Asimov's Future History Vol 2

by Isaac Asimov

  Late in the afternoon, the Hungry Hawk closed in on one side of the merchant ship just as the Old Laughing Lady drew near on the other side. Both ships fired their cannon. Huge splinters of wood flew into the air from the sides of the quarry. Gaping holes through the sails of their prey revealed blue sky beyond them. The merchant ship fired back, but it had few cannons and poor aim; plumes of spray rose where its cannonballs struck the water.

  By that time, of course, all three crews were armed and anxious. Captain Tomann was striding up and down the deck shouting threats at the Spaniards, waving his cutlass angrily. Most of his crew had massed on one side. The front line eagerly waited with grappling hooks on ropes as the helmsman steered the ship into position alongside the Cadiz. The rest were armed with boarding pikes, cutlasses, rapiers, and flintlock pistols or muskets.

  Wayne stayed where he was as the shouting buccaneers on each pirate ship grappled with the Spanish ship only moments apart. Shouts roared on all sides as the buccaneer crews leaped onto the merchant ship, waving their weapons. The snapping of muskets and pistols threw puffs of smoke into the air. As some men screamed and fell into the water, Wayne gripped the rail, searching the crew of the Hungry Hawk for MC 2.

  The Spanish crew, outnumbered and surrounded by buccaneers, did not put up much of a fight. They were quickly disarmed and hustled to one side, under guard. In only moments, however, the two buccaneer crews were facing off, yelling at each other and threatening to fight.

  Amidships, Captain Tomann was bellowing at Captain Quinn, slashing at the air with his cutlass. Captain Quinn, holding his own bloody cutlass, was shouting back at him. Their men were not preparing to fight behind them, however; they were too busy looting the ship and getting into individual fights.

  Finally, through the confusion aboard the Cadiz, Wayne saw MC 2 on the far side, still on the Hungry Hawk. He was standing protectively near a young buccaneer; they had apparently not left the Hungry Hawk to join the fight at all. Wayne leaped up and ran to the nearest spot along the rail where he could climb across to the Cadiz.

  12

  WAYNE PICKED HIS way quickly through the debris and knots of arguing, yelling, whooping buccaneers on the Cadiz. As quickly as he could, he dodged a couple of sword fights and one wrestling match to reach the other side. As he drew closer to MC 2 and the buccaneer with him at the rail of the adjoining ship, he reached inside his shirt for the control device that would carry him and anyone within a meter or so back to his own time. He would have to get MC 2 away from the others for just a moment.

  “You!” Wayne pointed at MC 2 as he shouted, still running forward toward the rail of the Cadiz. “Come over here! To this ship! Under the Second Law, do what I say!”

  “Don’t move!” The buccaneer next to MC 2 grabbed his arm and held him. “Remember your priority.”

  Wayne realized from the voice, suddenly, that the buccaneer was a woman. “MC 2, I’m Wayne Nystrom, your creator.” He could see indecision in the robot’s face.

  “Roland! Help!” The woman waved her arms frantically, looking behind Wayne.

  Just as Wayne whirled around, Roland swung toward him on a rope dangling from the rigging overhead. His booted feet struck Wayne on the chest with a painful thud and threw him backward onto the deck, hard. With the wind knocked out of him, but otherwise not hurt, Wayne lay motionless, gasping for breath. He waited helplessly, half-expecting the buccaneer to finish him off, but instead Roland leaped back aboard the Hungry Hawk.

  On the Cadiz, the buccaneers continued to loot and celebrate.

  As the little Jamaica Jane whipped across the waves toward the three ships grappled together in the distance, Hunter could hear the sounds of men fighting hand to hand. He sat up straight, magnifying his vision to the maximum. However, he could not see any details that his hearing had not already identified.

  “What is it?” Jane also peered at the distant ships, but of course he knew she could see even less. “What’s wrong?”

  “The fighting has begun,” said Hunter. “I am worried that MC 2 will interfere with the fight and change the course of history. His presence and perhaps Rita’s could alter the behavior of the buccaneers.”

  “We knew a fight was coming,” said Steve. “Weren’t you ready for this?”

  “I anticipated it, of course.”

  “Listen, Hunter,” said Jane. “Are we proceeding as quickly as possible?”

  “Yes. I have the tack and the tiller at the optimum angles for speed under current conditions.” He quickly reappraised the direction of the wind to double-check.

  “Then you are doing everything the Laws of Robotics require at the moment. Acknowledge your agreement.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  “And if you experience indecision or if you shut down, Steve and I will suffer even greater harm. Right?”

  “Right.” Somewhat reassured, Hunter turned his attention back to the three ships ahead.

  Twilight was falling by the time the Jamaica Jane drew near the three ships. Even Steve could hear the singing and shouting of a drunken celebration. The ships were still grappled together, swaying on the open sea, with their sails furled. None of the buccaneers noticed the small craft as Hunter sailed up to the stern of the Cadiz.

  “What do you want to do?” Steve turned to Hunter.

  “I must climb up to take a look at the crowd,” said Hunter. “However, I dare not leave you two alone in this little sailboat, so you must come with me.”

  Steve looked up at the steep sides of the big ships. “We have to climb up there?”

  “Not exactly. I will tie us to the hull of the Cadiz and climb up myself with one of our ropes. Before I go, I will tie a fixed loop in this end to fit around you. Then I will lift you up when I have reached a safe place.”

  “Okay,” said Steve.

  Hunter tied the boat by the bowline and unfastened the longest rope from the rigging. He tied a fixed loop and gave it to Steve, taking the other end with him as he climbed up the hull of the Spanish ship. Below him, Steve and Jane watched anxiously, as the ship swayed over the waves.

  The hull of the Cadiz was damp and slick with slime on the lower levels. Still, Hunter’s precise analysis of the surface and his immensely strong fingers and toes allowed him to make maximum use of whatever slight holds he could find. Patiently, he rose little by little until he reached the windows of the captain’s chamber. All of them were open.

  Steve didn’t think that Hunter could move his large body into any of them, but he was wrong. As he watched, he remembered that Hunter had the ability to alter his dimensions if he wanted. Now, Hunter used that ability to narrow his shoulders just enough to ease through one of the open windows.

  He worked his way through headfirst, squirming. At last his legs slithered inside. He disappeared for a moment, then leaned his upper body back outside with his end of the rope tied around his torso.

  Hunter pointed to Jane. Steve nodded, understanding that Hunter did not want to risk shouting from up there for fear of attracting attention. He helped slide the fixed loop under Jane’s arms.

  “It’ll be uncomfortable,” said Steve. “Hang onto the rope with your hands and brace your feet against the hull so you don’t swing against it too hard.”

  “Got it,” said Jane.

  Steve waved to Hunter, who began pulling her up. He watched, tense, as she swayed above him. The ships were still tossing on the waves, and she began to swing back and forth, though she did keep her feet out in front of her to kick away from the hull when necessary. Her long skirt swirled in the wind. Finally, Hunter had her at the window and he reached out to pull her in safely.

  A moment later, Hunter tossed the loop back down to Steve, who fitted it under his arms and waved. Then the rope grew taut and he was lifted off his feet. He, too, kept his feet against the hull so he wouldn’t slam against it with his body, but otherwise he was completely helpless. The wind almost spun him around once, and he didn’t dare look down to see how far above
the water he was. He was dizzy and losing his bearings by the time he felt Hunter’s strong hands grasp him under the arms and pull him inside the ship.

  “It’s hot in here,” said Steve quietly, dizzily collapsing into a chair.

  “That must be why no one is here,” said Hunter. “Everyone is on deck, out in the breeze.” He coiled the rope neatly and laid it down. “I have been listening carefully to the voices. The buccaneers are all up on deck and I think they have had enough rum to cloud their judgment.”

  “What about it?” Steve asked.

  “The Spanish crew is imprisoned in the hold where the cargo used to be. I am going to find some men’s clothing for Jane. Then we will sneak up on deck and look around. Except for some lamps, it will be dark up there. If we are fortunate, everyone up there will assume we belong to the other ship’s crew.”

  Steve nodded, relieved that he would have a moment to get over his dizziness. Jane was clinging to a corner of a table, looking dizzy herself. The captain’s quarters had been looted, leaving clothing, charts, and bedcovers scattered on the floor. Hunter quickly and quietly searched for clothing that would suit Jane. After a few moments, he tossed Jane some knee breeches, a loose, baggy linen shirt, and a vest.

  Steve turned his back while Jane changed. When she had finished, Hunter gave her a large, red and white scarf. She tied it over her hair, in the style many of the buccaneers used. The clothing was loose and baggy on her.

  “Well?” She looked back and forth between them.

  “You’re too pretty to fool anybody,” said Steve. “But it’s dark up there.”

  “Well, I’ll hide behind you two.”

  “Good,” said Hunter. “I will lead the way. Only whisper after we leave this chamber. And only if necessary.”

  Steve nodded and got to his feet.

  “This time, Jane goes last,” Hunter added. He opened the door to the darkened passageway and stepped outside.

  Steve followed him, glancing back over his shoulder repeatedly to make sure Jane was close behind. Hunter opened an outer door and the three of them moved up a steep staircase to the deck. Drunken buccaneers were singing in groups, or stumbling around laughing and joking; wooden chests had been brought up from below and broken open to reveal gold coin, silver coin, furs, and rolls of tobacco. Many of the pirates were already asleep on deck with their tankards still in their hands.

  Hunter stepped up on deck and moved quietly to his right, into an empty corner. Steve followed him and saw that Jane came right behind them. Hunter pointed upward, to some voices he had apparently been tracking.

  Now even Steve and Jane could hear two men talking on the level above them. Steve supposed it was another deck. Hunter signaled for silence. All three remained motionless on the creaking, swaying ship.

  “You got out here in short order, Tomann,” said one man. “Not that I begrudge your coming. We’ve made a good haul here for every man.”

  “Aye, Quinn. And once we agreed on an even split, the men stored most of it on our own ships quick enough. Come morning, they’ll clean up what’s left on deck here.”

  “You know,” said Captain Quinn. “One of my men asked a Spaniard why their ship was all alone so near Jamaica.”

  “Had to scare the truth out of him, I dare say.”

  “Aye, well, the answer has possibilities.”

  “Eh?”

  “The Cadiz wasn’t alone. She was in a convoy protected by a Spanish warship, but a storm separated them a few days ago.”

  “I say! That means some other fat chickens are nearby without a protector, just waiting for the likes of us.”

  “But if we go on searching, then we’ll have to decide what to do with the Cadiz,” said Captain Quinn. “We know she should bring a fine price from someone should we take her back to Port Royal with us.”

  “Aye.” Captain Tomann sighed. “Better to take home the prize we have first, as we’ve already agreed. A skeleton crew will be enough to take the Cadiz on the short trip home.”

  “Well spoken, Tomann. I guess we both know that our buccaneer friends all know each other.”

  “Aye, and their loyalty is to hard gold, not to you or me.” Tomann laughed harshly. “So long as we lead them to fat prizes, they’ll let us have the captain’s double share and take our orders grudgingly enough. But take them on one dry voyage, and they’ll slit our throats as fast as any pigeon’s.”

  “Well, we’ve kept our heads one more day, Tomann.” Captain Quinn laughed, too, and clanked tankards with his companion. Then their footsteps clunked on the wooden boards as they strolled away.

  Steve nudged Hunter. “You sail back on the Hungry Hawk,” he whispered. “Jane and I will join the skeleton crew on the Cadiz. That way, we’ll have someone on two out of the three ships to watch for MC 2.”

  “I cannot allow this,” Hunter said firmly. “The increased danger to you is too great.”

  “Listen, Hunter,” Jane whispered urgently. “You have to shift your First Law priorities. At this point, the danger of losing MC 2 completely is greater than ever. Steve and I can stick together and help each other. On the Cadiz, all the other crew members will think we came from the other ship.”

  “That’s right,” said Steve. “Besides, one of the reasons you hired me is that I’m used to improvising. This is the kind of situation you hired me to handle.”

  “We can function most safely as a team,” said Hunter. “That was also my plan.”

  “Hunter, listen carefully,” said Jane. “What I mean is, you may have to prioritize your First Law imperatives. Steve and I may have to be sacrificed in order to maintain the future as it should be for everyone else.”

  “Allow two humans to come to harm in order to save millions,” Steve added.

  “Respond, Hunter,” said Jane.

  “That should not be necessary,” said Hunter.

  “Look, we aren’t giving up,” said Steve. “We fully expect to rejoin you later. But we agree that the risk of splitting up to find MC 2 is worth it.”

  Hunter was silent for a moment, an unusually long time for a robot. Then he nodded. “All right.”

  “I want to leave you with one more thought while you’re on your own,” said Jane. “Your independent action is crucial to pursuing this First Law problem about the future. Do not allow instructions from other humans under the Second Law to distract you from your larger task, as you allowed Wayne Nystrom to do on our last mission.”

  “Understood,” said Hunter. “Now before we split up, I want to find you two a safe place to sleep for the night on the Cadiz. Then I will move to the Hungry Hawk. If anyone asks why I am on the wrong ship, I will tell them I had too much rum tonight and got mixed up.”

  Steve grinned. “You’re playacting better all the time.”

  As the night deepened, Wayne remained alone and awake on the Old Laughing Lady. Gradually, the celebration on board the Cadiz wound down and most of the crew of the Old Laughing Lady returned, except for those who would help sail the Cadiz home. He was not sure what to do next. Ordinarily, he would simply pursue MC 2 directly, but he was afraid of Roland.

  After some reflection, he had guessed that the woman buccaneer might be Rita, the woman Roland had mentioned as part of Hunter’s team. For now, he decided to bide his time and wait for another opportunity to approach MC 2 alone somehow. He was certainly not going to risk another fight with Roland.

  Captain Tomann stumbled back aboard last of all, his cutlass in its scabbard again. Now he carried an empty tankard in one hand, idling knocking it against doorknobs, brass handles, and other items as he passed them. Wayne suddenly realized that he could use a buccaneer ally, someone to counter Roland. He hurried after the pirate captain.

  “That’s quite a haul,” he called out.

  “Eh? Oh, aye, it is.” Captain Tomann nodded, looking at him sleepily. “Still awake, are you?”

  “Yes. I mean, aye. Wide-awake. Shall we visit, Captain? Maybe we can get better acquainted.”r />
  “I’m awake, myself.” Captain Tomann looked into his empty tankard. “Well, then. Come along to my quarters. I have a private cupboard of rum for just such an emergency.”

  Steve and Jane huddled out of the wind on the deck of the Cadiz. Hunter had already moved to the Hungry Hawk, telling them that he would scuttle the Jamaica Jane before daylight so no one on board the larger ships would see it.

  “We’re on a real adventure now,” said Steve. “Alone together on a ship full of pirates.”

  “You don’t need to remind me,” Jane muttered.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? I thought you agreed this was a good idea.”

  “It is. But I’m not used to being away from robots and their dedication to the First Law. I work in an office and a lab, in a society where robots are common and none of them can allow harm to humans if they can prevent it.”

  “I know I can’t fight like Hunter could,” said Steve. “But I think we can avoid a fight. These pirates will just want to go home with their loot now, I think.”

  “Yeah.” Jane nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

  They slept out on the open deck with most of the buccaneers, under the peaceful Caribbean sky.

  13

  THE NEXT MORNING, Steve and Jane awoke as the buccaneers on board threw off all the grappling hooks and set sail on all three ships for Port Royal. Since the weather was clear with a stiff breeze, the work was simple. Steve looked for tasks that were obvious, where he could help others without revealing his ignorance of sailing. He joined another buccaneer rolling a fresh keg of drinking water across the deck and pried open a crate of salted fish. Jane stayed with him and tossed hard biscuits to hungry buccaneers.

  Once the ships were under sail, breakfast on the Cadiz also included some kind of gruel from a large pot. Steve and Jane learned as they ate that the ship was now captained by a buccaneer named Jacques Duveau. The eastern coast of Jamaica came into sight by midday, though of course they would have to sail around the southeastern corner of the island to reach Port Royal on the southern coast.