by Isaac Asimov
It was, and they had. The complicated dot-dash system that over a period of twenty-five years had been laboriously developed by the beings of Jupiter and the Earthmen of Ganymede into a remarkably flexible means of communication was finally being put into practice at close range.
One Jovian remained in the forefront now, the others having fallen back. It was he that was speaking. The clicking said, 'Where are you from?'
ZZ Three, as the most mentally advanced, naturally assumed spokesmanship for the robot group. 'We are from Jupiter's satellite, Ganymede.'
The Jovian continued, 'What do you want?'
'Information. We have come to study your world and to bring back our findings. If we could have your cooperation———'
The Jovian clicking interrupted. 'You must be destroyed !'
ZZ Three paused and said in a thoughtful aside to his two companions, 'Exactly the attitude the human masters said they would take. They are very unusual.'
Returning to his clicking, he asked simply, 'Why?'
The Jovian evidently considered certain questions too obnoxious to be answered. He said, 'If you leave within a single period of revolution, we will spare you-—until such time as we emerge from our world to destroy the un-Jovian vermin of Ganymede.'
'I would like to point out,' said Three, 'that we of Ganymede and the inner planets———'
The Jovian interrupted, 'Our astronomy knows of the Sun and of our four satellites. There are no inner planets.'
Three conceded the point wearily, 'We of Ganymede, then. We have no designs on Jupiter. We're prepared to offer friendship. For twenty-five years your people communicated freely with the human beings of Ganymede. Is there any reason to make sudden war upon the humans?'
'For twenty-five years,' was the cold response, 'we assumed the inhabitants of Ganymede to be Jovians. When we found out they were not, and that we had been treating lower animals on the scale of Jovian intelligences, we were bound to take steps to wipe out the dishonor.'
Slowly and forcefully he finished, 'We of Jupiter will suffer the existence of no vermin!'
The Jovian was backing away in some fashion, tacking against the wind, and the interview was evidently over.
The robots retreated inside the ship.
ZZ Two said, 'It looks bad, doesn't it?' He continued thoughtfully, 'It is as the human masters said. They possess an ultimately developed superiority complex, combined with an extreme intolerance for anyone or anything that disturbs that complex.'
'The intolerance,' observed Three, 'is the natural consequence of the complex. The trouble is that their intolerance has teeth in it. They have weapons—and their science is great'
'I am not surprised now,' burst out ZZ One, 'that we were specifically instructed to disregard Jovian orders. They are horrible, intolerant, pseudo-superior beings!' He added emphatically, with robotical loyalty and faith, 'No human master could ever be like that.'
'That, though true, is beside the point,' said Three. 'The fact remains that the human masters are in terrible danger. This is a gigantic world and these Jovians are greater in numbers and resources by a hundred times or more than the humans of the entire Terrestrial Empire. If they can ever develop the force field to the point where they can use it as a spaceship hull—as the human masters have already done —they will overrun the system at will. The question remains as to how far they have advanced in that direction, what other weapons they have, what preparations they are making, and so on. To return with that information is our function, of course, and we had better decide on our next step.'
'It may be difficult,' said Two. 'The Jovians won't help us.' Which, at the moment, was rather an understatement.
Three thought awhile. 'It seems to me that we need only wait,' he observed. 'They have tried to destroy us for thirty hours now and haven't succeeded. Certainly they have done their best. Now a superiority complex always involves the eternal necessity of saving face, and the ultimatum given us proves it in this case. They would never allow us to leave if they could destroy us. But if we don't leave, then rather than admit they cannot force us away, they will surely pretend that they are willing, for their own purposes, to have us stay.'
Once again they waited. The day passed. The weapon barrage did not resume. The robots did not leave. The bluff was called. And now the robots faced the Jovian radio-code expert once again.
If the ZZ models had been equipped with a sense of humor, they would have enjoyed themselves immensely. As it was, they felt merely a solemn sense of satisfaction.
The Jovian said, 'It has been our decision that you will be allowed to remain for a very short time, so that you see our power for yourself. You shall then return to Ganymede to inform your companion vermin of the disastrous end to which they will unfailingly come within a solar revolution.'
ZZ One made a mental note that a Jovian revolution took twelve earthly years.
Three replied casually, 'Thank you. May we accompany you to the nearest town? There are many things we would like to learn.' He added as an afterthought, 'Our ship is not to be touched, of course.'
He said this as a request, not as a threat, for no ZZ model was ever pugnacious. All capacity for even the slightest annoyance had been carefully barred in their construction. With robots as vastly powerful as the ZZ's, unfailing good temper was essential for safety during the years of testing on Earth.
The Jovian said, 'We are not interested in your verminous ship. No Jovian will pollute himself by approaching it. You may accompany us, but you must on no account approach closer than ten feet to any Jovian, or you will be instantly destroyed.'
'Stuck up, aren't they?' observed Two in a genial whisper, as they plowed into the wind.
The town was a port on the shores of an incredible ammonia lake. The external wind whipped furious, frothy waves that shot across the liquid surface at the hectic rate enforced by the gravity. The port itself was neither large nor impressive and it seemed fairly evident that most of the construction was underground.
'What is the population of this place?' asked Three.
The Jovian replied, 'It is a small town of ten million.'
'I see. Make a note of that, One.'
ZZ One did so mechanically, and then turned once more to the lake, at which he had been staring in fascination. He pulled at Three's elbow. 'Say, do you suppose they have fish here?'
'What difference does it make?'
'I think we ought to know. The human masters ordered us to find out everything we could.' Of the robots, One was the simplest and, consequently, the one who took orders in the most literal fashion.
Two said, 'Let One go and look if he likes. It won't do any harm if we let the kid have his fun.'
'All right. There's no real objection if he doesn't waste his time. Fish aren't what we came for—but go ahead, One.'
ZZ One made off in great excitement and slogged rapidly down the beach, plunging into the ammonia with a splash. The Jovians watched attentively. They had understood none of the previous conversation, of course.
The radio code expert clicked out, 'It is apparent that your companion has decided to abandon life in despair at our greatness.'
Three said in surprise, 'Nothing of the sort. He wants to investigate the living organisms, if any, that live in the ammonia.' He added apologetically, 'Our friend is very curious at times, and he isn't quite as bright as we are, though that is only his misfortune. We understand that and try to humor him whenever we can.'
There was a long pause, and the Jovian observed, 'He will drown.'
Three replied casually, 'No danger of that. We don't drown. May we enter the town as soon as he returns?'
At that moment there was a spurt of liquid several hundred feet out in the lake. It sprayed upward wildly and then hurtled down in a wind-driven mist. Another spurt and another, then a wild white foaming that formed a trail toward shore, gradually quieting as it approached.
The two robots watched this in amaze
ment, and the utter lack of motion on the part of the Jovians indicated that they were watching as well.
Then the head of ZZ One broke the surface and he made his slow way out on to dry land. But something followed him! Some organism of gigantic size that seemed nothing but fangs, claws, and spines. Then they saw that it wasn't following him under its own power, but was being dragged across the beach by ZZ One. There was a significant flabbiness about it.
ZZ One approached rather timidly and took communication into his own hands. He tapped out a message to the Jovian in agitated fashion. 'I am very sorry this happened, but the thing attacked me. I was merely taking notes on it. It is not a valuable creature, I hope.'
He was not answered immediately, for at the first appearance of the monster there had been a wild break in the Jovian ranks. These reformed slowly, and cautious observation having proven the creature to be indeed dead, order was restored. Some of the bolder were curiously prodding the body.
ZZ Three said humbly, 'I hope you will pardon our friend. He is sometimes clumsy. We have absolutely no intention of harming any Jovian creature.'
'He attacked me,' explained One. 'He bit at me without provocation. See!' And he displayed a two-foot fang that ended in a jagged break. 'He broke it on my shoulder and almost left a scratch. I just slapped it a bit to send it away—and it died. I'm sorry!'
The Jovian finally spoke, and his code clicking was a rather stuttery affair. 'It is a wild creature, rarely found so close to shore, but the lake is deep just here.'
Three said, still anxiously, 'If you can use it for food, we are only too glad———'
'No. We can get food for ourselves without the help of verm—without the help of others. Eat it yourselves.'
At that ZZ One heaved the creature up and back into the sea, with an easy motion of one arm. Three said casually, 'Thank you for your kind offer, but we have no use for food. We don't eat, of course.'
Escorted by two hundred or so armed Jovians, the robots passed down a series of ramps into the underground city. If, above the surface, the city had looked small and unimpressive, then from beneath it took on the appearance of a vast megalopolis.
They were ushered into ground cars that were operated by remote control—for no honest, self-respecting Jovian would risk his superiority by placing himself in the same car with vermin—and driven at frightful speed to the center of the town. They saw enough to decide that it extended fifty miles from end to end and reached downward into Jupiter's crust at least eight miles.
ZZ Two did not sound happy as he said, 'If this is a sample of Jovian development then we shall not have a hopeful report to bring back to the human masters. After all, we landed on the vast surface of Jupiter at random, with the chances a thousand to one against coming near any really concentrated center of population. This must be, as the code expert says, a mere town.'
'Ten million Jovians,' said Three abstractedly. 'Total population must be in the trillions, which is high, very high, even for Jupiter. They probably have a completely urban civilization, which means that their scientific development must be tremendous. If they have force fields———'
Three had no neck, for in the interest of strength the heads of the ZZ models were riveted firmly onto the torso, with the delicate positronic brains protected by three separate layers in inch-thick iridium alloy. But if he had had one, he would have shaken his head dolefully.
They had stopped now in a cleared space. Everywhere about them they could see avenues and structures crowded with Jovians, as curious as any terrestrial crowd would have been in similar circumstances.
The code expert approached. 'It is time now for me to retire until the next period of activity. We have gone so far as to arrange quarters for you at great inconvenience to ourselves for, of course, the structure will have to be pulled down and rebuilt afterward. Nevertheless, you will be allowed to sleep for a space.'
ZZ Three waved an arm in deprecation and tapped out, 'We thank you but you must not trouble yourself. We don't mind remaining right here. If you want to sleep and rest, by all means do. We'll wait for you. As for us,' casually, 'we don't sleep.'
The Jovian said nothing, though if it had had a face, the expression upon it might have been interesting. It left, and the robots remained in the car, with squads of well-armed Jovians, frequently replaced, surrounding them as guards.
It was hours before the ranks of those guards parted to allow the code expert to return. Along with him were other Jovians, whom he introduced.
'There are with me two officials of the central government who have graciously consented to speak with you.'
One of the officials evidently knew the code, for his clicking interrupted the code expert sharply. He addressed the robots, 'Vermin! Emerge from the ground car that we may look at you.'
The robots were only too willing to comply, so while Three and Two vaulted over the right side of the car, ZZ One dashed through the left side. The word through is used advisedly, for since he neglected to work the mechanism that lowered a section of side so that one might exit, he carried that side, plus two wheels and an axle, along with him. The car collapsed, and ZZ One stood staring at the ruins in embarrassed silence.
At last he clicked out gently, 'I'm very sorry. I hope it wasn't an expensive car.'
ZZ Two added apologetically, 'Our companion is often clumsy. You must excuse him,' and ZZ Three made a halfhearted attempt to put the car back together again.
ZZ One made another effort to excuse himself. 'The material of the car was rather flimsy. You see?' He lifted a square-yard sheet of three-inch-thick, metal-hard plastic in both hands and exerted a bit of pressure. The sheet promptly snapped in two. 'I should have made allowances,' he admitted.
The Jovian government official said in slightly less sharp fashion, 'The car would have had to be destroyed anyway, after being polluted by your presence.' He paused, then, 'Creatures! We Jovians lack vulgar curiosity concerning lower animals, but our scientists seek facts.'
'We're right with you,' replied Thiee cheerfully. 'So do we.'
The Jovian ignored him. 'You lack the mass-sensitive organ, apparently. How is it that you are aware of distant objects?'
Three grew interested. 'Do you mean your people are directly sensitive to mass?'
'I am not here to answer your questions—your impudent questions—about us.'
'I take it then that objects of low specific mass would be transparent to you, even in the absence of radiation.' He turned to Two, 'That's how they see. Their atmosphere is as transparent as space to them.'
The Jovian clicking began once more, 'You will answer my first question immediately, or my patience will end and I will order you destroyed.'
Three said at once, 'We are energy-sensitive, Jovian. We can adjust ourselves to the entire electromagnetic scale at will. At present, our long-distance sight is due to radio-wave radiation that we emit ourselves, and at close range we see by———' He paused, and said to Two, 'There isn't any code word for gamma ray, is there?'
'Not that I know of,' Two answered.
Three continued to the Jovian, 'At close range we see by other radiation for which there is no code word.'
'Of what is your body composed?' demanded the Jovian.
Two whispered, 'He probably asks that because his mass sensitivity can't penetrate past our skin. High density, you know. Ought we to tell him?'
Three replied uncertainly, 'Our human masters didn't particularly say we were to keep anything secret.' In radio code, to the Jovian he said, 'We are mostly iridium. For the rest, copper, tin," a little beryllium, and a scattering of other substances.'
The Jovians fell back and by the obscure writhing of various portions of their thoroughly indescribable bodies gave the impression mat they were in animated conversation, although they made no sound.
And then the official returned. 'Beings of Ganymede! It has been decided to show you through some of our factories that we may exhibit a tiny part of our great
achievements. We will then allow you to return so that you may spread despair among the other verm—the other beings of the outer world.'
Three said to Two, 'Note the effect of their psychology. They must hammer home their superiority. It's still a matter of saving face.' And in radio code, 'We thank you for the opportunity.'
But the face saving was efficient, as the robots realized soon enough. The demonstration became a tour, and the tour a Grand Exhibition. The Jovians displayed everything, explained everything, answered all questions eagerly, and ZZ One made hundreds of despairing notes.
The war potential of that single so-called unimportant town was greater by several times than that of all Ganymede. Ten more such towns would outproduce all the Terrestrial Empire. Yet ten more such towns would not be the fingernail fragment of the strength all Jupiter must be able to exert.
Three turned as One nudged him. 'What is it?'
ZZ One said seriously, 'If they have force fields, the human masters are lost, aren't they?'
'I'm afraid so. Why do you ask?'
'Because the Jovians aren't showing us through the right wing of this factory. It might be that force fields are being developed there. They would be wanting to keep it secret if they were. We'd better find out. It's the main point, you know.'
Three regarded One somberly. 'Perhaps you're right. It's no use ignoring anything.'
They were in a huge steel mill now, watching hundred-foot beams of ammonia-resistant silicon-steel alloy being turned out twenty to the second. Three asked quietly, 'What does that wing contain?'
The government official inquired of those in charge of the factory and explained, 'That is the section of great heat. Various processes require huge temperatures which life cannot bear, and they must all be handled indirectly.'
He led the way to a partition from which heat could be felt to radiate and indicated a small, round area of transparent material. It was one of a row of such, through which the foggy red light of lines of glowing forges could be made out through the soupy atmosphere.
