Chapter 15: Too Late

A few days later, the hyper-drive went offline and Ship decelerated to sub-light speed as we approached our next destination.

I sat in the main bridge with Jem, Laine, Yuhi, and Cathy, watching the tactical display.

“Ship, what information do we have about this system?” asked Jem.

“This system has the designation WGB-97. My records show an emerging space-faring race on the third planet,” replied Ship.

“Activate our transponder. Deploy defensive probes and take us to the third planet,” Jem said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship. We saw several blue dots on the tactical display emerge from Ship and move into flanking positions around us.

“Ship, do you have any more information about the inhabitants?” I asked.

“Negative, what information I have is quite old,” replied Ship.

I turned to Yuhi, who sat beside Cathy.

“Yuhi, can you sense anything from the inhabitants?” I asked.

“You’re blocking my searching,” she replied.

“Sorry, just a moment...” I said.

I concentrated on the fog surrounding everyone aboard. I imagined a tunnel, starting at Yuhi, out through the mist.

“Please try now,” I said.

She blinked several times.

“Captain, the numbers are unclear at this range. I sense confusion and fear,” she said.

“So you sense beings on the planet?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Thank you,” I said.

As we progressed, more data on the system showed on the tactical display. There wasn’t the usual traffic within the system, except for several items orbiting the third planet.

“Why haven’t they hailed us?” asked Jem. “We should be in range for them to detect our transponder.”

“Ship, send out a hail announcing our arrival,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

We waited for a response as we approached.

“Any response to our hail?” I asked.

“Negative,” replied Ship.

“Ship, once we arrive in orbit, scan the planet. We need answers,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Perhaps they died out?” asked Saria.

“We’ll find out soon,” I said.

Later, Ship announced we’d arrived in orbit around the third planet.

“Ship, where are their vessels?” I asked.

“I detect several derelict vessels and satellites, mostly non-functional,” replied Ship.

“Not much happening for a space-faring race,” said Laine.

“Ship, send out probes to scan the planet and the surrounding area,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

We looked at a view of the planet from our position. We were orbiting above the daylight side, and most of the planet’s surface was grey.

“Ugh! It looks grim,” said Cathy.

“Ship, do you have any results from the scan yet?” asked Jem.

“The atmosphere is toxic, with trace elements that suggest nuclear or chemical weapons,” replied Ship.

“Any signs of life?” asked Jem.

“Scans are incomplete,” replied Ship.

I turned to Yuhi.

“Earlier you detected something from the inhabitants. Can you help locate them?” I asked.

She blinked several times, then walked up to the tactical display.

“There,” she said as she pointed to a location in the southern hemisphere.

“Anywhere else?” I asked.

“No, Captain,” she replied.

I looked at Jem, and she shrugged.

“Ship, focus on this area for inhabitants,” I said, also pointing at the display.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

We waited.

“Attention, I have located an underground structure in that area,” said Ship.

“How do we contact them?” Cathy said out loud.

“Ship, scan for any communications from the planet, any frequencies,” I said.

“Confirmed ... No signals detected,” replied Ship.

“Perhaps their communicators are inactive or damaged,” said Laine.

“Captain, we should complete our survey of the planet before taking action. Then we’ll know more,” said Jem.

“Yes, Commodore,” I replied.

We waited for Ship to complete scans of the planet.

An hour later, I got a call and returned to the main bridge. Soon, everyone else arrived.

“Ship, what have you discovered? What happened to the inhabitants?” I asked.

“The evidence suggests a global war destroyed the population, leaving a few survivors in an underground structure,” replied Ship.

“Crap!” said Jem.

“How large was their population?” asked Cathy.

“The remains of many cities suggests a population in the billions,” replied Ship.

“Were they attacked by another race, or was it self-inflicted?” I asked.

“The pollution is consistent with nuclear and chemical weapons,” replied Ship.

“So, you’re saying self-inflicted?” I asked.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

I looked at Jem. Her face showed an expression of shock.

“How could they do this to themselves??”

“Clearly, they regressed to a more warlike culture,” replied Saria grimly.

Jem nodded.

“Ship, can you tell when this happened?” I asked.

“Several hundred years ago, Captain,” replied Ship.

“Hmm. We’ve a problem then,” I said.

“What problem?” asked Laine.

“The survivors are no longer space-faring. To rescue them would cause harm,” I replied.

“What do you suggest?” asked Jem.

“They’ve survived underground for hundreds of years. I suggest we leave them where they are,” I said.

Yuhi blinked and nodded.

“If rescue isn’t an option, can we help somehow?” asked Laine.

“Ship, could you build devices to repair the damage to the atmosphere?” I asked.

“Confirmed. It will take years to restore the planet to a pristine condition.”

I turned to Jem.

“Commodore, we can heal the planet, but leave the survivors where they are. Later, they may discover the planet is safe to come outside again,” I said.

Laine smiled.

“Agreed. We can’t interfere in a non space-faring race, but we can quietly make repairs to their planet. Ship, build the devices to restore the environment,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“We shall remain in orbit until Ship has finished,” said Jem.

After that, we left the main bridge.

A while later, Cathy approached me in my cabin.

“Captain, can we talk?” she asked.

I gestured to a seat. Cathy sat down and looked at me. Her eyes looked like she’d been crying.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“The carnage on the planet below us. It’s just so staggering,” she said.

I wasn’t sure I understood her.

“Loss of life is regrettable.”

She frowned.

“It made me think about my own planet.”

“What, Earth?” I asked.

“Yes. Earth doesn’t have a single government. There are many countries who mistrust each other.”

“And the divisions on this planet led to a fatal war...”

“Yes. I’m scared. Is this what’ll happen to Earth?” she asked.

“I can’t answer that question. It’s possible for any world to fail.”

“On Earth they talked about a world war, using nuclear weapons. Perhaps that’s what happened here.”

“Something certainly happened, but it happened a long time ago. We can only try to repair the damage to their planet.”

“It’s too late for them, but what about Earth?” she asked.

“Our rules are clear. We can’t interfere in the development of a non space-faring race. Their survival is up to them.”

She looked down at the table.

“This race became space-faring. Could you have helped stop them from killing each other?” she asked.

“Back then, it was an internal matter. Only if they asked us for help. We’d be arbitrators. We can’t force peace on them,” I said.

“What can we do?”

“We protect the weak from predators. For example, we established system defences for the Earth system. Other races can’t attack Earth.”

“Because they’re not space-faring?”

“Exactly!”

“But if Earth became space-faring? Are they on their own?”

“Well, we helped Dentra. They asked for our help. We established system defences for them, at least until they develop their own.”

She looked down at the table. I guessed she was processing my answers.

“What can we do?”

“We do what we can, without disturbing the development of a non space-faring race.”

“Sounds weak.”

“I know. We’re only one vessel, with a small crew. It’s hard to be in the right place at the right time to help. Then it’s knowing what to do.”

“Like the first time you rescued me from that Tian vessel?”

“Exactly like that, although you got lucky. It’s a big universe.”

She grinned.

“We do what we can. You’re always welcome to suggest an action. I’ll listen to what you have to say,” I said.

She paused and nodded her head. I sat on my bed, waiting.

“Thank you. I’ll need time to think about this.”

“Of course.”

A short while later, she left.

We remained in orbit for about a day while Ship manufactured and deployed devices into the upper atmosphere. They’d take years to treat the entire planet.

At Saria’s suggestion, we also deployed defensive probes to provide protection from other less-friendly visitors.

Later, we all assembled in the main bridge.

“It’s sad we can’t rescue them,” said Laine.

“They caused this mess. Since they are no longer space-faring, we can’t interfere directly. We’re doing all we can,” I said.

“Back on Earth, they built underground structures in case of war. Fortunately, we never needed them,” she said.

“Many races build underground defensive structures,” said Saria.

I shrugged.

“Are we finished here?” asked Jem.

“Yes, Commodore,” I replied.

“Ship, break orbit. Take us to our next destination,” she said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

Soon, we accelerated towards the edge of the system. We were on our way again.

I woke up in my cabin the next day. Travel between systems gave us the opportunity to rest and prepare for our next adventure. But first, I needed coffee.

I got out of bed and visited the en-suite, then I fetched a cup from the food dispenser. I sat down, put my elbows on the table, and sipped on the hot beverage.

“Ahh...” I said aloud.

Somehow, coffee made my morning so much better. I wondered how I survived all those cycles on Tian Prime without it. Perhaps the lack of this popular Earth beverage contributed to my mother’s depression?

My mind wandered as I sat and sipped from my cup.

Sometime later, the door chime interrupted my reverie. The sound was unexpected, because I’d left my cabin door open. I looked to see Yuhi standing just outside, blinking.