James White - Federation World

For a moment the old Keidi was silent, then he said, “The First has the same belief and I do not think it troubles him. But you arc not the First. What is the wrong that you are about to do?”

The docking signal interrupted him at that point, followed by the voice of Beth. Either she had been too busy or was pretending not to have heard their conversation.

“Can you come to Control at once,” she said briskly, “or do you have to visit the medical module first?”

“Yes,” Martin said, “and no.”

The moment for confession had passed.

When they arrived Beth looked at his face, the bullet furrows in his suit, and at the slow, careful way he took his seat, but did not comment. Instead, she nodded toward the main screen and said, “The seismic activity is increasing all over the continent. Most of the centers are feeling it now and the refugees can’t get out and are close to panic… In an earthquake situation their natural instinct is to get outside before the building falls on them and to treat the radiation, which they can neither see nor feel, as the lesser danger. There will be serious casualties if they aren’t moved out quickly. The transmitter rooms are waiting for the destination instructions. So am I.”

Plainly she was still annoyed at him, and he should take a few minutes to apologize and explain.

“Sorry about the way I cut short your argument with the First,” he said, “but there wasn’t time for a debate. I thought that the radiation risk was acceptable, the First certainly thought so, and we both wanted the trainees with him because my idea was to separate…”

“It doesn’t matter,” she broke in angrily, “whether they receive a sublethal dose now,or slowly over the next five generations. I called up the Keida pre-Exodus data and the missile arsenal the First opened up contains virtually all of the fissionable material on the planet. That volcano was dormant and would have remained so for thousands of years if the subsurface detonation hadn’t.;. When it erupts it will make Kratatoa look like a hiccup. All that radioactive filth will be distributed by stratospheric winds all over Keida, and five generations is how long it will take for the radiation to fall to a safe level.

“During that time,” Beth went on, “the race will probably not die out, but there will be a high incidence of cancers, sterility, mutant births, and drastically reduced resistance to disease and wound infection. They may never be able to rise again, and if that wasn’t bad enough, they’ll have the descendants of the First’s bull-boys riding on their backs if they even try. They don’t deserve any of this, especially not the First’s plan for them.

“You should disperse his organization to centers all over Keida,” she ended vehemently, “not allow him to keep it intact. Break your promise to him, dammit. In these circumstances no sane, ethical being would think any the less of you.”

“No,” Martin said quietly. “I have special plans for the First and his organization. They will no longer be able to affect, or infect, the other Keidi.”

It was the doctor who spoke first.

“You disappoint me, off-worlder,” he said. “Is this the great wrong whose doing so troubled you?”

“Yes,” Martin said, still looking at Beth. “I want you to prepare the transmitters for the immediate transfer…”

“I’ve already done that,” she said impatiently.

“I mean,” he said quietly, “the orbital transmitters.”

It was obvious from her deathly pallor and the sudden fear in her eyes that she had already guessed what was in his mind but, for the benefit of the recorders, he went on to tell her exactly what he wanted done so that there would be no possibility of misunderstanding.

The doctor, sensing that something was wrong, moved his horn uncertainly from one to the other but did not speak.

“You’re mad,” she said angrily, “if you’re not joking. You’re breaking every rule in the book. Worse, you’re breaking rules that are so basic that they didn’t even think it necessary to write them! Opening all the induction centers to Undesirables was bad enough, but this!. I don’t think there is a precedent, or a punishment, for what you’re doing. Demotion and loss of non-Citizen status, psychological reconstruction, maybe even reclassification as Undesirables. I just can’t imagine what they will do to us.”

“To me,” Martin corrected.

“To us,” she said firmly. “I have no better answer to the problem. Maybe the hypership will refuse to transmit an illegal instruction tike this, I hope.”

“Try,” Martin said.

Beth swung around, played a brief, silent composition on her console and said, “Federation hypership One Seven Zero Zero Six requesting immediate reactivation of circum-Keida matter transmission network, all units.”

The intership communication screen lit at once with the reply.

STATE PURPOSE AND AUTHORITY.

She looked at Martin, giving him a last chance to change his mind, then said firmly, ‘The emergency evacuation of remaining Keida planetary population, currently awaiting transfer from equatorial continent induction centers, to the Federation World. Authority, non-Citizen Contact Specialist MJC/221/5501, Level Three and non-Citizen Ship Handler ECM/221/4977, Level One.”

REQUEST REFUSED. AUTHORITY INSUFFICIENT

The reply did not seem to surprise her. She changed her approach and said carefully, “Information requested. Am I correct in thinking that a high level of computer mentation is necessary to coordinate the (ie.: materialization, transmission over interstellar distances, and reassembly without distortion of the individual atomic particles which comprise a planetary population, food and draught animals, selected artifacts, and vegetation? All data on the present emergency will be transmitted. Is the level of mentation sufficiently high to evaluate and check present planetary geophysical data, current and predicted long-term radiation effects on the population concerned, and the nonmaterial factors involved, specifically the political, ethical, and emotional considerations peculiar to intelligence bearing organic life forms?”

FOR YOUR INFORMATION THE LEVEL OF MENTATION IS AT LEAST THE EQUAL OF THAT OF A HYPERSHIP MASTER COMPUTER. PRESENT THE DATA.

The reply appeared in supposedly unemotional white characters on a black screen, but Martin could imagine icicles forming under each and every letter. Beth had told him on several occasions that the more highly evolved the computer, the more susceptible it became to the human or other-species influences such as flattery, criticism, or a professional challenge.

For a very few seconds the hypership spoke in its highly compressed language and the mattran coordination computer listened, and Martin held his breath.

DATA EVALUATED. PROPOSED SOLUTION CONTRAVENES CITIZEN EXAMINATION AND INDUCTION PROCEDURE. REFER REGULATIONS 1. 4. 7 THROUGH 18. AND 145A. COUNTER INSTRUCTIONS ARE ACCEPTABLE ONLY FROM A SUPERVISOR LEVEL ONE OR ABOVE. REQUEST REFUSED. INSUFFICIENT AUTHORITY.

Beth looked briefly at the master screen, where the sensors were reporting increasing levels of seismic activity and of mental distress among the Keidi inside their quaking centers. The most optimistic forecast for the eruption was only a few hours away, but it could happen at any time. With a visible effort she curbed her impatience and spoke as one highly intelligent, responsible, but utterly emotionless computer to another.

She said, “The data supplied was intended simply to inform you of the complexity of the problem. A solution was not requested since many of the factors involved, the sometimes illogical and emotion-based thinking associated with the nonmaterial aspects of their lives, place it beyond your level of competence. The problem can be fully appreciated, and a solution provided, only by another organically constructed computer or computers of Supervisor or Planner level empowered to modify or temporarily rescind the regulations being contravened. This is an emergency situation with insufficient time to seek the advice or permission of organic superiors. The solution must therefore be provided immediately by subordinates assuming full responsibility and temporary authority. Activate the orbital transmitters forthwith.”