Readers, this week I chatted with two ladies, Oba (below left) and Nipi (below right), from the planet Dudra. They have a very interesting story.
S: So, you are contacting us from Dudra, correct?
N: Yes. We very much appreciate your willingness to listen to us. We are not ambassadors, nor do we have any position of importance.
S: That’s fine. We are very interested in the ordinary people of the planets we have made contact with. How did you become aware of Earth?
N: Our council learned of your planet through trade contacts with other worlds. Information about Earth was released in one of our world news bulletins. Oba and I have been trying to learn everything we could about your world, to see if it would be an option for us to relocate to.
S: Why are you seeking to relocate to another planet?
N: On Oba’s home planet of Ka’Ran, love between members of the same sex is absolutely forbidden. The entire planet is governed by a strict religious order. Those who violate the codes are often put to death, including priests who dare to challenge the High Order. We could not even freely speak through interplanetary communications. We had been trying to 
find a way to be together for several years before Oba had the opportunity to emigrate to Dudra. Unfortunately, the atmosphere of our planet is very polluted. Many of us have adapted somewhat, but Oba struggles to breathe, and must wear a mask with an oxygen supplement any time she goes out. I understand your atmosphere is oxygen rich.
S: It is, though we are fighting our own battles with pollution. Plus, though our people now know that sentient, advanced species inhabit other worlds, it is a recent discovery for us. Until a few years ago, many Earthers refused to believe that was possible, and many are still not comfortable with the idea. We often have problems with discrimination between races, differing religious beliefs, and differing lifestyles among our own people that lead to violence. There are aliens living among us, but they are human, or have taken human form, so that they blend in well. The only non-human aliens here at present are those serving in temporary ambassadorial roles, and they are well-guarded by our police forces.
N: That is sad to hear. We had hoped for much better news. At least on Dudra we are safe and not discriminated against, but the lifestyle here is… difficult.
S: How did you and Oba meet?
N: She was a speaker at a trade conference here on Dudra several years ago. I attended and was impressed by what she said. We felt a deep bond almost immediately, but Oba had to keep it secret because of the religious stigma on her world. If it hadn’t been for that, I would have moved there. Ka’Ran is a water world of great beauty, with a thriving culture of visual and performance art, literature, and architecture. Dudra is quite bleak by comparison.
S: Has Dudra made any strides toward dealing with its pollution problems?
N: We are working on it. That is one of the topics Oba addressed at the conference I attended. In Ka’Ran’s underwater cities, air quality maintenance is critical. They have developed some advanced technology that Dudra may be able to adapt to its use. Even with their assistance, however, it will be fifty or sixty of our solar cycles before we make much progress.
S: I’m sorry it will take so long, but glad your people recognize the problem and are working on it. I am hoping the political leaders and corporations of Earth are able to make more substantial progress in the near future than they have in the past.
N: For your peoples’ sakes, I hope they do not wait until it is too late, as we did.
S: Oba doesn’t seem to talk much.
N: She is still very shy. On Ka’Ran, she had to be registered as Aberrant and was required to wear identification. Aberrants were not allowed to speak with each other. They had to wear identification badges so that they could recognize and avoid each other. Dudra does not have such policies, and our planet would not extradite her, but she is cautious out of habit.
S: I understand. She is aware I am planning to publish our interview in a blog, correct?
N: Yes. She is in agreement with that.
S: On Earth, same-sex marriage is only now becoming more common, and is still not widely accepted. Decades ago, many gay couples just had to hide their true relationship.
N: How can people be dishonest and get away with it? Lying will get you exiled from Dudra. A person might get away with a small lie once, but no more than that. In ancient times people were put to death for lying.
O: It is considered a Magna Sin on Ka’Ran as well. You could be imprisoned and tortured or worked to death even now. That’s why it was safer to register than to try to hide my true nature.
S: Oh, my. That’s quite severe. I’m afraid few Earthers would survive there for long. Though we prize honesty, not many of us maintain absolute honesty all the time. In fact, in some cases, it isn’t even considered polite.
N: How very strange. How could it be polite to lie?
S: If someone is wearing an outfit that looks terrible on them, and they ask how they look, or has cooked a dinner that failed, and asks how it tastes, most Earthers would say it was fine. Telling the truth in that type of situation would be considered rude in most cases.
N: That’s ridiculous. If my clothing didn’t look right, or the meal tasted bad, I would want to know so I could avoid going out looking like a fool, and could avoid the problem the next time. Only a very untrustworthy friend would behave in such a way, and I wouldn’t want that person for a friend.
S: Though I’m inclined to agree with you, if I was brutally honest on Earth, I might not have many friends. It’s clear our cultures view that issue quite differently.
N: It’s clear Earth is looking less attractive as a place to live.
S: That’s possible, at least for the time being. However, contact with other sentient races may bring about significant change here. I’d like to know a little more about what your planets are like. You mentioned Ka’Ran is a water world. What percentage is solid land?
O: Only about ten percent of the surface is land, but we have entire cities built underwater. I used to live in one of the ocean cities. I loved it. I miss it terribly. I had hoped since Earth was largely ocean, you might have underwater cities.
S: Not yet. Though I’ll admit, I’d certainly love to live in one if we did.
Readers, join me again next week for the second half of my interview with Nipi and Oba, where we’ll learn a little more about their lives.
