Public Domain Science Fiction Writer Arico Chronicles contents Wai Z contents

With a primitive planet such as this an intervention was minimal. It had two objectives, collect the fastlight and disempower the ruai. The first was in effect easy although in the short term disruptive, the UG forces had to go and physically collect all the fastlight; this was not a major problem as they had technology that used the “magnetic” properties of the fastlight to collect it – this had been done before. In their armoured vehicles there were no logistical difficulties as these humans could not resist their superior technology. The second intervention was initially much less disruptive and appeared to the humans as far less invasive; they destroyed the currency – or at least the bulk of it. The ruai accumulation was held in bank accounts ie were just numbers. Yes they had property that would continue to be of value but how could they hold onto it? They needed military, private security, but without the money to pay who would work for them? In general they were not natural leaders, most having been born into money so others would not follow them. The ruai had other signs of wealth – gems and precious metals. But these were not functional, and were only of value within a society of accumulation. In one day the ships arrived, troops and vehicles disembarked collected the fastlight, sought out the notes in the financial institutions whose blueprints Corders had furnished them with, and vaporised them. Just for insurance they erased the bank and financial computers so there was no record of financial ownership, and moved on. The intervention was over. These humans were not now a threat to the UG, as they had no fastlight drives. The ruai in one form or another might arise “out of the ashes” but there was also a possibility with inequities balanced out that the abilities of the more developed had a chance to become leaders …. a chance. They were gone, except for Corders who chose to remain.