The Devolutionist and the EmancipatrixFlint, Homer Eon
Science
The Devolutionist and the Emancipatrix
Flint, Homer Eon
Life on other planets -- Fiction; Science fiction
Next moment she made out the figures of four humans on top of a
knoll just below. A little nearer, and the architect was looking,
from the air, down upon the same scene which the doctor was then
witnessing through the eyes of Rolla, the older of the two Sanusian
women. Billie could make out the powerful physique of Corrus, the
slighter figure of Dulnop, the small but vigorous form of Cunora,
and Rolla's slender, graceful, capable body. But at that moment the
other flier began to say to Supreme:
"The big man is a tender of cattle, Supreme; and he owes his
peculiar aptitude to the fact that his parents, for twenty
generations back, were engaged in similar work. The same may be said
for the younger of the two women; she is small, but we owe much of
the excellence of our crops to her energy and skill.
"As for the other woman," indicating Rolla, "she is a soil-tester,
and very expert. Her studies and experiments have greatly improved
our product. The same may be said in lesser degree of the youth, who
is engaged in similar work."
"Then," coolly commented the Sanusian whose eyes and ears Billie
enjoyed; "then your line of action is clear enough. You will see to
it that the big man marries the sturdy young girl, of course; their
offspring should give us a generation of rare outdoor ability.
Similarly the young man and the older woman, despite their
difference in ages, shall marry for the sake of improving the breed
of soil-testers."
"Quite so, Supreme. There is one slight difficulty, however, such as
caused me to summon you."
"Name the difficulty."
The Sanusian hesitated only a trifle with her reply: "It is,
Supreme, that the big man and the older woman have seen fit to fall
in love with one another, while the same is true of the youth and
the girl."
"This should not have been allowed!"
"I admit it, Supreme; my force has somehow overlooked their case,
heretofore. What is your will?"
The commandant answered instantly: "Put an immediate end to their
desires!"
"It shall be done!"
At that moment there was a stir on the ground. In fact, this was the
instant when Corrus began his vehement outcry against the tyranny of
"They." The two in the air came closer; whereupon Billie discovered
that Supreme did not understand the language of the humans below.
[Footnote: The humans did not realize this fact, however; they
assumed that "They" always understood.] Yet the herdsman's tones
were unmistakably angry.
"You will descend," commented Supreme evenly, "and warn the big man
not to repeat such outbreaks."
Immediately Supreme's lieutenant darted down, and was lost to view.
The commandant glanced interestedly here and there about the
landscape, returning her gaze to Corrus just as the man stopped in
mid-speech. Billie was no less astonished than the doctor to see the
herdsman's expression change as it did; one second it was that of
righteous indignation, the next, of the most abject subservience.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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