Blood and Iron

by Tony Ballantyne

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do had watched the multicoloured roofs and domes of the city rising above the city ramparts as he approached, gradually losing sight of them as the railway line tucked itself into the shadow of the hill upon which Sangrel stood. As the train slowed, squeezing between the cliffs and the clear blue waters of Lake Ochoa. Wa-Ka-Mo-Do looked across the lake to the dark wooded hill that stood on the far bank. The surrounding hills seemed to have drawn back to leave it standing on its own, as if even they knew of the stone temples that hid amongst the dark green foliage of the Mound of Eternity, those temples that had made the place infamous throughout the whole of Yukawa.

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do stepped from the train into the shade cast by the Mound of Sangrel. He wanted to turn, to wave goodbye to Jai-Lyn, who he was sure would be watching him from the carriage, but protocol forbade that. Further down the platform, a captain stood waiting, four soldiers standing to attention behind him.

  Only four, noted Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. He wondered if this was a deliberate slight, given his low parentage. Before he had time to ponder on this, the captain stepped forward and saluted.

  ‘Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. Welcome to Sangrel. My name is Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah. I must apologize for the paucity of your welcome, but there are precious few troops to spare here in Sangrel.’

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do took an immediate liking to Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah. He was young, his body work suggested nobility, but there was an honesty about him that Wa-Ka-Mo-Do recognized straightaway.

  ‘And so you decided that my reception was less than essential, given the circumstances.’

  ‘No, Honoured Commander, but—’

  ‘And that was an excellent decision. I can see that you are a robot who understands the exigencies of command. Now, I would be obliged if you would escort me to the command rooms.’

  ‘Certainly, Honoured Commander.’ Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah stood to attention and about-turned. Wa-Ka-Mo-Do was impressed to see the four soldiers do the same in perfect synchronization. At the same moment, there was a roar of a diesel engine, and the train began to roll from the station. Wa-Ka-Mo-Do watched it go, rounding the far corner of Sangrel Mound as it began the journey from Sangrel province, heading for the marshland that surrounded distant Ka.

  ‘We will enter the city through the Emperor’s Gate,’ said Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah, indicating the tall arch behind the railway station, the underside carved with shapes of hanging icicles. Centuries ago, the commander of Sangrel displayed his power by having ice brought from many miles away and hung from the gates, glistening in even in the hottest summers, for no other reason than to show that he could.

  ‘You occupy the Copper Master’s house, facing onto Smithy Square.’

  ‘The Copper Master’s house? An exalted position indeed. With views over the western terrace and the lake, I believe.’

  ‘You are certainly well informed, Honoured Commander.’

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do had read up on his command before leaving the Silent City. However, a question remained.

  ‘But what of the Emperor’s Palace? Surely that is the traditional residence for the commander of Sangrel?’

  Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah gave Wa-Ka-Mo-Do a sideways look.

  ‘That building has been given as embassy to the animals, as you are of course aware, Honoured Commander.’ The young robot seemed almost ashamed by his answer.

  ‘Of course,’ answered Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. It was unheard of, by any protocol, for the Emperor to give up any of his residences, for was not the Emperor supreme? What signal did this send to the robots of Sangrel, seeing that the animals had, quite visibly, been placed above the Emperor himself?

  At that moment something appeared from the gates of the city that drove all other thoughts from Wa-Ka-Mo-Do’s mind. He found himself slowing to a halt, turning to watch.

  Three of them, walking upright like robots, walking through the Emperor’s Gate. They strode beneath the stone icicles without so much as a second glance, as if they were peasants heading from the mine after their shift, not as if they were honoured guests to take this most glorious of paths.

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do didn’t mean to stare, but he couldn’t help himself. They moved like robots. Almost like robots, but with less . . . formality? Was that the word? They strode through the sunlight as if they weren’t really part of their surroundings. Perhaps they weren’t, they were strangers to this world, after all. There was something so odd about them though, something almost ethereal. Was it simply because they weren’t made of metal? Look at them, clad in green-cloth panelling, hands and faces emerging from the strange material that they wore, their flesh an odd colour, and so different, even to each other. Two of them were pale pink, the other a brown colour. An unnatural hue, no metal was of that shade.

  ‘Honoured Commander?’

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do was embarrassed by his rudeness.

  ‘Thank you, Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah,’ he said, lowering his face in shame. ‘I did not mean to stare. Only, I have never seen the animals.’

  ‘One never quite gets used to them, Honoured Commander. There is an emptiness about them. You can see them with your eyes, and hear them with your ears, but you cannot sense their metal. They seem so insubstantial . . .’

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do turned to watch the animals as they walked down past the railway station.

  ‘Where are they going?’ he asked.

  ‘To the lake, probably. They float upon the water there, or lie upon its shores.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Recreation, I think.’

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do passed through the Emperor’s Archway and followed Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah up the Emperor’s Road into the city. Sheer stone walls rose up to their left, studded with balconies and loupe holes from where defenders had once dropped magnetized iron snow and forced water at high pressure over invading troops. Channels were cut in the road down which heavy iron balls were rolled. Some of them were fused to explode, others simply rolled over the attackers, plating their bodies onto their huge mass, their size growing with each attack.

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do was still wondering at what he had seen.

  ‘They look so weak . . .’ he began.

  ‘No, Honoured Commander,’ interrupted Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah. ‘No, they are not weak. The animals are so strong. They speak softly, but they have terrible power.

  ‘You speak with them?’

  ‘Yes. They have machines that help them to do this.’

  ‘Machines?’

  ‘The humans build machines to do everything for them.’

  ‘Humans?’

  ‘This is the name they give themselves. Or at least, the word that the machines speak.’

  They reached the end of the Emperor’s Road. The Silver Ice gates stood open at this end.

  ‘Why are the gates left open for me?’ asked Wa-Ka-Mo-Do.

  ‘Not for you, Honoured Commander,’ said Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah, and you could hear the shame in his voice. ‘The animals requested it. This road is the most convenient for the lake. The Emperor himself approved the request.’

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do felt sorry for poor Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah. He was one of the nobility. The shame he felt would be like a physical pain to him. It would be woven into his mind to be so. What did Wa-Ka-Mo-Do himself feel, he wondered? A little shame, it was true, but something else too: the awakening urge to fight. After all, wasn’t this what he had been woven for? It was a dangerous thought. He wasn’t here to fight the animals.

  They passed through the Silver Ice gates into the lower city. Tall buildings made of stone and brick, their small windows set high up. Shiny green and red tiles decorated their roofs.

  ‘The animals are powerful, Honoured Commander.’ Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah lowered his voice, ‘More powerful than we are. The Emperor maintains that he is pleased to trade with them, but I suspect the reverse is the truth. The humans have the advantage in all negotiations.’

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do looked carefully at Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah, wondering if this were some sort of test.

  ‘This is treasonous talk, Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah.’

  ‘I know that,
Honoured Commander, and it shames me to speak in this fashion, but is it not more shameful to deny the truth?’

  ‘This is a wise thought.’

  ‘You will see, Honoured Commander, the humans roam far and wide across this land, much wider than they are permitted under the terms of the trade agreement. They move so quickly in their flying craft. They are taking up good land to grow their strange crops. The chemicals they use stunt the growth of our own farmers’ crops.’

  ‘What do our farmers say to this?’

  ‘I don’t know. La-Ver-Di-Arussah says that is not important.’

  ‘La-Ver-Di-Arussah?’

  ‘The acting commander. She is waiting upon your arrival. She says that the Emperor does not listen to the opinion of peasants. Rather, the peasants listen to the Emperor.’

  ‘This is indeed true, but sometimes a little conversation can prevent conflict . . .’

  Now Wa-Ka-Mo-Do could feel the current humming through Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah. The young robot was obviously upset at what was going on here.

  ‘The farmers are merely part of the problem, Honoured Commander. The humans are turning robots out of the mines and filling them instead with their own machines.’

  ‘They are turning robots out of the mines? Surely the Emperor would not allow this?’

  The hum of current through Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah’s body increased. His voice modulated up a couple of tones. ‘The Emperor insists that this is his will, that he seeks further trade advantage, but all the while more and more robots are being displaced from this land.’

  ‘Then where are they going?’

  ‘Everywhere and nowhere. This is your problem, Honoured Commander. There are displaced robots everywhere throughout Sangrel province, all the way to the borders of Ka province.’

  Ka? Wa-Ka-Mo-Do felt a lurch as he thought of Jai-Lyn, travelling there on her own. ‘And there is growing anger at the humans’ actions,’ continued Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah. ‘They are asking why we of the Imperial Army are not protecting them.’

  ‘They never asked such questions in the past.’

  ‘They have never lost so much in the past.’

  They walked through the third gate into the middle city. Now the houses were well built, of stone and freshly painted wood and metal.

  ‘Well, the first thing to do is straightforward,’ said Wa-Ka-Mo-Do decisively. ‘We will form an army of the dispossessed. Make good use of their skills and talents. All those robots that have lost their mines and fields can be put to work building roads and bridges. They can delve deeper into the earth for metal.’

  He looked at the young robot by his side.

  ‘I sense a lack of enthusiasm for my order, Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah.’

  ‘Your predecessor tried that, Honoured Commander. I fear events have moved beyond that. There is growing resentment amongst the dispossessed. There has been minor damage and vandalism against the Emperor’s property, insolence towards the Imperial Army.’

  ‘This will not be allowed to continue,’ said Wa-Ka-Mo-Do mildly.

  ‘Your predecessor said the same, and he is no longer with us. La-Ver-Di-Arussah, your second in command, is of a good family. Her voice is heard in the Imperial Court. She does not believe in capitulation to the peasants, under any circumstances. Yet I fear that if we continue to ignore them, their anger may drive them to do something worse.’

  ‘Worse than to refuse to follow orders? Such a thing is almost unheard of within the Empire! What could be worse than a disobedient robot?’

  Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah’s voice was so low that Wa-Ka-Mo-Do had to strain to hear it.

  ‘One who attacks the humans themselves?’

  ‘Attack our honoured guests? That would bring shame upon us indeed.’

  ‘Shame upon us?’ There was a squeak in Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah’s voice. He was close to breaking point, Wa-Ka-Mo-Do realized. What was going on here was deeply affecting the young soldier. ‘Honoured Commander, it would bring our utter destruction! You do not realize just how powerful the humans are.’

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do was a warrior of Ko. One of the first lessons he had learned was how to avoid conflict. He spoke calmly.

  ‘Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah, you are an honourable soldier who works hard in the service of his Emperor. Together, I am sure that we can . . .’

  His voice trailed away as he saw what Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah was looking at. There was a message painted on the wall of a nearby house. The robot’s whole body sagged.

  ‘You must understand, Honoured Commander,’ he said, ‘this street is busy with robots at all hours of the day. Many people would have seen this message being painted here, and yet no one thought to stop it, or to report the perpetrators to us.’

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do read the message.

  What happened in Ell?

  Wa-Ka-Mo-Do felt as if the current was draining from his electromuscle. He remembered the scene in the railway station just before he left the Silent City. All those soldiers, commandeering the train. They were heading to Ell.

  ‘Just how far from here is Ell, Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah?’

  ‘One hundred and nine miles.’

  ‘What has happened there?’

  ‘I don’t know, Honoured Commander.’ And again, there was a squeak in his voice, ‘we are too busy with the problems here in Sangrel.’

  He turned to one of the escorting soldiers, and pointed to the wall.

  ‘Clean this,’ he said.

  The soldier was already moving to do so. Two of the other soldiers, meanwhile, had drawn their swords and had seized two people from the crowd.

  ‘What are they doing?’ asked Wa-Ka-Mo-Do.

  ‘La-Ver-Di-Arussah’s orders, Honoured Commander. For every act such as this, four peasants are to be executed, as an example.’

  ‘Hold,’ said Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. It wouldn’t do to undermine his second-in-command, he knew that. But at the same time, these were bad orders. They would heighten rebellion, not quell it. He came to a decision.

  ‘Bring them with us,’ he said. ‘I wish to meet La-Ver-Di-Arussah directly.’

  Karel

  The last of the evening sun died in the doorway, as Karel set to work on Melt by the light of the fire. The knife he had made was not as hard or as sharp as he would like, but it would do for now. He scored a line down the side of Melt’s left thigh, cutting his way into the dissolved seam there.

  ‘As we travel south we may find better-equipped workshops,’ he said. ‘We should be able to keep on improving you.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘How long were you waiting here for me?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘How many days? How many sunsets?’

  ‘Four sunsets. I sat with Morphobia Alligator. We talked.’

  ‘What about?’

  ‘This planet. Shull.’

  ‘Morphobia Alligator is a strange robot. Have you met any like him before?’

  ‘No. I’m sure of that at least. None that look like him, nor any that think like him. He asked me a question: how do beetles and whales and all the other robot animals reproduce when they don’t have hands?’

  ‘I don’t know!’

  ‘It’s a good point, though, isn’t it? When robots reproduce, the female twists the metal that comes from a male to make a mind. Then they place that mind in a body they have built themselves, with their own hands. How do animals make bodies, when they have no hands?’

  Karel worked away at the seam. The metal there was so hard, he was struggling to scrape it away.

  ‘Does it matter?’

  Melt didn’t answer. He was thinking of something else. ‘Do you know he counts days backwards? Wednesday follows Thursday by his reckoning.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I don’t know. I’m not sure that Morphobia Alligator is the same as us. He’s not quite a robot.’

  Karel thought of the building at the northern coast of Shull, the one Morphobia Alligator had called the reliquary. He thought of the mind patterns drawn on the wall there. Did Mor
phobia Alligator really have a mind twisted in a different way? Was such a thing possible?

  ‘I think he’s waiting for something. Something in the future. Every sunset was one less to him, not one more, eeeeeeeeeeee!’

  The last word was lost in an electronic squeak. Karel had felt the surge of electricity through the knife.

  ‘I’m sorry!’ he said. ‘Did I hit the electromuscle?’

  ‘Not exactly. But the muscle and the metal are joined together.’

  ‘I’ll stop then. I’ll try the other side.’

  ‘No, go on. I can ignore the pain.’

  Karel looked up into Melt’s dim grey eyes, then he steeled himself. He resumed his hacking at the seam, hesitating when he felt the surge of current, going on when Melt commanded him to.

  The night passed. The doorway to the forge was lit up in pale green.

  ‘I’ve done all I can,’ said Karel, dropping the knife and flexing his fingers.

  Melt stretched, this way and that.

  ‘I feel a lot freer, thank you.’

  ‘I’m sorry I hurt you.’

  ‘You did your best. It wasn’t easy for you, either.’

  Karel looked through the forge door. The broken archway to the sea framed the distant town of Presper Boole, now lit by the dawn. The robots who had built this city were fine architects, he thought. What could have happened to them? He dismissed the thought for the moment. He had more pressing concerns.

  ‘Another clear day coming. We should set off now, get some miles covered.’

  ‘But you haven’t attended to your own body yet.’

  ‘No matter,’ said Karel, looking wistfully at the containers of thin oil. But he didn’t feel as if he had anything to complain about, having seen how Melt was suffering.

  ‘No, it does matter,’ said Melt. ‘Here, let me see what I can do. I was a soldier once, and that’s a soldier’s body you are wearing.’

  ‘If I could, I would exchange it for another.’

  ‘Then we shall find one for you.’

  ‘Thank you, Melt, but for the moment I will keep this body. It will be to our advantage to pass as Artemisians.’