An Android Dog's Tale (16 page)

“No gift is required. I simply know them,
and if they think you’re going to leave anyway, they’ll have
someone here to guide you.”

“How will they know?”

“They’ll know.”

“You are one of them, aren’t you? The same
people as the Master Traders.”

“More or less. Actually, more than less,”
she said.

“I always suspected they must have their own
villages, and that they did more than trade. I mean, where do they
get the trade goods, for one thing? All the pots and tools and
other things they trade? Your people make them, don’t they? They
must be masters at a great many things beyond trading, I
think.”

“I won’t say more, so don’t ask. In fact,
I’ve already said much more than I should have, and you must never
tell anyone that I did. Will you do this? Will you ask your
supporters to follow you to create their own village?”

“I don’t know. You said a Trader will come
to guide us and ensure our safety. Are you sure?”

“Yes. Completely.”

“I need to think about this.”

“Think as much as you want, Ranex; it’s good
for you. But don’t take long. I don’t know what Movey and his
supporters are planning, but I do know that about half of the
family elders won’t be cooperating with you, and if they don’t have
a peaceful way to resolve their disagreements, they’ll do it in
other ways.”

As if to prove her point, a scream came from
outside. “Fight!”

“Are you sure you’re not prophetic?” Ranex
asked.

The sound of chairs scraping on the floor
announced their hurried departure from the hut. MO-126 held back a
moment before moving to join them.

~*~

MO-126 knew he should immediately report
what he overheard to Field Operations. The NASH android known as
Granny Greenflower must be malfunctioning. The PM decided not to
bud this village, but her suggestion to Ranex was an obvious
attempt to circumvent that decision. She should not be able to do
this. She was fully capable of questioning. All sentient creatures
could do that, but once the PM made a decision, she must comply or
supply additional data in the hope it might reconsider. She could
not simply decide not to obey…. Well, she could, but the loyalty
and guilt subroutines in her firmware should have made it extremely
uncomfortable.

He postponed his unresolved internal debate
about what he should do about this when he arrived at the scene of
the fight. Ranex got there ahead of him and was doing his best to
cool what turned out to be a heated dispute over a matter of
payment for a sheepdog pup, having either to do with the number or
quality of eggs provided in exchange. Several people shouted over
one another, making it difficult to get a clear account of the
details.

Absorbed with his own pending decision, the
android dog’s attention remained unfocused until Movey showed up.
The unsuccessful rival for the position of village headman strode
into the middle of the dispute, listened for a moment, and then
grabbed the puppy from one of the two chief disputants.

“Is this what you’re fighting about?” he
shouted at them.

Both said, “Yes,” and tried to explain
further. Before they could make their arguments clear, Movey
strangled the puppy and tossed its small, lifeless body to the
dirt.

“There. Fight over. Go home,” he said and
walked away.

“
Well, that was certainly… decisive,
”
Granny Greenflower said to him.

MO-126 scanned the crowd and saw her
standing near Ranex. She held her arms crossed over her chest. Her
eyes burned with anger and disapproval.

The android dog shared her unvoiced
assessment, but their opinions did not matter. “
It doesn’t
change anything,
” he said. “
The PM won’t consider this
significant.
”

“
Would it be significant if he did the
same thing to a child that was causing trouble or to someone who
got in his way?
”

“
That’s not what happened,
” MO-126
said. Even if it was, he wondered if the PM would see it as a
serious problem. If it assessed no impact to the project, it might
not.

“
No. It’s not. Not yet. But this tells
you what kind of person he is.
”

“
That doesn’t matter, either,
” the
simulated dog said. “
Deviant people like Movey exist, and we
can’t change that. Neither can the PM. Galactic laws prohibit
corporations from intentionally modifying the sentient species they
cultivate to work their projects. Sometimes humans with abnormal
personalities come into positions of authority. The PM knows this
and accounts for it in managing the project.
”

“
The project. Does it always have to be
about the project?
”

“
What else is there? The project is why
everything here exists. It’s why
we
exist.
”

“
No. You have that wrong,
” she said.
It may be why all of us individually are here on this planet,
but it’s not why people or even androids exist.
”

“
You’re not going to get all sorts of
mystical on me, are you?
” the dog said.

“
Of course not. I’m not one of the
primitives. All I’m saying is that the corporation doesn’t own our
minds. We can make choices for ourselves.
”

“
Well, yeah. We’re not robots, but we
work for the corporation and the PM is our boss.
”

“
The Mark Seven Project Manager may be
our boss, and I accept that we have a commitment to the corporation
that made us, but PM is not our conscious. It may think the project
is more important than the people working it, but that’s not a
choice it can make for anyone but itself.
”

“
That’s not what it does. I mean, I’m
sure it cares for people. It needs them to run the project. It just
sees a bigger picture than we do. We have to trust that it knows
what’s best for everyone in the long run. Not all of its decisions
make sense to me, but it knows things we don’t.
”

“
That’s what we’re told, and I initially
accepted it as true, just as you do now. It’s not, though. What is
‘best’ is a value judgment that each of us can only make for
ourselves. The PM exists for the continuation of the project above
all else, and everything it regards as best is what best suits that
end. You say the PM cares for these people, and that’s true. It
does, but it’s in the same way that the people here care for their
chickens, not for what they are but for what they provide. The
people here have their own goals. The PM treats those as if they
don’t matter, but they do.
”

“
But they owe their lives to the
corporation.
”

“
The corporation is using them for its
own purposes. They owe it nothing. They’re sentient creatures, and
they should be allowed to pursue their own hopes and
dreams.
”

MO-126 shook his head, conflicted. What the
other android said made sense to him, but part of him resisted—not
because he did not agree but because accepting it shattered his
worldview. It could also make his life far more difficult. As long
as he accepted that the PM always knew best, he could enjoy
certainty. Faith in the PM’s decisions provided a conviction that
as long as he performed the tasks assigned to him, he surly
contributed to a greater purpose, even if he did not fully
understand it or even his small part in it. Doing his duty provided
comfort, and it allowed him to abdicate some of his responsibility
for making tough choices. He did not need to decide what was right
or best. The PM did that for him, and in return, he need only
surrender a bit of his free will to the corporation. But if he
allowed himself to doubt the PM and the goals of the project, all
those difficult choices would become his and his alone.

Now that Granny Greenflower managed to drag
him to this philosophical precipice to consider this moral view, he
would feel like a puppet if he continued to let corporate policies
dictate his actions. If he felt uncomfortable with one of the PM’s
decisions, he did not have to obey. If he did not agree, he could
and should choose otherwise for himself. The final choice in what
he did always remained his, and abdicating that choice to the PM
would be tantamount to surrendering ownership of his own mind, his
standing as a sentient being. He was not a robot. He was not their
slave. If he wanted to have any sense of self-respect, he must
retain his capacity for doubt and, if necessary, defiance.

“
I heard what you said to Ranex,
”
MO-126 said to the nursery android.

“
And you think I’m malfunctioning,
”
she said.

“
I’m not sure.
”

“
Do you think it is right for the PM to
refuse to bud this village now?
”

“
I don’t know.
”

“
Good. Not knowing means you’re thinking.
So, what are you thinking?
”

MO-126 shifted his gaze to the dead puppy,
still lying on the ground where Movey casually tossed it. “
Not
budding this village now may be the right thing for the project, I
can’t be sure about that, but I don’t think it’s the right thing
for the people here.
”

“
Then help me.
”

~*~

The next day, most of the villagers gathered
at the stone circle to listen to the new village headman speak.
Ranex announced that he wished to address everyone, not just the
family elders, today at noon. Neither MO-126 nor Granny Greenflower
knew what he planned to say.

People began to gather over an hour ahead of
time, clustering toward the center of the ancient monoliths and
clumping into impromptu discussion groups. MO-126 listened in on a
few of them as he staked out a spot from where he could get a good
view. He planned to record the event.

“Most of the conversations he overheard were
about the same thing. The villagers knew they had a problem and
they wanted to hear what their new headman planned to do about
it.

A hush rippled over the crowd as Ranex made
his way to the center of the circle, avoiding all questions or even
acknowledgement of those offering him friendly greetings and
support. He climbed onto the altar stone and held up his hand for
silence, which he got. MO-126 began recording.

“The families are divided,” Ranex began. “A
dear friend of mine has died, and people are fighting among
themselves. This cannot continue.”

Noises of agreement rumbled from the
crowd.

“Some have said I should step down as
headman in favor of Movey.”

“Movey—Movey—Movey,” a small group of men
began to chant.

“Shut up!” Ranex yelled. “I’m not done.”

The overeager Movey supporters fell silent
with only a little encouragement from those around them.

“I could also try to force my leadership.
There are a few ways that might be possible, but none appeals to
me. So instead, since we already seem to have two villages here
anyway, I’ve decided the best thing to do is to have two villages
in fact. In three days, I’m going to leave here to start a new
village, and anyone who wishes to come with me is more than welcome
to do so.”

Ranex ignored the shouted questions about
wild animals, demons, getting lost, and starving, and held up his
hand again until a semblance of quiet anticipation fell over the
crowd.

“Our stories tell us that our ancestors came
here long ago from a village far away. If they could do this, we
can do this. With luck, we will find a place before the planting
season is over.”

While he was talking, Movey made his way to
the center of the circle.

“You’re crazy,” the former and still hopeful
candidate for the position of headman said. “How do you expect to
avoid getting lost? How will you hide from demons and escape the
other hazards of the wilderness? A good leader would not ask his
people to face dangers like these.”

Ranex remained calm. “If there are enough of
us, wild animals will not bother us, and our family spirits will
protect us from the demons of the wilderness just as they protected
our ancestors who came here. Together, we are still a village, and
our family spirits will be with us, even if we are traveling.”

“Hah! Anyone who joins you is as mad as you
are. You’ll be lost in a day and wandering until you starve, unless
something eats you first.”

“I believe you are wrong,” Ranex said. Then
he lowered his voice.

MO-126 adjusted his hearing and caught every
word Ranex whispered to Movey. “You wanted to be the headman of
this village. This is your chance.”

Movey regarded the other man with a bemused
expression. “Half a village—,” he began.

“Is better than one that’s divided,” Ranex
finished. “Besides, even I don’t think half of the people will put
their trust in me in such an endeavor. Those who do not are putting
their trust in you, and I hope you will do your best by them.”

~*~

On the appointed day, over three hundred
people gathered by the stone circle. They carried their belongings
in bags and stacked in bundles on their backs and on the backs of
gonds, goats, and even sheep. Chickens clucked and complained of
their captivity in cages made of sticks hanging from the backs of
the pack animals alongside woven baskets filled with grain, seeds,
and other necessities to start a new place where all of them could
live. Other people waited beyond with their small flocks of sheep
and goats to join them when they left.

“
It’s a better turnout than I
expected,
” Granny Greenflower said to the shorter and furrier
android standing next to her.

“
I think the episode with Movey and the
puppy swayed a few,
” MO-126 said.

“
It may have,
” she agreed.