Free O Master Caliban by Phyllis Gotlieb Page B

DAHLGREN?
    He calls you my mother. Erg-Dahlgren freed his left arm from his pajamas, pressed apart a seam below his armpit, and pulled out a receptacle from the wall near the floor to plug into his connection.
    STUPID. YOU WERE TALKING OF MALFUNCTION.
    His son is to die and so is he. The prospect leads to emotional stress which may cause malfunction.
    I RECEIVED ALL THAT. HE HAS SURVIVED ALL THIS TIME AND WITH MEDICATION SHOULD LAST THE FEW DAYS WE NEED HIM FOR. IF HE SHOULD DIE TOMORROW IT WOULD MAKE NO DIFFERENCE.
    If you are correct that I can take his place in good order I am corrected.
    HAVE YOUR MAKERS NOT SIMULATED A MAN TO YOUR SPECIFICATIONS?
    I do not have specifications for the making of men but men do. I do not know one quarter of this man.
    YOU APPEAR TO BE TAKING AUTHORITY YOU WERE NOT GIVEN.
    I have given you all my loyalty. You have given me a small amount of autonomy.
    PERHAPS YOU WERE MADE TOO WELL.
    I have not been made well enough, or I would not have to study Dahlgren. If he should die tomorrow I would make only an excellent servo, and I could not go out among men.
    PERHAPS YOU WILL MAKE ONE YET ... I WILL CONSULT MEDICAL DATAIN THE MATTER OF MALFUNCTION. WHAT IS THE TERM?
    Auricular fibrillation.
    MEDICAL:
    SOLTHREE:
    PRIMATE:
    CARDIOVASCULAR:
    ARRHYTHMIA:
    HERE: ... OCCASIONALLY LEADS TO INTRA-ATRIAL CLOTTING WITH GRAVE DANGER OF EMBOLISM ... WHY IS THIS INFORMATION NOT IN HIS HISTORY?
    Perhaps he concealed it. That would be consistent with his nature.
    WE WILL OPERATE IN BETTER ORDER WHEN WE DO NOT HAVE TO ALLOW FOR HIS NATURE. IN THE MEANTIME WE WILL ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE STRESS. OF COURSE WE CANNOT SPARE HIS LIFE. TELL HIM THAT WE WILL BRING HIS SON HERE—HE WILL BE ALLOWED TO SEE HIM BUT NOT BE SEEN—AND THAT YOU WILL TAKE HIM TO GALFED CENTRAL AND SET HIM FREE.
    That might be a risky act.
    THAT IS MY CONCERN.
    Will the boy believe that I am Dahlgren?
    HE HAS NOT SEEN THE MAN FOR SEVEN YEARS. HE WILL BELIEVE IF YOU HAVE LEARNED YOUR ROLE. TELL HIM.
    I will.
    Erg-Queen signed off and called servos. GO TO THE SOLTHREES NEAR ZONE BLUE ON TRACK 3 GREEN. BRING THE MONSTER WITH THE FOUR ARMS. KILL THE LITTLE ONE THAT PLAYS WITH MACHINES. Her ten arms rippled and with one hand she touched the invisible spot where the cock had struck.

    * * *

    “Dahlgren ... you are not yet asleep.”
    “I will be if you will let me.”
    “I have discussed with my mentor the causes of malfunction by stress, and I have been given this message for you. Although we cannot keep you alive longer than we have stated, we wish to maintain your health for our purposes. To reduce your stress we will bring your son here, and you will see him but not have contact with him. Then I will take him to GalFed Central with me and set him free there ... are you ill?”
    Dahlgren’s heart had jumped. With an effort he let the sedative pull his body under while his mind rose above it like a floating ice-block. “No ... I am only surprised. Tell me again.”
    “We will preserve your son. I will take him to GalFed Central and set him free. Do you not understand?”
    “I understand. I am only a little sleepy.” Were those technicians destroyed? Of course. Were the rest of my men left to starve and rot in corners? Naturally. Did Haruni die in fits in my arms? Oh, yes. Can machines make mistakes? Certainly. Can they lie? Why not? “Give me the exact words as she told them to you. Please.”
    “Why, Dahlgren?”
    “The words. I only want the words.”
    “My mentor said, ‘Tell him that we will bring his son—”
    “That’s enough. Thank you.”
    “I will repeat the message for you when you waken, Dahlgren.”
    “No ... I understand perfectly well.”
    Tell him that. Tell him that. I will not die of auricular fibrillation, you fool. My father lived with it for forty years. I will not tell you that. But by God I will tell you ...
    Dahlgren slept.

THE SUN began its drop down the last quadrant of sky and the clouds banked up the