Children of the Forbidden Planet

Station Unity sprawled like an impossible city in the sky, as the C-57-D angled into docking position. Protocol required that Captain Adams be allowed to disembark first as one of the privileges of his rank. But being now escorted by his wife, Altaira, he decided to allow everyone under his command to exit first. They all experienced a slight moment of zero gravity as they crossed the threshold and transferred from the starship’s artificial gravity to that of the titanic space station. Altaira giggled in surprise as she encountered the sudden buoyancy. Captain John J Adams simply smiled at his wife’s amusement. It had been years since he’d learned to take the phenomenon in stride, literally.

Having sojourned on another planet, although it had been obliterated during their departure, decontamination was everyone’s first stop. For the rest of the crew, this was just routine. John was only the slightest bit worried about how his newlywed wife would fare in the examination. He expected it to be only cursory. The medics simply needed to certify that no dangerous microorganisms were being brought aboard the sterile station. He wasn’t prepared for any of the surprises with which he was suddenly confronted.

“I’ve some good news and some extremely mysterious news, and then some more good news,” the chief medical officer inexplicably announced.

“Let’s hear it,” John sharply instructed. Being the captain of a starship, he was not used to portraying patience when awaiting a report.

“Altaira has passed every titer test we can administer. Her immune system seems approximately perfect. She has no diseases. She can’t even get any diseases. However this seems to be the result of genetic engineering. She has no bellybutton. Then there is the other good news. She’s pregnant with twins. I can even give you their genders. I will of course have to report her conditions to the station commander. And I’m certain he will have more than a few questions for you.”

It was an openmouthed Captain Adams who stared at him blankly for several long seconds, before asking in reply, “No bellybutton?”

“What’s a bellybutton?” Altaira asked in the interim as the medical officer struggled to formulate an intelligible answer.

“Everyone has one, or is supposed to. It is where the umbilical cord is attached till after they’re born, and then it’s removed. You weren’t conceived the conventional way.”

“But I had a mother. I didn’t get to know her since she died giving birth to me.”

“I don’t know what to tell you except your quarters have been assigned and should be available on the data pad you were handed as you came aboard,” he replied, turning to John, he answered. “As I said, the station commander will be in touch with you, but you are free to settle in. You will probably be given another assignment before too long.”

John shot several sidelong looks at his unusually somber wife as he navigated the way through the extensively tubular corridors. He knew a previous version of the station well enough to quickly discover their assigned quarters. He waited until they were in the privacy of their rooms to start the necessary discussion.

“You’ve really no idea why your birth seems to have been so different?” he asked. “Morbius certainly didn’t say anything except he didn’t want you to go with me.”

Standing before the portal, gazing down at the expansive panorama of the Earth, it took Altaira a moment to answer his question. She started by repeating what she’d said before.

“I had a mother. As far as I know, I was born the regular way. I can’t explain why I would be physiologically different. It makes no sense, unless.” Continuing to look down upon the spatially displayed planet, she cautiously continued. “Every person down there probably just assumes they can have children. But we’ve talked about biology. We know it’s not true for everyone. If I wasn’t being nurtured by my mother in the womb, then how was I sustained?”

She spun around to confront him at that point, and right on cue he answered, “The machine?”

Something on the flat screen TV, which John had routinely switched on in hopes of getting contemporary news updates from Earth, distracted her. It was a nature program. The analyst was reciting all the species that had been driven into extinction over the last century. Videos of now nonexistent and ill-fated fauna were parading across the screen.

“Tell me, husband, what kind of animals would have been living on Earth when the Krell were there? Would it have been the kind they’re showing on the nature program?”

“No, it would’ve been mammoths and mastodons and saber-toothed cats and giant ground sloths and dire wolves and such. Oh wait a minute, I see what you’re saying. But then, how do you account for the contemporary creatures that lived on Altair 4?”

“The night before I went out and found them, my father showed me some pictures of animals on Earth.”

“You mean you think you might’ve wished them into being? I hate to admit it but it actually makes some sense. Morbius said the dials lit up a little bit when the geese flew over and the bucks fought in the spring. He also warned us that the tiger was still a wild deadly beast outside the range of your influence. But even if the machine really created you, what difference does that make now?”

“I don’t know, none I hope. But now, I am left wondering about the truth of my own origin.”

“Our children were conceived in space. I’m quite sure they’ve got bellybuttons and umbilical cords. I wouldn’t worry your pretty head about that, if that’s where you’re going with this. I vote that we get some sleep. The accommodations here are quite luxurious, especially after sleeping on a starship for months.”

“I second that motion, but I hope you’re not so worn out that you need to go right to sleep. All this talk about biology has given me ideas.

***

The next morning as the couple were discussing a trip to the cafeteria to get some breakfast, the door chime alerted them to the presence of a visitor. Truly, they had been expecting a visit from the station commander since the previous evening. John chose to let Altaira admit their guest. He wanted the station commander to be immediately aware of the humanity of his wife. And no more than she was still wearing, there could’ve been no doubt. But her announcement wasn’t the one he’d expected.

“Doc Hackworth, what a pleasant surprise,” she animatedly announced. Turning to her husband, she then continued. “Sweetie, it’s Doc Hackworth.”

Lieutenant Ostrow, the chief medical officer of their ill-fated mission, had also gone by the nickname Doc. He had died on Altair 4 after using what Morbius called the plastic educator to enhance his intelligence. They had noticed the station’s chief medical officer listed on a bulletin in their quarters the night before and had observed that he also went by the same nickname. She was uncertain of how long it would be before either of them could address the man without including his surname.

Nodding at Altaira’s sweeping invitation as he entered, he locked eyes with John. There was a noticeable momentary hesitation in his expression before he said, “We’ve been summoned to a meeting. The station commander was polite enough to let me be the one to collect you. I think he was unsure of what he might be interrupting.”

Altaira giggled before objecting, “But we haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

“They’ve set up a breakfast buffet in the conference room. Something big is going on. We’ll be able to eat while we find out what it is. But it is just for officers. I am sorry to tell you this, but you will have to breakfast in the cafeteria without us, Altaira. You might, however, find some of the other crew members to sit with. And the cafeteria has a very incredible view of the Earth.”

“Then I’d better get ready. I’m pretty ravenous after last night,” Altaira observed.

“I am not gonna touch that,” Doc Hackworth sheepishly said, smiling as he looked down at the deck plate, embarrassed.

Slipping from his nightwear into his uniform, John quickly accompanied the ship’s chief medical officer. He shot a questioning sidelong look at Doc as they made their way through the corridor.

“As much as I understand of it, I made a full report to the station commander about the particulars of our mission. He came to me first since it involves medical matters. We always knew Altaira seemed to be different, but another product of the machine? That’s a lot to wrap the head around.”

“Oh, I’ve done a lot more than that,” the captain grinningly admitted with a cock of his head. “And I can tell you this, a bellybutton is the only thing she’s missing.”

As they entered the capacious conference room, John could tell by the insignias of some of the other attendees that command had apparently already replaced the officers he had lost on Altair 4. He’d been close friends with Lieutenant Jerry Farman and Chief Engineer Quin. He had expected to participate in selecting their replacements. This fact informed him that they were going to ship out almost immediately. He therefore stiffened his jaw as he prepared to find out what precisely had happened to precipitate this rapid redeployment. There would normally have been time to stand down after the completion of a mission.

Instantly addressing him as the captain took his seat, the station commander said, “I am very sorry to be cutting your leave so short, but the situation has placed me in the very awkward position of stepping in for any immediate authority you’d recognize. There wasn’t anyone from Space Command who could get here quickly enough, although your orders were transmitted and are available for verification. Your ship and crew have been tagged for an ambassadorial mission. As I’m sure most of you know, there is a sizeable colony in the Tau Ceti system. Probes have been launched from there, and one of them just made contact with an alien species near Sirius. This will be a first contact mission.”

“Will we be transporting an ambassador?” Captain Adams asked, after the hubbub subsided.

“Since it represents the most advanced technology we have at hand, the robot you brought back from Altair 4 will serve in that capacity. Originally, it was supposed to go to the Earth for study. But command believes it would stand the best chance of being able to decipher the alien’s language. It speaks one hundred and eighty eight languages. We have nobody who even comes close to such a total. And an ambassadorial team would require more provisions than we currently have with which to stock your ship.”

“I take it we’re supposed to depart almost immediately?” queried the captain.

“You have time to eat breakfast,” the station commander smiling replied. “And as you can see, it has already been provided. I’ll accompany you to your cabin and finish debriefing you on the way afterwards. I’d very much like to meet Mrs. Adams.”

The meal gave the captain a chance to meet the replacement officers, Dan McNab and Steven Horowitz. McNab was an extremely accomplished engineer, and Lieutenant Horowitz had actually known Jerry Farman. It became clear during the introductions that Doc had already made their acquaintance. This explained the trepidation he’d portrayed in the captain’s quarters. He’d been the bearer of privileged information and wasn’t sure how to go about breaking it. John appreciated his diplomacy in the matter.

At the conclusion of breakfast, almost everybody hurried off to start preparing their personal items for transportation back onboard the C-57-D. Doc was more tactful in how he took his leave. He knew the station commander wanted to spend some time with the captain before the ship got underway. He said he’d see John again once they’d boarded their interstellar conveyance, and then he made his way out of the conference chamber. John and the station commander were left alone. Gesturing toward one of the exits, the station commander led the way and then accompanied John back to his quarters. Neither man was expecting the surprise that awaited them.

They found Altaira in the company of a kitten. She claimed she found it wandering the hallways on her way back from breakfast.

“That’s patently impossible,” the station commander rasped. “There are no animals on this station. There are no animals allowed on this station.”

“You must have wished it into being, just like you did the animals on Altair 4,” John breathlessly deduced. “But how?Is this an intrinsic ability you now have? You didn’t do that on the ship.”

Abruptly brandishing his handheld communicator, the station commander asked of the technician on the other end, “Was this station recently scanned from the surface?”

“Yes, sir. I was just about to report it. It emanated from an area about twenty miles square just under the surface of the ice in Antarctica.”

Turning to John, the commander said, “I read your report. Your ship was scanned in orbit from just such an area. Apparently the influence of the machine extends that far. I thought the Krell recalled their expeditions to Altair 4 to celebrate the activation of their machine. I guess it’s the other answer. They built machines everywhere they went. And your report said they had visited the Earth. There’s a machine somewhere in Antarctica. This changes things considerably.”

“How so?” John demanded.

Looking to Altaira, the commander said, “I was going to give you a choice between having your children on Earth or on Tau Ceti Prime. There’s a medical complex there.”

“I would have chosen to go with my husband in any case. But what about my new furry friend? Can he go with us? I was lucky enough to find a container and materials to use for litter, and he took to it right away. And he is young enough to still drink milk. But he will eventually need proper food and fresh litter. I don’t imagine I’ll be able to simply manifest them after we move away from the Earth. Don’t you need a mascot?”

On cue, the kitten moved to the station commander and began purring as it rubbed against his legs. He reflexively bent down and gathered it up, holding it in both his arms as it purred even louder.

“Being the station commander, I am at liberty to bend the rules. But I have nothing with which to care for a kitten. I could send him down on the next ship and see that he is placed for adoption. But to keep him myself, I would require things I just don’t have.”

“Unless I miss my guess, you’ll find everything you need in that closet over there.”

Striding purposefully to the aforementioned alcove, still with the kitten in his arms, the commander opened the door and announced, “Kitten food, cat food and litter. Okay, but what am I going to call him? I mean, you made him. What’s your suggestion?”

“So you don’t forget where he came from, I’d recommend you call him Cosmo.”

“Okay, I’ll see if I can’t pull enough strings to keep the kitten here,” the commander agreed. As if in grateful reaction, Cosmo reached up and placed an appreciative paw on the man’s face. “I don’t suppose he’s had his shots?”

“What’s a shot?”

“It is like when they drew your blood,” John understandingly rejoined. “But with an inoculation, they put medicine in instead of drawing blood out.”

“Oh, lovely,” she sarcastically responded. “Tell me you’re not going to go sticking needles into him, or I’ll have to figure out how to take him with us.”

“I read the medical report. And if he is like you, he already has a perfect immune system. I’ll make that assumption. I suppose we could just call this a trade since you’re taking my chief medical officer.”

With kitten in hand, the station commander withdrew, saying, “I will have a yeoman come by and collect Cosmo’s necessities after you have gone. I just hope I’m not going to be court-martialed for letting myself get talked into this. I wonder if they’d go easier on me if I named him Jonesy.”

“What did he mean by that?” Altaira asked as the door closed behind the departing figure.

“I’ll explain later.”

As they arrived at the docking area for the C-57-D, with their luggage stacked on a hover cart, they found the entire staging berth to be exceedingly hectic. Robby the robot was doing everything he could to do all the heaviest listing. Engineer McNab had settled into the pilot’s station and was adjusting the controls for their trip. Captain Adams chose to take the opportunity to cement his authority.

“What does our flight plan look like, Lieutenant?”

“I understand the rush to get us underway, sir. There are navigational obstructions that occur seasonally, but we’ll be able to get ahead of them. We’ll be tying on to a very intense gravity thread from Canis Minor.”

“Gravity thread?”Altaira asked.

“It has to do with singularities and string theory, ma’am,” he politely replied.

“I should warn you that she beat all her previous shipmates at chess,” John said.

It was with a distinctly deer-in-the-headlights look that McNab turned to Altaira and said, “I don’t know how to play chess, and I don’t really care to learn. I hope that doesn’t disappoint you. I’ll be monitoring the minutia on the instruments. Perhaps it’d satisfy you to put Lieutenant Horowitz in his place. He’s supposed to be an accomplished player.”

“Do me a favor and don’t warn him about my wife. It could be very amusing.”

“Always happy to comply, sir,” McNab gratuitously agreed.