Doctor Carlos and the Moon People

Steven M. Moore
Copyright, 2007



“Julie, I wish I hadn’t so often said that you have a fine head on your shoulders.”
One of their three guards prodded Doctor Carlos with his rifle, but they didn’t seem to mind them talking as they marched them towards the arena where a few thousand people were waiting to watch their execution by beheading.
“You mean, because I’m going to lose it? That’s a real bad joke and I’m not laughing.”
Julie Chen, his current intern, looked tired.
She has a right to be. We’ve been going full steam for over forty standard hours.

* * *

It had all started when the survey ship Brendan crossed through the normal brane back into standard space-time and then orbited around Nimbus, a large Jupiter-like planet located in the E-zone of a rather ordinary G-type star. One of the Nimbus satellites, called Cloud Haven on the charts, was quite habitable. Such systems were common. Due to this fact, Cloud Haven was only a minor entry in a rather large Planet Survey database from eight hundred years earlier. They had expected to find an unpopulated planet but, as often happens, the Human colonists that had arrived there some five hundred years earlier had failed to inform anyone of their intentions to settle.
There were eleven different towns on Cloud Haven. They were all strung out along the east coast of the largest continent. Using the high-powered telescope on the survey ship they could see that each town consisted of small houses along a chaotic network of dirt roads. These houses increased slightly in size towards the center of the town. Most had chimneys emitting a lazy plume of smoke. In the center of each town was a long building and an abutting arena of some kind.
“What’s your take on this, George?”
Captain Lester Wilson was no scientist. He knew how to do a lot of things on a survey ship, but assessing the culture of a Human colony that had been out of contact with the rest of the galaxy for five hundred years was not one of them.
George Edgerton, on the other hand, was a xenosociologist now serving as a cultural anthropologist, since he was dealing with a Human population.
“Until I’m down there, I can only offer educated guesses. They’ve suffered a regression, intentionally or otherwise. We are looking at a frontier town, basically. The long building is a meeting house or a place of worship. Who knows what the arena is really for. The platform in the center is suggestive, though, but I’d rather not go there.”
“Spit it out, George,” said Doctor Carlos, entering the room. “If I’m going down there, I need to know what you think I’m exposing myself to.”
“Well, my guess is that the arena is for public executions and the platform is just a stage for them.”
Doctor Carlos grimaced.
“Not a theater in the round, then?” asked Wilson with a nervous laugh. “Should I ask Riley to get his boys ready?”
Carlos frowned. Lt. Riley was one to shoot first and ask questions later. The kid was all right as a person and had a thing for his new intern, but Carlos didn’t believe in violence.
“Why don’t we go down and try playing nice first?” he asked. “We’re supposed to be the civilized ones, you know. We have enough firepower here to stop anything these blokes can throw at us, so let’s be restrained.”
“Last stop, I seem to remember Julie doing a little sewing job on you in order to seal that spear wound,” commented George.
“Yeah, but these are our own kind. We can reason with our own kind, can’t we?”
“I hope so,” said Captain Wilson. “OK. Let’s try Doc’s way first. Which town do we visit?”
“I’d pick the one where these two rivers come together,” said George. “Lots of woods around.”
“I suppose you want to take Julie?” Wilson asked Carlos.
“That’s what she’s here for. She can’t learn what she needs to learn sitting around here, especially with Riley going ga-ga over her.”
“Are you being a fatherly protector, old man?” asked George.
“I always protect my interns. Let’s get on with it.”
Doctor Carlos walked out of the room. Wilson looked at George and winked. They both smiled.
Carlos Obregon was almost a legend among the hardy souls in Planet Survey. He had participated in more surveys than anyone on board. He had also come closer to death more times – the spear was only one example. Trouble seemed to always find him. He was also not noted for his diplomacy. More explorer than doctor, he was still the head of the ship’s medical team. He had also saved countless explorers’ lives.
George Edgerton, Brian Page, Abby Sanchez, Julie Chen, and Doctor Carlos made up the first contact team. The lander touched down by a small lake about ten klicks from their target town. From there they planned to walk through the forest and into town.
When they left the forest they were surprised to enter a large field that had been just recently plowed. About a klick away was a nightmarish creature pulling a plow that could have been at home on the Kansas prairie in the 1870’s. The plower wasn’t Human either.
“I thought this planet had no native sentients,” said Brian.
“The records seem to be faulty,” said Abby.
George called out to the alien. He took one look at them and ran off toward the center of town. The nightmarish creature simply stopped moving and began nibbling at some weeds.
“Local version of an oxen,” announced George. “I don’t understand. We saw Humans through the scope.”
“And here they come,” announced Julie.
In the distance they could see about a hundred people approaching them. George started walking towards them.
“They’ve got guns,” observed Brian.
“Just hold out your hands, palms up and open,” said George. “They will see we have no weapons.”
It worked. The townspeople lowered their weapons as they approached. A big burly man with a beard that reached halfway down his chest was the leader.
“You have come from the heavens?” he asked.
So began the first contact with the Humans of Cloud Haven. Doctor Carlos was soon bored by it all. While George and the rest chatted with the mayor and the town council, the good doctor and Julie explored town center.
The little aliens were called Gondols. They were everywhere. They were obsequious to the Humans and did their bidding without complaint.
“We’ve got a master-slave society here,” observed Julie in a whisper.
“How very perceptive of you,” said Doctor Carlos. “I find it repulsive. It goes against every statute associated with colonizing. With these little guys present, Humans shouldn’t even be here except by invitation. Come on. Let’s explore some more.”
On the other side of the village they entered the woods again, traveling down a well worn path.
Was the path made by the aliens or by the Humans?
Around a bend they found a Human beating a female Gondol. She was already groveling in the dust, mewing like a wounded cat. The bearded Human picked up an ax that had been lying on the ground.
“He’s going to kill her!” said Julie.
Doctor Carlos went into action. With his long legs and the low gravity of Cloud Haven, he was upon the Human just as the ax begun its lethal swing down to the Gondol’s head. Julie wished she had a video of the action; the astonishment on the Human’s face was worth showing to future generations. The Human half rose, trying to get the ax out of the doctor’s hands, but he was no match for the good doctor, who towered over him. Holding onto the ax with his right hand, the doctor pushed the Human away from the Gondol so hard that the Human went backwards a good five feet before crashing to the ground. He bounced right up, though, and ran off into the woods.
Doctor Carlos and Julie went to work on the Gondol. She was badly injured. Remarkably, in spite of some major differences in their physiologies, their intuition was enough to guide them. They saved her life. She was just stabilizing when Julie heard a branch snap. Both she and the doctor turned. They faced a group of twenty or so Gondol warriors, each carrying a spear that waved menacingly at them.
Doctor Carlos got up slowly and helped Julie up. They backed away from the injured Gondol.
“I think these aren’t so subservient,” Doctor Carlos observed.

* * *

A few of the warriors picked up the wounded Gondol. Then they marched them off into the woods. After about six klicks they came to a clearing filled with stone huts in the shape of beehives.
“Like the monks’ huts in Ireland,” observed Julie.
“I don’t know where that is,” said Doctor Carlos, “but it doesn’t sound like something you learned studying medicine.”
“I read up on the history behind the name of our ship.”
“Brendan? I didn’t know there was any history. This is the head honchos place, I’ll bet.”
They were brought to a halt in front of a larger stone beehive. A wizened Gondol came out.
“I’m Fod’Mir, chief of this Gondol tribe,” he said in perfect Standard. “Yvn’Rud has told us that you saved her life. Why did you do that?”
“What do you mean, why?” asked Julie. “She was going to be killed.”
“You have not shown much respect for Gondol life before. You have enslaved us since you came to this planet. Most of us know no other life. Why do you now show compassion?”
“Because we are not from the people who enslave you,” said Obregon. “Our mission is to save lives, whether they’re Human or Gondol.”
“Then I wish there were more like you. No matter how much we try to defend you, you will soon die along with Yvn’Rud and some of us.
“Because we saved a life?” asked Julie.
“No, because you went against the will of a master. Your people will come to kill Yvn’Rud. And you too, for disobeying the laws.”
“They’re not our laws,” insisted the doctor. He looked at Julie with his eyebrows raised in silent question. She nodded. He turned again to the chief. “Do you think these other people that look like us are from this planet?”
“No, I know they came from the sky. This happened a long time ago. Some of us became their servants. But others of us don’t believe we have to remain their servants, since many of your people treat us so badly.”
“Listen to me,” said Obregon, “these masters of yours made up laws for their own convenience. They are not the general laws most of my people follow. Do you understand that? They are disobeying the laws of my people.”
“Why aren’t they punished, then?” asked the chief.
“Because we didn’t even know they were here,” explained Julie. “They didn’t ask permission to come here. They came here in violation of our laws.”
“But how can you not know what your own people are doing?” Fod’Mir sat down on the ground, perplexed, waiting for their answers. The warriors surrounding the two doctors relaxed their spears a little.
Obregon sat down in front of him, motioning for Julie to join him.
“There are too many of us,” he explained, pointing skyward. “Many of the stars in the sky have planets like this where people also live. There are thousands of such planets. Many have people that are even more different from either you or I than we are from each other. Some of these people that think similarly about lots of things, no matter how crazy these thoughts are, band together and go to new planets. The whole thing is supposed to be controlled, but it isn’t. There are just too many people, stars and planets.”
“We know that there are many stars,” said the chief. “Our star belongs to a large group of many stars, and we suppose your home star is also in this group. We even understand what makes these stars shine, namely the pressure of their own weight allowing the fusion of their smallest pieces. We are not complete primitives.”
“How do you know all this?” asked Julie.
“We didn’t learn it from your people, who truly seem to be primitives in spite of your size and massive heads. They try to destroy our traditions. But it is written in the records. We have gone through many cycles of cataclysmic change where many of us have died. But the records remain and, knowing it can be done, we rebuild. We were in that rebuilding process when your people came.”
Obregon swallowed.
I’m just guessing, but these little fellows may have gone through several atomic or biological wars, and may have even been fighting them before the birth of modern Humans. Yet they seem so peaceful. Just how old are the Gondols?
“There are some of us who would like to study those records,” said Julie quietly, nearly reading his mind. “To understand you better.”
“In due time,” said the chief. “I am honored that you show an interest. The others don’t. But I think you have more immediate problems. The others of your kind will come looking for you, to take revenge, to kill Yvn’Rud, who escaped from her master.”
At that moment a group of Humans pushed into the Gondol village. The Gondols scattered. Doctor Carlos observed with satisfaction that some warriors carried Yvn’Rud away.
Well, we saved one life, anyway.
Then the trek back to the Human town began.

* * *

George had been right. The stand at the center of the arena was for executions. Doctor Carlos and Julie climbed up the short steps, prodded by their guards. A hush had fallen over the arena as the people sat in anticipation of the fall of the executioner’s ax.
He didn’t wear a mask. The foul-smelling giant of a man, two meters tall, was about Obregon’s height, but his shoulders were wider. The ax in his hand was about half his height. It had a large curved blade that looked razor sharp.
“Do you want to pray?” he asked.
“To your gods or mine?” asked Obregon.
“To me it doesn’t matter, but the crowd would be pleased if you pray to mine.”
Doctor Carlos heard the gentle whir that came from above the low cloud cover. Maybe I can stall for time.
“Do I get a last request then?”
“We only allow a short prayer. That’s all. If you do not want to pray, kneel down and put your head on the block. I assure you that it will be painless.”
“And I can assure you it won’t be. I’m a doctor, you know.”
“I don’t know what that is. Do you mean a healer?”
“Yes, a healer. I saved Yvn’Rud.”
“They will find her. And she will die horribly, as must be. But you are not a healer. Only the very, very pure in spirit who believe in our gods can become healers.”
“That’s bullshit!”
The executioner clearly didn’t know what bullshit was, but Obregon’s tone of voice made him furious.
“Kneel down!”
“Make me!”
The other three now rushed forward to make him kneel. While not as burly as the executioner, they were strong. They forced Doctor Carlos down, wedging his neck into the block. The executioner raised his ax. The blade flashed in the sun at its apogee, but then he crumpled to the ground. The three men also crumpled and the crowd went wild as the lander came down by the platform.
Lt. Riley and nine others poured out of the lander, dressed in battle armor. The crowd surged out of the wooden bleachers. Doctor Carlos managed to get to his feet.
“Give’m hell, Riley!” he called, forgetting his pacifist proclivities.
“Just get into the lander,” Riley called to him.
“Can’t!” screamed Julie. “Our hands are tied.”
Riley climbed up the steps and with a large knife hacked through first Julie’s then Obregon’s ropes.
“All right, doctors, let’s move it!”
By the time they got down the ladder, bullets and stones were flying as the furious crowd ran towards them. Riley’s men opened fire on the closest and then protected Riley and the doctors as they climbed into the lander. They followed, dragging three wounded. Doctor Carlos and Julie went to work on their injuries as the lander took off.

* * *

“How do you punish ten thousand people for stupidity?” asked Captain Wilson.
“Not all of them were in the stadium,” said George. “And certainly not those from the other towns.”
George and the others had been held in a cell in the long building by the arena. Lt. Riley had freed them first.
“No, they weren’t,” said Doctor Carlos, “but it’s more than stupidity. All of them participated in the enslaving of the Gondols.”
“But we can’t stay here to enforce the law. We’d have to be here for years until Planet Survey sends a follow-on ship.” Wilson looked perplexed. Clearly he had no idea how to handle the situation.
“I think I have the perfect solution,” said Obregon. “We arm the Gondols and make them the peacekeepers.”
“Doesn’t that go against your pacifist philosophy, Carlos?”
“A little. But it’s also just. As long as the Gondols don’t turn into Humans, which I’m pretty sure isn’t going to happen, it’s about all we can do.”
Julie smiled at him. Doctor Carlos was learning too.

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