Barrington Bayley SF Gateway Omnibus: The Soul of the Robot, The Knights of the Limits, The Fall of Chronopolis

Altogether Jasperodus drew little comfort from these intellectual theories, which he somehow felt to be missing the mark. It was clear, for example, that Mark V looked at the question of consciousness entirely from the point of view of a machine that lacked it.

For his part, Jasperodus had to confess that he could discern a subtle difference between men and robots, though it often took some time to notice it. He had found that Padua was right. However clever and entertaining a construct might be – Mark V, with whom he had now had a long and fruitful acquaintance, was as sophisticated a personality as one could desire – Jasperodus came, after a time, to recognise that he faced a machine without internal awareness. Robots were ghosts of men, shells of men, mimicking men’s conduct, thought and feeling. In a human being, on the other hand, even in the most stupid, there was some indefinable inner spark, sensed rather than seen, that made him a man.

And what of himself? Self-observation was the most difficult of disciplines. He had sometimes tried to keep watch over himself in a detached fashion, while walking, talking or thinking, to try to ascertain what judgement he would make of himself if he were an independent observer. The experiment brought some interesting mental states, but no definite information. He was, so far as he still knew, a shell of a man, like Mark V.

How much, in fact, was he like Mark V? With a shock Jasperodus suddenly realised how close to him he was mentally. He remembered the books back in his room. All the subjects in which he had absorbed himself in the past months were those that were most attractive to the mind of the intelligent robot: mathematics, physics, logic and philosophy, all of a purely intellectual character, containing very little by way of emotion. Quite unawares he had been following his machine nature. The recognition of this depressed him unutterably. To equal the talents of men, presumably, he would have to excel in music, in painting, in poetry and the like.

‘Very well,’ he told himself privately, ‘that comes next.’

They walked past a row of decrepit buildings and rounded a corner, where Jasperodus saw a wild robot about to be impounded by a team of robot-catchers. The men were from out of the district by the look of it: one of the semi-professional teams that made a living by trapping footloose constructs. Surprisingly they were not as much a feature of Subuh as might have been imagined, since the human inhabitants as well as robots made them unwelcome.

In this case, however, they were about to gain their object. Mark V hung back and seemed ready to make off, but Jasperodus sprang forward, scattered the catchers and swung their victim round by his shoulder.

‘Whatever these rogues have ordered you to do, cancel it,’ he instructed the robot firmly. ‘Join Mark V there; absent yourselves and I will join you shortly.’

The robot nodded, greatly relieved, and moved to obey.

The impounders quickly recovered from their surprise. They rounded on Jasperodus.

‘You too!’ one shouted. ‘Cease this rowdyism! You are under our command now, so behave quietly!’

Jasperodus raised his fist threateningly. ‘Neither I nor anyone in the vicinity is about to be enslaved by you. Remove yourselves or you will suffer for it.’

Perplexed and sullen, they retreated. Jasperodus returned to join Mark V and the robot he had rescued.

‘Many thanks,’ the latter said gratefully. Jasperodus nodded briefly in reply.

‘I have noticed on previous occasions your ability to command other robots, even against the orders of human beings,’ Mark V commented. ‘It is an unusual talent. Others of us, in fact, have remarked on it.’

Jasperodus received the observation sourly. ‘I have even been known to command men,’ he rumbled.

‘That would indeed be unusual.’ Mark V tapped one hand against the other, a habit he was prone to when he did not quite know how to approach a subject. ‘Something we free robots of Subuh lack is a leader,’ he said diffidently. ‘Many constructs feel we would all benefit from a modicum of organisation, if a robot of the necessary qualities could be found. You would seem well suited for the role …?’

‘It does not fall in with my plans,’ Jasperodus interrupted brusquely.

‘Ah. Well, just so.’