Stepping Stones
by Joan Powers
Chapter 9 Ethical Considerations Part 1
(1) In Stepping Stones: Hope, Julia was finally able to identify the cause of death of the Independence settlers. In addition, the kids were safely returned to camp, only to have Paul mysteriously disappear the next morning, before Danziger's eyes. In the opening of this section of Stepping Stones, most members of the Eden Advance are impatient to pack up and leave the deserted colony in order to continue their journey to New Pacifica.
(2) Special thanks to Vicki, Paula, Lynne and Rosa for their friendship and helpful advice.
(Alonzo Solace)
/ Julia was heart broken. After repeating her tests multiple times - they only confirmed her initial findings that Devon didn't have the same disease as the Independence colonists. She just couldn't accept the fact that after all we had learned from the colony, she still couldn't cure Devon or even begin to diagnose her illness. I hated seeing her spirit crushed so many times by false leads. I prayed with every ounce of my being that Julia would reach out and trust me to bear her pain with her.
Although I was afraid to admit it aloud, I myself was pretty much resigned to the fact that our leader was no longer with us. I missed Devon just as much as the others did but sometimes no matter how hard you try to grasp at something - it always manages to slip out of reach. Maybe we had to let her go and simply have faith that the answer would present itself - in time. Perhaps we had to learn to emulate our Terrain hosts and let nature take its course./
XXXXXX
Several members of the Eden Advance were sitting about a makeshift table at their base camp, drinking water while taking a break from their various tasks. The past few days had been stressful and labor intensive with the ongoing investigation of the settlement and the search for the children, so this day was primarily being used for catching up with regular chores and getting some much needed rest.
"So Devon doesn't have the same disease that the people at this colony had?" Baines directed his question towards Dr. Heller who was hunched over on a camp stool. The young woman nodded grimly, while biting her lower lip, her beautiful blue eyes seemingly void of expression.
Magus continued Baines's train of thought,"Then we won't contract this sickness. We're going to be okay?" The doctor again gave a curt nod. Magus was concerned by Julia's lack of emotion. Was there information that she was unaware of? Otherwise it seemed to her, "This is good news - isn't it?"
Yale stepped in for Julia, enthusiastically booming, "Of course it is. Julia has determined that this area contains a compound which would eventually make us ill. But we would have to stay here over seven years before any of its effects would be manifested. It's safe to say that we no longer need to fear Dr. Anson's warnings." Other Eden crew members who were gathered about began to cheer.
"That's some of the best news I've heard in a while. The kids are safe, we're not gonna die - at least not soon. Looks like we're on a roll here." Walman grinned broadly as he clamped Baines hardily on the back.
Drawn to the conversation Bess intruded, "I hate to bring your spirits down, but don't you guys think we better look for Paul? I haven't seen him since breakfast."
Baines glanced to Walman who gave an understanding nod then placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, "Bess, Danziger assured us that the boy was okay. Frankly I have no idea what the heck actually happened this morning, but he would never abandon a kid."
While the mechanic's lack of explanation about Paul's disappearance was decidedly odd, the two men were willing to accept his statement at face value for Danziger had more than proven his loyalty to the group over the past months.
"Unless the stress of this situation was starting to wear him down." Morgan slimily insinuated. Several heads turned to focus upon him as he approached the group. "Bess begged him for information about the whereabouts of that kid and he refused to give us any details. All he would say was that the boy had to leave and that he was safe. Does that make any sense to anybody here?"
No one responded.
"Personally, I think he's losing it. Just look at him. Don't his eyes seem strange to you?" Morgan's comments elicited only stares from his crew mates and he cringed as he heard Danziger's base tones coming from behind him,
"Shut your face Martin. Nobody's listening to your garbage. If anybody's cracking up due to these dreams, it's you buddy."
The politician cautiously crept behind his wife to use her as a shield while the larger man continued to address the group,
"I think we've gotten all we can from this place." He tried to catch Julia's expression for confirmation but her eyes seemed vacant. "It's time to go. Get back on the road. New Pacifica isn't getting any closer."
Most of the others enthusiastically indicated their agreement and Baines eagerly volunteered, "I'll start packing now. The sooner we get away from here, the sooner we can get a decent night's sleep."
Danziger concluded, "Good. Let's wrap up the loose ends and plan to leave in a day or two."
He was interrupted by Uly crying, "We can't leave!" Upon hearing the man's statement he had rushed towards the group while unceremoniously dumping his arm load of firewood on to the ground.
Danziger attempted to explain to the boy, "Uly, we've done all we can here. We've gotten all the information we can from this place and the cure for your Mom isn't here." Lowering his voice, he added, "But Champ, we will find it. Believe me, I know we will."
Bess was surprised, his voice was filled with more conviction than he had ever expressed before.
Uly continued to protest, "You don't understand. We can't leave. We have to help the Terrians"
Inwardly, the mechanic began to fume. Help those diggers who abducted his kids and nearly frightened them half to death? No thank you. To him, that subject was not open to debate.
Yet Bess was drawn to Uly's sense of urgency so she probed, "Why do we have to help them Uly? This isn't the group that healed you. All they've done is scare you."
He insisted,"Listen to me. They're sick and we have to cure them."
Baines complained, "Why don't other Terrians do it? They haven't healed your mom for us, we don't owe them anything."
Uly spoke slowly and deliberately, in a manner more befitting an adult rather than a nine year old boy, "We have to. We're the ones that made them sick."
Yale turned to the boy, "What are you talking about Uly? What could we have done in the past few days to harm them?"
He explained, "I don't mean us exactly. Humans made the Terrians sick. Another tribe tried to help but some of them became sick too. They were afraid that all of the Terrians might catch the disease so this group was shut off from the others. They're in pain and they need us."
Yale reasoned, "Ulysses, we don't even know if what you are proposing is feasible. What are your thoughts Julia..?" But the young doctor had silently slipped away during the course of the conversation.
Bess tried to calm down the boy by diplomatically suggesting, "Why don't we discuss this issue more tonight - with the whole group. This is an important decision in which everyone should have input. Uly, you can share what you're learned about those Terrians with everyone then - okay?" She forced a smile as she spoke to the child, who gave a disappointed nod while the others rapidly dispersed to resume their activities.
Uly was aware that the adults were not seriously considering his request, so he decided to enlist the help of an ally or two.
XXXXXX
Julia lay stretched out on her cot, lethargically staring at the canvas walls of her tent. She shuddered to even contemplate Uly's request which was completely out of the question. She turned on to her other side to attempt to get more comfortable. Her head ached dreadfully so she closed her eyes and refused to think about the events of the past few days. The rustle of a tent flap attracted her attention, yet she didn't budge.
"Julia" the voice asked tentatively. It was Alonzo. She lay still, pretending to be asleep, fearful of what he wanted to discuss with her.
"Julia." He sank down on to the cot beside her and gently nudged her shoulder, "Come on, I know you're not asleep."
"Please, leave me alone. I'm so tired, I just want to be left alone" she mumbled weakly into her blanket.
Alonzo took a breath. This wasn't going to be easy. He knew Julia was worn out and needed rest. He hated adding to her worries but after his discussion with Uly, he felt as if he had no choice.
"Is it possible Julia? To cure the Terrians?"
She sat up, anger flashing in her eyes, "How do you propose we do that? Wave a magic wand? I can't even figure out how to cure one of our own kind. How do you expect me to be able to treat a species I know so little about? It's completely absurd!"
The pilot remembered all too well Julia's comment that the human body had more in common with a mosquito than a Terrian.
"Can't you just try? You are a doctor."
"A doctor trained to treat human beings. I could attempt to treat a cow or horse or maybe even a Grendler, whose systems are somewhat similar to ours, but Terrian physiology differs radically from ours. I have no guidelines - I wouldn't have a clue where to even start."
Alonzo rushed to volunteer, "Uly can describe all their symptoms to you. And I'll continue to search the computer data banks to see if the Independence colonists have any information that will help us. Come on Julia, we have to try."
She rapidly retorted, "Why? Why do we have to try? Do you realize the possible consequences of us blindly treating these creatures without a complete understanding of their body chemistry? We could kill them!"
He held her gaze and levelly replied, "Julia, according to Uly, they're in such anguish right now I think they would welcome death." Stunned by his words, the doctor paused and the pilot took advantage to hammer home his points, "And don't we have a moral obligation to help our neighbors? Look what they've done for us Julia. Curing Uly in itself was a miracle. Don't you think we owe them our best efforts?"
Julia spoke haltingly, feeling overwhelmed, "You don't understand Alonzo...I'm a physician, my job is to protect and preserve life. I feel badly...really badly that these Terrians are so sick and that human beings had something to do with it. And you're right that they're our neighbors and we should treat them with respect, as we want them to treat us. But...I just can't randomly treat these creatures with no logical basis for my diagnosis when my actions might directly result in their death. Alonzo, I can't live with that. Please don't ask me to do that." Tears began to slide down her cheeks so Alonzo drew her close to him and held her tightly.
XXXXXX
As Danziger hiked down the hillside, he finally caught sight of Yale with the two children who were walking by the banks of the lake. Alonzo had nearly chewed his ear off for over an hour and a half, now he was anxious to speak with Uly. He and the boy left the other two to move to a more private spot. After they settled themselves comfortably on the ground, they were both silent, neither quite sure how to express himself.
Uly mustered up his courage and stated point blank, "You don't want to help the Terrians, do you?"
Danziger was startled by his directness but he welcomed it just the same. He didn't like to play games so he plainly spoke his mind as well, "No. I think it's potentially too dangerous."
Uly stared at the man, not used to having adults speak to him as one, "What do you mean?"
"Alonzo and I have been talking. He tells me that you're the only link to this group of Terrians and that he can't reach them. And that this group is unpredictable and potentially hostile. Apparently the only way we can communicate with them in order to help them would be to let you go back into those caves all by yourself. I can't let you do that." A clearly unacceptable risk as far as he was concerned.
"But they won't hurt me. They recognize that I'm part Terrain," Uly insisted.
Still, Danziger held fast to his position, "Then why did they hold you captive for almost two days? I can't allow that to happen again."
"They only held us because it took some time for me to learn to understand them. Their illness has affected the way they communicate."
The mechanic interrupted, "Hold on there, kid. 'Lonz also tells me that you can't talk to them, you can only receive their messages."
The boy nodded. Sensing he was losing ground he changed tactics, "But don't you think it's the right thing to do? We made them sick, we should make them well."
His statement seemed incredibly child-like and simplistic to the older man, for the situation was far more complicated than that. The Eden Advance hadn't caused their sickness, why should they involve themselves in someone else's mess? And while Danziger's appreciation for the life forms on planet G889 was growing, he still had difficulty relating to the Terrians.
A thought occurred to the mechanic, "Umm...Uly, did Paul say anything to you about curing this group of Terrians?"
The boy looked blank,
"No, all he said was I would know what to do. That I should do what I think is right."
Danziger began to wonder if their actions at this junction in time would affect Devon's future and ultimately Paul's existence. He stopped himself almost immediately, he'd go nuts if he started thinking like that. Instead, he addressed a more immediate concern,
"What about your Mom? What would she think? I think she'd wring my neck if I allowed you to pursue something so dangerous."
Danziger could still remember that awful night when Uly had first been taken by the Terrians. Devon's horrified expression as she held up the pieces of his immunosuit had been permanently etched in his memory. He never wanted to see her go through that again.
Uly frowned, he realized that Danziger had an excellent point - his Mom was almost fanatical when it came to him and his safety. Yet, the day after his last birthday she had allowed him to enter the Terrian caves by the winter camp, unaccompanied. He rationalized that his mother might be willing to take some risks. But did it really matter anyway? She wasn't around to consult. She might never learn of his adventure. And this was something he felt strongly about doing.
He skirted about the question, "I don't know about that. She always felt that it was important to develop our relationship with the Terrains. She was grateful that they cured me and I think she would do whatever she could for them."
But would she potentially risk her son's safety? Danziger's thoughts screamed at him. How in the world was he going to get out of this mess?
XXXXXX
The evening campfire crackled as members of the Eden Advance discussed the question of helping the Terrians. "Why are we even considering this? I don't want to stick around this place anymore." Baines commented.
Walman echoed his sentiments and added, "Besides, it's only a bunch of diggers." Several voices were raised, simultaneously objecting to his statement.
Alonzo deferred to Bess who challenged Walman, "How can you say that? We have every reason to believe that the Terrians are an intelligent life form. Look what they've done for Uly. Just because we can't understand them doesn't mean that they aren't important."
Walman rolled his eyes and Bess started to issue a sarcastic remark when Danziger interceded, "Okay everybody. Calm down. Let's stick to the facts. Uly, you want to tell everybody your thoughts?"
The boy smiled shyly and focused on his mentor Yale as he spoke, "The Terrians are sick and need our help. They don't know exactly what caused the disease but it was something that the colonists did and it's affected their ability to interact with the planet. They can't travel through the earth and they can't receive everything that they need from it. Since we made them sick, I think we ought to help them out."
Baines objected, "That sounds real nice but aren't there some risks associated with this?"
Danziger cut in, "You're absolutely right Baines. These Terrians, since they are sick, their behavior is unpredictable. Only Uly can act as a messenger due to the changes the Terrians made in him. Are we willing to allow him to take that chance? I'm not."
Uly quickly insisted, "I don't think it's as much of a risk as you're making it out to be. They didn't hurt me before. Even if it might be dangerous, it's a chance I'm willing to take."
John recognized that determined gleam in his eyes, which he had seen so many times in his mother and recently in Paul.
"Maybe Uly's Terrian attributes will protect him." Bess suggested. Turning towards the boy, "You said that they sensed your connection to them."
Uly nodded.
"And Terrians do not harm other Terrians. Mary shared that with us. He's considered one of them" Alonzo added. "Remember how much Uly was able to help them out at Moon Cross. They've helped Uly in the past, now it's our turn to maintain a good relationship with them."
With concern, Magus pointed out, "Even if Uly would be safe, won't this take time? I think we have other important priorities of our own - getting to New Pacifica." Others agreed with her, for they were anxious to move on. After Uly had first mentioned the idea of helping the Terrians, the majority of those listening to him were opposed for this reason.
However, the boy had wisely chosen his allies who had spoken privately with many individuals. Alonzo cleared his throat to gain the group's undivided attention. He spoke emphatically, hoping to better illustrate the boy's point, "I don't think you understand the seriousness of the situation here. Terrians receive all their physical and spiritual nourishment from the earth. It's their mother. Because they can't interact normally with it, the needs of their bodies for food are being met but their psyches are badly damaged. They can't dream normally. That's why there's so much rage in them. Since the earth won't accept them, they are literally trapped inside of those caves. Even worse - that means they can't die. They're condemned to a living hell which they can never escape."
Morgan sat bolt upright - for the sensations of his dreams vividly came to mind. He had been experiencing part of their torture - feeling helpless and trapped, almost as if he were suffocating.
Bess glanced towards Uly as she stated, "I think we should help them. No living creature should have to endure that. Most of us wouldn't hesitate to put a suffering animal out of its misery, I think we owe the Terrians the same courtesy."
Julia had to enter her reservations, "But there's no guarantee that we can cure them. We know so little about their biochemistry. It would take time, possibly lots of time, for us to study their symptoms and try to develop a treatment. Once we started, we would be committed to staying here until we finished. We're also dealing with a complete unknown here - we could kill them by mistake. Can we live with that?"
Unexpectedly, Morgan answered her by quietly commenting, "I guess that would be better than how they're living now."
A few other points were discussed but Alonzo's description of the agony of the creatures had made a lasting impression on the members of the Eden crew. When a vote was called for, it was close but the majority had voted to assist the Terrians.
XXXXXX
Alonzo and Yale were parked in front of the main computer of the colony, poised for action. The pilot flashed his infectious fly-boy grin to the tutor and asked with excitement, "So, where do we start?" The two men were about to engage in a search for information to learn more about the Terrians and their illness.
Yale rubbed his chin, "I'm not sure. Why don't we make a plan before sorting through all those files?" Alonzo agreed. The Teacher rose to pace as he thought out loud, "I find it curious that this place became toxic both for human beings and for Terrians. It leads me to believe that there might be some key event tying the two occurrences together. Perhaps the colonist did something to affect the land which in turn harmed the Terrians. The planet retaliated, releasing the substance which accumulated in the colonist's bodies and eventually killed them. But I guess what we're specifically interested in right now are things the colonist could have done to affect the land."
Alonzo jumped in, "That's simple. Just look at how we destroyed our original Earth. Abuse of resources, improper disposal of waste products, unregulated levels of pollutants in the air and water...the possibilities are endless."
The older man chuckled, "Not necessarily. We're only dealing with one small colony here, as opposed to an entire world civilization. For example, we know that they experimented with agriculture - Marietta Anderson was a well known agricultural bioengineer. Perhaps she employed some agent as a fertilizer which inadvertently affected the land then harmed the Terrians. The chemical could have combined with another component of the soil, altering its composition and affecting the source of nutrition for these Terrians."
Catching onto his train of thought, Alonzo added,"There were also references in these files about drilling for fossil fuels for the vehicles. That could be considered violating the land. They could have destroyed or removed some crucial component. Just like when Morgan used the geolock and froze up the sun stones."
Yale reached into his backpack and withdrew a dull reddish brown stone which he tossed to Alonzo. As he examined it, Yale informed him,"True found this in the Terrian's cave."
The pilot's eyes widened, "This isn't right. Do you think these sun stones made the Terrians sick or vis versa?"
"It's hard to say. I don't fully understand the relationship between them. It could explain the odd dreams we've all been having and the anomalies in the Dream Plane that you've experienced."
Alonzo nodded then had another idea, "What about their main generator? It's nuclear powered and the waste containment field is in the vicinity of the Terrian's chambers."
Yale soberly replied, "That was one of the first options that I considered. But we checked it out thoroughly, that containment shield is intact. There were references in their logs to having trouble with the force field, but they were only minor leaks. Nothing which should have caused any damage."
Alonzo stood and exclaimed, "That's the operative word, Yale, nothing which should have caused any damage. That's an assumption we have to avoid. G889 is not Earth, so we shouldn't expect it to behave the same. Just because some chemical wasn't harmful to Earth doesn't mean it won't have an affect on G889."
"You're absolutely right Alonzo. So according to your logic, all of the possibilities we have mentioned cannot be ruled out. This also is a stern warning for our future - we're going to have to be very careful about how we set up our own colony and the technologies that we use. We wouldn't want something like this to happen to us."
TBC