OCCULTA

Written by: Chris Fennell, Anne Grimm, Megan Hasenwinkel, and Rachel Seow

Written for Vibs Petersen, FYS 27
December 11, 1997

CHAPTER 11

The ancestors had traveled far. Searching for years, they had finally come across this small planet which seemed perfect. Persecution and torment had been the incentive behind their arduous journey, but that was far behind them now. It is true that their home planet had been dangerous and the people aggressive, but these people were different, and The Executive believed that a method had been found to curb the violence inherent in their blood.

The Executive split the people into two groups, one of which was to explore the wilderness of the planet, while the other was to build a city and colonize their new home.

It was then that The Executive put the plan for a new, nonviolent society into effect. The Executive was something of a chemist, and had stumbled upon a formula that could change the way the people of this new planet lived.

The Executive had a simple philosophy. He had studied the people on their home planet; he knew about their fears and aggressive nature. He watched as men and women tore each other apart, calling that a "relationship". He saw people mistaking sex for love, and came to the conclusion that the root of all this pain and suffering was sexual.

The Executive believed if people could channel their sexual frustrations into another activity, or, better yet, eliminate the sex drive totally, their society would be virtually free of crime, let alone the pain that comes from these relationships. The Executive imagined a society free of sexual stereotypes and the passion that envelopes an unsuspecting person.

So, being a chemist, The Executive struggled for years to find the perfect chemical formula with no success. When he finally did perfect the formula, he came across another barrier to the completion of his dream. Now that he had the means to put his plan into action, he had no way to get the members of their community to ingest the solution...

The Executive solved this problem while observing his people. As he had stood gazing at his people working hard to build a new society, he knew they would accept what he had to offer. They, like him, were tired of the ceaseless violence of their home planet. They would grasp at any straws in order to live peacefully, and this was exactly the kind of mindset necessary to the success of his plan. The Executive watched as his comrades sweat heavily over the construction of yet another building. It was a hot day, and the workers hoarded their water vials, staring at the others suspiciously, as if believing their precious water only seconds away from being snatched out from under their noses.

The Executive shook his head, thinking that this was a perfect example of how his formula would help mankind prevent this kind of suspicious behavior...

The Executive blinked.

The water supply.

That was perfect.

By the time the citizens of Pullus had finished building their city, there were no more sexual encounters. Procreation was made possible by the genetic engineering of DNA structures, technology that Pullusians had been using for centuries. As The Executive had guessed, crime dropped drastically, but there were other complications that he had not foreseen. For one, everyone who ingested the drug changed physically, as well as psychologically. Once the children were put on the drug, their eyes changed to a golden yellow color. The Executive recognized that it was simply a reaction to the drug.

All in all, the drug was a complete success. His people were content, and their community thrived peacefully.

All this was threatened when the other half of the Pullusians returned from mapping out the planet. The people that came back to the city's border were different, changed. They were more wild and rough, as they had learned to live off the land. The Executive was repulsed when he saw their ragged hair and unkempt appearance. He had grown used to a sterile, peaceful environment, and while watching these people through the wall of the city he saw passion and violence ready to erupt.

The city gates were opened, and the Pullusians greeted one another. It was an uneasy meeting. The inhabitants of the city welcomed the strangers, but were shocked by their behavior. The wild Pullusians saw what had become of their brothers - sterile, passionless robots - and became frightened, leaving the city in the dead of night.

Neither of the communities ever had the desire to meet again, and eventually, after many centuries, each became a sort of legend to the other.

A lie, of course, that The Executive was happy to encourage.

Continue to Chapter 12