Planet Earth Year 2060

Rya-To

We arrive to the outskirts of the planet called Earth. It would seem the inhabitants of this planet have not advanced their technology enough to detect our arrival. Not to mention it would be hard to see our ship with the cloaking apparatus activate. If the inhabitants happened to glance our way, they might see something odd, a ripple here or there in the sky but could not say exactly what they saw.  

"Gya, make sure we run a continuous scan of the planet. I do not want to be caught with my cock hanging out in your mom's bedroom again if they are more advance than our original scans indicated.” I said with a grin.

The words were spoken out loud for the continuous recorder so the file was available to be reviewed by the ruling council when we returned home. Gya-To would have anticipated my desires long before I even thought to speak. I could hear his snicker even from my captain's chair on the other side of the bridge.

As of yet, we are still out past the moon and advancing slowly towards the planet. The visual scans play on the screens in front of us on the ships command deck. The land masses on this planet look to be divided into seven regions. Four of the seven seem to be fighting what could only be a fierce war that that would leave many dead. So far, the only things that can be seen are what could only be explosions that leaving little land untouched by the violence.

As we pass the moon our scans show us that some of the satellites orbiting the planet are not for communication but seem to be military in nature. All talking stop as the ship’s computers warn of the missiles hidden on military purpose satellites. It’s now a waiting game to see if what looks to be primitive technology detects our presence as we glide silently forward. 

All communication is being monitored by the communication officer. The look on her face seems to be one of wonder and confusion at whatever she is listening to. When she turns towards me, I raise my eyebrow in a questioning manner for her to explain what she is hearing. 

“Sir, there are over four hundred main languages spoken on this planet, with each region having different dialects being spoken worldwide.”

“How many are spoken in the areas that seem to be at war?”

The communication officer pulls up a map of the planet on the main view screen. Pointing at the different land masses she explains that one area has twenty-five main languages, another has five, another has six, and the final area has over four hundred spoken by the population.

“Sir, there does seem to be five languages that the majority of the population speak. All five languages seem to be from a common language.” She pauses her explanation so she can scan for a planetary information network.

“Upon further research from connecting to the information network, I have learned that many of the languages come from a language which they call Latin, it is no longer used outside of certain religious ceremonies. We are able to use the syntax from Latin to translate the other five languages so that we can understand what is being spoken with our implanted translators.”

“Start the process of adding the syntax to our main computers, then have it transferred to our individual translators.” After giving her my instructions, I then turn the monitor back to the view of this planet in real time.

I order the navigator to station the ship in a high polar orbit just above the network of satellites littering the planets lower orbit.

“Give me all the information you can find on this land mass Gya”, I say while pointing to one of the warring areas.

In normal fashion, Gya was in action to find the information moments before I made my request. It takes him a fraction of time before he answers.

“According to the information I found this area is called a continent by the name of North America. The large area is called the United States of American, while this smaller area between the two continents is called Central America. Central America seems to be a zone of non-conflict. The fighting is contained to the larger two continents at the north and south of Central America.”

I point to an area that seems to have an active battle in progress “Increase magnification of this area so that we can observe these creatures in battle.”

As before, Gya-To's fingers flew over the console moments before I spoke to bring the indicated area into focus. On the main screen the battle plays out in front of us and what I witness is pure brutality. The soldiers are using a primitive style weapon that shoots a projectile at the other soldiers. Some sort of flying machine fills the skies dropping smaller objects on large grouping of soldiers. The battle is savage and brutal. I have to wonder how a civilization could have progressed to be so brutal to their own kind. I flinch as the objects suddenly bloom into a bright light, vaporizing the combatants who were in proximity of the explosion.

Even though, from our perspective, the battle is silent, there is no mistaking how truly horrific the battle is raging down on the planet. We can see the wounded withering on the ground in what could only be translated as a great amount of pain for the creature. The dying/dead, are obvious from the missing limbs, even a few cases of an individual cut in half from an explosion that occurred in their close proximity. I feel their pain in my soul, do they even care about the others who share this world with them?

Jade

I hunker down behind the remains of a house. Head on my knees, hands covering my ears trying to drown out the soldier's rifles being fired on either side of me. A few feet away some rockets being launched toward the enemy lines flew by me with loud swooshing sound of the jet motors diving them towards their intended targets. Amazingly, to me, the screams of the wounded are heard above the din of battle. I stay low behind our cement wall, my tan uniform blending into the dust flying in the air around me.

 The white band with a red cross wrapped around my left bicep, identifies me as a medic attached to this infantry unit. There are four other medics with me, one for each platoon, but we can't seem to keep up with all the wounded. There are large number of soldiers lying around us bleeding, with a few on the brink of death, lost limbs litter the battle field.

I crawl towards one man that has just been knocked back as he stood up to fire his rocket. Fortunately for him, he sustained a through and through on his shoulder. Blood is all over his uniform, but it looks worse than it is. I pull a packet contains two thin pads from my med kit. I place one on the entrance and exit wound, pressing the activation button, the two pads foam slightly and fill the wound with blood clotting foam. The foam fills the wound and replaces the missing skin and tissue. I slap his helmet to get his attention and ask “That should be feeling normal in a few moments, get back in there and kill a few sandal wearing monkeys for me.” I give him a smile that quite don’t cover my distress and move on to the next wounded down the line.

The hours of the day seem to fly by as I work endlessly on all of our wounded soldiers. Even though the battle has ended hours ago, it seems like the amount of wounded never ends. Day after day, with only the max of four hours of sleep, I am back here bandaging up those who will live and holding the hands of those who will die. We have so many wounded, my Commander has told us to not even try to save the enemy soldiers anymore. The savageness of this war has started to take to weight heavy on my heart. As a medic I took an oath to do no harm, so to leave the enemy soldiers to die when I can help seems to go against that oath. How do I survive all the death and destruction with my humanity intact?

I see my bunkmate and fellow medic, Raven, coming towards me. We both are covered in dust and blood; it has been one of the worst days so far. “Hey Jade. You look as rough as I feel. We got as many as we could save into the med tents, it's up to the doctors now. Let's go and get cleaned up.”

She offers me a hand to help me rise to my feet. I had stayed with the last soldier on the field to die from our platoon. I couldn’t leave him till the other soldiers arrived to take his body away as Raven came to get me. I am so tired, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. If it wasn’t for Raven, I do not think I could have handled witnessing so much death and destruction. She has been my rock here, the one who listens to my pain. Just as I am hers. 

“Raven this has been one hell of a day. With the orders to not help the wounded enemy soldiers, the screams don’t stop anymore. They don’t seem to be sending anyone over to help them anymore. How can they just let their own people lay there in pain and die alone?” I vent to her as we head back into the neutral zone for a shower, food and sleep. When I finally was able to lay my head down, it had to be around midnight. My next shift would begin in about five hours, so I would once again only get four hours of sleep.

***************

I am pulled from the dreamless sleep brought about by exhaustion when our alarm signals its time to get moving. We only have one hour to dress and eat before we have to meet up with the Commander for our mission brief for today’s activities. with the medic company assigned to the infantry Battalion. The Battalion consist of three infantry companies and E Co, my company, which is the medical detachment for the infantry. There is usually four medics, one per infantry platoon with four platoons per company, that goes out with the soldiers. The doctors and nurses and medical staff stay “safe” on post while us lowly medics accompany the “legs” or infantry.

The bastards, our reason to be in this hell on earth, otherwise known as the South America criminals have a base in the area as well, unlike us though, the soldiers for the dictator/criminal warlord are not here by choice. They fight because they might have a chance to live against us vs. being shot by their Army if they choose not to fight.

As I am getting a clean uniform on, I think about how long this war has gone on. Over five years of constant daily battles and there seems to be no end in sight. Raven hasn’t spoke a word, her normal morning routine. Neither of us can fully function before coffee. I can almost smell the strong brew from here. It feels like this is a full pot day just to keep me on my feet. Opening the door, we both exit to cross over to the mess hall next to the barracks. We can still hear the screams of the wounded enemy soldiers left on the battle field. Their cries bring wetness to my eyes, I refuse to allow the tears to fall. It would do me no good to cry for them, my tears could not help or heal them. 

After some bland eggs and overly crisp bacon with my morning java, we head out to meet up with the other medics to get our daily briefing. After the briefing we head over to the hospital to check in with the doctors and restock our packs. Still no words are spoken, there just doesn’t seem to be anything we can say to lift the exhaustion and misery that permanents the air around us. Balling my hands into fists, I fight the urge to ignore the orders of the Battalion Commander and go help those who need care. I can see that my fellow medics feel the same way. I and them as well I assume, believe the screams will haunt our dreams till the day we die. I glance over to Raven’s face and see my thoughts mirrored on her face as well. It is torture for us to be forced to leave any living creature to suffer alone without any form of care, surely the order to let the enemy die cannot be a lawful order.

The brief was short and to the point, Commander Rise reminded us of our duty to care only for our own wounded. He locked eyes with each and every person in the room as he said this to drive home his order of not giving the enemy wounded soldiers medical aid. Once the Commander leaves the field hospital, everyone quietly begins to add last minute essentials their packs for the day, and then loading the ambulances in preparation for the combat patrol that was happening today. All this was happening as the sound of the wounded enemy moans and screams of pain and pleads for help fell on our ears.

Finally having enough of the sounds of the wounded I determinedly grab my med pack and quickly leave the field hospital. I jump in the driver’s seat of the nearest ambulance and start it up. I sit there for a few moments looking out the windshield. My mind made up I press the peddle to the floor and I speed off towards the area of yesterday’s battle, I just can’t leave them suffer. I am aware that in doing so, I put myself in jeopardy of a court martial, but I feel that I can no longer ignore my oath to care for the wounded, regardless of which side of the battle they come from.

Rya-To

I find myself once again sitting in the command chair watching what is occurring on the surface of the planet. I hasn’t slept at all, the brutality I have witnessed wouldn’t let me rest. I am starting to believe that the inhabitants of this plant are just too brutal to make first contact with. Where was the love, the compassion or even just the desire to help one another? 

Just as I am about to rise and go back to my sleep quarters, I watch as one of the women walk to one of the vehicles and gets in. A few moments later the vehicle speeds off to the sight of the battle that had happened last planetary cycle. I notice that this female of the species carried no weapon, just some sort pack on her back. She stops the vehicle and dismounts; her steps are sure and determine as she heads to the first wounded soldier she finds trying to crawl into her camp for help. I could see by the wounded’s black uniform that he was her enemy and I fully expect for her to brandish a weapon and strike this man dead. 

To my amazement, this is not what happens. The woman with black and pink hair kneels next to the wounded man, opens her pack and begins patch his wounds. I am shocked to see not only compassion on her face but relief. I realize that she feels empathy and compassion towards all the individuals who lived on this planet. Maybe there was hope for them after all.