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II.
Plebus was generally a poor planet. It’s people were not nearly as well off as those on her sister world Skonnos. The population was also rather low, as the planet had not been colonized for very long at the time of Ben’s birth. Because of Plebus’ low population and temperate climates, it was a popular retreat for the upper-class of Skonnos, who built their Summer homes there but never thought twice about the locals. Rather than hate the Skonnosians, though, the Plebes held them in a sort of silent reverence. Skonnos was an advanced world, and it’s people were almost gods in the eyes of the Plebes.
There were, naturally, a few rich families on Plebus. One of the richest were the Shockmanns, a family of doctors. The elder Shockmann was the finest surgeon in the empire, and was often called upon to operate on members of the royal family when the need arose. His wife was a noted virologist who was well-respected in the field of medicine, even though it was a male-dominated area. The elder Shockmann’s brother was a research scientist who had on more than one occasion been offered the star cross, a medal acknowledging great achievement in the field of medicine.
Ben was an only child. When he was eleven years old, his father was killed in a space craft collision while en route to Skonnos to perform open heart surgery on the emperor’s daughter. The loss was felt throughout the empire, and the emperor himself came to the funeral. It was the only time a member of the royal family set foot on Plebus until hundreds of years later, when some would come to live there. Left with the task of raising her son by herself, Ben’s mother quit her job and devoted herself entirely to her son.
The full brunt of supporting the family fell on Ben’s uncle, Madison. He had to work twice as hard and even had to take a second job so that he could afford to send his nephew to the finest school on Skonnos. He rarely took any time off, and wore himself out. He died just as Ben was eighteen years old and had just enrolled at the University of Skonnos. Ben had to delay starting class so he could return home for his uncle’s funeral.
As the attendants eased his uncle’s body into the incinerator, Ben silently wept. His mother remained rigid, scarcely believing what was happening. With her husband and brother-in-law dead and her son going off to school on another world, she realized that she was utterly alone. Ben assured her that he would one day return to Plebus, but she did not believe it.
“Your uncle worked himself to death,” insisted the Widow Shockmann, after they had returned to their sprawling estate following the funeral. “And now you go off to college so that you can learn to be a doctor, too. You will work yourself to death just like your uncle, and then what will you have to show for it? There will always be sick people.”
“Mother, do not say such things,” said Ben. He was still young and idealistic. He felt he could cure everyone and then come home for tea. “It is true that my Uncle Matt worked hard, perhaps too hard, but he had to. Someone has to.”
“No, they do not! I follow the news, I know what feats technology is capable of. I believe that one day it will not be necessary for men to work, that they can sit back and relax while machines handle everything. Do we not have great computers that provide strategy in times of war? Why not affix arms and legs to these machines and have them do our work for us?”
Ben gave his mother a gentle smile, “Because, mother, these machines are the size of a room. Now stop talking foolishness and go to bed. You have had a busy night and we have to get up early and go to the spaceport tomorrow.”
The subject was closed, and Ben scarcely gave it a thought until a year later, when he was in a mechanical engineering class at the University. The professor was giving a lecture on robotics, and mention was made of the possibilities of such machines. Robots were, of course, in limited use throughout the empire. They were huge, lumbering things that usually were put to work manufacturing space crafts or automobiles. Each was, as Ben had told his mother, as big as a room, with only two great appendages resembling arms with menacing claws at each end.
Then Ben had hit upon a stroke of genius. Recently, a professor at the very university he attended had invented a logic circuit that could reduce the size of a computer’s CPU considerably while at the same time enhancing its overall output. The inventor was the reclusive Professor Schuyls, and his creation was regarded with almost as much apprehension as Schuyls himself was.
Boldly, Ben asked his engineering professor, “What of the Schuyls logic circuit? Couldn’t it be fitted into a smaller robot with arms and legs, that could be used for labor that is generally left for men?”
The classroom was quiet. All of the students stared incredulously at the Plebe who had uttered the blasphemy. The professor, visibly shaken, replied, “You are young and foolish, and obviously not a Skonnosian. If you were, you would be familiar with the doctrines of our religion. No, the Schuyls logic circuit, or any other such circuit, can ever be used to make a robot more like a man. Such would go against the first Great Law of the Lord.”
“I am not familiar with any such law,” said Ben, though in truth, he did have a vague idea of what the professor was speaking. He had taken the required Religious Studies course, but paid little attention in class. It had been the only subject he did not excell in. “What does it say?”
Visibly angry at his student, the professor rooted in his desk and fished out an aged, beaten copy of the Holy Book. He thumbed through it, found the right passage, and cleared his throat. “‘Let it be known that only the Lord can create life, and that if man ever does create life, that will be an abomination in His sight,’” he read. “It does go on, Mr...?”
At the prompt, Ben said, “Shockmann.”
“Yes, Mr. Shockmann. The Holy Book does go on to give a name to the life that is created by man. It is called an android, and it will be cursed to burn for eternity in the underworld, as it will have no soul. The word ‘android’ comes from the words ‘andor’ and ‘rowid,’ which in the Ancient Language mean ‘soul’ and ‘free,’ respectively. Now, as this is not Religious Studies, I would like to get back to the lesson at hand.”
However, Ben was not so easily shaken. He had no belief in anything that the Skonnosian Holy Book might have to say. He was bound and determined now, the memory of his dead uncle burned on his brain, to create that evil thing men called an android. He changed his major to mechanical engineering and paid a visit to Dr. Schuyls and his assistant, Dak Randarr.
Doctor Schuyls was an older man, but was a good two heads taller than Ben. He was, in fact, the tallest man Ben had ever seen, and he had extremely broad shoulders. What little hair he still had was white and long, tapering off behind him like a regal cloak. His office was impeccably neat, the rows of books arranged in descending order according to size. On one corner of his great oak desk sat a copy of the Holy Book. He sat rigidly in his chair across from Ben, his arms crossed and a deep frown creasing his mouth.
Behind him stood Dak Randarr, a man who was about Ben’s age. He wore a white lab coat that was covered in small black stains. His chosen field was genetics, but he worked as Dr. Schuyls’ lab assistant for extra money. He new almost as much about mechanical engineering as he did genetics, which was a fair amount. Ben had seen him around campus, usually hunched over a book in the library, or catching a quick bite to eat in the dining hall.
The doctor uncrossed his arms, cracked his knuckles, and leaned forward. “Surely you don’t realize what it is that you’re proposing?” he said. He picked up the Holy Book and held it aloft in his right hand. “Have you ever read this book?”
“I am familiar with what it says,” replied Ben, choosing his words carefully, “but find that the wisdom within it is sometimes... lacking.”
Schuyls burst out laughing. This was not exactly the reaction Ben was expecting. “Oh, Mr. Shockmann! You should have gone into politics!” said Schuyls. “What you mean to say is that the Holy Book is rubbish?”
“Well, I...” began Ben.
“Yes, yes, yes,” agreed Schuyls. “You’re quite right. And ever since men began traveling in space a mere two hundred years ago, following has dropped off considerably. However, still too many people are devout believers, and many of them are in positions of great power.”
Of course, Ben knew what he meant. However, he did not come to discuss the morality of the android, merely the possibility of the android. “Can it be done, Dr. Schuyls?” he asked evenly.
Glancing at Dak, the doctor murmured, “Yes, it can. But it won’t be done, do you understand? The world is not yet ready for an android. It would not be understood. It would be feared. More research must be done before such a robot can exist.”
Standing to leave, Ben responded, “No, your world is not ready for it. The rest of us are. It’s time for Skonnos to wake up and join the rest of her empire, or she’ll fall behind and be forgotten in the shuffle. I intend to one day build an android. I won’t wait until the world is ready, I will wait until I am ready.”
He left angrily, storming down the halls of Schuyls’ apartment. The doctor and Dak watched him go, then closed the study door behind him. “He must not know, Dak,” said Schuyls. “Never. There is a fire burning in that boy, and he’ll leap without thinking twice. Keep an eye on him.”
“Yes, of course,” replied Dak.
*
Fueled by what he felt was an ultimate humiliation from Schuyls, Ben went to work immediately. He began to absorb books on robotics along with his regular studies. He kept detailed notes of his plans, knowing that one day he would be ready. He scarcely admitted to himself that he was really waiting until the world was ready.
He began to see Dak around the campus much more. They had even struck up a friendly conversation once or twice. Dak was fascinated by Ben’s theories, and even had a few suggestions for him. They always spoke in hushed tones, though, afraid that those around them might uncover what they would surely see as a sinister plot.
Then one day, Dak met Ben in the library with some startling news. During the night, Schuyls had had a heart attack and died. He was found that morning, slumped over his desk, still gripping a pen. He had been grading term papers when he died.
Dak was quite visibly shaken by the death, as he had come to see Schuyls as a very good friend. He was frantic when he saw Ben, and could barely stand still. Ben did his best to comfort his friend, but it was to no avail. Tears streamed from Dak’s eyes as he broke the news to Ben.
“There’s more,” said Dak between sobs, “much more. I need you to come by the lab tonight. I need you to see what we were working on. His work must go on, but I don’t have enough knowledge. I need your help.”
“Of course,” said Ben. “I’ll help any way I can.” He could not have known that he was about to undertake a project that would ultimately be his ruin. When he met Dak in the lab that night and saw what the two scientists had been working on, he paled. His dream was about to be realized.
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