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Downfall

A 1-post collection

Challenge #02909-G352: The Biggest Little Threat

They were banned from almost every DeRegger place known. Their ships had a standing order to shoot on sight. Yet... they came. How they managed to get through the security? Well let's just say DeRegger security is usually spotty at best due to how they choose to "fund" that security. Or maintain the people, supplies, and equipment.

Why were they so hated? So feared? They were telepaths. All of them, the entire team. They had learned to not only block out thoughts when one did not need to read them, but transmit such thoughts, thanks to amplifiers, on a large scale. But to be able to do so, they had to be within near line-of-sight. They would sneak aboard stations, onto planets and colonies, and begin to educate the population. Reading, writing, thoughts of having actual rights, of people being able to live good lives where everyone, no matter their gender, were equals. Where the young were not property, but were family, and so many other things that slowly eroded the DeRegger's grip on their populations. The damage done, the population more educated, the thoughts of freedom, equality, kindness, and other CRC basic tenants of civility now firmly seeded, the group would disappear again to go to another such place, and begin anew. -- DaniAndShali

[AN: I've had the Melil lurking about in my pet universe since the middle of the 90's. These are true hermaphrodite aliens and not a slight on intersex peoples at all. Honestly, I learned about the intricacies of that birth anomaly at a much later date and I refuse to throw away good worldbuilding.]

Once upon a time, someone built a wall to keep out invaders. It was an enormous public project and cost the administration a lot of money. What the administration neglected was to pay the guards along the wall enough to motivate them to actually do their work. The alleged security was defeated with the bribe of a pair of sandals[1].

Those who do not learn from the lessons of history... make Greater Deregulations. They believe that a super-impressive set of defensive stations will be enough to discourage outsiders from running their borders, and then refused to pay those staffing them enough to live. Not live well, just merely enough to live. This is, after all, the kind of administration who charges station residents for the breaths they take.

It should not be shocking that the security staff can be bribed with a potted plant and a sandwich, but nevertheless, they remain shocked. Many who run the borders also leave food plants with care instructions out of little more than pity that those people are forced to exist like that.

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