Star Surgeon Read online

  CHAPTER 3

  THE INQUISITION

  The interview was held in the main council chambers of Hospital Seattle,and Dal could feel the tension the moment he stepped into the room. Helooked at the long semicircular table, and studied the impassive facesof the four-star Physicians across the table from him.

  Each of the major medical services was represented this morning. In thecenter, presiding over the council, was a physician of the WhiteService, a Four-star Radiologist whose insignia gleamed on hisshoulders. There were two physicians each, representing the Red Serviceof Surgery, the Green Service of Medicine, the Blue Service ofDiagnosis, and finally, seated at either end of the table, therepresentatives of the Black Service of Pathology. Black Doctor ThorvoldArnquist sat to Dal's left; he smiled faintly as the young Garvianstepped forward, then busied himself among the papers on the desk beforehim. To Dal's right sat another Black Doctor who was not smiling.

  Dal had seen him before--the chief co-ordinator of medical education onHospital Earth, the "Black Plague" of the medical school jokes. BlackDoctor Hugo Tanner was large and florid of face, blinking owlishly atDal over his heavy horn-rimmed glasses. The glasses were purelydecorative; with modern eye-cultures and transplant techniques, noEarthman had really needed glasses to correct his vision for the pasttwo hundred years, but on Hugo Tanner's angry face they added a look ofgravity and solemnity that the Black Doctor could not achieve withoutthem. Still glaring at Dal, Doctor Tanner leaned over to speak to theBlue Doctor on his right, and they nodded and laughed unpleasantly atsome private joke.

  There was no place for him to sit, so Dal stood before the table, asstraight as his five-foot height would allow him. He had placed Fuzzyalmost defiantly on his shoulder, and from time to time he could feelthe little creature quiver and huddle against his neck as though to hidefrom sight under his collar.

  The White Doctor opened the proceedings, and at first the questions wereentirely medical. "We are meeting to consider this student's applicationfor assignment to a General Practice Patrol ship, as a probationaryphysician in the Red Service of Surgery. I believe you are allacquainted with his educational qualifications?"

  There was an impatient murmur around the table. The White Doctor lookedup at Dal. "Your name, please?"

  "Dal Timgar, sir."

  "Your _full_ name," Black Doctor Tanner rumbled from the right-hand endof the table.

  Dal took a deep breath and began to give his full Garvian name. It wasuntranslatable and unpronounceable to Earthmen, who could not reproducethe sequence of pops and whistles that made up the Garvian tongue. Thedoctors listened, blinking, as the complex family structure andancestry which entered into every Garvian's full name continued to rollfrom Dal's lips. He was entering into the third generation removed ofhis father's lineage when Doctor Tanner held up his hand.

  "All right, all right! We will accept the abbreviated name you have usedon Hospital Earth. Let it be clear on the record that the applicant is anative of the second planet of the Garv system." The Black Doctorsettled back in his chair and began whispering again to the Blue Doctornext to him.

  A Green Doctor cleared his throat. "Doctor Timgar, what do you considerto be the basic principle that underlies the work and services ofphysicians of Hospital Earth?"

  It was an old question, a favorite on freshman medical schoolexaminations. "The principle that environments and life forms in theuniverse may be dissimilar, but that biochemical reactions are universalthroughout creation," Dal said slowly.

  "Well memorized," Black Doctor Tanner said sourly. "What does it mean?"

  "It means that the principles of chemistry, physiology, pathology andthe other life sciences, once understood, can be applied to any livingcreature in the universe, and will be found valid," Dal said. "Asdifferent as the various life forms may be, the basic life processes inone life form are the same, under different conditions, as the lifeprocesses in any other life form, just as hydrogen and oxygen willcombine to form water anywhere in the universe where the proper physicalconditions prevail."

  "Very good, very good," the Green Doctor said. "But tell me this: whatin your opinion is the place of surgery in a Galactic practice ofmedicine?"

  A more difficult question, but one that Dal's training had prepared himwell to answer. He answered it, and faced another question, and another.One by one, the doctors interrogated him, Black Doctor Arnquist amongthem. The questions came faster and faster; some were exceedinglydifficult. Once or twice Dal was stopped cold, and forced to admit thathe did not know the answer. Other questions which he knew would stopother students happened to fall in fields he understood better thanmost, and his answers were full and succinct.

  But finally the questioning tapered off, and the White Doctor shuffledhis papers impatiently. "If there are no further medical questions, wecan move on to another aspect of this student's application. Certainquestions of policy have been raised. Black Doctor Tanner had somethings to say, I believe, as co-ordinator of medical education."

  The Black Doctor rose ponderously to his feet. "I have some things tosay, you can be sure of that," he said, "but they have nothing to dowith this Dal Timgar's educational qualifications for assignment to aGeneral Practice Patrol ship." Black Doctor Tanner paused to glare inDal's direction. "He has been trained in a medical school on HospitalEarth, and apparently has passed his final qualifying examinations forthe Red Service of Surgery. I can't argue about that."

  Black Doctor Arnquist's voice came across the room. "Then why are wehaving his review, Hugo? Dal Timgar's classmates all received theirassignments automatically."

  "Because there are other things to consider here than educationalqualifications," Hugo Tanner said. "Gentlemen, consider our position fora moment. We have thousands of probationary physicians abroad in thegalaxy at the present time, fine young men and women who have beentrained in medical schools on Hospital Earth, and now are gainingexperience and judgment while fulfilling our medical service contractsin every part of the confederation. They are probationers, but we mustnot forget that we physicians of Hospital Earth are also probationers.We are seeking a permanent place in this great Galactic Confederation,which was in existence many thousands of years before we even knew ofits existence. It was not until our own scientists discovered the Koenigstar-drive, enabling us to break free of our own solar system, that wewere met face to face with a confederation of intelligent racesinhabiting the galaxy--among others, the people from whom this same DalTimgar has come."

  "The history is interesting," Black Doctor Arnquist broke in, "butreally, Hugo, I think most of us know it already."

  "Maybe we do," Doctor Tanner said, flushing a little. "But the historyis significant. Permanent membership in the confederation is contingenton two qualifications. First, we must have developed a star-drive of ourown, a qualification of intelligence, if you will. The confederation hasruled that only races having a certain level of intelligence can becomemembers. A star-drive could only be developed with a far-reachingunderstanding of the physical sciences, so this is a valid criterion ofintelligence. But the second qualification for confederation membershipis nothing more nor less than a question of usefulness."

  The presiding White Doctor looked up, frowning. "Usefulness?"

  "Exactly. The Galactic Confederation, with its exchange of ideas andtalents, and all the wealth of civilization it has to offer, is based ona division of labor. Every member must have something to contribute,some special talent. For Earthmen, the talent was obvious very early.Our technology was primitive, our manufacturing skills mediocre, ourtransport and communications systems impossible. But in ourunderstanding of the life sciences, we have far outstripped any otherrace in the galaxy. We had already solved the major problems of diseaseand longevity among our own people, while some of the most advancedraces in the confederation were being reduced to helplessness by cyclicplagues which slaughtered their populations, and were caused by nothingmore complex than a simple parasitic virus. Garv II is an excellentexample."


  One of the Red Doctors cleared his throat. "I'm afraid I don't quite seethe connection. Nobody is arguing about our skill as doctors."

  "Of course not," Black Doctor Tanner said. "The point is that in all thegalaxy, Earthmen are by their very nature the _best_ doctors,outstripping the most advanced physicians on any other planet. And this,gentlemen, is our bargaining point. We are useful to the GalacticConfederation only as physicians. The confederation needed us badlyenough to admit us to probational membership, but if we ever hope tobecome full members of the confederation, we must demonstrate ourusefulness, our unique skill, as physicians. We have worked hard toprove ourselves. We have made Hospital Earth the galactic center ofstudy and treatment of diseases of many races. Earthmen on the GeneralPractice Patrol ships visit planets in the remotest sections, and theirreputation as physicians has grown. Every year new planets are writingfull medical service contracts with us ... as Earthmen serving thegalaxy--"

  "As _physicians_ serving the galaxy," Black Doctor Arnquist's voice shotacross the room.

  "As far as the confederation has been concerned, the two have beensynonymous," Hugo Tanner roared. "_Until now._ But now we have an alienamong us. We have allowed a non-Earthman to train in our medicalschools. He has completed the required work, his qualifications areacceptable, and now he proposes to go out on a patrol ship as aphysician of the Red Service of Surgery. But think of what you are doingif you permit him to go! You will be proving to every planet in theconfederation that they don't really need Earthmen after all, that anyrace from any planet might produce physicians just as capable asEarthmen."

  The Black Doctor turned slowly to face Dal, his mouth set in a grimline. As he talked, his face had grown dark with anger. "Understand thatI have nothing against this creature as an individual. Perhaps he wouldprove to be a competent physician, although I cannot believe it. Perhapshe would carry on the traditions of medical service we have worked solong to establish, although I doubt it. But I do know that if we permithim to become a qualified physician, it will be the beginning of the endfor Hospital Earth. We will be selling out our sole bargaining position.We can forget our hopes for membership in the confederation, because onelike him this year will mean two next year, and ten the next, and therewill be no end to it. We should have stopped it eight years ago, butcertain ones prevailed to admit Dal Timgar to training. If we do notstop it now, for all time, we will never be able to stop it."

  Slowly the Black Doctor sat down, motioning to an orderly at the rear ofthe room. The orderly brought a glass of water and a small capsule whichBlack Doctor Tanner gulped down. The other doctors were talking heatedlyamong themselves as Black Doctor Arnquist rose to his feet. "Then youare claiming that our highest calling is to keep medicine in the handsof Earthmen alone?" he asked softly.

  Doctor Tanner flushed. "Our highest calling is to provide good medicalcare for our patients," he said.

  "The best possible medical care?"

  "I never said otherwise."

  "And yet you deny the ancient tradition that a physician's duty is tohelp his patients help themselves," Black Doctor Arnquist said.

  "I said no such thing!" Hugo Tanner cried, jumping to his feet. "But wemust protect ourselves. We have no other power, nothing else to sell."

  "And I say that if we must sell our medical skill for our own benefitfirst, then we are not worthy to be physicians to anyone," DoctorArnquist snapped. "You make a very convincing case, but if we examine itclosely, we see that it amounts to nothing but fear and selfishness."

  "Fear?" Doctor Tanner cried. "What do we have to fear if we can maintainour position? But if we must yield to a Garvian who has no business inmedicine in the first place, what can we have left but fear?"

  "If I were really convinced that Earthmen were the best physicians inthe galaxy," Black Doctor Arnquist replied, "I don't think I'd have tobe afraid."

  The Black Doctor at the end of the table stood up, shaking with rage."Listen to him!" he cried to the others. "Once again he is defendingthis creature and turning his back on common sense. All I ask is that wekeep our skills among our own people and avoid the contamination thatwill surely result--"

  Doctor Tanner broke off, his face suddenly white. He coughed, clutchingat his chest, and sank down groping for his medicine box and the waterglass. After a moment he caught his breath and shook his head. "There'snothing more I can say," he said weakly. "I have done what I could, andthe decision is up to the rest of you." He coughed again, and slowly thecolor came back into his face. The Blue Doctor had risen to help him,but Tanner waved him aside. "No, no, it's nothing. I allowed myself tobecome angry."

  Black Doctor Arnquist spread his hands. "Under the circumstances, Iwon't belabor the point," he said, "although I think it would be good ifDoctor Tanner would pause in his activities long enough for the surgerythat would make his anger less dangerous to his own life. But herepresents a view, and his right to state it is beyond reproach." DoctorArnquist looked from face to face along the council table. "The decisionis yours, gentlemen, I would ask only that you consider what our highestcalling as physicians really is--a duty that overrides fear andselfishness. I believe Dal Timgar would be a good physician, and thatthis is more important than the planet of his origin. I think he woulduphold the honor of Hospital Earth wherever he went, and give us hisloyalty as well as his service. I will vote to accept his application,and thus cancel out my colleague's negative vote. The deciding voteswill be cast by the rest of you."

  He sat down, and the White Doctor looked at Dal Timgar. "It would begood if you would wait outside," he said. "We will call you as soon as adecision is reached."

  * * * * *

  Dal waited in an anteroom, feeding Fuzzy and trying to put out of hismind for a moment the heated argument still raging in the councilchamber. Fuzzy was quivering with fright; unable to speak, the tinycreature nevertheless clearly experienced emotions, even though Dalhimself did not know how he received impressions, nor why.

  But Dal knew that there was a connection between the tiny pinkcreature's emotions and the peculiar talent that Black Doctor Arnquisthad spoken of the night before. It was not a telepathic power that Daland his people possessed. Just _what_ it was, was difficult to define,yet Dal knew that every Garvian depended upon it to some extent indealing with people around him. He knew that when Fuzzy was sitting onhis arm he could sense the emotions of those around him--the anger, thefear, the happiness, the suspicion--and he knew that under certaincircumstances, in a way he did not clearly understand, he could wilfullychange the feelings of others toward himself. Not a great deal, perhaps,nor in any specific way, but just enough to make them look upon him andhis wishes more favorably than they otherwise might.

  Throughout his years on Hospital Earth he had vigilantly avoided usingthis strange talent. Already he was different enough from Earthmen inappearance, in ways of thinking, in likes and dislikes. But thesedifferences were not advantages, and he had realized that if hisclassmates had ever dreamed of the advantage that he had, minor as itwas, his hopes of becoming a physician would have been destroyedcompletely.

  And in the council room he had kept his word to Doctor Arnquist. He hadfelt Fuzzy quivering on his shoulder; he had sensed the bitter anger inBlack Doctor Tanner's mind, and the temptation deliberately to mellowthat anger had been almost overwhelming, but he had turned it aside. Hehad answered questions that were asked him, and listened to the debatewith a growing sense of hopelessness.

  And now the chance was gone. The decision was being made.

  He paced the floor, trying to remember the expressions of the otherdoctors, trying to remember what had been said, how many had seemedfriendly and how many hostile, but he knew that only intensified thetorture. There was nothing he could do now but wait.

  At last the door opened, and an orderly nodded to him. Dal felt his legstremble as he walked into the room and faced the semi-circle of doctors.He tried to read the answer on their faces, but even Black DoctorArnq
uist sat impassively, doodling on the pad before him, refusing tomeet Dal's eyes.

  The White Doctor took up a sheet of paper. "We have considered yourapplication, and have reached a decision. You will be happy to know thatyour application for assignment has been tentatively accepted."

  Dal heard the words, and it seemed as though the room were spinningaround him. He wanted to shout for joy and throw his arms around BlackDoctor Arnquist, but he stood perfectly still, and suddenly he noticedthat Fuzzy was very quiet on his shoulder.

  "You will understand that this acceptance is not irrevocable," the WhiteDoctor went on. "We are not willing to guarantee your ultimateacceptance as a fully qualified Star Surgeon at this point. You will beallowed to wear a collar and cuff, uniform and insignia of aprobationary physician, in the Red Service, and will be assigned aboardthe General Practice Patrol ship _Lancet_, leaving from Hospital Seattlenext Tuesday. If you prove your ability in that post, your performancewill once again be reviewed by this board, but you alone will determineour decision then. Your final acceptance as a Star Surgeon will dependentirely upon your conduct as a member of the patrol ship's crew." Hesmiled at Dal, and set the paper down. "The council wishes you well. Doyou have any questions?"

  "Just one," Dal managed to say. "Who will my crewmates be?"

  "As is customary, a probationer from the Green Service of Medicine andone from the Blue Service of Diagnosis. Both have been speciallyselected by this council. Your Blue Doctor will be Jack Alvarez, who hasshown great promise in his training in diagnostic medicine."

  "And the Green Doctor?"

  "A young man named Frank Martin," the White Doctor said. "Known to hisfriends, I believe, as 'Tiger.'"