The weekly newsletter for Fed2 by ibgames

EARTHDATE: September 10, 2006

Official News - page 2

ALIENS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

by Hazed

The discovery of hyperspace travel not only allowed humankind to leave the confines of the Solar System and spread out across the Galaxy - it also let alien beings visit the Sol planets. Sad to say, they were not exactly welcomed with open arms. A section of the human population, particularly those on Earth, transferred their traditional xenophobia from different races of humans to alien races.

The Solar Administration which ruled the system at the time embraced the diversity of races found on the other side of the link. However, political movements and lobbying groups sprang up which opposed the idea that aliens could be equal to humans. They came together under the name Sol First, an organization which formed a large grassroots movement, specializing in stoking up fears in the populace about "aliens taking our jobs and telling us what to do". They campaigned to restrict alien movements in Sol, to stop non-humans from owning businesses or property, and to - as they put it - "keep Sol pure".

By and large, their efforts failed. No laws were passed restricting what aliens could do, and as humans gained power, both politically and economically, throughout the Galaxy, fears at home of being "taken over" by strange beings from outer space faded. Instead, the campaigns switched from trying to legislate against aliens, to moral campaigning to ensure that humans continued to feel superior. Groups tried to put pressure on those who purchased imported, alien-made goods, and slogans such as "I'm Backing Sol" and "Sol Stuff is Super" were seen on posters and t-shirts.

It was the citizens of Earth who were most active, both in the earlier legal campaigns and the later morality efforts. Those on the Sol colonies, where life was more precarious due to the hostile conditions, were much more accepting of differences, caring more about behavior rather than looks or species.

Low-level anti-alien campaigns continued to make extra-terrestrial visitors to Earth feel uncomfortable; although Earth became a popular tourist destination for rich aliens, and commercial enterprises from outside Sol set up business on the humans' home planet, there wasn't much permanent immigration. Those aliens who did visit Earth for business or pleasure found themselves unwelcome in all but the most cosmopolitan bars, and often suffered harassment if they ventured out of the areas around the spaceport and commercial district.

Sol First did their best to stir up hatred, culminating in the anti-alien riots which trashed some of the bars, shops and hotels around Earth's spaceport known to cater to alien visitors.

Then came the constant catastrophe, and everything changed. The interstellar link system crashed and burned, and aliens in Sol found themselves trapped in a star system where they were, at best, tolerated. Forced to take up permanent residence, aliens of many different species banded together to form a colony of their own in an unused dome on Titan. They chose this planet for two reasons, one practical and the other psychological: Titan was as far away from the bigots on Earth as they could get, which was an important consideration considering that Sol First did not approve of aliens settling in the Solar System. Psychologically, their new habitat was not far from the now-defunct link, which made them feel a little closer to the homes they could no longer reach.

Not much is known about the Alien Sequestration, as this dome has become known. The aliens living there do not welcome human visitors, fearful as they are, even today, of attack by xenophobic humans.

It was generally predicted that once access to the rest of the Galaxy was regained, the Sequestration would empty as the aliens returned to their home worlds. But by the time the interstellar link reopened, several generations of alien children had been born, matured, and reproduced themselves; for the vast majority of the inhabitants of the Sequestration, this was their home dome. Even the older aliens who remembered life before the interregnum did not all leave. The worlds they remembered had changed and moved on; the loved ones they had been missing had died, or had formed new relationships.

And so the Solar System will continue to play host to this colony of assorted aliens; a mish-mash of various species originating from all over the Galaxy, but living peacefully together in the Sequestration. That's assuming the Sol First idiots will leave them alone!


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