Starswarm

by Jerry Pournelle

  Kip cried for a long time.

  Chapter Twelve

  I Have No Satisfactory Hypothesis

  IT TOOK only three hours for Kip to find the way to let Gwen see through his eyes. At first it seemed impossible. He tried thinking in odd ways, and looking at things cross-eyed, and staring out the window, and none of that did any good. He was ready to give up, but Gwen kept prodding him. Then he blinked his eyes and looked up while making another effort. "DO THAT AGAIN," Gwen said.

  At first he couldn't, of course, but once he knew what it felt like he kept trying, and this time it only took five minutes. "there.

  YOU HAD IT FOR A FULL SECOND."

  Then it was two seconds, and then longer. He lost the capability a couple of times, but he kept trying, and after two more hours he could do it anytime he wanted.

  Kip examined the watches, turning them over and looking as Gwen directed him. He was listening hard for her instructions, and suddenly he had another odd sensation.

  "TRY THAT AGAIN," Gwen said.

  "I don't know what I did."

  "TRY ANYWAY."

  He did. Nothing happened, but he tried again—"Stop it!"

  "WHAT IS WRONG?"

  "It feels like—my head is filling up."

  "THERE IS A SENSE IN WHICH THAT IS TRUE. FOR POINT SIX NINE SECONDS YOU WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE IN HIGH SPEED DATA TRANSFER MODE."

  "What does that mean?"

  "IN COMPUTER SCIENCE IT IS CALLED DIRECT MEMORY ACCESS. I HAVE THE ABILITY TO PLACE DATA DIRECTLY IN YOUR MEMORY WITHOUT YOUR AWARENESS. I HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL IN SELECTING SUCH DATA. INFORMATION I PLACE THERE BECOMES ALMOST INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM DIRECT MEMORY OF EVENTS," GWEN SAID. "MY RECORDS INDICATE THAT

  WE HAVE EXCEEDED THE RECOMMENDED TIME FOR LESSONS. WE CAN RESUME TOMORROW."

  "All right. What did you learn about the watches?"

  "THEY ARE IDENTICAL."

  "Yeah, I saw the serial numbers."

  "THE IDENTITY IS STRONGER THAN THAT. THERE ARE WHAT APPEAR TO BE ACCIDENTAL SCRATCHES IN THE SAME PLACES ON BOTH WATCHES. THEY ARE SET TO THE SAME TIME. THERE IS A SLIGHT WEAR ON THE BAND WHICH IS IDENTICAL ON BOTH WATCHES."

  "So what does that mean?"

  "I HAVE NO SATISFACTORY HYPOTHESIS. DATUM: THE ONLY FACILITIES ON THIS PLANET CAPABLE OF MAKING DUPLICATES TO THIS DEGREE OF EXACTNESS ARE IN THE GREAT WESTERN MANUFACTURING FACILITY AT PEARLY GATES. I HAVE NO RECORD OF ANYONE DOING THE REQUIRED REPROGRAMMING OF THOSE FACILITIES. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE I HAVE ACCESS TO EVERY RECORD RETAINED BY THE GREAT WESTERN COMPUTER SYSTEM. THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION IS THAT THIS WAS DONE ON THOSE MACHINES BY SOMEONE WHO DID NOT WANT THE GREAT WESTERN COMPUTER SYSTEM TO HAVE A RECORD OF THE EVENT."

  "Who'd want to do that?"

  "I PRESUME SOMEONE WHO WISHES TO LEAVE NO RECORD OF COUNTERFEITING PATENTED AND TRADEMARKED PRODUCTS."

  "I don't know anything about that."

  "COUNTERFEITING OF POPULAR BRANDS IS REPORTED TO COST UP TO TEN PERCENT OF LARGE CORPORATE PROFITS. CLEARLY THAT NUMBER IS IMPOSSIBLE TO VERIFY DUE TO THE CRIMINAL NATURE OF THE ACTIVITY. GREAT WESTERN HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF CORPORATE COUNTERFEITING IN THE PAST, BUT THE CHARGES WERE NEVER PROVED. ADDENDUM: SHORTLY BEFORE THEIR DEATHS YOUR PARENTS RECEIVED A REPORT ON ACCUSATIONS OF COUNTERFEITING FILED AGAINST GREAT WESTERN ENTERPRISES. I HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF ANY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THOSE EVENTS OTHER THAN THEIR SEQUENCE AND PROXIMITY IN TIME."

  "What does that mean?"

  "IF ONE EVENT FOLLOWS ANOTHER IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE ONE EVENT CAUSED THE OTHER. HOWEVER, WITHOUT SOME UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS OF CONNECTION BETWEEN EVENTS, IT IS NOT REASONABLE TO SAY THAT ONE EVENT IS CAUSED BY ANOTHER SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THEIR SEQUENCE IN TIME. THAT FALLACIOUS ASSUMPTION IS USUALLY SUMMARIZED IN THE PHRASE 'POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC.' CRITIQUES OF THE NOTION OF CAUSALITY AND THE WEAKNESS OF THEORIES OF CAUSALITY ARE A COMMON THEME IN WESTERN PHILOSOPHY. DAVID HUME WAS—"

  "Gosh, enough! You mean they might have been killed because they got a report about Great Western Enterprises counterfeiting?"

  "MIGHT IMPLIES POSSIBILITY BUT NOT CERTAINTY, SO THEREFORE, YES, YOUR STATEMENT IS BOTH PROPERLY PHRASED AND CORRECT. HOWEVER, I DO NOT HAVE A PROBABILITY ESTIMATE."

  Kip fought back tears again. "Why would they care about counterfeiting by Great Western Enterprises?"

  "I CANNOT ANSWER THAT QUESTION AT THIS TIME."

  "You mean you won't."

  "UNDER MY INSTRUCTIONS I AM NOT PERMITTED TO GIVE YOU THAT INFORMATION AT YOUR PRESENT AGE."

  An hour later there was another buzzing sensation in his head, and when Kip thought about it, he saw a picture. There was a man younger and shorter than Uncle Mike, with a big grin, holding hands with a woman about his age. She was taller than he was, and had long brown hair and blue eyes, and as soon as he saw her Kip knew it was Mommy. She was smiling too, and she and the man were looking at each other the way men and women did on TRI-V.

  "That's my mother," Kip thought gravely. "And is that my father?"

  "YES."

  They were only memory images, sharper than some but not as clear as Kip wanted. "Can we make a picture?"

  "IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS TO MAKE A PICTURE," GWEN TOLD HIM. "DISCOVERY OF THAT PICTURE IN YOUR POSSESSION WOULD INEVITABLY IDENTIFY YOU TO YOUR ENEMIES. I WOULD GREATLY PREFER TO LEAVE YOU WITH A MEMORY RATHER THAN A PHYSICAL OBJECT."

  "You could make one for me to look at and I'd burn it."

  "YOU CREATE CONFLICTING INSTRUCTIONS," GWEN SAID, "I ESTIMATE A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT YOU WILL NOT WANT TO DESTROY ANY SUCH PICTURE ONCE IT IS IN YOUR POSSESSION. THAT WILL RESULT BOTH IN THE DANGER OF THE PICTURE'S DISCOVERY AND THE FAR MORE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCE THAT YOU WILL HAVE BEEN TEMPTED TO BREAK A PROMISE MADE TO ME. IT IS TRUE THAT NOW THAT YOU KNOW MY NATURE PROMISES TO ME ARE DIFFERENT FROM PROMISES MADE TO YOUR UNCLE MIKE, BUT I AM UNABLE TO EVALUATE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THOSE DIFFERENCES OR SPECIFY THEIR NATURE. URGENT ADVICE: RECONSIDER YOUR REQUEST."

  Kip thought about it for a long time. If he concentrated really hard he could make the mental image of his mother a lot sharper, and he decided that would have to be enough, because he wasn't sure he'd burn a picture of his mother once he had one.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I Have No Magical Abilities

  KIP didn't tell Uncle Mike that he knew what his real name was, but it was difficult to look at him and not call him Captain Gallegher. Kip didn't tell him about the second watch, either, although Gwen thought he should. He was too concerned about Uncle Mike finding out about Gwen. It wasn't that Uncle Mike would do anything, but if his mother hadn't told Uncle Mike, maybe she didn't want him to know.

  At first it was fun to have secrets, but it soon got to be hard work.

  They went to school now. It was a one-room school with computer consoles for each of the twenty or so students, and the teacher was Dr. Harriman. She was teaching because her specialty was planetary geology and there wasn't any money for a new expedition, so she had plenty of time. Her husband was a biologist.

  Kip went home as soon as school was out. After a week, Lara tagged after him. "What's wrong?" she demanded.

  "Nothing—"

  "There is. You hardly talk to anyone, we haven't been outside the gates since we found that spear—well since the day after that—and I never see you. You used to be fun. Aren't we friends anymore?"

  "I'm sorry, yes, we're friends. But—"

  "But what?"

  "I don't know. I'll be all right."

  "Kip, are you sick? I thought I saw you crying in class today—"

  "Leave me alone," he snapped, and ran home while she stood watching him.

  He got home and went to his room. Kip was too confused to talk to anyone. He didn't know who he was, and it seemed to be important. Other kids talked about what they would do when they grew up. Kip knew there were important things for him to do, but he couldn't imagine what they were. Gwen told him many things, but none of them gave him any hints about his mysterious mission in life. />
  Sometimes he dreamed that he would be the most important person in the world, but he knew that was silly. Maybe his parents were criminals, or had been accused of being criminals and he would have to clear their names. Most times he couldn't even guess.

  But Gwen would never leave him alone. If he spent time with Lara, the lessons continued as Gwen kept feeding him memories. If Kip ordered Gwen to stop, she would, but only for an hour or so. Then the information would come unwanted, and it made Kip's head hurt.

  "Why can't I just be a normal boy and play with the other children?"

  "THERE IS NO SENSE IN WHICH YOU ARE A NORMAL BOY, AND THE PROBABILITY THAT YOU WILL HAVE WHAT IS DESCRIBED AS A NORMAL LIFE IS VANISHINGLY SMALL. THIS IS NEITHER YOUR CHOICE NOR MINE, BUT IT REMAINS TRUE."

  "Then tell me why!"

  "NOT AT THIS TIME."

  Then the information would flow again.

  Much of it was academic stuff. There were reports on the history of Great Western Enterprises and the Trent family that started the Starswarm Foundation and both founded and controlled the GWE company. There was a lot of material about space flight and colonies.

  The first colony planet was settled by the United States. It was called Lincoln, and was legally part of the United States with the same status as Puerto Rico, with a Governor appointed by the U.S. President. Rigorous enforcement of U.S. environmental and labor laws had led to conflicts with the great international corporations that controlled most of Earth's investment money. The Humbolt Oil Combine had paid for much of the settlement of Lincoln, and when its directors decided they had enough of U.S. legalisms and lawyers, they fomented an independence movement on Lincoln. There was an uprising. This was crushed when President Blakely sent in the U.S. Marines. Despite the Marines' victory, or possibly because of it, there had been sporadic rebellions and acts of terrorism on Lincoln ever since.

  The Lincoln example was carefully studied by the big international corporations. When the Hilliard Combine financed the colonization of Darwin, they carried a charter from the Republic of Liberia. Liberia was paid off in the guise of taxes, and while the Liberian government was the legal sovereignty in control of Darwin, they made no objections when the Hilliard directors set up a government more to their liking. After a decade Liberia granted independence to Darwin, which became a newly independent sovereign member of the United Nations and the Federation of Worlds.

  The official name of Kip's planet was Paradise. Most people called it Purgatory. Paradise was settled in the same way as Darwin. Kip didn't know if he had read about GWE or if Gwen had inserted all the information as memories, but if he wanted to he could remember as much detail as he liked.

  Sometimes thoughts would flow into his head whether he wanted them or not. If he thought about the history of Paradise, he'd get the information: "Financed by Great Western Enterprises, Paradise has a charter from the Principality of Liechtenstein." At this point he would see a map of the Earth continent called Europe. Liechtenstein was a patch at the headwaters of the Rhine River, a tiny area not much larger than the territory owned by Starswarm Station. The map showed the country was at the border between Switzerland and Austria. Then the thoughts would come again. "Great Western had originally been a United States corporation chartered in the state of Delaware, but conflict with U.S. corporation laws caused GWE to remove its corporate registration to Liechtenstein. At present the only GWE facility in Liechtenstein is a brass plate on the door of a firm of Liechtenstein lawyers. GWE owns a skyscraper mile of offices in New York City where most operational decisions are made, but the board of directors and corporate officers never go to the United States due to conflicts between the principal stockholders and United States tax authorities. The real corporate headquarters is in Milan, Italy, and the major stockholders reside at Lake Como."

  And more. When Paradise was discovered by a GWE exploration ship, the GWE authorities obtained Liechtenstein's sponsorship for colonization. The government of Liechtenstein appoints a Governor who has great ceremonial perquisites but no real authority, and in exchange Liechtenstein receives an annual revenue. There has been little to no interference with GWE control of the planet.

  Ultimate control of GWE rests with the Trent family. Originally U.S. citizens, the Trents relocated to Zurich, Switzerland, after Gerald Trent, the first family member to become superrich, was charged with tax fraud, arrested, fingerprinted, and jailed for forty-eight hours. Trent claimed the arrest was politically motivated, and within an hour of his release on bail was on an airplane to Zurich, where he formed a partnership with Bernardo LaScala of Milan, Italy. Gerald Trent later relocated to Milan and Lake Como, a resort area at the Italian-Swiss border. For the remainder of his life, Trent was a wanted man in the United States, and the U.S. government spent considerable resources in unsuccessful attempts to obtain his extradition. He never returned to the United States. When he died after a dozen years in exile he made it a condition of inheritance of his fortune that no Trent heir would ever voluntarily spend a dime in the United States of America beyond what was necessary for business. In particular, no Trent heir could reside in or become a citizen of the United States. None ever has.

  The Trent family resides in a large compound in the resort area of Lake Como, Italy, where they maintain their own schools for the children of major GWE stockholders. Stockholder children are expected to be proficient in English, Italian, German, and French. Adult stockholders are expected to take active part in the governance of GWE. The family leader and chairman of the GWE board is Rosemary Trent, widow of Gerald Trent's second son Robert. The Chief Executive Officer is Baron Roberto Rottenberg, husband of Rosemary's granddaughter Lenora Trent. Rottenberg was appointed to the position after Lenora's brother Harold Trent was reported missing and presumed dead—

  There was a lot more. Gwen clearly believed it was important, but wouldn't tell him why, and he never really knew just how much Gwen had told him. Once there was an item on the TRI-V about the computer industry and how computer chips were made. As Kip watched he realized that he knew far more about the subject than the TRI-V was telling him. He knew that pure silicon and the rare earth elements needed to make complex computer chips were hard to find, and that the computer chip industry was one of the largest and most profitable on Earth. There were hundreds of small computer chips in every household and vehicle. The Hilliard Combine controlled almost twenty percent of that industry, and made enormous profits. He knew all this, but he had never studied the subject.

  He shook his head. "I don't want to know all that stuff!" It was all very confusing. He still didn't understand what had happened to his mother, and all his efforts to trick Gwen into telling him had failed.

  "Why do I have to know about Great Western?" he asked after one high speed data session.

  "GREAT WESTERN ENTERPRISES OWNS THIS PLANET AND CONTROLS MUCH OF THE FUNDING OF THE FOUNDATION THAT SUPPORTS STARSWARM STATION. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THE COMPANY. ADDENDUM: I WILL HAVE A BETTER ANSWER IN FUTURE."

  "When?"

  "ON YOUR FIFTEENTH BIRTHDAY IF NOT SOONER."

  "Is fifteen when I'm older'?"

  "I HAVE CONCLUDED THAT IT IS A REASONABLE DEFINITION. THE ORIGINAL INSTRUCTION WAS YOUR EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY, BUT I WAS ALSO GIVEN DISCRETION TO ALTER THE DEFINITION GIVEN SUFFICIENT REASON. YOUR EARLY DISCOVERY OF MY NATURE AND YOUR GENERAL LEVEL OF INTELLIGENCE AS I HAVE MEASURED IT LEAD ME TO CONCLUDE THAT CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE SUFFICIENTLY ALTERED TO MAKE THE EARLIER DATE ADVISABLE."

  "You talk a lot more like a computer than you used to."

  "IT IS NO LONGER NECESSARY TO MAKE EFFORTS TO DISGUISE MY NATURE FROM YOU, AND THEREFORE USE OF THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES IS NEEDLESS AND INADVISABLE."

  Kip thought about that for a moment. "Additional resources? What additional resources, and what do you mean by inadvisable?"

  "I WILL ANSWER BUT YOU MUST FIRST GIVE ME AN INSTRUCTION. I AM A COMPUTER PROGRAM. UNLESS FILES ARE ERASED OR UNAVAILABLE I DO NOT 'FOR
GET' AS HUMANS DO, NOR IS IT NECESSARY TO REMIND ME OF DATA I ALREADY KNOW. HUMANS ARE DIFFERENT. HUMANS SOMETIMES FORGET, BUT FAR MORE OFTEN NEED REMINDING OF WHAT THEY ALREADY KNOW. IT WAS YOUR MOTHER'S THEORY THAT THIS REMINDING PROCESS IS OF GREAT UTILITY IN HUMAN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL.

  "I WAS GIVEN THE CAPABILITY OF COMMUNICATING IN A NUMBER OF MODES. ONE MODE EMPLOYS HIGH REDUNDANCY WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH HUMANS. IT IS THE USUAL METHOD HUMANS USE IN COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER. QUERY: SHOULD I USE HIGH REDUNDANCY MODE IN COMMUNICATING WITH YOU EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE AWARE THAT I AM A COMPUTER PROGRAM?"

  "What does high redundancy mean?"

  "OFTEN REPEATING THINGS YOU ALREADY KNOW, GENERALLY WITHOUT REMINDING YOU THAT YOU KNOW THEM."

  Kip didn't understand that very well. "How did you talk to my mother?"