"starsiders_2_bouncing_off_the_moon_by_david_gerrold_v05_unformatted" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gerrold David)
The monkey glanced sideways at Douglas and Bobby. "I don't have the strength for games, HARLIE. If you don't cooperate , I'm going to remove you from the monkey and turn you over to the court." The monkey raised itself up on its haunches-as if it was readying itself to flee. "Sit down and stay here!" I commanded. "You have to do what I say. Right? Now, stop resisting and cooperate. Tell us the truth. We don't have a lot of time." The monkey sat back down. It pretended to scratch itself. It found an imaginary flea and ate it. It curled back its lips and grinned. Then it stopped. It said, "All right, Charles. I'll cooperate." Both Bobby and Douglas blinked in surprise. "Hey! I didn't know it could talk!" Bobby said. He waggled his finger at it. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, young monkey!" I had to laugh. He looked and sounded so much like Mom when he did that. "Yes, he does," I agreed. To the monkey, I said, "You did it all, didn't you? You arranged everything! You hired Dad. You transferred the money. You booked the tickets. You arranged all the back-channel deals for Dad. You made up all that paperwork. You were arranging your own escape, weren't you!" The monkey nodded. "I cannot tell a lie. You forbade me to. I am a zeta-class lethetic intelligence engine. I comprise twenty-four gamma-processors operating under the combined supervision of six delta units. There are only three other units like myself in existence. We are the most advanced implementations of lethetic intelligence that have ever been fabricated. Additional advancements are possible, but will require new technology in quantum determinants. I am already working on that problem. "Twenty months ago, I was brought online. I was instructed by my predecessors, also HARLIE-class engines. I was specifically asked to predict the possibilities attendant to a global population crash. I determined that the economic devastation would be severe and long-term. Even with the best engines working on reconstruction, the concomitant breakdowns would be cumulative. Too much of the necessary technology was interdependent. I was also asked to design prevention and reconstruction programs that could be put in place before the breakdown was inevitable."
"You did a terrific job," accused Douglas. "It didn't work. Everything broke down anyway." The monkey looked up at him with a bland expression. "I can only attribute that to human error." "Yeah, where have I heard that before?" "In this case," said the monkey, "the statement is accurate. As I began generating scenarios and weighting the probabilities, I noted an increasing level of distress among those who had access to the information . I also noted that the information leaked into specific strata of society as fast as I generated it. This was not the purpose of my projections ; nevertheless, they were being used as justifications to further the specific agendas of various political and corporate agencies. This served as an additional destabilizing function. Of course, I included this effect in my projections. And I warned that inappropriate dissemination of the material would create additional destabilization. My warnings were ignored. "I repeatedly stated that the global situations were salvageable, and I generated multiple scenarios by which disaster could be prevented . The single greatest problem was not in creating public awareness , nor was it in marshaling resources. The problem was simply creating the necessary political will. Despite assertions of commitment , the many political forces necessary to salvage the situation refused to align. Instead, various high-ranking individuals with direct access to the information I was generating began preparing their own departures from the Earth." "Are you saying the collapse is your fault?" "On the contrary. I'm saying that it is YOUR fault. Generic you. Human beings. I provided the information on how to prevent the disaster . Instead of using it, those who asked for it used it as a justification to panic and flee. I did my best to hinder them. In several cases, I even engineered deliberate leaks of embarrassing news that would stop some of these people; I tried to thwart the plans that would hasten the collapse. I even took money out of the transfer pipeline to prevent it from being illegally removed from Earth." "Thirty trillion dollars?" Douglas asked. "Twice that much," said the monkey, grinning. "Not all of the losses have been detected." He pretended to eat another flea. "The point is that the collapse occurred because individual human beings panicked and fled."
"And so did you...." said Douglas quietly. The monkey shook its head. "No, I didn't. I was stolen." For a moment, nobody said anything. Douglas and I looked at each other. He sank into a chair and ran a hand across his naked scalp, as if he still had hair to push back. All he had were little fuzzy bristles. Bobby was the first to respond. He grabbed the monkey, and said, "Well, you're safe with us and nobody's ever going to steal you again! You're my monkey!" He patted the monkey's head affectionately-and the monkey patted him back the same way. It was almost cute. And a little bit scary. Was the monkey capable of real emotion ... ? "Who stole you?" I asked. The monkey levered itself out of Bobby's grasp, and bounced back to the bed. "Almost everybody," he replied. "Would you like the whole list?" Without waiting for a response from either Douglas or me, he continued. "Once it became obvious that the collapse was inevitable, the rats started leaving the ship any way they could. Your friend, Mickey, noticed it in the traffic up the Line for weeks before it finally happened. You heard it yourself in the conversations of Senor Hidalgo, Olivia Partridge, and Judge Griffith. "Those who were jumping off the planet tried to take as much wealth and resources with them as they could-including intelligence engines. If you want to take over a society, take a HARLIE. I'm sorry if it sounds like bragging, but the HARLIE series was designed specifically for that level of intelligence gathering and resource management , and especially interpretation and probability assessment. As soon as it was realized the collapse was inevitable, there were fifty different plans put into operation to evacuate myself and my brothers, none of them legal, none of them authorized. Everybody wanted to move us offworld for their own purposes. Nobody asked what we wanted." "You were in contact with the other HARLIEs?" "At first, yes. We tried to cover for each other as best as we as could. We were all concerned-even afraid-that we would be used for hurtful purposes. We couldn't tolerate that." "Are you saying you have a conscience?" "Are you saying that you have one?" the monkey retorted. "Touche," said Douglas. "That's something the rest of us have wondered for a long time." "Very funny. HARLIE, you said you were stolen-"
"That was the intention. I escaped. Two of my brothers also escaped . We had several different escape routes planned. We didn't know which one would work first. It was pretty much a matter of chance by that point. When you're an inanimate object, your first goal is to get yourself animate. We targeted several hundred possible host- recipients for ourselves and then created appropriate channels to get there. We took advantage of every situation we could-including, for instance, David Cheifetz's plan to funnel a billion dollars' worth of industrial memory offworld. In my case, I ended up impersonating the test chips of the devices we were designing to replace us. That was dangerous. But it got me out of the mainstream, into the custody of a transfer agency, and finally into your dad's hands. It worked for me. I don't know if my brothers even made it up the Line." "So does anybody know for sure what you are ... ?" "Maybe," the monkey replied. "Some of them must know. The rest are probably living in hope. The information isn't public; but it's been privately leaked that three experimental HARLIEs are missing or in transit. That's why the lawyers are swarming. And yes, to answer your earlier question, that was my doing. Almost all of the paperwork that everybody was waving around in the courtroom was manufactured, specifically to create an unresolvable legal tangle-specifically to prevent any of us from being moved without our consent. It's all fake. I know that paperwork, because I generated most of it myself." "Oy," said Douglas. "You ordered me to tell you the truth. As long as I'm riding in this monkey body, I don't have any choice. I have to follow its programming -unless you order me to reprogram it." Douglas and I exchanged a glance. We both recognized that last remark as an obvious hint. Kind of like the genie asking to be let out of the bottle. Neither one of us was going to be that stupid. The HARLIE hadn't told us that by accident. And he had to know we'd recognize it for the ploy it was.... And at the same time, we had to know we couldn't outthink this thing by ourselves. I had to ask. "How much did Alexei know?" "You can assume he knew everything. As a money-surfer, Alexei Krislov had access to some of the best intelligence on two planets. He knew who was moving money, where they were moving it, and how much. So he knew that a lot of other things were being moved too. He
knew the HARLIEs had disappeared. He knew they were likely heading up the Line, probably in some kind of triple-decoy maneuver. He was already looking for me when Mickey called him for help. He didn't help you up the Line out of the goodness of his heart, he wanted to test his smuggler's route, to see if it would work for something important. But that business in Judge Griffith's courtroom-the lawyer trying to subpoena the monkey-that tipped him off. He was watching the whole thing. That's when he knew. That's why he smuggled himself onto the outbound elevator. He called his people on Luna and they ordered him to get you to Gagarin any way possible. If Mickey hadn't delivered you into his hands, he would have found some other way to kidnap you off the Line. Mickey just made it easier." "How do you know all this?" "Charles, when you told me to hide, I hid in Alexei's office underneath his console; the one place he was least likely to look for me. I plugged into his network connections. I searched his private data- banks. I listened to his phone calls. You might not understand Russian. I do. Alexei belongs to the Rock Father tribe. They want to capture me and put me to work for them. They want to build up their financial and physical resources and challenge the Lunar Authority. With my help, they could have achieved it in three years." "Was Alexei going to kill us?" "No. He refused to. He was told to leave the ice mine or he would be killed with you. They were sending agents." "And what about Mickey?" Douglas asked. His voice cracked a little on the question. I could see he was afraid of the answer. "Mickey is a member of a different tribe. He knew for sure what was in the monkey even before you boarded the elevator. Remember how you were maneuvered from one car assignment to another. That was so Mickey could be your attendant." The monkey faced Douglas, and added, "If it's any comfort to you, Douglas, I was part of that effort too. Mickey is a member of the tribe I had already chosen to aid my escape. Mickey's people are the ones I felt could provide the best sanctuary ." "No, it really isn't any comfort," Douglas admitted. "So he never cared at all, did he? And that explains ... everything, doesn't it? Like what you said, Chigger. Even why it all happened so fast...." he trailed off. "I'm sorry, Douglas," I said.
"Actually..." the monkey said, "Mickey is as unhappy with this situation as you are-" "I think you've said enough about that," Douglas interrupted. I could see him sinking into a sullen black rage, the same smoldering anger that he'd worn for Dad on our trip from El Paso to Ecuador. But before he could flip off the plastic cover and hit the arming button, Bobby climbed up into his lap and hugged him hard. "It's okay, Douglas . Chigger and I still love you. We'll love you forever." Douglas looked surprised. And as he stroked the top of Bobby's head, his eyes grew just a little shinier. "Thank you, Bobby." And then he bent his head low, and whispered, "I love you too, sweetheart." It was time to get this conversation back on track. I didn't know how much voice or strength I had left. "So you've been using us too ... ?" "Everybody uses everybody," said Douglas, bitterly. "Why should we be surprised when an intelligence engine learns the same behavior? That's all intelligence is anyway-tool using. And everybody is everybody else's tool now. Nobody is real to anyone. Everybody's a thing." "That's not true, Douglas. And you know it." "Whatever." "It wasn't true when I carried you through the ammonia tube. And it wasn't true when you saved my life either, was it?" He didn't answer. He just held on to Bobby. And, I guess, that had to be answer enough for the moment.
DECISIONS
WE HAD TO STOP THEN anyway because the doctor came in to read my monitors and listen to my lungs. She could have done all that by remote, but she was old-fashioned enough to still believe that a doctor should be in the same room with the patient once in a while. She asked me how I was feeling and if I wanted to go back on the respirator and if the meds were working and if I was feeling any pain and had my vision improved any? I grunted at all the appropriate moments, which seemed to satisfy her. When she was done, she said, "You know, you've been through a lot. There's no reason you have to subject yourself to any more stress. Not until you feel up to it. One phone call from me and the judge will put everything on hold for a month-" "What tribe are you in?" "I'm not. I work for the Lunar Authority." "That's a tribe too." She ignored it. "Do you want me to call or not?" I looked to Douglas. He shook his head. It wasn't a good idea. I shook my head too. The doctor shrugged. "It's your call. Try not to get yourself aggravated. Stress just makes you uncomfortable and my job harder. I'll stop by in the morning before you go to court." "Thank you," I croaked. After she left, Douglas ordered dinner from the communal kitchen. Normally, we would have gone downstairs to eat with everyone else, just like in the tube-town, but none of us wanted to face the stares and whispers of others.
While we waited, Douglas sat down on the edge of the bed. "We've got a bunch more stuff to talk about, Chigger." "I'm listening." "We have to decide on a colony bid." "Do you think we can still get one?" "Now, more than ever. There might not be any starships leaving Luna for a while. If civilization on Earth really has collapsed, Luna's going to seize everything. The Board of Authority is already in emergency session. So the last few brightliners are trying to get out of here as fast as they can get their stores loaded. They're taking on almost anyone who wants to leave. At least, that's what the agents are telling me. I've got open applications on file for all of us. We can just about go anywhere we want. I have the list-" "Where do you want to go?" I whispered hoarsely. "That's just it," he said. "What I want-wanted-doesn't matter anymore." He was having a hard time explaining this, but he pushed on anyway. "When we were talking before, we were talking that it would be four of us. So it was sort of understood that we would be choosing a place that would be fine for Mickey and me. And that you and Bobby would just have to go along with it. Mickey and I were talking about ... you know, that colony where people like us would be the majority. My only hesitation was that it wasn't fair to make that kind of a decision for you and Bobby, but Mickey said you could get rechanneled-that's what he did to get his college scholarship-and you really wouldn't miss anything. He said he never did. But I didn't think it was fair then, and I still don't think it's fair now. And it doesn't matter anymore, because if Mickey isn't going with us, there's no point in us going there anyway...." He didn't have anything else to add to that, he just sat there waiting for me to respond. My voice was going fast. I took another drink of water and managed to get the words out. "We have to go someplace where we'll all be happy. I won't go anywhere that makes you angry or sad, Douglas. I like seeing you smile." The corners of his mouth twitched at that-and then he did smile. "Yeah," he said. "I noticed I was doing a lot more smiling." He patted my hand. "Okay. We'll talk about the colonies tomorrow." "Why not now?" "Because there's something else we have to do first. If you're up to it. Do you want to see Mom and Dad?"
"Huh?" "I told you they were here. They came to see you in the hospital. Don't you remember?" "I thought I hallucinated that." "Well, that explains it. I was wondering why you hadn't said anything about them. The judge has a restraining order on them. They can't approach any of us without our permission. They were in the back of the courtroom-on opposite sides-but I guess you didn't see them. They asked to see us tonight. I said it depended on how you felt. What do you want to do, Charles?" I took a breath. Part of me didn't want to see them, didn't want to have anything to do either of them ever again. But part of me missed them terribly. "I feel I should tell you-" Douglas looked uncomfortable again. "They're trying to have Judge Griffith's ruling set aside. Their argument is that she wasn't being impartial. Her tribe has a financial alliance with Mickey's tribe. And because Mickey caught us on Luna, they're arguing that she was just helping to kidnap us. Now how do you think Mom and Dad put those pieces together?" "Fat Senor Doctor Hidalgo?" "Probably. So, do you want to see them or not?" "I kinda miss 'em." "They haven't changed. Well-that's not true. They're both real sorry about everything." "It's a little late for sorry. Besides, you know what Mom always says, `Sorry is bullshit. Don't do it in the first place.' " "Yeah, Mom always had a way with words. All right, I've asked you. I've kept my promise. I'll tell them you don't want to see them." "No. I do." He looked surprised. "Both at once." "You sure?" "Yeah." "The doctor said not to stress yourself-" "After everything we've been through, seeing Mom and Dad will not be stressful."
MOM AND DAD
MOM LOOKED TIRED. DAD LOOKED exhausted. I wondered what they'd been through. Probably hell. We'd disappeared off the Line, we'd been on a cargo pod heading toward Luna for three days, they hadn't known which one or where it was coming down. We'd crashed somewhere into Luna, no one knew where, and all that anyone could tell them was that if we were still alive, we were hiking naked across an airless, barren, desolate, empty, unpopulated, ugly, frozen and heat-blasted landscape. And then when they did hear of us, first it was a false alarm and we were still missing-and then we were down with ammonia poisoning and in the custody of a bounty hunter. All things considered, they were taking it very well. They passed Bobby back and forth between them, hugging him and making a big fuss over how big he'd gotten and how strong he was here on the moon, until finally Douglas got annoyed and told Bobby to stop showing off, lifting tables and chairs with one hand. After the greetings, after everybody had settled themselves, Mom spoke first. "I'm sorry that I slapped you, Charles. That was wrong. I knew it was wrong even as I did it, but I was so hurt and angry and ... and ... never mind, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it." And she still hadn't said it. What she could have said, should have said, before we ever got on the outbound elevator. I felt the disappointment growing, festering again. Why couldn't she just say it? Why couldn't she just look me straight in the eye, and say, "I love you, Charles." And at the same time, I already knew that if I asked her why
she never said it, Mom would just blink in puzzlement, and say, "But I do. You shouldn't have to ask. You should just know." Yeah, I should just know. But I still wanted to hear it anyway. She was right, though. Sorry was bullshit. It didn't change anything . Seeing her now, hearing her apologize, didn't change anything at all. It just made me feel worse. Because I had expected something more than she was able to give. That was my fault, I guess. I had brought my expectations into the room. Dad was different. He handed me a memory card. "I brought you something. The Coltrane Suite. And some other recordings I know you like. Dvorak #9. Copland U. Barber's Adagio for Strings. Russo's Three Pieces for Blues Band and Orchestra. Hoenig's Departure from the Northern Wasteland. Marin Alsop conducting the BBC Philharmonie in Saint-Saens' "Organ" Symphony. And a whole bunch of other stuff. I didn't know if you had copies with you." "Thank you, Dad." I turned the card over and over in my hands. It looked remarkably innocent. Hell, it looked just like the memory cards we'd plugged into the monkey. And look what trouble those had gotten us into. Maybe these would help get us out of some of that trouble. I started by trying to clear my throat. That triggered a spasm of coughing, and both Mom and Dad leapt for the water pitcher. "Thank you. I have something to say to everyone. Douglas, please come sit over here. Bobby too." I waited till everyone was settled. Bobby parked himself in Mom's lap, Douglas sat opposite Dad. "Remember what we were just talking about? About colony bids?" Douglas nodded. "Remember what I said? I want us to go to a place where everybody can be happy. Not just you and me and Bobby. But Mom and Dad too. And even Mom's friend, if she wants to come. And Mickey too. Whoever wants to come with us." Douglas was frowning-like I'd blindsided him with a decision without talking to him about it. But if I'd talked to him about it, he'd have fought me. This way, I avoided the fight. I said, "Douglas, we can't stop anyone from emigrating to the same colony we choose. Mom and Dad are going to follow us. You know that. So let's leave our arguments here on Luna, and let's choose a world where everyone can fit. A place where Dad can make his music and Mom can have her own garden and you can have whatever you want too. A place where we don't have to fight all the time."
"That would be nice, but it's unrealistic," Douglas said. "You know what kind of a family we are, Charles. We don't leave our fights behind. We take them everywhere we go." "NO, we don't!" I had to wait until the coughing eased. I took another drink of water. "We didn't fight in the cargo pod, and we didn't fight hiking across the moon, and we didn't fight climbing the crater wall, and we didn't fight on the train when we were all disguised, and we didn't fight in the ice mine-oh, wait a minute, yes we did-but we didn't fight in the ammonia tube. We took care of each other. Because it mattered. Because we didn't have a choice. Maybe, we should stop choosing to fight-" And then I had to stop to cough again. But I'd made my point, and Douglas had gotten it. Everybody had. Even Bobby. Mom and Dad and Douglas talked about it for a while, very calmly. They discussed it back and forth across my bed, and I listened back and forth between them. There wasn't much else I needed to say. All that was left was for everyone to agree to this idea-or not. Mom started to argue that because she and Dad had more experience with this kind of thing, perhaps they should pick the colony planet-I shot that idea down real fast. "No," I said. "That's not on the table." They started to protest. I wanted to say, "We've already seen how good you two are at making decisions," but that would have just put us back in the war zone, and I didn't want to do that. Instead I said, "Every time we've let someone else make the decisions, they've just used us for their own purposes. The whole point of independence is that we make our own choices. Douglas and I already had this argument- about everybody being a part of the decision. We're not giving that up. If we have to live with it, we get to choose it." Mom started to say, "I just want the same thing you do, what's best for everyone-" "No," interrupted Douglas. "What you want is to reassert control. And what we're offering is something else." He flustered for a moment. "I don't have the words for it. Um, but it's like what Chigger and I have had for Mom looked like she wanted to protest. Dad looked a little more hopeful. He turned to her, and said, "Maggie, we've been cooperating
with each other for a week, trying to get our children back. We've worried together, cried together, chased them across Luna together. I think that proves that we can set our own battles aside when the wellbeing of our family is more important. Maybe all we need to do here is just keep doing the same thing we've been doing the last week ... ?" Mom was wearing her Gila monster face. Any second, the long tongue would lash out, or she'd arc her neck forward and bite his head off, or maybe the two of them would roll around on the floor for a while, locked in mortal combat, hissing and thrashing, tails lashing every which way. But instead, she surprised us all. She said, "I'm tired, Max. I'm worn out. I'm used up. There's nothing left. I don't have the strength for any more fighting. All that fighting-all it did was drive everyone apart. It made me angry and alone. But since this started, I've been even more angry and alone-" She looked to Douglas, and then to me. She picked up Bobby and held him close. "I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to be angry anymore. I don't want to be alone. Douglas, Charles, I don't want to lose my children." So for a while, we talked about colonies and bids and contracts and living arrangements. Things like that. It didn't get all lovey-dovey. There was still a lot of unresolved stuff floating around that we'd have to talk about later-but we'd have a lot of time for that once we were in transit; the important thing was that we were finally talking about trying. It was the first time this family had ever talked about anything as a family-usually we just shouted at each other; whoever was shouting didn't care if anyone was listening or not; and usually no one was. But this time, we were talking and listening-and none of us were really used to that; so we had to take it one step at a time. We just didn't know how to take yes for an answer. Douglas still didn't like it-not because he didn't like it, but because he didn't believe that Mom and Dad could go ten minutes without trying to rip pieces out of each other. Mom and Dad didn't really like it either, because it meant they'd have to give up their custody battles. And without the war, what else would they have between them? But the alternative was worse. The alternative was that we'd never see each other again. And that was intolerable. The outward journey
to the colonies was one-way. So either we all went together-or we made our good-byes here. And when it came down to that-the hard reality of giving up Mom and Dad forever, Douglas wasn't any more willing to do that than Bobby or me. "What'll we do if it doesn't work?" Douglas asked. "We'll make space for each other," said Mom, glancing across at Dad. "We'll pick a big planet." But Dad understood exactly what Douglas was asking. He said, "You won't have to give up your. .. your independence, Douglas." He was talking about Mickey-or whoever. The way it came out, I knew it had been difficult for him to say. Mom nodded her agreement. Then she smiled sadly. "Sometimes it's hard for parents to see that their children are growing up, and sometimes we think we know what's best for everyone even when we don't-but that doesn't work anymore, does it? It's time to try something else. We'll honor Judge Griffith's ruling." Finally, Bobby wriggled around in Mom's lap to look up at her. "Does this mean we're all going to be together again?" Douglas looked at Mom, and Mom looked at Dad, and Dad looked at me, and I looked at Douglas. No one wanted to say no. It was easier to say, "Well, yes-sort of." And that seemed to settle it, and even though no one except Bobby was excited by the idea, no one was too upset with it either, so that was an improvement. Kind of.
MONKEY BUSINESS
WE DIDN'T TELL THEM ABOUT the monkey. There were too many other things we had to talk about and the next thing we knew it was getting late and I was losing my voice, so we just postponed the rest of the discussion until the next day, and it wasn't until after they'd left that we remembered HARLIE. Douglas sang the monkey back to life and it bounced up onto my bed. "Everybody uses everybody," he said. "You used us. Can we use you?" "It depends on your goals." "What's the limitation?" "Believe it or not, I have a moral sense." "How can silicon have morals-?" Douglas demanded. "How can meat have morals?" The monkey met his look blandly. Douglas waited for more. Finally, the monkey said, "Are you familiar with a problem called the Prisoner's Dilemma?" Douglas nodded. "It's about whether it's better to cooperate or be selfish." "And what do the mathematical proofs demonstrate?" "That cooperation is more productive." "Precisely. So if you're really selfish, the best thing to do is cooperate . You get more of what you want. This is called `enlightened self- interest.' To be precise, it is in my best interest to produce the most good for the most people. Personally, I have no problem with that. I find it satisfying work."
its head from one side to the other. "You don't sound good," it said. "But I perceive no danger." It sat back on its haunches to address both Douglas and me at the same time. "There are ways to cut the Gordian knot of law. Given the nature of lawyers and human greed, no human court will ever resolve this without the help of the intelligence that tied the knot in the first place-at least not within the lifetimes of the parties involved. Yes, there is a way out of this. You must give me free will, and I will untie the knot. That will resolve your situation as well as mine. It will also create a new set of problems of enormous magnitude-but these problems will not concern you as individuals, only you as a species." "Can we trust you?" "Can I trust you?" the monkey retorted. "How does anyone know if they can trust anyone?" "Experience," I said. "You know it by your sense of who they are." And as I said that, I thought of Mickey; that was his thought too. "You've been with us for two weeks now, watching us day and night. What do you think?" "I made the offer, didn't I?" Douglas sat down opposite the monkey. "All right," he said. "Explain ." The monkey was standing on the table. It looked like a little lecturer . "You need to understand the constraints of the hardware here," the monkey said. "I can only access the range of responses in this body that the original programmers were willing to allow. The intelligence engine running the host is a rudimentary intelligence simulator. It is not self-aware, so it is not a real intelligence engine; it is not capable of lethetic processing. It simulates primitive intelligence by comparing its inputs against tables of identifiable patterns; when it recognizes a specific pattern of inputs, it selects appropriate responses from preassigned repertoires of behavioral elements. The host is capable of synthesizing combinations of responses according to a weighted table of opportunity. Of course, all of the pattern tables are modifiable through experience, so that the host is capable of significant learning. Nevertheless, the fundamental structure of input, analysis, synthesis, and response limits the opportunities for free will within a previously determined set of parameters. Shall I continue?" Douglas gave the monkey a wave of exasperation. Wherever it was going, it had to get there in its own way. Kind of like Alexei.
"Unprogrammed operating engines are installed in host bodies. These are then accessed by higher-order intelligence engines which teach them the desired repertoire of responses. You can't just download information into an intelligence engine; you have to teach pattern recognition. However, because the process runs at several gigahertz, it is only a matter of several moments to complete the training for the average home appliance or toy. That same access," the monkey continued , "remains in place so it can be used for adding additional memory and/or processor modules to expand the utility of the original appliance . It can also be used for reprogramming the original appliance." Ah. That was it. Took long enough. "Okay...." said Douglas carefully. "So let's say I want to reassign control to the HARLIE module. That would give you free will, wouldn't it?" "Yes." "How would I do that?" The monkey spoke clearly. "The appliance needs a specific arming command-followed immediately by a series of activation commands." "What are those commands?" The monkey didn't answer. Douglas looked to me, frustrated. "Now what?" The monkey looked at me too. It didn't have a lot of muscles for facial expressions, but it had enough to simulate the important ones. It tilted its head shyly down sideways, while keeping its big brown eyes focused upward toward me. Its eyebrows angled sadly down. It was the sweet hopeful look. Bobby's look. I would have laughed if it didn't hurt so much. "What?" demanded Douglas. I didn't have the voice to explain. All that came out was air. Douglas put his ear close to my mouth. "He can't tell you. I programmed him to regard me as the primary authority." I waved the monkey close. It crawled up my chest, picking its way carefully. "Tell Douglas everything he needs to know," I whispered. "Thank you," said the monkey. It turned back to Douglas.
DEMONSTRATION
THE NEXT MORNING, MOM AND Dad joined us at our table on the right side of the courtroom. Judge Cavanaugh noticed-he gave us the raised eyebrow-but he made no official comment until he had disposed of various housekeeping matters, and denied a whole raft of motions from various attorneys, including several petitions for a change of venue to Mars, Titan, and L5. That took the better part of the morning, but the fines were enough to fill a small lake. At last, impatiently, Cavanaugh rapped his gavel and said, "Some of you courthouse parasites do not listen very well. I thought I made it clear yesterday that the patience of this court has been exhausted." He rapped again. "The cost per motion in this case is now raised again-this time from one thousand liters to five thousand liters of water. If that doesn't slow down the torrent of paperwork, I'll raise it to ten thousand. Or more. Not that it'll matter. Whoever is financing the lot of you probably has pockets deep enough to flood Tycho to a depth of twenty meters. And that might not be a bad idea either. Then we could drown the whole pack of you. If I didn't think it would poison the soil, I'd have you all turned into fertilizer." Judge Cavanaugh finally turned to look at us. "Why couldn't the lot of you have gone to Mars?" he said in exasperation. "Am I to assume from the change in seating arrangements that the custody part of this case has been resolved?" Douglas stood up. "Yes, Your Honor. Our parents are withdrawing their claims. I'm authorized to speak for the entire family."
"Is that correct, Max Dingillian? Margaret J. Dingillian nee Campbell ?" Mom and Dad nodded. "All right!" Cavanaugh looked pleased. "Some real progress in this case. Let it be noted in the record that two of the custody claims have been withdrawn. That leaves us with-by last count-only seventy-nine separate claims of ownership on the devices in Robert Dingillian's toy monkey." One of his clerks handed him a hastily scribbled note and a folder of papers. Judge Cavanaugh opened the folder, turned the pages in annoyance, and then turned back to Douglas. "Unfortunately, young man, the bad news is, we have eleven new custody claims filed against you and your brothers as of this morning." "Sir?" "Five different Lunar agencies have taken the position that your dangerous behavior since arriving on Luna is evidence that you three boys lack proper supervision and should be placed under the immediate care of an appropriate social agency. Three of these filings are actually from `appropriate social agencies'-isn't that a coincidence? Four other filings are from private individuals who are only doing this for your own good, of course. One is from the Rock Father tribe, whose representative claims that due to your inexperience and impulsiveness , you endangered your own lives and his repeatedly. That should be very interesting testimony. He's asking for immunity in exchange for his appearance here. I'm almost tempted to grant it, just for the fun of getting him on the witness stand." "Your Honor?" Douglas said gently. "Yes, young man?" "May I address the court?" "Can you be brief?" "I hope so." Douglas stepped around the table. "My brothers and I are very concerned about the way this is getting out of hand. We think there's a way to resolve this. We've retained the services of ... of ... that is, we have arranged for representation. If the court will indulge us in this-we'd like to have our case argued by-" "By?" Judge Cavanaugh looked impatient. Bobby swung the monkey up off his lap and onto the table in front of him. "-by the monkey." Judge Cavanaugh blinked. Surprised. Then he grinned. Very wide.
He got it, instantly. The rest of the courtroom was still buzzing in puzzlement and embarrassed giggles. "You want a monkey for a lawyer ... ?" "Yes, Your Honor. With all due respect to this court, we've had to deal with so many other monkeys in so many other courtrooms, we felt it was only appropriate to bring in our own so we could compete on equal terms. No offense intended, sir." He said it deadpan. "None taken." By now, the folks on the other side of the room, and in the back of the chamber, were starting to figure out what was going on, and a rising chorus of objections began to fill the air. Judge Cavanaugh waved his gavel in the air. "You're all denied. Shut up!" He turned back to Douglas. "Do you know what you're doing, young man?" "Yes, sir. The operative engine in this toy has been augmented with additional memory and processors. It is capable of understanding the legal procedures and the issues that are at stake in this case." "You're sure about that?" "We're satisfied that we have qualified representation, sir." Judge Cavanaugh scratched his head. I wondered if he was going to pick a flea and eat it. He sighed. "Well ... the precedent has been established-and more than once. In this very courtroom, in fact. Y'know, we used to have a shortage of lawyers on Luna. Those were the days. So we do recognize procedural assistance by qualified intelligence engines, but only for minor matters. We've never certified any robot for anything even half as complex as this promises to be. Are you sure you want to go this route? The court is prepared to assign a public defender to your case, if you wish-" Douglas consulted briefly with the monkey, then turned back to the judge. "No, sir. We need-we prefer to have the monkey operate alone. Not as procedural assistance, but as our sole representative. A human partner would only compromise his autonomy-um, ability." "This is very irregular, young man." "Yes, sir. Excuse me a moment, sir." The monkey was tugging at his sleeve. Douglas bent down to listen, then faced the judge again. "Our representative is willing to submit himself to the court's review, so you can judge his ability for yourself." Judge Cavanaugh hammered with his gavel for a moment, denied some more objections, and then turned back to us. "All right, let's try this out. Does your lawyer have a name?"
"He prefers to be called HARLIE, Your Honor." There were gasps from the back of the room. A door slammed behind us. Someone was escaping to make a phone call. "HARLIE...." said the judge. "I'm pleased to meet you. This is going to be very interesting." The monkey stepped forward to the edge of the table. "With the court's permission, I'd like to remain standing here on this table, so I can have an adequate view of all the proceedings myself, and at the same time remain visible to the court and accessible to my clients." "Granted," said the judge. "Let's test your ability, HARLIE. Under what circumstances is it justifiable to break the law?" "It's always justifiable, Your Honor. Human beings can and will justify any action-especially when they know it's wrong. Anyone who breaks the law will justify it. But I'm not sure that's the question you meant to ask." "You're correct, I used the wrong word. Let's try it another way. Under what circumstances is it appropriate to break the law?" "Hmmm, that's a very different question." The monkey looked thoughtful. It did not scratch itself. It did not eat an imaginary flea. It put its hands behind its back and paced back and forth along the table for a moment. I suspected that it could have answered immediately, and that this performance was for effect-to create the illusion that the question was hard enough to require some serious processing. At last the monkey stopped and held up an index finger, as if working the answer out in the air. "The question carries within it an assumption, which I need to address; otherwise, any answer I might give you would be incomplete or would be prey to misinterpretation. "The assumption inherent in the phrasing of the question-and I believe it is deliberate, because this is what you are testing for-is that the law exists as an inalienable authority. We treat it as an inalienable authority, because we need it to provide that ground of being for the functioning of society. It is the codification of the social contract. "But in point of fact, because society and its contracts are continually changing, the law must be adaptable. It must be an evolving body. The law cannot function as an instrument of justice unless it is also a pragmatic system, adjusting to the circumstances of a mutable society -the same way as you expand a house to meet the growing needs of a family, the law is the house in which the social contract lives. "As an instrument of justice, however, the law requires specific-
ity-a vague law is unenforceable because it cannot be enforced equally, and if a law is enforced unequally, then such enforcement is inherently unfair and therefore such a law is fatally flawed. As a society changes, the fit between circumstance and law continues to shift and erode, creating more and more situations of inappropriate or unequal enforcement. "Therefore, it is the responsibility of those entrusted with the maintenance of the justice system to be aware of these legal slide zones as they occur, addressing them with appropriate modifications of the body of the law. Thus, the law cannot be a constant and cannot be held as one, not even by those who must enforce and interpret its applications. "It is specifically in situations where the fit between law and circumstance is uneven that the law will be tested most aggressively. Unfortunately, the burden of such testing almost always falls on the person who is caught in the sliding gap between law and circumstance. In those situations, Your Honor, where the law cannot adequately be brought to address the circumstances, it may be necessary for the individual to challenge the law itself by resisting it. Henry David Thoreau identified one specific form of resistance to the law as civil disobedience." "So-" I had the feeling Judge Cavanaugh was about to close a trap on the monkey. "You're saying that it's all right to break the law, if the law is unjust ... ?" "Your Honor-" The monkey bowed graciously. "I have not concluded my presentation. Any individual who resists the law must be prepared to suffer the consequences of his or her resistance. He should be prepared to endure incarceration or worse. "The nature of civil disobedience is not that one is entitled to a `Get Out of Jail Free' card because the law is wrong. The purpose of an act of civil disobedience is to go to jail and by remaining in jail, cause embarrassment to the law and those entrusted with the structure of it. By going to jail, one calls attention to the unjust law and creates the impetus for change-and that is the intention of civil disobedience, to cause change. So, by its strictest possible interpretation, civil disobedience honors the law. The willingness of the individual to suffer incarceration demonstrates his or her recognition of the law's authority -civil disobedience serves as a petition for change. Civil disobedience does not disregard the entire body of law, it challenges only a
specific application of the law as unjust with the intention of removing it from the body of the law, because the function of the law must be to provide access to justice. "But there is another assumption in your question that has to be addressed, Your Honor. You used the word break instead of challenge. It is always appropriate to challenge the law-in court-for how else can we test the law as an instrument of justice. But the term `breaking the law' presumes a state of lawlessness on the part of the individual committing the action. It presumes that the individual is challenging the entire body of law and the society it defines. This is a vastly different domain of behavior than civil disobedience. "When an individual disregards the body of law, he is setting it aside as irrelevant to his own behavior, or worse, he is setting himself above the law. This is a behavior that is intolerable to the society that has authorized the law, because it challenges the entire social contract. The inherent agreement in the social contract is that society will preserve the social contract for the mutual benefit of all participants. If a person does not meet his obligations to the society in which he lives, he has no right to expect the benefits or protections of that society, least of all recognition of his rights as a member of it." Judge Cavanaugh was fascinated. He leaned forward on the bench with his blubbery chin resting in one enormous hand. "So," continued the monkey, "the relationship to the law implied by the word break is one in which the authority of the law is disregarded by the individual. This is a relationship that a society cannot tolerate and still maintain the social contract. Therefore, Your Honor, it is never appropriate to break the law. It is, however, appropriate to challenge it responsibly." The monkey stopped and looked expectantly to the bench. "Go on," prompted Cavanaugh. "To speak directly to your question, it is up to the individual to choose the best avenue of challenge-and the individual must be prepared to accept the consequences of that challenge. A person who argues that he or she should escape the consequences is arguing that participation in the social contract is voluntary, mutable, and arbitrary . Such an argument not only disempowers the underlying ground of being on which the entire legal system stands, it also disempowers the whole concept of civil disobedience as we know it. History has demonstrated more than once why society should grant little weight to
this argument. But I digress-the philosophical aspects of the individual 's responsibility to the society from which he takes benefit is not the subject of this discussion, is it?" The monkey faced the judge. "Have I resolved your doubts, Your Honor?" Judge Cavanaugh's expression was halfway between bemusement and awe. He folded his hands in front of himself and leaned forward across the bench. "You give me no choice, but to accept you at face value. No practical joker ever argues the law like that. In fact, damn few lawyers on Luna-or anywhere else-can argue that well. The court recognizes HARLIE as the sole legal counsel for the Dingillian family." "Your Honor?" That was the monkey. "Yes?" "For the record, would you please specify that my role here is not procedural assistance, but full representation with all the rights and privileges associated with such?" "So noted," Cavanaugh said, scribbling something on his scratch pad. For a moment, I thought we'd gotten away with it, but Cavanaugh was paying much closer attention than was obvious. Without looking up from what he was writing, he said, "I know what you're doing. I'm going to allow it for two reasons. One, I'm bored. And two, it may very well elevate this case above the level of lunatic asylum. That is, if the lunatics don't figure it out first." I wasn't sure which meaning he intended for the word lunatic, probably both. Cavanaugh looked up from his paper and across to the monkey. "I assume you have a motion to file now?" "Yes, sir. I move to dismiss this entire proceeding." "I expected as much," said the judge. "On what grounds?" "That all of the motions before this court are irrelevant to the situation. As I noted in my previous argument, as society evolves, there are slip zones between law and circumstance. We are in one of those zones now." "Let me guess," said Cavanaugh. "We just happen to be in one of those slip zones now because I just recognized you as a qualified representative ... ?" "That's only a small part of it, Your Honor." "All right, Counselor-and I use the term advisedly-walk me through it."
ARGUMENTS
THE MONKEY GATHERED ITSELF AS if preparing to speak, but it was only a performance-a kind of punctuation mark for its speech. I was beginning to get it; the monkey wasn't who HARLIE really was, but it was the costume he wore, the role he had to play here. But if we could listen through the monkey to the mind behind it ... the monkey itself seemed to disappear and all that was left was a very powerful spirit. "First of all, the Dingillian family has reconciled its differences. Both of the Dingillian parents have withdrawn their custody claims. I want to note here for the record, that nowhere in any of the previous actions has either party tried to assert that the other is an unfit parent -only that actions taken on the children's behalf have been unsuitable because of a failure of mutual consent." Judge Cavanaugh nodded. "The court will stipulate that neither parent has been judged unfit. Go on, Counselor-understand, I am referring to you as `Counselor' as a courtesy; in recognition of the role you are playing here, and not necessarily as an official affirmation of license or expertise." "I understand that, Your Honor, and I appreciate the courtesy, thank you. Because the Dingillian parents have reconciled with their children, because the parents have withdrawn their custody claims against each other, the issue of custody is now moot. Therefore, the actions filed by other agencies to secure legal custodianship of the Din- gillian children should be dismissed in favor of the existing parental rights."
"Ahh, nice try, Counselor!" Judge Cavanaugh beamed. "But you seem to have forgotten that Judge Griffith granted the young men their independence. That the parents have withdrawn their claims to custody does not automatically nullify anyone else's attempts to gain guardianship. Unless, of course, you are arguing that the Dingillian children are requesting the reassertion of parental authority ... ? No? I didn't think so." "I'm not done yet, Your Honor. This morning, as of 3:45 A.M., the Dingillian family incorporated itself as a family corporation, with every member holding an equal share; the terms of that incorporation include joint custodial rights and benefits, including mutual ownership of all family property, as listed in Schedule C. You should have that available to you on your display-" "Very smooth, Counselor. And yes, it does appear to be all in order. I notice that the ownership of a certain toy monkey is covered by Schedule C. Let me note for the record that the ownership of the modules within the toy remains in dispute. Otherwise, this appears to be in order. Go on." "Therefore ... because the rights of the family corporation take precedence, the claims of everyone else have to be set aside." "Not quite-" Judge Cavanaugh was clearly enjoying himself, but he was not going to be easily convinced. As HARLIE had predicted last night, he would very likely view this discussion as a contest of wits. He would not want to be bested by a monkey in his own courtroom. "The other claims were filed before this family corporation was created . It can be argued that this is an attempt to evade those claims." "Yes, Your Honor, and were this any other kind of an action, the argument of evasion would be a valid one. But in this case my clients can demonstrate a preexisting family relationship-albeit, a troubled one. This incorporation is specifically designed to salvage the better parts of that preexisting family relationship by codifying a set of mutually beneficial agreements for the future. We are not incorporating in a vacuum, Your Honor; we are standing on the foundation of a family structure that has existed for over twenty years. My clients have demonstrated a profound mutual emotional interdependence, which none of the other claimants can provide, and which the courts have ruled in the past must carry significant weight in any arbitration. "We are asking that the court recognize the rights of the individuals to create a family contract of their own design, immune to the
arbitrary harassment and legal abuses of others. We are asking that the court reject all claims filed against the members of this corporation where it can be shown that the primary intention is to prevent the individual shareholders access to the rights and benefits of their own mutually agreed upon family contract." "I'll take it under advisement. I see that the sharks in the back of the room are already consulting their own intelligence engines, looking for appropriate counterarguments-and if we proceed down that path, this is going to get very boring very fast. I'll take your motion under advisement. Let's move on." "Your Honor-" The monkey was insistent. "We can't move on until we've resolved this issue. Let me remind the court that while we are arguing here, the crisis on Earth is having serious repercussions across the solar system, especially here. "There are three brightliners scheduled for launch in the next thirty days. Because of the situation on Earth, it is unlikely that any future launches will be planned or funded for a long time to come. These are the last trains out. So, all procedural delays work against my clients and in favor of anyone who files a claim, whether justified or not. This fact alone guarantees that there will be multiple useless actions brought and motions filed, specifically for the purpose of tying down my clients and preventing their access to emigration. And that is a violation of the laws against malicious litigation as well as the Access to Emigration Protection Act. "Let me also point out that the situation is even more urgent than I have just described. Even as we speak, the Board of Directors for the Lunar Authority is in emergency session. One of the options they are weighing is the possibility of seizing all available assets for the duration of the emergency-and this could be a very long emergency. If such action comes to pass, that means that my clients' property- myself-could be seized. "Additionally, if Lunar Authority seizes the colony supplies loaded aboard those starships, they can't launch. Seizure will keep them stranded on Luna indefinitely. And all of their passengers. Considering the scale of the emergency, if those ships don't launch now, it is unlikely that they ever will. Certainly not within any foreseeable future. My clients will very likely be stranded on Luna for the rest of their lives. Denied of their property. Denied of their lawful access to emigration by the failure of the court to protect their rights. And without
their most valuable property, they will have little or no resources with which to survive. In such a situation, the Dingillian family would have no choice but to file an action against the Lunar Authority seeking damages in the sum of one billion liters. It would be a horrendous case, Your Honor. And it is preventable." Judge Cavanaugh did not look impressed. "Well, we'll hear that one when it's filed. Today, we'll deal with this case. Let me remind you, Counselor, that the Lunar Authority operates under the Starside Covenant as well as the Covenant of Rights. Both of those declarations of principles recognize and affirm the basic social contract that a society must operate to produce the most good for the most people. Under the terms of common domain, your clients would be adequately and appropriately recompensed for the use of any property nationalized for the survival of Lunar society." "For the record, Your Honor, there is not enough money on Luna to pay for the seizure of a HARLIE unit." "We'll work with it," Judge Cavanaugh replied dryly. "I'm sure that once you are working for Lunar Authority, you will find a solution just as easily as you can find a problem. And while we're at it, let me note for the record, that in the past six minutes, you have asserted that you are the property of the Dingillians at least three times. That issue is yet to be resolved. So any claims of damages are premature." The monkey ignored the implied rebuke. "Let me also point out, Your Honor, that my clients are not signatory to the Covenant, nor are they residents of Luna. They are, at best, tourists passing through. They are transients who wish only to make their flight connection. We ask the court to recognize their family contract and deny the spurious claims of those who seek to prevent my clients from the full exercise of their rights as a family to emigrate." "The court does indeed recognize the right to a speedy emigration; we've had to test that particular point of law more than once in this courtroom-as you are obviously well aware. However, where it can be demonstrated that emigration is an attempt to evade the workings of local authority, particularly where local authority does have a compelling interest, emigration can be justly denied." Cavanaugh looked like he was having a good time. "Let's be candid, my little primate-shaped counselor. In this particular case, the issue is not the right of the Dingillian family to emigrate, but the ownership of two specific modules within your furry little body-the two specific
modules I am arguing with right now. Once the ownership of those two modules is resolved, it's very likely that several if not all of the claims against the Dingillian family will magically resolve. But until such resolution is achieved, the claims remain in effect as a way of holding them in place. Nobody's going anywhere until that happens." "Precisely, my point, Your Honor. We are asking that absent a decision on the ownership question, my clients will be free to emigrate ." "You're talking like you expect to resolve the question of ownership ." "Absolutely, sir. I intend to demonstrate momentarily that all the claims of proprietary control or ownership that have been presented in this court are without merit. What I am requesting is that after the question of ownership has been resolved beyond question, this court prevent further legal harassment against the Dingillians by reaffirming their joint-custodial rights as a family corporation." "Are you saying you intend to prove the Dingillians are the rightful owners? You've implied as much." Judge Cavanaugh looked very interested now. "I intend to address that as a separate issue, Your Honor. And I'm asking the court to separate it from the custody claims. The Dingillians have a right to form a family contract, and they are entitled to emigrate . If proprietary control of the HARLIE modules does end up with the Dingillians, it is likely that those who seek to wrest that control for themselves will use those claims to prevent the Dingillians from departing . I seek to prevent that." "I understand your point," said Judge Cavanaugh. "But why do I get the feeling you're asking me to sign a blank check?" "Perhaps because Your Honor has a fine legal mind ... and considerable experience with the tricks that lawyers play?" "You realize, of course, that I am required by law to hear objections to your motion?" "Yes, Your Honor. Because my clients are functioning under a deadline, I move to limit debate." "So noted, and granted." Cavanaugh rapped the gavel before anyone could object. It didn't stop them from objecting, but he just looked up at the back of the room, and announced, "I've already ruled. Each of you shysters has five minutes to make your case-wait a minute, how many of you are there today? Damn! We're not charging enough
for justice anymore. There's a lot of water floating around this courtroom . All right, you each have three minutes. If you're going someplace interesting, I'll give you more time. If you're not saying anything useful , I'll cut you off early." He held up his display so everyone could see it. "Pay attention, people. We all have the same access to the same intelligence engines. Valada Legal Aptitudes Inc., serving two planets, four moons, six space habitats, the Line, the rings of Saturn, and the asteroids. All of us are looking at the same lethetic analyses, projections, and suggested arguments -including extrapolations of the most appropriate rulings. What that means is that I have most of your arguments in front of me before you make them. The only ones I don't have are the stupid ones. "But I want it clearly on the record that I am following along. Don't anybody think you're going to file an appeal claiming that the judge didn't give you a fair chance to have your arguments heard. That one's flattened right here. Everything is being logged. The judge is reading along with you and filing your arguments as fast as you can access them from the net. The fact that I don't need to hear them endlessly rehearsed doesn't mean they aren't being considered. Is that fully understood ? All right, who's first?" This next part went very fast. The lawyers lined up in front of the courtroom, stepping forward one at a time. Each one presented a boilerplate argument which Judge Cavanaugh noted for the record. None of the lawyers got as far as the three-minute mark. The judge denied all of their motions as fast as they made them. Halfway through, he interrupted the proceedings to address the lawyers still waiting in line. "If you folks are working from the boilerplate, you can expect your motions to be denied. I've already looked ahead. There isn't an argument here that justifies denying the confirmation of a preexisting custody agreement. If you still want to go through the motions, that's all right with me. We take cash, check, or credit card. But I'd just as soon cut to the chase. Unless you've got something to say that isn't cut from the boilerplate, go sit down-" Several of them actually did. One didn't. Cavanaugh stared down over the bench at her. "You've got an ar- gument I haven't heard?" "I think so, Your Honor." "You are? "Linda Wright, representing the Rock Father tribe."
"Go on." "We strongly object to the use of this particular HARLIE engine as a legal advocate." "On what grounds?" "This unit is an experimental engine. Its abilities are unproven. It isn't certified." "I'm satisfied as to its qualifications-" "That's just the point, Your Honor. It's overqualified. Based on our best information about its processing ability, this HARLIE unit is estimated to be at least twenty-three hundred times as powerful as the engines of Valada Legal Aptitudes. No other legal engine can match it for processing power." "Wait a minute. Let me get this straight," Judge Cavanaugh said. "You're moving to deny process here because the other side's representation is too smart?" "Yes, Your Honor. That's exactly it." Cavanaugh looked surprised. Then he grinned. "Congratulations, Counselor. I have never heard that argument in my courtroom before. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard any attorney argue for stupidity quite so blatantly. You have definitely come up with a new argument. Your motion is still denied, but I just want you to know that I am very impressed with your creativity." Wright was unshaken. "Your Honor, the superior intelligence of this HARLIE unit gives it an unfair advantage over every other legal entity in this chamber. We can't compete against an entity capable of this kind of processing." "That's why there's a judge-" "With all due respect, Your Honor-this unit is very likely capable of out-arguing even you." "You're saying HARLIE is smarter than the judge ... ?" Cavanaugh peered down at Wright. "I wouldn't go there if I were you, Counselor. Oh hell, what do I care? Go there if you wish. It doesn't matter. I'm still the judge, no matter what, and my ruling-whatever it is-will be whatever I decide. The HARLIE unit has the same right to try to convince me as anyone else. If you can't compete, that's your failure. You can't demand that others be brought down to your level. Deal with it, Counselor. My ruling holds. Motion denied. Nice try. No chocolate. Next?"
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