“You must come with us right away,” Archie said. ‘This is an emergency.”
“”Now?” Nicole replied. “At this hour?”
“Yes,” said Dr. Blue. “Only the two of you. The Chief Optimizer is waiting. She’ll explain everything.”
Nicole felt her heart rate surge as the adrenaline poured
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into her system. “Do I need a coat?” she said. “Will we be leaving the city?”
For some reason, Nicole’s first thought had been that the summons was related to the child’s cry that Richard had heard after his first visit to the Embryo Bank. Was the child sick? Perhaps dying? Then why weren’t they going directly to the zoo, which was outside the dome, in the Alternate Domain?
The Chief Optimizer and her staff were indeed waiting. Two chairs were in the room. As soon as Richard and Nicole were seated, the octospider leader started speaking in color.
“We have a major crisis under way,” she said, “one that could unfortunately lead to war between our two species.” She waved a tentacle and video images began to appear on the wall. “Early today, two helicopters began ferrying human troops from the island of New York to the northernmost section of our domain, right next to the Cylindrical Sea. Our quadroid data indicate not only that your species is preparing to launch an assault against us, but also that your leader Nakamura has convinced the human populace that we are your enemy. He has obtained the support of the senate for the war effort and, in a comparatively short period of time, has created an arsenal that could inflict substantial damage on our colony.”
The Chief Optimizer stopped while Richard and Nicole watched video snapshots snowing bombs, bazookas, and machine guns being manufactured in New Eden.
“Investigative forays have been carried out during the last four days by small groups of humans on the ground and the pair of helicopters in the air. These reconnaissance missions have penetrated as far south as the barrier forest and have covered the entire cylindrical range of our territory. Almost thirty percent of our food, power, and water supply is contained in the region that the humans have reconnoitered.
‘There has been no combat, for we have offered no resistance to the exploration activities. We have, hqwever, placed signs in key places, using what we know of your language, informing the human troops that the entire South-
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ern Hemicylinder is the realm of another advanced, but peaceful, species, and requesting that the humans return to their own region. Our signs have been ignored.
“Two days ago a troublesome incident occurred. While we were harvesting grain from one of our large fields, there was a helicopter overflight. The vehicle made a nearby landing and dispatched four soldiers. Without any provocation, these humans executed the three animals doing the harvesting—the same six-armed creatures the two of you saw on your initial tour of our domain—and set fire to the grain field. Since that incident, the content of our signs has changed, and we have made it clear that any other similar behavior will be considered an act of war.
“Nevertheless, it is apparent from actions earlier today that our warnings have not been heeded and that your species is planning to start a conflict it cannot possibly win. I was today considering announcing a declaration of war, an extremely grave event in an octospider colony, with ramifications at every level of our society. Before I took the irreversible action, however, I consulted with those other optimizers whose opinions I most respected.
“The majority of my staff favored the war declaration, seeing no way of convincing your fellow humans that a conflict with us would be a disaster for them. The octospider you call Archie, however, made a proposal to my staff that we think has some small probability of working. Even though our statistical analysts say war is still the most likely outcome, our principles demand that we do everything possible to avoid war. Since Archie’s proposal requires your involvement and cooperation, we have called you here tonight.”
The Chief Optimizer stopped speaking in colors and shuffled to the side of the room. Richard and Nicoteglanced at each other. “Did your translator follow atf that?” she asked.
“Most of it,” Richard replied. “I certainly understand the gist of the situation. Do you have any questions? Or should we suggest they proceed with Archie’s proposal?”
When Nicole didn’t say anything Archie moved to the
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center of the room. “I have volunteered,” their octospider friend said, “to negotiate personally with the human leaders in an attempt to stop this conflict before it escalates into full-scale war. To accomplish this, however, I must Obviously have some help. If I suddenly appear in the camp of the human soldiers, they will kill me. Even if they do not, they will have no way of understanding what I am telling them. So some human who understands our language must accompany me to translate my colors or there’s no way that a meaningful dialogue can be started.”
After Richard and Nicole told the Chief Optimizer that they had no disagreement with the basic concept proposed by Archie, the two humans and their octospider colleague were left alone to discuss the details. .Archie’s idea was straightforward. Nicole and he would approach the camp near the Cylindrical Sea together and would request a meeting with Nakamura and the other human leaders. At that meeting Archie and Nicole would explain that the octospiders were a peace-loving species who had no territorial claims on the north side of the Cylindrical Sea. Archie would request that the humans withdraw from their camp and cease their overflights. If necessary, as a token of the goodwill of the octospiders, Archie would offer to supply quantities of food and water to help the humans through their current difficulties. A permanent relationship between the two species would be established and a treaty drafted to codify the agreement.
“Jesus,” Richard said after he finished translating Archie’s comments. “And I thought Nicole was an idealist!”
Archie did not understand Richard’s remark. Nicole patiently explained to the octospider that the leaders of New Eden were not likely to be as reasonable as Archie was assuming. “It is entirely possible,” Nicole said, to stress the danger of what Archie was proposing, “that they will kill us both before we are ever allowed to say anything.”
Archie kept insisting that what he was proposing was bound to be accepted eventually because it was clearly in the best interests of the humans living in New Eden.
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“Look, Archie,” Richard responded in frustration, “what you said is just not correct. There are many human beings, including Nakamura, who do not give a shit what is good for the colony. In fact, the common welfare is not even a factor in the subconscious objective function, to use your terms-, that governs their behavior. All they care about is themselves. Every decision is weighed in terms of whether or not it will increase their own personal power or influence. In our history, leaders have often destroyed their own countries or colonies in attempts to retain their power.”
The octospider was stubborn. “What you are describing just cannot be true in an advanced species,” Archie insisted. “The fundamental laws of evolution clearly indicate that those species whose primary value is the welfare of the group will outlast those in which the individual is supreme. Are you suggesting that human beings are an aberration of some kind, a freak of nature violating a fundamental—”
Nicole interrupted. ‘This is all very interesting, you two,” she said, “but we have some more pressing business. We must design a plan of action that has no pitfalls. . . . Richard, if you don’t like Archie’s plan, what do you suggest?”
Richard reflected for several seconds before speaking. “I believe that Nakamura has committed New Eden to this action against the octospiders for many reasons, one of which is to preclude criticism of the domestic failures by his government. I do not think he will be dissuaded from his course unless the citizens are overwhelmingly against the war, and, I’m sorry to say, I don’t think that will happen unless the colonists are convinced the war will be a disaster.”
“So you think threats are necessary?” Nicole said.
“As a minimum. What would be perfect would be a demonstration of military might by the octospiders,” Richard said.
“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Archie commented, “at least under the current circumstances.”
“Why?” Richard asked. ‘The Chief Optimizer spoke
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with confidence about winning any war that might occur. If you were to attack and utterly destroy that camp—”
“Now it is you who do not understand us,” Archie said. “Because war, or any conflict that can result in deliberate deaths, is such a nonoptimal way of resolving disputes, our colony has very strict regulations governing concerted hostile actions. Controls are built into our society to make war absolutely the solution of the last resort. We have no standing army and no stockpile of weapons, for example. And there are other restraints as well. All optimizers participating in a decision to declare war, as well as all octospiders engaging in an armed conflict, are immediately terminated after the war.”