Their name is Dr. Cajo Tehinjhm, and they are striving to change the universe. Their past has taken them from one side of the galaxy to the other in search of something. Very little happens on Perdu, so their time there was meant to be uneventful. So hearing a young Human shouting about Pturllel at a small bar in Gefunden caught the doctor by surprise but was exactly what they sought.
***
“You were raised at a Laurel mission? Are you an Ethiek then?” asked Cajo.
Joe shook his head. “No, but they make a lot of sense.”
“Not many Humans think so,” chuckled Cajo in a liquidy voice.
Joe looked at all the objects on the shelves as he told the doctor about his time on Pturllel. Cajo’s place was filled with books, equipment, and jars. One jar sitting on a shelf in front of several books had what looked like a miniature cow with a tail twice as long as its body inside. Was it real? Joe wasn’t sure why the doctor would even have it. Many things like that piqued Joe’s interest around the room.
“What is all this?” asked Joe, motioning at the jars.
“Artifacts from all over the galaxy. I find it fascinating how different and similar they all are,” said Cajo. “I study them to learn as much as I can about each planet I visit.”
“You know I’m a Human and from Pturllel, so what about you?” said Joe.
“I’m a Hermcian,” said Cajo with a grin creasing their slug-like face. “You haven’t seen too many of us since we’re too busy fighting each other.”
“Have you been to many planets?”
“Many. Each as interesting as the last.”
“Like Pturllel?”
“Like Pturllel.”
“Where did you live on Pturllel?” asked Joe as he took a seat on the couch across from the doctor.
Cajo paused for a moment and appeared to be collecting his thoughts.
“I was a settler that brought Pturllel into existence,” said the doctor.
Joe’s eyes grew wide. The Sisters greatly admired and talked highly about the settlers and their desires for Pturllel, even after the three invading forces carved it up. Living history sat across from Joe. He didn’t know how to react or respond. He could only think of Sister Gotuh’s surprised reaction if she was here now.
The silence hung in the air for several moments as both beings processed the other’s reactions.
“At the bar, you called Pturllel a utopia,” continued Cajo to break the silence.
“Yeah,” said Joe with a nod.
“Utopia is defined as paradise--a perfect world. That was our goal on Pturllel, yes. My homeworld, Hermcial, is far from perfect. We fight over everything. Our history is full of great wars and grand advancements in technology to wage them. We found new ways to kill each other, and the death toll always mounted.
“I didn’t like it. I watched my parents burn. I watched my lovers get shot. I watched my friends crash and be immediately executed by the enemy. I became cold and distant. I fought to survive and killed as many as I lost. We never got anywhere. Only more death.
“But our wars always ended for a time to create a new generation to fight the next war. I helped contribute during the truces as I believed in the peace that came with them. But the wars always resumed. I learned of my children’s deaths each week, and I became even colder.”
Joe slumped in his seat, but his gaze never left Cajo.
“And then I escaped. Outsiders always profited from our wars, and I’d met many different beings in that time. That’s where my interest in others came from, and it ignited a fire in me to learn more. I studied biology, but I was also a student of culture. I wanted to know everything. And then I was given the chance to leave Hermcial and study abroad. I have never returned to Hermcial since I have no family left behind and so many new worlds to explore.”
Cajo paused to grab a drink from the stand next to their chair. They took a long sip from the glass and kept it in their hand as their arm came back down to sit on the armrest. Cajo let out a heavy sigh, and they looked up to see Joe still paying close attention to them. A small smile appeared on Cajo’s face again.
“I excelled with my studies and traveled from one world to the next. New opportunities to learn kept popping up, and I soon realized others were as interested in learning about me as I was about them. I went to special conferences, exclusive retreats, and even state functions. Galactic politics drew my attention as well, but I was always quickly reminded of home.”
“Because of war?” spoke up Joe.
“And the loss of life as a result, yes,” said Cajo.
Cajo took another long sip from their glass.
“I began to study medicine more after those engagements, and I also spent an increasing amount of time discussing philosophy with others. That’s how I eventually crossed paths with Ethieks. All of these discussions led to new understandings for existence. I became friends with several ignored politicians, spiritual leaders, and moral philosophers. We got together on many occasions to share our thoughts and help each other out in achieving long-term goals for peace. On more than one occasion, someone would suggest establishing our own world away from galactic politics as an experiment, but it was always nothing more than a chuckle over late night drinks. That is, until dee four-six-seven dash two-seven-six.”
D467-276? Joe didn’t know what the date meant. He thought back to his history classes for several moments, at least the ones that had piqued his interest back then, but he couldn’t place the date. Cajo could see Joe’s struggle.
“That’s when the late night joke became a serious discussion. It would take over two more decades before everything was in place to settle Pturllel on dee four-nine-three dash one hundred. Probably four hundred of us settled at first, but our numbers soon swelled. Funny, isn’t it? You offer people the means to a better life, and not only do they come for it, they make you and themselves better in the process. Very few in existence can foresee those long-term effects.
“Everyone who came had ideas for what would make Pturllel work. Let me tell you, some of those discussions were…passionate. So many, including myself, thought this wasn’t going to work at times. But cooler heads prevailed. A good night’s rest always helps me reset my system. And we all wanted this to work. We needed it to work. Like I said, for others as much as for ourselves. Progress was made.”
Cajo paused and looked down at the floor with a long sigh. Joe wanted the doctor to continue and was about to speak up when he realized the doctor was struggling with something. Instead, Joe remained silent, hoping the doctor would continue soon.
The doctor looked up and made eye contact with Joe. Cajo allowed a small smile for a moment as they saw the young Human’s interest.
“Not everything worked out, though. Some just have goals that won’t yield to any alternatives. We did lose some. Some who were considered close friends.” Cajo paused again. “But Pturllel continued. Pturllel grew. And–”
“Pturllel worked,” said Joe.
Cajo chuckled. “And Pturllel worked. I learned so much, and so did so many others. I would leave every now and then to help advance Pturllel’s interests abroad. I did it several times, I don’t remember how many exactly. But I left for the last time on dee five-four-three dash three-oh-two.”
“The invasion...,” said Joe, who’s eyes grew wide once more when he recognized the year.
“Dee five-four-three dash three-two-six, yes,” said Cajo with vacant eyes. “All I could do was watch it play out through newscasts. The worst days of my life, because I could do nothing as I watched us lose it all. Not just for Pturllel, but for the universe itself.”
Cajo paused again and took a deep breath. They soon were sipping from their drink again. And then Cajo began to sob. Cajo looked down as their emotions got the better of them.
Joe felt his heart sink. Any being should recognize sorrow and loss in another. Those same feelings were all Joe had felt since being removed from Pturllel. After learning the planet had been destroyed, rage had replaced them and consumed Joe. That rage hadn’t shown any sign of stopping until Cajo had stopped Joe in the rain. Cajo had said the planet might be gone, but as a settler with this emotional reaction, Joe knew that Pturllel still lived inside Cajo. A strong sense of justice began to swell inside of Joe.
Cajo slowed and soon stopped their sobbing. They put their drink down and looked back up at Joe.
“I miss it so much, Joe,” said Cajo. “How I wish I could see it one more time.”
“You can,” said Joe firmly.
Cajo paused. The doctor looked puzzled as they looked at Joe, but Joe no longer felt any confusion. In fact, Joe had never felt more confident in his life, and he wanted to be sure the doctor could see that. Joe stood up.
“We can remake Pturllel. We know what they did to destroy Pturllel. We’ll avenge Pturllel and rebuild it. So many beings made their way there once. I know they’ll come again.”
“Joe…,” said Cajo.
“What you wanted Pturllel to be did exist. I spent the first year of my life living in it. Everyday during the occupation, the sisters talked about it. They would always share with us the dream that utopia would return. You know what they meant. You were there, too. You settled it! We can avenge the planet and remake it, and that will restore your dream--their dream! And we’ll remind the universe that utopia can exist. That’s your dream, right?”
Cajo listened to Joe when they failed to get a word in. But now Joe wanted an answer. Cajo chuckled for a moment and then became quiet. They looked up at Joe and saw the fire burning in the Human’s eye. Cajo once again took a deep breath.
“I have seen my world die twice. First, my family on my homeworld, and then my family on Pturllel. I had lost my optimism. I had lost my drive. But I never lost my hope. That hope fueled my research, even if it progressed at a crawl. I fine-tuned it, perfected it, and then I found myself here, unaware that what I searched for would walk into a small bar and reflect that same drive and desire that shaped Pturllel.
“And that’s where we find ourselves now, mister Joe Steel of Pturllel,” continued Cajo as they stood up, too. “We can make Pturllel live again, but it won’t come from either of us seeking vengeance against those who destroyed it.”
“If they aren’t punished, they’ll destroy it again,” said Joe.
“Someone will always want to destroy what others build.”
“Then we’ll defend it and never let it be destroyed again.”
Cajo and Joe stared at each other, both testing the other’s resolve. Cajo looked away first with a smile.
“You are what we hoped Pturllel would create, Joe. I see it clearly now. I have something for you. Something that will help you get exactly what you want here on Perdu, but you need to tell me something: what is your goal for joining the Human military?”
“To recreate Pturllel, so it can be the utopia it was meant to be.”