The Resistance

Science Fiction. Needs to be completely re-plotted and re-written. It’s the first draft of my first novel and it shows. Was called Placidia.

Khara, a student at the local university, comes into contact with refugees aboard a spaceship and unwittingly invites them to her home planet, unaware of the trouble it’ll cause the people of her planet.

***

Kara frantically rummaged through her reports again, comparing one report to another, making calculations on a scratch pad.  Looking stunned, she reviewed her work, comparing one set of reports to another, and yet another, and another after that.  Furrowing her brow, she entered data and formulas into her computer and set the program in action.  A few minutes later, a report spit out of the printer, and again, stunned, she started at the beginning and checked through all her results again.  She stuck a pencil behind her ear for safekeeping, not realizing there was already another one on the other side and one or two in the back, lost in her voluminous head of auburn hair.

 In a flurry, she put the reports down on the plain but serviceable desk in front of her, this one here, that one at the beginning, this one there, and this at the end.  Trembling, she put her hands on the armrests, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.  When she was breathing at a more normal rate, she opened her eyes again and looked at the papers in front of her, slowly reviewing the numbers, making sure she hadn’t made any obvious errors. 

She double and triple checked her math, reviewing her long formulas for accuracy, making sure everything was entered correctly without any stray symbols, numbers, or decimal points, and sat, staring at the reports. 

She glanced at another page, furiously erased, and simultaneously re-wrote in her tiny script sections of calculations.   I’ve got it,  she said, more so to herself than anyone else.   That’s it!  she nearly yelled in excitement, a triumphant smile crossing her face.  Looking up, she barely saw the faces around her.  Ignoring them as she usually did, she glanced at the pages in front of her one more time.  She stood stone still as she stared at the reports, an almost vacant expression on her face. 

 Kara?"  The voice startled her to attention.  "Your internship doesn’t entitle you to sit around and do nothing all day.  If you don’t have enough work to do, I can certainly give you more, as can half a dozen other people around here,  said the tall rotund man with a sheaf of papers under his arm, several threatening to loose themselves from the rest.  Seeing the petulant look on her face, he asked,  What?    She quickly turned around to face him, an almost jubilant look in her eyes.

 I’ve discovered something.  Oh, have I discovered something!  Look at this,  she said, pointing at her calculations on the papers strewn about her desk.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaling slowly, said,  Why don’t we meet at the end of the week when I’ll have a few minutes.  We can review your, ahem, discovery then.  Just be sure you’re not wasting my time.  

She turned angrily back to her computer and began composing her report.   He can’t stifle me any more.  This is too big,  she muttered quietly under her breath.

"Oh, and Kara."

"Yes, Professor Qwillig?"

"Perrin tells me you’ve missed several tutorial sessions.  Attendance is required."

"But I don’t need them.  I understand the material fine already."

"That’s hardly likely, Kara.  In any event, it doesn’t matter.  Argue all you want.  If you don’t attend, you will get an incomplete in the physics course.  Do you understand?"

"Yes, Professor Qwillig.  I understand."  She sighed, wishing she’d had someone else for a professor.  But there was no one else who was qualified to teach this particular class.

"And you understand, Kara, that if you get an incomplete in the course, you will automatically lose your position in the program.Your internship will be discontinued.And you’ll likely lose your position in the university.There are too many other students, qualified students, who are waiting to get in.We can’t waste our time on a slackard, Kara."

"Yes, Professor Qwillig. I understand. I’ll attend the tutorials."

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