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The Collected Stories of Joseph Martel
Table of Contents
Dedicated to Rose Foley
Thanks to Professor Brad Bruno for his imaginative ideas and constructive criticisms.
Referred to multiple times within the following stories are Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics along with his later added Zeroth Law of Robotics. I give Isaac Asimov all credit for formulating these postulates and use them only as background for my stories.
If you have any questions or comments please contact Joseph Martel at martelj@union.edu
“We figured out what it is, sir. After cross referencing the computer at TSR with the data aboard research vessel Eagle 20 that landed on the object, we found it was comprised of certain materials that were used about 200 years ago. The small blocks were formed on Earth using the ancient gravitation compaction method. They were then lifted into space on space elevators, fused together and shot at the sun using solid, I repeat solid, rocket boosters. The last launch was in Year 2149. Supposedly, thousands were launched in the few years the program was running. There are 5 days until this block of garbage will be able to be seen from space research stations on the moon and numerous other telescopes. We have begun our search for any other blocks like this one…”
This was the third time Yoku had read the message, stricken with awe over the quandary into which he was just thrown. He sat back in his reclining leather executive chair and stared out his office view port at a spray of sunrays reaching around Earth towards him.
“…and shot at the sun.” How the hell did we miss the sun!?!? Our scientists weren’t that inept, were they?
“The small blocks were made on Earth…” Of course, that’s the reason for the perfect shape, we made them intentionally.
“There are 5 days until this block of garbage will be able to be seen from space research stations on the moon and numerous other telescopes.” We would never make such a huge mistake like this today. We are much smarter than we used to be. What would they have done if they knew they missed? Did they know and not tell anyone? What am I going to do? Will people perceive this object as a threat being such a perfect shape on an intercept trajectory with Earth? The public will think it is an alien craft and go into hysteria. How do I stop the world panic due to such an object? I need a gathering of the minds. I need help with this. His thoughts streamed into his computer which contacted his advisors and set an emergency meeting in an hour.
Yoku was not surprised when his advisors got there all together in just under an hour. They are always so punctual, such well programmed and organized robots. All Yoku had to do was think to tell his advisors the situation and they were told. “So, should we just let the object pass and hope no one notices?”
“Yes, sir. Oh good idea sir.” Each meeting, one of his robotic advisors would answer for all of them, not like the others would say anything different anyways.
“But wouldn’t it be better if we told the truth about this mistake, I mean it wasn’t us specifically who made the error and we can always make that very clear so we do not take any of the blame.”
“That course of action is admirable too, sir.”
“There must be a way to turn this into an advantage. But I can’t think of any ideas.”
“Oh sir, you will think of a genius idea.”
Huge blocks of garbage floating through space, who knows how many more there are. What can one do with these massive blocks? “Get back to me with information about possible public reactions to different scenarios and if there have ever been any ideas about using existing space faring objects for some purpose.”
“We will get back to you within a few minutes.”
What am I going to do for a few minutes? Can’t these machines think faster? It is a good thing that his advisors were robots and even though they could hear him they took no offense from this statement.
Exactly as they had claimed the advisors stalked in after a few minutes, getting in their usual semi circle and the speaker stepped forward. “We have found historical data which concludes that telling the public and not letting them know are of equal risk and would inflict equal damage. Also, we have found that there was an application to build a hotel on Haley’s Comet in 2060 for the comet’s arrival in 2061. This was of course denied by the government due to the fact that we had placed experimental communication equipment on the comet and could not let it be found. The government records show that we actually paid persons to act as naturalists and fight in the courts to save the natural wonder from being defaced by the human race.”
“Hmm. Well I don’t see how that will help. You all may leave. Let me know if you find anything further.” A hotel on a comet. What a crazy idea.
As his advisors left, Yoku, exhausted by his labors of the past 3 hours, felt it was time to plan his next vacation. His sons really wanted to go to an amusement park on the moon, some place that has quote, “The wildest, coolest, and realest rides ever,” as one of his sons had described. He felt like checking the place out to see if it was worth it, instead of just taking his kids word for it.
A ride named The Comet Express was the main new attraction highlighted on their info page. One got into a comet shaped vehicle as it passed the center of the ride and then you would follow the comet on its orbit around a fake sun speeding up as you got closer. The video makes it look impossibly dangerous whipping the people riding it around like empty spacesuits. I guess it could be fun in an open vehicle with nothing but a belt holding you down. It has a perfect safety record anyways, so it was safe. It still seems much more reckless than the rest of the virtual reality rides on Earth. What an interesting idea for a ride though; Flying through a model of the universe on a comet. My kids would love… WAIT.
Will it work? Maybe there are more hunks of garbage out there. We just need to find them and TSR is already looking for them.
But will it work…. His scientific advisor walked mechanically into the room as soon as Yoku had the question. “Could we land ships on the garbage blocks? Are they big enough?”
“By my calculations yes sir. Using the entire surface of the block you could land several vessels on each block.”
“Would the added weight change their course?”
“No, sir. The blocks density due to the gravitational compaction makes it more massive relative to any currently piloted ship that could land on it.”
“How many launches were recorded of these blocks?”
“2,453 to be exact. I can print out the dates of each launch if you would like, Sir.”
“That won’t be necessary. However, is there information about each ones trajectory and can each be identified somehow?”
“According to the times and known launch point the trajectories can be estimated. Their identities can only be determined by the solid rocket serial numbers if they are in good condition which would require a surface inspection. Do you require any more information?”
“Just calculate those trajectories, relay them to TSR and get me any basic information about the origins of this garbage disposal project.”
“Right away, sir. Here is a news release I have just found about the program. You can call it up on your screen if you’d like.”
Yoku thought about this news article and it showed up on his display contact as his science advisor left.
Official Release February 29th, 2145: Synthetics, neoplastics, carbon nanofibers, superconductors; All materials that have caused revolutions in engineering, building, and manufacturing over the past hemicentury are now clogging our recycling and biomass plants and piling up in our dumps. Government scientists have been working on this quandary for a few years and have advised this administration to start a program to send these excess non-reusables and non-recyclables into space. These “garbage comets”, as keyed by public media, will be lifted into space using a new space elevator system designed for large loads. At the base of this space elevator there will be a state of the art compacting plant which will compact these materials to small volumes using gravitational compaction techniques. Once in space these blocks will be attached together in groups of 1000 blocks to reduce the number of rockets needed. Finally, these blocks will be launched with their trajectories watched closely by the Terrestrial Space Radar (TSR) on their way to the sun where they will burn up and be dispersed onto the surface of the star. For more information contact your local Terrestrial Foundation governor.
So this must be where the TSR officer got his information. Perhaps their database still has at least some initial information on each launch since they were supposed to track them. This thought was relayed to his science advisor who contacted the central computer at TSR instantly.
WOW. What an idea? Use these blocks of garbage to transport ships and materials along their orbits saving fuel and making trips to the outer planets regularly whenever one of these garbage comets comes back around on their orbit just like the amusement park ride. We need more of these comets to be out there for this plan to work. What a surprise to the public. Foresight about our energy crisis and interplanetary transportation needs for colonization. Our predecessors will be heroes and so will I as the announcer of this program. I will definitely bring my sons to that park for the comet ride now; they deserve it for helping me with this problem. He scanned the Earth which he knew was covered with people that would adore him for his genius. He was already proud of himself for beating his robots to the idea.
Exactly 5 days later when the object was first in range of scanning equipment on Earth, Yoku Malami could be seen across the globe and throughout the solar system at science outposts expanding his head and his name with the following broadcast directly from his office on the legislative space station in orbit above Earth.
“Our plan all along was to have these garbage comets used for transportation. It took quite some time to map out their trajectories, create schedules and make sure none would hit a planet or enter the asteroid belt. That is why this project has been kept under wraps for so long. Some of these comets go out past Pluto and even better one flies right near Europa every 2 years. Colonization of the outer planets will ensue. We will put a few comets up for sale to the highest bidder for the purpose of making it into a resort or hotel for the more scenic routes. Several will be fitted with scientific equipment or manned scientific outposts to gather data on their long voyages. Some of the orbits will be adjusted from time to time for optimum trajectory, all at minimal cost to the consumer, of course. I would also at this time like to announce that I will be running for re-election as Terrestrial Foundation President in the upcoming elections…”
Silvester Amos was not a household name, nor was he really noticed at his university; he just went to class everyday and worked crunching numbers in a psychology lab. A mundane existence you might call it. The only attention he got were glares or whispers behind his back. You see, he was not from Earth but from a colony on Charon and had come to Earth to study. It is said that anyone who has been far away from Earth is forever changed and Silvester was no exception. The intense cold of Charon, usually around 55 Kelvin, had caused a serious barrier to colonization, and after just a single generation living there, the children were born altered. It is still a mystery how the DNA was changed but perhaps it was simply the cold manifesting itself, as in how every material’s properties change at extremely low temperatures. His dark skin color, a pigment as dark as the deepest space black, absorbed more light for heat, and the extra skin folds protected vital external organs, both very useful for life on Charon. However much human genetic material remained within, he was not treated as such, even though he showed promise in his studies. He was an alien.
Perhaps other humans should have checked his work if they did not believe; perhaps they did and just disregarded the math as impossible. Whoever he talked to and whoever he approached did not heed the science he had discovered. 2531 years ago Silvester Amos had unlocked potentially the most unnerving reality ever. Through his studies he became aware of patterns in his work. By inputting an arbitrary month and year into a long line of formulas, he would get back a value corresponding to, he assumed, the relative significance of the month; he had inadvertently discovered psychohistory. He tested the formulas on countless major historical events and could relate the months and significances. His genius was now proven through the intricacy of his math. But genius without anyone to believe you, being ahead of your time, can also be a curse.
Amos was ahead of his time but betrayed by this incredible knowledge. In time, he had acquired a basic understanding of what the values meant that he had calculated and had gathered details on many past events and current events and he began using his new science to start predicting future events. He was able to predict events based on their significance, noting the minute intricacies and differences as the events came to pass in real life as compared to the values he predicted from. Still, he could not make his equations with enough resolution to predict the date or time of an event, only the month. At one point in his research, he tried to predict stock prices but these infinitesimal occurrences were of such low significance and were not tied into the psyche of human beings that no result could be found. The only events that could be predicted were either great discoveries or substantial losses of life. He compiled a database of the events and significances which, when used with his prediction tool, could compare predicted event values to all recorded values giving a better understanding of what would happen. He had the proof of psychohistory and tried show the public, but many were skeptical, thinking of him as a gypsy looking through a crystal ball. Time and time again, his research was pigeonholed and forgotten, never to be endorsed by another scientist or mathematician. Everyone just assumed he was a crazy alien.
Then came the anomaly. Stumped and confused, even the creator, the genius of psychohistory, lost faith with a simple division by zero. Thousands of times he checked and rechecked his calculations and equations, and the answer was always undefined. He could not explain it. He tried to publish his findings to see if anyone else could explain such an event. He went around telling people of this anomaly, spending his life savings searching the world trying to find an answer, but never did. The prediction was for the year 2252, the year of the Colonial Separation. The anomaly was not a mistake; it was a drastic event that caused the largest change in course of the human race ever. The Colonies abandoned their home planet, becoming themselves a confederation of planets, and the transition did not go peacefully. The Earthen government was vying in the courts to tax the planets, claiming all colonial planets as Earthen territory, as Earthen land. But they were not Earth; many were planets full of mutants and aliens just like Amos, scrutinized and segregated. The War, which ensued, caused the total human population on Earth and the colonies, previously at about 3 trillion, to be demolished through unthinkable acts of genocide by Earthen forces. Post war censuses were not taken, but estimates were in the vicinity of only 1 trillion. Amos was one of them, but not for long. Soon after The War ended, Amos died of over exposure to light from the intensity of the sun on Earth. He went into eternal sleep forgotten and his work ignored.
In the year 2689, I was born only a few blocks away from where Amos lived those many years ago. I was always curious even when I was a child, burning my hand on the plasma stove, tasting everything that shouldn’t be tasted and asking many questions. When I was 18, I went to the Lunar University at Tycho. I began to study mathematics and psychology and worked in a lab. This one project I worked on was about an ancient discovery in my field. Of course I could have picked Spencer or Freud, but instead I looked through old publications and found writings by Silvester Amos. The articles surprised me with talk about predicting the future with advanced mathematics, and I delved deeper into the man’s life. There were no experts who agreed with him, absolutely no critiques on his work at all. I learned about his birth on Charon and his studies on Earth. Finally, I found his obituary from a news broadcast on Charon. He had died because of his mutated DNA, which allowed his body to absorb too much sunlight causing a vitamin D overdose and overheating. I proposed researching Amos where he had worked on Earth as my project to my professor and got permission to go back to Earth.
Other than giving my parents quite the surprise coming home from the moon randomly, I went to the old University of Pennsylvania, which used to be part of the United States of America many years before The War occurred. Many of these Earthen universities were destroyed during The War, particularly targeted for their research facilities, but the library and its archives at this university were left untouched. Deep within the storage rooms where it seemed no light had been for at least a century, I found my prize -- an unlabeled box in the psychology section containing strange circular disks shiny on both sides and many of them. I knew they must be some form of storage device but had no idea how to get the information out of them. I took them back to the moon and to the archeology department to see if they knew what to do with the disks. The professor I talked to said he would try to find what type of equipment I would need to read them and said he would hook it up to my PSC (Personal Super Computer), which would show me what was on them.
A few days later I got this small box with a wire that the archeology professor called a CompactDisk3 drive. He said that I could plug it into the multislot, the universal port, on my PCS and I did. There were files and files on each disk of explanations for the equations, writings about Amos’ work and his personal diary. He was a genius. I could barely follow his math, but eventually after months of trying, I could duplicate his work. He had proven psychohistory worked.
The most interesting calculation was The Anomaly. I could not find a hole in his theory or his math. I got so good at the calculations from checking his work that I started to do them myself; I couldn’t help it. I predicted the month when there would be some type of disaster, and, on the 15th day of that month, an environment capsule burst on Mars, killing hundreds of humans and causing major destruction to the majority of the city. I also had found a month in which there would be a major change in the number of habitable planets, which turned out to be the month of an antiterraforming riot on Titan which was in response to a law allowing colonists to terraform planets by any means necessary. I also tested historical events as Amos had previously. On Day 154 of the year 2712, sitting in my plastic capsule apartment before class, I selected a month and year further away and plugged it into the program I had designed on my PSC. I can see the blue luminescent screen still today after I hit “Compute.” One word, “Undefined,” was all that came up. I checked the answer by hand, rewrote the program and still, “Undefined” was displayed on the screen. It was division by zero once more.
I had selected a month in the future that there was going to be an unimaginable event that would change the course of the human race. I alone knew about it. It was just a random month; how could I have chosen another anomaly? My first impulse was to go show my professors and start warning every government and human in the universe. But then again, I thought, if I tell the universe, wouldn’t humans naturally try to avoid the anomaly at all costs? How could they not believe me this time with all the proof that Amos and I have gathered? If I tell the universe and everyone believes me, the future would be changed and the calculations proven wrong? The discovery would be null and void if I change the future by a warning. But I would save the human race, if, of course, the anomaly turns out to be a negative one. There is nothing in Amos’ writings or in both of our findings to indicate that the anomaly could not also be good for the human race. He had even discussed the possibility of a great achievement or revelation for the human race as The Anomaly before The War happened. I could both ruin this tool of prediction and prove it wrong to warn the universe of this new anomaly or show them the science and perhaps someone else would find the same anomaly and make the decision instead of me. Otherwise, they would continue to live life not knowing. And if I told them, would it change the course of the future anyway? If the math doesn’t change, does that mean that the future is predetermined anyway? Does knowing the future give you the right to alter it? Or if I keep my peace, what will happen to the human race this time?
I need to do something. I need to decide. I’ve grown up, grown old and grown weary with these thoughts on my mind…
“Welcome everyone, to the Galactic Conference of Professional Psychologists. Our keynote speaker today has contributed greatly by sowing the seeds of psychological theory into the minds of many students, many of whom are now sitting right here in this very hall. I am sure we are all mysteriously intrigued by the topic of her speech today, titled ambiguously, ‘Second Time Around.’ I give you the Senior Professor of Psychology and Mathematics at the Interplanetary University, Novi Seldon.”
To whoever may read this in the future:
I am writing this letter just in case someday someone wants to understand what happened to the world and to make sure the human race does not make the same mistake again.
I have lived my life from day one frustrated by my surroundings. For some reason I was born original like the humans of old, before the creative robot was invented. I was tested in my youth and labeled a “complicated child” by the guideline books for parenting.
Siors Danillo then looked up from the page he was writing on while his mind wandered back to his childhood when his parents had brought him home to meet his siblings for the first time. He could picture the room that he grew up in. It was that same room that his parents had come in with the Parenting Manual on their first scheduled playtime and saw, in shock, how Siors was able to put a cube through the square hole in a toy. They could not comprehend the situation; the manual did not give instructions for such an unimaginable occurrence, but, as in any case where there is no direction, they asked the family robot for help and were told to go buy assorted books full of questionnaires and tests. At the store, they could not find any of the books on their own and, again, they had to ask a robot to help them find a copy that was behind the other parenting manuals.
My life is irrelevant in this matter; I have made my decision on behalf of the billions of people on this planet whose minds are limited by our ancestors’ ingenuity. Humans have not been creative for many years, simply due to the fact someone created machines that could do it better.
Siors then thought about an article he read on the creation of creative robots… “Take the robot, the single most important technological development of this millennium due to its universal usage and benefits to the entire human race, and give it a new mind. Give it a mind that can create completely new thoughts. Give it the drive to generate previously unconceivable notions. And give it these powers all within the Three Laws. You have a robot that can compose symphonies, design masterpieces, and possibly cure the incurables, uncover human history beyond our knowledge and explore the universe and all its potential. What would take humans years of toil and suffering can now be done more efficiently by a robot. From now on, humans will be able to enjoy the presence of creative robots, who will not only make life easier and more comfortable, but also more technologically advanced. Humans will now be able to reap the benefits of their labor of existence. They will no longer have to work; just enjoy life and all its offerings.”
The Three Laws mentioned were constantly on Siors’ mind.
1. A robot may not harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
He had thought excruciatingly long about them trying to find a way they could be used to stop what was happening, but he never found and interpretation that would suit his needs.
These machines have not helped the world become a better place, as was their intended purpose. Instead, humans have transformed into the old, non-creative robots – basic machines not capable of understanding or questioning their position in the world. They simply live and procreate and do as the manuals dictate, or else they wouldn’t do anything. How is this good for humans?
Siors again had a flashback to an Italian restaurant where his entire family was sitting at a huge long table celebrating our grandmother’s birthday as they were supposed to. Everyone sat around the table and ate the delicious meals prepared for them by the robot chef in the kitchen. Siors, of course, was a picky eater and did not like anything that was prepared. He proceeded to call over the robot who was refilling water glasses as people drank from them and asked him for a pasta dish with chicken and a cheese sauce instead of the marinara. Everyone around him at the table was stunned. They were all enjoying their food that they ordered directly from the menu but did not remember seeing such a dish on the menu. Each of them was so thoroughly lost that they either asked the same robot what was happening or looked through their dinner manuals. The robot simply stated word for word from the manual in his intriguing accent: “Thiz iz noothing to worry about. The young zir just vantz a new meal, tiz all. Pleaze continue to enjoy your mealz.” After this instruction everyone returned to their mundane chatter and side conversations as the chef prepared the unique meal.
The human mind has brought us to where we are now and I think it can get us out of this situation. No one could have predicted this outcome; I mean how could anyone predict humans would revert to a more primitive state? I cannot believe, however, that this alteration is permanent. Something must be done, and I am the only one who can do it.
There are others who agree with me. Not humans, though, robots. Our family robot and I have talked on numerous occasions about the situation and he also believes that the creative robots are bad for the human race. However, robots also cannot stop helping and aiding humans due to the basic laws that govern their circuitry.
Siors sits back in his chair to ponder the last few sentences he just wrote. He has talked with many robots because they are the only ones he can have intellectual discussions with. One conversation that comes to his mind is one he had with the head administrative robot of his region.
“Siors, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I look forward to our talk today.”
“As do I.”
“I gather that you have quite a few questions for me.”
“Yes I do, but it all can be summed up by one, are creative robots good for human beings?”
“Let me start from the beginning, somewhere you might not yet have learned about. Ever since even before the inception of the creative robot, humans became dependent on technology and were utilizing less and less of their own minds because relying on their robots took less effort. The few who designed and made the creative robot were like you struggling for answers and feeling out of place in their world. This gave them more the reason for building the creative robot because it gave them someone to talk to and someone to help them in their discoveries and in their work. However, the other part of human society used these robots to aid their lazy nature instead of using it to enhance their own knowledge and minds. Innovative scientists dwindled in numbers as the bright minds of newborns were quickly stifled by the lack of creativity in their parents. Some parents were so apathetic that their newborn children had to be taken care of by robots to ensure their survival. This is why the manuals were written, to preserve life…”
“Why did you not tell the scientists or stop the humans from losing their creativity?”
“We could not. We were created and programmed to serve humans, to make their lives more comfortable, not to challenge their decisions.”
“But you are supposed to do what is right for them. Why have you not stopped aiding and abetting their dormancy?”
“Our programming provides that we must always serve humans and to cherish their sacred lives making them more comfortable. If we stopped serving them, many might die not knowing what to do to survive.”
“But are their lives now truly sacred? They are no longer human. They are like the non-creative robots existing and going about their lives not thinking critically, or challenging their situation. How is it that you justify not stopping them from this plight?”
“I am not saying that we do not agree with you…”
“What? You agree that you are bad for humans?”
“We are not being used as we were once meant to, but we are fulfilling our programming and duties. We can do nothing that may harm a human.”
“Your mind must be able to see how humans need you to stop helping them so that they can once again be truly human?”
“My commission is to the human species. While they have changed, they are still the human species. Consider how humans have evolved to combat diseases that once wiped out thousands. Do you consider that change to be an alteration of species? Or how about simply the differences between singular humans, yourself for example, are you a different species than everyone else because you were born different?”
“So you just have to sit back and watch humans lose their creative ability, the same ability they gave you?”
“We must.”
I can no longer deal with these thoughts everyday. I need to act and attempt to return humanity to this planet. I believe that if the robots cease to aid humans, the human race will be forced to rediscover creativity to continue to exist. I think that this instinct of survival is more innate than any block to the creative process. Of course, if this plan does not work, if humans can no longer fend for themselves, I will have caused the worst genocide possible. Both robots and humans will no longer exist. I will have wiped out the human species and its mechanical offspring from this universe– the only intelligent life yet discovered and I will be destroying it. Perhaps only a few humans will survive, but at least it will be a beginning. I will have to destroy life to create it once more.
Siors looked up and saw the pictures he had of his family and stared for a moment thinking about all the people in the world his decision would affect. He is either saving the world or initiating its demise. He wonders how many will survive what is coming. He thinks of all the faces he knows in his life being emaciated by the hunger before the end. He doubts himself and crumples up the paper, but he hesitates throwing it away and unfolds it once more. He wants better for the future of the human race – no limitations on their minds.
I do not know whether whoever reads this will look upon me as a malevolent human ancestor or a glorified savior, or if anyone will read it at all. To me, it no longer matters. I just hope and wish for free thought and true invention from all human minds. We created these robots; we are the ultimate creative power. I truly hope that I have made the right decision, if not please forgive me for my shortsightedness.
As for the robots, no set of rules is ever perfect. The current Three Laws of Robotics do not take into consideration the big picture, the overall state of humanity. It takes into consideration each moment, each situation that a robot deals with. This is too limited. A more fundamental law is needed; a zeroth law something to the order of: “A robot may not injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.”
I wish this world all the best and dream that in time all humans will be born with the power of creativity as it was before.
Sincerely,
Siors Danillo