History Literature / RemnantPopulation

Ofelia is tired: tired of being told her how to act and what to do, tired of living with her son that doesn't listen and her snippy daughter-in-law, tired of people. They all live and work as employees in the Sims Bancorp colony #3245.12, until the tide of business fortunes turns out of Sims' favor. They've lost the charter for the colony and are making everyone ship out to space in cryo-sleep to start over again.

* FirstContact: Humans have been colonizing space for years but this is their first encounter with another species.

* WeComeInPeaceShootToKill: The first time the humans interact with the aliens, they kill an entire transport full of people. Ofelia and the aliens eventually realize that this was a misunderstanding after the transport unknowingly [[spoiler:incinerated nests of their children]], and strive to make a peaceful second contact.

* HomeNudist: Downplayed. As time goes on, Ofelia stops wearing clothes based on modesty and more whatever makes her comfortable, as she's the only person on the planet and no one is there to judge her. She tried going fully nude, but found it [[RealityEnsues uncomfortable in most situations]].

* AlienNonInterferenceClause: The human governments have one of these in spite of never having met aliens before. The human preconceptions get severely [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] when they meet ThePeople.

%%* IChooseToStay: Ofelia.
* MamaBear[=/=]PapaWolf: You do NOT mess with The People's nests/children. In their culture it's unthinkable.

!!Tropes

* FirstContact - Humans have been colonizing space for years but this is their first encounter with another species.
* IChooseToStay - Ofelia
* MamaBear / PapaWolf - You do NOT mess with The People's nests/children. In their culture it's unthinkable.
* OneNationUnderCopyright - Sims Bancorp signs on colonists as employees for life or until they're considered too old to work anymore - Barto and Rosara would have had to pay extra for Ofelia to travel because her contract was up - appear to run a "company store" sort of system and have the ability to overrule the desires of the colony. We never see most of the MegaCorp trappings in person but it's implied that there's good reason their fortunes turned against them.
* StarfishAliens - The People are hard to describe succinctly - skin like soft leather, legs like an ostrich but backwards, taloned hands with four fingers and opposable thumbs, eyes like reptiles or a cat - but no one will mistake them for looking like humans.

* TheChosenZero: Ofelia is old, weak, frail, a woman of StayInTheKitchen upbringing and used to being dismissed as unimportant. And ''she'' has to stand up to humans with official titles and college educations and guns? She doesn't consider herself worthy of the People's trust (or potential sacrifice if it came to violence) but the People do. [[HeartwarmingMoments Firmly]].

''Remnant Population'' is a standalone novel by Creator/ElizabethMoon, a decidedly non-SpaceOpera offering from a writer best known for them. Ofelia and her internal conflicts make up the core of the story, with a side of lampooning the [[YouAreNotReady concept behind]] ''Franchise/StarTrek'' style [[{{Alien Non-Interference Clause}} limits on interacting with alien cultures.]]

* {{Alien Non-Interference Clause}}: The human governments have one of these in spite of never having met aliens before. The human preconceptions get severely [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] when they meet ThePeople.

Ofelia is tired: tired of being told her how to act and what to do, tired of living with her son that doesn't listen and her snippy daughter-in-law, tried of people. They all live and work as employees in the Sims Bancorp colony #3245.12, until the tide of business fortunes turns out of Sims' favor. They've lost the charter for the colony and are making everyone ship out to space in cyro-sleep to start over again.

The piece is broken by the arrival of another colony ship - thousands of miles away, but heard by Ofelia on the old communication equipment - as they try to land and are massacred by a gang of angry aliens that no one knew existed on the planet before.

''Remnant Population'' is a standalone novel by ElizabethMoon, a decidedly non-SpaceOpera offering from a writer best known for them. Ofelia and her internal conflicts make up the core of the story, with a side of lampooning the [[YouAreNotReady concept behind]] ''Franchise/StarTrek'' style [[{{Alien Non-Interference Clause}} limits on interacting with alien cultures.]]

* CloserToEarth: Ofelia is fairly simple and apparently unimportant, likes peace and quiet and prefers working in the garden and making clothes and jewerly as passtimes but she has the wisdom of age behind her.

* MamaBear / PapaWolf - You do NOT mess with The People's nests/children. In their culture's it's unthinkable.

* DumbIsGood: Averted and played straight at the same time. Averted because Ofelia is resentful of her culture punishing her for being too smart as a child; as a result she's very intelligent but has low-to average education, and ended up raising her children with the same prejudices. Also because the People consider the quest for knowledge one of their highest virtues, and the facility of that one of the qualities of a good nest guardian. Played straight because Ofelia, who is BookDumb compared to the human scientists who come to study The People, is wise enough to see them for what they are, while the college-educated PhDs are lost in their own taught prejudices.