Okay, my fiance has said to me in the past, "Why don't you write an original story?"
I've had ideas, but they all kinda stall. Except earlier today I had another one. It's a bit formulaic, but I think I can throw in enough interesting bits to keep it from being boring.
First, the history.
We have a set of binary planets - perfectly balanced at each other's lagrange points so there's no tidal forces to rip them apart. Both worlds are Earth-like, with contenents, large oceans, and planted right in the middle of the sweet spot of a star system. Inteligent life evolved on one of the worlds into a civilazation. Eventually, they colonised their not-too-distant sister world. Over the course of a century or two, the culture on the sister-world diverges enough that a war is caused by whatever means. It matters not anymore because both civilizations bombed each other back into the iron age.
Time passes and both worlds slowly build themselves back up to their second space-age, but ancient-yet-vivid memories remain of a cataclysm brought on by demonic enemies from their respective sister-worlds. Naturally, they start to pick up where they left off.
Now, along comes the Visitors. They're not like the people on these two worlds, of course. They're enlightened scientists and explorers who sometimes uplift species they deem suitable (i.e.: smart enough to know that the guys the just came down from the sky aren't really gods, nor are they your enemies) all in the name of promoting diversity and trade in the greater galaxy. Of course, they have rules about this sort of situation, and for the most part they have to let these people sort it out themselves. However, there is a proviso for setting the cat among the canaries.
Two infants are asked for, one for each world, and two families courageously sacrifice their newborn children. (Yes, one male, one female) It is a simple test - give them a child of your own and see how they choose to raise that child. This will show if there is any hope to be had for the unwitting perspective client-race.
While the Visitors are different, they are not so different that each child cannot live a normal life, as they share some similarities in the number of apendages and basic biochemistries. They are also telepathic, but the 'bandwidth' is proportional to range - at the maximum range, only the vaguest emotions can be conveyed. Up close, though, it is not uncommon to form a gestalt-mind for when it is needed. The cannot act as direct-repeaters, though. They can pass along information, but the voice will be theirs and theirs alone. Gestalts, even though they are completely networked, require at least one mind to be a focal-point - a ring-leader of sorts to take charge of the group.
At the range of the sister-worlds, the two children will be somewhat aware of each other's existence. They won't have any concrete idea, except for the vague notion that maybe there is something like him/her self over on that other world. They are also vaguely aware of the observation team that's been left in charge with this long-term task. They wait at a temporary observation posts stationed at one of the other lagrange points.
The peoples of the two sister worlds are not heartless. While the sudden appearence of the infant children is mysterous, they're not about to let that be cause to make the childrens' lives miserable. While the envoronment they are raised in is not particularly controlled, it is closely monitored. The families chosen are both military, and fully aware that this isn't simply a case of little-boy/girl-lost. The families grow to love their respective children, and the children thus grow to love their adopted families and peoples, even though they themselves wonder about their mysterious origins.
Love of one's people, especially when raised in a military family, easily leads to a certain degree of pride and nationalism. My people must be protected, they think to themselves, and of course they sign up for military service. This leads to the usual sort of contradictory repulsion/attraction you'd expect when the two cross swords the first time. Of course, with their telepathic talent, it also leads to the expected "Get out of my mind!" and "You first!" reaction. (^_^)
That can lead to two things: psychosis or just accepting it. Since the two are pretty well balanced individuals, this leads to the latter. And that, of course, leads to the seeds of understanding, then romance, and then, of course, a cluster-fuck as the two adopted children begin to speak out: "They're not so different from us!"
From there, we can go for several outcomes. My least favorite being the total tragedy: both are executed for treason and the war continues unabated. Another outcome somewhat less bad is the two are killed while on some mission to prove their point... but in the end, the two sides see what they were getting at and begin to talk to each other instead of just shooting. Or, reverse it: they are picked up by the observation team after the two find that their peoples won't listen to reason - they live out their lives regretful of that fact even though they are in the comfort of their own kind. And then, finally, the WAFF version (aka the Happy Ending): our two heroes succeed in their mission and become amabssadors between their peoples, negotiating not only their peace, but their uplift as well.
Thoughts?
I've had ideas, but they all kinda stall. Except earlier today I had another one. It's a bit formulaic, but I think I can throw in enough interesting bits to keep it from being boring.
First, the history.
We have a set of binary planets - perfectly balanced at each other's lagrange points so there's no tidal forces to rip them apart. Both worlds are Earth-like, with contenents, large oceans, and planted right in the middle of the sweet spot of a star system. Inteligent life evolved on one of the worlds into a civilazation. Eventually, they colonised their not-too-distant sister world. Over the course of a century or two, the culture on the sister-world diverges enough that a war is caused by whatever means. It matters not anymore because both civilizations bombed each other back into the iron age.
Time passes and both worlds slowly build themselves back up to their second space-age, but ancient-yet-vivid memories remain of a cataclysm brought on by demonic enemies from their respective sister-worlds. Naturally, they start to pick up where they left off.
Now, along comes the Visitors. They're not like the people on these two worlds, of course. They're enlightened scientists and explorers who sometimes uplift species they deem suitable (i.e.: smart enough to know that the guys the just came down from the sky aren't really gods, nor are they your enemies) all in the name of promoting diversity and trade in the greater galaxy. Of course, they have rules about this sort of situation, and for the most part they have to let these people sort it out themselves. However, there is a proviso for setting the cat among the canaries.
Two infants are asked for, one for each world, and two families courageously sacrifice their newborn children. (Yes, one male, one female) It is a simple test - give them a child of your own and see how they choose to raise that child. This will show if there is any hope to be had for the unwitting perspective client-race.
While the Visitors are different, they are not so different that each child cannot live a normal life, as they share some similarities in the number of apendages and basic biochemistries. They are also telepathic, but the 'bandwidth' is proportional to range - at the maximum range, only the vaguest emotions can be conveyed. Up close, though, it is not uncommon to form a gestalt-mind for when it is needed. The cannot act as direct-repeaters, though. They can pass along information, but the voice will be theirs and theirs alone. Gestalts, even though they are completely networked, require at least one mind to be a focal-point - a ring-leader of sorts to take charge of the group.
At the range of the sister-worlds, the two children will be somewhat aware of each other's existence. They won't have any concrete idea, except for the vague notion that maybe there is something like him/her self over on that other world. They are also vaguely aware of the observation team that's been left in charge with this long-term task. They wait at a temporary observation posts stationed at one of the other lagrange points.
The peoples of the two sister worlds are not heartless. While the sudden appearence of the infant children is mysterous, they're not about to let that be cause to make the childrens' lives miserable. While the envoronment they are raised in is not particularly controlled, it is closely monitored. The families chosen are both military, and fully aware that this isn't simply a case of little-boy/girl-lost. The families grow to love their respective children, and the children thus grow to love their adopted families and peoples, even though they themselves wonder about their mysterious origins.
Love of one's people, especially when raised in a military family, easily leads to a certain degree of pride and nationalism. My people must be protected, they think to themselves, and of course they sign up for military service. This leads to the usual sort of contradictory repulsion/attraction you'd expect when the two cross swords the first time. Of course, with their telepathic talent, it also leads to the expected "Get out of my mind!" and "You first!" reaction. (^_^)
That can lead to two things: psychosis or just accepting it. Since the two are pretty well balanced individuals, this leads to the latter. And that, of course, leads to the seeds of understanding, then romance, and then, of course, a cluster-fuck as the two adopted children begin to speak out: "They're not so different from us!"
From there, we can go for several outcomes. My least favorite being the total tragedy: both are executed for treason and the war continues unabated. Another outcome somewhat less bad is the two are killed while on some mission to prove their point... but in the end, the two sides see what they were getting at and begin to talk to each other instead of just shooting. Or, reverse it: they are picked up by the observation team after the two find that their peoples won't listen to reason - they live out their lives regretful of that fact even though they are in the comfort of their own kind. And then, finally, the WAFF version (aka the Happy Ending): our two heroes succeed in their mission and become amabssadors between their peoples, negotiating not only their peace, but their uplift as well.
Thoughts?