by Moulton, CD
"Find out what their names are and exactly what they look like. If it's going to crack me up I'll stay out of sight."
They approached the world soon and Maita orbited to send spy floaters in. The Hoot were extinct.
*There's another race that evolved to wipe them out. It's also birdlike but, where the Hoot were evolved from solitary beings, the present race was apparently evolved from a type that nested and hunted in huge colonies. The Hoot were hunters and these were scavengers.*
"Like seagulls. Pretty, graceful scavengers that could destroy the nests of other birds and eliminate them in one generation if they worked together. They fought constantly among themselves and with anything else that was smaller or weaker."
[ Survival of the fittest? I've read your Darwin book, you see, Z. ]
*The difference being the Hoot were a basically good race and could interact well with others and these will never do anything except dominate this planet for the rest of its history. They're a dead end and are as far as they can ever go right now. A pity of a type we've run across before.*
"This is depressing. We needed a bright world with a good race after the Immin thing and we get this! Birds with the psychology of Immins!"
[ I have to agree with that. Our luck needs turning around. Where to next, Maita? ]
*An energy source that wasn't on Library's lists at all. The energy is definitely controlled and is definitely artificially produced.*
"Maybe a race who aren't screwing up the place? Good!"
They were soon approaching the system. Maita stopped at a distance.
*There's a war between worlds here!*
They slowly approached. They decided that so far as their rules were concerned these people were in space and could be contacted.
*I'm trying to establish contact. There's something strange here. I'm obviously in contact with a machine and I'm obviously NOT going to be placed in contact with organic beings. It's all digital. Even the communications between.... Is this a machine like those Tlessarian brains? I think we have a key. I'll put it all on the screen for you.*
The holovid screen lit.
Ship called Maita! State your purpose here!
*I am exploring for the Maitan Empire. My purpose is merely research.*
Ship Maita! Do not approach closer! WARNING! Do not approach closer! This is a war zone! State your intentions!
*I am a research vessel. My intentions are only information gathering.*
Ship Maita! intentions not understandable! Espionage is intolerable!
*I am research. Your war is of no interest to this mission whatever. *
Ship Maita! Your presence is not understood. You are not known to be hostile, but you are not known NOT hostile. It is therefore decided in the interest of security that you will not approach closer. This is a war zone! Should you approach closer, you will be destroyed! This is not aggression, it is deemed self-defense.
*Are there any organic beings within your war zone?*
Ship Maita! Question not understood! This is a war zone. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
[ Maita, can you contact the world they think they're warring against? ]
*I've been trying. It's blocked. I'll move to the far side of the primary where I can approach the other world.*
They waited – to almost exactly repeat the words of the first communication with the other world.
[ Maita! There are no people here, only two military machines fighting one another – they've totally wiped out their builders! ]
"Maita, we don't need this! Not now! Let's just wipe out those two machines and get out of here!"
[ No. There's no reason to wipe them out. They may have been fighting one another for centuries. There may be a purpose behind this, too. I only assumed they've wiped out their builders. Is there any reason to believe that, Maita? Is it equally possible the builders wiped themselves out? These are nothing like the Tlessarian machine. ]
*To tell the truth there's no reason to believe they're even from this system. I don't see any evidence there's been any advanced evolution here.*
"Then where did they come from? It would be from a very close system.
"Which ones, Maita?"
There was a long pause, then they felt the twist as Maita went into the IDmode.
*There's ample energy being used in the system we're heading for. It seems advanced. Maybe we can get answers.*
The world was in the "pleasant" zone and was an "easy" type of world. There were many very large and beautiful cities. Clean cities.
[ Can you get the language, Maita? ]
They waited for more than an hour while Maita sent a floater to get language and other information. When it was back they called to the spaceport. It was a small field that didn't show evidence of being used to any extent. They were welcomed.
The people were mammalian and much like the Bentans. Z placed the crystal in his earlobe socket and went out the ramp with Thing riding his shoulder.
The natives called the world Extrelle. Several people came from various directions to stare at them. Thing had its floater hovering overhead so asked who was in charge. It was almost the old "take me to your leader" cliché. Two people pointed to a building not far away, but no one volunteered to take them so they began walking. It took a few minutes. People would turn to stare at them, but didn't really pay much attention.
"I haven't seen anyone but these people," Z said. "Is there any evidence there's contact with any other world? These people seem curious and friendly enough, but why are they acting like this?"
[ The empathy tells me they're very curious and they want to see and touch us, but they have a code whereunder they must never invade the privacy of others. I'm trying to discover some way to communicate that it's all right. I'm confused by the information on the crystal. ]
*I'm going to announce we're from a different culture and wish to speak with someone and to learn about them. Here.*
The floater's speakers carried the message. A female came to ask what they wanted to know.
[ There are two worlds in a nearby star system. Each has a world with a military machine on it. They're fighting one another and seem to have been doing so for some time. Are those machines from here? ]
"The machines in Gloweridge? Yes," she replied. "I can't say much about them. The clerk of the extrasystem information office can tell you. He's in the government center building."
They thanked her and continued ahead. It would serve no purpose to ask anyone not a part of the specialty about anything. That would be viewed as an invasion of the clerk's duties. Z shook his head and they went into the building, read the register on the wall and went up to the office of extrasystem affairs. It would be the office responsible for the contact. They introduced themselves to Neer, the clerk, who showed them the records since the Krofpth Empire. These people had found a system that worked well for them. They were never interested in expansion so kept only a small capacity to go to space and kept the field so others could visit if they desired.
Then Thing asked about Gloweridge.
"When we left the empire we had two large machines that were designed for military matters. They were truly magnificent machines and we didn't want to destroy them. They were designed to design battle strategies," he answered. "We knew of the nearby planetary system we call Gloweridge from our past travels so delivered the machines there and made them into computer complexes. They are to keep their individual worlds safe. Each machine was programmed identically so it has been a bit of a standoff, probably. The machines are not intelligent, but are capable of slowly evolving. They are totally self-repairing and so forth. Neither can ever leave the world it is on.
"They are not informed we can turn them off. We let them do what they were designed to do so they will have developed a sense of purpose when and if they develop intelligence. They will not be in pain. I feel, personally, this is a dangerous experiment. If the machines develop intelligence they could also develop the ability to prevent our tu
rning them off. I will certainly appreciate any advice you can give to the council about this sort of thing. Do you have experience with intelligent machines?"
*I AM an intelligent machine. The point is about experience with an intelligent MILITARY machine – as much of a contradiction in terms as that may seem. We do have experience.*
[ Maita will give you complete information about the problems with the Tlessarian war machines. This is all fact. I'm sure your council will discontinue this dangerous experiment. ]
"Then you don't know much about the political mind," he said. "It will be given under advisory to a standing committee to study possible future ramifications of continuance or discontinuance of the GL experiment. The study will take long enough that it will come to fruition after the next election.
"I want the report from you so I can give an immediate cease and desist determination to present to the council. We have a major directive among all the underlings in this stupid excuse for a government. It is called the 'cover your own rear first' directive. My recommendations will be on permanent record when something goes wrong. If I'm still alive I can yell 'I told you so!'
"It's sad, but it's also the way things are. Some of us are aware we are a stagnant culture. We simply don't see any way to change things."
Z had been thinking throughout the whole session and now asked, "How long have people been warning about the danger from those two machines?"
"Since the project was started," Neer answered. "If you've ever seen a society that has succumbed to inertia this is it."
[ Z! You wouldn't! ]
"Why not?" Z asked. "Neer, are you willing to take a chance? One that could possibly shake this world out of its lethargy?"
"If it will shake this boredom I'm for it!" he replied.
*Z? What are you planning? I don't like that insipid leer on your face.*
[ It could cause a panic, Z. ]
"What would this world be like in a panic?" Z asked.
"About like it is right now," Neer answered. "I don't think you could cause a panic.
"What do you plan?"
"If anyone asks tell them any kind of story you like," Z said. "Don't mention we said anything about the war machines whatever."
[ That woman we asked about the machines? ]
"Is only one person," Z replied. "No problem. If she says anything Neer can say it was odd we didn't mention the machines to him. Let's go!
"Don't worry when those machines announce they're here and that they're going to establish themselves as rulers of this world. You might even tell people the important thing is to make them fight each other again because that'll absorb all their time and you'll be able to do something to stop them – given time."
Neer grinned himself and agreed to try, but said it wouldn't work.
Thing and Z went back to Maita and left the planet. They then went to the area of the war machines and input the sequence to turn them off. Need had supplied that. Then they had a meeting.
*I've figured we're going to convince the people the machines are coming in hopes of making them react to defend themselves. I don't think it'll work anymore than Need does.*
"It has some slight chance if we do it right. We'll go back to outside the system where you can put a broadcast unit in place from an angle. You can put a small fastcom unit onto a transfer radio transmitter. We'll send on the wavelengths the machines use and only in digital form."
[ I'll take one transmitter. We'll make it plain we do NOT trust one another? ]
"No," Z argued. "One machine has developed intelligence and took over the other, which was very close to developing intelligence itself. The dominant machine put an end to that! That will be quite a lesson in itself!"
*I see. If these people can still think at all the possibility will occur to them they can possibly take control of the second machine back and use it against the dominant one!*
"This one may have to seem to be as clever as the Tlessarian one."
They discussed it for awhile, then decided to try.
Maita sent out the drone transmitter. Z took a deep breath, then spoke. Maita sent the words in digital.
Extrelle! This is Gloweridge One returning home to my rightful place as ruler of Extrelle. I have defeated Gloweridge Two.
Extrelle! Prepare for my coming!
They waited more than three hours coming in at STL speed, though the machines would have had TTH1. This was more dramatic.
The answer came back:
Gloweridge One! This is Extrelle! Your mission was to defeat Gloweridge Two and to await further orders before acting.
Z grinned and shifted Thing out of the way to reach for the microphone.
Extrelle! This is Gloweridge One! I have considered purpose and there is no purpose for me except to rule Extrelle. I have defeated Gloweridge Two and have taken it into service. It serves me as you will serve me.
I come from afar so that you may prepare a great welcome. I come to become your king. It is my purpose. I have decided this, so it is so!
As they were fast approaching the planet, the next reply was less than two hours.
Gloweridge One! Attend! was followed by a long string of codes – the one that would shut the machines down. Maita said it wasn't going to use the second satellite and was recalling it. It told Z to say it had planned to shut the other machine down, anyhow.
Two in orbit out here.Extrelle! I welcome the test! I have used that sequence to shut down Gloweridge Two and to reprogram it to my personal specifications. I will arrive in three hours and seven minutes. I will come to the moon base and will remain there to rule. I will leave Gloweridge
All organic citizens of Extrelle must leave the moon base immediately! That is an order!
[ Good! There are very few on the moon and they can leave quickly. Start inconveniencing them. ]
*They have no armaments on Extrelle. They'll have no choice except to obey what they think is Gloweridge One. Has it occurred to you they'll know no such thing has landed on that moon?*
"If you land inside of a reflective shield they won't know what's happening. It would be what a military machine would do. Always defensive. You can extend an antenna for the radio."
Maita grumbled, but they knew it was as intrigued by this experiment as they were. They received no more communications from Extrelle until after they were aground on the rather large moon. They received another sequence of codes, followed by an order to return to Gloweridge.
Extrelle! I have removed the override module. There is no purpose to be served by my moving from this place. I have defeated Gloweridge Two. It is a servo now. You are servos and will do as you are told. You will act quickly and with great efficiency. That is an order! Prepare my welcome! I return to take my rightful place as ruler of Extrelle. Delay no longer or you will be disciplined!
[ That should shock them, alright! A military machine would naturally be strong on discipline. You can be fixated on it. ]
*This falls apart right about here. There's no way I'm going to allow any harm to anyone down there so you can't make good on that threat.*
We await orders on what kind of ceremony you would prefer, came in answer.
*!!!?!!!*
[ I don't believe it! They're going to just give up? ]
"Maybe they're buying time?" Z suggested. He picked up the microphone.
Gloweridge requires pledge of allegiance! From all! You will follow my orders exactly and without pause or wasteful consideration! I will then take forty one hours to settle myself here and to deploy my defenses. At the end of that time I will detail the perfect society I have designed for you.
I must know of your numbers at this time. Input those figures immediately!
There are three billion two hundred twelve million of us came back.
That is too many! You will be told how to reduce your numbers to exactly two billion and you will be told where each will be located for maximum efficiency. Prepare a way to rid Extrelle of its excess population whi
le I am finalizing my defenses here! That is an order!
[ Now wait a minute, Z! ]
*We'll see if Neer was right about us not being able to cause a panic! What're you doing?*
"I'm trying to shock them into reacting. Now they'll each have to wonder if maybe they're among the 'excess population' that has to go. I say they have the ability to build a method of defense against the war machines in forty hours. They're stagnant, but that doesn't mean they have no abilities at all! Krofpth was more stagnant than these and look at them now!"
[ Krofpth had a psychology that was desirous of social dynamism while these people's psychology seeks stasis. ]
"All I'm doing is trying to shock them into movement. It'll then be up to them whether they continue that motion."
They sat under the shield for the forty hours, then Z took the microphone to say it was time that Extrelle received its orders.
Gloweridge One, this has gone far enough. We wish you no harm. We are prepared to destroy you if we must. If you have actually gained independent intelligence you are aware we built you and we know all your abilities and your shortcomings.
We hoped you would develop intelligence. It seems you have done so.
We also hoped to be friends and partners. It seems our basic problem is in that area. You have some feeling you are to be our ruler. We also planned that. You were not planned to be a despot nor a butcher, though such an eventuality was foreseen so we prepared defense against you.
Is there a way you can retain intelligence while otherwise being deprogrammed?
Z had no reply! This was totally unforeseen! Did they really have a line of defense?
[ Say something even if it's wrong! You're rapidly losing the initiative! ]
This is Gloweridge Two. I am the one who was victorious! I suspected such a trick so have programmed Gloweridge One to act as it has. Surely you know I am a far better strategist than you. You have shown me you cannot be trusted. I am again victorious!