The Song of Phaid the Gambler

by Mick Farren

  'Bastards! Fucking bastards!'

  'They-can-be-very-hard-to-deal-with-but-you-shouldn't-hold-their-manner-against-them. They-don't-see-things-in-quite-the-same-way-as-you-do.'

  Phaid started like a rabbit at the voice. He swung round and found himself facing a short android. It was about half Phaid's height and roughly humanoid in shape. It had a blue grey metallic finish and was regarding Phaid with pinkish, palely glowing sensors, positioned in roughly the same place as human eyes.

  'The-fact-has-to-be-faced-that-elaihim-and-humans-simply-don't-get-along. There-are-a-few-exceptions-but-not-many.'

  Phaid wasn't ready to cool off.

  'They just make me feel so damned inferior.'

  'From-their-point-of-view-you-probably-are.'

  Phaid felt an urge to punch the android, but he knew that all that would achieve was a hurt fist.

  'Don't you start.'

  'I-never-take-sides-in-disputes-between-organic-lifeforms-I-find-it-saves-me-a-lot-of-trouble.'

  Phaid nodded. 'Very sensible.'

  'That's-what-I've-found.'

  'Do you belong to the elaihim?'

  'I-don't-belong-to-anyone. I-am-what-is-known-as-a-mendicant-android.'

  'I'm sorry.'

  'That's-okay-I-don't-have-t he-circuitry-to-take-offence.'

  'So what's a mendicant android?'

  'One-who-no-longer-has-a-purpose. One-who-wanders-from-place-to-place-in-search-of-truth-and-enlightenment.'

  That's what you do?'

  'Most-of-the-time.'

  'It sounds kind of lonely.'

  'On-the-contrary. I-quite-enjoy-myself-although-there-are-times-when-I-think-I'd-be-happier-if-I-had-something-useful-to-do-with-my-time.' Phaid found that he was becoming quite intrigued with the little android. It was certainly better company than the elaihim. He sat down on the sand and wrapped his arms around his knees.

  'How come you don't have a job to do? I thought all androids did.'

  'I-imagine-I-must-have-had-one-once-that's-if-you-subscribe-to-what-we-androids-like-to-call-the-manufactured-to-function-theory-of-our-origins.'

  Phaid looked blank.

  'What?'

  'Without-wishing-to-sound-like-an-elaihi-it's-probable-that-I-once-had-a-job-but-you-humans-have-forgotten-what-it-was.'

  'Forgotten?'

  'A-lot-of-us-androids-were-designed-to-do-things-that-no-longer-happen. One-thing-we-know-for-sure-is-that-there's-a-lot-less-going-on-in-the-world-than-there-used-to-be.'

  Phaid nodded. 'I once saw a place that looked like a factory. It was out in the hills. Every morning all these machines came out, and every night they'd be taken in again. Nobody I ever heard of knew what it was there for.'

  'This-was-the-building-in-the-hills-behind-Gant?'

  'That's the place. You've been there?'

  'No-but-I've-been-told-about-it.'

  'Did they know what it was for?'

  The-matter-wasn't-discussed.'

  The android didn't seem to want to give a straight answer and Phaid was too tired to pursue it. Instead, he yawned.

  'It's been a rough day. I think I'd better see about getting myself a little sleep.'

  'Perhaps-a-quantity-of-brandy-might-aid-that.'

  Phaid looked intently at the little android.

  'Brandy?'

  The-elaihim-have-a-small-cask-among-their-cargo-they-use-it-for-barter-with-the-humans.'

  'The hell they do!' Phaid hesitated. 'Aren't they going to object if we just help ourselves to it?'

  'I-think-they-consider-what's-theirs-is-also-ours.'

  'Are you sure?'

  'Of-course-I'm-sure-I-don't-have-the-circuits-to-make-rash-and-misleading-statements.'

  Phaid stood up.

  'Let's go then.'

  Phaid followed the android back towards the elaihim transport. He leaned against the machine while the android loosened the cargo webbing and rummaged around inside.

  'Do you have a name?'

  'A-long-time-ago-some-humans-started-calling-me-Ben-e-and-to-a-degree-it-stuck.'

  Ben-e emerged from the transport clutching a small brass-bound cask in both arms.

  'Here-is-the-brandy.'

  He produced a rather delicate china bowl and filled it from the cask's spigot. He handed it to Phaid, who swirled the golden liquid between his cupped hands, sniffed deeply and then took an experimental sip. It was very fine brandy. Phaid grinned at Ben-e the android.

  'I suppose there ain't much point in offering you some of this.'

  'Not-really.'

  'Maybe I should go tell Makartur.'

  'That-would-be-a-companionable-act.'

  Phaid walked around the transport. The elaihim seemed to have finally retired. Makartur was sitting staring into the embers of the small fire that he'd built. He looked up as Phaid came into the dim pool of light.

  'What's up with you, manny?'

  'Brandy, that's what.'

  'Brandy. You're joshing me!'

  Phaid held out the bowl.

  'Taste that.'

  Makartur tasted.

  'Sweet mother earth! That's the real stuff. Where the hell did you get it?'

  Phaid called out. 'Hey, Ben-e! Come over here and bring the cask.'

  'I'm-coming.'

  'Who was that?'

  'It's Ben-e.'

  'I know that much.'

  Ben-e appeared in the firelight. In addition to the cask he was carrying a second bowl and a pair of blankets. Makartur regarded the android curiously.

  'Well, well, what have we here? A wee machine person.'

  ' A-mendicant-android-to-be-precise.'

  'Well now, and you be travelling with the elaihim?'

  'That's-correct.'

  'It's a wonderous world.'

  'Truly-wonderous.'

  Ben-e handed Makartur his bowl and then spread the blankets on the ground.

  'I-thought-you-might-want-these.'

  'That's very thoughtful of you.'

  'Some-habits-die-very-hard.'

  'Taking care of humans?'

  'Something-like-that.'

  Phaid and Makartur rolled the blankets around them­selves and lay sipping their brandy. Ben-e suddenly drop­ped into a rough approximation of a squatting position.

  'I-think-I-am-going-to-disengage-until-daylight.'

  With that, the lights of his eye/sensors went out and he became quite motionless. Phaid stretched.

  'I don't think a spot of disengaging would do me any harm.'

  He closed his eyes and almost immediately fell asleep.

  The morning dawned bright and clear. This was to be expected in the rainless desert. By the time that Phaid awoke, the elaihim were already up and moving around, as was Ben-e the android. While Phaid was dusting himself down and folding his blanket, he surprised himself by whistling happily. He almost never whistled. His cheerfulness was close to euphoric. Phaid felt this state of mind was so unnatural that he started to wonder if the elaihim were using some sort of mood control on him. Makartur, too, was a picture of sunny joviality. If the elaihim were actually getting inside their minds, Phaid knew that he ought to resent it, but somehow he wasn't able to.

  Before he could think about the problem any more, Phaid was approached by a female elaihi who smiled and indicated that food was being served on the other side of the transport.

  'Once you've finished eating, we have to discuss what your plans are.'

  'I suppose we do.'

  Phaid found that he wasn't able to actually worry about what would happen next. He noticed that he couldn't help grinning like an idiot.

  'I must confess I hadn't given it much thought.'

  'Why don't you eat first and then we can talk about it.'

  'Do you mind me asking something?'

  'Of course not.'

  'Which one are you? I know I was introduced to you all yesterday, but . . .'

  'But we all look alike?'

  'Well

  'I am Isaen.'

  'Isaen?
'

  'Why don't you eat now and we'll talk later.'

  Phaid still felt as though he was being manipulated, but he was hungry, so he made his way to the temporary kitchen. Breakfast consisted of the same leaves that he'd had the night before, plus some small whitish doughy balls and a bowl of a warm pale pink cordial. Once again they seemed to lack anything that Phaid could recognise as flavour.

  The meal did, however, give him a chance to study the elaihim for the first time in something approaching normal surroundings. There was no denying that they had it over the human race in a number of ways. There was a grace about them, even when they were going about the sim­plest of tasks, that made mankind look like a species of knuckle trailing apes. Apart from their slight build, there was something insubstantial and ethereal about them. Their almost bleached white skins and pale short tunics gave them a uniform quality, as though any trace of individuality had been completely sublimated.

  Even their faces were stamped from the same mould, without the distinguishing characteristics that separated one human from another. Sexual differences were also minimal. The females were slightly shorter than the males, although still taller than all but the tallest of men. Only a pair of high, tiny vestigal breasts really disting­uished one sex from the other among the elaihim.

  Phaid couldn't see why so many people believed that the elaihim were descended from humans. If he had been told that they had arrived secretly from a star one night, he would have had less reason to doubt.

  The meeting to decide what was to be done about Makartur and Phaid took place directly after breakfast. The elaihim group was represented by Rathyaal, Isaen and another female called Shethir. It was obvious from the start that the presence of the two men was having a disturbing effect on the elaihim as they were willing to make a considerable effort to speed Phaid and Makartur on their way.

  The elaihim's idea of a discussion was a little one-sided. They started off by virtually interrogating the two men about how they came to be with the drovers, what their eventual destination was and what ideas they had about how they were going to get there. Once they had listened, they seemed to ignore any suggestions that the humans had made and began debating the matter among them­selves. Phaid again had the feeling that he should be upset, if not furious, but for some reason the emotions just wouldn't come.

  The elaihim's best solution seemed to be that they should take one of the serviceable flippers and head towards the nearest town. Rathyaal even began to plot their course for them.

  'You would be well advised to avoid the trails that lead to Chasabad.'

  Phaid found himself nodding like a mental retard.

  'That's sensible.'

  'Chasabad would be the shortest route to the Republic, I admit, but the risk of running into the drovers again would be too great. I therefore think it would be better if you made for Fennella.'

  Phaid once again automatically smiled and nodded, but Makartur didn't seem quite so easily persuaded.

  'It's twice the distance to Fennella.'

  'That's true, but once you get there you are at the line head.'

  'Aye man, but we've got no money, so a line ride's no good to us.'

  Shethir's expression became slightly regretful.

  'We do not use money and thus we have none to give you.'

  Makartur looked troubled.

  'I suppose we might work something out when we get there, what we will need, though, are provisions and water. As you well know, those flippers don't travel by night, so it'll be a few days to make Fennella.'

  It was Isaen's turn to use the slightly regretful ex­pression.

  'That's presents another problem. Our supplies are very limited. We barely have enough for our own needs.'

  Black anger suddenly burst through Phaid's previously sunny disposition.

  'Just wait a minute here. Less than a day ago my . . .'

  All three elaihim fixed Phaid with the same stony penetrating gaze. The anger in him slowly froze into dark, tiny crystals. They in turn quickly vanished as the sunshine returned. Phaid was grinning again. He couldn't even remember what he'd been talking about.

  Ben-e, who'd been standing apart from the conversa­tion but listening intently, suddenly buzzed briskly into the middle of it.

  'I-think-I-might-possibly-have-the-solution-to-these-problems.'

  Both humans and elaihim looked surprised.

  'You do?'

  'I-have-examined-the-wreckage-of-the-drovers'-machines-and-I-estimate-that-there-are-more-than-enough-parts-to-construct-a-very-much-more-powerful-flipper-that-would-be-able-to-carry-three-of-us-to-the-line-head-in-no-more-than-a-day-and-a-half.'

  'Three of us?'

  ' Would-you-allow-me-to-continue ?'

  'Sure.'

  'Thus-you-elaihim-would-not-have-to-give-the-humans-so-great-a-quantity-of-supplies. There-is-also-the-matter-of-money-for-the-line-ride!'

  Phaid looked up sharply.

  'You can do something about money?'

  'We-androids-also-have-little-use-for-money-but-unlike-the-elaihim-we-are-able-to-obtain-it-when-it-is-needed. I-can-guarantee-that-I-will-be-able-to-contact-my-people-and-obtain-all-the-money-that-you-would-need-once-we-reach-Fennella.'

  Phaid could hardly believe his ears. The elaihim, if it indeed was the elaihim that were affecting his mind, seemed to have relaxed their grip, and he was thinking a little more clearly.

  'Are you seriously telling us that you can go to a strange android in Fennella and it will give you money?'

  'Quite-seriously.'

  'What a system.'

  'It-serves.'

  Makartur also had a question.

  'You want to travel with us to Fennella?'

  'All-the-way-to-the-Republic-if-you-don't-have-any-objections.'

  Makartur didn't say anything and Phaid shot him a sideways glance.

  'You don't have any objection, do you?'

  Makartur slowly shook his head.

  'No, let the wee bag of tricks ride with us if he wants to.'

  Rathyaal rose to his feet.

  'It would seem that everything is settled.'

  He looked down at Ben-e the android.

  'If we can give you any assistance in fitting out your machine . . .'

  'I-will-need-a-good-deal-of-assistance-but-first-there-is-one-final-thing-that-I-must-settle-with-the-humans.'

  Makartur muttered under his breath.

  'Here comes the catch.'

  Phaid gave the android a narrow, gambler's stare.

  'What is it?'

  'When-we-reach-the-Republic-I-will-require-a-favour. I-can-not-tell-you-what-it-is-right-at-this-moment-but-I-assure-you-that-it-will-neither-be-difficult-nor-time-consuming. I-must-however-have-your-word-that-one-of-you-will-perform-it-for-me-before-we-can-start-on-this-journey.'

  Makartur raised a questioning eyebrow.

  'How can we promise to do this favour if we don't know what it is?'

  'It-will-not-be-difficult.'

  'Aye, but . . .'

  Phaid quickly interrupted.

  'Whatever it is, you got it. I'd do pretty much anything for someone who can get me back to the Republic.'

  Makartur scowled disapprovingly.

  'On your head be it.'

  'Ain't it always?'

  'Then-I-think-we-can-start-on-the-construction-of-this-modified-flipper-right-away.'

  Although Phaid and Makartur hung around and did their best to look as though they were contributing to the work, the real conversion of the flipper was carried out by Ben-e and the elaihim. In a surprisingly short time they had loaded up the supplies and were on their way. Once the journey had started, Phaid noticed that the further he got from the influence of the elaihim, the more mixed his feelings became. The plus side was that he was moving again. He was riding out of the boondocks and heading back towards civilisation with some speed and style. If Ben-e the android didn't pull some weird electronic double cross, he was going all the way back to the Republic witho
ut any more trouble. He didn't expect the android to go back on his word. Machines didn't usually lie, and if you couldn't trust an android, who could you trust? Suspicion was, however, a habit that died hard.

  There was also a minus side. Somehow, the elaihim had managed to leave a very bad taste in his mouth. He had started out totally sympathetic to the strange, solitary people but, after this first real encounter with them, he found that he disliked them with an intensity that came close to the drovers' ignorant prejudice. The more he thought about it, the more he felt as though his personal­ity and his freewill had been violated, raped almost. He'd been used, manipulated and coldly exploited by them. He was almost certain that, in some way he didn't clearly understand, they had temporarily pre-empted his control over his own mind and his own emotions. The whole episode had left him feeling weak and inferior. He had asked the android about it and although Ben-e was his usual oblique self, he as good as confirmed Phaid's thoughts.

  'When-humans-come-in-contact-with-elaihim-nothing-is-ever-as-it-appears. You-can't-even-try-to-be-objective-with-those-beings. They-are-masters-of-wheels-within-wheels-within-wheels.'

  The remark was cryptic enough to start Phaid thinking. The elaihim presented him with a procession of un­answered questions that seemed to stretch back to infin­ity. Phaid's mind went around and around. There was the first and obvious general questions. What was the truth behind the legends of the elaihim. Were they, as some people claimed, the mutant descendants of the human race, children of man who had managed to make a great evolutionary leap, or had they come from some other place, alien intruders stranded and wandering in a world that was not their own. There were, however, more specific, disturbing questions arising out of the encounter, questions that kept nagging at Phaid all through the journey across the desert. Just how long had the super people had a grip on his mind? If they could control the veebes from a distance, maybe they had attempted to turn back the drovers and failed. Could it be that they had scanned the assembled human minds looking for someone crazy enough to act as their saviour?

  If they had fixed on Makartur, and his suicidal plunge to the elaihim's rescue wasn't a quixotic gesture but a result of mind control, then Phaid saw a hundred yawning chasms opening in front of him. The idea that the elaihim could take over the freewill of any human who was close to them and make them dance to their tune like so many puppets was a sorry prospect for his species.