The orchid cage, p.15
The Orchid Cage, page 15
Later, when the first moments of panic had passed, they examined their prison. There was nothing to be seen except the six square surfaces of the hollow cube. Each one of these surfaces was comprised of the faces of two hundred and fifty-six of the cubes, arranged in a square sixteen by sixteen. In all, there were therefore one thousand five hundred and thirty-six cube-faces apparently staring into their cell, and each one was equipped with the same mysterious geometric inscription, the same glowing eye of light. That was all.
After they had felt the walls, and knocked on them and listened, there was nothing for them to do. So they sat on the floor and waited…
They waited for seven weeks.
Naturally, they couldn’t endure this without interruption, so from time to time one of them would switch off for a rest… but one always stayed behind. They developed a perseverance which seemed amazing even to themselves, but they did not give up. They often discussed plans as to how they might accelerate events, and they thought of attempting to penetrate again from the outside… but always they came back to the conclusion that there was nothing to do but wait, And so they practiced patience.
For hours they sat together, discussing, relating anecdotes, entertaining each other. For many hours they were silent , . or they stretched out on the floor and slept.
At the beginning of their eighth week, at last something happened… They were so astonished that at first they could not believe their eyes and ears. First one of the walls began to move… sliding silently to one side. This didn’t release them from their cell, for those cubes were immediately replaced by others which appeared to be identical. But then part of the new wall separated itself and slid forward. They were confronted by a cube, approximately one meter in size.
“I am your Defense,” it said.
Al and Rene were so perplexed by this development that neither of them was capable of making a response.
“I am your Defense,” the cube repeated. It was a normal human voice, but there was something indefinite about it that Rene was later able to explain: unlike a human voice which is produced by one set of vocal cords, the cubes “voice” was produced through sixty-four finely modulated vibrating membranes, activated by an electrical current,
The voice sounded again, and this time it contained the more human quality of uncertainty: “Isn’t that the right word ‘Defense’?”
At last Rene was able to speak. “Things are beginning to happen,” he said to Al.
“Yes, they are.” Al addressed the cube: “Are you a diplomat? Is someone trying to contact us through you?”
“I am sorry,” said the cube. “I do not understand everything you say. What is a diplomat? No one is trying to contact you. I am your Defense.”
Al shrugged helplessly to Rene. Then he said: “What do you mean by Defense? We are not in court.”
“But you soon will be,” declared the cube. “And I shall defend you.”
“Why should we be taken to court?” asked Rene.
A sound of astonishment emanated from the membranes. “But isn’t that the reason you have returned… to account for yourselves?”
“No,” said Rene. “We hadn’t thought of that at all.”
“We assumed it was one of your ethical principles. That if anyone of your race commits an error or a crime, then he must take the responsibility for it. Perhaps we have not comprehended everything completely. But that’s of no import. You are to appear before the court.”
Al said, “But why?”
“Because of your crimes.” Again, the sound of astonishment. “Endangerment of public security, destruction of property, illegal entry, discharging of firearms in a public place, smuggling of dutiable goods, violation of the law concerning release of radioactive contamination… above all, one hundred and twenty cases of actual grievous bodily harm, and forty-two cases of murder. That last charge might be one of manslaughter, though that is a matter for debate within the laws of the court. Therefore—”
“Stop!” shouted Rene. “This is terrible, How do you—?”
“Rene, he’s right,” Al interrupted. “Think of all that has happened on this planet at our hands. If we were to be judged according to the laws of Earth…”
The cube went on: “We confer on you the right to be judged according to your own laws. But I suggest, gentlemen, that we discuss the charges.”
“How do you speak our language?”
“We have noted down all your utterances, together with the corresponding movements, and studied them precisely. This was the reason for your protracted custody. I think we have mastered your language quite well. Unfortunately there have been certain inconsistencies in your attitude which still need to be explained.”
“Hmm. And how do you know our laws?”
“We know only a little about them. Only what we have gathered from your conversations, and your apparent codes of practice. If you wish to claim your right to be judged by those laws, then you will have to give us more precise information. Then this will be tested for logical consistency, and the trial can begin.”
“Who will give us a guarantee that we can trust you?” said
“You can examine my connections,” said the cube. Immediately, a tray slid out of one of its side faces, covered in a mass of tiny printed circuits and electronic components. “I can provide an enlargement of any particular circuit, unless of course your eyes can analyze my workings without assistance.”
“We don’t doubt your programming,” Al said hastily, and at once the tray returned into the machine’s body. “But we will be overheard.” He indicated the mass of other cubes around them.
The cube moved away slightly. “I can rectify that immediately.” At that instant all the lights in the walls extinguished. Only those of their automatic visitor remained. The impression was so oppressive that Rene shouted: “Please… turn the other lights on again!”
“As you wish,” said the cube. The lights from the other cubes returned. “This is more to your desires, I think. The other cubes provide light, but in all other respects they have been switched off. Can we now begin?”
“Are we allowed a little time to think?” said Al
“I will allow you five minutes,” said the cube, and slid rapidly back to its place with the others, as part of the wall.
“Now we know what’s going on,” said Al. “That’s made things much clearer.”
“Do you want to go through with this farce?” asked Rene. “Do you think we can still attain our goal in these circumstances?”
“Contact is the most important thing. And now we have it. First we can hear out the Defense, then the trial will almost certainly produce something of interest. And afterward …I have a plan. Listen… we will deal with all the serious parts of this affair. We will find out exactly about the relevant laws, penalties, and court procedures… and tell them to the Defense. We will tell him everything he wants to know. The exact truth, except for one thing: not a word about the synchromirror or anything to do with it. It’s simple good fortune that we haven’t talked about it so far, or if we have mentioned it they haven’t caught on. We’ll use this chance .. it’s probably our last.”
“Crazy,” said Rene, shaking his head. “But I’ll go along with it.”
Punctually at the end of five minutes, the Defense returned. “Have you decided?”
“Yes,” said Al. “We will submit to your justice. We thank you for being willing to judge us by our own laws, and we’re agreed that you shall defend us. But one more question. How long will you be at our disposal?”
“Until the end of the trial.”
“And not at all afterward?”
“Will you still need me afterward?”
“We might choose to appeal against the verdict. Or the situation might change later, and necessitate a retrial. So we will need you afterward.”
“All right,” answered the Defense. “I will remain at your disposal for as long as is necessary. But I am afraid that after the judgment that will not be the case.”
Outwardly Al revealed nothing, but inwardly he was jubilant. The first move was his. He had a hunch he could rely on the honesty of the cube. It was only an automaton, and automata are programmed to be honest.
“Then everything is in order,” he said.
The Defense was silent for a few seconds, as if gathering his thoughts, Then it said: “So I will defend you. I will do it sincerely and scrupulously, and make the best use of my abilities. I will do this to obtain for you an acquittal, though you should be apprised of the fact that you are in a difficult situation and an acquittal is unlikely. From this moment forward, anything that you say to me will be taken in confidence, unless you give me your instructions that it is not so to be taken. You can trust me implicitly. Tell me everything you know, and anything which to you is relevant to the case. The more I learn about you, the more I am in a position to help you. So let us begin.”
Their conversation lasted for one hundred and eleven hours, apart from a few moments of relaxation. At the end of this, Al and Rene agreed with the Defense that they were ready to stand trial.
Chapter 5
Reg. No. 730214240261 Concerning: Acoustic documentation Reg, No. 730214250397 The following individuals are under plaint:
1. Name: Alexander Beer-Weddington. Known as: Al.* Registration No.: 12-3-7-87608 (male) *
Place of birth: Lima (Earth) *
Date of birth: 17.12.122071*
Place of residence: Lima (Earth)
Specification: Reg. No. 7308271600089
*declared by himself (unproven)
2. Name: Rene Jonte-Okomura, Known as: Rene.* Registration No.: 12-3-6-61524 (male)*
Place of birth: Montreal (Earth) *
Date of birth: 9.3.122069*
Place of residence: Montreal (Earth) Specification: Reg. No. 7308271600090
*declared by himself (unproven)
Al and Rene were lodged inside the coordinates 873362873357/368523-368518/220867-220861. Sentence was passed on them according to their own laws under Regulation No. 7302148500629; as far as is possible under the present situation. If need be, the slightest deviations are made. According to this regulation a 64-unit complex which served as chairman, prosecution, and defense was taken from union. Random logistics simulacrum register served as judge.
Everything which follows is transcribed by simultaneous translation in the acoustic language of the accused. The document thus produced is given to defendants, their heirs or assigns, for disposal at will. The contents of the registration is likewise made into an acoustic document as an appendix.
Statement of the charge by the PROSECUTION:
On 6.8.122106 at 1004 hours, a group of three individuals climbed over the wall into the city center with the aid of a rope. On the following day, at 1256 hours, a second group of four individuals followed, using a ladder made of wire rope. All seven individuals were tested by the outer control immediately after their arrival, and registered as highly-developed intelligent organisms. Both groups passed through the city. Nothing extraordinary was established, with the exception that a few machines were set functioning. On the third day of their stay the first group of individuals entered the central office and conducted a thorough investigation of all the rooms. On the following afternoon, the second group also arrived in the office, and killed one of the individuals of the first group before he could be protected by the control-organ. A day later the remaining two individuals of the first group caused widespread destruction in the city center by irresponsible manipulation of the controls. Since the fail-safe device had been first turned off, it was impossible for the outer control to prevent this. Meanwhile, the second group were hurrying from the city wall toward the central office, in the course of which one individual came around by a previously unknown route and joined up with the first group. On the afternoon of the same day all four individuals came down to the entrance to the inner control. The two accused waited there until shortly before the explosion, while their companions had moved some distance away. While this was happening, a neutron warhead was seized, together with a mobile launching mechanism, and was removed to the edge of the inner ring. All five met there and fired the rocket toward the central control. As a consequence the entire city was destroyed. The concussion was felt in the lower regions, with the result that forty-two people were killed and one hundred and twenty were injured. What happened to the four individuals is, to this day, unclear. It was assumed at first that they had been killed by their own lack of foresight, for they were at ground-zero during the nuclear explosion.
Fourteen days later three individuals entered the danger area which had been set up as an additional safeguard. We are not yet sure how they were able to penetrate our defenses. It has been ascertained that the protective shield of force was in operation at the time, and was covering the entire planet. The three individuals were tested. It was learned during the test that one of the individuals was a semiautomatic device with vertical takeoff capabilities, and it was decided that no charges would be pressed against this individual. The other two, however, were discovered to be two of the individuals responsible for detonating the warhead. It was assumed at first that they had come to surrender themselves to justice and so they were allowed to enter the shaft, whereupon they were remanded in custody.
Since the machinery which was destroyed and the buildings which were demolished were of old and no longer usable material, it has been decided that no charges will be pressed on this score. It has also been decided not to pursue prosecution for the punishable offenses which the accused are known to have performed on each other.
The charge which we lay before the accused is therefore: first-degree murder on forty-two separate counts, and grievous bodily harm on one hundred and twenty separate counts.
DEFENSE: A case of involvement with an alien intelligence is unprecedented in our entire legal history. I should like to question whether it is possible for a being whose development and history is totally dissimilar from that of beings from another world can be said in reality to have committed a crime against those beings. If that is not the case, then I insist that the case be dismissed against my clients and that they be released immediately.
CHAIRMAN: Damage to and destruction of a highly organized complex—especially a complex of life—is a crime anywhere in the universe, and the defendants must be brought to justice.
DEFENSE: If the court does not see spatial separation, different evolution, and historical independence as creating any difficulty in performing justice on these creatures, then it might not also take these things into account in performing its duty. There is sufficient evidence to show that my clients are human beings, similar in every important way to our own charges. Only other human beings have the right to bring them to justice… it is not for us to do. I declare that this court is not authorized, and demand that my clients be released immediately. Moreover, since we owe obedience to the humans, then we should take it upon ourselves to follow the commands of my clients from this moment forward.
CHAIRMAN: Firstly, with relation to our right to practice justice: our duty to protect and obey is a duty only to the historical unity of the civilization of this planet. Secondly, it is true that we have never yet had to bring human beings to court and adjudge them. Our work has always been limited to distinguishing between guilt and innocence and to deciding on a measure of punishment, as is done by electronic data processing equipment in the home world of the accused. If we now wish to further our own powers, then it can only be done by a logical extension of our programmed method of working, in such a way that our charges—who are, after all, our prime concern—are not unfairly treated or harmed. It is important to stress that this reply in no way agrees with the viewpoint of the Defense that we should take into account the possibility that the accused are human. In other respects the question is irrelevant for we have agreed that these creatures shall be judged according to their own laws. We have examined these laws, and will follow them in spite of startling inadequacies. It is of no import whether they are robots, machines, or anything else: we are correct to judge them by their own laws.
DEFENSE: I must point out that the laws that we are about to put into practice are redundant. There has been no murder proceeding on Earth for ten thousand years.
CHAIRMAN: Nevertheless, these laws are still enforceable on Earth and therefore applicable to this court. In any event we have given the accused the choice of being judged by the laws of this land and they have rejected them. Since the Defense has no further objections, let us proceed to the evidence. I call on the Prosecuting attorney.
PROSECUTION: Defendant Alexander Beer-Weddington, would you please explain to this court why you came to this planet.
AL: In essence, it was a competition. We were seeking new planets, and any man who explored a planet could put his name to it.
PROSECUTION: What do you mean by “explore”?
AL: One has to provide a documented description of the most highly developed form of life on the planet.
PROSECUTION: And were these creatures to be abducted, murdered, or otherwise harmed?
AL: No. But there was no rule, for we had never yet found intelligent living creatures, only traces of their remains.
PROSECUTION: Why was this competition, this game, played?”
AL: As a pastime.
PROSECUTION: But there must be some purpose to it. Don’t you know of any?
AL: Many centuries ago, when Earth was passing through its atomic age, and for some time afterward, scientists sought out new planets and conducted thorough research into them… particularly into the more highly developed kinds of life. At that time, the planet was given the name of the leader of the expedition. That’s where the idea came from.
