Mack Reynolds - Brain World

Correct , the mind-voice said. And now you are free to leave .

Ronny nodded wearily and said, “The dog is pregnant. She will have young. You will be able to reproduce her species indefinitely.”

Yes. We are aware of this. And now, farewell.

The mental presence was suddenly gone. How they knew, they couldn’t know. But it was gone.

Ronny looked at Plotz. He said, “I don’t know if I’m sorry or not. It became instantly clear when the Brahmin admired you—and Boy—that if I presented you to him, he would be obligated to give something in return. It was the one way to save Lee Chang and Rosemary.”

The dog put out her tongue and gave a few quick pants and said, “Yes, I’ve figured that out by now and I agree. Besides, it’s not as bad as all that. My pups… ” she hesitated a moment before adding, “and Boy’s, will spread all over these worlds. We’re the equivalents of Adam and Eve—in a canine sort of way. Who knows what the future holds? I heard you explaining once that these Dawnworlders aren’t really intelligent. All they’ve got is accumulated knowledge. Well, we Einstein Vizslas are smart.” She hesitated a moment and then added, “Besides, we’re Magyar war dogs and they killed Boy.”

“Holy Ultimate,” Dorn said.

A door opened and Boy walked in, an elaborate bandage on his back and looking exhausted.

“Hello, everybody,” he said, and slumped down.

They ogled him.

“You’re dead!” Ronny blurted. “That man severed your spine.”

“Don’t write me off so easy. Boss,” Boy panted. “I was dead for only a few minutes. They liked my style, so they went to work on me. I guess they’ve got pretty advanced medicine.”

Rosemary blurted, “But Gil, Roy, David, Charles… ”

Boy looked at her. “Sorry,” he said. “I guess the Dawnmen didn’t like their style.” He gave a weary double pant. “Asa matter of fact, it was pretty bad. I watched the whole thing after I took my hit. Plotz and the Boss and Dorn were the only ones that counted.”

Ronny didn’t get in touch with the Octagon, to report, until after they had returned to the Alexander Hamilton and to a relieved Captain John Fodor. There hadn’t been any difficulty. The five of them, including Boy, had taken their leave of Plotz and left the house, the door of which had automatically opened. Dorn carried Boy. They had walked about a half kilometer and then Ronny raised the space cruiser with his communicator and called for that craft’s skipper to pick them up.

As soon as they were in space, Lee Chang went to her cabin, secured her star chart, still sealed, and returned with it to the bridge. As before, the officers and crew on watch were dismissed and she set the course for a return to Earth.

Afterwards, she and Ronny went to the ship’s officer’s mess and rejoined the others.

Ronny looked at Rosemary and Lee Chang and said, “Well, now there are three of us that know the navigational coordinates of the Dawnworlds. That’s three too many.”

But Rosemary shook her head. “I don’t. Gil and Roy were the navigators. I don’t know anything about navigation.”

Ronny said thoughtfully, “Is there anybody else, back on Einstein that knows the coordinates?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Wizard. I’d better get in touch with the Old Man.” He brought out his communicator and went through the usual routine. Ross Metaxa was again not available, so Sid Jakes faded in.

He grinned. “Still with us, eh? I told you that you’d make it.”

Ronny looked at him sarcastically. “Mission accomplished. We had to fight it out in an arena for our freedom. The four men from Einstein were killed. Dorn and I survived and were able to make a deal with the Brahmin who communicated with us, for Lee Chang and Rosemary. We also were told that the next time a human ship landed on a Dawnworld it would be destroyed. I’ll give you more details when I get back. Meanwhile, I resign. I’m going to join a nunnery. It’s a safer way of making a living.”

Sid Jakes ignored the latter. “Great,” he said. “How’d the new agent work out?”

“What new agent?”

Sid Jakes scowled at him and said, “Why the one you reported recruiting on Einstein. Buoy, or something like that.”

“Oh,” Ronny said vaguely. “He worked out fine. He saved my life in the fight.”

“Wizard,’’ the other said. “Make him a probationary agent. And we’ll put him through the Section G courses when you get back.” His face faded from the communicator screen.

Ronny turned and looked at Boy, who gave him the old double wag of the bobbed tail, and said, “Would you like to be a Section G agent?”

Lee Chang and Dorn had been laughing but Lee Chang knocked it off and stared at Ronny. She said, “Have you gone drivel-happy? As an agent of supervisor rank you are impowered to recruit new agents, but I doubt that Sid realizes that Boy is a dog.”

Ronny said, “There’s nothing in the United Planets Charter that says all member worlds must be humanity settled. Suppose, as we expand into the galaxy, we run into an intelligent alien life form that is compatible. Suppose they join United Planets. Wouldn’t their race be eligible to join the Bureau of Investigation?”

She looked at him blankly. “Why… I suppose so.”

“Wizard. Boy is an intelligent life form. His cover is perfect. I can think of a dozen circumstances where his services would be priceless. Think what a spy he’d make.”

Boy said, “I don’t know. I kind of like dogging for a living. It’s not a bad life at all. No responsibility, pretty good chow, and a lot of laughs. Would you still be my Boss?”

“Well, I’m supervisor rank, as Lee Chang is. We’d both be your bosses, in a way.”

Boy thought about it. “What’s in it for me?” he said finally.

“Why, you’d get a salary, just like anybody else. You’d start at five hundred interplanetary credits a month. That’s a hell of a lot of money for a dog. You could buy any kind of food you wanted.” Ronny snorted. “For that matter, you could buy yourself a whole kennel full of female Vizslas. Have a regular harem.”

“Hmmm,” Boy said. “At first it sounds great, but at second thought I wonder if I’d like a bunch of dumb bitches around all the time.”

“You could rent a special seraglio for them and only spend as much time as you wanted. The pay is high. You’d be able to afford to hire a full time attendant for the harem. The equivalent of a eunuch.”

Boy thought about it. He gave his tail a wag or so. “Hmmm, and I’d be this human attendant’s boss, eh?”

“Of course.”

Boy shook his head in wonder. “I’ve heard the old wheeze about when man bites dog, it’s news. But this is really news. Dog hires man.”