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Authors: Mike Resnick
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definition, he was a moral being cast into a thoroughly immoral world. By the judge’s definition, he was incapable of modifying his behavior, and since the world of Grafipo did not believe in the death penalty, when he was arrested and convicted for the seventh time, he was given his choice: lifetime imprisonment without parole, or banishment to a new world.
He chose the banishment.
He rejected the first three worlds they chose. It then occurred to the authorities that he had no choice in the matter, but because he had made such a fuss they decided to send him to world with which they had never had any contact. It was a planet known to its inhabitants as Earth, and it would be very difficult for him to cause the kind of disturbances there that he had caused on Grafipo. Earth had no video. It had no computers. It had only discovered the principles of flight within the past dozen years. Still, his captors knew B’narr. The trick would be to put him down in an unpopulated (or at least underpopulated) area, where his capacity for mischief would be severely limited.
A thorough survey by a trio of computerized drones concluded that there were a number of vast, empty deserts on the planet. The problem, they realized, is that sooner or later he could find his way to civilization, and based on their knowledge of him, civilization didn’t need the added problems he would bring.
They studied the surveys further, and finally hit upon a solution, not an ideal one but as close as they could come. They would deposit him on the slopes of a mountain after planting an identifying chip in his body. Then they would create an invisible barrier entirely around the base of the mountain, one that would recognize the chip but would permit every other living creature to pass.
It then became a matter of choosing the mountain. The most impressive was Everest, but the one that seemed farthest from any substantial center of population was Kilimanjaro, and they chose the latter for that reason.
It was not much later that a small ship entered the atmosphere and approached the snow-capped mountain.
"Remember," said one of the officers. "You can never leave the mountain."
"I trust you don’t mind if I try," replied B’narr.
"Not at all," said the officer. "It won’t hurt me ."
The ship hovered above a grass-covered ridge about halfway up the mountain.
"This is where you leave us," said another officer, opening the hatch.
"If you had just learned to keep your mouth shut-" said the first officer.
"In twenty seconds I will have more freedom than you have ever known," said B’narr. "I would not trade places with you for anything."
"It’s probably good that you feel that way," said the first office, "since you will live and die on this forsaken alien mountain."
B’narr walked to the hatch, and was soon being lowered to the surface. A moment later he was standing on his new world, the hatch closed, and the ship began racing for the stratosphere.
B’narr put his hands on his hips and took his first long look at the mountain where he would live and die. He knew that some of the fruits and animals would be edible; they wouldn’t have spent millions flying him here just to let him die of systemic poisoning or starvation in the first few weeks. He looked down and saw the footprints of an elephant. He had no idea what the beast looked like, but given its size he hoped that it wasn’t a carnivore.
Avians sang in the trees. He studied them until he was convinced that they presented no threat. He could see a village perhaps a mile away, but he decided not to try to make contact until he knew more about the inhabitants. He couldn’t imagine that his captors had chosen a mechanized or sophisticated world for him-and there was no sense showing himself to a people who probably didn’t know any other sentient
He chose the banishment.
He rejected the first three worlds they chose. It then occurred to the authorities that he had no choice in the matter, but because he had made such a fuss they decided to send him to world with which they had never had any contact. It was a planet known to its inhabitants as Earth, and it would be very difficult for him to cause the kind of disturbances there that he had caused on Grafipo. Earth had no video. It had no computers. It had only discovered the principles of flight within the past dozen years. Still, his captors knew B’narr. The trick would be to put him down in an unpopulated (or at least underpopulated) area, where his capacity for mischief would be severely limited.
A thorough survey by a trio of computerized drones concluded that there were a number of vast, empty deserts on the planet. The problem, they realized, is that sooner or later he could find his way to civilization, and based on their knowledge of him, civilization didn’t need the added problems he would bring.
They studied the surveys further, and finally hit upon a solution, not an ideal one but as close as they could come. They would deposit him on the slopes of a mountain after planting an identifying chip in his body. Then they would create an invisible barrier entirely around the base of the mountain, one that would recognize the chip but would permit every other living creature to pass.
It then became a matter of choosing the mountain. The most impressive was Everest, but the one that seemed farthest from any substantial center of population was Kilimanjaro, and they chose the latter for that reason.
It was not much later that a small ship entered the atmosphere and approached the snow-capped mountain.
"Remember," said one of the officers. "You can never leave the mountain."
"I trust you don’t mind if I try," replied B’narr.
"Not at all," said the officer. "It won’t hurt me ."
The ship hovered above a grass-covered ridge about halfway up the mountain.
"This is where you leave us," said another officer, opening the hatch.
"If you had just learned to keep your mouth shut-" said the first officer.
"In twenty seconds I will have more freedom than you have ever known," said B’narr. "I would not trade places with you for anything."
"It’s probably good that you feel that way," said the first office, "since you will live and die on this forsaken alien mountain."
B’narr walked to the hatch, and was soon being lowered to the surface. A moment later he was standing on his new world, the hatch closed, and the ship began racing for the stratosphere.
B’narr put his hands on his hips and took his first long look at the mountain where he would live and die. He knew that some of the fruits and animals would be edible; they wouldn’t have spent millions flying him here just to let him die of systemic poisoning or starvation in the first few weeks. He looked down and saw the footprints of an elephant. He had no idea what the beast looked like, but given its size he hoped that it wasn’t a carnivore.
Avians sang in the trees. He studied them until he was convinced that they presented no threat. He could see a village perhaps a mile away, but he decided not to try to make contact until he knew more about the inhabitants. He couldn’t imagine that his captors had chosen a mechanized or sophisticated world for him-and there was no sense showing himself to a people who probably didn’t know any other sentient
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