“Friday Fiction”: Dr. Carlos and the Ambassador…
Dr. Carlos and the Ambassador
Copyright 2021, Steven M. Moore
[Note from Steve: I’ve written several Dr. Carlos stories, most of them collected in a free PDF download—see the list on my “Free Stuff & Contests” web page. Carlos Obregon is the chief medical officer on the explorer starship Brendan, and his stories are a bit before Rogue Planet. This one harks back to his first tour on the starship when he joins its crew. Enjoy.]
“You look a bit lost,” said the towering Tali who was eyeing Carlos Obregon with suspicion, although Carlos only knew that by the twitching ears. “This shuttle is bound for the starship Brendan.”
Carlos felt no shyness when he marched up to the Tali and showed him his orders on his tablet. The ET took them in one ebony hand and scrolled with the other, all this a necessity because Carlos was not yet linked to the Brendan‘s AI. The Tali’s hands matched his inscrutable black, leathery face; otherwise the Tali looked like a rusty Earth bear, now extinct because that Tali invasion of the Human’s home planet long ago had destroyed much of the local flora and fauna.
The Tali studied Carlos for a moment and then made a rumbling sound. Carlos knew that was the equivalent of a Human laugh. He had socialized with Tali at the Academy, something some Humans still found hard to do because of that invasion so long ago. In fact, as a doctor, Carlos knew Tali inside and out, mentally and physically, and he could save their lives if needed—he’d even written several papers on special surgical procedures for them—his knowledge about the many non-Human citizens of ITUIP, the International Trade Union of Independent Planets, was required because starships often had mixed crews.
“You almost didn’t make the shuttle, Dr. Carlos,” said the Tali. He tapped his right ear, both had stopped twitching, and lowered his head slightly, a gesture Carlos knew to be a type of greeting. “Better get aboard. I’m your pilot Marshak. There’s no co-pilot on this last run.”
Carlos was familiar with starship shuttles; he even knew how to fly them, although he was no expert. Having studied Brendan, he knew this was one of two, and either could be used to ferry personnel to and fro between orbits and planetary surfaces as its crew worked to fulfill the Space Exploration Bureau’s charter to find new planets to add to the catalog of potential colonies.
***
There was room in the shuttle for pilot, copilot, and ten crewmembers, twenty if ten stood in the cargo area, which was generally filled with supplies stored behind two small helis. Between orbital observations and planetary surveys, a new and unexplored planet could be catalogued in twenty standard days or less.
A Ranger, another ubiquitous ITUIP ET, was sprawled across two of the seats. They were mostly seen on the planet New Haven, the shuttle’s departure point and one of the three original Earth colonies. The planet was now the HQ of ITUIP, an honor rotated between New Haven and the other two original colonies. Humans had arrived long ago on New Haven where they found the Rangers, the planet’s first colonists. Their language was very complicated, but thanks to cerebral implants, the outgrowth of ancient cochlear implant technology, Humans and Rangers could communicate. Carlos was well aware of that history.
“Good day, Dr. Obregon,” said the Ranger via the ship’s AI. “Welcome to Brendan. Almost there, anyway. I’m Plays-with-Eddies, the ship’s chief engineer.”
“Honored to meet you,” Carlos said, giving a slight bow. He knew that the Ranger must have listened to the conversation outside; everyone but him would be connected to the ship’s AI.
Farther toward the rear, Carlos spotted an unfamiliar being, a genotype he didn’t recognize as a representative of ITUIP’s diversity. This fellow seemed to be sleeping. Carlos took a seat across the aisle from the humanoid figure and began to study the anatomy, imagining the inner distribution of organs.
“Do you want me to undress, doctor?” The question was followed by an untranslatable rumble. “I am Ambassador….”
Brendan‘s AI had trouble with the name, although Carlos had now managed to link his implant with the ship’s computer now in orbit, which is why the Ranger’s buzzspeak had become understandable. To Carlos the name had sounded a little bit like Sagittarius.
“May I call you Archer, sir? Your name sounds like a constellation ancient Humans created to map Earth’s night sky.”
“That will do. Einstein is still getting used to our language.”
Einstein? Must be the name for the ship’s AI, mused Carlos. “Welcome aboard, sir. Were you just visiting New Haven?”
“I was here on a diplomatic mission representing our small kingdom of seven star systems. I came to petition for our entry into your ITUIP.”
“I see. I wish you luck. That takes a while.”
“We have been trading with ITUIP for nearly two centuries now. It seemed like it was time. I prepared for my mission for over a standard year.”
“Did your petition go over well?”
“It seemed to be well received, yes. An adventure all the same for me, even if not successful. New Haven is a beautiful planet. I learned some of its history too. Your ITUIP is an unusual political entity.”
“And now you’re heading home?”
“Indeed. It will be good to see my home planet and family again.”
“Perhaps we can chat about your world and your kingdom on the way there.”
“That would be amusing. I understand your home planet is New Haven, but you probably have a much better general knowledge of the ITUIP worlds than I do. Let’s hope we’re limited to that chat, doctor, and I won’t need any of your professional services.” Again the rumble.
Carlos thought a moment. “I apologize for staring before. Because of my profession, I must understand many ET genotypes. I might not be able to help you professionally, by the way.”
“If you know how to attend to that fellow up front, I should be a simple study. External appearances don’t change the basic functions necessary inside a bipedal body.”
“Nevertheless, I will now query the AI, just in case.”
***
Carlos and Archer had some interesting discussions and became good friends during Brendan‘s journey toward the latter’s home planet. His home solar system was the kingdom’s nearest to the fuzzy boundary of ITUIP, the entire kingdom several hundred light-years just beyond the ship’s first scheduled stop to check on a planet surveyed by the SEB some two hundred standard years earlier. Such visits were part of the ship’s charter and allowed something akin to a census, because, once in the catalog, fringe groups often colonized without registering their intentions or plans with the Bureau.
“It seems to be an undeveloped planet,” Archer said. The two were guests on the command and control deck as Brendan went into orbit around the planet. “Primitive and untouched, but beautiful. No intelligent life, but that isn’t ubiquitous in the galaxy.”
“Yes, from what we know about near-Earth space, that’s the norm. Intelligent life is rare. Many factors have to come together in space and time for it to appear. I’d wager, though, that it’s a continuous process. Just as stars come and go, so does intelligent life, on approximately the same time scale. In their original solar system, Humans once discovered evidence for the existence of an ancient race. Turned out they were still around.”
“The shipbuilders?” Obregon nodded. “I must ask Einstein for more information about them.”
“You can use the keyword ‘shipbuilders’. Say, Captain, are those ships?”
He’d just seen several different views of six ships on the screens.
“A small fleet,” Einstein said into Carlos’s ear.
“They look like ours,” said Archer.
“A welcoming committee?” said Lester, the Brendan‘s captain.
“Unlikely,” said Archer. “We didn’t even know the planet below us existed.”
“They look like freighters retrofitted with armament,” said another crewmember.
As if to prove the truth in her statement, the six ships started firing plasma missiles as they approached Brendan.
“Shields up!” Lester commanded.
***
“They’re trying to communicate. Einstein, please translate.”
There was no video, but the attacking ships threatened to destroy Brendan if the crew didn’t turn over Archer.
“Seems like you’re no longer popular on your home planet, Ambassador,” Lester said.
“Will you permit me to speak to them?”
The captain so permitted. A short conversation ensued. Einstein translated everything for Brendan‘s crew.
“A bit of trouble in the kingdom,” Carlos observed. “Captain, you can’t turn the ambassador over to these rebels!”
“Legally I can, doctor. The ITUIP Protocol exists to keep us out of local skirmishes. The standard procedure would be to turn over the ambassador and quarantine the entire kingdom. Before you get angry, let me state that we won’t be following that procedure. But, considering they might turn Brendan into atomic debris if one of those missiles breaks through, you and the ambassador need to leave the ship.”
“What? In a shuttle? And why me?”
“You’re the most qualified to save the ambassador if he’s wounded. And I need my security forces here in case the rebels try to board us. That’s what trumps the protocol, young man. Until the ambassador’s delivered safe and sound, we’re on a diplomatic mission.”
“We’ll need a pilot. Marshak?”
“We’ll also need our shuttle pilots in case the entire crew has to abandon ship in the other shuttle. Your record states you can pilot a shuttle.”
“In a routine situation. This is hardly that.”
“I’m not discussing this further. Consider this an order: Take the ambassador down and protect him the best you can. Understood?”
Carlos glanced at Archer. The ambassador nodded.
***
Upon landing, Archer was the first to unstrap. “What’s going on up there?” he said, peering through a shuttle window at the plains of orange grass and a forest of teal trees beyond.
They were getting running commentary from Einstein. As a partial answer to the ambassador’s question: the signal disappeared.
“Shit!” said the medical officer.
“Pardon?” The shuttle’s smaller AI had taken over the translation chores.
“We might be stranded here. Einstein going off-line can’t be a good sign.” My first assignment, and all hell breaks loose!
“In that case, we should explore a bit, don’t you think?”
Carlos smiled. The ambassador remained calm when facing a difficult solution. A good quality for a diplomat to have!
“Might as well.” Carlos checked some readouts. “If you can tolerate New Haven’s atmosphere, you’ll do okay with this one. Same for me, of course.” He was now standing beside the ambassador. “Looks habitable enough, just like that old report states.”
“Too bad we didn’t discover it. It’s a bit remote, but we need more real estate.”
“And a more stable government.”
“We’ve been at peace for centuries, but lately a minority on my home planet has become more and more vocal. They complain that the kingdom is favoring other planets over ours and forcing us to adopt others’ traditions. I had plenty of chances to practice diplomacy in the last few standard years. The official stance was convincing: With more trade and a stronger relationship with ITUIP, we’d all be better off. Everything was peaceful when I left.”
“Earth had a few cases where perceived unfairness produced violent conflicts. They occurred long before the exploration of the Sol system. Let’s forget about politics. We might be here for a while. Let’s focus on survival.”
“That’s a good general plan. Does our shuttle carry provisions?”
“We probably missed some things. Loading it was done quickly. Let’s see what’s outside first. We might have some local things we can use in a pinch. Like fresh air and water for two.”
Carlos knew the ambassador could get by a lot better than he could if those were scarce, but Archer might still need him to survive—the old records showed that the pristine planet had some dangers. The shuttle’s supplies were marginal at best if water was scarce and air quality was lacking because it was never used on anything but an E-type planet. The planet still had some significant volcanic activity. Einstein had done its best to pick a safe landing spot, but that also was only based on two-hundred-year-old records and a few hurried observations.
Carlos left the shuttle in a spacesuit, moving far enough away to make some tests. Once done, he announced, “It’s okay for now. You can come on out, Archer.”
The ambassador was lucky. It was possible that none of the remaining suits would fit him, and Carlos had needed the largest one.
He held his helmet under one arm. “Welcome to planet X,” he said. He thought X was better than the long catalog number. “Not quite the welcome home you expected, but we’re alive.”
“Shouldn’t Brendan have informed us about what’s happening by now?”
Carlos shook his head. “Not a good sign, is it? We might be the only survivors. Let me get rid of this suit, and then we’ll explore a bit.”
***
Their landing spot was in the middle of a gently sloping plain; it’s waving grasses bordered on woodlands. Towering trees filled with swinging and flying creatures reached for the skies.
“Lower gravity and air density,” Archer said. “The first will make up for a little breathing discomfort from the second. All things considered, a good place for a colony.”
“I’m no expert on that, sir, but we’d better be careful about jumping to conclusions. Our only protection here is represented by our combined brain power. I have no survival training beyond the usual medical emergency training.”
“And I even less. It was just a feeling.”
“I share it. But….” Carlos cocked his head. “Creature chatter’s stopped.” They were now at the edge of the woodland area.
“Probably just reacting to our strangeness, don’t you think?”
“Maybe. It’s still spooky.”
“Spooky?”
The shuttle’s AI was obviously having trouble translating, but Carlos had no idea whether it was with the goes-into or goes-out-of.
“Very eerie and unusual.”
“Agreed. The silence is oppressive.”
And then they heard something large crashing through the bushes living under those trees.
***
“Back to the shuttle!”
Archer wasn’t swift. Moreover, he fell twice. After the second time, the creature had emerged from the woods, a slobbery, scaly, six-legged giant in pursuit of its next meal. Despite its size, its six legs and efficient gait allowed it to gain on Archer and Carlos.
“Keep running!”
Carlos bent over, found some stones, and started throwing them at the creature. It snapped at them. Perhaps it has a better sense of smell than eyesight? Does it think the flying stones are like the creatures in the forest?
“Doctor!”
Carlos whipped around. Archer had fallen a third time. The creature passed Carlos. Homing in on sound?
Carlos grabbed a larger stone and pursued the creature. Just as it reached Archer and slashed at the ambassador with some serious fangs, Carlos wound up and pommeled one unblinking eye right in the center. The creature roared in pain and turned to face the doctor.
Carlos now became the prey for the furious predator with its leaky eye, but the prey now had a better plan than throwing stones at the predator.
Carlos could barely keep ahead of the creature. By the time he reached the edge of the ravine, he was gasping for breath. At the edge, he was still able to make the sharp turn. The creature, with its greater inertia, breezed by him. It made one last snap at him just before it plunged to the rocky creek below.
Carlos returned to the ambassador. Nice trick, Carlos, he thought as he walked, still catching his breath. And I discovered water! But then he saw the ambassador’s wounds.
“Let’s get you inside the shuttle, old boy. I’m going to have to learn about your anatomy as I go!”
The ambassador was only able to give a very Human nod.
***
By lowering the backs of the first five seats, Carlos was able to create something akin to a gurney. He helped the ambassador get on his stomach and began to work on the gashes on his back.
“I don’t feel much of anything back there, doctor.”
“Good. I couldn’t find any local anesthesia, and I don’t want to put you under. The creature might have some venomous saliva. And who knows? He might have a wife and kids who will be upset that the old fellow’s injured.”
There was a rumble, so Carlos was encouraged that Archer’s sense of humor was intact. He didn’t like the movement accompanying the ET’s laughter, though.
“Stay as still as possible. I’m packing the wound with antibiotic salve that’s supposed to work on you, and then I’ll seal it the best I can.”
“It has to work on the local microbes as well.”
“Agreed. We’ll do some watchful waiting to see how my experiment turns out. Afterwards I’ll try to get you on your side so you can breathe better. We’re on planetary air now.”
***
Two standard days passed. The ambassador was now sitting and feeling better. Carlos was tired. They talked about many things, even sports. The ambassador’s people had a sport akin to hurling. Carlos only knew about that ancient Earth game because he was a history buff. The ambassador couldn’t understand the purpose of golf. Carlos couldn’t either, for that matter.
“Any news from the Brendan?” the ambassador asked later on that morning after Carlos sponged him down and helped him dress.
“I’ve been trying, but we might want to start thinking about rationing food. Not that I’m found of vacuum-packaged emergency rations, but I’m hesitant to go looking for truffles in the woods.”
“Truffles?”
“Fungi found on my home planet. I’m not sure, but they might have come from Earth. Fungi can be good food.”
“Or poisonous.”
“That too. We can test for that. But I still don’t want to go taking walks around here. I suspect there are more of those creatures around. They’re in the records as the planet’s biggest predator. I should have been more careful.”
“We hadn’t wandered far from the shuttle. I assumed it was safe.”
“And I’m new at this exploration business. Survived my first lesson, I guess. Some friends suggested that I become a ship’s surgeon on one of those big tourist cruisers. I wanted more adventure, and I didn’t want to spend my time taking care of tourist’s aches and pains.”
The rumbling laughter came again. “Welcome to adventure, then, Dr. Carlos.”
At that moment, the com system came to life.
***
“What’s the story, captain? The ambassador’s listening in.”
“A bit complicated. The rebels couldn’t get past our defenses, but all the plasma bursts left the upper atmosphere ionized for a while. We could communicate with them before we could with you. They were furious that they couldn’t capture the ambassador, but we were able to strike a bargain.”
“Not prejudicial to me, I hope,” Archer said.
“Of course not. We take our diplomatic missions seriously. Here’s what’s going to happen.”
The bargain was complex. Archer and his family back home would become refugees and could live anywhere outside his kingdom. In return for that, the rebels could receive all the information ITUIP’s SEB had collected about the planet and colonize it for their own use.
Archer reluctantly went along with the plan.
“I guess your people will have to wait a bit to join ITUIP,” Carlos said as they munched on their late lunch. “Which of our planets would you and your family like to make temporary home?”
“Possibly a permanent home. There will probably be a civil war now. But, to answer your question, I was wondering if we could settle on New Haven. I could still be an ambassador for my people, one in exile, of course. Would that be possible?”
“I don’t see why not. I grew up there. It’s a great place to live and raise a family.”
“My family consists of thirty-three people.”
“No wonder you miss them. Sure, go for it. It’s a watery world. You can have a whole island.”
***
Comments are always welcome.
Dr. Carlos, Starship Brendan’s Medical Officer. I’ve collected most of the previous Dr. Carlos stories together in this free PDF download found in the list on my “Free Stuff & Contests” web page. You might be interested in downloading other PDFs from that list as well. All free, and you can copy and distribute them to friends and family. I only ask you and them to respect the copyright.
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
