Rama: The Omnibus

by Arthur C. Clarke

  "You're kidding yourself, Robert. You turn the other way and tell yourself that as long as your little world is not affected, maybe it's okay. You're wrong, Robert. Dead wrong. And if you won't do anything about it, then I will."

  "And what will you do?" Robert said, his voice rising. 'Tell the world that your husband is a liar? Try to convince everyone that those slimy octospiders are peaceful? No one will believe you, Ellie. And I'll tell you one more thing: The minute you open your mouth, you'll be arrested and tried for treason. They'll kill you, Ellie, just like they're going to kill your father. Is that what you want? Never to see your daughter again?"

  Ellie recognized the mixture of pain and anger in Robert's eyes. I don't know him, flashed through her mind, followed by How can this be the same man who has spent thousands of hours caring for dying patients? It doesn't make any sense.

  Ellie chose not to say anything more. "I'm going now," Robert said at length. "I'll be home around midnight."

  She walked to the back of the house and opened Nikki's door. Luckily the girl had slept through the argument. Ellie was deeply depressed when she returned to the living room. She wished more than ever that she had stayed in the Emerald City. But she hadn't, so what was she going to do now? It would be so easy if I didn't have Nikki to think about, Ellie said to herself. She shook her head slowly, back and forth, and finally allowed herself to shed the tears she had been restraining.

  "So how do I look?" Katie said, pirouetting in front of Franz.

  "Beautiful, ravishing," he replied. "Better than I have ever seen you look."

  She was wearing a simple black dress, custom-fitted to her thin body. The dress had a defining white stripe running down both sides. It was cut low in the front, highlighting her necklace of diamonds and gold, but was not so low that it would be considered improper.

  Katie glanced at her watch. "Good," she said. "For once I'm early." She crossed the room to the table and lit a cigarette.

  Franz's uniform was newly pressed and his shoes perfectly shined. "Then I guess we have time," he said, following Katie to the couch, "for my surprise." He handed her a small velvet box.

  "What's this?" Katie asked.

  "Open it," Franz said.

  Inside was a diamond ring, a solitaire. "Katie," Franz said awkwardly, "will you marry me?"

  Katie glanced at Franz and then looked away. She inhaled slowly on her cigarette and blew the smoke into the air above her. "I'm flattered, Franz," she said, standing up and kissing him on the cheek, "I really am … but it just wouldn't work." She closed the box and handed him back the ring.

  "Why not?" Franz asked. "Don't you love me?"

  "Yes, I do … I guess … if I'm capable of such an emotion. But Franz, we've been through this before. I'm just not the kind of woman you should marry."

  "Why can't you let me decide that, Katie?" Franz said. "How do you know what 'kind of woman' I need?"

  "Look, Franz," Katie said, showing some agitation, "I'd rather not talk about this now. As I said, I'm very flattered … but I'm already nervous about this hearing for my father and you know I don't deal well with too much shit at once."

  "You'll always have some reason for not wanting to talk about it," Franz said angrily. "If you love me, I think I deserve more of an explanation. And now."

  Katie's eyes flashed. "You want an explanation now, Captain Bauer? All right, I'll give you one. Follow me, if you please." Katie led him into her dressing room. "Now stand there, Franz, and watch very closely."

  Katie reached into her dresser. She pulled out a syringe and a piece of black tubing. She placed her right leg on the vanity stool and hiked her dress up above the bruises on her thigh. Franz instinctively turned his head away.

  "No," Katie said, reaching out with one hand and turning his head back to face her. "You cannot look away, Franz. You must see me as I am."

  She pulled down her panty hose and tied the tube in place. Katie glanced up to make certain Franz was still watching. There was pain in her eyes. "Don't you see, Franz?" she said. "I cannot marry you because I'm already married … to this magic drug that never disappoints me. Don't you understand? There's no way that you could ever compete with kokomo."

  Katie plunged the syringe into a vein and waited several seconds for the rush. "You might be fine for a few weeks, or even months," Katie said now, speaking more rapidly, "but sooner or later you'd come up short. And I would replace you in my heart with old reliable again."

  She wiped off the two drops of blood with a tissue and placed the syringe in the sink. Franz looked distraught. "Cheer up," Katie said, patting him lightly on the cheek. "You haven't lost your bed partner. I'll still be here for whatever kinky things we can dream up together."

  Franz turned away and placed the velvet box back in one of the pockets of his uniform. Katie walked over to the table and took one final drag from the cigarette that had been left burning in the ashtray. "Now, Captain Bauer," Katie said, "we have a hearing to attend."

  The hearing was held in the ballroom on the main floor of Nakamura's palace. About sixty chairs had been set up in four rows along the walls for "special guests." Nakamura himself, wearing the same Japanese costume in which he had appeared on television two days earlier, sat in a large, embroidered chair above a raised platform at one end of the room. Two bodyguards, also in samurai dress, were beside him. The ballroom was completely decorated in a sixteenth century Japanese motif, adding to the image Nakamura was trying to create of himself as the all-powerful shogun of New Eden.

  Richard and Archie, who had only been told the hearing was going to occur four hours before they left the basement, were brought in by three policemen and instructed to sit on small pillows on the floor twenty meters in front of Nakamura. Katie noticed that her father looked tired and very old. She resisted an impulse to run out and talk to him.

  A functionary announced that the hearing was now under way and reminded all the spectators that they were to say nothing and interfere in no way with the proceedings. As soon as the announcement was completed, Nakamura stood up and swaggered down the two broad steps connecting his chair to the raised platform.

  'This hearing has been convened by the New Eden government," he said gruffly, walking back and forth, "to determine if the alien enemy representative is prepared, on behalf of his species, to accept the unconditional surrender that we demand as a necessary prerequisite for ceasing the hostilities between us. If ex-citizen Wakefield, who is able to communicate with the alien, has been able to convince the alien of the wisdom of accepting our demands, including relinquishing all weapons of war and preparing for our occupation and administration of all alien lands, then we are prepared to be merciful. As a reward for his services in ending this terrible conflict, we would be willing to commute Mr. Wakefield's execution sentence to life imprisonment.

  "If, however"—Nakamura now raised his voice—"this convicted traitor and his alien accomplice surrendered to our victorious troops as part of some treacherous plot to undermine our collective will to punish the aliens for their aggressive attacks against us, then we will use these two as examples to send an unambiguous message to our enemy. We want the alien leaders to know that the citizens of New Eden stand steadfast against their expansionist aims."

  Up until this moment Nakamura had been addressing the entire audience. Now he turned to face the two prisoners isolated in the middle of the ballroom floor. "Mr. Wakefield," he said, "does the alien beside you have the authority to speak for his species?"

  Richard stood up. 'To the best of my knowledge, yes," he answered.

  "And is the alien then prepared to ratify the document of unconditional surrender that you have been shown?"

  "We only received the document a few hours ago and have not yet had time to talk about all its contents. I have explained the most important parts to Archie, but I don't yet know."

  "They are stalling," Nakamura thundered, addressing the audience and waving a piece of paper in the air. "This single sheet co
ntains all the terms of the surrender." He turned again to face Richard and Archie. "The question requires only a simple answer," Nakamura said. "Is it yes or no?"

  Color bands rolled around Archie's head and there was a murmur in the audience. Richard watched Archie, whispered a question to his octospider colleague, and then interpreted Archie's response. He looked at Nakamura. "The octospider wants to know," Richard said, "exactly what happens if the document is ratified. What are the events that take place then, and in what order? None of this is spelled out in the agreement."

  Nakamura paused briefly. "First, all the alien soldiers must come forward with their weapons and surrender to our troops now in the south. Second, the alien government, or whatever is its equivalent, must turn over to us a complete inventory of everything that exists in their domain. Third, they must announce to all members of their species that we are going to occupy their colony and that all aliens are to cooperate in every way with our soldiers and citizens."

  Richard and Archie had another brief conversation. "What will happen to all the octospiders and the other animals who support this society?" Richard asked.

  "They will be permitted to resume their normal lives, with some constraints, of course. Our laws and our citizens will be put in place as the acting government of the occupied lands."

  "And will you, then," Richard said, "write an amendment or an appendix to this surrender document, guaranteeing the lives and safety of the octospiders, as well as the other animals, providing they do not violate any of the laws promulgated in the occupied territory?"

  Nakamura's eyes narrowed. "Except for those individual aliens who are found to have been responsible for the aggressive war that has been launched against us, I will personally guarantee the safety of those octospiders who obey the laws of occupation. But these are details. They do not need to be written in the surrender document."

  This time Richard and Archie engaged in a long discussion. From the side of the room, Katie watched her father's face closely. She thought in the beginning that he was disagreeing with the octospider, but later in the conversation Richard seemed subdued, almost resigned. It looked as if her father were memorizing something.

  The long pause in the proceedings was irritating Nakamura. The special guests were starting to whisper among themselves. Finally Nakamura spoke again. "All right," he said. "That's enough time. What is your answer?"

  Colors were still streaking around Archie's head. At length, the patterns stopped and Richard took a step forward toward Nakamura. Richard hesitated a moment before speaking.

  "The octospiders want peace," he said slowly, "and would like to find a way to end this conflict. If they were not a moral species, they might agree to ratify this surrender document just to buy some time. But the octospiders are not like that. My alien friend, whose name is Archie, would not make an agreement for his species unless he was certain both that the treaty was proper for his colony and that his fellow octospiders would honor it."

  Richard paused. "We do not need a speech," Nakamura said impatiently, "just answer the question."

  "The octospiders," Richard said in a louder voice, "sent Archie and me to negotiate an honorable peace, not to surrender unconditionally. If New Eden is not willing to negotiate and to make an agreement that respects the integrity of the octospider domain, then they have no choice. Please," Richard now shouted, looking back and forth at the guests on both sides of the room, "understand that you cannot win if the octospiders really fight. So far they have put up no resistance at all. You must convince your leaders to enter into balanced discussions—"

  "Seize the prisoners," Nakamura ordered.

  "—or you will all perish. The octospiders are much more advanced than we are. Believe me. I know. I have been living with them for more than—"

  One of the policemen struck Richard on the back of the head and he fell to the floor, bleeding. Katie jumped up, but Franz restrained her with both arms. Richard was holding the side of his head as Archie and he were ushered out of the room.

  Richard and Archie were in a small jail cell at the police station in Hakone, not far from Nakamura's palace. "Is your head all right?" Archie asked in color.

  "I think so," Richard answered, "although it is still swelling."

  "They'll kill us now, won't they?" Archie asked.

  "Probably," Richard said grimly.

  "Thanks for trying," Archie said after a short silence.

  Richard shrugged. "I didn't do much good. Anyway, it's you who should be thanked. If you hadn't volunteered, you would still be safe and sound in the Emerald City."

  Richard walked over to the washbasin in the corner to clean the cloth he was holding against his head wound. "Didn't you tell me that most humans believe in life after death?" Archie asked after Richard had rejoined him in the front of the cell.

  "Yes," Richard replied. "Some people believe we're reincarnated and return to live again, as another human or even as some other animal. Many others believe that if a good life has been lived, there is a reward, an eternal life in a beautiful, stressless place called heaven."

  "And you, Richard," Archie's colors interrupted. "What do you personally believe?"

  Richard smiled and thought for several seconds before answering. "I've always believed that whatever there was in us that was unique and defined our special, individual personality disappeared at the moment of death. Oh, sure, our chemicals may be recycled into other living creatures, but there is no real continuity, not in terms of what some humans call the soul."

  He laughed. "Right now, however, when my logical mind says I could not possibly have much more time to live, a voice inside is begging me to embrace one of those fairy tales about the afterlife. It would be easy, I admit. But such a last-minute conversion would be inconsistent with the way I have lived all these years."

  Richard walked slowly over to the front of their cell. He put his hands on the bars and stared down the corridor for several seconds without saying anything. "And what do octospiders think happens after death?" he asked softly, turning around to face his cellmate.

  "The Precursors taught us that each life is a finite interval, with a beginning and an end. Any individual creature, although a miracle, is not that important in the overall scheme of things. What matters, the Precursors said, is continuity and renewal. In their view each of us is immortal, not because anything related to a specific individual lives forever, but because each life becomes a critical link, either culturally or genetically or both, in the never-ending chain of life. When the Precursors engineered us out of our ignorance, they taught us not to fear death, but to go willingly in support of the renewal that would follow."

  "So you experience no sorrow and no fear as your death approaches?"

  "Ideally," Archie replied. "That is the accepted way in our society to face death. It is far easier, however, if an individual is surrounded, at the time of termination, by friends and others who represent the renewal that his death will enable."

  Richard walked over and put his arm around Archie. "You and I have only each other, my friend," he said. "Plus the knowledge that we have tried, together, to stop a war that will probably end up killing thousands. There can't be many causes—"

  He stopped when he heard the door to the cellblock open. The local police captain, along with one of his men, stood to the side as four biots—two Garcias and two Lincolns—all wearing gloves, came down the hallway to their cell. None of the biots spoke. One of the Garcias opened the door and all four biots crowded into the cell with Richard and Archie. The captain closed the cellblock door. Moments later the lights went out, there was the sound of a scuffle for several seconds, Richard screamed, and a body fell against the bars of the cell. Then it was quiet.

  "Now, Franz," Katie said as they opened the door to the police station, "don't be afraid to pull rank. He's just a local captain. He's not going to tell you that you can't see the prisoners."

  They walked inside only a second or two after the cell-bloc
k door closed behind the biots. "Captain Miyazawa," Franz said in his most official tone, "I am Captain Franz Bauer from headquarters. I have come to visit the prisoners."

  "I have strict orders from the highest authority, Captain Bauer," the policeman replied, "not to allow anyone into that cellblock."

  The room was suddenly plunged into darkness. "What's going on?" Franz said.

  "We must have blown a fuse," Captain Miyazawa replied. "Westermark, go outside and check the circuit breakers."

  Franz and Katie heard a scream. After what seemed to be an eternity, they heard the cellblock door open and the sound of footsteps. Three biots disappeared out the front door of the station as the lights flickered on again.

  Katie ran to the door. "Look, Franz," she yelled. "Blood—they have blood on their clothes." She spun around, frantic. "We must see my father."

  Katie outran the three police officers down the corridor. "Oh, God," she screamed as she neared the cell and saw her father lying on the floor against the bars. There was blood everywhere. "He's dead, Franz," Katie wailed. "Daddy's dead!"

  8

  Nicole had watched the video twice before. Despite her swollen eyes and utter emotional exhaustion, she asked if she could see it one more time. Beside her Dr. Blue handed her a cup of water. "Are you certain?" the octospider asked.

  She nodded. "Please start at the hearing," Nicole requested. "Normal speed until the biots enter the cellblock. Then slow it down to one-eighth."

  Richard never wanted to be a hero, Nicole was thinking as the video replayed the scene at the hearing. That wasn't his style. He only went with Archie so that it wouldn't be necessary for me. She winced when the guard struck Richard and he tumbled to the floor. The plan was hopeless from the beginning, she told herself as the New Eden policemen led Richard and Archie out of Nakamura's palace. The octospiders all knew it. I knew it. Why didn't I speak up after my premonition?