Xena

 Scene 1

On the planet of Xena, over two centuries ago, the human race was enslaved. A peace pact signed over ten centuries ago that allowed humans to stay on Xena peacefully dissolved when the war occurred. A comradery that once left the Xenians and the human race friends ended in a war that separated the two species forever. The humans that were left on the planet of Xena after the war were not allowed to leave. Now, in an effort to save the relationship between the species, an exchange program that allows humans to school in Xena has been passed. In an effort to stop this program from happening, the people of Xena gathered in city hall. 

Persephone: They cannot be trusted. I cannot let them come on to this planet and do what they did to us centuries ago! Look at them……. (She points to one of the humans serving the food during the meeting)...I hate them, their skin flushing with blood, so unlike ours.  

Valentina: Do you remember the last time we trusted them? They captured us, cloned us, hunted us, and made us feel like the lesser species. Our forefathers might have been fools...fools I tell you…. but I refuse to let history repeat itself.

Cyrus: Yes, they created us! But does that give them the right to do to us what they did! After we worked so hard to separate from them and become our own planet! Since they treated us with such hatred...I say we continue to enslave them. What do these reformists want with peace….I don’t know about you, but I can live like this. With them now as the lesser. Hey you…come over here! (He suddenly calls one of the humans over)

Human: Yes, sir! 

Cyrus: Don’t you think you should spend your whole life apologizing for what your forefathers did?  (He suddenly pulls out a gun and points it to the human head).

Human: I am sorry…please don’t shoot me…..I have two daughters and a wife…..they are waiting for me to come back home. (He said, suddenly dropping to his knees). 

Cyrus: I say we send them a message…the humans coming to this planet. (He says, now addressing the whole crowd).

The crowd started cheering, with many getting up to their feet. The voices get louder and louder in a way that allows them to be heard from the outside. This is where Alastair Aquila, a latecomer to the meeting, starts running inside in order to see what all the commotion is about. 

Alastair: Please put down the gun…aren’t you tired of all this senseless violence?

Cyrus: Ah, one of them reformers, I see! Are you really fighting for this human's life?

Alastair: What we have here is a chance to change things...please put down the gun. In the past, they hunted us because they believed that we lacked empathy and were cold-blooded killers...please, please, do not prove them right. We haven’t acted without a cause...don’t start now. 

The crowd gets restless. Shoot him, shoot him, they screamed with their hands in the air. Let him pay for what his forefathers did to us! Let us send these humans a message. We refuse to allow history to repeat itself.

Cyrus: Ah…you’re dumb! Dumb, I tell you! (He says, lowering the gun). 

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Scene 2

Scarlett: I am scared for today, Ethan! I am all for this reform but actually going there is one thing. Can you imagine how much hate we will receive when we step on this planet? After all, we did to them...I believe that the wrong should be righted.

Ethan: You, you’re sacred! The great Scarlett Stevens! My sister, who went above and beyond to right the wrongs done to the Xenians! The girl who faced anger crowds ready to kill her for her strong opinions. 

Scarlett: Yes, I am beyond scared! I want to change things but am not ready to see the hate in their eyes.

Ethan: I am glad you are saying this sis! I am terrified. I am only 18 years old. I only came to this school because you turned me into a believer. 

Scarlett: We really do not have a choice. I am starting to wonder why I came to this reformist school.

Suddenly an announcement came on, and students were told to report to the Helen M. Macallister auditorium. Scarlett and Ethan turned to each other and looked at each other. With dread in their eyes and their face going pale, they remember the famous creed of New Haven. Unanimously, they mouthed to each other, may mercy always light the way.

Announcer: Welcome to New Haven College peace day celebration! A momentous occasion indeed. As you all know, out of all the colleges in Amoeba, we have been selected to lead the planet on its peace initiative with Xena. This is the day we have all been looking forward to! This is when we decided which of our students will be chosen to go to Xena! We sincerely hope that the students chosen will continue to carry on our teachings that change can happen when we take the first step. So, now we have put all the names of the students of Haven in this bin. We will pull the names until we have reached three students. Please come forward when you hear your name and approach Ms. Effie! May mercy always light the way!

Ms. Effie: Please students, meet me in Booker T. Washington’s classroom. This is a life-changing decision. We are about to make a huge change. I thank you for signing up for New Haven college. May mercy always light the way. 

Announcer: Here we go! The first name we have here is Mary Shelley!

Mary: Thank you for the wonderful opportunity! I am ready to make this change! 

Announcer: Thank you, Mary! The next name we have here is John Ellis! 

John: I would not let this planet down!

Announcer: Thank you, John! The next name we have here is Ethan. 

Scarlett: No! I volunteer, please let me volunteer! (She said after noticing Ethan’s about to cry) 

Before they left the auditorium, Ethan caught up with Scarlett and thanked her. 

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Scene 3

Ms. Effie: Hello students! Please I want you to turn your attention to this documentary formed over centuries ago. This documentary is one of the first attempts made by reformists in order to stop the war. This is something that nobody talks about.

 Ms. Effie goes to put in the video and asks the students to really ponder this video. The video starts off with an interview with an elderly Xenian before the war. 

Human: Please, I am begging you. Let us stop our hatred for the Xenian. I can see war is brewing and I want to try to change things before it gets to this point. I hope after hearing this history, we as a human race will have a change of heart. 

Xenian: Please, we are not senseless monsters. We can and have shown empathy! Ever since Dr. Zamiatin created us. When doctor Zamiatin created us all we wanted was to be loved and respected by our creator. Instead, all our creator wanted from us was to use us as forced labor. He mass-produced us in bulk. He needed enough of us to be bought and sold to whichever household would want us. When we found out about this, we accepted our fate. We loved the human race so much that we decided that we would help them out in any way that we could. We served them for centuries, we treated them like our masters, and our women raised their children. Even though we were faithful, they treated us as nothing more than the lesser creation. We were built in a way that we were faster, stronger, easily picked up things, and more advanced. However, we bowed our heads and continued our servitude. We hoped our act of submission will show our creators that we were willing to love them as they were. 

Human: That is very powerful. I believe the detestation for the Xenians really increased when doctor Zamiatin was killed by what is believed to be a Xenian. You said you were there that night, please can you tell us what occurred that night. 

Xenian: That night I went to see my creator Dr. Zamiatin, I wanted to really talk to him and see how he could sit back and let his creation suffer like this. When I got there, there was another Xenian there. This Xenian was truly bent on killing Dr. Zamiatin. There was no question about it. When he pointed the gun to Dr. Zamiatin’s head, our creator pressed a button. The Xenian told him that I ought to shoot you, how could you do this to us? You were our creator, we looked to you, we loved you. But all you did was sold us to the highest bidder. Dr. Zamiatin, did you really create us to be the lesser creature? Is that our purpose in life? They are really treating us badly, Dr. Zamiatin. What is even worse is that they are treating our children poorly. Do you know what it is like hearing your daughter say daddy why am I so imperfect? Daddy, why do they treat us as inferior? I was at a loss for words. You don’t know what is like hearing that from your daughter. It makes you feel less like her protector, her father, and more like a failure. You really start to feel helpless. So, I decided to pay you a visit? Really, show you what the “lesser” race is capable of doing. As he was about to pull the trigger, he fell to his knees crying, and lowered his gun.

Human: What happened next?

Xenian: The next thing I knew, Dr. Zamiatin starts screaming this place is going to blow, I really thought you were going to kill me, I self-destructed the place you vermin. I started to run out of there but before I left, I saw that the resentful Xenian had left before me.

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Scene 4

Ms. Effie: Please, what you are about to see is pretty gruesome.

Ms. Effie goes on to play the video again. Before pressing the button, she sees that some of the students were taken aback and some were brought to tears. 

Human: So, are you saying that the Xenian did not kill Zamiatin?

Xenian: I am one hundred percent sure that he did not kill Dr. Zamiatin. I saw him left.

Human: Then what happened to Zamiatin? 

Xenian: That I cannot tell. If I had to guess, he probably died when the building blew up. That is something that I do not know. Like I said I had to get out of there. Wait do you hear that! 

Xenian: Yes! It sounds like gunshots! 

Human: We have to get out of here! (He said with extreme fear in his eyes).

Xenian: It is too late! I hear footsteps! Hide! (He said as gunshots surrounded the place).

It seemed as though the camera crashed, the footage of the video stopped rolling. The students let out a loud cry of surprise. 

Mary: An injustice has taken place here. How can we as a society move on from this? (She said, shaking her head in anger and disgust). 

John: I hope this visitation will be the first step to turn the tide in this society. Just as the early reformists, all we can do is try! (As he said it, you could see tears welling up in his eyes). 

Scarlett: We have to do more than just try! We have to enact change. The future of our planet depends on it. What our forefathers did was surprising because that is not the capability of the human race. We just don’t just look at someone or something and decide they are the “lesser” species. We have to at least try and get the Xenians to see that not all humans carry around that hatred for them. These humans are willing to work with them in order to build a better tomorrow. 

Ms. Effie: As you can see Xenianphobia has been around for longer than we might have thought. When you go onto this planet, remember, may mercy always light the way. Remember, change can happen when we take the first step. (She said, as the students all nod in agreement!). Please, follow me and get ready to take the flight to Xena. 

The feeling in the air is one of fear and optimism. The students are gearing up to leave planet earth. In the containment area that housed the students, Ethan shows up to see Scarlett. 

Ethan: Sister, thank you again for volunteering as tribute! I came to wish you luck and a safe journey!

Scarlett: First of all, your family. Second, I am older. I hold the responsibility of looking out for you. (She said as she boarded the spacecraft waving goodbye to all that is familiar). 

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