Asimov’s Future History Volume 9

by Isaac Asimov

  The woman nodded, paused to finish reading something, then walked out. Palen went to a plain door opposite the auto chef. With a passkey, she opened it and stepped inside.

  Derec followed Palen into the storage locker. Shelves stacked against the left wall to the ceiling, boxes and canisters piled on the floor to the right. At the far end lay a robot, legs bent up in the small space.

  “You stored it here?” Derec asked.

  “It hasn’t moved since we found it,” Palen said. “What would you have me do, put it in a cell where it could be seen? Most of our guests don’t stay very long. I thought it best to keep rumor to a minimum.”

  “I understand, but I thought you’d have it in your forensic pathology lab or something.”

  “I repeat: I wanted to keep rumor down. I already have the people who were there when we found it assigned exclusively to the crime scene and a communications block around that bay.” Palen frowned. “Besides, my people were a little nervous about it.”

  “I thought you were used to dealing with robots,” Derec said. “That’s what Lanra implied anyway.”

  “More used to it than the average Terran, but considering the possibility that this one committed murder, that was more faith than I was willing to ask of my people.”

  “You don’t believe that, do you?”

  “No. But it wasn’t me I was concerned with. Now, do you want to look at this thing or criticize my methods some more?”

  Chastised, Derec stepped past her and knelt down. As he expected, it was a DW-12–a very versatile laborer, basically. In the inadequate light of the closet, it seemed physically in reasonably good condition, but it was hard to tell. He lifted one heavy arm and pulled it straight. Relieved, he set it down–at least it had not locked up.

  “It should be easy to move.” He stood. “What have you done to it?”

  “I had my chief pathologist go over it for physical evidence, but honestly not much beyond that. It was in his lab for about an hour, then we put it in here. I thought it best to just wait for you.”

  “Fine. Let’s get it to the Spacer embassy, then.”

  “Mr. Avery.” Palen stepped closer to him. In the tight space she seemed to tower over him. It was an effort not to back away. “What are the chances of recovering anything from it?”

  “There’s no way I can give you an estimate yet. I have to see how badly collapsed it is first.”

  “But statistically–”

  “Any numbers I give you would be meaningless. You’ll just have to wait till we can start the excavation.” He waited, but she continued to stare at him. He shrugged. “I’m sorry.”

  “Fine. Then let’s get you situated.”

  Yart Leri looked very much an Auroran: slim, face smoothly ageless, large, clear eyes, and a politely attentive demeanor that nonetheless discouraged intimacy.

  “Welcome, Mr. Avery,” he said, meeting them in the embassy reception area. A robot occupied the desk. “We’ve arranged quarters for you and Mr. Hofton. I’ve been instructed to lend every assistance. The resources of the embassy are, within certain limits, at your disposal.”

  “Thank you. I’d like first off to see your positronics lab.”

  “Certainly. I’ll have Rotij show you around. That’s Rotij Polifos. He’s our chief roboticist. He’ll be assisting you, should you require it.”

  “With all due respect, “Derec said, “might I be allowed to choose my own lab assistant?”

  Leri blinked. “Of course.”

  “I’d like Rana.”

  The ambassador almost frowned. “She is not, I believe, fully credited–”

  “Nor is she Auroran. I understand that. But we worked together before. I found her most adequate.”

  “I see no objection,” Leri said.

  “In that case, I’d like to see the lab as soon as possible.”

  “I understood this would be a priority situation. I’ve had Rotij prep an area just for your use.”

  “Shall I wait for you?” Palen asked.

  “Yes, if you could,” Derec said. “This won’t take that long. Then I’d like to get the robot here as quickly as possible.”

  “May I ask,” Leri said, “what robot?”

  “You haven’t been briefed?”

  “Not in all the particulars...”

  Derec did not know what orders Leri might have had from Sen Setaris. Best to say nothing, he decided, and sort out the protocols later.

  “I’ll leave it to higher authority, then,” he said. “I’m sure Ambassador Setaris will update you as needed.”

  “But–”

  The lab, sir?” Derec prompted.

  Leri frowned. “This way.”

  Derec caught a look from Rana. She rolled her eyes as if to say now there’s going to be trouble, then nodded for Derec to follow Leri.

  The small reception area gave no indication of the volume the embassy occupied. Leri led Derec, Hofton, and Rana down a hallway to an elevator. Four levels down, it opened onto a lab area Derec guessed at about five hundred square meters.

  Derec took a few tentative steps forward, surveying the equipment neatly arrayed across the room. He recognized most of it, but a few pieces looked unfamiliar.

  “We finished a complete overhaul six months ago,” Rana offered.

  Derec whistled appreciatively, Terran fashion, then saw Leri’s puzzled look. “I’m very impressed, sir. It doesn’t look like you want for anything.”

  “This is a working lab, Mr. Avery,” Leri said with a mixture of pride and contempt. “Kopernik hosts a large population of robots in the Spacer sections. We service the positronics of all the incoming and outgoing Spacer ships.”

  “Including the Solarian?”

  “The Solarians do not possess such a lab. They contract us to do their service and repair work.”

  A small cluster of people huddled together in a far corner, talking among themselves. Derec counted five and wondered which among them was head of the lab.

  “Rotij,” Leri called.

  One of the group looked toward them, raised a hand, then excused himself from the discussion. He approached with long strides; he was typically tall, with a Spacer’s indeterminate age.

  “Yes?” he said, stopping before them.

  “Rotij Polifos,” Leri intoned, “this is Derec Avery and his aide, Hofton...” Leri blinked at Hofton uncertainly.

  “That’s correct,” Hofton said. “Hofton, from the groundside mission. The people I spoke to you about, from Ambassador Burgess’s office...?”

  “Yes, of course,” Rotij said. He seemed distracted and mildly put out. “Honored, Mr. Avery. I know your work.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Rotij,” Leri continued, “is chief roboticist and director of this positronics lab.” He looked between them for a few moments, then nodded, satisfied. “According to my instructions, you ‘re to be accorded every service of the facility. Should you require anything else, please feel free to see me.”

  “Thank you, Ambassador,” Derec said. “You’re very kind.”

  “If I may, I’ll leave you to Director Polifos–”

  “I need a minute, Yart,” Polifos said.

  Leri blinked. “I’m sure we can get together later and–”

  “Now. If you please.”

  “Mr. Avery requires immediate attention. Afterward, of course.” With that, Leri spun around and returned to the elevator.

  Polifos glared after Leri for several seconds, then laughed caustically. “Busy man.” He turned toward Derec with a sigh. “Well. How can I help you? Ambassador Burgess’s instructions were vague except on the point that you’re to have the run of the place. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask that you leave us some area to do our regular work–”

  “I need a single station,” Derec said. “For one robot, full range diagnostic ensemble, and a large memory cache for an RI direct link.”

  The Director’s face lost expression. “Well... I don’t see a problem... did you s
ay an RI direct link?”

  “Yes,” Hofton said. “And it’s quite heavy.”

  Polifos wanted very much to watch while Derec set up the link to Thales, but his attention was divided by the work he had been supervising when Derec and Hofton first arrived. He was both relieved and disappointed when Derec made it clear that he wanted to work with Rana.

  The instant Polifos returned to the huddle on the other side of the lab, Rana began reconfiguring a commlink station for Thales’ requirements.

  “I assume nothing’s changed,” she said, fingers moving deftly over the board.

  “Thales’ configurations? No, only location and peripheral memory cache. Here are the numbers.” He scribbled out the address and the current parameters.

  Rana frowned. “How did you get all of it into that small of a buffer? Thales must feel absolutely claustrophobic.”

  “Daily complaints. I didn’t have much choice. The move into the embassy was rather hasty. I’m lucky it wasn’t confiscated.”

  “I was going to say, I’m surprised you still have him.”

  “‘Him’? That’s very Spacer of you.”

  “I’m working on it. “She flashed him a smile. “I never expected to see you again.”

  “Ever?”

  “Well, not this soon, anyway. “She glanced over her shoulder, across the lab. “I’ll see about having this area shielded. Then you can tell me what the hell is going on.”

  Derec followed her gaze. Hofton had left with Palen to fetch the robot. For the moment it was only Rana and himself and a couple of technicians on the far side of the room, intent on their own work.

  “Is there a problem?” Derec asked quietly.

  “Nothing overt. Rotij can be a pain sometimes.” She shook her head.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “Qualifying for Auroran citizenship.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Perfectly. This is what I salvaged. Frankly, it’s more than I ever expected. The TBI was really upset with us, you know. I have a chance to go to Aurora and maybe study at the Calvin Institute. It would have helped if...” Rana shrugged.

  “If Ariel had retained some cachet?”

  “To put it mildly.”

  “We’re working on recovering some. That’s part of what this is all about.”

  Rana finished configuring the board. She pulled a cable from the case containing Derec’s link and connected it to the console. She pressed a contact and waited. After a few seconds, she entered more commands.

  “You’re very good,” Derec said.

  “I should be. You trained me.”

  “I think you were a better student than I was a teacher.”

  Rana initiated a long encryption sequence, then turned to another, smaller board. She watched it briefly, touched one button, and sighed.

  “All right,” she announced, clapping her hands dramatically. “Unless someone is trying very, very hard, we’re secure from eavesdropping.”

  “Do you think anyone would?”

  Rana gave him a wry look. “Our Ambassador Yart Leri is a jealous little god and is not at all happy at being kept ignorant about your mission. He wouldn’t do it out of malice, just vanity.”

  “What about Rotij Polifos? He seemed unhappy about all this.”

  “This? Maybe. But one of our interns was arrested yesterday and he’s naturally upset about it. I don’t consider Rotij the jealous type. Not that way.”

  “I saw a Spacer in Palen’s lockup. What was the charge?”

  “Disorderly conduct. It doesn’t mean anything, it’s just an excuse for Palen to haul someone in for questioning. What her questions might be, who knows? Just have to wait for Masid to be released and find out.”

  “Polifos. Is he good?”

  “Competent. Secretive. I don’t know a lot about him–he never talks about himself.”

  “Anyone else I should be concerned with?” Derec asked.

  “No one comes immediately to mind, but this is Kopernik. I doubt your presence is even known on the rest of the station, but I don’t like taking chances.” She glanced at her encryption, then sat down. “So. What is this all about?”

  “We’re doing a favor for Rega Looms.”

  He waited while Rana digested this. A smile worked at her face. “You are joking.”

  “No. Not in the least. Of course, that’s not all of it. I don’t know what it’s about on Ariel’s end, but Looms’ problem apparently dovetails with a project Setaris gave to Ariel. Hofton will be returning with what looks like a standard DW-12 that witnessed a murder. It’s collapsed, we need to see if we can recover anything.”

  “I haven’t heard about any murders. Not recently, anyway.”

  “Baleys. Fifty of them, looks like. You haven’t heard anything because Palen is working on the same favor and keeping it silent as long as she can.”

  “How long has it been so far?”

  “Two, two and a half days. I’m guessing.”

  “And how exactly does Rega Looms fit into this?”

  “His daughter was one of the victims.”

  Rana stared at him blankly. Then: “I see.”

  Derec coughed softly. “So, tell me about this Auroran citizenship.”

  Rana shrugged. “A gamble. When the dust settled last year, I applied for emigration. ITE refused, based on essential skills, but I couldn’t get an employment stamp, either. So I went to Ariel and asked if she could help. A few referrals later, it looked possible that I could get Auroran citizenship due to the fact that I’m an undesirable.”

  Derec started. “What?”

  “I’m a positronic specialist.” She grinned wryly. “Absurd, isn’t it? But just the fact that I worked in a field that was for all intents and purposes outlawed on Earth put me in a special category of almost-but-not-quite foreign spy. I have the entire law in my apartment and I occasionally read through it for a laugh. Anyway, we started the data flowing. I’ve gotten this far, a transfer to Kopernik. The longer I work here, in this lab, the less desirable I become to Terran authorities.” She smiled. “When the Aurorans here found out I was a positronics tech, they didn’t know whether to believe me or throw me out. When they learned how I’d become one, they wanted to hand me off to someone else. Anyone else. Ariel got dragged back in. Her suggestion was to hire me as a contract worker and go from there. I’ve had to start the application process over three times now. I can’t blame them for being cautious. But it’s in the works now. My application has been forwarded to Aurora. All I have to do now is to continue proving that I know what I’m doing.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “So that’s where I stand. Waiting. Like I said, six months ago we upgraded the whole lab. I did most of the conceptual work with Rotij–who’s very good, by the way. Rotij has added his name to my list of sponsors.”

  “I’m glad. It would be interesting to watch you at the Calvin.”

  “I might shake them up a little?”

  “Just might.”

  Rana smiled. “What about you?”

  Derec shrugged elaborately. “Like you–waiting. Only difference is, I don’t have any clear path. Ariel got my Auroran citizenship renewed, but there’s some... complication... with the Terran authorities. I’m stuck in the embassy unless I want to be barred from Earth forever.”

  “I thought you were cleared of any charges?”

  “Not quite that simple. This is Earth, after all. I suppose it would make everything easier if I just packed up and left.”

  “Would that be so bad?”

  “I don’t know. Yes... no... maybe. It’s... I like Earth. For all its maddening irrationality, there’s so much here. They have history. Thousands of years of history. There’s something intoxicating about it.” Derec felt clumsy, as if groping to make sense. “It’s the first place I really came to know after I recovered from amnemonic plague. I might as well have been born here.”

  “I forgot about that. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” Derec dislike
d talking about his past–lack of past, really. The one thing he shared with Ariel that would never change: both of them were recovered amnesiacs, victims of Burundi’s Fever. The damage the disease caused left them permanently incapable of recovering memories from before its onset.

  But they had rebuilt their lives. Derec had used Earth as a focus, a home base, a place from which to find... what he needed to find.

  “Ariel doesn’t share your appreciation,” Rana said. “She told you that?”

  “We had a couple of long talks. She needed a sympathetic ear, I think, that would go away later.”

  “Well. I don’t know, though. She’s here. She requested an Earth posting.”

  “Hm. By the way, not to change the subject but... what about Bogard?”

  Derec sighed. “Bogard. Most of Bogard is in a crate stashed in a lockup in the embassy. Thales keeps teasing at his matrix. Of course, without sufficient memory, there’s only so much Thales can do.”

  “We’ve got the memory here.”

  “Believe me, the thought did cross my mind. And Thales’. If possible...”

  Rana smiled conspiratorially. “I don’t see a problem. We’ll do what we can.”

  He gestured at the encryption sequence. “How big is this?”

  “I’m using a five-digit key.”

  “Five. Isn’t that a little excessive?”

  “All these years on Earth and you’re still not paranoid enough. Actually, I’m encrypting against positronic intrusion. I’m letting Thales choose the key. That way you or I can’t give it away.”

  “And Thales won’t. Impressive.”

  “Thank you.” She regarded him thoughtfully. “And thanks for wanting to work with me again. I hope I can help.”

  “Believe me, it helped just seeing you.”

  Rana looked startled, then laughed nervously. “I missed you.”

  Derec felt a warm rush of blood flow through his scalp and face. Surprised, he looked away.

  A tone sounded, and Rana looked over at the comm console. “Ah. We have security.” She tapped in a command. “Thales?”

  “I am online, Rana. How are you?”

  Half an hour later, the robot arrived, encased in a dull gray canister, rolled on a gurney between Palen and Hofton. Its entry attracted attention from the huddle of technicians, who watched it all the way across the lab until it disappeared behind the blind Rana had erected.