Elaine awoke the next morning with a smile on her face. The evening with Lee had been everything she could have hoped for and more. She had never felt such a connection with someone before, someone who saw beyond her public persona and valued her for who she truly was.
She stretched lazily in bed, savoring the warmth of the sunlight streaming through her windows. The moon party had been an experience she would never forget, and she was already looking forward to seeing Lee again.
但当她穿好衣服并为这一天做准备时,现实开始出现.她是一名明星舞者,是联合会中最受欢迎的表演者之一.她的日程安排是提前几个月预订的,她有与她的职位相关的义务.
当她走进办公室时,她的经理哈珀先生向她打招呼,他像一只被关在笼子里的动物一样来回踱步.
"伊莱恩,谢天谢地,你在这里!" 他喊道,冲向她."我整个早上都在努力联系你."
"怎么了,理查德?"她问道,对他激动的状态感到担忧.
他递给她一个数据板."读这个.现在.
伊莱恩扫视着全息屏幕,震惊地睁大了眼睛.平板上显示着即将举行的表演清单,所有这些表演都在她不知情的情况下突然被取消或重新安排.
"怎么会这样?" 她问道,她的声音因沮丧而提高.
理查德叹了口气."看来联邦政府已经决定'重组'明星舞者计划.他们对我们可以为谁表演以及何时表演施加了新的限制.
伊莱恩感到胃里打了一个冰凉的结.这正是李警告她的.
"有什么解释吗?" 她问道,语气尖锐.
"官方的说法是,这是出于'安全原因'和'更好地与联邦优先事项保持一致',"理查德讽刺地回答."但我有一种感觉,这更多的是控制谁可以获得某些影响."
伊莱恩的下巴绷紧了.她知道政府对明星舞者计划一直有一些监督,但这似乎有点过分了.
接下来的几个小时里,她与各种官员通电话,试图弄清楚这一最新进展的真相.但她敲的每一扇门似乎都紧紧地关着,少数愿意与她交谈的人只给出了含糊不清,令人不满意的答案.
沮丧和无力感,Elaine 决定散散步以清醒头脑.当她漫步在办公室附近的公园里时,她惊讶地看到 Lee 坐在长椅上,正在阅读一本全息书.
"李!" 她喊道,冲向他.
他抬起头,看到她时脸上露出了光芒."伊莱恩,多么惊喜啊!我只是在想你.
她在他旁边坐下,因为匆忙的走路,她仍然略微喘不过气来."我也能说同样的话."
他合上全息书,靠了过去."你在想什么?你看起来好像看到了鬼.
她犹豫了片刻,然后决定向他吐露心声."政府一直在扰乱我的日程安排.他们取消或重新安排了我所有的演出,却没有任何真正的解释.就好像他们试图控制我生活的方方面面一样.
李的表情变得阴沉."我并不惊讶.这就是为什么我想警告你不要参与政治.这个系统是纵的,当权者会不惜一切代价来维护它.
Elaine 叹了口气."但我认为我可以有所作为.我认为通过处于有影响力的位置,我可以帮助事情变得更好.
李将一只安慰的手放在她的手臂上."你可以,但这不会很容易.你需要为战斗做好准备.
她看着他,眼中充满了决心."我准备好了.我以前遇到过挑战,我已经克服了.这只是另一个挑战.
他微笑着,眼中闪耀着钦佩的光芒.「这就是精神.但请你答应我,你会小心的.一些当权者如果感到威胁,会毫不犹豫地摧毁你.
Elaine nodded. "I will be. But I won't back down."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Elaine looked up to see her assistant, Sarah, running toward them.
"Miss Stewart, I'm so glad I found you!" she panted. "There's an emergency meeting with the federal committee in half an hour. They insist on seeing you immediately."
Elaine exchanged a glance with Lee. "Well, it seems like I don't have much time to waste."
She stood up and straightened her dress. "Thank you for listening, Lee. I appreciate it more than you know."
"As always, my door is open to you," he said, rising to his feet.
They walked together to where Sarah was waiting, and as they approached, Lee leaned in and whispered in Elaine's ear, "Be strong. I believe in you."
She smiled at him, her heart swelling with gratitude and affection. "I will."
With that, she followed Sarah to the meeting, leaving Lee to his thoughts.
Later that day, Elaine stood before a panel of federal officials, her hands clenched tightly at her sides to hide their trembling. The room was cold and sterile, with walls of dull gray and a single row of fluorescent lights casting harsh, unflattering glare.
The lead official, a middle-aged man with a bald head and beady eyes, leaned forward on his desk, his expression unreadable.
"Why do you think you're entitled to complain about our scheduling decisions?" he asked, his voice laced with thinly veiled aggression.
Elaine took a deep breath, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I'm not complaining, sir. I'm seeking to understand the reasoning behind these changes so that I can better fulfill my duties to the federation."
The man snorted. "Your duties are clear: to dance when and where you're told, to entertain our important guests, and to stay out of politics."
Elaine's temper flared, but she managed to keep her voice level. "With all due respect, sir, that's not accurate. As star dancers, we are ambassadors of culture and goodwill. Our performances are meant to foster understanding and unity across different worlds, not just to be pretty faces for parties."
The official scoffed. "Don't get above yourself, Miss Stewart. You know as well as I do that your real purpose is to influence important men and make them more amenable to our requests."
Elaine felt a wave of nausea at his crassness. This was exactly why she wanted to change the system—to move beyond these outdated notions of what a star dancer is.
But before she could respond, another official spoke up. " enough of this nonsense. The government knows what's best for the program. You'll do as you're told, or we can find someone else who will."
Elaine's jaw tightened. "You can't just threaten me like this. I have rights—"
"Oh, we're not threatening you," the first official interrupted, his lips curling into a sardonic smile. "We're just reminding you of your place. And if you continue to cause trouble, there are consequences."
He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers together. "Now, is there anything else you want to discuss?"
Elaine ground her teeth. "No, I think that's all."
She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, her pride and her anger vying for dominance. She knew she had to find a way to fight back, but how?
As she made her way back to her office, she couldn't help but think of Lee and his warnings. It seemed that the corruption and gender bias he had spoken of were very real indeed.
Upon arriving at her office, she found a holographic message from Lee waiting for her. His image appeared as soon as she entered the room.
"Elaine, it's Lee. I just heard about what happened. Don't take it lying down. If they're trying to control you, that's exactly what they don't want. Stand your ground, but be smart about it. I'm here if you need anything. Call me."
She smiled faintly at his support. It meant more to her than he could know.
Later that evening, Elaine sat in her living room, staring at the hologram of Lee that she had pulled up on her holoscreen. She was considering his advice and trying to think of a way to challenge the government's decisions without putting herself in too much danger.
As she thought, an idea began to form in her mind. What if she could rally other star dancers to her cause? If they united and presented a united front, perhaps they could force the government to listen.
But first, she needed to know if others were experiencing similar issues. She decided to reach out to some of her colleagues to see if they were willing to talk.
The next day, she arranged secret meetings with several other star dancers in a secure location outside the capital. Over drinks and holographic projections of their favorite stars, they shared stories of government interference and control.
To her dismay, Elaine discovered that her experience was not unique. Many of them had been subjected to similar treatments—sudden changes in schedules, restrictions on who they could perform for, and even subtle threats if they didn't toe the line.
One dancer, a young woman named Clara, spoke up with tears in her eyes. "They took away my chance to perform at the annual Spring Festival. It was supposed to be my big break, but they said I wasn't 'appropriate' for the event. Can you believe that?"
Another, a middle-aged man named Marcus, nodded in sympathy. "And don't get me started on the gender bias. The male star dancers get all the prime assignments, while we women are often stuck with lesser engagements or none at all."
Elaine's blood boiled at their stories. She knew she had to do something.
"That's why I called this meeting," she said, standing up to