppose no – and now it’s your responsibility this won’t change. I think I won’t have to tell you how to do this.”

He shook his head. “Er, Madam …”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know if it’s inadequate, but what are you going to do tonight?”

“I’ll have dinner with the governor, but after this I can contact you if you want. But then don’t be so shy!”

 

Lisa knew the discipline on a planet like Ignita was strict. Sexual relationships between soldiers were strictly regulated and Ignitans wanted to be paid, if they ever agreed to have sex with soldiers. The Ignitans’ views on this point were a lot stricter than the Sverkcheloians’. She, on her side, was happy, too: The officer looked good and she had not had a fix partner during the last days.

 

She had a fairly good dinner with the governor and some other officers in the palace where she had to tell what she had found out once again.

After the dinner she first contacted Sonia, whom she wanted to visit after this project was finished, to tell her everything had gone as it had been planned. A quick look at the finance programme on her computer showed her the governor had already paid her the 35,000 buks her assignment was worth – slightly more than a captain’s annual salary for 13 days of work.

When the dinner ended Lisa contacted Roman. He was still awake and told her he was forbidden to leave the palace but there were dancing salons in it. Roman agreed with her it was time to reestablish the order again on this planet and to show the terrorists and their supporters how to behave.

But they did not feel like speaking about politics. Instead they danced for quite some hours, had some drinks and ended up in Roman’s bedroom, although Lisa, of course, had got her own by the governor.

 

The next morning she nevertheless got up in time. She had breakfast together with Roman, kissed him goodbye and took her ship to the filling station. Thanks to the Ignitan fire lakes here fuel was cheap and for her journey to Earth she would need quite a lot.

She started her ship and steered it out of the atmosphere of Ignita heading for the planet of Doolur. This planet was more than a thousand light years away and had been one of the latest ones to be conquered. Until the year before most Sverkcheloians who lived there had been soldiers but now some experiments had been started and therefore scientists and their families had moved there, too. Some people had also spent all their families’ money to buy a ticket to Doolur, because there it was said to be quite easy to get rich.

Lisa prepared herself for teleportation, the first in her own ship. She input the space coordinates of Doolur, fixed her suitcase, her gun and her pocket computer, put down her seat and fastened the belts. Then she pressed the “Teleportation” button.

She hardly felt the enormous speed the ship moved with. Just some minutes later the board computer reported “Teleportation Successful”. Lisa opened her seatbelt, put the seat into sitting position and looked at the screen. The system had held what the salesman had promised: The aberration was less than a millionth and so in about one hour she would be able to land on Doolur where her holiday could start. She contacted Sonia, who told her she would be at home in about two hours.

At entering the atmosphere Lisa steered into the orbit, which gave her the opportunity to take off her armoured suit and change into a summer dress as well as to check what was going on on the planet. Yes, she was right, it was summer in the region where Sonia, Ian and their children lived and as the sun was yellow it was quite a lot warmer than on Sverkcheloy. Lisa saw the aborigines, their forms somewhat smaller and their skins somewhat brighter than the Sverkcheloians’, bowing down before her compatriots as soon as they saw one crossing their way.

 

It had been an entire year – a Sverkcheloian year, 2.5 Terrestrial years or 1.5 Doolurian years – since Lisa had visited her Sonia for the last time; this was a shame for Huk**y’as but not before this year a regular connection between the planets had been established. Of course there had been military traffic but while soldiers could visit their families or Huk**y’es without any problem the reverse thing resulted in lots of paper-warfare. Now, however, Lisa owned her own ship which was able to teleport, too and from now on she would visit Sonia and her family more often.

Lisa landed, parked her ship in front of Sonia’s and Ian’s house, got out and leaped up instantly. Adult woman and successful engineer or not, she enjoyed being able to fly on foreign planets like a child. She flew round the city and watched the parks and playgrounds admiring the lots of new buildings. No doubt, Doolur was not just a military fort any more but had recently developed into a colony where life had become quite comfortable.

Too late Lisa noticed she was losing altitude. At least she managed to land properly, cursing her carelessness and promising herself to keep in mind gravity here was higher than on Harassa, not to speak of Terra.

The next time she did better: She put more power into the act of lifting herself and enjoyed a quiet flight after it. It drew her attention that among the publicities for the candidates to the throne which appeared from time to time the famous symbol of the hands of different colours holding each other were thrown into the air: This sign stood for egalitarianism and truly an advertising slogan said: “We’re all the same kind.”

This would not be remarkable on Sverkcheloy but the colonists of Doolur had the reputation to be anything but egalitarian: Zeno, the representative of the colony in the parliament, was said to be at least one of the most supremacist Mps and Doolur had voted for the king’s demission by far most of all provinces and colonies.

 

From far away Lisa saw Sonia In her scarlet uniform landing in front of her house together with her little son Keith. Lisa rocketed down, too and only moments after Sonia had entered her house sent the signal.

A Doolurian slave opened the door. “Tell your mistress her huk**y’a Lisa has arrived!” she ordered.

The man bowed down, went in and some moments later Sonia ran into the hall: “Great to see you, love! Welcome here!” She spread her arms out to embrace Lisa; then the two kissed deeply and passionately. They still loved each other as they had as teenagers. Sonia unbuttoned her uniform jacket and blouse to let Lisa pull it out while she opened the straps of Lisa’s dress.

“It’s been unbearable without you, my sweetheart” Lisa said and bowed down to kiss Sonia’s bosom.

Their embrace lasted for quite some time until they dressed again and walked arm in arm to the salon. The slave who had opened the door was there again, pulled on the airfresher and put a pot and two cups onto the table.

“Thank you, Bao! You may go now! – This is juice made from Al’uaya, a fruit you find around the equator of this planet. I hope you’ll like it, lovey!” Sonia explained. “What about your last assignment?”

Lisa told her everything. Sonia’s face was getting sadder with every word. “That really sounds terrible. I hope Ian won’t have to go there.”

“Ian? But his job is here, too, isn’t it?”

Sonia laughed bitterly: “In case of war a soldier has to be where the enemy is. And Ian’s actual assignment will end in some days. You know what this means. And I have little hope the new king or queen will change anything to the good.”

“I hope he or she will send a new governor to Ignita – or make the actual one fight the terrorists.”

“Well, this is what the Supremacists believe, isn’t it? But it doesn’t work this way: We’ll have to convince the Ignitans they live better with us than they would under the Zoldans – and they really do!”

“Sonia, we’re talking about terrorists who are contacting our worst enemy.”

“I know pretty well what we’re speaking about. I’ve been in the army for ten – for more than five, in Sverkcheloyan terms – years now and I know the peoples of the Empire quite well. You’ve got a point, terrorists and collaborators must be punished but the average Ignitan does not seem terrorist to me: It’s the second most intelligent beings in the Empire what they seem to me, nearly the only ones who can attend Sverkcheloian schools successfully. We’ve got to treat them as nearly equal beings.”

“Sonia, are you still an egalitarian? You have slaves yourself, haven’t you?”

“I don’t like the word egalitarian; I’d rather describe myself as adequatarian. Here, on Doolur, it would be a stupid thing to concede the aborigines equal rights: It’s pretty easy to make them do what you want; you’ll probably know this. And the military code isn’t a law as you know, too – at least conquered peoples can’t go to the court to beg for their rights according to this code.”

Lisa nodded and drank from her cup. “Tastes really great – but go on!”

“If the people who work for us weren’t our, Ian’s and my slaves, anybody who’d meet them could rob, rape or even kill them without being punished. And most soldiers treat the aborigines like shit, believe me. A slave, a person who has our sign on his or her body, can’t be hurt that easily.”

“They kill the aborigines? And the military governor allows this?”

“The governor can only punish what he notices. And how will he notice if the soldiers don’t say anything and the aborigines don’t stand a chance against them or even agree because they’re mind-manipulated? Why do you think there’s a legislative initiative for equal rights? Here, in this society of the worst supremacists you can imagine? If one of our kind makes an aborigine forget he or she has been raped or tortured the judges won’t get to know anything. And if they were equals by law it would not be that easy any more to denounce the worst cases. Slaves are registered; when they’ve gotten killed you’ve got to justify why you’ve done this or to pay the owner for them– so called “free” aborigines would be unprotected game.”

Sonia drank before she continued: “And therefore here you help the aborigines if you are a supremacist; on Ignita it’s useful for the Empire if you’re an egalitarian and speak to the aborigines about the Zoldans as you’ d speak to our kind, because this is the only way to link Ignitan society to us.”

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