Fantasy Starship Gods

"People of Arcadia, we have returned," said the holoimage of Taylor. "We, the gods of the Book of Sparticus, have returned. The people I have sent to your village are my emissaries. Do not harm them. Release them at once!"

The sinister looking soldiers with the pikes immediately took stepped back and lowered their weapons.

"The Gods have returned to you. You have given us a very niggardly welcome. But all will be forgiven if you let my emissaries go."

The villages sank to their knees. "We have sinned!" Some of the cried, as they pushed their heads to the ground.

"I think it's time we ascended to the heavens once more," said Liam, gently tugging on Miranda's arm. They hurriedly left and returned to the Asgard.

"Good thinking, Captain!" said Miranda, giving him a hug.

"That's a standard Survey Service rescue, Ma'am," said Taylor.

"Somehow I don't think that's quite true," said Miranda, smiling at him.

"These people are insane," said Samuel.

"Or, to be more precise, they are a primitive retrograde culture," said Taylor. "I have only started reading the Book of Sparticus--which, by the way, I have just finished scanning and uploading to the ship's computer, so you can all read it. But what I have seen indicates a society which follows the most barbaric customs. Baby killing. Woman beating. Execution for heresy. And that's just the beginning."

"But still, you told them we were their deities. It is blasphemy to assume the role of the Lord!" said Father Sorenson.

"From what I can see, there are only two kinds of strangers in Arcadia--Gods, and Milsh, the evil ones. Which would you rather be?" Taylor asked. "As a Survey Service officer, my first responsibility is to the safety of my crew and passengers. This ship is never going to leave this planet again. We don't know if or when we are ever going to be rescued. I will do whatever is necessary to ensure our survival."

Tara felt a thrill course through her body. She admired Taylor whenever he talked with such... determination. She really wish she had gotten her hooks in him before Alexis!

"Taylor's right," said Samuel. "We were there for less than an hour, and they were ready to execute us merely because of the looks on our faces. We can either be the top dog here, or a dead one. There is no in between."

"It is still blasphemy," said Sorenson.

"Then Father, you go back into town alone and tell them not to kill their third babies. We'll be by later to pick up what's left of your body," said Samuel.

"Samuel's right," said Alexis. "If we want to survive here, we'll have to assume the roles of their gods."

"With a light hand," said Taylor. "We won't order them around. We'll simply make sure they don't harm us."

"And what about the baby killings, and the executions, and the child rapes?" McKenzie Risella asked.

"Kenzie is right," said Kyrsten Hymen. "We can't allow these thing to continue."

"What right do we have to interfere in another culture?" Pamela Bloomberg asked.

"If you saw that baby's head being smashed in like we did, you would know the right of it," said Samuel.

"All right," said Taylor. "I think the consensus is that we've agreed to assume the role of their gods. Reluctantly. And while we're at it, we'll stop them from committing the worst of their excesses. Are we all agreed on these basic points?"

"It's not enough," said Miranda.

"What do you mean?" said Taylor.

"After you left, Hakum gave us a little geography lesson. Arcadia is just one city. Right now we're on the outskirts of Arcadia, but there are five other major cities on Earth."

"Earth?"

"That's what they call this planet," said Miranda. "Original name, isn't it? We found out that there are also five other cities, also with very Greek sounding names."

"Wait, here they are," said Crewman Jefferson, searching the Book of Sparticus, which was now online. "The six major cities of this particular planet Earth are Arcadia, Boeotia, Heraklion, Imanthia, Phthiotis, and Argolis."

"What are you proposing?" Taylor asked. "That we go on tour to all these cities and tell them to stop slaughtering and raping their kids?"

Miranda shook her head. "No. For habits this ingrained, they would obviously ignore us the moment we left. I think we should split up into six groups, and send someone, or someones, to each major city, and rule there, as their Gods."

"Do you realize what you are saying?" said Taylor.

"Yes," said Miranda. "And yesterday, I would never have even considered what I am suggesting. But after hearing the screams of that child who was raped, and seeing the brains of that baby splattered all over that rock, I have decided that the ends justify the means. And if all of you had seen what we saw, you'd agree too."

Everyone started talking in a babble, debating with each other.

"Just a moment!" said Taylor. "Survey Service rules are very strict about contact with less developed societies. We're not supposed to intervene, much less assume the role of Gods!"

"Fuck the Survey Service," said Samuel. "The Survey Service stranded us here, and I don't see them rushing to rescue us. If I can save one kid, I'm going to do this."

"Me too!'

"I'm in!"

"Try and stop us!"

"Just a minute!" said Tara McCallister. "Just think of what you're all saying. You want to impersonate their Gods. What if their Gods are real?"

"Are you serious?" Samuel, the atheist, asked.

"Yes!" said Tara. "We have no way of proving or disproving their religion. What if their Gods exist? Maybe this is their divine plan for their people. What right do we have to intervene and impersonate them, if they truly exist?"

"Any God who would promote infanticide, executions, and child Ra*e is no God of mine," said Samuel. "If these Gods are real, and if this is their real agenda for these people, I would fight them with everything I had."

"They are not real," said Father Sanduval. "Only the Lord of the Unredeemed exists!"

"There is no god but Laquinta, the Great God of Blood!" said Brother Khalid.

"God is unequivocally female. All those who are enlightened know this. Aura, the Divine She-Goddess, is the only true higher being," said Brianna Lindsay.

"For me, it's Lady Luck," Liam said, smiling. "But I think we're getting a little off topic here, aren't we? Are we going to do this, or aren't we?"

"Yes," said Brianna Lindsay

"Definitely," said Brother Khalid.

"It's a moral imperative," said Alexis. She touched Taylor's hand. "Michael, think of the children!"

"Wait!" said Taylor. "I can't allow you all to impersonate Gods!" he said desperately. It was one thing to lie to the locals here and maintain the fiction they were Gods so they wouldn't be killed; but to spread out among all the cities of this planet, and rule them as religious fiefdoms, was something else entirely.

"How are you going to stop us?" Samuel asked, his eyes flaring.

Taylor abruptly turned away, considering his options. He looked at Jefferson. His crew of one. The answer, of course, is that he couldn't.

Taylor knew he had to deal with reality He turned back to face them. "All right. All right. I will violate every Survey Service rule in the book and let you do this. But if we do this, we do this my way."

"Your way?" Tara said.

Taylor counted off points with his fingers. "Rule number one: all of you promise to engage in the most minimal interference possible. You are to intervene only to save lives."

"Agreed."

"Of course."

"Rule number two: You don't use your 'God' status to enrich yourselves."

"That's fair enough."

"Sensible."

"And rule number three: ultimately, you answer to a higher authority."

They all looked questioningly at him.

"Me," said Taylor. "If I don't like something you're doing, you stop it. And if you don't stop it, you lose your God job. Agreed?"

"All right." "Of course." "We understand. "That seems reasonable."

Liam raised his hand to get Taylor's attention. "It would help our street credibility if we could arrive with a big splash. If, perhaps, our silvery fiery chariot could drop us off at each city, to impress the locals. Is the ship in good enough shape to make a few short hops?"

Taylor paused, considering. "I think so. It's a good idea. You should probably wear spacesuits too, at least initially. That will also impress the locals. I will also give every group supplies, a holocomm, and blasters for each of you, to be used only in extreme situations. But just keep in mind that a blaster will not protect you from a hoard of pikesmen. If you get into trouble, you will truly be on your own."

"We understand." "That's fair enough." "Thank you, Captain."

"All right, then," Taylor sighed. "Now let's spend the next few days preparing. And start thinking about what city you want to go and who you want to go with. I don't want anyone alone in these far flung places. I want at least two people in each city. And the composition of each team will have to be personally approved by me. And start reading the Book of Sparticus! It's our only key to understand these people."

There was a babble of excited voices. Taylor turned to Crewman Jefferson.

"Can I be on your team, sir?" Jefferson asked.

"As my crew, you already are on my team," Taylor smiled.

The teams slowly started to form. Alexis naturally wanted to pair with Taylor, to which he readily agreed. But much to his surprise, Tara McCallister did as well.

"Well, who else am I going to pair with?" Tara asked. "I have so many choices! The Fundamentalist Ramadans, the possibly dangerous thief, the angry and unpredictable black man, or the out of touch elderly priest?"

"What about the girls?" Taylor asked, referring to Brianna, Kyrsten, and McKenzie.

"I don't think they'd like me," said Tara. "I don't happen to share their... particular appetites."

Taylor looked puzzled.

"I hate to say this, Taylor, but in my view, you're the best of the lot," said Tara "So I'll go with you and your... school teacher." Tara was obviously referring to Alexis.

"Is that going to be a problem?" Taylor asked.

"Not for me," said Tara. "Will it be a problem for your school teacher?"

Taylor looked at her, and sighed. It was best to put this to rest now. "All right. So Alexis is not a school teacher."

"I had guessed that," said Tara, pursing her lips.

Taylor looked at her in a measured way. "Alexis is a professional masseuse."

"A masseuse?"

"Quite a good one, actually," said Taylor, giving an embarrassed smile.

"I'm sure," said Tara, giving him a mocking look.

"She was on her way to Ramada to work for some very high level clients," said Taylor.

"High level massages, right," said Tara.

"Tara, she's not a whore," said Taylor.

"I never said that she was, Michael," said Tara.

"That's why she doesn't tell people she's a masseuse," said Taylor.

"Because people would think she's a whore. Well, now that you've explained it so well, everything makes sense," said Tara.

Taylor looked hard at her. "If you stay with us, there aren't going to be any problems, right?"

"Not from me," said Tara.

"All right, then."

The next team to meet with Taylor was Father Sanduval and his daughter Kristiana.

"I understand you're a pastor, father," said Taylor. "But you're not going to try to convert the people to your own religion, are you?"

"Of course not," said Father Sanduval. "My mission here is only to civilize the savages."

"Of course, we're not going to refer to them as savages, especially to their face, are we?" Taylor asked.

"Young man, I've been preaching since before you were born. All I'm going to do is stop them from killing each other. That's what this is all about, isn't it?"

"It is," said Taylor. "But you and your daughter will be all alone."

"No sir," said Father Sanduval. "The Lord of the Unredeemed will always be with us."

Taylor bit his lip and nodded. He knew the teams he was sending out were imperfect. He just hoped they would do more good than harm.

"I'll be there to watch him every step of the way," Miranda promised

"That's good to hear, since it's not every day I turn a con man into a god," said Taylor.

"Sir, I resent that appellation," said Liam. "I'm not perfect, but who is? And who kept his wits under fire and called you for help while the others were jibberjabbering?"

"You did."

Liam nodded. "In a way, I'm the best possible person suited for this job."

"How do you mean?"

"You need someone who can convince people that he's something that he's not. What better person for the job than someone with my rather innovative background?"

"You have a point," said Taylor, smiling. Despite himself, he was starting to like silver haired talker.

"And you will have the company of the Goddess Miranda, to keep you on the straight and narrow path," Miranda said.

"Oh, and a joy it will be," said Liam, smiling contently, taking her hand. She frowned and pulled away from him.

Taylor stared at him. "Just remember, you're not there to fleece the population. You're only there to save them from their worst instincts."

"Oh, of course," Liam said sincerely.

Kyrsten Hymen, McKenzie Risella, and Brianna Lindsay would not have been Taylor's first choice to lead a team. The first was a school teacher (a real school teacher, unlike Alexis), the second was a yoga instructor, and the third was a feminist authority lecturer. None had the skills needed to impersonate a god.

But then, who did?

"We will govern with a gentle hand," said Brianna, who seemed to be their spokeswoman. "We know exactly what needs to be done."

"Do you?" Taylor asked.

"We will end their barbaric practices. We will end their oppression of the finer half of the population. We will raise up women and girls, until they-"

"No," said Taylor. "No, no, and no! You are not to engage in a full scale social justice campaign. Simply stop the killings, and stop the rapes. Nothing else."

The girls looked at each other, a bit crestfallen. "But-"

"The more you try to change this society, the greater the likelihood they will turn on you. That's why you need to make the fewest changes possible," said Taylor. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Brianna sighed. "Yes, Lieutenant."

Taylor frowned. "I really shouldn't be sending you girls in harms' ways."

"We're not girls. We're women, and we can handle ourselves!" said Kyrsten.

Taylor nodded, not feeling nearly so certain.

"But I'm not going to call myself a god," said Samuel. "That's where I draw the line."

He and Pamela Bloomberg were sitting in Taylor's cramped office (formerly Captain Cargon's office).

Taylor squinted, trying to understand how this might work. "But how do you intend to rule them if you tell them you're not a god?"

Samuel shrugged.

Pam said. "If we can't say we're gods, at least we can say we're messengers of the gods. Samuel, you can compromise that much, can't you?"

Samuel looked grudgingly at her. "I suppose so."

Taylor smiled. "You're one of the leading voices in the galaxy on Objective Rationalism. I also understand you're an atheist. Maybe this isn't the best assignment for you."

"On the contrary, it is," said Samuel. "These people have been steeped in superstition for generations. Rationalism is the only thing that is going to save them."

"If you view their religion as irrational, how are you going to convince them of Rationalism?" Taylor asked.

"When explained properly, Objective Rationalism is common sense to everyone," said Taylor. "Once I strip away their religious justifications, and focus on the acts themselves--the barbarous infanticide, the execution of living human beings, the raping of children--Rationalism will compel them to reassess their actions and behaviors."

"You may not find it to be that easy," said Taylor.

"If it were easy, I wouldn't want to do it," said Samuel.

Taylor sensed his steely determination. He admired it. But there was another issue that couldn't be ignored. "As far as we can tell, this planet... has no black people. Could that be a problem for you?" Taylor asked.

"If it's a problem, it will be for them," said Samuel.

"It seems that back in the village it was almost a problem for you, from what I heard."

"I'll manage," said Samuel simply.

Taylor turned to Pam Bloomberg. "And will you manage just as well, Ms. Bloomberg? Are you comfortable going alone with Samuel?"

"What kind of a question is that? What do you think I'm going to do, Ra*e her?" Samuel asked. "I assure you, if anything, you should be worried about the opposite. I have trouble keeping her hands off my thing on a daily basis."

"Samuel!" Pam blushed.

"No, that's not what I meant to say," said Taylor. "Pam, I didn't mean to imply that you would be in danger from Samuel. Far from it. But if the two of you get into trouble, there will be no one else there to help you. It could be quite hazardous. You're a young woman with a future ahead of you. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Pam nodded. "It's an experience I wouldn't miss for the world."

Taylor looked at the two of them, the old black man with the stubbornly held views, and the young naive white girl.

They were the perfect pair to pose as gods.

Perfect, that is, in light of the fact that there was no one else to send.

Taylor sighed, and nodded his assent.

The three big bearded brothers sat in Taylor's office, looking blankly ahead of them. The youngest, Chaka, had a brown beard. The middle brother, Ahmed, had a black beard. The eldest, Khalid, had a black goatee, that was so shiny it looked oiled.

"I understand the three of you want to go in together as a team," said Taylor.

"Yes," said Khalid, the eldest brother. "We share everything."

What did that mean?

"Perhaps you can address some of my concerns," said Taylor. "You are followers of Lataqeria."

"Laquinta," said Khalid, restraining the impulse to mur*er Taylor.

"Yes, of course, Laquinta." said Taylor. How to say what he had to say? Better to just come out with it. "There are some who interpret your religion rather... strictly."

"You have heard the many lies that have been told about us," said Khalid. "How much do you truly know about Laquinta, Lieutenant?"

"Not much. It's a... bloody religion, right?" How else to say it?

Brother Khalid nodded. "Laquinta is the God of Blood, for his blood courses through all of us," said Khalid. "But that does not make ours a violent religion. We preach peace and friendship for all. Tolerance and acceptance is our number one directive. To harm others would violate our most sacred of rules."

"So all I've heard about blood sacrifices? The execution of non-believers? Women turned into sex slaves?"

"These are practices that ended hundreds of years ago, practiced by no more than a handful of extremists in our Wadi desert," said Khalid. "But they make for such colorful reports in your media that our entire planet is portrayed in this way. I assure you, we are nothing like that. We will go to the people of this planet and make them decent, peaceful folk. Just like us."

Taylor paused. wondering if he believed them. The brothers, with their large bodies and glassy stares and big beards, certainly inspired apprehension. But they had barely talked on the trip, and they had kept to themselves. On the ship, at least, they had behaved.

And then he remembered something else.

"And what about Naomi Weinberg? You say she wants to accompany you, yet I don't see her here."

"She is resting," said Brother Khalid.

"She is sleepy," said Brother Ahmed.

"Very sleepy," said Brother Chaka.

"I see." Taylor had a bad feeling about this. Despite their assurances, he felt that the bearded Ramadans could be trouble. But if he let everyone else go except for them, he would alienate them, and they could cause trouble for him here. He was very conscious of the fact that there were three of them, and only one of him. With almost no crew and few resources, his authority was tenuous at best.

"All right," said Taylor, nodding. "Good luck." He extended his hand.

Khalid looked at his hand, frowned at him, and nodded.
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