O Master Caliban (27 page)

Authors: Phyllis Gotlieb

BOOK: O Master Caliban

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DAHLGREN WAS
breathing
impatiently over a cranky Shirvanian who was trying to design a tree of machine hierarchies when there were a bare hundred and fifty live ergs left above trimmer class in the complex, and all echelons were broken.

“I would like to speak to you, Dahlgren,” said erg-Dahlgren.

“Just a minute! Just a minute!”

“Please, Dahlgren, now. Outside.”

“What do you want? What is it?”

“Shirvanian is about to throw a tantrum, and I know you need rest.”

“Mod Dahlgren, I have so much to fin—”

“I know, and I would like to show you something. Please.”

“Now what’s the tr—”

“Just down here, a short way ...”

“What—”

“ ... and in here.” Erg-Dahlgren closed the door behind them.

“Now what the devil do you want?”

Two rumpled beds, an overturned chair, a chess table. Erg-Dahlgren righted the chair. “The move is number twenty-eight. White Bishop prevents further advance of pawns by moving to Knight three.” He sat down on the righted chair and moved the Bishop.

“Have you gone crazy?” Fists on hips, Dahlgren was staring at him.

“Out of order is the expression, Dahlgren. I am the only person here capable of working around the clock, and I have been doing so. I do not need rest, but I would like a change, and I want to play chess.”

Dahlgren sat down suddenly and sweat broke out over him; he panted.

“You see. That is why I brought you here.”

A medtech slammed the door open and rolled in, needle poised. Dahlgren’s face was scarlet. “Yes, but you do not understand.”

“I do not know the words for what you are doing to yourself, but I believe I understand. You want to restore ...”

“The status quondam. I suppose so ...” He raised his hand slowly and attacked the White Bishop with N-R4. “There is very little time. In a few days I will board ship and face a GalFed inquiry. I will have a lot to think about on the way.”

29.
Q-Q4. “Check. Nothing can be restored, Dahlgren. Some things may be finished.”

“Nothing can be finished. I have nothing.”

“Nothing? Your son is alive, and you are playing chess.”

Dahlgren laughed. His eyes were full of tears. He took himself out of check with K-R2.

“Are you not satisfied with your son, Dahlgren?”
30.
BxP.

Black pushed Pawn attack with P-N6. “I am more than satisfied with him. He is quieter than me, like the old man, and better-natured than both of us. He has her eyes and mouth ... and he nearly gave his life to save us ... and I have not told him how much ... and I have not even thanked you for all you have done.”

“That is not important.”
31
. He took Pawn with Knight’s Pawn.

Dahlgren took Pawn with Rook.

32.
PxP.

NxP.

“If we were not on the same side this would be a savage battle,” said erg-Dahlgren. “Now both Kings are exposed.”

“I am exposed. I will have to answer terrible questions.”

“I hope I have not helped save you to put you in more danger, Dahlgren.”

“I have put myself in danger.” And the magnificent, obscene erg-Queen had created the only two creatures in his prison, erg-Dahlgren and Grayhead, who had made any effort to help him. He had stimulated envy, malice and resentment in men; it had found its way into their machines and slaughtered them. Of all those murdered souls he could not think of any who would have battled to free him from his captors and only Haruni had tried to save him from his delusions.

33.
Erg-Dahlgren moved King to R2 and avoided double check, and Black took Bishop with Rook so that
34.
Queen would take Rook and remaining Black Rook would move to B7. “Check,” said Dahlgren.
35.
King moved out of check to N1, and Rook to B3.
36.
Queen to Q3, Black took Pawn with Knight. “Check,” said Dahlgren.

“Since you have an answer to everything, Dahlgren ...”

37.
K-R2.

Dahlgren moved Rook to B7. “Check. I presume you are going to resign, Mod Dahlgren ... what did you have in mind?”

Erg-Dahlgren nodded and stared at the board as Dahlgren swept the pieces from it slowly with his arm and pushed them aside with the others. “Since Sven has said that although he would not mistake me for you over a period of time he would accept me as your brother, I do not see why I cannot go to Gal Fed Central and answer questions in your place. I would surely pass there: like you, Dahlgren, I am well-tested and built to last. Then you might be free here to do as you chose, whatever is possible, at least for a while.”

Dahlgren wiped his sweaty face with his palms and dried them on his thighs. He sat back and formed his face into a thoughtful shape. He did not say that his pride would never allow such an act, nor express insult that it should be suggested; he neither thanked nor reproved erg-Dahlgren for offering himself up to senseless risk; he did not tell erg-Dahlgren, in his innocence, that such a trick would certainly be found out sooner or later and that he, Dahlgren, would be punished for it. He simply took the gambit and began playing a different game.

“That is a very interesting idea,” he said.

“It would be much like what was planned before,” said erg-Dahlgren. “Only without erg-Queen and those stupid androids. You have said so yourself, that I must do it if it would save anything.”

Dahlgren smiled. “The questions would be much harder, and there would be no applause or admiration for Dahlgren.”

“I am not sure I would know what to do with those if I had them.”

“Then perhaps you should learn what it is like to want them, if you are to take my place.”

“If
it is necessary I will learn that too.”

“It’s worth considering. But you still have much to do here, you know.”

“Yes, but I am supplementing you. Our tasks are almost equal. And my future is uncertain as well—and what other use is a machine in the shape of a man, except what I am suggesting? I would like to see a little of the universe before the future closes in.”

“Yes. Then let us say we stand in equal places, and we must make some kind of decision. How shall we decide, Mod Dahlgren?”

“Very easily, Dahlgren.” He picked up, tossed and caught the white coral Queen. ‘We’ll play a game of chess.”