Aurora

by Mark W. Tiedemann

  "You shit. . ." Toranz breathed when he bared her face.

  "I am that." He continued going through her pockets. He found a wallet of ampules and a hypodermic gun. "For you? Or do you deal on the side? Considering the environment of this place, there can't be too much law enforcement going on."

  "How come . . . how come you didn't . . . aren't stunned, too ... T,

  "Special underwear. Trade secret"

  Masid laid everything he had found out on the table., then pulled up a chair and sat opposite Toranz.

  "Your shield, a palm stunner, hypo, some kind of broad spectrum antipathogen, a few hundred in currency, business cards, and a portable comm. Not much to go on, but timing counts for something. You work for Filoo, don't you? Or you work for one of his agents." Masid grinned- "That's it, isn't it? He's worried about a leak in his organization. He wouldn't send you to check me out, he's already done that, I'm sure. You're here on behalf of the thief in his house."

  "I'm an officer of the law."

  'That's crap. There is no law, or Filoo wouldn't be able to operate. So what was it you were supposed to do here? Find my supply and destroy it? Find out where I'm from? Set a trap for me? Plant evidence, maybe?'

  She blinked rapidly, fighting the stun effect Masid stood and went to his bedroom. He took a palm monitor from his pocket and set it to analyze for certain chemical traces, then increased the range. Within a few minutes he found a packet of ampules taped beneath his bed- When he brought them out, Toranzs eyes widened

  "Thank you, Marshal Tbranz,- he said with mock graciousness. "You have shown me the error of my ways. I promise I'll lead a better life." He sat down and opened the packet. Small black bands encircled each one. '"ragged, I'll bet Easy to identify. Of course, if I were the real thief, I'd remove these as soon as I got them. But how else would Filoo be convinced that these are really his? They are his, aren't they? Shall we go have a talk with him and see?'

  "Wont prove anything. You still stole them."

  'Ah but I have you. That changes things a bit" Masid shook his head. "You might have waited a day. This was really clumsy. Unless ..." He laughed

  "What?'

  "Unless you were set up just like me. Odds were really good that I'd just kill you. Or you'd kill me and the whole problem would take care of itself. If I killed you, then all I'd have is a dead cop and Filoo's property. If you killed me, well, we know how that would look. But whoever sent you probably expected me to kill you. Best would have been we killed each other. No explanations at all. But if you'd killed me, how long do you think you'd live?'

  "I've lived this long."

  "With someone's protection, obviously. And someone's pharmacy, Id say. That protection is now withdrawn. If I was dead and they found Filoo's merchandise here, they would also find out who killed me, and Filoo would want to know what you were doing here and how really the whole scenario happened in the first place. The thief couldn't defend you without revealing himself, so you'd be abandoned.

  Masid glimpsed doubt in her eyes. He remained silent for a time. Then he leaned forward--Why don't you tell me all about it?

  '-Why dont you sodomize yourself?'

  'Ah so I'm right. Well, that's good enough- I can wait"

  She scowled- "For what?'

  "Someone to come fetch you."

  Masid took a stunner from his other pocket and shot her. She convulsed for a few moments, then slumped over. Masid looked over her belongings again.

  "Better check all this stuff for hidden surprises," he said, going to his cabinet.

  The decryptor flashed that the message was ready, decoded. He glanced at Toranz, then pressed OPEN.

  DEREC WATCHED the robot handlers bring out the cases that contained everything of importance that he had brought with him. Bogard lay within one of them, and the bulk of Thales, mostly memory storage that enabled the RI to function at peak efficiency, filled several. He imagined-tried to imagine what kind of relief Thales would experience after months of forced constraint within a too-small buffer on Earth

  Clearance through Auroran Customs had been disconcertingly simple. A robot scanned his passport and visas, asked a few perfunctory questions about his intentions on Aurora (when lie had explained--or started to explain-about the recall from the Calvin Institute, the robot seemed to hesitate, then moved on to another set of questions), and inquired about his needs. A human reviewed his manifest, asked about Thales, and then peremptorily accepted his answers and passed him through. Derec was used to the way Earth worked, with delays and inspections, and a pervasive paranoia that refused to accept anything just on the word of the subject

  Within minutes, he had been assigned a team of robots that brought him to this bay and began unloading his property. He still expected to be detained and waited for the error to be caught and police to fetch him.

  "Derec."

  He lurched around, his heart kicking. CPO Craym stood at the top of the ramp from which cargo emerged. She wore her uniform this morning, but gave him a very nonregulation wave and smile. He waved back, flush with relief, and gestured for her to come down.

  A pair of floating extensions accompanied her now, hovering above each shoulder, their dull bronzed bodies twisting through complex revolutions. Derec had seen them become more and more common among the Spacer passengers the nearer to Aurora the Wysteria drew.

  "I'll be off-duty in a few hours," she said- "Did you need help?'

  "Loading, no. Finding my new apartment. .

  "Do you have an address-~`

  He handed her his visa. She pulled out a hand reader and slipped it in. She frowned' They're kidding, surely." She looked at the crates piling up on the dock. 'These are yours?'

  "Yes . . ."

  "Somebody moved you into a student facility on the outskirts of the Calvin. This will never fit. You'll be forced to leave most of it in storage."

  Derec started- I specifically requested-2'

  I can fix it. Give me some time. Meanwhile..."

  Derec watched her cross the dock and enter an office. A few minutes later she returned, followed by an Auroran official. The man brought with him a constellation of extensions of various sizes, the largest nearly twenty centimeters in diameter.

  The extensions assumed wider orbits as the man stopped within handshake distance of Derec (though he refrained from offering his hand). Derec watched the small devices warily for a few moments.

  "Mr. Avery," he said, "I'm Flar Desko, coordinator for Eos import control. Chief Petty Officer Craym has just informed me of an error in your accommodations."

  "It's been a very, very long time since I've been ... home . .

  Derec cleared his throat, feeling it catch at the word "My housing assignment, I'm informed, will be inadequate for my needs." He waved at the crates. "I have a lot of material I need to set up.

  Flar Desko frowned at the crates. 'All this is ... ?'

  "Mostly an RU'

  His eyes flickered briefly. He turned his head slightly to the left. "Darius, do you copy~` A moment later, he nodded- "Good. See to it." He focused on Derec. "My apologies. A new set of accommodations is being prepared. Give us a few minutes and I'll have a transport for you and a robot to take you there."

  'Thank you."

  "No problem, Mr. Avery. Welcome home."

  He spun around and walked away.

  J suppose I should really thank you, " Derec said to Clin.

  "Of course. Dinner tonight would be sufficient"

  "Of course."

  Derec watched her stride back up the ramp, into the ship. If anything or anyone had gone a long way toward making him feet welcome, she had

  MY ... ?

  He slapped the thought down. Leftover paranoia, he thought

  Bay doors scrolled up, letting in a flood of warm light. A big hauler backed into the dock, and robots emerged from its rear to begin loading Derec's property.

  He walked around the transport and stepped onto the exterior apron.

  A road
led arrow-straight into the slender towers and mushroom domes of Eos City, capital of Aurora, twenty kilometers away. Morning sun covered their porcelain and jeweler's brass shapes with a thick, buttery glow. The sky above--the sky! open and unobstructed by a canopy~-was greener than Earth's, almost turquoise in the yellower light of Tau Ceti, but it did not matter. It was sky and it was beautiful.

  Between the port and the city stretched savanna, grasses waving in teasing winds, like undulant waves on the oceans of Terra.

  Within moments, all Derec's trepidation and ambivalence about coming here dispersed- It was too lovely to fear, too familiar, in spite of his handicapped memory, to deny.

  "Sir."

  He turned toward a tall, elegantly-formed robot

  "Yes?'

  "We have loaded everything," the robot said- "We are ready to take you to your domicile."

  "You have the address?'

  "Yes, sir. Would you care to enter the transport?'

  "Of course."

  Derec climbed aboard the big hauler and took a seat up front, before the piloting console. The canopy gave him a full i8o' view. He settled into the comfortable couch

  "Your restraining field is now active," the console informed him. "Please do not attempt to leave your seat during transit. Are there any physical or mental conditions with which we should be aware to ensure your safety and comfort?'

  "No."

  'Prepare for departure."

  The transport lifted gently and moved out of the dock. As it picked up speed, Derec felt a moment of exhilaration that surprised him. He thought he would never be pleased to return to Aurora-the entire journey here, save for the two periods he had spent with Clin, had been a constant emersion in anxiety and resentment.

  But now, with Eos drawing visibly closer, he felt a welcome anticipation.

  Details separated out from the amalgam of smooth shapes. There did not seem to be a sharp edge or straight line throughout the Byzantine maze of the city. He picked out the lights in individual rooms, railings around balconies, external lifts traversing the multistoried height of various structures. As the transport entered Eos, he began to notice the patina of wear and age on surfaces-but an elegant stain, in oil-on-water colon over pale porcelain skins. He could see people on the streets and occasionally inside vast rooms. Other vehicles shot past him, small private craft as well as large work transports like this one.

  Near the center of Eos he recognized what he thought to be public structures and official buildings. He knew the council building well enough with its collection of melon and-egg-shaped shells, and opposite it rose the slender tower of the resource administration offices.

  The transport dropped to a lower altitude and veered right Beyond the tower of resource administration, a series of gracefully curving walls rose. Lower still, and Derec spotted a loading platform at the base of the third wall from the government buildings.

  Prepare, for landing," the console informed him.

  The transport settled lightly on the platform.

  "Your restraint is off, Mr. Avery. Welcome to Harisom Domiciles. An escort will meet you to take you directly to your new quarters. We will unload your possessions and bring them up shortly thereafter."

  'Thank you," Derec said, standing.

  A humaniform. met him at the door of the transport. The pale eyes and slightly artificial texture of the face covering gave it away at a glance. As he spoke with it, Derec noted the lack of any expression. He was aware that some humaniforms had been constructed that fully mimicked human physical attributes, but he had never seen one. This unit was as close as most people ever saw. On Earth~ he had grown used to referring to any bipedal, bilaterally symmetric robot as humaniform, but here there were subtler distinctions.

  "Mr. Avery?' it inquired

  "Yes."

  "I am Denis, your liaison and orientation advisor. Are you comfortable with this arrangement?'

  Derec hesitated- "What arrangement?'

  "Having a humaniform robot in this capacity."

  "Why wouldn't I be~`

  "You have just arrived from Earth I understand that you have spent several years there. It is possible you have adopted attitudes which may cause discomfort in the presence of---2'

  "I haven't. You'll do."

  "Very good, sir. If you will please follow me, I will take you to your domicile."

  Derec fell into step half-a-pace behind the robot He studied it as they walked- It seemed clothed in pate blue, neck to toe. It came up to Derec's jawline in height and appeared to be modeled on an athlete's build

  "Do you anticipate remaining on Aurora long, Mr. Avery?'

  "I don't know. I do not anticipate retuning to Earth- Why?'

  'The length of your residence will determine the level of robot assignment. I will continue in this capacity until such time as you may decide to replace me, or until you otherwise change your residential arrangements." Denis glanced at him. 'You have no personal robots now?'

  ,,t do, but its currently deactivated."

  "Do you intend to activate it?'

  "It requires repair. Once that's done, I may."

  'That will also determine my continuing as your liaison."

  They passed beneath a broad archway into the building. Their steps echoed off the high ceilings. Derec looked back after several strides to see the glow of open daylight once more.

  Denis led him to an elevator. It took them up six floors and opened into the apartment

  Derec stared- He had never had so much personal space on the surface of a planet

  The furnishings were plain and unobtrusive sofas, chairs, low tables-but pleasingly elegant. The windows let in ample sunlight. Derec went from room to room. Huge bed, a fully-equipped kitchen, closets every-where. He stopped before five human-sized depressions in the wall of what he assumed to be a guest bedroom.

  Wall niches for robots. Empty. He tried to remember the ratio of robots to humans on Aurora-twenty-to-one?--and wondered if there was a social hierarchy attached to number of servants.

  The floor was tiled, but his feet seemed to sink a few millimeters as lie walked- He entered another guestroom he took to be an extra bedroom, but all he found in the spacious room were more robot niches, counter-tops, and a computer station.

  "Do you have a question?' Denis asked from the doorway.

  "Um ... what's this for?' Derec gestured at the room.

  "Your lab, sir. I was given to understand that you required one. Is there a problem?'

  Derec blinked, amazed. "No. No problem at all."

  Ariel encountered two security guards at the shuttle egress. They presented their IDs and asked her to accompany them, then led her to a small office a short distance from the public Customs inspection station.

  A man looked up from the flatscreen on his desk when she entered. 'Ambassador Burgess?'

  "Yes."

  He looked at the guards. "Leave us."

  When they left, he gestured Ariel to sit.

  "I'm Chief of Planetary Security, Pon Byris," he said- "Forgive the intrusion, but I must ask you a few questions which may seem unusual."

  "No problem," Ariel said.

  "You gave us notification of Ambassador Eliton's presence on board the Wysteria Were you aware of any reason we might Wish to detain him?'

  "Not specifically, but I thought it was a safe assumption no one here knew of his presence on board On the off-chance that you might want to talk to him . . ."

  Byris nodded and glanced at his screen. "Have you been in contact with anyone here other than through Ambassador Setaris?'

  "No," Ariel answered

  "No personal communications?'

  "No. If you have my records open, you know I did not leave behind any personal relations. My family has never acknowledged me since my original exile "

  "You were not exiled, Ambassador---2'

  Ariel held up a hand. "I don't want to get into semantics over it I was asked to leave due to a medical condition. When I was
finally allowed back, no one who previously knew me wanted anything to do with me. Call it what you like, I had no ties to sever when I accepted my posting on Earth."

  Byris pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Has that in any way affected your feelings toward Aurora-~`

  'Any specific way you had in mind-e

  "Politic ally."

  "I'm sorry, I don't quite follow."