Anyway, below is the next Interregnum. Enjoy. Chapter 3 will most likely follow tomorrow.
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The young girl is kneeling in the garden, covered in
dusty dirt, her arms elbow-deep in the soil as she digs. She is creating a bed
for her newest acquisition, a lovely flowering plant with heart-shaped leaves.
Her mind is completely focused on her work, until something forces its way into
her consciousness. She wipes sweat from her forehead with the back of her arm
as she looks around, startled by the arrival of a stranger.
“Hello. Who are you?” She stares at the man,
something about him makes her uneasy.
The man, dark and stocky with a humorless face,
stares back at her. He is wondering what in the Universe his bosses could have
been thinking, sending him on this mission. This girl is nothing special, she
seems perfectly content digging in the dirt here in the wilderness of the
Northern Province.
The girl keeps staring at him, frowning as she feels
his disregard for her. She stands, brushing her hands on her pants, and goes
over to him. Her eyes are so very dark and deep. He cannot help but meet her
gaze, but only for a moment. He drops his eyes.
“I am here to make an offer to you and your parents.
Where are they?”
“They are in the house.” She nods in the direction of
the homestead. “What kind of offer?”
The man recovers his composure and says, slowly, “The
kind that will change your life, young lady. Shall we go?” He offers his hand,
cringing even as he does so, she is so very dirty from gardening.
She hesitates before accepting his hand. His contempt
is very much at the forefront of his mind. She knows that she makes people
uncomfortable, but it is not often that they are so open about their unease.
Then she realizes that he doesn’t know about her. That makes it worse still.
His feelings for her are not because of her abilities, he simply doesn’t think
she is worth anything at all. She takes a deep breath and holds it for a moment
as she has been taught, then slowly lets it out, calming her mind.
They walk back toward the house, a young girl just
ready to graduate with honors from Secondary School, and an older man, cynical
and contemptuous of anything he does not understand. She has an urge to show
him just what she can do, but she knows it will not help him, and she knows it
will only disappoint her parents.
Arriving at the house, the girl shows the man to a
chair in the large, comfortable living area, then calls to her parents. They
both enter, their emotions in turmoil as they realize who this man is and what
he wants. They know that their girl is ready to move on with the next phase of
her education, but they are not ready to let her go, not yet.
“Mom? What is wrong?”
“Liz, this gentleman is here to offer you a place at
University. Isn’t that right, sir?”
The man looks from one to the other in surprise. How
did they know?
“Indeed, yes, Ma’am. Miss Elizabeth has earned a full
scholarship, and the University has asked that she be admitted immediately.”
“But she is too young! She is not ready!”
The girl feels the conflict in her parents’ minds.
They know she is ready to advance. It is they who are not ready. But she also
knows that it is her decision. She does not want to leave her friends behind,
but if it means heading to Central Province, home of Federation Headquarters...
“I am ready, Dad. Really. Sir, what do you need me to
do?”
Again, there is no-one to note the day. It continues
like any other in the Universe, only these few immediately affected by the
import of the events taking place.
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