Star Trek(26)
Kirk caught up with the others as they approached the model of Rigel VII, a harsh, volcanically heated world nearly half-covered in oceans, and its co-orbital partner Rigel VIII, a cratered ice planet akin to Saturn’s Rhea or Tethys but far larger. Beyond them, Rigel IX was a Jovian with a vast ring system, and the rocky Rigel X was a frigid world that had needed partial terraforming and atmosphere processing to enable even a small portion of its surface to be made habitable.
The orrery ended there, for the distant, cold worlds beyond had not been discovered until after Dleba’s era, and there was insufficient room on the plateau to expand the plaza. Perhaps this was fitting, for the Rigelians had designated everything from Rigel X’s orbit outward as beyond their territorial interests, free for others to settle or exploit as they chose. Rigel X itself had become a significant free port for the Kandari Sector, but as of yet, no one had found the worlds beyond it worth the effort to develop.
But Commander Mayweather was still lingering by the models of Seven and Eight, and Kirk could tell he was trying to find a diplomatic way to broach the topic of the Kalar without treading on any local taboos that might make Rehlen Vons more hostile than he was already. Leave it to Rey Sangupta, then, to breeze right up to them and ask, “So what’s the story with these Kalar?”
Mayweather and Williams both glared at the science officer. But while Vons hesitated for a moment, he simply gave a sad tilt of his sallow-skinned head before replying. “Yes, it was inevitable that this would come up eventually. In truth, it isn’t something we like to talk about. It reflects a dark chapter in our system’s history.” He sighed. “But sometimes we value our secrets too much. This is a truth we should not hide, for it informs who we are and what we believe.”
The first officer kept his handsome features calm and nonjudgmental. “We’re here to learn, sir.”
“The Kalar were originally a racial group native to Four, alongside the Zami.” Kirk had gotten used to hearing Rigelians refer to their planets by number, a custom adopted to avoid favoritism toward any one people’s language. “But they were larger, more aggressive. They terrorized and enslaved their neighbors. In the first century of interplanetary contact, as the Jelna pursued economic development on Four, the Kalar were a major obstacle. As Zami prosperity grew from offworld trade, the Kalar coveted what they had, and chose to take it by force.” He shrugged. “Or maybe they felt threatened by the Zami’s growing power. In any case, they became a greater threat to both species’ interests. And so the Jelna and the First Families mutually agreed to relocate the Kalar to Seven.”
He went on solemnly. “The Kalar resisted fiercely but could not prevail over Jelna technology. They were transported in chains, in terrible conditions, for months as they made the crossing from world to world. Afterward, the relocated . . . survivors . . . were understandably resentful toward outsiders. Ever since, the Kalar have maintained a policy of total isolationism. Any offworlder who sets foot on Rigel VII cannot expect to live for long.”
Williams grimaced. “I can’t say I blame them.”
“The Jelna and the Zami both paid a penalty for our actions,” Vons replied. “As a result of different species spending so long in such conditions, disease organisms crossed species and mutated, and the plague you know as Rigelian fever evolved. The Kalar were immune, but the fever ravaged both Four and Five. Even with the best of medical care, tens of millions died on both worlds. Which hit Four harder, since it had a much smaller population and less advanced medicine, but it was a cataclysm for Five as well. The result was chaos and war on both worlds for generations, until the Zami expatriates on Five discovered the cure.
“It took generations more for regular space travel to resume, but when it finally did, it brought renewed prosperity to both worlds—and Rigel had learned a harsh but necessary lesson about the dangers of imposing our will on other societies. Ever since, we have respected the Kalar’s isolation, and they have remained apart from Rigelian society.” He gazed at the painted globe representing Rigel VII and sighed. “This is our greatest shame—but it is why we are so loath to judge and impose upon others.”
“That’s a remarkable story,” Kirk said after a respectful silence. “Humanity has been through similar ordeals in its history. When explorers from Eurasia began regular contact with the isolated American continents, their diseases wiped out nearly its entire population, destroying many great civilizations and leaving most of the survivors too weak to resist conquest for long. History might have been very different if the infections had gone both ways.” He gave a sad smile. “Perhaps we would’ve learned a lesson in tolerance far sooner—before we, too, began abducting people and forcing them to spend weeks chained in the holds of slave ships.”