Asimov’s Future History Volume 11

by Isaac Asimov

  Giskard said, “Madam Gladia, you will not be kept there. The captain need not be concerned with respect to that.”

  “There you are, D. G. And your Ancestor, the last time he saw me, told me I was always to trust Giskard.”

  “Good! Excellent! Just the same, the reason I came down with you, Gladia, was to make sure I get you back. Remember that and tell it to your Dr. Amadiro if you have to. If they try to keep you against your will, they will have to try to keep me as well – and my ship, which is in orbit, is fully capable of reacting to that.”

  “No, please,” said Gladia, disturbed. “Don’t think of doing that. Aurora has ships as well and I’m sure yours is under observation.”

  “There’s a difference, though, Gladia. I doubt very much that Aurora would want to go to war over you. Baleyworld, on the other hand, would be quite prepared to.”

  “Surely not. I wouldn’t want them to go to war on my account. And why should they, anyway? Because I was a friend of your Ancestor?”

  “Not exactly. I don’t think anyone can quite believe that you were that friend. Maybe your great-grandmother, not you. Even I don’t believe it was you.”

  “You know it was I.”

  “Intellectually, yes. Emotionally, I find it impossible. That was twenty decades ago.”

  Gladia shook her head. “You have the short-lived view.”

  “Maybe we all do, but it doesn’t matter. What makes you important to Baleyworld is the speech you gave. You’re a heroine and they will decide you must be presented at Earth. Nothing will be allowed to prevent that.”

  Gladia said, a trifle alarmed, “Presented at Earth? With full ceremony?”

  “The fullest.”

  “Why should that be thought so important as to be worth a war?”

  “I’m not sure I can explain that to a Spacer. Earth is a special world. Earth is a – holy world. It’s the only real world. It’s where human beings came into being and it’s the only world in which they evolved and developed and lived against a full background of life. We have trees on Baleyworld and insects – but on Earth they have a wild riot of trees and insects that none of us ever see except on Earth. Our worlds are imitations, pale imitations. They don’t exist and can’t exist except for the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual strength they draw from Earth.”

  Gladia said, “This is quite opposed to the opinion of Earth held by Spacers. When we refer to Earth, which we seldom do, it is as a world that is barbarous and in decay.”

  D. G. flushed. “That is why the Spacerworlds have been growing steadily weaker. As I said before, you are like plants that have pulled themselves loose from their roots, like animals that have cut out their hearts.”

  Gladia said, “Well, I look forward to seeing Earth for myself, but I will have to go now. Please treat this as your own establishment till I return.” She walked briskly toward the door, stopped, then turned. “There are no alcoholic drinks in this establishment or anywhere on Aurora, no tobacco, no alkaloidal stimulants, nothing of any artificial kinds of – of whatever you may be used to.”

  D. G. grinned sourly... We Settlers are aware of that. Very puritanical, you people.”

  “Not puritanical at all,” said Gladia, frowning. “Thirty to forty decades of life must be paid for – and that’s one of the ways. You don’t suppose we do it by magic, do you?”

  “Well, I’ll make do on healthful fruit juices and sanitized near-coffee – and I’ll smell flowers.”

  “You‘ll find an ample supply of such things,” said Gladia coldly, “and when you get back to your ship, I’m sure you can compensate for any withdrawal symptoms you will now suffer.”

  “I will suffer only from your withdrawal, my lady,” said D. G. gravely.

  Gladia found herself forced to smile. “You’re an incorrigible liar, my captain. I’ll be back. – Daneel. – Giskard.”

  60.

  Gladia sat stiffly in Amadiro’s office. In many decades, she had seen Amadiro only in the distance or on a viewing screen – and on such occasions, she had made it a practice to turn away. She remembered him only as Fastolfe’s great enemy and now that she found herself, for the first time, in the same room with him – in face-to-face confrontation – she had to freeze her face into expressionlessness, in order not to allow hate to peep through.

  Although she and Amadiro were the only palpable human beings in the room, there were at least a dozen high officials – the Chairman himself among them – who were present by way of sealed-beam holovision. Gladia had recognized the Chairman and some of the others, but not all.

  It was rather a grisly experience. It seemed so like the viewing that was universal of Solaria and to which she had been so accustomed as a girl – and which she recalled with such distaste.

  She made an effort to speak clearly, undramatically, and concisely. When asked a question, she was as brief as was consistent with clarity and as noncommittal as was consistent with courtesy.

  The Chairman listened impassively and the others took their cue from him. He was clearly elderly – Chairmen always were, somehow; for it was usually late in life that they attained the position. He had a long face, a still-thick head of hair, and prominent eyebrows. His voice was mellifluous, but in no way friendly.

  When Gladia was done, he said, “It is your suggestion, then, that the Solarians had redefined ‘human being’ in a narrow sense that restricted it to Solarians.”

  “I do not suggest anything, Mr. Chairman. It is merely that no one has been able to think of another explanation that would account for the events.”

  “Are you aware, Madam Gladia, that in all the history of robotic science, no robot has ever been designed with a narrowed definition of ‘human being’?”

  “I am not a roboticist, Mr. Chairman, and I know nothing of the mathematics of positronic pathways. Since you say it has never been done, I, of course, accept that. I cannot say, of my own knowledge, however, whether the fact that it has never been done means that it can never be done in the future.”

  Her eyes had never looked as wide and innocent as they did now and the Chairman flushed and said, “It is not theoretically impossible to narrow the definition, but it is unthinkable.”

  Gladia said, with a downcast glance at her hands, which were loosely clasped in her lap, “People can think such peculiar things sometimes.”

  The Chairman changed the subject and said, “An Auroran ship was destroyed. How do you account for that?”

  “I was not present at the site of the incident, Mr. Chairman. I have no idea what happened, so I can’t account for it.”

  “You were on Solaria and you were born on the planet. Given your recent experience and early background, what would you say happened?” The Chairman showed signs of a badly strained patience.

  “If I must guess,” said Gladia, “I should say that our warship was exploded by the use of a portable nuclear intensifier similar to the one that was almost used on the Settler ship.”

  “Does it not strike you, however, that the two cases are different. In one, a Settler ship invaded Solaria to confiscate Solarian robots; in the other, an Auroran vessel came to Solaria to help protect a sister planet.”

  “I can only suppose, Mr. Chairman, that the overseers – the humanoid robots left to guard the planet – were insufficiently well-instructed to know the difference.”

  The Chairman looked offended. “It is inconceivable that they would not be instructed in the difference between Settlers and fellow Spacers.”

  “If you say so, Mr. Chairman. Nevertheless, if the only definition of a human being is someone with the physical appearance of a human being, together with the ability to speak in Solarian fashion – as it seemed to us, who were on the spot, that it must be – then Aurorans, who do not speak in Solarian fashion, might not fall under the heading of human beings where the overseers were concerned.”

  “Then you are saying that the Solarians defined their fellow Spacers as nonhuman and subjected them to
destruction.”

  “I present it merely as a possibility because I can’t think of any other way to explain the destruction of any Auroran warship. More experienced people may be able to present alternate explanations, to be sure.” Again that innocent, almost blank, look.

  The Chairman said, “Are you planning to return to Solaria, Madam Gladia?”

  “No, Mr. Chairman, I have no such plan.”

  “Have you been requested to do so by your Settler friend, in order to clear the planet of its overseers?”

  Slowly Gladia shook her head. “I have not been requested to do this. Had I been, I would have refused. Nor did I go to Solaria, to begin with, for any reason but that of fulfilling my duty to Aurora. I was requested to go to Solaria by Dr. Levular Mandamus of the Robotics Institute, working under Dr. Kelden Amadiro. I was requested to go so that, on my return, I might report on events – as I have just done. The request had, to my ears and understanding, the flavor of an order and I took the order” – she glanced briefly in Amadiro’s direction –” as coming from Dr. Amadiro himself.”

  Amadiro made no visible response to that.

  The Chairman said, “What are your plans for the future, then?”

  Gladia waited a heartbeat or two, then decided she might as well confront the situation boldly.

  “It is my intention, Mr. Chairman,” said Gladia, speaking very clearly, “to visit Earth.”

  “Earth? Why should you wish to visit Earth?”

  “It may be important, Mr. Chairman, for Auroran authorities to know what is taking place on Earth. Since I have been invited by the Baleyworld authorities to visit Earth and since Captain Baley stands ready to take me there, it would be an opportunity to bring back a report on events – as I have now reported on events taking place on Solaria and on Baleyworld.”

  Well, then, thought Gladia, will he violate the custom and, in effect, imprison her on Aurora? If so, there had to be ways of challenging the decision.

  Gladia felt her tension rising and she cast a quick glance in the direction of Daneel, who, of course, seemed totally impassive.

  However, the Chairman, looking sour, said, “In that respect, Madam Gladia, you have the right of an Auroran to do as you wish – but it will be on your own responsibility. No one is requesting this of you, as some requested, according to you, your visit to Solaria. For that reason I must warn you that Aurora will not feel bound to help you in case of any misadventure.”

  “I understand that, sir.”

  The Chairman said brusquely, “There will be much to discuss on the matter later on, Amadiro. I will be in touch with you.”

  The images blanked out and Gladia found herself and her robots suddenly alone with Amadiro and his robots.

  61.

  Gladia rose and said stiffly, carefully refusing to look directly at Amadiro as she did so, “The meeting, I presume, is over, so I will now leave.”

  “Yes, of course, but I have a question or two, which I hope you don’t mind my asking.” His tall figure seemed overwhelming as he rose and he smiled and addressed her in all courtesy as though friendliness were long established between them. “Let me escort you, Lady Gladia. So you are going to Earth?”

  “Yes. The Chairman raised no objections and an Auroran citizen may freely travel through the Galaxy in time of peace. And pardon me, but my robots – and yours, if necessary – will be sufficient escort.”

  “As you say, my lady.” A robot held the door open for them. “I assume you will take robots with you when you go to Earth.”

  “There’s no question as to that.”

  “Which robots, madam, if I may ask?”

  “These two. The two robots I have with me.” Her shoes made a firm clicking sound as she walked rapidly along the corridor, her back to Amadiro, making no effort to see to it that he heard her.

  “Is that wise, my lady? They are advanced robots, unusual products of the great Dr. Fastolfe. You will be surrounded by barbarian Earthmen, who may covet them.”

  “Should they covet them, they nevertheless wouldn’t get them.”

  “Don’t underestimate the danger, nor overestimate robotic protection. You will be in one of their Cities, surrounded by tens of millions of these Earthmen, and robots may not harm human beings. Indeed, the more advanced a robot, the more sensitive it is to the nuances of the Three Laws and the less likely it is to take any action that will harm a human being in any way. – Isn’t that so, Daneel?”

  “Yes, Dr. Amadiro,” said Daneel.

  “Giskard, I imagine, agrees with you.”

  “I do,” said Giskard.

  “You see, my lady? Here on Aurora, in a nonviolent society, your robots can protect you against others. On Earth – mad, decadent, barbarous – there will be no way two robots can protect you or themselves. We would not want you to be deprived. Nor, to place it on a more selfish basis, would we of the Institute and the government care to see advanced robots in the hands of the barbarians. Would it not be better to take robots of a more ordinary type that the Earthpeople would ignore? You can take any number in that case. A dozen if you wish.”

  Gladia said, “Dr. Amadiro, I took these two robots on a Settler ship and visited a Settler world. No one made a move to appropriate them.”

  “The Settlers don’t use robots and claim to disapprove of them. On Earth itself, they still use robots.”

  Daneel said, “If I may interpose, Dr. Amadiro – It is my understanding that robots are being phased out on Earth. There are very few in the Cities. Almost all robots on Earth are now used in agricultural or mining operations. For the rest, nonrobotic automation is the norm.”

  Amadiro looked at Daneel briefly, then said to Gladia, “Your robot is probably right and I suppose there would be no harm in taking Daneel. He could well pass as human, for that matter. Giskard, however, may well be left in your establishment. He might arouse the acquisitive instincts of an acquisitive society – even if it is true that they are trying to free themselves of robots.”

  Gladia said, “Neither will be left, sir. They will come with me. I am the sole judge of which portions of my property may come with me and which may not.”

  “Of course. “Amadiro smiled in his most amiable fashion. “No one disputes that. – Would you wait here?”

  Another door opened, showing a room that was most comfortably furnished. It was without windows, but was illuminated by soft light and suffused with even softer music.

  Gladia stopped at the threshold and said sharply, “Why?”

  “A member of the Institute wishes to see you and speak to you. It will not take long, but it is necessary. Once that is done, you are free to go. You will not even be plagued by my presence from this moment on. Please.” There was a touch of hidden steel in the last word.

  Gladia reached out her arms for Daneel and Giskard. “We enter together.”

  Amadiro laughed genially. “Do you think I’m trying to separate you from your robots? Do you think they would allow that? You have been too long with Settlers, my dear.”

  Gladia looked at the closed door and said between her teeth, “I dislike that man intensely. And most intensely when he smiles and tries to be soothing.”

  She stretched, her elbow joints cracking slightly. “In any case, I’m tired. If someone comes with further questions about Solaria and Baleyworld, they are going to get short answers, I tell you.”

  She sat down on a couch that gave softly under her weight. She slipped her shoes off and lifted her feet to the couch. She smiled sleepily, took a deep breath as she sank to one side, and, with her head turned away from the room, was instantly and deeply asleep.

  62.

  “It is well she was naturally sleepy,” said Giskard. “I was able to deepen it without any hint of damage to her at all. – I would not want Lady Gladia to hear what is likely to come.”

  “What is likely to come, friend Giskard?” asked Daneel.

  “What is to come is the result, I think, of my being wrong, fri
end Daneel, and of your being right. I should have taken your excellent mind more seriously.”

  “It is you, then, they want to keep on Aurora?”

  “Yes. And in urgently calling for Lady Gladia’s return, they were calling for mine. You heard Dr. Amadiro ask for us to be left behind. At first both of us and then myself alone.”

  “Might it be that his words have but the surface meaning, that he feels it dangerous to lose an advanced robot to the Earthmen?”

  “There was an underlying current of anxiety, friend Daneel, that I judge to be far too strong to match his words.”

  “Can you tell whether he knows of your special abilities?”

  “I cannot tell directly, since I cannot read thoughts themselves. Nevertheless, twice in the course of the interview with the Council members, there was a sudden sharp rise in the level of emotional intensity in Dr. Amadiro’s mind. Extraordinarily sharp rises. I cannot describe it in words, but it would be analogous, perhaps, to watching a scene in black and white and having it splash – suddenly and briefly – into intense color.”

  “When did this happen, friend Giskard?”

  ‘The second time was when Lady Gladia mentioned she would be going to Earth.”

  “That created no visible stir among the Council members. What were their minds like?”

  “I could not tell. They were present through holovision and such images are not accompanied by any mental sensations that I can detect.”

  “We may conclude, then, that whether the Council is – or is not – disturbed by Lady Gladia’s projected trip to Earth, Dr. Amadiro, at least, is disturbed.”

  “It is not simple disturbance. Dr. Amadiro seemed anxious in the highest degree; as we would expect, for instance, if he indeed had a project in hand, as we suspect, for the destruction of Earth and feared its discovery. What is more, at Lady Gladia’s mention of this intention of hers, friend Daneel, Dr. Amadiro glanced briefly at me; the only moment in all the session that he did. The flash of emotional intensity coincided with that glance. I think it was the thought of my going to Earth that made him anxious. – As we might expect, if he felt that I, with my special powers, would be a particular danger to his plans.”